Life Update, or Why It Should Be Illegal for Allison to Go More Than One Week Without Updating

Hola amigos.

Did you miss me?

I missed you, too. I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I've got a lot to go over so I better get started.

First, last Thursday a very good friend of mine (in fact, an online friend whom I "met" when I was 13 and officially met in Real Life in March 2005) flew to Oregon for her school's fall break. My friend, Ashleigh, and I spent most of the weekend touring Oregon and saw quite a bit. We went to Eugene and toured campus and had dinner with one of my college friends, went to the beach, a small coastal town, and a fort in Washington on Saturday, and spent the day in Portland on Sunday (and went to Powell's. You don't have to say it, I can sense the jealousy from here). It was so great, even though the weather was typical Oregon (read: crappy).

If you would like to see some photos of me, Ashleigh and the wonderful state of Oregon, visit my Adventures in Oregon photo gallery.

If any of you decide based on these photos and my glowing accounts of Oregon that you want to come visit, please contact me. I make an excellent tour guide.

Our next piece of news is another exciting one. I think some/most/a few of you know that one of the reasons I'm living in Portland at my parents (you do know I'm living in Portland at my parents, right? Right?) is because of the Portland Experience, which is the opportunity through the UO's School of Journalism to take my last two PR classes and have a paid internship.

Well, it's the end of week four and I still haven't started an internship.

You see, I had an interview in mid-July (three days before the CWD conference, in fact) at a Shall Remain Unnamed PR Agency and I was told the interview went well and they liked me. I was told that for the next 8 weeks.

No follow-up interviews. No word from the company. Nothing. Just the program coordinator saying, "They liked you. Let's wait."

Well, waiting brought me up to the week before school starts when this place finally said, "Let's do another interview." You know, two days before school starts... Unfortunately, I get sick, there's miscommunication with timing, and I have a sucky interview. I should have pulled out and told them I was sick, but I was so desperate that I figured since they liked me the first time, maybe I can pull it off.

I get a call three days later saying I don't have enough "technical background" for the project and that since they don't have much of a budget for an intern anyway, they're not going to hire me.

Well, crap.

So I've been waiting around and interning some more at JDRF for the past three weeks (missed the first week due to The Plague). No one was hiring interns. Couldn't get anywhere. Finally, we get word that Portland General Electric might be hiring.

Fabulous.

Wait three days to hear from them about coming in for an interview. Go in for interview last Friday (while Ashleigh was here... abandoning my friend in the middle of a metropolitan downtown. I know, I'm a swell friend.) and, not being sick, I do really well (I think I impressed them with the whole "I created a website and then sold it to a media corporation" bit.).

Got the offer for an internship Tuesday. Into week four of the term, and I finally get my stinkin' internship.

I start Monday.

An interesting sidenote to the whole fact I'm working for Portland General Electric instead Shall Remain Unnamed PR Agency is that PGE is actually one of JDRF's corporate sponsors for the Walk, and had a very large Walk team this year. So this seems to be a much better fit anyway, seeing as we see eye-to-eye on the importance of a cure.

Coming Soon: Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield finds another way to make my life miserable - telemarketing nurses.