5 - The number of times I walked through Capitol Square today.
5.5% - The sales tax rate in Dane County. Not to be confused with other counties in Wisconsin, where the sales tax rate is 5%. Way to make it easy and non-confusing for us gift shop clerks, people.
3 - The number of times I nearly became a bloody smear on the road today, courtesy of drivers and bikers around here who get a bit, umm, CREATIVE in the ways they interpret traffic signage.
2 - The number of times I went back and forth about what to wear in this 95 degree heat.
4 - The number of people who busted out singing with me in Subway this afternoon when Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" started playing on the radio.
87 - How many times throughout the day I thought about this weekend, and getting together with my family in Illinois.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
awe·some·ness: def. 1. being paid to have fun
So my day today WAS pretty great:
This morning I show up at the museum to begin my training. I walk in the door, and my new manager shoves a map of the museum in my hand, gestures to the elevators and says, "I want you to spend the next two-ish hours touring the four floors of the museum. Start at the top and work your way down. Have fun, and come find me when you're finished."
:D
Don't mind if I do.
Did I enjoy myself? Why yes, I did. My favorite floor, you ask?
Floor #3: The History of Wisconsin.
-The History of Wisconsin: Daily Living section has a replicated clothes iron from the 1940s that you can hold. Can I just say this: the women of the 40s must've had muscles like POPEYE after using that insanely heavy, ridiculous thing all day. In their place, I would've chucked it out the window and said, "Hubby, kids, your clothes are going to be wrinkled. Get over it." Ladies of the 40s, you rock.
-Nearby in a different section they have a life-size touch/sit/play-inside-of-me tractor, complete with all the gears and knobs. Did I press every knob and pull every gear? Why of COURSE I did, silly.
So after spending one-and-a-half hours playing, I finally did finish and return to the main floor, where I learned from my supervisor the ins and outs of the gift shop, supply areas and display cases, memorizing relevant facts and important security tips. For instance:
-If I were to accidentally hit any one of the three conveniently located panic buttons behind the gift shop counter, within 60 seconds four Capitol Square law enforcement officers would burst through the doors with guns drawn. Coincidentally, these men who guard Madison's Capitol Building and its surrounding businesses do not appreciate false alarms. AT ALL.
-Also: the giant window display on the front of the building is an entirely separate section of the building, accessed by a heavy, ancient door on the side of the building. The door happens to be located in a wind tunnel created by the Capitol Square. So if, say, I were to go in to replace the display, didn't happen to prop the door open and it were to shut while I'm inside, it'd be impossible to open from the inside of the display. I would then (apparently) be forced to frantically mime and gesticulate to passersby on the street, until one of them notices me, interprets my crude communication, takes pity, spends their valuable time going inside the museum and tells a staffer that there's a crazy person stuck inside the front display window.
Good to know.
(Read this article if you're curious to discover why Madison's city council voted in 2009 to designate the lawn flamingo as Madison's official bird.)
This morning I show up at the museum to begin my training. I walk in the door, and my new manager shoves a map of the museum in my hand, gestures to the elevators and says, "I want you to spend the next two-ish hours touring the four floors of the museum. Start at the top and work your way down. Have fun, and come find me when you're finished."
:D
Don't mind if I do.
Did I enjoy myself? Why yes, I did. My favorite floor, you ask?
Floor #3: The History of Wisconsin.
-The History of Wisconsin: Daily Living section has a replicated clothes iron from the 1940s that you can hold. Can I just say this: the women of the 40s must've had muscles like POPEYE after using that insanely heavy, ridiculous thing all day. In their place, I would've chucked it out the window and said, "Hubby, kids, your clothes are going to be wrinkled. Get over it." Ladies of the 40s, you rock.
-Nearby in a different section they have a life-size touch/sit/play-inside-of-me tractor, complete with all the gears and knobs. Did I press every knob and pull every gear? Why of COURSE I did, silly.
So after spending one-and-a-half hours playing, I finally did finish and return to the main floor, where I learned from my supervisor the ins and outs of the gift shop, supply areas and display cases, memorizing relevant facts and important security tips. For instance:
-If I were to accidentally hit any one of the three conveniently located panic buttons behind the gift shop counter, within 60 seconds four Capitol Square law enforcement officers would burst through the doors with guns drawn. Coincidentally, these men who guard Madison's Capitol Building and its surrounding businesses do not appreciate false alarms. AT ALL.
-Also: the giant window display on the front of the building is an entirely separate section of the building, accessed by a heavy, ancient door on the side of the building. The door happens to be located in a wind tunnel created by the Capitol Square. So if, say, I were to go in to replace the display, didn't happen to prop the door open and it were to shut while I'm inside, it'd be impossible to open from the inside of the display. I would then (apparently) be forced to frantically mime and gesticulate to passersby on the street, until one of them notices me, interprets my crude communication, takes pity, spends their valuable time going inside the museum and tells a staffer that there's a crazy person stuck inside the front display window.
Good to know.
(Read this article if you're curious to discover why Madison's city council voted in 2009 to designate the lawn flamingo as Madison's official bird.)
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
quiz: what's NOT in a Walgreens?
So about today...
The strange:
-The mattress I ordered awhile back arrived tonight via FedEx...turns out mattresses bought from Walmart and shipped via FedEx are actually BORN. No really; they're vacuum-sealed in this cylindrical shape in a tall rectangular box. When you open the box and break the seal, suddenly the springs begin to pop and stretch, and the mattress begins to grow, gaining mass, until suddenly it pops out of the plastic wrap entirely. Honestly; I felt like I was watching an animal special on the Discovery Channel...
The funny:
-At the beginning of my grad program orientation this afternoon, they split us up into groups of five. So I'm sitting there with four of my peers (we're all between the ages of 22-26) chatting, and our host interrupts to tell us that each group needs to choose a spokesperson. So one of the girls at my table suddenly yells, "NOSE GOES!" and just like that, we all revert back to middle school. Ah, the comfort of the familiar...
-Walked to Walgreens tonight looking for shower cleaning products and WD-40. Turns out they don't carry WD-40. So as I'm buying, I ask the guy at the register if he can think of any product that might substitute for WD-40. He starts giving me suggestions, and as we're talking, his bored co-worker wanders over and inserts himself into our conversation. And then suddenly they're arguing about cleaning supplies, the ingredients in them, and whether or not any of the things I'm buying could be substituted for WD-40. I have to remind the original guy to give me my receipt, and as I'm walking out, they're still arguing. So yeah...I think I broke Walgreens tonight...
The strange:
-The mattress I ordered awhile back arrived tonight via FedEx...turns out mattresses bought from Walmart and shipped via FedEx are actually BORN. No really; they're vacuum-sealed in this cylindrical shape in a tall rectangular box. When you open the box and break the seal, suddenly the springs begin to pop and stretch, and the mattress begins to grow, gaining mass, until suddenly it pops out of the plastic wrap entirely. Honestly; I felt like I was watching an animal special on the Discovery Channel...
The funny:
-At the beginning of my grad program orientation this afternoon, they split us up into groups of five. So I'm sitting there with four of my peers (we're all between the ages of 22-26) chatting, and our host interrupts to tell us that each group needs to choose a spokesperson. So one of the girls at my table suddenly yells, "NOSE GOES!" and just like that, we all revert back to middle school. Ah, the comfort of the familiar...
-Walked to Walgreens tonight looking for shower cleaning products and WD-40. Turns out they don't carry WD-40. So as I'm buying, I ask the guy at the register if he can think of any product that might substitute for WD-40. He starts giving me suggestions, and as we're talking, his bored co-worker wanders over and inserts himself into our conversation. And then suddenly they're arguing about cleaning supplies, the ingredients in them, and whether or not any of the things I'm buying could be substituted for WD-40. I have to remind the original guy to give me my receipt, and as I'm walking out, they're still arguing. So yeah...I think I broke Walgreens tonight...
Monday, August 27, 2012
city life: people on the street
This afternoon: I'm walking home to my new apartment and I find I have a special spring in my step. The sun's shining, I just completed #12 on my to-do list for the day, and I'm feeling good.
And suddenly I look around and realize I'm walking next to the capitol building in the middle of the city, bustling with pedestrians on bikes and on foot, and I'm feeling REALLY good. I start thinking to myself: 'I LOVE street people! I love being a person on the street! All this co-mingling of the masses, the nods and smiles we all share as we walk by, the way we all share this city and the space so well...' And just as I reach the height of this good-feelingness toward "the people on the street" I turn a corner and a tough-looking woman blows a mouthful of cigarette smoke in my face. And suddenly I'm coughing and wheezing, and walking away QUITE fast just in case she thinks I'm being melodramatic and decides to pound on my smart aleck behind...
:D
But cigarette smoke aside, the city is beautiful. I'm able to walk nearly everywhere I need to go, and despite the city feel of the area, I'm finding the people here are generally kind, solid Midwesterners who look out for each other.
And dude, my apartment is a stone's throw from the capitol. No kidding; I can see the top from one of my windows.
And suddenly I look around and realize I'm walking next to the capitol building in the middle of the city, bustling with pedestrians on bikes and on foot, and I'm feeling REALLY good. I start thinking to myself: 'I LOVE street people! I love being a person on the street! All this co-mingling of the masses, the nods and smiles we all share as we walk by, the way we all share this city and the space so well...' And just as I reach the height of this good-feelingness toward "the people on the street" I turn a corner and a tough-looking woman blows a mouthful of cigarette smoke in my face. And suddenly I'm coughing and wheezing, and walking away QUITE fast just in case she thinks I'm being melodramatic and decides to pound on my smart aleck behind...
:D
But cigarette smoke aside, the city is beautiful. I'm able to walk nearly everywhere I need to go, and despite the city feel of the area, I'm finding the people here are generally kind, solid Midwesterners who look out for each other.
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