Day 2 of Class - Tuesday

Today was the best day of the trip by far, because I finally tracked down the new Guns N' Roses CD. Before leaving the states, I found out the CD was being released on the day we arrived in Paris (a day earlier than the US). I was planning my whole arrival around finding the CD, but once we got here things just got busy between check-in, dinner, and seeing the sights. On one of our cab rides I noticed a Virign Megastore that was fairly close to the hotel. I finally decided to make the trip tonight. OK I know what you're thinking... Guns N' Roses hasn't been relevant for 15 years, no one is left in the band except Axl so it's really not GNR, dude you're in Paris and all you're worrying about is a CD, we came here to read about Paris not about GNR... I know I get it. Tough cookies. GNR is the best band ever and I know it's really not GNR and I'm going to be disappointed, but I'm still as giddy as a 12 year old at a Miley Cyrus concert. Don't deny me my joy.

So let's work today in reverse. It's currently 1 AM and I can't fall asleep for some reason. I've spent the past 3-4 hours reading homework and preparing a group project. We already know about the Virgin Records trip. Dinner tonight was at the lovely Pizza Pino, located across the square. Our waiter didn't speak English but luckily the menus have English descriptions for each disc. A lot of pointing and gesturing led to a very tasty dinner: 4 cheese ravioli, which I thought would be ravioli stuffed with 4 cheeses. Actually, it was ravioli in a 4 cheese sauce, baked in an oven. I think they even melted a few small wheels of Brie on top. Delicious.

Class was pretty uneventful today. The days are moving quicker than I thought. Lots of good information about industry analysis, key success factors, resource based views, why Nucor steel and Coach handbags are successful. Bet you wish you were here!

A few of the local students have organized a Thanksgiving dinner for Thursday night. Thankfully, we will be able to celebrate the holiday in some fashion.

The subway experiences in Paris make me long for Septa. The trains here are great. They run every few minutes and can take you almost anywhere. The ticketing system seems pretty good once you figure it out. Taking a train during rush hour is a different story though. We have to transfer between the 11 train and the RER B train at a very busy, hub-style station. At 8:30 AM, the crowds line up 4 or 5 deep, shoulder to shoulder, down the whole length of the platform. I think the train was late today because the crowd was extra thick. When a train pulls up, the crowds part ever so slightly; just enough to let the passengers off the train. Then the pushing begins. Pushing that compares to some of the fiercest rock concerts I've ever attended. Men, women, seniors, children. All of them pushing for the train. People stop pushing when the train is clearly full, but there are still a few people breathing down the back of your neck. I got left off the first train but was right on the edge of the platform, 2 inches from the edge, as the train left the station. Not the most comfortable feeling when you're standing on the edge of the platform, looking down onto the tracks with another train pulling up. Patco, Septa - I miss you... at least during Paris rush hour.

After 3 or 4 days of eating cold and runny scrambled eggs for breakfast, I think I'm developing a taste for them. They were quite tasty this morning.

Paris fun fact for today: The ground floors on elevators are "0" instead of G or L or 1. Very easy to understand. Underground floors are negative.