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The findings and key learnings in this video come from reading a plethora of Old Spice related articles during my internship at Weber Shandwick Chicago. Check some of them out below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/business/media/17viral.html?src=busln

http://mashable.com/2011/03/16/old-spice-imitators/

http://www.forbes.com/2011/03/11/old-spice-snoopy-m-and-m-most-loved-spokescharacters.html

http://www.fastcompany.com/1737010/thank-you-economy-gary-vaynerchuk-old-spice-man

The pictures come from real life.

#TIGERBLOOD FO EVAH

I was always a reader. When my teacher in second grade made me cry or middle school got too full of mean girls I would come home and lose myself in a book and for a few hours, life was alright. Because no matter what’s going on in your life at the moment, a book can wipe it all away. There’s no room to agonize over that boy’s last cryptic text message when Mrs. Weasley has just lost her son, or Hermoine and Ron are falling in love. I’ve always cherished Harry Potter for this reason but I think, lately, I’ve come to realize that Harry’s story does more than help us escape, it helps us discover.

“Of house elves and children’s tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing. Nothing. That they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic, is a truth he has never grasped.” – Albus Dumbledore, HP7

Harry (spoiler alert) defeats Voldemort because he has the power to love. No great and terrible secret weapons or astounding wizarding powers save him, it’s the simple (is it simple?) act of loving that saves him. Through his love for his dead parents, for his best friends, for loyal house elves, for Hedwig, for Sirius, for muggles, for Buckbeak, and for Ginny he learns that love conquers death because it endures beyond this life. It lasts forever… and it can make all the difference.

For a damaged girl from a binuclear family who swore early on that people are unreliable and it’s safer to look inward for support, it’s an important message.

Thank you, Harry.

The trip traversed more than 3,200 miles of bumpy desert highway. We had just over 7 days to make the journey, which put us covering roughly 500 miles per day. Combine that with needing to stop at every single dinosaur related attraction for my brother Brian (you’d be surprised how many there are) and we were on a tight schedule. We were only able to rest in LA (our long awaited destination) for like 22 hours. Why am I telling you all this? Because those 22 hours changed my life in a very unexpected way. In those 22 hours, my male family members and I ate at In-N-Out Burger. Twice.

A short 2 years later in my fall semester at American University, I made the decision to become a full-fledged vegetarian. I have been almost unwaveringly devoted to this decision since December of 2006. It’s true that twice I have been hungover enough to eat some Sweet and Sour Chicken and I do pick around the ham pieces in my Mammaw’s butter beans but I have legitimately not eaten red meat since committing to what I believe is a much more ethical and responsible way of consuming. But I have always sworn that if I were near an In-N-Out I would throw my beliefs to the wind and eat a freakin’ hamburger.

I’m sure you can see where this is going. They have In-N-Out Burgers in Vegas.

and I ate one. (technically half – didn’t want to get sick)

Judge me if you must. Sometimes you have to put a promise to yourself above above a promise to cows.

It was everything I remember it being from that fateful RV trip… and so much more.

Mostly, I’m in awe of my new city. I’m still in that stage where I compare just about everything to DC. It helps me gain perspective and form opinions about this strange new place based on past norms and experiences. The gist of what I’ve come up with is actually quite simple. Compared to DC… Chicago HAS NO RULES.

Allow me to explain.

There is an overall air of formality and politically correctness that pervades life in the District. It’s visible in the layout of the streets, the endless traffic circles, the vast expanses of marble plazas designed for the tread of tired tourists, the stately grandeur of Embassies and government buildings, and the continual flashing of police cruiser lights in a city trapped in an indefinite ‘crime emergency.’ You can feel it in the starched suits of government workers, the exhausted faces of commuting Hill interns, the countdown clocks in spotlessly clean metro stations, the evening emptiness of a city whose employees live outside the Beltway.

But Chicago…

Montrose Harbor just down the street from my apartment.

Is literally bursting with life. People smile at you on the street. Dunkin’ Donuts employees learn your name and inquire about your day. You can DRINK YOUR COFFEE ON THE L TRAIN. There are skyscrapers. “Downtown” has people after 5pm AND it smells like chocolate (there’s a  factory nearby). The subway system is above ground! I get to stare out the window at my new city and NOT feel like a mole person. Chicagoans get representation in Congress. Bars stay open until 4 and 5 am and drinks cost less than $10. People actually pay attention to the city’s sports teams.

Wrigley Field from the cargo doors that were open one day as we walked by.

CABS TAKE CREDIT CARDS and I can get almost anywhere for $13. There is incredible shopping IN the city.  The L train goes to both airports. I can always tell which way is East because of the lake. Oh yea, there’s a lake. Starving artists don’t actually starve here (it’s cheap enough to survive). I can walk for hours and not get sweaty because I have yet to see a hill. There is THEATER. It’s a city of comedians (everyone does improv). Liquor is sold just about everywhere (grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies).  I can take the train to Missouri.

I could probably go on all day like this but hopefully you get the point. I loved DC. It’s a fantastic city and a terrific place to go to school. I wouldn’t trade my time there for anything… but Chicago? It’s wondrous.

It’s home.

On that note… LOOK WHAT I GOT FROM THE WHITE HOUSE!

On a whim I sent an extra graduation announcement to the White House back in May. The whole White House correspondence center is quite a mystery and there is hardly any “official” information online. I was worried that my mere graduation from American University would pale in comparison to Bat Mitzvahs, 100th birthday parties, and 70th wedding anniversaries, as these are the acceptable events listed on numerous non-white house online sources. But I guess since, “Soon I will stand at the helm of our country as (I) steer its course,” they decided to send me this form letter.

Congratulations me! Why thank you Mr. President!

I gotta get a frame.

We made it!!! After bursting into tears upon rounding a corner and catching my first glimpse of the magnificent Hogwarts Castle high on a distant craggy cliff, I goose pimpled my way through the gates into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The scarlet steam engine stands sentinel at the entrance, snow covered shops line the crooked lane of Hogsmeade, and frothy mustached butterbeer drinkers exclaim excitedly over their ear wax flavored Bertie Bott’s.

The only possible way to describe it is… magical.

I keep expecting to see a Hungarian Horntail claw its way up one of the crooked chimneys. For someone who’s loved Harry for more than half her life, it’s like coming home.

the Harry Potter blanket on my bed at home

I’m leaving for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in just a few short hours. Things I’m most excited for: trying Butterbeer, breakfast at The Three Broomsticks, Hogwarts Castle (how are they going to do the enchanted ceiling?), celebrating Tuck’s birthday, THE WAND THAT CHOOSES ME (that’s right.), and Zonko’s Joke Shop, among plenty of other things!

I’ll be blogging this weekend and uploading pictures to Facebook all weekend so keep in touch!

The last time Barack Obama spoke on campus was two years ago during his campaign for the Presidency, which was while I was in Australia. He received his endorsement from Ted Kennedy during that visit and I have bemoaned missing it ever since.

So TODAY I got to remedy that grievous misfortune and see him deliver a major policy reform speech about immigration to an invite only crowd of particularly powerful people (oh yes, myself included).

As I sat watching the President of the United States of America make an appeal to the American people for an extension of our rights and birth-given good fortune to those who seek a better life, I looked around and realized he was talking about me.  Who could possibly have more birth-given good fortune than myself, on this day especially? And THIS, friends, is why today will forever be known in my calender as, The Day of the Presidents.

Not only have I been employed by the Office of the President at American University in Washington, DC for four years, I also sat and watched the US President with the former American University Student Government President directly on my left whispering witty remarks into my ear at all the appropriate times. In addition, I applauded my friend, fellow improv-er, and current AU Student Government President, Nate Bronstein as he led this room of powerful people in a heartfelt delivery of the Pledge of Allegiance just before Obama spoke. That’s FOUR Presidents in my immediate vicinity and relation. Screw six degrees of separation.

I have always known that I enjoy the company of powerful people , but it’s never been as real or as evident as it was today.

Thank you American University and President Barack Obama for making all of this possible. I hope every immigrant, legal or illegal, can someday enjoy the blessings that, for whatever twisted reason, have been bestowed on me.

P.S. I also met Jimmy Carter. SUCKA.

http://www.american.edu/media/news/20100630_Obama_to_Speak_at_American_University.cfm

But the good news? Guess who gets to go!? That’s right – it’s me.

So I won’t let my valuable spot at this intimate event be wasted on an ignorant of immigration issues AU Alumna like myself. I’ve been reading up on policy changes, where the Obama Administration stands, and what the latest news is.

The issue is fascinatingly complicated and could even – to quote a recent class I took – be considered a WICKED PROBLEM. It effects national security, health care, education, the environment, employment, small businesses… basically every aspect of our society. It’s constantly changing, different from every angle, and is extremely hard to define. It is an issue of state sovereignty but also something of national importance that requires federal regulation. Plus, it’s something that many American’s feel VERY strongly about because it’s an issue that is close to home. I don’t envy President Obama’s job when it comes to immigration policy, that’s for sure.

The Washington Post offers a pretty good comprehensive look at the issue here if you feel like doing some Wednesday learnin’ as well.