Steve (the boss): Heather, do you need any days free?
Me: Nope, I'm good, sir.
Steve: Well, that makes things easy... I'd go ahead and take as much time off as you can now. You're going to need it later.
*****
Friday was my first assignment. Steve asked for 10-15 images from both me and my co-intern, Dorothy to cover the Change of Responsibility/ Retirement Ceremony for the Cadet Command head-honchos. The vivacious and beloved Command Sergeant Major Green stepped aside and retired his Army career to make way for the new equally personable Sergeant Major Thompson in the sticky-hot newly furnished auditorium on base. A video commemorating the life and career of CSM Green was played for his family and friends, while he watched, fighting tears.
When I walked into the PAO office to upload, tone, and turn in my photos for the deadline covering the event, SGM had already rushed up the office to begin his duties. He caught me outside the building, yelling "PAO! PAO! PAO!" I had been flipping through the settings on my camera, frustrated with some of the exposure-struggles I'd had during the event, and was startled by SGM Thompson's call. I looked around me, trying to find who he was yelling for, and had a bit of a "dar-huc" moment when I realized he was addressing me. He asked me to take a quick shot of him in front of the shiny new nameplate on the sign out front, so, still stuck on the White Balance settings I'd in the fluorescent lighting from the auditorium, I caught the grinning SGM in an anything but Kodak, off-color shot. Bada-boom, Bada-bing, I'm suddenly friends with the Command of 1st Battalion. This morning, as I marched, bored, from the office, he caught me on the stairs, asked how my day was going and if Steve was keeping me busy enough.
Well, if nothing else, at least I can say that, for some strange reason, high-ranking soldiers like me. Cue bad jokes with Adjutant General Livingston back home.
Anywho, here's a few of the shots I took. When they uploaded to Flickr, they look really washed out, so I'm working on finding the right balance to eliminate that.
The weekend began shortly after I dropped my harddrive onto Steve's desk for feedback and upload. "That's good," he said, and I was released for my first weekend in Kentucky. The interns and I mosied - yes mosied - our way over to the base bowling alley for some intern-bonding. I didn't lose. I tied for last place. So HA! The next morning I teamed up with fellow interns Becka (PR and Social Media) and Noelle (writer) for a day discovering Louisville. We spent a few hours wandering (quite literally - we were SO lost) around Churchill Downs looking for a cafe that ended up being abandoned, over-priced, and completely not worth it. Noelle and Becka had a Mint Julep (with an entire sprig of mint sticking out of the cup) and we instead dined at the equally over-priced dining area outside of general admission. Churchill Downs - for those who don't know, much like myself - is the location for the Kentucky Derby - the biggest horse race of the year, every May. After a couple races, I then discovered the wonderful world of Meijer (pronounced "my-er"). It's like Wal-mart, but - get this - it's BETTER. The set-up is pretty much the same, but the place is bigger, with a hell of a lot more variety. Noelle got some kind of strange spiky fruit I'm sure Wal-mart wouldn't carry in a million years, and they had four kinds of patterned duct tape (including zebra-stripe). As well as a myriad of happy rainbow-y colors otherwise. I couldn't tell you how many people I know that would get the giggly-shits from that isle alone (I might have reason to re-think my social unit from that statement...) Top that off with a delicious shephard's pie dinner in the glass-topped outdoor minimall in downtown Louisville (random Lonestar concert included free of charge), and I'm thinking "Well. Kentucky isn't so bad...."
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