Grasping the Fruit, 10/18/13
This week has been simultaneously a whirling dervish and a frozen
hourglass. Getting back to college life after a few days of respite with
my family was a happysad experience (spoiler alert: I cried when they
left. Yes, I’m a sap. No, I’m not embarrassed about it anymore. My
sappiness has been seen in public too many times for me to spend the
energy being embarrassed anymore), but I’ve been on some cool adventures
this past week.
Last Friday, the fam and I went to the Newseum. My mom had been
before, but my dad and I were Newseum neophytes. Admission is paid,
which is how we could get in despite the shutdown. We could have arrived
at opening and stayed until closing and STILL not have seen all the
exhibits. We saw the 9/11 tower/headlines gallery; Tim Russert’s office;
a chunk of the Berlin Wall; and an in-depth on the Kennedy
assassination, among other things. My favorites were the Civil Rights
segment, since it related to my Cold War History Class, and the blurbs
on some of the First Dogs. The Spy Museum is still my favorite paid
museum (Smithsonian American History is my favorite free one), but I’m
glad we got to see this one.
The next day we went to President Lincoln’s cottage, precursor to
Camp David. Only 3 miles from the Capitol and the White House, this
attraction is a hidden gem within the District. Lincoln would commute
many a summer night to the Cottage to cherish the quiet and escape the
constant hubbub of the White House. In fact, he spent about 1/4 of his
presidency here, brainstorming and writing the Emancipation Proclamation
among other feats. The grounds also house a veterans’ retirement home,
as they did when the Lincolns were here. The scene reminded me a bit of
Lookout Mountain: somewhat secluded, vista views, and cozy cottages. Of
course, with the leaves still on the trees, the view of the city was
somewhat blocked. But we could see enough to appreciate the beauty. If
you’re in DC and haven’t been here, I highly recommend fitting it into
your itinerary.
This past Wednesday, I was fortunate to hear author Malcolm Gladwell
speak. I heard him in Chattanooga about 3 years ago, when he discussed a
point strikingly similar to the one of his new book David and Goliath:
do not underestimate the underdog, for he/she can surprise you. I’m not
too far in my (signed) copy of this book, but what I have read is
thought-provoking and insightful. If you haven’t read any of his books,
you should. Hands down. His genre of expertise is difficult to pinpoint,
but everything he writes is brilliant. And his writing style is
perfect. If I could write half as well as he does, I’d be a happy
camper.
With the ink annotations all over my planner, I probably won’t be
going on lots of similar adventures for a while. School is what will
earn me a spot in law school and eventually a job, not my wanderings
around the District. But speaking of law school, those tours are coming
up soon. I will certainly be sharing stories. Whether you will be
interested in reading them is another question, but if you know me, you
know that I have a compulsion to be over-prepared way ahead of time. So
here’s to the adventure of solidifying my future.
No comments:
Post a Comment