Summer Internships, The Ones In Between, Thanksgiving

Summer internships:  If your firm takes on summer interns please let me know.  I have been asked by a few top-notch students if I could help them connect to find one...both in the U.S. and Europe.  Thanks.  BTW, in preparing some years back for a tour of Graduate Real Estate Programs and speaking with those students about careers in real estate, I reached out to a number of my industry friends and asked them "What advice would you give a graduate student who is  focused on the real estate industry?  I've been invited to visit some of these programs again in 2012 and have pulled out that document and will be handing it out to the groups I talk with. I'd be happy to send you a copy.  Just email me (steve@simplicate.com) with the word "Advice" in the subject box.

Here are a few websites I added to my "Bookmarks" this week.  I hope you find one or more of interest:

1.  The Domino Project 

2.  Songs that made you feel good 
3.  Meaning & Heart
4.  Bondi's Blogspace 

Someone sent me this years ago.  I re-discovered it poking through some document folders and wanted to share it with you.

" The Ones in Between" 

When the road we walk on
is sometimes rough
or is it that we suddenly
take away all what is not necessary
shoes, boots or high hills
from  which we easily fall
i suddenly prefer the thrill
to walk on my bare feet
to feel each imperfection of the street
to know each things i did right or wrong
to learn from each mistake
nor to be rich nor to be strong
but just to be  human again

like the first day , like the last
and all the ones in between

The U.S. will celebrate it's Thanksgiving Day next Thursday.  Canada, already celebrated theirs.  While it's roots (no pun intended) were about celebrating a good harvest, it's become a holiday where families and friends get together to eat, enjoy each other and in some neighborhoods, play touch football.  As a holiday, it can be a time for personal reflection as well.  In challenging times like these, that's not a bad thing to do once in a while and maybe, just like it's suggested that you replace the battery in your smoke detector every year on a holiday, it's important to rediscover "the things worth being, a search that many neglect while striving to obtain the things worth having." (Meyer Friedman, Type A Behavior and Your Heart). My family is spread out geographically and while we'll be together in spirit we won't be able to be physically together next week.  I wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving and just want to let you know how grateful I am to you for being part of the global community that has been created around this weekly column.  Thank you.

On the road....

Nov. 30-Dec. 2:  Chicago to attend NCREIF's Nuts & Bolts of Institutional Real Estate 2.0 program.

Dec. 8-9:  Chicago for various meetings

Dec. 12-16:  New York

(On December 12, I invite you to join me at my "Not quite annual, buy your own, commercial real estate holiday drink thing."  I'll be at the Russian Vodka Room (north side of 52nd Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue) starting at 6pm.  If you're in New York and have time, please stop by.  It's likely to be an eclectic bunch of commercial real estate people (and some other random folks).  Hope to see you there.

Jan. 18-20:  Laguna Beach, CA to attend IMN's Winter Forum on Real Estate Opportunity & Private Fund Investing.

Jan. 25, 2012:  London to attend and moderate a panel at the Thompson Reuters Global Property Outlook 2012 

Jan. 30-Feb. 1:  Scottsdale, AZ to attend IREI's VIP Conference.


Manney Felix-May 1, 1917-November 19, 2009

Photo:  San Francisco Bay Bridge.

These are my views and not that of my employer.