The year was 2007. With a degree in anthropology one might assume I would have found myself deep in the basements of the Smithsonian, but no. I spent my days moving through the gracious space that is the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. I did have friends at the Smithsonian, though, and one of them told me to join their Resident Associate Program (RAP). I’ll admit, it was–and I’m sure still is– very cool. The RAP arranges evening educational classes, normally 6 weeks long, every Wednesday from 6pm to 9pm. I took classes on French gardens, Venetian art, and Forensics. During one of the breaks of that…