Chapters 1-10

I think I will be a zombie for Halloween. I have the dark circles under my eyes, a staggered walk and the inability to string words together in complete sentences. I can just throw on something from my mountain of dirty laundry and I will officially have the best costume of all time. Umm, no. Although the idea has merit, I seem to look like that everyday (with the exception of the dirty clothes…I DO wear clean clothes) and it’s time for a change of pace – at least for one night. Life in DC has just continued to move faster then ever and now that I have reached the halfway point, I find myself dreading the moment I leave. December has always seemed far away, but now it is just around the corner…nope, nope. Talking about this subject ends here. I just can’t think about it.

Recent social events include watching Bob’s (that’s Bob Schieffer for people who live under a rock) band play at the Rock and Roll Hotel, exploring the Georgetown waterfront, frequenting Molly & Malones (a.k.a. supporting the Rangers in their quest to take a chunk out of the chip on the Yankees’ shoulders – that’s right, I’m talking to you Derek Jeter), two-stepping with Bob and his friends at the National Press Club, checking out the American History Museum and trying some Tappas yumminess. My roommates continue to be the ultimate support system and I am thankful everyday that they are here with me. I can tell the stress level has gotten a little higher – the dance parties in the living room have happened more often (not sure how they feel about everyone knowing we dance to the Backstreet Boys and Whitney Houston around our coffee table – so just don’t say anything). I have also come to respect my roommates as professionals – not that I didn’t respect them before, its just that I have seen their passion and commitment to their chosen field and I can’t help but be proud of them and their accomplishments.

Additionally, FALL IS HERE!!! I didn’t know how much I missed it…three years of jumping from scorching summer to chilly winter-ish weather has totally messed up my relationship with Fall. But Fall and I are back together – not Facebook official or anything, but it is definitely a serious infatuation. We are going to Mount Vernon on Saturday to see all the leaves that changed and hopefully we will do some pumpkin carving soon – (that was really a warning to our kitchen floor….)!

So my professional life – still challenging, still engaging and still reassuring me that I want to do this type of work (public relations/strategic communication for those random people currently reading my blog) for the rest of my life. Yesterday, I helped out with another Eldercare Workforce Alliance advocacy day!! I was excited about having the opportunity to work with them again and in addition to working on the press releases and doing media pitches, I also conducted some of the interviews that will be used on the new EWA website (coming soon, so get excited)! Once again, I was moved by their professional and personal stories – I truly hope that I am that passionate and committed to whatever I choose in the future…they inspire me to be as involved, if not more so. The workload has been trying at times, which is contributing to the zombie look I have going on currently, but it is good experience. It is good experience. It is good experience (that is what helps me get up every morning!)

Moving forward, I know things are going to continue to be challenging and hectic. And that means I need to channel some leadership qualities (this is a horrible segway into the professional reflection topic, but I am a zombie, give me a break). Effective leadership for me is having the ability to inspire, support and objectively evaluate the people around you, in a political, corporate, personal or social sense. I think effective leaders need to be excellent communicators, listeners, managers and writers. I also think leaders need to have confidence as well as established ethical and moral boundaries. These qualities exist in several of the people that I work with. A staff that is this small needs to have a combination of these skills or else the company couldn’t be as successful as it is. I have been most impressed by my co-workers commitment to their clients and this field. I see the same passion I saw with the EWA advocates – I can’t help but be impressed. I need to spend some time after finishing the internship and experience in DC to identify what I was impressed or not impressed by…I have found that first impressions and thoughts aren’t always true and it takes time and effort to really understand what is going on. And with that deep final thought, I will bring this novel to an end.

Time flies. It doesn’t really matter if you are having fun or watching paint dry. Time just flies…especially on the weekends. I can’t even remember what a weekend feels like, which is probably because there is always football to be watched, sites to be seen and fun to be had. These past two weekends, I have had friends from out of town visiting…and I love them both for spending the money and taking the time to visit and I wanted to make sure that they have a good time while they are here – but that takes a lot of E-F-F-O-R-T. I believe they both had a good time (not like they would tell me if they didn’t) and it was a good break from the usual…oh wait, nothing about the past two months has been “usual”. I have never had to be as flexible as I have been while in DC - I am a planner and if something doesn’t give, well it is pretty much like my very own emotional and mental WWIII. But I have survived and I sent my friends back to their loved ones in one piece. We did Washington right and did so with high marks – TENS across the board (even from the Russian judge). So, my social life and experience in DC is amazing…but different. DC (socially, politically, environmentally, professionally...) is vastly different from Boston and Fort Worth, therefore adapting to a completely the different environment has been difficult. Additionally, I have never work 36 hours, taken two 3-hour night classes, participated in TWC programming, attended galas and events, attempted to see the sites, museums and surrounding area. All in four months. So I am in uncharted territory, mentally, physically and emotionally. The environment is different, as is my daily routine as is my lifestyle. The “go, go, go” mentality, combined with “work hard, play hard” philosophy matched with an overall lack of time – life is different, challenging and exhausting. But fun. ;)


So I am keeping my head above water in regards to my personal life, what about my professional experience here in DC? Working for Tricom has been a blessing, especially compared to what I hear other students are doing. But even before I had talked to anyone, I knew this internship was exactly what I wanted it to be: a stepping-stone into my professional career. I do not feel like an intern, I feel like a contributor. This internship has been the most successful relationship I have ever had and I hope it is a mutually satisfying one. I am learning, developing and perfecting skills and techniques that I will need for the rest of my career, while positively contributing to Tricom’s reputation and work ethic (with the exception of the whole carrying case glitch – epic failure. I will now quadruple check everything before I hit order). The most challenging and satisfying part of my job is when I get three or more projects all at the same time. I feel the pressure. I experience the thrill of working within a deadline. I like being busy, and there is always so much going on in this PR firm (i.e. if I got a dollar every time I heard Scott say "I have been talking to some new clients" - well, it would be like I has getting paid for this internship...) – I am never bored.

Highlights include: helping with the EWA interviews (which I will get to do again in a few weeks!), attending a National Public Lands Day site event (where the sweetest girl scout said “I Barack Obama, hereby proclaim…” – oh goodness, you had to be there!) and making media calls (no, I am not crazy – I love calling people and convincing them that I have the BEST story E-V-E-R).

I haven’t run into any problems at the office in regards to professionalism – everyone is supportive, complimentary and caring. Additionally, my objectives and ultimate goals for this experience have already been met and exceeded. I look forward to perfecting my skills and taking the public relations professional world by storm in eight months (give or take a trip to Europe). I am keeping my head above water (professionally and socially), while enjoying the calmer/quieter moments – I can’t ask for anything more.

I cheated...

Unfortunately, I have something to admit, something that I am not proud of. On Saturday October 2, 2010 at 3:55 pm, I broke my promise, I unlawfully went against everything I believe in and tainted a relationship I hold very dear to my heart.

I cheated.

On my blog.

I published my first post on Tricom Associates' blog - HippoBLOGamus.

And for that, I am kind of, a little, maybe, sort of sorry. Mostly I am excited and would love for everyone to read my blog post and let me know what you think!!

To my blog - it won't happen again. At least not until next week. When I have another post due.