exit interview.

It's the end of the road, folks. This is the last stop this blogspot train will be making.

But, in the words of the bold and beautiful John Mayer, "I'll never stop this (life) train." Now at home in VA, the next challenges in my life are not-so-slowly creeping in. Reality check, Major. Zetus Lapeedus.

However, this blog is not about my life, it is about my summery escape, my escape into a city that helped raise me. I can honestly say I have never felt more like a woman and less like a girl. There are no pivotal moments or grand speeches. There are no heartfelt songs or happy endings. But there were people, there were experiences, and there was an evolution.

I came in wanting to study Ethnomusicology. Not so much. I read and talked and listened and realized that it's not for me. For a variety of reasons, but I suppose that figuring out what you don't want to do is a step towards determining what you do want to do.

It was during those days wandering the museums that I realized what I may want to do, and is now what I am taking steps toward. museumeducation. There is something about watching a pre-schooler discover dinosaurs, a pre-teen pretending not to care about cultural aspects of American Indians, and a high school senior being distracted (away from his girlfriend) to understand the distress of the Colorado River. It's so many things. Breathtaking, fulfilling, awe-inspiring, [insert synonyms]. To find a career that allows you to see your work affect so many people is beautiful.

Perhaps this is what I will miss about the city the most. It's passion for knowledge, education and learning. I feel burdened sometimes by how much I don't know. I mean, let's be real, I don't know jack. But if I can research and share important things with the world, especially the next generation, I could kick the bucket.

This is only a little nugget of good stuff that I learned about the world and my place in it this summer.  And it wasn't just the city that helped me learn.

The Smithsonian Institution is one of the most amazing organizations in the world. Frustrating at times, but I'm still naming my first dog after James Smithson.

The staff at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, including Smithsonian Folkways are intelligent, and they don't rub it in your face in the slightest. Humble people. I love them.

My fellow interns. It makes me less worried about the future of the world having known you all. You make me proud to be a part of our generation.

I couldn't have done this without my friends (new / iguessoldnow housemates included). Your support is unending. And I thank God for you.

Andy. You (officially) came into my life just when I needed you to. Thank you for sticking around on the crazy stressed, crazy happy, and just plain crazy days. You get me. I dig it.

The Robert E. Cook Honors College. Without that money, there would be no way. Absolutely no way.

My family. I love you. Even if you are all dossipots.

...if you know me well, you know I identify places with colors. Washington DC is black and white, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for gray. And the city helped me to revel and appreciate this gray like never before, so thank you DC. You are beautiful. 

Intern Shenanigans. Part 3.

These Intern Shenanigans are not particularly shenanigans. This week I went to a lot of professional workshops and such, and thought I should share the love to you other professionals out there.

Monday -- How to get hired by the Smithsonian.

They gave a bunch of description of how to apply, but the goodies were at the end. 'Goodies being inspirational pearls of wisdom

~Challenge answers.
~Know what you want.
~Your career is not linear. Take advantage of opportunities every day of your life. Tenure, or no tenure.
~Be excited about the mission.
~Be motivated and go a step beyond.
~Have quantifiable skills.
~Be an independent & creative thinker.
~Speak about how you can add to the position.
~Be able to 'change gears'. 
~Be able to be an expert who can collaborate.     
~Be the person who others will want to work with.
~Anything can be an opportunity. 
~Sometimes the one with the work ethic will beat out the brilliant person from Harvard.
~Be articulate and act interested and nice on the phone screening as well as interviews.
~Keep your interests open. Have multiple plans.
~Back up your questions with a resume.
~Get a mentor.

~Be successful in everything you do.

~Everyone is a client or potential client. Everyone is someone who could hire or fire you.

~Be a risk taker.

~When I'm not leading anymore, and just managing, then it's time for the next challenge.

Tuesday -- Film Lecture by Jim Deutsch

The best movies are those in which the visual tells the story. The picture is the important part, there is no need for excessive explanatory dialogue; it is truly literacy in a visual sense.

Jim's Favorite Movies

1. Psycho  

(Hitchcock)

(First film where the audience members were not allowed inside the theater except at the beginning. Did you know that back in the day, there would be two features, and you would pay a fee, and just go right in... If you go there halfway through the first feature, you would watch the second half, watch the previews, then watch the second film, then watch the first half of the first feature.)

2. Citizen Kane

(Orson Welles)

(Used the film medium and sound to move the film along)

(Used sound montage)

(He says everything through picture)

3. The Kuleshov Experiment

4. High Noon

5. The Godfather

(It doesn't glorify violence, but we feel the voice and the death in the terrible way in which it should be felt.)

6. Schindler's List

(Speilberg)

(Opening scene is a candle that is lit with a family partaking in their cultural rituals, the family disappears, and the candle goes up in smoke... foreshadowing?)

7. Touch of Evil

8. Muriel's Wedding

We also got a nifty little Glossary of Selected Film Terms that I wish I had when I had to do that Film Presentation in Baumtanica's MUHI class.

In general, Jim likes Classical Hollywood Cinema... the viewer is never disoriented. 

The bad news is... I haven't seen any of these, and now feel completely illiterate.

Thursday -- The Office of Exhibits Central

This office is housed in a huge warehouse 30 minutes outside the city. I think we went North, and therefore Maryland? But I'm not 100% sure.

All 30 of the SI interns that decided to go piled onto the bus and chatted the entire way. Talk about chatterboxes. I don't even know what radio station was on, cause we were just talking up a storm.

We entered the warehouse, and got to munch on some UTZ (which are gluten-free btw) and watermelon. After 30 more minutes of socializing, we received an introduction about the OEC... 

The OEC is responsible for the literal production of exhibits, usually the traveling exhibits through SITES (Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibit Service). I have a newly found interest in Museum Studies, and while my concentration would be Museum Education, Museum Exhibit and Design are still very intriguing to me.

When we went around to the different departments within the exhibit, we learned from the INTERNS. Which I think was a totally rad way to go about the designing the program.

Im'ma break it down, folks.

1. Project Management
--they make the contracts, do the scheduling, keep everyone on budget, and coordinate in general
--what was interesting is that curators ask for services, but so do outside clients... i thought it was an SI only thing, but we are apparently givers :)


2. Design / Editing
--they develop the concept for the exhibit and design it, from layout to graphics, to the script
--the interns at this station got to do some really cool work, and we saw their vision actually completed

3. Graphics
--they receive the graphics, and print them and mount them, including signs, silk screens, and installation

4. 3D Digitization
--3D Digitization is really rad
--did you know that they 3D scan artifacts and can use a 3D printer to re-create them out of thin sheets of plastic? pretty freaking cool. we saw the jaw of an accomplice of Blackbeard this way. 


5. Modelmaking
--i met an intern from the UK here, we swapped neighborhoods
--here they create models and replicas as well as mannequins using silicon casting

6. Fabrication
--this is pretty much building and installing things and getting them safely to the exhibit through crating and packing

Overall, the tour was rad, especially because we learned from our colleagues about an Office that nearly none of us knew existed. Did you?


The crazy thing was, we had another opportunity to go to today, but just couldn't manage another brain-wrinkling activity. The joys of SI.

I could just cry.

I will miss so much about this city. I could just drone on and on and on and on... So, I instead will give you one tangible example.

This is the the free newspaper that we get every day as we board the Metro. It's called 'express'.

This copy was yesterdays (Thursdays).

Naturally, I flip to the most important section... horoscopes. OK, so not the most important, but i find it surprising how accurately it describes my day. Maybe they're just so vague it could fit anyone's day.

Sagittarius: The questions you are asking at this time may not have easy answers, but they must be asked--and you have timing on your side.

Conveniently, the Sudoku is on the same page as the Horoscopes, but today's is labelled as Difficult. I find these too difficult. To the point of frustration. I worked on one Diffcult Sudoku all of mini camp, and never actually got it right. 

So, it looks like I'll have to actually read stuff. Like about how Jayma Mays of 'Glee' is apparently a touch OCD and how there is a huge buzz surrounding 'The Glee Project. 

Seriously though. There are good nuggets of information on the World, National, and Local levels. 

According to Thursday, the world is going to shit. A mayor in Afghanstan was assassinated. Greece is doing worse than ever. Also, '10 tons of peanut-butter paste arrived Wednesday in a refugee camp in Mogadishu, Somalia, in the first of [the UN's] several planned airlifts to aid starving Somalis in the coming weeks.' But what about the people allergic to peanut-paste? I would like them to live too.

According to Thursday, the nation is going to shit. This whole debt palaver is just ugh. I just don't want to talk about it. Partially because I don't understand it. Partially because people are too worried about the election rather than the country. Mainly because I hate arguments. I argue that arguments are dumb. Also, 40 Americans have joined an "al-Qaeda-linked organization" in Somalia. Great.

According to Thursday, the local area is getting better. *applause* The cover story is about Anacostia and its local activists that 'are leading a charge of gentrification across the neighborhood.' Gentrification, by the way, is when a middle-class person movers into a lower-class neighborhood, rather than the slang meaning of when a white person moves into a black neighborhood. If you know DC, you know Wards 7 & 8 are the lower end of the spectrum as far as real estate goes, and people are choosing to live here as a cheaper alternative, and as a manner of changing its skyline. There is the other side though... "...many longtime residents say all the changes intimidate them... One 'For Sale' sign in historic Anacostia is scrawled with the words, "No Whites."

So, in turn, maybe if we can make local changes, then we can better the country, and better the world. But we may still just be going to shit. I can't tell you, but my horoscope says I have time on my side.

listening to: http://8tracks.com/rumorhasit/tell-me-something-sweet-to-get-me-by

Intern Shenanigans. Part 2.

Here is another installment in the 'Intern Shenanigans' series.

Last week was a busy week at Folkways.

We had an Folkways Intern Pot Luck. I brought Quinoa Tabbouleh. It was most excellent, if I do say so myself. And GF and DF. And you couldn't tell. Score!

Meagan, the other intern who works with my supervisor, and our buddy Dan are pictured here. :)

Some of the highlights were Nutella Croissants, Asian Noodles, traditional Kenyan food, Salsa, 7-layer dip, Funfetti cake, Hummus, Salad, Homemade Pudding, and Mint Chocolate Chocolate Globs of Deliciousness.

But then we had a problem. Too much food. Not enough people to eat it.

So, we promptly sent an e-mail out. 'Free food in the Conference Room'. Then we had tons of people on our hands. :) And were the heroes of the office.

At the end, we had all the Folkways interns get their pics taken together... one happy family.

Aren't we just adorable?

Then. It was time for a jam session. We play folk tunes that some of us know. 'Shady Grove'...

 We have many an instrument... one pipa, two violins, 3 guitars, four ukuleles, many voices.

 Priceless.

 This is a pipa. It's from China. That's all I know.

 I play the ukulele (kind of)... pronounced Ew-Coo-Lay-Le

Sometimes, Meagan and I's supervisor doesn't come in or we get time off and go to fun places... like Georgetown. :) It's adorable and kitsch, in an expensive way. It's kind of like Urban Outfitters. You are paying tons of money to look worn and antiquey. But I like it.

 Sprinkles cupcakes... featuring a Gluten Free Red Velvet.
The founder is my fave judge on Cupcake Wars. The cupcake show with the über cheesy host.

 We also found a hat shop. Royal Wedding style.

We also checked out the National Botanical Garden. We went inside thinking it would be air-conditioned... wrong. But we found our favorite room... the orchid room.

Overall. A Splendid Few Days.

The Jersey Shore (no, not like the show)

This past weekend I visited Andy & Tim at the Jersey Shore. Long Beach, to be precise.

I had reservations about going, the greatest being that I hadn't been in a bathing suit since my senior year of high school. So, what's a girl to do, but buy a new one. $10 total at H&M, which is having a totally rad sale right now. It was a little different shopping for bathing suits now, because of the weight loss. IBS will do that.

People think I'm crazy for not having gone swimming in four years. The beach has sand and the pool has chlorine and both places have people that are a good bit more attractive than I am. In the shower, however, I can sing with no one watching or (hopefully) hearing. So, why would I ever need the beach?

I did go though, figuring the Vitamin D would be good for my body. In case you didn't know, I'm practically a ghost. My brother makes it a point to remind me of my albino-like qualities every chance his tanned, buff, football player body gets. *Insert a Megan Hall sigh here.* But, with Neutrogena 100+ Waterproof by my side, I'm all good.

Not to mention the fact that I got to see my boyfriend. Have you heard me say that word yet? It still feels a little strange. Manfriend? Boyfriend? Manscout? But I digress...

Tim picked me up in Philly and we arrived late at night to the Shore. I met Brian (Andy's brother, not Tim's brother. They both have a brother named Brian. And both Brians are lovely for their own reasons.) I was almost as excited to see Brian as I was Andy & Tim. We had Skyped via Andy and he reminds me so much of Jack. I feel like he is this killer underdog who could just save the world someday. Maybe not the world, but someday he'll change peoples lives. He doesn't know I think that. In fact, he would probably be totally creeped out if he did. So don't tell him.

On Saturday, we went to Atlantic City, where my friend from school, Anastasia is working. I love this girl. She is in my 'soulmate' category. With all due respect, I say screw the word 'soulmate' as related to significant others. My girls are my soulmates. Anastasia is definitely one of them.

We caught up over salads via the Ruby Tuesday salad bar, and were so chatty that the boys were making fun of us throughout dinner. The whole I'm-going-to-say-something-embarrassing-about-them-to-catch-their-attention game. We pretended like we had no idea that they were making fun of us. Nice try A&T, but we were just to interested in each other to pay attention to your games. :P

Anastasia looked beautiful, as always. She's so tan and fit and... Greek. I don't know how else to describe her. Unique. Cosmopolitan. Real. Soulmate. That's all I have at the moment.

The next day and a half are kind of like a big blur of beach, naps, paddle ball, frisbee, waves, Mahi Mahi, and trying to keep my tits from falling out of my bathing suit. *Ladies can I get an "Amen"*

It was excruciatingly hot. In fact, NJ hit a record high of 108 that weekend. That wasn't the index either, but the real-deal-no-shit temperature. Needless to say, the chilly water and ocean breezes were a lifesaver.

I am going to try and explain paddle ball. There are paddles. Like Hagrid-size ping-pong paddle paddles. There is a ball. A little blue bouncy ball that is like the inside layer of a tennis ball and the size of a golf ball. You hit it back and forth and try and get to the highest number you can without dropping it. Kind of like what Jack and I always used to do with balloons. Keep in mind. We were in the sand, which equates to diving and jumping. I don't typically dive or jump. Definitely not jumping. I got no ups.

But, do you know who has got mad downs? Tim Sugrue. He had me on my ass laughing. If there was any chance he was going to get that ball, he went for it. It was amazing. And then sometimes there were just trips in a sand pit. But the best blunder was when he was in the water looking at the beach... didn't see a wave... first went the knees... then the rest of his body. And I saw his face the entire time. Priceless.

We also made Mahi Mahi. I forgot how lovely it was to cook with Tim. He is so handy to have around. Kerry O, you are a lucky lady.

We made the Mahi with a lovely Nectarine-Blueberry Salsa over top, and it certainly expanded Andy Huber's palette, or at least I would like to think so. Tim and I are on a mission to expand his tastebuds to more peculiar foods, as is he.

Perhaps the highlight was seeing the sunrise. It was then I realized why I needed the beach.

listening to: http://8tracks.com/courter08/songs-to-relax-the-mind

I know, I know.

I haven't blogged in a month. I suck. But lemme break it down for you.

I started feeling sick a few months back, like I did when I had gastroparesis in '08. I kept getting more and more nauseous. My symptoms matched that of Celiac disease. So I left DC around the 18th to get tested.

June 23rd: The celiac test was negative and I was diagnosed with IBS. (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Pretty name, huh? Now we're at 4 pills a day.

June 25th: Kerry O's party, which you may have seen in the previous post.

June 27th: Back in DC.

June 29th: Rushed to Patient First because my throat was literally killing me. *Strep* Now we're at 7 pills a day.

July 4th: *Strep* was better, I felt okay, and spent a few lovely days batting my eyelashes.

July 8th: IUP for Mini Camp

ew stick heights.

July 9th: Woke up with the *Strep* again & went to the Walk-in Clinic on Oakland. Got more antibiotics and steroids. Now we're at 6 pills a day. Side note: Never go to the Walk-in Clinic. The doctor is a creep.

July 10th: Body reacts to the new antibiotic poorly. Combined with stress. Not good.

On the upside, I was at work last week. On the downside, I missed the entire Folklife Festival. I don't want to talk about it. Everyone else at work does. Which is understandable.

So, where am I now?

Home again. Had to go to... yep, you guessed it. doctors appointments.

Right now, I am doubting whether I have gluten intolerance. I may, so I've been gluten free for about 3 weeks. It's rough. And I have to go dairy-free for the IBS. Luckily, I was already vegetarian. So I'm now a vegan who eats egg whites.

This may be the new blog I start writing next year... Gluten-free, Dairy-free, and a College Student.

I will do a blog on what it means to have IBS later, with a disclaimer of course. 

New York City

About a month ago, I traveled to Newtown, PA to visit the Manscout pair: Tim Sugrue and Andy Huber. It was an impromptu visit, that spurned from my desire to go to New York City. They live about an hour away by train.

So, we planned it on Wednesday. I was there Saturday. This is my kind of trip, people. Tim's home is lovely, just like the rest of his family. I quite enjoyed sitting on his deck with his mom discussing antiques and real estate and his dad discussing marching band stories and crossword puzzles.

Sometimes I forget there are real people. Real people who are nice. People like them make me remember.

Saturday

The city was beautiful and crazy. Manhattan is such a different world than DC. So much fashion, whereas DC is so much business. I have to say, I prefer DC. But NYC is great for a weekend. We spent almost the entire day in Central Park. People watching, Musician watching, even Wedding Watching.

Then we went to dinner at a local joint (so local it didn't even have a sign saying it's name).

It was like stepping back into Italy. We had no idea really what to expect, but the owner was outside giving wait times. We got 15 minutes. Almost exactly 15 minutes later, true to his word, we were sitting in the restaurant, a tiny place packed with mismatched tables and chairs. We were bumping elbows with the people at the table next to us, literally. The owner shouts something in Italian to the our waiter, who hurries over but clearly couldn't really care less about us, he just wanted to know what we wanted and now. Over his shoulder I caught a peek at the brick oven. It was easy to order a cappuccino and a margherita pizza.  We took a few moments to take it all in. Beautiful Italian language surrounded us as they tried to shove people out the door as quickly as possible. The diverse clientele was clearly local, as if they've been here a million times. It was the type of ambiance that just makes you talk with your hands, even if you aren't in the habit of doing so generally. I feel like I was probably outrageous in my storytelling, but who cares? I felt like I was back in Venice, but with two lovely gentlemen instead of four lovely ladies. And then came the food. Beautiful pizza. I mean, so so so authentic. It was one of those where you relish every bite in Giada-like ecstasy. You savor every flavor as your tastebuds just scream. At least for me. I feel like simple dishes are the best in that way.

We made our way home on the train, quite sleepy, but we made it.

Sunday.

I found two halves of a rocky heart. And skipped them along the water.