A Look at My Monday

Today I am going to give you a glimpse of my day.

• Alarm rings at 5:15 a.m.  I get up at 5:45 a.m.  
• Leave house to walk to the Metro at 7:15 a.m.
• Arrive at work at 8:15 a.m.
• Check email. Add data to spreadsheet.  Reply to all emails.  Meet with my sponsor and plan for upcoming trip to Grace Hopper Conference in Atlanta Georgia. Write more emails. I am trying to make arrangements for a meeting of teachers in the spring.
• About 4 p.m. I take Metro to Courthouse stop and walk to Triangle Coalition to pick up moving expense reimbursement check.
• Walk back to Metro and ride to Union Station to find Verizon store.  
• Talk to Ginger while adding a little sugar and caffeine to my blood.
• Decide to walk the mile or so home, rather than get back on the Metro. This was actually a good idea.  The evening was cool with a drizzle of rain.  Stopped and talked to a gardner and we discussed plants that would grow in a little shady spot under the stairs at my apartment.
• Arrived home at 7:30 p.m.
• Warmed up some soup for dinner.

Mustard Greens

Groceries tend to be expensive here.  Last week during a grocery shopping trip, I noticed these BIG bags of mustard greens for very little price.  I know that they have a very high nutrition value and I like swiss chard, so I decided to try them.  DCers consider themselves in the South, so there is a lot of Southern food in the grocery store.  I took them home and followed the cooking directions on the bag.  Adding some meaty bacon and baking powder biscuits.

I tried to be open minded.  But I am afraid it tastes like chewy weeds, not disgusting, but not great either.  The bacon helps a lot. I have a whole bag to eat, so maybe I will develop a taste for Mustard Greens.

Capitol Hill Books

This is the most delightful, used book store you will ever find.  Located by the Eastern Market, it has a very small, unassuming store front.  But when you open the door, you see nothing but books, everywhere, along the walls, stacked on the floor, in the window wells, on shelves after shelves.  I asked the owner if I could take pictures, but they do not do it justice.  You'll have to come and see it for yourself to really appreciate it.

There are so many books that there is only room for half a dozen people in the store at one time, so you must wait for someone to leave so that you can get in.  Wonderful little store.

Greg Mortenson

Tuesday evening I went to a presentation at the Shakespeare Theater near China Town by Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones to Schools.  He is not a polished speaker, but he is so passionate about what he does, that his sometimes awkwardness only makes him more real and endearing.

If you look carefully at the subtitle, it says "One Man's Mission to Promote Peace, One School at a Time".  Mr. Mortenson told us that the publishing company originally insisted that it say, "One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism, One School at a Time", because it would sell more books.  After the first year of no book sales, Mr. Mortenson was able to get it changed to the current title and it has been a best seller for almost ten years.  

Here are a few quotes I was able to get from his talk.

• One cup of tea and you are a stranger.  Two cups of tea and you are a friend.  Three cups of tea and you are family.

• When it is dark is when you can see the stars.

• Educate a boy and you educate an individual.  Educate a girl and you educate a community.

• There is no military solution to Afghanistan.

• Even if the world ends tomorrow, I will plant my seed today.

Micron Party at Marriott Ranch

Another day out of the city.  Traveled with Marcus, Heidi, and girls to the Marriott Ranch in Virginia for a wonderful day sponsored by Micron.  The girls climbed, rode, threw, jumped, and ate.  Here are some of the highlights of the day.

Riding the mechanical bull!

Of course, face painting.

Horse riding.

And caricature sketches. 

Weekend with Marc's girls

Busy weekend with Ashlyn and Morgan.  Saturday they came to DC and spent the afternoon with me.  We rode the Metro downtown and took in some sites.

In front of one of the many fountains in the area.

Inside a museum of Asian art.

We didn't have time to see everything we wanted to, so they must come and spent the day with me again soon.

This Week's Activities

Mom, does this sculpture display look like the one we saw in England?

I apologize that I have not posted anything all week.  I have been busy at work, my batteries to my camera are dead, and I lost my phone.  I have no new pictures for you to see, but I will fill you in on some of activities.

I am learning a little of what I am going to be doing.  First, a little background.

"The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense…" With an annual budget of about $6.9 billion (FY 2010), we are the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America's colleges and universities. In many fields such as mathematics, computer science and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing." national Science Foundation website

My office manages grants to universities for research.  All of the submitted proposals must be reviewed by a panel to determine which ones get funded.  A big part of my job is to help set up and run the panels.  I will also read and be familiar with all of the proposals.  Our first panel is the first week in November.  

Besides office work at NSF, we also do lots of other activities.  This week I have

• listened to the TEA Party Rally on the White House steps
• visited the National American Indian Museum
• attended a live broadcast of NPR Talk of the Nation, The Gulf Oil Spill and Our Oceans-Can We Undo the Damage? by National Geographic
• went to a swing dance class

I also rode the Metro for hours, lost my cell phone, got lost try to drive from Maryland, and walked a lot.

Architecture

This afternoon I walked down to the Capitol area.  On the way back, I took pictures of the houses along the 14 blocks of Independence Avenue to where I live.  It is through the Historic District.  This is just a sample of the houses, but they all are very old and beautiful architecture.  Each is a little different.

Sailing

Yesterday I had an opportunity to go sailing.  It was so relaxing with nothing to do but feel the wind and the sun.  We were only out about two hours, but it was great fun.

Getting started at NSF

This week I have started at the National Science Foundation (NSF).  I work under the Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE) in the Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS).  The program I work on is called Pathways to Revitalized Undergraduate Computing Education (CPath).   My program director is Dr. Harriet Taylor.  I have to look it up several times a day because it is such a mouthful and I never get it right.

I have spent the last two days getting my computer set up, learning how to use Outlook, and trying to get through security clearance.  I was supposed to get finger printed today, but after waiting for an hour, they would not do it because my two forms of required identification do not match.  On my drivers license, I am Brenda Lee Gardunia.  On my passport, I am Brenda L Gardunia.  They must match exactly to be usable.  Luckily they said they would take my social security card as ID even if it does not match exactly.  Wait until they learn that I do not have any finger prints!!

After work I found another farmers market.  This one is small, but right outside my workplace.  I bought food for supper without any extra walking.

Tonight I had a very good supper of green beans with a little bacon, big slice of homemade bread, and bread and butter pickles.  It was very good.

Sunday

Busy day today.  Walked to church this morning.  It is about 8 blocks.  I am very lucky that it is so close to me.  Some people in the ward must drive long distances.  The building does not look like a Boise LDS chapel.  There are no windows and no adornment, inside or out.  You sit on folding chairs in the chapel. But the people are very nice and have welcomed me.  I have a Home Teacher already and been invited to several activities.

Street View

View from parking lot.

In the afternoon, a woman from church invited me to go to the National Symphony on the Capitol lawn.  But first I walked through the Botanic Gardens.  They are located next to the reflecting pool in front of the Capitol.  Very nice.  I should have been a Botanist.

The symphony was wonderful.  It was cool enough that I even wore a jacket after the sun went down.

Olfactory Citations

I wanted to share with you a few odds and ends that I found interesting this past week.  Riding the Metro I noticed these signs posted in every Metro car.  Guess the high temperatures and humidity is taking it's toll on personal hygiene.

I haven't gotten a ticket yet, so the showers each day must be working.

I also noticed these very interesting looking buildings across the road from the Armory/Stadium Metro stop.

I live in the old part of D.C. and all of the sidewalks are made of red brick.  

A Day in Virginia

After a busy three days of orientation activities for all of the Einstein Fellows, I have a four day holiday.  Friday I ventured out in my car again to drive to Manassas, Virginia to spend a couple of days with Marcus and his family.  Since I had already driven there once before, I thought I had it down pat.  Well, I missed my exit on Route 66 and got lost.  I took the next exit and mistakenly thought I could just get on 66 in the other direction and get off at the next exit and I would be fine.  It does not work that way here.  After about an hour, I finally found my way to Marc's.  I will not go out again without my map!

Spent all Saturday afternoon playing frisbee golf at Burke Lake Park.  It was a beautiful day!  Blue sky with a few fluffy clouds.  Not too hot.  None of us were very good (Marc way out-played us all) but it was great to be out of the city and outside.

We forgot the camera, so these pictures are from a cell phone.  

Orientation Continues

What a day!  I am starting to get to know the other Einstein Fellows.  There are 32 this year.  More than they have ever had in one year.  Eight of them are returnees from last year.  Today they bused us to the Potomac Overlook Regional Park.  The park is about 70 acres.  I was a little disappointed that we never got to see the Potomac River!  We were given lots of information.  A main topic was code of ethics and confidentiality.  They really take this serious.  After lunch, it was more meetings.  It was warm and my tummy was full and my head began to nod.  I managed to pull it together and stay awake, but it was a struggle.

Walking to meetin house in Potomac Overlook Park.

The best part of the day was a Metro - DC scavenger hunt.  We had to take the metro all over Capitol Hill and find and record with a camera the list of items.  My team won!!  We had a great time.  Here are some of the pictures I took.

Kennedy Center Shuttle

In front of White House

That is the Capitol building way in the distance.

My First Day!

Today was my first official day as an Einstein Fellow.  I wanted to make sure I was there on time so I set my alarm for 5:15 a.m.  Out the door by 7:15 to walk to the Metro.  Stepped off the Metro at 8:07.  It took me longer than I thought it would.  Good thing I gave myself extra time.  Could have saved myself some time if I had skipped breakfast, but how was I to know that they were going to feed us.

Morning was filled with orientation.  Introductions. How to fill out forms.  Dos and don'ts.  Calendars.  Then they bring lunch.  Then off to the Einstein statue photo shoot.  Some of us elected to walk the 8 blocks.  It was very hot and we were all in suits, but the walk was welcomed.  Lots of publicity pictures.  I took a couple with my camera so I could share with you.

This is me by the Albert Einstein Statue.

Then we hopped into taxis and went to the Buca di Beppo restaurant in Dupont Circle.  It was incredible.  They served us family style.  

Two different salads

Fried mozzarella cheese

Thin crust pizza

Chicken linguini

Shrimp penne

Egg plant parmesan

Green beans

Broccoli

Two different desserts

Everything was served in courses with lots of wine.  I had to try everything (except the wine).  I was so full to bursting.  Eight block walk to and from the Metro to get home helped.  In bed by 11 p.m.  Busy day tomorrow.