UGH~ Winter

WHOA! What a ride to work yesterday! Buckle up, Broccoli! It's going to be a bumpy ride! The half hour drive took me the better part of an hour. The highway I live on was not bad -- but the one I turn on to go the last 26 miles to work was Hellacious! At first, it was just a little slick. But then all H broke loose. Mind you that I am going to work before 5 am, and it's still dark. It started snowing to beat anything, and I couldn't see two feet in front of the car. I had no idea if I was even still on the road. I just knew that there were no trees passing too close to me, so I was probably still all good. I saw no road signs -- I had no time to even look up to see them. It's a state highway, but, up here, there are not many markers to tell you where you are.

Eventually I did meet another car coming in the other direction. Luckily that vehicle was only going about 20 mph as well, because we were going head-on into each other. Apparently this person deals with early morning commutes in the winter as much as I did, because he/she moved over a bit at a time until we could pass safely. About five miles down the road, it had snowed enough that I could actually see where other cars had traveled. I took this tracks, ruts in the snow, really, and hoped that the ones I was following didn't belong to a car that had ended up in the ditch at some point. Once you get into someone else's ruts, it's hard to get out once you realize that they have gone where no '93 Cutlas should ever travel.

By the time I got close to the town where I actually work, the roads weren't too terrible and I was able to almost drive like a real person. It's only October! I am SO not looking forward to this commute through the woods for the next 8 months! I hope we get at least a little warmer weather before all H breaks loose for good. I'd take 45 degrees, really I would -- for a few weeks. It just all came too quick and too early!

Student Life

It has only been a year since I took time off of my MBA to embark on a new mission in my career. However, it really seems like that year has taken its toll. It's been really hard to get back into it. I'm almost through my first week, and I'm just finally getting into the swing of things. That would not be too bad, but I am doing my MBA online. There is nowhere in my small town -- or anywhere where I could even possibly commute, to achieve that type of advanced degree, so online is my only option. I do truly enjoy it -- but, as I said, it's been a tough row getting going. I think it may be because a lot of the material applies (or is applied) to different industries in which I have never had the opportunity to work. I encountered this in my BS as well as at the other school where I started my MBA.

I'm doing great on my course project, which is not due until the end of the class, and I am enjoying the weekly assignments where I am allowed to pick my own company on which to report (they are all in the restaurant industry, of course, because that is what I know). I know that I will not, nor will my body allow me to be, in this industry forever, but that is what I know, and, for now, that is where I am comfortable. At least this makes me look at other industries -- and, for the most part, ones where there is more money to be made, which is good, but I have a hard time getting into that kind of thing.

Combined with that, we have a new manu rolling out on Monday. That will invovle more staff training, reprogramming the POS computer system, and prepping all the new items for Monday. I may never leave work! But I have to leave work, because I have two assignments due tomorrow -- both of which are researched and started, but neither of which will find their final draft tonight. It's going to be a crazy adjustment, so be prepared to see many posts here about my trials and tribulations in being a restaurant manager who is attempting the seemingly far away MBA!