Making Moves

Life Rundown:
In a matter of hours, I will be headed to The Windy City for a cold Thanksgiving celebration, and I could not be more excited.  Quality family time, celebrating grandma's birthday, and seeing the girlfriend.  What more could a guy ask for?

This past weekend was relatively low-key.  I'm already in vacation mode, so saying that work was not accomplished would be an understatement.  Maybe today will be different?  I'll get back to you.

While I didn't do much work, I did perform with GW's University Singers for my final fall concert as an undergraduate student.  Sounds bittersweet, but I'm more afraid of the emotions that will come with next semester's concert.  The concert went incredibly well, and I'm excited to sing Mozart's Requiem in the spring!

Career Update:
In the past week, I must have sent and received more than 20 career-related e-mails.  Instead of just passively searching for job opportunities, I have taken on the monster that is networking.  I'm setting up meetings, sending my resume to people I consider to be very important (I may come to find that these people are one tier above entry level), and applying for jobs, internships, fellowships, battleships, the whole shabang.  I'm proud of myself, and I hope you all are, too!

Sports Recap:
After losing to Oregon last week, Stanford recovered with a home win over Cal to keep the Axe in Palo Alto.

Up North, USC stunned the Ducks, 38-35, handing Oregon its first defeat at Autzen Stadium in 21 games.  (Fight On, professor?) Despite the loss, Oregon can still clinch the Pac-12 North next week with a win.  However, this misstep opened the door for Stanford to sneak back into the Pac-12 Championship Game.  With another Oregon loss next week, the now 6th-ranked Cardinal will fight for the Pac-12 crown in the first annual Pac-12 Football Championship Game.

In the NFL, the 49ers dominated the Arizona Cardinals (not to be confused with the Stanford Cardinal), 23-7, moving to 9-1 on the season, giving them the second-best record in the league behind Green Bay.  Some analysts are already discussing San Francisco's Super Bowl eligibility.  One thing is certain: the rest of the season could be very fun to watch, especially Thanksgiving night in Baltimore!

Exciting News of the Week:
Three words: Thanksgiving in Chicago.  Need I say more?

Peace, love, football, and turkeys,

Sam

Resting in the City that Never Sleeps

Life Rundown:
I went to New York City this weekend to interview prospective students applying to GW.  This trip, though full of firsts, was not my first venture to the Big Apple.  I've eaten the pizza and bagels, taken the ferry to Liberty Island, strolled through Central Park, even performed in Carnegie Hall.

On the whole, I think Manhattan is a great place to visit with innumerable activities, places to visit, and events to attend.  In terms of living there, though, it's just not for me.  My last visit to "the city" before this weekend came over the summer, and it was not a pleasant one, to say the least.  The highlights: 110-degree heat, suffocating humidity, and distanced friends from high school.

This past weekend was obviously a little bit different.  The weather: beautiful.  The people (fellow Senior Interviewers, accomplished GW alumni, and experienced Admissions staff): awesome.  The food: incredible.  To add to it, I met impressive and inspiring prospective students from all over the area.  Among the applicants was a 15-year-old aspiring engineer with a full two-page resume.  Needless to say, the students, alumni, and Admissions staff in the room felt completely inferior.

However, my biggest takeaway from my trip northward was a reminder of just how much I love DC.  Over the past three and a half years, I have forged an unbreakable bond with this strange city I now call home.  I'm not politically involved, and I've never interned for a Political Consulting firm, yet there's something about this city that feels so comforting for me.  The friends I've made at GW and the people I've met in my time here have forever changed me, and I am so incredibly thankful for all of these experiences I've had.

Career Update:
That's all awesome, but the two most recent jobs I found with MLB.com are in New York City.  Go figure.  One of them is a summer sports writing internship!  I also found a Postgraduate year-long internship at NCAA in Indianapolis (exciting?).  Does somebody want to find me a sports writing job in DC?

Sports Recap:
Speaking of sports, I spent my Saturday night bundled up in my hotel bed watching Stanford play Oregon in California.  Yes, I'm that cool.  And it doesn't help that Stanford lost big time, 53-30.  It was ugly.  The Cardinal can now say good bye to a potential Pac-12 championship, as well as a BCS championship.  However, I'm still proud of my boys and look forward to the rest of the season, including the Big Game this weekend!

As for the 49ers, they defeated the New York Giants at home, finally receiving their long overdue national recognition.  I am extremely excited to see what the rest of the season will look like for the 8-1 Niners, who have five divisional games remaining.  The Seahawks, Cardinals and Rams have combined for eight wins, the same number the 49ers have.

Exciting News of the Week:
Sadly, it's been a relatively calm week, but University Singers will be performing on Sunday at 4 PM at Western Presbyterian Church (24th and G), so come out and support GW's choir!


What to Look Forward to:
Chicago next week!  On Monday, I will head to the Windy City to spend Thanksgiving with my grandma and girlfriend.  As per my last post, I'm very much in need of a break.

Peace, love, and city living,

Sam

Burned Out

November has officially arrived, and I'm ready for senior year to be over.  One problem: I have six months to go.

This is pretty much how I feel:

My semester in a nutshell: I recently told my boss that I was thoroughly exhausted one day.  Her response: "Maybe that's because you're burning the candle from both ends."  I then thought through my obligations for the semester: four classes, two choirs, an a cappella group, tour guide duties once a week, interviewing prospective students twice a week (and travelling with admissions to interview more prospective students), and trying to keep a social life.  Well, boss lady, you just might be right.

My Life Rundown:
Everything is pretty much at a status quo right now.  Classes continue as per usual, work remains the same, for the most part, and student organizations continue to take a fair chunk of my time.  The job hunt drags on with more of the same outcomes.  Believe it or not, there really aren't many job openings for May, June, July, or August yet.  Turns out, people like to fill open positions in a timely manner.  Who knew?

Sports Recap:
The 49ers beat the Cleveland Browns in easy, dominating fashion, by the score of 20-10.  They are now 6-1 and own a four-game lead over the second-place Seattle Seahawks.  Unfortunately, the NFC West is by far the worst division in football.  The 49ers come here to DC this Sunday to take on the Redskins!

The Stanford Cardinal took three overtimes to defeat the USC Trojans (how did that feel, professor?), moving to 8-0 in the process and seeking the school's first Pac-12 Championship since 1999.

And apparently the NBA owners and players still can't figure out how to split how many millions of dollars?  It's painful, really.  And I don't even like the NBA.

Exciting News of the Week:
I got a call this morning from a company I met with at the Communications Industry Expo a few weeks ago asking me if I was interested in applying for the spring internship program!  Depending on the way my schedule falls it's a possibility, but I still appreciated the ego boost!

What to Look Forward to:
Next week, Shir Madness, my a cappella group, will be performing at the Interfaith Dinner on Tuesday at 7 PM in the Marvin Center!  Please come and bring your friends!

Then on Wednesday, GW's Chamber Choir will be performing at St. Stephen's Church at 25th and Penn at 7:30!  The concert is totally free, so just show up and enjoy beautiful French music!

Peace, love, and...time for sleep?

Sam