Cody and I have made it through our first anniversary apart now, which was a little weird. When people have asked me to describe it, the only word that I can come up with is anticlimactic. Not that if we were together it would be a whole day celebrating with extravagant gifts or a big vacation or something, but spending the day at work, and then going out to Chipotle with my dad for my anniversary was a little odd-- not exactly what I would have envisioned before making plans to spend the summer in Minneapolis. But, my parents anniversary is tomorrow, and my mom is in Tennessee, so I think that my dad and I will be celebrating his anniversary much in the same way that we celebrated mine.
This whole spending the summer apart thing is getting old by now. I am usually pretty good about not getting all emotional and such (after all, I hadn't shed a tear about this until last night), but I am realizing that this just kinda sucks. It's difficult to have meaningful conversations over the phone, particularly when we have been working fairly opposite shifts most of the time, meaning I am pretty sleepy by the time Cody finishes work. And, sometimes, there are simply conversations that you want to be present for, but that isn't going to happen for another several weeks until Cody comes to visit. I know it is going to be fine, but at times my optimistic view point dims a little.
On the plus side, my internship is going really well-- I have been writing several grants over the past week-- three for a program in the Philips neighborhood that I am pretty excited about, and one for a major international conference that the Foundation is hosting in 2009. And I'm learning all sorts of cool medical terminology that makes me sound like I know what I am talking about, but mostly it has been lots of research on wikipedia to give me definitions to terms like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
--brianna
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Return to Minneapolis
It has been an adjustment moving back here. Not that I expected it to be incredibly easy, but it's taking some work to get back into things here. The internship is going pretty well, though I am realizing that perhaps it would have been better if I started next week rather than last week. My boss has been incredibly busy hiring new staff members over the past several weeks, and hasn't been completely prepared for a new intern that reports directly to her.
The trip to New Ulm went well, and I managed to stay awake in the car, which felt like a major accomplishment (I was sitting in the back seat, it was gray and rainy, and we were driving through farm land, which isn't exactly anything new for me). But, because I was in the car with the president and my new boss, the vice president, I felt like potentially doing something embarrassing while sleeping wasn't what I was going for on the first day. Instead, I pinched myself when I felt like there was nothing else to distract myself with.
I have been assigned several projects to work on over the course of the summer-- looking at women's health, community health, a children's book on heart health, and potentially working on some professional education projects/documents for the medical community. But, for right now I am doing a lot of background/generic work, because none of these projects have a particular direction yet. I have been working on ideas, and sending them to my boss, but it looks like this week's meeting has been pushed back until next week, so it could be awhile yet until I have a better sense of direction.
On the plus side, this has meant that I can leave the office early every day to read articles/do research from coffee shops. I have been getting into the office between 7 and 7:30 in the morning, and leaving around 2 or 3, doing research from whatever coffee shop I feel like working from after that (and this has been a great way to avoid rush hour traffic). I even convinced my boss to let me take Friday off so I could go cheer my cousin on at the state track meet in the morning, and work from home in the afternoon.
It's been weird to realize that Cody and I will be celebrating our first anniversary apart though next week. I think that isn't going to be very much fun. My dad jokingly suggested that we call each other on skype while eating dinner as a mini-celebration. Oh well, I guess we can celebrate together next year!
But, Cody will be in town a month from today, and that is giving me something to look forward to. It also helps that I am making lots of plans to spend time with various friends that I haven't seen since last summer or Christmas. It's keeping me distracted (unlike last week, when I was bored out of my mind every night).
Now back to the research.
The trip to New Ulm went well, and I managed to stay awake in the car, which felt like a major accomplishment (I was sitting in the back seat, it was gray and rainy, and we were driving through farm land, which isn't exactly anything new for me). But, because I was in the car with the president and my new boss, the vice president, I felt like potentially doing something embarrassing while sleeping wasn't what I was going for on the first day. Instead, I pinched myself when I felt like there was nothing else to distract myself with.
I have been assigned several projects to work on over the course of the summer-- looking at women's health, community health, a children's book on heart health, and potentially working on some professional education projects/documents for the medical community. But, for right now I am doing a lot of background/generic work, because none of these projects have a particular direction yet. I have been working on ideas, and sending them to my boss, but it looks like this week's meeting has been pushed back until next week, so it could be awhile yet until I have a better sense of direction.
On the plus side, this has meant that I can leave the office early every day to read articles/do research from coffee shops. I have been getting into the office between 7 and 7:30 in the morning, and leaving around 2 or 3, doing research from whatever coffee shop I feel like working from after that (and this has been a great way to avoid rush hour traffic). I even convinced my boss to let me take Friday off so I could go cheer my cousin on at the state track meet in the morning, and work from home in the afternoon.
It's been weird to realize that Cody and I will be celebrating our first anniversary apart though next week. I think that isn't going to be very much fun. My dad jokingly suggested that we call each other on skype while eating dinner as a mini-celebration. Oh well, I guess we can celebrate together next year!
But, Cody will be in town a month from today, and that is giving me something to look forward to. It also helps that I am making lots of plans to spend time with various friends that I haven't seen since last summer or Christmas. It's keeping me distracted (unlike last week, when I was bored out of my mind every night).
Now back to the research.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
"Signs of the Time" or "My Own Personal Apocalypse"
Ok, so maybe the title of this post is a little over the top, but for those of you who have followed along with this blog, you know my feelings about going to New York City. In the past there have been events that made me wish that I could suck it up, make the trip down and enjoy such rarities as the debut of Sufjan Stevens' first orchestral composition, the premier of Sigur Ros' movie, and even tapings of the Daily Show/Colbert Report. In the end, it turns out, all it took to actually get me down there: boredom.
As some of you may know, Bri flew out last week Saturday to move back to Minneapolis for the summer. After having Monday and Tuesday off from work, I was about ready to lose my mind with boredom, so when my work schedule opened up for Thursday, and a friend asked me if I wanted to drive down and see a Yankees game, I think I temporary blacked out and said "YES!" When I came back to my senses, I realized that I had just committed to waking up before 6 AM, driving 4+ hours, (culminating in driving across Manhattan) and then driving back to the same day, all in the name of watching a team that, in my mind, represents all that is evil in the world of baseball. Call me crazy, I will simply defend that boredom does strange things to people. Add to that the fact that I have only ever seen pro baseball in the Metrodome and you will understand that it was my duty as a lover of baseball to see the game played the way it was meant to, outside, in a truly historic stadium that is going to be torn down at the end of this season.
So, that said, I woke up bright and early Thursday morning and began my great adventure. To give a little context, the real purpose of this trip was to drop my friends wife off at MOMA for a conference. (To all of you who have never been to the "City", MOMA is the Museum of Modern Art.) My friend Peter, our driver/instigator for this trip had never actually driven in Manhattan, and had only been to NYC once before, but assured me that all would be well thanks to the onboard navigation system, and his understanding that you have be ok with a little vehicle to vehicle contact.
I managed to keep my rising fear, and questions of sanity in check for the better part of the drive. As we came up on the George Washington Bridge, my only thought was, "Huh, so this is the place they get all the EZ Pass information from to determine if somebody was in the City to commit a murder on all those Law and Order episodes I have been watching recently." Ironically, I began to realize that most of my reference points for the city were actually from Law and Order episodes, and my old family tradition of playing Monopoly.
We made it to MOMA without incident, then proceeded to head north. I began recognizing street names: Broadway, Park Place, Lexington Ave, 5th Ave (I could have made that last one up, I don't remember if I actually crossed it, it just sounds right.) Finally we parked near 87th st, hopped the #4 express to the Bronx and found ourselves outside Yankee Stadium.
Our seats were up high, but behind home plate, and let me tell you, there is nothing quite like seeing a baseball game outside while you are being dive bombed by pigeons. I am not kidding, the first time one of those suckers dove down from above my head towards the field, I jumped out of my seat a little bit. I am used to only paper airplanes and the occasional beach ball in these settings, not birds.
The game itself was quite good, the Yankees took and early lead, then the Blue Jays came back, then the Yankees made a mistake and the Jays took a decent lead. It all came down to the 9th with two outs, one man on and Jason Giambi at the plate. Caveat, I can't stand Jason Giambi. He may be the player I most despise in baseball. Some of it has to do with the team he plays for, some of it has to do with the way he carries himself, a lot has to do with that wicked creepy mustache he is sporting right now. Anywho, Giambi steps to the plate and proceeds to crush a ball to right field that manages to stay fair. A walk off home run. Many of you may criticize me for what I am about to say, some may never speak to me again, all I can say is this. When you are in Yankee stadium, watching one of the last 50 games that will ever be played there, understanding all of the history involved in that building and you see a walk-off home run with 2 outs, you stand up and cheer, not necessarily for the players involved, or the win, but for the fact that you just got to see one of the coolest things in baseball in a truly historic place.
We made it back down to Manhattan without much incident, and back to Ithaca before too late at night. I survived. And to top it off, I didn't hate it and the world didn't end. Now I have to face the fact that I have to go there again, because Brianna says that if I survived it once, I can survive it twice.
As some of you may know, Bri flew out last week Saturday to move back to Minneapolis for the summer. After having Monday and Tuesday off from work, I was about ready to lose my mind with boredom, so when my work schedule opened up for Thursday, and a friend asked me if I wanted to drive down and see a Yankees game, I think I temporary blacked out and said "YES!" When I came back to my senses, I realized that I had just committed to waking up before 6 AM, driving 4+ hours, (culminating in driving across Manhattan) and then driving back to the same day, all in the name of watching a team that, in my mind, represents all that is evil in the world of baseball. Call me crazy, I will simply defend that boredom does strange things to people. Add to that the fact that I have only ever seen pro baseball in the Metrodome and you will understand that it was my duty as a lover of baseball to see the game played the way it was meant to, outside, in a truly historic stadium that is going to be torn down at the end of this season.
So, that said, I woke up bright and early Thursday morning and began my great adventure. To give a little context, the real purpose of this trip was to drop my friends wife off at MOMA for a conference. (To all of you who have never been to the "City", MOMA is the Museum of Modern Art.) My friend Peter, our driver/instigator for this trip had never actually driven in Manhattan, and had only been to NYC once before, but assured me that all would be well thanks to the onboard navigation system, and his understanding that you have be ok with a little vehicle to vehicle contact.
I managed to keep my rising fear, and questions of sanity in check for the better part of the drive. As we came up on the George Washington Bridge, my only thought was, "Huh, so this is the place they get all the EZ Pass information from to determine if somebody was in the City to commit a murder on all those Law and Order episodes I have been watching recently." Ironically, I began to realize that most of my reference points for the city were actually from Law and Order episodes, and my old family tradition of playing Monopoly.
We made it to MOMA without incident, then proceeded to head north. I began recognizing street names: Broadway, Park Place, Lexington Ave, 5th Ave (I could have made that last one up, I don't remember if I actually crossed it, it just sounds right.) Finally we parked near 87th st, hopped the #4 express to the Bronx and found ourselves outside Yankee Stadium.
Our seats were up high, but behind home plate, and let me tell you, there is nothing quite like seeing a baseball game outside while you are being dive bombed by pigeons. I am not kidding, the first time one of those suckers dove down from above my head towards the field, I jumped out of my seat a little bit. I am used to only paper airplanes and the occasional beach ball in these settings, not birds.
The game itself was quite good, the Yankees took and early lead, then the Blue Jays came back, then the Yankees made a mistake and the Jays took a decent lead. It all came down to the 9th with two outs, one man on and Jason Giambi at the plate. Caveat, I can't stand Jason Giambi. He may be the player I most despise in baseball. Some of it has to do with the team he plays for, some of it has to do with the way he carries himself, a lot has to do with that wicked creepy mustache he is sporting right now. Anywho, Giambi steps to the plate and proceeds to crush a ball to right field that manages to stay fair. A walk off home run. Many of you may criticize me for what I am about to say, some may never speak to me again, all I can say is this. When you are in Yankee stadium, watching one of the last 50 games that will ever be played there, understanding all of the history involved in that building and you see a walk-off home run with 2 outs, you stand up and cheer, not necessarily for the players involved, or the win, but for the fact that you just got to see one of the coolest things in baseball in a truly historic place.
We made it back down to Manhattan without much incident, and back to Ithaca before too late at night. I survived. And to top it off, I didn't hate it and the world didn't end. Now I have to face the fact that I have to go there again, because Brianna says that if I survived it once, I can survive it twice.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Details!
I finally have a little bit of information to work off of! Woo hoo! I will start Monday morning at 8 am, I have an address, a suite number, and directions on where to park, which is a good start. Apparently shortly after I arrive we will be leaving to spend the day in New Ulm for a project that they are starting, and I will get the details of what we are doing/I'm doing on the car ride down.
Nothing like quickly learning the ropes! I'm thinking a car trip with my new boss will be a good way to get to know her quickly-- and hopefully its not too awkward. I have no idea who we are meeting with or how long the meetings will be, but I am thinking it is an all day thing. The internship and summer in Minneapolis is starting to seem more real now.
Now I just need to finish packing!
--brianna
Nothing like quickly learning the ropes! I'm thinking a car trip with my new boss will be a good way to get to know her quickly-- and hopefully its not too awkward. I have no idea who we are meeting with or how long the meetings will be, but I am thinking it is an all day thing. The internship and summer in Minneapolis is starting to seem more real now.
Now I just need to finish packing!
--brianna
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Last Few Days
I leave for Minneapolis on Saturday morning, which isn't very far away. I have managed to adjust to the time off to relax and enjoy life, so it seems weird to be leaving, even though I'm looking forward to the internship. I still don't have any details on the internship, other than that I start on Monday (don't know where I'm going, other than the address on the website, don't know what time to show up, anything).
I have been attempting to practice the art of polite email reminders to the future boss on getting me the details without being rude. I think if I don't hear anything by Thursday afternoon, I will at least ask for the where and when info. But, as my mom pointed out, if I don't have any details, they can't have any expectations of things I should know, which is at least a little helpful.
Cody and I have been attempting to spend time together and with our friends before I go, which has been fun. I managed to make it to Moosewood for lunch today, the first time I had been there. It was fun, good food-- I got the vegan ratatouille, which was pretty dang good.
The packing thing hasn't actually started yet, but I think I will work on it this afternoon. The plan is to watch a chick flick and pack while Cody is at work, before meeting some friends for a movie later. Hopefully I will maintain my motivation to get some packing done, or I think I may end up packing until Friday night, which means that I will be completely sleep deprived on my way to Minneapolis. And, I have to say, the prospect of needing to get up early in the morning next week to fight rush hour traffic into Minneapolis for work is not too thrilling. And, I haven't started readjusting my sleep schedule yet. Maybe soon, or maybe not. We'll see.
--brianna
I have been attempting to practice the art of polite email reminders to the future boss on getting me the details without being rude. I think if I don't hear anything by Thursday afternoon, I will at least ask for the where and when info. But, as my mom pointed out, if I don't have any details, they can't have any expectations of things I should know, which is at least a little helpful.
Cody and I have been attempting to spend time together and with our friends before I go, which has been fun. I managed to make it to Moosewood for lunch today, the first time I had been there. It was fun, good food-- I got the vegan ratatouille, which was pretty dang good.
The packing thing hasn't actually started yet, but I think I will work on it this afternoon. The plan is to watch a chick flick and pack while Cody is at work, before meeting some friends for a movie later. Hopefully I will maintain my motivation to get some packing done, or I think I may end up packing until Friday night, which means that I will be completely sleep deprived on my way to Minneapolis. And, I have to say, the prospect of needing to get up early in the morning next week to fight rush hour traffic into Minneapolis for work is not too thrilling. And, I haven't started readjusting my sleep schedule yet. Maybe soon, or maybe not. We'll see.
--brianna
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Beginning of the Summer
So, the summer has unofficially begun! I realize that technically the seasons don't change for awhile yet, but the celebrating has started. It began Friday night when I went to a party with some friends to celebrate the end of the semester, and making it through the econ final that morning. It is the first time in my life I have been to a party that the cops came to. It was a little odd to be the first one to be told that the cops were coming (by some people out on the porch), but they were only there because the neighbors were complaining about how loud the music was. It still seemed a little surreal, and somehow typical of the college experience that I did not experience at Bethel.
Cody and I spent Saturday and Sunday in Skaneateles, which was a lot of fun, and a nice chance to relax. It would have been better if the weather had cooperated, but no such luck. We still enjoyed the town though,and the opportunity to check out some new restaurants.
Now I just need to figure out what to do with the free time that I have. I spent the day on Monday cleaning-- its amazing how last week every day seemed like there weren't enough hours in the day, and this week I don't know what to do with the time that I have. I'm sure I will adjust, and can't get too bored when I start my new internship. Well, that's about all, it hasn't been too exciting here.
--brianna
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Almost Done
Well, I have made it through most of finals week relatively unscathed. The only class I have left is International Trade Policy, where I will hand in a paper tomorrow morning as I begin my final exam at 9:00. The paper is almost done, and the studying at least has been started. However, I will be incredibly thankful when the week is over and I can sleep stress-free, without questioning if I emailed in the right version of the paper to the professor before I went to sleep (yes, this actually happened, at 4 am earlier this week, and I needed to check my email as soon as I got up in the morning to make sure that it was the correct draft, which it was).
And, to celebrate being done, and an excuse to get out of Ithaca, Cody and I have decided to spend Saturday and Sunday in Skaneateles, a small town on one of the nearby lakes. I'm looking forward to getting away at least for a little while, and Skaneateles reportedly has a number of good restaurants, so now we just need to decide which ones to visit!
It's less than 2 1/2 weeks until I leave, which seems nuts. Hopefully Cody will find out soon when he can get some vacation time this summer, so he can get a plane ticket to Minnesota. The goal is for sometime in July. I haven't heard any more details on my internship yet, but I am hoping to hear soon. When I have a better idea of the projects I will be working on, I think I will feel better prepared. But, I also realize that some of this may get figured out once I get there.
But for now, I am simply trying to stay motivated until tomorrow and enjoy life in Ithaca for the next couple of weeks, by doing things like visiting the farmer's market before I go, hopefully making it to moosewoods at least once, and taking walks through the gorge.
--brianna
And, to celebrate being done, and an excuse to get out of Ithaca, Cody and I have decided to spend Saturday and Sunday in Skaneateles, a small town on one of the nearby lakes. I'm looking forward to getting away at least for a little while, and Skaneateles reportedly has a number of good restaurants, so now we just need to decide which ones to visit!
It's less than 2 1/2 weeks until I leave, which seems nuts. Hopefully Cody will find out soon when he can get some vacation time this summer, so he can get a plane ticket to Minnesota. The goal is for sometime in July. I haven't heard any more details on my internship yet, but I am hoping to hear soon. When I have a better idea of the projects I will be working on, I think I will feel better prepared. But, I also realize that some of this may get figured out once I get there.
But for now, I am simply trying to stay motivated until tomorrow and enjoy life in Ithaca for the next couple of weeks, by doing things like visiting the farmer's market before I go, hopefully making it to moosewoods at least once, and taking walks through the gorge.
--brianna
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