The Fantastic Life of an Opera Fan

Sometimes I don’t know how I get to do the things I do. But I do things, and I’m amazed at what I do get to do. On occasion, it just takes asking a question and a door opens so something cool happens. That’s how this story begins.

I read a blog. I asked the author a question. She answered with “it’s kind of short notice, but let me check.” A couple hours later, she responded back, “I’m your new best friend.” Truer words were never spoken. That simple.

Brace yourselves for this because it is super awesome. I saw Renee Fleming in Otello, and she was remarkable. She totally rocked the role of Desdemona, and I was there to hear it live. That alone is pretty cool and I would have been 100% content if the evening ended there, but it didn’t. After the famed golden curtain fell, and the last shouts of “Bravo! Brava!” and the applause faded away, Sam and I made our way to a corridor.

There stood a man with a piece of paper in his hands. On that paper was Sam’s name and my name. We were on THE list. So, said man with said paper asks who we’re here to see. “Renee Fleming.” “And your names?” “Chelsea and Sam.” “Okay, head on back around the corner. Another guy will ask you the same and direct you where to go.”

This is the part where I start to freak out. My name is actually on the list. And I’m on my way to see Renee Fleming. NO WAY! This is a prank. Somebody is toying with my emotions. So the second guy is up. He asks the same questions. I gave the same answers. This man says, “Go through that door and wait against the white wall to the left. Someone will come to direct you to the room.” We walk away, and the nerves kick in, and I medium freak out again. Not like freak out freak out, but oh-my-gosh-I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening freak out.

Someone shows us to a green room that was quite cozy with two couches, an oversized chair and an upright piano. Sam and I were scrunched in the corner. There were probably about 15-20 people in this small room. Sam and I chatted for a couple minutes, which really consisted of me saying, “I can’t believe this is happening,” and “She is my absolute favorite!”

Then, Renee appeared. Right in front of my face. Well, not right in front of my face. She came in the room from the door on the opposite side. I seriously almost started to cry when I saw her twenty feet in front of me. She made her way through the small crowd, stopping and talking with each individual, giving them her undivided attention as each one commented on her excellent performance. Being the nosy Nellie that I am, I of course listened in on the conversations. Some talked about the interview she conducted with fellow soprano Karita Mattila at last weeks HD transmission of Manon Lescaut. Renee said she was so surprised when Mattila did the splits on a whim. Some talked about her daughter, who sang in the children’s choir and made a cameo in Otello. One woman commented on the long, blonde wig she wore for the roll.

Finally, it was my turn to meet this unpretentious diva. What do I say? How do I say it without sounding like a psycho stalker? I think my brain just shut down and my mouth started talking. I introduced myself, said I was a huge fan, and that this was my first opera, then I asked if I could give her a hug. (I think I heard some old lady say, “Oh, how sweet.”) How much of a nerd am I?! So she gave me a hug and asked if I was an opera singer too. I sort of chuckled and said, “No, I’m actually in politics in DC.” To which she replied, “Well it’s certainly an exciting time to be in politics.” She asked Sam and me what we thought of the opera. We said it was amazing. Then Sam said I came all the way from DC to see her. This is where I had my stalker moment. I told her that when she comes to DC in November, I’m going to see her. [Really Chelsea? She probably doesn’t even know where she’s going to be performing next week and you’re reciting her concert schedule for the next five years. Way to not look like a loon!]

Anywho, Renee graciously signed our playbills and I was fortunate enough to get a picture with her. Then I gave her another hug, because I can, and Sam and I grabbed our coats, and left. I pretty much was on an opera high the rest of the night. I seriously could have died right then and there and would have been okay with that. Let me put this another way: I was more excited to meet Renee Fleming than I was to meet the President, which says a lot.

We walked (I skipped) to the nearest bar to get a drink and calm me down. When we got there, Sam realized she left her camera on the pay phone when she was putting her coat on. So we tried to pound our frozen margs and you all know what that means – brain freeze – and tried to navigate the maze of construction to find the stage door leading back to the pay phone. Thank God we found the camera. Otherwise my meeting with Renee would only be a mental picture.

Sam and I headed back to the Penn Station area to grab food/drinks to pass the time before our 1:50 am train back to New Haven. All-in-all, an evening not soon to be out done.

If it seems my affinity for Renee Fleming is excessive to a fault, it’s because there truly are not enough words to describe what is experienced when hearing her perform live. And the crazy thing is opera is performed without amplification (no mics). It takes a lot of power and a lot of hard work to get a voice to carry in a 4,000-seat house and still sound good. I only hope that I can intrigue you all enough to want to pick up one of Renee’s recordings and give it a listen. You’ll truly be blown away.

Thanks to my "new best friend" for adding to an already amazing evening and giving me an opportunity of a lifetime – a favor not soon forgotten. Thanks to Sam for sharing in my joy and adding to the awesomeness of the night. Thanks to Renee for pretty much being Ah-MAZING and not freaking out when I freaked out because I was meeting you. Thanks to the cab guy who got us there on time.

A (glorious Renee-filled) Night At The Opera

I sat, eyes transfixed on the famous gold curtain that would soon reveal a masterpiece composed by Verdi. When the curtains were pulled back, what unfolded in front of me was three hours of love, deceit, betrayal, and death, which all add up to a most enjoyable evening.

Johan Botha was Otello, and a rather good one to my untrained ears. And then there was Renee Fleming. I needn’t go into detail on how much I respect this woman’s artistic talent or how much she just blows me away with that voice. When she stepped out onto the stage as Desdemona for the love duet “Giá nella notte densa” with Botha, I had to dab away the tears.

In the opera, Otello’s ensign Iago is upset that he is not the captain and he really just hates Otello. So he plants a seed of deceit and lies in Otello’s head in order to destroy him. He convinces Otello that Desdemona is having an affair with his captain Cassio. Iago so convinces Otello of Desdemona’s infidelity that he vows to strangle her in the bed where she committed her sins. After doing so, he learns that Desdemona was in fact faithful to him all along, so he stabs himself. Cue curtain.

Renee was Ah-MAZING! Johan was excellent. The dude who played Iago was good. The duets were sublime, the chorus and orchestra top notch. It was just a magnificent evening.

A performance is excellent when you don’t think of the person who is playing the character. When your heart breaks for Desdemona instead of thinking that Renee is doing a great job as Desdemona, that’s when you’ve got a great performance on your hands. I just felt so bad that this woman who is totally in love with her husband is praying to the Virgin Mary (Ave Maria) at the hour of her death. When she cries out, “Ah! Emilia, Emilia, addio!” at the end of The Willow Song, you know she knows she’s done for. Renee captured Desdemona so well. She absolutely broke my heart in the final act. I utterly loathed Iago. He just oozes evil, and whoever played him totally rocked the evilness. I was sitting there the whole time wishing that something would cause his demise so that the rest of the town could continue on in peace and harmony. But then, that doesn’t make for good operatic drama. Botha was good. He’s not the best at dramatically collapsing, but the man can sing.

What I love about Otello (aside from everything) is that it contains some of the most beautiful music ever. You’ve got the love duet in the first act, Iago’s evil Credo in Act II, and the heart wrenching Willow Song and Ave Maria in the final act. I’m also just totally blown away by the ensemble pieces in the third act. It amazes me how well the voices intertwine; yet you can still hear Renee Fleming cry out above everyone else.

There you have it. My first live opera experience starring Renee Fleming. Damn! she’s good!!!

But wait! There's more...

Getting There part 2 of 2

Friday

I made it to New Haven. Sam looked fantastic! She has recovered remarkably from her accident – I couldn’t even tell. It was a joy to see her parents again. They are such amazing people and always make me feel apart of the family. We just took it easy on Friday and tried to figure out our game plan for the opera that night.

The weatherman predicted snow, and we certainly got snow. I would say maybe 6-8 inches, which totally put a little hitch in our plans for the day. I was so stressed about everything working out smoothly for the opera. With me, if anything can go wrong, everything WILL go wrong. It’s just a matter of time. The weather really put a crimp in my style, literally and figuratively. I just spent a fair amount of money on some cute black satin pumps that were going to compliment my outfit perfectly, but I am not going to traipse around the snow in two-inch heels. So I reluctantly wore my black cowboy boots. I cringe at this notion. It totally threw off my whole outfit. I guess the consolation was that my feet were warm, dry, and comfortable.

Sam and I decided to take the train from New Haven to New York after we realized that the train wouldn’t pick us up in Clinton. So her mom, Daryl, took us to New Haven where we barely made our train by like three minutes. We quickly grabbed a bite to eat before hailing a cab outside of Penn Station. At this point, we only have about 30 minutes to get to the Lincoln Center. I’ve never been, so I had no idea how long it was going to take for us to get there or how long we’d be standing in line once we arrived. And you must be there on time; otherwise you have to wait for a break in the music (normally between acts) before you’re let in. And I was NOT going to miss one second of Otello! I had waited so long and come so far to miss one single moment.

Sam and I made it with a few minutes to spare. In our haste, we entered the first doors we came to, which actually lead to the New York City Ballet. I suppose all the posters with ballerinas should have been the tip off. The famous fountain was blocked off, so I was disoriented, but we eventually made it to the Met.

With all of the worrying about the weather and making it on time, I missed the opportunity to really breathe in the experience. Fortunately, once we found our seats, I took a few deep breaths and began inhaling the enormity of the situation. It was actually a little overwhelming at first – in a good way. The Met is just so massive and the colors are so rich, plush red velvet with gold accents. And my Lord, the crystal chandeliers…amazing! Our seats were in the Orchestra section directly under the lip of the balcony. I unfortunately didn’t go to a center aisle to look at the whole theater, which would have probably blown me away.

But there we were. A twenty-something girl from Bullhead City and her best friend trying to take it all in….

Getting There Part 1 of 2

Thursday
(I wrote this on the train so the tense in this post reflects the action as it happened.)

This was a big weekend for me. I had purchased the opera tickets before I even secured my plane tickets to move out to DC. When I found out I was moving, I made up my mind that I was going to see Renee Fleming come hell or high water, regardless of the cost, and even if I had to go it alone. I called up my friend Sam (she was a roommate my sophomore year and a maker of good times) to tell her I was moving and planning a trip to New York. I told her my plans and said I was going to the opera regardless and if she wanted to join me that would be awesome. She said yes so I purchased two tickets in the Orchestra section, row X, seats 26 and 28. Pretty decent, I think. When I got to my new home in DC, the tickets were already waiting for me. Those people at the Met clearly don’t mess around.

This was all back in January, so it’s pretty much been the waiting game since. But the time has come. I spent last Monday schlepping through the mall to find something to wear. I nixed the idea of a dress. For starters, I wanted to be comfortable, and secondly, Lord only knows what the weather is going to be like. I don’t want to freeze my cheeks off and be miserable. So I found some fancy duds, found some pretty shoes, and I should be able to clean up pretty nicely.

I purchased my train ticket last week. I went back and forth on this. Didn’t know if I should go to Sam’s in CN first the night before or meet her in NY on Friday. I finally decided to go Thursday night and come back home on Sunday night. When I first started thinking out the travel itinerary, it was beginning to look like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, but I settled for just the train.

As February 22nd approached, the anticipation was just eating away at me and this last week was so hard to get through. First of all, Renee Fleming is AWESOME! But I hadn’t seen Sam since the summer of ’06 so I’m pretty jazzed to spend the whole weekend with her.

Now I’m on the train – a five hour trek from DC to New Haven. I clearly was not paying attention when I chose my windowless seat. I’ve been on trains five times: four were on the Grand Canyon train from Williams and one was a twenty minute commuter train to the airport in Baltimore. So far, this has been a pleasant experience. No major turbulence. It does seem pretty safe and a lot less terrifying than a plane if you have issues with flying (I don’t). Really, when was the last time you’ve seen a train fall from the sky? My point exactly. The train is definitely not what I expected. I had pictured the individual rooms with beds that pull down, tiny bathrooms, and a crowded diner cart ala North by Northwest or Murder on the Orient Express.

I’m really looking forward to the opera tomorrow. It’s Verdi’s Otello, and from my understanding, it was either the last or second to last opera he wrote. It’s a pretty hefty opera in terms of what is demanded from the singers, and I won’t even pretend that I know what I’m talking about, but consider this: Placido Domingo has owned the roll of Otello for 20 years. Other tenors have tried but come up short to the standards set by Domingo. There’s mixed reviews for Johan Botha, and since I’m not musically trained, it probably won’t take much to impress me.

Now Renee Fleming, on the other hand, is a whole nother story. The last time she sang Desdemona at the Met was thirteen years ago and she sang the role just a few weeks after giving birth – a pretty remarkable fete in and of itself, but she totally rocked that performance, which makes it even that much more amazing. The critics are commenting on all the technical aspects relating to where her voice is and have just said that this role is well suited for the voice she’s bringing to the table these days. She’s in her prime, not only singing, but also acting phenomenally.

There is just something enchanting about Renee Fleming’s voice, almost heaven-like. There’s such a depth and feeling to her sound. I’ve listened to other accomplished singers, but hers is the one voice that completely appeals to me.

I think I’ve chosen a good opera with exceptional talent for my first operatic experience. Plus, it’s at the Met – the opera house of all opera houses. I cannot even convey in any knowable way how excited I am for this. I’ve checked my purse a million times to verify that I did in fact put the tickets in there. My worst fear was leaving the tickets behind while I take off on a train for Connecticut. But I do have them. I just checked to make sure.

So a five-hour train drive – I’ve got plenty of time to just babble on. There’s this lady that got on the train in DC and the first question she asked was, “When do we get to a point when I can smoke?” Amazing! She must have been jonesing for a cig pretty bad because she was the first person off the train when we got to New York.

I should be to New Haven soon and I can’t wait to see Sam. This should be good times for sure!

Ode to Mel

It amazes me at how well I have transitioned into my new life here in DC. I credit that to my go-with-the-flow personality, the fact that I knew everyone I'd be working with, and the several friends that are living here in DC or in nearby states.

And then there's Mel. Friend, roommate, pal extraordinare. The Thelma to my Louise (or maybe the Louise to my Thelma). My go to person for anything and everything - from butter to luggage to bedding and transportation. She's definitely been the saving grace that has helped to make this move to DC easy.

I came to DC with limited stuff. Whatever I couldn't shove into two large suitcases would be coming via UPS two weeks later. So Mel provided what I needed. And she carted my butt around the first weekend so I could get furniture and amenities to make my room a livable room.

Plus, Mel is just fun to hang out with. There are only a handful of friends that I can hang out with and totally just be a nut. And she's the only one here in DC that I can act like a total nerd around because she's just as much the nerd that I am. For instance, we both just got the newest blackberry for our respective jobs, and we're sitting in my room, five feet from each other, talking to each other via the blackberry messenger.

So pretty much Mel and I just have an awesome time all the time. There's never a dull moment. And she's super awesome for putting up with me and making sure I'm well taken care of. So my hat's off to you Mel!

I "Urban Dare" You!

My friend is coming to DC in April and I asked him what was bringing him from Arizona to DC. He told me it was the Urban Dare. I checked out the website www.urbandare.com and it looks pretty cool. It's a mini Amazing Race and you join forces with a buddy to answer clues, compete in dares, and take random photos.

Mel and I are definitely going to do the one here in DC. We are pretty flippin excited! It's not till mid April, but that will at least give us some time to freshen up on DC lore.

They have locations for the race scheduled throughout the country so check that website out if you love a mini adventure. Check out their blog http://www.urbandare.blogspot.com/ for some exciting recaps of various dares.

FISA and A View from the Bottom

The halls of Congress were buzzing with activity last Thursday. Tom Lantos (D-CA) passed away a week before and his memorial service was scheduled for Thursday morning before legislative proceedings. Democrats agreed that votes would not be called until after the service so members could pay their respect to Congressman Lantos. He was the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress and seemed to make friends on both sides of the aisle. Condi Rice gave a much more moving eulogy than Nancy Pelosi, for the record. Bono from U2 was there. I never quite made the connection between the two, but someone in the office said that it was because Lantos was on the Foreign Affairs committee and had worked with Bono in regards to AIDS in Africa, or something along those lines. Interesting little tidbit: Lantos' wife, Annette Tilleman, is the cousin of Zsa Zsa and Eva Gabor.

Democrats went against their word and called Congress into session before the conclusion of the service to vote on contempt charges against Joshua Bolten and Harriet Miers. John Boehner, Republican Minority leader, lead his colleagues on a walk out. I think they did that because Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the House was not going to be voting on FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) which was set to expire by the week's end. The President was hoping that Congress would come to an agreement and vote on the Senate version, but that didn't happen. The Republicans vowed to remain in Congress until the Senate wiretapping bill was passed, and President Bush said he would postpone a planned trip to Africa if Democrats did not act. But they didn't act, and President Bush ended up going to Africa and Congress convened for a weeklong recess. So the FISA bill has expired and since I'm not an expert on this particular legislation, I couldn't tell you if that's detrimental to our national security our not. Gotta love Congress, though.

So if you're a little confused by all of that, don't worry. It took me a couple of days working here to learn that FISA was related to national security and not health care. Anyways, it was just really exciting to be in one of the House office buildings while all of this was going down. Everyone in our little office was glued to CSPAN and were streaming live news feeds. It was like we were a bunch of rabid football fans watching the NFL draft (maybe a bad analogy but that's all I could think of).

As I mentioned, Congress is on a weeklong recess so it's a bit slow in the office.

Our office went on a tour of the unfinished visitor's center that's been plaguing the Capitol with construction for several years now. Our tour guide said that it should be completed by November, but if they can't make that deadline, it won't be open to the public until February - after the inauguration and turnover of members. The visitor's center is pretty cool. It's massive with a bunch of inovative stuff, new meeting rooms, theaters, cafeteria, etc. So if you ever come to visit me, you'd have an opportunity to check it out.

The really cool thing about the visitor's center is the random view. It's built beneath the ground so as to not obstruct the view of the Capitol. Part of the ceiling of the visitor's center is glass, so you can look up through that and see the Capitol dome framed in the glass. It should look really cool once the construction is finished and the crew cleans all the dust and debris off the glass. If I get pictures from our tour, I'll try and post some.

This project has been in the works for years. It's amazing all the hoops they've had to go through and all the groups they had to accomodate in order to make this project happen. But I think it will add greater elements of safety and more for the tourists to do. And as the guy said, their job was to make it as accessible as possible to the people while obtaining the utmost level of security to the members and staff. It seems that they just might achieve that.

To make a long story short...

When I lived with Charlotte in Flagstaff, I met tons of her friends from all over the place. One of my favorites was probably Jackie. So Jackie calls me out of the blue and says she's coming to DC for work and wanted to see if I wanted to grab dinner one night. "Sure!" So we went to some Chinese place on Thursday and sat there for three hours talking about everything. The cool thing about Jackie is that she's a trained opera singer, and used to sing. So we talked quite a bit about that. She actually sang for Charlotte and me after the Renee Fleming concert in September. It was quite awesome.

Nada mucho on Friday. It was a slow day at work. Oh, but I did get my haircut when I got off, which was quite the experience. Mel had recommended the place that was a block from the office. I'm not that picky about my hair. Just chop it off and if it's not that good, give it a week and I'll love it. The place was buzzing with activity and I got a masterpiece by Monaè (right, and I'm Michelangelo). But first I got a flippin bath from the lady that washes the hair. They wrapped a towel around my neck, but I should have been given a rain poncho instead. The hair washer was fierce with that water - all down my back, flowing in my eyes. The haircut was great, again I'm not hard to please, but what bothered me was their insistance on trying to get me to purchase their products. It quickly turns a $35 haircut into a $57 visit. In times such as these, I must summon the words of Nancy Reagan and "Just say 'NO!'"

Saturday I woke up at 6:30 so I could spend an hour on the metro and trek all the way out to the last stop on the Blue Line by 8:30. I was meeting Jackie and one of her friends she knew from work to go to Mount Vernon. I had been my Junior year of high school when I came to DC for Bush's first inauguration, so I figured I'd give George Washington's homestead another look-see. It's been seven years, and the house has not changed much. Maybe a few more inches of dust, but the paint job is still hideous. Washington may have been an excellent statesman and general, but his taste in paint colors is pretty narly. I did find a quarter face up when we were walking the grounds. I thought it was kind of special, you know, finding Washington's face on his own estate. Good times for sure.

The Metropolitan Opera does this cool thing where they broadcast an opera in high definition to theaters across the country. So instead of paying an arm and a leg and traveling all the way to New York (like I'm doing this Friday to see Renee Fleming in Otello) you just pay twenty bucks and go to your local theater. I've seen two operas this way, and it's quite enjoyable.

Manon Lescaut, an Italian opera was playing yesterday out in Alexandria, so I went. Here's the jist of the opera: A poor girl falls in love with a poor guy. She yearns for luxary and goes with the rich old man. Poor guy comes back into her life; she gets caught stealing jewels from old rich man so he has her sent to America (weird, I know). Poor guy can't live without girl, so he goes to America with her. They're stranded on a desert in Louisiana without water (Puccini obviously didn't do his research when he wrote the opera). Girl professes her love for poor guy and she dies.

The broadcast was amazing! Karita Mattila was pretty awesome as Manon Lescaut (the poor girl). She's an intense singer and I very much enjoyed the performance. A lot of reviews haven't praised it, but I liked it. I'm not trained in music and can't tell the difference between B flat and B sharp, but I know what sounds good to my ears, and this sounded excellent. The Met broadcasts are also cool because during the intermissions, the camera takes the audience behind the scenes and interviews the singers and stage directors about the production. Renee Fleming (my favorite soprano) was conducting the interviews. This got me really excited about seeing her next Friday. I seriously wanted to stand up in the middle of the theater and tell all the patrons that I was going to be seeing her next week. That's how excited I am!

All-in-all a very enjoyable experience. It's a great way to get your feet wet in regards to opera.

Today, I went to the mall. It was huge, but I was not impressed this trip out. Perhaps I was not in the shopping mindset, but I needed to find something to wear for Friday. I've stuck with the tried and true black top. You can't go wrong.

So three days of work this week. Congress is on recess so it should be uneventful. Last Thursday, the Republicans staged a walk out and I'll try to remember to write more about it tomorrow. I leave for Connecticut Thursday afternoon to visit Sam. On Friday we travel to New York to see Renee Fleming in Otello (I'm excited!).

Happy Birthday Mom!

From the 2/17 Met Broadcast of Manon Lescaut

Music To My Ears

I've got to give you all a little background history on one of my "hobbies" because something cool is coming up, and I need you all to be on the same page for when I recapture that memory.

I'm going to lay it all out on the table: I love opera! There, I said it. Judge me if you want, but it's true. More than opera, I love Renee Fleming's voice. Pure heaven! I've already seen her in a concert recital this past September in Denver. Ah-MAZING! When I learned about my move to DC, I found a friend (Thanks Sam!) who I could drag to the opera, and purchased two tickets for Otello, in which Fleming is starring - at the New York Met.

I purchased a dvd of Otello w/ Fleming and Placido Domingo and have since watched it several times familarizing myself with the text so that I can just focus on the beauty of the music come February 22. I'm quite thrilled to be going, and that's very much an understatement.

This will be my first live opera, and I think I chose a good one. Here's what some of the critics are saying about the opening night performance on the 11th:

ConcertoNet.com: "Verdi’s original title for Otello was Iago. Had he heard the opening night of the opera at the Met, I have no doubt he would have named his opera Desdemona. Both Johan Botha and Carlo Guelfi had their merits, but the evening belonged, first and foremost, to Renée Fleming, who is the most stirring Desdemona of our time."

San Francisco Chronicles: "Botha's shattering portrayal of Otello was matched by the near-perfect Desdemona of soprano Renee Fleming, who brought a ravishing purity to the role of the wife humiliated and literally strangled by her husband's blind obsession.

Often played as a pious, passive woman in love, Fleming's Desdemona is instead a complex, ardent figure tackling emotional demons she could neither understand nor control. The American soprano delivered the 'Ave Maria' — her last, devastating scene before Otello kills her in bed — as a quiet cry from the heart, crowned with the softest, ethereal 'Amen' on a high A-flat."

New York Sun: "'The Willow Song' was notable for its cleanliness and purity, with no resorting to the Caruso sob for this masterful artisan. But even better was the ensuing 'Ave Maria.' Here, Ms. Fleming achieved a level of vocal perfection that stood out even during this superb portrayal. In fact, the prayer was so good that nobody screamed "brava" or applauded at its conclusion. This was a genuinely holy moment and it deserved — and received — total silence."


I think the "Ave Maria" aria is what I have posted on my blog (see "Official Countdown"). It's from a concert recital, but the emotion in that performance is heartbreakingly real. Wait till the end and you can see the tears forming in Fleming's eyes. A remarkable performance.

Needless to say, I'm beside myself with excitement and anticipation. Will definitely be chronicling it when I get back from New York.

P.S. This is not your Barbara Streisand Christmas Ave Maria. It's a million times better.

Ummmm, WOW!

Yesterday...wow! what a day!

It's really amazing when you realize that Capitol Hill is run by a bunch of twenty-somethings. I've been to several staff/caucus meetings and briefings, and for the most part, the room is full of people my own age. Obviously the higher posts such as Chief of Staff and Leg Director are reserved for the more experienced (ie older), but for the most part, it's a bunch of post graduates who are running this town. And I can't believe that I'm a part of it.

This is my job: I'm supposed to sit in on various meetings. This week, the focus is education. I relay that info to the Congressman. He takes action or doesn't, and through some long, dragged out process, something comes of these meetings, whether it's funding, legislation, etc. I was in a meeting yesterday with a group from a community college. Aside from the three students they brought along for testimony, I was the youngest one. That is still just something that amazes me - the power that I hold in my hand by being the liaison between these people and the Congressman. Pretty rad if you stop and think about it.

The other cool thing about that particular meeting was (and this is going to sound so dumb at first) the hope that I brought to those college kids. I always try and mention that I'm actually from the Congressman's district because people really appreciate that I'm from Arizona and I've lived there. I mentioned that I was a recent NAU grad and two of the girls just lit up. One said, "Wow, that is so cool! How did you get this job?" I'm sitting there thinking, "Me? Cool? Sister, I'm just as amazed as you are!" It was pretty neat, though.

After work, I met up with my friend. One of his buddies works for a cancer research group that raises funds in order to provide children with cancer a more positive environment in which they receive treatment so they're not so depressed. It's called Tracy's kids and I think the website is Tracyskids.org. Anyways, we mingled and had some food and drinks. They were free, which is the best kind when you're a starving Hill staffer.

The event started with a little ceremony type deal. Here's where it gets cool. So the foundation gives an award to a person who can help bring awareness to the cause. The previous year's recipient anounces this year's recipient. Last year, the recipient was Mrs. Leahy, wife of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Even better, we were standing at the front of the room because there was an open table. He walked up and stood right next to us. And made small chat with us as his wife spoke. He was sharing with us the results of the primaries from that day, talking about his wife's battle with cancer, showing us pictures of his grandkids, and just making small asides.

This year's recipient was Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) and his wife. Sen. Johnson is recovering from a stroke so his speech was a tiny bit slurred, but what really touched me was the way his wife looked at him with admiration and pride. You could see the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. It was a very touching moment.

After the ceremony portion, as part of the event, we were permitted to select a movie to view, and we chose Charlie Wilson's War, which was fantastic. Sen. Leahy saw that movie as well. Before we went in, he was telling us about Charlie Wilson, because he had served in congress with him back in the day. He said that Cong. Wilson would have all these books in his hand and a group of young, attractive women staffers at his sides. There was more to his story, but I can't do it justice, so watch the movie and I'll leave it at that. Very true according to the movie. Anywho, it was cool to get that recollection from the senator.

The tempatures dropped drastically here and it began to rain yesterday. It was quite the adventure walking home. I almost died like 10 times (not really but I tend to exagerate sometimes). I did see some guy totally munch it, though. And I did fall coming home from the benefit. It was total Home Alone style, feet up in the air, hands flailing. Luckily it was late and no one was around to witness my very humbling fall.

As far as the office, it's been a rough week. The Congressman's father passed away on Sunday, so he's been preoccupied with that, and just today, our Leg. Director was notified that his mother passed away. What's really sad about the situation is he's getting married in May and now his mom won't be there for that. Aside from those unfortunate events, everything is just awesome! I can't wait for it to start warming up a bit so I can comfortably start exploring more of what this place has to offer.

More to come for sure...

The Open Dialogue Blog

So I've been keeping this blog for about two weeks now, and I just want to make sure everything is hunky-dory for all of my readers. (I think there's about three of you:)

Anywho, is it easy on the eyes? Someone made a comment that the color scheme made it difficult to read. Anybody else having that problem? Do you have any questions on any of the content? I'm more than happy to clarify or give further detail on anything, especially since I'm throwing out a bunch of DC jargon.

So faithful readers, what's working? What's not? What do you want to know?

In the meantime, read on!

REALLY??!!! (Various absurdities)

Is it that hard to change the toilet paper? If you're making the effort to pull it out of the cabinet and place it on top of the depleted roll, you might as well go that extra mile and switch it out completely. Heaven forbid you break a sweat.

Why must people walk so fast around here? I've picked up my slow Arizona pace a bit, but there's times I'm on the verge of a full on run trying to keep up with some of these people. In heels! On marble! With no traction! I don't see this ending well.

Can you pick up the phone? I refuse to add text messaging to my cell phone plan. And I hate, no, make that HATE when people text instead of call. Especially when I haven't even talked on the phone to the person. All of my "conversations" with a person has been one-sided and completely via text messaging. I haven't responded in a while through your method, so maybe your approach is not working. If you've got something to ask me, call. It's not that hard. I have a cell phone, not a cell texter. I refuse to cave.

UPS isn't open on the weekends. No explanation needed.

Have I ever mentioned how outrageous the cost of living is out here? Very. In some ways, I'm definitely my father's daughter, which makes it quite hard to swallow the amount that is paid for, well, just about everything. Don't know if I'll ever get used to it. But hey, a lifetime of memories is priceless! :)

Could it take any longer for the American History Museum to get a facelift? I've been to DC several times in the last year or so, and it's always closed for construction. The AHM is my fave of the Smithsonian's and it's the one I've had the least opportunities of exploring.

I Ain't Missing You At All

It's official: I work in the best office EVER!

After work on Friday, the entire office went to Bill's for beer and philly cheese steaks. I, of course, was running late. The world needs to know that I run on my own time. Everyone else is just insanely early. I was late because I wanted to wait for Mel to get off work, and we had a little metro mishap. When we made it to the metro, we had to run and get on the train. In our haste, we didn't check to see what line we were on. It was orange; we needed blue. Sitting there, I remember being told by bill to NOT get on the orange line. But we did, and there we went. We finally realized we were on the wrong line when the view of the Capitol was not in reasonable walking distance and the area was pretty sketch looking. Let's just say, not a neighborhood you want to get lost in.

We righted our wrong and made it to Bill's. Which, P.S. is in a somewhat sketch area as well, but he lives in a "gated community" so all was well. And Denny's was right there. So Mel and I walk in and everyone was there sipping beers and watching Jeopardy! It was awesome! Then we ate philly cheese steaks and drank more beer. Then a couple of the boys started debating something pretty heavy, so Mel and I took that as our cue to exit stage left.

Rewind a couple hours and my day started with two tours back-to-back. I am still in absolute awe whenever I walk through the Capitol. Ah-MAZING! Plus we got to go into the Senate gallery while C-Span was filming AND we went on the House floor. I pretty much sat where like Condi Rice and Don Rumsfeld have sat during the Pres's SOTU address. It always amazes me whenever I see the House gallery. To think of all the members of the House and Senate, various Cabinet members, all nine justices, the joint chiefs-of-staff, etc., etc. plus all the guests, the First Lady, staffers, etc., etc. all crammed into such a small room. It's mind boggling when viewed in person. There is absolutely no way that all those people fit in there, but they do.

Yesterday was a nice, chill day. Met up with some buds at Bullfeathers (shout out to Teddy Roosevelt!) and hung out there for about three hours just sitting and chatting. It was really nice to slow down.

Speaking of slow down, Mel and I discussed the difference between her and I in regards to the way we dwell in this city. She's adapted nicely to the culture and quick pace, looking forward to her destination. I walk with a destination in mind, but slow and always looking left, right, forward and back to everything along my path. I find this city so fascinating, and who knows how long I'll be here. Might as well take in as much as possible while I can. You would never be able to guess how many dry cleaning stores there are. They're pretty prolific out here. You would never know that if you didn't look around. I'm the perpetual tourist, too amazed by my surroundings to ever believe that I actually live in a place with so much history, power, and action.

I leave you with the wise words of Ferris Bueller: "Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

And I don't plan on missing one bit!

Working for the man

It was another 9-6:45 day at work today, which wasn't bad since we all thought we'd be holding up the fort until 8. The Congressman was in most of the day because Congress was voting on the Higher Education reauthorization. I had to listen to it to track amendments, and some of them are quite inventive. I'm definitely all for the amendment that tries to lower the cost of text books. We thought we'd be there so late because the Senate finalized the Stimulus package and sent it over, but the boss man sent us home. There really wasn't much more for us to be doing.

I have to say, I work for a pretty cool member of congress (MoC). He is Italian, and I've heard he can have quite the temper, but so does John McCain and he's pretty much got the Republican nom all locked up. Anywho, the MoC does treat his staff pretty cool, and in the almost two years that I've worked for him, I've known him to be a very loyal person. If we, as the staff, treat him with respect and loyalty and do our job, he returns the favor ten-fold.

I had left his Arizona office in November to work on a political campaign, and when my candidate decided not to run, I was left without a job. But the Congressman told our chief of staff to make sure I was taken care of, which ended up as this job here in Washingtong. He's such a gracious person and definitely gives credit where it's due. He always asks about the College Republicans who helped on his election in '06 and expresses that without their help, he probably would have lost the election.

I really am bummed he's not running for re-election. He has done great things for his district. I certainly wouldn't be here were it not for him.

Well, that was my unofficial thanks to my boss for giving me a chance.

***** Cool things that happened today *****
So apparently some athletic trainer guy had proof that Roger Clemens had been injected with steroids a few years back, so Clemens was on the Hill with his attorney to meet with committee members that are overseeing that whole steroids/baseball controversy. He was over in one of the halls of Rayburn. One of the guys was going to run over, but he had other stuff to work on.

CPAC is the Conservative Political Action Conference and it's taking place today through Saturday. It actually has quite the lineup that would make any conservative jump for joy. It would have been great to have a ticket and been able to gone. People who attended watched Romeny suspend his election, McCain basically accept the Republican nomination, Ron Paul say crazy Ron Paul things, and Dick Cheney just being the man*. Tomorrow's line-up includes President Bush in his first CPAC appearance, Tony Snow, and a bunch of other cool Cons. I'm a little bummed I'm not going.

Apparently President Bush will be throwing the opening season pitch for the Nationals and the Pope is coming out for a visit and he'll throw out a pitch too. Mel and I are going to both games for sure! What I want to know is does the Pope wear his Pope clothes (think the long white garment/dress thing and tall Pope hat) or does he wear normal people clothes? And if he wears his Pope apparel, how well can he pitch? Where will he stand? You know, I want him to man up and throw a legit pitch. Nothing from two feet away underhanded. I'm curious to find out. Come back during baseball and I will give you an answer to all these riveting Pope questions.


*I have a great story about Dick Cheney being the man if you ever want to know

Jumping right in

If you know me, then you know I'm not a quiet person. If you don't know me, you've probably heard me anyways. Let's just say that "three inch voice" is not a concept I grasped in middle school. So couple that with thin walls and a roommate that goes to bed at 10, and we've got issues. I'm easily excited and very animated, and that generates to a voice that is very audible. I just can't help it.

So it's day three on the job. I'm loving every minute of it. I loved working for the Congressman back in Arizona, but I was the only one in the office, so it's awesome being in his office here, surrounded by all these people. And it's such a great group of people. I know it's such a cliche, but we really are one big family. Every one gets along splendidly. Someone is always teaching another a new trick or providing additional information. The working dynamic is truly amazing. I'm a bit bummed that the Congressman isn't running for re-election, because this is a group of extremely talented individuals who make one helluva team. I just feel so fortunate to be able to work here in DC with them all and learn from them.

On Monday, I went on a tour of the Capitol (done this before but I had time to kill) and we ran into Steny Hoyer (D-MD) giving a tour to some people. I'm sure he was taking them up to the dome since only members are allowed to take people up there. So that was my first sighting. I'm going to help give tours when they start picking up, so I will be quite familiar with the Capitol by summer's end. Right now I'm just doing a bunch of random stuff, helping out where I can. I've been to a press briefing and also a whip briefing and will sit in a meeting concerning wind energy in AZ. Not bad for a first week.

The hours aren't always consistent, but it's nice to mix it up. Monday and Tuesday were casual jean days from 10-4 and today was 9-6:45 because of suspension votes. I think we'll have longer hours in March when we start dealing with appropriations, but Congress is on recess for a week in February so it's back to 10-4's.

Thank God I'm a flexible and adaptable person, because this has really been an easy transition. I'm sure it also helps that I already knew everyone at the office and I have a handful of really good friends in the district, plus I'm living with one of my best friends. I'm not so thrilled about the weather, though. It's been drizzling most of this week which does a number on my hair. It was 68* today - absolutely ludicrous, and I missed the big snows in Flagstaff. The weather is probably going to be the one thing that I have the biggest issue with. Not looking forward to the summer. Ughhhh....Everything else I'm loving!

Official Countdown

The Countdown is on: 17days, 19hours, and 40 minutes until Renee Fleming in Otello.

The best part about it, I'll get to hang w/ Sam the whole weekend. And see Renee Fleming in Otello.




******** UPDATE ********
Someone posted online that they had watched the dress rehearsal of RF in Otello and said it was amazing. This makes me even more excited! I think I'm ready for a little break from the district, so a trip to NY will be a nice getaway.

11 days, 18 hours, 57 minutes.

******** UPDATE ********
Yeah, so Renee Fleming tomorrow! 32 hours and 13 minutes!

"Someone left that (rice) cake out in the rain"

Some poor, unfortunate fool left their rice cakes outside in the rain on Friday. I walked by several times and they were still there. I found it amusing…and it made me think of that song.

I met up w/ some friends to grab a few drinks Friday night to kick off my first full weekend in the district. After two beers, we headed to DuPont Circle and went to a gay bar. I’ve got to say, it’s not what I expected. I totally pictured men in spandex go-go outfits and a huge disco ball and some Gloria Gaynor anthem playing in the background. It was just like any other bar, except the other girl in our group and I were two of probably four girls in the bar. And all the guys seemed to be wearing tight shirts. It’s fun to look when you know they won’t touch. J

After a drink, we left our buddy at the gay bar and headed to a bar by the Eastern Market. I met some Irish dude who didn’t like my name because he’s a huge Manchester United fan. The Europeans and their soccer…but I love it! I’m definitely going to try and get on a team out here. The Flagstaff girls had a game this weekend and I miss playing w/ them already.

Saturday was awesome. Mel and I went to a line-dancing bar out in Alexandria. I felt like I never left Arizona. Will definitely be going back to that place. I knew I should have brought my Western shirts.

I finally got my bed on Sunday so I’m no longer sleeping on the air mattress and my room finally looks like a room.

Grocery shopping out here is an experience. The sticker shock alone is enough to drive someone to diet. I don’t know how people manage out here – obviously I will have to learn. The store was super crowded and I’m sure the big game had something to do w/ that, but it was ridiculous. I felt like it was bumper carts the whole way through. I definitely witnessed an old man steel some candy. He grabbed some a handful of chocolate from one of those Brach’s buckets and snuck it in his pocket. It was awesome. I guess that’s his way of sticking it to the man for the ludicrous prices of groceries. I was silently cheering him on.

Mel and I also saw the Bucket List this weekend. It’s inspired us to come up w/ our own list; not necessarily a bucket list b/c we’re not faced w/ imminent death, but a list of things we must do this year. I think at the top of the list is to actually sit down and make the list. We’ll see how that goes…


I’m actually a little upset that I’m living here right now. Apparently Flagstaff just got dumped on w/ 16 inches of snow!!! SIXTEEN INCHES!!! That’s a lot of good snow for a lot of good skiing. Of course, the week I leave. That’s always my luck. But I am having fun out here. I mean, come on. I live three blocks from the Capitol.

The Harry Potter House and other amusing muses

I have got to have the coolest address ever! I call it my Harry Potter House because it's got the whole "Platform 9 3/4" thing going on. My room is about the size of a closet and if it was under the stairs, I would have everyone address mail sent to me as such: 518 1/2 Pennsylvania Ave NE*, the closet under the stairs. So write me at the Harry Potter address; I love getting mail.

I will probably always look like a tourist in this town. Everyone else walks sooo fast, looking straight forward. I'm just bumbling along (shout out to Sam: remember the Bumbler?) looking this way and that at EVERYTHING. The Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Archives, etc, etc, etc. I don't think this city will ever lose its charm to me. DC at night - enough said.

I can fit a lot of crap into a 94 square foot room. There's just not much room for me.

There is a lamp in this house that is possessed. I walk by, and it turns on. I touch it to turn it off and it turns off, then back on again. I seriously stood at the lamp for like 5 minutes trying to turn it off.

Five girls with one refrigerator - never gonna happen. Never.

I never realized how much I would miss cable tv until it was gone. Farewell "Ace of Cakes." I salivate no more. Addio Mike Rowe in your tight jeans on "Dirty Jobs." By y'all to CMT and GAC. And all those mindless reality shows on E an Vh1. Dearest Stacy and Clinton, I shall miss you the most. Here's hoping that I'll never forget "What not to wear." Lord knows I would have needed you most in the stylish setting of our nation's capital.

I miss the Peaks already. Just as I leave, it snows. Definitely won't be boarding or skiing much out here. My old room had a direct view of the snow-capped mountain. This room, well, let's just say a room with a view it is not.

Drinks tomorrow at Old Ebbs w/ a WH buddy, a colleague and a college chum. Which, by the by, I ran into said college chum last night as I was walking from the Harry Potter homestead to the Washington Monument. I always run into him when I least expect it. It makes me feel like I know people here. And that's a good feeling.

* This is not actually my address in case any stalkers are out there. Wait, um actually, that is my address. Come find me there.