tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55423192012-02-02T04:33:13.799-05:00Thistle and Maple Leaf chronicles my University of Toronto MBA experience. Along the way I will be including some interesting current events, referencing pop culture, and describing events which may or may not have happened to me. Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.comBlogger621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1113512274484158842005-04-14T15:40:00.000-05:002005-04-14T23:05:55.593-05:00

The day finally arrived for me and my Applied Portfolio Management classmates this week. We were off to Nebraska to meet with the Oracle of Omaha himself, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the world's greatest investor, Warren E. Buffett. This is truly is one of the most interesting personalities of our time. Here's a man worth in excess of $40 Billion dollars who's still at work well into his

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1113506913217486022005-04-14T13:55:00.000-05:002005-04-14T16:05:39.170-05:00

I'm happy to report today that my job search has come to a successful conclusion. I've accepted a position as an Associate Financial Engineer with Algorithics Incorporated. Check out the link for info on the company if you are so inclined. I'm very excited about this opportunity, as it is incredibly well suited to my skillset. It will be largely finance-related, but will also require some math

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1113504893663583982005-04-14T13:31:00.000-05:002005-04-14T16:51:27.506-05:00

Detroit Tigers opening day festivities went off as planned last week. Nobody in our group got seriously injured or arrested while we were downtown, and isn't that really all you can hope for when yours truly joins up with a group of Detroit's finest low-lifes for a pub crawl around the new Comerica Park to celebrate the arrival of baseball and spring weather? Now, baseball and beer are a natural

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1111443944135093622005-03-25T22:03:00.000-05:002005-03-25T22:12:23.030-05:00

That's the least appropriate thing I've seen since that redneck country band played "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" at the NBA All-Star Game halftime show.It's shaping up to be a very busy April for me. Apart from my job search being in full swing and final exams approaching like the blinding headlight of a train in a tunnel, I have a couple of trips in the works.Next weekend I'll be in Detroit for

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1109735459740854292005-03-01T20:42:00.000-05:002005-03-02T01:01:58.133-05:00

One of the things I hoped to accomplish with this blog was to have it be a resource for people who are thinking about doing an MBA and considering attending Rotman. I've tried to give a non-censored insider's perspective and post some B school-related commentary and links along the way. As you may also be aware, the official Rotman site also hosts student journals. The journalists do a good job,

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1106782016137221122005-01-26T23:26:00.000-05:002005-01-31T16:33:50.213-05:00

The winter blahs are in full effect here in Toronto. Today when I was walking past Flight Centre I found myself transfixed by that big board with the names of all the cities on it. All the places you suddenly realized you would much rather be right now. You can never get the flight for anything near the price that’s listed, but that didn’t matter. I was staring at that list the way an Atkins

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1104442007987451022004-12-30T15:27:00.000-05:002005-01-05T13:57:48.046-05:00

Greetings from Vancouver where I'm spending the holidays visiting friends and family. Christmas reading this year consisted of some light fare entitled "Quantum Investing: Quantum Physics, Nanotechnology, and the Future of the Stock Market" by Stephen R. Waite. WILL: You f*ckin' people baffle me. Spend all your money on these f*ckin' fancy books. You surround yourselves with 'em and they're the

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1103403765336430952004-12-18T13:19:00.000-05:002004-12-21T00:38:37.930-05:00

It's Saturday and first half exams finished up this morning. I just banged off 10k upstairs on the treadmill in a semi-respectable 47 minutes, replacing the restless, spastic feeling in my legs I've had all week with that good, tired feeling. Now it is time to watch some football. I'm joined here today by a fridge full of Carlsberg, a bag of microwave popcorn and the sofa. The Steelers are giving

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1103166999629027682004-12-15T21:59:00.000-05:002004-12-16T00:04:26.566-05:00

Gents: I am flabbergasted by the lack of constructive reporting that is supposed to be coming out of Toronto. It seems that our fearless journalist is either holed up in the local watering hole, drowning in his sorrows, madly in love with some new squeeze or has just stopped caring about TAML all together. You know what I say? "NONSENSE"! In his absence, I will pick up the pen and donate my

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1100721493455545392004-11-17T13:04:00.000-05:002004-11-19T20:00:26.306-05:00

Last week the Globe and Mail ran an article about how people are using their blogs to find work. This phenomenon seems to be mostly limited to IT job-seekers at present, but you never know. It seems like a trend that is bound to spread to other functional areas, including finance. It's a great way for an employer to quickly get to know an applicant, what with "organizational fit" (being liked)

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1100065144695566012004-11-10T01:33:00.000-05:002004-11-10T00:39:04.696-05:00

comes to us from Michigan, U.S.A. This is Jay & Kaori's baby girl Thea. Damn right she's cuter than yours.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1099931673669071342004-11-08T11:04:00.000-05:002004-11-08T19:27:53.693-05:00

As David Letterman is fond of saying, I don't think there's a man, woman, or child alive today who doesn't enjoy a lovely beverage. Sometimes though, it is possible that a person could enjoy too many lovely beverages. He could also spend too much money, waste time, get behind in his classes, not exercise and not write anything in his blog for two weeks. When you try to live your life a certain

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1098671578449886272004-10-24T18:44:00.000-05:002004-10-24T22:28:41.843-05:00

Yesterday the Rotman Rugby team made the 2 hour drive to London to play in the U of Western Ontario's MBA Rugby tournament. Teams were there from the Ivey School of Business (UWO), Ivey Alumni, Fanshaw and from Cornell University, who made the trip up from New York State. We were a little undermaned, but we managed to win one game out of three and generally make a pretty respectable showing. Yes,

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1097960018541555802004-10-16T15:23:00.000-05:002004-10-16T18:36:47.530-05:00

Short post this week. Keeping busy with schoolwork and interviews and living life Toronto style - whatever that means. I went to see Interpol, one of my favorite bands of the 21st century at The Docks this week. Great show and a cool, fun crowd. Yes, there are still bands worth going to see these days that wont charge you $75 for a ticket, but it seems like they are getting harder and harder to

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1097036209648952582004-10-05T21:29:00.000-05:002004-10-06T00:05:03.183-05:00

Rugby season kicked off this week, and I took part in my first game since high school. The Rotman team played against fellow MBAers from our archrival Ivey School of Business (University of Western Ontario). For those of you hip to Rugby, I'm playing Lock. This seems to consist essentially of getting down in the scrum, getting trampled on when mauls go bad, rarely touching the ball, and hitting

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1096144361743755852004-09-25T14:05:00.000-05:002004-09-25T15:43:38.596-05:00

Today is the annual crosstown football matchup between the York Lions and the UofT Varsity Blues. Little hope remains to the faithful in light of our recent performances though. So far this season, the Varsity Blues are 0-3, losing by a combined score of 216 to 22. Last season the Varsity Blues went 0-8, giving up 438 points while scoring just 42. That's a combined 0-11 since I arrived on campus.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1095306344924173652004-09-15T21:13:00.000-05:002004-09-15T22:51:32.916-05:00

Welcome to year two of TAML, it's back to school time once again for yours truly. The first week of my second (and final) year of graduate education is at hand, and already recruiting season is in full swing. I've been to three recruiting functions in the last three nights. Monday was TD Securities, yesterday was RBC Financial and tonight was Scotia Capital. I've had so much practice with

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1095290886417396402004-09-15T18:13:00.000-05:002004-09-15T18:28:06.416-05:00

Well, hockey season is over. A little earlier than usual this year. Around here folks celebrated the big win by assulting cops and injuring seniors. Got. to. love. this. town. It wasn't all violence and rioting though, big laughs abounded last night as confused Hollywoodians in town for the film festival had their limosines and taxicabs surrounded by drunken, flag-waving, face-painted, woo-hooing

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1091811613179629452004-08-06T11:05:00.000-05:002004-08-06T12:27:43.646-05:00

It's kind of quiet in here these days. We're now into the dog days of summer, or as Lileks puts it: the apogee of summer, the point when it seems so ordinary it must be eternal. The point when you feel as if there are hundred such days behind you and another hundred ahead.I've mostly taken the summer off from blogging - and the traffic to my site has dropped off to almost nothing as a result. I

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1088832394974956662004-07-02T22:47:00.000-05:002004-08-06T14:39:10.786-05:00

Michael Moore's new film Fahrenheit 911 is certainly getting all kinds of attention these days. Some people are hip to it, but others have brutally fact-checked his fat ass. Even so, it got me to thinking. If Bush was able to fix the election, knew in advance about 9-11 and staged a war just so that his buddies in the oil business would see some extra cash, then maybe he could also be responsible

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1086583339190167402004-06-06T22:48:00.000-05:002005-03-01T23:32:42.356-05:00

Blogging will be light this summer. I'll likely be limiting my posts to times when I'm actually doing something interesting, or when something goes on in the world that bears noting. In this case its mostly the latter.By way of mandatory update, I made it back from Vegas with moderate damage to both my liver and bankbook. Smarty Jones can take credit for keeping me out of total bankrupcy. I can't

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1082242098704870192004-04-17T17:48:00.000-05:002004-10-20T14:59:57.673-05:00

As the final grains of sand are about to pass through that skinny part of my First Year MBA hourglass, I'm putting the finishing touches on the last piece of the puzzle - an essay on business ethics of all things. Once I put this to bed I'm off to watch the Canucks and the Flames in game six tonight. The Canucks will win tonight of course, everyone knows that when the Flames play the Canucks get

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1081018786198940172004-04-03T13:59:00.000-05:002004-06-19T20:56:59.750-05:00

It didn't take people long to start trying to cash in on the Todd Bertuzzi incident here and here. Pick a side and have your credit card ready. (hat tip: Trev) The first year of my Rotman MBA is drawing to a close. It is still too early to have perspective on the experience and I'm still too busy with my studies to take time to reflect much on it, or to think about the difference between where

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1080280774231647972004-03-26T00:59:00.000-05:002004-03-26T01:27:30.860-05:00

You may be tempted to laugh at this photo, but you'd better think twice. Richard Simmons is taking on Ultimate Fighters now. Further to my insane Right Wing ramblings in a recent post, here is an excellent commentary by James Lileks on those who protested the one year anniversary of the liberation of Iraq this week. Definitely worth a read.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1079504560527784612004-03-17T01:22:00.000-05:002004-03-17T01:28:36.280-05:00

For those of you who are hip to the New York City rock scene (Hives, Strokes, White Stripes (yes Jay, I know they are from Detroit, but its the same damn thing)) you should also check out Interpol (lyrics to "NYC" posted below) and The Walkmen on your favorite file sharing site. I had seven faces, Thought I new which one to wear, But I'm sick of spending these lonely nights Training myself

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1079375553061296772004-03-15T13:32:00.000-05:002004-03-15T13:39:49.153-05:00

I got into a scrape today with a militant Starbucks employee. Today their coffee of the day was what they call "fair trade" certified. My comment to him was that if Starbucks really wanted to make a positive impact their coffee should be free trade certified. This touched off a debate during which he may or may not have spat in my coffee. My main point was only that if the coffee did not

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1078858826953042212004-03-09T14:00:00.000-05:002004-03-09T18:48:43.780-05:00

At Rotman this week we began the Integrative Management Challenge. The IMC stretches through the fourth quarter of first year right through to the end of the program. The premise is that teams of four compete against each other in guiding a company through a complex business simulation. Each team is responsible for all the decisions of the firm, and is accountable to a real-life board of

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1077910992451280992004-02-27T14:43:00.000-05:002004-02-27T14:51:15.950-05:00

Pick up your big names Drop a couple mil before the deadline Those dudes are outta shape, I wish they took away the redline Start to charge the fans a grand to see them play Cuz you trade em all back just for Brandon Reid's legs Huge save Cloutier, the youth of Alex Auldie but with Jovy, Ohli, Sopie, do we really need a goalie? Put away the riot gear, cuz this is the year Brian Burke for PM and

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1077584382886758362004-02-23T19:59:00.000-05:002004-06-19T20:52:27.936-05:00

If I could be anywhere on the planet this week.... I'd be in Rio.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1077470894802863882004-02-22T12:28:00.000-05:002004-02-22T13:23:55.436-05:00

Super busy this past week in MBA land. The third quarter wrapped up with exams and papers coming due one after another. In addition, the Rotman International Trading Competition went down yesterday and Friday which took a huge commitment of time and effort of the extra-curricular variety. The RITC attracted twenty teams of four this year. They came from Canada the U.S. and the U.K. You can

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1076438012381781382004-02-10T13:33:00.000-05:002004-02-11T09:20:05.076-05:00

It's TAML coming to you again direct from Toronto, the nation's leading producer of dirty snow. Looks like I dropped the ball on the whole Janet Jackson "nipplegate" thing, all the jokes have been made and all the fingers have been wagged. I feel a little bad, because when watershed events in pop culture such as this go down, people look to TAML for analysis and reaction - and I was nowhere to

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1075244516382572112004-01-27T18:01:00.000-05:002004-01-29T16:35:39.043-05:00

It's a hard Hobbit to Break. Nice to see City of God and 21 Grams get props from The Acadamy, but where is Sean Astin's supporting actor nomination for RoTK? I don't know who will win SuperBowl XXXVIII, but be smart and take the under - no way these teams will score a combined 38 points. I've also got my money on Team Euphoria in the Lingerie Bowl. Is the Lingerie Bowl demeaning to women you

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1075075692291054232004-01-25T19:08:00.000-05:002004-01-25T20:49:06.903-05:00

Today is Robbie Burns Day. To help get you in the mood to celebrate, I'm posting the lyrics to the song from which this blog takes its name: The Old Sod by Spirit of the West. It references Robbie Burns, tartan, t-towels, and various brands of scotch - what could be more Scottish? Robbie Burns Day should, in my opinion, be elevated to the status of St. Patrick's Day. Who would object to

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1074638047566309162004-01-20T17:34:00.000-05:002004-01-24T12:22:44.746-05:00

Jay's boy Howard Dean blew a major gasket last night. He sure does know the names of a lot of states though. This is the most entertaining and engaging I can ever remember the U.S. primaries being.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1073673848964521852004-01-09T13:44:00.000-05:002004-01-10T23:48:07.000-05:00

It's another addition of TAML coming to you direct from Toronto, the city where a touque is more than just a fashion statement. It was -25 degrees this morning. The weather gods were clearly displeased by my previous post. We are back in the groove at Rotman after the Christmas break, and one of the things that strikes me was the quantity and intensity of the networking that was going on

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1072558292494634402003-12-27T15:51:00.000-05:002004-08-06T14:39:45.526-05:00

Greetings from a balmy Toronto. Feels like a Vancouver winter out here this week. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. I think I'll gaze into my crystal ball here and make a few predictions for 2004 - why not, everyone else is doing it. Prime Minister: Martin (duh) U.S. President: Bush (no need for a recount this time) Dow Jones on 12/31/04: 9175 Best

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1071875350031596252003-12-19T18:09:00.000-05:002005-01-09T01:15:20.983-05:00

I have something for everyone today, but first things first... Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty we are free at last! Yes, my first semester at Rotman is in the rearview mirror and the time has come to let slack reign. I've got the next two weeks to pursue any and all of the following activities: Movies, TV, alcoholic beverages, blogging, reading non-textbooks, working on my

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1071084169161181482003-12-10T14:22:00.000-05:002003-12-10T16:51:35.560-05:00

Just a quick post today as I am in the midst of second quarter exams. I can honestly say I've never worked so hard at anything in my life. On the upside the holiday break is now within shouting distance. Next week second quarter concludes with the case competition for first year students. We are put in teams (they just love putting us in teams) and we get 24 hours to analyze a business

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1070229927515912622003-11-30T17:05:00.000-05:002003-12-19T18:11:01.860-05:00

Rotman is a demanding mistress, no doubt. But last night I was able to cast aside the book-learnin' for long enough to make it out to the movies. I've got to choose my movies carefully these days, as I get to see so few. Last nights selection was 21 Grams, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (a Mexican hombre directing his first firm in English) and starring Sean Penn and Benicio del

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1069256208427823752003-11-19T10:36:00.000-05:002003-11-19T10:46:02.140-05:00

Got to love these unis: I think the key to the big win over Montreal last night was the Canucks' pre-game prep. I sent my intern to Vancouver to cover the game for TAML - and he got into the dressing room. He says they cranked up "Slow Ride" by Foghat, shared a big cheese fondue and watched game tape of the Habs on a top-load VCR.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1069198069118910332003-11-18T18:27:00.000-05:002003-11-18T18:28:12.983-05:00

Can I get a "Hell, Yeah!'?

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1069163739810976882003-11-18T08:55:00.000-05:002003-11-19T11:01:39.826-05:00

I think there might be 2 or 3 of you devoted TAML readers who are actually considering doing what I have done - flushing your entire net worth down the toilet in pursuit of a fancy piece of paper with your name and the letters MBA on it. For the benefit of those intrepid few, and whoever else may be interested, today I'll review my impressions so far of Rotman's Corporate connections Centre.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1068595370699914572003-11-11T19:02:00.000-05:002003-11-11T19:04:41.416-05:00

Amiens, Cambrai, Passchendaele, Somme, Vimy Ridge, Ypres, Dieppe, Normandy, Juno Beach, Scheldt Lest We Forget

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1068075679590190462003-11-05T18:41:00.000-05:002003-11-05T21:22:42.616-05:00

It's been nothing but good times around here lately. The Canucks are the number one team in the NHL, the stock market has been treating me right and I'm kicking ass with my grades at Rotman. I know the Wings fans that lurk* on this blog would tell me not to get too excited about the Canucks yet, and they're probably right. In fact, I'm probably jinxing all of the above by bringing it up like

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1067697804413607662003-11-01T09:43:00.000-05:002003-11-01T10:15:15.976-05:00

Here we are the day after Halloween - All Hallow's Day. I hope everyone had a good one. By all reports, the best Halloween party east of the Playboy Mansion last night went down on Chrome Bolt Drive in Detroit Rock City. TAML sent a correspondent down to cover the festivities, but the last I heard from him was around midnite when he was strung up by his heels over a bonfire in Jay's driveway.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1066864483843550312003-10-22T18:14:00.000-05:002003-10-22T18:25:03.693-05:00

Alright, here we are right smack in the middle of first quarter exam week. As I speak, it's three down and two more to go. I've drank so much coffee this week that my skin is turning to kind of a mocha hue and my body emits the odour of Starbucks French Roast - its quite pleasant really. My blood is now estimated by doctors to actually contain 33% coffee - I'm blowing way over the legal limit.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1066783317165648182003-10-21T19:41:00.000-05:002003-10-21T19:41:56.696-05:00

Update on the Queen's Park debacle: the squirrel gangs have taken to patrolling the park on bicycles - this situation is gonna get worse before it gets better.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1066249062259311442003-10-15T15:17:00.000-05:002003-10-15T15:17:42.250-05:00

The squirrels have taken over Queen's Park. I repeat - the squirrels are in firm control of Queen's park. I walk through there today and the head squirrel got all "Warriors" on me. He said "I can let you walk through, put you got to take off your colours. If you walk through as a civilian, we got no problem - otherwise I'm gonna have to come down on you."

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1066227993509154052003-10-15T09:26:00.000-05:002003-10-15T09:54:04.286-05:00

First quarter exams start next week here at Rotman, five exams in five days, and there's a lot of pressure. In a nutshell it breaks down like this: when the investment banks come to recruit at Rotman the first thing they want to see is your transcript. Mediocre grades = no i-banking job. We're being graded on a curve of course, and everybody here is just as smart and as motivated as I am.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1065585788678745432003-10-07T23:03:00.000-05:002003-10-07T23:31:24.996-05:00

Guess who's back. Back again TAML's back. Tell a friend. I've created a monster, cuz nobody wants to see Donald no more they want TAML I'm chopped liver. Well, if you want TAML, then this is what I'll give ya. A little bit of blog mixed with some hard liquor. It's been a couple of weeks since I posted - its about time. Nothing like a little late night blogging and a Bombay and Tonic to

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1064338886367267402003-09-23T12:41:00.000-05:002003-09-23T15:41:49.750-05:00

It's becoming apparent that one of the challenges for me at Rotman will be simply finding enough hours in the day to get the most out of the program - to get the "full experience". Today for example, Bob Young, the Co-Founder and CEO of Red Hat, Inc. is in Rotman's Atrium for a guest appearance. The announcement says in part: "Bob will share his style of thinking and managing that helped him

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1063684892860802412003-09-15T23:01:00.000-05:002003-09-15T23:46:27.656-05:00

I'm absolutely buried with work right off the bat here. Absolutely brutal. It's now after midnight on a Tuesday morning, and I still have about 90 minutes of reading to do to be prepared for class tomorrow. There is literally not enough time to do it all. So here a few things to take my mind away from the work: My word of the day is "metrosexual". It describes an individual with whom

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1063250779439601342003-09-10T22:26:00.000-05:002003-09-10T22:26:19.416-05:00

Two items of note: (1) Huge Congradulations going out to Jayman tonight on his new job with a Detroit widget conglomerate. His plans for world domination are apparently back on track. Be afraid. (2) Cancel that order of Chicken de la Hoya. It will be Oscar over Sugar Shane Mosley in a tenth round KO this Saturday night. You heard it here first.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1063250298230661822003-09-10T22:18:00.000-05:002003-09-10T22:18:18.233-05:00

Tonight at TAML, in my continuing series of made-up interviews, I am pleased to welcome the City of Toronto to the blog. Toronto: How’s it going eh? DH: Just fine Toronto. Thanks for being here. Toronto: My pleasure. Since you’re new to me I’m sure you have a lot of questions. DH: Yeah, I think things will go a lot better if we get to know each other a little better. Toronto: OK, you’re

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1062812055629661672003-09-05T20:34:00.000-05:002003-09-05T21:36:59.646-05:00

OK, tonight I'm going to set the inane commentary on the back burner and put the log back in this weblog. I was in Calgary for the Labour Day weekend. Keith was out there doing his travelling salesman thing and was good enough to set me up with a free hotel room. Leaving the city during a long weekend seems to be the thing to do here in Toronto - so I was off. Keith, Dwayne and I hit some

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1062176489976976342003-08-29T12:01:00.000-05:002003-09-05T21:30:17.023-05:00

Did anybody else see Brittney Spears kiss Madonna on last night's MTV Music Video Awards?!? It stopped the whole show right in it's tracks. You're thinking to yourself "Did that just happen?" Blows TATU right out of the water as far as I'm concerned. If I ever meet Brittney in real life, I'm going to get all Chris Farley on her. It'll go like this: Me: Remember that time when, like, you

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1061523142728118292003-08-21T22:32:00.000-05:002003-08-22T15:57:15.253-05:00

I used to think my favourite character on Clone High was JFK. But now I think it just might be the robot butler/vice-principal/dehumidifier. If for some reason you still haven't seen this show - get hip. If you are already hip, go here and sign the petition to keep Clone High on the air. (This post inspired by The Sports Guy's periodic "Ramblings" columns) )" title="Comments by SquawkBox.tv"

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1061491989966178612003-08-21T13:53:00.000-05:002003-08-21T13:53:09.850-05:00

S'up with this? Sounds like its time for a good old fashioned hippie ass-whooping.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1060983338646583272003-08-15T16:35:00.000-05:002003-08-15T16:37:58.383-05:00

The worst gimmick band of all time. I vaguely remember these guys, though now I'm wishing I didn't. As if the Village People weren't bad enough, TAML gives you... THE ALL-SPORTS BAND!!!

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1060975112492899372003-08-15T14:18:00.000-05:002003-08-15T15:54:12.523-05:00

OK by now you've heard the news - massive blackouts back east. Biggest blackout in the history of North America. As for me, I was without power for about 22 hours. But at least I wasn't stuck in an airport or an elevator. The complex where I'm living consists of three highrise buildings that share a large common courtyard with grass and trees and a fountain. The managers threw a bar-b-q for

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1060754640284261362003-08-13T01:04:00.000-05:002003-08-13T19:40:00.003-05:00

This evening Thistle and Maple Leaf is very proud to be joined by the Dean of the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Roger Martin: DH: Dean, thanks for being here. Dean Martin: Thanks for having me buddy. DH: You're Dean Martin. Don't people give you a hard time over that? Dean Martin: No, why? DH: Well you know, because of that boozy rat-pack crooner. Dean

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542319.post-1057592595848800262003-07-07T10:43:00.000-05:002003-08-13T00:14:38.670-05:00

Good Morning Blogosphere! This is the inagural post on my new blog Thistle and Maple Leaf hope y'all like it, many good things to follow. I'm in Toronto from Vancouver for a week with two objectives: 1) Play some beach volleyball at Wasaga beach and 2) find a place to live in August This weekends beach tourneyment was put on by the fine folks at Toronto East Sport and Social Club They did

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14336704844960826309noreply@blogger.com0