the best part of waking up

A letter that was printed yesterday in the Express, a short version of The Post that people read on the Metro, made me happy. It read:

 

Who's the Smooth Operator?

 

"Can we identify the Orange Line operator whose soothing voice, moderated sense of humor and signature "Let's be careful out there," enhances even the earliest of morning commutes? There's an art to getting those of us who have yet to connect with caffeine to smile. This guy really gets it!"

 

I totally know who she's talking about! I ride the Orange Line to work every morning, beginning at the end of the line in Vienna, Virginia. Sometimes we have inaudible operators, or those who sound tired or bored, but every now and then I will get on this guy's train and you can't help but notice his voice. He always sounds cheerful, but not in an annoying way. He could do voice overs for commercials, I'm sure of it. So, I was excited that I recognized a reference to the daily routine out here. I felt almost like a local.

 

This morning, as I was walking from the Metro to the office, I recognized a man I saw on the Metro line more than a month ago. He seems middle aged and I think he's deaf, and he mismatches his clothes and carries around a fair amount of luggage. I saw him when I was traveling downtown to go to the Smithsonian back in June, and today I saw him standing on a corner in Arlington next to a 7-Eleven. Probably what makes the commute seem so natural and routine after a while is the fact that I see pretty much the same people every day - various businessmen and women, coming with wet hair and leaving looking exhausted.

 

The group that rides the 622 Fairfax Connector to Vienna at 7:26 a.m. and from Vienna at 6:18 p.m. varies slightly, but I generally see the regulars. One guy seems to be from Texas. I've heard him talking on the phone several times and I got the impression. I named him Dewey. He just looks like one. He has a huge ring on his finger that I assume is from college, and I decided it was probably Tech or A&M. I also decided he is the son of an oil tycoon. One time he wore seersucker pants and a pink tie and I thought he was trying too hard. I haven't seen him wear them again. A woman with short brown hair and brown glasses usually sits next to me on the ride home, and the only thing she has ever said to me was "thank you" when I moved to let her out of the seat. The driver home is named Ray and I can't quite place his accent. He finally asked me what my name is about two weeks ago and I don't think he was expecting to learn that I am still in school. When he learned my major, he asked why I wasn't interning at The Post or USA Today or the likes, and I don't think he understood why I laughed at the notion. He calls me sweetheart and said he is sad today is my last day on the bus.

 

One more bus ride and it's back home.

 

 

songs about rainbows

Too many thoughts circulating to make one post...

1. Boredom Numbs the Work World
Lack of Stimulation Infects Humble and High-Ranking Jobs Alike

By Amy Joyce
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 10, 2005; Page D01

..."We know that 55 percent of all U.S. employees are not engaged at work. They are basically in a holding pattern. They feel like their capabilities aren't being tapped into and utilized and therefore, they really don't have a psychological connection to the organization," said Curt W. Coffman, global practice leader at the Gallup Organization, whose large polling group measured employee engagement.

...That problem -- a lack of autonomy and a job that has very specific instructions -- hits workers from the highest to lowest echelons of the working world. Many spend their days surfing the Internet, writing e-mails or taking care of personal business.

Basically, this article proved what I had already known - that most employees get bored at work and look toward the internet, books, playing hookie or taking extra long lunch breaks to break up the monotony of the day. I have done all of these things this summer. Some times I was quite busy and didn't have time for anything, and other times I had just enough work to be pacing myself and working comfortably. But, for a good portion of my summer here, I have been underworked and bored. My JMC classes and the work I produce for them and for the Optimist have been much harder than anything I've done here. But I guess that's the life of an intern. My only goal now is to find a field and an workplace where I will be both challenged and happy, if that's possible. I think it is, it is just not as common as most people would like.

2. Bookstores such as Barnes & Noble are already displaying the tons of extra copies of The Chronicles of Narnia they've ordered in preparation to The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe's theatrical release in December. I also saw there yesterday a book called Finding God in the Land of Narnia, by the authors who wrote Finding God in The Lord of the Rings. This is upsetting to me. Of course, the Chronicles have been well-read by many who know the tales of Aslan, but still, it was not prevalent in our pop culture in my opinion. Daniel once said about The Lord of the Rings, now every idiot knows what a hobbit is, and I feel like I've lost something - or words similar to the effect. Now that they have a mass market campaign to sell Narnia as a fantasy land, saying it's a great story and liking it to Rings or even, which doesn't make sense to me, Harry Potter, everyone will know who Mr. Tumnus is, or Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, and all the other characters and stories. I feel like I've lost something. Do we need a book in order to find God in the Chronicles? They're pretty blatant Christian allegories if you ask me, and the series means so much to a lot of people. Rings wasn't overtly Christian and Tolkein even said it wasn't. That book was dumbed down for the masses in its movies, and I can only hope that the movie version of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe won't be as well. The previews look promising, so we'll see. I'm an elitist and I'm not apologizing for it. I just love my books and don't like them being ripped apart for the silver screen.

[stepping off my soapbox...]

3. National Treasure is a surprisingly entertaining movie. What makes it "great" is how the makers went full throttle after the idea of an invisible map on the Declaration of Independence. They didn't shy away from crazy conspiracy theories - they embraced them. The map was a freaking hologram, and secret decoder glasses that Benjamin Franklin designed and hid inside of a brick on a wall at Constitution Hall in Philly show where the treasure is - treasure that's been hidden for thousands of years and worth about $10 billion. Brilliant! They went for it, played with the idea and came out with a product that was both family friendly and entertaining. Of course I was skeptical at first, but I enjoyed it.

4. Congrats to Daniel on his new job at The Hollywood Reporter. Way to be awesome, and thanks again for the present you sent me.

5. I can't wait for Taco Cabana. Five days!

random musings on embarrassment

Why are people embarrassed when they fall down? Walking in a straight line or standing upright shouldn't be that difficult, but we somehow manage to trip or slip and fall. But, if we fall in public, why are we so mortified? Us interns had this discussion because one of us, Lucy, bit it last Sunday while riding her bike on the National Mall. She tried to corner to quickly and flew off the bike, hands and legs spread eagle and face first. She cut her knees so badly she should have gotten stitches, but was too stubborn. She stumbled to a nearby police car and waited for them to return while several tourists stopped to help her. They bandaged her up and the police offered her a ride home, but she refused, hobbling her way back to Georgetown. She told us the detailed story on Tuesday and then on Wednesday, as she was walking from the elevator to the front door of the office in the morning, while talking to an intimidating and important attorney, she tripped on her pant leg and fell forward again. The other staff member present helped her up while the lawyer picked up Lucy's lunch, which had flown from her hand. They had laughed slightly, but not enough to ease Lucy's horror.

Well, Lucy passed on her skills to me because on Thursday, as I was headed to lunch with fellow interns and a few staff members, I slipped and fell backwards. I've argued that my fall was worse than Lucy's second fall because 1. I was in nylons, heels and a skirt, which went a little too far up my legs for my liking, 2. I was in front of three boys, and 3. I fell on the concrete floor of a parking garage. I laughed, and so did Lucy and Courtney, but the three boys didn't really laugh. And here is the problem with falling: Other people make you embarrassed. If everyone had laughed heartily along with me, and not at me, which is different, things would have been fine. But the two staff members looked away, awkward and embarrassed for me, and so did the male intern, Shane.

When I was talking to Shane afterwards, he said he was sorry that he was one of those people who makes situations like falling down awkward for those who have fallen. He told me of how when he taught middle schoolers last year at a private school (that means uniforms - skirts for girls), one of the 8th grade girls, while playing volleyball with classmates, asked him to watch her serve. Of course, she bit it and fell, her skirt flying up completely. Shane said he acted like it never happened and that the girl handled it well, but that he had never been more embarrassed for someone in his life. I'm really embarrassed for her and I don't even know her. When you're young and haven't grown into your body, it's normal to trip and fall and stumble and what have you, but for adults it's a different story. I've seen men in suits trip and it is always startling for some reason. It just doesn't seem natural. I always act like I didn't notice. People should really laugh and joke around though. I think it's when people are embarrassed for other people, and those people sense that, that they make the situation embarrassing.

My situation wasn't really that bad and I don't really care about it. I think my dodgeball incident last Spring takes the cake for recent horrific moments. And again, in that situation, it was the guys who were present who made it awkward. Thanks, guys.