Let's take a look at my last year's resolutions and see how I fared. Despite my hatred of the grading system, I will give myself a grade of A through F depending on my performance of the different resolutions.
1) Explore DC. B-; lots of room for improvement, but a start
2) Take classes that I find interesting. A; a job well done
3) Spend more time focused on classwork. C+; not so good
4) Find a place in DC to get good produce. Ermmmm....about that...
5) Find a place in DC where I really enjoy myself. B; good start, plenty of other places to find
6) Eat more healthfully. B-; lots of room for improvement
7) Do more things that I enjoy. B+; I had fun this year!
8) Stay in touch with friends. B; Above average.
9) Go to sleep at a reasonable hour. Spring: B+, Summer: B+, Fall: C
10) Visit friends on the East Coast. B+; Spring Break for the win
11) Be more patient. B?
Overall GPA: 3.0
Ok, so I was probably a little overambitious. All in all, not too bad. The most important aspect of 2010 was my increased happiness. I made an active effort to pursue different things that I enjoy, and for the most part, I was successful. I'll give a more thorough recap of the year later, hopefully with a new resolution or two.
Peace, love, and happiness,
Sam
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Homeward Bound
In just over an hour, I will be leaving GW's campus en route to Dulles International Airport and eventually, home sweet home: Piedmont, CA. Leaving is bittersweet. Don't worry -- I AM coming back in three weeks despite how dramatic this may seem. I love my DC life, my DC friends, GW, and everything that goes with it. But at the same time, I'm excited to see my family, and spent some quality down time in Lake Tahoe. I may reflect more on this later, but I just wanted to let the world know that I will be home from tonight until Sunday, at which point, all five of us will be heading up to the mountains for a week. I'll be back around Christmas time (Chinese food and a movie?) and will continue to be in California until January 9. Can't wait to see everybody :-D
Monday, December 13, 2010
Finals
It's the end of the semester. My brain is a little fried, and I have nothing witty to say. I will be home in under 48 hours, which probably means I should start packing. Oy vey. Look for more when I return to California.
Peace, love, and happiness,
Sam
Peace, love, and happiness,
Sam
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
PARIS!
BONJOUR (well now it should be "bonsoir") de PARIS!!!
For everybody who is unaware, I officially arrived in Paris yesterday for my Thanksgiving vacation! My friend from high school who goes to NYU is studying abroad in Paris for the semester, and visiting her over Thanksgiving sounded like an adventure in the making, to say the least.
After a red-eye flight across the Atlantic, I arrived in Paris around 11 AM. I proceeded through customs and onto the train which took me into Paris proper. After some slight wandering at the Saint Michel-Notre Dame metro stop, I found the train I was looking for and headed toward Layla's apartment.
When I arrived, Layla was frantically preparing for class, so I bid her adieu (do you guys like my French?!) and took some time to relax, get cleaned up, and even take a cat nap. Later that evening, the family of one of Layla's roommates hosted a bread, wine, and cheese party at the girls' apartment, a great and fitting introduction to Parisian cuisine.
Before I talk about the event, I should discuss the fabulous living situation Layla and her roommates have right now. Each girl in the four-bedroom apartment has her own room. There is also a large living and very usable kitchen. Layla even has an extra bed that I get to use for the duration of my stay!
Back to my stomach. There were cheeses of all kinds: your typical goat cheese, a smelly one, and others that I had never heard of before. There were baguettes everywhere. And most importantly, Hillary's parents brought some of the best wine France has to offer. Such a win. After a healthy amount of eating, drinking, and overall merriness, we all crashed.
I woke up early this morning to take City Segway's Paris Tour (typical, right?). It was a lot of fun and a great way for me to get around and see many different parts of Paris. I had time yesterday to wander around the neighborhood the apartment is in, but I definitely feel like I have a much better sense of the city now that I've been on tour.
After Segway-ing for three hours, I got my legs moving again and headed over toward Napoleon's tomb and the adjacent military museums. The Arms and Armor museum is absolutely incredible. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I then headed out for a 40-minute walk to NYU's Paris campus to meet Layla after her class.
From there, we went to a famous bakery (don't ask me the name) on Rue de Passy where I got a butter croissant (imagine snobby French pronunciation) and a chocolate croissant (same thing), my first croissants in France. They were TO DIE FOR. I would go back in a heartbeat. Following my stomach's blissful experience, we went grocery shopping (read: we went to a formagerie, a fruit stand, a boulangerie, and supermarket). How could I have walked into another boulangerie and not gotten a croissant? Easy. I didn't! Yep, I had three croissants within an hour. I think I deserved them, though. Also at the boulangerie, I got a baguette, because you HAVE TO!
Finally, when we got home, I had a dinner that consisted, for the second night in a row, of bread, cheese, and wine. It was divine. That combined with the viewing of Glee made for an epic night.
Plans for the rest of the week: more sleep, museums, and maybe even Versailles! I will certainly keep you updated.
Alright, guys. It's past 1 AM here. That means bed time.
Au revior,
Sam
For everybody who is unaware, I officially arrived in Paris yesterday for my Thanksgiving vacation! My friend from high school who goes to NYU is studying abroad in Paris for the semester, and visiting her over Thanksgiving sounded like an adventure in the making, to say the least.
After a red-eye flight across the Atlantic, I arrived in Paris around 11 AM. I proceeded through customs and onto the train which took me into Paris proper. After some slight wandering at the Saint Michel-Notre Dame metro stop, I found the train I was looking for and headed toward Layla's apartment.
When I arrived, Layla was frantically preparing for class, so I bid her adieu (do you guys like my French?!) and took some time to relax, get cleaned up, and even take a cat nap. Later that evening, the family of one of Layla's roommates hosted a bread, wine, and cheese party at the girls' apartment, a great and fitting introduction to Parisian cuisine.
Before I talk about the event, I should discuss the fabulous living situation Layla and her roommates have right now. Each girl in the four-bedroom apartment has her own room. There is also a large living and very usable kitchen. Layla even has an extra bed that I get to use for the duration of my stay!
Back to my stomach. There were cheeses of all kinds: your typical goat cheese, a smelly one, and others that I had never heard of before. There were baguettes everywhere. And most importantly, Hillary's parents brought some of the best wine France has to offer. Such a win. After a healthy amount of eating, drinking, and overall merriness, we all crashed.
I woke up early this morning to take City Segway's Paris Tour (typical, right?). It was a lot of fun and a great way for me to get around and see many different parts of Paris. I had time yesterday to wander around the neighborhood the apartment is in, but I definitely feel like I have a much better sense of the city now that I've been on tour.
After Segway-ing for three hours, I got my legs moving again and headed over toward Napoleon's tomb and the adjacent military museums. The Arms and Armor museum is absolutely incredible. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I then headed out for a 40-minute walk to NYU's Paris campus to meet Layla after her class.
From there, we went to a famous bakery (don't ask me the name) on Rue de Passy where I got a butter croissant (imagine snobby French pronunciation) and a chocolate croissant (same thing), my first croissants in France. They were TO DIE FOR. I would go back in a heartbeat. Following my stomach's blissful experience, we went grocery shopping (read: we went to a formagerie, a fruit stand, a boulangerie, and supermarket). How could I have walked into another boulangerie and not gotten a croissant? Easy. I didn't! Yep, I had three croissants within an hour. I think I deserved them, though. Also at the boulangerie, I got a baguette, because you HAVE TO!
Finally, when we got home, I had a dinner that consisted, for the second night in a row, of bread, cheese, and wine. It was divine. That combined with the viewing of Glee made for an epic night.
Plans for the rest of the week: more sleep, museums, and maybe even Versailles! I will certainly keep you updated.
Alright, guys. It's past 1 AM here. That means bed time.
Au revior,
Sam
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
CHAMPIONS
The San Francisco Giants are the World Series champions! After 56 looooong years, the Giants have brought the trophy to San Francisco!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
World Series!
Before the San Francisco Giants defeated the Texas Rangers 11-7 in last night's World Series Game 1, this year's Fall Classic already surprised baseball fans worldwide. The Giants and Rangers each entered the playoffs as slight underdogs, but after some furious pitching, both teams are on the cusp of a World Series Championship.
Game 1 in San Francisco featured two dominant pitching forces in Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee. These two pitchers entered the World Series with a combined 5-1 record and 1.34 ERA in the 2010 Playoffs. What many expected to be a tight pitching duel, though, quickly became a batter's heaven. Giants hitters rocked Lee for seven runs in 4 2/3 innings, and Lincecum limped out after allowing four runs in just 5 2/3 innings.
The real story of the night, however, was the Giants bats. Lincecum and Pat Burrell were the only San Francisco starters without a hit. The Giants lit up Lee for six earned runs on eight hits. In Freddy Sanchez's first three World Series at-bats, he stroked three doubles, a World Series first.
Any ideas that the Giants cannot hit should be gone after tonight. They always manage to squeeze out just enough runs, whether it be against Lee, Derek Lowe, or Roy Halladay. Lincecum may not have been in tip-top form tonight, but the hitting and defense more than made up for him.
This series has all the makings to be a great one. The Giants are sitting pretty with a 1-0 lead, but there is still plenty of baseball to be played.
Game 1 in San Francisco featured two dominant pitching forces in Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee. These two pitchers entered the World Series with a combined 5-1 record and 1.34 ERA in the 2010 Playoffs. What many expected to be a tight pitching duel, though, quickly became a batter's heaven. Giants hitters rocked Lee for seven runs in 4 2/3 innings, and Lincecum limped out after allowing four runs in just 5 2/3 innings.
The real story of the night, however, was the Giants bats. Lincecum and Pat Burrell were the only San Francisco starters without a hit. The Giants lit up Lee for six earned runs on eight hits. In Freddy Sanchez's first three World Series at-bats, he stroked three doubles, a World Series first.
Any ideas that the Giants cannot hit should be gone after tonight. They always manage to squeeze out just enough runs, whether it be against Lee, Derek Lowe, or Roy Halladay. Lincecum may not have been in tip-top form tonight, but the hitting and defense more than made up for him.
This series has all the makings to be a great one. The Giants are sitting pretty with a 1-0 lead, but there is still plenty of baseball to be played.
Monday, October 18, 2010
City Segway Tours
A recent GW Hatchet article featured me and two of my co-workers/fellow GW students. Enjoy!
http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2010/10/18/Life/For-Tour.Guides.History.Rolls.Along-3946000.shtml
http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2010/10/18/Life/For-Tour.Guides.History.Rolls.Along-3946000.shtml
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