another day, another... uh... non-dollar

I was at work a total of about 4 1/2 hours today. I've never been able to agree with punctuality, so I didn't show up until around 9:30. (I know I really should work on that.) I watched a few cases. Yvette had an interesting one. A woman had gotten a CPO against her husband. They are in the process of divorce and are trying to sell their house. Currently, he is out of a job (and has been for the last 3 years) and is living in the house until it sells. She is paying the mortgage and the utilities for him, plus supporting their three children all under the age of 10. The house isn't selling because he keeps scaring off the potential buyers. Once, a realtor alleged he came out of the house waving a gun around. At court, the woman was trying to bring criminal contempt because he hadn't gotten rid of the gun like he'd been ordered to. So the judge ordered he stay in jail until he turned in the gun to a law enforcement official. That was kind of cool.

After watching court for a while, I went into our breakroom outside Courtroom 118 to do some homework. An MPD officer came by inquiring about a case that had been dismissed. He thought I was an attorney. That gave my ego a little boost. (I enjoy it when people think I'm older than I am.) Then Kelli, Kimberly, Kristi, Yvette and I went to lunch. It was a nice day, so we sat outside a McDonald's.

There was nothing really to do at the Intake Center when we got back, so I finished my homework. A couple groups of Metropolitan Police Dept. recruits (DC's police force) came through the Center on an orientation tour. A bunch of tasty new recruits. (Ok, yeah, there were some chicks in the group, which I respect, but there were a lot of young good-looking guys, too.) I heart police officers.

I went home at 3. I'm really enjoying this internship. On the bad side, I look like I've been pushed down the stairs; my palms are all scratched up and my knees are atrocious. And I've got a cold. (whine, whine, whine) Those things aren't much fun. But that's ok. Tomorrow is Friday, and then it's the weekend!

(Note: edited by the author 11/9/2006.)

ouch

Today our field trip was at the National Holocaust Museum. Unfortunately, cameras aren't really allowed in the museum. So I couldn't take any pictures. But it was very moving. The sheer magnitude of the loss, the death, the horror... incredible. After, my roommates, Scott and I decided to walk around downtown. We started at the Washington Monument.



Walking down Constitution Ave. This is the Department of Justice.



The place where they want your money. The IRS building.




This one took up a few blocks-worth of space. The EPA.



Department of Commerce, turning onto 14th St.




The Ronald Reagan Conference Center, with parking and shopping and other fun things.

At this point, I wasn't paying attention, and tripped, and ended up falling on my face.



I scraped my hands.


This does not make walking fun. At all.

You can't really tell yet, but there's a huge bruise developing on the left side there.

Hotel Washington, on 14th St.

All of a sudden, there were sirens and a big commotion.

There were a bunch of cars and motorcycles everywhere. The MPD closed down F St between 14th and 13th. We didn't know what was going on.

Apparently the Pakistani Prime Minister, or something, was staying at that hotel. I didn't see anybody really important, but the area was positively crawling with law enforcement officials. Some of my roommates don't like police officers, hate them even, all of them, by virtue of the office they fill. I suppose my experience with police is unique because of my CSD job and my interaction with them.

So, it was an ok day. It was nice out, and a nice day to be walking around. At least, until I fell and practically killed myself. Not a great idea in retrospect. At least I didn't break anything, though. Any contributions to the I Feel Sorry For Kathryn fund will be glady accepted.

a word about intern parties

Tiffany and Alyssa are even now attempting to abscond with more beer from Brian's party. I am amused by this.

Alyssa punched Brian tonight. And rightly so; whenever he gets drunk, he always gropes her. And he's a bastard, a chauvinist bastard. He mostly ignores me, and I think it's because I'm not a size 6 blonde. I don't particularly care; I'd rather be invisible than be molested. I feel that way about most of the guys here, actually. Most of them ignore me, except for Scott and Ryan. Sometimes I wonder if it's because of the way I look. I'm sure that's probably part of it (superficiality at its best), but I'm also sure that part of it is the small problem that I have this little bit of a superiority complex. Boys are not worth my time. I'm only looking for men.

I really seem to be waxing philosophic tonight. I didn't really do much today. I vacuumed the living room and dining room. I watched "The Royal Tenebaums." That was a funny movie. I put my hair up. It looked pretty cute.

Back to the original topic I had planned. Interns like to drink. A lot. Every weekend, and sometimes on Tuesday nights because we don't work on Wednesdays, 90% of the people in the program are drinking. I'm not really sure why that happens. Maybe because they're college kids and they like to get drunk. Maybe the stress is so unbearable, they feel the need to drown it in high octane alcohol and [really, really, really] bad beer. Probably the former. There are always trips to Adams-Morgan and Georgetown to hit the bars. I haven't been in a group so single-mindedly into partying before. Here I go on my soapbox again, but drinking to get drunk doesn't interest me that much. First of all, it takes a sizable amount of alcohol for my senses to become impaired. Second of all, I'm poor, so I don't have the money to do it. And I like to think I'm above that. Though, undeniably, drinking and carousing with friends is fun... I think I'm thinking too old for my own good.

this one's dedicated to Donna

Washington is so wonderful. Today was a run of the mill day. I rode the metro to work with Scott and Brian. Scott and I, it turns out, work in the same courthouse. So do a few other of the LCWS people that I never noticed before. Huh. When I got to work, I pulled some criminal case files from the Clerk's office for some of our files. Then we went down and watched court for a while. Nothing too exciting. A sentencing. Several CPO status hearings. One case sort of surprised me, though I know it shouldn't have. I was sitting in the second row of the courtroom, and a man was in front of me. He was tall, blond, well-built. He was wearing a suit, very well-dressed, put together. The judge's clerk called the next case and he stood up. I thought, he must be a lawyer. He moved to the respondent's side of the table. I thought, he must be the respondent's lawyer. Then the clerk said, state your name for the record. And he was the respondent. It was a little unnerving, that this smooth, good-looking guy could be an abusive bastard. But then, you never know, right? It could be anyone; your next-door neighbor, the guy who sits next to you in class. You just never know.

After a while, I decided to go to lunch. I sat outside and talked to Amberleigh for a while. (A long time, actually.) I realized that I'd missed her a lot. She's getting ready to transition from being a dispatcher to being a patrol officer. I'm so proud of her. Following lunch, I went upstairs to the Intake Center. I prepped a case, pulled another jacket [court file]. At 3:30 every Friday, the Domestic Violence Section meets at the OAG office to go over the cases for the week. Kelli and I went. On the way, she invited me to go out for happy hour after the meeting. I thought, why not. The meeting was uneventful. It was interesting, in a procedural way, but not particularly exciting.

I miss you, Donna.

(Note: edited by the author 11/9/2006.)

there's a sexual assault suspect on the loose in Fairfax County tonight

I am officially a Washingtonian transplant. I wore flip-flops to work this morning, carrying my shoes in my bag. I rode the metro standing, without holding onto the poles. I went in to work through the back employee exit. Yeah. I'm cool now.

This morning I got to watch my first arraignment and my first sentencing. Both were educational. Yvette had the sentencing; she was satisfied with the terms, 2 years probation, 180 days suspended sentence on 3 counts of criminal contempt, and 100 hours of community service. Then I sat through a rather depressing trial. It was a routine CPO, a woman (well, girl) against her former lover. They had two children together, a 18 month old, and a 6 month old. They had lived with her mother. She moved out two weeks ago with the kids (to her new boyfriend's house, of course), and he stayed with her mother, who actually showed up as a witness for him. Oh yeah, she's 17 and he's 38. She was 14 when they started dating. Judge Motley asked him, 'isn't she a little young?' The respondent said, 'when you fall in love, age doesn't matter.' I almost vomited. I'm pretty sure that in every state a situation like that is called statutory rape.

Kimberly felt bad because of one of the cases she was invested in, a Paraguayan woman who had been isolated by her live-in boyfriend, who also happened to be a police officer. He would give her a daily allowance, and when he found out that she was buying a phone card to call her family, he reduced the amount to $4 a day. Yesterday was the first day of the CPO, and things were going well. Today, they walked into the continuance arm in arm. They decided to drop the case. She'll probably go back to him, go back and live with him. Kimberly was pretty upset. We went to Potbelly's for lunch, the whole Section. I really like these women. A lot. It's strange, how we're dropped into other people's lives. And it's wonderful when it works out.

And now Lori's got me sucked into Grey's Anatomy. I haven't cried so much over a tv show since The X-Files series finale. For those who do not watch the show, one vein was about Izzy, a doctor who met and fell in love with a man with a serious heart problem. She did a lot to get him a heart transplant, tried to save his life. He asked her to marry him. She decided to get freshened up so that she could look great when she said yes. When she walked back into the room, he had died. She spent most of the episode on the floor, wearing the same dress she'd put on to say yes. How could you ever get over that? Ugh... now I'm hooked. And now I've just watched the premiere of Six Degrees. And it was good. Stupid ABC and their Thursday night lineup.

A note to my wonderful readers:
I love hearing from you. If you'd like to comment, please know that you don't have to have a blog to leave one. And you can leave your name, too, like Lisa does. Or you can do what you're doing now. I just like to know who's talking to me. Thanks guys. Love you all!

the fun I had today

An oryx. Yeah.












Mama Cheetah.
















The top of the rotunda.















A black and white of the infamous chandelier
in the Capitol building.
Edit: The chandelier is infamous because no one
knows from whence it came. All anyone knows is
that the government bought it for $2K. It's now
valued at over $2 mil.

















The seats where the Supreme Court sat, back when the members were still referred to as "Mr. Justice."

kal ho naa ho

Work's going well. Tuesday I sat in court in the morning. Yvette had a hearing; it was only to ascertain the status of the criminal case of the respondent's. It turned into a long verbal battle between the judge and the respondent. (The criminal case, by the way, for the respondent is felony assault, I believe. He beat his girlfriend so badly that she had to get the back of her head stapled back together.) He kept arguing that the court documents had been falsified because his social security number wasn't on them. I'm afraid I'm becoming more conservative, and I've only been working there for two days. I knew that the respondent had a right to be heard, ect., a right to an affirmative defense, whatever. But I just wanted to yell at him, 'you almost killed her, you bastard. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.' Kristina said that I would probably become desensitized to the work after I'd done it for a while. We'll see. In the afternoon, I met Kelli, the paralegal. I like Kelli a lot. She's my immediate supervisor.

Today I had off from work, because, well, it's Wednesday. We went on a tour of the Capitol. It was more interesting this time than the last time I took a tour of it. (But then, I think I was 11 at the time.) We got to see the chamber where the Supreme Court used to meet, almost 200 years ago, very cool. When we got to the room where the House of Reps used to work, we stood where John Quincy Adams's desk used to be and our tour guide, Andrew walked over to the other side of the room, so we could hear him whisper. Also, very cool. After the tour, Lori, Alyssa, Tiffany, Scott and I walked to Union Station. We got some lunch, then decided to go to the National Zoo. Scott turns 22 today, and that's what he wanted to do. We saw some cheetahs, oryxes, a panda, a really cute giraffe, and other assorted animals. My feet are killing me. I must have walked a couple miles today. I hardly notice it anymore, though. I have to walk because I don't have Clytemnestra with me. (For those who don't know, Clytemnestra is my baby, my iridescent slate-blue 2005 Pontiac Grand Am. I miss her. A lot.)

I'm glad we have Wednesdays off. Between work, and classes, and the tours and field trips we have, I need a little break in the middle of the week. I already can't wait for the weekend.

(Note: Edited by the author 11/9/2006.)

first day

It's been a long day. I had my first day of work today. I met three of the four attorneys in my Section; Kristina, Kimberly, and Yvette, and my Section Chief; Janese. Kristina took me over to the DC Superior Courthouse, where I'll be working most of the time. I sat in on a trial. It was a stalking case. The plaintiff was alledging his former girlfriend repeatedly called him and threatened him. The respondent, of course, denied it. The plaintiff was seeking a TPO (temporary protection order) so that he could eventually get a CPO (civil protection order, which is good for a year). But he didn't have any records, and in the end, the case came down to his word against hers. The judge dismissed the motion because the plaintiff hadn't met the standard of proof. It was pretty cool.

So, my days will look like this: in the morning, I'll be assisting the attorneys at trial, gophering around, pulling case jackets for them, doing research, pulling conviction reports as needed, etc. In the afternoon, I'll be working with Kelli, the paralegal, at the Domestic Violence Intake Center, on the 4th floor of the courthouse. The Intake Center is where we get our cases; we have an office in a bullpen with a few other agencies that then pass on to us the cases that need representation. The bulk of our caseload is TPO/CPO work in abuse and neglect cases, but we also handle criminal contempt cases, probate, and mental competency. I'm excited that so much of my job is literally in the courtroom. It's a little different than I expected, but I'm still convinced this is the life for me.

When I got home from work, following a fun commute (luckily, I'm working only about 20 minutes away from home, but during rush hour, the metro cars are packed past capacity), I had a quick bite to eat. Then it was off to Georgetown, over the Key Bridge. We had to walk. It's about a mile and a half one way. (Needless to say, I'm getting a fair amount of exercise while here.) We listened to Madeleine Albright speak about religion and foreign policy. She was also plugging her new book "The Mighty and the Almighty." She was a lot more funny than I expected. She was very eloquent. I developed a lot of respect for her. I almost wish she would run for president; I'd vote for her. But she supports Hillary. (I do not.) This semester is definitely turning out to be a grand affair. Listening to prestigious people speak. Working real cases. Feeling the burn and getting blisters. Navigating through a new big city.

Loving every minute of it.

there's only one set of footprints in the sand

It's been a good weekend, on the whole. On Friday, I went shopping. I got a bunch of good shirts on clearance, and some new shoes. I saw "The Black Dahlia." I'm still trying to decide whether or not I liked it. It was a lot more gory than I expected, even knowing what the plotline was. It was pretty dark, too. I thought I would really like it because of my interests in similar subject matter, and because I really liked "L.A. Confidential," another movie based on another of James Ellroy's novels. I'm not sure I buy the ending explanation of "Dahlia." It seemed a little too tidy a little too quickly. But I haven't finished the book yet, so maybe that'll be better. Besides book to movie adaptations are rarely as good as they should be. (Case in point, "White Oleander.")

Friday night I went to a Nationals/Brewers game with Alyssa, Tiffany and Tiffany's boyfriend, Steven. Tiffany got the tickets at work. We decided to go around 7, the time the game started. We eventually got there around 8:30. We bought beers and sat down in time for the seventh inning stretch. We only stayed for about an inning. Then it started to rain and we decided to leave. We got soaked anyway. On the metro, Lori called and said that she, Scott, and Brian were going to Adams-Morgan and we should meet them there. We were wet, but we decided to go.

We went to a couple of bars. The first one was sort of small, and it took me forever to get a beer. And then a bachelorette party came in. They were all drunk. One of them started dancing all over with Brian. It was funny. I really hate that chauvinist. I got a little schnockered. Alyssa and I decided to leave before the others. She was less gone than I was, so she was leading the way. We were talking and not paying attention and soon we were lost. We double-backed and asked a couple sitting on the front stoop of an apartment building. The woman said, just cut through that park there. Alyssa and I looked at her like, "Are you f-ing nuts?" But then she said, "together you two should be fine." We double-timed it through the park, trying not to look freaked out. We made it back to the metro, and even met up with the rest of the group. I slept on the couch because I wasn't that tired yet, and I didn't want to bother Tiffany and Steven.

Yesterday I lazed around pretty much the whole day. Cleaned a little. Read. Did some homework. Nothing too much.

This morning I went to church. The pastor there, coincidentally named John F. Johnson (and different as night is to day from the John F. Johnson that presides over CUChi), his wife died yesterday. She had a really bad headache, she went to the hospital, they diagnosed her with a brain tumor, she died. She didn't stand a chance. She was only about 40. She left behind a 9-year-old daughter. The service was almost 2 hours. After the sermon, people stood up and talked about the woman, Joann, and what they loved about her, and what they remember most about her. I really like this church. I am only 1 of about 10 white people there, but there is such an open, caring atmosphere. I am greeted by about half the congregation when I get there, people genuinely asked how I am doing. It's sort of like a southern revival LCMS church. As I was listening to the congregants speak of the pastor's wife, I was reminded of one of my favorite psalms, Psalm 13.

1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

Tomorrow is my first day of work.
*is excited*

it's official

I have my ID now. I feel so important. It was a bit of a trial finding the building this morning. I had gotten directions from the metro stop to the building where the OAG is and felt I was good to go. I got off the metro and realized that I was not where the metro website had said I'd be (not the first time this had happened). So I wandered up and down the next two blocks for several minutes. I saw that the courthouse was across the street, and I was on 4th St NW, where the building was supposed to be, but I just couldn't see it. I resorted to asking a police officer buying an Arizona iced tea from a stand. He pointed me toward the building behind us. The building right in front of the metro stop. I felt ridiculous. So I went inside, got through security and got on an elevator for the 10th floor, to go to Suite 1060. I got off the elevator... on the 8th floor. I don't know why. I had to get another one to the 10th.

Orientation was relatively uneventful. There were about 7 other interns there as well. I get a username and password. I get my own desk and computer, but it'll no doubt be a piece of crap machine, the IT guy said. Oh well. And we're not allowed to listen to streaming music. Maybe I'll just bring my laptop to work with me, stash it under my desk and put on my iTunes. Keya Ross, the internship coordinator, said that I wasn't needed until Monday. So tomorrow is my last day of proverbial freedom before I have a weekend before my first real actual day of work. I'm a little excited. I think I'll go see The Black Dahlia tomorrow, though it's gotten bad reviews so far that I've read. I'm into the second section of James Ellroy's book (on which the movie is based). I'd hoped to finish it before seeing the movie, but I've got 200+ pages to go and I really want to see the movie while I have time. Who knows how crunched I'll be when I actually have stuff to do.

a contributing member of society once again

I have a job. Yea for me. It's with the Office of the Attorney General for DC, in the domestic violence division. I'm so excited about it. I'll get a lot of real life experience, I think, because there aren't that many interns in the office. So that'll be nice. I'll get to file motions. And be in court. In court! As a rookie in a law firm, I might not get to see the inside of a courtroom room for two years. And here I am, a senior in college. I'm so excited. I'm wearing my heels around the apartment to get used to walking in them again. I've been wearing flip-flops for a long time.

Today I went on a tour of N Street Village, a women's homeless facility. It's actually more than just a shelter. There's lots of different programs, like yoga, and getting one's GED, and dancing. There's a wellness center with a dentist's office and an optometrist's office and even a massage room. It's a very nice facility. I didn't realize that over 60% of DC's homeless population were women, mostly because of mental illness and substance abuse (that part didn't really surprise me). I'm glad there's something for them like the N Street Village.

I drove back to River Place with Dr. Joyner. She amuses me. When we got back, she parked by the LCWS office. I went in and talked to Kellie. She's a huge Harry Potter fan. We talked for about 20 minutes about the characters, and what we think will happen in book 7. (She doesn't think Harry will die. She's not sure whether Snape is good or not.) I enjoyed it; I rarely find people who are as fanatical about HP as I am. I'm on the 4th book right now, and I think it's the 3rd or 4th time I'm reading the books.

But anyway, Alyssa's making dinner tonight, chicken and rice, I think, with cream of mushroom soup. (Tasty.) I haven't made a large meal yet. I'm thinking of pot roast. I made a delicious pot roast in Ohio one time I was out there. Life is grand. I have a job, granted, a non-paying one, but at least I have something to do.

I did, like, three real things today, besides eating

I woke up around 10:30. I don't even hear Tiffany get up to go to work; I sleep right though it. It's kind of nice; I could get used to it. So, today was rather uneventful, to say the least. I made french toast, that's something. I cleaned my bathroom. I felt better. I finished reading for my Political Communication, well, almost. The internship coordinator for the OAG emailed me around 4 and told me to "call [her] when [I] have a chance." She didn't answer the phone, so I had to leave a message. Hopefully she'll call me tomorrow. Then I went to class. It's possibly one of the most excruciating, mind-numbing experiences I've ever gone through. At least until next week. I don't find political communication particularly stimulating to begin with, but my professor definitely does not contribute an iota of scintillating material. I wrote on Lori's paper, "I'd rather be tied up in a bamboo field and watch the shoots puncture my skin than be here right now." She told me she had to stop herself from laughing out loud. That's something, at least.

Then Lori, Jeremy, Ryan, Andy and I went to pool hall just past the metro stop. It was fun. I am really really bad at pool. But I did manage to hit a few balls. Go me. And now I'm home, on the couch talking with Scott, Tiffany, and Alyssa.

This is just great.

better day

I met with Kellie (internship coordinator) and Dr. Joyner (dean of LCWS) this morning. Dr. Joyner told me not to worry and not to feel guilty about not having secured an internship yet. Sometimes these things happen, she said. Kellie told me that the Office of the Attorney General was still accepting applications. She printed one out for me and Dr. Joyner offered to write a letter of recommendation for me. I got an email from the OAG a few hours later. I was very impressed with the prompt reply. So, it looks as though I'll be working at the OAG in the Domestic Violence division. Hopefully this will pan out and I'll cease my lazy, bum-like existence.

Since I had nothing to do for the day, I decided to visit the Library of Congress. It was a bit disappointing, actually. The building itself is beautiful, really lovely, with carved white marble and floor-to-ceiling mosaics. But the books are not available to the public. I had this idea of walking through row after row of book stacks, orgasming with delight over the multitudes of volumes. But alas, no such luck. I went shopping before I came home, at Safeway. That was a treat (read: sarcasm), schlepping bags of groceries five blocks.

Tonight we had to go to a taping of the Marvin Kalb show. It was being broadcast on the Washington Post radio station, and XM, and public television. The guest was documentary maker Ken Burns. I'm surprised I didn't fall asleep. I didn't find the conversation particularly riveting. But the upside was that having to sit there for over an hour gave me time to think about a topic for my honors seminar next semester. It's quite a long list, actually, but right at the top is "the 10 most influential murder cases of the 20th century and how they shaped history." (I adore long titles.) I'm thinking Beth Short, JonBenet Ramsey, Marilyn Sheppard, Martha Moxley, the LaBianca-Tate kills, the Clutter deaths, Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman, as a start. I can rework the list later. Other contenders are the War of the Roses, Seminex , the Partition (I really wonder how many Americans know what that is), Suffragists, libertarianism, Saddam Hussein, origins of popular urban legends. It's so hard to decide.

I just realized that the reason I'm so tired could be because it's almost 3am. Hey, I'm watching season 7 episodes of The X-Files on TNT. It's hard to tear myself away. Even though I've seen these episodes before. Many times. And I have this season on dvd. Stop mocking me.

who else knew Steve Irwin died last Monday?

I didn't until I read this week's PostSecret. Huh. I always found him sort of annoying. He's about the seventeenth person in the world to die of a stingray puncture. File that under the 50 most ironic deaths in history.

I went to Arlington Cemetrery today. I was downtown after church, and I just didn't feel like going home. I had nothing to do for the rest of the day, so I stayed on the metro past the Rosslyn stop and got off at Arlington Cemetery. It was a great day to visit. The sky was clear, no clouds, though it was pretty warm. I got a ticket for a shuttle tour. I visited the Kennedys' gravesites, cried at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers during the changing of the guard, walked through Arlington House. I saw the section of Justice gravesites, where Blackmun, Holmes, Weeks, Marshall, Rehnquist, and more were laid to rest. Justices are offered the choice to be interred at Arlington, though predictions are that the cemetery will reach capacity in 2060. So, if I want to be buried in Arlington Cemetery, I've got to be appointed as a Justice and die before I'm 75.

I've had some brief recurring thoughts of joining the USO. I have such conflicting feelings about our armed forces. On the one hand, I'm a total dove. I don't believe in killing, state-sanctioned or otherwise. Any type of forcible death does not sit well with me. But on the other, I admire those men and women who pledge their lives to the defense of our great nation. As much as I like to complain about my country, and point out all the things I think are wrong about it, I really do love it, especially the part where I'm allowed to complain about it without being arrested (yea for the overturning of the Alien and Sedition Act).

Tomorrow is the five year anniversary of the WTC attacks. There's a Freedom Walk downtown tonight, and there's one in Chicago; there's probably one in all the big cities. There are great big flags hanging from all of the big office buildings in Rosslyn. I wish our country could revisit the unity and cohesion we felt right after the attacks. I miss the way everyone flew American flags from every possible point, "God Bless America" bumper stickers abounded, memorials and shrines for strangers were erected. I miss that feeling of comradery. How long did it last? A month? A few weeks? And then we went back to the usual distance, usual way of dealing with each other. I wish we could go back to a time where hope and love permeated, not fear and cynicism.

american diversity

I find it alternately fascinating and isolating that I have met only one LCMS member in Washington. There are people who are Jewish, Catholic, non-practicing ELCA, even an agnostic and a Buddhist. I've met just one other who is LCMS, and I don't think he's practicing. It's the most religiously diverse group of people in which I've ever been included. It's fascinating, obviously, because I can hear different points of view, and appreciate those differences. It's isolating and a little disconcerting, though, being different myself. In high school, I was in the minority of students who still went to church, but it didn't matter that much to me; I went because my parents made me. When I first went to college, I didn't often go to church, even though I was surrounded by like-minded Christians. Now that I am far away from Concordia and my little insular LCMS bubble, I find myself missing it. All of my roommates are going out tonight. I am not because I'm going to church tomorrow. I've never felt this way, so different, so removed from people like me. It's strange, but I suppose I should get used to it, until I settle in one spot and stumble upon a new haven.

Along the same vein, I did two silly things today, watched two movies that I shouldn't have watched at all, much less on the same day. Munich and Flight 93. Both movies have to do with Muslim extremists creating terror and wreaking havoc. Both movies include a lot of senseless death. With the five-year anniversary approaching, I am dwelling more and more on my recollections of September 11, 2001, what I was doing, what I thought, what I saw. I will never, ever be able to forget the sight of those towers falling, of the knowledge that I knew to my very core that I was watching hundreds of people die, that I was watching their last moments on Earth. And I remember seeing Arabs in the Middle East, I don't know what country, rejoicing in the streets, not just being happy, but rejoicing, that American lives had ended. I remember recoiling at such a powerful hatred, a feeling I did not understand, that I still do not understand. I struggle to comprehend a culture so different, that its people compulsorily hate my own, for reasons I do not know.

We're living in an age where things do not follow as they should. People are no longer innocent until proven guilty. I sometimes wonder what our lives would be like, if those planes hadn't sailed so tragically into those buildings. Would we have eventually turned out this way anyway, signing away our civil liberties in the name of "safety," giving up our freedom bit by bit for more "security?" I would like to hope not, but who knows?

back to square one

So, I didn't get it. I'm pretty pissed off about it. And feeling a little rejected. But I will persevere. I'll just have to wait a little longer, I suppose, until I know what I'm going to be doing for the rest of the semester. I feel like a bum. But hey, I'm an American. I'm ambitious.

Anyone know someplace in DC looking for interns?

A bunch of us are going drinking in Georgetown tonight. Maybe that'll take my mind off my troubles.

still waiting

First, I'd like to give a shout-out to all the lovely ladies who were attendance at the Stampin' Up party last night, especially my beautiful scrapping girlfriends, Nanci, Suzanne, Kelly, and Mindi. I love you all!

So, meanwhile, today was a lot of waiting. I got up around 9 and lounged around for most of the morning. Scott and Lori decided to go to a House hearing for the Committee of International Relations to fulfill a requirement for the program, so I decided to tag along, if only to get out of the condo. Before we went into the Rayburn building, I called Erica at TCC, in case she called while I was at the hearing. She told me that the decision still hadn't been made, but she'd definitely call me tomorrow. I feel about ready to tear my hair out. I would just like to know whether or not I get the position. Especially if I do, I can go shopping, because I definitely need more close-toed shoes (I've only got two pairs). And I definitely just ruined a load of laundry (much to my annoyance); I'm not even sure what happened there. I put the clothes in the washing machine this morning, then forgot to put it in the dryer before we went to the hearing. So then when I came back home, it was still going, but with hot water instead of cold like I selected. And so all the colors blended together. And there's a bunch of fuzz everywhere. I'm pretty annoyed with myself. But anyway, hopefully I'll get a good call tomorrow, so I can buy new, professional clothes. If I don't get it, I'll probably cry.

Anyway, we went into the Rayburn building. It was very cool, but a little intimidating. The hearing was scheduled to begin at 2pm. What were the committee members doing at 2pm? Voting. At 2:30? Voting. At 3? Voting. So what time, exactly, did the hearing begin? A little before 3:30. It was only slightly infuriating, considering I didn't have anything to do really, and I had to sit and wait for an hour and a half. But that's life on the Hill, I suppose. Nothing happens on time. The hearing was quite interesting, once it began. It was about terrorist activities and proposals of theories as to how far we've come in the last five years since the attacks. Apparently, we're still living under the combined threats of Islamo-fascists and complacency. That makes sense.

I had my second class tonight, Allies and Adversaries. It looks much more promising than Tuesday's. The prof works for the CIA. Very cool. She offered to help any of us get a sit-down at the CIA, or State Department or USAID. Also very cool. This semester is really going to open doors for me, I can feel it.

Tristan called me tonight. I was so glad to hear from him. He got his guns yesterday; he was excited about that. I told him he had to do the program next year. That way I can come visit him. I told Lisa the same thing earlier today when I talked to her. I miss them a lot.

pick me, pick me

It's been a long day so far. We had the Pentagon tour at 9. It was interesting, but I'd hoped that we'd get more of an in-depth look at what Pentagon workers do. I suppose it's a matter of national security. Whatev. We didn't get to see the memorial for the 9/11 victims, though, because there was an interview happening there. Our guide told us that if the plane hadn't bounced off the ground first, or if it had hit somewhere else, thousands more would have died. On any given day, there are about 35,000 people in the Pentagon. Less than 200 were killed on that day. Obviously, there are larger forces at work here.

After that, we had to go to a book lecture at Cato. The book was called "The Elephant in the Room: Evangelicals, Libertarians and the Battle to Control the Republican Party." It was interesting, and I would have really enjoyed it, but it was so hot in the room, and I was tired, and felt cramped. As soon as the last question was answered, I practically ran up the stairs, grabbed a sandwich and scarfed it down. I had an hour and a half to get back home, change, and get to my interview.

Finding Century Council was easy. It's less than a block away from a metro stop, which is good, as far as being able to wear less-than-comfortable shoes. I went up to the sixth floor and waited for Erica to meet me. She was very warm. She told me about the internship; it's a communications position. My general duties would include making media lists, cutting and copying articles, proofing editorials, etc. As an intern I'd be invited to all of the events, like promotions and launches. I'll get an hour lunch. Oh, and I'll get paid, too. (That was the best news of the interview.) I also met the VP of Communications. I liked them. I hope they liked me, too. Erica told me that she'd call me tonight or tomorrow and let me know. I'm a little nervous about it. I really, really want this.

After the interview, I decided to walk around the neighborhood a little. It turns out that the office is situated between Ford's Theatre and the White House. I took a little stroll past GW's house. Though I may not agree with the man, I have to admit it's pretty cool being so close to the seat of presidential power in the United States. I came home and Scott and Alyssa made a variation of chicken parmesan. It was nice to not have to cook, or really clean up afterward, to have everything be done for me. I could definitely get used to this.

And now, I'm just waiting for Erica's call. Oh, I hope I get it!

it's raining, it's pouring...

I woke up this morning to water. It was pouring outside. It was pouring inside, too. The a/c vent in our hallway was leaking. I set up little cups after I wished Tiffany a good first day at her internship. She's working at the Democratic National Committee. Alyssa's first day was today, too, at the Susan Davis Foundation. Lori had to go downtown to get her fingerprints taken for an Interpol internship, a position she "tentatively" has. She's also trying to get a spot at the Republican National Committee. I got a call this morning from Erica at Century Council. I have an interview tomorrow at 3. I'm excited for it, but only a little nervous. I'm sure I'll get it.

Anyway, today I cleaned around the apartment, took the trash out, organized the kitchen cupboards. Then I took a nap. Then I decided to go out and do something, if only just to get out of the condo. I went downtown to the National Archives. It was still lightly raining, but not too bad. I really need to get an umbrella. The Archives were incredible. I stood in front of the original copy of the United States of America Constitution and teared up. It's such an incredible document. While looking at the Declaration of Independence I wondered, how did they send this to King George? Did TJ fold it up and send it via post? Or a special courier? An armed detail? And I wonder about the look on King George's face when he read it. I wonder what his initial reaction was. The museum was great. The Public Vault section was very cool, as well. When I'd seen all the exhibits, I went back home. It's been pretty easy to get used to the Metro system, coming from using the El in Chicago.

My first class was tonight, Political Communication. Unfortunately, I was ridiculously bored the first time. It was mostly lecture, and the prof was not the most dynamic. At least I have it with Lori, so I can make sarcastic comments under my breath to someone. It wasn't one of my first choices for classes; it doesn't really interest me. I wish there'd been a class about law, or about the Court. That would have been cool. My next class is on Thursday, Allies and Adversaries. I'm looking forward more to that one.

I haven't really felt homesick today. That's good. I'm getting used to DC. It's a great city (although, nothing compares to Chi-town). It didn't hit me as fast as Paris did, but I'm sure it'll grow on me. I wouldn't mind living here somewhere down the road.

Tomorrow is the Pentagon tour. Then we're going to a lecture at the Cato Institute (I'll try not be bitter) about the tensions in the Republican party. Then my interview's at 3. An exciting day to be.

pictures from Labor Day

One of the inscriptions on the walls of the WWII Memorial.

The chapel dedicated to the fallen heroes who served in the Armed Forces, National Cathedral

The Hart statues at the Vietnam Memorial

Washington Monument reflected in the Potomac

Eleanor Roosevelt and me, at the FDR Memorial

And out the window to your left...

The tour was wonderful, awe-inspiring, slightly disheartening.

It was wonderful because I'm in the capital city of the world's only remaining superpower. There's something to be said for that. We saw the National Cathedral first this morning. I hadn't realized it was Episcopalian. It was started in 1907, and completed in 1990. And it's still under construction (sort of reminds of me of good old CUC). Dr. Joyner (the LCWS Dean) said that it was comparable to "the cathedral in Paris." Now, there are many, many cathedrals in Paris. I believe the one to which she was referring was Notre Dame, though. And it wasn't. It wasn't even close to being on the same level as Notre Dame (which in turn, is not a beautiful as Sacre Coeur). But it was still a nice church. After the Cathedral were the memorials. The first memorial was that of FDR. I'm not particularly a fan of him. I mean, yes, he did wonderful things and helped inspire our country out of the Depression and into the boom that was post-WWII, but he was a Democrat. He stacked the legislature and judiciary to slide through his resolutions. Now, his wife, Eleanor, was an amazing woman. I stood next to her statue and thought, wow: I hope to be even a quarter of what you were.

It was awe-inspiring because of the sheer depth of sacrifice that was given by our men in the military. We saw the World War II, the Vietnam, and and Korean Memorials. I've seen the latter two before, but the WWII has been built since the last time I was in DC. It was incredible, to see the markers for all of the States, to see the hundreds of stars mirrored in the pool before them, underneath the inscription, "Here marks the price of freedom." I admit to being a little choked up. My grandfather served in WWII. I felt so proud to stand there, at his monument.

It was slightly disheartening because as I looked at the Vietnam Memorial, the Wall, I was struck by the futility of it all. So many names, so many lives, so many deaths. And for what? To help resolve a conflict we had no business entering, a conflict that is still ongoing today? It doesn't make any sense to me. There is a monument to the women who served in Vietnam as well. It's a statue of three women, tending to a wounded soldier. It made me proud of them, even though they were only nurses. They had incredibly hard jobs. Any position that involves triage... I can't even fathom it. The Korean Memorial is amazing as well, with the statues of soldiers who seem to be walking through a field.

After the tour was finished, we came back to River Place and I took a nap. I needed it. And now I'm up. I still haven't heard anything about my internship possibilities yet. But Kellie, the internship coordinator is very optimistic about Century Council, a non-profit organization "dedicated to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking." (www.centurycouncil.org) I think it would be a fabulous organization in which to work. I should find out by week's end. But in the meantime I'll enjoy my week off.

symphonic strains and bonding over beer

Last night was fabulous. We had to go to an orientation meeting, which was admittedly boring. We had to complete "people bingo," where you have to find the tallest person in the room, someone who doesn't have a cell phone, someone who speaks another language fluently, etc. It was retarded.

After that, a bunch of people decided to go to the Capitol, where the National Symphonic Orchestra (or whatever it's called) plays on the south lawn at night. It was amazing, thousands of people on the lawn listening to the orchestra. After listening for a while, we walked down the Mall for a ways, then found a Metro stop and came home. I'm sort of amazed how well I'm getting along with these people. I suppose I underestimate my ability to make friends. I'm actually making an effort to be nice. It's a new experience, but not an unwanted one.

After we got back to the complex, we went over to one of the other guys' condos to have some drinks. About 20 people showed up. We played a rousing game of tippy-cup/flip-cup/flippy-cup (depending on from where the player comes) on the table on the balconey. It was a lot of fun. I got a little tipsy. But it was a much better bonding tool than "people bingo" earlier.

Unfortunately, now I've had about 4 1/2 hours of sleep and must be awake and about for more fun-filled activities. We're having a security briefing at 9, and then a bus tour of the Capital at 10. We're supposed to see the Lincoln, Vietnam, Korean Memorials, the National Cathedral, and other things.

It should be fun.

free at last

I'm finally here, here in my apartment in Arlington. It was a bit smaller than I expected, though the terrace/balconey is magnificent. Alyssa and Lori got here first and took the bigger bedroom with two closets. That left the smaller room with only one closet for me and Tiffany. My parents and I made a trip to Home Depot and Target for some shelves and drawer units. It's much better this way.

I was relieved to meet the girls with whom I'll be living. They all seem great. Lori and Alyssa both attend the same school in Wisconsin, and Tiffany's from North Carolina (she has an accent). I think I'll really enjoy living here with them. I'm mostly all settled in. Right now I'm the only one here. Tiffany's with her mother and Lori and Alyssa are off somewhere. I don't mind, though. I appreciate a little time to decompress and adjust quietly by myself.

I miss everyone back home. I've called Lisa B twice already since I've been here. It's so strange not being able to walk over to campus and see her. But she's going to fly up here, she said, and maybe Tina will come to. (That will be fabulous!) It'll be hardest this first week or two, getting used to a new city, new people, etc. I'll miss everyone like crazy.

But I'm so excited to be here!