Some of the worst state mottoes:

Kentucky had two, one promoting it's mediocrity: "Oh Kentucky, You'll come to love it!" That sounds like they're just trying to set you up for disappointment, or get you to have really low expectations so you'll be pleasantly surprised. The other one: "The uncommon wealth of Kentucky" (get it, because they're the Commonwealth of Kentucky?" just gives me the heebie-jeebies for some reason. Like uncommon wealth in what, NECROMANCY?

There was a really bad Tennessee one too...thinking...

I had to go back and look it up in the boxes of maps. "Tennessee...Sounds good to me!" Like we're driving down the highway not knowing where to go, our options are Alabama, Missippi, Kentucky, etc...Meh, we'll take what's left over. Tennessee sounds good enough. I guess. Fail.

Grrrrr...

The Washington Center is the organization that is running my internship program. It is a DOT/government funded program, but TWC handles all of the logistics. So they are in charge of our paychecks. I submitted everything for direct deposit weeks ago, but all the interns had to pick up their first check in person. At the TWC office. Which is oh so very far from the closest metro station. At least it's a nice neighborhood. So at the orientation, one of the program advisors told all of us that they would be able to stay open a little late for a couple of days so interns could come pick up their checks. He also said that for the interns living in the TWC residential facility (where I'm living), somone wuld be able to drop off their checks with the concierge. Awesome.

So here we are yesterday on check day. I work every day all the hours the TWC office is open, so I'm counting on being able to get the check at my bldg or go late one day to the office. I hadn't heard anything about that though, so I emailed both my advisor and the advisor who had made the above statements to ask about it. They both reply and so "Nope, sorry, you have to come between 9:00 and 5:30. NO LATER. WE WILL NOT BE HERE. And we can't take them to the building you stay at. All of this is for SECURITY REASONS!!!" Me: "But you said...!" Them: "WE LIED!!!". Ok, that's fine, I worked over on Monday, and I took a short lunch today (which, remember, in the story is really Tuesday, not Wednesday like today really is), so I'm fine to leave a little early. I figure I'll leave at 5, metro up to Dupont, and walk over, figuring I would make it right on time. Wrong. I got to Dupont right at 5:25, and then still had a walk of about 6-7 blocks, which for some reason took forever. I did pass the founding church of Scientology on the way though, so now I know where it is when I make my visit. So I got to the door (dripping sweat, I'm sure, because I was attempting to book it, but the air was so thick and disgusting that I could barely manage a brisk walk), but the door was closed, and there was another girl just standing in front of it looking forlorn, so I assumed I was too late, they were closed. BUT THEN! The door opened, and she walked in, so I rushed to grab the door before it closed. Inside the very nice newly redone foyer (so this is what all the undergrads' $10,000 for a summer term is going to!) (seriously, $10,000!), I stood and waited for someone to come. Finally, someone did, and I told her I was there to pick up my check. "Ok, but if you come again, remember we close at 5:30, I'm only here now because we have an event tonight." Smarmy lady. Seriously. Do you not see my sweaty face? Is it not clear that I was doing all I could to make it by 5:30? AND, for all their talk about security, when I started pulling out my wallet and asked "Do you need to see ID?", she replied "Oh, I probably should have been asking for ID from all the other people who came to pick up their checks. How about this, just to check that you're you, what's your first name? Hahahahahaha just kidding" In that moment I wanted to just smack her smug little face. I'm so mean. So I got my check, had a nice leisurely walk back to the station, and went home. End of frustration? NO. The TWC had one final jab for m this morning when I got to work and received this email from my advisor:

"Hi All –
I will be at DOT today for office hours from 11-noon in room E63-124. If you have not already picked up your pay check I can bring it to you. But you MUST respond to this email and let me know that you want me to sign it out and bring it to you. I will only be there from 11-noon so please make sure you come during that time.
Nicole"

You have GOT. TO BE KIDDING ME. After all the back and forth I had with her about how hard it was going to be to get my check, she waits until the last minute to announce that this was an option? All my frustration. FOR NOTHING.

The Weepies

Not the best performance, but this has been (and will continue to be) one of my favorite songs for a very long time. It just...feels right. Like everything is ok in the world.

ALSO

This was the ...sign? logo? that I made for my shop on etsy in which I am selling nothing. AT LEAST I'M READY, OK?

I wish it had a bird in a tree in it, but I'm not that talented with computer art programs.

I should probably wait until the good camera charges so I can take some better pictures of this, but I'm very impatient, and I need an opinion now. NOW. I'm making a book for a friend's wedding and I can't settle on the color of book cloth to use. And yes I realize that there may be some of you that warrant such a gift, but this is a recent trend and I'll get around to it.

Anyways, her colors are burgandy and pink and ivory (I think) and I found this pretty japanese paper that was the best combination of all of those. I originally bought ivory cloth to go with it.

I also bought some red cloth that (in real life) pretty exactly matches the burgundy/red color in the paper. I actually bought it for the book I'll be making for Craig and Nicole's wedding (yes, to all those of you who don't know, which shouldn't be any of you, Craig's getting married. I'm officially a spinster).

But then, on another trip to Paper Source in a different location, I bought some different cloth that I actually like better for Craig and Nicole's book, but which I realized also looks kind of fabulous with this paper for this book. It's a little darker than the other red and is very shiny, more like a satin-type cloth that the matte basic coarser weave of the first two choices (and of typical bookcloth for you bookbinders).

And now I have too many choices and I can't decide. The ivory might be nice, but as it's ivory and get's dirty easily, I would make the case out of one of the red cloths. Or should I just choose one of the reds and do that for the whole thing? But which red? I DON'T KNOW. I do like the color of the first red better, it matches more exactly, but the finish of the second one is so much prettier. Or is red too bold and I should just stick with ivory?

Or be boring and go with black or brown. Or natural. Or purple ooooooo.

Usually I am awesome with these things, but this paper isn't something I would choose on my own (though I know she'll love it) so I don't know what would work best.

Edit: And actually after publishing this post, these pictures are just too crappy. I will try and take some better ones tomorrow. Phones aren't good cameras. Go figure.

I'm losing my mind

Tonight I was doing a bunch of random stuff that I needed to get done, so I had the tv on in the background. It was on TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress" because you KNOW I'm an absolute junkie for pretty things, and what's prettier than designer wedding gowns? After a couple of episodes the dismal reality show "4 Weddings" came on (four brides attend eachother's weddings and then judge them and the winner gets a honeymoon). I was kind of focused so I didn't change the channel. I went on with my stuff. A couple of hours later, the episodes had cycled through. When I realized I was sitting there staring at the same episode of "4 Weddings" AGAIN, I realized something was seriously wrong. Or it was bed time. Yes I'm lame.

I think I posted about this earlier, but I was going to take an internship this summer at a national lab in WV. It wasn't the ideal internship I had been hoping for, but it was really good nonetheless. Then, after I had already accepted and turned in all my paperwork (because the due date was approaching and at the time it was the only offer I had received), I got a phone interview and several hours later an offer for another internship in DC. It also wasn't exactly what I had been hoping for, but was a good opportunity. So I had two great internships that I was kind of indifferent about, and I spent two and a half days in frantic prayers and fasting trying to decide which was right (because apparently I was taking this decision very seriously...I'm not sure why I was so worked up about it at the time). True to past form, I didn't really receive an answer and was about to reply to DC and accept (I received the offer on Wednesday and had to accept by close of business on Friday). So I composed an email in my phone accepting the DC internship around 2 pm on Friday and was about to send it, but I still didn't feel completely convinced, so I decided to wait until the last possible minute, just in case I received a 24 style high drama answer. Because 24 is exactly like the gospel. I distinctly remember composing the email sitting in my car, and I had my thumb on the "send" button and was just about to send it but I just felt something saying "hey just wait a little while longer". Then, at 4:30, just as I was walking into Hobby Lobby, I got a call. It was from the director of the National Transportation Library offering me an internship in the archives there. This was exactly the internship that I had been hoping for and had despaired of getting. She didn't even take time to talk to me and conduct any sort of interview before offering me the position (desperate for cheap labor? I don't even care) , and she sounded incredibly excited that I was available and interested. Have you ever had an interview that went really well, and you wer excited, and you could tell that they were excited, and you just felt that click? I hope so, because it's a great feeling, but that's the way this was. I am so excited that I got the internship that I wanted, which will give me some desperately needed archival experience, and it's in DC, and housing is free (to me anyways...your tax dollars at work :) ), and it's paid, and I have something to do this summer that doesn't involve manual labor. Talk about high drama answers. I was in the "well maybe he's telling me that I need to make my own decision because they're both good or maybe I'll receive confirmation afterwards" mode. Which is not a bad mode, but I love the "hey maybe I haven't answered you because there's an even BETTER option just around the corner- just be patient" mode SOOOO much more.

Of course now it's coming up soon so my terror is increasing daily because I just GET REALLY NERVOUS, OK?!??

Anyways, it was exciting. The gospel is true.