Exciting times at Babson

Hello, hello-
So business school is whizzing by, I love having a life that's structured so that I feel that I'm getting a lot accomplished. Whether I am or not is debatable. Now, there's no doubt that I'm learning a ton about accounting, financial footprints, strategy, marketing, micro-economics, leadership in dynamic organization, identifying opportunity spaces and the like but whether I can put this knowledge to good use has yet to be seen. One of the cool projects that we are working on is a consulting project for Mars. I can't get into the details of it but lets just say that at the end of this project I'm going to know a lot about chocolate. These all add up to exciting times at Babson. Not to mention summitting mountains, dancing, playing basketball, and generally enjoying life.


The top five this posting are the top 5 movie trilogies of all time. I have to say these are them:
1. Lord of the Rings
2. Star Wars IV-VI
3. The Matrix
4. X-men
5. Ninja Turtles

It's not often that they get better as they go along.

BOOM

Resume Test

Resume

Pile it On!

Hello, hello
It seems to be the strategy of the Olin School of Business to pile it on. My sense of time management is going through serious analysis. I'm planning on spending 15 minutes on this post so I can get back to case study readings. It's good though, lots of interesting material. I think in other context I would be bored out of my mind reading about the history of the home appliance industry and May-Tag but in this context it's amazingly stimulating. I think this is the main reason to go to business school. To give you the context to learn what you need to do your dream job. My top 3 dreams remain to be:
1. Run the Fireplace Theater and community center with my friend Creighton Irons
- This would be a great way to keep in touch with drama which is love so much and interact with kids. Not to mention Creighton and I would have such a great time living together. We did live together so we've worked through a lot of stuff.
2. Run a chocolate factory/ work in the chocolate industry
- I've been thinking about why I want to do this, because I don't like eating chocolate. I've realized that I care about the people involved. I worked with cocoa growers in Ecuador and most of my friends like to eat and drink chocolate. It's an exciting and healthy product that I think can help the planet. So yeah, when Chris Chieco joked on my facebook page "have you saved the world yet" I kind of do want to do that through chocolate.
3. Run a summer camp a la Camp Celo
- This is another thing that I'm familiar with and heavily impacted who I was and I want to pass on those lessons.

Well my 15 minutes is drawing nigh so I'll end here with another top 5:
My top 5 favorite books
1. Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
2. Of People and Plants by Maurice Mességué
3. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
4. Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea by Gary Kinder
5. The Bible by God

Babson mean business

So, I've left Chicago and now have begun my entrepreneurial studies here at Babson College just outside of Boston. It's the first week of classes and I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that I'm already staying up late reading such things as business law and ethics, the good news is that I really enjoy my classmates and I'm confident that with the organization of the program I'm going to learn a lot and have a good time. I've also discovered

Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz The higher of these two numbers below indicates which side of your brain has dominance in your life. Realising your right brain/left brain tendancy will help you interact with and to understand others. Left Brain Dominance: (11) Right Brain Dominance: (12) Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz

Which basically means my left brain works just as hard as my right one. So yeah having a blast out here in Massachusetts though I still have a tough time spelling it. I also must mention breifly that before I began my studies I visited Ecuador for about a week and had a swell time. It was fulfilling for me because I had told my community I would visit and I like keeping my word to them. It also felt as though I hadn't left long ago and I was coming home. It's nice to have a home in Ecuador. It was also nice to see Aquila and know that she is enjoying her time down there and is being very productive, recently submitting a garbage retreival request to the local gov't and painting the world map on the school. Really great and I hope to blog again soon with more insight, or at least up load some photos. BOOM

Miles Top 5 US Cities

1. Chicago, IL
2. Austin, TX
3. Boston, MA
4. Santa Fe, NM
5. LA, CA

Yes, I'm starting a new series I like to call "The Top 5" and will range in context much like buffaloes roam the open range. I thought this group particularly appropriate as I've lived in Chicago for over 3 months and enjoyed the activity, biking, sailing, and friendliness of Chicagoans and also that I'm moving to Boston on the 28th to see if it lives up to it's 3rd place status in my heart.

My Greatest Influences During the last 9 weeks:

(not in order of importance)
The Museum of Science and Industry
Growing Power
iO Theater and Classes
Annoyance Theater
My Bicycle
Juggling

The Museum of Science and Industry is a Chicago landmark and historic site. The building where it resides was originally the site for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. After some fortuitous investing by Julius Rosenwald it became the site of the interactive, learn by doing, exhibits of the Science and Industry museum where the mission is to inspire the inventive genius in everyone. It currently houses a Boeing 747, a flight simulator, silent film actress Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle, an Omnimax theater, the U-505 German Submarine, and oh so much more. There are in fact 14 acres of museum to see and it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

I have now logged aver 30 hours of volunteer time at the museum, primarily dissecting eyeballs and owl pellets. Let me explain- I work in the Guest Programs department where we conduct 2 labs, one is owl pellet dissection and the other is cow eyeball dissection. In the owl pellet lab, guest extract rodent and other owl meal skeletons from the ball of hair and bone vomit the owls cough up. In the eyeball dissection, using scalpel and scissors we take apart an eyeball and examine everything from the lens and optic nerve to the vitrious humor and tepedum. I know a hell of a lot more about eyeball anatomy then when I started.

So that’s the where and what now I want to tell you why and how. Well as you know I’ve chosen to live in Chicago for the summer because it’s the greatest US city and I have lots of friends here. The job front however has not been kind and though I’ve signed up with a temp agency the only income I have received has been from dog walking. Volunteering at the museum allows for several favorable outcomes. One is simply to occupy my time in a place I enjoy (surrounded by science exhibits I get to geek out plenty). Two it’s opened up a whole new social avenue and I’m making friends with the staff and interns, awesome for networking. Also I get a handy discount at the museum store so if you have any requests get them in now ;). I love that I got to know the museum so well these last few months and when I get a chance I’ll come back to volunteer too. Trick in my back pocket.

Growing Power is a non-profit based out of Milwaukee with Chicago operations run by the founders daughter Erica. The founder is Will Allen and he was recently awarded a McArthur Genius award. Growing Power is an urban farming non-profit that provides up-scale restaurants with local organic food.

I’ve also been volunteering with them at various plots and helping at some of the school gardens they support. I’ve done everything from weeding to composting to harvesting, but mostly moving compost. I’ll tell you what though, on a sunny day in Chicago there is no place I would rather be then in Grant park by Buckingham fountain pulling weeds and planting beds of veggies. I also have signed up with their CSA program and receive fruits and veggies from them once a week. It only costs me $9 and saves me a hell of a lot of shopping time.

The iO theater is the home of long form improvisational theater. I’ve now completed my class there under the terrific tutelage of Craig Ehuler. My best description of improv is pretend for grownups. Luckily the performances are good enough and thought provoking and edgy enough to make it a performance art. You cannot comprehend the amount of fresh material, which is amazing, that gets played out only once on those stages, never to be performed again if only in the memories of those who saw it. While taking classes, which run $260 some dollars for 8 weeks (24hours) students are able to go see the shows being put on for free. As far as I’m concerned I made a total savings of over $260. The classes also allowed me to meet the aspiring new generation of actors and improvisers. They are a good bunch so get ready world.

The Annoyance Theater is another small theater that does some improv but more sketch reviews and scripted shows. It is home to the longest running musical in Chicago, Co-ed Prison Sluts, which was over the top raunchy and edgy when it opened in April 1988 and now seems tame or a least more common place when compared to South Park, SNL, and Two and A-half Men. My friend Thomas Whittington actually stars in this show. The establishment is only a block from my apartment so it’s very convenient. I’m interning here at the box-office as well as taking classes. A different sort of improv, one that I’m not as good at. Where iO improv is more concerned with scene work, group mind, and the Harold the Annoyance is more concerned with taking care of yourself. Again taking these classes is good prep work for if I get to teach again and also a great self-esteem booster because it feels like I’m good at the make’m ups.

My bicycle is so awesome. First of all I can ride most anywhere so it’s great transportation but also exercise and conversation piece. It’s a shwinn and it’s huge. First I went to Working Bikes but their system was chaos and all the bikes were sold before I got my hands on one. I did however help them load a container of bikes for Kenya. I ended up buying one by my house planning to sell it back in a couple of weeks. My bike is a tan road bike and I go so fast on it. I can get downtown on my bike faster than the train! Oh man I love my bike.

I’ve joined a juggling club here in Chicago and the caliber of juggler is very high. I’m way outdone but it’s great because I’m learning a ton. We meet every Monday at the gym, the Broadway Armory, which is close by where I live (it’s at Broadway and Thorndale and I bike usually) and juggle for 2 hours (though I generally show up late and only juggle for 1) then we head across the street to Moody’s for some drinks and perhaps a bite to eat. As one may guess every juggler has a strong quirky character, from matter-a-fact jokester Brian, to soft-spoken authoritative Bruce (former holder of a ball passing world record). There’s the stoner, the cool kid duo, the long haired dork, the girl who balances the broom, the guy who balanced a bowling ball on his head on the hit show Americas got Talent, and there’s Tony (the best juggler of them all).

So that’s 6, there were many more influences though, like visiting Milwaukee, piano lessons, StartingBloc meet ups, great Chicago food and the list goes on. My conclusion still is that Chicago is the greatest US city.

Perusings and Dreams

My days are now filled with house keeping, food finding, piano playing, juggling, and looking forward to improv. My food supply is brilliant as I belong to a CSA that make up a bag of produce for me weekly for only $9, and the rest of my shopping I do at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. The piano playing is coming along well, and I'll be jamming on some jazz standards in no time. The temp work is slow but I think the best way for me to get work here in the summer. Still the bottom line is that I love the city of Chicago. It's marvelous.


So I’m reluctant to write about what’s going on when things don’t go exactly according to plan and thus the delay. The bad news was that I didn’t get the summer internship with Uncommon Ground nor did I get into the UNC MBA program. Yeah, boo those things. Getting denied is a new thing for me, as far as auditioning and interviewing for previous jobs I always got the part. From my freshman year at UNC getting into Hot L Baltimore, to applying for a spot on the Habitat for Humanity’s Honduras trip- I was always chosen. I mostly believed that it was because of my confidence that people trusted my judgment that I knew what I was doing by applying… that was my choice. Well folks have stopped going along with my choice it seems. But now the good news- I got into both Claremont and Babson (which is where I want to go) and I just bought a bike. Just wait once I get excited about a prospect or an activity I’ll really get going on describing it. I’d like to mention three such things right now, one of which is a book that I’ve recently read.
The Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins is a book about a new kind of oppression, where in US development companies (power, infrastructure, etc) go into developing countries and plan development projects. The countries see the projected growth benefit and can’t deny the project so go to a global institution, such as the World Bank, for a loan. The projections of the development project are often exaggerated and the country becomes enslaved by the debt they owe because the projects don’t pay out. This is the work of an economic hit man or EHM. I found this perspective, although perhaps exaggerated, enlightening and it now becomes clear why opposition to the World Bank and other such institutions makes sense. I was also intrigued by the story because of many similarities between John Perkins and myself. He was in the Peace Corps in Ecuador, he then took the business route (which I’m doing), and is now concerned with creating a better world supported by his activities in the Ecuadorian jungle called Dream Change. Well, I’m skipping the whole exploitation part and I’m focusing on improvement for the masses. If you’ve ever wanted to verbalize activism for these causes the book is a must.
Another of the activities I’m involved with is improv and I’m taking class at iO, formerly known as the Improv Olympic before they were successfully sued by the Olympics for using there name, so now it’s just iO. By taking classes I get to see most of the shows there for free, which usually cost anywhere between $5 and $15, so it pays for itself. Improv and theater is a tricky deal for me because it’s impact and benefits are much lass concrete and are more secondary. I’ve been thinking that even though the Peace Corps volunteer activities are not always well coordinated and organized, and there are volunteers who do slack off a bit, the impact is greater than a Broadway musical, in which much more funding is needed. Broadway musical vs. Peace Corps taller (educational talk), I’d say that even when the taller is poorly attended it has great impact. I mean singing and dancing, that’s entertainment not development. I’m partly playing devils advocate here but it is difficult to explain what you accomplish from putting on a play. Perhaps it makes people introspective and better people or simply more informed. Even so I love theater and improv and to entertain. So I’m at odds here but I will continue to improvise because I feel it in my heart and it gives me great confidence.
Another of my whimsical thoughts pulled from my tumultuous mind combines these two concepts. This is the concept of dreaming your reality and making it so and the concept of finding meaning in improv. So my reality will definitely be a microcosm but it will include strong community, confident people, and delicious food (which will help make folks happy mmm, mmm). There will also be chocolate and blueberries and other healthy foods. I am of course talking about the Fireplace Theater run by Creighton and yours truly. I’m thinking that the theater will somehow be associated with the chocolate making that I envision. This could be my special slant in the chocolate world- theater chocolate! Don’t steal my idea. It would also be an educational facility and in fact Creighton and I in drafting up our ideas have used interchangeably theater and educational center. Well anyways, it’s fun to explore dreams and so I ask you now to take 5 minutes and explore your own dream, flesh is out some and dream that reality into being. Much like in the song of South Pacific, “you’ve got to have a dweam. If you don’t have a dweam. How you going to have a dweam come twoo?”
BOOM

The Castle

As mentioned previously I now live in Chicago, in a castle. Many friends, family, and random guys on the street have asked me why I moved to Chicago. The answer is simple, I love Chicago! It is my favorite US city, especially with spring coming on and the trees leafing out. The city is so diverse with so much to do (so much of it free), I mean Millennium Park is worth it alone then there are all the farmers markets
and of course the improv and my tight group of friends. It almost makes me want to put off business school and savor the moment.
Also I have promised to post photos of where I am living so here they are, Miles new abode in the castle, my room located right next to the kitchen.
So let's hear it for up town Chicago, where the sun shines, the panhandlers are numerous, and you can always eat subway. BOOM

I swear

Hello, hello
As I sit here at the Avanti Cafe on Southport Blvd. I am inspired to do a brief post to catch folks up to speed and just unload. I'm still unemployed here in Chicago and I've been going to see a myriad of improv shows. It was the Chicago Improv festival this week and Thomas Whittington helped introduce me to some big stars in the improv world, like Mick Napier and Joe Canali. My favorite show was Ike Borenholtz and Jordan Peele, who do a two man long form based on movies. They were visiting from LA so if you live out there you should check that show out at iO west. My second favorite show that was a bit sillier was the Shakespearean Improv Company that performs at iO here in Chicago Fridays at 8pm. They have a mastery of old English and quick wit that will have you in stitches just because of the absurdity of it, at some points you'll think that Shakespeare actually wrote some of what they say.
I also wanted to farther comment on my life. I'm enjoying living in the castle (I swear I'll get pictures up once I replace the download cable from my camera). I've been teaching improv with the Young Chicago Authors on Saturday morning, and after teaching English in Ecuador it is a blessing. These young high schoolers are better writers then I am. The classes have been going well and it's too bad the class is coming to an end. I've also starting volunteering with the non-profit Growing Power and spent a wonderful day weeding in the middle of Grant Park last Wednesday, right next to Buckingham Fountain. Lastly I'm taking piano lessons and will soon have the songs Summer Time and Mack the Knife under my belt. BOOM

Welcome to the Miles Blog

Yes the Ecuadorian Adventures are over and the Costa Rican Weeklies are long gone, so now that my life is “normal” (meaning I’m not living in a foreign country) how am I to keep people up to date? I didn’t want to continue sending out emails that say “I took out the trash today and worked on decreasing my foot odor” so I thought I’d start this little blog to keep folks up to date without pestering them and so I can direct folks to my new photo collection.

Let me start this blog post with a quick synopsis of What the hell are you doing Miles?
As many of you know I’ve recently moved to Chicago after bouncing around the world for awhile. The series of events and peak moments of my life that preceded this move were as such:
October 29, 1982 I was born in Albuquerque, NM in a house with a hot tub.
June 1983 the fam moves to Heritage Hills, NC.
Most of those early years I remember little besides annoying my sister and creating snow sculptures with my neighbor Brian Rahea.
Moved to Carrboro for elementary school and avoided the girls and kisses during recess.
Moved to downtown Chapel Hill, but managed to stay in the same school district and attended McDougal Middle School in Carrboro, where I still didn’t hit puberty so was the envy of all my classmates because of my zitless face. Because of the confidence I exuded won both popularity contests receiving both the McDougal and the Mustang award.
Went on to CHHS where I excelled academically and because of my sister discovered improv and theater in a big way. I continued winning awards, the We-Blow award in Chemistry, I was crowned as the Powder-Puff Queen, and gave the graduation speech in the Dean Dome.
Continued my education at UNC-Chapel Hill and majored in biology. I also gained some farm experience down-under in the family pecan business. I also had my first kiss at age 20 with a very hot lady named Joey of all things. From here on out it’s been me chasing the girls at recess.
Three important things to know about my college career: I roomed with old first grade friend Tim Matson all four years, I spent almost all of my extracurricular time in theater doing plays and improv, and my junior year I studied abroad in Costa Rica.

Once I graduated I had lots of peak experiences: I sailed from Sitka Alaska to Glacier Bay on a 45’ sailboat, I took a road trip around the US with Costa Rica buddy Chris Jager, and lived on Sustenance Farm in Bear Creek, NC with Harvey Harman and family. All this before heading out on a defining era, which was my Peace Corps experience in Ecuador.
Two years and six months later I’m back in the states and have now idea what career I want and nothing but travel plans. During the next 8 months I do not spend more than 2 weeks in any one location. My destinations included: Chapel Hill, NYC, Boulder CO, Ashland OR, Austin TX, Byron Bay Australia, Toowoomba, Alice Springs, the Kimberly Mountain range, Broome, Halls Creek, Brisbane, O’Reilys, LA, Palm Springs, Dallas, Denton TX, Boston, and Chicago. A number of these places where visited several times.

My main project during this time was to figure out what to do next. I took a two pronged approach: one was to find a dream job and do it, the second was apply to grad school.
The two approaches are accompanied by two dreams that I have which are:
Start and run a theater with long time friend and creative genius Creighton Irons
and…
Start a chocolate business/ factory (bean to bar)
So where has this all lead me: well I’ve got applications in to business school for entrepreneurship and management and I’ve moved to bloom’n Chicago.
I’m currently waiting to hear back from some job prospects and I’m furnishing my new room on 4521 Malden St., which is in fact a Castle! Stay tuned for Miles updates weekly. BOOM