Financing

Going to talk to an SBA rep tomorrow so I can figure out my financing situation. Looks like I'll have to stump up more of the capital than I had planned.

Quit my job!

Well, two and a bit years with no update, and it's for a good reason - I was working myself to death. So I decided to quit my job, and start my own business, so I can work myself to death some more - but at least it will be for ME!

Work and more work

Thought I'd post an update. I've started work at Boston Scientific now in a Senior Financial Analyst role. This job has a STEEP learning curve - think Strategic Corporate Investment x 3. It's basically all about risk management, hedging, derivatives/calls/options, commodities management and the like. The subjects that I was really interested in learning about (a good thing) but unfortunately got stuck with who was probably one of the worst professors in Babson, Olaf Thorp (bad). Still, I think I'm getting the hang of it.

I also went to London and South Africa before I started work - some pics (actually, about 2GB worth of pics) can be found via the link below.

http://www.flickr.com/gp/96952807@N00/agwv03

Enjoy!

Provincetown harbor

Think you had a bad day?

OK, so it's not on par with people dying of starvation in Africa or getting killed in Iraq, but I had a pretty bad day today.

You see, this is Grad Week - my last (couple of) weeks at Babson. I haven't been able to attend any exercises as every single day since my exams finished has been filled with such activities as:

1. Transferring title of my old car (Jetta) from Dad to me (took 3 days)
2. Sorting out new insurance (2 days)
3. Getting inspection (1 day) - failed the bloody inspection too due to some emissions BS
4. Took to VW dealer to sort out emissions BS (5 days and $1800)
5. In fixing that another problem was created which was that the alternator got fucked up (more on this later) meaning the car would stall while being driven
6. Plus the airconditiong fucked up last week when it was 95F outside
7. taking mom shopping (every day for past 2 weeks)
8. apartment hunting (as I'm moving - in fact will be signing lease next week - this took about two weeks)
9. Driving all over fucking Boston looking at Audi A4s (I think I covered over 1500kms in 2 weeks)
10. Planning the family Cape Cod holiday (we're leaving on Sun 20th May and back on 22nd).
11. Packing up all my stuff for move on 23rd May
12. Packing my bags for my South Africa/London trip on 24th May
13. Preparing all my pre-work for Boston Scientific in time for work start date of 4th June

I seriously feel like I've been busier in the last two weeks than when I was preparing for exams. Deciding to transfer the title has been an absolute nightmare and has seriously complicated everything - we should have sold the car as is, then bought the new car as is.

Anyway, that's all the backdrop for my bad day. I was supposed to go to Aria tonight but I couldn't go as I didn't have a car. I had finally picked my new car yesterday, agreed on a price and trade in value, and was supposed to pick it (2005 Audi A4) up this morning but there was a holdup when my bank in Cincy was transferring the money, and it got delayed to the afternoon. Then when I was taking my folks to St Elizabeths Hospital for my mom’s ultrasound my car broke down – the airbag, ABS and engine check lights went on, then I started losing power while I was merging onto Soldiers Field Road. I had to pull over the side of the road and call a taxi for my folks and AAA to tow my car. Then a cop came and gave me a hard time for "being a traffic hazard" as I was pulled over on the side of the road in a merging lane!

When I get to Wellesley WV apparently the alternator was busted. As it was going to cost me $600 the service mgr suggested I just get a new battery and drive the car to the other dealer (where the Audi was, it was a Chevy dealer) and trade it in and let them sort it out. So I did that (after waiting two hours as they were on their lunchbreak) – as I was getting ready to leave they noticed an oil leak – apparently the fucking tow truck driver who towed it punctured the oil tank while attaching his towbar (or some shit like that). So they then had to fix that (they just put some epoxy or something on it so as not to charge me any extra).

Then when I was on my way to the dealer this afternoon (after finding out that the fund transfer had finally gone through) the fucking car breaks down AGAIN (on Cochituate or however the fuck you spell it Road in Framingham). I managed to pull into somebody’s parking lot and waited there for THREE HOURS in the cold and rain for a tow truck to get me. I got home at 10pm after having to again drop off the piece of shit VW at Wellesley WV. The only redeeming point of the whole fucking day was the fact that the tow truck driver lives near me and gave me a lift home. So obviously I couldn’t get the Audi today – I doubt the dealer would have been impressed if my trade in arrived via tow truck.

So I have to do it all over again tomorrow. Absolute fucking nightmare!!!!

Here's a pic of the Audi A4 I'm thinking of getting

It works!

I've been messing around with my new Sony Ericsson K790a - it's got this cool photo blog function where you take a photo and then you can upload it directly to your blog. Very cool!

Oh, and I'm graduating next Saturday (19th May). Yay! Amazing how the time has flown. After graduation I'm off with my family to Cape Cod for a couple of days, then we leave Mom and Dad in Boston and head off to South Africa on safari, then back to London for a couple of days, then I start work. I think I've found a new place to stay (at the Archstone Bear Hill in Waltham) and am now looking for a new car (hopefully an Audi A4 Quattro).

But more on that later. It works!

Mikka sleeping