Most of the other UCLA Anderson students are sitting the Capital Markets final today; as my regular readers will remember, I passed the waiver exam for this course, so I'm sitting at home in my PJs with Mrs. V watching my beloved Manchester United play Wolfsburg in the Champions League, while my fellow classmates are regurgitating put/call strategies and bond pricing.
So since they are in the exam, I'll pick up the slack on the blog. Really, it's the least I could do.
Offside! Welbeck buries the ball into the back of the net, but is deemed offside. United should be ahead 1-0! If Welbeck is offside, it's by a foot. Mrs. V has already learned the offside rule and determines that...she'd rather go back to bed than watch football.
This week we have four exams in four days. Yesterday was Economics, today Capital Markets, tomorrow Data and Decisions -- a fancy title for statistics -- and then Accounting. Followed up by what has been billed as one of the most appealing nights at the pub, then the annual UCLA Anderson ski trip - this year, Breckenridge, Colorado.
GOAL! Brilliant cross by Nani and the shortest man on the pitch, Michael Owen, deposits it into the back of the net. Perfect end to the first half. The crowd in Wolfsburg is stunned. I cheer; Mrs. V decides to celebrate by going to the store to pick up milk. Must be some strange United tradition I've never heard of. Either way, Wolfsburg need a result here or their Champions League season is over.
I've been really impressed with the guys in the section who have kids. I can't imagine going through this quarter as I did, then coming home to kids. They say the MBA program is a great time to have kids -- the alumni of the International Business Association say that "MBA" stands for "Make Baby in America" -- because you have some flexibility on your schedule, especially after the intense first quarter.
Second half underway. Another dubious off-side call negates a great scoring chance, this time for Wolfsburg -- I'm unimpressed but will take it. Dzezko, their main attacking threat, has been awfully quiet today. Let's keep it that way. On our side, Nani needs to be introduced to Welbeck over a coffee.
My classmates are out of the finance exam. We are now halfway through exams. I know this because Ezra just sent around a video to Bon Jovi's "Living On A Prayer". (Get it? "Ohhh we're halfway there | Ohhh-Oh! Living On A Prayer!").
They score. This time Dzezko finishes off the header in the box. 1-1. Grumble. Made worse by the cheerleading announcer. United fans are unimpressed and make loads of noise. I love the German tradition of the announcer saying the first name and the fans giving the surname, though.
According to Google, today is the birthday of the creator of Popeye. I was a Popeye kid; spinach is still my favorite vegetable. One thing I am not doing a good job of is eating vegetables -- especially this week. The goal for next quarter? Eating healthy, learning to play golf, and six-pack abs.
GOAL! It all starts with Gabriel Obertan and Antonio Valencia come in for Nani and Welbeck. Maybe now they can get that coffee together. Obertan makes an instant impact, cuttin garound two Wolfsburg defenders, then making a brilliant pass to an unmarked Michael Owen, who calmly puts the ball behind the net. I cheer like Alex Ovechkin after a goal. Mrs. V celebrates by folding laundry. I'd help but don't want to distract myself from writing this post. Just five minutes to go!
GOAL! Surely it's over now. Wolfsburg are upset that no penalty was called on United after Riether was stopped by Darren Fletcher; Fletcher moved the ball quickly in transition, and Owen found himself all alone with the keeper. Owen drops it over the keeper and into the net, calm as you like. United take the match and are top seed out of the group to the knockout stages. Wolfsburg are done as CSKA Moscow take the second spot.
I love football. Now back to Accounting.
-- Sreesha
