Brie, art, and caramel brownies

{Friday}

Friday evening, as Natalie and I were at Safeway buying groceries, a discussion next to the cheese island resulted in an early celebration in behalf of my birthday. Having one part French blood, Natalie took it upon herself to educate me about Brie --- a semi-soft cheese that is one of her favorites. I also bought Samoa ice cream, like the girl scout cookies!

At home, Natalie tore a piece of French bread off the end and folded a chunk of Brie into the bread. Brie is a cheese that is best eaten at room temperature, it kind of has a saggy melted cheese look to it. I tried it, and loved it! Brie might be near the top of my cheeses now, right next to some good smoked Gouda!

I enjoyed myself, but I forgot to eat ice cream. I still need to try my girl scout ice cream!

{Saturday}

Yesterday, Natalie and I went exploring. We started out walking down Aliceanna St. toward downtown Baltimore. I brought my camera so document what happened.

Much to my dismay, when I attempted to take a picture of a girl Natty Boh on a car, my camera did not work. It turned on, but the photo button would not push down. I am sad, still. I probably ruined it after taking it to the beach. I think sand might have gotten sand stuck in the button. 

We continued on, and stopped by the Civil War Museum. It was very interesting to see so much history, but from a different perspective than I am used to learning. During the Civil War, Maryland was kind of an undecided state. The Union included them, but the people had an inner conflict that made things messy. 

I was fascinated to learn that the first bloodshed that occurred in the Civil War actually happened in Baltimore on Pratt Street. It was a riot, often referred to as the Lexington of 1861, between Confederate sympathizers and Massachusetts militia. 

I cross Pratt Street every day, usually in the bus, on my way to the hospital!

Before we left the museum, I gathered a few more brochures to add to my ever-growing stash. There were like 30 brochures! I did not get all of them, I only selected a few to keep. 

We continued on our adventure, and made it to Mount Vernon. It was afternoon, and we were getting hungry; luckily, we saw and smelled wonderful food across the street at Lumbini Restaurant serving Nepalese and Indian cuisine. 

The inside was a clash of cultures, or just Baltimore. The ceiling had tiles painted like a cloudy blue sky, and each tile trimmed with a gold border. A crystal chandelier hung down next to a western looking painting. Colorful Christmas lights decorated the door frame and part of one wall. The lighting was as though the curtains had been drawn and no other lights had been turned on.  

We got the buffet, which was ideal for me since I had never had Indian food, and sampled everything that they had to offer. It was absolutely wonderful. Also, I drank lots and lots of water. Indian food has several dishes that are sweet like having dessert mixed into your meal. I do not know how to describe it, but I liked it. 

It was the quickest sit-down meal I have had while also being served (the waiter had to keep refilling my glass). I would do Indian food again, but the next thing on my list is Thai. I have been told about this place in Federal Hill called Thai Arroy that I want to try out. 

Once we finished fitting as much food as we could comfortably handle in our stomachs (by allowing our gastric rugae to expand to capacity), we walked further up the street and entered the Walters Art Museum. This museum is free to the public, and actually astounded me. I would have paid money to see this place. Not only was the collection of art great, but the presentation of it was beautiful. 

It was four levels high and had the art organized by time period and culture (ancient art as Egyptian and  Greek, Renaissance and Baroque in Italy, France, and Spain, etc.). There was everything including a sculpture court as well as a whole section connected to the building (also four levels) on Asian art. 

It was fascinating to me to look at cultures and times now gone or changed. Seeing some of the ancient jewelry got me thinking about how alike we all are. In so many ways we have not changed from the people of ancient Greece.

I can only imagine what God thinks as He watches His children make the same mistakes over and over again. Sometimes we think that we are so original or different than the millions that came before us, but when it comes down to it, the things we hope for and dream about are probably just about the same. 

After the museum, we made it over to Patterson Park to swim in the pool. It felt good to swim a few laps, maybe I will consider swimming as an alternative to running. . . . 

I think Natalie and I were the only white people there. I did see some very cute hair styles; I will need to remember to tell Gabriella (my sister) about them. 

We had worn ourselves out by the time we got home, and after cleaning the house (oh, and making caramel brownies), we finally relaxed by watching a couple of Dollhouse episodes.

{Sunday}

I got yet another ride to church today from Mike, he lives in Canton, but he is also leaving very soon. I brought my caramel brownies because after church there was a "Munch and Mingle" picnic style pot luck event. It was great yummy food. After that, Mike and Emily and I ended up over at Lauren's place and ate Greek yogurt popsicles. 

I loved that Emily and Lauren are in the medical field, so much of our conversation was medical related, in any case, it was nerdy. I loved it. Emily is more in the research side with molecules, and Lauren is finishing up medical school to become a radiologist (I think). 

I also decided that I want to find a cheap edition of Gray's Anatomy textbook. Yes, I just wrote that. I do want to buy a textbook just to have it, and read it. I am a nerd. I know; I love it.

I fell asleep on the floor in the living room after I got home. Natalie was leaving to check on the garden, and I guess I chatted with her when she got back. I do not remember it though.

My nap on the floor lasted four hours! That was not my intention, but it is alright since I have decided to use the time to catch up here, on my blog.

I think I am finally ready to go back to sleep now.

Tomorrow starts the last week in June. After this week, my internship will be halfway over. This summer is happening so quickly, I can hardly keep up. 

staggered thoughts

This week after a PCR, I think, Kristin needed some information in my lab book and she told me that my notes were very thorough. That made me happy; how often does your superior (I'm not really sure what Kristin is to me --- a fellow student? In any case, she has been here longer than me and knows more than I do) tell you that they like the way you take notes when you have been there less than a month? Well, it happened for me . . . .


Also, I have been having a desire to run . . . what? Did I really just disclose that? Yes, I want to get out and do something active. I think I could use some exercise; it really makes me feel better. I have talked to a couple of people about running around Patterson Park, and I think that would be a good option for me. I just have not gone running yet. In the afternoon it gets so hot that I do not want to go out to exercise. 


I have been told that as long as it is light when I go, I should be just fine. We will see if I end up running . . . or maybe it might just be one of those things that I talk about but never end up doing. 

In other news: I made my way back over to Safeway to buy groceries again. I need to find some recipes that make simple meals because, let's face it, I have minimal ingredients for the summer and I am not about to stock up a kitchen's worth of things I can not use before I leave. 


This post is already summing up several random things; it's like adding terms without checking that they have the same units first. Oh well, I guess while I am doing it, I better get it all out. 


I have been contemplating whether I should get my hair cut. This is a continuous decision that girls have to make, so guys relax, this happens. I decided on a "maybe, yes" to cut my hair. I mean, it is summer and it will get hotter, and I probably will cut it before this fall semester, so I might as well enjoyed the shorter length while I am in the heat anyway. 


Now I just have to find a place that will cut my hair for cheap. So until then, I will probably complain about it or talk about cutting my hair for some time. 


Recently, Natalie introduced me to a T.V. series called the Dollhouse. She owns it, so we have been watching episodes in the evenings when it gets dark outside and before we go to bed. I have really enjoyed having our little girl's nights. 


It is ironic that I start watching a show right after I ended up telling a girl in the lab how much I dislike T.V. I did not grow up with it, so I prefer reading much more. Anyway, I expressed a few feelings of dislike, and the next thing I know, I am enjoying a series. Insert foot in mouth. 

Dream movie

The other night I had a strange dream. 


I dreamed/dreamt (is there a difference?) that I was in a full length movie. Although, I did not look like me, and none of the actors were people that I recognized. 


I was a little girl in the movie, but I was really telling the story about my father and his life during the Great Depression and the War. I had two sisters, and my father would read us bedtime stories and call us his little princesses. 


It was a rough life growing up, and my parents had to sacrifice much for their children. Us three girls did very well in life and went on to claim greatness. 


The sad part was, at the end of the movie, I explained how my parents had several opportunities to change their circumstances, but they had been so broken by life that they stayed put and never moved up. 


They died in the same sad house they raised us in.

To me, I woke up feeling like I had just watched a full length movie. It was kind of strange because I was left deciding whether or not I got enough sleep since part of it was like a watching a movie --- but I was sleeping.

Weird.

I do not even know what it means.

My mom would know, she always tells me what my dreams mean. I like it. Her interpretations usually get at a emotional struggle I have been having, even if I did not know about it.

Eighteen and counting

It is HOT! When I left for work on Wednesday morning it felt like a nice summer day as though I was standing in the shade back in Utah. If it already felt like this before 9:00 a.m. then I knew I was in for a treat later that afternoon! Sure enough, after work, two steps outside of the air conditioned entrance, I felt the wall of heat like I had entered a sauna! Hello Baltimore!

I was glad that the digitized sign for the bus said it was coming in two minutes and the bus after that in 26 minutes, so I waited. Six minutes later the next bus was STILL coming in two minutes. Twelve minutes later, the "two minute" bus was "arriving." It was a no show.

I almost walked home. The thought of me walking farther than 50 yards in heat that would leave me nothing more than a puddle made me reconsider and decide that fourteen minutes was not that long to wait for the next bus.

When that bus came, so many people piled on that I stepped on someone's foot. Sorry Mr. I-don't-know-you-but-I'm-not-going-to-ask-your-name!

This week I feel like I have just discovered the blog world and felt the urge to stalk people and their blogs. It has been really fun to see what I have found. The internet is so big! I don't think that I have actually ever considered the impact that it has on me.

I can not even imagine going through school without the internet and the functional uses of it! I am so spoiled! I also think it amazing that I am typing letters on a keyboard and it can be "posted" and seen by my family and friends on the other side of the country! Okay, I know that was a delayed reaction to the internet, but I think it just hit me --- we are so lucky!


On Monday, as I was leaving the hospital, I encountered an alarm. I had taken the elevator down to the first floor, and then as I was walking the main corridor to get outside, an automated voice came on the intercom and said there was a confirmed Code Red in the children's section and all employees should follow protocol. Little white lights on the ceiling, stationed every thirty feet or so down the hall, were flashing. Since I was closer to leaving the building than I was going back to the lab, I continued outside. 


Code Red is the emergency for a fire. I hope no one was hurt. I did not hear anything about it later, so I assume everything played out fine. 

Besides really hot weather, it has also been rainy this week in Baltimore.

I do love it when it rains. To me, the world is beautiful when it rains. Most people do not seem to like it very much. They usually go around and grumble about how the sky is gray and gloomy, and everything is wet. 


I love it. I love water. Having a gray sky draws attention to the colors of the city: the buildings, trees, and people are vibrant and filled with expressions. Besides, I think the wetness reminds me about LIFE. Water makes things fresh and restores life; that's just the way things are. We each have the agency to choose how we want to see it. 

Also this week: three people in the lab learned that I am 18 years old. Here we go again . . . . I got on the topic with Kristin and Lori (both in the lab) because of another boy here that just graduated from high school. I feel bad for him because he acts so awkward sometimes. "You have to give him a break, he is just eighteen." That's when it came out, "So am I, but that doesn't mean . . ." *Que freak out*

Just kidding, there was not a freak out, but they were both a tad bit surprised and wanted to know how I was so young with my experience . . . so predictable. I think there have only been a select few individuals that have not reacted in the same manner. It's understandable; I would want to know what was going on too.

I got to thinking though, about how I am so young, and also about how short life really is. I can hardly believe that I have lived 18 years and I have not experienced that much! I better get cracking if I want to get through my GIANT list of things I want to do in my lifetime.

Overcrowded Bus

The faces of the people 

on the bus,

overcrowded 

and malodorous with stench,

produce blank stares 

or embarrassing eye glances

only to be quickly averted

but replaced. 

Bodies shift with the bus:

the stops,

and starts,

all movements are 

synchronized

as though, 

they are just an 

extension

of a larger picture.

Trust is absent.

I recognize frequenters:

a girl 

walks the same 

way home 

as me, 

hasty 

and hurried steps.

Or a Jewish boy

waits in the morning

sometimes reading, 

usually

a thick book,

a novel of fiction,

I think.

I can't even say 

hello.

Faces remind me of someone

I know,

reviewing memories of the past

and realizing
my unawareness
about my surroundings.
Somehow

pilled into a vehicle,

awkwardly,

lives moving

the same direction,

then spilling out onto the street,

like a bucket of paint

tipped on its side,

only the paint

changes colors

and continues on

in endless,

separate pathways.

What if those pathways 

reconnected?

Would I 

notice?

Sorrowful connections 

as people

go on

existing

without even 

acknowledging 

each other;

and finally, 

forever 

gone.

Father's Day Sunday

Another Sunday, come and gone,. Luckily for me, I avoided riding the MTA yet again. It's not that I do not want to ride the MTA after my first experience, it is just that I have not absolutely needed to and I have better strategies to try out when I ride next time. I think that will help me to feel better prepared. Another summer intern picked me up for church. I am really having my luck of the draw. 


Since it was Father's Day (I love you Dad! Everyone else: don't worry, I did call him and talk to him personally on Sunday), the sisters were putting together little treats for the guys --- even though none of them are fathers, yet. Well, I got to church early, and I helped put together the treats. 


The tops of white envelopes were cut off and one side was cut and folded over like a collar. A tie cutout in colored paper was taped below the collar and a Hershey's chocolate bar was inserted in the envelope --- peeking over the edge of the collar. (I actually got to take one home too because they had extras but not enough for every girl, so the girls that helped out got one as well. YEA! Chocolate!)

After church, Natalie invited me to join her and her family at her sister's house, a couple blocks away, for dinner. It was nice to be able to enjoy sitting down with a family for dinner. Natalie's parents and younger brother came as well. The food was wonderful and the company was entertaining. Guess what else? They love the movie "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and quote it frequently! (I think you would like them a lot, Mom!)

Since it was the 200th year anniversary of the War of 1812, the city had gotten the Blue Angels to come to Baltimore. Just before dinner, we enjoyed an air show --- rather noisy, but very spectacular --- from the Blue Angels on the roof-top deck.

As a side note, can I just say that I really like the idea of a deck that it above your roof? It is a clever use of space considering what little is given in a city. Baltimore buildings seem to be really small on the outside, or even immediately inside, but what I have begun to notice is how long and tall everything is to compensate for it. Houses and restaurants alike, continue backward and upward of the front door. What appears to be small at first, turns out to be a pleasant surprise.

Another thing I have noticed is how sore I feel. I think I am exhausted from going to the beach, but it is hard for me to take that in: how can I be tired from relaxing and a long car ride?

Ocean City

The power came back on at 5:12 a.m. this morning; I know because my light turned on and woke me up. I turned it off and slept in a bit longer.

Plan for the day was to go to Ocean City with some of the Relief Society sisters. Since they were not meeting at the church, but someone's house a few blocks north of Penn Station, I left early and took the Circulator.

Now, when I say left early, I mean I left my house just after 8:00 a.m. and we were meeting at 9:00 a.m.

The problem with the Circulator is, I could probably walk just as fast since I had to ride on all three routes to get there. I took the green route to President's Street, and walked across the street to wait for the orange route.

This is the point in time that most of my time was wasted. I should have skipped the orange route altogether and walked the blocks to the purple route. Oh well, lesson learned.

Once the orange route finally came, it waited at that stop for an additional 15-20 minutes. That's great, unless you need to get somewhere. When we pulled out of the stop, I had five minutes until I was supposed to be there. Great. I was going to be late, again.

I got off the orange route and walked north one block to the purple route. However, I was not seeing the stop right off, and I turned around to see the Circulator pulling away from the stop across the street. I had crossed two streets (so I was diagonal from the corner I started from) and the bus was on the corner that I had not touched. What a let down! I just missed it and I know that if I would have crossed to the right corner, I would have made it. Now I would be running even more late.

I hesitated for a moment as I watched the bus turn the corner ahead of me: should I wait here or walk to the next bus stop? Might as well try to get somewhere, I reasoned. I walked one block and turned the corner. The same bus had stopped just ahead, about a block and a half more. I picked up my pace, the bus was still there. Half a block, and the bus pulled away from the stop, BUT the traffic light was red: it could not go anywhere.

I ran up to the door, and the driver let me on. I thanked him and sat down. I call that a tender mercy from my Father in Heaven that I made that bus.

After Penn Station, I walked up St. Paul Street. Once I reached the corner of 21st Street (the meeting place was on that next block) I saw a car at the corner with the passenger side window rolled down. Inside was Lauren and Emily (driving). Hey, I know them! They saw me and pulled over and told me to hop in. Everyone was leaving and they had a space for me.

I can hardly believe that I made it. What a close call! I guess I really was meant to go to Ocean City today. The alternative story would have ended with me finding the house within the next five minutes and realizing soon thereafter that I was too late and that it was time to go back home. Ocean City would not be a trip I would have been making today.

I am really glad today did not end that way.

I DID go to Ocean City, and I DID have a blast. I DID put sunscreen on, but I DID get burned anyway. However, I DID learned a lesson from the experience: let someone else apply sunscreen to your back, or else it ends up like mine, blotchy and uneven.

I have now been to the Atlantic Ocean. It was salty! I can still taste it. I love the sun, the sand, and the water.

I also love showers. I think I'll need another one tomorrow morning. . . .

Utah accent

Last night after talking to my family (mostly my mother) on the phone for two hours, I decided to sit down and write a blog post. Only the power went out; and with it, the internet did too.

I wrote some of my day down on a Word Document on my laptop. Here is what I wrote:

Today I attended the Schizophrenia Symposium all day – from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. It was quite fascinating, but it definitely was a lot to take in all at once. Now I feel like I need to research on my own much of what they were talking about.

Curtis came “home” with me today. While we were in the last lecture of the symposium, we heard the Blue Angels over us and it made Curtis want to go to Fells Point. Unfortunately, we did not see any airplanes.

 We did see some ships, and some sailors in uniform. Here is the huge Canadian ship that I mentioned in my last post.

 Also, there were some kayak-ers out and about.

We ended up buying dinner at a place called Little Italy Pizza, which was funny to me since we were in Fells Point and they were advertising food that is sought after a neighborhood away. I have not been to Little Italy yet, but I am planning on going, someday.

Well, we each got one slice of pepperoni pizza. I paid $2.65 for a quarter of a pizza! The ONE piece was HUGE! I even took a picture of it (I remembered my camera, AND I remembered to take pictures). Although, I did not think the pizza looked very appetizing, in the way of foods,but it turned out to be delicious! Apparently that is how all east coast pizza tastes like. I enjoyed it.

 I walked Curtis to the bus stop, and a couple approached us asking about the fee to park. I did not know the answer, but Curtis walked over to the parking vendor thing with the wife to help them sort it out. I mentioned that I had only been in Baltimore for two weeks, and the husband said they had just arrived from North Carolina, and he asked me where my accent was from.

No one has ever asked ME about MY ACCENT! I told him I was from Utah just as we walked up to Curtis and his wife. As we got there, she asked Curtis where his accent was from. He told her to guess, and she was all over the place, “Well, maybe British, or Australian, or . . .” until her husband said, “No, I bet he is a Mormon from Salt Lake City.”

Yep, actually, you are right on.

She looked a bit shocked that he knew that, but then realized that he must have already asked me. 

They were a friendly couple, we visited with them for a few minutes, the Circulator came and Curtis had to run across the street to catch it. I continued talking to them a few minutes more.

They had just barely arrived from North Carolina for the weekend with the purpose of getting their son settled into an apartment because he was just starting an internship. The husband told me that he went to school and got a degree in electrical engineering, ended up becoming a dance instructor, and now was a hair stylist.

I told him I was going to school to be a biological engineer, and that I loved dancing, but mostly only ballroom.

He complemented me on my hair and said it was a great style for me. And then he gave me his business card and told me that if I was ever in North Carolina and needed my hair done, to let him know.

Random. I met some guy that said he would do my hair if I was in North Carolina. Now that does not happen every day. 

In the Ceiling

Once upon a time, on a Thursday morning --- to be precise --- a certain heroine named Elizabeth and her courageous roommate, Natalie, found a cat in the ceiling. The cat's name was Willow.

Natalie and Elizabeth tried to coax Willow down from the ceiling. Ladders were produced, ceiling tiles removed, cat food presented, squirt bottles tested, platforms held . . . but all to no avail. 

Now Willow wanted very much to get down from inside the ceiling, but she could not get down using the curtains, for that was the way she got up. 

Natalie thought to remove a tile above the bookcase. It was about a two foot distance between the top of the bookcase and the ceiling. Willow still would not come down. 

Natalie and Elizabeth went to the kitchen to empty the recycling bin (to use as a possible resource). Upon their return to the living room, Willow had jumped to the top of the bookcase. Willow is an independent cat; she likes to be in charge.

It turns out, Natalie was the true heroine in the end --- she moved the tile above the bookcase after all. 

*Note: True story, however, no animals were harmed in the production of this story.

{The End} 

After a minor setback this morning, I made it to the hospital and attended my first Thursday lecture as a part of the Stanley Summer Program. The lecture was held in the conference room around a long table that seats about ten people or so (additional chairs surround the seats immediately about the table for larger meetings). Dr. E. Fuller Torrey was our speaker.

Torrey is the author of the book I am reading called "Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Patients, and Providers." I am three chapters into the book, which is very well written, and I am immensely intrigued with the disease schizophrenia. Torrey was a superb orator, and signed my book afterwards. 

After the lecture, almost the entire lab group went on a "field trip." We walked down to Fells Point (where I wait for the Circulator everyday. A big event Baltimore is calling the "Sailabration" for the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 is going on and big ships are docked at the harbor. (As a result of this planned field trip, this was yet again, another Thursday without clinical rounds, much to my dismay.)

Since Sarven is the one that was WAY excited about this, we saw the Canadian ship (he's from Canada), but we did not want to wait in line to get aboard. The Blue Angels soared overhead every now and again; it was neat to see the planes in formation, and crazy to hear them thundering above us. I carried my camera with me, but COMPLETELY forgot to take any pictures! Lame, I know!

We walked around the harbor some more and ended up eating a late lunch at a Mexican place called Arcos. I don't think they were expecting a large group (there were fourteen of us) because I think it took them an hour --- at least --- to serve us. 

Oh well, it was tasty, and we were treated to lunch. 

We walked back to the lab, by then it was almost three o'clock. It was much too late for me to start a PCR. I will just have to do that on Monday since tomorrow is far too busy. 

It turns out that there is a full blown Schizophrenia Symposium tomorrow all day long. All of the students are encouraged to attend; we had to register for it, but when I say register, I actually mean write our names on a piece of paper with which division of Hopkins we were working and fax it in. 

I am excited about it. I actually have become more interested in schizophrenia as a disease. I read an article today, about getting an infectious agent from cats that has been linked to schizophrenia. I found it fascinating. I think the coolest part is that some of the research in the article was done in the lab I am at! Robert Yolken is mentioned, who I see all of the time and Torrey (was mentioned earlier) was also in the article. 

For anyone who cares to read up on it, here is the link (don't feel like you have to, the science part is not an obligation for anyone reading my blog, but I thought I would provide it, if you so feel inclined):

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/8873/

Also, I found the website explaining the basics of what my lab is based off of. The general website is:

http://stanleyresearch.org/dnn/

I am in the Stanley Neurovirology Lab, which has a website link off of that page, specifically:

http://www.stanleylab.org/

Not that anyone really cares, but I thought I would document it for me to find it later, and if anyone was extraordinarily curious about the lab I am at, it has a pretty good overview. 

Last night I went on a date with someone from the singles ward; we'll call him "Boy A." It was fun. He took me to Chaps Pit Beef where I got a very tasty beef sandwich. That was apparently something else Baltimore is famous for, Chaps Pit Beef sandwiches.

He took me to institute after that where a total of five people came. I am seeing some slight differences compared to Utah. :)

I am excited for Saturday coming up. I am going on a trip to Ocean City with some girls from the ward. I think it is going to be a blast!

Not exotic

Can I just say that I feel kind of NOT exotic? In the lab, we have people from Sweden, China, Hungry, Canada, Russia, Baltimore (I think that's cool), . . . oh, and Utah. 


As I was telling Emily (my mentor/supervisor) this, we were chatting about philosophy as well. I am astonished at the number of people I have encountered, and will encounter throughout the course of my lifetime. 


There are so many humans out there. Well, HERE actually. Right  NOW. I am talking about beings with individual families and situations, pets, jobs, connections, and stories! That is amazing! 


I am just some girl from Utah spending a summer in Maryland; exuberant about books, rain, and the color yellow. I am a nerd and love school. 

I bet there is a man with three daughters and a passion for spear fishing outside of his weekday city office job. Or a woman that has traveled little but can mend relationships and socks miraculously. A boy with large dreams to start an international business rather than take on his father's ranch. 

I sometimes think about the people that I am going to meet within the next year. I wonder what they are like, and what is important to them right now. 

Anyway, I like to think about people and their possible life stories. 

Emily told me I had exotic thinking.

Maybe exotic does not have to be about a place . . . .

and much more . . .

{Note: This post has been updated. The formatting is still a bit weird, but I don't think I can make it any better. Enjoy!}

Given the occasion of a Sunday evening, I thought I ought to blog about my experiences of Baltimore, yet again. I have successfully finished one week of work at my internship. I think I might be starting to get a routine down, but it might take some time to actually get it perfected. Such is my quest for perfectionism . . . not perfect. 

This week at work, after finding out where I live, another intern surprised me when she asked, "Why Fells Point?" I guess she really wanted to know because after some jovial conversation, she repeated herself, "No really, why Fells Point?"


I actually came to live here through a connection of a connection sort of deal, but I am enjoying my location quite thoroughly. Without a vehicle of my own, I find it convenient to be close to everything that I want to go to, or to be close to a free bus that can get me around downtown. So really, "Why not?"


She said that she had never known anyone to actually live in Fells Point. It might be true that Fells Point does not house college students (at least not many that I've met), and it does have a bar at every corner, but I feel like I am at the heart of Baltimore.


What would Baltimore be without the people of the city? The steady flow of everyday life, unique and unpredictably predictable. People with or without families, night lives, and city jobs. I enjoy being able to see the realistic city life of citizens, instead of my normal interactions with other students.


I have been spending a little bit of time collecting information about summer activities going on around Baltimore. I have been checking brochures, newspapers under the events section, websites, and Natalie has even been kind enough to keep an ear open to what she hears. I am beginning to compile a list (that's what I do --- I LOVE making lists) of events happening and of all sorts of things.


Touristy events along side of weekly neighborhood knitting nights, I have been trying to decide what things I would like to enjoy and learn, as well as be able to involve myself in the community  in such a way that many summer interns regularly do not experience. I figure that I am going to get out of Baltimore exactly what I put into it. If I want to have a great experience, then I AM going to have a GREAT EXPERIENCE!


I heard about a summer ballroom opportunity that is held every Wednesday night, mostly put on for the Johns Hopkins students. It runs all summer, but I have decided that it is not worth it for me for a couple of reasons: first, I do not want to put $45 dollars into something that I either already know, or could learn at home, and second, it starts at 7:00 p.m. on a week night at the Homewood Campus of Hopkins and I think the circulator stops running around 9:00 p.m. I do not really desire to walk home in the dark once a week.


This week has had some beautiful weather in Baltimore. I have not really noticed any humidity, and it has just felt like a nice transition week between spring and summer for me. How much more of this weather I am to expect, I can not tell you. I will expect to be having the temperatures increase drastically, and if they do not, then I'll be pleasantly surprised.


Work has been nice this week. I am excited for clinical rounds next week since I was not able to go this week. I guess there was a bit of confusion, but nothing too big, so I will be going to that every Thursday afternoon. I think it will be what makes everything in a lab worth the work. Putting faces to a disease will change how I think about the work we are trying to accomplish and know that there is a real purpose that laboratory work is performed.


On Friday, during lunch, a lot of people were eating in the Conference room and Sarven started setting up his laptop to the projector saying there was a surprise presentation for all of the new students. He proceeded to turn on a soccer game and eat his lunch. Everyone is so laid back in the lab.


I guess that is pretty true for all of the labs that I have been in. I think it still surprises me though, because I have somewhat professional expectations going into almost every venture. I would be no fun if I ran a lab. (I actually had a dream that on Thursday about me back in Utah and I was in charge of a lab.) I would be too strict to be a lead researcher, thinking that I was actually being professional.


On Friday evening, Natalie and I went for an evening walk, mostly in the direction of Canton. She showed me some of the things that I have not seen in the opposite direction of downtown.


Since moving out here, I have found that I have this attraction for old church buildings. I think they are just beautiful and I love that Baltimore has churches all over the place.


This church in particular may not be too old, but it does have some historical charm to it, in my opinion at least.
We walked past O'Donnell Square and I bought a cream puff at Vaccaro's, an Italian Pastry shop. Everything inside was massive! I got a cream puff since I thought that if I tried to eat anything else, it would immediately clog my arteries. I am too young to be thinking this!

Midst the shops, I spotted a Mexican place advertising with Natty Boh in a Mexican sombrero.

Of course I could not pass up the opportunity to document the real Baltimore. Also, I learned that some people say Baltimore as "Bawlmer" just as the sign says.

I will try and work on my impersonation skills . . . I would love to be able to imitate an Eastern accent by the time I come home; the truth is, I am terrible at accents, so this has the potential to go completely down hill and be hysterical to listen to, we'll see what happens.

We walked past a branch of the Enoch Pratt Library in Canton that is being renovated for two years. I saw some spider webs and wild flowers by the fence that I sought to capture on camera.

It is hard to see, and I realize that I am no photographer; this is really the first summer I have even attempted to take pictures of things I experience.


You can see some of what I saw . . . at least you get the idea.




As we walked farther into Canton area, we passed a house with a cute little painted screen in the window. One of the traditional Baltimore things was to paint on the window screens and display them to the public.


For some reason or another, everyone always painted a house by a lake. Maybe that is what they imagined as the American Dream? That is the best I could come up with. It is not quite as common anymore, but it was fun to run into.


We reached Canton's Waterfront Park and spied on the cute couple by the harbor.

Continuing along, I was enjoying the park. I also really love trees. Sometimes I like to take pictures of trees; this is the result.
There were a lot of people thoughtful enough that as they saw me taking pictures, they would either stop walking or go around me. I don't think they realized that I was trying to capture the scene --- whether they were included or not.

The park also had a monument to the Korean War. Since Natalie and I realized that the Korean War was something brushed over in school, we decided to read up on it. I guess Baltimore City knew that this war's history was not commonly known, and an entire, brief summary of the war was displayed in stone around the monument.


Please note from the pictures that I set foot in South Korea and I was even lucky enough to spend a couple moments in North Korea as well. I'm telling you, pictures don't lie ;)

The sun was setting as we continued on our walk in the direction of home.  I think the harbor is so beautiful!

Yet another church in the distance. I am not quite sure which one this is, but it sure looks majestic!

An actual water taxi docks here! I even saw it when it came and docked. I don't know why I didn't take a picture of that though . . . oh well. This similar to a bus stop sign, but not.

The Black Eyed Susan was docked and peaceful. I don't know if this is actually a commercial boat, but I feel like it is the kind of thing you would see south of here with a lively party aboard.

We passed this car, but I don't know what it is. I thought it was cute. I figured the guys could help me out here . . . what car is this? It seems like if a guy is around (I know, BIG stereotype) then he'll be able to tell me what kind of car it is. . . . (Guys: Here's your chance!)

The sun is setting and the harbor is gorgeous. I am doing my best to capture what I see . . . and it still never will do it justice.

This is the bird . . . that might be a baseball team's mascot. Anyway, if it is, I saw it. I took a picture of it as proof. 

I spied on another cute couple. I guess sitting and staring at the harbor is a great Friday evening date night if you're in Baltimore. So that's what people do . . . . Well, I think the bars get used as well --- there is one on every corner in Fells Point, literally.

More of the sun setting. I think this is about the best I could do as far as capturing the moment.


Also, at this point, the sky lit up all of the traces from airplanes in the sky. It was really neat to see the tracks of so many people with diverging life stories. I am always fascinated about how many people are alive and that each person has their own history and life. So amazing to me. 

The original Natty Boh! Yes, I know this is a beer can, but it is where Mr. Boh started out in the first place. I had to document it like a scrapbook.

Yet again, another painted screen. This one is more modern (a signature and dated 2011) screen painting, but it seems to have carefully tried to incorporate the older classics of Baltimore.
If you look in the bottom right corner, there is a house by a lake just as the other painted screens seemingly always had.

We are now nearing home, and this little sushi place is working its way on opening soon (I'm not sure when exactly).

What I really wanted to point out, is the Natty Boh by the sushi rolls. This is a REAL Baltimore sushi place. It makes me laugh that Mr. Boh is leaving his mark on the city. Here and there, in little ways, but he really is everywhere.

Other little things to enjoy, less than a block from my house. This house is a violin studio and has adorable outcroppings to prove it.


To conclude my Friday evening, Natalie and I sat in the living room and watched Thoroughly Modern Millie. I had not seen it, so we enjoyed the 1920s costumes and making fun of the terribly racist Chinese subplot.                          

{Saturday}

Saturday morning, I tagged along with Natalie and her sister and family (husband and three-year-old daughter) to the farmer's market by Homewood campus. It was much bigger than the one I went to last week. I actually bought some asparagus and three cucumbers. 

In the neighborhood around the farmer's market, I saw this stop sign. I enjoyed it. 

We stopped in a park for a brief time to let Natalie's niece play, and continued on our Saturday morning adventure. 

Our destination? The Book Thing of Baltimore! What a clever title. Apparently some guy decided to start up this thing where people could donate books. He sells any books that are worth money online, and stores the rest at a warehouse-library. 

Basically anybody can come in and take whatever books they want. The books are free. Completely free. On their website, under frequently asked questions is this: 
* Are the books really free? [Yup.]
* Really? [Yes.]
* Absolutely free? [Yes.]
* What's the catch? [All the books have been stamped "not for resale". That's it. 
* Is there a limit to how many books I can take? [You can take 150,000 per day, per person.]
* . . . And the books are free? [Yes.]

I am so impressed! I want to start one of these in Utah! When I walked in, it wasn't just a room full of books, but like five rooms full of books. All of them completely available and free to have for the keeping. I found a few classics such as The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Mansfield Park (I like Jane Austen), A Passage to India, Evelina, Brave New World, The Catcher in the Rye, and Nine Stories also by J. D. Salinger. 

I got a couple of other books that I am planning on doing some craft projects with (ideas from another book), but if I don't get around to them this summer, then I can easily take them back to The Book Thing of Baltimore. 

It was a fantastic morning. What a wonderful treasure to discover!

Next up, I made it over to Fort McHenry for a BYSA (Baltimore Young Singe Adult, an organization of the LDS Church) activity. I was about half an hour late (it would have been later had Natalie not driven me --- Thank you!), but the group had not even left the visitor's center yet. 

There were about ten people that showed up. I found them as they were watching a video documentary about the Revolutionary War. I don't know how much I missed, But what I did catch was amazing. 

I love America! I also love being here, on the east coast, where there is a rich history of the beginning of our country. It is absolutely fascinating to me how America came to be a country, up against all odds. It was truly a gift from God that we became a country. 

Around the fort, several people were dressed up in attire that might have been found a couple hundred years ago. It was fun to see, and really made me think about what I am grateful for. 

The story of Francis Scott Key was also told here. He wrote the lyrics to our national anthem, and was inspired. Those words ring through my ears.

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? 

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep, Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected now shines in the stream: 'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand, Between their loved home and the war's desolation! Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land, Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust." And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

The fort was inspiring and memorable. I am so grateful for the freedoms that I have been born into and take for granted. It was a sight to behold, and got me thinking about numerous people that came before me. 

An underground tunnel . . . showed some promise. We were curious as we descended the steps. 

Only lead to this . . . they didn't want me to explore :( oh well. 

Secret hideout? This was a storage space for bombs, but was also built for protection if needed. (I think, don't quote me on this.) Let's just say, the stairs to get down to it, were built for short people. 

Down the stairs and into the room. 

This is a view from the bottom looking up where I came down the stairs.

Old desk . . .

One of the things that I count among my many blessings, is my bed that I sleep on every night. A giant THANK YOU to everyone who came before me and had to sleep on something like this or worse! Sleep well tonight. . . .  

One of my other blessings . . . need I say more?

A real jail room, it is really small. I bet it smelled something awful during the summer. Someone told me that a private committed suicide in that very room. Look, I got locked inside! AHHH! Just pulling you leg! They were kind enough to let me out again. 

A couple of soldiers teaching the visitors how to be a soldier. They explained the stances, and how to hold a gun, and load it (the old fashioned ones, of course). 

They looked like they could be dying from the heat in those uniforms! Most everyone else was holding to the shade --- this is about noon. 


The new recruits all lined up!

This little girl was my favorite to watch! She was absolutely the cutest and mirrored everything that the soldier was doing. It was pretty much adorable.

Some ladies all dressed up.

I am proud to be an American!

In other news, I lost my earring this week. It was actually one that I liked. Oh well, life soars on. 

Also, I got a ride to church on Sunday. Another bus opportunity just got passed up! I am glad that everyone is so thoughtful and willing to help me out. 

After church I joined in on a spontaneous potluck dinner, but I didn't have anything to bring. Surprisingly enough, they still wanted me to come and I even got a ride. It was fun to relax, laugh, and meet some more people from the ward here. Everyone is so friendly, I love it!

Today, while I was at work, there was a fire in Fells Point. It was just a block south of where I was standing this morning at the bus stop. I would have been able to see it from there. I saw the smoke from a window in the hospital and it was burning for a few hours. 

In order to avoid traffic and blocked roads, I took a different route home. I hopped on a Hopkins shuttle (that I didn't know about before) and took it a couple blocks east. I walked home a few blocks, but it was a straight shot south. 

The neighborhood was cute; I was surprised at the difference in the blocks size. North and south, the blocks are a lot longer than they are east and west. It was a different experience, but a pleasant one. As a bonus, I completely avoided the fire and traffic all together. 

As a reminder, everyone is free to comment on these posts. I'd love to hear what you think about them.