Yes, it's official: the Wichita State University Department of Political Science has given me one of four Washington, DC internships for the Spring 2008 semester. One of four, of roughly a dozen people who applied. I did it! Well, half of it. The remaining challenge will be finding a program in Washington to accept me. Professor Kahn, who's in charge of the school program, says he will be getting into contact with some folks he knows in Washington; I've already got applications in to several places. An encouraging sign is that no one who's ever been accepted into the PoliSci Dept's program has ever failed to find a position in Washington.

Prof. Kahn suggests I find an internship that would involve research and writing. I really shouldn't brag (but ye gods, this is a day for it!), but he said the writing sample I submitted (my big formal research paper from last spring) was among the very top he's seen in 15 years of doing this, in addition to possibly being the best-documented undergraduate research paper he's ever seen; he also got word from a previous PoliSci professor that he highly recommended my writing skills.

Oh My God, people. I'm going to Washington. I'm going to work there for four months. Back in the summer, when I first started looking into the internship program, I didn't think I had much of a chance. My GPA was too low; my extracurricular activities were virtually nonexistant. I wasn't involved in any campus organizations (although I am trying to start a campus Libertarian org). There were so many other student applicants who were driven, successful, and ambitious, whose academic records made mine look poor in comparison.

But I made it. I made it!

Mama, daddy, this one's for you.

Hey, peoples...I've got a busy summer ahead, a summer during which my laptop is going to figure prominently in the realms of work, school, and travel. So, I need a little advice, if any of y'all have some. :p

I have a really nice "deluxe" laptop case that is sturdy and holds just about anything. The problem is that it's a shoulder-strap-only affair. While I can carry a loaded backpack across campus and back all day without undue discomfort, carrying stuff on one shoulder becomes very uncomfortable after only a couple minutes. I've noticed that when I'm uncomfortable bearing a weight (even something that's relatively light like a laptop with accessories) it has a big impact on the respiratory problems. So...since I am going to be taking the laptop with me almost every day this summer, I obviously need a new bag, or some other solution.

I've been looking at laptop backpacks on Amazon, and they seem like they may be right kind of thing I'll need, but I've never carried a computer in a backpack before, so the prospect has me wondering. Are backpacks safe for transporting laptops on a daily basis? This thing is my favorite item (not to mention a necessary tool for work and school!) and I definitely don't want to damage it for the sake of convenience. I'll be taking it to school almost every weekday and then to work after class at least three times a week. This will involve lots of bus travel. Also how good are backpacks for taking a laptop as a carry-on on a plane? For travel I'm not so concerned and I'll use the regular case if that's best (and since I won't be checking it, it'll be with me at all times).

Any advice is welcome. :)