So this is going to be a bit less about what I've been up to and more an observation on life.
Among my age group, and especially among the history-minded of us, there is a general consensus that the past happened in black and white. We all know this is false, but it makes sense. Movies, TV, and photographs were in black and white for a long time (or in the case of TV, in the beginning). I am a little surprised every time I see a photo from WWII in color...which is odd because I see them more often at work then I do in normal life. However, most of the photos I see are in black and white, even ones from my lifetime... the Navy seems to have a weird obsession with printing in black and white. At the American Holocaust Museum, there is the occasional color photo, and in various other museums (excluding posters, which, of course, are always in color).
As a whole, the "history happened in black and white" statement is a bit sardonic. We know people see in color, and therefore, the past happened in color. We mock ourselves; we know better, but most of the pictures and films we see the past through are black and white. Because of this introduction, we never think of the past in color--it's like Dorothy in Oz. If the past were in color, it would be some fantastical world, not the one we live in.
Let me illustrate. At the beginning of my film class, we were discussing color vs. black and white in film. We stated that black and white movies are assumed to be old. Our professor asked why, as all professors are wont to do. One of the girls, a history major, said because the past happened in black and white, as if it were the most obvious statement in the world. Again he asked why, but not to make us question our preconceptions but because we all laughed and he didn't get the joke, even after we explained it.
And back to the regularly scheduled program.
Last week was OK. Not much happened. Wednesday we had the best field trip of the semester. We went to the Eisenhower Institute and spoke with Susan Eisenhower. BEST FIELD TRIP. She was inspirational--more than really any of our other speakers. She told some great stories about England, Soviet Russia (and non-Soviet Russia), and the US. When she spoke about Ike, she didn't say "my grandfather" but instead "Eisenhower," "the President," or "President/General Eisenhower." She spoke about Ike's work on Civil Rights and his conceptions about compromise. My favorite part was Eisenhower's job description as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, one sentence (shorter than his job title): Invade mainland Europe, and beat the Nazis.
Friday was a movie night and Sunday was a lazy day. Saturday I hung out with my friend Megan, and her sister and mom (in town during spring break). We walked part of the Mall and went to the Holocaust Museum. In the evening we walked the Mall and took pictures (which I will try to get and post).
I have 18 days of work left (yay being able to sleep in!) and 4 weeks from Friday is my last day. This semester is going way faster than I thought it would!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Pictures
Pictures... finally!
However, they are moderately out of order.
This is one of the planes in the Air and Space Museum. I can't remember what kind it is though.
This is my picture with Lilly Ledbetter from March 7. I know it's kind of fuzzy but still cool.
This is the entrance to the West Wing of the White House. I have close up pictures of the seal but the overall picture is cool too.
This is the front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, or the Old Executive Office Building if you prefer. It is a really cool building, the architecture is sweet. I took this picture from the First Division Monument.
Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity.
Cola Shake from Bobby's Burger Palace.
Snoopy and the Red Baron display from the Air and Space Museum's WWI exhibit.
A DH-4 from WWI, Air and Space Museum's WWI exhibit.
And those are selected images from the last few weeks. If I missed anything let me know!
However, they are moderately out of order.
And those are selected images from the last few weeks. If I missed anything let me know!
Mini Vacation
My parents came for the weekend of March 2. It was nice to see them and get some of the stuff I wanted from home (like my Chacos).
I met them at the Rosslyn McDonald's after getting off from work early, because Fridays I get to leave early. :) After a snack, I went back to my apartment and grabbed some stuff for the weekend. Then I joined them at the hotel and Meredith arrived soon after. That night we went to Ray's Hell Burger Too. It was better than Bobby's Burger Palace. There are like three incarnations of Ray's Hell Burger and, if it matters, President Obama ate at the original, which is like four store fronts down from the one we ate at.
Saturday we went to the National Geographic Museum and saw "The Anglo-Saxon Horde" exhibit. It was cool to see super old gold found by some British guy with a metal detector. The best part, however, was learning that the United Kingdom actually has a legal definition of "Treasure." After that we walked to the Capitol City Brewing Company for lunch. It is a microbrewery, which was not as exciting for me as it was for, well, everybody else. They had pretty good food though (I had their version of a Cuban). After lunch, we walked to Union Station, also pretty cool. It must have been a pretty sweet place when trains were a big deal. I wouldn't mind taking a train to/from there, just for the experience. After Meredith left for a concert, we went back to the hotel for a rest. Being tired, we ended up at a local Red, Hot & Blue, a BBQ joint that we'd been to in January.
Sunday we started out in Georgetown and had lunch at the Tackle Box. It was OK but not the best I've ever eaten. Then we took the Circulator towards Union Station and walked to the National Building Museum. Also a pretty cool place. They had a Lego exhibit. The other stuff was cool too but there was a lot of reading. In the atrium, there was some sort of model plane exhibition. The remote control side was kind of cool but the other side had the ones with rubber bands powering them. Those were cool. By far the best part was the people watching and actually knowing stuff about model airplanes... and they didn't have kids with them... yup. We walked to Chinatown and had a snack at a Corner Bakery on our way to dinner at Ben's Chili Bowl. I'd never had a Chili Dog until Sunday but it was quite good. Apparently, Ben's Chili Bowl is pretty famous, and another place Obama ate, if you're keeping track at home.
Monday I had to work but my class got canceled, so instead of rushing to eat with my parents and get to class, we went to Georgetown. I can't remember the name of the place we ate but it was near the river. After dinner we walked around until dessert at Serendipity 3, frozen hot chocolate. Both were very good. I said bye to them at the hotel after.
Our field trip Wednesday was to the White House and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. We toured the White House in the morning. Everybody else had to wake up early but I actually got to sleep in an hour. The tour was cool. We had 2 hours after the tour before the EEOB stuff so I went to Caribou with some of my friends. After coffee we walked around the block and then went to the Renwick Gallery. It was OK but we didn't spend a lot of time there. We had about half an hour until we had to meet so we sat by the First Division Monument. I didn't know it was there but it is pretty cool. To get into the EEOB we had to go through almost as much security as to get into the White House. A guy from the program that interned at the White House last semester and got a job there coordinated the visit (he went to Augie). After walking around the building and seeing the West Wing entrance to the White House, we went to the room where our panel was. The panel was interesting. Most of the people were in their 20s. One guy was talking and said that even though they were all Obama supporters they were not there to push a message... and then proceeded to push a message... but it was funny. The worst part was their advise on grad school. Everybody says that most people should work first... and other scary stuff that really freaks you out when you aren't quite sure what you are doing with your life and really need to figure it out soonish...
Wednesday night I didn't have class so I went to see Lilly Ledbetter at the Sewall Belmont House. The recent Fair Pay Act was named after her. She was a plaintiff in a Supreme Court case recently. It's all fascinating. I got a picture with her. Hearing her speak was cool because I read about her case in one of my books for my Supreme Court class.
Thursday, my friend Megan and I tried to watch the Exorcist for class but only got 40 minutes into it before we gave up and watch something else. We watched part of the movie Forever Strong before we had to go to bed. It is a pretty good movie, we finished it yesterday. Tonight we are watching Strangers On A Train for class as well.
Pictures soonish...
I met them at the Rosslyn McDonald's after getting off from work early, because Fridays I get to leave early. :) After a snack, I went back to my apartment and grabbed some stuff for the weekend. Then I joined them at the hotel and Meredith arrived soon after. That night we went to Ray's Hell Burger Too. It was better than Bobby's Burger Palace. There are like three incarnations of Ray's Hell Burger and, if it matters, President Obama ate at the original, which is like four store fronts down from the one we ate at.
Saturday we went to the National Geographic Museum and saw "The Anglo-Saxon Horde" exhibit. It was cool to see super old gold found by some British guy with a metal detector. The best part, however, was learning that the United Kingdom actually has a legal definition of "Treasure." After that we walked to the Capitol City Brewing Company for lunch. It is a microbrewery, which was not as exciting for me as it was for, well, everybody else. They had pretty good food though (I had their version of a Cuban). After lunch, we walked to Union Station, also pretty cool. It must have been a pretty sweet place when trains were a big deal. I wouldn't mind taking a train to/from there, just for the experience. After Meredith left for a concert, we went back to the hotel for a rest. Being tired, we ended up at a local Red, Hot & Blue, a BBQ joint that we'd been to in January.
Sunday we started out in Georgetown and had lunch at the Tackle Box. It was OK but not the best I've ever eaten. Then we took the Circulator towards Union Station and walked to the National Building Museum. Also a pretty cool place. They had a Lego exhibit. The other stuff was cool too but there was a lot of reading. In the atrium, there was some sort of model plane exhibition. The remote control side was kind of cool but the other side had the ones with rubber bands powering them. Those were cool. By far the best part was the people watching and actually knowing stuff about model airplanes... and they didn't have kids with them... yup. We walked to Chinatown and had a snack at a Corner Bakery on our way to dinner at Ben's Chili Bowl. I'd never had a Chili Dog until Sunday but it was quite good. Apparently, Ben's Chili Bowl is pretty famous, and another place Obama ate, if you're keeping track at home.
Monday I had to work but my class got canceled, so instead of rushing to eat with my parents and get to class, we went to Georgetown. I can't remember the name of the place we ate but it was near the river. After dinner we walked around until dessert at Serendipity 3, frozen hot chocolate. Both were very good. I said bye to them at the hotel after.
Our field trip Wednesday was to the White House and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. We toured the White House in the morning. Everybody else had to wake up early but I actually got to sleep in an hour. The tour was cool. We had 2 hours after the tour before the EEOB stuff so I went to Caribou with some of my friends. After coffee we walked around the block and then went to the Renwick Gallery. It was OK but we didn't spend a lot of time there. We had about half an hour until we had to meet so we sat by the First Division Monument. I didn't know it was there but it is pretty cool. To get into the EEOB we had to go through almost as much security as to get into the White House. A guy from the program that interned at the White House last semester and got a job there coordinated the visit (he went to Augie). After walking around the building and seeing the West Wing entrance to the White House, we went to the room where our panel was. The panel was interesting. Most of the people were in their 20s. One guy was talking and said that even though they were all Obama supporters they were not there to push a message... and then proceeded to push a message... but it was funny. The worst part was their advise on grad school. Everybody says that most people should work first... and other scary stuff that really freaks you out when you aren't quite sure what you are doing with your life and really need to figure it out soonish...
Wednesday night I didn't have class so I went to see Lilly Ledbetter at the Sewall Belmont House. The recent Fair Pay Act was named after her. She was a plaintiff in a Supreme Court case recently. It's all fascinating. I got a picture with her. Hearing her speak was cool because I read about her case in one of my books for my Supreme Court class.
Thursday, my friend Megan and I tried to watch the Exorcist for class but only got 40 minutes into it before we gave up and watch something else. We watched part of the movie Forever Strong before we had to go to bed. It is a pretty good movie, we finished it yesterday. Tonight we are watching Strangers On A Train for class as well.
Pictures soonish...
Museums, Round 2
I know I have been a bit lax recently, but I've been busy. So, rather than write one ridiculously long blog, I'm going to break it up a bit.
The 25 and 26 were pretty boring. I went to the American History museum with one of my other friends and actually read stuff. Sunday, I went to the Air and Space Museum with Meredith and my roommate Mallori. It was cool but there was so much to read. The best part was looking at the different kinds of planes and being able to recognize some of them from work...and then being rather surprised. After that we went to the Hirshhorn Art Museum. The best part of that was the new exhibit based on color and sensation..."Suprasensorial." But other than that it was basically an art museum... so kind of boring.
After the Hirshhorn, Meredith and I walked to Bobby's Burger Palace, Bobby Flay's restaurant. It was pretty good. We split a Cola shake and I'm not sure how much I liked it but the burger was good.
On the 29th, my field trip was to the International Spy Museum. It was cool but I'm not sure I would pay $20 to go to it. It was probably one of the biggest tourist traps in the city. There were parts that were cool but it's not really a must see.
Pictures will come soonish... hopefully.
The 25 and 26 were pretty boring. I went to the American History museum with one of my other friends and actually read stuff. Sunday, I went to the Air and Space Museum with Meredith and my roommate Mallori. It was cool but there was so much to read. The best part was looking at the different kinds of planes and being able to recognize some of them from work...and then being rather surprised. After that we went to the Hirshhorn Art Museum. The best part of that was the new exhibit based on color and sensation..."Suprasensorial." But other than that it was basically an art museum... so kind of boring.
After the Hirshhorn, Meredith and I walked to Bobby's Burger Palace, Bobby Flay's restaurant. It was pretty good. We split a Cola shake and I'm not sure how much I liked it but the burger was good.
On the 29th, my field trip was to the International Spy Museum. It was cool but I'm not sure I would pay $20 to go to it. It was probably one of the biggest tourist traps in the city. There were parts that were cool but it's not really a must see.
Pictures will come soonish... hopefully.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Musuems, Round 1
This last weekend Meredith moved to Foggy Bottom. We basically spent all of the weekend together. Saturday we went lunch and walked around the Capitol and then went out to Target. Sunday we went to Georgetown. We had lunch at this place I found on Google, just by googling the area and clicking on restaurants until I found one that looked good. Then we walked around. The mallish type place is rapidly going out of business. Then we walked near the canal... that I didn't know existed. And we found a bakery and a cafe place... both seemed pretty good. We finished the day at Sprinkles cupcakes. After a quick trip to Foggy Bottom to get food to cook, we returned to my apartment and made lemon chicken and fries.
I had Monday off! YAY! Meredith, Mallori (one of my roommates), and I went to the American History Musuem and the Museum of Natural History. Both good, as usual. Although, the Natural History Museum is a little creepy. After that, I had class... which was OK. Also, as usual.
Our "field trip" Wednesday was a speaker on Islam. He was very good. Not much to say other than that.
Pictures of everything are coming. Also, check out: http://meriswhere.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/washington-dc-je-suis-arrivee/ for more info on my weekend with Meredith!
I had Monday off! YAY! Meredith, Mallori (one of my roommates), and I went to the American History Musuem and the Museum of Natural History. Both good, as usual. Although, the Natural History Museum is a little creepy. After that, I had class... which was OK. Also, as usual.
Our "field trip" Wednesday was a speaker on Islam. He was very good. Not much to say other than that.
Pictures of everything are coming. Also, check out: http://meriswhere.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/washington-dc-je-suis-arrivee/ for more info on my weekend with Meredith!
Friday, February 17, 2012
Pictures Galore!
Not much happened this week. Work was the same as it has been. The pictures just keep coming...and coming... and coming. I am halfway done, I think.
Last weekend I went to the American University neighborhood and Foggy Bottom to look at apartments for Meredith, die Schwester. It was nice to see more of the city.
The field trip on Wednesday was to the Holocaust Museum. Before we went through the museum, we got the hear from a Holocaust survivor; it was super cool but also really sad. Her entire family died-before she was 15. Seriously, I was surprised I didn't cry. The museum was good, but I've been there before. The exhibit on Nazi propaganda was interesting; hadn't seen it last time. I read the posters that were in German, so yeah good practice.
And now for the pictures:
Last weekend I went to the American University neighborhood and Foggy Bottom to look at apartments for Meredith, die Schwester. It was nice to see more of the city.
The field trip on Wednesday was to the Holocaust Museum. Before we went through the museum, we got the hear from a Holocaust survivor; it was super cool but also really sad. Her entire family died-before she was 15. Seriously, I was surprised I didn't cry. The museum was good, but I've been there before. The exhibit on Nazi propaganda was interesting; hadn't seen it last time. I read the posters that were in German, so yeah good practice.
And now for the pictures:
This is the bear outside the Chinese Embassy.
This is a memorial on the walk from Dupont Circle/Embassy Row and American University. I'm not exactly sure who it is for anymore... maybe a writer.
This is behind the Holocaust Museum near the group entrance... at the back. So are the next few.
This is an upside down picture of the M&M's my roommate, Mallori, got me for Valentine's Day
These are the dark chocolate peanut M&M's Meredith and I got with a coupon.
There are more pictures... but they are basically all of the Holocaust Museum entrance area.
Friday, February 10, 2012
The 5-Sided Puzzle Palace
So this week, the only actually exciting part of this week was Wednesday. We went to the Pentagon and in the afternoon heard from an Army colonel who was in the Pentagon on 9/11. The Pentagon was pretty cool... we walked around (apparently 1.5 miles) and my tour was 9 people, 8 from my group and 1 random dude, with one tour guide, a Marine Pfc. in the honor guard. We visited the 9/11 memorial chapel and the memorial inside the Pentagon. They are pretty nice. We didn't actually go into the chapel because they were having a service. The outdoor memorial seems nice but we didn't have a chance to go outside.
The guy in the afternoon was pretty good too. His office was down the hall from where the plane hit. He spoke a bit about how he was feeling immediately after it happened and some people didn't agree with what he said. Unfortunately, instead of voicing their opinions, these people just got up and left. Now, I have a few problems with this: first, he prefaced his statements with a disclaimer that they WERE his opinions; second, they could've said something; third, does it really matter? You might say: Yes, yes it does. And I would say: one guy? that you had to listen to for an hour? Does it really affect your life? He did refer to the Pentagon as "the 5-sided puzzle palace," definitely the best part.
Whatever. It's a little irksome but overall, it was a good experience. I do not have any pictures because we were not allowed to bring phones or cameras into the Pentagon.
Work this week was not too bad. I found out I have President's day off, so that's happy.
The guy in the afternoon was pretty good too. His office was down the hall from where the plane hit. He spoke a bit about how he was feeling immediately after it happened and some people didn't agree with what he said. Unfortunately, instead of voicing their opinions, these people just got up and left. Now, I have a few problems with this: first, he prefaced his statements with a disclaimer that they WERE his opinions; second, they could've said something; third, does it really matter? You might say: Yes, yes it does. And I would say: one guy? that you had to listen to for an hour? Does it really affect your life? He did refer to the Pentagon as "the 5-sided puzzle palace," definitely the best part.
Whatever. It's a little irksome but overall, it was a good experience. I do not have any pictures because we were not allowed to bring phones or cameras into the Pentagon.
Work this week was not too bad. I found out I have President's day off, so that's happy.
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