Hopkins Insider

Emotional Times

The last few weeks have been pretty tough. Normally I would follow such a statement with details of being really busy in the office or tales from a hectic recruitment trip in New England. Though work has been quite busy and I have been on the road for the better part of the last month, the rough times I speak of today stem from a number of stories that have deeply impacted the Hopkins community this fall. I'll get back to blogging about all that is happening in Admissions and entries focusing on the application process in the coming days, but since I have this forum I thought it appropriate to share my thoughts.

To start, if you have yet to hear, nearly two weeks ago the Hopkins community suffered a tragic loss. Miriam Frankl, a junior in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, was the victim of a hit-and-run accident. She was unable to recover from the injuries she suffered in the accident and passed early on the morning of Saturday, October 17 with her parents and many of her friends at her side. For me, the following lines from a message from the deans to the campus community really expressed the impact this horrific incident had immediately on the entire Hopkins community:

Every student contributes in no small measure to the community we create together at Johns Hopkins. The loss of any student, particularly in so tragic and senseless manner, grievously wounds us all.

I learned of the accident very early on Saturday morning when I woke up and was preparing to head to the Homewood campus for one of our fall Open House programs. As I drove to campus I was highly emotional. My heart was heavy, I had a lump in my throat, tears filled my eyes, and a sense of confusion overwhelmed my brain. Though I had only met Miriam a few times in her freshman year, I knew that so many of the students I know well were very close friends with her. I knew she was one of those special students that mixed intelligence and a dedication to academic pursuits, with a love of life, a strong commitment to her friends, and an overwhelming positive spirit. All I could think of was why do such senseless acts of tragedy occur? The Open House and subsequent days were tough, but I did get to see our campus community come together to mourn and support those hurting the most. It is sad that sometimes only in tragic times do you get to see the real strength in people.

Even though days have passed, people are still hurting. The subsequent investigation of the accident and the horrific details that have come out in the news surrounding the driver and the incidents of the day have made the healing difficult. Many, including me, are quite angered with what we have learned through the criminal investigation, and that has really delayed the healing process. However, this is not the place to discuss those details. I know that in the coming days, weeks, and months the campus will continue to heal while also never forgetting Miriam. We all are just pretty much dealing with raw emotions right now, some considerably more than others.

A week prior to this tragic loss, the Hopkins community was shocked by a message sent by our recently installed new President, Ron Daniels. President Daniels sent an email to students, faculty, and staff detailing that he had undergone surgery to remove a small mass in his abdomen, near his pancreas. The message did start with a note that President Daniels' prognosis is excellent and a full recovery is expected. However, knowledge that President Daniels would spend approximately eight weeks away from the office concerned many, including me. Thankfully, in a message 10 days after the surgery, President Daniels shared with the community that the results of the surgery and pathology reports have led to very good news.

A definite set-back and scare for President Daniels who had set a very fast pace in his first months in office, but thankfully all the news has been good since the surgery. In his communications with the campus community, it was good to see President Daniels humor still on display:

-- I’ve always known of the outstanding reputation of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and The Johns Hopkins Hospital. I never intended to get to know Johns Hopkins Medicine so well from the inside but can now personally attest to the stellar care provided by our physicians, nurses and staff.

-- I will be doing my best to balance my doctors' insistence on a good, long recovery with my constitutional inability to remain at rest for very long. This will be a challenge.

And finally, there is a third story to share that has made this past month such a trying and difficult one for me and many others. Two weeks ago, I said goodbye to my Admissions colleague and close friend, Jameel Freeman, as he left the Hopkins Admissions Office to a new position at another fine university.  Please understand, in no way do I think the leaving of a colleague carries the same emotional weight as the tragic loss of a precious student, nor is it as concerning as a serious health battle of a new president. It is just that all of these stories occurred during the same period of time, and have tested my emotional well-being and drained my eyes of many tears.

In my ten plus years in Admissions I have had many, many, many colleagues come and go. All of them have impacted me professionally, most in a good way though there have been some that I was glad to part ways with. No exaggeration, I learned more from Jameel in the four years I got to work with him than anyone else I have ever worked with. I consider him a close friend, a mentor, a solid support network, an advisor, and he is even a fan of mine. Saying farewell to Jameel was tough for so many reasons, and I prefer to keep them private. Though a great loss for the Admissions office, we will move on and I know Jameel is in a better place for him.

Thanks for reading this and allowing me to share my thoughts. I'll be back to Admissions topics shortly.

NACAC Conference Week: Quick Update

So two days complete of NACAC Week and all is running smoothly so far ... knock on wood repeatedly. On Monday we welcomed 12 counselors to campus and today we doubled that number to 24. Everybody seems to be enjoying their visits, loving Mason Hall, and leaving with a new-found appreciate of all that Hopkins has to offer.

These past two days have been easy compared to what is on the horizon for Wednesday. Rough estimate is that we welcome over 250 counselors to campus tomorrow, while also running a college fair in the evening for highly talented local area students. It is going to be a busy day and therefore I do need to get my beauty sleep. Oh wait, it is already 1:00 a.m. and I have still have a couple of emails to send. As I said in my last post, this is going to be the busiest week of my professional career so sleep is very far down the "To Do" lists (and yes there are multiple lists). Thankfully I have downloaded a ton of "Glee" soundtrack songs from iTunes ... yes I am totally addicted and a complete GLEEK already.

As I sign off, I thought I would share a few of the random photos I took so far this week. Many more photos will be coming, especially once the conference begins on Thursday. Enjoy!

We've made the lobby of Mason Hall even more inviting than normal with some nice floral arrangements that incorporate our blue jay mascots.

To be gracious hosts, you must have a hospitality room.

And you must stock that hospitality room for beverages and treats.

Sneak preview ... this afternoon was a test-run of the educational session I and a few of the Hopkins Interactive students are presenting at the Conference on Saturday. Further details to come in a new blog post later this week.

NACAC Conference Week Begins

Here I sit in my office on an early Monday morning on the precipice of the busiest professional week of my life to date. I know many times on this blog it may seem like I am exaggerating when I talk about the hectic nature of my job, or being really busy, or lacking sleep because of work ... and yes, probably in some cases I am using a bit of hyperbole. Not this time. The next seven days are absolutely going to be described by that collection of busy / hectic / overwhelming adjectives. Despite all that though, this is going to be one of the most engaging, educational, engrossing, and enjoyable weeks of my career.

Why you ask? Well, as the title of this entry states, NACAC Conference Week is here!!! And by here, I mean in BALTIMORE.

Before I continue, I think for the uninitiated it may be best to explain what NACAC is, what the NACAC Conference is, and why it being in Baltimore is a huge deal. NACAC stands for the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Founded in 1937, the organization today has a professional membership of over 11,000 from around the world. The membership includes professionals dedicated to assisting students in the transition from secondary to postsecondary education. That means NACAC members are admissions counselors, financial aid officers, guidance counselors, independent college counselors, members of the education media, higher education leaders, and more recently vendors that supply products to colleges or high school related to the college admissions process. One of the chief roles of NACAC is to maintain "high standards that foster ethical and social responsibility among those involved" in the college admissions process. Many of you may be familiar with NACAC in the National College Fairs that they hold throughout the country each year.

Every year in late September or early October the full membership of NACAC is invited to a National Conference. The conference is a chance for professionals from all sides of the college admissions process to come together to discuss the issues of the day and also share a variety of professional development opportunities. The national conference is made up of a series of educational sessions, a couple of guest speakers, a general member assembly, a counselors' college fair, a unique vendor hall, and a series of social events. It is what one would expect of a conference on higher education issues, except for the fact that typically upwards of 4000 people attend. Take a look at all involved with the NACAC Conference 2009 here.

Well if you have yet to connect the dots, the big deal about the 2009 NACAC National Conference being in Baltimore is that means I don't have to travel to attend. No seriously, it has everything to do with the fact that 4000+ professionals related to the world of college admissions and descending on the city where Johns Hopkins University is the preeminent institution of higher education. More than half of these visitors are guidance counselors (or independent counselors) who play a vital role in relaying information about a school back to the world of prospective college students. This is a once-in-a-generation chance for Hopkins to invite and host hundreds of counselors to the Homewood campus and help frame the way counselors will talk about Hopkins to future applicants. Many, if not most, of these visiting counselors have never stepped foot on the Homewood campus, and have never had a first-hand look at what makes Johns Hopkins University distinct. This is our chance to re-define how counselors across the nation and the world view Johns Hopkins University, and provide these counselors with accurate and anecdotal information to relay back to the high school students they work with. As I said, THIS IS A BIG DEAL.

Since March, a handful of my colleagues and I have been planning for this week. We have organized special campus visit events for these counselors, including a massive Insider's Tour program for this Wednesday afternoon. We have also organized a very active presence of the entire Johns Hopkins Admissions staff at the actual conference which begins in full on Thursday at the Convention Center downtown. We have, I believe, dotted all the "i"s and crossed all the "t"s, but as I sit here this morning I am a bit concerned that we may have missed something. And to be honest, I will have that concern until late Saturday evening as the Conference ends with an enjoyable social at M&T Bank (Ravens) Stadium.

I think this will be my seventh National Conference and for obvious reasons this is the one I am most excited for. Since I entered the profession I have been attending the NACAC Conference as professional development. My first conference was when it came to Washington, D.C. in 1998 or 1999; it is so long ago I can't remember. I was working at American University at the time, and I really didn't understand how important the Conference was to someone in the college admissions profession. My opinion changed when the next year I attended the National Conference in Salt Lake City and had the time of my life. The educational sessions were enriching, the networking was tremendous, and the social events ... well let's just say SLC can be quite a fun city. Through the years I attended conferences in Long Beach, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and just last year the amazing city of Seattle. I have had the chance to represent two schools at these conferences (AU and JHU), present a few times on topics I am familiar with (online chats and blogging), and all-in-all connect with the amazing professionals in my field. But none of these previous experiences have truly prepared me as to what is on the verge of commencing today.

As I told you at the start of this entry, this is going to be one crazzzzzzy week for me; I best sign-off and start my day. I do hope to return frequently to the blog over the week with tales and pictures of NACAC Conference Week 2009. Johns Hopkins and Baltimore are ready to host these college admission visitors, let's just hope I am too.

Back and Better Than Ever

Two months have passed since my last blog post and I know you all have been wondering where did AdmissionsDaniel go? Don't worry, I'm still here and I am finally making my triumphant return to blogging. I was actually going to write a few days earlier but thought that it would be more momentous to return exactly two months to the date of my last post.

So here I am in Fayetteville, N.C., sitting on an uncomfortable Days Inn bed, with an inconsistent wireless connection, listening to my dog Soze snore like crazy on the other bed, tired from a 10-hour drive today, missing my TiVo so I could watch one of the many shows I have missed lately, concerned a bit with how strong the rain sounds outside, and avoiding watching my horrific N.Y. Mets play against the Nationals. With all that going on, I thought what else to do but blog.

I find myself in this interesting scenario as my second summer vacation has come to an end and I head back to Baltimore from Viera, Florida. (More on that to come below.) I am looking forward to finishing the six-hour drive back to Charm City tomorrow morning, as there is a lot I need to get done both work-related and personal-related (none more important than catching up on Rescue Me, So You Think You Can Dance, Entourage, and Big Brother).

So why the absence?
I wish I had a great reason for taking two months off from blogging, but alas there is no great story. Chalk it up to a bit of blogging fatigue, numerous days off during the summer, and the typical admissions cycle turn-over -- finishing off with the Class of 2013 and starting to focus on the next recruitment/application cycle. With the summer being more than half over, it is time to kick things back into gear. I have to focus on a ton of work projects to complete in the coming weeks, hope to still get the chance to enjoy one more summer vacation, and you all will be happy to hear that I have a notebook worth of blog topic ideas to keep me busy through the fall. But before looking ahead, this entry is about looking back ... what's been up with Admissions Daniel over the last two months???

Farewell to the JHU Class of 2009 & Prepping the Class of 2013
As I detailed in the last post before my hiatus, saying farewell to the Class of 2009 was quite difficult for me. The Commencement ceremonies got me quite emotional as I said goodbye to a class full of students who I had truly connected with. Thankfully, I have and will continue to keep in touch with them as they pursue a myriad of unique post-graduate experiences. (And I know they all will be submitting alumni blogs this coming fall.)

A lot of my time since Commencement has been focused on making sure the incoming Class of 2013 is prepared for move-in and orientation at the end of August. Since last summer a handful of University colleagues and I have been part of a New Student Portal committee, preparing a paper-less system for incoming freshmen to process online all the important documents that converts a an enrolling student to new freshman. This project of maintaining the New Student Portal "To Do List" for incoming freshmen as well as being a mainstay on the Class of 2013 Facebook Group has been a primary focus of mine and I hope the system has worked well to prep the 1350+ freshmen arriving in about six weeks. Over the coming weeks with a special Summer Blogging Contest and the application cycle for the Student Admissions Advisory Board, I look forward to getting to know the freshmen class even more.

Getting to Know My New Nephew & Watching My Niece Grow Up
As anyone who has followed this blog for a while knows, my family means the world to me. Over the last few years I have numerous times shared stories and pictures of my lovely niece Lilly. Well in April my family grew by one with the arrival of my nephew Cooper. I know I alluded to his birth in my previous posts, but it was not until the end of May did I actually get to meet the little guy. And guess what ... he is more awesome than I thought he would be. Just check out this slide-show of the dynamic duo of my niece and nephew ... Lilly Brooke and Cooper Daniel:

And yes, moving forward there will be many tales of both Lilly and Cooper as they grow up and get ready for their college application process (too soon???).

 

Teaching My Dog Soze To Dive
As much as Lilly, and now Cooper, are mainstays of my blog entries, my dog Soze is also a constant topic. As he turns 7 1/2 he continues to do well and remain my eternal best friend. For both of us the months of January through May were a bit of struggle as my hectic work schedule prevented us from having much social time. Additionally, with the fact that my family moved last year from southern New Jersey (a two-hour drive away) to central Florida (a 16-hour drive away), Soze and I were no longer able to take long weekends to connect with the family and relax. So at the end of May we packed up my Trailblazer and headed down south to spend two long weeks of relaxing, swimming, and re-connecting with the family. The first vacation was so great that Soze and I headed back down to Florida again in mid-July ... this time it was much harder to leave.

Our two summer vacations to the Space Coast in Florida was primarily spent relaxing. I played numerous rounds of golf with my Dad, prepared an amazing present for my parents' 40th anniversary with my sister, played uncle as I talked about above, and became a huge fan of the Space Program like my Mom (read on for more detail). However, the main goal of this time in Florida was to get Soze more used to swimming and specifically teaching him how to dive. It took some time, but after the purchase of a plastic purple turtle, Soze took to swimming and diving like all labradors do ... to the point that I had to force him out of the pool. Slide show proof:

Became a Super Fan of the Space Program
During my childhood I didn't really get all involved with the Space Shuttle and space exploration. I do remember the day of the Challenger Explosion, the first real tragedy I remember in my life, and I was a huge fan of Star Wars (the movies not the strategic defense system), but I wouldn't say I was a space junkie. Well that has all changed now as over the last two months I have witnessed two of the most amazing things in my life. First I had the chance to watch as the Space Shuttle returned to Kennedy Space Center on the back of a 747 and then just last week my own eyes witnessed the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavor. Both times my heart-pounded, my eyes filled with tears, and was overwhelmed with such positive emotions. I am hooked now, and will be keeping up with NASA regularly now.

 

I would be remiss if I didn't note the significance of my writing this blog on the 40th anniversary of the moon landing in 1969. I can not wait until that momentous day in the future when man walks on Mars ... I have all the faith it will occur in my lifetime.

 

So there it is -- a wrap-up of what I have been up to the last two months. Not a ton of work-related news, but the summer isn't really about working, is it? Well it will be for me when I return to the office on Wednesday.

I did reserve one story from the past two months, but it was such a unique event I feel it deserves an entry on its own. So check back later this week for my next entry ... which will be entitled "A Reminder Why I Love What I Do."

And since so much of this entry was about my family, I had to share these pictures too:

   

Why Hopkins: Because we LipDub, Of Course

As promised in the last entry, the next few blog posts are all going to focus on the question ... WHY HOPKINS? I hope many of the admitted students were able to answer that question after last Tuesday's first Spring Welcome Open House. The rest of you, I hope will be able to attend one of the other two Open Houses on either April 14 or April 21. And remember, to read Cheryl J.'s Top 10: Reasons to Attend a Spring Welcome Open Houseto pre-plan your visit day.

Today's WHY HOPKINS reason is a simple one ... because the students and Admissions staff love to LipDub. Enough said ... let the video play.

Special thanks to Vampire Weekend for the song "Campus" -- go download it on iTunes right now. Thanks to our Director, Producer, and Mastermind Josh G. - Film and Media Studies sophomore.

For those unaware of what a LipDub is, read this Wikipedia article. Basically:

A lip dub is a type of video that combines lip synching and audio dubbing to make a music video. It is made by filming individuals or a group of people lip synching while listening to a song or any recorded audio then dubbing over it in post editing with the original audio of the song. There is often some form of mobile audio device used such as an iPod. Often, they look like simple music videos, although many involve a lot of preparation and are well produced. The most popular lip dubs are done in a single unedited shot that often travels through different rooms and situations in, say, an office building.

For us, our LipDub was just a way to have fun after the release of decision letters. We hope you enjoyed it, and got to see how clever and unique Hopkins students can be. (If you want to watch a truly amazing LipDub, click here.)

More meaningful WHY HOPKINS reasons to come soon.

Actually, let me finish by sharing with you one other video that shows Hopkins students having fun. Here is a video that just came to my attention of a greek life event last week:

I Haven't Forgotten About You All

Hello faithful Hopkins Insider blog visitors. No, I have not forgotten about you all. I know it has been more than two weeks since my last update. I had hoped to write a thorough update today (Sunday), but unfortunately all I can provide is this quick note. No long update today because after just finishing up my application reading for the week, it is 2:00pm and I am going to permanently place myself on my couch to watch 6 hours of Oscar pre-show and then the probably 4 hour Oscar broadcast. 

Yes it is OSCAR NIGHT and I am sooooooo excited. After two long weeks of endless application reading and trying to keep up with a ton of other projects, I have earned these 10 hours off. So I promise to return tomorrow with (1) an update on what has been going on in Mason Hall - The Admissions Office; (2) the winners of the first annual Bloggies; and (3) exciting news about upcoming blog posts through the end of February and March.

So check back on Monday, and good luck in your Oscar Prediction Pools. And for complete randomness, let me end with one of my favorite pictures of my niece, Lilly.

CHEERS!    

Speechless: Witness to History

I am pretty much speechless at this moment. That is really rare for me, especially when it pertains to politics or history. Having just watched the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, I returned to my desk and realized I was just witness to history.

In all of our lives there are those moments that we will remember vividly forever and ever. We remember where we were, who was with us, every detail that occurred, and even how our senses reacted on that day (sights, smells, sounds, etc.). For me, the events of my life that can be categorized like that are the Challenger explosion, Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, the Oklahoma City bombing, the start of the first Gulf War as seen on CNN, the Princess Diana tragedy, and every horrific moment of September 11, 2001. I can definitively state that January 20, 2009 now is added to that list.

Today I am proud to be an American. I haven't said that in a long time. I have hope and I have a renewed faith in our country today. I do not believe that President Obama has all the right answers, but having watched how the events have transpired these last few days and listened to the words of our new President, I am once again optimistic. For me the moment of President Obama's inaugural speech was:

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

I believe again in my country. I believe again in the democratic process. I believe again in a commitment to global freedoms. I believe again in the American public. I believe again in the core values of our founding fathers. And I even believe again in our government. I just hope that this will all continue, and that this new age of RESPONSIBILITY is embraced by all and grows exponentially. 

I am a firm believer also in the truth that pictures represent thousands of words and emotions, so I share just a few that have impacted me today:

 

I am curious to hear from you all. What comments do you have to share on a historical day like today? 

Hello, I am Admissions Daniel and I am addicted to Television.

I hope you all enjoyed my friend and colleague Paul's Guest Author entry. It may not be directly linked to the goal of the Hopkins Insider blog -- a behind-the-scenes look at admissions at Johns Hopkins -- but during the stressful times of applying to college we all need a break. And that break continues now ...

See I am inflicted with the same illness that Paul has -- an overwhelmingly addiction to television. Nearly every afternoon you can find me in Paul's office discussing something that occurred last night on television or what we are looking forward to on tonight's TV line-up. We read the same TV-gossip blogs, my favorite being Watch with Kristin on E! Online whereas Paul prefer's The Ausiello Files on EW.com. When our colleagues walk by they just roll their eyes and move on because they are just casual TV watchers. They are not part of the small fraternity of severe TV addicts. Some have suggested we seek professional help, but does anyone have the phone number for a good TV therapist -- I heard Dr. Melfi from The Sopranos is retired.

So for the last few days I have been considering how to respond to Paul's post. I booted up my laptop, powered up my TiVos (yes like Paul I work with multiple DVRs), dusted off the abacus, located my past journals, and even went back to a blog entry I wrote back in October 2007 on a similar topic. After listing all the shows I am currently committed to watching, I began the endless process of organizing and categorizing. After 46 sleepless hours (just kidding), I think I have finalized my January 2009 Thesis on What Television Shows You All Should Be Watching. Enjoy, and please don't judge me.

MUST SEE TV - Shows I Must Watch Live
I attempted to put these in order, but honestly the order changes each day. Pretty much these --- shows are the best television has to offer currently.

(1) LOST - Greatest ... Show ... EVER. There is so much I could say, but those three words pretty much sum it up.

(2) 24 - Jack Bauer is finally back, and I am so excited. Yes, Day 6 was not the best and yes there are some past story lines that are ridiculous (i.e. Mountain Lion chasing Kim during Day 1), but this still is one of the most innovative TV shows ever.

(3) Friday Night Lights - Re-reading the entry I posted in October 2007 I have FNL listed as a show I might catch up on through DVDs. Well my Mom continued to pester me and over three days I watched every episode of seasons 1 & 2. No exaggeration ... this is the best family drama on television now and may be in the top 2 or 3 of all time (along with Family Ties.)

(4) Dexter- A serial killer to love. Season 2 struggled a bit, but adding Jimmy Smits for Season 3 was a perfect choice. Next up, Dexter as a Dad ... wow!

(5) Rescue Me- This show is what cable television was made for. Dennis Leary is a genius, and I guarantee when this show ends (which I hope is in a very very long time) it will go out with one of the most memorable endings ever. It is one of the only forms of entertainment that has ever dealt with post-September 11th issues in a respectful and realistic manner.

MUST TIVO TV - Shows That I Must Watch Within 48 Hours of Airing
Once again I am trying to keep these in a particular order, so the ones at top are the closest to move into the Must Watch TV category.

(6) House, MD - Hugh Laurie is amazing, especially since he is British!!! One thing I don't get, how can Doctors get some many things wrong before getting it right -- that scares me.

(7) Fringe- I never have been a huge fan of sci-fi TV shows (yes I have heard Battlestar Gallactica is a great show) and didn't really get the X-Files, but this new show has hooked me with great acting, an unusual central plot, and some of the best filming on network TV currently.

(8) Privileged - Laugh all you want ... this is the best show on the CW (yes it blows Gossip Girlaway) and JoAnna Garcia is amazing, and my newest crush!!!

(9) Entourage - I want to be Turtle, especially now that he is hooking up with Meadow Soprano (Jaime Lynn Sigler). A fast and fun 30 minutes, with one of the best characters on TV - Ari Gold.

(10) Life - In my opinion, the best procedural police/crime drama on TV currently. Charlie Crews is one of the most complex characters out there. Damian Lewis who plays Crews is an excellent actor ... if you don't agree just watch him in Band of Brothers.

(11) Numb3rs - What Fringecan do for science, this show does for math. Nerds are cool especially teamed with the FBI. Plus, I will watch any show with Peter MacNicol ... well except for Ally McBeal.

(12) Heroes - In Season 1 this was one of my top 5 shows ... but then a disjointed Season 2 came and the introduction of too many characters dropped it for me. I am still on board and hoping they get back to the original "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World" days.

(13) Chuck - Zachary Levi is just plain clever and funny ... Yvonne Strahovski is gorgeous (and what a name) ... and this is one show where the supporting cast carries a lot of the show.

   

TIVO FOLDER-ED SHOWS - Shows That I Record and Watch in Bunches
I already have 13 shows I watch weekly so this second tier of shows I may not watch when they actually air. I have "season passes" to all of them and typically ever month I will "catch up" by watching a mini-marathon of new episodes.

(14) 30 Rock - Tina Fey is a genius ... is there anything else to say.

(15) Law and Order: Special Victims Unit - Benson and Stabler have amazing chemistry ... and I love a show with Richard Belzer (I miss Homicide: Life on the Street).

(16) Flight of the Conchords - I am not sure what it is, but every time after 30 minutes my chest hurts and I have tears in my eyes. Unusual comedy.

(17) Little Britain USA- Another HBO comedy that leads me to laugh uncontrollably. YouTube search "Carol Beer" and watch all the clips ... you will thank me. "Computer says Nooooooo."

(18) Secret Diary of a Call Girl - I love British people ... I love shows with the main character as a narrator ... I love risky TV shows ... and oh yeah, Billie Piper is great too.

(19) The L Word - I know what many people think when a heterosexual male admits to watching this show. But honestly the character development over the seasons has been ground-breaking.

(20) Saturday Night Live- Obviously the election made SNL relevant again, but I watch for the Digital Shorts each week.

(21) Scrubs - One of the best comedies on TV -- thank you ABC for saving this show -- and another with a great main character narrator.

(22) My Name is Earl - A great premise ... good characters ... and The Crab Man.

(23) Law & Order - The original L&O still delivers occasionally. And if I don't like the new episode I can turn on pretty another cable network (TNT, USA, TBS, etc.) and see an old syndicated episode.

 

So you probably think I am done after listing 23 shows ... well if you think that you don't understand my addiction. There is more ... much more ... 

NEWLY CANCELED SHOWS THAT I WILL MISS
Sometimes I just don't understand TV executives. These shows get canceled while shows like Medium, The Ghost Whisperer, and Knight Rider are still on.

Prison Break- Just canceled this week. I knew it had to come to an end but I am going to miss Michael and Lincoln. I don't understand why Fox canceled it ... this is one of Stephen Kings's favorite shows. STEPHEN KING!!!

Dirty Sexy Money - The one soap-opera style show that I watched. You the plots were over-the-top, but I do love Peter Krause. Plus, the show had another one of my TV crushes -- actress Zoe McLellan. Google her.

The Riches- Eddie Izzard. Minnie Driver. Travelers. Why FX, why did you cancel this very different, and extremely well scripted show?

SHOWS THAT I WATCH WHEN I GET HOME FROM WORK / WAKE UP IN THE MORNING / GO TO BED
Pretty much whenever I am home my television is on. When I get home from work, I have to play with Soze, cook dinner, clean-up, etc. and these are the shows that I scan through each day. When I wake up in the morning and get ready for work, yup the TV is on. And yes, I go to sleep with the TV on.

Pardon the Interruption- Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon have great chemistry and this is an easy way to catch up on the day's sports news.

Cash Cab - The best trivia show on television ... EVER. I love Jeopardy, but come on ... trivia in a New York taxi cab. Plus, the host - Ben Bailey - has one of the best voices on TV. His voice will be in the hall of fame with James Earl Jones, Keifer Sutherland, Alec Baldwin, and Howard Cossell.

Simpsons / Family Guy- From 6 - 8pm, in Baltimore you can turn on a number of channels and catch these two animated comedies. Mindless humor is always nice after a long day at work.

Mike and Mike in the Morning - My morning show -- while I get ready for work. Then I listen to the show on my drive to work.

The Daily Show with John Stewart & The Colbert Report - I got to bed with Stewart and Colbert ever night. And yes I will confess, this is where I get my news of the day.

FOOD NETWORK AND DISCOVERY CHANNEL SHOWS THAT ROCK
These are the shows I watch when I want to consider a career change. You can to live vicariously through some amazing chefs, fishermen, and Mike Rowe.

Dirty Jobs - Mike Rowe is amazing. (Another one of the hall of fame voices.) The jobs are disgusting, but somewhat beautiful as well when presented by the Discovery Channel -- especially in HD.

Iron Chef America - I would give up almost anything to taste one of the meals that is completed during this cooking competition. My only complaint -- Bobby Flay competes too much. We need more Mario, Cat, and Symon battles.

Deadliest Catch - After watching nearly every episode during the Thanksgiving break, I became hooked. I love me some crabs -- hey, I live in Baltimore -- and this show glorifies the crab.

Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives - Guy is awesome ... and the joints he introduces us to are so unique. I actually have been to a few of the places he has visited in Baltimore, and yes the food is amazing at each place.

THE ONLY REALITY TV THAT I WILL WATCH
When reality TV first started I was hooked. Survivor, the Real World, Road Rules, the Amazing Race ... I loved them all. Then the reality TV craze began and I swore off anything that would fall into this category. However, there are still three shows I stuck with. (((Now there is Celeb-reality TV on VH1 ... and since the weekend marathons are one of my guilty pleasures in life ... they don't adhere to my disdain of reality TV programming.)))

American Idol - Yes it can be annoying at times. Yes it is more popular than it should be. But it is addicting, and they do find a lot of people with talent. Plus, Simon is always right.

So You Think You Can Dance- Actually I know I can't dance, but that is why I love this show. These kids have SOOOOO much talent. Plus, Cat Deely is a great host.

Big Brother - Guilty pleasure ... and usually there is not much to watch during the summer.

NEW SHOWS I WILL BE WATCHING THIS SEASON
I am always adding to the lists above. It used to be new shows only premiered in the fall ... now we get new shows all year round. Woo hoo. Here are the ones I am most looking forward to.

Dollhouse - Joss Whedon is another genius. After Buffy I will watch anything this man creates. I am hoping that all the negativity that has surrounded this show doesn't hurt its chances of sticking around for a while.

Lie to Me - I have seen the pilot episode and I am hooked. Tim Roth is great, but the show has a unique premise and I look forward to learning how to tell is people are lying.

The United States of Tara- The story of a pretty normal suburban family, except for the fact that Mom suffers from multiple personalities. I think Showtime has done it again.

Eastbound & Down - I got hooked on Danny McBride from his recent movies - The Foot Fist Way, Tropic Thunder, and Pineapple Express. Add to that it is on HBO, and I am hoping for big things.

Kings - Not really sure about this one, but the guy from Deadwood is in it and early reviews have been positive. We shall see.

I could continue to share more lists such as:

Shows That Are Gone That I Want Back Now:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sports Night, The Sopranos, Freaks and Geeks, Homicide: Life on the Street, Mad About You

Shows I Plan to Catch-up On Via DVDs
The Wire, Arrested Development, Nip/Tuck, The Shield, True Blood

Shows I Will NEVER Watch
Gossip Girl, 90210 (the new one), Grey's Anatomy, Medium, any show on MTV, Hannah Montana, every show on CBS (except for Numb3rs), any show with CSI in it's title

I could go on, but it is late. And I have TV shows to watch,

Don't worry, I'll get back to blogging about more relevant topics in my next entry. I hope you did enjoy this distraction and I know Paul and I would enjoy reading your feedback in the comments section about our TV preferences.

Nothing to Do, Really?

Sunday, November 2, 2008.

This date probably means a lot of things to a lot of people currently reading this blog. For some of you, you are enjoying the extra rest from the additional hour of sleep you gained with the end of day light savings. For another group of you, you are still recovering from your Halloween activities on Friday. For others of you, you are de-stressing after a Saturday of standardized testing. For another group of you, you are feeling a sense of accomplishment and relief with the passing of yesterday's Early Decision Deadline (... and now you are counting the days until December 15). And maybe even some of you are looking forward to the coming week and specifically participating in the democratic process on Tuesday.

For me this day means something very different. It signifies my first day of complete rest in nearly six weeks. Today is the first day since I last posted (September 20) that there is absolutely nothing on my work or personal to do list. My calendar is completely empty today and I am not sure how to react. I sit here at home not feeling completely comfortable, because I feel like I need to be doing something like visiting a high school, speaking at an Open House, or trying to determine how much money I have lost with the economic downturn. When you have something scheduled every day for 43 straight days, and many of those days are filled with multiple tasks / appointments / responsibilities, you will understand the uneasiness I feel right now.

So with this unusual free day I have slept late, watched a movie (Iron Man on BlueRay DVD), downloaded some pictures of my niece, took Soze (my dog) on a long walk, watched some football (go N.Y. Giants), continued reading a great book (Nelson DeMille's The Gate House), and now I am digesting my dinner (grilled chicken breast with peppers and salsa) while waiting for my Sunday night shows to come on -- The Simpsons, Dexter, Entourage, and Little Britain USA. With this lazy Sunday I did feel like I needed to accomplish at least one thing, and returning to blogging has been a top priority for me.

   

I know ... I know ... I know. You can't call yourself a true blogger and then take more than a month off from writing. My apologies. But as you will come to learn in my coming posts, I did have a valid reason for not posting since September 20th ... the busiest six weeks of my life since the end of my senior year in college (1997) when I tried to cram a 100+ senior honors thesis paper in 40 days. All will be revealed as I have challenged myself to make this November one of the most active posting months in the history of the Hopkins Insider blog. So stay tuned for a series of upcoming blog entries detailing my frequent travels throughout September and October, as well as a number of blog entries featuring "new stuff" at Johns Hopkins and through the Hopkins Interactive site.

With my absence I hope I haven't lost most of my readership, and I hope my return to frequent blogging will lead to more Hopkins Insider fans. As you eagerly anticipate my next entry, let me encourage you to take a sneak preview at some of the new Hopkins Interactive features I will discuss next week:

- Hopkins Interactive meets Tweeter: https://twitter.com/HopkinsInsider

- The Hopkins Interactive Video Blog debuts our new Hopkins Now! video show: http://hopkins.typepad.com/video/2008/11/jhtv-presents-hopkins-now-episode-1.html

- A number of new shared blogs for the 2008-09 academic cycle:
2012: Hopkins Arts & Sciences Freshman Blog: http://hopkins.typepad.com/2012ksas/

2012: Hopkins Engineering Freshman Blog: http://hopkins.typepad.com/2012wse/

Senior Blog: Class of 2009: http://hopkins.typepad.com/2009/

Roxi and Jessica: Caught in Between: http://hopkins.typepad.com/shared/

... and much more to come. Check back soon.

Stay Tuned ... Changes are a Coming

Greetings readers. I am writing from my living room on the eve of my departure for my second long summer vacation. Back in late June / early July I departed Baltimore for 18 days of relaxation. Tomorrow I will once again depart with Soze (my dog) and head south to see the family for 10 days. The first vacation was one of recovery from a very busy spring season whereas this vacation is one of recharging to get ready for the 2008-09 academic year.

So I have been doing a lot of prep-work on the Hopkins Insider blog over the last week and I noticed that I was much more active blogging during the summer of 2007. My apologies for being missing-in-action a bit more this year, but really there has been little to report. Please don't take my infrequency of posts these last few months as any indication that I am burned out from the Admissions Blogging process. In fact, I am more charged than I have been in a few years.

Upon my return from vacation there will be some distinct changes and new features for the Hopkins Insider blog. I have been experimenting with the design and features of this Admissions blog, and I think you readers will be impressed. Stay tuned.

Along those lines I will also be re-introducing the Hopkins Insider Blog and the role I play as Admissions_Daniel. This blog was launched back in December 2005, and since then I have posted over 100 blog entries ( to be exact) and written during three admissions cycles. As we gear up for the next cycle I think it is the perfect time for not only a new design but a reflection once again on Who and What is the Hopkins Insider?

So as you all stay tuned, and I go off to enjoy a relaxing vacation filled with glorious sunshines and sunsets, I once again encourage you to pass some of your free time by enjoying my selections of the Top Ten: Best Blogs of 2007-08. Cheers!!!