June 18, 2008

• the first sixty hours

  MINNEAPOLIS, MN | SYMPHONY PLACE, 13F »

   

  minneapolis!  can’t believe it, but i’m finally here in…  THE MIDWEST.  i’ve always wanted to try “the middle slice of america,” having lived on both coasts–and–so far so good.  i’m actually really enjoying things here.  here’s why:

  • the apartment.  target hooked us up with some pretty sweet corporate housing.  it’s just a block away from work, with 24/7 reception, 7th floor fitness center and skydeck with grill (including pool, jacuzzi, and–get this–tanning salon), and so much space i don’t even know what to do with myself.  the place came fully furnished, with an amazing bed (much like westin’s heavenly beds, not kidding!) and small details like a laundry basket, neutrogena bath products, and cable internet and TV.  (TV!!!  how i’ve missed thee…)  in short, i’m living fantastically, having landed one of the few “corner rooms” that have sunlight pouring in, with a gorgeous view of the city from my bedroom.  despite minneapolis’s relatively small size, it feels surprisingly like proper city living.
  • the roommates.  i live with two amazing roommates, one human and the other feline.  gabrielle, the human, is a fellow stanford MBA and a strong NF (the most important compatibility dimensions) who enjoys movie nights, occasional junk food binges, and sex and the city–just like me!  she’s also fashionable, incredibly humble, and a bit of a rockstar.  (did i mention she was a two-time olympic swimmer?)  we get along famously.  ruby, the feline, joined me on my trek to the midwest (now making her equivalently pan-american) and is currently curled up next to me asleep.  in one word, gabrielle describes her as “perfect,” because she just is.  she’s adjusting fairly well, though transporting her on the 3.5 hour flight eastward was hardly seamless.  still, she made it and is settling nicely.
  • the workplace.  target is one well-oiled machine, with a great culture to boot.  i’ve been impressed that a company of its size (employing 300,000 worldwide) has maintained such a distinctive culture and competitive edge.  did you know that target, unlike most employers–including all retailers and even professional firms like consultancies and banks–offers health insurance and vacation time for their summer interns?  i was pretty shocked to hear that a discount retailer would be so generous, relative to the industry (and outside it!).  some other perks to working at target: an employee discount, the sample product (i’m in food so today got fruit chillers, premium coffees, and blooming flower teas), and the people–who are, nearly universally, ridiculous friendly and down-to-earth.  there’s also a giant target store just across the street from headquarters, which–as some of you may know–serves as my retail therapy every now and then.  walking through a target store just puts a little skip in my step!  and it’s definitely rewarding to work for such an iconic, design-conscious brand that almost everyone loves.  it’s been great.

  minneapolis has also been home to a few of the “uncannies.”  for example:

  • turns out my 6th grade dance date is also here at target as a buyer.  i haven’t seen her since high school graduation, about 8 years ago.  we’re slated to have lunch soon.
  • i was on local TV tonight!  there’s a station just outside our apartment, and on our way home from NBA city (an ESPN zone-like sports restaurant) chanced upon the weather report being given just outside.  i jumped, screamed, and waved at the camera.  (i know, we are, like, 12.)
  • work ends promptly at 5pm, which in my book, qualifies as a little uncanny.  what does one do with that surplus of evening at his disposal?  yesterday, it was aftework drinks to 6pm, gym to 715pm, dinner at chipotle (whee!) to 9pm, and then settling in and watching LOST (i’m still on season one) to 11pm.  today it was shopping at target to 630pm, dinner at home to 8pm, the (disappointing) lakers/celtics game at NBA city to 10pm, and roomie catching-up to 11pm.  and, unbelievably, the sun doesn’t set here until 9pm, so it feels early, longer–which is refreshing.

  so things have been going rather well.  summer plans are shaping up also.  later this week, target has us going to a cooking class.  my project team is going to a baseball game.  and the diversity councils are hosting us on a boat cruise.  there’s an “MBA soiree” at a new rooftop bar, and target is even flying paul—all expenses paid–out for a special “guest weekend” packed with store tours, social activities, and downtown dinners.  i mean, really?  big consulting firms and banks don’t even do that.

  so i’m pretty optimistic for the summer.  these next nine weeks should be pretty memorable–just what i wanted (and needed) from the summer.  on sunday night over dinner at a hole-in-the-wall vietnamese restaurant a few blocks from our high-rise, rose (my roommate) and i outlined our two hopes and two concerns for our time here.  i won’t go into details, but one hope for me involved really owning this place–making minneapolis a true home and getting to know this area a lot better.  weekend trips (one planned for a lakeside cabin up north already!), photo treks, maybe even some apple or strawberry picking if that’s around.

  so be it — a summer of changes on many fronts, a summer of explorations.  here we go!

  • 1:10 am
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