Sailing toward efficiency

At SOM we have classes, and sometimes those classes will have an outside-of-class activity to bring a new dimension to something we're talking about. Last quarter, for example, we all went to the Lawn Club for a stock trading game, which coincided with our Investor course. In that game, we pretended to buy and trade stocks, and it was pretty fun, although probably more fun for the more extroverted among us.

This week, we all did a similar kind of activity called Sailboats, for our Operations Engine class. In this one, we were set up in different departments and asked to assemble little boats out of Lego-like blocks that were not Legos. And for each run, we had to come up with ways to cut costs and be more efficient. My assigned role was "Quality Manager," so I, you know, tried to throw out some ideas to make things better. Pictured above is the setup we got pared down to, after moving tables and firing people and generally making the whole thing run quickly and smoothly. A neat activity, it was.

Speaking of neat activities, tonight is the talent show, aka Star Search, and I'm accompanying two singers from my cohort (on the piano). One is doing a fast, lively number from The Full Monty, and the other is doing something slower and more operatic from Porgy and Bess. It's been fun practicing with them; this is just the kind of thing I wish I had done more in undergrad and am seizing the opportunity to do in grad school, because after grad school, it's not as if people send you e-mails asking if you want to help out in talent shows. Anyway, with the fun does come quite a bit of pressure, but I'm well-rehearsed. I do get nervous performing, but at least I can take a little comfort in the fact that all eyes are really on the singers. I just have to not screw up in a massive way that derails the show.

Great. Now my hands are all sweaty.