In the case that you were wondering…

I am alive

Yes, after three weeks of absence, I am here and with more energy than ever! But alas there have been quite a few changes since our last talking, so take yer seat…here’s the update:

Graduation

Ah, graduation! I never thought one day could be as exciting as it was stressful. Smack dab in the middle of the worst cold that I have had for quite some time, my graduation was off to a somewhat uncomfortable start. Tired from the week’s festivities, I decided that perhaps starting my day off as normal as possible would help ease any tension that I had built up. Yes, I get tense around my family. But if 25 people had come to see you, you’d be tense too. But anyway, I woke up early (around 6 AM), made some coffee and read the paper. I gave myself about an hour and a half to read, clean and mentally prepare myself for the day. And fortunately, it paid off. Not only did I feel more relaxed throughout the day, I also felt happier. Anyway, after getting ready and almost forgetting my gown at home, I set off for campus. Thankfully Tina and Andrew had all ready got a seat at the church (despite the fact that there was literally no one there) and settled everyone in. The mass went well, as did the graduation. There was one hitch though, I had forgotten to give Tina and my grandma the tickets to enter the church. But everything worked out, and honestly…I didn’t want to get too stressed about it. Magically, not only did Tina and my family get decent seats - but Andrew and Allison were able to come upon two extra tickets, and get this: as they walked in through the side door, the first row opened up and yep, you guessed it - they snagged spots.

After the graduation I helped pile people into cabs and sent everyone to the Boudin in Fisherman’s Wharf. We enjoyed some Clam Chowder and Chili Bowls, all sitting by the outside fireplace. It was nice, even though most of us were sick and freezing (there was quite a cold wind that day). Afterwards, we ventured off to Pier 39 and just soaked it all in. We then walked over to Caesars off of Powell and enjoyed a wonderful seven course meal - yes all 30 of us (at this point). It was wonderful having everyone there, and I kept those who couldn’t be in my mind. Unfortunately, my dad never did give his speech that he had been preparing for, but we spoke afterwards. Overall (without having to go into too much detail), it was an amazing day and I wish it lasted an eternity, but C’est la vie, I’ll cherish it for always.

Winter Break

After the hilarious drive home (there were 15 of us in a van), my break had officially begun. Stocked up on books, I began to read, enjoying one in particular: “The Undiscovered Self” by Jung. It served as a great beginning to an already eventful winter break. Not much happened over break, that is, outside of the ordinary. My mom’s birthday was spent with my intermediate family at the Olive Garden, Christmas was spent with the “sides” (Eve at my house with my mom’s side, Day with my Dad’s side). I was able to see Tina and her family and as always, enjoyed their company :-). Overall, the break was enjoyable and restful, two things I was in dire need of coming out of one of the most difficult semester’s on record. That being said, I ended up with one of my highest GPA’s, so I guess everything just magically works out. Ah! Speaking of “magic”, I went to Disneyland for my birthday. It was extremely enjoyable, not only was I free but they still had the Christmas decorations still up. Very fun, very fun indeed.

Back to work…it’s about time!

Now back in San Francisco, I have begun crafting what will be my time block in the city. Why final, you ask? Well because I’m moving to Chicago come June of course :-). I am currently keeping mum on the whole situation, so if you are interested in to know exactly why I am moving, just ask. So, before moving away there are a few things I have to do in San Francisco, but I think it’s time to move on - as enjoyable as SF has been. But work, yes work. So let’s see I have a few projects going on - care to check em out? I’ll list everything below:

Revamp of “michaelvillasenor.info”
Over winter break I began thinking up of ideas on how to push my content more effectively on the Internet. One way was to develop and maintain a working portfolio and homepage for myself. If I wanted to become better at pushing other people’s content, well then I ought to be good at connecting myself across the vastness of the “web”. That being said, I decided to use a can-template to put together a simple site where I could put my work on display as well as serve as a directory to everything “Michael Villasenor”. So check it out, seems to be working alright, although it could use some content.

http://michaelvillasenor.info

Sergio Rodriguez Photography
Ah, so after some time I have been hired to revisit Mr. Rodriguez’s web page. The update should be nice, as it will add a completely new section, filled with 20 of Mr. Rodriguez’s amazing photographs. Flash based, some action scripting involved.

http://sergiorodriguezphotography.com

The Forgotten International
Working with local non-profit and former professor of mine, I have begun to build a simple, yet tasteful makeover of the very active organization, “The Forgotten International”. Constraints? Build the web page entirely from HTML so that it is compliant with Yahoo! web editor. Eek! Feasible? Yes Tough? Just frustrating. But the site is coming along, I have yet to publish the site to their server. Stay tuned, I’ll post a link soon.

Student Leadership and Engagement
Like last semester, I will be working with the department of Student Leadership and Engagement as a web assistant. Not necessarily a full-fledged job but something to get my name and work out there. Currently, I am working on getting a newsletter together for them for distribution later this month. USF students, keep your eyes open and your inbox’s clear - you’ll see it soon enough.

McCarthy Center
Another small project, similar to the SLE one, I will be working with the McCarthy Center to help consolidate a lot of their information into a web page. Working with various teams, I will construct pages that will help not only make navigation easier, but also more appealing. That being said, I am considering bridging the gap between the newly renovated Foghorn web site into possible pages at the McCarthy Center. We’ll see what they have in mind come next week.

//Some other stuff that I cannot mention just yet. I’ll post something soon though.

Information Technology Services, Project Management
Ah, the mother ship, my home territory. I will be working this semester alongside my kick-butt boss and equally awesome boss MT to help push projects towards completion. In particular, I am looking forward to working with different departments, including Ms. KP to getting documentation and web pages up and running.

So is that enough for you? Ha, hopefully my next update won’t take so long.