...I have bedroom furniture!

No more air mattress and cardboard jungle for me! I just got a delivery of IKEA furnishings that I picked out yesterday in the store. Funny story: I was going to buy some secondhand IKEA stuff (a dresser and a desk) from this guy I found on Craiglist, but when I was in the store I noticed that same dresser he was trying to sell me for 60 bucks was that much brand new! Jerk. Needless to say, I decided to just buy all new stuff. More photos to come pending completion of assembly! Wish me luck.

...my first day of work was exhausting.

I think that's pretty typical of a first day on the job — that feeling of being overwhelmed by new information and experiences. It's a good thing I've started working again because these past few weeks my brain was starting to turn into mush as a result of too much passive activity (i.e. lazing about and watching gross amounts of television) and not enough stimulating brain cells. Maybe that's why I'm feeling a bit like the slow kid at work. 

I also checked out furniture today at IKEA, since I didn't bring any down with me. I'm going to wait until the weekend before I make any purchases, but right now I'm thinking of this bed and this dresser (in black-brown) for starters. Stay tuned for pictures in the coming weeks.

...it has been over a month since my last post.

I'm ashamed to say that I've become one of those people I gripe about. The kind that start a blog with shiny, hopeful expectations of posting several times a week who then fall off the wagon and into the pit of dead blogs pervading the blogosphere. Regardless, I have been busy (on and off) this past month. I've done a bit of traveling, made rather life-changing plans, signed some important documents, packed up my entire life and written a hefty check. I'm thrilled to say that I'm moving to the Washington, D.C. area this Sunday, starting a new job Monday and turning a whopping 23 years old Tuesday. Time certainly flies. Here's a link to the condo I'll be moving into. The photos were taken by the previous owners (note the crib room, which will actually be my room). I'll be sharing it with another female young professional. Wish me luck!

...today is the last day of my internship.

It's sad, but true. Today's the day. It has been an absolute blast, but I'm exhausted. As much as I will miss all of the friends I made this summer, I can't wait to have a break. Heading home to Hudson tomorrow.

...I mixed things up a bit at the paper.

I am attending Chautauqua Theater Company's final production of the season tonight, a performance of William Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale." I've been looking forward to going since I designed the front page of the opening weekend's paper (above). Stacey Federoff, the theater reporter, did a phenomenal job running with a story idea proposed by CTC. The play's major plot twists apparently come off as a sort of scandalous, soap opera-esque series of events: a friendship torn apart, accusations of adultery, an illegitimate child, etc. The theater company thought it might be fun to interview the actors and actresses in character about the plot's twists and turns, creating a story as outlandish and sensational as the play itself. Think tabloid trash, Shakespeare-style.

My idea was to "expose" the seedy sister paper of The Chautauqua Daily, otherwise known as The Sicilian Post (Sicilia is the fictional setting of the play). I really loved the teaser page turn at the top, right-hand corner, but I wish I had spent more time on the rest of the page. To be honest, I kind of threw it together. Below, is the teased page with the fake stories. I thought it turned out pretty neat.

...I was on a boat.

This boat (steamship, rather), the Chautauqua Belle. It was my first time on the lake, in fact. We were all supposed to go as a newsroom at the beginning of the season, but due to inclement weather we had to take a rain-check. Last week we finally made it, and it was a beautiful evening. We even had dinner aboard and enjoyed a few beers from the bar. Here are some more photos from the trip around Chautauqua Lake. 

Some Daily coworkers: Allison, James, Regina and Christina.

This is Grady, Jordan's golden retriever puppy. He enjoyed the boat ride as well, minus the occasional ear-piercing steam whistle. After we docked, he showed some interest in the waves lapping against the shore. Before we knew it, he had jumped right in. And being his first water encounter, it was pretty freakin' adorable.

...I get to experience the Ken Burns effect.

Ken Burns, iconic documentary filmmaker, is coming to Chautauqua tomorrow. He is known for, of all things, his use of panning across still photographs — something called "the Ken Burns effect." Tough I've yet to watch any of his documentaries in full, I can certainly appreciate his work from the clips that I've seen. Here's a nice montage that was aired when he received a Lifetime Achievement honor at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards in 2008.

(Photo from purplecrayon.wordpress.com)

...here's an oldfangled way of keeping in touch.

I once heard that before the Internet and e-mail, people would engage in a strange activity entailing ink, paper and sticky flat squares that tasted funny. It was called called writing and sending a letter. I was reminded of this quaint notion yesterday at work when I was asked to scan a couple dozen vintage postcards depicting various sites around Chautauqua. I couldn't help but admire the sturdy cards for their artwork and age, as well as the notes penned on the other side — perhaps haphazardly at the time, unknowing of future eyes that might peruse them.

I especially enjoyed the one above, which reads: "The most remarkable thing about this place is the absence of skirts. All the girls wear knickers. I hope to see you in them some day. I'll bet you'd look cute. Ten girls here to every man. Best regards. Max Henrici." And with the magic of the Internet, I found his obituary and discovered that when Max wrote that postcard in 1924, he was 40 years old and a newspaper man working for the Pittsburgh Sun (and clearly must've sent the card to a rather cute coworker).

Here are some more...

1933.

1946.

1906. "Have received your letter. Will answer at once. We are having a good time. O how we wish you were here to hear the beautiful music."

Unknown.

1952.

1957. "This is a wonderful week filled with music, inspiring talks, educational films, forums, etc. Gladys and I have enjoyed some programs together. yesterday we stopped at the lakeside to watch a program for the birthday of a dog!"

1920.

1945.

1908. "I just acknowledged my assignment pretty late, for I got it the 4. I must bother you whenever my summer activity takes me to a beautiful place. The circumstances have been kinder that I expected, and I am busy with intellectual enjoyment and camp life. German was too easy, so I took French — Balzac. H.G. Griggs is lecturing here. I cannot half take in all that is offered."

...the body can do amazing things.

Wednesday night I attended a performance in the Amphitheater that left me in utter amazement (and wishing that I was in better shape). Cirque Sublime is a Toronto-based act and is familiar to Chautauquan audiences. I'm not sure how many times it has wowed a crowd here on the grounds, but it has been touring internationally since its inception in 1997. The show was a series of gravity-defying gymnastics, acrobatics, and feats of strength set to pulsing music and a stunning light show. I got to put together a page in the weekend's paper that features some pretty amazing photos from that evening. As a designer, I feel so privileged to work with our staff photographers, who are a talented lot. Kudos to photographer Katie Roupe for snapping this round.

...this week is Harry Potter madness.

The sixth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, comes out this Wednesday, July 15, and I'm going to see the midnight premiere Tuesday night! I simply cannot wait to see the latest installment of the series. Though I've read all the books (and multiple times), I'm still giddy at the prospect of seeing what Harry, Ron and Hermione will get into this time around. My own school mates, Seal and Kara, are coming visit me that night, as well as to see the film. Huzzah! Unfortunately, my boss isn't the biggest HP fan and was kind enough to remind the newsroom that we still have a meeting at 9 a.m. the next day. Wednesday is going to be rough.

Also, I took this Harry Potter quiz and am ashamed to say that I only got 13 out of 15. Beat that, you Muggles!

(Poster from Scienceblogs.com)

...I love Lucy.

Photo by Dave Einsel / Getty Images

One of my favorite college classes was ANTH 201: Biological Anthropology. In it we studied evolutionary theory, fossil record of human evolution, primates, and human variation. We learned about the Leakey Family and their many discoveries and, of course, the skeleton that has taken on a personality of her own, Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis to the scientific community). Today, I had the immense pleasure of attending a lecture by Donald Johanson, the paleoanthropologist who is credited with Lucy's unearthing. Though most of the lecture was a recap of what I've learned in 201 and other anthro classes, it was a surreal experience nonetheless: the names and stories I've read in textbooks suddenly fleshed out before me.

Something I didn't know: Johanson didn't name Lucy. It was his girlfriend who suggested it while the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" played during the camp's merrymaking. Johanson even admitted that he wasn't terribly thrilled at first that the name Lucy stuck. The next day the team called it the Lucy site, rather than the Australopithecus site. But now he takes pride in the fact that hers is a household name, ingrained in our culture. And other cultures, for that matter. Lucy is also known as Dinkenesh, which is "You are wonderful" in Amharic, the language spoken in northern Ethiopia where she was found.

Lucy's skeleton is currently being exhibited in NYC's Times Square.

Photo by Reality Photo

...I totally geeked out today.

Today's morning lecturer was Kobie Boykins, a NASA engineer who is in part responsible for the creation of the Mars Expedition Rovers. Specifically, he worked on the solar panel arrays that power the two Rovers currently exploring Mars, named Spirit and Opportunity. These robot geologists scour the planet's surface, collecting data about mineralogy and hopefully giving us the information we'll need to unlock the Red Planet's secrets. What secrets? Well, primarily: What kind of water activity was there on Mars in the past? As Boykins noted, if Mars once had a flourishing water supply and it has since disappeared, the same thing could potentially happen here on Earth. A disturbing thought.

On the lighter side, I couldn't help be delighted when I designed the front page of today's paper. NASA was gracious enough to give us a beautiful high quality image for publication. I think the little Rover bears a striking resemblance to WALL-E. :)

Check out these amazing videos of how the Rovers enter Mars' atmosphere, descend, and land on the surface (aka the "Six Minutes of Terror"). And of course, how it gets around.

(WALL-E photo from The Huffington Post)

...it's National Geographic week!

Well, sort of. This week at the Institution is sponsored in part by National Geographic. Today, I went to a lecture by Annie Griffiths Belt, a photographer who has worked for NatGeo ever since they came knocking on her door two years after she graduated from the University of Minnesota. Some people have all the luck. But she certainly isn't without talent. Her photographs seem to capture the absolute essence of whoever the subject is. She spent much of her time in the Middle East and had nothing but wonderful things to say about the people, cultures and traditions she encountered.

A wisp of a woman from the Midwest (her Minnesotan accent was endearing and adorable), her stories of swimming at the top of Victoria Falls, backpacking in the desert and imitating a man to sneak into restricted ceremonies awed and inspired me.

I was also completely amazed when she said that she has two kids and brought them along on assignments while they grew up. She and her husband, a writer/editor for the magazine, made the vow to never spend more than two weeks away from them. An impressive feat considering some assignments can last months and months. Here's her book, which I desperately wanted to purchase (and have signed) but refrained from doing so. I suppose I can admire her photography online and save the 40 bucks.

Other speakers this week that I fully intend to see: Donald Johanson (dir., Inst. of Human Origins; discovered "Lucy" fossil), Wade Davis (ethnobotanist, photographer, author, The Serpent and the Rainbow), Kobie Boykins (NASA engineer, Mars Expedition Rovers program) and Mattias Klum, (National Geographic photographer, filmmaker).

(Photos by Annie Griffiths Belt)

...I've been a busy girl.

Chautauqua Cinema

There's simply too much to do in Chautauqua and not enough time. So far I've seen the film "Adventureland" at the cutest one-theater cinema I've ever beheld; experienced a variety show/lecture by NPR's Garrison Keillor; met the characters of "Sesame Street Live!"; gone to the symphony; and attended a brilliant performance of the play, "Arcadia." The best part? It's basically all free. Taking that into consideration, I really can't complain about not having time to go do everything I want. Though I am working six days a week, the schedule is somewhat flexible, and my editor encourages all of us in the newsroom to run to a lecture or see a performance, as long as we are willing to stay late to get our everything done.

This week I'm going to see "Il Trovatore," an opera that, little did I know, I had heard of and even played parts of in my high school band. It's famous for it's "Anvil Chorus," which is what I played. I remember now that it was a big deal because one of the percussionists actually got to strike a real anvil. So cool. Trust me, when you hear it you'll recognize it. Here's a great performance of it on YouTube. I especially like the conductor's afro. :)

The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra in the Amphitheater as it fills up for the show. We sat in the choir loft, which was a fun perspective.

Fourth of July before the CSO Pops Concert. Michael and a few of my roommates/interns: Sara, Christina, Elise and James.

"Sesame Street Live!" came to Chautauqua. What can I say? I'm just a big kid.

Bestor Plaza the day "Sesame Street" took over. Notice the children everywhere.

My sweet ride. Okay, it's my dad's old bike, but it's mine for the summer!

...I actually did have a good weekend.

Despite being in the newsroom late into Friday evening, I had a really great time hanging out with Seal on Saturday. I showed her around the Institution grounds, and we brought Juno, her new pup. Juno, the lucky girl, was spayed last week and was wearing the "cone of shame" ("Up", anyone?). It was pretty entertaining watching her bump into street signs and the sidewalk. 

Seal and I made dinner later, hung out on the dock (above), and watched a movie. Not the most exciting evening, but I appreciated it all the more because of that. There's nothing like working 10-hour days to make you want a relaxing day off.

Juno, wearing the "cone of shame"

...I'm still in the newsroom, putting the paper together.

Well, I guess I really didn't know what I signed up for. I knew that working for a daily newspaper meant more work and at a faster pace, but I never really thought it through. I'll admit right now that I'm a bit overwhelmed. Having only worked on magazines (well, I did the newspaper thing in high school when I was assistant editor in chief), jumping right into a daily publication is intense to say the least. We stayed late last night (until after nine) to start the paper so that we'd be out at a decent hour tonight. Silly me. It's nearing 8 p.m., and it's just coming together. Finally. Home stretch. I've been told that the first few nights are like this but that as the summer wears on, the quicker it'll go. I certainly hope so. I was planning on visiting with relatives this evening (my aunt Anette and uncle John at their place at Peek'n Peak) but had to pass for obvious reasons.

Luckily I still get to have a fun weekend. Seal, my college roommate, is coming to visit tomorrow! And she's bringing Juno, her new puppy. I'm very excited about this.

Also, the summer season of the Chautauqua Institution officially starts tomorrow at noon. I can't wait to see this place packed with people and to be a part of the hustle and bustle. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures of events soon. Until then, have a good weekend.

...I finished my book.

I almost forgot to mention that I finished Diary, by Chuck Palahniuk. I have some mixed feelings about how it wrapped up, but overall, it was an engaging and quick read. For the most part, it follows a similar pattern shown in his other books I've read: one's personal freedom, or lack thereof. An unexpected motif that emerged was artistic inspiration and expression. Here's a quote that I particularly liked: "Your handwriting. The way you walk. Which china pattern you choose. It's all giving you away. Everything you do shows your hand. Everything is a self-portrait. Everything is a diary."

I'm starting the cult classic Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell (below). It's one of those books that "everyone" seems to have read, and to be honest, I'm sick of people balking mid-conversation when I say that no, I've never read it. Time to jump on the bandwagon.

Photo courtesy of infowars.com.

...job hunting is downright depressing.

Enough said.

...I look really dumb wearing a mortarboard.

It's still weird to think that I graduated from college a week ago. Here's a graduation photo of Michael and I, courtesy of my family. 

And above is a photo of my roommates and best friends of the past four years. Courtesy of Sara Heal (far left), my random roommate from freshman year. It's safe to say that I got very lucky with that room assignment. :)

...here's what I mean by quaint.

I wasn't kidding. Here are a few places I saw on my walk around Chautauqua. So many reminded me of doll houses...

Many houses have custom-made canvas covers for their porches. This is to protect furniture, knickknacks, etc. from the wicked New York winter weather.

Me, walking along Chautauqua Lake. How quaint, I know.