Culture Extravaganza and Projects

Hello Blog Followers!
This was another week of working pretty intensely in my cubicle writing the lesson plan/unit that is the main focus of my time here in D.C. Unfortunately I won't see the finished product until I am back in Alabama, as they have more details with rights, photos, etc. that are under their control ....my end of the bargain is almost done...

After a fruitful Tuesday meeting with Carrie, my supervisor, all the puzzle pieces clicked into place for organizing it! Those of you that know me well, and have seen me get that look of "I'VE GOT IT!" will know what I'm talking about.... in about two hours, I had reorganized my original 23 page document and broke it down into all the component pages for each individual link that will bounce off the main lesson site! I sent my mock ups to the graphic artist of what I was thinking, and on Thursday, he called us up to look at them and I did my TOTAL NERD dance of excitement that many of you know well! To see my ideas slickly designed with the Smithsonian logo was a thrill! Yeah, yeah...it was a worksheet and some object cards that no one else would find exciting...but it was from MY idea....so of course I was grinning all afternoon.....there are still lots of edits and Jenny (my other supervisor) is back from Taiwan, so she has to read through all of and she is like a SUPER genius and has GREAT ideas that encourage me to think HARD...she's 25 by the way....it's RIDICULOUS how smart and efficient she is! I have LOVED working with her and Carrie!!

So that was my work week....but of COURSE I played a bit, too! On Monday I got to eat dinner with Tom Denney and Foster Denney's godparents (who live up here), so it was nice to see familiar faces and we ate at a wicked good Italian place called Bibiana's...i had veal ravioli.....it was pretty good....but Tom and Pat's dishes were way better!

On Thursday, i decided to go to the Kennedy Center to see the Classical Mystery Tour with the National Symphony....I can't even put into words how awesome that evening was.....to hear a Beatles tribute band play Eleanor Rigby backed by symphonic strings LIVE....amazing! It was a very fun night and I enjoyed hearing ALL my fave Beatles songs and the tribute group were REALLY spot on with the costumes, wigs, and banter....a night to remember...

Then on Friday I went with a friend for Mojito's and ceviche at Lima Lounge....we threw in some empanadas and Spanish wine for good measure...very fun evening!

Then Saturday was a super fun night because Eve the Artist invited me to another art gallery opening AND she was performing in her belly dancing recital!! One of the things I love so much about this town, is ALL the things you can learn to do! And the cool thing about this belly dancing studio, is that they go to a Moroccan bar to perform! About 100 women, every age, size, color, and shape imaginable filled Pasha's with their AWESOME spangly skirts tied over shorts, pants, skirts, sweat pants, whatever...to show off their belly dancing moves...it was truly girl power in there! All the classes came to watch each other and all dance to Middle Eastern music in club remix form in between performances....like a giant slumber party...but no one stayed over...and there were cocktails!! After Eve's class shimmied, wiggled, and grooved, we realized we were CRAZY hungry, so we headed downstairs to the restaurant below called Marrakesh Palace and I ate the most AWESOME dinner! I had Chicken Mkali (a tagine dish) which was YUMMY and had roasted bits of lemon peel in the rice...so good....also their olives (served complimentary with the bread) were outstanding!! I, of course, ordered baba ganouj.....i'm determined to try it wherever it is on the menu so I can say with certainty who's is the best (so far Zatinya's).....it was a lovely evening .

On Sunday, I took care of errands, and then decided to go check out the drum circle in the park across from my apt.!! WOW....totally worth going to people watch....as I was by myself, I didn't join the African dancing, though the man who appeared to be the leader encouraged me too, but that's not the kind of dancing you can do while hanging onto your purse....and i wasn't really comfortable abandoning it, even though everyone was SUPER engaged in the performance!

So now I have another work week ahead of me and I'll be reviewing existing materials and some new to be published work created by the Smithsonian folks, for teachers to use.....and then on Saturday.....MY XAN MAN ARRIVES!! Can't wait!! And before I know it....I'll be winging my way back home....to the things I've missed...some that I knew I would...and some that have surprised me.......to Auburn tap water.....my car....my bed....my pots and pans...my Kroger....and my sweet, precious three men....

Working Girl!

This was a week of work, work, and some more work!! I got to know my cubicle quite intimately!! I finished the preliminary outline for my lesson plan and finally got a chance to meet some of the curators who gave suggestions for objects to use within the lesson....

Highlights of my week include:

A random moment where we get an email announcing "Objects out of Storage" display...For 1 hour during lunch, some of the Smithsonian treasures are out on tables with curators there to share stories. I've learned a lot about how museums work! The Museum of American History has over 3 million items collected.....only around 2% are on display!! It takes lots of funding to get items out onto the floor for visitors! So from time to time....they will ask random curators to create a mini-display and give them a folding table to sit in the hallways and share....It made me a little sad for them, b/c the exhibits that are funded are beautifully lit and have major visual impact....seeing these knowledgeable people sitting in folding chairs behind boring fold out tables made them seem like the misfit toys....but their treasures were AWESOME....I thought of several people while i was viewing the items and I wished all of them could have shared it with me! The first table held treasures my mother-in-law would have flipped for! Belgium handmade laces from the 1800's.....colonial samplers from the 1700's....beautiful....and then I thought of Melissa when I came upon the most amazing quilt made in the 1800's that was 3-D with owls and peacocks stuffed to make them stand out (pretty sure there is a technical quilting name for that....)....then I came to the table my sister-in-law would have loved! She collects Madame Alexander dolls and would have been entranced with a display of Dorothy Heizer dolls. They were American Fashion dolls made in the 1930's which demonstrated fashion from the 1700's up to the 1920's! The detailing was INSANE on the clothing and the painted faces were just beautiful....they doll figures were made out of crepe and wire...incredible....Then I enjoyed perusing a table of women's suffrage movement banners, pins, political cartoons (I hope they find funding soon-this display was GREAT)...and then got to the table many of my friends who love shoes would have enjoyed! A history of shoes from the 1700's through the 1970's.....very enlightening....and I wondered what women with big feet did in the 1700's..b/c when I see shoes of that period.....the women must have been in intense pain, b/c these shoes were SMALL!! The last display was of a Civil War field printing press....never thought about how all those dispatches got printed and sent so quickly!!! Now I know!! Small travel sized printing presses.....By lunch, these treasures were packed up and stored again...who knows when they will see the light of day....

GUNS! GUNS! GUNS!! AND AMMO TOO.....AND JEWELRY.... Okay....just kidding about the jewelry part....(those of you who've seen the commercials will get this joke)...but there were Jeweled guns! I got to see Benji Heaven, when my supervisor took me to visit the weapons curator and his storage room (see pix on Facebook!). I saw every type of gun IMAGINABLE...and some I've never even imagined! I felt sorry for this poor curator b/c I was the wrong audience for his enthusiasm! I was duly impressed at the collection...but as he rattled off more and more names of, details of, loading techniques of....I was lost....my boys would have asked a million great questions, but all I cared about was who OWNED the gun....people details I love.....weapon details...not so much...but I gamely nodded and enthusiastically oooed and ahhhhed over each bayonet, sword, knife, rifle, musket, sidearm...etc....I think the only thing i didn't see was a cannon....room is too small... :-)

By Friday...I had seen enough of my cubicle and it was time to go home...After last week's stress, emotion, and travel...I was WIPED!

Saturday.....Eve the Artist invited me to go to her Zumba class at her gym-The Ritz Carlton hotel's LA Sports Club....she gave me a three day pass...I agreed to go....then she tells me it's a 1/2 hour 2 mile walk to get there....so suited up for exercise, I take off...in 91 degree heat...by the time i get to the gym.....i'm sopping....Eve has ridden her bike and meets me there....we head into Zumba....I've never been to one before....those of you who know me, know that I'm a low-impact kinda girl....but I gamely belly danced, african danced, and salsa danced my way through about 30 min....when Eve the Artist couldn't keep up (she goes to like 90 exercise classes a week, and rides her bike everywhere), I was pretty proud of myself for hanging with her!! So we hit some exercise machines and then I was done! I headed back the two miles to the apt....still 91 degrees outside....if I didn't lose at least 5 lbs....then something is WRONG....by the time i crawled up the hill to the apt. steps, made it into the lobby... thought i might die of heat stroke, so I sat in the lobby for a bit waiting for my heart and lungs to join my body again.... After collapsing for a bit, I cleaned up and dressed for an afternoon at the Portrait Gallery....WOW!! So much there!! 3 floors, but i only had time before closing to hit most of the 1st floor....there will be several repeat visits! The American History portraits were of COURSE my favorites...Wayne would have loved the Benjamin Franklin portrait-he's a HUGE fan! I was very intrigued by the sadness in Robert E. Lee's eyes, and wondered why I could only find William Clark's portrait, but not Meriwether Lewis'.... At closing time I headed across the street to try out a restaurant recommended by an office mate. Zatinya's....WOW, WOW, WOW!! Mediterranean and so good....I had hummus, baba ganouj (I'm addicted to this stuff), and roasted red pepper with goat cheese....GOOD olive oil with balsamic, and FAB variety of kalamata and greek olives with little peppers....served with the most amazing thin, thin pitas that were heated and puffed out, so when you tore them open, little steam puffs of yummy breadiness wafted everywhere....so wonderful....with a limoncello cocktail...lovely way to end the day...

Sunday was spent on boring mundane stuff, but also some sleeping late and laying around to make up for the last two weeks of whirlwind....Now I'm planning my next week! And looking SO forward to Xan getting here on July 3rd!! I'm wishing my Benji could come too, but this will be a fun Mommy/Son trip before Xan heads off to college in a year...He's going to tour some campuses while he's here and play at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival! Have a great week Blog-Followers!!

My Native American name is "Girl of Tender Feet"

hello blog followers.....it's been a crazy 7 days. Here's the run down...

Monday and Tuesday were normal days of going to work.....but by Tuesday night...by right foot was starting to swell up and bother me...

Wednesday @ 5:00 a.m.....i awaken to a foot that is throbbing and super swollen...i knew I had a cut under my little toe to go with the 4 million blisters...but apparently something got in that shouldn't....So throwing on jeans.....i grabbed a taxi at 5:15 to the 24 hr. CVS in Dupont Circle....i grab some neosporin, catch another cab back, attempt to get another hour of sleep before I have to get up and get dressed for work.....then at 2:20 I get the call about my sweet grandmother.....I ask God what test I'm supposed to be passing....b/c i'm pretty sure I wasn't prepared.....Generous application of neosporin does not seem to be helping all throughout the day at work and by 5:30 foot really doesn't fit it shoe....but i make it happen....I inquire about urgent care facilities and a sweet friend at work tells me about Minute Clinics in the CVS drugstores...quick web search locates one....must catch taxi.....next thing I know....I'm in a less than desirable area of D.C...... I roll with it and head into the CVS....she takes one look at foot and tell me to immediately go to George Washington Hospital E.R......I stand on the street corner hoping to catch a taxi and praying no one else pulls over to proposition me....let's just say I had competition on competing corners.....

Sweet taxi driver picks me up, inquires about my day...and I try very hard NOT to cry at this point....about block away he politely inquires who recommended I come to that CVS.....that assured me I'd made a bad choice....safely on my way to GW ER....i relaxed.....arriving at 6:00 p.m...get bad directions and walk one block back and forth b/c apparently the employees at the help desks are directionally challenged, i made my way into the E.R.....quick as a wink I'm processed, have hospital jewelry on my arm telling everyone who I am....and then I sit back in the waiting room and wait......and wait.......and wait......and wait......and wait.... at 11:00 p.m. I'm taken back....to wait.......but now I am in the middle of Crazy Town with two women on either side of me throwing the greatest tantrums I've ever experienced....they screamed at doctors, nurses, passersby, custodians....basically anyone who would listen...or really not even listen that they had been waiting FOREVER AND THEY HADN'T EAT'N NUTTIN' OR NUTTIN'..............add a WHOLE lot more colorful language and you get the picture...it was all i could do to sit there for 45 min. and not rip back the curtain on either side of me and use my best teacher voice to KNOCK IT OFF.....but prudent thoughts reminded me that these ladies might have weaponry of some sort....so i refrained.....and pleaded silently for ANYONE to deliver me....a P.A. spent all of 4 seconds with me which by this point, the infection was streaking up my leg.....they diagnosed me with cellulitis....went to get a prescription and came back with paperwork stating I had athletes' foot.....let's just say I'm not so impressed with GW hospital.....which i'm told is the best in the city....Y-I-K-E-S!!! By this point it is midnight and there are no pharmacies open.....so they give me one antibiotic and I head to the same CVS I saw at 5:00 a.m.....by the by....had not eaten NUTTIN' OR NUTTIN' by this point....I get to CVS and i SWEAR the pharmacist is typing info at a rate of 1 letter per minute.....after 20 min....she tells me she can't fill it....some nonsense about the Alabama insurance system must have shut down at 11....but I can come back at 1:00 a.m......I think at that point I might have used some colorful language myself...but I was delirious from pain, exhaustion, and no food...so it's hard to remember...I taxi home and collapse in bed at 1:00 a.m....

Thursday......I get up, race to CVS, race to work in flip flops (only shoe my foot would fit in) and prop foot all day in chair......Work people are SUPER sweet.....The next few days are a flurry of trying to figure out what I'm doing......I plan to fly in on Sat. a.m. really early and fly back on Sunday....when you are contracted for 6 wks, it doesn't leave any room for life to happen....work people are super sweet, but I can tell they are glad that I won't miss any days....I'm sure somehow that would have involved paperwork with the Devil on the 4th floor...and I'm still trying to avoid her at all costs...

Friday night I attend an event at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. It is a Sustainable Seafood Event with area restaurants and wineries....lots of yummy tastings of both wine and food....I've found a new Greek restaurant that went on my list for further investigation after eating olive oil cured tuna with caviar mousse.....never had such and BOY was it yummy..

Wake up at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, taxi to airport and catch plane by 6:00 a.m.....arrive in ATL, rent car, and head to Auburn....So happy to see all my men, but not under these circumstances...Load up and we head to see the fam in Dothan.

My aunt deserves MAJOR kudos for taking care of my sweet grandmother in the last few weeks of her life and for arranging the sweetest service for her.....it was a lovely tribute to a sweet lady....Sitting at my grandmother's house afterwards visiting with my cousins made me feel like I did when I was a kid, and they would come for Thanksgiving or a summer visit....we poked all through drawers looking at old photographs with bad hair and funny clothes....read letters....and reminisced while enjoying one another.....

We headed back to Auburn late Sat. night so I could spend one night in MY bed and take a shower with good old hard Auburn water....first time I've felt clean in weeks...I spent a lovely day with my guys and then loaded up the rental car, drove back to ATL, and caught my plane at 10:00 p.m.....arrived back in D.C. by midnight, taxied to apt., and was asleep by 1:00 a.m...

I am a master of travel now.....My foot has improved greatly....and I was back at my desk today.....But I enjoyed my Saturday with my grandmother......she was in the beautiful clouds with me as i flew while the sun rose....the sky was her favorite shade of blue......and when I flew back Sunday night....watching all the lights below.... 40,000 ft. beneath me....reminded me of sitting in her house on a Saturday night watching t.v.....warm and cozy...

Alison, Robyn, and I will always be her "Sugah"

Days 7 and 8- Some churchin', sittin' by the river...and a little work...

Sunday was a GORGEOUS day! The National Cathedral was STUNNING- I'll have to go again for the gargoyle and needlepoint art tours, but I plan to make it a regular part of my Sundays....The sermon was perfect! The blue haired lady next to me....not so much......When the blue-hair in front of me pulled out her video camera to record the procession, the sermon, and Eucharist....my neighbor said nothing....even though it said on EVERY printed piece....DO NOT DO THIS!! When the lady behind me forgot to turn off her cell phone TWICE and it goes off during the sermon and during communion.....even thought it's printed on EVERYTHING to turn your phone to silent...my neighbor said nothing.......AFTER I'd been to the altar AND prayed...but had to wait for the MILES long group of others coming up to the alter, I decide to pull out my SILENT phone, .. to verify my bus route back to the apt, to be on time to meet a friend at another location ...SILENTLY typed my bus route number....when "Gladys Kravitz" (watch Bewitched, people) decided it was time to ADDRESS MY INFRACTION......THAT WAS DISTURBING NO SINGLE PERSON IN THE ENTIRE CATHEDRAL.....pokes me with her pointy fingernail and nastily says "Stop typing on that thing!".....Dear Blog-followers......there were many, many, many thoughts that ran through my head.....and none of them were kind.....and none of them are repeatable in Church....or really out of church....so in complete anger.....I began BELTING out the final hymn, hoping singing the Lord's tunes would take away my anger.....it kinda did.....but Gladys had taken the beauty of church out of me for the moment....so i definitely will go again...I will just try to be around people with wiggly kids.....they won't chastise me....


I spent a WONDERFUL afternoon sitting by the Potomac visiting with a friend.....the weather was stunning and the water was beautiful and I really enjoyed all the lovely white boats going up and down the river....very relaxing.....made me forget all about Gladys Kravitz...

Monday- FIRST REAL DAY OF WORK...IN MY ACTUAL office.....I felt so prepared as I dashed to the metro station and made my train....even using the left side of the escalator as all the REAL D.C. people know to do.....if you don't wanna walk the stairs....stay to the right....they WILL run into you....I made my dash at the next station up a level and walked onto my next train....i felt so hip and cool....until I made it all the way to the super double secret probation door at work...and realized I'd left my checkbook at the apartment....I had cash....but needed a check to purchase the MANDATORY insurance required by the SI (Smithsonian Institution)....so with heavy heart, feeling like I'd just forgotten all my school supplies on the first day....i entered....after a brief wait, my supervisor came to get me (I still don't have the handy key pass yet) to get past the guards.....and immediately took me up to see D... (AKA Devil Wears Prada).....who looks EXACTLY like Michelle Obama....very disconcerting b/c this person DID NOT have a first lady demeanor.....after I admit my oversight, my precious supervisor, Carrie, asks Devil....I mean D..., if I can just mail it when I get back to my apartment tonight....NOPE....gotta have it TODAY!!! So we rally, and Carrie tells me to run "home" after our meeting to get it.....now CW folks....you know running home for me in the real world takes about 30 seconds.....this was more like 30 min....with train changes involved!! So we meet, I sign things......take off....get "home" after 3 train changes and 3 blocks with the last block uphill ala' San Francisco, grab checkbook, run sweating through a McDonalds to inhale a cheeseburger in less than 3 min....no not healthy...but the ONLY available fast food on my return route....make decision to grab bus...BAD CHOICE as MY bus driver is BEING TRAINED!!! AT NOON!!! We move at a SNAILS pace down 14th st....and I am almost TEN minutes late to my first REAL meeting with the staff of the group I'm working with (New Media Department)......very bad form, as Jenny (cool chick) has to wait on me b/c I don't have a pass to get up to 4th floor!!.....We race to meeting....won't bore you with the details....yadda yadda...what do you think....let's think about that some more...yadda yadda....decide nothing.....good meeting everyone....and 1 1/2 hrs. later we head back downstairs....forgetting a key detail....THE CHECK TO DEVIL....I mean D....So as Carrie and Jenny race off to another meeting after giving me an assignment to review some materials...i realize our oversight!! Figure out Devil's last name, find her in directory, call her, and with all the Southern charm I can send OOZING out of me....tell her I have the check, but I can't get back to 4th floor b/c of the key pass thingie.....after she begins instructing me how to take the elevators...and I very politely inquire how this will work WITHOUT A KEY PASS THINGIE....she begins to understand that she must lift her bottom from her office chair and come join the unwashed on the 3rd floor......She asks where I am located and I tell her my office is right near the Dumbo exhibit.....hmmmmmmm...think they were trying to tell me something??? I go and stand next to Dumbo for FIFTEEN min.......finally I return to my office, check for missed calls from Devil (none)...and go back to work....another TWENTY FIVE min. later...she calls me....tells me she had to change something on my contract and needs Carrie to come look at it....and oh yeah....I can just MAIL the insurance check.......fuming....pouring......melting.....fury....there are no words.....I wanted to sic Gladys Kravitz on her RIGHT THAT MOMENT....but with all my good training and Southern manners...I reply "Yes'm....I'm happy to mail it"........

I have realized the Devil works above me on the 4th floor...my plan is to make sure I do not have to cross paths with her again....unfortunately...I think my invoice for the first part of my stipend has to go through her......pray people......it's the only way.......

Days 4, 5, & most of 6....

Hello Blog-followers.....
I decided to condense days as the last few have proven both uneventful and eventful at the same time......

Day 4 Thursday- No communication with Smithsonian as supervisor was interviewing all day....so the day started off depressingly boring....sat around getting in Eve the Artist's way, who has been unable to work, as I've been lurking in and out of the apartment all week....she's super sweet, but she is as ready for my paperwork to appear as I am....if not more so! Finally I think she took pity on me and invited me to come with her to an art gallery for an opening...tre' Chic! i felt very citified at the invite and promptly hopped into fancy duds! We taxied to the Longview Gallery which was VERY hip.....which means completely concrete floor and white walls.....with some CRAZY art! When we walked in, you IMMEDIATELY knew who the artist was, by her avant garde outfit.....leggings, black and red tunic and SOME kind of asian-y hat......She's Swedish by the way.....interesting feminist art...don't know why, but made me think Mexico and Day of the Dead...I thought Matt L. would find it super groovy...REALLY cool mosaic techniques, or pen and ink with the most incredible detail work....it was pretty amazing to realize she'd done ALL of it..and it was a LOT, in less than 8 months.

After noshing on some killer nibbles and wine, i ended up meeting another Southerner who has transplanted here, and we swapped some funny stories. She was super kind hanging out with me, while Eve made the rounds with all her artist friends. After it was over, Eve decided to blow off the after party and I'm SO glad she did, b/c she took me to this funky place called Madam's Organ in the Adams Morgan district....love the world play..We were there to hear the salsa band that Eve The Artist's friend plays drums for.....Let's just say I've never danced so much or so hard in my LIFE!!! Open air, nude paintings everywhere, and I thought a kind of voo-doo kitsch decor and a salsa band.....what more do you need?? Then we met this chick named Eva who REALLY salsa dances.....she's the one who pulled me onto the floor and I could only WISH to keep up with her footwork!! However..the BEST part of the night came when Eva (who'd learned where I was from) went to the salsa band....and the next thing I knew....the salsa version of Sweet Home Alabama was blasting from the band......it was perhaps the greatest moment ever......:-) Of course I threw in my "War Damn Eagle" in all the right parts, as I'm sure the bar patrons at that point thought I was on some form of hallucinogenic....but to salsa dance to THAT song....yep....definitely a highlight...even better....all the patrons from ALL kinds of ethnic backgrounds SANG ALONG!! Knowing that moment couldn't be topped we headed home.....

Day 5 Friday.....finally heard from Smithsonian......at FIVE O'CLOCK that my paperwork was cleared.....some woman named D.... sounding VERY much like Meryl Streep in Devil Wears Prada called to inform me i needed to sign stuff...when I made a faux pas comment about me calling my supervisor to let her know I needed to do that first thing on Monday, she immediately and in a VERY superior way informed me SHE would be calling her.....I was duly chastened and have now learned there is MOST DEFINITELY a way of doing things here....and I just need to salute and agree! :-) Luckily D....(AnnaWintour) will NOT be working directly with me...WHEW..... Pretty much all there was to Friday.....though my supervisor did ask me to work on writing a formal lesson plan for something I mentioned I'd done in my classroom....so my Friday was spent researching and writing and turning that in by 5:00, followed by a million episodes of Arrested Development that I'm now addicted to....loving netflix free trial and HOW did I miss that show when it came on????

Day 6 Saturday.....decided to venture out and researched a fun place to eat back on 18th street. Las Canteras is a Peruvian restaurant that serves brunch and I LOVED it! I felt like Racheal Ray on $40 a day show as I sampled the vittles....Very tasty...then i thought i'd head to the Tidal Basin and enjoy some monuments.....and I finally got lost for the first time.....not really lost...but had to walk almost back to my apt. to find the street I needed to get to the metro....those little side streets throw me...and somehow walking on 18th and seeing S St, T St, and then trying to get to U St for the metro.....there was suddenly V St......As I teacher, I pride myself on knowing my letters and such.....so I found myself silently reciting the alphabet with, I assume, a very confused look...thinking perhaps I missed it, I walked back from whence I came.....nope.....someone apparently decided to build a block right there....and yes, there was a sign that said U St. this way down a side street.....but I didn't believe the sign.....not really sure why now.....so after another Death March in completely stupid shoes that SHOULD have been comfortable....but were not.....I finally found U St....and thank you Lord...a Rite Aid that sells various and sundry band aids in all sorts of sizes for all of the various and sundry blisters I have now accumulated! ...and it was RIGHT across from my metro station!


Many things I learned on this walk....
1. Crazy men high on crack who follow me and yell unintelligible words at me don't scare me in the daylight....as other passersby didn't seem to be phased either...I figured I was okay....but it was definitely weird.
2. Seeing police officers in full vests carrying assault rifles walking purposely down the metro platforms don't scare me.....Whoever they were looking for probably might scare me....but I felt safe knowing the police were there....
3. Seeing a lady with tourettes?? on drugs?? dressed like my grandmother and looking every bit the grandmother, was a little weird...especially when she went down the metro escalator right in front of me and then began hitting herself and cussing herself out.....got to the bottom and turned to get right back on going up....apparently she didn't need to go that way and was MOST upset about the delay...

I finally made it to my Smithsonian Metro stop, but by this point between blisters and humidity the likes that only the South can know, I was exhausted....so I made it to the National Mall on the Washington Monument end.....sat on a bench in the shade with a delicious breeze watching interesting people and LOTS of school groups walk by....also major tentage occurring in preparation for SOMETHING big....I know the Smithsonian has a Folklife Festival coming at the end of June....so considering it takes two months to get paperwork accomplished.......maybe it takes them three weeks to set up tents.....hummmmph.......they should see Auburn University on game weekend and how quickly THEY move......the federal government could learn a lot from game day efficiency....though we could DEFINITELY learn a lot from D.C. about public transportation!!

Tomorrow's plan includes services at the National Cathedral and an early dinner at a place called the Sequoia which overlooks the Potomac! Going on the recommendation of a friend....hope it's a fun time to be had!

See you soon Blog-followers!!

Day 3- Exhaustion, Metrorail,Thomas Jefferson, and a Beatle...

The temperature outside was more pleasant today, but still HOT! The humidity had lifted a bit so walking wasn't so bad......

Things I've observed:
Living in the city is like being a pack mule......one must walk EVERYWHERE.....even to your transportation...and carry EVERYTHING.....and I'm not talking the 10 ft walk to your garage or driveway....2 or 3 BLOCKS...and these aren't small blocks!! And if you ride Metrorail, you have to walk down into the bowels of the earth and figure out what ramp you need to stand on....it's all quite simple and the signage is GREAT....but then they go and do things all wonky during rush hour which can confuse the little suburbanite that I am.....

Trip 1- almost a mile to Bed, Bath, and Beyond this a.m. and schlepping my haul back almost a mile to the apt....
Trip 2- Hauling myself to the U St. metro station almost a mile away.
Trip 3- Capitol South metro to Library of Congress- best walk of the DAY.....plus it's RIGHT there when you get off the Metro ! :-)
Trip 4- Reverse the trip except get off at Columbia Heights Metro- Right next to Target for today's grocery run..... (yesterday's foray to the only close-by market.....organic= REALLYSUPERDEEDUPER expensive!!)
Trip 4- Carry two soup cans, dozen eggs, butter, spaghetti sauce, pasta, salsa, tortillas, cheese, and a bottled water almost a mile back home......doesn't sound like a huge grocery list....but felt like 100 lbs growing exponentially as I trekked back to the apt.

I've done mini-journeys like this for three days.....makes me appreciate my 10 ft. walk to the car in my garage......and my ginormous Kroger trip AND Sam's trip AND any other errands I want to run and throw into the car to haul home and schlep 10 ft. from my garage...

In anthropologist mode, I realized that EVERYONE up here looks unhappy.....scowls, serious looks, or sheer exhaustion is what you see....and I found myself feeling the same way......tired, hot, and exhausted.......However.....the beauty for me is seeing all of the amazing sights that surround me. In talking to people who live here, you realize how much they take it for granted and cease to notice it after a while....and get caught up in the busyness of their lives....which up here is a lot of hard work!!

Not that I'm not always thankful for home, but boy does this experience teach you to appreciate having your car 10 ft away from you!!! :-)

If I ever wanted a Harry Potter power, today I was wishing I could apparate.....or for a little floo powder.....hmmmmmmm....wonder what Obama would have thought if I flash-banged out of the White House fireplace??! :-)

The best part of the day however was the Library of Congress....I cannot even express to you how immense and beautiful this building is.....the craftsmanship that went into making it along with the incredible collection donated by Thomas Jefferson to replace what the Brits burned was the highlight of my day! I can't wait to go back and get a "reading " card so I can actually go IN to the famed Reading room...if you've seen National Treasure 2, you'll know what i'm talking about....

Then as we toured, we saw a major event setting up in the main lobby of the LOC....turns out that my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail....b/c the night before Paul stopped by the LOC to get the Gershwin Award.......oh you know Paul..........as in "Sir Paul"......as in PAUL MCCARTNEY OF THE BEATLES!!!!!! And he was performing TONIGHT at the White House!!!!! Oh for that knowledge in advance and oh how I wish I knew what strings existed to be pulled!! So after trying unsuccessfully to wheedle out of the staff what they were setting up for....I flat out asked (y'all know me!), if the event was for Paul.....I got a wink and "we can't say"....which pretty much told me YES it was for Sir Paul and I was being shuttled out of the location as I was too lowly to stand in his presence....I did try to tell them my invitation must have been lost.....but I think my touristy look gave me away.....oh well.....I can at least say I stood in the room that Paul had been in less than 24 hrs ago....That's something, RIGHT???

Day 2- In which I learn HOW to ride a Metro bus.....

It has been an eventful day!

I stayed up WAAAAY too late reading The Lost Symbol- got through the suspenseful parts....but by 3:00 a.m....realized it was a lost cause to finish....plus the heat was beating me down!! So sleeping late was natural! I was up by 10:00, dressed and ready for the day and out the door by 1:00...

A phone call to the powers-that-be at the Smithsonian proved fruitful....still are waiting on a contract, but when I told them I was in D.C. already, they were delighted and somehow that sparked a further rush! They asked me to stop by so we could meet!!

Eve the Artist informed me after a discussion on metro rail v/s metro bus...that the bus stop was easier....so off i trotted to my VERY close bus stop and patiently sat, looking every bit the tourist in the little bus hut, with a Hispanic man who seemed very wary of me! He would not join me in the bus hut...i found this interesting.....The Rasta man who complimented my shoes and then my "outstanding physiches" didn't seem afraid of me AT ALL.....but the little Hispanic man looked terrified of me.....wonder why...

So finally my bus rumbles up....we board and then are told immediately to step off...my first big city bus trip and I've already been banished.....then realize there is a gentleman in a wheelchair who needs to disembark...so of course we scurry back down the stairs along with the extra grumbling passenger who has to get off b/c her GINORMOUS suitcase is blocking the path of the disabled man....finally after lots of levers, gears, ramps, and noises....we are allowed to jump back on....The bus driver was super sweet and even joked with me as I nervously tried to jam my $1.45 into the machine....as the money registered and I took my first step to find a location to sit or stand, I learned my first bus lesson........this isn't the same yellow school bus I spent my whole childhood riding and now enjoy many trips as a school teacher.....the Metro bus does not wait for everyone to be seated and the bus driver does not yell at you to hang on or sit down......they just DRIVE OFF.....or lurch off to be more accurate.....and there I am in the Rasta man's favorite cute new shoes that I thought would make sense to wear (they did not....), praying I didn't land in some strangers lap as I tripped down the middle section of the bus, grabbing for silver poles....I managed to not fall, but I'm sure my right shoulder will never be the same....I barely grabbed the pole when she slammed on brakes at a stop that couldn't have been more than three feet from where we just took off.....and so began my journey down 14th avenue on the 52 bus.....stop, start, stop, start....and mercifully seats began to empty b/c I realized I felt like a peg leg walker in those really cute and stupidly chosen shoes....and so I sat....

Because we stopped every two feet and because the sign flashed in the front letting you know each stop as we pulled up, I finally felt comfortable enough to enjoy the ride (sans the vomit inducing stop/starts).....until the creepy version of Seal (you know...Heidi Klum's guy??) sat in front of me grinning into my face.....needless to say....very off putting....so I decided to concentrate out the windows at all the beautiful architecture whizzing by me....and then was serious bus lesson number two .....as the bus continued to stop and empty I realized we were approaching my stop (thankfully, creepy Seal had off-loaded a few stops back).....and as we approached my stop......we continued whizzing past it!!!! I must have looked completely bewildered and terrified b/c the lovely gentleman across from me asked me if I needed to stop...I explained that yes, we had actually now PASSED my stop.....that's when I was schooled in the little yellow cord operation thingie I had neglected to notice other people using!!! They really do need to hand out manuals for these sorts of things...or at the very least...offer Metro classes for the rubes like me who march into town!!!

So after yanking the little yellow cord for me, the bus screeched to a stop and I got off....14th and Independence instead of 14th and Constitution....so i had a little walk to get back.....in those shoes.....but it was a glorious walk as I passed so close to the Washington Monument, and crossed the National Mall looking to my right at the beautiful Capitol building! Finally I entered the National Museum of American History and knew I'd arrived!! Meeting went great....LOVE the people I will be working with....got a little more info about what I'd be doing, a few reading assignments......and then they showed me my OFFICE!!! Well......my tiny cubicle in the corner surrounded by other tiny cubicles....but I have an OFFICE SPACE in the SMITHSONIAN!!!!!!!!!

After I came down from my high and perused the FAB Price of Freedom exhibit (Xan....its' gonna be your favorite), it was time to head "home".......let's just say three missed buses later I finally figured out which one I needed to be on!! :-) And now I am a MASTER of the Metro Bus system.......until tomorrow......