So, its late and night as usual and I am not sleeping cause I am looking at amazing furniture I want to either own or make one day!

So, after the past 3 weeks of patiently waiting to hear from the Insight Fellowship, I heard today that I am invited to the 2 day (or maybe 1.5 day, it’s not clear yet to me) Selection Day in DC! I have been feeling acutely worthless over the past few weeks. Sometimes it feels like my dreams and qualifications don’t make me appear to be anything special. Especially when you are waiting patiently for an adjudication process like this one to complete itself. Next steps: Book travel plans, check on start and end times, and continue doing more research in preparation.

I also had my phone screening with JOI today, as well. I chatted with Catharine Bell about the program and told her my story and what has brought me to being interested in social justice. In talking with her, I came to realize that I have a strong interest in the areas that are personally and emotionally closest to me. I am sure this is an asset in most settings, but if I want to be a fully effective social justice activist, I need to find ways and skills to connect to issues which do not directly affect me. Especially if I am going to be matched at an organization which is not Jewishly or queer related. I feel like this is what I am trying to say: “Sometimes we don’t get to choose the change we make, sometimes the change chooses us.”

In other news: My parents are in Israel right now, and I am super jealous! More to come later…

So, this week has been a weird one for me. I took the time to write the essays for the Insight Fellowship, and I found I had a ton to say! Fitting a whole manifesto into 250 words is really hard to do. So, needless to say they are really dense and often a bit wordy, but I am incredibly proud of them.

I am waiting patiently to hear from Williamstown Theater Festival. They confirmed my application, but I have yet to hear if I am a candidate for interviews or not. I am hoping it will work out, but I know that the competition is pretty fierce (PS: YAY CHRISTIAN!).

This weekend was hard emotionally! Every year before seniors graduate they do this tradition where they insert the word VARB into one of their lines or somewhere in the show during their last performance in the main stage theater here. 9 of my friends Varb-ed in the closing night performance of “Much Ado About Nothing,” and it threw me for a loop so much more than I thought it would. I was in a bad mood all night long. It just really solidified the fact that the end is in sight, and that I really don’t want to leave all of these wonderful people behind…

It’s also time to start working on the JOI cover letter, which really shouldn’t take me that long, and is a really great opportunity to stay in Boston, while still doing some great work with non-profits and being supported by a great fellowship program.  I know lots of people who are alumni of the program and I really would like to join their ranks if the opportunity works out that way. Gotta get moving if its gonna work out, though! Only got 4 days!

So, it is the morning after I got back from New York City for my interviews and visiting friends. The trip could not have come at a better time for me, emotionally and professionally. My informational interviews with Brent Sudduth and Leisha went GREAT! I really felt like I had a good chat with both of them, but because we weren’t able to speak about any specifics related to particular positions it was hard to gauge how they were feeling. Brent gave me some really good advice about how to navigate the hiring website, and how best to use it as a tool to focus my interests into a possible department or position, and Leisha suggested that I look into The N, as their team seemed like a “good fit” personality wise.

I got through to the second part of the Schusterman Fellowship!! YAY! Now, I have very little time to collect recommendations from people who I haven’t asked for recommendations before: an employer (Idit Klein), a friend (either Kelsey or Beebe), and a colleague from a volunteer/community project (Dona, probably). I also have essays of my won to write for the second part of the application.

In other news: my Williamstown Theater Festival application made it to New York while I was there. I asked at what point I would know that I wasn’t a viable candidate, and waiting to hear back from them. I am going to work on the JOI application tonight and try to get that done sooner than later.

I had a fantastic time in New York. It was not as intimidating and overwhelming as I would have thought. Living in Brooklyn is like living in Somerville, and the walk from where Beebe lives to the subway is about the same as the walk from Davis to my house. Navigating the subway, with its expresses and such, takes anyone time to learn. But, I did it myself a few times and I didn’t get too lost. I really really like the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, and Beebe said that if I moved to New York she would live with me (warmed my heart beyond belief) and that the Burg, as they call it, would be her ideal place to live. I came home and looked at the price of living there, and its within my price ranges, but I am not sure that it will be for Beebe. Discussions to have AFTER I have a job secured. I really liked her friends, and they all told her that they really liked me as well! All of this worry about living in NYC seems so dumb now, and I definitely could see myself there in the next few years, even if its not next year.

This has to be one of the most amazing things I have seen on YouTube. This is one of the reasons why internet interfaces and user response systems (YouTube, email campaigns, beta testing, etc.) are going to start forwarding technology MUCH faster. This idea will likely appear on real Wii technology in the near future.

This guy is offering us the opportunity to live in a REAL virtual reality without the head mounted goggle systems normally used in video game houses. The ideas that he has on his website are all truly amazing ideas, and makes me almost want to go out and buy a Wii remote, JUST to try some of these things out!

Here is a link to his website in case you wanted to see other stuff: JohnnyLee.com

So, my luck seems to be working out this week. Not only did I hear back from Ann at leadingup.com about the Insight Fellowship, and I can resubmit my application (already done), I also heard back from Leisha at Nickelodeon and will be having an interview with her and her counterpart from Logo!!! Exciting times!

I also finished off the Much Ado poster this week, and can’t wait to see it in its final form so that I can see if my new photoshopping tests worked out into something cool. Going from RGB to CMYK can always get a little tricky to predict the exact colors. Everyone seems to love it, but I have my reservations still.

Gonna see how NYC fairs for me! Took one of those facebook quizzes, and NYC was the city that showed up for me… Scared me still. Til next time…

Well, this is my first posting on my new blog to chronicle my thoughts, experiences and events that will inevitably grow as I begin to enter the professional world. This is likely going to be a website that will function both as a personal publicity site, with resumes, portfolios and images from projects I am a part of, but also hopefully a catch all for all other things related to jobs and employment that I find interesting.

I am heading to NYC this weekend to both visit friends, and to possibly have a meeting with SOMEone from MTV. I had an interview with them a while back, and had a great phone conversation with Leisha from Nickelodeon HR. I am still trying to figure out what areas I am most interested in, but I have decided that I will reach for some dreams, and see where they fall. I am hoping that Leisha can help get me connected with people at Logo or MTV/VH1, and then that can eventually get me in the door for more exciting chances in the future.

I also applied for the Insight Fellowship through the Center for Leadership Initiatives and the Schusterman Foundation. I am checking with them to be sure that they received my application, after a small snafu in the system for submission. If worst comes to worst, I have Gregg and Idit from Mosaic and Keshet ready to step in and offer me some help, should I need it.

Here’s to school still being exhausting, and trying to muddle through it all in preparation for the real world! Until next time…