End of a chapter; start of a new one

On December 18th, 2009; I'll be concluding my time here in Washington DC. It feels like yesterday that I just got here and here I am wrapping up my internship. Time flies when you're learning and having fun. I've learned a good chunk of what the political process looks like and while I have so much more to learn, I feel it's only appropriate I take time to acknowledge what I've learned.. Come December 19th. Here's a little bit of what I've seen firsthand; some good, some bad and some ugly:
- The influence of special interests
- The benefits of seniority
- The pros and cons of not legislating along party lines
- The myths from the realities of representation in Congress
- The norms in Congress concerning ethics
- The methods which work and don't work for constituents and their issues
- Constituency outreach
- Office Organization
- Prejudice
- The way wealth can determine someone's outlook on the world
- Compromises in politics

I'll have plenty to talk about once the internship is over; trust me when I say there's no shortage of material I'd be discussing. Come Spring semester, I'll have to get back to the drawing board though and chart out my next bigger move; HOW can I top my experience here? Good Question; I'll get back to you when I've got an answer.

Patiently waiting,
David Javier Solis

Business is Booming.

This is my junior year of my undergraduate college years. Spring Semester of 2010 is coming up and I've yet to decide what I want to do post-college. I can go into the workforce, I can stay in school, I can go for Teach For America or I can do something I've always wanted to do: start a business. Each has their own set of drawbacks but I've never been someone who was too concerned about risk. More often then not, the fear of risk and failure keeps us from maximizing our potential. I've always thought life was too short to worry about what we can or can't do. In order to be a man of rewards, I've got to take risks in order to accumulate those rewards. I have to be able to look at a situation and remind myself that I can put a lot on the table but get even more in return. I personally don't feel it appropriate to live my life with an obsession on what CAN go wrong when in reality, I get what I put in. I'll pay the price for what I want to gain in life. We live in a world of opportunity and I'd go against everything I believe in if I don't jump on every opportunity I possibly can. Of course, I've got to be careful of collapsing under the weight of my own goals; but that's the last thing on my mind. I've got PLENTY of ideas that need to just materialize into results. I'm sure I can go forward with at least ONE and make decent earnings from it. Don't believe me? I'd encourage you to watch me do so.

On the rise,
David Javier Solis

"Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded." - Hebrews 10:35

100 Things to do before I pass

Life is short, so each day I tell myself the saying "Carpe Diem". Time in this world is never promised, so I figured I'd compile a list of things I want to do before I Pass. Let me know what you all think. I'd urge everyone reading this to come up with their own individual lists for the sake of it. Of course my list is incomplete but I thought 100 things is enough for one list. Don't limit yourself either; I've learned in life, dreams accompanied by hard work become reality. Life is for dreamers, anyway.


1. Buy a house
2. Travel to every continent
3. Go hot-air ballooning
4. Build a school
5. Adopt a child
6. Produce an album
7. Write a hit record
8. Publish a best selling autobiography
9. Run for office
10. HOLD an office seat for my career
11. Get a doctorate in constitutional law
12. Become a teacher
13. Raise my family with everything I never had
14. Attend all my children's school events
15. Take my loved ones on a shopping spree
16. Assemble a major rally for a cause
17. Make my family tree dating back to my great great grandparents
18. Design my home with my wife
19. Throw a dream wedding for my wife
20. Start a record label
21. Personally fund an entire museum
22. Get a speech to a crowd of 100,000 strong
23. Personally get a pair of Air Forces designed for me
24. Learn to paint
25. Publish an editorial in a major newspaper
26. Establish a 3rd major political party
27. Start a clothing line
28. Start a film production company
29. Serve on an interesting court case in jury
30. Study abroad
31. Volunteer at St. Jude's
32. Do Humanitarian work overseas
33. Head the efforts of a successful city renewal initiative
34. Learn to play piano
35. Hit one million views with my blog
36. Spend a whole day taking pictures everywhere with a top class camera
37. Go scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef
38. Be an actor for a film
39. Get baptized in the Jordan River
40. Be my own Boss
41. Stay out partying til the sun comes up
42. Party in Rio for Carnival
43. Be in Times Square for New Years
44. Drive and visit every state in the country
45. Drive the autobahn in a Ferrari and do 150!
46. Enjoy my career so much, I never work a day in my life
47. Grow a HUGE garden
48. Win big in Vegas
49. Go deep sea fishing
50. Learn to bartend
51. Run and FINISH a marathon
52. Learn to fly a plane
53. Figure out the mechanics of a car
54. Invent something of good use
55. BECOME COMPLETELY DEBT FREE
56. Always remember the difference between concern and worry and never do the latter
57. Fly in a helicopter over the New York City Skyline at night
58. Skydive
59. Go horseback riding through the countryside (no brokeback!)
60. Ride an elephant in Africa or India
61. Volunteer with an indigenous people
62. Climb to the summit of a mountain
63. Go on a safari
64. Buy a boat and learn to sail
65. Spend a day in the jungle
66. Attend Latin American music festivals
67. See Che Guevara's birthplace; since I can't see his burial place because no one knows there that is!
68. Smoke a real Cuban Cohiba Cigar
69. Bury a time capsule
70. Witness a miracle
71. Have a long conversation with a beggar
72. Own a gun collection
73. Hunt, prepare and cook an animal myself
74. See the northern lights
75. Build my own comfortable and sturdy furniture
76. Be hypnotized
77. Look at the planets and stars through a powerful telescope
78. Go on a roadtrip with no destination
79. Buy every video game I want
80. BEAT every video game I have
81. Sip margaritas at a tropical beach and have no worries
82. Learn to photoshop
83. Give a wad of money to a homeless mother with children
84. Spend a week on an isolated island with the wife
85. Be on the cover of all major newspapers
86. Be the best kind of friend/husband/son/father/colleague to everyone I know
87. Inspire someone who's inspired me
88. Find a church I can settle in
89. Watch my children fall asleep every night I possibly can
90. Develop my own video game
91. Create a best selling app
92. Build a house and unconditionally give it to someone in need
93. Bring good Hip Hop Back
94. Host exquisite events for various causes
95. See my Grand-children graduate college
96. Walk my daughter down the aisle
97. Teach my son the meaning of hard work like my father taught me
98. NEVER forget where I come from
99. Change your life.
100. Change the world.

Thank You All

http://www.newstimes.com/ci_13744323

I want to first thank everyone who's stuck beside me through the past few years; even more importantly, the people that have stuck beside me for nearly my entire life like my family and my friends I've known since elementary school. At 8:00 this morning, I woke up to a phone call informing me of the piece the Danbury News Times released about my internship with Congress in DC and have been receiving congratulations from everyone through Facebook and text messages. Thank you all again. I'm sure you know how important it is for someone to have the support of family, friends and colleagues and I want to make sure I convey my gratitude to everyone for everything. I've been here in DC for about 2 months now and while I wish I could blog all my thoughts and events away, they really are keeping me busy down here; both academically and professionally. Again, thank you all for everything. In about 5 weeks, my internship will be over and I'll be heading back to Danbury for winter break than back to UConn for Spring Semester. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again and catching up on time lost. See you all soon.

- David Javier Solis