Getting My MBA at 48

Great Finds

I headed back over to the Antique dealers after studying most of the morning.

I spent the afternoon looking for old history books. I found an 1880 copy of Collier’s The Unabridged Works of Charles Dickens. Though the cover is messed up, all the pages are there. It is interesting to read because for one we as a society don’t talk that way any more, and when they do a revision of his works they update the language.

I also found a copy of the The American Standard Version of the Holy Bible 1901, in good condition said to be the rock of translation back in the 1890, even though it couldn’t be published till 1901.

I also found a great lithograph of Robert Vickrey, 60-year career as a living master of tempera painting. I found one I think is part of the series called Lines, Lines but I can’t find the name to this one.

I dealer had miss read the name, and was only charging $25.00, it was a buy I couldn’t pass up professional framed with the older style glass. Definitely a keeper.

I’ll try an post the picture so if anyone knows the name they can let me know.

Tags: books, history, online university, strategy, studying, success

A Visit With Friends

After arriving in Phoenix from Anchorage, a friend call and I went to see him for lunch.

His name is Pavle the General Manager of Prado at the InterConttinental Hotels and Resorts, Montelucia Resort and Spa Scottsdale, Arizona.

It is an awesome place, food is great and the atmosphere even better. I was great to catch up, he told me that he was going to open is own restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale, next to Cowboy Ciao called FnB.

I can’t wait, it is scheduled to open in a few weeks. Stop by say Hi and enjoy the great atmosphere and great food. I am told the restaurant will look like pictures from the world. Later that evening I went with Pavle to pick up some chairs from an antique dealer he also was checking out some of my older photographs to put in the store.

I used to be quite a photographer

See ya at the opening

Tags: books, food, online university, studying, success

My First Snow, Anchorage Alaska

Arriving late, because of flight delays in Phoenix because of high winds. We got into Anchorage an hour late, and it was snowing outside.

So it is my first snow fall of the year, though it really wasn’t sticking it was cool to see. They say it will be snowing again tonight, cool.

I got a great view from the hotel, and it is nice to study  in the change. We don’t leave till 2:00 a.m. so I got a few more hours to get some reading done.

The big news of the day is they are “rightsizing” our airline, closing 3 crew bases, and focusing on 4 cities 3 hubs and 1 focus city.

Like most people, we don’t know the whole story (what happens in the executives offices), but, the way they are “rightsizing” it looks like they are aligning themselves to be smaller, trying to make a profit, an setting themselves up for another merger.

I am betting a merger is and has been in the works. In the same article I was reading it talked that American was reducing and focusing on 4 hubs. If you over-lay our hubs and theirs it puts 4 hubs and 1 focus city on the East coast, 2 hubs Midwest and 1 on the West coast. It is just an option but it does make a nicer fit than before the reductions.

In my classes I have learned a lot of what CEO look at, haven’t got to accounting it is the next class. Yet there are a lot of things in Operations Management, and Strategic Management that I can see the company doing. Though they drop the ball on two groups pilots and flight attendants, they underestimated cultures differences, 4 years and running and no contract between either group.

I think the company is waiting till after December, for the appellant court decision and finishing the flight attendant contract at the first of the year. Then I think we will see a merger.

Maybe even United, but who knows. I do have one problem with all of this …

As soon as the reduction was announced and 1000 people losing their jobs the stock price went up 9%. Ok that is just crazy, that people who buy stock think it is great that losing jobs is a reason to buy stock.

I understand about the reorganization but…

Tags: Alaska, American, appellant court, delays, flight attendant, flights, flying, hubs, mergers, online university, snow, studying

Life Happens

In fact I like this saying,

I was reading an article today on Business Week, entitled “MBA Dropouts: Business School, Interrupted” by Francesca Di Meglio.

It talks about  student where things happen while they are in school, job offers, family, military, etc., and they take time off to take care of what ever it is and that most schools let them come back and finish.

For me “Life Happened”

and I was given an opportunity to go to fully accredited on-line school, Western Governors University to get my MBA. With the way my work is flying 4-5 days a week it would make it hard to go to a conventional university. I feel that life happened to me with a great opportunity.

Though I would recommend WGU to anyone, and have it is not as easy as just going on-line

There is a lot of work involved, self discipline, and self motivation. But for me it fits, allows me to better myself, obtain my goals, have my work and family life too.

I just a little while I will be flying to Phoenix from San Francisco, which will give me 2 hours of reading/studying time, then later tonight at my friends I can get a few more hours in before getting rest and working tomorrow.

I now also post a blog on Business Week / matthewpriester

Tags: business week, flight attendant, flying, happens, Human Resource Management, life, life happens, mba, online university, phoenix, san francisco, university, wgu

A Beautiful day in San Francisco

It was a beautiful day to go for a 4 mile walk, and then do some spring cleaning, well fall cleaning.

I did not pick up any trip this weekend, because there really wasn’t anything that I could pick up especially for commuting. I need to pick up for the money but I also needed the rest the test had kicked my butt and I have already started my Marketing Management  (6 chapters, 6 skillsoft modules, 1 case study to read and a 17 page essay to write)

The book is Marketing Management 12e by Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller. Have had a chance to look through it yet. I have been reading the case study.

So I want to be doing a change, as I have been talking about in previous post. I have been thinking about the mind set.

I have to work on my mind, it is like when I tell myself I need to exercise yet I feel that I can’t or don’t have the time to exercise. It is the same with this

changing my mind set, my thoughts and beliefs.

If I don’t what will it cost me.

“Virtually everything we do is to change the way we feel”

“To change virtually anything and everything we do in our lives in an instant”

Both of these quotes come from the book “Awaken the Giant Within” by Anthony Robbins

So with that I am leaving you do a little changing.

Tags: anthony robbins, awaken the giant within, management, marketing, san francisco