Done playing Defense, back to the Run N Gun Offense

It's fair to say a lot has happened in the last week haha. I'm back in Oxford for a little more than a week as I'm done with school and am playing the job market full-time. I'll be moving back home until something happens, which could be very soon, but again, you never know. So now, I'll take you through the last week....

Wednesday was all about putting the final touches on my presentation and getting the apartment ready for my Aunt and Uncle from Lafayette, IN and their 4 kids, who stayed the night. I know you might be thinking, "Why did he want such a distraction before arguably the biggest day of his life?" I wanted them here because I never get to see them, and I knew I would stop constantly thinking about my defense, which is exactly what happened. We went out for Mexican, I showed them the campus, watched a movie with the kids, and had a nice evening. That surreal feeling of it all coming to an end was hovering all night, especially when we were uptown and going around campus. It felt like this was the end, but I knew I still had to do my thing the next day.

Thursday was the big day. I slept on my couch and got enough sleep to function. When I woke up, I learned London had been bombed and China had revalued their currency. China revaluing their currency on the same day as my defense made me laugh because I mentioned China several times in my defense. So after some morning adjustments, I was ready, waiting for my time. About 30 minutes before leaving for my defense, Ernst & Young called to let me know I would be interviewing with them next week. I went from really nervous to really excited, very intent on doing a good job. With my parents, my Uncle from Lafayette who helped me out tremendously with the paper, and my Aunt from Montana as a cheerleader, I defended my thesis in front of 4 professors. Despite going 10 minutes longer than I should've, I nailed it and successfully completed the Miami Economics Master's program. Afterward, the professors told me I had done a good job and were impressed with my work ethic throughout the year. After taking some pictures at the soon to be demolished Reid Hall, it was time to head home, mission accomplished. It was one of those days that you couldn't write a better script for, everything went as well as I could hope for, and then some.

The real reason family were in town was Friday's 80th birthday celebration for my Grandma. At our house, we hosted about 40 people for lunch, then grilled out for dinner for the family. My Grandma had a great time and showed enthusiasm I hadn't seen for a little while, so that was really good to see. Saturday was more family time, as we all went to breakfast, church, and dinner. But in between while some went to the Air Force Museum, I went shopping, yes I chose shopping with my mom and Aunt. I chose shopping because I was looking to buy a new suit, which I did at Brooks Brothers. It's black and it's sharp let me tell ya. Yesterday was more family time, but I'm glad things have settled down for a little bit so I can catch my breath. It has finally sunk in my days at Miami and Oxford are basically done. All that's left to do is move out and get a job. The best 5 years of my life (up to this point) have been the last 5 here at Miami, and it's weird thinking my life will never center around this university ever again.

And while all of this was happening, Lance Armstrong ended his professional cycling career with one last victory in the individual time trial Saturday to put the exclamation point on his 7th Tour De France title, defeating Ivan Basso by 4 minutes and 40 seconds. It was great to see Lance come up with one last big effort Saturday as he held off Jan Ullrich by 23 seconds in the time trial. It's a shame Ullrich suffered 2 crashes early in the Tour, he may have helped make Armstrong's last tour a more memorable one. You could see Ullrich become more of Armstrong's equal as the Tour went on, but he had already lost too much time to threaten Lance. Lance's 3 kids came up to the podium with him one last time to celebrate the victory, and the flag of Texas flew at the hotel for one last night. Armstrong is not the greatest cyclist or athlete to ever enter the sports world, but he may be the greatest sportsmen and competitor ever. Who else comes back from cancer to win arguably the world's toughest sporting event 7 straight years??? No one will be able to match the competitive fire and drive Armstrong had, nor will anyone be able to harness anger and rage into positive energy as Armstrong did. I hope Armstrong sticks to his word and doesn't come back; we don't need another failed comeback attempt in the world of sports.

Well, just a few more days to savor Oxford. There will be no doubt graduation in 3 weeks' time will be emotional, more so if I'm able to receive a job offer. When I graduated from high school, I was excited to be leaving and coming to Miami. When I received my bachelor's degree, it was a little more emotional because more was invested in getting through undergrad. This graduation will be emotional though. This degree required a lot more time and hard work and has put me in a position not as many have been able to reach. There will be probably at least a fist pump after I receive my diploma August 19th hehe.