new realities

Sorry that it has been a little while-I swear I am trying my best to keep up with this. I have really been looking forward to writing another post, yet I have been so swamped and exhausted lately that I haven't had a moment to breathe. Which leads me to realization #1: I actually want a 9-5 job. Now, this is not to say that I want a mindless paper-pushing cubicle job where I sit in my business casual for eight hours minus the lunch break and the staff meetings. Rather, I simply yearn for the ability to be home by dinner time and to have my weekends off. Currently, my schedule is kind of insane. I'll walk you through it.

1) Wake up at 8:30. Put on coffee. Take a shower. Eat breakfast, watch CNN.

-This is my favorite part of the day, and no matter how early I have to wake up, I make sure I have time for a good breakfast, a hot cup of coffee, and at least 30 minutes to watch the news.

2) Walk to the metro and head to the Smithsonian. Work from 10-3

-This internship varies from being awesome to being...not so awesome. For instance, one of my assignments was to research the Gullah, an African American community that resides in Georgia/North Carolina and are known for preserving more of their African linguistic/cultural heritage than any other African-American community in the U.S. I got to read about this fascinating group for hours, write up summaries of films that we're showing, and research books that the museum should buy as part of a suggested reading list.

On this flip side, my current project is taking the Smithsonian handbook--a confidential,crazy important 700 page binder--and making 16 replicas for some committee. So let's do some math: 700 pages x 16 copies = 11,200 pieces of paper that I have to make copies of. And reorganize into the correct order. And re-hole punch (no one told me the copy machine could do that..damnit).

3) Walk to the metro, and head out to Bethesda for work

-I try to read on the metro since I am always too tired to do so when I'm home, but I usually just fall asleep.

4) Work from 4:30-close, which can vary from 10pm to 11:30.

-Light candles, polish silverware, sweep, mop, serve tables, pour wine, constantly sneak pieces of bread and butter, go slightly delirious, hopefully make some money.

5) Usually go out afterwards. This is what kills me in the end, but I am making so many new friends and there is always a lot going on! I have fun, but it all comes with a price. Why? Well, because even though the next day is Saturday, I have work from 8-4:30. And it will be very busy. And I will be very hungover and going on five hours of sleep.

With all this being said, I wouldn't trade anything for being in D.C. right now. It's sort of a rite of passage after graduating to submit yourself to a crazy schedule, and I am still enjoying myself immensely. Moreover, it really hasn't hit me yet that this is LIFE, a life I am choosing for myself, and that I have the ability (more or less) to form it any which way.

This is kind of cool. And crazy.

That's all the rambling I'll do for now. For a future sneak peak, I plan on posting realization #2 soon, along with reasons as to why I am loving autumn so far.

Cheers!