Thursday, October 20, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
Hello All! Welcome back to a rousing session of random! Today we will be discussing the benefits of interstate travel! Excited yet? I should hope so! I know this seemingly boring subject sounds like a potential snooze fest but in reality it is about as exciting as my week has been and my weekend promises to be!
It was an exciting week at the Mount Vernon Hotel as we prepared for our first session of history camp next week. When deciding to apply for this internship one of the main draws for me was this history camp. I absolutely adore children and doing crafts with them. The chance to impart my love of history on them was just a plus. Needless to say, I tend to forget how much preparation goes into kid camps AND educational crafts. The undertaking has not been of gargantuan proportions but it has taken many hours filled with tedious activities. For example, Ruthie (the other intern) and myself were appointed the task of coming up with a new board game for each child to make centered around the Museum and what they learn about it during their tours and explorations of it. Ever being the game board addict and forced familial participant in family game night, I suggested a variant on one of my favorite games. "Mystery at Mount Vernon" has the same basic rules as regular Clue. All names, locations, and weapons have been changed in order to protect those involved. As Ruthie drew up the character list, I created a basic grid layout for the game board and then began the arduous task of replicating this grid on 21 slightly larger, blank canvas boards. 21. At this moment I have around 8 left to layout and have spent roughly 13-15 hours on the completed ones. I got through the 8 part mini-series, The Kennedy's, 3 episodes of Bones, and a documentary on the effects of race music and the Civil Rights movement. My brain have sufficiently depleted that I may state that I have, in fact, watched an adequate amount of television.
Besides our lovely game boards, Ruthie and I had to practice making Taffy before we attempted to do it with the children. This little project was, sadly, not as successful. Yes, we combined all the necessary ingredients and heated the sugary substance to the requisite temperature. Unfortunately, we left it on the burner a shade longer than was Kosher. Instead of the pliabley yummy taffy that could be pulled and molded, we created a sticky, crystallized, Jolly Rancher substance that, though delicious, was slightly burnt and almost broke our teeth. Taffy as a project? Nixed. Instead we have decided to replace it with Rock Candy making. Personally, I think the kids have traded up.
We worked on other lesser activities that I promise I will come back and edit in but at this very moment my head is starting to ache a smidgin and I think we are almost to Providence. Did I mention that I am currently sitting on Megabus headed to Providence, RI where I will meet up with my roommate for a exciting and relaxing weekend in Cape Cod. To the rest of you, keep reading and have a wonderful weekend.
It was an exciting week at the Mount Vernon Hotel as we prepared for our first session of history camp next week. When deciding to apply for this internship one of the main draws for me was this history camp. I absolutely adore children and doing crafts with them. The chance to impart my love of history on them was just a plus. Needless to say, I tend to forget how much preparation goes into kid camps AND educational crafts. The undertaking has not been of gargantuan proportions but it has taken many hours filled with tedious activities. For example, Ruthie (the other intern) and myself were appointed the task of coming up with a new board game for each child to make centered around the Museum and what they learn about it during their tours and explorations of it. Ever being the game board addict and forced familial participant in family game night, I suggested a variant on one of my favorite games. "Mystery at Mount Vernon" has the same basic rules as regular Clue. All names, locations, and weapons have been changed in order to protect those involved. As Ruthie drew up the character list, I created a basic grid layout for the game board and then began the arduous task of replicating this grid on 21 slightly larger, blank canvas boards. 21. At this moment I have around 8 left to layout and have spent roughly 13-15 hours on the completed ones. I got through the 8 part mini-series, The Kennedy's, 3 episodes of Bones, and a documentary on the effects of race music and the Civil Rights movement. My brain have sufficiently depleted that I may state that I have, in fact, watched an adequate amount of television.
Besides our lovely game boards, Ruthie and I had to practice making Taffy before we attempted to do it with the children. This little project was, sadly, not as successful. Yes, we combined all the necessary ingredients and heated the sugary substance to the requisite temperature. Unfortunately, we left it on the burner a shade longer than was Kosher. Instead of the pliabley yummy taffy that could be pulled and molded, we created a sticky, crystallized, Jolly Rancher substance that, though delicious, was slightly burnt and almost broke our teeth. Taffy as a project? Nixed. Instead we have decided to replace it with Rock Candy making. Personally, I think the kids have traded up.
We worked on other lesser activities that I promise I will come back and edit in but at this very moment my head is starting to ache a smidgin and I think we are almost to Providence. Did I mention that I am currently sitting on Megabus headed to Providence, RI where I will meet up with my roommate for a exciting and relaxing weekend in Cape Cod. To the rest of you, keep reading and have a wonderful weekend.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The Way It Goes
Hello all! First off, I would like to formally apologize for my significant lack of blogging. I have come to the realization that yes, I fail at updating this blog on a regular basis. Just to speed things up I am going to give you one long post so if you would please bear with me and plow through till the end. If you must in fact leave your computer for any reason or seem to find yourself falling asleep at any point whilst reading this, I do not begrudge your departure.
For the past two weeks I have been steadily researching at the New York Public Library a couple days a week. The NYPL, as I found out, has several different wings with a variety of different rules and regulations. For instance, my first day there, I went into the wrong wing of the reading rooms and tried to use my laptop...got in trouble. I hadn't realized that it was prohibited to use electronic devices in that area. As a result, I had to pack EVERYTHING up and move to the South wing. My attempt to get internet research done was a failure. If any of you have experienced the unfortunate plague of changing locations the moment you have motivation to start something, you will understand what it's like to have to move and subsequently loose ALL motivation. So after a nice lunch/coffee break in Bryant Park, I moved my entire operation to the first floor micro-forms rooms to perform the arduous task of sifting through roll after roll of early 1800s newspapers. I promise you that this mind numbing task is not as easy as it sounds. If you have never dealt with micro-form before, especially newspapers published prior to 1900, let me explain that the scans are, at times, shotty at best. As a result it takes much longer to scan for a few specific advertisements than it normally would.
Instead of spending the majority of my days at the NYPL this past week, I had to go into the museum everyday this past week. A staff meeting on Monday, docent work on Tuesday, shopping for camp on Wednesday, and group tours on Thursday. A lazy week you say? Oh no my friend, not even close. I got little to no research done in favor of getting camp stuff prepped. My other fellow, Ruthie, and I had taken inventory earlier in the summer and were now having to traps about the city finding/purchasing the remaining materials. Our final shopping stop on Wednesday was Blick. If you are an artist and order any supplies from the website, the store is just even cooler. I would have spent the entire day there if we hadn't had to get back to the East side for another meeting. :( Anyway, after our shopping extravaganza, upon our arrival back to the museum we decided to start making prototypes for each craft (easier said than done), and prepare the materials for the "Mystery at Mount Vernon" game the kids would be creating. "Mystery at Mount Vernon" is our variation on Clue. The kids get to decorate their own game boards, character cards, and game pieces based on what they learned in their tours of the museum. It would be extremely fun, but now I am rethinking the "fun factor." (I am the one who has to layout, measure off, and draw out 21 game boards. Tedious. Not fun.)
Also, I would just like to finish this post by saying that yesterday I went to the Harry Potter Exhibition AND to see Wicked. It was a phenomenal day and an amazing first experience of Broadway. Wicked was literally fantastic! We had great seats (they had better have been for the price I paid) and the cast had amazing projection. Literally one of my best experiences to date.
For the past two weeks I have been steadily researching at the New York Public Library a couple days a week. The NYPL, as I found out, has several different wings with a variety of different rules and regulations. For instance, my first day there, I went into the wrong wing of the reading rooms and tried to use my laptop...got in trouble. I hadn't realized that it was prohibited to use electronic devices in that area. As a result, I had to pack EVERYTHING up and move to the South wing. My attempt to get internet research done was a failure. If any of you have experienced the unfortunate plague of changing locations the moment you have motivation to start something, you will understand what it's like to have to move and subsequently loose ALL motivation. So after a nice lunch/coffee break in Bryant Park, I moved my entire operation to the first floor micro-forms rooms to perform the arduous task of sifting through roll after roll of early 1800s newspapers. I promise you that this mind numbing task is not as easy as it sounds. If you have never dealt with micro-form before, especially newspapers published prior to 1900, let me explain that the scans are, at times, shotty at best. As a result it takes much longer to scan for a few specific advertisements than it normally would.
Instead of spending the majority of my days at the NYPL this past week, I had to go into the museum everyday this past week. A staff meeting on Monday, docent work on Tuesday, shopping for camp on Wednesday, and group tours on Thursday. A lazy week you say? Oh no my friend, not even close. I got little to no research done in favor of getting camp stuff prepped. My other fellow, Ruthie, and I had taken inventory earlier in the summer and were now having to traps about the city finding/purchasing the remaining materials. Our final shopping stop on Wednesday was Blick. If you are an artist and order any supplies from the website, the store is just even cooler. I would have spent the entire day there if we hadn't had to get back to the East side for another meeting. :( Anyway, after our shopping extravaganza, upon our arrival back to the museum we decided to start making prototypes for each craft (easier said than done), and prepare the materials for the "Mystery at Mount Vernon" game the kids would be creating. "Mystery at Mount Vernon" is our variation on Clue. The kids get to decorate their own game boards, character cards, and game pieces based on what they learned in their tours of the museum. It would be extremely fun, but now I am rethinking the "fun factor." (I am the one who has to layout, measure off, and draw out 21 game boards. Tedious. Not fun.)
Also, I would just like to finish this post by saying that yesterday I went to the Harry Potter Exhibition AND to see Wicked. It was a phenomenal day and an amazing first experience of Broadway. Wicked was literally fantastic! We had great seats (they had better have been for the price I paid) and the cast had amazing projection. Literally one of my best experiences to date.
Happy Daddy's Day!
Happy Fathers day to all the dads out there and a special shout out to me padre. This year's Fathers Day was a little different for me. Being in New York all summer has it upsides but it also has it's downsides like missing Fathers Day and my sisters birthday. Not getting to partake in the traditional Fathers Day meal at home was a bit sad but a part of life. So instead of giving my dad his gift in person I called him and gave him my best, listening to him rub in all the scrumptious Southern food that Mom had made. So instead of spending this happy day with my father, I spent it at a bar-b-q with Joe's family. It was an interesting change (at which I ate much to much.)
This week was, by far, more eventful than than the past few weeks have been. Monday is the one day each week that the museum is officially closed to the public. So instead of doing the usual Monday ritual of mind-numbing research (just kidding about the mind-numbing bit) my supervisor, my co-intern, and I decided to take a trip over to Roosevelt Island where we would be taking the History Day campers later this summer. To get to Roosevelt Island you have to walk three blocks up to the tram on 59th, take a 15 minute tram ride across the East River, and then vuala! Roosevelt Island. For those of you who have never ventured over to Roosevelt Island (I'm assuming most of you haven't) it's well worth the trip. No there aren't any nightclubs (that I know of) and I didn't see a multitude of eateries but the view of Manhattan is GORGEOUS. The entire island is a little over four miles in circumference, I should know I walked the entire thing. Sadly, the trip to Roosevelt Island couldn't last the entire day. Around 2:00 we made the trek back to the museum to finish out the day researching.
Tuesday, I gave 3 full tours of the museum...by myself!! (Trust me, it's more exciting than it sounds.) After the first tour, which lasted about 45 minutes, I felt comfortable enough to be able to cut the next two tours down to around 30 minutes and focused more on the history of the Hotel over the objects in each room (which is becoming more of the objective of the museum.)
This week was, by far, more eventful than than the past few weeks have been. Monday is the one day each week that the museum is officially closed to the public. So instead of doing the usual Monday ritual of mind-numbing research (just kidding about the mind-numbing bit) my supervisor, my co-intern, and I decided to take a trip over to Roosevelt Island where we would be taking the History Day campers later this summer. To get to Roosevelt Island you have to walk three blocks up to the tram on 59th, take a 15 minute tram ride across the East River, and then vuala! Roosevelt Island. For those of you who have never ventured over to Roosevelt Island (I'm assuming most of you haven't) it's well worth the trip. No there aren't any nightclubs (that I know of) and I didn't see a multitude of eateries but the view of Manhattan is GORGEOUS. The entire island is a little over four miles in circumference, I should know I walked the entire thing. Sadly, the trip to Roosevelt Island couldn't last the entire day. Around 2:00 we made the trek back to the museum to finish out the day researching.
Tuesday, I gave 3 full tours of the museum...by myself!! (Trust me, it's more exciting than it sounds.) After the first tour, which lasted about 45 minutes, I felt comfortable enough to be able to cut the next two tours down to around 30 minutes and focused more on the history of the Hotel over the objects in each room (which is becoming more of the objective of the museum.)
Sunday, June 12, 2011
And On We Go
Another week has gone by in the great state of New York. Sweltering hot walks, subway rides, and minutes on platforms. Coming from Virginia and living in Williamsburg for the past two years, one would think that I would be used to high humidity and heat...I'm not. Well, at least I'm not used to wearing business causal everyday in said heat. It wouldn't be so bad if the Museum had central air but alas, historic buildings do not have that capacity. I wish I could report a week full of extremely exciting and new adventures but in reality they were few and far between. Tuesday night we had the first of the Garden Gala summer events at work. Two jazz musicians from New Orleans played an hour long concert in the Museum's garden while the interns helped take money and serve drinks. Though the crowd was small and the demographic...elderly, it was still a nice evening and the music was wonderful. The rest of the week I did more research, took inventory of craft supplies for camp, and spent my first day as a docent sitting in the gift shop talking to the two volunteers that work on Thursdays. Both are older and absolutely hilarious. The older man is basically blind and loves telling stories. The other volunteer, an older Jewish lady who's lived in Manhattan her entire life, looks and sounds exactly like Grandma Yedda from The Nanny. They feed off each other, cracking jokes, making fun of each other (and other docents), telling stories about their stints at the public libraries and various other institutions, and painting me a very vivid picture of the political spectrum within their respective families. A day that would have been quite and a tad boring was filled with amusement thanks to their vivid personalities. Instead of going into the museum on Friday, I slept in, took a later train into the city, and hopped the C up to 86th Street on the Upper West Side. The plan was to do some research at the BGC (Bard Graduate Center) where they have an extensive material culture library collection that I was hoping could aid my research. Alas, I only got through 4 of the 14 books the librarian had pulled for me but on the bright side, I'm planning on going back this week! (I must confess it's partly because there is this coffee shop a block over that I REALLY want to go to. Yes, I am a slave to the addiction that is coffee.)
This weekend I've taken some time off from my exploration schedule to catch up some work and research. Saturday, after waking up late-ish, I hung out with Joe's little sister while she study for exams and I read one of my secondary sources. It was nice to just sit in silence, listening to Adele on my iPod while I read the source (though I would have rather been reading one of the many books on my summer reading list).
Now, if ye who read my sparse blog shall permit me, I would like to delve into some personal development thoughts. Having been working for a few weeks now (it seems much longer) I have slowly come to the realization that I am not cut out to research every day, from 9-5, with little to no actual human interaction. This discovery is a bit disconcerting as my projected career path of curator requires quite a bit of research. I am beginning to question whether or not the museum field is where I should actually be or if I would even enjoy it. I know this doesn't sound like a huge deal but for someone like myself, who has had their life planned out for a very long time, it's quite scary. What am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to be? What profession will make me happy?
This weekend I've taken some time off from my exploration schedule to catch up some work and research. Saturday, after waking up late-ish, I hung out with Joe's little sister while she study for exams and I read one of my secondary sources. It was nice to just sit in silence, listening to Adele on my iPod while I read the source (though I would have rather been reading one of the many books on my summer reading list).
Now, if ye who read my sparse blog shall permit me, I would like to delve into some personal development thoughts. Having been working for a few weeks now (it seems much longer) I have slowly come to the realization that I am not cut out to research every day, from 9-5, with little to no actual human interaction. This discovery is a bit disconcerting as my projected career path of curator requires quite a bit of research. I am beginning to question whether or not the museum field is where I should actually be or if I would even enjoy it. I know this doesn't sound like a huge deal but for someone like myself, who has had their life planned out for a very long time, it's quite scary. What am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to be? What profession will make me happy?
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Catching Up
Hello again. I apologize for the silence so far this week. It is a result from a) work b) early mornings/early nights c) no time to actually use my computer d) my complete lack of motivation to actually charge said computer. So I guess this will just have to be a "catch-up" post.
So Sunday, after copious amounts of sleep on Saturday and a Memorial Day celebration the friend I am staying with over the summer, Joe, and I got up early (8 a.m.) to catch the 9:00 train into the city where we were meeting a friend from school in Soho. Excited to explore the city and see my friend, I was okay with the early morning. So we were traveling and traveling some more. (I would also like to take a moment to note that our Sunday trip was my first time taking the Subway anywhere in the United States.) Anyway we met up with our friend, Huan, and set off to find something to eat before we headed to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. I will go ahead and say that the place we found was, or so I thought, on the expensive side for brunch...in reality it was well worth the $23. L'Ecole is "The Restaurant of the French Culinary Institute and has a great two course brunch for the said $23. If you are up that way, check it out. http://www.frenchculinary.com/lecole/index.html After filling our poor stomachs to their bursting points we took the subway up to Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens was fantastic! (Technically, it's the only one I've been to so there may be some that are better. You'll have to determine for yourself.) We walked through the indoor exhibits(?), the outside park, took pictures, smelled roses. After the Botanical Gardens we went back to Soho and walked around looking into shops before deciding to go eat in the Village. If you don't know me, I'll let you in on a little secret. I like pizza. I like John's Pizza even more. Last summer when I came up to visit Joe, we went to the John's Pizza in the theater district. This time we went to the original John's. I honestly can't say which I liked better...you know what that means!!! TRY THEM AGAIN!!! We also went to MarieBelle for a delightful frozen hot chocolate. (http://mariebelle.reachlocal.com/coupon/?scid=2025217&cid=779749&tc=1106021905277060&rl_key=9b91aa963d435de63c21fd251fcc2d1f&kw=13794261&dynamic_proxy=1&primary_serv=mariebelle.reachlocal.net&pub_cr_id=10828822650) It was great! Overall Sunday was a fantastic first day in the city.
On to Monday. The dreaded day before work a.k.a. the end of summer vacation. I slept most of the day then we went to eat an early dinner with Joe's family. We had the famous "sauce" which I promise you is one of the best things ever!!! Lots of good food and good company. After a couple rounds of cards, Joe and I went back into the city to figure out my work route. The commute didn't seem to difficult or hazardous in terms of getting lost (one of my biggest concerns.) Upon figuring out my route we got onto the R. Unsure of where Joe was taking me, when I saw Parsons across the street I freaked out just a little. If you don't know, I am a HUGE fan of Project Runway and do a little happy dance every time I see Parsons. Not only did he take me to see Parsons, we also walked outside of Mood (it was closed :( .)
On to Monday. The dreaded day before work a.k.a. the end of summer vacation. I slept most of the day then we went to eat an early dinner with Joe's family. We had the famous "sauce" which I promise you is one of the best things ever!!! Lots of good food and good company. After a couple rounds of cards, Joe and I went back into the city to figure out my work route. The commute didn't seem to difficult or hazardous in terms of getting lost (one of my biggest concerns.) Upon figuring out my route we got onto the R. Unsure of where Joe was taking me, when I saw Parsons across the street I freaked out just a little. If you don't know, I am a HUGE fan of Project Runway and do a little happy dance every time I see Parsons. Not only did he take me to see Parsons, we also walked outside of Mood (it was closed :( .)
Next comes Tuesday, my first official day on the job. I woke up at 5:30 a.m., caught the 6:41 train into the city and got to work an hour early. Fail? Perhaps, but getting in so early gave me PLENTY of time to grab coffee from Starbucks! I wish I could say my first day was extremely exciting and I got to do a ton of really cool stuff...but I can't. There was lots of paperwork, docent manuals, and background history to read. I think I did as much reading that morning as I did this past semester in my colloquium. Trust me, that's a lot. I also got to meet and get to know the two other fellows I will be working with. Ruthie, a grad student at a decorative arts college in Manhattan, and Sally, a rising junior at Skidmore in upstate New York. Both are very nice and great to talk too. After lunch, which we ate in the gazebo in the beautiful garden behind the museum, we took 3 or 4 consecutive tours of the museum with the various docents that were working that afternoon. Having been to many historic homes and on multiple tours, I found myself mentally noting things I could talk about and focus on when giving the tour myself.
The rest of the week honestly consisted of shadowing more tours, working with a couple of school groups, getting our research projects, beginning said research. My favorite moments were working with the school groups. The first school tour was a group of fourth graders from St. Ignatius and blew me away with their answers and enthusiasm. They were divided up into three even groups with an equal ratio of boys to girls. Each child was assigned a character and a character bio. As we went through each room in the Hotel, the children had to figure out whether or not their characters would visit this room and what they would do there. At the end of the tour the groups converged and split themselves up into one of three categories: Workers, Male Visitors, and Female Visitors. Every child had a great time explaining who their specific character was and did to their peers. The other school activity was similar. This group, from an elementary school in the Bronx, split into groups and each group learned two different 19th century games. When they came back together in the garden each group taught the rest of the class their two games. These types of activities are really an integral part to sparking the interest of the children who visit the museum.
My research is looking at Christmas traditions and practices during the 19th century and how the changing of public opinion metamorphosed the holiday from scorned to commercialized. Withing the traditions I will be looking at, I am specifically searching for types of gifts exchanged and why gift giving was a cause of anxiousness. The research will be used to revamp Holiday programs and further the Museums knowledge of socialization methods between 19th century guests.
Yesterday was a great day off. After sleeping in a little, we got ready and caught a train into the city. Our destination: The MET. Our objective: the Alexander McQueen exhibit. So an hour and a half of standing in line and many, many people, we finally got in. The exhibit was amazing. The garments were, of course phenomenal but the thing that made the exhibit great was the way the curators had set up each room, the music used, the way the quotes were situated. (My favorite part was the use of a John Williams song from Schindler's List.) When we finally left the MET we grabbed a cupcake from this street vendor that I had heard about then we traipsed off to find dinner. Not sure of where to eat we walked 30 or so blocks downtown, finally deciding on the Brooklyn Diner. It was all right but not worth the price we paid for it. My first official week was finally complete.
So Sunday, after copious amounts of sleep on Saturday and a Memorial Day celebration the friend I am staying with over the summer, Joe, and I got up early (8 a.m.) to catch the 9:00 train into the city where we were meeting a friend from school in Soho. Excited to explore the city and see my friend, I was okay with the early morning. So we were traveling and traveling some more. (I would also like to take a moment to note that our Sunday trip was my first time taking the Subway anywhere in the United States.) Anyway we met up with our friend, Huan, and set off to find something to eat before we headed to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. I will go ahead and say that the place we found was, or so I thought, on the expensive side for brunch...in reality it was well worth the $23. L'Ecole is "The Restaurant of the French Culinary Institute and has a great two course brunch for the said $23. If you are up that way, check it out. http://www.frenchculinary.com/lecole/index.html After filling our poor stomachs to their bursting points we took the subway up to Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens was fantastic! (Technically, it's the only one I've been to so there may be some that are better. You'll have to determine for yourself.) We walked through the indoor exhibits(?), the outside park, took pictures, smelled roses. After the Botanical Gardens we went back to Soho and walked around looking into shops before deciding to go eat in the Village. If you don't know me, I'll let you in on a little secret. I like pizza. I like John's Pizza even more. Last summer when I came up to visit Joe, we went to the John's Pizza in the theater district. This time we went to the original John's. I honestly can't say which I liked better...you know what that means!!! TRY THEM AGAIN!!! We also went to MarieBelle for a delightful frozen hot chocolate. (http://mariebelle.reachlocal.com/coupon/?scid=2025217&cid=779749&tc=1106021905277060&rl_key=9b91aa963d435de63c21fd251fcc2d1f&kw=13794261&dynamic_proxy=1&primary_serv=mariebelle.reachlocal.net&pub_cr_id=10828822650) It was great! Overall Sunday was a fantastic first day in the city.
On to Monday. The dreaded day before work a.k.a. the end of summer vacation. I slept most of the day then we went to eat an early dinner with Joe's family. We had the famous "sauce" which I promise you is one of the best things ever!!! Lots of good food and good company. After a couple rounds of cards, Joe and I went back into the city to figure out my work route. The commute didn't seem to difficult or hazardous in terms of getting lost (one of my biggest concerns.) Upon figuring out my route we got onto the R. Unsure of where Joe was taking me, when I saw Parsons across the street I freaked out just a little. If you don't know, I am a HUGE fan of Project Runway and do a little happy dance every time I see Parsons. Not only did he take me to see Parsons, we also walked outside of Mood (it was closed :( .)
On to Monday. The dreaded day before work a.k.a. the end of summer vacation. I slept most of the day then we went to eat an early dinner with Joe's family. We had the famous "sauce" which I promise you is one of the best things ever!!! Lots of good food and good company. After a couple rounds of cards, Joe and I went back into the city to figure out my work route. The commute didn't seem to difficult or hazardous in terms of getting lost (one of my biggest concerns.) Upon figuring out my route we got onto the R. Unsure of where Joe was taking me, when I saw Parsons across the street I freaked out just a little. If you don't know, I am a HUGE fan of Project Runway and do a little happy dance every time I see Parsons. Not only did he take me to see Parsons, we also walked outside of Mood (it was closed :( .)
Next comes Tuesday, my first official day on the job. I woke up at 5:30 a.m., caught the 6:41 train into the city and got to work an hour early. Fail? Perhaps, but getting in so early gave me PLENTY of time to grab coffee from Starbucks! I wish I could say my first day was extremely exciting and I got to do a ton of really cool stuff...but I can't. There was lots of paperwork, docent manuals, and background history to read. I think I did as much reading that morning as I did this past semester in my colloquium. Trust me, that's a lot. I also got to meet and get to know the two other fellows I will be working with. Ruthie, a grad student at a decorative arts college in Manhattan, and Sally, a rising junior at Skidmore in upstate New York. Both are very nice and great to talk too. After lunch, which we ate in the gazebo in the beautiful garden behind the museum, we took 3 or 4 consecutive tours of the museum with the various docents that were working that afternoon. Having been to many historic homes and on multiple tours, I found myself mentally noting things I could talk about and focus on when giving the tour myself.
The rest of the week honestly consisted of shadowing more tours, working with a couple of school groups, getting our research projects, beginning said research. My favorite moments were working with the school groups. The first school tour was a group of fourth graders from St. Ignatius and blew me away with their answers and enthusiasm. They were divided up into three even groups with an equal ratio of boys to girls. Each child was assigned a character and a character bio. As we went through each room in the Hotel, the children had to figure out whether or not their characters would visit this room and what they would do there. At the end of the tour the groups converged and split themselves up into one of three categories: Workers, Male Visitors, and Female Visitors. Every child had a great time explaining who their specific character was and did to their peers. The other school activity was similar. This group, from an elementary school in the Bronx, split into groups and each group learned two different 19th century games. When they came back together in the garden each group taught the rest of the class their two games. These types of activities are really an integral part to sparking the interest of the children who visit the museum.
My research is looking at Christmas traditions and practices during the 19th century and how the changing of public opinion metamorphosed the holiday from scorned to commercialized. Withing the traditions I will be looking at, I am specifically searching for types of gifts exchanged and why gift giving was a cause of anxiousness. The research will be used to revamp Holiday programs and further the Museums knowledge of socialization methods between 19th century guests.
Yesterday was a great day off. After sleeping in a little, we got ready and caught a train into the city. Our destination: The MET. Our objective: the Alexander McQueen exhibit. So an hour and a half of standing in line and many, many people, we finally got in. The exhibit was amazing. The garments were, of course phenomenal but the thing that made the exhibit great was the way the curators had set up each room, the music used, the way the quotes were situated. (My favorite part was the use of a John Williams song from Schindler's List.) When we finally left the MET we grabbed a cupcake from this street vendor that I had heard about then we traipsed off to find dinner. Not sure of where to eat we walked 30 or so blocks downtown, finally deciding on the Brooklyn Diner. It was all right but not worth the price we paid for it. My first official week was finally complete.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Beam Me Up Scotty
First off, don't ask about the title...I just felt like saying it. :) Sorry for the short post last night but the train ride literally wiped me out. So riding trains... I've always wanted to, well, ever since I read Harry Potter. :) Anyway, I was really excited and truth be told I enjoyed the train...until we got to Jersey. Two stops away from Penn and the train broke down with engine trouble. We were already running late and I had been on it since 8:30 that morning (it was now 9). Needless to say, I am no longer a fan of Jersey. All rants aside, I got a lot of reading done, saw the "countryside", and loved the relaxed atmosphere. Though note to all those who are thinking of taking ALL their luggage as a carry-on...don't. If the bag is heavy and a little wide, it's just more of a pain than checking it. Upon my arrival at Penn Station, I gladly departed the train into the chaos that is New York at night. Per preconception, I *sort of* got lost. My bestie, who is kindly letting me stay with him for the summer, was picking me up and kept calling me to give me updates on where they were and where I should be. I came up at 7th and 34th and he was on 7th and 31st. Having an EXTREMELY poor sense of direction, I told him that I was definitely on 7th Street, when, in reality, I was standing on 34th. Thoroughly confused by this point, I frustratedly repeated the signs I saw around me. "CITIBANK!" "LADY'S SHOES!" Then out of nowhere this guy came up beside me and amusedly said, "Ya' Lost?" Whilst replying in the affirmative, I turned around to see my bestie. Overwhelming relieved, I hugged him and we started off to his car. Thank God for friends who can navigate. :) Tomorrow we are going into the city, he lives on Long Island, to see a friend from school who is up for the weekend. With the promise of a new and exciting day I bid you all adieu. Goodnight and Good luck.
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