Week 2: Starships were made to Fly

Friday we ended up not going to the outdoor concert because it was raining so much. Instead we went to an Ethiopian Restaurant called Etete. They had these really good appetizers that were like Indian Samosas. We got them for free when we order an entrée because of our InternsROCK cards. Then we headed to the Krispy Kreme on DuPont Circle because it was National Doughnut Day! Doughnuts always taste better when they are free! N, my roommate, left before we went to dinner to spend the weekend at home, so I had the whole room to myself!

At Etete (l to r): CA, C, R, me, D, J, A

Saturday, R made us scrambled eggs for breakfast because of an ongoing discussion about what scrambled eggs are. A few interns say that any additions to scrambled eggs make it an omelet. I disagree, but whatever. After getting ready, we went to Target to pick up a few things. I decided to buy a mattress pad because our beds are a little lacking. We chilled in the afternoon before going to get dinner at a Mediterranean place. AA was in the city looking for housing, so we met up with her to eat before she went home.

We headed home to hang out and we played a few games including the three object game, and How's yours. J, D and R had bought some alcohol earlier, so they were drinking Whiskey-Cokes and taking Whiskey shots. D had never been drunk before, and so they (D and J?) decided he should get drunk. We knew he hit that point when he said, “I can’t feel my tongue.” Then he promptly started playing with his tongue. He wanted to do summersaults and started doing push-ups. He kept apologizing to me that he was drunk. I don’t know why he was feeling so guilty about it. It was making me a little uncomfortable only because he was saying things he would never normally say because he was inhibited and therefore it was a vulnerable situation. I left because it was getting late anyway and I hadn’t been getting enough sleep.

Sunday, D brought us apology doughnuts from Krispy Kremes. I got ready for church and then took the Metro up to the DC 2^nd Singles Ward. The other interns left at about the same time as me for the outreach at the STEM fair. Church was good, but SUPER packed. The ward gets huge in the summer because of all the interns. I am not sure if I am going to go to that ward or to the ward in Maryland that Amy goes to. Amy works at SPS too. She just got back from her mission to Malaysia and starts grad school on Monday, so today (Friday) is here last day.  Sad.

I headed home to change my clothes before taking the Metro out to West Falls Church to meet up with my friend, Julie who lives there. She invited me to have dinner with her and some friends. They made pizza on the Barbeque, which was super cool and delicious. We also had homemade ice cream. It was fun to hang out with Julie; her sister, Jen; Jen’s husband, Mike; her roommate, April; and two friends, Tim and Joe. I then went home and went to bed. I heard from the interns that night, that the outreach went well, which is good news. We also got a new intern that night named Dy from Idaho.

Monday started a new work week. This week we are really focused on brainstorming ideas for the SOCK. We really need to figure out what we are going to do for the kit this year. It is quite a difficult subject because it is involved in every aspect of science. We spend Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday doing a lot of research and brainstorming. Thursday we built an optical Theremin which has been our inspiration for the laser harp we hope to build. Today, we are working on putting together the demo show we will be doing next week at Tuckahoe Elementary School on Tuesday. Eeek! It’s so soon!

A, F (we take pictures
with the missing intern), J, D and myself

Monday, since we had a new intern, Amy, Elizabeth and I went out to lunch with Dy at Noodles. It was delicious and fun to get to know them. After work, we went straight to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum right after work. J and I met up with D and A there, which was really fun. D and A work at NASA, so they know much more about space than J and I do. It was fun having a little tour from them. I especially enjoyed D's fun facts.

J and D in spacesuits

Me and A in spacesuits

Later, the interns went to visit a bar using our internsROCK cards. I decided to stay home because I was wet and tired. It turns out that most of the interns didn’t go in because some of them were under 21. J and D did, and a few cheap drinks later and J was drunk. Luckily, D got J home safely. The other interns went to get Thai food.

J and A eating ice cream 

Tuesday night, we went to McFadden’s for $5 burgers. It was my first time eating at a bar and since it was fairly early, it wasn’t that different. After, we decided to walk into Georgetown since we were super close. Georgetown is really nice and it was fun to explore that part of the city. We got some Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. It was delicious! Although, sadly they didn’t have my favorite flavors (Everything but the… and Half Baked). A taught us this game that his friends play called cut and paste. Basically, if someone says something that would be funnier said out of context, they someone else can say copy and then anytime in the next 24 hours say paste, and they have to say what was copied. It is clearly going to cause much hilarity the rest of the summer.

Dy and CA with their Ice cream

D in a little chair

Me with my Ben & Jerry's Shake

Wednesday was the ACP (American Center of Physics) summer picnic. They fed us picnic food and then there was a talent show. Elizabeth sang and did a fabulous job. All the performances were really good. Two of the employees did Morris dancing, which I had never seen before. It was really interesting.

That night, we grabbed dinner at Sweet Green before finding the outdoor movie at NoMa. They were playing The Italian Job, which I had never seen. Since it had been raining, some of the grass was a little wet, but A, AA, CA, R and I decided to stay. I found Samantha Williams, so we watched the movie with her and her friends. It was so good to see her! The best thing about my friendship with Samantha is that we can pick up right where we left off even if it has been a few years.

It is crazy how fast this week has gone. I am starting to have a hard time keep track of the days. I am having so much fun though.