Author: Mia McPherson

My birthday tour around Columbus!

Last week was my 28th birthday. Yeah, I’m old! It was a really great birthday, though, which I celebrated for about two weeks. My fantastic friends, family and boyfriend took me to all of my favorite places around the city to celebrate.

I had TWO birthday dinners at the best sushi restaurant in Columbus, Mr. Sushi. If you love sushi, especially spicy, specialty rolls, Mr. Sushi is the best place to go. It’s in Gahanna in a little strip mall, and it’s cheap and fantastic. We got a boat!

Sushi boat

I love to follow sushi with alcohol, so then I threw myself a party at my most favorite bar, Novak’s, where they allow me and my friends to act goofy and still serve us the best drinks in the city. My friends even went along with the party theme, which was wigs, and before I knew it, the place was packed full of fake hair and fun. Here’s me and my boyfriend, the silver fox!

Wig party 1a

Then, my mom came to visit for the weekend and we went to Charles Penzone in Gahanna to see my favorite stylist, Josie. Ladies, she’s the best! I have really straight, boring hair, and you think that’d be easy to cut, but somehow, stylists always mess it up. Josie knows what she’s doing, though.

After that, we had our nails done at Central Nails, also in Gahanna. I like how they turned out, but the bedside manner of the nail artists left something to be desired.

Among many other delicious meals, I also got to dine at Dirty Franks, the best junk food you can imagine (hot dogs, french fries, macaroni and cheese, funnel cakes), the Chocolate Cafe in Grandview, which I love because my clothes smell like chocolate afterward, and a oldie but a goodie – Chipotle.

I did so many other fun things, but I don’t want to go on and on and make anyone jealous of my highly refined celebration skills. But, I have put a lot of hours into researching Columbus entertainment, and I’d recommend a birthday tour, weekend tour or Winter Quarter week three (or is it four?) tour to everyone because I’m sure you all deserve it! Hit all of your favorite places with good friends and family, or try these ones, and let me know how you like them!

I love Winter Quarter!

Aside from my complaints about the unplowed parking lots, I am actually enjoying this winter quarter!

I played it smart this time and scheduled classes for only two days a week. Last quarter, I was going to class Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and even though I only had one class per evening, this schedule got old pretty fast. I felt like I didn’t have time to unwind or regroup.

However, this quarter, I decided that I would only do two days a week. And even though this means I have 12 hour days on Mondays and Wednesdays, it’s worth it to have Tuesday and Thursday off.

The classes seem pretty good, too. I have BUSMHR 840 and 847, which are Leadership Values & Decision Making and Strategy Implementation & Execution. Finally, I feel like I am learning things that apply to my career experience. And virtually no math or numbers involved so far.  Yay for me!

Does $30,000 a year include snow removal?

Apparently it does not. At least not today.

For the past ten years, I have been asking Santa Claus to bring the City of Columbus a snow plow and some rock salt. Santa is not real, though, and that is why we continue to plow our own paths on highways and side streets to school and work.

However, because it is great in so many ways, I expected more from our University. I thought the greatness would include safe and luxurious travel through the parking lots. Maybe they were cleared earlier today, but when I arrived to class at 3:00 this afternoon and left at 8:00, me and Hyundai played snow plow again, to and fro our $7,000 winter classes. So all I am asking is this:

Dear Santa Claus, or President Gordon Gee, could we please have a clear and salty parking lot this year?  Thank you!

Student discount at Qdoba!

Tonight I was sitting at home and wondering what I should eat: Chipotle or Qdoba? Chipotle or Qdoba? I decided to go to Qdoba because it’s closer to where I live and I wanted to hurry home to watch The Office.

I chose wisely because when I got to Qdoba, I saw a sign on the door that said something about $5 student burrito meals all the time!

I must say, the 3 Cheese Nachos meal is the superior Qdoba meal, but I couldn’t pass this up. I got this delicious burrito AND a drink for $5!

I’m not trying to advertise for Qdoba, and in fact, I think I like Chipotle better, but I appreciate a place that gives good deals!

qdoba

Are you a morning person?

If so, I need to know how. How did you become a morning person? Is this a life skill that your parents taught you? Have you always been the natural get-up-and-go type or did you somehow learn this later in life?

I have never been a morning person. I love my bed. I love sleeping in it and I love laying in it. I love wasting time in it and I hate getting out of it.

I’d really like to become a morning person, though – one of those people who wake up two hours before they have to and do laundry, make breakfast, do their hair nice.

I try to plan out my day, but my plan’s ruined when I wake up late and rush out the door, forgetting just about everything I planned.

Morning people – help me! Tell me how you do it. Do I need a special alarm clock or a coffee maker with a timer on it? Any and all tips are appreciated.

Also, here is a picture of my cat in bed. How can I leave this? Look how happy he is!

I love internet!

For a while, I was borrowing the neighbors’ internet connection until they recently decided to get secure. Then, I thought I could get away with not paying for the internet by using the Fisher computer lab, WiFi at Panera, etc. It was a good idea in theory, but I ended up spending more time getting to these places and scrubbing my hands in the bathroom after using a public keyboard than it was worth. So I made the decision today to pay for internet in my apartment again.

I was very excited when I realized that I didn’t actually have to go with the company that I was told I had to use. I won’t name that company in case I have to use them again one day, but only one hour into my new internet connection, I’m a much happier customer.

When I was with the “other” company, I still didn’t have internet access two months after they came to install it, for reasons that are still unknown. They gave me lots of excuses why it didn’t work, though. The third time I called tech support, one of their “senior” IT people told me that my internet wasn’t working because, “The entire internet is down.” I said, “Really? Do you have a computer on your desk?” She said, “Yes.” I said, “Is your internet working?” She said, “Ummm, yeaaaah.” It was worth paying for nothing just to have that story to tell over and over.

Is anyone out there disgruntled with their internet or cable companies? I’ve heard a lot of great stories so far!

Course Packets – are we paying twice?

Ok, so I already wrote a blog about how much I dislike buying textbooks. I hate to keep complaining, but I don’t think I dedicated enough attention to my frustration with the textbook’s ugly stepsister – the course packet.

I finally made it to Uniprint last week to buy my course packets for this quarter and I choked on my own spit when Uniprint guy told me that one of them cost over $65. For those who aren’t familiar, course packets are mainly (to my knowledge) reprinted copyright information, like case studies and journal articles. Since this is copyrighted material, I guess someone (we) have to pay to reproduce and read them. Ok, I see the point. If it’s a valuable article and it’s necessary to the class, I guess it’s necessary to buy this course packet.

However, after all my years of buying course packets, I just learned last quarter in my Organizational Behavior class that many of these articles are available through OSU’s online library system. Here’s a link to it: http://library.osu.edu/. If you click the link on the lefthand side called “Online Journals Link,” you can search most of the Harvard Business and other journals from which these articles are reproduced. I was almost going to say, “For free,” but I assume that the cost of accessing this library system is included in our tuition and fees.

Since I *obviously* declined to purchase the $65 course packet, I tried searching this system for the articles inside the packet as they appeared on my syllabus, and I did find a few.

So this makes me wonder a few things. One, why do we have to pay for an article in a course packet if we can access it through our own library system? Secondly, how are the articles in the course packet chosen, and would it be so bad to choose supplemental articles from the library system instead of making it necessary to have students pay for a Uniprint packet?

Finally, what other hidden and valuable resources are out there that I need to know about?! If you know any, do share.

Thanks!

Don’t study in bed

Now that pool season is over, I’m in search of a new place to study. I tried studying in bed yesterday, but that never works no matter how many times I try.

When it was warm, I could trick myself into believing I was having fun while studying if I sat by the pool and did it. But now that we have to take it indoors, I don’t know what to do. If I stay home to study, there’s always something more  important that needs to be done like brushing my cat or laundry or just about anything else.

I’ve also tried studying in coffee shops because it seems like the cool thing to do, but I don’t want to have to buy anything.

Does anywone know good places to study? Also, who knows what the good WiFi spots are?

Thanks!!!

I hate textbooks!!!

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog!

I was hoping I could hold off on complaints until at least day one of class, but come on, textbooks, come on.

Do you really have to cost $60 plus? And by $60 plus I really mean at least $90? Does there have to be at least two of you and then a Uniprint course packet on top of you? Not to mention the bottom-of-the-line cheap-kid WC parking pass that I bought for $80 and is only good for parking after happy hour?

I once had a class called Managerial Accounting where the textbook was optional and also available at the library. True story!

Professors, publishers, library book buyers…how do we get more of these books in the library? I’m not trying to kid anyone – I may be a “Working Professional,” but truth is, mama left her full-time job last spring and a girl needs a break!

I’ve been working in publishing for the last five years so I’m on to you “new editions.” Don’t play. Most students will most likely pay full retail price but all I’m asking is for one library copy for those less fortunate. (Me).

What does everybody think? Have textbook prices been making you max out your Discover and cry since dorm days? Do you know of any good websites to get cheap ones?

While you’re thinking, take a look at a picture of my cat on top of my Financial Accounting textbook from this summer. This one was worth it…it doubles as a learning tool and sleep aid for humans AND felines!

HPIM2428