Well, it seems like an eternity since I decided to post again on my Blog, and now it seems that it was erased due to inactivity. Well, I will try to keep my discussion of all things I like every week, of only to keep my sanity and laugh with my ideas many years from now...
Anyway, let me tell you about myself. Since First grade, people have called me by my last name, Fenton. It is easy to remember, and in Mexico, my country of birth, all Fentons are related and few. The term probably comes from Anglo-Saxon England, and it means "swampy town" (fenn-towne) .
My first love in life has been history, in particular ancient and medieval history. I am particularly attracted to the fact that we have invented and reinvented theories of those eras extensively. It is also a great excercise for the imagination and for the understanding of where everything comes from.
Although I always think that I would have been a natural scholar, my practical father and my pragmatic side pushed me into a career that would allow me to run in the "fast lane". I studied economics, and became brainwashed by neo-classical economic theory and its beauty. After graduating, I worked in Corporate America in a prestigious management consulting firm for many years.
I left the confort of my life to pursue an MBA, thinking that I could find here what I have been looking for (my favorite U2 song!!!). In a sense I didn't, but in another sense, I did. I will tell more about it in future blogs, for this one is growing too much and no one will want to read it.
I leave by posting some of the reads I did over the Summer:
Blenheim by Lord Spencer (Lady Di's brother). Talks about the exploits a certain Churchill, also known as Malborough in history, who defeated Louis XIV's armies in Europe and ended French 17th century imperialism. The guy is truly a genius in an era when wars were boring sieges and even more boring manouvers. Malborough was an inspiration to latter agressive folks like Frederick II of Prussia and "L'Empereur" Bonaparte himself.
Rubicon by Tom Holand. Neutral description of the last years of the Roman Republic and the characters involved in its fall. I say neutral because it didn't sided with the aristocratic scholars or the liberal revisionists in blaming who actually destroyed the Roman Republic.
1066 (forgot the author). I read it in the train to the town of Battle, England, where the battle of Hastings was fought. Nice narrative of the period, nothing astounding to write about.
Strategy Safari by Henri Mintzberg. Nice overview of the different scholar approaches in understanding what is business strategy. Nine schools of thought are presented, although he pushes a little bit for the 9th, which is like a mix of the other 8 within a historical context. Good read.
The Modern Firm by John Roberts. Organizational design rooted in economic analysis; very recommended if you like this sort of things.
Master and Commander. Three huzzahs for Captain (Lt.) "Luck" Jack Aubrey!!!
The Arturian triology ("Winter King", "Enemy of God", "Excalibur") by Bernard Cornwall. The Sharpe series author writes a quasihistorical narration of Arthur of Britain. The best I've read since Mary Stewart's novels about Merlin.
Mexico Mutilado (Mutilated Mexico) in Spanish, talks about the war between Mexico and the US in 1847.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (everybody knows what this is)
I also did TONS of research on "King Arthur" and came up with interesting ideas. I will repost my coments at a latter time.
