Disappointments, Sticky Buns, and Strangers

This week was quite a mixed bag.

I did not begin the week in the best of spirits. I recently discovered that the anthology I had been compiling about Quaker heroes and historical figures had already been started by past interns. In fact, they had already chosen all the articles, scanned them into InDesign, (the layout software that Friends Journal uses) and even organized them into categories and finalized a table of contents. There’s nothing left for me to do. Luckily I wasn’t very far along in the compiling process, but it’s still disappointing.

After doing some research I’ve also given up on the idea of writing an article that would somehow relate my Swedenborgian background to Quakerism. I found some interesting connections, (for example, one of the first people to translate Emmanuel Swedenborg’s theological writings into English was William Cookworthy, a Quaker minister) but it’s not enough for this type of article. I would need to do a lot more research and I'm not sure if I would find much even then.

On Wednesday my week got a lot better. The interns spent the whole day working on a subscription renewal mailing! I know it doesn’t sound like much fun and it might not have been—the paper-folding machine was broken so we had to fold each letter before stuffing it into an envelope (my hands were black with ink by the end of the day). In spite of our technical difficulties and the overwhelmingly large stack of letters, we managed to enjoy ourselves. We pushed two tables together, made a Pandora radio station with the Backstreet Boys and Disney songs, and spent the morning chatting, while listening to music, folding, and stuffing. In the afternoon the staff joined us for the weekly staff meeting and we were able to finish much faster than I expected. The senior editor also brought sticky buns from the nearby Reading Terminal Market, deliciously gooey treats made by some talented Amish bakers, which added to the festivity.

On Thursday I got to proofread part of a book! Two of the anthologies that past interns started are getting very close to publication. One should be printed in the next few weeks and the other is in the editing stage. I proofread a section of the second anthology. It feels so exciting and official to be contributing to the production of a book.

Thursday’s lunch added to my mixed emotions about this week. One of the construction workers having lunch near us approached our table and asked if any of us were single because he wanted a date for his friend who was sitting close by. We told him we were taken, but we probably weren’t very convincing because he kept trying to persuade us for a few awkward minutes. His friend looked pretty embarrassed, which we later decided was kind of comforting. It was a strange, somewhat amusing experience.