Chicago Thanksgiving

Life Rundown:
For those of you who are unaware, I spent Thanksgiving in Chicago.  As always, the break was too short, but it was fun while it lasted.  The suburban life was fun, but it is definitely nice to be back in DC!

Disclaimer: This is not my grandma or her group. Image courtesy of Google.

While I was in Chicago, I had the opportunity to watch my grandma's musical theater group, Still Acting Up, rehearse for one of their upcoming shows.  One of their pieces has the actors reminiscing about their lives.  "We were going to be rich and famous, but life got in the way!"  Each of the actors tells their story in song, how one was going to act on Broadway, but instead became a teacher.  One woman even said she wanted to be a model, but instead started a family and let that dream go out the window.  Despite their relative disappointments in not achieving their dreams, they all lived out a different type of dream, fulfilling all the same.  As corny and strange as it may sound, hearing these stories was extremely comforting.  I may not reach my ultimate dream, but it will all work out in the end.  I am sure of it.

Career Update:
BE PROUD -- I applied to an MLB.com summer internship this week!  The position is a sports writing and reporting internship, something I am definitely interested in pursuing.  The deadline for another application is coming up on Monday, and then I believe more listings will pop up over Winter Break!  My winter break may very well consist of skiing, applying to jobs, and writing my thesis.

Earlier this week, I met with the Director of the Sport Management Program in GW's School of Business on Monday, and she was incredibly helpful in terms of looking over my resume and giving me some career ideas!

Tip: meet with professors!  They know so many people and always have something helpful to say.  Even if you don't know them, send an e-mail introducing yourself, because you never know what you might find!

Sports Recap:
Stanford finished the season on a high note with a commanding 28-14 victory over visiting Notre Dame on Saturday.  Unfortunately for the Cardinal, Oregon defeated Oregon State in the annual Civil War, meaning Oregon will represent the Pac-12 North in the Inaugural Pac-12 Football Championship Game against UCLA. Why UCLA, you might ask with a less than impressive 5-4 Pac-12 record?  Well, USC is on probation and is ineligible for postseason play.  Too bad.

For Stanford, it's now a waiting game.  The big question: will Stanford play in a high-profile BCS Bowl game?  Or simply a run-of-the-mill bowl game?  ESPN predicts the Cardinal will face off against Oklahoma State in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on January 2.

The 49ers eight-game winning streak was snapped at Baltimore on Thanksgiving night.  After driving 45 minutes to my friend's house outside of Chicago in order to watch the game, I was highly disappointed.  The Ravens are an incredibly talented team with one of the stingiest defenses in the country, and there is only so much you can do on four days of rest after flying across the country.  The Niners' performance was flat and uninspiring.  This weekend, San Francisco heads back home to take on the 2-9 Rams.

Exciting News of the Week:
Applications, applications, applications!  Also, as with the rest of you, I can almost smell the finish.  I am so ready to return to California for Winter Break.

Peace, love, internships, and reaching for the stars,

Sam

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

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