Update on My Life

I don't remember that last time I posted on this blog, so I thought I should update everyone as to what is going on in my life.

First, the recent events. Last night Meg and I joined the Davidson alumni group in Southern California at the LA Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors game to watch fellow Davidson alum Stephen Curry. Events with Davidson alumni groups are always fun; there's a special bond that brings us all together and its amazing how easy it is to converse with complete strangers who share that bond. Anyways, the game was fun, even if the Warriors lost, and Steph played great, racking up 32 points and 8 assists. I had a chance to see two old teammates of mine and catch up. Plus, this is our second event with the SoCal group, so we're starting to see some familiar faces and get to know people a little bit.

The thing that's been dominating my life right now is recruiting. It's only January and I'm already well into the search for a summer internship. Last week alone I had three interviews: LEK Consulting, Abbott Labs and Intuitive Surgical. This week I've got six more, with a variety of healthcare and consulting companies (plus Mattel, just for kicks). I've already heard one "no" (LEK), but felt good about the Abbott and Intuitive interviews. We'll see how the six next week go, but I'm already planning ahead and have applied for a couple more just in case.

In total, I think I've applied to about 25 jobs (with 7 responses still outstanding). Those 25 "resume drops" require not only customized resumes, but also customized cover letters. In order to customize a cover letter, not only do I need to research the firm and job, but it helps to talk to either current employees or second year students who interned with the firm last year. Setting up those talks takes some time, but really,I just hate trying to come up with interesting questions. I usually can answer any questions I have simply by research a firm, and asking questions like "What's a typical day like?" just doesn't do anything for anyone because the answer is usually "There is no typical day."

I'll be glad when this is all over and I have an internship. And I know Meg will be too. Even though I only have three classes this quarter (vs. five last quarter) I seem to have less time for her. I'm trying to make time - carving out 30 minutes for dinner or an hour for a walk, but I know she would like to see more of me (and me more of her). Hopefully I'll have more time when this ends in a couple of weeks. If not, I'll have to rethink how I organize my time.

My Birthday Present

Mike got me an awesome birthday present this year. A new bike! I've taken it out a few times already, including a 10 mile bike ride down the beach yesterday afternoon. There are bike paths in Santa Monica on most roads, and a bike path that travels the coast. It was a beautiful day and I took full advantage of it. Mike is a great gift giver, and this one was a great one.

It is also fortuitous that we got another mode of transportation this past week since we are temporarily carless. You may recall a car accident we were in, oh, about 6 months ago. We finally decided to pony up the deductible and get the eyesore of a car fixed. On a preliminary look, the auto center said we are going to need a new bumper, new undercarriage, new spare tire and probably more. Because of the extent of damage, we are looking at 10 working days to get it fixed. That is two weeks without a car in L.A. The bike is a good start, but we did end up getting a rental for the weekend so that we can get to some of the arrangements and appointments we have set up this week. More on our adventures of the weekend soon.

Movie/TV Review: One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Big Bang Theory

How had I never seen One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest before?? First, I now finally understand the Nurse Ratched references. What a wonderfully flawed character. Second, I think this is the first time I've seen Christopher Lloyd in a movie where he doesn't have a shocking white mess of hair. Third, Jack Nicholson scares the crap out of me. During the week of Halloween this year, AMC was playing a bunch of scary movies, The Shining being one of them. I watched it at noon, in the broad daylight. I told my sis later that day that I hope I never run into Jack at the grocery store or something because I will probably pee my pants. Anyways, Jack was ridiculous in this movie. Was he crazy? Not anymore than me or you. But after gaining the trust of his comrades he absolutely held their lives in his hands. And that is scary. If you haven't seen it or haven't seen it in a while, stream it on Netflix. Jason, this means you.

Currently Mike and my's favorite TV show is Big Bang Theory. Jim Parsons, the star of the show, won a Golden Globe this evening. And Kaley, the starlett, was adorable. I was hoping they were going to win best comedy show, but it went to another guilty pleasure of mine, Glee. Anyways, last night we watched most of Season 3 on DVD. And made a drinking game out of it. Whenever the crazy atoms go by one the screen, drink. Whenever Sheldon laughs, drink. Whenever there is a "bazzinga", drink. Let's just say, I was hurting this morning. The show is hilarious. Smart, funny, awkward. (Hmmm, kinda sounds like Mike and me.)

On a related note, the Golden Globes is held at the iconic Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA. The hotel is literally 4 miles straight down the road from my apartment. Never thought I would say that!

Cooking for Others

Friday and Saturday this past weekend I spend some time doing something I don't normally do. I cooked and served others. And it felt darn good. I found the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition online and talked to Ted, the volunteer organizer, about the opportunities there. Friday night I loaded up the truck at the kitchen, which looked to be an out of business pita shop, and went a few blocks away to a West Hollywood corner. We pulled out our own tables and trashcans and there I served chicken, rice and beans to about 75 homeless, working poor, and down and out men and women. I was told that 75 isn't very many. By the end of the month when the money runs out for these folks, there can be up to 150 people in line for a hot meal. In addition to my serving station, we also had salad, soup, bread, and dessert. Many of the folks there were so grateful. Most of the servers come at least once a week, so the regulars in the line made a special point to say "hi" to me. One older gentleman even approached me while we were cleaning up (by the time we left, everything was spotless, and you couldn't even tell we had been there) and told me that I was very pretty. They really know how to get a girl to come back!

On Saturday, I was invited to return in the early afternoon to help with the cooking - a dream come true! Is there a better way to spend an afternoon than cooking for others who may not be eating?!? I think not. I didn't get to cook much, but it was so satisfying knowing that my 5 dessert trays full of gourmet cupcakes (donated from a local bakery) and my two huge catering-sized casserole dishes of rice and beef cubes (donated from Chipotle mexican restaurant) would be providing a hot meal to some folks in need.

I'm planning on being a new regular on the line. Is it too late to add "Service" to my New Year's Resolution list?

Movie Review: The King's Speech

Meg and I decided to get out of the apartment today and headed out to the movies. Even though Meg had previously expressed interest in seeing Black Swan, I was able to convince her that our quarterly movie outing (that's about how often we get out) should be spent on viewing something we both really wanted to see. So we went down to Marina Del Ray and saw The King's Speech. For those of you who haven't heard of it (and I'm guessing that is a lot of you), its a British flick about Prince Albert (aka King George VI) and his struggle to overcome a stammer. It's one of those typical movies that no one has ever heard of, but that gets nominated for all kinds of Oscars. Colin Firth plays the monarch with Geoffrey Rush filling the role of the speech therapist. Both are two actors who, at least for me, are easily recognizable, not but easily identified by name. Regardless, they both were great in The King's Speech, and Meg and I, in our infinite expertise, would not be surprised to see both nominated for numerous awards. Overall, it’s an excellent movie and we both highly recommend that everyone go see it.

On a different note, it’s been a busy week for me. I spent most of last week writing cover letters for summer internship applications. In total, I've now applied for 20 internships, with 3 negative responses and 2 invitations to interview. I should hear back from another 5 or so this week and I'll "drop" my resume for another 5-8 (depending on how much time I have and how many more cover letters I actually want to write). The primary reason I'm applying for so many is that my Plan A and Plan B have similar deadlines, so I'm applying for some jobs that are lower priorities just because I haven't heard yet from my top choices. This round of drops will finish in a week or two with interviews running through mid to late February. If this round doesn't work out, "Just-in-Time" recruiting starts in March and runs through June. Hopefully, something will work out and I won't have to worry about recruiting in the spring.

It's a New Year

We've had a lot going on over the past week. Allow me to catch you up. I got back to LA on the 30th. Took Mike to an urgent care center on the 31st to get him feeling better. A penicillin prescription later for his strep throat (the doc said "eww" when he looked in his throat!) and he is feeling better, but not yet 100%. Night of the 31st we got dressed up and went to a friend's house for a cocktail-attire party to ring in 2011. The 1st we spent in the O.C. with Mike's aunt, uncle and cousins watching football and eating our faces off. Yesterday, the 3rd, was my birthday and Mike's first day back in classes. I was able to get back into the groove of things of being home, do some errands and cleaning and whatnot. Mike got home early, we ran some more errands, and then he took me out to eat. We went to a cute little sushi joint whose main dish is called "Trust Me." Basically, you get a number of pieces of sushi that the chef makes up for you. It is all super fresh fish and it was delicious. Mike and I both really enjoyed it. After dinner was dessert: Coldstone ice cream. Yum. Not a hugely happening birthday, but a really good one, nonetheless. I feel strange straddling the mid-20s and the late-20s classifications. 27 is still mid... right?

Having a birthday right near New Year's is both a blessing and a curse. Growing up, I had few birthday parties, partly because everyone was still out of town for the winter break. Christmas and birthday presents often get mixed into one. And sometimes people just forget with all the hubbub of the holidays. On the other hand it is a nice way to begin the year. New calendar year, new year in the life, and perhaps as a result, resolutions seem to take on additional meaning for me. This year, I have a number of resolutions that I hope to achieve or improve on.

1. Get a Job Not just any job, but one that I really enjoy and find fulfilling. But in the meantime, I'll take a paycheck from most anywhere.
2. Don't stress out about the wedding There have already been some stressful moments. I hope to minimize them as much as I can and keep in sight that this is supposed to be a fun day celebrating me and Mike's new life together.
3. Lose a dress size In the past year I've lost one size. I'd like to lose one more. I feel better about myself already and have more confidence in the way I look. Plus, I'll look hot in my wedding dress with a few more pounds off my hips.
4. Be a better friend I'm not very good at keeping in touch with people. I'm going to try harder to communicate more often and in more meaningful ways with those whom I love and find dear.

Not a long list, but an ambitious and worthy one to work toward, I think.

Random Thoughts About Israel

Even though I tried to update with some frequency about my experience in Israel, I still missed quite a few events. So over the next week or two, I'll try to post some recounts of the cooler moments of my trip. Here we go with the first one.

• Shabbat Dinner and Yeshiva Moonshine: On the Friday night we spent in Israel, we had the chance to experience a real Shabbat dinner with an Israeli family. Because our trip was organized by an orthodox rabbi, we were placed in orthodox home. My family was a young couple who made aliyah (moved to Israel) about five years ago from Montreal. Our three course meal was wonderful and included homemade sushi, hummus, baba ganoush and challah for the first course; chicken wings, beef meatballs, rice and grilled veggies (all homemade) for the second course; and a homemade chocolate cake for dessert. Between the first and second course, Patrick (the husband) broke out the Maker's Mark and we all did whiskey shots. Once the Maker's was gone, he went back into the kitchen and pulled out what can be best described as Yeshiva Moonshine - Vanilla liqueur made by a friend who is studying in a Yeshiva. The whole experience was great - it was nice to see how Shabbat can be celebrated and how it can really just be a time for family and friends even without any religious overtones.
  
• Stand Up Rabbi: The rabbi who organized and led our trip used to be a stand up comedian. Even though that career never led anywhere, he's still a remarkably funny guy. Throughout the trip he would make wisecracks and jokes at both appropriate and inappropriate times (he is a New Yorker after all). As thoses of you who have been to Israel know, you tend to spend a fair amount of time on a bus traveling around. Well, whenever we did, he would always get on the microphone and start riffing about god only knows what. I think the funniest story involved him drinking beer, going home and eating an entire pizza, jumping in a bounce house and then taking a bath in chocolate milk (something gets lost in the retelling).
• Guns and security: As Americans we are used to having liberal laws regarding guns and their ownership. We aren't, however, used to seeing them in public very often (with the exception of seeing them more and more often in airports). Well, guns are everywhere in Israel. In addition to seeing soldiers walking all around town carrying their M-16s, there are many private security guards who are wielding weapons. At one point during the trip we went into a shopping mall in Tel Aviv and after getting our bags checked before entering, the first thing we saw once we entered the mall was a security guard with a big handgun sitting on his hip. Life is just different in Israel and sometimes it takes something so striking as the omnipresence of guns to remind us.

That's all for now, I'll try to update with some more thoughts later.