back in the grap

As of today, I'm back in Grand Rapids until February 8. If you're around, give me a call!

i present to you... the berlin pr staff!!

Check out the guys I'll be working with on the Berlin Thunder staff:

Maik Matischak, PR Director
http://www.berlin-thunder.de/front.asp?id=3

Folke Waack, PR Manager
http://www.berlin-thunder.de/front.asp?id=4

Cem Herder, PR Assistant
http://www.berlin-thunder.de/front.asp?id=5

And then there's me. I'm the US PR Assistant.

Everyone I've talked to who knows them (which, admittedly, is about 3 people) says they are great guys. The head guy, Maik (pronounced just like Mike), is the only one who will be in Tampa, and he'll be there less than half the time. That means that most of the time, it's my show.

The NFL Europe allocation draft and free agent draft happen this weekend. Exciting, I know. This determines which players will be on our team, though, so it's a significant event. Of course, when I get a roster on Sunday, I'll be lucky to recognize four or five names. Tampa is when the real fun starts because a bunch of guys who have never met begin sharing a hotel and playing football together in a strange place for about 4 months.

That's going to be fun to watch.

my apartment is running on E

I've officially begun my last week in Cleveland. On Saturday, my cousins & I moved pretty much all of my earthly goods into a little corner of their attic. So I'll be living out of a suitcase from now until mid-June. It sounds so long when I say it like that. Anyways, for my last week here, I get to sleep on the floor with bare walls surrounding me. Can you sense the excitement?

At any rate, I am certainly counting the days until I'm back in GR. I can't wait to see everyone and enjoy such things as Church of the Redeemer, literary discussions, game night, Griffins hockey, Michigan left turns and Qdoba. There will be much to do in 10 days there.

2017 is just around the corner

For those of you who follow the NFL, you know that the New York Jets recently hired 34-year-old Eric Mangini as their new head coach. But where did the Jets new boss get his big start in the NFL?

Glad you asked. Mangini traces his start back to good ol' Cleveland, Ohio, where he began working for the Browns in 1994. His position? Public Relations Intern. Hmmm, I know someone who does that exact same thing.

Well, technically, I am someone who does that exact same thing. So if this is a replicable career path, I guess I should expect to be taking over my own NFL team by 2017. Works for me.

In other news...

As I dusted the snow and ice off of my car after work this afternoon, one thought kept going through my head: three weeks to Tampa...three weeks to Tampa...three weeks to Tampa.

jobs, jobs, jobs

As you know, I'm getting very close to leaving for the NFL Europe season. What's notably up in the air is what exactly I'll be doing and where I'll be living upon my return to the States. By mid-February or so, I should know whether I'll have an opportunity to stay with the Browns on a more permanent basis. In the meantime, I've been making other contacts for other possible landing spots should the Cleveland deal not work out. And--let's face it--as much as I want a full-time job, I wouldn't exactly be torn up about leaving the city of Cleveland. Plus, as much as I want some sort of stability (geographically, financially, etc.), I can't shake the desire to live in as many places as I can and see as much of the world as I possibly can.

one month and counting...

Today marks the beginning of the one-month countdown until I fly to sunny Tampa. I'll begin the packing process this week, thanks to my cousin in the Cleveland area who's helping store some of my stuff/crap. I'm currently scheduled to be back in Grand Rapids on January 28, though I may try to get that pushed up to a sooner date so I can have more time to enjoy friends, family and Qdoba before heading out.

new year, new blog

I've long said that I wouldn't blog for one simple reason: I'm not naive enough to think that many people are really dying to know what's going on in my day-to-day life. However, as I'll be embarking on extended travels beginning in about a month or so, blogging will be the most effective way to maintain contact with the greatest number of people. Plus, I think my day-to-day life while I travel will be a little more exciting reading than usual. At least that's my hope.

I'll still be here in Cleveland until late January finishing up work with the Browns. I'll head back to GR for a week and a half or so before leaving for Tampa, Florida, on February 8, where I'll spend about a month working training camp. Early March, I'll fly to Berlin, where I'll live in a hotel with the rest of the Berlin Thunder for the duration of the NFL Europe season (until late May). While there, I'll be traveling with the team all over Germany and will make one trip into Amsterdam. At the end of the season, I'm hoping to see a little bit more of Europe before returning home (wherever that will be).

In the meantime, I'll just be preparing for the whole experience while wrapping up loose ends here in Cleveland.

Happy New Year.