Into the Frying Pan

Crazy week thus far in a number of ways. I could use this space to tut-tut Idaho Senator Larry Craig for pleading guilty to soliciting sex in an airport bathroom from an undercover male cop. Or perhaps try and sift through the rhetoric to determine if now former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is victim of partisan politics or purporter of it... or both. But instead, I think I'll discuss my first experiences working in the Washington D.C. office of Congressman Chris Shays.
Fortunately or unfortunately, I'm the first of the new fall interns to begin and will be so all week until after Labor Day. So I get a lot of attention and ample amount of work to get comfortable before the session starts... but I also get a lot of attention and an ample amount of work. Part of me feels very grown-up waking up at 7:30 and working 9-6 days. But then again I'm also dead tired when I get back and on Monday and Thursdays I have night classes. So I guess the jury is still out but I definitely feel that the pieces are starting to fall together here in the District. I'm finally in my apartment, I'm hitting my stride with work, and I'm enjoying the city. All positives, and I like positives.
In terms of work, I've been sorting daily mail, clearing their backlog of constituent letters, answering phone calls, and giving tours of the Capitol among other activities. And its been very exciting, actually. But I've been told, once the session starts, its exponentially more busy. With 5 other interns, it should be manageable, but I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch.

Finally

FINALLY moved in. I know I promised updates as soon as I was settled, but I'm still unpacking. Perhaps commenting on my whole situation will have to wait until tomorrow.

Dispatch from the District

Greetings! It's been a while since I posted... well, it's been a while since I've had internet access. My arrival to the District was rough and at point absurd. Long story (which is soon to come in full) short, I got temporarily bumped from my apartment to the luxurious Holiday Inn. My stuff is pretty much still in the apartment building, but I've been bumming computer access in the meantime and I'm not sure if the soft deadline for having my room ready by Tuesday will be met. So until I get up and running in the confines of my own apartment, the posting may be spotty. Don't worry, though, I'm still alive and am currently enjoying the nice, therapeutic rumbling of thunder accompanied by lightning which conveniently knocked out the cable to our room's TV. Suffice to say, the only thing I have going for me at this point is a $100 credit for room service. That may be the only thing keeping me going right now. I'll update more when I can.

A New Chapter

A quick note: It looks like I'll be doing a college themed blog for the Connecticut Post soon. I'll keep up Tavern Banter as a place to let my hair down more, but the Post blog will be a good opportunity to give my writing some exposure. I'll keep you all updated.
This is my last night in the FC as tomorrow I will depart for Washington DC to begin my internship for Congressman Shays. It was a fantastic summer, and as the months have progressed, I feel like I was just hitting my groove. Too bad it has to end now. In any event, its time to begin to move on and look for new opportunities in the nation's capitol. Thanks to everyone who made this summer memorable and stay happy, healthy, and sound as school begins again.

Go See Superbad...

I know this is going to come around and kill me some day, but go see the movie Superbad. I've seen it, uh, three times already now... which I admit is a bit intense... but I still laugh. Of course, the audience is geared to to my generation, and it's not exactly espousing family values, but we all know kids like those in the movie.

And oh my God, you have to love "McLovin." The kid steals the show. Bow chika wow.

Packing It In

Man, I have too much stuff. Seriously, putting all the "necessities" away in boxes for the move to DC makes me wonder just how much I actually need. They're comforts I love to have but I know I could do without. And unfortunately, plenty in this world never get the opportunity to benefit from all this "stuff." I like to think I do my part in this world to make it better, but I know even what I do pales in comparison to everything else that needs to be done or that is done by others. Take for example my friend Emma. She spent her summer in Ghana teaching children. Not to pad her resume for college (she's already lucky enough to be attending Yale), but rather for the philanthropic purposes of just doing what one can to help the world. Thats a real leader right there, and I wish I could express my admiration better for people like her who are angels to those in need.
Also, in terms of preparations for DC, I finally resigned to cutting my hair for a more "corporate" look. I really hate how short it is now, but I know it'll grow out... and quick. It was never shoulder level or anything, but it was full and, well, awesome. I know the lengths of my locks before were something you wouldn't sport on Capitol Hill, at least on a first impression, but hopefully no one will care when it comes back with full force. I'm not going to bother putting up an "after" shot, but enjoy this "before" one... you won't see this for a while.

Thank God for AAA

Seriously, I don't know if you've ever had to use it, but I now realize how much of a lifeline AAA is for any driver. I was with my buddies when our front right tire got punctured, and while we knew how to change a tire, the "Anti-Theft bolt" on my friend's Passat required a special piece that was stripped, making it impossible to remove. AAA came and brought us out of the wooded wilderness we were stuck in and saved the day. Now I know why my mom was so adament about keeping up my membership. It wasn't my car, but it helped me nonetheless.