wait,what?

So,it is 1033 on a Friday night,and I am at home,blogging.Damn.

I am trying to think about where this week has gone....I feel like I have spent most of it in motion,biking,on a bus,on the metro....shoot.In fact I am not really sure what I did at work for most of the week.I know for a fact Tuesday I was an ultra space cadet at work,my day started with me not being able to assemble a blender,followed by missing my bus.
Oops.
I did;however, end my day at the bar with one of my intern friends, Jared.We went to the Town Tavern in Adams Morgan for 1$ tallboys(classy,I know) and to watch some world cup soccer.A few of his friends were there and they were pretty cool.I had to leave shortly after my one 1$ drink because, I am THAT broke.It was good to hang out with people, and be social.I am craving that,I am friendly and when I am at home,I am with people I love all the time, and hang out with them too...here it's like, I go to work,have a fairly good time at lunch with the other interns, and then its like.....welp,see ya tomorrow.

Wednesday I helped set up the Design&Display tent for Smithsonian Folklife 2010.That was a good experience, despite the crazy heat.
Today I started babysitting for a family,it was good to make money FINALLY.I would have liked to have more babysitting jobs lined up for the entire weekend though so I could have been making more money....gah!
I have spent most of today in a lonely funk, and that REALLY sucks.I miss Ypsi,I miss my friends,I miss my boyfriend,I miss getting into shenanigans in the mitten.It is okay to be lonely sometimes,and to be sad...hopefully my adventures tomorrow will get rid of all this funk....
I really wish I could go on an ice cream run to meijer with Kate right now though.
: (

Adventure is out there!

So,this past week was really awesome.I explored Georgetown on Sunday,bought a pair of red TOMS,had my water bottle explode inside my bag and now my camera is sitting inside of a bag of rice,hopefully it will dry out and I will get another year and a half of use out of it before I have to buy another one.I love my camera,and I have to have it in order to take sweet pictures of all the great things I am working on at the Smithsonian.
What did I do this week at the Smithsonian you might ask?
Well,what did'nt I do is the better question.
I started off the week painting with Walter.The first time I was introduced to Walter he was sitting at his desk,and when I started working with him, I realized that he was the tallest man in the world.Literally.The guy is freaking huge, and a blast to work with.He has a real hands-off teaching style,so I got to dive right into the world of paint guns,started painting cases as soon as I walked in his door.I spent the majority of the week with him,my final day in the shop, I helped build 'chinampas' for the 2010 Smithsonian Folklife Festival,pretty cool and I can't wait to see them at the festival.
This past Thursday was the 'Smithsonian Intern Ice Cream Social'!
What a big let down.I started off my day early and went to the Hirshhorn Gallery and enjoyed a great exhibit by Yves Klien,and walked over to the National Postal Museum to meet and mingle with other interns, and get free ice cream!!
I was very disappointed when I got my two-bite sample size cup of ice cream,and hardly talked to other interns,it was very much so the lamest ice cream social ever.Then again,when is an ice cream social, not lame,well I guess when you actually have delicious ice cream.
I solved my ice cream situation later that afternoon as I found a Fro-Yo on my way to my metro stop.
The Postal Museum I highly recommend though,rather small, but actually very cool.This weekend so far has been uneventful, I was hoping to get together with my OEC interns and get into shenanigans and tomfoolery, but none of them seem too interested in either.
LAME.
I need friends in DC,so I don't spend my Saturday afternoons blogging about my life.
Hopefully Toy Story 3 will be in my life this weekend,I am debating on exploring Eastern Market or the National Zoo tomorrow.We will see what happens.

Adventures in DC.

So, a short re-cap of the week.
Pretty awesome.
I only work part time as an intern,so I am at OEC Monday thru Wednesday 8:30-4:30.Wednesday was a good day, I learned a lot and had NO fiasco's getting to or from work.Learned a great deal at work about building crates to house artifacts and exhibits....so the next big question is:Will I get to touch said artifacts?
Thursday I spent most of the day with my cousin, Audrey shelping around the greater DC area.Running errands,dropping kids off at school, going to the gym,getting groceries,and ending the day with pizza and beer.A very good day if I do say so myself.
I get an email that evening from my intern coordinator telling me that my ID is ready and the next morning I hop on the metro into the city,head down to Capital Gallery,pick up my idea and head back to her place.I explored some more of the downtown DC area,and the neighborhood of Takoma Park, kind of a hippy little place,but pretty awesome.I hopped on my bike when I got home and hit the streets for a while, and came home, totally wiped out.I grew up in this heat, but I have a lot to re-learn when it comes to taking care of myself in the humidity and everything.No matter, I will get it right.
Other than that a very uneventful evening,and tonight may very well be the same, but I do not mind too much.Tomorrow, I will be exploring Georgetown!I think it will benefit me greatly if I spend Sundays exploring the city some.Hopefully that will continue!

shitsonian.

Despite the negative title for this post, it is in all honesty not all bad.Most of it is'nt bad at all, in fact there is a lot of good,and now that the bad is over, in retrospect; hilarious.
Well,yesterday was the first day of my internship.I was dropped off at work by my cousin's husband, I was unable to take the shuttle that drops you off at my particular location due to the fact that I still do not have an ID badge,great.My intern coordinator met me at the front desk and brought me back to a conference room where there were 3 other interns waiting.He talked about 'refreshments' in the conference room,I was very disappointed to see that it was a giant paper basket of strawberries,no napkins,and off-brand juice...no joke.I mean I wasn'nt expecting them to provide breakfast by any means but I had in my head this idea that an office of the Smithsonian would be a little classier.
From there I met six other interns, we're all about the same age,the majority of them live in the area, save for myself and two others.They seem like a fairly good group of people,we did'nt spend much time with one another, but I am hoping there will be shenanigans to come with them.The rest of the day was rather interesting,for the most part I felt like a toddler being passed around from person to person-I felt like everyone's reaction was "You take her, I don't know what you want me to do with her".The guy who is supposed to be my supervisor does not seem to care too much that I am around, such is life.
Finally 3 o'clock rolled around, and that was the last shuttle leaving my office to the National Mall (For those of you not familiar with the DC Area,no it is not a shopping center, it is the area in between the Capital and the Monument)All 7 of the interns piled into the 'Smithsonian Shuttle' which actually was a van.On our way back to the mall it was pretty silent.Come to find out all of us had felt that way...like we were being passed around from person to person....clearly they were not ready for us.I started to wonder what crack I was smoking when I thought that interning with the Smithsonian would be a grand idea....at one point I may have told some of you all that this was a paid internship..I am sad to say I was poorly mistaken.I took it anyways because I have always wanted to work for the Smithsonian,its one of my dreams.Anyways, we are unpaid,we are not given housing,we did'nt even get free lunch on Monday (again, I might be expecting too much, but even at Whole Foods on our first day we were all given 7$ gift cards to get lunch in the cafeteria area)crappy transportation,come are we at least going to get a free t-shirt?
Anyways,we got dropped off at the mall and to feel better, I went to the Natural History Museum to see my favorite exhibit in the entire world,the dinosaurs and was instantly stoked.Then went next door to see my favorite lady, Julia Child and walked to my bus stop.I was lucky enough to find a CVS along the way so I could purchase my Smart Card.This is where it gets good.
My card would not work at the CVS to purchase the smart card...I try Metro Center...I try an ATM to get cash out...my card had demagnetized itself.No worries, I pull out my change purse only to discover I am $1.00 short.Great.
So,I walk a ways up 14th knowing that eventually it will take me back to where I am living...and was advised by my boyfriend who I called sobbing in a frenzy to 'put the pride in the bag and call my cousin'.I listened to him, because let's face it, he is full of good ideas, and knows how to take care of me.I call my cousin in tears and in much embarrassment who comes to my rescue.She is quite the wonderful gal, and I owe her big time.When we got back home, she offered me a blueberry beer, and I felt much better.
Moving on to today,I stood by my 'dropping public transportation like a bad habit' statement and biked to the Mall to catch the SI shuttle.It only took about a half an hour and I made it with plenty of time to spare,so I ate my breakfast in the peace of the morning in front of the Smithsonian Castle, and decide to put my jeans on over my cycling spandex.
I open my bag,and sift around....they are not there.I sift around again swearing over and over again that I put my pants in the bag.
Fuck.If I had to have OSHA regulation shoes to work at OEC,they are not going to let me walk around the office in freaking bike shorts.
I unlock my bike and start pedaling in the direction of downtown dialing my cousins number making sure I am going in the right direction of some shopping.Problem is, it is only 8AM, I was supposed to be on the shuttle at 8AM,and also nothing is open.I call to make sure someone at OEC knows I am going to be late.Audrey then sends her husband into the city with a pair of pants....awesome.
Again, I owe them...BIGTIME.I snag a shuttle to my office and arrive by 915AM...again no one seems to care...then again I am not getting paid...so what does it matter?Okay, I am sure it matters....anyways.I get put to work with Robert who is actually very pleasant to work with and has an interest in teaching, we start ripping down old sheets of dibond to reuse for the upcoming SI Folklife Festival.I learned how to use a panel saw.Then it was lunchtime.We get an hour for lunch,WTF,mate?I have never worked a job,where I got an hour for lunch,needless to say, pretty gnarly.I sat with all of the other interns in the commons area of this building.We all made plans to sit together the day before because we were scattered around sitting with random staff having the most awkward lunch of our lives.It was more awkward than 6th lunch...seriously.Following lunch I went back to work with Robert,and then went to a meeting with my intern coordinator and the other interns to meet the Director of OEC.After that meeting,the other interns were going to catch the 3PM shuttle,and I was going to go back to work.I was going to go back to work until 430, however;Robert dismissed me because he was busy the rest of the day placing orders.Robert is very nice,and another guy I helped today Harry is also nice.Dave and Scott, pretend I do not exist.
I hauled ass out of the building to catch the shuttle, I made it,and Vik, the hilarious shuttle drive said to me
'Are you ready for my tardy speech?'
Uh-oh
Me, meekly..
'Yes....'
Him 'That was it'
Whew.
Another almost silent bus ride back....a few short conversations here and there.I arrived back at the mall,got my bike and went home.
Lets see what happens tomorrow.

smith-tern.

Sorry,I jacked the idea for the term from the Mythbusters,so shoot me?But,please don't, I really like living.And eventually I'd like to work for them anyways...sorry as I trail off in another outrageous direction.





Tomorrow.
Smithsonian.
930AM.
Orientation(CHECK..for all of you Eagles : D).
Then who knows how the rest of the day will go!

Here goes nothing!

harDCore.

So,where do I begin in this mildly fantastic shitshow?Most of my fairly easy packing yesterday kept getting sidetracked by various events that were out of my control.One meltdown later, I managed to MacGyver my life for the next three months into the trunk of the car, and shoved my poor bike into the back seat, partially disassembled,mind you this was about 140AM by the time I was done...and then I crawled into bed only to be greeted by my wonderful alarm that went off at 445AM.The alarm went of I grumbled,groaned and stumbled half awake to shower and get dressed.Then I departed before the sun came up, I slammed a Monster Energy Drink, which always proves to be a horrible choice,yet in times of no sleep ('till brooklyn!)I reach for its delight at first, but horribly backstabbing ways.My first destination was the location of my office.It is situated on the Maryland side of DC, not too far out of the way.After hitting strange traffic, as well as an interesting situation that involved an unbelievable amount of police blocking off various exits,and surrounding a nearby building with about 20 motor police and although I am no expert, I think there was a bomb squad car.So made it past all of that nonsense to this industrial park area.I arrive at a very large warehouse type building and walk inside the lobby.Nothing like I expected, I was thinking a dull, drab warehouse with florescent lights end to end...cold cement floors, and the sounds of various shop tools being used.I walk into an Ikea inspired lobby.With colorful couches,seating areas and a tiled floor.Everything is modern in this building.Lots of bright colors, there I met up with my supervisor, Tim.He gives me a quick tour of my new workspace...tune in later for that...and signs off on some paperwork.From there, I hop back in the car,and head to my cousins house,where I drop all of my things off in her living room,get back in the car,tuck and roll at 6th street, and begin a goose chase of sorts.I wander in what I hope is the right direction...I am looking for the Office of Protection Services so that I can attain my ID badge....I am not having much luck until I spot a gentleman wearing an OPS outfit...I begin to stalk him....until he makes his way in what I am almost sure is the wrong direction....So I flag him down and ask where to go.He points me to another large,hustling and bustling building that I once again get lost in.Are we noticing a pattern here.I finally find the right location,and again, I am surprised.In my head I envisioned this waiting room with wood panels from the 70s, a dying plant of some sorts...dont ask me to go into detail about the plant...I dont know much about them.Sliding glass windows with crusty old secretaries, again I found this long Ikea like hallway with lots of colorful walls,LEDs lights, and this really nice floor that reflected light instead of absorbing it.
I only sat for a little while until I talked to the not crusty old secretaries,but really sassy and fashionable ladies of OPS....and surprise!Washtenaw County District Sheriffs Office did NOT send out my fingerprints in time....okay maybe thats not the case....maybe they got lost in the mail...maybe something really obscure happened...like it got lost in the wind out of a mail carriers bag...all I know is I got charged 15 bones to get my fingerprints taken.I want that money back, yo!I was lucky enough to have my fingerprints taken on site at OPS...now here comes the tricky part.I will get a temporary ID on Monday morning at OEC.I will get to OEC via the SI Shuttle,I need an ID to get on the shuttle.
Sounds like fun right?
Well, I will cross that bridge when I get to it.
So, I left OPS with the intention of getting back to my cousins house...which ended up being a scenic tour throughout most of downtown DC in sweltering heat as I was coming off of my caffeine high.After a few lonely phone calls to friends in Ypsi, and a meltdown phone call to my mother I succumbed to a McDonald to get my blood sugar up again.I shamefully ate frenchfries out of my bag as I continued down the street looking for 13th and I street sipping on my coke,looking for the bus stop longing to devour the cheap hamburger that also sat in my bag while I waited for the bus.I found 13th and I street and sat at the bus stop.I ate my hamburger and am pretty sure I was mistaken for a wild animal, I am also really glad I just painted the most unattractive photo of me ever for all of you out there.I find the bus...empty and air conditioned....bliss.I plop down and sigh and I ride back to my cousins place.I crawl up the large hill to her house and victoriously greet her, and revel in my own little victory of navigation...and I mean it was a LITTLE victory...she had to tell me what bus to take and how to get there....I just got off the bus and walked to her house.So now I sit on the floor of her sons room, that I will be living in for the summer.Its kind of awesome...his wall his decorated with Nemo, and characters from Cars...
The unpacking has sort of begun and soon enough I will be settled...I think.Its going to be a pretty cool summer.

Here goes nothing.

Get the GPS!

Tomorrow,I will be leaving my hometown of Norfolk,Virginia driving an easy 4 hours to Washington DC.Oh wow.Tomorrow will be without a doubt,a shitshow, let's face it.I have to first head to my Office to get paperwork signed by my supervisor,this office, by the way is on the Maryland side of DC,then I have to head into the heart of DC to actually get my ID badge,which I image will be out of control traffic,blah blah blah.Then I will be set......hopefully.I will unpack, get settled into my cousins house, and spend my first weekend in DC.

Here goes....everything.