Was it only 4 years ago that I packed the same black suit into my carry-on suitcase, traveling across the country to confront the myriad unfamiliar faces, each with a hand in casting the die that determines my fate? This fellowship interview season brought back memories of cliche personal statements, SFmatch anguish, airline ticket bargain-hunting, crashing on old friends’ couches, changing in airport bathrooms, insomnia on red-eye flights, and of course, the interview suit – the one that cannot be packed without getting wrinkled. Luckily, I’ve found two new gadgets that has made life a lot easier this time around: a handy portable steamer to replace shower steaming, and the Google maps phone app for navigation. The smartphone is not without its Achilles’ heel, however. Upon arriving in Portland the night before my first interview, I found my phone dying from low battery, almost taking with it my friend’s home address or phone number. Luckily, I averted spending the night in the streets, and got to share her living room with her parrotlet before my interview at Casey. I spent the rest of my time in Portland venturing to the Pearl district to explore Powell’s City of Books before having eclectic Peruvian fare at Andina for dinner. My trip continued in Altanta, which gave me a chance to hang with my cousin’s family for the weekend before my Emory interview, and was followed by St. Louis for a visit to Wash U. By the time I returned home to cover senior call for Columbus Day weekend, I was deathly ill with a wicked cold and laryngitis. Exhausted from all the traveling and illness, I had to recuperate at home with some good ol’ gaming with Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. Ubisoft’s next chapter in Desmond and Ezio’s epic adventure brought back the fun of climbing gorgeous historic buildings, hunting for treasure chests, and stabbing Borgia baddies with hidden blades. Sadly, the reprieve was short-lived, and I was soon taking my suit on the road again for interviews at my home institution and then UC Davis. I had little time to spend with my 5-year-old niece in Sacramento, but I’ll hope to make it up with my upcoming vacation for Thanksgiving.