Post-Spring Break Recap

I'm back from LA and in a brief reflection, let me sum up the things I've learned:

1.) My dream job exists, and it exists in many forms. Whew.

2.) I can make my fortune in NYC rather than LA and still pursue my dream job.

3.) I'm a badass driver.*

*with the aid of a GPS device

I went to LA fearing that I'd be told it was the only place where I'll have the chance to work in music. True, LA is THE epicenter of film, so film music probably won't be an opportunity outside of LA. But NYC is a mecca for music and even tv, and I was encouraged by many head haunchos that I could find success in NYC. Massive sigh of relief.

LA is not an unfriendly place. I exchanged smiles with more strangers than I can remember and even had a random chat or two with Assistants and and fellow lost wanderers in parking garages. However, more than NYC, I feel that LA is a place where a book is judged by its cover. Look cool or die trying. I'm sure many do.

I loved that LA had guitar shops everywhere. Guitar Center, Sam Ash, McCabe's, and more! McCabe's didn't have the ukulele of my dreams, but it did have an Irish bouzouki. When I saw The Magnetic Fields perform at Lisner Auditorium, Stephen Merritt used a string instrument that sounded clangy like a mandolin but resounded like a guitar. And now (hurrah!) I know its name. Bouzouki, be mine? After I get a job, after I get a job.

Speaking of music, I posted a new song on my Myspace that I actually recorded with Pro Tools and some decent gear. Some of it was recorded or written in haste, but I'm overall happy with it. I'm seeing two nights of the Georgetown's Festival In-Residence "Schubert, Schubert, Schubert" concert this weekend. It's apparently a big deal and features the Auryn Quartet. I'm excited to hear some Haydn live!

Alright. Back to the grind. After next Tuesday, I hope to follow through on promises to hang out with people! Get ready.

Spring Break

Since I last wrote, things are looking up. I met with a librarian and secured a dataset from the International Telecommunications Union. Massive sigh of relief. I've seen the data put to work in recent articles too. Did you know that 60% of the world owns a cell phone? I'll be cranking out some research next week as my March 24th deadline nears, but for now, I'm trying to relax as much as I can.

This week is Georgetown's Spring Break, and I'm in LA for GEMA's (Georgetown Entertainment & Media Alliance) week-long networking event. While friends are skiing in fresh Colorado powder or tanning in Costa Rica, I'm braving the concrete jungle. So far the driving hasn't been too terrible. I'm armed with a trusty GPS and more importantly, I've got my mom in the passenger seat. She won't be with me the whole week, but it's nice to have her here with me for a little bit.

LA isn't really the type of place where you can just "walk around." It's barely the type of place where you can just drive around. I knew that coming in, but still wasn't quite prepared for the landscape I was confronted with. Even so, the weather is beautiful and I'm hoping to squeeze in some fun while I'm here. I'm stopping into McCabe's Guitar Shop today for some fun browsing of folk instruments.

I better get going. The concrete jungle awaits...

Me vs. Thesis, Round 1: Thesis

Life overall has decreased in stressfulness since I last posted. In one respect, though, I'm still shaking in my shoes. I'm haunted by my thesis. Tonight while taking a shower, I thought, "Well, at least if I fail my thesis class, I'll at least graduate with one major." This is hopefully an exaggeration, but I feel a bit like the underdog in this battle.

I have a thesis question that was approved and discussed with my TA and professor. After meeting with another professor who does relevant research, I'm not so sure I can actually answer my own question! Correction. I could answer it, but the answer would be meaningless and unsubstantiated. So... I need to change the question slightly. On the bright side, I've met my first warm and welcoming Econ professor at Georgetown, and he's offered to give me assistance on this thesis journey. Thank you, God.

I can do it, I can do it, blah, blah, blah. Writing this thesis is not as simple as sitting down, reading some literature, and writing 30 pages about it. I could do that. It's about finding a (free) dataset, running a regression in a statistical program, and writing about my results. Several problems arise here. 1.) I currently can't find a free dataset. 2.) I'm not sure from dataset descriptions which datasets will be most useful. 3.) After I find the dataset, I anticipate struggling to input it into STATA. 4.) I will inevitably see alarming statistical problems that invalidate my results.

Blurgh, as Tina Fey would say. Blurgh and a half. Every once in a while, I come to an obstacle in academia that I can't wrap my mind around. For Calculus, it was Taylor and Mclaurin series. For Econ, it looks like its performing statistical regressions.

I'm trying to be proactive in in this epic struggle. I'm meeting with a librarian tomorrow to discuss datasets. I'm also instituting a daily 8:30AM wake-up call. Let's get ready to rumbbbbble! It's thesis time.

This only makes graduating easier. I will not miss this.