It's Official!

As of an hour ago, I'll be doing my Externship at Canlis Restaurant in Seattle. Carrie, Luke, and I will escape what everyone says is going to be a terrible winter, and we'll get to see friends and family for five months or so while we're home. I'll also be home for Seattle Mariners Opening Day in April, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Externship is a 21-week chunk of time between freshman and sophomore year during which we're required to work 18 weeks in an approved restaurant. The goal is both to put into practice what you've learned in the first year, but also to pick up new skills and practical knowledge. Externships often turn into jobs after graduation, and believe you me, I wouldn't turn down a job at Canlis. But that's getting ahead of the game a bit.

In any event, during these 18 weeks (exact start date still to be determined), I'll move through various stations of the restaurant, meet regularly with the chef to monitor my progress, and complete weekly journals which will be compiled in a notebook to be handed in when I get back to school. 50% of my grade comes from the chef himself, and the other half comes from a faculty member and is based on my completed notebook.

With Extern a mere two months away, this is a huge weight off my shoulders. In a word, 'woo'.