This just in: tomorrow I will be starring in my first film since we shot that "Worst Day Ever" movie for English in 6th grade where a fake bird shat on Rachel's head and we wrote the credits on a roll of paper towels.
My follow-up role is going to be starring as a "what not to do" voter in a short viral video about election day. And don't worry, I promise to post it here, even if it's embarrassing.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Time for Another Edition of KHB Fun Facts
After that heavy political post (think about it - if it's impossible for you to stop thinking about the election wherever you are, imagine being in DC), I figured it was time for some light-hearted facts about my first week here. Sorry about the swearing, Mom & Dad.
Firstly, I have run into more Cornell folks then I know what to do with. I met a guy who is a junior in ILR because we were both wearing Ithaca garb at the gym, I met two dudes on the street who were talking about applying to Cornell (again, ILR), and at the Book Festival, I met a family of former Ithaca residents who's little girl was wearing a map of I-town on her shirt. Ithaca isn't just gorges, Ithaca is everywhere. (Important to note: why has no one in Ithaca mailed me an "Obama is Gorges" shirt yet???)
Other fun facts: every day on the way to work, I walk by a private elementary school that is entirely arts-based. They have some awesome artwork hanging up outside the school, so I can't wait to go to the open house they're having next week.
I've applied to a couple interesting jobs including some at the Smithsonian and, importantly, at the Spy Museum.
I found a used bookstore and a gym a couple blocks down the street from me. What could be better? Probably my boss taking me out to California Pizza Kitchen instead of working (don't worry, we made the time up...), and then going salsa dancing after work.
Tomorrow I'm going up to Adams Morgan for an "alternative crafts fair" called Crafty Bastards, and on Monday I'm going to see Rusted Root at the 9:30 Club. Life is awesome.
38 days to go
I live on Capitol Hill now. Not like the lawmakers and policy pushers that live in their offices and work on Saturday nights, of course. I actually live here.
Last night there was a seemingly endless array of cop cars parked on every street surrounding the Capitol Building as the People Who (are supposed to) Represent us duked it out. The tension is absolutely palpable around here. Republicans prattle into cell phones about how the House is making the bail out impassible; protesters preach outside on the lawn waving signs that say "No bail outs for billionaires". Strangers wearing Obama gear give each other sly thumbs up. People wearing no political garb at all stop me in the street to tell me how my Obama pin makes them angry. Last night a bouncer told me "I'm pro-life and I'm voting for McCain. What are you gonna do about it?" Mostly just pay you $5 to get into your bar, but, you know.
It rained on the National Book Festival today, but I stuck it out and met Neil Gaimen without embarrassing myself (seriously! I was so proud) and heard R. L. Stine read from the latest Goosebumps spin-off. When the rain cleared, there was a beautiful rainbow that landed right in a big pot of gold - the Senate side of the Capitol. Everyone in line with me started joking "It's a sign! The economy's fixed! Rainbows don't lie!"
Everyone watched the debate last night. Unable to bear the thought of watching it with the building's plethora of Republicans, I went to Adams Morgan with my new friend Laura from Sweden to watch the debate with her friends. All of her friends are from outside the US, so the crowd was completely pro-Obama (doesn't that say something?) and putting a lot of pressure on me to vote (come on!). It really puts things in perspective, doesn't it? I was in a room of maybe 15 people, all from entirely different countries, and all of them care about our presidential race.
Tonight I sat through a painful dinner conversation as the R's I live with spoke their warped view of the world. Some of it was interesting - they admitted being disgusted with Bush for lying about why we are in Iraq, though they do believe we need to be there. Some of it was boring - Obama's foreign policy sucks, from the mouths of people willing to vote for Sarah Palin. But some of it...some of it is just down right mind blowing.
"I think a terrorist attack would be really good for John McCain's campaign," said one of his supporters tonight. I know, I know - McCain's adviser said it first. But hearing from the mouth of someone I share a dinner table with is different. It's not some ambiguous politico talking head anymore. It's a person. And I sit there, screaming on the inside, HOW can you support him when that's the line, that's the truth? How can you know that having a couple thousand people die will help your candidate and not realize that you are supporting the bad guys? How can you sleep at night? What is it going to take, voters of the once-United States? What is it going to take?
Working at my internship does make me feel better and even, as Obama would have it, hopeful. My job is to help our activists campaign for Obama, by giving them materials, resources and different ways to get involved with the campaign. I talk to people every day that have gotten so fed up with our hands-off political process that they feel compelled to get involved personally and bring about (another great Obama word) change. They're sick and tired of living in fear of Bush: the Second Coming, and they are starting to demand action from their friends, classmates and neighbors. Every time I speak with a volunteer, I feel like we're going to win. Maybe we've all been down so long it just looks like up to me.
Or maybe by one vote, one phone call, one person at a time, we're actually going to win.
Last night there was a seemingly endless array of cop cars parked on every street surrounding the Capitol Building as the People Who (are supposed to) Represent us duked it out. The tension is absolutely palpable around here. Republicans prattle into cell phones about how the House is making the bail out impassible; protesters preach outside on the lawn waving signs that say "No bail outs for billionaires". Strangers wearing Obama gear give each other sly thumbs up. People wearing no political garb at all stop me in the street to tell me how my Obama pin makes them angry. Last night a bouncer told me "I'm pro-life and I'm voting for McCain. What are you gonna do about it?" Mostly just pay you $5 to get into your bar, but, you know.
It rained on the National Book Festival today, but I stuck it out and met Neil Gaimen without embarrassing myself (seriously! I was so proud) and heard R. L. Stine read from the latest Goosebumps spin-off. When the rain cleared, there was a beautiful rainbow that landed right in a big pot of gold - the Senate side of the Capitol. Everyone in line with me started joking "It's a sign! The economy's fixed! Rainbows don't lie!"
Everyone watched the debate last night. Unable to bear the thought of watching it with the building's plethora of Republicans, I went to Adams Morgan with my new friend Laura from Sweden to watch the debate with her friends. All of her friends are from outside the US, so the crowd was completely pro-Obama (doesn't that say something?) and putting a lot of pressure on me to vote (come on!). It really puts things in perspective, doesn't it? I was in a room of maybe 15 people, all from entirely different countries, and all of them care about our presidential race.
Tonight I sat through a painful dinner conversation as the R's I live with spoke their warped view of the world. Some of it was interesting - they admitted being disgusted with Bush for lying about why we are in Iraq, though they do believe we need to be there. Some of it was boring - Obama's foreign policy sucks, from the mouths of people willing to vote for Sarah Palin. But some of it...some of it is just down right mind blowing.
"I think a terrorist attack would be really good for John McCain's campaign," said one of his supporters tonight. I know, I know - McCain's adviser said it first. But hearing from the mouth of someone I share a dinner table with is different. It's not some ambiguous politico talking head anymore. It's a person. And I sit there, screaming on the inside, HOW can you support him when that's the line, that's the truth? How can you know that having a couple thousand people die will help your candidate and not realize that you are supporting the bad guys? How can you sleep at night? What is it going to take, voters of the once-United States? What is it going to take?
Working at my internship does make me feel better and even, as Obama would have it, hopeful. My job is to help our activists campaign for Obama, by giving them materials, resources and different ways to get involved with the campaign. I talk to people every day that have gotten so fed up with our hands-off political process that they feel compelled to get involved personally and bring about (another great Obama word) change. They're sick and tired of living in fear of Bush: the Second Coming, and they are starting to demand action from their friends, classmates and neighbors. Every time I speak with a volunteer, I feel like we're going to win. Maybe we've all been down so long it just looks like up to me.
Or maybe by one vote, one phone call, one person at a time, we're actually going to win.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Finding Balance in Washington D.C.
It's official; I'm in Washington. So here are some basic updates.
Living('s easy): I moved into the place that I'm staying which will henceforth be referred to as "the nunnery". It's extremely close to the Capitol Building and all the Senate offices. As a result, the street is patrolled 24/7 by the DC police department AND the Secret Service. Now, I know the Secret Service aren't there to protect me, per say, but it is rather reassuring to know that were something to go down, everyone and their mom would be there to step in. It's a nice building and I've met lots of people. A lot of them are Republican, which I honestly wasn't expecting. As a bleeding heart liberal, feminist, anti-capitalist, environmentalist troublemaker, this is very, very different for me. I've always been surrounded by people like me (except for that time I accidentally dated a Republican. Read my lips: never again). I'm learning to adapt. Just the same, I cannot tell a lie and none of them seem impressed by...
My Work: I started my internship on Monday, and so far I've been enjoying it. On the plus-side, I'm helping promote the Obama campaign and working to assure that we are not ruled by vengeful overlords come January. On the negative-side, it is very, very office-y - biz cas, inter-office memos, and lots of copy machine problems.
Pluses being what they are, I would still probably punch myself in the face if I had to go to an office every day. For that reason, I'm looking for a non-office based ppart time job. So I'm going to be crazy busy (at least I don't have prelims, bwahaha!!), but I think that they will all balance each other out after a while.
The Yin and the Yang. Office and outside. Young Republicans and bleeding heart liberals.
It's going to be an interesting few months.
Living('s easy): I moved into the place that I'm staying which will henceforth be referred to as "the nunnery". It's extremely close to the Capitol Building and all the Senate offices. As a result, the street is patrolled 24/7 by the DC police department AND the Secret Service. Now, I know the Secret Service aren't there to protect me, per say, but it is rather reassuring to know that were something to go down, everyone and their mom would be there to step in. It's a nice building and I've met lots of people. A lot of them are Republican, which I honestly wasn't expecting. As a bleeding heart liberal, feminist, anti-capitalist, environmentalist troublemaker, this is very, very different for me. I've always been surrounded by people like me (except for that time I accidentally dated a Republican. Read my lips: never again). I'm learning to adapt. Just the same, I cannot tell a lie and none of them seem impressed by...
My Work: I started my internship on Monday, and so far I've been enjoying it. On the plus-side, I'm helping promote the Obama campaign and working to assure that we are not ruled by vengeful overlords come January. On the negative-side, it is very, very office-y - biz cas, inter-office memos, and lots of copy machine problems.
Pluses being what they are, I would still probably punch myself in the face if I had to go to an office every day. For that reason, I'm looking for a non-office based ppart time job. So I'm going to be crazy busy (at least I don't have prelims, bwahaha!!), but I think that they will all balance each other out after a while.
The Yin and the Yang. Office and outside. Young Republicans and bleeding heart liberals.
It's going to be an interesting few months.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Obama's Heading to Washington and so am I
Many of your may already know this, but I thought I'd give an update anyway.
On Saturday (so soon!) I'm moving to Washington D.C. to work for a non-profit. I'm going to be interning in their Affiliate and National Programs Department, which is more interesting than it sounds, I promise. Basically I'm going to be working with volunteers, doing trainings and canvassing supporters in an effort to protect and secure women's reproductive rights nationwide and help get Obama & Biden elected.
I'm very excited about the internship and think it will provide me with a lot of really great experience. That said, it pays basically squat. Therefore, I'm looking into other part-time jobs. I've applied a few places including the National Council Against Domestic Violence, a few after-school youth programs, and Greenpeace.
I'm living verrrry near the Capitol Building, which is going to be interesting. I can watch all those politicians that rule the world walk around during their lunch hour and get bagel sandwiches like the rest of us. Maybe I'll get to harass some of them on behalf of women or human rights or the environment. Maybe I'll meet Dennis Kucinich! <3 National Book Festival (so I guess that's just really, really dorky love). It happens on the National Mall, which by default is also near my abode, and even though it's hosted by Laura Bush, I'm going. I need to meet Neil Gaimen to get his autograph and R.L. Stine to discern that he's real. Let me know if you want signatures, Goosebumps fans.
I'm be in D.C. during the biggest, weirdest election in memory. That in mind, I'm headed down to the County Broad of Elections to get my absentee ballot - don't forget to register for an absentee ballot if you won't be home to vote! I would remind everyone else to remember to vote as well, but I honestly don't think anyone could "forget" during this particular scenes-from-the-apocalypse election cycle.
On Saturday (so soon!) I'm moving to Washington D.C. to work for a non-profit. I'm going to be interning in their Affiliate and National Programs Department, which is more interesting than it sounds, I promise. Basically I'm going to be working with volunteers, doing trainings and canvassing supporters in an effort to protect and secure women's reproductive rights nationwide and help get Obama & Biden elected.
I'm very excited about the internship and think it will provide me with a lot of really great experience. That said, it pays basically squat. Therefore, I'm looking into other part-time jobs. I've applied a few places including the National Council Against Domestic Violence, a few after-school youth programs, and Greenpeace.
I'm living verrrry near the Capitol Building, which is going to be interesting. I can watch all those politicians that rule the world walk around during their lunch hour and get bagel sandwiches like the rest of us. Maybe I'll get to harass some of them on behalf of women or human rights or the environment. Maybe I'll meet Dennis Kucinich! <3 National Book Festival (so I guess that's just really, really dorky love). It happens on the National Mall, which by default is also near my abode, and even though it's hosted by Laura Bush, I'm going. I need to meet Neil Gaimen to get his autograph and R.L. Stine to discern that he's real. Let me know if you want signatures, Goosebumps fans.
I'm be in D.C. during the biggest, weirdest election in memory. That in mind, I'm headed down to the County Broad of Elections to get my absentee ballot - don't forget to register for an absentee ballot if you won't be home to vote! I would remind everyone else to remember to vote as well, but I honestly don't think anyone could "forget" during this particular scenes-from-the-apocalypse election cycle.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Fish Out of Water
I'm a vegetarian. I stopped eating meat at 14, mostly out of novelty. After eight years of veg-life, I've found plenty of my own, more convincing reasons to keep livin' meat free.
I also work at a steakhouse.
By any stretch of the imagination, I shouldn't be working there. I don't know a lick about fine food, I have no idea what's on tap at a bar. I don't care about cooking. I have close to no restaurant experience, and I think $60 for a two person dinner is highway robbery. Even though we serve it, I still don't really know what Orange Roughy is. I'm worse than a fish out of water. I'm a vegetarian at a steakhouse. But the shifts are fun, the people and stories are hilarious and the pay, as far as restaurant work goes, is fabulous.
Recently, I was exposed as a veggie when the kitchen staff saw me picking meat off of a piece of pizza (Yes. We're a nice restaurant, and the staff orders in pizza). The reaction of the crowd was insane.
"Why are you working in a STEAKHOUSE?!"
"Why are you a vegetarian?"
"Is it cause you like animals?"
"Do you think we're gross for eating meat!?"
"Why are you a vegetarian?"
"Are you vegan? Don't be vegan!!!!"
"She's a vegan!" (*No, I'm not.)
"WHY are you a VEGETARIAN?!"
I've been asked all of those questions a million times before, but never all at once. It was really more than I wanted to deal with, and ultimately waved everyone off with the classic reason that human beings do anything.
"Because."
So I was outed, and it was overly dramatic. Such is the world of food service.
On Friday, the head chief pulled me aside to show me the appetizers he had made for the bar that night: potato skins with cheese, chives, sour cream and bacon. Um, swell. Thanks for showing me. But wait...what's that in the corner?
"I made those without meat for you," he said, pointing.
Nothing makes you feel at home like someone cooking for you.
I also work at a steakhouse.
By any stretch of the imagination, I shouldn't be working there. I don't know a lick about fine food, I have no idea what's on tap at a bar. I don't care about cooking. I have close to no restaurant experience, and I think $60 for a two person dinner is highway robbery. Even though we serve it, I still don't really know what Orange Roughy is. I'm worse than a fish out of water. I'm a vegetarian at a steakhouse. But the shifts are fun, the people and stories are hilarious and the pay, as far as restaurant work goes, is fabulous.
Recently, I was exposed as a veggie when the kitchen staff saw me picking meat off of a piece of pizza (Yes. We're a nice restaurant, and the staff orders in pizza). The reaction of the crowd was insane.
"Why are you working in a STEAKHOUSE?!"
"Why are you a vegetarian?"
"Is it cause you like animals?"
"Do you think we're gross for eating meat!?"
"Why are you a vegetarian?"
"Are you vegan? Don't be vegan!!!!"
"She's a vegan!" (*No, I'm not.)
"WHY are you a VEGETARIAN?!"
I've been asked all of those questions a million times before, but never all at once. It was really more than I wanted to deal with, and ultimately waved everyone off with the classic reason that human beings do anything.
"Because."
So I was outed, and it was overly dramatic. Such is the world of food service.
On Friday, the head chief pulled me aside to show me the appetizers he had made for the bar that night: potato skins with cheese, chives, sour cream and bacon. Um, swell. Thanks for showing me. But wait...what's that in the corner?
"I made those without meat for you," he said, pointing.
Nothing makes you feel at home like someone cooking for you.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Thoughts on the Blog
If I'm going to do this thing right, I may as well get organized.
I'm thinking that I will create some semi-regular features, in addition to just adventure stories. Maybe things like highlighting friends that are doing particularly interesting stuff with their lives at the moment, and some posts on the practical stuff in taking a year (or whatev's) off - planning, interviewing, finding stuff to do with my new mess of a life (like blog about it). Perhaps other things. I realize I'm making this sound very formal, but let's face it: I have time on my hands.
Finally, if you start reading, be sure to say hi to me here or on facebook. I want to know who I'm talking to!
I'm thinking that I will create some semi-regular features, in addition to just adventure stories. Maybe things like highlighting friends that are doing particularly interesting stuff with their lives at the moment, and some posts on the practical stuff in taking a year (or whatev's) off - planning, interviewing, finding stuff to do with my new mess of a life (like blog about it). Perhaps other things. I realize I'm making this sound very formal, but let's face it: I have time on my hands.
Finally, if you start reading, be sure to say hi to me here or on facebook. I want to know who I'm talking to!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Musings on the "Real World", or You're Already There, my Friend.
I can't say if the concept of "delaying the real world" was made popular by Collen Kinder, but the phrase certainly was. It seems that more and more people are "delaying the real world" in hopes of something more rewarding. Why? I dunno. Maybe our generation is lazy and foolish. Maybe we've watched our parents' job-related unhappiness fester for too long. Maybe delaying the real world is just new hype on a very old story.
You can't answer a question like "why?" without first defining "what?". So what is the real world? What makes your post-graduation life "real" in comparison to your madcap college days? MTV never seemed to find much of a difference, anyway.
Here's the way I understand it. The real world involves most or all of the following: a belief that you are an adult, a belief that adults have "real jobs", a steady paycheck, a 9-5 schedule, Tuesday morning sales meetings, a 401k, commuting, marriage, kids, retirement, death and most importantly, a cubicle. That's the real world, that's the scary-ass fate that awaits us once we toss up our mortarboards and eat our last graduation weekend mini-quiche. Right?
Get real! Every part of your stupid little life is your real life, this is your real world. All of childhood, all of college and God forbid, everything you do after college. It's all you've got to work with. So it doesn't matter if you sign up for a 401k and a i-banker's salary at JP Morgan, or if you hop on a boat and sail down to Peru to help orphans. Both are very real, very important parts of the world. Referring to one path as "real" automatically implies that the other is somehow unreal. And for so many reasons, that is whack.
Placing disproportionate values on jobs has landed us with too many lawyers, politicians and celebrities and too few teachers, nurses and community organizers. It's also left my entire generation with a complex. We're trying to balance an impossible set of scales. On one side we measure trading our souls for the security of 9 to 5 jobs and the beginnings of student loan payments. On the other side, travel, adventure, a job that doesn't pay well and makes your heart sing, and a whole lot of pressure and ridicule. For being lazy, or quixotic, or selfish, or unrealistic. For being young at the turn of the millennium. We're trying to be practical and true to ourselves and trying to find something that matters and something that makes money - ideally something that does all of that. Those are the choices we're trying to balance.
"But it's not cut and dry like that, fool!" you cry. Of course it isn't. And that's my point. I've had friend after keyboard-hunched friend ask me a few variations of one theme: what's it like to be a grown-up in the real world? I don't know - but it feels a lot like being a kid in college, don't you think?
I don't want to delay or fight the real world anymore, I want to change the conversation and the vocabulary. I want to know how your life is, not your new life as an adult. I want to hear about what you're doing, the honest-to-goodness valuable thing in your life, not "the real world". Because let's face it. Regardless of where you are in your life, this is the real world and you're in it. And there's no way to delay what's already in progress.
You can't answer a question like "why?" without first defining "what?". So what is the real world? What makes your post-graduation life "real" in comparison to your madcap college days? MTV never seemed to find much of a difference, anyway.
Here's the way I understand it. The real world involves most or all of the following: a belief that you are an adult, a belief that adults have "real jobs", a steady paycheck, a 9-5 schedule, Tuesday morning sales meetings, a 401k, commuting, marriage, kids, retirement, death and most importantly, a cubicle. That's the real world, that's the scary-ass fate that awaits us once we toss up our mortarboards and eat our last graduation weekend mini-quiche. Right?
Get real! Every part of your stupid little life is your real life, this is your real world. All of childhood, all of college and God forbid, everything you do after college. It's all you've got to work with. So it doesn't matter if you sign up for a 401k and a i-banker's salary at JP Morgan, or if you hop on a boat and sail down to Peru to help orphans. Both are very real, very important parts of the world. Referring to one path as "real" automatically implies that the other is somehow unreal. And for so many reasons, that is whack.
Placing disproportionate values on jobs has landed us with too many lawyers, politicians and celebrities and too few teachers, nurses and community organizers. It's also left my entire generation with a complex. We're trying to balance an impossible set of scales. On one side we measure trading our souls for the security of 9 to 5 jobs and the beginnings of student loan payments. On the other side, travel, adventure, a job that doesn't pay well and makes your heart sing, and a whole lot of pressure and ridicule. For being lazy, or quixotic, or selfish, or unrealistic. For being young at the turn of the millennium. We're trying to be practical and true to ourselves and trying to find something that matters and something that makes money - ideally something that does all of that. Those are the choices we're trying to balance.
"But it's not cut and dry like that, fool!" you cry. Of course it isn't. And that's my point. I've had friend after keyboard-hunched friend ask me a few variations of one theme: what's it like to be a grown-up in the real world? I don't know - but it feels a lot like being a kid in college, don't you think?
I don't want to delay or fight the real world anymore, I want to change the conversation and the vocabulary. I want to know how your life is, not your new life as an adult. I want to hear about what you're doing, the honest-to-goodness valuable thing in your life, not "the real world". Because let's face it. Regardless of where you are in your life, this is the real world and you're in it. And there's no way to delay what's already in progress.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
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