An Account of the Adventures of Me

Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T09:42:00.013-06:00

I must apologize for my horrendous lack of posts lately. I've just not felt the creative juices flowing! Tres horrible, non?

Anyway, what have I been doing with myself since my lovely and eventful birthday? Well, I've been riding Opie every day, and he's still doing really well. Yesterday a coyote ran out of the forest ten feet in front of him, and he was completely unfazed. Amazing! He was a little less excited about the fireworks though. Those were scary!

This is my view from the saddle

Here's Opie again, this time acting as a lawn mower for the front yard

A few days ago, the basement-Indian neighbors came over for lunch, and I served up a giant pan of Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, Refried Beans (with Green Chile Mixed In), and HOME-MADE!!!! Spanish Rice (with a little Green Chile added to the recipe). Yummy! I was really impressed with the rice recipe that I made. It was fantastic! I can't wait to make it again! I also made a spice cake with cream cheese icing. Yum. In case you're wondering, No, I did not add any Green Chile to it, but hey, when you're this close to New Mexico, Green Chiles are everywhere, so I might as well use them while I've got them!

Today, being the Fourth of July, we will be going to the Annual 4th of July Crafts Fair, which I'm excrutiatingly excited about. Either, the crafts will be absolutely atrocious and lovable by only the most tasteless (or literally blind) craft fair patron, or they will be exquisite works of folk art painstakingly made by wonderfully quirky individuals. Either way, it will be fantastic, and there will be many pictures for your enjoyment in a future post.

My allergies are killing me, and I'm currently sniffling away. I'm debating whether or not to take a Benadryl before we leave... My only fear is that the Benadryl will alleviate not only my allergy symptoms, but also my common sense, and that I will return to the house with a horrifying "craft" that I just had to have while I was in my Benadryl coma... Decisions, decisions...

On Monday, I went fishing with one of the neighbors, and managed to haul in a hefty Salmon! I was so impressed with myself! I only got a little bit sunburned, and the fish is in the freezer.

I talked to Greg the other day, and he was surprised to learn that it takes 45 minutes to drive to "Town," and that the population of said town is only about 18,000 (not including tourists, of course). Like I said, he was shocked. Just to prove that I am, in fact, in the Middle-of-Nowhere, CO, here are some pictures I took while driving down the county road to the house.

Yes, those are sheep walking down the road...

This is the country version of a road block

Hundreds and Hundreds of Sheep!!!

We experimented with the waffle maker the other day, and I must say, I was rather impressed with our results.

Here's an action shot of Grandad and the Waffle Maker

My Grandad, being the quintessential Southerner that he is, prefers Sorghum Molasses over regular old Mrs. Butterworth's Syrup. Everyone knows that Molasses runs as slow as, well, molasses, so he had to heat it up before he could use it. Through my sleep-fog-of-the-brain I realized that there was something strange about his heating method...

Yep, the handles on that pot are upside down. Yes, it is a lid. He put the molasses in a pot lid full of water. Amazing. He could teach those Iron Chef guys a thing or two.

Well, that's all for now folks. We're about to head to the Craft Fair Extravaganza! Get Excited! Love y'all!

What a Day!!

2009-06-23T23:33:00.002-06:00

I can't believe I'm saying this, but my Grandad partied until 10:30 at night! What were we doing, you ask? Well, let's just say that my lust for "Western Music" (not by any means Country or Bluegrass) has been thoroughly sated. We went, with several mature married couples who were great fans of the Bar D Chuckwagon Supper.

We arrived just in time to have a seat on a gigantic picnic table among a crowd of 650-ish tourists, and, I hate to say it, old(er) people. It just so happened that a group of about 60 Sun City residents were sitting directly in front of us. The tables were situated in long rows in a gigantic old barn that amazingly enough had a retractable roof, so that in case of rain, we could all stay warm and dry. Fancy Shmancy.

We were directed by various 10-gallon hat wearing cowboy-looking people (who later turned out to be the band) into long lines to get our food. After picking up a tin (yes, tin) plate and shoving some silverware in my pocket, I was given a baked potato, beans, a hefty slice of BBQ brisket, a roll, some cake, and, weirdly enough, applesauce. With two individually wrapped butters and a tin cup full of lemonade, I was off to the picnic table once again.

While eating dinner, I was harangued by the man beside me about the fact that there was no money in Counseling, a fact that was particularly close to home for him because his son was a counselor. The fact that his son loved his job did not seem to matter to this man who had more money than he possibly knew what to do with. I told him that I would rather be happy and live frugally than be miserable and rich, which effectively ended his argument. Point for me!

After we had finished eating, we delivered our plates to the flashing blue police light in the back corner of the barn. I don't know who thought the police light was appropriate, but hey, it's a "Chuckwagon Supper," apparently anything goes!

Soon after the plates were cleared, the Bar D Wranglers took to the stage, guitars and fiddles in hand. After a rousing selection of old-school Western songs about breaking horses and missing their dew-eyed Clementines, they gave the stage over to the Riders in the Sky, self-titled "America's Favourite Cowboys" (I added the 'u' in Favourite myself because it makes me feel more trans-Atlantic).

I can not wait to show you all pictures of these quirky 'cowboys.' Each of them was wearing a retro pearl-snap complete with as much embroidery, fringe, and even sequins that they could manage. One of them was wearing sheep skin chaps (wool still attached on the outside), which they joked had resulted from a tragic Rogaine accident. This same mis-user of Rogaine was wearing a green necktie with arms that he called his "Cactie." Oh My Goodness...

Their music really was fantastic, as far as Western goes. Lots of yodeling. The occasional accordion solo. And, of course, the very necessary impersonation of Billy Ray Cyrus. I do hope that you all look these guys up, because they are definitely worth a look and a listen.

It was a lovely (and memorable) way to spend an evening, especially one as special as my B-day.

As far as the rest of the day goes, we drove to town, and had an amazingly silent lunch at Francisco's Resturante y Cantina. This place was a real gem and had specials like "Beef liver and onions," "Chicken fried steak and gravy," "Turkey sandwich on sourdough," "Salad greens with chilled shrimp." Only one of the MANY specials was even remotely mexican. Very strange. Toto, we're not in Texas anymore...

For those of you who want updates on all of the creatures that are under my care, the birds are doing wonderully. Munching away at sunflower seeds. The hummingbirds are very entertaining and sound like chipmunks that have sucked helium. The raccoons still come by every evening, and a couple even came a few mornings ago. They got to drink the milk from my cereal. Yummy!

I've been riding Opie every day since the neighbors said I could. It's pretty fun to ride around up here, up and down the roads and through the mountain meadows. They asked me to do a little fine tuning with his training, specifically around water, so I've been taking him through a lot of streams and ponds. The second day we walked up to one tiny stream that was maybe a foot and a half wide. He stopped, looked at the water, and, out of nowhere, took a flying leap over the stream. If the stream had been a three foot tall log, he would have cleared it. I cracked up! It was ridiculous! Needless to say, we have since crossed that stream a dozen times, and each time his leaps get a little bit smaller. I can just imagine some poor crusty old rancher riding him as he took his flying leap over the water. Oh my.

We've done more work on the barbed-wire cattle fence. Great fun. My arms look like I tried to steal food from my raccoons because of all of the prickly brambles and barbs on the side of the mountain.

Tomorrow I get to look forward to a birthday lunch with the basement-dwelling-Indian neighbors. I'm excited, and determined to take a few pictures of the Chief and Sitting Bull, not to mention Custer, while I'm there.

Don't worry, I'll keep you posted!

Flowers and Barbed Wire (Sounds like some kind of Country song...)

2009-06-19T15:28:00.005-06:00

So the last few days, Grandad and I have been working on some cattle fencing. The top of the mountain they live on is basically one giant cattle lease. The cattle show up on Sunday, so we've been frantically fixing the fence so that it will be finished by the time they get here, that way the cows won't eat our flower garden!

I must say that I have become a pro at the Wire Stretcher, and can fasten barbed wire to a T-post quicker than a chipmunk can eat a dandelion. I only have one scratch to show for it too. The "trail" that runs up and down the fence line is at times quite terrifying. I'm sure the ATV (four-wheeler) manufacturers would cover their eyes if they could see us riding up and down these ridiculously steep hills and valleys.

Of course, it's all in the middle of the San Juan National Forest, so there are signs of wildlife everywhere. I found bear tracks at one point, and after that I was on the lookout constantly. Every big black shape was a bear, not a rock or fallen log. These are things one just doesn't have to worry about in Texas, you see.

Speaking of the wilderness and things you don't see in Texas, the other day, while we were driving up the road towards the house, I happened to glance over into the shade of a few pines. Growing straight out of the pine needles were these strange red stalks that vaguely resembled the spike of a bluebonnet. They didn't have any leaves, and Grandad was just as perplexed as I was. I proceeded to spend about an hour sifting through the WWW to see if I could find out anything about them.

I thought they were some kind of mushroom or fungi because they didn't have any leaves, and boy, was I surprised when I found out what it was!

It's common name is Spotted Coralroot. It is an orchid native to Colorado that has brilliantly made friends with mycorrhizal
fungi, so that they don't need any leaves. Isn't that absolutely fascinating!!!!????!!! Wow.

These pictures are from my phone, and I took much better ones with my camera, but haven't been able to upload them to my computer yet. If you look closely, you can see the little tiny orchid flowers! So neat!

After a long hard day of fence work, we decided that we should reward ourselves with a hot dog cookout, and I leave you with this picture of our awesome fire and hot dog cooking method. Yummy!

Wonder of Wonders! Miracle of Miracles!

2009-06-19T15:09:00.004-06:00

So, the most amazing thing happened! What is it, you ask? Some of the neighbors down at the bottom of the road are cattle ranchers from outside of Durango. Quite naturally, they have a plethora of horses. After a conversation between one of said neighbors and my brilliant grandfather, they offered to leave a horse up here (it's kind of like their vacation home) so that I could ride it! How awesome is that? I have to feed him twice a day, but I can ride whenever I want. Some of the other neighbors have agreed to let me ride on their land, and there are trails all over the place! Yay!

The horse's name is Opie. He's a 3-yr old bay Quarter Horse. I rode for more than an hour this afternoon, and he was great! Since he's so young, he's still getting used to seeing weird things and not freaking out, so my job is just to get him used to life. It's a pretty sweet job!

Here's a picture of him. I'll get some better ones soon!

On a completely different note, a few days ago, while we were in town, my grandad and I purchased Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough in the pre-packaged refrigerated roll. Because it is delicious and wonderful, I proceeded to eat a big ol' slice of cookie dough a few days ago. Last night I baked all of the cookies so that we could take them with us to the Homeowner's Association Dinner. Great idea, right? People love cookies!

This morning, while watching the news, come to find out, Nestle Tollhouse cookie doughs are being recalled like some kind of automobile part that could burst into flames at any second consuming the passengers in some sort of horrifying ball of fire. What are the odds? Apparently, said cookie dough "MAY" be contaminated with E. coli!!!! OH MY GOSH!!! Luckily, if ours had been contaminated, I would probably have already been retching on the floor. Since I am not, I can only assume that we are safe from the Bacterial Menace.

Now the question becomes, "What do I bring to the HA Dinner?" I mean, you can't just bring cookies that are obviously not home-made, because then anyone who watches the news will say, "These aren't Tollhouse are they?" And I would have to say "Why yes, they are, and at any minute you could drop dead from E. coli poisoning." Not a very good way to make friends with the neighbors. Luckily for me, I compulsively buy cornbread mix, and had two Marie Callendar's cornbread mixes. I now have a tray of yummy cornbread muffins. Some are normal size and some are teeny tiny, like the one's from Jason's Deli. Perfect.

The couple with the creepy-basement-Indians has invited me over for lunch for my birthday (on Tuesday), and I got stuff to make a delicious cake!!! I'm so excited! But, since I'm so far away from all of my people in Texas, I'm just going to have to celebrate my birthday again when I get back to Texas. Darn.

I'm sure that there are many of you who are waiting for me to update you on all of my racoony adventures. Well, 4 more have joined the bunch, so that I've now adopted a total of 6. They are all on a very precise schedule. One comes by at 5, exactly. Then another about 6:30. Then the pack of four come together at 7:30. They're hysterical!

Here's a picture of five of them chowing down together.

Lovely Neighbors

2009-06-15T14:43:00.003-06:00

A few days ago, one of the neighbors invited us over for lunch. Naturally, I was excited, because this meant that there was one less lunch that I had to cook (but seeing as how I've become a professional potato baker, lunch's aren't too hard). The last time I had visited this couple's home, I was introduced to "The Chief."

The Chief is a life-sized papier-mache Indian dressed in Wranglers, boots, a pearl-snap and leather vest. He resides in the basement of this couple's home, sitting in a chair in the corner. Apparently the male half of the couple saw one in a general store and wanted one. Luckily for him, Ebay exists, and he was able to get one over the internet. After a while, he felt like The Chief was getting lonely, and lo and behold, he was able to get his hands on the original Indian he had seen in the general store! O, joy! Tragically, that Indian's head had been a little damaged (it was in 30 pieces), and he was missing a few of his fingers. After a quick white lie to the Ebay lady about grandchildren scuffling with the original Indian, he was able to purchase a new head and hands for the poor mistreated Indian.

Now both Indians, The Chief and Sitting Bull, sit proudly side by side in the corner of the basement, both with their long braids and beaded headbands. Today I was lucky enough to see them in person, and on my way down the basement stairs, I was told to "Check out Custer in the other corner." Not only does this man have two creepily human looking life-sized papier-mache Native Americans, he also has a disembodied head clenched in the jaws of a resin replica of the skull of a European Cave Bear, that is (Thank the Lord) now extinct. This head is supposed to represent the illustrious General George Armstrong Custer who, with his tiny army, was massacred by the Indians in the famed Battle of Little Bighorn. For realism's sake, the top of the head has been painted red to signify Custer's scalping.

Lovely.

On a cheerier note, this same couple also has a heart for the small furry things in life, and have trained their neighboring chipmunks and ground squirrels to sit in their laps while they feed them peanuts. Today, as I sat on the porch with my legs crossed, a little chipmunk with huge puffy cheeks leapt onto my Chaco-clad foot and proceeded to climb up my let and perch on my knee while he took a peanut right out of my hand. So cute!

Speaking of feeding furry critters. I have now adopted two raccoons. Their names are Scruffy and Fluffy. That's how you tell them apart, you see. One has a fluffy tail, and the other (you guessed it) has a scruffy tail that's kinda bent at the end. Poor ol' girl! Every evening, they come to one of the glass doors on the porch and peer in with their little hands on the glass. They have me so well trained that as soon as I see them, I hop up and grab some dog food for them. I dump the dog food over the railing and they scurry down the stairs to eat it. Yesterday Fluffy sat right down as he chowed down. I thought it was so cute that I had to get my camera, but I was so flustered that I accidentally dropped the plastic scoop on top of him. Needless to say, he didn't sit down again for a while. Here are some pictures!!!

Here's Scruffy at the door waiting for her vittles

This is Fluffy sitting down to a nice meal of Old Roy dog food

Tomorrow is our day to go to town (Durango), and we've come up with quite a hefty grocery list. The other day I was looking for Olive Oil (a household staple), and instead of finding any olive oil, I found 7 (yes, 7!) bottles of Balsamic Vinegar. What does one do with 7 bottles of balsamic vinegar???? I have no idea. I must talk to my grandmother about this one.

In a couple of days we're going to take the ATV's up the mountain to repair some cattle fences, then cut down some dead trees for firewood and maybe lumber. Nothing like a girl with a chainsaw, I always say.

Anyway. That's all for now folks!

Amazing!

2009-06-11T17:07:00.002-06:00

When describing an acquaintance my grandad just used the phrase, "His biscuits didn't quite get done." I'm going to have to remember that and use it again later. Lovely.

It's a First for Me

2009-06-11T16:15:00.006-06:00

So, I just spent a lovely lazy hour bird-watching on the porch with my Grandad. I have never bird-watched before, and I have to say that it was quite enjoyable. While we watched we chatted about the different habits of the birds we saw, and what the ate, and where they nested. We saw a fly-catcher, a few robins, some grosbeaks, and a tiny little hummingbird. The robin has decided to make a nest under the eaves of the porch, and she was very upset that we were sitting out there near her eggs. Here are some pictures for your personal enjoyment! (No, I didn't take these. I just wanted you all to be able to share in my bird-watching adventure!)

A lovely picture of an Evening Grosbeak from http://wildbirdsunlimited.typepad.com/the_zen_birdfeeder/2008/05/wild-birds-unli.html

Here's a pretty robin from: http://michelle2005.wordpress.com/2009/04/05/she-is-stilljust-jenny/

And one more of a cute little flycatcher. One of these has built a nest on the other side of the porch. This one is from: http://www.bigcountryaudubon.org/2007/09/?cat=6

Another interesting addition to he evening was the guzzling of Dr. Pepper with peanuts floating in it. This is, apparently, one of my grandad's favorite beverages. You take a swig of DP then crunch all the peanuts. Weird, I must admit, but not altogether unpleasant. I wonder where this tradition started...

First Installment of Colorado Adventures

2009-06-10T09:33:00.001-06:00

Friday 6/5/2009 -
I rode up to Hillsboro (where my great-grandmother lives) with my uncles. They were absolutely hysterical and we had delightful conversation the whole way. I confessed to them that I was reading trashy vampire novels (that are AMAZING!!!!), and they found that very amusing. When we got to my great-g-ma's apt, (she's the one that just had cataract surgery, and I haven't seen her in several years) I gave her a hug and she grabbed my arm and just looked at me. After a minute, she said (insert accent here) "Coawtney, ah'm sawrry to tell you this, but you take afte' yowr sihsterr," which I thought was hilarious, although I'm not planning on telling Haley that any time soon. Nanny is always entertaining and she was regaling us with stories about her new-found vision. Suddenly everything is colorful and she can read the clock and the words on the TV. She was greatly disturbed when she looked at herself in the mirror, though. She said that people always told her that she "Sure didn't look 93!" but now she knows they were lying. HAHA! She said her skin looked like it had leprosy it was so wrinkly and that she looked like she was just shriveling up! She was very indignant about it all. Amazing!
I stayed up until 4:15 reading the 3rd vampire book. It was by far the best one yet.

Saturday 6/6/2009 -
Woke up at a grueling 6 a.m. and ate delicious biscuits and sausage gravy cooked by my delightful ol' g-ma. Then, Grandad and I headed off for our big adventure! We drove through all sorts of lovely towns, my favorite being Hico. Loved the name! I managed to nap a few times, which I needed after my late night literary jaunt. We drove from 7:30 a.m. until about 5 pm. On the way we discussed permianate rock formations (g-dad was a geologist and surveyor for Shell), farming practices, and quick sand, among other things, and I saw 2 pronghorn antelope (the things you shoot on Oregon Trail). At one point when I was driving, a freaking tumbleweed literally blew across the road in front of me... amazing! I was just waiting for Clint Eastwood to ride up on a horse with a rifle slung on one shoulder over his serape, hand woven from the hair of the many outlaws he had dispatched. (Ooooh! It just started raining and the rain makes a pretty noise on the tin roof! Yay!)

Sunday 6/7/2009 -
After spending a delightful night in the Santa Rosa, NM Holiday Inn Express, we took to the road again. This time I managed to take the wheel of the musical choices myself. I had had enough with the Gaither Gospel Choir and Jean Foster's Tapestry of the West album, which had lyrics such as "I hope there's still a cowboy left to stand beside my little girl," and "while I ride my pony, I hold the reins of glory." All of this sung by a woman who looked like Cavender's threw up on her. I was pretty sure that my brain was going to melt... Luckily I saved us with some Decemberists and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Excellent combination, if I do say so myself!
We got to the house in the afternoon, and I proceeded to unpack one of my suitcases then collapse on the bed in a fit of exhaustion. I woke up to the sound of g-dad talking on the porch to one of the neighbors. I went down and sat with them, and we started to plan our many fishing and ATV-riding adventures! Yay! After the neighbor left, we took one of the four-wheelers down to a neighboring property to check on some cabins that my g-dad looks after. On the way we saw a coyote not 20-yards away! Very exciting. The cabins were all fine, aside from some really horrendous interior decor. I mean REALLY horrendous. As in, like so utterly terrible the place should be demolished!
Anyway, got back to the house, and slept. Lovely

Monday 6/8/2009 -
I can't remember anything, other than the sneezing and the stuffy nose from the darn spruce trees.

Tuesday 6/9/2009 -
Went to town. Got groceries. I pranced through the Walmart with wonderment and glee, because it was so well stocked with anything anyone could ever need. Also procured allergy medicine. Fantastic! Except that it made me ridiculously sleepy, and I napped at 7 pm, never a good idea.

Rewind

2007-12-17T10:25:00.000-06:00

I was told by my roommates, that I absolutely had to blog about my last day in DC, or else they'd never forgive me. So, to start, I'll just tell you a little bit about them. I had 5 roommates. That's more than I've ever had in my life, and I was a little worried, once I found out that it was co-ed, that it would turn into a gnarly season of The Real World. Luckily, we were all normal people and not the psychotic lunatics they pick to go on those shows.

So, like I was saying, my five roommates. I'll start with the girls. There were three of them. Biz was the first one I met. She was very sweet, and cheery with a zest for life, which immediately set my heart at ease about living there. Afterwards, I met Liz and Kay. Liz was hilarious! She was always saying outrageous things that made the rest of us laugh. Kay was adorable. She had a completely bizarre sense of humor, but we all loved her because of it. As for the men, there was Jason, the University of Illinois grad, who I seriously believe would sleep until 4 in the afternoon every day if he could, and there was Guido, our token Italian. He brought most of our cultural diversity into the house. There were nights when the English speakers were most definitely the minority in the house.

So, anyway, on my last day in DC, all of the roommates that were left (Guido was traveling with his girlfriend, and Kay had already left to go home) went to this fantastic little cafe to have an early lunch. We had decided to meet up at 11. The cafe was conveniently located only a short walk away from our house. Even more convenient, was the fact that right next door was a FedEx store. After living in DC for three months, I had accumulated random junk that just would not for the life of me fit into my two ever-shrinking suitcases. My kind boss had given me a couple boxes that had once been used to ship catalogs of ships plans. That saved me from having to buy overpriced boxes from FedEx. I packed two boxes nice and full of all kinds of random stuff. One of them even has a hardhat, that I used during a tour of the construction site.

I had enlisted Biz to help me carry the boxes to the store, cause they were too unwieldy for me to carry alone. So, we hike down several blocks with these ridiculous boxes and finally make it to the FedEx store. We walk in and there's only one other customer, so I begin to fill out the address form for my boxes. Since both boxes were going to the same address, I was able to fill out only one form. I even asked the clerk about it, and he said it was fine to write them both on one form.

I bring my first box to the register, hand the form over to the clerk, and place the box on the scale. He begins to type the information into the computer, but suddenly stops typing and furrows his brow. I suppressed a small sigh as he looked pleadingly toward the manager, the only other employee in the store at the time. She was loudly discussing shipping something with another customer on the phone, completely unable to assist Clerk X fix the problem.

After several minutes, she put the other customer on hold and showed him what to do. No sooner had she gotten back on the phone then the poor man was stuck again. By this time, there were at least three customers standing behind me using up their lunch break waiting on this incompetent employee.

After at least 25 minutes of this poor man getting occasional assistance from the phone-ridden manager, he finally solved the problem and handed me my receipt. I thanked him and glanced down at the receipt. I had been charged for only one box. I handed it back to him and said that there was only one box on the receipt, and I could hear the collective groan from the whole room of now 6 customers waiting behind me. Finally the manager got off the phone for good and took over my sale. She had both boxes done in less than 3 minutes. Finally, after over half an hour in this awful store both of my boxes were en route to Texas, and I was able to enjoy a delicious lunch with my roommates. All of whom, by that point were tapping their toes impatiently waiting for me to finish.

We happilly pranced from the FedEx store, an establishment that I will avoid from here on out, to Le Bon Cafe. We all ate delicious sandwiches, and Jason entertained us with his excellent conversational skills until we finally headed home.

Biz and Jason stood arm in arm like proud parents and waved goodbye to me from the front porch as I drove off in the cab. I was sad to leave, but excited to come home at the same time. It was a good day, and I was glad that I was able to spend it with my roommates.

I'm Home!!!

2007-12-14T10:57:00.002-06:00

I'm so glad to be back in Texas. Finally! After months of patiently riding Metro trains and trying to avoid the occasionally off-colour comments of the resident homeless man of Mass Ave. and 2nd, I'm finally able to sit in a quiet kitchen surrounded by my dogs and breathe cool (not cold) fresh Texas air. Maybe it's just me, but I do think that Texas smells better.

Anyway, traveling yesterday was quite an adventure. My flight left DC over 45 minutes late for no apparent reason. I was a little worried, because I only had a short amount of time between my two flights. I flew from DC to Chicago, then Chicago to Austin. Well, anyway, like I was saying, I was already in a time crunch, and here these guys were leaving the airport 45 minutes late! After several beseeching prayers that I would make my second flight, I settled down to read my book (Sea of Glory by Nathaniel Philbrick, a fantastic book about the US Exploring Expedition, read it some time!).

The girl sitting beside me was quite entertaining. It was only her second time to fly in a plane, and she kept asking questions like, what do I do with my carry-on bag? Well, you put it under the seat in front of you. Can I listen to my iPod during take-off? No, they tell you when you can though.

My favorite part was watching her raptly study every movement of the flight attendants as they mimicked what to do in an emergency. "Place the mask over your mouth and nose. Pull the tabs to tighten. Even though the bag may not inflate, it is still delivering Oxygen. If you are traveling with small children, put on your mask first, then assist the child." I don't think I've watched one of those flight attendant schpiels (sp?) since the age of 12, after I got over my fear that the plane was somehow going to explode mid-flight and I was going to be sucked out into the frigid air, with an eternity to freak out before I finally hit the ground thousands of feet below. I was a weird kid.

So, anyway, my flight was late. My plane for Austin was leaving Chicago at 7:05. My plane didn't get to Chicago until 6:59. Crap. Of course, I was stuck in the middle of the plane helplessly watching people take their sweet time as they removed carry-on items from the bins overhead. With prayers still being shot towards the sky, I barrelled up the ramp to the councours to find the monitors to tell me which way I needed to run. It was 7:10.

Close behind me were 4 other people from my flight who were also going to Austin. We were quite the motley crew as we sprinted from gate B4 to B21, me in my A&M Maroon Out t-shirt, an obviously wealthy woman in fancy clothes, two teenage boys, and some older guy in business casual. Half-way to the gate we heard them say "Last Call" over the intercom. We were now full-out sprinting down the moving sidewalks to get to the gate. Luckily, the woman was in heels, so everyone within 100 yards could hear us flying down the walkway and get out of our way.

Somehow, we made it in time. We were the last ones on the plane. As we walked on, huffing and puffing and looking extremely triumphant, people muttered things like "where the heck did they come from?" and "calm down, you made it!" Flushed and panting I finally found a seat. The aisle seat at the very back of the plane... yes, right next to the toilet. Good times. I really didn't care, I was going home.

I finally made it to Austin, and I was positive that my bags were going to be sitting somewhere in the Chicago-Midway airport, waiting for me to show up and claim them. There was just no way they would have made it from the DC flight. So, again, the prayers were shot to the heavens. At this point, I was practically begging that the Lord twitch his pinkie finger and send my bags flying from Chicago to Austin, to land at my feet at the baggage claim. Who knows, maybe he did, because when I walked up to the baggage claim, almost sure that my bags would be nowhere to be seen, my bag was one of the first to pop out of the chute! The second big miracle of the day!

Dad picked me up in a suburban full of dogs. He had brought Bertie, Maggie, and Turbeaux to see me! We opened the tail-gate window thing to put my bags in, and, immediately, all three of their heads popped out to say hello. They were so happy to see me! As I type this at the kitchen counter, Bertie, the golden retriever, is curled up at my feet with his chin tucked under his foot. He's precious.

Anyway, now I'm off to Alvin to go to Fallon & Big Steve's wedding! Very exciting, I hope I can get there in time to make the rehearsal! Anyway, y'all have a great day!

Sigh...

2007-12-12T20:31:00.000-06:00

Well, today was my last day of work... I don't really want to talk about it. It's just too sad.

So, instead, I'll talk about the delicious food that I've consumed in the past two days. Last night one of my supervisors, Paula, took me to dinner last night at the most amazing restaraunt I have ever eaten at. It was fantastic! It was upscale Indian cuisine, and it really was ridiculously good! I was floored.

Then, I just got home from a Thai food place that was great. I went with two girls from work, and we all got chicken Pad Thai. So dang good! I now have boxes of leftover pad thai, curry, cocconut broccoli, and cauliflower. And T-minus 16 hours before I leave for the airport!

I am so excited to come back to Texas. In 24 hours I'll be home! Whoop!!!!! Anyway, I love y'all!

My Latest Hobby

2007-12-11T15:44:00.000-06:00

I've also taken up drawing sketches of ships after being surrounded by them for so long. It all started during boring meetings. Instead of raptly listening to the argument over the size of brick to pave an exhibit with, I drew tiny ships on my legal pad. I now have them taped to the filing cabinets above my desk.

This is one I drew yesterday. It's much bigger than my usual ones. I drew this one on a legal pad too, hence the lined paper.

Weird...

2007-12-11T12:59:00.000-06:00

My newest post isn't showing up on the webpage... hmmm... I'm posting this to see if it'll knock my new one onto the page... I hope it works!

Sniff Sniff

2007-12-11T12:55:00.000-06:00

It’s a sad day for me. I only have two more days left here at the museum. Well, one and a half now, considering it’s already noon. I’m going to miss so much about this job. It’s amazing! I have been able to do so many amazing things here.
One of my roommates came to work with me this morning, since her internship is over. I gave her a mini-tour around the areas of the museum that I have worked in. I was able to show her my office and my desk which is completely covered in books and files and papers.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I could definitely have used a filing cabinet while I was here. It would have saved me a lot of sticky notes. As it is, I have about ten different piles of stuff on my desk, all neatly labeled with sticky notes, some of which change every day.

Whenever there’s a lull in between my various projects, I just grab a book off my desk, open it up, and start reading. This way I’m always entertained. The books are all maritime related. The Art of Rigging by George Biddlecombe, America’s Maritime Heritage, Africa Squadron, The Slave Ship Fredensborg, Women Sailors & Sailors’ Women, Villains of All Nations, The Many-Headed Hydra, The Atlantic Slave Trade, The Pirates. Needless to say, I’ve become a huge ship nerd.

The other day I was trying to come up with a list of all of the jobs I have performed since I’ve been here. It was actually a pretty long and varied list. For example: I researched petroleum byproducts and their uses. I came up with a list of over 90 everyday objects that contain petroleum in some form or another for an exhibit case in a new exhibit, to show just how much we rely on oil to accomplish tasks in our every day lives. I researched the Bryant family who, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries ran a showboat that sailed up and down the Ohio river. I learned about Mississippi River pilots who guide their barges up and down the ever-changing waters of the Mississippi. I wrote bibliographies. I researched 54 different 18th and 19th century ships, including blackwall frigates, tea clippers, passenger ships, racing yachts, US Navy ships-of-the-line, privateers, and gunboats. And that’s only some of the stuff that I’ve done!

I’m now completely spoiled to a life of academia. What will I do when I have to go back to the real world? Oh well, it won’t be too terrible. I’m excited about my classes next semester. I’m taking 20th century drama, 19th century England, and 19th to 21st century English literature, as well as a crumby math class, an over analytical anthropological writing class, and self defense. At least three of them will be enjoyable.

In about half an hour the museum is hosting a Christmas party for everyone, and I’m sure that I’ll gorge myself on delicious baked goods and holiday treats. Yum…
Don’t assume from my earlier writing that I’m not excited to come back to Texas. I definitely am. When I came home for Thanksgiving, I was so excited that I actually teared up a little on the plane. What the heck am I going to do when I’m coming home for good? I’ll probably cry as soon as I leave the tarmac! Goodness gracious. Anyway, I can’t wait!

So here’s a big hug from me!!!! See ya soon!

SNOW!!!!

2007-12-05T10:04:00.000-06:00

If you've ever been in College Station for any prolonged period of time, or in Houston for that matter, you know that it never just rains, it pours! Well, now imagine that instead of rain, it was snow!!!!!!

Yes. As of right now, It is pouring snow from the heavens. My boss even let me out of the office to go play in it!

I just went out and stood in between the Washington Monument and the Capital building and watched everything slowly turn white. We're supposed to have up to two inches! And it's sticking! I can't even believe it!

Hopefully I can get off work a little early so that I can take pictures of everything while there's still light outside. Anyway, I have to go back to work now! Hehe! Love y'all!!!!

December is Here!

2007-12-03T19:18:00.000-06:00

Just in case you weren't aware of it yet I'll remind you. It is, in fact, December. No, I can't believe it either. Now is the time when you ask me what I have done to usher in this new month full of holiday wonderful-ness. My answer might surprise you. I went ice skating! Yes, me.... Ice skating!

One of my many roommates is from Wisconsin and we went together. When she was growing up they would go skate on frozen lakes in the winter. This concept completely baffled me. Ice skate, outside? But that is just what we did! A few blocks away from my museum is the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art. It's full of these really interesting, mostly weird, gigantic sculptures. In the winter months they turn the giant fountain in the center into an ice skating rink! They have strung Christmas lights all around and it looks just heavenly! Skating under the stars!

Anyway, my roommate was, of course, exceptionally good, whereas I was exceptionally bad, although I did see much improvement in myself over the course of two hours. I actually had fun! After I got good enough to not need the rail every other second... hehe.

It was actually kind of fun being bad at ice skating. You're not in the center of the rink surrounded by good and mediocre skaters, you're on the fringes clutching the rail with an ice-cold death-grip so that you don't fall down. There's a lot of camaraderie between all of the bad people. As you slowly circle the rink, you invariably come into contact with the same people over and over again. It is so comforting, at least it was for me, to see that their faces mirroring the shear terror and embarassment as suddenly things get a little too slippery.

Oh! Here's an interesting anecdote I forgot to tell you earlier. I was going to meet my roommate at the rink at 7:00, so I left work around 6:15. I was planning on making a Starbuck's run to get a hot chocolate before I went and stood on ice for two hours. There's a starbucks only a few blocks away from the sculpture garden (surprise, surprise), and I was absolutely shocked to find it closed! What kind of Starbucks closes at 6:00 pm????

At this point, I had nowhere to go until 7:00 and it was freezing outside. I wanted to find a place to either get coffee or get a quick dinner, so I resolutely stepped off the front step of the heinously closed Starbucks and marched off up the street. I figured at some point I would find something edible or drinkable. On my way to the warm place that I was imagining I discovered a very interesting used book store. I didn't get a chance to go in it, but I definitely put it on my list of places to go in the very near future. Anyway, I kept walking. I passed several fancy restaraunts and bars, shops, parking garages, etc. until suddenly, not three blocks from where I had angrily stomped my foot at the Starbucks, there stood yet another Starbucks! Only this one was twice as big as the first, and mercifully full of people! I boldly grasped the handle, and my heart gave a small leap as I felt the door yield and let me in. I practically ran to the counter and told them my order, so that I could sit and enjoy my hard-earned cup of hot chocolate as soon as I could. The moral of this story kids is that with nothing but a little determination, you can find a Starbucks anywhere!

Today was my second to last Monday at work. I'm actually sad about it! This week we have two full days of meetings... ick. It's all very interesting to learn about the production & design processes, but it keeps me away from all of the delicious research I could be doing. I found a really cool website today that has information on just about every ship ever commissioned by the US Navy. Amazing! Here's the link, just in case you were interested...

http://www.historycentral.com/Navy/index.html

On my way home from work today I was accosted by 45 mph gusts of wind across the Mall that nearly blew me right into the Washington Monument. By the time I got to Union Station the wind was making the flags sound like machine guns! It was nuts! Limbs were flying off branches and hitting cars and anything that weighed less than 100 pounds was flying around like I was in the middle of a tornado. I was so happy to finally get to my front door! Oh, and on Tuesday night through all of Wednesday we're supposed to have snow! What the heck!?! Snow! I'll definitely let you know it that happens!

Anyway, I hope you are all having an absolutely wonderful day, and that you're staying warm! Love y'all!

A New Fantastic Discovery

2007-11-28T21:27:00.000-06:00

Due to the fact that the corner market by my house only stocks one brand of ice cream, my roommates and I have become connisseurs of Ben & Jerry's.

My favorite ice cream flavor has always been Coffee. I really, really love Coffee ice cream. My adoration for coffee flavored ice-cream started when I was really little. My mom always bought vanilla ice cream when I was a kid. On the nights she would let us have some after dinner, I would always pour a little coffee on mine. I can't remember if it was my mom's idea first, but either way, that has forever influenced my love for ice cream.

So, anyway, I assumed that my favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor would be coffee too. And up until two days ago that was the case. You see, only one of the corner stores within a mile radius of my house has coffee ice cream. It also happens to be the one that you don't want to walk to once it's dark. This poses a problem now that thanks to Daylight Savings Time I don't get off work until it's pitch dark. So, instead I am forced to purchase my ice cream from the safe, well-lit corner store that's on my way home.

Since this corner store doesn't have coffee ice cream, I have to pick other flavors to try. I have tried several, but none have been as delicious as the flavor I purchased on Monday. At first I was completely skeptical of this new flavor. There was no way it could taste as good as the real thing. But that was before I tried it.

For the first bite I made sure to get some of the crispy sugar crystals with the ice cream. I put the spoon in my mouth, and suddenly there was an eruption of flavor. The pure amazingness of a delicious creme brulee suddenly coated my tastebuds with joy. I have never experienced anything like it. It was absolutely FANTASTIC!

So, my point is that you should definitely go try Ben & Jerry's Creme Brulee ice cream. It's absolutely A-mazing! Happy Ice-cream-ing!

My Trip to Shenendoah

2007-11-27T22:18:00.000-06:00

Here are some of the pictures I took during my wintry excursion to Shenendoah National Park a few weeks ago. Press the play button to watch the slideshow. Pretty nifty, huh?

Well, It's Almost Hump Day,

2007-11-27T19:55:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it! Tuesday is already over! It's really interesting to compare the speed of time here in DC to the speed of time in Texas. Here I can wake up and suddenly it's Saturday. Last week in Texas felt like at least three or four weeks worth of DC time. I wonder why that is? Hmm...

Maybe it's because it's all a dream, or at least feels like a dream. It was so strange to go back to my house in College Station. I felt like I had never left. As I was sprinting through the rain to the front door I felt like I had just been there! Everything was so vivid and real. It was as if I went to sleep in College Station and during my dream somehow managed to get an internship in DC and lived there for a few months, then I woke up at home in Texas. Even though I've been here in DC for two months it definitely still maintains very surreal qualities. I can't quite put my finger on it, but maybe one day I'll figure it out, so that I can blog about it.

Today at work I did more boat research. Amazingly enough I am not tired of it yet. In fact, with every new boat that I research the more interesting it all becomes. Like this afternoon for example: I was researching a chromolithograph by a famous marine artist done in the 1880's of a yacht race. This is the second yachting piece that I have researched, so as I was going through information about the second one, I could incorporate the knowledge I had gained from the first one. I was so excited! I know this probably sounds ridiculous. Of course you can incorporate things you've learned in the past into things you're doing in the present, but this was different.

The paintings that I'm researching were part of the collections of another museum before they were donated to the Smithsonian. When they were donated, the previous museum also gave us all of the information that they had on file about each one. For many of the more obscure ships the first museum sent a picture of the painting, along with whatever information they had about the ship, to nautical history expert, the late Thomas Hornsby, who would then research the ship and send his research back to the museum. This was all back between the 40's and the 70's, so I have gone through countless brittle, yellowed, hand-typed letters written by this man. I don't know why, but I imagine him in my head as an endearing, stooped little man with thick glasses and neatly combed white hair rummaging through ancient books and charts. He has become my 'historical hero' so to speak. His letters are so polite and knowledgeable. Each letter is hand-signed. I wish I could have met him.

Anyway, today, when I was able to knowledgeably talk about historical yacht racing, something that two months ago I knew absolutely nothing about, I felt like I had a little Thomas Hornsby in me. I really do feel like I have accomplished something!

So, on to my escalator theory. When I first began to talk to people about moving to DC, I had several warn me about the rude Washingtonians. According to these people they are an ill-tempered lot, who grumpily stalk the streets of our nation's capitol. So, needless to say, when I moved up here I was prepared to battle my way through the rude denizens of DC, but aside from the occasional bout of umbrella dueling, I have not found that to be the case. I have had some lovely talks on the Metro with complete strangers. Clearly the people who warned me about the rudeness were wrong. Or were they?

It was all made clear to me one morning when I was on my way to work. I ride the Metro (subway train) to get to my job every day. Since the Metro is underground there are always large banks of escalators for commuters to go from street-level to the trains. All Washingtonians know that proper escalator etiquette requires that anyone who wants to stand, does so on the right side of the escalator, and those who want to walk, use the left side. Everyone knows this! It's obvious if you stand and look at an escalator full of people that all the walking people are on the left and all the standing people are on the right. It's obviously not a random phenomena. All the people in a hurry didn't just happen to pick the left side of the escalator!

Problems arise when people are unaware of this law of the land. It's really quite maddening when someone in front of you decides to stop on the left side of the escalator. And of course the right side is full of standing people, so it's impossible to go around them.

What does all this have to do with my revelation, you ask? Well, one morning I was running late because my train had taken forever to get to my stop, so I was trying to get to the office as quickly as I could. I hopped on the escalator and made it only a few steps before I was halted by a group of tourists practically lounging all over the left side of the escalator. If you have ever ridden an underground train system, then you know how long these escalators can be. Within seconds I had an angry line of my fellow commuters stacking up behind me on the blocked escalator. No amount of tapping your fingers can release the sudden stress brought on by these awful escalator loungers.

After what felt like an absolute eternity we reached the end of the escalator. By the time we got to the top I was so fed up with these completely uncordial tourists that as quickly as I could I shot past them to make sure that I wasn't stuck behind them for another eternity on the next escalator, and of course it had to be obvious to the disgruntled people behind me that I was not a part of the blockade.

To the untrained eye (i.e. the tourist's), by quickly passing them it may have looked like I was rudely flaunting my non-tourist-ness, when, in reality, I was just trying to get to work, something that they had impeded.

If you ask a person standing on the left side to let you by, no matter how politely, then you've really crossed the line. After doing this only a few times and receiving affronted glares from the not-so-polite escalumps, I decided to just wait them out. To them it seems less rude to fly past them than it does to kindly ask them to move aside. Therefore, I will be forever stuck behind escalumps on escalators.

Have a wonderful day, and watch out for escalator blockages!

Man I've been Slackin'!

2007-11-25T20:54:00.001-06:00

I feel terrible! I haven't updated for weeks! I have so much work to do if I am going to be able to make it up to you!

To start with, I finished a post that I started a while ago. I had tried to add pictures to it, but I think that Blogger's server was down or something, because it just didn't want to load my pictures. So, take a few minutes to browse through the new pictures in the post from November 12.

So, what has happened since November 12, you ask? What hasn't happened since November 12! Since then I have traveled to Virginia's Shenendoah National Park to see the fall colors on the trees (I'm going to post some of my pictures from this soon, don't worry). I have surprised my friends in College Station by showing up (almost completely) unannounced. I spent a few days with my mom and stepdad in Austin. Spent 7 hours in the car on the way to Beaumont, TX, with a dog in my lap I might add! I spent Thanksgiving day eating way too much food and playing guitar hero with my uncle from Lake Charles, LA.

I drove home to Austin with my dad, stepmom, and sister, getting home just in time to slide in front of the tv for the kickoff. If you don't know what kickoff I'm talking about, I must say that I am a bit shocked! The kickoff for the Texas A&M vs. University of Texas football game! THE rivalry game of the season! During the tense game I cooked an insanely large amount of chicken spaghetti on Tammy's amazing new gas stove. I think I'm in love... with her kitchen! I can't wait until Christmas break, when I can cook all sorts of delicious things on that amazing stove! I should've taken a picture of it, but I didn't think about it at the time. Darn. Anyway, back to the game. We won! Whoop! I won't spend too much time gloating over our victory, because I don't want to hurt the sensitive feelings of the Longhorns, who have now lost two years in a row... *sniff sniff*. I still can't believe we won.

College Station was a blast! I miss that town so much! Well, not so much the town itself, but all of my people! It felt so wonderful just to sit in my living room surrounded by the people that I love and have missed for months! I got into town about 10 pm on Saturday and, of course, it was pouring down rain. Absolutely POURING! After I worked up my nerve, I jumped out of the car and ran to the front door. I pulled back the screen door and knocked. Kyle knew to make Christina open the door (she was still completely clueless that I was coming). I heard her fumbling with the lock, and I just stood there dripping with water with a most likely ridiculous grin on my face. She looked at me for a second, and then it finally sank in that I was standing on the doorstep and she flipped out! She jumped about three feet in the air, then launched herself straight at me. It was great!

While still hugging we somehow managed to make it into the house and off the doorstep. Everyone inside had come to the door to see what the heck Christina was freaking out about, and it was hilarious to see the shocked expressions. It was hugs all around, and I just about cried I was so happy to be home. After standing there for several minutes, someone said that there were even more people on the patio that still didn't know I was there. I ran out to the porch, flew through the door and found Greg and Swink, two of my best guy friends chatting. The looks on their faces were priceless as I pranced out of the door. I think I was the last thing they were expecting to see!

After everyone knew I was back, we moved into the living room and I grabbed some food; I hadn't eaten since my 'interesting' pizza from Subway in the DC airport. As I sat there trying to eat dinner and talk to everybody I looked around and realized that everyone in the room was looking at me. I didn't really know what to do or who to look at. I was just so happy to be home! We ended up watching Elf and just hanging out. The next morning at church it was even better! People just came running. I felt so loved! I can't wait to go back next semester.

Yesterday after a delicious meal of Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas at Matt's El Rancho I went to my uncle's house in Hutto and got to see more family. My grandparents were in town staying with my two uncles, and it was really good to see all of them.

I went home last night to a beautifully decorated bedroom in my dad's new house. We had gone to Anthropologie to get new bedding for my room. I picked out an absolutely precious duvet with blues, aquas, and yellows, and with the help of the store's Visual Director chose accent pillows, a bedskirt, pillow shams, and rugs. Nothing matches, and it's all adorable! I absolutely love it! The room is very fun and light. Tammy calls it the "Happy Room." Apparently Bertie, our Golden Retriever, had a great time 'helping' them while they were decorating.

I woke up at 3:45 a.m. this morning so that i could make it to the airport early enough to get on my 6:00 a.m. flight to DC. Ew. Amazingly enough it's warmer here in DC now than it is in Texas! I'm hoping that I took all of the cold weather with me to Texas and that it stays there for a while. I've had enough of the cold already!

One positive about the cold weather is the exciting new extracurricular activity of ice-skating! Outdoors! I know, what a concept! In the winter they turn a giant fountain in the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden into an iceskating rink. Me and my roommates might go tomorrow after work. Don't worry, I will inform you thoroughly about how much of a fool I make of myself. I don't think I have iceskated in about 6 years, at least! I'll be lucky if I walk away with only a few bruises. Goodness gracious.

Whew. I'm going to go finish my laundry and maybe get to bed early so that I'll have a good start tomorrow morning at work. I'm sure I have a huge stack of things to do that have accumulated in my absence. Eeek. Oh, and by using my amazing anthropological skills I have discovered the reason why people who visit DC (tourists) think that Washingtonians are rude. Interestingly enough it's all about escalators. But I will save that little gem for another post. I have to keep y'all coming back somehow!

Thanks so much for reading this. I really do appreciate every single comment or kind word that I get about my blog. Y'all are amazing! I am so thankful for you! Have a beautiful day!

Another Wonderful Day

2007-11-12T23:04:00.000-06:00

Thanks to the fact that Veterans' Day is a federal holiday, I didn't have to work today! Yippee for being a Federal employee! Needless to say, I slept in. I read for most of the day, which was cloudy and cold; the perfect 'curl up with a book' day.

In the afternoon I went with my friend, Laura, to get a hamburger (which was amazing!) at Five Guys in Chinatown, and then we went to go see Martian Child, a film with John & Joan Cusack. I absolutely love them! The fim was good, a little slow, but in the end good. It definitely wasn't the best thing I've ever seen. Let's just say it's a renter, not a movie theatre movie.

So, I know I promised you that I would put up pictures of life in DC. So, yesterday, I had quite an adventure trying to locate an electronics store where I could buy the right cord or a card reader. About a mile from my house I discovered a Radio Shack, so I was able to buy a memory card reader, and consequently I can now show you all of my pictures. Well, at least some of the good ones. So here goes. Be prepared for lots and lots of pictures!

Here are some pictures that I have taken in and around Capitol Hill.

This is my roommate Biz reading the newspaper on a Sunday morning. She's just precious!

This is across the street from my house.

This is my good friend Nathaniel Greene. I walk past him just about every day.

I walk through this tunnel of concrete arches to get to the Metro.

What is this strange building you ask? Perhaps an alien spaceship? Why no! It is, in fact, the Watergate Hotel, which I came upon quite by accident. It's not every day that you find a building with such a history.

This is the terrace of the Kennedy Performing Arts Center overlooking the Potomac River.

Another shot of the Potomac.

I walk in between these two pictures every day on my way to work. I'll miss that.

Degas anyone?

This is the mysterious door of mystery. I walk past this door all the time and for the life of me I can't figure it out. It's three feet off the ground, with no way to get to it, and no signs that there was ever a way to get to it. It's 2/3 the size of a normal door, yet is complete with a knob, lock, mail slot, and knocker! Is this someone's idea of a cruel joke? My inner anthropologist is just dying to know the story behind this door. But it may well be a history lost forever. Forever to be known as the "Mysterious Door of Mystery."

So those are the best of my pictures of Capitol Hill. I hope you like 'em! It is a beautiful neighborhood and very easy to photograph!

What a Beautiful Day!

2007-11-10T19:57:00.000-06:00

Wow, this week absolutely flew by! I've noticed that the last couple of weeks have literally felt like they lasted only a couple of days. All week I thought that it was the day before it actually was. On Tuesday I thought it was Monday; on Wednesday I thought it was Tuesday.

On Thursday I wasn't sure exactly what day it was, all I knew was that it was the 8th. On Thursdays at 10:00 am we always have meetings for the OTW staff (of which I am one), so on Thursday morning at 9:55, when everyone was still in their offices, I went to one of my supervisors to ask if we were still having our meeting. She kindly informed me that it was, in fact, Friday. My boss came in to remind me that Monday was a holiday, and not to forget to sleep in. If he hadn't, I probably would've forgotten. What can I say? Time flies when you're having fun, or in my case up to your eye lashes with mid-nineteenth century ship research.

At work I have been doing all kinds of fun research. I'm working on ship paintings. Finding out where the ship was built, when, why, for who, by who. It's really fascinating, and I'm learning what all of the different flags mean, the types of sails, the difference between a yard and a gaff, a schooner and a brig, or a foremast and a mizzenmast. It's basically awesome.

This morning I woke up early and went with my friend Joyanna to the Shenendoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have never seen so many beautiful colors on trees. I took about a million pictures, but I still don't have a camera cord, so I can't put them on my computer yet, but I'm working on getting a hold of one.

I have never seen any country like that before, and the trees were absolutely amazing! There were reds, yellows, oranges, and greens. When the sun shone on the leaves it was amazing! We drove for about half an hour down Skyline Drive, which is alongside the Appalachian Trail. All of a sudden, what did we see? SNOW!!!!!! Yes, that's right, my first Blue Ridge Mountain snow! It was absolutely beautiful. The branches of the trees were covered with a fine fringe of snow, and the ground was covered with a light powder. It had started to get foggy, and it was as if I had stepped into a literal winter wonderland. I had to get out of the car and take pictures. I even took a short video of me in the snow! I'll post that too, as soon as I have that darn cord.

It was a lovely day. I'm now sitting with JoyAnna watching Miss Congeniality. It's great. What a lovely day! So, as soon as the movie is over, I'm going to go home and go to sleep, and sleep late. That's one of the benefits of Saturday night church. You can sleep in on Sunday morning, although I always feel like there's somewhere I should be on Sunday morning. Oh well. Y'all have a great day! Oh, and I can't wait to get home for Thanksgiving!!! I freakin' miss Texas!

A Weekend of High Culture

2007-11-06T18:01:00.001-06:00

Boy have I been busy! I've been trying to see more of the sights in DC. On Friday I went to the Folger Shakespeare Theatre and saw a wonderful production of As You Like It. It was a play I had never read, so it was really fun, and the theatre was absolutely beautiful! I spent Saturday morning at Eastern Market where I got my produce for the week, then walked to CVS where I purchased a hefty amount of Febreeze to remedy the fact that the couches in my house smel like... well, just use your imagination. then I went to church with my friend Brad that night. It was a really good message. All of NCC's messages are available for free online at their website, or as a podcast on itunes. They're really awesome!

Sunday morning I slept in, which was great! In the afternoon I went to the Kennedy Performing Arts Center on the banks of the Potomac River to pick up my ticket to the ballet the next day. It was a gorgeous building, and to get there, I had to walk past the Watergate Hotel, which is huge!! It's a really retro building, which I took plenty of pictures of. I walked back to the Metro and rode it to The Mall where I met my friend Annie, who was visiting DC for a conference from A&M. We went to the National Gallery of Art, then went and had Mexican/Salvadorean food. Which was fantastic! Yippee for salsa and chips!

Monday I went to work and did mostly research on different kinds of ships from the mid-19th century. It's really interesting! I'm having a blast doing it. After work I came home to get dressed for the Ballet! The performance was wonderful! It was a mix of ballet and salsa moves with an Afro-Latin jazz band. It was great! I walked home in the rain, and I've never appreciated my long coat so much!

Today it was back to research at work. I'm adding a new collection of prints which were recently acquired by the museum to the gigantic collections database. I'm doing research on each one so that people two hundred years from now who are doing more research will have a lot more information than I did to start with. It's lots of work, but very interesting. Tomorrow there is a group of students coming in from American University to learn about the Maritime department. I'm supposed to help with that, so we'll see how that goes. I just got home and now one of my roommates and I are watching Jurassic Park. Probably one of the best films ever! Anyway, I love and miss y'all!!! I can't wait to come home for Thanksgiving! Really, I can't wait! Goodnight!

A Weekend of High Culture

2007-11-05T21:29:00.000-06:00

Today

2007-10-24T16:09:00.000-06:00

This morning, I was unknowingly thrown into a quiet, yet alarming battle, which rages on the streets of urban settlements during the besiegement of any amount of precipitation, but it is most fierce during a downpour.

The actual skirmishing usually takes place on sidewalks, or, most dangerously, in crowded crosswalks. It usually begins with any number of participants briskly walking in one direction brandishing their weapons, while others, also armed, come at them from the other side. All sorts of jostling about is produced, usually with each participant using their weapons to push aside those of the opposing force.

The weapon of choice is the umbrella, although there are some who opt, instead, for a waterproof jacket. You will soon understand how terribly these poor mere jacketed folk will fare, and may soon regret their decisions to leave their umbrellas at home. You see, the rain jacket is merely a defensive article, much like a shield, whilst the umbrella may be used in both defensive and offensive measures, which is rather important during such a brawl. Even though the rain jacket provides protection for the body, it leaves the head and face completely exposed. And when participating in such a conflict, it is quite necessary to protect one’s face from the sharp protuberances surrounding the edges of said weapons.

During my walk to the train station this morning I unknowingly entered into a fierce duel with a man carrying a large black umbrella, studded with hefty metal tips around its edges. We walked towards each other on a narrow sidewalk, each carrying our chosen umbrellas, mine being just an average umbrella. At the last second, I was forced to yank my umbrella to one side, narrowly avoiding a clash between our umbrellas. The man who had challenged me did not even flinch. His umbrella maintained the same path it had before he had even seen me on the walk. I was amazed at his audacity and incivility. I soon realized that such clashes were quite common, and usually, the larger umbrella won.

To wield a winning umbrella requires much from its brandisher. Firstly, he/she must have unshakeable confidence in their weapon. Without such confidence, they are much more likely to dart away from their enemies for fear of a snagged canopy. Secondly, they must be able to plaster on their faces a stern and unapproachable look, which signifies to the other weapon wielding commuters that they and their umbrella are not to be trifled with. Thirdly, they must walk at quite a clip to maintain domination over the slower traffic, shoving smaller, less important umbrellas out of the way.

The design of one’s umbrella is important to note. Many, I assume the ones newer to the brawl, carry simple canopies no wider than two feet, plenty to keep one dry from precipitation, but not large enough to intimidate the crazed rainbow umbrella wielders. Yes, the crazed rainbow umbrella wielders. The best weapon is one that is large enough to be menacing, yet small and compact enough to be swiftly maneuvered through the fray and easily portable. Most choose to go with black, which is reasonably frightening, yet for some that is not enough.

This morning there were several participants who entered the scene carrying enormous rainbow umbrellas. These are most definitely horrific, not just because of the garish colors of the umbrella plastered against the cool grey sky, but because it takes a certain kind of intrepid individual to wield such an attention grabbing object, the kind of person one does not want to come head to head with (or umbrella to umbrella, for that matter), for they are fearless and bold.

After much deliberation about the size and quality of my own umbrella, I have come to the conclusion that I shan’t acquire an upgrade. I have come to terms with the fact that I shall never be a courageous umbrella dueler like the man on the walk this morning. I will continue to duck out of the way of larger, more important umbrellas. But I shall no longer deliver mumbled apologies if my umbrella clashes with another, for this is war, and any apologies are merely crushed beneath the squelching feet of the passers by. Good luck fellow urbanites!

It's Like Christmas!

2007-10-20T12:25:00.000-06:00

I'll get to the Christmas part in a minute, but for now I'll just tell you a little bit about what's been going on lately.

This week at work has been fun. I've been doing more research for exhibit labels. I got to go on a tour in the Archives of the museum. At a meeting for all of the Smithsonian staff working on the maritime exhibit that I'm working on. In front of all of the upper-level staff members, one of my supervisors told everyone that I was doing a lot of very helpful research, and that I was very efficient. Then later, she even suggested that I extend my internship! Oh my goodness! That's so awesome! It's a big deal! I won't say that I'm not sorely tempted. But I definitely felt honored to have received such an awesome compliment.

Yesterday I ran out of projects to work on at around 2:30 in the afternoon... Which meant that I spent the rest of the day poking around my office, which is in one of the rooms in which they store a lot of the maritime objects, as well as all of the books and periodicals that they use to do research. So, needless to say, my office has some pretty awesome stuff in it. Since I've been working there I have learned all of the terminology for sailing ship rigging, as well as numerous random facts about brigs, barquentines, packets, steamboats, tows, etc. So yesterday when I had nothing in particular to work on, I pranced over to one of the bookshelves and pulled a book off entitled, simply, "Rope". So, now, I can tell you all sorts of ways to use rope and why people make rope one way and not another way, and how you make rope, and what to do with each kind of rope, etc. etc... I know, I'm a nerd.

Last night one of my roommates, Biz, and I went to a short-film festival in Chinatown. It was pretty interesting, lots of strange, yet sometimes moving short movies. One was about the life of a pencil. It was hilarious. Apparently pencils are very enthusiastic about their lives when they're born... I had no idea!

We didn't get there in time to see the 9:30 showing, so we went to an Irish pub to waste a few hours until they showed them again. I had two pints. One Guinness, and one Harp. (In my humble opinion, which has no hint of beer snobbery at all, I think the Harp was fantastic! Light yet flavorful. Yum. Chris, you would like it.)

This morning I finally cleaned our kitchen. It only took an hour or two.

(Here's the Christmas part). So while I'm cleaning I hear the doorbell ring. I answered the door and to my great surprise, there in the arms of the DHL man was a giant box. And it was for me! I ran inside clutching my package racking my mind trying to figure out what it was. I hadn't ordered anything. No one had told me anything was coming. So I really had no idea what it could be!

My roommate, Jason, opened it for me. We sat at the kitchen table and excitedly cut open the box. I had no earthly idea what would be inside. As I waited for the unveiling, I suddenly had the same feeling I had when I was a little kid waiting for someone to give me a Christmas present. Once we opened it, my glee was only surmounted by the sheer quantity of items inside! Inside were 6 packages (6 packages!!!!) of 8 boxes (8 boxes!!!!) of single serving breakfast cereal!! The good kinds, like Frosted Flakes, Corn Pops, Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks, Honey Smacks, and (drumroll please) Cocoa Krispies!!! Oh how great my joy! It was from my Aunt! I was so excited! So, thank you, very very very much for my wonderful amazing stupendously exciting present. All of my roommates thank you too!

Well I'm off to go see the sights in DC! I love y'all!

2007-10-17T21:55:00.000-06:00

I just realized that I have forgotten to tell you all about the everyday goings-on of my life in D.C.

I'll start with work. Last week both of the maritime curators were out of town for conferences, so I was left alone. To fill the void of their absence, they each gave me plenty of things to do. Plenty.

I have a relatively long desk beside my computer station, and as of last week, it is completely covered in (relatively) orderly stacks based on subject material. Every day I had a new research project. Things like: The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Mississippi River Pilots (navigators) in the 1820s-1860s, Towboats on the Mississippi 1960s to present, The maritime side of the Underground Railroad. Each of these subjects had its own stack of file folders, print outs, and books.

I finished those up Monday morning, and was then off to a computer training class on how to use the museum's collections database. It's crazy! The database program they use was made when I was in junior high! Think Windows '95. Yeah... Exactly.

It's really tedious and stuff, but it has some pretty cool information in it. It has all of the objects owned by the museum. All of them! Tons of stuff. The next morning I had to go back and learn more about the program, because it was a two day deal, and in the afternoon, neither of the maritime curators had given me any special project to do, and the one thing I could have worked on required that I use a different computer. All of the volunteers were in, and they were using the other computer. So instead of sit and be bored I went down to the creepy basement and helped the women in the conservation lab identify the different names used for the ropes which support the sails and masts of a sailing ship. It was awesome! They are conserving several ship models for On The Water, the new maritime exhibit that I'm working on. So much fun!

Today I was given several more research projects, one being showboats! I'm pretty excited about it. It should prove very interesting. Then I walked across downtown to go pick up a package for my supervisor. Downtown D.C. is a pretty desolate place. It definitely has the sterile urbanized look going on. It's interesting to watch the transition from the beautiful classical architecture of the older buildings to the stark plainness of the more modern ones.

Exciting things that have happened lately:

1. David and Kara came to visit me last week!!!!! It was sooooo awesome! I was so excited. I think having them here made this place feel like home. They came late in the evening and we walked through Capitol Hill and got icecream then walked back and watched an entire disc of third season of The Office. It was an evening extremely well spent. It was so good to get to spend time with them! It was like a little piece of home was here with me. I am so blessed that they came. Thanks y'all!!!

2. I went to an awesome small group tonight!!! I loved it. Whereas two weeks ago I was welcomed to a small group by a cold shoulder and some unenthusiastic exclamations about 'new people', this one was completely different! I was greeted by wonderfully kind people who were actually interested in me. Who I was, what I do, where I'm from, etc. It was so awesome. I got along with them splendidly. We studied chapter 8 of Zechariah, which is one of the more upbeat of Zech's chapters. It was mostly discussion based, and it was so interesting because everyone was very knowledgeable about the Old Testament. We all were able to put in our thoughts on what the Lord had revealed to each of us about the scriptures. It was a lot of fun! There were only seven of us, so I was able to get to know some of the other people, and they're all really nice. I will definitely be going back next week! Whoop!

3. I got my first care package!!! My mom sent me an amazing assortment of goodies from Texas including green chile enchilada sauce, flour tortillas, microwavable mac and cheese things, candy corn, and (drum roll please) my Granny Nancy's world famous (at least it should be!) jam! Yummy! All of my roommates were very impressed. I was actually so excited that I took pictures of every step of the opening up of the box. I would have included them in this post, but I don't have a cord that connects my camera to the computer. I left if in College Station. If anyone wants to mail me one, it would be greatly appreciated (hehe).

4. With the green chile enchilada sauce my mom sent me I made Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas for my roommates! They were really good, and all of my roommates loved them, especially my Italian roommate, Guido, who had never had enchiladas before! I had some extra flour tortillas left over so I cut them up and made my own chips, and then suddenly, the rarely seen creative chef inside of me decided to try my hand at sopapilla making. For those of you who are unfamiliar with a sopapilla, think biegnet. I fried the little pieces of tortillas until they were just crispy enough so that it was crunchy but still flaky in the middle, and then took them straight out of the oil and dipped them in cinnamon and sugar. They were delicious!!! Don't worry people in College Station, I will make them for you all when I get home! The Italians love them! I'm so proud.

5. One of my roommates might bring up her guitar next weekend from home!!!! Oh my goodness! That would be absolutely amazing. I am so desperate to play the guitar, that I have actually considered calling every pawn shop in town to find the cheapest playable guitar in the city. I'm completely desperate, so being able to play Liz's guitar would be just about the most amazing thing ever!

I think that's all on the list of super-exciting things that have happened lately. Although I'm sure I've forgotten something and that there are a lot more exciting things that I have left off. I'll just have to save those for another post.

Oh, for those of you who would also like to send a care package. (Don't worry, you don't have to! This is just in case you would like to, of course :) Here's my address:

504 C Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20002

Here are some things that would be wonderful in a care package:

Cans of green chiles or green chile enchilada sauce (I'm a green chile junkie. I can't help it!)
Cereal or bagels for breakfasts
Postage stamps so that I can send letters back to you!
Really any food item would be amazing!
Boxes of Mac and Cheese
A list of items that could be found at a Smithsonian Museum gift shop that you would like to receive for Christmas presents (I get a discount!)
Anything you can think of!

Use your imagination!

Anyway, I absolutely love you guys, and I really love knowing that people read my blog. I cherish each and every comment that I get. So, with that said, leave a comment, or give me a call! I hope you had an absolutely wonderful day today, and I hope that tomorrow is even better! Goodnight!!!

Today was a Great Day

2007-10-14T16:23:00.000-06:00

To premise this post, Let me describe to you last Sunday:

I was really excited about getting to go to this church that some friends of mine had reccommended that meets only a few blocks from where I live. I had gotten on the website and it looked awesome, and I really couldn't wait to go and meet people who love Jesus, because up here they're few and far between. I had gone to one of their small groups that Tuesday, and I hate to say it, but it was really really disappointing. Let's just say that there was absolutely NO community within this group. So I was really hoping that the church would be better.

I got there and sat down and waited for worship to start. When it did, I didn't know a single song. I desperately wanted to worship the Lord, and I hadn't been able to just stand and belt out a worship song for over two weeks, so I was crushed when I didn't know the music. And it didn't help that the band's music style wasn't really conducive to newbies to really get into it. Then the message was delivered by a visiting pastor, and it just wasn't cohesive and didn't really seem like it made a good point. It was all over the place.

I went home that day crushed. I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening sitting with all of my roommates in our living room watching TV. I never watch TV. I hate TV. I feel completely unproductive if all I have done in an afternoon is watch TV.

So that was Last Sunday. Now we'll talk about This Sunday:

I woke up this morning and got ready for church. I had originally planned on going to visit another one, but at the last minute, I decided to try NCC one more time. I got there just as the band was starting to play. I found a seat, and stood waiting for the words of the worship song to pop up on the screen. When they did, I immediatley started to cry, because I knew the song! And I knew every song they played for the entire set! I was overjoyed!

Up until now, I have never fully appreciated how much I NEED to worship God. I don't simply like to sing, and therefore enjoy singing worship songs. It is something that I must do. The reason that I cried this morning, was because for over 2 weeks I have been desperate to worship God through music, but I haven't been able to. I don't have my guitar, so I can't sing every day like I do at home. This morning, I was able to sing out with everything that I am that Jesus is Lord! It is a privelege that I have under-appreciated up until now.

I realize that for many of you, worship is not nearly as important to you as it is to me. Each of us have different ways that we hear from/spend time with/enjoy/praise/be with the Lord. Stuff like prayer, journaling, reading the Bible, or worship. Each of these things is good, and everyone should do them. But the way that I connect to the Lord the most is through worship. That is the best way for me to experience His presence. God is simply amazing! Amazing!!!!

Anyway, I love you all!

~Courtney

A Sudden Realization

2007-10-11T18:03:00.000-06:00

So, I had a sudden realization. Not one of those "smack you in the face" sudden realizations. It was more like I suddenly realized something that I already knew. It happened a few hours ago as I was walking home from the pharmacy. It's cold out tonight, so I was wearing a coat and scarf. I left the store, and began my walk home down 7th street. As I walked, I passed cafes with names like Montmartre, Bread & Chocolate, and Murky Coffee. Each, despite the cold, was full of people wrapped tight in peacoats and jackets, enjoying croissants and hot chocolate. Their store fronts were decorated with pumpkins and fall leaves. It was then, as I walked down the sidewalk made of ancient red bricks, that I realized it.

I love this city.

It has taken me almost two weeks to discover how much I've come to enjoy life in the city. Sure, it comes with its drawbacks (a lack of grocery stores), but it's unlike any life I've ever known. This place is crowded with so many people, who have so many different stories. But it's not necessarily the people that made me fall in love with D.C. In fact, none of the people I've met here are as interesting to me as the city. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I haven't met any nice people, or even that I haven't made any friends. I have! I love all of my roommates, and co-workers. But the draw of the city is something completely new and different for me.

If you want to catch a glimpse of how I feel, go watch the Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movie You've Got Mail. Watch the scene where Meg Ryan walks from her cute little row house to her adorable children's bookshop. The air is chilly and everything is decorated for the fall. She walks in and says that the fall always reminds her of sharpened pencils. Watch it, you'll understand. That's where I live. I walk that street every day!

That's kind of what I felt. Kinda. I'm not sure, but I do know that so far, I love it here. I'm still homesick, but it's ok.

Anyway, I'm going to sit and write a longer post tomorrow hopefully, because so much happened this week! For one thing, David & Kara came and visited me!!! It was awesome! But I'll save that for a later post, when I have time to sit and write for a while.

Well, I'm off to watch the Office with my roommates. Have a beautiful day!!!

Soundtrack of the City

2007-10-07T22:50:00.000-06:00

So, I have decided that each city has a sound. Not just the sound of the city streets that are so generic. It's more than police sirens, mumbling bums, and the rush of pigeon wings. It is so much more than just the amalgamation of simple noises. It is the feel of the city, the flavor, the vibe you get walking down its streets.

Each place that I have lived, even if only for a short time, has had a sound. Maybe it's just a feeling that I get in each place that speaks to my soul in a way that no city has ever spoken before.

Even within a city, there are different places that have different sounds. For example, each place that I have lived in College Station:

The Traditions (where I lived Freshman year) = (I'm actually ashamed to say this) White Tee by Dem Franchize Boyz
Crossing Place (Sophomore year) = Burn by Alkaline Trio
The Zone (Junior Year) = Anything by Jimmy Needham
Graceland (Senior Year) = Moon River, the instrumental version from the Breakfast at Tiffany's Soundtrack
Coffee Station = Wish For by Delaware

These songs aren't the only sounds from that place, but they represent the overall feel, its vibe. This summer at LT, the sound was Creedence Clearwater Revival or Johnny Cash.

But now for D.C. This is difficult. It's such a versatile place, that it's hard to pin down a single resonating sound for this city. It is so vibrant, yet peaceful, while at the same time constantly on the move. But I think I have figured it out.

The sound of this city is The Shins.

I've loved The Shins for several years now, but I have never been able to fully appreciate them until now. Their sound perfectly matches the streets of Capitol Hill. Listen to One by One All Day. Close your eyes and imagine walking down tree lined streets lined with row houses of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Breathe in the scent of the flowers and the warm trees. Now you know what I experience every day.

That is the sound of my city.

Finally!! Pictures from D.C.

2007-10-06T22:35:00.000-06:00

I know, I've been terrible about not having any pictures for y'all about my adventures. Well I tried to make up for that lately by taking some pictures in the last couple of days.

Here are some pictures I took of the sunset last night. It was absolutely beautiful! I took these from my front stoop. Yes, I have a front stoop. I'm very metropolitan.

This is a picture of the Catholic church across the street from my house. It's beautiful.

This is my front door! So cute, I know!

These are some pictures I took while I was walking to Eastern Market this afternoon. They show how beautiful the neighborhood of Capitol Hill is.

Here are some photos I took at Eastern Market.

I hope you guys liked these. I'll try to keep taking more pictures and stuff. I love y'all!!!

Capitol Hill

2007-10-06T14:01:00.000-06:00

Oh man. So yesterday work was pretty gnarly. Both of the maritime curators (one of whom is my supervisor), will be out of town next week, which means that I'm basically on my own. So, to make sure that I stayed busy while they're gone, they each gave me some stuff to do. That means that I now have 5 research projects to do! All at the same time. Let's just say I was so ready to get out of there that I was walking into the elevator at 4:29. (I work from 8:30 to 4:30).

Last night, all I wanted to do was veg. I waited for my groceries to be delivered, but they never came. Blast those darn grocery people! Instead I ended up watching West Side Story until 1:00 a.m.

Yes, for all of you who are wondering, I was waiting for my groceries to be DELIVERED. The problem with living in metro D.C. is that there aren't any useful stores. There's all of the cute antique shops, book stores, sidewalk Indian cafes, over-priced bakeries, but there isn't a single Target, Walmart, HEB, etc. Miraculously Dad and Tammy were able to find a Bed Bath and Beyond in Chinatown when they were here.

So, anyway, the problem is that there's really no where to buy the everyday useful things that you need. If you do find them anywhere within walking distance, they're going to be marked up. Way up.

For example:
Clif Bars in Austin: $0.99
Clif Bars in College Station: $0.99
Clif Bars in Estes Park, CO: $1.50
Clif Bars in Capitol Hill: $2.00

I had previously thought that Estes was expensive. Boy was I wrong! So, basically to get cheap groceries you have to buy them online and have them delivered. Good times.

This morning I didn't wake up until noon. It was awesome! I went downstairs, ate breakfast and hung out with my roommates for a little bit. Then I decided to spread my proverbial metropolitan wings and traverse the city. Through the assistance of an online map I was directed to the Eastern Market, about a mile from my house.

For those of you who have never been to or heard of the Eastern Market let me just give you a visual: After walking through the most charming little neighborhood, you suddenly come upon a roped off street completely covered in tents and tarps. If you weren't expecting it, you'd think it was some sort of strange shanty town. But soon, you begin to realize that instead of shanties, they're produce stalls, flower markets, pumpkin patches, salsa sellers, cheese purveyors. Everything! All of which are completley packed with people. Across the street from that in another area is the Flea Market, full of all sorts of interesting folk art, jewelry, furniture, and even flower child clothing. Beside it is a long white building. As soon as you open the doors and walk in, you glance into a deli meat cooler beside you and it is full of all sorts of strange things, but the first one you can identify is an entire pig's foot. Yes, you can buy pigs' feet. The smell is really interesting. It's all bright and cheery, but the weird smell in the air, kinda puts a damper on the charming aesthetic of the place. It's some kind of combination of old produce, smelly fish, and meat. Lots and lots of meat.

Anyway, while I was there, I got some apples and pears from the Farmer's Market, and some fresh Basil Pesto from one of the vendors in the meat market. Hopefully it'll be good on the pasta I'm eventually going to get from the grocery deliverers. Hopefully.

Tonight me and some of my roommates are possibly going to go get Mexican food. Don't worry I'll give you a full report. And I'm going to go to a worship service that meets in a coffee shop down the street from my house. You'll get a full report on that too. Anyway. That's about all for now. Y'all have a wonderful day!

Just another day in the office...

2007-10-04T15:32:00.000-06:00

So today was super exciting. I wore my jeans and Chaco's to work. Yes, you read that correctly. It was fantastic. Especially considering that after only a few days of wearing my "cute" work shoes, I have blisters! Hallelujah for Bandaids!

Today was cool because I got to go down with my supervisor to the conservation labs they have in the museum. Way awesome! I also relearned all of the parts of a sailing ships rigging, so that I won't look like an idiot while I'm working with the ship models. The conservation lab was pretty cool. They were cleaning all sorts of cool things, most of which are maritime objects and are for the new maritime exhibit that I will be helping to work on. Pretty nifty.

We also examined a newly acquired painting under black light to see how much of it was original, and how much of it wasn't. What a day! And I got to have lunch with two retired Navy guys. One was a submarine admiral during the cold war, and the other was a sub captain for a long time. It was fun. Me and the old dudes. Surprise surprise.

My walk home was much better today, and I hopefully will have a good evening too. One of my roommates has all of the seasons of The Office, and I consequently am very excited about it! Whoop!

~Court

The Roommate Song

2007-10-02T20:05:00.000-06:00

So one night last week, I got home super late, and everyone else was asleep. I wasn't tired enough to go to sleep, so instead, I wrote a song. I wrote the first four verses that night, and the rest I came up with during my midnight drive from Longview to Austin. I wanted to write them down before I forgot them. I basically took the chords and melody from a Decemberists song and changed all the words. Here goes:

Here in this little cow town,
Live four girls who are awesome.
It's their yarn I'm spinning.
Hold tight, it's just beginning.

The first is tall and fair,
With curly golden hair.
She loves the tales of old.
She's a wonder to behold.

And oh, my loves, my loves
And oh, my loves, my loves
We all live together.

The second is our entertainer,
And also our great painter.
She has amazing style,
And can always make me smile.

(chorus)

The next one is splendid,
And keeps our wounds well tended.
She has a gorgeous smile,
And daily runs a while.

(chorus)

And then, I guess there's me.
Well I'm going to D.C.
I'll miss these lovely girls.
They are as fine as pearls.

(chorus)

Let's not forget the boys.
They bring us so much joy.
They're over constantly.
It sucks to see them leave.

(chorus)

And, of course the parties we throw.
They do delight us so.
We don't charge entrance fees.
If we did we'd be rich as queens.

(chorus)

And there is this one thing,
This guitar on which I sing,
It always gets passed around,
and makes a gorgeous sound. (sometimes)

(chorus)

Oh, yes we're all single.
Just in case you want to mingle.
But there is one catch.
All the roommates must approve the match.

(chorus)
(chorus)

Whew....

2007-10-02T19:35:00.000-06:00

So, I might've temporarily forgotten how to breathe. I'm not sure if it's permanent or not, but I think I might recover eventually. We'll see. Why this sudden development? Well, let's just say I have had the most intense last couple of days ever.

It all started with Kara and David's wedding, which could not have been more beautiful/fun/wonderful/awesome/amazing/etc. Anyway, it was so much fun! I think I danced for at least three hours solid. It was so good to see everybody and dance and be together. (sappy moment, sorry 'bout that). Anyway, after the wedding I left Longview at 11:30 p.m. and started driving to Austin.

The reason that I left in the middle of the night, is because my plane for D.C. left at 7:00 a.m. from the Austin airport. It was crazy! I drove all through the night and finally got to Austin at 4:45. I walked in the front door, just as my parents' alarm was going off so that they would wake up so that we could go to the airport. I had just enough time to take a shower and then 'sleep' on the couch for 10 minutes before we left to get on the plane.

After two plane rides and my first visit to the great city of Chicago, we reached D.C. I'm not sure what I expected. In fact, I think I may have heard so many varying accounts of D.C. that I couldn't have known what to expect if I had wanted to. As soon as our plane got in, we went to the hotel, and dropped off our bags.

We grabbed a taxi and drove over to my new little house. I walked in the front door, and was a little sad to see that it looked basically like a dorm, complete with modular furniture and couches that could've come out of the basement of the MSC. Anyway, it's in a nice side of town and my roommates are nice. We'll see how it goes. I'm trying to stay positive.

So, after we visited my little house, we walked to Union Station and searched for the Metro station in vain. Being completely unversed in Washingtonian-ness, I was unaware of the fact that Metro stations are outside of the buildings that they stop at. So, we definitely walked all around Union Station looking for the Metro, and instead we found restaurants, shops, cafes, a huge food court, and an actual train station. Real trains. Not Metro trains...

I was thoroughly perplexed and of course, didn't want to look like a dumb tourist, so I shooed Dad and Tammy along until we found someone to ask, and she pointed us outside to the station. And by station, I really mean escalators descending into a giant rectangular hole in the earth. The three of us walked up to the machines that give you farecards, and all three of us had on the same ridiculous expression, I'm sure. The thing might as well have been written in Chinese, considering how undecipherable the "directions" were. So, luckily, Dad figured it out, and we were able to get into the station.

We boarded the metro and traveled to The Mall. For people like me, who up until a few days ago, didn't know what The Mall was, I'll give a little explanation. The Mall is a grassy area about as wide as a city block that runs all the way between the Capital and the Washington Monument. It is bordered on either side by museums, art galleries, and sculpture gardens. It's absolutely beautiful. Although I have to say that the grass on the mall is the most pitiful ugly grass I have ever seen. It makes me appreciate the beautiful greenness of campus grass sooo much more.

Anyway, my museum is on The Mall. The Smithsonian Museum of American History. It's currently being renovated, and so is not open to the public. We walked by and looked at it for a little bit and then went next door to the Museum of Natural History. Which, by the way, is the museum that houses the Hope Diamond. After that we went to dinner at an amazing Italian restaurant in Georgetown called Filomena. It was so freaking good! I highly recommend it.

I was asleep by 9:30 (8:30 Central Time).

The next morning was my orientation, so I was really really nervous. I had to be there by ten, and Dad and Tammy went with me, and dropped me off just like I was a five year old going to my first day of kindergarten. It was good to have them there though. I walked into the staff entrance and got a visitor's badge and sat and waited with another intern for someone to come meet us.

Another intern walked in and introduced herself as Rachel, the intern of the Intern Coordinator. She's from Dallas and is really sweet. She led us down to a meeting room where we went over the Intern Handbook, which was somewhat informative. Then she took us up to a computer station where we went through a good half hour of computer security training. Good times.

She then showed me and the other girl the offices of both of our supervisors. It's pretty cool walking around the top two floors of the museum because all of the offices are covered in all sorts of wierd stuff. You can tell that their occupants are all rather quirky museum-ish folk. They're all really different and fun to peek into. My office is in a room used for storage of maritime and transportation artifacts. Yes, my office. I have my own desk, computer, and phone, with its own voice mail service. Wow.

The three of us went to lunch in the staff section of the Museum of Natural History and then walked a mile or two to the Smithsonian Human Resources department which is sadly not located on The Mall. There I was photographed and such for my very professional looking name badge which I wear on an official looking lanyard around my neck all the time. (Except for today, because I forgot it...Oops).

I walked back to the museum and met with my supervisor, who is really nice. He gave me a mini-tour of the maritime collections and stuff. At one point we opened up a giant filing cabinet looking thing that was full, completely full!, of scrimshaw. (carved whale bone or ivory). It is an absolutely amazing collection. Hundreds of pieces of the most exquisite carving! Gorgeous! On one of the top shelves there were two old puffy life preservers. Off-handly my supervisor points to them and says "Oh, those are from the Titanic." No, I did not wet myself. I was able to practice self-control. Barely.

I was set to work almost immediately to scan slides of artifacts from a shipwreck into the computer to burn them onto a cd. It was ridiculously time consuming and mind numbing. But the slides were cool, and I took a book off the shelf all about the different kinds of sailing vessels of the 19th century and read it while the thing was scanning.

The next day I continued scanning, and didn't finish scanning until this morning. Lots of scanning...

So anyway, today: I rode the metro to work and listened to a good teaching on the way about the power of the tongue for building people up and for tearing them down. It's amazing the power that words have on people. I got to work and as I was walking in realized that I had forgotten my nametag, and I didn't have nearly enough time to go back and get it, so I had a minor panic attack. Luckily Officer Scott, the security gaurd at the front desk, gave me a visitor's badge and let me in with no problems. My name badge is now securely in my purse, and will not come out again. Ever.

Like I said, I finished my scanning, and then went to lunch in the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art. It is absolutely beautiful!!!! I love it! After lunch we had a meeting for all the staff of the Division of Work and Industry. It was a little bit like a scene out of the Office. Only just a little less painful. I kid you not, the Department head could be Michael Scott...

After that came the cool part. I went through two books which contain a catalog of all of the ship's logs that we have in the Smithsonian collection. There are over a hundred. My job was to go through them and find the ones that were whaling ships so that we could do more research with them. After writing up my list of the logs of whaling ships I was sent on the hunt to find them. Most of them are in the Archives which are located in another building across The Mall, but some are in my office in the giant filing cabinets.

So with my hands covered in cotton gloves to protect the manuscripts from the oils in my fingers, I scrounged around in the filing cabinets until I found the logs from 5 different ships. I then set them all out on a desk and with a look of pure glee opened my first one.

It was beautiful! The handwriting of the logger was absolutely beautiful. The entries are fascinating, if not hard to read. They talk about all kinds of stuff like, injuries amongst the sailors, ships they came across on the sea, punishments, etc. Really cool stuff. Anyway, what I was looking for were these things called "Whale Stamps." Basically they are small stamps carved out of ivory in the shape of a whale. Every time the whaler would catch and kill a whale, the logger would stamp the log book and in the stamp write the number of barrels of oil they got from the whale. Some entries would have two or three whale stamps and then the log might go for weeks or months without a single whale. One page had 11 stamps!

One of the logs was gorgeous! It was in pristine condition and had beautiful drawings in it. Every time they would come into contact with another ship, the logger would sketch a drawing of it into the log. The were so beautiful and detailed! I loved it!

Anyway, I worked on that till it was time to leave, then headed back home on the Metro.

I've had a couple of down moments since I've been here. Yesterday as I was walking home and kind of almost dreading my new living situation (it's really not that bad at all), I heard the kindest words I have heard from anyone in the city since I've been here. They came from a bum on the side of the road. He was sitting next to his shopping cart piled with junk at a gas station a couple blocks from my house. He said "Happy Tuesday ma'am! Only three more days left until the weekend. You can make it!" I thanked him, and nearly cried I was so touched.

I love and miss you all. Thanks for reading this.