This Image Changed Al Gore's Life

Has it changed yours?

What?!? No?

Yeah, it didn't do much for mine either. I went and saw "An Inconvenient Truth" tonight, which is basically a filming of Al Gore Lectures on Global Warming with Home Videos and some piano music added for effect. Not that I don't think we should save the environment--I do! I think we should recycle, and ride bikes when possible, walk wherever we can, use public transportation etc. etc. I just don't think that we need to portray Global Warming as if it's about to burn the whole earth. I guess it's possible that that could be part of the book of revelations. Al Gore compared global warming to Slave owners, the British in the Revolutionary War, Nazis, and Communists. He also mentioned how his father was a farmer, and how he used to go rifle shooting on his farm. He repeated spoke about the moral problem that Global Warming is, brought up the 2000 election, and did it all in a fatherly voice. This guy incorporated, religion, farmers, city people, historians, members of the NRA, Veterans and anyone who wants to fight against evil.

The problem with these kinds of things is that they are too polarized. Because they are too polarized, no one can fully relate to either side. Nobody normal is going to say that they hate the environment, that they want the rainforests to burn, and that they hope that all the polar bears drown when the polar ice caps melt because they have nowhere to rest now. Who does that? No one. On the other hand, people just don't have the money to scrap they're gas-guzzling cars that are inefficient at fuel burning and buy all new hybrid ones. They need those cars to go to work, to earn money, to buy more gas, to fuel those cars that drink all the gas in the first place. It's a vicious cycle, unlike Global Warming, which is just an upward climb to the earth becoming an inferno.

Anyway, the credits told me I'm supposed to stop Global Warming by telling you all to get out and see it. Go ahead, watch it--I don't think you should take it completely seriously, unless you want to be

"Up to your neck in owls and no American able to go to work!" --President Bush Senior (one of the best mental images ever)

Commitment, it's what's for Dinner

Recently, there have been an alarming number of people who have begun dating within the Washington Seminar. This, to me, prompts several different feelings. There's an adorable couple that can speak German and so no one understands them being sappy, and they're just really cute together. There's a couple, who are in my group of friends, incidentally, who have recently begun canoodling on a regular basis, who people don't really expect to last past the summer (if that long). There's a couple that started dating in the first few weeks of the Seminar, and then broke up, and now it's really awkward for both of them. It's these last two couples that prompt my small rant tonight.

Now, the program has, at most, 30 students in it. We all live in the same little house. We're all part of a really huge ward, but because the ward is so stinkin' huge, we all end up mostly hanging around each other every day of the week, for quite a bit of time. Normally, I would simply enjoy this interaction. In fact, I really like having a group of friends that I can go on adventures with, and that I can just hang out with. It makes life more convenient, to say the least.

Once people within the group start to pair off, however, you cause some issues. First, before you're actually dating, there's that terrible time where everyone knows that you want to date each other because you're like...Touching each other and rubbing noses and talking in baby voices and flirting by faking arguments and all that stuff that can be really unfortunate to watch. Why not just stop watching it then, right? Well, that's another problem. There are only a few places in which this canoodling can be done. There is the rec room downstairs in the basement, and the lobbies on both floors. Either way, it's not pleasant for anyone who stumbles upon you. Thirdly, once you start dating, you remove yourself from a social group that you had likely been a part of. If you started dating at the beginning of the semester and now find yourself single, you have to figure out how to fit into groups of people who don't involve your ex.

That's the worst part. How on earth do you make it work when you break up? The group is only so big, and there's no where that you can hide. Once you start dating, everyone in the program knows it, and once you break up, they also ALL know it. Now, if you don't end up breaking up, and things just work out (as I think they will for the cute couple that can speak German together), then you're great. Congratulations, you're on the road to eternal happiness--collect $200 as you pass GO.

If it weren't for this German Couple, I would suggest that Washington Seminar start to add some rules about not dating while doing the program. Sure, it's not going to happen, but I plan on doing my part to avoid the drama.

Mondays

Sometimes, I hate Mondays. This is a pretty common sentiment among the masses. No one likes Mondays, because Mondays equal the start of the week, right?

Not for me. Monday, for me, equals the end of the weekend. See, I have work on Saturday, and as a trade-off, I get Mondays off. This should be really great, right? Sometimes.

The problem is that I have to do everything that I do alone. Yup...Just little old me, wandering around DC. Granted, sometimes this is great. Especially when I just want to explore and I can't think of anyone out here who would just explore with me. Other times, it's kinda lame.

Things I can do on my own that don't feel lame:
Museum touring--this occasionally prompts me to talk to myself, however, because I like to tell people interesting facts.
-Ways to fix this:
-Give unofficial tours of various museums, wear the badge so that people think they're official.
Exploring--this one works out well. I might get completely lost, but I'm the only one who knows that I'm lost, so I can figure out how to get home without causing anyone else annoyance or alarm.

Things that are lame to do on your own:
Going to the Zoo--sure, this could probably be fun on my own...But it just kinda seems lame. Maybe it's just me there...We'll see.
Going to the Jefferson Memorial--again...Maybe not actually lame...But it feels more lonely.
Going to most anything for the first time.
-Ways to fix this:
-find a homeless friend, start a program where they make 5 dollars a day for being your DC buddy. Start advertising the program and use the profits to make more homeless buddy friends. Stipulate that they must be drug and alcohol free when they're acting as your friend. Reputations must be kept intact.

Now to convince my Piquant friend to come out and run the advertising campaign. Course, guess if she was out here running the ad campaign...I wouldn't really need the company anymore. Hrmm....

See--Mondays are too complicated. I'm off soon to go and tour some gift shops for some presents.

Werf

So, I'm running an experiment on Polio today for a bunch of Safety Patrol kids from Florida. They're all dressed in blue shirts, with the little neon belt thing, and baseball caps. Basically, they all look alike. Most of the group are boys...apparently, one was not. I didn't think much about it.

While the kids are washing their hands, their chaperone comes up to me and says, "She's a girl."
"What?" I reply, very confused.
"You called her a he, she's a she."
"Did I?" I respond, honestly not thinking about it.
"Yeah, don't worry though, it happens all the time."

Ouch. I can't decide whether it's better or worse that it happens all the time, or better or worse that my subconcious didn't even pick up on the fact that there was a she in the group. The girl didn't notice though, thankfully, and seemed to enjoy the experiment quite a bit.

I'm really starting to believe in the non-gendered pronoun.

Shattering Social Norms

I think that there are quite a few people who believed that the group I was with were drunk tonight.

That statement definitely could use some explanation...So here goes.

the group of interns that I live in the BYU house with all headed up to a dance for a YSA (Young Single Adult) dance. We had to take the Metro quite a ways, and then, because we're transportationless, had to rely on the kindness of other youth to drive us to the Stake Center. There, we all danced like crazy, and crazy danced, and did all kinds of other things which amounted to great and wild fun, even though the DJ was a bit lame, they tried hard, and I bet they weren't getting paid. Regardless, I went there to dance, and have a great time, and I did just that. I even got to dance with a member of the BYU ballroom team, which makes me wish that I could dance for real...and be danced with for real...on a more regular basis.

So then, the ride home was a bit more challenging. We had to find rides, and since most of us only know each other within the program, we didn't get that done without a bit of difficulty. Finally, we managed to get a ride to the Metro stop, and I somehow got the guy who gave us the ride's phone number. I asked for a pen to do the crossword, and then his phone number was written on my crossword, and on a card that he gave me. I don't know what happened there--he's a funny guy.

We waited at the Metro for some of our friends who were being taken by other strangers to the stop, and then we all went to wait for the train. Since it's late at night, we had to wait for a bit because the trains run a lot less often. So, we decided to waltz. Yeah, that's right. Six LDS kids waltzed around the Metro platform while we waited for the train to come. Once the train came, the adventure got even better.

It all started because we had our very own empty Metro car. Yup...a whole car, all to ourselves. This meant that I got to do something that I've wanted to do for a really, really long time. I started at one end of the car, and ran to the other while the train was moving, and then swung around one of the hand poles, ran back to the other end of the train, and did the same thing. It was so great! So then, we're sitting there talking about different songs we like, and we start singing...in parts. Then we start singing Hymns. When we started, we were all alone on the train, and then a couple people got on, and we just kept singing. The girl who was on the train that wasn't part of our group actually started crying at one point while we were singing "God Be With You Till We Meet Again." I hope it was mostly because she was touched, and not because we were terrible (we were actually quite good). Another guy got on, and he started talking to us--he told us all about his mother and how he was trying to get home to Cleveland. For those of you who don't know, you're not supposed to sing, dance, or talk to other people on the Metro. You're supposed to sit/stand there and pretend that you're the only person on the train, and that no one else exists. We completely broke all those rules...all of them. To top it off, we stood on both sides of the escalator. If you don't know that rule, you're supposed to stand on the right so that people can walk on the left. In order to make people more aware of this rule, the Metro has little combined word definitions posted on the trains. The one that's applicable here: Escalefter: Someone who stands on the left of the Escalator. Being in DC, I told people that I was being an "Escaliberal."

Anyway, we walked home singing a few more Disney songs, and ended the night with a grand flourish. It was so much fun, and I was completely without any self-conscious feelings, which is odd. It just felt good to have some fun. Good times.

Val-Pak Coupons

You know how you get junk mail and you just usually throw it away? Well, I love getting mail so much, that I actually almost always go through it and read it all, and then throw it away. I mean, it's mail!

When I was little, we'd get those terrible little envelopes full of coupons that were from "our loving neighbors" of somewhere or other and my mom would always throw away the entire envelope full without ever opening it. I couldn't ever let this happen, so I'd often grab the envelope and go through the coupons, marveling at the deals and values and thinking to myself, "Self, if you ever needed any of these windows or dog-food or gym memberships, think of all the money you could save!"


Well, the other day, I got my very own envelope of money-saving coupons from my loving neighbors at Val-Pak, and, true to form, I went through all the coupons inside of the savings-packed envelope. Inside I found a plethora of penny-pinching aides, but I found one that was particularly pleasant looking.

Yes friends, that's right. There was a coupon for $79 prescription glasses. Now, I wear contacts, and have for about 5 or 6 years now. Every time I've gone to the optometrist, I've used our insurance to get contacts for about the past three years. Consequently, my glasses prescription is about 3 or 4 years old, and not terribly effective. So, for the low, low price of $79 dollars, I got an eye exam, shiny blue frames that are nice and small, and lenses for them. The guy who was trying to help me pick out frames was hilarious. He leads me over to the case that has the sale frames in them, and I point to the blue ones, and a pair of black ones that I was interested in. He puts the blue ones on my face and, in a very Spain Spanish accent says, "oh yes, these look very nice, they go with your eyes." The next pair of frames he dismisses as being too big and heavy before they even go on my face. I actually agreed with him, and picked the blue ones, but I've never gotten someone who helped recommend frames to me before at the optometrist. The optometrist herself was also very nice. We chatted easily, and, if it turns out that I need to get contacts while I'm here, I do believe that I will go back and see these friendly people to get them.

It's all because of Val-Pak. Thanks to them, I've got an optometrist in DC, and a new pair of glasses with fabulous frames for just $79. Those neighbors must really love me! And all those people who hate to get junk mail must hate me...because it's those people like me who find uses for those coupons that keep people like you receiving them in the chance that you'll become a person like me.

The Self-Pity Puddle

So, I've been feeling a bit lonesome out here. It's not that I don't have nice associations, and it's not even that I don't have a few people I'd consider friends. It's certainly not that I don't love Washington DC, because I do. I just miss my family, and my best friends, you know, the play-together kind and not just the waving friends. Anyway, I'd been wallowing a bit in my own self pity. Granted, it wasn't a very long wallow...my self pity is kind of like a cold bath. There's just no reason to stay in it for long once you've gotten yourself clean.

So, yeah. I'm wallowing a bit in this self pity, wondering why it is that all these people around me haven't yet jumped to their feet and tried to make me their friend. Sure, my moving experience has taught me that I am usually the one who has to go out and make a move if I want friends, but maybe this time will be different. Maybe, this time, I'll just sit back and watch the friends flock to me.

Wrong-O pardner.

Clearly, I wasn't thinking logically here. First off, if people were lining up to be friends with me, I'd spend all my time introducing myself and none of my time actually "being friends." This is a phrase that indicates actual hang-outage as opposed to just "having friends." The second problem with my thinking is that I was wallowing in my loneliness, thinking about how my family isn't here, and I've got no one around to give me a good hug when I need one, and whine whine whine whine, when I already know perfectly well that the solution is to get out and make some friends. Duh.

It's so easily said, and yet it's so much easier just to whine about my problem. I can call my friends back in Provo and talk about how amazing DC is, but how it would be just a little better if they were all out here (which is probably true), I can miss my family, and I can sit around in my room at times feeling sorry for myself, or I can do something about it.

Guess what sacrament meeting on Sunday was about? It wasn't really about the atonement, or about Joseph Smith or anything like that. No, no. Sacrament meeting was done by the Welcoming Committee in the ward, and it was about fellowshipping. Yup...that's right. I'm supposed to make friends with people--they told me so over the pulpit. How's that for a direct invitation to step outside of yourself?

So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to stop waiting around for someone to befriend me, and just start "being friends" with as many people on this program as I can. I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself--especially when I have no right to do so. I'm living in Washington DC, for the sake of Pete, and doing stuff that I absolutely love. I'm going to stop feeling sad because I can't share all my experiences with my close friends, and just start sharing some of my experiences with those friends who aren't so close yet. How on earth do I expect to make better friends if I don't start trying?

Yeah, so there. Interesting scripture that was used on Sunday:

Hebrews 13:2
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Random side note: Today I bought a bike in VA, and had to bring it back with me on the metro...I'm pretty sure I managed to entertain some strangers there...

Here's to hoping that you guys can get out and make some friends too, and that those of you that I actually know who read this can keep "being friends" with me in the process.

How To Get Married

And How to Keep Your Marriage Strong...in Society

"Looking for My Latin Lover"

Did I happen to put this shirt on today?

I went to Dupont Circle in search of some brown closed-toe shoes this afternoon after work, and I got looked over so many times! Not only that, but these guys were talking to me...ugh. It just makes you feel dirty. I wasn't even dressed in any kind of provocative manner. Yuck.

The first guy was like...30 or so, South American, and he passed me coming out of Safeway. He's walking with his friend, turns around, looks me over, and then clicks his tongue a few times. I hurried into the store to get away. Then I had to go into the McDonald's across the street so that I could use the restroom, and he was in there, at a table between the door and the bathroom. I tried to hurry past him, and he starts to stand up and talk to me! He said something, but I ran into the bathroom really fast so that I didn't have to talk to him. Then I prayed that he wouldn't talk to me when I left. He didn't, and I didn't have to talk to him anymore.

Then, after a lot of walking and finally finding Payless, I am buying my new shoes. The guy behind the counter (who is probably early 20's) says, "Tus ojos es muy bonita." For those of you who never took, or don't remember high school Spanish, that translates to "Your eyes are very beautiful." He's my sales clerk! I was expecting him to tell me how much my shoes cost...I hurried and said "thank you." He then proceeded to explain to me what he said by saying, "I just told you you have good eyes." Not really knowing what to say at this point, I quickly ask where the nearest Metro stop is and hightail it out of there. Now I'm safe at home, and currently alone. Maybe I should take a nap and start the afternoon over...

My shoes are really cute though, so that's a plus, right?

Hands-On Fun

Sometimes, as part of my internship, I get to work with Children. I love this. I think that kids are the funniest beings ever. They're just so completely honest and usually unaware that the things they're saying are not supposted to be said.

Anyway, some of the funnier quotes lately are included here:

In response to the question "What are the three states of matter?" A couple of boys had this interaction:

"Umm....uh...trees?"
"Video Games?"
(boy who said trees smacks boy who said video games) "Video games?!?"
(boy who said video games rubs his arm) "What? They matter."

After a group of pre-schoolers is told about the fact that they can't pick the color they want and chanting "You get what you get and you don't get upset" a little girl says,

"I don't care what I get, I only care that I love my mommy and daddy."

That girl has got it down.

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

...And It's Amazing.

So it's pouring outside right now. I've been feeling a little bit...alone? Not unhappy, but just alone. Anyway, I decided to go to a familiar store to get some groceries, and have an adventure to make myself feel better. I went online to find a Walmart...and that didn't work, at all. So I found a target instead. Sure, the store isn't particularly familiar, but it's familiar-ish, so I got on the metro and rode to nearly the end of the green line to get there.

The trip was good. I got a bunch of pasta which was on sale, and that's a good dinner. Just enough cooking that I feel good about my part in actually "making" dinner, but not so much effort that I don't feel like doing it. I'm realizing that I'm pretty deprived of meat though...so I might have to fix that.

Anyway, I got off the metro at the Foggy Bottom stop, and I find that it's pouring outside. Granted, this isn't Tennessee-pull-over-to-the-side-of-the-road-because-you-can't-see-where-you're-driving rain, but it's a good heavy rain. It just made me really happy. I'm listening to my ipod, dancing home in the rain, and loving it. Everyone around me is avoiding the rain, and I just embraced it. Glorious rain, that's what it was.

When I went to work today I got off the Metro at my station--the Smithsonian one on the orange and blue lines. It's such a great station. You ride the escalator up to the top, and right in front of you the Capitol building appears as you breach the horizon. Then you turn to go to one of the Smithsonians, and the Washington Monument is right there to your left. I still can't get over the fact that I live in Washington DC, and that I get the chance to see all of that, every day. I feel like I've been here longer than I have, but it's all so novel to me anyway. I ride the metro to work...I live off of Pennsylvania Ave...and I am interning at the Smithsonian. It's incredible! I am so happy about it...and so blessed to be able to do it.

Oh Dear

"24 is like an abusive boyfriend. You know it's bad for you, but you just can't stop going back to it."
--New 24 friend on Tonight's episode

Stop to Smell the...Greenery?

Alright--I wrote this post a long time ago, but my plants are all gone now, and I'm missing them right now, so I thought that I'd introduce them to you.

This guy to the right is "The Shrubbery" He and I have been together since September of My Freshmen year...that makes a friend of a whopping 2 and a half years. I bought him about a week after school started because I wanted something of my own to take care of. Now I'm an RA...guess it kind of works the same way...

The guy to the left here is also another one who needs a name, though he's been around for a little while. A really awesome family I know had a bunch of them in their kitchen and they were apparently trying to take over. They brought me one the last time they came to visit, I like that he's all stripey and kind of floppy. Again, any suggestions?

This guy has some of my favorite leaves. He doesn’t really have a name, but he does have a new pot—a really big one, and he’s got more leaves now.

This plant to the left is Diangelo Fig. One of the girls from my floor last year was with me when I bought him...and she named him. It's quite the name though, isn't it?

This last plant is one I like to call Gus. He's got skinny little legs, and really funny little leaves. It's kind of like Gus Gus from Cinderella...especially when the leaves are just growing--then they kind of curl open.

I guess the point of all that is this:


"I just really love plants."
-Persimmone Frosch

"You Go One Step Shy of Crazy, What Are You?"

"Obsessed?"
"Passionate!"

So, today was the Philadelphia trip. The day started with my roommate and I both getting a phone call around 6:10 from the kids on the bus...the bus that we were supposed to be on at 6:00. I can't recall the last time I got ready that fast. It was pretty incredible. The ride up to Philly (haha, I just typed "Philly") was basically just me sleeping, and then watching the end of "A More Perfect Union." Then we got to the National Constitution Center.

So I got excited. I mean...this is an important place! We went into the center, watched a little dramatic performance about the Constitution, and then we got to go and do the interactive activities upstairs. There was a wall of people who had influenced the constitution, and a place where you could be sworn in as president. Not to mention the fact that there were questions posted up along the wall, and you were encouraged to answer them and then stick the post-it to the wall. They ensured us that "all comments are recorded by our staff for public opinion." We answered all the questions they asked us, and felt very civically minded.

After that place, we went and got through the security to get into Independence Hall. Our tickets weren't until 12:00, and so we had some time to walk around. There was this little exhibit there that I wanted to look at, and it was pretty well done. When I was leaving, one of the members of the society stopped me and asked me where I was from. He was probably in his late twenties, early thirties. I told him I was from Utah, and then he asked me not to leave before signing the guestbook. The interesting thing was that he didn't ask anyone else to stick around and sign the guestbook, and he'd kind of been following me and this other guy that came in with me from the group around the museum. They had a little embossing machine there that I wanted to stamp my paper with, and the guy comes over to do it for me. He says, "It shows up best on the purple, and the orange. I'm going to stamp the orange, because that's the color shirt you're wearing." He then stamped my book twice, and I left soon afterwards.

Then we went to the tour of Independence Hall. Our tour guide was funny, but in a mostly odd way. He kept making these jokes that were supposed to be really funny...but they kind of annoyed me. I wasn't there to hear stories about how the Yankees won the series in 1776...I was there to see the real historical stuff. It wasn't too bad though, I'm sure he's just trying to make it more entertaining for the people whose parents just drag them there against their will.

After that, we had 4 hours of free time. We first went to get Philly Cheese Steaks...because I don't know how I could have lived with myself if I hadn't...ok, maybe I could have. anyway, it was pretty good, but I think I like the local fare better...honestly. I'm also not the only one--another girl in the program has been to several Philly cheese steak places with me, and she agrees with me. We then went to see the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which include the stairs that Rocky Ran up. Actually...we just went to see the stairs. We rode there on the Phlash bus...which felt like it was going to fall apart at any minute. It was great. I had to run down the stairs to take a picture, and then I ran up the stairs and made sure to do the Rocky Triumphant thing...just like everyone else. Then we walked to another part near the museum to take a picture with the Thinker, and then to catch the Phlash bus back to our other Bus. We had a little time, so a friend and I visited a dollar store and a Ross...where I bought a green fuzzy blanket that was on sale (check out the sheets underneath--it's the fuzz stuff on one side, and the shiny stuff on the other...hideous, but soo soft!). I figured that it was a good functional souvenir from Philly. We then went to a Pizza place for dinner, and then we drove home. This was where I again slept quite a bit, and watched a bit of National Treasure. All in all, it was quite a satisfying day. I got to see a lot of great stuff, and I found out that I'm full of Benergy.

Wait, So Are You Like...A Mormon?

Only the second day, and I got asked the question...

"So, where do you go to school?"
"Brigham Young University."
"Oh, I've heard of that...but I don't know why--are you guys good at sports or something?"
"Welll...we were once...in 1984."
"Oh...is it a big school?"
"About 35,000."
"Oh! Maybe that's where I heard about it."
"Maybe."
"Where is that again?"
"Provo, Utah."
"Oh, aren't there like, a lot of Mormons out there?"
"Yup."
"Are YOU a Mormon?"
"Yup!"
"Oh...can I ask you a question? There's something I've been wanting to clear up."
"Sure,"
"Well, umm...I don't know how to ask this."
"Don't worry about it, just ask." (this is the part where I thought she'd bring up polygamy)
"Well...Are Mormons the ones who believe that they get their own planets when they die?"
(I chuckle) "Well, not quite that quickly. We believe that God is our Father, and that he's enabled us to be able to eventually progress to become like him--kind of like a child can grow up to be like their father or mother. We don't, however, believe that you die and get [the keys to]* your own planet once you get to the other side. It's a long process."
"Oh, that makes sense. I just had to ask because I heard a Mormon and a Seventh-Day Adventist who were arguing about stuff, and that's the only part I remembered."

We went on to talk about other things after that. Later, she informed another guy we work with that I was LDS, and it's funny. I forget that people aren't just like...default LDS sometimes. Our office dress code is about the same as the honor code, so it makes it a little easier to do so. I'm so excited that they already know that I'm LDS...hopefully they'll keep asking questions. The first question the guy asked when she told him was, "did you do that mission thing?" I just answered that I hadn't and he replied, "Oh, you're one of THOSE Mormons." We all laughed, and he just-kiddinged it away, but all I could think was, "haven't done the mission thing...full time..." I hope I continue to leave these people with good impressions.

*I didn't actually say this at the time...I just now thought of it, and wish I'd been that clever at the moment...this is my blog though, so I'm allowed to play with History...as long as I tell you I did so.

Fake It Like You Mean It

Yay! I'm here in Washington D.C., and I'm really excited about it. I've started work at the Smithsonian, and it's going so well so far. Today I got trained on a lot of basics of the program, and I got asked to work on a special project that my Supervisor's Supervisor is working on with the Air and Space Museum. This equals really cool.

I also bought some sunglasses today that are really popular looking...let's see if I can find a comparable picture. Ok, that's about what they look like, except the hinge is metal, and has some small decorative rhinestones on it. It was awesome though--I totally walked down the street wearing these sunglasses, my hair long and flowing without frizz due to the increased moisture in the air, feeling all kinds of special because the Smithsonian is allowing me to help them on a project. The only thing that would make this day better is if my family and friends happened to be in the area. I'd run over to my friend's house with my silly sunglasses (apparently designed in Italy), and then I'd invite all of them over on a trip to the Library of Congress with me...which I'm taking tonight. My family would love the library...we're all a lot of big readers. Meaning, of course, that we read a lot...not that we're a bunch of fatties...dang.

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying yourselves wherever you are, and that if you're not having fun yet, feeling confident yet, or liking what you're doing right now, that you'll fake it. Fake it hard core. Pretty soon, you'll probably fool yourself, along with the rest of the world. I seem to be doing a pretty good job of it right now. :)

Good Morning!

Has anyone else noticed that it's absolutely gorgeous outside today? The weather is amazing, the finals are done, and I'm almost totally packed. About 3/4 of my floor has already checked out...crazy girls who are trying to get home and see their families. I don't know why you wouldn't want to stay in on-campus housing for as long as you possibly could. Suck the marrow, and all that jazz.

Actually, it's interesting. Unnamed Hall has been my home for the past three years, and basically encapsulates my experiences here. These dinky rooms have been my home. I've learned a lot about education, history, physics, political science, student development etc. here, and a whole lot more about myself and the people that I have relationships with. DT has helped to establish my current sleeping patterns (or lack thereof) and it's been here for almost every one of my successes and failures in college.

You know, I guess I'm kind of attached. I'll miss the Mount Timpanogos/Provo Temple view that I've had for two of the years. Funny, the only year I haven't had this view was last year, when Best Friend was in the MTC...maybe that was on purpose. Can't have too much sentimental gazing into the distance...right? ;)

I don't think that I'll miss the maintenance problems, or the fact that I can't paint the walls, as much as I would have liked to. I don't think I'll miss the Freshmen Guys as the only male company apart from the RA's, but I will miss the aspect of being an RA where you get to see people, well--Freshmen girls, who are people too etc. etc.--just grow up. Freshmen year is so defining for so many people. I worry about some of my girls, and the patterns that they've established...but I guess you just can't do much to make people choose the right, you can just try and guide them. I'll also miss the chance to have huge communal bathroom coversations, and the fact that I basically get 40 automatic friends when the semester starts out.

Hrmm, I just yawned, and my breath smells pretty bad. I think it's time to brush my teeth. ooh--speaking of teeth brushing, when my sister and I ran the Rex Lee Run the other weekend, they gave us some toothpaste with Japanese all over the back called "NEWAYS." It's disgusting, and I don't really think it cleans my teeth at all. The taste of it is almost as bad as the Shrek Swamp Chocolate toothpaste that one of my friends gave me once. THAT stuff was rank.

OK, time to get ready for the morning. Time to get showered, do laundry, pack, work on finishing up my class for D.C. and send a couple things at the post office. I leave for D.C. in about....

Men Are...

That they might have joy. 2 Nephi 2:25

Bet you guys were all thinking this was going to be some kind of male-hater post...you really should know me better than that. ;)

So, today's lesson is that God actually means what he says. He really does want us to be happy. No, really--I'm totally not kidding here. Without realizing it, I've been super disbelieving about this particular scripture, or at least not fully believing in it. I guess I've been thinking that God wants us to be really happy, but we've all got to have some kind of pet sorrow or something like that to remind us that we're not actually in the Celestial Kingdom yet. That's a huge load of malarky. We really can be just...happy. Better than happy--we can have joy.

I found out today that I can get a grant from the government that pays for my trip to DC. Not just my flight out there, but my housing, food, etc, with money to spare for my savings account that I've been trying desperately to fill since the beginning of the year.

This is incredible news! I'm getting the opportunity to fulfill a dream, avoid going into debt for it, and get some really incredible work experience at the same time. Allow me to once again go over the details of what living my dream entails:
1. Interning in the Museum of American History at the Hands-On Science Center. Yes, that's right...the combination of history and science, and teaching it to people who voluntarily showed up to learn. YAY!
2. Living in Washington D.C., and not only that, but living in D.C. for 4 months. That's 4 months of Lincoln Memorial, Museums, Library of Congress, etc. AHH!
3. Being in the Capital of our Nation on the 4th of July. The only places I can think of that fall in close proximity are Philadelphia, or maybe just here in Provo with my favorite people.
4. I have government clearance. Clearance for some briefings, clearance for some areas of the museum, not to mention, I'm attending the Smithsonian-wide Staff Meetings. Wahoo!

Alright, so I'm totally excited. And you know what else, it's completely ok for me to be really excited about this. I don't have to feel guilty, or concerned about what it all means--I am allowed to just be completely and totally happy about it. I am blessed with all sorts of open heaven windows right now, and I'm perfectly willing to just let the blessings fall where they may. God loves me, and that's wonderful.

Alright, so this entry is going to get long, but I've got a lot to say, so it's alright. I was thinking on Sunday about activity in the Church, and what it really means to be "active." Someone in my ward in testimony meeting said, "I'd always gone to church, but I wasn't really active." This sentence struck me as really interesting. A lot of us are technically active according to the roles, but we're basically passive as far as what we're doing to get things out of our experience at church. Not inactive, because we're making some effort, but we're certainly not putting anything into the actual meetings. We come to the feasts that are offered expecting to be spoon fed, when we really just need to pick up a fork and dig right in. So, I've got a new goal. I'm going to start acting in a manner that shows how much I love my religion.

Yeah...I think that's the end for today. Happy last day of finals, and here's to hoping you've got a great summer in the works.

Lessons Learned From Jock Rock 2006

1. Don't go to it...ever. I didn't actually attend, but I watched a horde of people running from the police that came from the 10 police cars that were called in to stop it.
2. Brick Oven is a lousy place to try and hide from the Police, especially if you're trying to hide with about 50 other people.
3. 15 People piled in the back of a pick-up truck wearing athletic gear and acting drunk definitely don't give the aura that they didn't go to Jock Rock.
4. In Provo, if you have a party large enough, almost all the police are called to break it up. The other ones go to Llamapalooza, or the ER with an injured suspect in handcuffs.
5. If you want to break the steriotype that Jocks are dumb, you should stop acting like it, and not throw things called "jock rock."

In other news, It's now the end of Day 1 of finals. I've got one final tomorrow, a lot of my room packed today, and I'm off duty in about 15 minutes. Hope finals are going well for all of you.

Forever and a Day

That's how long it feels like it's been since I've blogged. Consequently, I've got a lot of stuff to tell everyone about.

First off, I bought a car. A lovely, wonderful, amazing car, that really and truly belongs to me and allows me the mobility and freedom to drive to work, and see my family, and anything else I need to do. It's really great.

Secondly, I did it. What is this "it," you're all wondering? Well, for those of you who don't know, I applied for an internship with the Smithsonian. Yes, that's right, The Smithsonian. If, somehow, you don't know what that is, I'm sorry first off, as I have met several people who fall into that catagory, and you can go here to find out about it. That's actually just the National Museum of American History...there are about 5 different museums. I'm working in the Hands on Science area. Find out about that here. I'm way excited. I leave on April 30th, and then come back August 20th. Crazy eh? I'm spending almost 4 entire months in Washington DC as an intern at the Smithsonian...I still can't believe it. I actually really and truly did it!

Now, that fact is great, but it causes a few problems. First, I've got to figure out where I'm staying...if any of you have relatives who might be looking for boarders...let me know. I'm not looking for a free room--I'm totally willing to pay rent, and I don't expect food or anything. I just need a place to sleep at night. Yeah...let me know.

So, Yeah...exciting huh? I think it's awesome. I'm so excited for school to be over, because I'm feeling totally done with school right now. Unfortunately, until I've got all the details worked out for the Smithsonian, the fact that the school year is ending in a mere 4 weeks is a little stressful. I've been packing my room and trying to figure out what I need to take with me to DC, what to do with the stuff I'm leaving here, etc. etc. etc.

I have bought my plane ticket though...and that's a pretty huge step for me. That makes it real...like, I'm actually going. It still hasn't sunk in, I hope it does sometime before I actually get there.