Lifestyles of the Poor and Obsolete?

Just to deviate from the birthday posts...

As a poor starving grad student living on student loans, life is supposed to be frugal and dull. Daily I am told that my MBA is becoming obsolete because "everybody's doing it." With the economic downturn, analysts suggest that jobs will still be scarce when I graduate in April 2010. What have I gotten myself into?

This weekend I found out that my research study with Ponseti International is sending me to an all-expense-paid conference this Wednesday in BELIZE. Thanks to Megan's mother-in-law, I will be spending the month of May doing market research in MOZAMBIQUE, again all expenses paid. Because of these international studies, I am eligible for full tuition scholarships next year. Now that I am an expert concerning the time value of money, I can confidently say that this project has a positive NPV. Poor and obsolete? Not this grad student!

Another Happy Birthday!

Here's my birthday girl, who shares her birthday with Uncle Jim! Happy Birthday Miss Katherine Grace!

You've had a birthday, shout hooray!!

(It's hard to find a photo of you that I'm not in!!! I must have been your favorite!)

Happy Birthday, Jimmy

Love, from your (much younger) sister! Carolyn

Jim's 50th birthday!

Happy 50th birthday to Jim - Where can 50 years have gone! I was only 25 when you were born, and now you are twice that age - and I wish I was back to 50. Anyway, we are thinking about your birth in Fort Collins and that we were thrilled to have another boy to add to the other two - just to keep life interesting and not boring. Russ and Ron were happy to have a baby brother and it was a good and busy time for all of us. You have accomplished a lot during your life - several degrees - a wonderful wife and four beautiful, or handsome, children. Beihg a Bishop was a great and growing experience for you and I know you are a better man because of it. You have provided a good living for your family - with the managing abilities of Sharman - and have persevered through times when you would have liked to do other things. We are proud of all you do and are and hope this is a happy day for you. Love you very much. Mom and Dad

Happy Birthday Whit!!!

Addendum to Family Vocabulary Lesson Number 1

Thanks to my astute granddaughters we can update the family vocabulary lesson with four significant additions:

• egregious.  Meaning, anything one doesn't like, anything that is rotten, unbecoming, obnoxious, or whatever.  In short, anything that is egregious.  One of the first words I taught my granddaughters.  I'm not sure it was a good idea since I've never heard the last of it.  Not an original word.  Just a well-traveled one.
• PU.  Short for parental unit, as substitute for mom and dad or ma and pa.  Also short for patriarchal unit, meaning father.  
• MU.  Short for matriarchal unit, or mother.
• GPU.  Short for grand patriarchal unit, or grandpa.
• GPU.  Short for grand matriarchal unit, or grandma.
• Cogniziant.  Meaning, I am not, or was not, cogniziant of this factoid.

I know there are other significant vocabulary additions out there, so I need your continued help and support in completing this vocabulary lesson so we can pass it all down to succeeding generations to improve their literacy and sophistication.

Happy Birthday to Amanda

A Family Vocabulary Lesson

Several  unique words are essential for basic communication with one another in our family.  Among these words are the following:

• extrusionate: meaning, to extrude.
• orientate:  meaning, to orientate.
• lurt: meaning, as in a-lurt, where lurt is a rare avian species that goes around looking sleepy.
• marginal costs must equal marginal revenue:  meaning, or else.  All-purpose solution to all problems.
• road trip:  borrowed from Animal House, meaning trip to 7-11 for soda and goodies.  Usually late at night.
• keeper cup: quality soda cups costing extra which are worth keeping for their special visual effects as opposed to throwaway cheapo plastic cups.
• moron:  any other driver on highway who tailgates, cuts off, looks offensive, drives unacceptable-type vehicle, or otherwise should be pulled over by highway patrol and given ticket for just being on highway.
• quality time:  time spent together with spouse and family after 11:30 at night after Leno and Letterman when people think it's time to go to bed.
• Jerk: meaning moron.  See above.
• WalMart: meaning, punishment for bad behavior.  As in, "let's go to WalMart."
  

This list is incomplete and will require the assistance of my extensive multi-level downline of descendants and heirs to my economics book library for further elaboration and completion.  

Top 5

As per request, here are the
Top 5 Things I Learned After My 1st Semester of MBA School:

1. Grades don't matter! No employer is ever going to care about my GPA, so long as I have "MBA from BYU" stamped after my name. As my friend Devin says, "Take a knee and take a B."
2. I'm still not actually qualified to do anything.
3. Connections will get you farther than any GMAT score ever will.
4. MBA's in general are ridiculous over-achievers who need to have more fun.
5. I don't like wearing business suits. I would still rather wear my Brazilian flip flops, flared jeans, and t-shirt every day. Apparently I haven't actually grown up yet. Go figure.

Purple bike for Christmas

New purple bicycle for Christmas

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to our extended family from D & V.  May you find it in your hearts to repent and post comments, photos, and pearls of wisdom on this blog in the year 2009, thus assuring its perpetuity as a family meeting place.