the vacation is finally over

My long vacation is coming to an end. The 1st day of work starts tomorrow and on Wednesday I have my first forensic psychology class. I can say that I ended my summer on a really good note. I walked about 5 or 6 miles in D.C. on Saturday and went to a Nationals/Phillies baseball game with one of my co-workers today. I'm ready for the serious work to begin! Took some pics from the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the ball game, hope you like, you will see one of the Tulsa Police Dept. fallen officers name-Gus Spanos.

The future looks bright

Well, I got to D.C. on Wednesday the 27th, all in one piece with my luggage and I already know that this place is going to be a blast!

I'm staying in an apartment about 25 minutes away from all the monuments, which if you're a history buff like myself, then you're in heaven. I could probably visit the Lincoln Memorial everyday and not get tired of it. One of my roommates and I went to see the Washington Monument last night and we also saw the WWII, Vietnam, and Korean memorials, and also some place called the White House. I was speechless for most of our tour. Sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and watching the reflection of the Washington Monument in the pool, a person can become overwhelmed with feelings of patriotism and pride for this great country of ours! There is so much to see here in the nation's capitol that I'm kind of wondering where to start. I finished my 2nd and last day of orientation today, so I have until Tuesday to explore the city before starting work.

Besides touring D.C., I'm also looking forward to starting my civic engagement project. This is an assignment that requires all interns to perform some sort of community service. A lot of interns will probably help with one of the presidential campaigns and I don't blame them if they do, this is certainly the most exciting election of my generation. But, I've decided that I want my project to focus on helping our military veterans in some way, whether I'm volunteering at a VA hospital or at Walter Reed Army/Navy hospital I just want to do my part to help.

Lastly, I have to tell everyone how I lucked out in the roommate dept. I have three other guys living in the apartment and 2 of them are from Ohio and the other one is from Mexico. My 2 roommates from Ohio (Kevin and Nathan) like to exercise as much as I do, so I'm always guaranteed to have a workout partner. My roommate from Mexico (Fernando) is from Monterrey and every morning he gives me a brief Spanish lesson. So, when the internship comes to a sad conclusion in December, I'll come back to RSU in good shape and be able to speak Spanish.

Well, I'm hoping to be able to see the last Marine Corps evening parade of the year tonight, so I'll talk with you all later!

Mr. Gooldy goes to Washington

My name is Ray Gooldy and by this time next week I plan on being somewhere in our nation's capitol taking pictures and navigating my way through the city. Since November, when I first learned that I was accepted for an internship in Washington D.C., I have been counting the months. Now I am down to counting the days and pretty soon the hours.

While I'm in D.C., I will be interning with the Potomac Advocates, a lobbyist firm that deals primarily with the Department of Defense. Now, I know some people assume that all lobbyists are evil, but let me just say that it depends on what you are lobbying for. The Potomac Advocates is a relatively small firm that has only been around for about 6 years. The main reason I chose the Potomac Advocates is because of the close relationship they have with the military, which is important to me since I'm in the Marine Corps. If anyone wants to learn more about the Potomac Advocates, you can check them out at http://www.potadv.com/ .

In addition to working, I will also be taking a forensic psychology course and completing the requirements for my portfolio which includes my goals for the internship(academic, professional, civic, and personal). The portfolio is basically what I show RSU, so they'll know that their money was well spent and also give me credit for 12 hours.

When I first applied for the internship, I was surprised to find out how many students at RSU do not even apply or know about this once in a lifetime opportunity. So, for those who do not know about this program, let me tell you all about it. The Washington Center(TWC) is the name of the internship program that does all the work, they find you an apartment to live in, a job in your field of choice, and 1 college course that relates to your field of study. If you are accepted for the program, RSU pays the money and you are off to study and work in D.C. for the semester of your choice. The only expense that comes out of your pocket is round trip airfare(if you want to come back), food and entertainment money. This really is an amazing opportunity that more students should take a look at. If you want to find out more about the program, I would suggest going to the following link http://www.rsu.edu/academics/washington-center/index.asp . Also, the campus liaison for TWC is Dr. Carolyn Taylor and she can tell you more about the application process.

As far as preparing for my semester in D.C., I have had to make a few extra purchases. I had to buy several new suits, since I am required to wear a suit and tie to work everyday. My other purchase was a digital camera, since I figured it was time to get out of the disposable camera days and get up to speed with the rest of the world. I plan on taking a lot of pictures and posting them up on the blog.

Okay, so that's all I got for now, but if anyone has recommendations for places to eat and cool places to see(besides the obvious) let me know.