Rambling On

Have you ever watched a movie, read a book, listened to a song, or heard a story that just made you stop? That made you feel raw emotions like you hadn't for a long time, and once it was done, you weren't sure of what you were suppose to do or what was suppose to happen?

How do you do that? You experience an event or an idea or an emotion that is so incredible, and how are you suppose to return to normal afterwards? Because doing anything other than just sitting there seems so wrong.

This is me expressing those feelings. I felt the need to sit and do nothing but my body wouldn't let me, so here I am expressing as much on my blog. While my blog is mainly about my travels, it is also about me, so here you go. This post has nothing to do with what I have been doing, but instead what I have been thinking.

I recently, and by recently I mean ten minutes ago, finished a movie called "Remember Me". This movie may be known for the fact that it has the wizard-turned-sparkly vampire in it who is called Robert Pattinson. While I think his acting could use a bit of polishing, I'm not here to critique that. Instead, his roughness here lead to release of raw emotion in this film that is just nagging at me, and I'm sure will still be doing so for the next few days.

Within this movie, it doesn't hide it's emotions. The characters lay it out to bare, and at times it was beautiful. The end though, made me sit up from the couch and just cry. I couldn't help myself. Any of you out there that have watched movies with me know that I cry at the slightest thing when it comes to films, but this was a bit different. The storyline itself could have been anyone out there, and maybe the feeling I have from watching it is the feeling that it did happen. Not to him, but to others. So the pain that I am feeling for a fictional character could be translated to pain for actual people.

But even so, what are you suppose to do when an art form, I guess, speaks to you in such a way? I have read books before, where I reached the end, put down the book, and have no idea what to do with myself. Because while on the outside I am no different than before I started the story, on the inside I am changed forever. To sit and think about it more would drive me crazy, because I would be feeling that pain, but to go off and start a new project or turn on the tv like nothing happened would degrading to those involved with the creation process, and doesn't ever seem right to me. So then, my question is, what am I suppose to do?

In this situation, I had the urgent need to write it all down. So does this mean we go to what is normal to us, what makes us happy? Writing has always been something atune to background noise for me. While I can write well, I have never really honed my skill so it sits, waiting for me to either get better at it or drop it completely. While I enjoy writing, I decided to pursue other options throughout my life as I felt that those were going to lead me to a better life. Yet, whenever something goes wrong, or I have an emotion that I can't explain, I write.

And even this. I didn't start out this post thinking it would lead me to writing. I was in a slightly confused state about what I wanted to be doing, the minutes after the credits rolled. I didn't even stop to watch the deleted scenes as I normally do. Maybe because it would have felt...cheap? I don't know. I can't explain it. But, it lead me to write.

So here I am, writing. I have always entertained this small little fascination in my head that I may one day become a published author. I have even written the dedication that would be in my first book (although, I think I would need to change it, because things have changed since I wrote it a few years ago). I have started dozens of stories, all only about 40 pages long before I lose the muse and I can't think of anything to write about, or why anyone would want to read it. But maybe, one day, I will become that published author, my name in bold on a hardcover book, one that you would see directly in front of you as you stepped in Barnes & Nobles with a 30% (or 40% for members) sticker on the front, as all seem to have. Would you read it because you knew me? If it sucked, I'm sure most of you would tell me because almost none of my friends or family believe in coddling me (thank god).

On other notes, I have an interview tomorrow. Yes, for a full time job. Yes, I am nervous. And yes, my boss did just call me and ask me to come in early tomorrow to get a project done asap. So yes, I am going to bed.

And, you should watch "Remember Me". Let me know if it made you stop and review your thoughts.

If you read all of this, my sincere thanks. 

Comment dit-on....?

How do you say...? was the phrase of the day yesterday. The Des Plaines interns ventured into Chinatown in Chicago, and since two of the interns are full-fledged Chinese, they did a lot of translations for us. And since I can't speak a word of Chinese (besides "Hello", "How are you", "Thank You", and something that really shouldn't be translated haha), I figured I'd go with MY language.

Summer is starting to wind down for some of the interns. Andy, who goes to Berkeley, finished up his 12 weeks just two days ago on Friday, and left yesterday afternoon for home.  That leaves 6 interns left, with four of us at hotel. Two others leave in a week, and then Keith leaves in two, and the other two leave the week after that. I will be on my own for two weeks at the end of the internship -- but no worries! I have plans.

On Friday, September 3rd, I'll be boarding a plane to see someone I haven't seen in TWO years...Gabriell here I come! I'll be heading in Washington, D.C. for THREE WHOLE DAYS, and I expect to get into a lot of trouble together! (JUST KIDDING!) Gabs and I met while we both were studying in France (the best time of my life....I still talk about it constantly) two years ago, and bonded over our cooking adventures in the kitchen of the dorm, among other things. We got to see each other for about 12 hours one day when I was in Baltimore for the SWE National Conference in November 08. Definitely not long enough....we've been talking about trying to get together for a little over a year now, and it just never seemed to work out. And now, since I am about 1500 miles closer than ever before, we had to meet up. Plus, I love Washington, D.C. so this is going to be a blast!

So, what have I been up to you ask? Besides Chinatown and Dim Sum (delicious, by the way), there's been plenty of learning going on. I visited the International Museum of Surgical Science last weekend, which is really more like a history of medicine than anything else. Their cardiology exhibit was down, which I was very disappointed about, as the heart is one of my favorite body parts to learn about, but the rest of the museum was very cool. The even had a working iron lung there in their polio exhibit!

Various Prostheses

Some parts of the museum that were really interesting were the primitive tools that they had on display. Many were incredibly crude, used to lobotomize patients or to cut off limbs. And to think, they probably didn't sharpen too many of their tools, the patients were in no way anesthetized, the majority of the tools were not sanitized, and the doctors didn't even WASH THEIR HANDS!?!? How disgusting? But it also makes you think....these doctors had to think what they were doing was progressive and useful, exactly the way that we think nowadays. What will the future think of our practices now that we think so highly of?

More Transformers!

After the Museum of Surgical Science, I decided I was just going to walk around a bit before I went back to the hotel....which I ended up doing about five hours later. What started as a small walk turned into three miles as I made my way downtown to the loop (the museum was way north). However, as I discovered two years while I was in Paris, sometimes walking allows you to find the coolest things that you would normally miss if you decided to take the train. That doesn't happen as much in Chicago as the El is....elevated....but still, it's fun to walk. Along the way, I came upon MORE Transformers 3 filming....I guess they really are making Chicago to main stage for it all. No, I didn't see Shia LaBoeuf, but then again, I wasn't really trying. This was near Trump Tower, which is pretty damn cool by the way. The tower is the second largest building in Chicago, also making it the second largest in the United States (behind Sears Tower, also in Chicago).

I also managed to follow my nose, literally, to get some Garrett's popcorn. If you have never tried it, you are missing out! They are famous for their "ChicagoMix", which is cheese popcorn and caramel popcorn mixed together. While that doesn't sound appetizing, trying it is another story. It's the perfect mixture of salty and sweet, playing off the senses. There are only two downsides: the first, is that your hands get incredibly greasy and so you must lick your fingers constantly, and the second, that once you have one handful of the mixture you are constantly reaching your hand back in the bag for more. I swear, there must be some crack or something in this popcorn because I always want to go back and get some more. A small bag will run you about $4, but it's definitely worth it -- and a small bag is enough for about 4 people, so that helps too.

Picasso's Unnamed Sculpture

Wandering also lead me to Daley Plaza, where I viewed the unnamed Picasso sculpture. I don't know about anyone else, but I definitely reminded me of the Lion King....It's an incredible sculpture, and when viewed from different angles it allows itself to tell you different stories. The use of the lines and the materials make for a generally amazing sight. From what I understand, this a place where many professionals eat lunch during the day, but since it was a Saturday it was pretty deserted, with an exception to the little kids who happened to be running through the fountain that's to the left of this sculpture.

Eye and Cardinal

Another piece of art that I happened by (well, I actually went to seek it out. I had read about it one day and it was nearby Daley plaza. I had to go!) was "Eye and Cardinal", a giant EYEBALL. I believe it's part of a rotating art series, and they feature a new piece of art in this plaza every few months or so. The level of detail in the eye was very intense and very cool all the way around.

Now if only they passed the third grade....

Over the past few weeks, Keith and I have been going on some car adventures when we get bored. One day, we decided to drive to the Field Museum, but the highway was completely backed up and we decided it wasn't worth it. Then, we decided to go to this outlet mall just over the border in Wisconsin (just about an hour away)....and I managed to spend more than I needed to at the Eddie Bauer Factory Store. But that's a different story. Along the way, we found a car that thought very highly of itself.

Just a tad suspicious

On another car adventure, this time to find food (we found it at the Pita House, and the dessert at Baker's Square, then Keith almost got a spray-on tan, and then we went bowling. I beat him, two games to one. We continued the party at Target, where I got razors and he got deodorant, and then we went back to the hotel and watched Lara Croft. Just a typical Friday, you know). On our way, I noticed that the car ahead of us seemed just a bit suspicious...that Altima in front of us had a tube hanging out of it's back end (insert that's what she said joke here). Keith joked that it must be for air, for the person trapped inside. Doesn't it look like it? Also on the adventures we found another car that seemed to think it was all that AND a bag of chips, as evidenced by it's plate. I actually have no idea what it was trying to say, but maybe the person driving the car didn't either.

Finally, yesterday, Keith, Jing, Dandan, Dandan's BF, and I went into the city to go to Chinatown for some delicious dim sum. That's right, be jealous. I loved going with Dandan and Jing because they are both from China originally (but go to university in the US), so they were old pros at ordering dim sum, and managed to get us some yummy food. I tried some very interested food, and as I am still not sure what all of it was I won't even begin to try to write it down. But, I'm still standing, so it couldn't have been too weird right? We then proceeded to the newer end of Chinatown and went to the street fair that was going on. Keith unsuccessful tried to haggle, and Jing successfully did haggle.

My stingray buddy.  I decided to call him NORM

We then proceeded to the Shedd Aquarium in honor of the fact that it is Shark Week, so we wanted to see some SHARKS! Once again, we got in for free (and got to skip the Disneyland-size line) because the Abbott fund donated a bunch of money, and there's even a whole wing called the "Abbott Oceanarium". Every time I go into one of these museums and see the wing or the sign that Abbott donated money towards it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. It's the same feeling that I get every time I see Similac or Ensure commercials and the Abbott logo pops up on the lower right hand side of the screen near the end of the commercial. It makes me so proud to be part of such a great institution.

George

In addition to sharks, we saw more fish than I could ever count (and Keith said it made him hungry for sushi). I really liked seeing all of the turtles, which happen to be some of my favorite animals. They had many different types, including sea turtles. This little guy, christened George, is a kind of sea turtle. We made friends, and he hung out near my side of the tank for a good five minutes before he ran (swam?) off.

This cool fish is dubbed the "esquire fish" by Keith and I because it looks like a type of fish to be an "esquire". I actually don't even remember the real name of it, but I liked the fish so he got his picture taken as well. We also saw a lot of penguins, and there was a 4-D Happy Feet show that wasn't really worth $6. But then again, I didn't even pay to get into the museum so I can't complain much. However, it seems to be the place to take kids, so it was CRAZY. If I went back I'd go in the morning when hopefully less children would be there.

It's back to work tomorrow. I am nearly done my asset documentation job, which has taken me a lot longer than expected. Out of 29 rooms to catalog, I have two left, so I am very excited about that. I spent most of Friday gowning up and degowning as I went from one clean room to the other all day. This past Friday marked only the second Friday that I have stayed until 5 pm, as I usually accumulate about 2 hours extra throughout the week so I can leave early. I did that again this week, but I decided to stay late so that I could finish up most everything, and I'll just add those extra 2 hours to next week.

I also have my first interview this Friday for a full time job! Fingers crossed that I'll get an offer!

The interns left: Me, Dandan, Keith, and Jing, with the Chicago Skyline