30
September
2006
“Those people have serious issues.” -Sarah, on seeing the “Rat Lover Anonymous” Facebook group
The scene is 7:50 Wednesday morning in the apartment of Sarah, Emily and Nikki. Sarah is in the shower while Emily sits on the couch surfing the internet. Nikki is packing up her bag for the day.
Emily: Nikki, there is something I need to tell you. (Nikki looks over, concerned). I saw a mouse this morning.
Nikki: (Her jaw drops). Oh man! Really?
Emily: Yeah, in the kitchen. I almost didn’t tell you and Sarah . . . I was worried how you all would react.
Nikki: Sarah is going to flip out! This is going to be great. (She begins to giggle and continues to laugh throughout the rest of the scene).
Sarah: (The shower turns off and Sarah comes out of the bathroom). What’s going on?
Emily: Sarah, you should probably sit down . . .
Sarah: Wait, seriously, what is going on?
Emily: Sarah, I saw a mouse in the kitchen this morning.
Sarah: (Sarah’s mouth drops into the shape of a letter “O” for several minutes). We have a freaking rat!?!
Nikki: Sarah, it’s not a rat, it’s a mouse. Rats are 50 pounds and mice are 6 ounces.
Sarah: I can’t deal with this. We have a freaking rat! What should we do?
Emily: I already e-mailed the building coordinator. We should be able to get some help.
Sarah: I’ll leave iTunes on today to scare the rat away.
Emily: Sarah, I don’t think Nelly will scare away the mouse.
Nikki: (She is still cracking up). Sarah it isn’t a rat!
Sarah: I really just can’t deal with this right now.
Nikki: (She heads towards the door). Have a good day everyone! Bye Emily, Sarah and Melinda the Mouse!
Sarah: I really, really just can’t deal with this right now. Emily, will you wait with me in the kitchen while I make my lunch?
Emily: Sarah, you are being ridiculous.
Sarah: Please . . .
Posted: Fall 2006
24
September
2006
“I was told that I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven, I told Bill that if Sandra is going to listen to her headphones while she’s filing then I should be able to listen to the radio while I’m collating so I don’t see why I should have to turn down the radio because I enjoy listening at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven.” -Milton
For many of my friends and I, the past few months has offered an introduction to cubicle life. This summer was my first personal experience working in a cubicle. I’ve heard the legend and lore of cubicle life, but I never really believed any of the rumors – or saw the comedy – of it until I experienced eight hour work days in a grey box first hand.
Don’t get me wrong, I had a spacious area to myself with a window view – pretty good for an intern. But after only a few hours on my first day, I found my office “walls” were no more than a few strings of yarn held together that wouldn’t keep a yawn private.
I’m sure the cause of most office drama on this Earth can be traced to cubicle eavesdropping. Forget wiretapping, if the government made cubicles a national standard for every office, the Patriot Act would be child’s play. Cubicles are the ideal location for knowing too much. And even if you lack interest in the personal or professional life of the inhabitants of the surrounding cubicles, it is inevitable you’ll find out more than you ever wanted to know about anyone sitting within a radius of 100 feet.
But what was funny to me was that people didn’t realize that their “walls” were actually wire tapped microphone loudspeakers to the rest of the office. Case in point – the Fran Drescher loud talkers of the world who were born with voice volume on high. These are the people that simply tell too much and necessitate what Alyssa, the Creative Manager where I was an intern, dubbed “I-pod days” – as in the only way to try to think was to blast Journey. She warned me, “But wait until you meet Tony.”
I also had the privilege of making cubicle friends. I couldn’t tell you what they look like if my life depended on it. However, I would recognize their voice like that of my own Mother. These are the folks you hear talking all day, but you never see their face. They are polite, following your sneezes with a “Bless you” or, “Hope you feel better soon.” You might strike up a conversation with your cubicle friend, “Great weather today,” and “Yeah, I heard it’ll be sunny all week!” But you’re never really sure if they see the sun.
And then, one day, there was a different voice. I hoped for a new cubicle friend, and I guess that is what I received . . . in a way. This new person sounded friendly, and I could tell because he had the loudest voice had I ever heard. And not only that, he answered ever call, “Hi, hello, this is Tony,” and if it was an important phone call, “Hi, hello, this is Tony (person responds). Hi, hellllooo, how are you doing?” Wow, I thought, now there is a friendly salutation. I never knew a person could fit that many greetings into one phone call.
I asked Alyssa later that day, “Is that Tony?” She laughed and nodded yes. I wondered what Tony looked like – he had a voice that sounded bigger than Yao Ming. However, I knew an NBA Star could never fit behind those furry five foot walls. For days, I waited. And finally, one day, I heard him move from out of his cubicle. I raced around the corner of my desk to find out the true identity of Mr. Cubicle Mystery Man.
I was greeted more by a tiny Muggsy Bogues type who smiled and said, “Hi, I’m Tony.”
“Hello, I’m Nikki, one of the interns.”
Throughout my remaining weeks at work, Tony was one of the nicest and friendliest people to me. Tony was a social worker, and I knew through my non “I-pod days” his job with mentally handicapped and disabled individuals was not an easy one. Nevertheless, he always greeted me with a warm “Hi, hello!” This, in turn, always made me smile.
I think the old euphemism should be changed for cubicles from, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” to, “Don’t judge Fran Drescher by her voice.” Because, after all, cubicle friends may even become real friends.
Posted: Musings
23
September
2006
“Most people do not consider dawn to be an attractive experience – unless they are still up.” -Ellen Goodman
As many of you may know, Cornell’s Dr. James Maas is well known for his research on sleep and even coined the term “power nap.” I took his class, Psych 101, last year and learned pretty much anything you’d ever need to know about sleep. However, last night I can attest I did not put this knowledge to good use – but it was still an awesome time.
I decided to write my big research paper for the semester about tort reform and how it impacts health care costs. After a busy week of working and running, I really hadn’t started too much of my several pages long paper. I knew last night would be a late one and I was pretty excited.
There is something about making that deadline in college that just makes it that much more fun than any other time conscious projects on which I’ve had to work. I get in the mode of lacking sleep, showers and sustenance and just type away. It’s a form of bare existence that is so primal, slightly disgusting, but fabulous.
Yet, no matter how much cookie dough I eat or diet Sunkist I drink, I have one promise to myself that I’ve stayed faithful to throughout my career at Cornell – never to pull an all nighter. I’ve slept over in the library during finals, written several papers in one night – all activities I wouldn’t necessarily recommend, but they nonetheless complete the “college experience.” However, this seems to be some kind of challenge I have for myself. Even if I only have a few hours of sleep, I still feel I have to stay faithful to my goal.
So Dr. Maas, I’m sorry that I haven’t used the information from your class very well. But there is just something about a good late night and watching the sun come up that makes it all worthwhile to pull off that paper.
Posted: Fall 2006
17
September
2006
“Do you believe in rock ‘n roll / Can music save your mortal soul, / And can you teach me how to dance real slow?” -Don McLean
This weekend we had our first visitors to DC, and it was pretty awesome! Four of Sarah’s friends from UNC – Caleb, Dylan, Ivanna and David – had a hitchhiking race up from Chapel Hill. They had two teams of two people and they raced to see which team could get to DC faster.
Personally, I don’t think I would ever hitchhike, but Caleb, Dylan, Ivanna and David seemed to have a great time completing their self assigned challenge. They met some interesting characters along the way as well. They left UNC Friday afternoon and arrived here Friday night. Right from the start, they all were all super friendly and down to earth. Caleb quickly picked up the guitar and showed us how to have fun, Carolina style. We danced and sang the night away to Bob Dylan, Hootie and the Blowfish and “American Pie.”
We woke up on Saturday and headed over to the National Geographic Museum. I found some of the photography exhibits intriguing and very moving. However, the museum wasn’t huge, and we decided to grab some lunch and then walk down to the National Mall. This gave us time to check out the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. From the Hope diamond, to dinosaurs, to hippos, we saw a variety of impressive natural wonders.
Saturday night included a new culinary experience. We decided to try an Ethiopian restaurant for dinner. I tend to be adventurous in my cuisine choices, so I was excited to try a different style of food. I found the entries to be very flavorful and delicious. The meal was fairly communal in nature; the table was full of large trays with a variety of dishes on each one. Each entree was served on top of a bread type substance that looked similar to a pancake, but it was a bit sticky because the bread served as the only utensil for the meal – no forks or knives. In general, I would totally recommend Ethiopian food, with the exception of first dates – it’s kind of messy for making a good first impression, but a great meal to have with friends.
We finished out the evening with some more playing of the guitar and singing. Sarah’s friends left early this morning to begin their hitchhiking journey back to UNC. We all had tons of fun meeting Caleb, Dylan, Ivanna, and David. And I think the “ya’ll” has officially slipped back into my vocabulary for good.
Posted: Fall 2006
14
September
2006
“Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.” -JFK
I’m pretty excited for my friend Matt who was recently featured in BusinessWeek. Part of his work as a marketing intern this summer included helping homeless people try to become more profitable in their panhandling expeditions. Matt and I became good friends last spring break when we both stayed at Cornell to give tours while everyone else was working on their tans. We bonded over delicious dinners and shopping for deals on jcrew.com (as Matt is one of the most fashionable young gentleman I know). So I’m sure working on this project was quite an experience for him.
During the ten years I’ve lived in Ohio, I think I’ve seen about one homeless person within a 15 mile radius of my home. Now that I live in DC, panhandlers are a daily part of life. I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing. Seeing a homeless person in Hudson would warrant a quadruple take, but now I take this sight in step with the rest of my day.
In reality, I don’t have the financial means to help each person or the time to hear each of their stories; and although most people are pretty harmless, I probably shouldn’t be BFF (best friends forever) with them all. However, I think a lot of people wonder about panhandlers – their mental state, their abilities, their stories – what they do with their money and where they actually call “home” at night.
I find that I see the same homeless people in pretty much the same spots everyday. However, there is one man who I always find particularly entertaining. I’m not sure of his name, so we’ll call him Harold.
Everyday I walk out of Union Station, I see Harold sitting on a park bench. Harold has his shopping cart next to him filled with various goods, including a world globe that always sits on top. If he is feeling particularly generous, he might feed the pigeons Mary Poppins style. Harold greets everyone who walks past him. If it’s a Wednesday, he’ll say to me, “Good morning miss, three days ’till the weekend!” To the man behind me, he’ll call, “Hi sir, three days ’till the weekend!”
Since I lack experience interacting with people of this nature, the first few days Harold talked to me, I quickly looked the other way. After a week or so, I realized he was pretty harmless and smiled at him when he addressed me. And now, I usually say good morning too.
If it’s a rainy Monday, Harold will be decked out in a garbage bag, see my yellow rain slicker and call out, “Hello lady in yellow, five days ’till the weekend!” And trust me, on a rainy Monday in the District, he wins the vote for friendliest guy around.
Matt, if you want, I have your next customer.
Posted: Fall 2006, Musings
10
September
2006
“If you worry about falling off the bike, you’d never get on.” -Lance Armstrong
Yesterday was the AIDS Ride for Life around Lake Cayuga. I did this century (100 mile bike ride) with my Dad last year. As of May 2005, I had never biked more than about 20 miles at one time. At the end of my freshman year, I saw an advertisement for the ride, and, for some reason, I had the idea that circumnavigating the lake might actually be fun.
I made a proposition to my Dad, who is a big biker, to join me on the Ride. He agreed to train with me during the summer. I started putting in the miles, but not much work into the 600 dollars my Dad and I had to fundraise for AIDS victims that the Ride benefits. I guess raising the money meant I really had to make a commitment; I had to hold a promise to other people that I would train and finish what I started.
As August rolled around – along with the 50 and 60 mile rides – I began to see improvement in my abilities and to gain confidence. I started fundraising and found people to be extremely supportive of my goal. This inspired me to continue training not only to help raise money and awareness about AIDS, but also to push myself.
When the misty September morning of the Ride finally came, my Dad and I hopped onto our tandem (yes, we did the Ride on a bicycle built for two – I know, I know, adorable) and started out on our adventure. The day was filled with blue skies, gorgeous vistas of the waterfront, charming small towns, and some other extraneous and entertaining sights along the way (ie a large piece of Canadian goose yard art and a fellow rider who completed the event in boat shoes, a button down, and khakis. . .) The fan support along the way was also motivational and inspired me to keep pedaling.
When we finally rolled back into Ithaca to finish the Ride, I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment that is hard to describe. I can honestly say the day of the Ride was one of the best of my life up to this point.
People often look at me like I’m crazier than Gnarls Barkley when I tell them I rode my bike 100 miles in one day. I probably used to give others similar looks who completed such events; however, I learned from training for the Ride that if you set your mind to a goal, develop a good training plan, and dedicate time – which will likely include making sacrifices – to that goal, you can likely do anything.
Hey, and if nothing else, it was worth the free massage at the end.
Posted: Fall 2006
4
September
2006
“Dig where the gold is – unless you just need some exercise.” -John M. Capozzi
Academically, this semester is a bit different than other ones I have completed at Cornell. I am only enrolled in twelve credits, the fewest I have taken any semester so far. I selected this course of study because I intern three days a week; as well, I want time to see the city and train for the marathon.
I’m taking one class called History of the United States Senate taught by a historian from the Senate Historical Office. In this class we’ll be studying the evolution of the Senate, the important players, and other aspects of this legislative body.
The other class is eight credits (many more than most classes at Cornell) and called Politics and Policy: Theory, Research and Practice. In this class, a large component of the work will be an extended research project on a policy issue. Currently, I am debating what topic to pursue. My experience on the campaign this summer encouraged me to explore what factors influence people to vote in elections. My other area of interest relates to healthcare and tort reform. My parents are involved in the medical field, so this subject is very relevant to my personal life. I think both subjects would be stimulating, but the bottom line is I have to decide which one I want to be married to for the next couple of months. And I thought choosing a formal date for one night was hard.
The task of the day is to make a stab at the background portion of the paper. Unlike most Cornellians, I have the day off, meaning I should be able to get something accomplished . . . “should” being the key word.
Posted: Fall 2006
3
September
2006
“I’m singing in the rain/Just singing in the rain” -Gene Kelley
As with most of the East Coast during the last few days, Ernesto brought a good deal of rain and wind to the District. Friday we decided to stay close to home in order to avoid torrential downpours and flooded Metro lines.
Sarah, B.C., and I donned raincoats and boots to head over to the Woodrow Wilson House. DC’s only Presidential museum is about a ten minute walk from the CIW center. On the way, we passed a number of embassies, a common sight for this area of the city. A nice retired gentleman greeted us at the door to give us a tour of the house where Wilson spent his last months of life after leaving office. Although we never found out the answer to B.C.’s question of if Wilson’s friends called him Woody, we did get a great view into the President’s life and accomplishments.
In celebration of the long weekend and staying dry and classy, we hosted a semi formal gathering in our apartment Friday night. It was fun chatting with some of our fellow CIW students and dressing up – and not being soaked.
Saturday morning Sarah and I woke up to more rain. Nevertheless, we selected to ignore the weather and complete our 15 mile run as scheduled. We were pretty saturated with the passing of mile two – a beautiful, smelly mix of rain and sweat as if we had just jumped into the Potomac. After eight miles of running through Rock Creek Park and around the National Mall, we were pretty excited to have our friend Morgan join us for four miles. For the last three, we ran around Dupont and Georgetown. When we hit 32nd Street in Georgetown, Sarah and I turned around to head home and finish out our last mile. I called it the Miracle on 32nd Street, and with good reason. This run – between the weather and distance – was one of the most hardcore and strenuous activities I have tackled in awhile. And although I didn’t have the “Chat with God” many athletes attest to experiencing when pushing their body to the limit, I definitely felt his presence around mile thirteen, and I think a conversation will be possible in the near future.
Maybe the 16 miler next weekend will bring on that miracle. I’ll keep you posted.
Posted: Fall 2006
1
September
2006
“Life is a great adventure and I want to say to you, accept it in such spirit.” -TR
So this is a bit late in coming, but I wanted to highlight what went on last weekend. On Friday, Sarah and I woke up early to head out on a 10 mile run. My feet were pretty tired by the end, but we got to run a cool route. We headed down alongside the Potomac through Rock Creek Park and then ran around the National Mall.
Around noon, a bunch of the CIW students met up to head over to the Library of Congress. The building, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful in DC. Constructed in part my Italian craftsman, it is closer in appearance to a European masterpiece rather than your local library shelves. Probably a little bigger too, considering there are more than 128 million items in the collection.
Friday night I checked out the Dupont night life with a bunch of my friends. There are a number of clubs, bars, and restaurants in the vicinity, so it is pretty active around here when the sun goes down. Sarah and I ended the evening with sweet success in the form of a s’more dessert at Cosi.
Saturday morning we were up bright and early to go canoeing with some of the alumni. The Cornell Alumni Club of Washington is a pretty active group of people, and they sponsor several events, including the canoe trip, for CIW students. I met alumni from the DC area who graduated in years ranging from 1948 to 2005. I love meeting Cornell alumni, as they usually are pretty active and interesting people (like most Cornellians I know – I guess some things don’t change!) And the only activity they like more than talking about Cornell is chatting it up with current Cornell students.
Anyway, our canoe trip rocked the boat (pun intended). We all trekked down to Georgetown, and in route, saw Senator Joe Lieberman on an early morning stroll. When we reached the Potomac River, everyone piled into several different boats. I was with my friend B.C. and we owned the Potomac Paddle – aka we beat everyone.
After about two hours on the water, we headed over to Theodore Roosevelt Island for lunch. We trekked through the island – which is about as wild as a place can be in the middle of a city – led by the alumnus from ‘48 (do the math and you’ll realize those “Cornell Calves” you earn walking the hills of Ithaca are worth it). There is a monument for TR in the middle of the island one just kind of happens upon after many encounters with branches, stones, and confusing pathways. It seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere (yet, we were in the middle of DC . . . ) Anyway, we had a fun lunch up there, headed back to the boats, and went home.
Sunday morning Sarah and I ran again and then headed over to the Farmer’s Market in the middle of Dupont Circle. The fruit was awesome – I think Sarah ate 4 peaches in 24 hours – and the atmosphere was fun too. It reminded us of Ithaca and the mountains of North Carolina as our shopping was accompanied by banjos and folk music.
Sunday night we had a potluck for all of the CIW students in celebration of our first week in the program and the beginning of our time here as interns. About half of the people in the program (around 20 students) showed up, which meant a lot of food and fun. Dishes ranged from crab legs, to salads, to homemade enchiladas. It was a good way to end a great first week in Washington.
Posted: Fall 2006