Oh my gosh!!! So I’ve been super crazy busy and so many fun things are going on. I’m trying so hard to get it all on the blog, so bare with me as my journeys slowly trickle online for your viewing pleasure.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Pork anyone?
No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time. ~ U.S. Constitution Article 1, Section 9That’s where we come in. People submit requests, we prioritize, fill out forms, and submit them to the Appropriations Committee. It's a super long process, requiring tons of paperwork and long hours that really don't amount to much. The reason being, Congress hasn't approved a budget in a while. This is where you might spit out your drink all over the computer screen and say "WTF?!!!" I couldn't tell you when the last budget was approved, but I can tell you that we're running on a continuing resolution. This means that all agencies and programs are being funded at the level the last appropriations bill was approved. Word on the street is that FY 2009 will probably be another CR. That's just the word, but things can change...
We didn't put in as many long days as I had expected. I think we paced ourselves pretty well and had all hands on deck to split the load. It's quite the interesting process, and I can honestly say that it can be a very frustrating process. As staff members, we are at the mercy of the member, the various approps subcommittees, and the various organizations submitting requests.
We did a last minute request on Tuesday, the day before they were due, for the Financial Services subcommittee. We sought out the project because we rarely get any submissions for Financial Services. In fact, aside from this one, there were no other FS requests. We waited around the office for awhile because of technical difficulties. It was more like operational difficulties, but we finally got the request and it was submitted on Tuesday evening, signifying our successful attempt of submitting approps on time, and with a day to spare.
So where do we go from here? Not sure what happens when the Approps committee gets their hot little hands on our requests, but they'll probably mull over the mountains of paper for several months. Just think, we were a little overwhelmed by the stack of requests our office received. The Approps Committee has to deal with that times 435. That's a lot of requests. A LOT!!! Depending on if we get a budget or another CR determines the outcome for a lot of these programs. But we won't know until fall 08. Chalk this up to a very long and very daunting process. Thankfully, where approps are concerned, my work here is done.
P.S. Anyone, please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any of the budgeting process. The above summation is a recollection from a West Wing episode. Sad, but true.
Happy Easter!!!
This is my ackknowledgement of Easter until I can properly report on the day's festivities.
Hoo-Rah!!!
I’ve wanted to hang out with Sam (high school Sam) since I got to DC. She lives in Virginia Beach, which is 4 hours and $100 away, which isn’t bad, but timing is definitely everything. I was hoping to get out there my first week here before I started work, but it just didn’t work out. So when Sam called and said that her, Steve and my godson were headed to Quantico to visit the in-laws, I said count me in.
Quantico is pretty much the USMC stomping grounds out here and only 45 minutes from DC. A lot more doable than the 4 hours to VA Beach. So, two weekends ago I went. We didn’t have much planned, but I rarely get a chance to just chill out with Sam, so a low-key weekend was welcomed.
First of all, little David is soooooo freaking cute. Obviously I’m a little biased because he’s my godson, but he is really cute. He’ll be a year at the end of June and the little kid is already pulling himself up in a standing position and Sam said he actually started to try and crawl the other day. The little bugger is definitely going to be a handful, but he’s such a character. I love him!
Saturday, Sam, Steve, and I left little baby David with grandpa and went to the USMC museum. It was pretty sweet. I’m not a museum person because I need hands on/interaction type stuff to hold my interest. I can’t just walk around and stare at stuff. Weird, I know. But this museum kept me enthralled and was very well done. I approve.
This part is crazy. I went grocery shopping with Sam and Steve and it was ridiculous how much food they got, but to be fair, they stocked up for four people, a baby, and a dog. It was Cuh-RAZY! I think one of the carts (1 of 2) was dedicated to baby supplies alone. So note to all you thinking about having kids, make sure you can afford all those diapers and have room to put them all.
Sunday we went to my homestead and walked the mall. I hadn’t ever really been to the Washington Monument before, a travesty I know, and it’s been over a year since I’ve seen the other memorials up close so it was cool to do that. Sam and Steve came to my office on Monday and I took them on a tour of the Capitol. I felt so bad because they were my guinea pig tourists. I didn’t have my facts memorized so I had to shuffle through papers, and I couldn’t remember all the cool stuff that I had been told. But I did get to take them into the House gallery, and we watched as the lady called the House into session just to call recess until 2:00. Sigh….gotta love congress…
I hope Sam and Steve enjoyed themselves. I really was glad to be able to spend time with them. And I’m so appreciative to Steve’s folks for making me feel at home. I really wish I was better about sending out thank you notes. What’s that saying that starts “The best of intention are wrought with…” and then I forget the rest. So maybe the best of intentions are just wrought. Well, whatever. Sam and Steve are welcome to come back whenever and I’ll try and redeem my tour guide skills. I’ll be tested again on Tuesday when I give a tour to Michelle and her folks. Soooo not prepared…..but shhhh.
Quantico is pretty much the USMC stomping grounds out here and only 45 minutes from DC. A lot more doable than the 4 hours to VA Beach. So, two weekends ago I went. We didn’t have much planned, but I rarely get a chance to just chill out with Sam, so a low-key weekend was welcomed.
First of all, little David is soooooo freaking cute. Obviously I’m a little biased because he’s my godson, but he is really cute. He’ll be a year at the end of June and the little kid is already pulling himself up in a standing position and Sam said he actually started to try and crawl the other day. The little bugger is definitely going to be a handful, but he’s such a character. I love him!
Saturday, Sam, Steve, and I left little baby David with grandpa and went to the USMC museum. It was pretty sweet. I’m not a museum person because I need hands on/interaction type stuff to hold my interest. I can’t just walk around and stare at stuff. Weird, I know. But this museum kept me enthralled and was very well done. I approve.
This part is crazy. I went grocery shopping with Sam and Steve and it was ridiculous how much food they got, but to be fair, they stocked up for four people, a baby, and a dog. It was Cuh-RAZY! I think one of the carts (1 of 2) was dedicated to baby supplies alone. So note to all you thinking about having kids, make sure you can afford all those diapers and have room to put them all.
Sunday we went to my homestead and walked the mall. I hadn’t ever really been to the Washington Monument before, a travesty I know, and it’s been over a year since I’ve seen the other memorials up close so it was cool to do that. Sam and Steve came to my office on Monday and I took them on a tour of the Capitol. I felt so bad because they were my guinea pig tourists. I didn’t have my facts memorized so I had to shuffle through papers, and I couldn’t remember all the cool stuff that I had been told. But I did get to take them into the House gallery, and we watched as the lady called the House into session just to call recess until 2:00. Sigh….gotta love congress…
I hope Sam and Steve enjoyed themselves. I really was glad to be able to spend time with them. And I’m so appreciative to Steve’s folks for making me feel at home. I really wish I was better about sending out thank you notes. What’s that saying that starts “The best of intention are wrought with…” and then I forget the rest. So maybe the best of intentions are just wrought. Well, whatever. Sam and Steve are welcome to come back whenever and I’ll try and redeem my tour guide skills. I’ll be tested again on Tuesday when I give a tour to Michelle and her folks. Soooo not prepared…..but shhhh.
Side note on the whole USMC thing, I kept my eye open, but most of the guys seemed to be paired off or sporting a ring, but I was looking.
A visit with POTUS
So Mel, friend extraordinaire (see 'Ode to Mel') works for the President in a round about way – she's an assistant to the director of an executive branch agency. Every year, the President and Vice President hold a pep rally of sorts for the 'section C appointees' (I think that's what Mel told me they were). She asked me if I wanted to come. I said yes right away, but had to think twice when she told me it was Tuesday mid-afternoon and that I'd probably be away from work for three hours.
I was hesitant to ask our boss just because it would take so much time, but I really wanted to go so I sucked it up, asked, and got the okay. I plopped into a cab and rode over to the Daughters of the American Revolution Building. Never been there before, so I can now cross that off of places to see.
Taking the cab was smart because I would never have made it via metro/hoofing it before security shut down, plus it gave me some time to navigate the chaos and track down Mel to get my ticket. We got settled into our pretty awesome seats amongst hundreds of executive branch employees. A slide show from the President's Africa trip played across one of the screens. Apparently I was pretty tired because I definitely started drifting off to sleep. That's one thing about me, I never have problems sleeping – anywhere, anytime, any situation. Airplane, class, church, conference, President's pre-speech slide show, you name it and I've slept through it.
First up was the Vice President. He was pretty much just Dick Cheney being Dick Cheney with that little smirk that always seems to form on the corner of his mouth. This event was three weeks ago so I don’t remember what he said. I just remember that Dick Cheney is pretty cool for such an old dude. He can totally hang. However, it must have been awkward for the lady sitting next to him. What do you do when you sit next to the VP of the US? Is your arm accidentally allowed to brush against his or is that a breech of security? Can you make jokes w/ the veep while the president is speaking? It just seemed really awkward for the lady.
Next up was the President. Obviously, with a crowd full of Republicans, he was received rather well. A standing ovation, actually. With a friendly crowd, Bush is truly quite funny. He let his guard down and just kind of rolled with the punches. I laughed a lot. Everyone laughed a lot. It was a fun afternoon.
I can understand and appreciate that a lot of people don’t like his policies, but what I don’t understand is how people can hate him so much as a person. Brush politics aside, and you’ve got yourself a guy who’d probably be pretty cool to shoot the breeze with. Carter, I think, didn’t do a whole lot of good for the country and I’m not fond of his policies, but I don’t hate the guy. Anyways, that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
I was hesitant to ask our boss just because it would take so much time, but I really wanted to go so I sucked it up, asked, and got the okay. I plopped into a cab and rode over to the Daughters of the American Revolution Building. Never been there before, so I can now cross that off of places to see.
Taking the cab was smart because I would never have made it via metro/hoofing it before security shut down, plus it gave me some time to navigate the chaos and track down Mel to get my ticket. We got settled into our pretty awesome seats amongst hundreds of executive branch employees. A slide show from the President's Africa trip played across one of the screens. Apparently I was pretty tired because I definitely started drifting off to sleep. That's one thing about me, I never have problems sleeping – anywhere, anytime, any situation. Airplane, class, church, conference, President's pre-speech slide show, you name it and I've slept through it.
First up was the Vice President. He was pretty much just Dick Cheney being Dick Cheney with that little smirk that always seems to form on the corner of his mouth. This event was three weeks ago so I don’t remember what he said. I just remember that Dick Cheney is pretty cool for such an old dude. He can totally hang. However, it must have been awkward for the lady sitting next to him. What do you do when you sit next to the VP of the US? Is your arm accidentally allowed to brush against his or is that a breech of security? Can you make jokes w/ the veep while the president is speaking? It just seemed really awkward for the lady.
Next up was the President. Obviously, with a crowd full of Republicans, he was received rather well. A standing ovation, actually. With a friendly crowd, Bush is truly quite funny. He let his guard down and just kind of rolled with the punches. I laughed a lot. Everyone laughed a lot. It was a fun afternoon.
I can understand and appreciate that a lot of people don’t like his policies, but what I don’t understand is how people can hate him so much as a person. Brush politics aside, and you’ve got yourself a guy who’d probably be pretty cool to shoot the breeze with. Carter, I think, didn’t do a whole lot of good for the country and I’m not fond of his policies, but I don’t hate the guy. Anyways, that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Surprise!!!
The heads of the family: (LtoR: Grandma, Aunt Patty, Uncle Paul, Aunt Sue, Aunt Rosslyn)Happy 80th Grandma!!
So all the familia is pow-wowing in Vegas for Grandma Fuller's Surprise 80th Birthday Party today. She thinks it's for an Easter Celebration, but little does she know...
Guess who's not going to be there? Yeah, me. I'm quite bummed. I always love family gatherings, plus how often does your grandma's 80th come around? Not very often.
Minor consolation, I'll get to spend Easter Monday at the White House for the annual Easter Egg Roll. Should be good times. I'll send you an egg, Grandma.
In case this makes it to Grandma and the Birthday bash, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!! Sorry I couldn't make it. Hope the next 80 years are just as awesome as the first. :) To the rest of the family, miss you and love you guys. Come visit DC and I'll give you a tour of the Capitol.
Grandma (in the blue) surrounded by the family at last year's reunion.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
I have arrived!
I received this in my email at work. Note the areas I've bolded.
Dear Chelsea,
Harris Interactive is currently conducting a unique bipartisan research initiative and we are in need of your insight to help develop an accurate view of the current attitudes and thoughts on issues of importance to constituents.
A select few senior staff members and aides such as yourself have been invited to participate. Your opinions and perspective will be of tremendous value to our effort. The interviews are for research purposes only, and the opinions expressed will be kept strictly confidential.
Participation is completely voluntary, and it goes without saying that we do not take research among individuals of your level of responsibility lightly. With that in mind, we have designed a short 10 minute survey that is engaging and thought provoking. We are only contacting a limited number of staff members and aides, and as a result your participation is critical to ensure the success of the study.
I didn't know I was sooo important! I must be hot stuff here on the Hill. Watch out DC cuz I have arrived!!!
Dear Chelsea,
Harris Interactive is currently conducting a unique bipartisan research initiative and we are in need of your insight to help develop an accurate view of the current attitudes and thoughts on issues of importance to constituents.
A select few senior staff members and aides such as yourself have been invited to participate. Your opinions and perspective will be of tremendous value to our effort. The interviews are for research purposes only, and the opinions expressed will be kept strictly confidential.
Participation is completely voluntary, and it goes without saying that we do not take research among individuals of your level of responsibility lightly. With that in mind, we have designed a short 10 minute survey that is engaging and thought provoking. We are only contacting a limited number of staff members and aides, and as a result your participation is critical to ensure the success of the study.
I didn't know I was sooo important! I must be hot stuff here on the Hill. Watch out DC cuz I have arrived!!!
2008 NCAA Final Four
I'm not one to follow basketball, but our office is doing a pool for the NCAA tournament. So I blindly filled out the form not knowing any stats or history of any of the teams. I did it all based on ranking and if I liked the school. Really, there was no rhyme or reason to my selections.
Maybe if I get ambitious, I'll post my entire bracket. But as an overview, I have UCLA beating Georgetown in the finals. I thought a DC school should at least have a shot at it. I imagine I'll be watching a lot more basketball these days.
Monday, March 17, 2008
It's Recess!!!
Two weeks of recess starting today! Heck yes!! Friday and Monday off. Shorter hours and casual jean days. I love my job!
I tell people we're on recess for the next two weeks and they ask, "so, what, are you in grade-school? Do you get to go out and play?" Why, yes we do! Aside from appropriations, some of the more pressing issues on our agenda were locking down details for the office trip to Atlantic City and filling out the NCAA Final Four Bracket.
Two of our guys are leaving Wednesday for a week stint in Germany. Our scheduler is at home in Minnesota for a week for her birthday. I think someone else is leaving at some point, so there's like four of us holding down the fort. And I'm the only girl. Oh the things I hear in this office.... And I'm in the middle of a paper war zone back here. Good times for sure!
So I'm hoping with this recess I'll have time to get caught up on the blog, get caught up on some sleep, get a little organized with all this new health care business I've got going on, and you know, just chill.
This is such a great office to be apart of during recess and really any other time as well. We're all going to Atlantic City in April (minus the Congressman obviously). What office do you know that goes to Atlantic City to hang out together? Our office. And every day at 1pm, everything stops for Family Fued. It's our lunch ritual.
Recess and this office - I love it!!!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Ladies and Gentlemen!
The moment you've all been waiting for! Well, probably only me. But after almost a month of waiting (wow! can't believe it's almost been a month), I have finally received....wait for it, wait for it....drum roll please......
My picture with super awesome and extremely Ah-MAZING American Soprano RENEE FLEMING!!!! (she's on the right:)
My picture with super awesome and extremely Ah-MAZING American Soprano RENEE FLEMING!!!! (she's on the right:)
This was in the green room right after her Ah-MAZING and emotional performance in Otello. Renee (we're totally bff now. okay, not really, but I like to think so) was so gracious and super nice to Sam (CN Sam) and me. I probs freaked her out because I was super excited to meet and talk to her. I was totally shaking and I'm sure she felt my shakes when I took the pic with her. I hope to be able to meet her again. Gosh, I was just so awestruck when I met her I don't think my sentences were intelligible at all. She's super Ah-MAZING!!! And sooooooo nice.
I still don't believe that I actually met Renee Fleming. Don't believe it at all... Renee Fleming! Chelsea. The same room. Unbelievable......
Shhh! It's a secret! ***Updated 9:35pm EST***
Email from the Republican Minority Whip's Floor Assistant:
**Please advise your boss that immediately following the adoption of the Budget Resolution, Republican Whip Blunt will call to move the House into a Secret Session.**
Following this motion, a thorough Floor clearing process is required once the session is agreed to. We expect this security sweep process to take a while. Therefore, we currently do not expect the Secret Session to begin until this evening. We will keep you posted throughout this process on timing and logistics.
The reason for calling a closed session is so that that all Members of the House can be present to discuss and have a candid debate on the importance of passing a long-term modernization of our nation’s foreign surveillance. This debate must take place behind closed doors because of the sensitive nature of the information discussed. This will require a vote.
Following the Secret Session, we expect to proceed with debate on the Rule for FISA. The Democrat Majority has indicated that, at this time, there is a strong possibility of us voting on FISA, tomorrow.
Last votes expected: Late Evening
NOTE: At this time, we are scheduled to be in session and voting tomorrow, Friday.
A little FYI: If this happens, it will be the first time since 1983 that the House of Reps was called into a Secret Session for talks regarding Nicaragua. The Senate was in a Secret Session in 2005 to discuss Iraq War Intelligence. And that, friends, is the awesomeness of Congress. Never a dull moment.
**********UPDATE********** (from the minority whip's floor assistant)
The House Floor is concluding a Security Sweep to accomodate the Secret Session. We currently expect the House to reconvene for the Secret Session at approximately 10:00pm.
**Leadership Encourages Strong Republican Member Attendance in the Secret Session**
NOTE: The majority Leader has announced that we will consider FISA tomorrow. Tomorrow, Strong Republican Attendance is Important.
So Secret Session has actually only been called three times in the House since 1830. Three times!
I'll keep you all posted on this FISA and Secret Session business. This is kind of exciting. Either that, or I'm really a poli sci nerd.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Boston anyone?
So I think I'm going to Boston the first weekend of August...to see Renee Fleming in Eugene Onegin. I checked her schedule today on a whim and noticed she'd be performing the opera in August. Don't know if anyone's coming with me, but I just made up my mind so that's pretty much that. Tickets are cheap - $18-27. If anyone wants to join me, let me know. I love to share the art of opera with anyone willing to be open minded and try something new.
I took Michelle to see the HD Broadcast of Romeo et Juliet back in December. I literally drug Max to the HD Broadcast of Macbeth in January, although he won't admit that he went to the opera. Sam (CN Sam) accompanied me to Otello last month. Now I'm trying to get Mel to come to something. She'll be a tough sell. As much as she dislikes my country music, I think she detests opera even more. Maybe Megan will come since it's in her backyard. And Lauren will be in New Hampshire this summer so that's always a possibility.
So yeah. Renee Fleming. Eugene Onegin. Boston. August 2. Me. Good times! Who's in?
P.S. She's really good in this. Here are two clips - the Letter Scene parts 1 and 2. How can you resist?
I took Michelle to see the HD Broadcast of Romeo et Juliet back in December. I literally drug Max to the HD Broadcast of Macbeth in January, although he won't admit that he went to the opera. Sam (CN Sam) accompanied me to Otello last month. Now I'm trying to get Mel to come to something. She'll be a tough sell. As much as she dislikes my country music, I think she detests opera even more. Maybe Megan will come since it's in her backyard. And Lauren will be in New Hampshire this summer so that's always a possibility.
So yeah. Renee Fleming. Eugene Onegin. Boston. August 2. Me. Good times! Who's in?
P.S. She's really good in this. Here are two clips - the Letter Scene parts 1 and 2. How can you resist?
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
So close, so close...
I was this close (take your thumb and pointer finger and place less than a centimeter of air between them, that's how close) to meeting Carole King. Yes, this Carole King:
I've known that Carole (even though I haven't met her, I know we'd be best friends if we did and she'd want me to call her Carole) was coming to our office to meet with the boss since last Friday. Apparently, she's been to the office the last couple of years to meet with him on an issue that is near and dear to her heart. I'll have to get back to you on what it is later. So famous Carole, the singer-songwriter, meets with my congressman, and I have an opportunity to meet with her and get a picture taken, but that’s in a perfect world and I have learned that I don’t live in a perfect world.
This is how the story goes:
Today shaped up to be a Cah-RAZY day. I was almost an hour late to work (no big deal) because I was the last in line for the shower and one of the roomies decided to take her sweet little ol time. I get to work and have just enough time to switch out of my commuter shoes into my red high heels (Kellie Pickler anyone?) before I have to meet with my 10:15 – a super nice dentist from Prescott. If I lived in Prescott, he’d be my dentist. And it was so cute because he wanted to get a picture with me. With me!
So after the first meeting, I was thinking, “you know, it’s not going to be so bad today after all.” My 11:30 meeting was a half hour early, so as soon as the back room cleared, I met with him, and we wrapped up at 11:30, giving the gentleman time to grab lunch before his next meeting. Then I had a 12:15 with two Radiologic Techs who were nice, and also wanted a picture, but they weren’t as awesome about it as my dentist dude. This was a quick meeting and I was able to scarf down my lunch before a last minute scheduled meeting at 1:30 with a doctor from the Casa Grande area came in to talk about his situation.
With that last meeting, I thought I was in the clear. I sat down to the computer to try and get caught up on the dear colleague letters I had been neglecting. Suddenly, at 2:20 (ten minutes before Carole was set to arrive) a group of ladies affiliated with Lupus awareness came in unannounced hoping for a quick meeting. I told our scheduler I’d take it. So I brought the ladies to the back room and listened to the info and personal stories. Carole was running late so I continued to listen to the shocking effects Lupus takes on the body. FYI, 9/10 people affected are women. If diagnosed with Lupus in your 20’s, you have a 1/6 chance of dying by your mid-30’s. Lupus is hard to detect.
I heard someone walk through the front office, and by the excited introductions, I assumed (correctly) that it was Carole. She went into the Congressman’s office for her meeting. Five minutes later, my meeting wrapped up. I went back to my desk. Ten minutes later, I heard the door to the Congressman’s office open and heartfelt goodbyes filled the air. Out the main door went the petite woman with curly hair. As quickly as she fluttered in, the songstress had left my life without even the chance of waving an awkward goodbye.
And that, my friends, is the story about the time I almost became best friends with Carole King. Carole, if you’re out there, you’ve got a friend.
The day didn’t end there. Oh, no. At this point, it's only 3:00. Plenty of time for the Congressman to request a meeting at 4:00 with the acting Director of the Indian Health Service regarding a hospital in San Carlos. I checked to see if I needed to write a memo. I was told I didn't. So boss comes back at 3:50 and says, "Chels, who's sitting in on this 4:00?" "Jim and me." "Okay, well write something up from your notes and brief me in five minutes." "Yes sir." What? From my notes? What notes? I've only been here a month and I don't have any notes about San Carlos, let alone the hospital. Panic ensues. Thankfully, Jim had already written something up. Meeting commences.
At 7:00, I take off. A good day, minus the whole not getting to meet Carole King part.
Quick funny story before I close up. A group of firefighters were coming to DC to meet with the Congressman today. They were going to present him an axe mounted on a plaque in recognition of all the grants he's secured for them. So the axe came to our PO Box and when the staff member tried to bring the box through security (he didn't know at the time what was in there) he was denied entrance. So we had to get the Sergeant-of-Arms to escort him in. The axe was massive.
So that's it. Meetings are consuming my life right now as are dear colleague letters asking for support on legislation. One meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, but that could change. Recess starts next Monday, and we get Good Friday and the Monday after Easter off. Sadly, I will not be making it to Vegas for the family Easter get-together. But gladly, I will be attending the White House Easter Egg Roll.
I've known that Carole (even though I haven't met her, I know we'd be best friends if we did and she'd want me to call her Carole) was coming to our office to meet with the boss since last Friday. Apparently, she's been to the office the last couple of years to meet with him on an issue that is near and dear to her heart. I'll have to get back to you on what it is later. So famous Carole, the singer-songwriter, meets with my congressman, and I have an opportunity to meet with her and get a picture taken, but that’s in a perfect world and I have learned that I don’t live in a perfect world.
This is how the story goes:
Today shaped up to be a Cah-RAZY day. I was almost an hour late to work (no big deal) because I was the last in line for the shower and one of the roomies decided to take her sweet little ol time. I get to work and have just enough time to switch out of my commuter shoes into my red high heels (Kellie Pickler anyone?) before I have to meet with my 10:15 – a super nice dentist from Prescott. If I lived in Prescott, he’d be my dentist. And it was so cute because he wanted to get a picture with me. With me!
So after the first meeting, I was thinking, “you know, it’s not going to be so bad today after all.” My 11:30 meeting was a half hour early, so as soon as the back room cleared, I met with him, and we wrapped up at 11:30, giving the gentleman time to grab lunch before his next meeting. Then I had a 12:15 with two Radiologic Techs who were nice, and also wanted a picture, but they weren’t as awesome about it as my dentist dude. This was a quick meeting and I was able to scarf down my lunch before a last minute scheduled meeting at 1:30 with a doctor from the Casa Grande area came in to talk about his situation.
With that last meeting, I thought I was in the clear. I sat down to the computer to try and get caught up on the dear colleague letters I had been neglecting. Suddenly, at 2:20 (ten minutes before Carole was set to arrive) a group of ladies affiliated with Lupus awareness came in unannounced hoping for a quick meeting. I told our scheduler I’d take it. So I brought the ladies to the back room and listened to the info and personal stories. Carole was running late so I continued to listen to the shocking effects Lupus takes on the body. FYI, 9/10 people affected are women. If diagnosed with Lupus in your 20’s, you have a 1/6 chance of dying by your mid-30’s. Lupus is hard to detect.
I heard someone walk through the front office, and by the excited introductions, I assumed (correctly) that it was Carole. She went into the Congressman’s office for her meeting. Five minutes later, my meeting wrapped up. I went back to my desk. Ten minutes later, I heard the door to the Congressman’s office open and heartfelt goodbyes filled the air. Out the main door went the petite woman with curly hair. As quickly as she fluttered in, the songstress had left my life without even the chance of waving an awkward goodbye.
And that, my friends, is the story about the time I almost became best friends with Carole King. Carole, if you’re out there, you’ve got a friend.
The day didn’t end there. Oh, no. At this point, it's only 3:00. Plenty of time for the Congressman to request a meeting at 4:00 with the acting Director of the Indian Health Service regarding a hospital in San Carlos. I checked to see if I needed to write a memo. I was told I didn't. So boss comes back at 3:50 and says, "Chels, who's sitting in on this 4:00?" "Jim and me." "Okay, well write something up from your notes and brief me in five minutes." "Yes sir." What? From my notes? What notes? I've only been here a month and I don't have any notes about San Carlos, let alone the hospital. Panic ensues. Thankfully, Jim had already written something up. Meeting commences.
At 7:00, I take off. A good day, minus the whole not getting to meet Carole King part.
Quick funny story before I close up. A group of firefighters were coming to DC to meet with the Congressman today. They were going to present him an axe mounted on a plaque in recognition of all the grants he's secured for them. So the axe came to our PO Box and when the staff member tried to bring the box through security (he didn't know at the time what was in there) he was denied entrance. So we had to get the Sergeant-of-Arms to escort him in. The axe was massive.
So that's it. Meetings are consuming my life right now as are dear colleague letters asking for support on legislation. One meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, but that could change. Recess starts next Monday, and we get Good Friday and the Monday after Easter off. Sadly, I will not be making it to Vegas for the family Easter get-together. But gladly, I will be attending the White House Easter Egg Roll.
Monday, March 10, 2008
The halls of Congress are buzzing
Now that I’m the new Health Care LA, I’m starting to get busy. I’m receiving more emails, more phone calls, and sitting in on more meetings. And I’m learning tons of new stuff about health care, health care, health care, health care. And more health care.
On Tuesday, I had two completely different meetings. The first was with a group of five ladies from school districts in Arizona and food distributing companies. They were in to discuss the nutrition standards at the school systems. These ladies were all very engaging – there was one who presented the group’s legislative agenda, but everyone else chimed in with personal accounts of the situation that they are facing. These ladies were lively, funny, informative, and friendly. They way they explained things kept my interest and we had a very productive meeting. They were actually hysterical and joked that they were probably the only group who wants to be regulated by the government. I laughed because it’s so true. I never had so much fun in a meeting before.
The next meeting was a completely different dynamic, but it was a good one too. The group consisted of a postmaster general, his wife, and two postal workers who have met with the Congressman several times. These people are prepared, let me tell you what! They came in with a list of their legislative agenda – four bills – and had notes on what the Congressman was already a cosponsoring, what bills they wanted him to cosponsor, and stuff to keep an eye on. The meeting seriously took like two minutes, but I tried to drag it out. I feel so bad that people come all the way across the country for a two-minute meeting. So we just chatted for a bit. They were a little sad the Congressman wasn’t there. Apparently these people are big fans.
Thursday was a busy day as far as meetings went. I think everyone in the office at least had two each. I was originally scheduled for five, but was able t ocut out two of them (one cancelled and one overlapped so I missed). Two were not very memorable, but I’m sure they wanted us to cosponsor something. The meeting with the City of Flagstaff was quite fun. It was good to see my people again. I always get excited when Flagstaffians come in.
The Congressman wanted to meet with the City folk, but because votes were scheduled at the same time they were supposed to be in the office, our leg director and I escorted them to the Capitol for the meeting. This was kind of exciting. There was a lot of action taking place in the halls: people buzzing around everywhere between votes, congressmen meeting with various groups of people.
We ducked behind a pillar to get away from the noise and went over the city’s priority list for appropriations. I received some marching orders from the Congressman to contact other members’ offices to get help on some of the requests, and we told the city we’d do what we could to try and get funding for some of their projects.
My last meeting for the week was at 10 on Friday. This was also a group of great gals from Arizona, much as the nutrition group – very friendly, engaging, informative, and enthusiastic about their program.
On the schedule for this week: meetings, followed by more meetings, followed by a much needed recess!
On Tuesday, I had two completely different meetings. The first was with a group of five ladies from school districts in Arizona and food distributing companies. They were in to discuss the nutrition standards at the school systems. These ladies were all very engaging – there was one who presented the group’s legislative agenda, but everyone else chimed in with personal accounts of the situation that they are facing. These ladies were lively, funny, informative, and friendly. They way they explained things kept my interest and we had a very productive meeting. They were actually hysterical and joked that they were probably the only group who wants to be regulated by the government. I laughed because it’s so true. I never had so much fun in a meeting before.
The next meeting was a completely different dynamic, but it was a good one too. The group consisted of a postmaster general, his wife, and two postal workers who have met with the Congressman several times. These people are prepared, let me tell you what! They came in with a list of their legislative agenda – four bills – and had notes on what the Congressman was already a cosponsoring, what bills they wanted him to cosponsor, and stuff to keep an eye on. The meeting seriously took like two minutes, but I tried to drag it out. I feel so bad that people come all the way across the country for a two-minute meeting. So we just chatted for a bit. They were a little sad the Congressman wasn’t there. Apparently these people are big fans.
Thursday was a busy day as far as meetings went. I think everyone in the office at least had two each. I was originally scheduled for five, but was able t ocut out two of them (one cancelled and one overlapped so I missed). Two were not very memorable, but I’m sure they wanted us to cosponsor something. The meeting with the City of Flagstaff was quite fun. It was good to see my people again. I always get excited when Flagstaffians come in.
The Congressman wanted to meet with the City folk, but because votes were scheduled at the same time they were supposed to be in the office, our leg director and I escorted them to the Capitol for the meeting. This was kind of exciting. There was a lot of action taking place in the halls: people buzzing around everywhere between votes, congressmen meeting with various groups of people.
We ducked behind a pillar to get away from the noise and went over the city’s priority list for appropriations. I received some marching orders from the Congressman to contact other members’ offices to get help on some of the requests, and we told the city we’d do what we could to try and get funding for some of their projects.
My last meeting for the week was at 10 on Friday. This was also a group of great gals from Arizona, much as the nutrition group – very friendly, engaging, informative, and enthusiastic about their program.
On the schedule for this week: meetings, followed by more meetings, followed by a much needed recess!
Ughhh Monday!
So it's definitely one of those days you wish you could of just stayed in bed and watched movies all day long and not done anything. It's not like today is a BAD day, it's just not an awesome day. It wasn't too bad this morning because Sam and Steve came for a Capitol tour, but now I just want to go home. And Lord only knows how long we're going to be here if votes don't start until 6:30 and Aprops are due on Friday. I woke up late, my feet hurt, my ankle keeps popping, my back aches, I've got a headache, I'm not hungry but I'm sure I will be soon, "dear colleague" letters are piling up in my inbox. Plus it's Monday, so that means today just sucks in general.
Busy, Busy, Busy
So it's been super busy at work. And after 8+ hours sitting in front of a computer, I haven't wanted to come home and sit in front of a computer to blog about everything. Appropriations are due by the end of this week, so I don't know how much time I'll actually have to catch up on stuff I want to post on the blog. But we have a two week recess coming up so there will be plenty of time to get caught up if I can't this week.
Here's an overview of what you have to look forward to: Awesome meetings with tons of constituents, a visit with the President and Vice President (for reals!), the long awaited picture with super Ah-MAZING soprano Renee Fleming (did I mention Ah-MAZING?!), hanging with the office peeps and a planned trip to Atlantic City, a weekend in Quantico with Sam (high school Sam, not Connecticut Sam) and the god-son, my first stint as a Capitol Tour Guide, and various observations or musings that come to mind as I see fit.
So sit tight, more to come for sure!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Oprah’s Big Give
I have a love/hate relationship with Oprah. Sometimes I love to hate her, and other times I hate to love her. It mostly stems from a “Do you know who I am?” incident that happened a few years back involving Oprah and a boutique somewhere. Sometimes she just comes off as having this superiority complex. But whatever, she has earned it I suppose.What I do like about Oprah, and it’s a very redeeming quality, is the amount of charitable giving she’s involved in. Her latest foray into giving back to those who most need it is a new show on ABC called Oprah’s Big Give. The premise: Individuals are given a few thousand dollars and a person in need. Using brains, resources, and whatever other means possible, these people try and give to their person in need as much help as they can, usually in the form of a monetary donations.
I think Sunday was the first night it was on. There were nine struggling people who were reaping the benefits of Oprah’s generous heart and her helpers passing out the money. The person that’s story was the most awesome to me was this African American woman with two teen-aged children. Her husband was abusing her, so one night she packed up her kids and took off, which left her homeless. This woman was probably a homemaker when married without many job skills, so she had a hard time finding a job. When Oprah’s people came and found her, she said that she doesn’t want a handout. She just needs someone to give her a stepping-stone so she can get back on her feet and make her own way. If more people in this country had an attitude like that instead of a defeatist mentality, we’d be in much better shape.
Oprah’s people hooked her up! $20,000 scholarship for her children to attend college, a year’s rent totally paid for, a brand new car, a pretty substantial check, and a money and financial planner so this woman can get on her feet and budget her resources – the best part of the gift. The lady was just so overcome with joy and relief. A beautiful story with a very happy ending.
When Oprah does good, she really does good!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Stepping Up
The saga continued at work. Without divulging too many details, I’m the new Health Care Legislative Assistant in the office. I’m so thrilled! And this is kind of a big deal! It will definitely help in the job searching department when the time comes in ’09. Before, I was just a floater in the office doing whatever needed to be done. Now I have my own issue and I’ll have my own meetings to sit on, my own memos to write, my own legislation to suggest. I have a real purpose in this office!!!
Appropriations are also keeping us busy in the office. They need to be finished before the March recess in two weeks. Our two approps gurus are off to Germany for a week, and they have to be finished before they take off. Otherwise, their trip is cancelled (not really, but our LD can be very dramatic sometimes). I’m not sure what the whole process entails, but I’ll give an update once approps are due if there is anything interesting to report back on.
The boss gave us a pep talk later in the morning. We now refer to it as the “Come to Jesus” talk. And one of our legislative assistants is now lovingly known as the golden goose, a name given by the boss. The talk was much needed and helped to lay things on the table and clear the air.
After work, the schmooze training continued. Torrey works for BNSF and they were a large contributor to an organization that brings awareness to train suicides. I couldn’t turn this event down. Obviously free food is always a luring feature of the reception, but this event was featuring Academy Award winning actress Marcia Gay Harden from Welcome to Mooseport and Pollock. She recently starred in a film called Rails and Ties that addressed the issue about train suicides.
I really enjoyed this event. Torrey, not so much, because they didn’t serve free alcohol. But I got to meet a couple of his colleagues who were pretty interesting. One works in their press office, but she’s soon moving to Israel because her husband works for the World Bank. I had a great conversation with her about the PR field and how she broke into the biz. She actually doesn’t have her masters, which I thought was interesting, but she said that you don’t really need it for PR. Especially if you have Hill experience, agencies and other organizations really look at that.
There was this other lady who worked for Union Pacific who was a pistol! I’m glad we ran into her, because I was having a hard time going up to meet MG Harden. What was I supposed to say to her? “I loved you in Welcome to Mooseport. I have no idea why you’re here but thanks for being involved.” Lame! So the pistol lady went up to Marcia (we’re best friends now) and introduced herself and then introduced us. I would like to say that I was very surprised at how well spoken and intelligent Marcia comes off, but that’s nothing new. She has always come across that way in the roles she plays and the way she carries herself in the limelight. She’s a very articulate person, and also very beautiful. She was sporting a pretty rockin short do.
Torrey and I had a great conversation with Marcia. We talked about trains and how suicides by trains are underreported because they’re generally classified as an accident. I mentioned that Torrey and I went to school in a town where the train crossed a very busy and heavily pedestrian trafficked area. I know someone died on the tracks while I was at school, but I don’t know if it was on purpose, or if it was a drunk kid on his way home and just didn’t make it across.
Anyways, we had a lovely conversation with Marcia. Asked her about Mooseport, to which she commented that she preferred Gene Hackman to Ray Romano because Hackman is more of a man’s man. We wished her well in the upcoming films she has and thanked her for being apart of the cause. Then we took off and got a cocktail.
Appropriations are also keeping us busy in the office. They need to be finished before the March recess in two weeks. Our two approps gurus are off to Germany for a week, and they have to be finished before they take off. Otherwise, their trip is cancelled (not really, but our LD can be very dramatic sometimes). I’m not sure what the whole process entails, but I’ll give an update once approps are due if there is anything interesting to report back on.
The boss gave us a pep talk later in the morning. We now refer to it as the “Come to Jesus” talk. And one of our legislative assistants is now lovingly known as the golden goose, a name given by the boss. The talk was much needed and helped to lay things on the table and clear the air.
After work, the schmooze training continued. Torrey works for BNSF and they were a large contributor to an organization that brings awareness to train suicides. I couldn’t turn this event down. Obviously free food is always a luring feature of the reception, but this event was featuring Academy Award winning actress Marcia Gay Harden from Welcome to Mooseport and Pollock. She recently starred in a film called Rails and Ties that addressed the issue about train suicides.
I really enjoyed this event. Torrey, not so much, because they didn’t serve free alcohol. But I got to meet a couple of his colleagues who were pretty interesting. One works in their press office, but she’s soon moving to Israel because her husband works for the World Bank. I had a great conversation with her about the PR field and how she broke into the biz. She actually doesn’t have her masters, which I thought was interesting, but she said that you don’t really need it for PR. Especially if you have Hill experience, agencies and other organizations really look at that.
There was this other lady who worked for Union Pacific who was a pistol! I’m glad we ran into her, because I was having a hard time going up to meet MG Harden. What was I supposed to say to her? “I loved you in Welcome to Mooseport. I have no idea why you’re here but thanks for being involved.” Lame! So the pistol lady went up to Marcia (we’re best friends now) and introduced herself and then introduced us. I would like to say that I was very surprised at how well spoken and intelligent Marcia comes off, but that’s nothing new. She has always come across that way in the roles she plays and the way she carries herself in the limelight. She’s a very articulate person, and also very beautiful. She was sporting a pretty rockin short do.
Torrey and I had a great conversation with Marcia. We talked about trains and how suicides by trains are underreported because they’re generally classified as an accident. I mentioned that Torrey and I went to school in a town where the train crossed a very busy and heavily pedestrian trafficked area. I know someone died on the tracks while I was at school, but I don’t know if it was on purpose, or if it was a drunk kid on his way home and just didn’t make it across.
Anyways, we had a lovely conversation with Marcia. Asked her about Mooseport, to which she commented that she preferred Gene Hackman to Ray Romano because Hackman is more of a man’s man. We wished her well in the upcoming films she has and thanked her for being apart of the cause. Then we took off and got a cocktail.
Director and cast from Rails and Ties.
Eastwood, Bacon, Harden, and a young John Doe.
Fixing Schools and Rubbing Elbows
Apparently I missed a lot of drama at the office on Friday. I was actually kind of glad. I had received several emails and phone calls on Friday and throughout the weekend. Thankfully, the opera was too all consuming for me that I just ignored my cell all weekend long. A wise decision, I think.
Monday was definitely interesting, but everyone at work is taking the situation in strides, and the boss is in good spirits. Things also started to pick up with meetings and such. I’m sure that has to do with the fact that appropriations are due by the end of this month, and organizations are making their last ditch attempts to lobby for funds.
Here’s a great story on how we deal with our constituents and what we do for them. We have a large Native American population in our district. It’s a pretty poor area, and the Congressman has worked hard to bring them much needed funding. There are quite a few schools out on the reservation that probably should have been demolished decades ago. Some of them are fortunate enough to be on the Bureau of Indian Affair’s (BIA) list of schools to receive funds for complete overhauls. This one school in particular was supposed to receive funding back in ’06 and begin construction on a new school. However, due to budget cuts, it was postponed, but BIA has assured that they will get it in the ’09 budget.
So a group from the Native American school wanted to meet with us and BIA to discuss their concerns regarding how long the process is taking. From my understanding, this meeting was three months in the making. The group from the NA school scheduled and rescheduled several times, even in the district so they wouldn’t have to travel to DC. But our scheduler finally got a time they could agree on, and BIA signed on to the meeting as well, which I learned, BIA can be quite the slow moving agency.
The NA group was scheduled to be in our office at 3 to meet with the Congressman. BIA was scheduled to join in at 3:30. Congress ended up having votes that afternoon, so the 3:00 meeting would just be cancelled and the member would meet with everyone when he got back from votes…in a perfect world. BIA showed up at 3:20. The NA’s were a no show. Our scheduler tried calling several times to no avail. The member shows up at around 3:40-ish, talks to BIA and apologizes profusely. BIA leaves around 3:45. The NA’s come waltzing through the door at 3:50. Of course we have to be the diplomats, so we apologized for sending BIA back home because we couldn’t just make them sit there not knowing when they’d show up. The leader of the group, Katherine, tried talking her way out of it by saying that she had talked to our scheduler and they agreed on 3:30 and not 3:00. To which our scheduler said that it was now 20 minutes past 3:30 and they were late regardless.
So we met with the NA group, and they had a ton of questions for us. But the BIA really would have been the best resource for giving them answers, and since they were late, BIA went home and we couldn’t give them answers. Now we have to try and schedule a conference call with BIA and the NA group. I don’t think this will be an easy task for us considering our history with the two groups. But I’m learning a ton of random stuff about Native American policy and all that other jazz.
After work, I went with my buddy Torrey to an Arizona State Society event that hosted people from the three major Arizona Universities that were prominent in the bioscience field. We talked to the new vice president of biosciences at NAU. It was good to talk to someone from Flagstaff after being here in DC for a month. Going to this event made me realize that I have a lot to learn about the art of schmoozing. Thank God Torrey is a pro! The event was small, but good. Can’t complain about free wine and good hors d’oeuvres. We also ran into a guy that Torrey knew who worked in Flake’s office for a while. All in all, a good event.
Monday was definitely interesting, but everyone at work is taking the situation in strides, and the boss is in good spirits. Things also started to pick up with meetings and such. I’m sure that has to do with the fact that appropriations are due by the end of this month, and organizations are making their last ditch attempts to lobby for funds.
Here’s a great story on how we deal with our constituents and what we do for them. We have a large Native American population in our district. It’s a pretty poor area, and the Congressman has worked hard to bring them much needed funding. There are quite a few schools out on the reservation that probably should have been demolished decades ago. Some of them are fortunate enough to be on the Bureau of Indian Affair’s (BIA) list of schools to receive funds for complete overhauls. This one school in particular was supposed to receive funding back in ’06 and begin construction on a new school. However, due to budget cuts, it was postponed, but BIA has assured that they will get it in the ’09 budget.
So a group from the Native American school wanted to meet with us and BIA to discuss their concerns regarding how long the process is taking. From my understanding, this meeting was three months in the making. The group from the NA school scheduled and rescheduled several times, even in the district so they wouldn’t have to travel to DC. But our scheduler finally got a time they could agree on, and BIA signed on to the meeting as well, which I learned, BIA can be quite the slow moving agency.
The NA group was scheduled to be in our office at 3 to meet with the Congressman. BIA was scheduled to join in at 3:30. Congress ended up having votes that afternoon, so the 3:00 meeting would just be cancelled and the member would meet with everyone when he got back from votes…in a perfect world. BIA showed up at 3:20. The NA’s were a no show. Our scheduler tried calling several times to no avail. The member shows up at around 3:40-ish, talks to BIA and apologizes profusely. BIA leaves around 3:45. The NA’s come waltzing through the door at 3:50. Of course we have to be the diplomats, so we apologized for sending BIA back home because we couldn’t just make them sit there not knowing when they’d show up. The leader of the group, Katherine, tried talking her way out of it by saying that she had talked to our scheduler and they agreed on 3:30 and not 3:00. To which our scheduler said that it was now 20 minutes past 3:30 and they were late regardless.
So we met with the NA group, and they had a ton of questions for us. But the BIA really would have been the best resource for giving them answers, and since they were late, BIA went home and we couldn’t give them answers. Now we have to try and schedule a conference call with BIA and the NA group. I don’t think this will be an easy task for us considering our history with the two groups. But I’m learning a ton of random stuff about Native American policy and all that other jazz.
After work, I went with my buddy Torrey to an Arizona State Society event that hosted people from the three major Arizona Universities that were prominent in the bioscience field. We talked to the new vice president of biosciences at NAU. It was good to talk to someone from Flagstaff after being here in DC for a month. Going to this event made me realize that I have a lot to learn about the art of schmoozing. Thank God Torrey is a pro! The event was small, but good. Can’t complain about free wine and good hors d’oeuvres. We also ran into a guy that Torrey knew who worked in Flake’s office for a while. All in all, a good event.
A Questionable Weekend
After the emotional high of the opera, I planned to spend the rest of my weekend hanging out and relaxing with Sam. The summer of ’06 was the last time we wreaked havoc on a town together, so we had a lot of catching up to do.
Sam has been bitten by the bird-watching bug, and while we were waiting for our train, she was telling me about the cool birds that she’s seen in her area. She asked if I had ever seen an eagle, and when I said no, she decided to take me to see one. So her dad, Frank, and sister, Emma, came along with us. We saw two on an island across the marina. There were also a bunch of seagulls and some geese swimming in the icy waters. One goose was missing his right wing. I don’t think it flies very much these days.
After our bird watching expedition, we went to a pub for some lunch. Our plans for the evening were to hang out with Sam’s brother, Eric, and his friend Tom, and some other friends at a local margarita joint. Eric and Tom are two funny dudes, and when you put them together, your stomach muscles get the optimal work out from laughing so much. Such was the case that Saturday evening. There’s no way I’d even be able to recreate the hilarity of the evening. The comments were so random and off the cuff. Poop jokes are not uncommon from Eric and Tom. We reminisced about the summer of ’06 when they were all in Arizona. Tom mentioned a questionable wipe (I’ll let you make the connection.) Then I said, “You had me at questionable.” Obviously, it’s one of those ‘you had to be there’ moments, but we were all laughing. The weekend was thence referred to as the Questionable Weekend. After one too many margaritas and a whole lotta laughs, we headed home and crashed.
The next morning I woke up and went to church with Daryl and Emma. Sam had just woken up when we were about to leave, so she stayed behind. Church was a very moving experience, and Daryl and I bonded over the amazing recovery Sam has made. We all had a little lunch, played a little Cranium, and just had an all-around good ol time.
My train was scheduled to leave New Haven at 7, but it was on a 2 ½ hour delay, so I didn’t make it home until about 3:15 am. It was a perfect opportunity to reflect on how awesome the weekend actually was. It’s a week later that I’m writing this, and I still can’t believe that I saw Renee Fleming perform and met her backstage. I find that I’m trying to remember everything and how it unfolded in order to convince myself that it did actually happen. Maybe when I get the picture from Sam, it will sink in a little more.
Hanging out with Sam made me realize how great a friend she is and how much fun we always have. Since I’m on this side of the country, I’m hoping we’ll get to kick it together a lot more frequently. Definitely a weekend for the books!
Sam has been bitten by the bird-watching bug, and while we were waiting for our train, she was telling me about the cool birds that she’s seen in her area. She asked if I had ever seen an eagle, and when I said no, she decided to take me to see one. So her dad, Frank, and sister, Emma, came along with us. We saw two on an island across the marina. There were also a bunch of seagulls and some geese swimming in the icy waters. One goose was missing his right wing. I don’t think it flies very much these days.
After our bird watching expedition, we went to a pub for some lunch. Our plans for the evening were to hang out with Sam’s brother, Eric, and his friend Tom, and some other friends at a local margarita joint. Eric and Tom are two funny dudes, and when you put them together, your stomach muscles get the optimal work out from laughing so much. Such was the case that Saturday evening. There’s no way I’d even be able to recreate the hilarity of the evening. The comments were so random and off the cuff. Poop jokes are not uncommon from Eric and Tom. We reminisced about the summer of ’06 when they were all in Arizona. Tom mentioned a questionable wipe (I’ll let you make the connection.) Then I said, “You had me at questionable.” Obviously, it’s one of those ‘you had to be there’ moments, but we were all laughing. The weekend was thence referred to as the Questionable Weekend. After one too many margaritas and a whole lotta laughs, we headed home and crashed.
The next morning I woke up and went to church with Daryl and Emma. Sam had just woken up when we were about to leave, so she stayed behind. Church was a very moving experience, and Daryl and I bonded over the amazing recovery Sam has made. We all had a little lunch, played a little Cranium, and just had an all-around good ol time.
My train was scheduled to leave New Haven at 7, but it was on a 2 ½ hour delay, so I didn’t make it home until about 3:15 am. It was a perfect opportunity to reflect on how awesome the weekend actually was. It’s a week later that I’m writing this, and I still can’t believe that I saw Renee Fleming perform and met her backstage. I find that I’m trying to remember everything and how it unfolded in order to convince myself that it did actually happen. Maybe when I get the picture from Sam, it will sink in a little more.
Hanging out with Sam made me realize how great a friend she is and how much fun we always have. Since I’m on this side of the country, I’m hoping we’ll get to kick it together a lot more frequently. Definitely a weekend for the books!
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