Sunday, July 21, 2024
By:
“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” – Aristotle
It’s hard to believe that we only have two weeks left in the internship!
Monday was a day spent at ACP (shocker). I turned in my title and abstract and was somewhat productive with my report. After work, I painfully watched a two hour game of Chess between Charlotte and Jaden (with the help of Charles, of course). Charlotte made dinner (grilled cheese using the rest of my buffalo chicken dip) for the two of us. I have to admit it was quite delicious. I joined Charlotte in making a peach cake at Maia and Kai’s place (meaning I did absolutely nothing).
On Tuesday, Charlotte and I spent the workday at NIST. I continued working on my report and was surprised by Brad bringing a gift for Charlotte and me (his favorite beer from North Carolina). Tuesday night, we celebrated Kaden’s divorce from his worm! If you haven’t read anyone else’s blog, Kaden took a little trip to Mexico and was suspected of returning with a friend, the worm. We celebrated with the peach cake made on Monday and watched episode 2 of The Bachelorette.
Instead of going to NIST on Wednesday, I worked from ACP to attend the Lunch and Learn with Mitch Ambrose to discuss science policy. It was an interesting discussion, and it was cool to see other ways to get involved with science and government. I was locked in on Wednesday to continue working on my paper. I’m happy to say that it is coming along well (there is a lot of red ink so far).
Thursday was one of my most stressful days during the internship. After a lot of prior planning (courtesy of Charlotte), we managed to get all the interns to NIST with no problems. Imagine getting 15 people onto the metro in DC at 8:15 in the morning. Stressed is an understatement. Somehow, we made it on time. Brad gave a wonderful talk about the different career options available to people with a physics degree. My mentor, Susan, also gave a wonderful talk on empowering your potential. She is so great, and I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better mentor. After enjoying some pizza, Team Jenna set out to see the million-pound weight and the Ballistics lab. I had a hard time focusing on what was happening, but I think that was because I was more concerned with the timing of our busy day. Charlotte and I had the wonderful opportunity to introduce Dr. Sarah Horst before her talk on the physics of Titan. She came to High Point once, and her talk has stuck with me since then, so Thursday was a full-circle moment for me. Happy hour was much needed after our long day.
Friday was again spent at ACP. I was trying so hard to lock into my work, but writing six pages on the USPTO is not the most appealing thing on a Friday. During lunch, I hopped in a cornhole game with Jaden, Charlotte, and Charles. Jaden and I did our best, but after resetting four different times, the cornhole gods turned us away, and we came out with a loss. After work, a group of us hit up Ben’s Chili Bowl for some chili dogs. Overall, I can see why it is a popular attraction. 10/10 from me. The night ended after a game of Catan in which I was the banker.
Saturday afternoon, Charlotte and I went to the Postal Museum. I give the museum a solid 9/10. The content wasn’t my favorite, but the building was gorgeous, and the exhibits made it exciting to walk through. It was also quiet for a Saturday afternoon, making it a perfect day. That night, Charles, Kaden, Jaden, Charlotte, Brynn, Brynn’s sister, and I went to a Nationals baseball game. Let’s just say I know how to ball, and Jaden and Charlotte know Aristotle (see pictures below). The Nats won, and I had a hotdog, which was the perfect end to a wonderful day.
Sunday afternoon, Charlotte, Jaden, and I went to the pool to cool off in the DC heat. In the evening, while we worked on our presentation, I made my grandmother’s pasta sauce (technically, gravy, if you know you know). We had Sunday night family dinner and I liked to think that my grandmother was smiling down after sharing her meal that I miss so much. We played spike ball in the evening and then watched the sunset over the Potomac. It was a perfect Sunday.
Jenna Mastropolo