Classes are over!

Just delivered the last assignment for the GIM class 30 minutes ago.
That means that, apart from the Global Supply Chain Management assignment due on Monday, I am done with MBA classes.
I wish I could continue to have classes indefinetely. I like classes. I like to learn, to ask, to discuss. And I like the feeling of beeing worry-free, as the only thing you are supposed to do is pay attention.
ButI need to find a job and to write a thesis. So it is good to be finally able to concentrate on that from now on.
Pity that this last module was, in my humble opinion, way below the level of other modules, so it wasn't very enjoyable. And I was (am) sick.
They are having a reception with champagne and snacks in the next room, I should join them. But I think that my health won't allow me to drink or eat much. That also the reason I am missing out on the Hazmat Modine concert in Stuttgart in an hour. But I should be fine tomorrow.

A week in review

Well, actually a bit more than a week, as the picture below was taken two Saturdays ago. I went with 2 other colleagues, one Canadian, one French, to a very small town somewhere in the wine lands around here to a wine and castle festival with some live music. The first band was bad, the second was ok. The festival was much smaller than I expected, but the Weinschorle (whine mixed with - little - sparkling water) was plentyful and cheap. The place was called Wachenheim.

Monday saw us rowing again, as well as Wednesday. I believe that I will be able to post better pictures later during the week, as I cannot take my camera in the boat. On Wednesday I tried to row a single boat for the first time and landed 3 times in the water. Of course. But it was warm, so that wasn't a problem.
Monday was also the day when I discovered that my locked bicycle was stolen from the locked bike garage in the locked apartment building. Really upsetting.

On Tuesday I went to an interesting networking event in Stuttgart organized by the BWcon institution, on the role of business angels in start-up financing.

Thursday was a busy day. Career strategy coaching session at the business school and soccer game watching with barbecue in the same location, in company of the students of the EMAT course. It was also the day I got my push scooter as a replacement for the stolen bike.

Germany won, everybody went to the Wasserturm to commemorate.

Saturday saw me taking the train to Idstein, for a Jazz Festival in a very picturesque town. Was really fun with good company. We even did a small rock climbing stunt which reminded me of Dee's blog: Venture to the top.

Barrelhouse Jazz Band in Idstein.

Sunday saw me for some hours in Mainz, and this is the only view I had from the impressive cathedral.

Today the last MBA course for our class and my sixt in Mannheim started: Global Information Management. It started slow with an analysis of Friedman's "The world is flat" text.
The afternoon was a bit more exciting, with a quick (and I mean quick: 1000 years in 1 hour) review of the world's history based on economic cores and a tentative look on how the world might look like in the next 50 years. I am curious to see how the course progresses and how today's class integrates with the rest of the course's material.

We went to rowing practice again and I spent half an hour in the single boat once more, this time returning safe and dry to land.

And tomorrow I will be the CIO of Volkswagen of America, at least during the case study discussion.

I wish I could be in Montreal on the 26th

And see this concert:

Pat Bergeson

26 Jun 2008, 20:00
Montreal Jazz Festival

With Annie sellick and the Hot Club of nashville featuring Richard smith, Aron Till and Charlie Chadwick and Pat bergeson Opening for Leonard cohen

I just found out about Pat through the Seydel newsletter. Besides being an extraordinary harmonica player, he is also a great guitar player, guitar being his main instrument. And he is opening for Leonard Cohen, which also should be quite interesting.

But I went to Canada during the wrong season for music festivals, definetely.

Looking back at a musical period

I've played in two bands so far, both in Brazil. Unfortunately, since I got back to Germany, I didn't find bands to play with. So my musical activity has been limited to playing in my room, on the streets and in the corridors of different Business Schools around the globe. I've had the odd jam session of open mic from time to time, too.

I was looking into my music library today and found the crude recordings of some of the concerts of the second band I played with, Bunker 292 Acústico. The band was composed by a singer, a guitar player, another guitar player and myself on the harmonica. The singer and first guitar player were my cousins, and we used only acoustic instruments, which made rehearsing very easy. As a curiosity, all band members were from German decent, and a mix of German and Portuguese during rehearsals was common.

I had great fun playing with them on Sunday afternoons, which encourages me to try to get into a band as soon as possible. I am realistic enough to know that I won't be doing that while the MBA lasts, but I think music will continue to be an important part of my work/life balance (a theme that is very trendy at the moment).



Below you will find one of those recordings, I hope you enjoy it. It is already almost 5 years old and it was one of our first live concerts, so forgive any mistakes and the recording quality. The allAll band members have gotten much better now, I believe.



Plush

The first real weekend in Kingston

I can't complain that my weekend in Kingston wasn't eventful. I started it by going, by bus, out of the Kingston Bubble to buy second hand ice skates. I went as far as the Gardiners Centre and discovered a new side of Kingston, which is a city with around 140 thousand residents.
And of course I had to enjoy the nice weather and test the skates right away, which I did on the City Hall ice rink, as you can see on the album on Picasa.

In the evening, living in a co-op house paid off: I was invited to an Irish dance with other co-opers, and really enjoyed it. Pity it only happens once a month. But I also found out that there is an Irish music session happening in town, which, if assignments allow, I plan to visit tomorrow. There is even a slow Irish session for those learning, and this one I will visit with my Pady Richter tuned harmonicas to give it a try.

After the Irish dancing I met Viktoria and Marc, who literally spent their whole weekend on the Mergers and Acquisitions assignment. It is really strange that some of the courses require so much extra work, while others are comparatively mild. I believe this really damages their ability to divide their attention even

After missing Sujay due to strange scheduling, we met him by chance at the Grizzly and people even played some pool.

Sunday was less interesting, but also quite nice. And Monday awoke to Kingston covered in snow, and it snowed the whole day. I guess the winter arrived again.

What I found in the basement of my new "home" in Kingston

I arrived tired and hungry, but safe and well, in Kingston, Ontario, my last stop outside of Germany in the globe trotting MBA.
And this is what I found in the basement:


This is surely a good start here in Kingston. Other than that, the city seems deserted, it was already dark when I arrived, quite cold (the taxi driver told me -4°C) and we have about 40 cm of beautiful snow.
And I am going to bed now. See you all tomorrow.

A bit of what I heard in Bristol

If I talk about going to a harmonica convention and having lots of fun there, I imagine that many people might think this is at least a bit curious.
To give a better impression of what I heard there, I am posting the following link to a sound clip.

• Brendan Power in Bristol

This is Brendan Power, one of my favourite harmonica players ever, playing a set accompanied by an accordion player. I found this file floating around in the internet, and, although its quality is not the best, it has captured the moment well and is fun to listen to. So be my guests, enjoy!

Bajofondo Tango Club

Foo Fighters in the morning

My cousin Michael recommended the CD and I got it to check out. Really a great album, I must admit! I am enjoying it quite a lot and decided to see if I could catch them live somewhere.
And they will be playing in London soon! But the website says that the concerts are all sold out. Great for them, bad for me. But I guess this is a sign that the music industry is very much alive, despite of what the big labels want to make us believe.

Echoes, Silence, Patience And Grace

LatinNight

After Nicholas' Workshop and some OB reading, some of us went to the LatinNight in the Students' Union building. The music was good, there was a guy to show us some steps and all the tiredness that we thought we felt was forgotten. If the day started well, it surely couldn't end better.

Morphine

Rules!



If I could go back in time...

An Irish weekend

And it seems that, this time, it will be Irish. First I found the following:

Irish Music Sessions: Community Corner:

The second Friday of the month.

At Hammersmith Irish Cultural Centre, London
From 7:30pm
Price: Free

And then, by chance, I saw that Brendan Power, harmonica extraordinaire, and old acquaintance, will be playing the same venue on Saturday:

Saturday, 15 September 2007
Brendan Power
At Hammersmith Irish Cultural Centre, London
From 8:15pm (Doors 7:30pm)

On Monday I'll probably go to the blues jam at the "Ain't nothin' but..." with two or three harmonicas in the pockets. Let's see.

What I'll be doing on Sunday

It is a pitty, but the Spitz is closing now in September. I've been there on my first trip to London with Nix, a big fan of punk blues and we saw the Urban Vodoo Machine one and a half years ago.
NIX, I'll drink a vodka screwdriver in your name!