Whirlwind Weekend

(By the title of this tale, can you tell I like my alliteration?)

I am still recovering from what will be – perhaps – my most hectic weekend in D.C. There was nothing unexpected about it, either – except for the impromptu trip to the ER, but more on that later. The downside of the weekend was the nonstop downpour. I felt like I was living in Ray Bradbury’s futuristic world where it rains 24/7. Thanks, D.C., for the rainiest, gloomiest weekend of my life. Fortuneately, I was really too busy to notice. Here’s why.

Lincoln’s Getaway

This weekend I finished my third – and final – “short seminar.” The topic this weekend was “Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address.” While this one seemed the most dry topic of all (compared to “Baseball in D.C.” and “Lincoln’s Assassination”), I really enjoyed a class that focused on speeches. It felt like a true literature class – yay for liberal arts! We examined the text on Thursday night, then spent all day Friday touring Lincoln’s cottage at the Soldier’s Home. That’s where he spent 1/4 of his presidency, especially when the White House wasn’t safe. The tour was a bit theatrical for my liking (and I was almost a theatre major!). We lunched at Old Ebbitt Grill, one of the oldest pubs in D.C. and then explored an exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art about Lincoln’s second inauguration (and the crazy party that followed).

Tiny Dancer

And if you haven’t met my friend, Hope England, is small! She’s a dance/arts administration student at Butler. Not only that, she chose to spend her Fall Break with me! Even though I had class while she was here, she joined our class on Friday for the field trip portion. We had dessert at my new favorite DuPont hangout, Kramer Books & Afterwords Cafe. We saw two performances at the Kennedy Center - a children’s Hungarian storyteller, and Don Quixote, the ballet. We ended our visit with sushi and even managed to get FroYo in Adams Morgan.

In Stitches

Paige shows off her bandages on the metro.

The unexpected part of my weekend included my roommate, Paige. On Saturday night, Paige announced that she had cut her finger while opening a can. When the blood flow after a solid hour, we decided a trip to the ER would be best. Poor Paige held her hand high above her head while we rode the metro to George Washington Hospital. Props to Paige, though – she ended up with four stitches in her thumb and rode back on the metro with a big smile (but maybe that was the painkillers smiling back at me!)

Public Media Love Fest

To top off this fabulous weekend, I spent all day Sunday at Public Media Camp, an “un-conference” hosted by NPR and PBS. My supervisor, NPR’s senior strategist at the Social Media Desk, helped organize the event that brought public broadcasters together to brainstorm collaborative projects to engage the public. I explain it a bit more in depth on my personal blog, Digital Disciple.

WHEW! My only hope is that I don’t pick up a coffee habit from this weekend. I’m not addicted yet, but only time will tell.

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