Adopting in Ashburn

Tonight we turned in five deliverables which were actually comprised of nine different and smaller components for our pro-bono communications client. In addition, we wrote five memos describing the deliverables for our professor. I thought I would feel relieved we were finished. Instead, I feel a little like I was rocked too hard in a boat. Maybe it was because we had 48 hours to complete all of that work, and so it obviously was not my best product ever. Maybe it was because I didn't even have time to proofread them. Or maybe it was because my professor used me (anonymously) as an example of how he was disappointed in our class. I, heaven-forbid, did not know what an editorial plan looked like for a newsletter, nor could I find any examples. So, I had emailed him and asked for an idea of what I needed to include. He thought I should have just taken the initiative to do whatever I thought might be best, instead of asking for help. I am rarely the "needy" kid who n...

After writing a blogpost on mistakes, I randomly came across this article. As a huge space nerd and a grad student looking for every last interesting story I can incorporate into my thesis as possible, I found this take compelling. It is about 1.) why the images of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon are so hazy, 2.) how they figured out the problem, and 3.) how NASA lost the proof and the original scientists (some retired for over 20 years) are on the trail to find the truth. Read it, I think you'll find it very cool. (Or not, but if not, there are video clips and pictures on the side you can click on. If pictures of a complete vacuum with people functioning in it don't thrill you then you're probably out of luck.) Wired 15.01: One Giant Screwup for Mankind Love always, ~Heather

Prompted by tonight's episode of House ... Everybody makes mistakes. If ever you think someone is perfect, just look at the eraser on their pencil - proof of mistake-making if ever there was any. Sometimes mistakes actually lead you on the right path. Other times they hurt. I still think you grow from these things. But tiny little mistakes, one millimeter mistakes, misplaced letter mistakes .... sometimes they can be just as fierce as giant whopper mistakes. I don't really have a moral to this story except to say that if ever a mistake I've made has negatively impacted you, I'm sorry. I long ago came to grips with the fact that I will never be perfect - but I journey in the hopes of perfection everyday. I recognize my fallibility, and seek to overcome it. And one day I hope to see perfection in all its glory. Love always, ~Heather

Since the Internet went out: I hung out with G on a brief visit to Tenleytown. It was so nice to catch up with my world-traveling pal. Safe and happy travels G! Our crab Scuttle now has a crab crawl made of corks from wine bottles. It is this hysterical looking ramp so she can get up out of the water every once in a while. So far she is still climbing up the aquarium plants instead. There is hope yet. I went shopping for dress clothes. I was sparked by What Not to Wear . I usually don't take my fashion advice from TV shows, but this was different. It showed a woman who by the show's standards dressed really well, except she was a CEO. It talked about dressing the part you want, and not down-playing your work by dressing beneath your caliber. Plus, I needed a second business suit in case I ever get a follow-up interview somewhere. Thank goodness for the 40% off everything sale and my bonus 20% off coupon. That's 60% off friends. If you have to go shopping, that i...

C'est l'heure de nuit le plus bizarre a moi. Pres de minuit (ou apres), quand je suis seule, sur la grande chaise violette. Il faut que j'ecris. De quoi, je ne sais pas. Ce soir, je reflechis un peu sur le tragede au Virginia Tech. Pour mes amis francais (practicalliment les seuls gens qui peuvent lire le poste ce soir), VT est un universite en Virginie. 33 etudiants et profs etait tuer la hier. Un garcon a tue tout le monde avec un arme, et enfin, lui-meme. Je ne peux pas comprendre l'idee de le fin de ma propre vie, donc l'idee de prendre les vies des autres - les innocents, les temoinages dans leurs salles de classe ... incomprehensible. Quelques etudiants etait plus jeune que moi. Le fin de vie est "unpredictable." Une de mes meilleurs amies du lycee est une etudiant la, dans l'ecole des sciences (ou le plupart des gens etait tuer). Pendant plus des douze heures, je ne la trouve pas par telephone, ni Internet. Personne elle a vu. Et just...

... that my brave face sucks. ... not having a punching bag right now is saving my shoulder from inevitable pain. ... premeditation is the most heinous part of a crime. ... I definitely want to work on a political campaign. ... sugar, in any form, has its after-effects. ... friends can make almost anything better. ... that the thing that bothers me the most is that I keep getting angry at myself for being angry at someone else. ... to make some brownies (despite the sugar). Off to baking. Love always, ~Heather

Here are the things that happened today: 1. Got up and ready, finished speech and emailed it to my professor. (+) 2. Went to church and sang in the choir. Best way to start the week. (++) 3. Had two friends from choir over for brunch. One had never had french toast, the other had never had french toast they liked. Everyone enjoyed. (+) 4. Worked on management proposal project. Lots of Powerpoint and emailing. (+, better to get it done now!) 5. Called around to confirm pending dinner invites. All no. *See below. (---) 6. Cried with Dana about the terrible past hour. (Neutral, crying makes you feel better.) 7. Dropped off LB's work stuff and got two new fish, a snail, and a crab for our tank. (+) 8. Took out stuff to make dinner. (+) The day isn't over yet, so I'm not going to call it a bad one. Anything could really happen to make it better. And whenever I'm upset about what a crummy day I've had, I make a list of all the things I've done to see if there ...

April 9, 1959: America Meets Its 7 Original Astronauts - This came across my Gmail toolbar and it was perfect timing! I read a transcript of the press conference and everything. Back to writing my thesis (NASA is a case study). ~Heather

I have been rejected alot of times, by alot of different people, for alot of different reasons. Today, it was a job. I think that no matter how many times you get rejected for something it still really sucks. It is like getting kicked in the stomach. Sometimes by a horse (or so I've heard). The good news in this scenario is two-fold: 1. I didn't get the position because they hired internally, which is a common practice for their organization. The HR director really liked me as a candidate and is keeping my resume for future openings (I know this was probably said to appease me - and it's working a little.) 2. I now have a wide-open range of possibilities again. This could be the sign/message I was waiting for to help me decide whether or not I should work on a campaign. I've been seriously considering it and the possibility of this job, which was a magically perfect fit for me, gave me something to compare it to. I heard this saying while watching Saved! on Frid...

It's Easter. The new light has come and things are changing. The world won't ever be the same again. I feel like I didn't get as much spiritual connection this Holy Week as I have in the past, despite the fact that I went to three services Friday, one Thursday, and two today. I have surprised myself though. First of all, I realized I am complaining about alot more stupid stuff than I used to. In this season of change, I am going to try to give up complaining; see if I can spin in into something positive. Second surprise, I really bonded with a friend of mine. Did you ever have a new friend who you just, one day, made this amazing new connection with? It's the step between acquaintance-friend and friend-friend. That's what happened. How great is that? Third surprise, I did something that used to bother me and came out completely unscathed. I was brave and I kept my mouth shut in a situation I usually run-off at the mouth about. Fourth surprise, I procrastina...

During the daytime, I took Clark (visiting cousin, see previous entry) on a walking tour to enjoy the glorious weather and the fabulous cherry blossoms. We went to AU for a bit to see campus. Once downtown, we started at Union Station and walked down First Street. This takes you past most of the Senate office buildings, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, and of course, the Capitol building. We walked around that on the south side, swinging around to walk down the Mall. We tried to stop in the Botanical Gardens, but we were ten minutes late. So we strolled down the Mall looking at the other museums (and all the people filtering out). This takes you past the Native American Museum, Air & Space, Hirshorn Sculpture, the Voyage outdoor planet exhibit, and Smithsonian Castle. There are a bunch of museums on the other side too, but we stuck to the one side. Afterwards, we took the metro home and made tuna steaks, stewed tomatoes with ocra, and rice for dinner. Good weather ...

My cousin Clark was recently visiting, so I took him on a walk of the monuments at midnight. This is awesome for many reasons. There are significantly fewer tourists in the middle of the night. Some of the monuments are easier to see or look nicer at night. The chances of getting hit by a car in traffic is eliminated because there is no traffic. We started at Farragut North metro and walked south to the White House. This took us through Lafayette Park, where I gave Clark a mini-version of the ghost tour I took in October. We saw the Dept. of the Treasury and the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB), and of course, the White House. We continued south past the Ellipse (stopping at some statues along the way). We walked down 15th St. past the Commerce Dept. and out to the Washington Monument. From the top of the hill where the Washington Monument is you can see the Capitol building, the White House (from the other side), the Reflecting Pool, and the Lincoln Memorial (among other thin...