So I got to be a tour guide yesterday. That was fun. I had the group of friends I was meeting meet up with me at Reagan Airport so I could drive them into the city because they would get lost and probably freak out over the traffic. It was good that I did. I got to swing by and show them a few things here and there before we went to Union Station to park.
We started off by going to the Capitol so I could give them the grand tour. Half of them had never even been to DC so it was fun to start it off with that. After that, we went to the Holocaust Museum, which is still the best museum in DC. I'm definitely a fan. Very, very moving.
The plan after those two things was to go to Mt. Vernon. This all sounds great theoretically, but by the time we had gotten to the bus stop at Huntington station, it was 3:50. There was no bus, it was a 20 minute ride to Mt. Vernon, and they start kicking you out at 5:30. So, that plan was nixed for Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum. Same price, and open later. OH! But, I lost my badge somewhere between the Holocaust Museum stop and Huntington stop... which means no discount for me and my friends. So, no Wax Museum. Actually, I just realized that I had my temporary id on me from Friday, when I left it at home. That probably coulda worked. Oh well. And seriously, I've never left it at home except for Friday, and it's never fallen off except for Saturday, so this in no way implicates faulty placement on my part. Just clarifying that. We went to the White House instead though, which was cool for them cause a few of them had never seen it. After that, we went by Union Station to get their car, and then go by my place to fill up Sabby's truck with some of my unneeded junk so that we have more room in May.
I got home, and immediately started coloring my hair so that it would be okay looking for pictures, and right after we finished it, Al and I started talking about how we would like this or that from the store. The store would close in about 10 minutes, so I was just like "Heck with my hair. I'll just go like this, let's go." So we went to our little corner store, where people obviously stared me down because I looked like had pink/purple shampoo still in my hair. Finally, this middle aged guy who was on his second or third alcohol run for the night asked me about it. He said "Your hair... it's.. red... and so... soo... yeah. I really appreciate that and I wish more people did that... don't change... and your hair..." and kept talking like for a couple of minutes, which using crazy hand gestures. At the end of the conversation he told my roommate "make sure she irons her hair out and get it all.. like.. make sure." After we left, I was like "I think he was confused about what color my hair was." Al was like "NO! No no no... he meant to tell you he liked how you STYLED your hair. He thought you left it all goopy on PURPOSE!" I cracked up. It was too funny.
This morning, I went and met Kalea down at the Washington Memorial to take pictures with the cherry trees for graduation. There were so many tourists everywhere! It's kinda annoying at times. I interupt this program to give some guidelines for tourists:
1.) Walk left- stand right. That's the escalator rule. It is meant to never be broken.
2.) Don't stop as soon as you get off the Metro. There are people behind you who also would like to get off the train, especially before the unstoppable doors shut. Walk 20 feet, then stop to figure out where to go.
3.) Don't expect people to walk around you if you stand back 30 feet to take a picture. People have places to go, and won't walk into the street to allow you to have a minute of clear picture-taking. Sorry. It sounds rough, but that's how it goes.
4.)Have your ticket out before you get to the Metro exit. Those of us with Smartcards have them so we can leave fast, and would appreciate not waiting five minutes for you to dig through your wallet.
5.) Pick a side of the sidewalk to walk on; please don't walk 5 people across, especially if you're slow. People in DC walk fast, and want to get around you.
Back to where we were. So Kalea and I went to take picture with the cherry trees. We got some really good pictures, so we were satisfied. Of course, it was about 40 degrees outside, so it was kinda hard to pretend like I was happy in 70 degree weather, but I pulled it off. It was neat because our freshman year, we took pictures with those same trees, so that was kinda sentimental.
So that was my two days in a nutshell. Very fun, but now I'm ready to relax!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Ok, it was SO very boring today. I Facebooked for about 2 hours, then I decided I couldn't take it anymore, so I went to go get lunch, even though I had brought soup. On my way, I stopped by Al's office and her manager said she was with some constituents downstairs near the cafeteria, so I went to go find her. We ended up hanging out with the couple she was with for about 20 or so minutes, and they bought us Starbucks, which was awesome. I love old, rich people.
So I ended up having a tour at 2 for Rep. Lamborn's office, so that was nice. Only thing was, I wasn't expecting to give a tour, so I just brought heels, no flats. And I wasn't wearing hose or socks or anything, so my shoes were rubbing hard on my feet.
Note to self: always bring flats, even if there's NO way on earth you're gonna need them- because, chances are, you'll need them.
But I had my nail appointment tonight, so that helped.
I also made an AWESOME dinner tonight. From scratch. From my head... with my very own creativity and without buying anything besides what I had. I baked chicken with salsa on it, and then melted provolone on top and I served it over rice. So so good. Gotta say, I'm proud of myself.
So I ended up having a tour at 2 for Rep. Lamborn's office, so that was nice. Only thing was, I wasn't expecting to give a tour, so I just brought heels, no flats. And I wasn't wearing hose or socks or anything, so my shoes were rubbing hard on my feet.
Note to self: always bring flats, even if there's NO way on earth you're gonna need them- because, chances are, you'll need them.
But I had my nail appointment tonight, so that helped.
I also made an AWESOME dinner tonight. From scratch. From my head... with my very own creativity and without buying anything besides what I had. I baked chicken with salsa on it, and then melted provolone on top and I served it over rice. So so good. Gotta say, I'm proud of myself.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
I have spent the last two days doing absolutely nothing. Nothing.
Ok, actually I called some schools to plan some meetings. And....besides that I've done nothing. Congress is going into recess starting tonight, and will for the next two weeks. So, there's still nothing going on for that whole period of time. There will be lots of web-surfing and Facebook stalking going on. Unless I'm doing the random odd-job.
Two more days till my buds come up to visit! Can't wait!
Also, I sent out my resume to about 25 people today. I should be getting SOMEthing back. It'll be ridiculous if I don't.
Ok, actually I called some schools to plan some meetings. And....besides that I've done nothing. Congress is going into recess starting tonight, and will for the next two weeks. So, there's still nothing going on for that whole period of time. There will be lots of web-surfing and Facebook stalking going on. Unless I'm doing the random odd-job.
Two more days till my buds come up to visit! Can't wait!
Also, I sent out my resume to about 25 people today. I should be getting SOMEthing back. It'll be ridiculous if I don't.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Today I got to shadow Mr. Pitts for the day. It started around noon when I went with him down to the floor to watch him give a one-minute. The people at the check-in desk up at the gallery must hate their jobs. It must stink to work right next to the largest body of legislators in the free-world *sarcasm*. After that, we headed over to a luncheon for an essay contest. A kid from our district won, so we went to congratulate him... and get free food. You can get free food a lot where I work. And excellent food at that. Then we went to an Energy & Commerce hearing, where I sat right behind Mr. Pitts. I was on TV... close-up. CSPAN, but hey, it's TV.
My dad saw me, so it counts. We then ran over to the Human Rights Tom Lantos hearing on Vietnam, and that was super interesting. Between that, we had meetings with different people, like the AIPAC groups and the CEO of Heinz ketchup. Yes, we discussed ketchup. We discuss everything. You name it, there's an interest-group. And they want money.
So all in all, it was an interesting day. Had a lot to do...
My dad saw me, so it counts. We then ran over to the Human Rights Tom Lantos hearing on Vietnam, and that was super interesting. Between that, we had meetings with different people, like the AIPAC groups and the CEO of Heinz ketchup. Yes, we discussed ketchup. We discuss everything. You name it, there's an interest-group. And they want money.
So all in all, it was an interesting day. Had a lot to do...
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Today I got to experience something extremely historical. Today we had the first church service held in the Capitol for 130 years. It was for members and staff only, and it was fantastic. We had it in Statutory Hall, and we were the first ones there. Almost as soon as we got in the room, Speaker Pelosi walked through! She did not look happy.
After the service, we were able to go into the Rotunda and take pictures in the empty room, which was great. We also went down into the room underneath the Crypt.
Then I got Subway, ate it and watched the protesters, and then went in to work. I worked till about 7:30, and then I went into the Chamber Gallery to go watch the debates. I got to watch a couple of hours of debates today. I saw Nancy Pelosi, Charlie Rangel, Barney Frank, Paul Ryan, Bart Stupak, Joe Pitts, Tom Price, and a TON of other congressmen. You name it, and I saw them. I was in an elevator with one of the members who got spit on by Tea Partiers yesterday. I've been in the thick of it the whole time. It's been FANTASTIC. I couldn't have picked a better semester to be here.
After the service, we were able to go into the Rotunda and take pictures in the empty room, which was great. We also went down into the room underneath the Crypt.
Then I got Subway, ate it and watched the protesters, and then went in to work. I worked till about 7:30, and then I went into the Chamber Gallery to go watch the debates. I got to watch a couple of hours of debates today. I saw Nancy Pelosi, Charlie Rangel, Barney Frank, Paul Ryan, Bart Stupak, Joe Pitts, Tom Price, and a TON of other congressmen. You name it, and I saw them. I was in an elevator with one of the members who got spit on by Tea Partiers yesterday. I've been in the thick of it the whole time. It's been FANTASTIC. I couldn't have picked a better semester to be here.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Oh good gracious. Today was probably the most interesting day I've had here in DC so far. We just had plans to go shopping and all, but then that kinda got shoved in with other stuff once we turned on the news. When we turned on Fox News around noon, we saw that there was a HUGE Tea Party rally at the west front of the Capitol, so we hurried up and went over there.
As we walked over, we could hear Jon Voight talking, but we didn't really get to see him. The crowd was enormous. So we kinda worked our way into the crowd... a little here, a little there. Ten feet at a time, inching closer. The people in the crowd were generally nice, since they were all united in one cause and all, so they kept letting us get in front of them. Suddenly, I realized that we were only about 5 people back from being in the front, so we finally worked our way up and popped out in front. There was a big semi-circle around the podium, with about 25 feet or so clear between the podium and the crowd... but there were press in there, and random other people, so we just though "oh heck, why not." So we just went up there too. After about 10, maybe 15 minutes, this random guy comes up to us and goes "oh you're not press are you?" And I was like, "well no, we're not... why?" And he went "Well this is a press only area." (this guy didn't look like press at all), and he said "the police told me to go around and tell people that." So I looked at him and said, "Sir, we work here. We have badges." And he just kinda stood there... I'm pretty sure he didn't have a badge. And he was like "oh, oh I see. I'm sorry..." and walked off. It was pretty funny.
So the Tea Partiers allllll went over to the House Office Buildings to go talk to their congressmen and crash their offices, so we thought we'd go over there too. Another nice thing about badges is that you never wait in lines, you just walk to the front and cut. So we passed up the half mile line and just went straight into the door and were like "Excuse me, ma'am... excuse me... pardon me..." while flashing our badges. When we squeezed through the door, someone yelled "hey! what do you have that let's you through?!?" And I just turned square around with a smile and said "Excuse me, I work here." and kept on cutting haha.
So I got to my office eventually, and it was PACKED with people. So I offered to stick around with my roomie and answer phones and quell chaos, and so we did for about an hour. I'm going tomorrow too. It was nuts. Down the hall, one of the undecided congressmen had a mob of about a hundred people outside his door banging on it because his staffers had locked themselves in. They had to call the police because they were afraid they would knock it down. It was crazy! So we kindly offered notes and pens for them to write notes and push them under the door.
Then we shopped. I got cute shoes and spring clothes.
Then we came back and decided to go around to the Capitol to see what was going on. We saw a candle light vigil of about a hundred middle aged people singing "This Little Light of Mine" off-key. So we kept walking. We went to the West Front of the Capitol and just sat there at the base and talked for a couple of hours and chatted with the police there. It was so peaceful and nice and quiet and beauuuuutiful outside. We're gonna do that about once a week or so. This was the best Saturday EVER.
As we walked over, we could hear Jon Voight talking, but we didn't really get to see him. The crowd was enormous. So we kinda worked our way into the crowd... a little here, a little there. Ten feet at a time, inching closer. The people in the crowd were generally nice, since they were all united in one cause and all, so they kept letting us get in front of them. Suddenly, I realized that we were only about 5 people back from being in the front, so we finally worked our way up and popped out in front. There was a big semi-circle around the podium, with about 25 feet or so clear between the podium and the crowd... but there were press in there, and random other people, so we just though "oh heck, why not." So we just went up there too. After about 10, maybe 15 minutes, this random guy comes up to us and goes "oh you're not press are you?" And I was like, "well no, we're not... why?" And he went "Well this is a press only area." (this guy didn't look like press at all), and he said "the police told me to go around and tell people that." So I looked at him and said, "Sir, we work here. We have badges." And he just kinda stood there... I'm pretty sure he didn't have a badge. And he was like "oh, oh I see. I'm sorry..." and walked off. It was pretty funny.
So the Tea Partiers allllll went over to the House Office Buildings to go talk to their congressmen and crash their offices, so we thought we'd go over there too. Another nice thing about badges is that you never wait in lines, you just walk to the front and cut. So we passed up the half mile line and just went straight into the door and were like "Excuse me, ma'am... excuse me... pardon me..." while flashing our badges. When we squeezed through the door, someone yelled "hey! what do you have that let's you through?!?" And I just turned square around with a smile and said "Excuse me, I work here." and kept on cutting haha.
So I got to my office eventually, and it was PACKED with people. So I offered to stick around with my roomie and answer phones and quell chaos, and so we did for about an hour. I'm going tomorrow too. It was nuts. Down the hall, one of the undecided congressmen had a mob of about a hundred people outside his door banging on it because his staffers had locked themselves in. They had to call the police because they were afraid they would knock it down. It was crazy! So we kindly offered notes and pens for them to write notes and push them under the door.
Then we shopped. I got cute shoes and spring clothes.
Then we came back and decided to go around to the Capitol to see what was going on. We saw a candle light vigil of about a hundred middle aged people singing "This Little Light of Mine" off-key. So we kept walking. We went to the West Front of the Capitol and just sat there at the base and talked for a couple of hours and chatted with the police there. It was so peaceful and nice and quiet and beauuuuutiful outside. We're gonna do that about once a week or so. This was the best Saturday EVER.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Still sick. Dragged myself into work... definitely wasn't the peppy lil' front desk girl that I usually am. My boss offered for me to go home early so I could be there tomorrow...I think she was afraid I'd have to have another sick day tomorrow haha. It stunk to answer the phones all day sounding like I pronounced my "t" as a "d." And of course, the phone rang off the hook all day. It was ridiculous again.
It was SO stinking nice outside tonight! I wished I was feeling better cause a couple of my friends went for a run, and I couldn't go because I knew I would DIE.
Also, there was a bagpipe player outside my office window for about, oh, say, SIX hours today. When I got off work, I went out there to find him and end him. But it was in public, so I decided to let him live. I'm trying to start a career and all... bagpiper slaying isn't the best resume stuffer.
It was SO stinking nice outside tonight! I wished I was feeling better cause a couple of my friends went for a run, and I couldn't go because I knew I would DIE.
Also, there was a bagpipe player outside my office window for about, oh, say, SIX hours today. When I got off work, I went out there to find him and end him. But it was in public, so I decided to let him live. I'm trying to start a career and all... bagpiper slaying isn't the best resume stuffer.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
I'm sick. Ick. Gross. Hate this. A couple of times a year, I get a whopper cold that slams me, and then I sleep it off for a couple of days. This was one of those days. I wasn't able to work today, which STUNK cause today was the day our Youth Advisory Council took a bus trip down and I was gonna give them a tour and escort them around the Hill to different places. ANDDDD today was the huge tea party that made the news, and I totally missed out on seeing that. UGH. So much going on and I had to get sick.
I still don't know if I'm 100% going to PA this weekend. The people I'm supposed to be interviewing with still haven't gotten back with me yet, and I've been pretty anxious about this. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping they'll get back with me tomorrow.
And it's really hitting me that I don't get a Spring Break right now. All of my friends are on Spring Break, and I'm still here. Don't get me wrong, I love it here. But I'd really love to go to the beach or on a small trip somewhere, where I actually got to spend a few days. That'd be nice. Not having a car here really limits you when you want to leave town. That seems obvious, but the truth is that you don't think about not having a car when you're in the city because you don't need one. In fact, it's almost beneficial to not have one. But when you want to get anywhere outside the beltway, you need a car pretty much. And that's annoying.
Anyways, I'm gonna go pretend I'm in a Nyquil commercial and go to bed.
I had it pointed out a few days ago that my blog didn't allow for random people to comment who didn't have an account- I fixed that. Comment away.
I still don't know if I'm 100% going to PA this weekend. The people I'm supposed to be interviewing with still haven't gotten back with me yet, and I've been pretty anxious about this. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping they'll get back with me tomorrow.
And it's really hitting me that I don't get a Spring Break right now. All of my friends are on Spring Break, and I'm still here. Don't get me wrong, I love it here. But I'd really love to go to the beach or on a small trip somewhere, where I actually got to spend a few days. That'd be nice. Not having a car here really limits you when you want to leave town. That seems obvious, but the truth is that you don't think about not having a car when you're in the city because you don't need one. In fact, it's almost beneficial to not have one. But when you want to get anywhere outside the beltway, you need a car pretty much. And that's annoying.
Anyways, I'm gonna go pretend I'm in a Nyquil commercial and go to bed.
I had it pointed out a few days ago that my blog didn't allow for random people to comment who didn't have an account- I fixed that. Comment away.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
I went to a REAL house yesterday and cuddled with a REAL cat. I haven't done that since I left my own house back in January. Kinda weird.
We checked out the Eastern Market on 7th and Pennsylvania earlier today... it was pretty cool. They were all starting to pack up, so we didn't get the full effect really, but I'm looking forward to going back.
Daylight Savings started (or ended?) today. I'm so ready for it to be lighter later. So ready.
I got to meet my roomie's twin and her grandma on Friday. I'm so glad she got to hang out with them. They're super fun it seems.
Also on Friday, I gave a tour to two men. I asked where they were from, and one said he was from Baltimore, but he had some kinda of European accent. I know Baltimore accents, and that ain't it. But I let it slip...
Thursday, I spent the entire day answering those dang BarackObama.com phonebank calls. Those are so darn irritating. Like, really?!?
We checked out the Eastern Market on 7th and Pennsylvania earlier today... it was pretty cool. They were all starting to pack up, so we didn't get the full effect really, but I'm looking forward to going back.
Daylight Savings started (or ended?) today. I'm so ready for it to be lighter later. So ready.
I got to meet my roomie's twin and her grandma on Friday. I'm so glad she got to hang out with them. They're super fun it seems.
Also on Friday, I gave a tour to two men. I asked where they were from, and one said he was from Baltimore, but he had some kinda of European accent. I know Baltimore accents, and that ain't it. But I let it slip...
Thursday, I spent the entire day answering those dang BarackObama.com phonebank calls. Those are so darn irritating. Like, really?!?
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Ok, yesterday....
Woke up at SIX (yeah, the one in the morning), and went RUNNING (yeah, the kind where you move your legs back and forth real fast) down around the Capitol for a little while. Then we came home and took showers and got ready for work. So by the time I got to work, I had been up for 3 hours. Craziness. At 1, I had a tour of the Capitol that I had to give. The tour was great: it was a mom and a 10 y.o. boy and a 6 y.o. girl. The little boy asked a ton of questions, which makes the tour so much more fun. After that I went to a briefing on Adult Stem Cell Research. After hearing the facts, it makes you realize just how much the stem cell debate really centers around the abortion issue. It all comes down to that, because there is NO scientific research that says that embryonic stem cell research is promising at all.
Today, I got to the office, got stuff all settled and answered phone calls. I had to get all the nomination/appointment certificates lined up and arranged for the Service Academy ceremony/meeting this weekend in the district. Then I had to run reports to the RSC meeting for the congressmen. Then I came back, had lunch, and worked on calling a restaurant in regards to catering something next week. After that, we had two Amish constituents come in for a meeting. AND I MISSED MY CHANCE TO MILK A COW!!!!!!!!!! Turns out, they were dairy farmers! But I didn't know about it till they left! DANG IT! I also met an ambassador today. That was cool.
This afternoon, we had a birthday/welcome to the office party for two of our staffers. It was good times had by all. Of course, awkward questions were asked and grilling occurred. The congressman was there, and he was loving getting to hold one of the staffer's baby, who was a little angel! It was so fun.
Woke up at SIX (yeah, the one in the morning), and went RUNNING (yeah, the kind where you move your legs back and forth real fast) down around the Capitol for a little while. Then we came home and took showers and got ready for work. So by the time I got to work, I had been up for 3 hours. Craziness. At 1, I had a tour of the Capitol that I had to give. The tour was great: it was a mom and a 10 y.o. boy and a 6 y.o. girl. The little boy asked a ton of questions, which makes the tour so much more fun. After that I went to a briefing on Adult Stem Cell Research. After hearing the facts, it makes you realize just how much the stem cell debate really centers around the abortion issue. It all comes down to that, because there is NO scientific research that says that embryonic stem cell research is promising at all.
Today, I got to the office, got stuff all settled and answered phone calls. I had to get all the nomination/appointment certificates lined up and arranged for the Service Academy ceremony/meeting this weekend in the district. Then I had to run reports to the RSC meeting for the congressmen. Then I came back, had lunch, and worked on calling a restaurant in regards to catering something next week. After that, we had two Amish constituents come in for a meeting. AND I MISSED MY CHANCE TO MILK A COW!!!!!!!!!! Turns out, they were dairy farmers! But I didn't know about it till they left! DANG IT! I also met an ambassador today. That was cool.
This afternoon, we had a birthday/welcome to the office party for two of our staffers. It was good times had by all. Of course, awkward questions were asked and grilling occurred. The congressman was there, and he was loving getting to hold one of the staffer's baby, who was a little angel! It was so fun.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
I got to go to Lynchburg this weekend! It was FANTASTIC!
It was the first time I had ridden a train, and I've decided that I like it WAY more than flying. For one, you don't have to show up 3 million hours before you leave to go through security. That's because there IS no security. You literally just walk up to the train and flash your ticket and you're on. Another reason is that you get to keep your bag with you, which is super nice. However, a down-side is that someone can just grab my ticket and pretend to be me (cause they don't ask for id) and bring whatever they want in a bag and blow the train up. But I try not to think about that kinda stuff. I just enjoy the ride. It didn't feel like a 3.5 hour ride to Lynchburg; it went by pretty fast. The seats are so comfortable that if you're smart/lucky and get both seats on your row, you can curl up and sleep.
So I got to Lynchburg and discovered that Sabby and David were waiting there with a lovely blatantly yellow sign and smiley face balloon. Just in case I couldn't pick them out from the crowd.
We went to go get Chinese food, cause I hadn't eaten that day hardly, and I can't just go to Lynchburg without getting my favorite Chinese in the whole wide world. After that, I had to go change from my work clothes in Sabby's room, and go get in the car with Sabby, David, and Sarah. They BLINDFOLDED me and apparently drove me alllll around campus to get me disoriented, and brought me up to Snowflex. Jerks. When they let me look, I discovered that I had a whole bunch of friends up there waiting for me and they had a cookie cake and stuff! It was so sweet! We had a good time, which is unfortunate, because I still am against Snowflex. However, I guess I can take advantage of it. Ugh.
The next day, I woke up to go get my nails done at California Nails on Candler's Mtn. Road and Wards. They did the best fill I've ever gotten. It's definitely worth the $28, which is so much cheaper than what I pay in DC. After that, I went to go meet up with Jessica, Kalea, Karissa, and Amy at Panera. It was so good to see them! It was beautiful outside, for the first time this year, so we ate outside.
After getting back to Sabby's room to pick her up, we decided to just go drive around Lynchburg. After about 10 minutes of driving, I made the off-the-cuff remark of "Ha, if we left now, we could go to Captain George's in Williamsburg for dinner." And Sabby said "Turn the car around." So we drove off to Captain George's. It was DELICIOUS! I just love that. It's my favorite place in the whole wide world. It's been a year since I've been there, so I was ready to go back. Sabby loved it too. We got back around 1am this morning. I did most of the driving, which was GREAT because I haven't driven in two months. I got about six hours in yesterday, so I think I made up for it.
This morning, I left at 10 for DC, and I slept most of the way. I was home by 2 this afternoon. So I swept and unpacked and took a nap for about 45 minutes. It felt like I had some of my day left still.
Now the Oscars are on! It's great... I just love it.
Tomorrow, a group from Christian Heritage in Longview is coming to do a tour of the Capitol, so I'm going to meet up with them and say hi and talk to the kids for a few minutes before I start work. It'll be nice to see people from home.
It was the first time I had ridden a train, and I've decided that I like it WAY more than flying. For one, you don't have to show up 3 million hours before you leave to go through security. That's because there IS no security. You literally just walk up to the train and flash your ticket and you're on. Another reason is that you get to keep your bag with you, which is super nice. However, a down-side is that someone can just grab my ticket and pretend to be me (cause they don't ask for id) and bring whatever they want in a bag and blow the train up. But I try not to think about that kinda stuff. I just enjoy the ride. It didn't feel like a 3.5 hour ride to Lynchburg; it went by pretty fast. The seats are so comfortable that if you're smart/lucky and get both seats on your row, you can curl up and sleep.
So I got to Lynchburg and discovered that Sabby and David were waiting there with a lovely blatantly yellow sign and smiley face balloon. Just in case I couldn't pick them out from the crowd.
We went to go get Chinese food, cause I hadn't eaten that day hardly, and I can't just go to Lynchburg without getting my favorite Chinese in the whole wide world. After that, I had to go change from my work clothes in Sabby's room, and go get in the car with Sabby, David, and Sarah. They BLINDFOLDED me and apparently drove me alllll around campus to get me disoriented, and brought me up to Snowflex. Jerks. When they let me look, I discovered that I had a whole bunch of friends up there waiting for me and they had a cookie cake and stuff! It was so sweet! We had a good time, which is unfortunate, because I still am against Snowflex. However, I guess I can take advantage of it. Ugh.
The next day, I woke up to go get my nails done at California Nails on Candler's Mtn. Road and Wards. They did the best fill I've ever gotten. It's definitely worth the $28, which is so much cheaper than what I pay in DC. After that, I went to go meet up with Jessica, Kalea, Karissa, and Amy at Panera. It was so good to see them! It was beautiful outside, for the first time this year, so we ate outside.
After getting back to Sabby's room to pick her up, we decided to just go drive around Lynchburg. After about 10 minutes of driving, I made the off-the-cuff remark of "Ha, if we left now, we could go to Captain George's in Williamsburg for dinner." And Sabby said "Turn the car around." So we drove off to Captain George's. It was DELICIOUS! I just love that. It's my favorite place in the whole wide world. It's been a year since I've been there, so I was ready to go back. Sabby loved it too. We got back around 1am this morning. I did most of the driving, which was GREAT because I haven't driven in two months. I got about six hours in yesterday, so I think I made up for it.
This morning, I left at 10 for DC, and I slept most of the way. I was home by 2 this afternoon. So I swept and unpacked and took a nap for about 45 minutes. It felt like I had some of my day left still.
Now the Oscars are on! It's great... I just love it.
Tomorrow, a group from Christian Heritage in Longview is coming to do a tour of the Capitol, so I'm going to meet up with them and say hi and talk to the kids for a few minutes before I start work. It'll be nice to see people from home.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Ok quick post, cause I'm exhausted.
We had a intern summit at the Capitol Hill Club today. Got to hear from Congressman Roskam, Congressman Schock (youngest congressman who's 28), and Minority Whip Eric Cantor. They were all SO inspiring and motivational. After going to things like this, it makes you realize WHY you're getting into politics, and WHY you want to keep doing what you're doing, and how easy it really is to start a movement, if you just put your back into it. So so so motivating. It's making me consider different avenues and all for my career. More about that in the coming days & weeks.
Also, we went to church tonight. It was great again. I really like it there.
And my feet hurt. But Dr. Scholl is a very wonderful man. Bless him.
We had a intern summit at the Capitol Hill Club today. Got to hear from Congressman Roskam, Congressman Schock (youngest congressman who's 28), and Minority Whip Eric Cantor. They were all SO inspiring and motivational. After going to things like this, it makes you realize WHY you're getting into politics, and WHY you want to keep doing what you're doing, and how easy it really is to start a movement, if you just put your back into it. So so so motivating. It's making me consider different avenues and all for my career. More about that in the coming days & weeks.
Also, we went to church tonight. It was great again. I really like it there.
And my feet hurt. But Dr. Scholl is a very wonderful man. Bless him.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Our new Staff Assistant began work today. It'll be so nice to share the workload with someone again! We're still munchin' on chocolate. Still. Will be for a few weeks probably. I had this random guy call and ask me to read him the Stupak-Pitts Amendment word for word. When we finally pulled it up, he asked I could just email it to him, which is against office policy, so when I said no, he had me read it to him slowly so he could write it down... word for word. I read it slowly, and then he would tell me that he stopped writing a few sentences ago, and to start over again. And that continued for about 10 minutes. Talk about wanting to slam your head against a wall!
Our yeller didn't call today; I just realized that and my day just doesn't feel complete. She did leave a voicemail though... so I guess that counts.
I had a very awkward elevator experience this afternoon. For some reason, people just feel compelled to make comments and break the deadly silence on elevators. I'm not one of those people. I can ride in an elevator in complete silence and enjoy every second. I think I'm becoming northern... shoot me. So anyways. Me and this other guy are waiting for an elevator, and this middle-aged congressman comes up and waits along with us. You can tell who they are by the way, because they wear a special lapel pin. So this congressman is waiting with us, and when we all three step on the elevator and turn around, he glances at me and goes "That's a very nicely colored shirt..." To which I respond "...Thank you." And he finished up the compliment with "...Fall colors." "Yes sir." *insert smile and nodding of the head* Awkward. I suppose you could consider them fall colors, but I didn't think navy blue and yellow were associated with a season.
It's cold. And rainy.
Also. My right eye keeps twitching. It has been for a month. This is getting really weird... I think it's karma coming back to bite me for all those times I made fun of twitching eyes while growing up.
When we came back, we discovered that we had two lamps brought into our room. That was super nice. They definitely add a homey touch. LOVE it.
Our yeller didn't call today; I just realized that and my day just doesn't feel complete. She did leave a voicemail though... so I guess that counts.
I had a very awkward elevator experience this afternoon. For some reason, people just feel compelled to make comments and break the deadly silence on elevators. I'm not one of those people. I can ride in an elevator in complete silence and enjoy every second. I think I'm becoming northern... shoot me. So anyways. Me and this other guy are waiting for an elevator, and this middle-aged congressman comes up and waits along with us. You can tell who they are by the way, because they wear a special lapel pin. So this congressman is waiting with us, and when we all three step on the elevator and turn around, he glances at me and goes "That's a very nicely colored shirt..." To which I respond "...Thank you." And he finished up the compliment with "...Fall colors." "Yes sir." *insert smile and nodding of the head* Awkward. I suppose you could consider them fall colors, but I didn't think navy blue and yellow were associated with a season.
It's cold. And rainy.
Also. My right eye keeps twitching. It has been for a month. This is getting really weird... I think it's karma coming back to bite me for all those times I made fun of twitching eyes while growing up.
When we came back, we discovered that we had two lamps brought into our room. That was super nice. They definitely add a homey touch. LOVE it.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Oh good gracious. Oh my lanta. Today has been quite a day. I learned a few things today.
1.) Snoop Dog is more country than Tim McGraw. Allow me to explain. There is a long-running debate over who is better in our office: Johnny Cash or Stevie Nicks. Honestly, I don't have a dog in the fight, other than actually knowing who Johnny Cash is for the majority of my life, and not knowing who Stevie Nicks was until the Grammy's when she sung back-up for Taylor Swift. So, one of our staffers is OBSESSED with Stevie Nicks, and the one with a desk next to hers is a pretty big fan of Johnny Cash... and the saga continues. There's always an ongoing debate. Johnny Cash ends up being a big topic of conversation about every other day. My Chief of Staff started talking about it today with a couple of us, and he came up with five subject criteria that are required to be considered a country singer:
1.) Drugs
2.) Jail
3.) A 100 year old truck
4.) Heartache
5.) Jesus
Apparently Tim McGraw doesn't fit the bill. However, Snoop Dog did a cover of one of Johnny Cash's albums, so technically, he does... and he sings about a lot of drugs and jail time on his own too. So, according to my COS, he's much more country than Tim McGraw.
2.) Mars Inc. is a wonderful thing. And it's located in Lancaster County. Which means it's not a bribe for them to send us boxloads of chocolate for free. Which means I have six cardboard boxes CHUCK FULL of Dove chocolate, Milky Way bars, etc. in my office, free for the eating. Like I said, it's a wonderful thing.
3.) We are zombies. Let me clarify, we are "zombies" being mind-controlled by Intelligence officers commissioned by the United States, who can control every thought, subconscious and conscious, and can give you every symptom under the sun, from causing you to break bones to hot flashes. We didn't know about this until a lady informed us kindly by letter today, as she did with the other 534 members of the United States House and Senate. It was quite incredible. Actually, she didn't inform us, her Intelligence officer did through her. Or at least that's what it said at the end of the letter. I suggest that for your safety you check out her website. You never know when you might need to tell the people controlling YOUR mind that you know they're controlling your mind.
http://www.mindcontrolusa.com
1.) Snoop Dog is more country than Tim McGraw. Allow me to explain. There is a long-running debate over who is better in our office: Johnny Cash or Stevie Nicks. Honestly, I don't have a dog in the fight, other than actually knowing who Johnny Cash is for the majority of my life, and not knowing who Stevie Nicks was until the Grammy's when she sung back-up for Taylor Swift. So, one of our staffers is OBSESSED with Stevie Nicks, and the one with a desk next to hers is a pretty big fan of Johnny Cash... and the saga continues. There's always an ongoing debate. Johnny Cash ends up being a big topic of conversation about every other day. My Chief of Staff started talking about it today with a couple of us, and he came up with five subject criteria that are required to be considered a country singer:
1.) Drugs
2.) Jail
3.) A 100 year old truck
4.) Heartache
5.) Jesus
Apparently Tim McGraw doesn't fit the bill. However, Snoop Dog did a cover of one of Johnny Cash's albums, so technically, he does... and he sings about a lot of drugs and jail time on his own too. So, according to my COS, he's much more country than Tim McGraw.
2.) Mars Inc. is a wonderful thing. And it's located in Lancaster County. Which means it's not a bribe for them to send us boxloads of chocolate for free. Which means I have six cardboard boxes CHUCK FULL of Dove chocolate, Milky Way bars, etc. in my office, free for the eating. Like I said, it's a wonderful thing.
3.) We are zombies. Let me clarify, we are "zombies" being mind-controlled by Intelligence officers commissioned by the United States, who can control every thought, subconscious and conscious, and can give you every symptom under the sun, from causing you to break bones to hot flashes. We didn't know about this until a lady informed us kindly by letter today, as she did with the other 534 members of the United States House and Senate. It was quite incredible. Actually, she didn't inform us, her Intelligence officer did through her. Or at least that's what it said at the end of the letter. I suggest that for your safety you check out her website. You never know when you might need to tell the people controlling YOUR mind that you know they're controlling your mind.
http://www.mindcontrolusa.com
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