The C in D.C: Time Won't Give Me Time

Among the many things the city has so diligently taught me these past several weeks, one of them is that time is truly of the essence.

In almost every aspect of life, there is never enough time to do everything one sets out to do. We all complain and quip about it daily, and the cliche thing to say during any idle conversation is that you are tired, busy, sick of being tired or too busy to talk. I feel like that inherent quandary is only confounded when in the city and hustling through each and everyday.

According to the calendar, it is almost the end of October - alas, I am in denial. Four weeks feels like a whirlwind of here and there, do this and that, back and forth; my head is dazed with the reality that in the blink of an eye, a month has passed by and soon, I'll be on to the next one.

Between the load of classes, the daily rigamaru and the steady and sure traversing of the D.C social scene, the extras that have popped up during the last month have been amazing, exhausting, and fantastic all at the same time. Here's what I mean:

Despite all my attempts at planting, watering, hoeing and waiting - money has yet to grow on a single tree for me. Leaving my failed green thumb behind, I was able to find a job doing what I used to do back in the day before I got on the corporate hamster wheel - babysitting. Anyone who knows me knows I adore kids, especially babies, so this is perfect for me, my schedule and I can still make mullah. Since I came to D.C to not only finish school, but also get my hands dirty with my career in Public Relations, babysitting will keep me fed while I chase my true goals. Speaking of...

Last week Howard had a massive Career Fair featuring some of the countries best PR/Marketing/Advertising companies (Read: Publics and Waggner Edstrom), as well as TV & Film bigwigs (Read: MTV, BET & HBO). With my newly tweaked resume highlighting all my awesomeness and my best 'interview' smile, I did the networking rounds to several booths and even had a few on-the-spot interviews. Survey says? Success! I received a lot of great feedback and HR cards for spring and summer internships. And so, the applying and waiting game begins.

In the meantime, I have officially become a member of the Howard PRSSA National chapter; HUPRSSA. In short, it is an established collegiate organization for students majoring in fields such as Public Relations, Advertising and the like. Howard happens to be the oldest (and best!) HBCU chapter of the association. It's a great venue to discover internships geared for Communication majors and will specifically aid me in gaining the skills I'll need to be a kick-ass PR talent.

I am now writing for a national online magazine based at Howard, 101 Magazine. Though I'm loving PR more and more,  my ultimate personal goal is to become a columnist. Working for 101 Magazine has allowed me to venture into both realms, while also padding my digital repertoire. I've been able to learn more about my writing style, what works best for magazines and online readers, assist in publicizing the site and help my editors think of story ideas for both the online and print magazine. It has been a great and educational experience. And now I am officially published!

What's more: Howard celebrated it's 87th Homecoming! The entire city came alive for the legendary week, where The Mecca lit up with celebrities, honorary alumni and students, like me, who soaked up the Bison spirit. HU....YOU KNOW! Chris was able to fly out and we spent the week exploring and enjoying all of D.C. Even the weather paused its steady fall transition to allow the sun to make several appearances.

And with that, D.C is officially in prime fall mode. Lately, I have been stopping during my walks about town just to stare at the trees. Being that I am from Cali, our foliage is simple: dead or alive. There is no 'cycle' or obvious stages of living or dying. However, the east coast is beaming with reds, oranges, browns, yellows and every variance in between. And though I know that these trees, like this year, is on it's way out - I can't help but linger on it and how far both have come. Reflect on how just a few months ago they seemed so full of life and possibility and now, seemingly accomplishing all they came to do - air and opportunity - and now are gearing to make their graceful exit from center stage.

November is settling to bring up the rear of the year... and I still have so much to do before I clock out of 2011. Stay tuned.