After my computer decided to spontaneously fail on me one night and I had to send it to Steve Jobs for a little repair, I finally have it back in my hands with a brand new hard drive makeover. Though on one hand, Facebook is responsible for lowering GPAs of students everywhere (and in my opinion decreasing the quality of interpersonal relationships... who needs to ask someone how they're doing when they can just log on and see their every update?), it really saved me this time because I had all my favorite photos uploaded and thus had a "back-up" when my hard drive crashed and I lost everything. So, warning to everyone out there... backup your stuff. Not only to prevent losing your information, but to avoid having to hear everyone tell you after the fact "Oh, well you should have made a backup!!". This I realize now. Thanks.
So... as usual, I have taken a break from writing for a few months, and now it's time to play catch-up. A ver...
The last post I wrote was about going to America for Obamapalooza 2009. I drove down to DC Monday morning and started working in the afternoon at Al Gore's Green Party at the Portrait Gallery. The big man in charge told us that Halle Berry, the Clintons, Angelina Jolie, and "about 50 other A-listers" would be there, but in the end they must have had problems on the metro because none of the people he named showed up. It would have been better if he hadn't raised expectations, because in the end it was a really cool event to work... we basically served food to really happy rich people while Melissa Etheridge, John Legend, and Will.I.Am played on stage and everyone from random people like Paul Reisser to more relevant ones like Nancy Pelosi and Al Gore himself spoke in between sets. During the entire event, in addition to serving everyone tap water, the supervisors were watching over our shoulders to make sure we separated all the recyclables for Big Al, who was filming the event to show that it was environmentally-friendly.
The best moment for me was when me and my partner-in-crime of the night went upstairs to the VIP room to collect champagne glasses (a.k.a. stalk Al Gore) and ran into a woman desperate to get downstairs to the main room to see John Legend. There was a long line, and I guess being VIP only gets you so far. The other caterer whose name I can't remember now (we'll call him McCainiac because he made it known that he voted for McCain. Better luck next time!) and I escorted her and her husband downstairs, and when the security tried to stop them, we said "No, don't worry... they're with us." While the guards contemplated what that could possibly even mean, the couple slipped into the crowd and the grown woman was giggling like a little girl and thanking us. I had to help her... she's got good taste in music!
The next day I worked at the same location, but at a less exciting event - the Ford Motor Company party. The Director of Grand Cuisine, who rents us ProBar caterers from the unstoppable Robert Gold, informed us that we did a great job sorting all the plastic, paper, and glass last night, but that in the end there was a mistake with the bags and it all got thrown out anyway. Fail! He handed us our paper, and the menu was like this...
Thomas Jefferson Individual Truffle Macaroni and Cheese
John Adams Miniature Cream Puffs
Lydon Johnson Quesadilla Rolls
George Herbert Walker Bush Crab Stuffed Mushrooms (I think this was a not-so-subtle attempt to tell the Bushes to stuff it)
My personal favorite was when I had to ask people if they wanted a Richard Nixon Teriyaki Skewer. And yes, I saved the menu so I could share it with the world. I mean, is this how we're honoring our fore fathers these days, by putting their name in front of cheese and macaroni? For the next event I propose Barack Obama Pigs in a Blanket with Joe Biden Dipping Sauce.
Being in DC for the inauguration was incredible. People were basically giving each other high fives on the street, and vendors were everywhere selling Obama t-shirts, air fresheners, and belt buckles. On Monday night I had a sleepover with Mimi, with whom I drank mimosas on the sofa while watching Obama get sworn in.
Tuesday I had an adventure with Karen when the cab driver took us to the wrong address, insisted he was right, and then kicked us out of the cab in the middle of nowhere. Wednesday morning I got to meet up with Stevie and Suchin, who braved the cold to spend the day in the middle of the action, and were so kind as to meet me near Urban Outfitters. And being home in general was great - there are no words for how nice it is to visit with my family after being away for months - and I left with my batteries recharged.
A lot has happened in Barcelona since then... visits from Mimi and Renee, travels around Spain, apartment changes, new classes, new season. But I'll save that for another post, and I'll do my best to make sure I have it up before July. Thank you for reading!
Un beso,
Laura
