Once your in a position of power or leadership you need this!

Monday, August 9, 2010

What you might ask do Steve Jobs (Apple CEO), Segio Marchionne (Chrysler/Fiat Ceo), Larry Ellison (Oracle CEO), Hugh Hefner (need I say more?), Kim Jong Il (dictator and douche bag extraordinaire), and Fidel Castro (dictator and douche bag extraordinaire of the previous generation) all have in common. They are all in positions of power or leadership, but more importantly they have very carefully crafted a look based on their clothing. Whether it be the standard jump suit for a dictator in "Dictator Green/Tan," the robes of the original playboy himself, or the ultra business casual look of CEO's, these men have all gone to great lengths to ensure their personal brand is associated with a certain clothing style. Someday when I become a CEO, Playboy, or Dictator (preferably dictator) I am going to need to craft myself a look. Any suggestions anyone? Jumpsuit, Robe, Business Casual, or something?

Daddy and Delilah Day

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Recently Michelle was sick on the weekend. I had spent all wek at a plant in Toledo and was a bit antsy to get out of the house and have some fun. So Delilah and I decided to hit up the Somerset mall. The one thing about the Somerset mall is that its a bit upscale. That being said somebody has to teach this girl how to shop for the finer things life. Below is a list of some of the stores we window shopped at.

I really love window shopping for incredibly expensive items. I was tempted to buy a $300 Zegna dress shirt, but thought that might need to wait until the student loans are paid off, but when that day comes I'm treating myself to a Zegna dress shirt. We also window shopped at Tiffany's and then went into the Cole Haan store. I love Cole Haan shoes, they are worth the $200 definitely. I think this is an area where Michelle and I differ. Michelle loves Old Navy and Gap, I love Zegna and Armani suits and John Hardy cufflinks.

Trip to the Car Show

Saturday, June 12, 2010

I know this may not interest many people out there, but here are a few shots from our visit to the Chrysler Employee Motorsport Association car show.

Bunch of sweet Dodge Vipers

Beautiful Lime Green

I so want a 1983 Mercedes SL300. The greatest car EVER!

You really can't beat the spoiler on the Plymouth Superbird.

Superbird Spoiler on a new Dodge Challenger

And a classic old Jag to wrap it all up.

Eat it Michelle!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Well Michelle, your not the only one who can cook in this family and blog about it, so for all those people out there that want man food, this ones for your.

I got this steak as a present to myself for graduation last night, because nothing says celebration like a fat chunk of cow meat.

First start off with a raw 20.4 oz porterhouse steak (or NY strip, t-bone, or ribeye, anything else isn't worth it in my opinion).

Next off is put on some of my favorite rub. This is Spade L ranch beef rub. It also comes in pork and chicken rub. You can only find it in Utah, and I always get it at Smith's or Kroger or whatever its called now. P.S. Thanks to Brandt for keeping my supply up. Once you have the steak all rubbed down, let it marinade for 2.5-4 hours, trust me its worth the patience.

When your ready to cook it, put some olive oil on a normal cookie sheet.

Throw that fat piece of steak down on your cookie sheet (doesn't she look beautiful).

Here's the twist as you may notice I am not grilling it. Throw it on a low broil in the oven for about 10 minutes per side. Honestly it tastes better than grilling because it sits there and just cooks in its own juices rather than surrendering them to the coals or propane fire below.

After twenty minutes, let it sit for about 5 more because the steak will continue to cook once its out of the oven. Once your ready grab a coke and go to town.

And here is the end result of all your hard work, a full stomach.

First Book Review

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Well it has only been a couple of days since I finished up my MBA work, but I was so excited to be able to read for pleasure again that I have already finished book #1. Although it was still about finance and investing, it was still a fantastic read that is incredibly well written and enjoyable to read. And for anyone out there that doesn't know what CDO, CDS, CDO^2, or EMH, stands for or who Fisher Black and Myron Scholes are, no fear, it is all explained with remarkable clarity in this book.

The book is called "The Quants: How a new breed of math whizzes conquered wall street and nearly destroyed it." What this book does better than any other writing on the current financial crisis that I have read is put everything into context. The Quants goes all the way back to the beginning of hedge funds, it doesn't just start with the 2000's. In an industry where models are built upon the past it is only reasonable that to understand our current financial system it is important to go back to the beginning and see how it evolved. This book is primarily about hedge funds and math genius' claiming to have found the ever elusive "Alpha." What this book is not about is the how to trade or the history of mutual funds or trading floors. So if your looking to gain deep insights into a few key individuals that were/are major players (the men in this book each managed hundreds of billions in assets when including leverage) in the world of finance, hedge funds, and the exotic products that helped to accelerate the downfall of our current system, this is the best one I have found.

Last Class!

Monday, April 26, 2010

You may ask what is this a picture of? Well let me tell you, it is a picture of my very last class and thing to do in business school. What a long road it has been. Honestly there were times when I didn't know if I could make it the full two years. For me this marks the end of an era, and I am experiencing mixed feelings about it. On the one hand I've been in school for nearly the last six year (minus the one year at HHI Corp. that was an odd year), but on the other hand I am ready to get out there and put my skills to the test. I love the learning in school and I think that will be missed, but then again I can't wait to start reading for pleasure again.

If anyone is thinking of b-school it is an interesting experience and one if navigated correctly very worthwhile. For now as of three weeks from today I am off to start my new adventure at Chrysler in their Leadership Development Program.

P.S. Sara and Stephen if you happen to view this blog please forgive me using your presentation as my picture for the last class.

Gamecock Baseball

Saturday, February 20, 2010

This is just another one of those stories that seem to happen to me, kind of like the haircut from the "international model" story.

So I decided to go a USC baseball game today, USC has one of the best baseball programs in the nation. I didn't have a ticket, but I just assumed that I could get a student ticket for free at the game. As I was walking up to the ticket counter this older gentleman asked me if I wanted a free ticket. I said sure, why not. So I took the ticket and looked at it and the guy said my wife couldn't come today, but the ticket is on the front row right behind home plate. At first I thought it was either BS and a fake ticket or I just lucked out really good. So I walked into the stadium with my new friend Charlie. He walked with me to our seats, which were on the front row right behind front plate. Kind of awesome. We talked for most of the game, I would say he was in his 70's or 80's. He was an assistant coach for the basketball team in the 80's, so that was cool. I don't think that I ever even told him my name, but all in all it was a great afternoon at the ballpark. Carolina ended up winning 13-3 over Duquesne.

The great thing about the game is that USC just opened and new stadium that is as nice as any AAA baseball stadium I've ever been to. It is a perfect place to watch a ballgame.