Had a Fun Week

This week was just really cool.

Tuesday, my morning started with an HTML class. This was my second class and I'm excited that I'm learning how to make a real website for my writing business and it's a marketable skill to build my resume. After the class, I attended the second half of a hearing to find myself sitting across from second ranked PGA golfer, Phil Mickelson! He and his wife sponsor a program for math and science teachers and were testifying on the need to strengthen math and science education. Then, two of my coworkers and I went to a presentation by Rory Freedman, the author of "Skinny Bitch", and got to eat some free and absolutely delicious vegan food. Rory was hilarious and gave a ton of good advice for living a healthy life. That evening, I joined the majority of my office at a reception for the South Africa Washington Intern Program to recognize two of our interns from Ireland and South Africa and was able to meet quite a few of their friends, chat with Representative Lynn Woolsey, and make my boss, Congressman Payne happy by refilling his favorite beer (Heineken).

Wednesday was awesome for two reasons: I met Hill Harper from CSI New York because he came to my office to meet with DMP before going to a book signing (I took a picture with him!) and it was the first time we had people over who we met here! My co-interns Jaimie, Mary, Hailey and her boyfriend, Teddy, came over for a dinner party! I was soooo excited to entertain!! You all know how much I love a little party!! Thankfully, it was actually cool enough to have dinner out on our patio! We finally used our patio furniture for its intended purpose! Woo hoo!! We enjoyed some fabulous conversation-- really, all the interns in my office are so amazing, it wonderful being with a group of young people who are so diverse, so hard working, and so motivated, they really all have amazing stories! Dinner was caprese salad with basil fresh from my herb garden, caesar salad with homemade croutons, my classic ziti (but with subbed noodles) and fresh strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries with homemade extra-vanilla whipped cream for dessert. They loved every bite!!

Thursday, I attended the craziest hearing they probably ever had on The Hill. It was an Education and Labor Committee meeting about childhood obesity and physical education in schools... so why was it hilarious? Richard Simmons (yes the workout guru typically in a muscle shirt and spandex shorts) was on the panel of witnesses and he freaking stole the show! Also on the panel was former Oakland Raider, Tim Brown! It was a crazy hearing! Even the Congress members were cracking jokes and sharing their personal stories. The best part during the hearing was when Richard Simmons called Congressman Keller, a Republican, "cute" and referred to Tim Brown as "football man"! Everyone was cracking up! When the hearing was over, Richard Simmons came through the back room where I was sitting with about five other staffers and I got to meet him! I wasn't as lucky as my colleague LaVerne though, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and said "hey gorgeous"! It was great!

Yesterday, Ryan also had a great day at work! They had a special event at one of his stores to promote the iphone to Congress, so he got to network DC style too... and he scored a bonus free case of beer! Hahaha! It was a nice perk.

Today, I only spent about two hours working before I was able to catch some awesome lectures. First, I went over to the Senate side to see Cokie Roberts, world-reknown journalist give a great talk about the journalistic view of politics. She really had some great insight to how everything works there on the hill and had a ton of experience to share. She was great! After that, I went to a lecture series with the 21st Century Democrats to hear: Jamal Simmons (political analyst and advisor frequently on CNN and MSNBC) who had great insight to the Obama and Clinton campaigns (really he's brilliant); Robert Greenstein from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (did you know that Bush's tax cuts will put the country in a 4 trillion dollar deficit by 2010 and the gap between classes is wider than it has ever been? I.E. the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the whole country will suffer for it!); and, Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota who was just phenomenal! Seriously, they were all phenomenol!! So, after all these amazing lectures, I went to a class on the history of the Capitol and all I can say is "wow", I really am privileged to work in such an amazing, influential, and important place. I truly hope I am able to get a full time position here so I can become even more involved.

Here's what we've got going on this weekend: Ryan started the weekend with a bang! He's been at happy hour now with a new buddy for, oh, about 7 hours! I'm so happy we're making friends finally! Tomorrow, we're going to a picnic and frisbee at the Arboretum Park with Hailey, Teddy, Jaimie, Mary, and Antonina from work and a few more of Hailey and Teddy's friends that they have met here since January. Sunday, I'm going to Virginia to volunteer for a few hours registering people to vote! With my help, Obama will turn Virginia into a blue state!

Have a great weekend!

Pics from Work

I can now give tours of the Capitol (well, the Capitol and the House of Representatives), so you should visit and I can give you a tour!

A highlight for me so far! Hailey and I dropped an invitation off at his office!


An interesting site... people in support of the war! Crazy!


The interns made this card for Congressman Payne's birthday!


This is below the crypt in the Capitol. It is not open to tourists! This is the coffin used for dignitaries who lie in state in the Rotunda and it is stored in the area that was intended for George Washington's burial.


This is the view from the east side of the Capitol.


Bust of George Washington.


Me, on the east side of the Capitol, in front of the dome.


Dr. Martin Luther King, the only statue of a black person in the Capitol so far!


Tribute to women's suffrage... the statue is not done because our work is not yet done!


Fresco painting on the roof of the rotunda. The dome is directly above the painting.


Formerly the Supreme Court.


The point where the four quadrants of DC meet, in the Crypt.

A Day in the Life of an Intern on the Hill

Read the blog on our list called "Stuff Hill People Like" and you will crack up! It is soooo accurate!

Independence Day

Independence Day was definitely an experience. Ryan worked in the morning and I met him there late in the afternoon. We scored some free ice cream cones by filling out Mad Libs at Gifford's! Our ice cream was delicious! We ran into my new friend Hailey and her boyfriend, Teddy, and told them about the free ice cream too. They left us to have dinner with his parents and Ryan and I headed to Elephant and Castle for a dinner with an inexperienced server who just took way to long! I was actually ready to walk out on our bill because it was so awful and we were sitting there for over 20 minutes waiting for the bill! After dinner, it started to pour! We've never had rain on the 4th of July! It was crazy! We joined the crowds meandering over to the Washington Monument and checked out the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. Ryan really enjoyed the Bhutanese (from Bhutan) dumplings he tried, especially the sauce. We took a lap around the mall, people-watching and taking in all the sights, then found a not-so-wet spot in the grass right inbetween the Washington Monument and the Capitol! We had to huddle under my our umbrella, but the show was still great! It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be in our nation's capitol on Independence Day! One of the best parts though was when it was over and the giant mob of people descended upon downtown DC and took over the streets! Crazy drivers thought they could get through, but we had the right of way for once! It was pretty cool!

Day 2 was Pretty Sweet!

Today was pretty exciting for me, even though it's not really that big of a deal in the congressional world. First, I got my official ID! I wish I could keep it for scrapbook purposes, but I have to turn it in on my last day, so I will just have to take a picture of it! Things got really interesting this afternoon. One of the other interns finished writing a House Resolution to honor Phillip Reid, the former slave who created the bronze statue on the Capitol dome, and I got to proofread it! There are two types of House Resolutions, one is written with the intent to become a law, the other is a bit more casual but still important.

In our office, no one's space is really private except for the Congressman's so you can overhear just about every conversation. Two of the legislative aids (Stephanie and Noelle) were discussing the issues facing Afro-Latinos in South America (much more deplorable than African Americans in North American ghettos) and this organization that is offering to assist them but it seems like kind of a shady way (like a back door into a trade agreement). They were referring to the organization with the acronym IRI. So, because I'm an intern and clearly there to learn, I asked what IRI stood for (International Republican Institute). Noelle said it might be a good idea if I did some research on it, but in an off hand kind of way. A little bit later, Stephanie talked to me about doing some research on the IRI for some background information for a House Resolution! Woo hoo! Doing research for something that matters!! A few hours later, Stephanie came up to me with another research project, but this one was to research and write a House Resolution on the African griot in connection with the American storyteller in order to honor the African griot on International Literacy Day in September!! I am researching and writing things that Congress might actually discuss and they will vote on! Woo hoo!

First Day at the Capitol

I don't know what I was expecting for today but I've got to say, even though it wasn't particularly exciting, it was pretty cool! It was sweet to be able to walk up to the building where Congressman Payne's office is knowing who else has offices in that building and the surrounding buildings... I've already seen Nancy Pelosi and today I learned the cafeteria recylces and offers many healthy options because of her. It's a possibility that I could run into any of our presidential candidates!

So, anyway, about my day: all of the other interns and staff members in my office are so nice! I didn't get a chance to talk to the Congressman today (he's in Africa) but I did get to write letters to some of his constituents on his behalf. (By the way, if you write a letter to a Congressman or Senator and receive a reply, it's about a 99% chance that an intern wrote it, a staff member approved it, and the person who "signed" it never even saw it!). Writing replies does involve some research and creativity, so I do feel like I am getting more research an writing experience.

The best part of my day was having conversations about interesting subjects with intelligent people! Everyone in the office has an impressive background and ambitious goals. I had good conversations with people all day and I even made a friend! Haily showed me the ropes today, we chatted all day, found out we live near each other and chatted all of the way home on the Metro (that's right, I'm a commuter and I read the newspaper on the way to work)! We're both planning on going to the National Mall to watch the fireworks on Friday, so hopefully we'll be able to meet up there!

Today was a good day!