Hello all!

So, it's been almost a year since I've spoken with a lot of you and,
after spending some time in California to visit and watch some
friends graduate from college, I figured I would send out a nice
little update to let you all know that I'm still alive (I realize
that may come as a shock to some of you, but bear with me).

So, where to begin...

Back in 2004, I was allowed the opportunity to study in Washington,
D.C. through the University of California's "UCDC" program. And so,
from January to April, I lived about three blocks from the White
House, in a beautiful campus the University of California built.
While in the program I had the chance to take classes from other UC-
professors, which were very fun. But the most exciting part was that
one of the requirements of the program was to spend the quarter in an
internship somewhere in the city and, at the end, to fold those
experiences into a final paper.

Either by pure luck or a big mistake on their part, I interned on
Capitol Hill for a Congresswoman on the Homeland Security and
Intelligence committees. Those of you who know me could probably
guess how fun that was for me. The staff was amazing, and
considering I was mainly doing research and memo-writing, I got to
watch and participate (a little) in the experience of a Capitol Hill
office. As a result, not only did I catch the Washington bug in true
form and fashion, but at the end of the internship, I was encouraged
to come back to DC to continue working on the Hill as a staffer.

When I got back to California, I began to get more involved in the
Journalism program at UCSC, joining the campus newspaper in the Fall
of 2004 and becoming an editor the following quarter. It's funny, I
never really thought I would enjoy writing on a newspaper. I don't
know why though. And certainly, by the second day, I knew that I
loved it. Half way through my first quarter as an editor, I was also
given an opportunity to write a weekly column. That was probably
some of the most fun I had ever had writing anything. Beyond the
column, I also got to write about a lot of interesting issues ranging
from the various national Iraq War-memorials to the flu vaccine
shortages of 2004, political weblogs, and the issue of gay marriage
and how it affected public broadcasting (such as PBS Kids shows).

While I was galavanting about as a would-be kid-journalist, the 2004
election happened, and you all know what side I sat on for that one,
so I soon found out that finding a job on the Hill would be slightly
tougher than I had previously thought. But that was ok, because
while I was certain I would find something at some point, and that
was all that mattered.

So, in July of 2005, I moved out to DC and began looking. And
looking. And looking.

In the mean time, while I wasn't polishing up and faxing out my
resumé, I spent my (shock!) free time wandering aimlessly around the
city, getting some writing and computer work done that I had always
meant to do, and re-discovering my love for amateur photography. I
even began publishing my pictures to a photo-blog through the great
people at Flickr ( http://flickr.com/photos/coolstring/ ). I also
proved that there were some things in life I just couldn't let go of,
and continued my column from the school newspaper on a weblog I had
maintained for a couple of years ( http://
coolstring.livejournal.com/ ).

In October, I decided I would do some seasonal work while I continued
to look for jobs on the Hill, and applied to work for the local Apple
Store. Working for Apple was a special experience during the winter,
as I'm sure you all know the company's new-found and continuing
success. One thing I've been very impressed with about that company
is how well they treated me. First, my job is very simple: I am an
evangelist. I spread the gospel of Apple to whomever will listen,
and since I spent the better part of 15 years using and fixing
literally thousands of PCs, I also became one of the store's go-to
people for potential "switchers" (aka: people switching from using
Windows). They even asked me teach the free weekend beginner
classes, which I must say has been a very rewarding experience.

I have actually been so happy working for Apple that when I finally
did find something on Capitol Hill in January, I continued working
for them during the weekends. And while this meant that the par-for-
normal Ian was busy as ever, it also gave me something fun and
exciting to do instead of sleeping in all the time.

My second experience on Capitol Hill was vastly different from my
first, with a lot more writing, a lot more interaction with the
amazing staff, and a lot more interaction with constituents. The
Congressman was also extremely involved, which made the whole
experience even more rewarding.

In April, however, I began to get a little restless as I continued to
look for more positions on the Hill, and so I finally broke down and
began looking off the Hill as well. Wouldn't you know that within a
few weeks of applying off the Hill, I was offered an IT-policy and
Systems Administration job with a Pentagon contractor. While this
wasn't exactly the policy/writing position I had been searching for
for the nine months since arriving in DC, I decided that the
opportunity was just too worth-while to pass up.

When people ask me what I've gained here so far, I usually tell them
that what I've gained most is what I've learned about the military
contracting world. It truly is a monster unto itself. I have also
begun to branch into other areas and aspects of the company as I
slowly mold my IT-position into one involving more policy-related
activity. I'm glad that I was able to fill the role with relative
ease, even though I had a lot of learning to do. While I spent a
majority of my college career fixing over 2,500 of my fellow
student's computers, I had no idea whether I was cut out to do this
type of work in this type of environment.

In the midst of all of this "work," I still continue to fence,
although I was unable to even attempt to compete in this year's
national competitions - mostly because of monetary constraints. That
said, I consider myself extremely lucky to have found the DC Fencers
Club, which is not only full of amazing fencers, but also some very
special friends.

So, that's essentially what's going on. Work for the Pentagon during
the week, and work for Apple during the weekends. Fencing, taking
pictures, and (in whatever free time I have) hanging out with
friends. I also plan to apply to become a freelancer for Washington
DC's popular weekly, "The City Paper," but first I need to find the
time in my schedule to write consistently, and when I do, then I need
to find a story.

As for the long term, I will be applying to both Journalism graduate
school (Berkeley, Columbia, Northwestern) and various Law Schools. I
figure whichever likes me more gets me. I would be very happy with
either of them, although I'm admittedly leaning more toward "J-
school" myself. But, in the mean time, I have about another year to
enjoy as a working stiff here, in the real world (whatever that is).

I hope that this email reaches you all in good health and happy
spirits. I also hope that you can take some time out to write me
back and let me know how your life is treating you. I apologize that
I haven't been able to keep up with most of you. Unfortunately, as
the saying goes, "life happens" and before you know it, months turn
into years and years turn into much longer than you thought. But
hey, that's why people send these long catch-you-up-on-my-life emails
in the first place, right?

Take care, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

- Ian



PS> Please feel free to pass this on to anyone I might have
forgotten, along with my apologies for having forgotten them.

PPS> my contact info:

Ian Sherr
619 "EYE" St. SW
Washington DC, 20024

cell: 650.400.5863
email (and GTalk): ian.sherr@...
aol IM: iansnewmilennium
yahoo IM: colstrin@...


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"A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but
if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad."

- President Theodore Roosevelt