'Twas the night before Harvard

Well, as my kids would say, "it's just one more sleep" until Harvard.  I'm pleased to say it's 11pm and I've completed all of the case readings, uploaded a brief bio and completed the two online surveys as pre-requisites for the program.  And I've made notes for all of the case assignment questions too.

It was a beautiful day in Boston today - cool (temperatures ranged from 6-13 degrees celsius) but with stunning blue skies.  I had lunch at Papa Razzi - an Italian restaurant along the Newbury St shopping strip of Back Bay - Boston, and stayed there for about 4 hours doing my Harvard readings.

A working lunch at Papa Razzi Italian Restaurant

Soaking up the sunshine at Papa Razzi restaurant - almost got a tan despite the cool temperatures

After lunch I enjoyed a leisurely walk back to my hotel past some of the shops.

shops on Newbury Street - Back Bay, Boston - lots of people out and about

 I went inside a stunning 3-storey Ralph Lauren store, impressed by the history in the store created by the furnishings and the numerous portraits that lined the staircase walls (my colleagues at Spicers would have appreciated the "look and feel" that Ralph Lauren had created there).

Somewhat to my excitement, I then noticed across the street was a Victoria's Secret store!!  I've never been into a Victoria's Secret store and haven't seen a catalogue for years, but I have to say I was extremely disappointed.  The store experience was not that different to a Bras n Things shop in Australia and didn't meet any of my expectations about the mystique, quality or service that I'd formed from previous encounters with the brand. I didn't buy anything :-(

The gates to what I thought was going to be an expensive shopping experience.  Sadly I was disappointed.

When I got back to my hotel room the urge for sleep overtook me again and I settled into another 3hr afternoon nap - how divine!  It seems I'm following in my father's footsteps...  (when I was a child, my darling, workaholic father would sleep during most of our holidays, somehow catching up in those two weeks on the sleep he'd deprived his body of  throughout the rest of the year due to his demanding work habits)

I did some work in my hotel room and in need of a change of scenery made my way to the in-house bar for a casual dinner... clam chowder and a glass of Australian(!) Shiraz (Innocent Bystander).  This became my evening workstation and I was quite productive despite the background music which included Queen, Dire Straits, Fleetwood Mac and one gentleman in the bar who insisted on whistling along to every song. LOL

My working dinner.  Are you seeing a pattern here?

Anyway I finished off my Harvard readings and I'm looking forward to the week's program and then returning to Back Bay next weekend with a bit more time to explore the city without the pressure of study.

So what does the first day of my Harvard program look like:

11am-1.30pm

• Registration, including check-in to my on-campus accommodation

2-2.30pm

• Opening Session

2.30-3.45pm

• Oprah Winfrey Case

4-5.15pm

• Leadership in Crisis - Ernest Shackleton and Epic Voyage of the Endurance (to Antarctica)

5.15-5.30pm

• Group Reflection

5.45-7.15pm

• Board of Advisors Meeting

7.30-9pm

• Dinner

A great day ahead, but a few hours of work for my "real job" before I get to sleep.

I'm filled with an incredible sense of anticipation and gratitude for this opportunity.