killer queen.

So, it has been a while since I last posted, and I have A LOT to post about and I wish I had started writing earlier because I have some GREAT stories that have piled up throughout this week.

Let's begin.

I started Monday waking up an HOUR LATE but still managed to make it to work on time (it is the little miracles...)But I swear my entire commute and for the majority of the morning I was asleep on my feet.It was out of control...I had a pretty ridiculous time trying to change a drill bit in a makita at work, which actually turned into a sort of embarrassing moment, in short, I tried to put this drill bit in the drill backwards. I KNOW how to change a drill bit out....cakewalk....not this morning in particular.Ugh!So I survived that day, headed home, out for a bike ride per usual. The next evening was so exciting....Tuesday night was Drag Bingo Night at Nellie's Sports Bar. I can not begin to describe the excitement for this event.....I think it is something that everyone should experience at least once in their life because it is THAT fantastic.

My cousin Audrey and I got all decked out,well, she did in fantastic retro-attire...I was exhausted and stuck with jeans and a nice shirt with fancy earrings. Haha. Attempted to hail a cab for nearly an hour!Really?!In DC who gets stuck trying to hail a cab for THAT long?Finally made it down to U St for Drag Bingo...it was PACKED and very hard to get a table...but we weaseled our way in up close to watch the start of this fantastic show....Shaquita-Lee strutting around the bar with her best Tina Turner wig on lip-singing along with it. Watching this fabulous Drag Queen strut around the bar, was sort of like a religious experience.No joke.And so begins the drag bingo hosted by hilarious drag queens, and yes we won prizes and sipped drinks that made us feel fabulous.It was fantastic and yes, I am going next week.I wish I had started going to drag bingo earlier in the summer!!


The next morning I started out at the National Museum of American History to see their shop, meet their shop guys and learn about what they do there. I meet with Peter, the lead guy at the shop, and he gave me a tour of the shop, and a few exhibits too. Peter,was really nice, and has a really neat job. He got to go to JULIA CHILDS HOME IN CAMBRIDGE TO DISASSEMBLE HER KITCHEN WHEN SHE DONATED IT TO THE SMITHSONIAN, AND ALSO REASSEMBLED IT WHEN IT CAME TO THE MUSEUM.HOLY CRAP WHEN HE TOLD ME THIS, I WANTED TO SCREAM, I WAS SO JEALOUS AND EXCITED AND THAT IS WHY I AM IN CAPS LOCK STILL. So, needless to say, I was so stoked about that, he was a great storyteller/tour guide and a good teacher. He gave me a tour of her kitchen, unfortunately not allowed to go inside because he is not the curator and he only goes inside if something needs to be fixed....I really wish I had found some kid to kick the plexi-glass around the kitchen in...so I could be there...dang. Hahaha!

But he explained to me how he used the CNC Router, to make one of the plexi-glass walls in the kitchen that has the outline of all of her kitchen gadgets...pretty cool. I learned that the Ruby Red Slippers are the most asked about thing in the museum and that the reason the shoes sit on a yellow brick road in their case now, was not because of a designer, but because of Don, who works in his shop. I learned a lot about the recent renovation to the museum and his involvement, saw a lot of 'backstage' areas,and learned many 'insider secrets' which I vowed never to speak of...

but not really, I do know a lot of insider secrets though, that I am allowed to share, but would not make any sense unless you were at the museum and I was showing you what I was talking about.

So, who wants to come visit?

Friday, I got to do a behind the scenes tour at the National Zoo, hosted by the Smithsonian Intern program....this was by far, the best intern program I have been to since I started here. We got to meet with the Curator of the Big Cat exhibit named Craig, he was really cool. He took us back to where the LIONS were in their overnight holding areas and we learned about lions, while 3 were standing a FOOT AWAY FROM ME. Oh, there was also a red panda I got to see that close too, he was cute, and old. He reminded me of an old puppy dog.
: D

The lions were amazing, I've never been that close to a wild animal before! Craig, the curator was a very passionate speaker, and you could tell he really loved his job and was very passionate about the creatures he cared for. It was a really cool experience, one that I wish I had my camera for, and not just my camera phone. But lucky for me, my camera was being a jerk again.....dang.

Later that day I went back to American History to meet with Lighting Designer Leo Karr.He was also very informative and lighting for the museum world is SO MUCH MORE EXTENSIVE THAN THEATRE. It was a little mind-blowing actually. The amount, the programs, the fact that most of the time you are lighting delicate objects that are much older, but at the same time, light labels so that the public can read information on the object....Seriously, it was nuts!!

This morning, I volunteered at the Columbia Heights Farmers Market, even though I said I would be interested in volunteering my first weekend here in DC, because I had a desire to MEET PEOPLE,MAKE FRIENDS,AND NOT SPEND MY SATURDAYS BLOGGING ABOUT MY LIFE!


Anyways,they finally got around to being like 'Oh hey email blast we need volunteers'

I got free peaches, a tshirt, and met a guy who works at the National Gallery, which is not quite a Smithsonian affiliate, but he offered to get me in touch with their shop guys so I can learn a thing or two about the behind the scenes life at NGA. Not a bad day if I do say so myself.

Only a few more weeks left, and in all reality, I think my time here has been much better than I have said in the past.....It really has been great to be in a new place, learn new things and have all of these experiences that will eventually make me stronger, smarter, wiser and hopefully a better person. I've missed the crap out of Ypsi and all of my friends and I cant wait to get back, and enjoy pizza, beer and shenanigans together.

18 days until Nate comes to visit, and we embark on a 2 week do-whatever-the-heck-we-want-vacation.

See ya'll later.