Intern Shenanigans. Part 1.

Get ready for a bunch of blogs to just BAM, slap you in the face. Cause I've done a lot this week, none of which I have told you... So I am going to compartmentalize and do short posts for little series of events. :).

These are a couple things we interns have been up to in and outside of the office the last few weeks...

1. Truckeroo

I learned about this pretty neat event somewhere online, and let a few interns know. Soon, I was asked to e-mail the entire intern crew for the office so we could take a field trip. I didn't think there would be that much interest. As great as I think food trucks are, would a bunch of people really want to take a Metro trip to fight crowds and lines to get to the food truck of their choice? It turns out, there was. About 15 people accompanied me to Truckeroo, and had the lovely experience of seeing all the food trucks in one place, at one time. It was pretty ridiculous. I earned a new nickname of sorts: tour guide.

Now, I am planning some other intern quickie trips in the future. So, keep your eye out for Intern Shenanigans. posts.


2. My intern friend, Meagan, and I were involved in the SI celebration of Earth Day. We did a take on a Flash Mob in the Sant Ocean Hall in NMNH and called it a Splash Mob. Everyone was supposed to wear blue, do this dance which included snorkeling and swimming gestures, and eventually do the wave. The video was made to raise awareness for Ocean Day.

You can check us out at 1:14 in this video. We are officially SI famous.

World Ocean Day 2011 'Splash' Mob | The Ocean Portal | Smithsonian Institution

Peace, Love, and Shoes. Raj

Hot mess.

It is really friggin' hot here.

I mean. Really friggin' hot.

We just brought in our AC from the 234 S 11th House. It's gigantic and wonderful.

I did yoga outside at Dupont Park today, a bi-weekly free session set up by Lululemon. I've always had a love affair with yoga and Lulu, but oh man, I almost didn't make it today.

Because.

It's really friggin' hot here.

The United States Botanic Garden

The entire time I checked out the Botanic Garden today, I was reminded of Kerry & Tim.

It's in the middle of this huge city of chaos. Taxis, buses, those guys driving people (such as the Buddhist monks I saw today) around by bike. Not to mention the fact that it's in front of the Capitol. Yet, it's so calm, serene, and stable. Every plant and animal among the nature that inhabits the garden is the paragon for the plants and animals of it's kind across the nation. Carefully tended to and surrounded by streams and ponds creating hope in the middle of the city pandemonium.

I also stopped by the Grotto at the Summerhouse on the West Lawn. It's like a little, well, grotto, that you can see through a small grate within the Summerhouse, a hexagonal brick building with seating, shade, and water fountains inside. It's like Narnia. You peek through the closet of an exterior to discover this treasure of a place. Clearly, it is under-appreciated by the lack of good photos on googleimages.

Workin' for the Weekend

Last weekend was splendid. 

Saturday, I woke up and had coffee on the porch with our new housemate, Talase, whilst reading a book I found in the house. It's travels in europe by Bill Bryson, who you may know as the author of A Walk in the Woods. It's a good book, a travel nonfiction, obviously. Nothing really compares to the imagery of Frances Mayes, but Bryson is funny. Even some laugh-out-loud moments, which are even more hysterical when they happen on the Metro.

But... back to the porch. I'm sittin' there, reading around 9:30am (which is sleeping in), and I realize: I have to include pics with every post. Even if they aren't my own. He is talking about Brussels, right. And all the cute shops and the weather and the town, etc. But I still had lingering questions. When I got to Paris, I knew exactly what was going on, what the sites were, the tourist attractions, etc. So, you are not here. You may have never been here. So, I must learn from Bryson's not-mistake-but-kind-of-mistake, and include the best description of the sites that I can (meaning pictures).

I started my day at Dupont Circle. I've been there before (it's actually where I do yoga), but never really had the chance to explore. I left the Metro and headed for nearby Kramerbooks & Afterwords. This place is quite a famous bookstore/café combo. Talase and others have recommended it. I was more interested in the books. I was, sadly, disappointed. Not in the selection, service, or ambiance. But it wasn't what I was expecting. I mistook local bookstore for used bookstore. Total difference. The whole  "Buy Local" trend is flippin' huge here. I was expecting a used bookstore, and it was just local one.

         

Let's face it. Used bookstores are the best. It's like the books have had a life of their own. The inscriptions, the highlights, the ripped and torn pages. I love it. And the stores are usually floor to ceiling. Just pack a bunch of books in a musty house, feel the parchment of the antique ones. That's how to appreciate a book.

I walked over to the circle with a new, fresh copy of Emma in my hand. I took a few pics, as you can see. I took some time to read and people watch. There is so much that is lovely about DuPont Park. You can hear the fountain, and all the traffic around you. It's like being in two places at once.

Over the hour or so that I spent there, there were two musical groups. One was a rather strange flute & guitar duo, and the second was two young fellas sharing a guitar and singing. They picked good rep though. "Why, Georgia, Why" is one of John Mayer's best ballads. There was also a magician, doing the tricks with the upside down cups. I never get magic tricks. Ever. But I guess that's okay. It means I still have some kind of childish innocence. There was also an artist sketching with charcoal. It's awe-inspiring to see people work like that. So much talent.

I also realized a few universals about DC Fountains: there are always ducks, you must put your feet in, and it is the best lunch spot.

Next, I strolled Dupont. Saw the neighborhood. Embassy row is not really a row, they're spread out all up and down the streets (which are so not on a grid). Someday. I will have money, and I will work at a museum, and I will live in Dupont. The houses are all so classy and different. So charming. But I'd settle for a condo. :P

After wandering around for a good bit, I found the Spanish Steps. They are just a cute little hidden treasure in DC. Not many people discover them. They were recently renovated, and now small concerts are held there sometimes. I met an older lady there. We bonded over Nikons. If I'm alone at 65, let me still be happily taking pretty pictures with my Nikon.

Then I went down to the National Geographic Museum. Quite wonderful. I checked out some unpublished pics from last year, and then went to the exhibit about the Race to the South Pole. There is this whole story of how it was the Norwegians vs. the Brits. Long story short: the Norwegians won. At first I was sad (I'm English if you didn't know). But then I realized why the Norwegians won. Because Amundsen, the Norwegian leader dude, was relentless. He took the guys there without telling where they were going. He was sneaky. Smart, but sneaky. The English were doing it for their country. Amundsen did it for the glory.

I also learned about Adélie Penguins, named after Adele, the wife of the dude who discovered them (don't actually remember his name). It's kind of ironic, isn't it. Considering it's the dude penguins who care for the egg & keep it warm.

I stopped by St. Matthew's Cathedral before heading home. Said a prayer, lit a candle, looked at the ceiling. Smelled the Cathedral smell. Incensical. It was Confession time, so a good number of people were there.

Then, it was homeward bound for the night. I missed the fam, especially Winston. It was the first time in 6 months that I had been in the 804. All I can say is that I remembered why I hated high school and hated the 804, but why I go back. The fam. <3

Ukulele is lovely.

So lately I've just been playing Ukulele a lot. Here is a video of me attempting to play "You and I" by Ingrid Michaelson.

Let me know if you like! I will post more.

P.S. Kerry O -- I bought a dress for your grad partaay. :D It's nothing special, but it's fun.

Jack Visits.

Jack just left :'(

He was here for Memorial Day Weekend. For those of you who don't know, he is my little brother. And by little, I mean 18-year-old. So, I could probably leave out the little part... but it reminds my 21-year-old friends that they shouldn't hit on him. Notice I say shouldn't, because they tend to hit on him. :)

Anyway, he came in on the Chinatown Bus which links almost every big city on the East coast including, but not limited to: Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, Columbia, Charlotte, Richmond, Washington DC, Baltimore, Harrisburg, Philly, and New York. And it's bloody cheap too: $15 roundtrip from Richmond to DC. :)

It's not too sketch. I mean the business does what its supposed to do. The bus may smell a little like pee if you are near the bathroom, but my mom, grandmom, brother, and friends have all ridden it and been pleased. I have to get to NYC this summer for a weekend.

While Jack was here, we checked out the Natural History Museum, walked the Mall, saw the White House, and ate at the local eateries. The best part though was Rolling Thunder. Each year for Memorial Day, thousands of bikers roll into DC to take a trip around the mall... with police escort nonetheless. The bikes are crazy! My faves are the mopeds who just kind of sneak in. :-P Jack's into automobiles, so he was diggin' all the loco bikes and bikers. Like those who ride while smoking cigars. Classy. Or the crazy chicks on the back. Haha.



It's always nice seeing my brosky. He's a dreamer. I love it. I lost my ability to completely abandon reality. He's grown up a lot recently. I'm even more proud of him than usual. *puts her 'Big Sister' t-shirt on*

But, in recent news, (as in the past half hour), I saw my first cat fight. These girls on my street were going at it while I was walking home. The whole neighborhood was out on their front porches just shaking her head. One lady looked at me and said "It's a damn shame. They make us look so bad." Anyway, I was just trying not to crack up. I didn't want my ass beat too. Although, there wasn't a lot of hurting going on... just weave going everywhere.




 Oh, goodness. Well, it's off to another adventurous interning week tomorrow. (4-day week, too!)

Bwah!

I haven't blogged in a long time. Sorry, dear readers. Cause there is SO many of you. I think there are two followers + my parents... so that makes 4. Lovely.

So, let's work backward. Working from the unfamiliar into the familiar. Band director joke.

K. So, today. Tea Party. (the real kind, not the political party kind.) I went with my housemate Sarah, and ripped the pics off her fbook. Everything was lovely. The food-delish. Never have I been somewhere so accommodating of vegans and gluten-free folks. And it all tasted un-vegan and un-gluten free. I wonder about going either one of these options... I'm not as nearly as sick all the tie as I was freshman year, butttt I'm still not healthy. I feel crappy 3 days out of the week, plagued by stomach issues, headaches, and really low energy. I should probably get to a doctor, but they took forever to figure out what was wrong freshman year. And I have a feeling that it wasn't actually gastroparesis. Anyway, that's why I am thinking going vegan. Thoughts?

Yesterday, I met new housemate Sam. So we have a full house this weekend. Everyone is very down-to-earth and chill. We went for a shopping trip to Harris Teeter together. It was cute. I bought tofu.

I also started my first day of work yesterday. Jazz in the Garden is a series that features different jazz groups every Friday at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Building.  I, somehow, the 20-year old, ended up selling the alcoholic beverages. This means big tips. It's amazing what a bat of the eyelash or big smile or the look can do for the tip jar. $20 from one dude who decided that I was Kiddo. I was also Baby, Sweetheart, or Darlin'. There was no, Here's lookin' at you, kid. Unfortunately. Ultimate fantasy.

8pm hit, and BOOM. CRACKLE. DRIP. Can you say rain? hahaha. All these people. I mean it was packed. The other workers said it had never been so busy. There was a line curling around the cafe all night long. So, when the rain came, people booked it, or ran for cover, or cried. All my Indiana friends know, rain is just rain. I love it, actually. Drenched in my yellow, starchy collared shirt. So, we got out three hours early. Could have been worse.

Monday through Thursday at work was rather uninteresting. Slow. I have been told that next week will pick up with the new intern coming in. More to come!