Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Exciting Day

So, I don't normally diary my life here on the blog, but tomorrow is exciting enough to merit a post. If only to calm me down a bit by telling someone about it!

Tomorrow I'll be going to the State Department for my first full working day there. I'll be at the OSAC security briefings, because the internship I have currently, is intricately involved in international security matters. I'll just be sitting around and taking notes, but I will be doing all that within the confines of Foggy Bottom...given the fact that I really, really, want to work for the State Department as my career, that's enough to get me excited about the prospect of being there.

So, if you work at State, or are there for the same reason I'll be there, say hi to the kid with the dark suit and red bow tie who looks slightly over-awed by it all. I hoping it won't be that obvious, but the last time I went to a conference at State, my friends teased me incessantly about how I was constantly looking around, marveling at the slightest things. (by the way, I'm not embarrased, it's good for me to be over-awed by something as big and cool as the workings of the State Department, especially if I plan to work there. The problem would be if everything was mundane to a person as young as I am.)

As an added bonus, I'll be meeting a contact at the state department for lunch, cause my roommate was cool enough to mention that he and I were going to be taking the OA's in a couple weeks when he met this person. The timing actually worked out perfectly for us, since I'll already be there, and I won't have to take an absurdly long lunch to go meet them.

In the next few weeks, I'll be posting my Statement Of Intent (which is a short essay about why I want to work for state), in case anyone would like to comment on it. That will be two of these boring posts about my life (and both betray my own innate pride, because who really wants to read about my life?), but I hope you'll forgive me. By the time I post that business, I'll hopefully be in the middle of a series of posts looking at several current definitions of terrorism. I'll be trying to create one that works in all the important parts, but is still simple and robust enough for general consumption. It should be starting soon, so be on the lookout for something of that nature.

That's enough rambling without much cause, so go back to your regularly scheduled blog reading, if any of you decided to stick around through this whole post.

note: when I say that a diary post like this is boring, I'm only wondering why I should presume that anyone is interested. It's my life, and most people have done similar things. I already tell my friends and family what I'm up to, and it's not like I'm on an exciting adventure in africa. I'm not disparaging any bloggers who do blog mostly about their life; I just think that anyone who does that needs to have insights on life or a writing style that far exceeds my own. I do enjoy reading blogs like that, and you can find a couple on my side-bar. But in general, I feel that my own life and writing don't pass that level of interest; hence, the boring label...

5 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the internship. How long does it last?

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  2. Thanks.
    It lasts for this fall semester. I'm at a place called The Terrorism Research Center, and I do news gathering for them. It's kind of what OSAC does, only we don't specialize as much (there are only two other interns) and we aren't doing any analysis. That's what our bosses do, so I have to keep that stuff for here.

    Sadly, I'll only be in DC for another month or so...but it's been fun to be here so far, and I'm pretty sure I'll be back again soon.

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  3. Sounds really neat, but I am not sold on the bow tie. Really only crazy scientists and former senator Paul Simon wear bow ties.

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  4. Bow ties are great! Just like beards are awesome. It takes a person of above average fashion sense to appreciate/wear them, but once you reach that plateau, the it becomes awesome.

    I was, in fact, not the only one wearing a bow tie; on of the presenters/really important people at the meeting was also wearing a bow tie.

    And I didn't feel overdressed in my dark, pinstriped, double-breasted suit with a bow tie, if that tells you anything about the crowd that was there! It was fun, but also fun to go home...I was easily the youngest person there, by about 10 years (if you throw out the two interns I came with). So, when I get to be their age, I think that I'll enjoy those kind of conferences more...

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  5. And if you're going to wear a seersucker suit (from Brooks Brothers, for example), a bow tie is a must. Or if you're former-Sen. Paul Simon.

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