Ron Paul!

Thursday will go down as one of one of my most remembered days.  Work was an average day, and I spent a portion of my time there listening to reports about the Supreme Court's healthcare ruling.  I think Obama faces a problem, despite the Supreme Court's approval of the legislation he heavily supported.  The opinion of the Court approved the measure on the grounds that it is within the authority of the federal government to enforce the purchasing of healthcare on the basis of taxation.  Obama argued that this legislation was not a tax at all.  I think the general public will view that as nothing more than semantics, but the Republicans may be able to piece together a campaign on the basis of 'lies' going forward to sway independents.  Really not sure how that will all play out just yet.  What's more important than that, however, is that I was able to meet the individual that sparked my heavy interest into government and politics to begin with, Ron Paul.  I stopped by at a conference at Microsoft's office on K Street after work for a little bit to catch up with some recent contacts, and to enjoy a free appetizer and cocktail.  I then headed over to the 51st Annual Congressional Baseball game at Nationals Park.  Ron Paul threw out the first pitch, donning a throwback Astros' jersey, to his son, Rand, that would have been called a strike.  Pretty good for a 76-year old!  After he walked off the field he was stopped by a large number of people for a photograph opportunity, autographs, and hand shakes.  I was able to say hello to his wife, Carol, as I waited while she passed by, and she said hello with a big smile.  He was eventually able to make his way to where I was standing, and I greeted him with a hand shake and a thank you.  I told him how I have been campaigning for him since 2007 in Wisconsin, and he said thank you very much.  The security guard nearby offered to take a photo of us for me, and Ron autographed my ticket to the game as well.  I didn't really think the night could go any better, until I was offered a free beer from Keenan's boss, and also had an opportunity for a second photo with the Congressman.  A moment of eudemonia.  The Democrats won the game, and I left the stadium with a new group of friends and a memory for a lifetime.

Healthcare Ruling

The Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Healthcare for America Act, or ObamaCare, today.  I wasn't sure what the ruling was going to be, but looking at past decisions it seemed likely to me that it would be upheld.  The individual mandate seems un-Constitutional to me, but when it is classified as a tax, well, that's one power the federal government does posses.  I am, unfortunately, not up at the Supreme Court this morning, but I would like to stop by there later today to see if the crowds that are outside there now stick around.  Obama has added another arrow to his quiver, but will Republicans rally around Romney more now?  Are independents swayed by the decision??  We'll see how this plays out politically!  I was surprised that it was Chief Justice Roberts that was the swing vote, thought it would be Kennedy.  Time to get some work done!!

Night Two of Lasagna

Yesterday's highlight was dinner on the patio that featured a second helping of some splendid lasagna.  I spent the evening outside with Amy again, reading and surfing the internet.  My work day was typical, but I did ride the Circulator bus for the first time.  Alejandra was headed to Union Station so we rode the bus together on my way home.  It only costs a dollar to ride the bus, and it cycles through a handful of stops in the D.C. area.

Mid-Term Review

It was a nice day at the office yesterday.  I made a few calls into Connecticut to some campaigns I had touched base with a couple weeks ago, and had good conversations with a pair of campaign managers that will likely be getting back to me on the proposals I sent them.  I had a meeting in the morning with our VP to discuss what the plan is for this week, and I will be in heavy contact with county parties in Ohio the remainder of the week.  Night class centered around reviewing everything we had covered, and preparing for our mid-term next week that should be manageable if I dedicate a handful of hours to reading over my study guides.  Amy had made a dish of lasagna Monday night, and offered me a portion for dinner last night.  YUM!!  Spent the evening in conversation, and relaxed on a patio in the cool night air before heading to bed.

Capitol at Night

After working on some homework, and showing Pete how to play Call of Duty, I went for a jog up to the Capitol and the Supreme Court building this evening.  The run felt great, and it is nice to see the buildings glowing at night.  I took a break from my jog to walk around the area, and get a little bit of a stretch in.  The Supreme Court is going through some renovations right now, as there is scaffolding set up along the exterior of the building.  There is also a cameraman camping out there tonight, must be wanting a good spot for the ruling on the health care decision coming up!  The jog there and back is about two and a half miles, and it felt absolutely great running on this cool night.  Putting the final touches on a report now, and then headed to bed for the night.

Dr. Larry Korb

From the Book of Keenan, "On the seventh day we rested."  We really didn't do anything on Sunday, other than clean the apartment which was well over due.  Kristin made a family dinner for Pete, Keenan, and myself that included noodles, chicken, and bread that Pete put way too much butter on.  Pete and I were supposed to go get our haircut this morning, but he botched that one.  We had a guest speaker come to the RAF today, Dr. Larry Korb.  He is a current Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and a Senior Adviser to the Center for Defense Information.  He has also served in many other capacities, including; being a Professor at Georgetown, a Senior Fellow on the Council on Foreign Relations, Assistant Secretary of Defense to Reagan, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute, and Vice President of the Raytheon Company.  I think he literally may have done everything.  I am pretty sure I heard him say he was in Iran merely a week ago, discussing American-Iranian relations on a national broadcast.  Unreal.  He talked to us about what he sees as the leading threats to America's position as the world's leading power.  The number one threat is the economy and the debt.  Number 2 - Not terrorism, which is merely a tactic, but specific extremist groups that are targeting American interests.  Number 3 - Failed states and rogue regimes which can be havens for extremists groups, and can cause disruptions in relations with countries and regions.  And number 4 - Rising powers like China and Brazil.  He talked about how we can't solve everything militarily, and embraced several tenets of the foreign policy I have supported since I started to pay attention in 2007.  How terrorism is a tactic, not a targeted enemy, and declaring war on it is like declaring war on...nothing or anything.  That the malice aimed towards America, right or wrong, is not based upon our freedoms but rather felt through our activities overseas.  And that we can't solve all of the problems in the world through the barrel of a gun.  If a Senior Fellow to the Council on Foreign Relations and former VP of Raytheon can agree with me on those points, there has to be some truth to them.  I really enjoyed his presentation, and attempted to get a question answered afterwards but we ran out of time.  I was going to ask him what his thoughts about cyber warfare are, and why he hadn't touched on it in his introduction.  I'll just have to ask him next time.

Ray's Hell Burger

Pete, Keenan, and myself headed over to the Rosslyn stop in Virginia on the Blue line to go to a burger spot called Ray's Hell Burger.  Absolutely delicious.  I ordered a pretty spicy burger with jalapeno's, wine marinated mushrooms, grilled onions, tomato, lettuce, and Ray's Hell Sauce with some 7-cheese mac 'n cheese.  On the way back we stopped to visit the Museum of Natural History that is part of the Smithsonian complex.  It's the one that A Night at the Museum is based off of, with dinosaurs, wooly mammoths, lions, tigers, and bears, OH MY!!  Very cool, and highly educational.  It is definitely the most highly visited museum by young children, as was evident on this day.  We hopped on the Red line at the Chinatown stop, and grabbed some groceries at Harris Teeter before making the final walk home.  Currently rapping the song Forever by Drake, Kanye, Lil' Wayne, and Eminem with them, and I'm about to own this verse!  Tonight is gonna be a good night!!

Camden Yards

The end of the work week came a little early as I left the office at 3:30 to double back to the RAF before I met Allison Wallace to ride on the MARC train to Baltimore from Union Station.  I haven't seen Allison for far too long, and it was awesome to be able to catch up with her.  She is working at a company in Virginia that provides cyber security solutions for a host of company's, most of which are defense contractors.  She was headed to the Camden stop to meet up with her boyfriend, who must be a pretty awesome guy, and I was headed to meet up with a guy I had befriended over political discussions online and his friends.  Yeah, I was going to meet someone I had met on the internet...that is kind of weird.  It was a great night though!  After I parted with Allison, I met up with Patrick and his friends to indulge in some Boh Beer at Pickles Pub just outside of the stadium.  Camden Yards has a beautiful baseball stadium, and it blends into the city with the large depot that is connected to it having the same brick facade on its exterior.  Very cool.  After the game we grabbed some grub at an ale house across the street, and I indulged in some Crab 'n Mac - a Baltimore classic, but I can't help but to think it has a Wisconsin influence.  Grabbed a ride back to the Greenbelt station on the Green line Metro track from Patrick, and made it home around 1:30.  Two new baseball stadiums visited in three days, nearly doubling my previous list of Miller Park, Wrigley Field, and Target Field.  Love it!

The Heat

It is incredibly warm today.  Not sure what the temperature is exactly, but I do know there was no way getting around sweating if you spent any amount of time outside.  My time at the office today consisted of contacting the people I interacted with at the conference the past few days, and putting together a list of campaigns that I have previously contacted that were interested in our services.  I also attended an online meeting about some Microsoft products dealing with customer relations.  I stopped at TWC Headquarters today to drop off a check during lunch, and I was leaving at the same time as two employees.  After I asked them where a good place to grab some grub would be, they invited me with to Chipotle.  We introduced ourselves, and it turns out one of them was my person of contact when I was applying to TWC, Kimberly.  It was nice to put a face to the name and voice I had previously been in contact with.  We enjoyed lunch together, and I hurried back to the office to finish out the day.  There was a guest speaker tonight dealing with Veterans issues, namely healthcare services during and after the time spent in the service.  The individual that spoke had been medically discharged after suffering from having several herniated disks in his back, and suffering stress fractures in his vertebrae.  I am back in my room now, watching Game 5 of the NBA Finals between The Heat and The Thunder.  Oh, and Amy just brought in Cookie Monster cupcakes to share with us!  Woohoo!!

Tuesday & Wednesday night

The Federal Budget class met on Tuesday night.  We reviewed what we have covered the past couple of weeks again, and then dove into an open discussion on what monetary value each of us would place on the various groups the discretionary budget consists of, including; defense, state, education, interior, etc.  It was a fun experience, and we ended up walking away with a budget that was about 7% lower than what the House proposal was for Fiscal Year 2013.  I'm pretty sure my class could get the budget balanced with one term in office, just saying.  The report I completed this past semester on the financing of higher education became a significant subject of conversation, and the class seemed very interested in the perspective I shared.  There was a new student in the class that night, but we also had two absences from previous attendees.  I really enjoyed the class, despite being tired and sweating from the heat wave that has swept in to the D.C. area the past few days.  Wednesday night was even warmer, and I spent the evening at the Nationals' game with Keenan and Pete.  We watched Strasburg put together a seven inning, ten strikeout, and two earned runs performance that ended in a 3-2 victory.  I also came across a t-shirt that reads, "BRYCE KNOWS," in reference to Bryce Harper...I have to get my hands on that shirt!!  I donned some Brewers swag, and actually received a couple of compliments through the duration of our time there.  The Metro will take you a block outside the stadium, which is quite convenient.  There is also a large open area that has food, beverages, and memorabilia for sale right outside the stadium, very cool.  16 fl. oz. cans are $8 in the stadium, in case anyone was wondering.  Two more very enjoyable nights!

Conferences & Cocktails

Busy, busy, busy.  On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I was at a Campaigns and Elections conference at the Marriott Hotel here in D.C.  I was kind of in my element there.  Spent the whole day conversing with political consultants, campaign managers, and other representatives of company's similar to my own.  I probably said at least hello to 80-90% of the 400 or so people that attended the event.  We were promoting our Campaign Cloud technology that is part of a unique platform we have with Microsoft.  I was able to do a decent job addressing questions or comments people had about our products, and was helped immensely by my colleague, Allison.  I handed out my pretty awesome business cards left and right, and was able to collect a number of contacts from other attendees.  I must have been doing something right, because there were a few people that told Allison and our boss that they should keep me around. :-)  A lady named Colleen was cold sitting at her table for the conference, and I offered my suit jacket to her both days.  She accurately recognized me as a Midwestern man, and I proudly shared my Wisconsin roots.  My favorite part of the conference may have been the continental breakfasts, lunch paid for by my office, and free cocktails in the evening!  I had to pinch myself a little bit when I realized what I all had access to for free!!  I had several political discussions with individuals that I came to know over the few days, they were all very stimulating, and I definitely held my own.  I'm pretty sure I even impacted a few minds during the process.  Some of the contacts I made there will likely play a role in my future if I every plan on running for any major political offices, or even as future job opportunities going forward.  We were also able to make some clients, and potential clients, for our company.  A current member of Congress in Maryland is going to be meeting with us shortly to setup an account, and there were several campaign managers that expressed deep interest and will likely become part of the organization in some form.  Also, I randomly crossed paths with former Congressman Bob Carr (if you've been following the blog that name may ring a bell!) and had a nice conversation with him while waiting in line for a sandwich from Potbelly's.  This city can be surprisingly small at times.  The conference concluded on Wednesday at noon, so we packed up our gear and headed back to the office.  The experience was both a personal success for me, and has helped our company grow.

Mimosas and Volleyball

After an entirely uneventful Saturday, I had a great day today.  Our neighbor brought over supplies for mimosa's around noon, and I enjoyed a couple before venturing out with the roommates and some friends.  We made plans to go to an indoor mini-golf course, but it wasn't going to be open until five today so our plans abruptly changed.  We dined at Union Station before heading to the sand volleyball courts by the Potomac River that I played at on Wednesday.  I went nearly undefeated again today, suffering only one defeat after playing for over three hours!  On the walk back home Marine One was landing on the South Lawn of the White House!  Very cool!!  I am back at the RAF now watching game three of the NBA Finals with Jon, Maegan, Pete, and Amy.  Keenan is absent for some reason...hmmm.  Time to work on an assignment I have due on Tuesday, enjoy the game, and get a good night's sleep before I go to a conference in Virginia in the morning.  Good night!!

Popeye's

On Friday, Rajan and I ate Popeye's chicken for lunch.  Which was another first for me.  The Ripin Chicken combo was scrumptious.  We ate our meal at the base of a monument dedicated to a general along with Katie who grabbed a meal from a sushi place.  While we were eating there was an apparent 'suspicious package' alert at one of the buildings down one of the roads that dispersed out from the circle we were located at.  There were tons of sirens, and do not cross tape set up along the road's perimeter.  I haven't been able to find a news link to the event, but it seemed like a pretty intense situation.  More importantly though, that buttered biscuit was absolutely delicious!!

Bow Tie

I found myself in a bit of a precarious situation at the office on Friday.  I am typically accompanied by two fellow men on my floor in the office, but they were out of the office traveling to a convention over the weekend.  This left me surrounded by five members of the opposite sex that seemed to be working as a collective unit to have some fun in the office at my expense.  I managed to tip-toe my way through the day unscathed though, I think.  After leaving work, I rode the Metro to the Sculpture Gardens to listen to some live jazz music, meet up with some friends, and try some sangria for the first time.  I made it to the Gardens, couldn't track down any of the members of my party, and opted to pass on spending $18.50 for a pitcher of the fruity wine.  $18.50?!?!  I did manage to interact with a few new people while I was there, including two people from Wisconsin that complimented me on the UW-Whitewater shirt I was donning.  The said congratulations on the National Championships, keep it up UWW!!  After enjoying the walk home, that included a pit stop to enjoy a six-inch Spicy Italian sub from Subway next to a fountain outside the D.C. Court of Appeals, I dressed up in formal clothing that included a bow tie for the very first time of my adult life.  I received a call over Skype from Karissa, along with my dad, stepmom, my little sister Emily, and my little brother Sam, and enjoyed a conversation with them as my party headed out the door.  After speaking with them for about 15 minutes, I ventured out to catch up with my crowd.  It turns out that wearing a bow tie is a great way to get some compliments throughout the night.  I even had the conductor of the Amtrak train compliment me on it as he passed by the Metro platform.  Our group of about 15 went out in Adams Morgan, which was a first for me, and it was a lot of fun.  Keenan and I made the walk back home together, so concluding another great night.

Night Class

After a pretty long day at the office on Thursday I went to my night class at the Hall of the States building just north of the Capitol.  We discussed further the process of budget making at the federal level, and highlighted the reconciliation process that we will undoubtedly hear more about whenever the budget is discussed over the airwaves.  I stuck around after class to speak with the professor about the memorabilia that hangs all about his office.  One of which is an autographed photo of Milwaukee Braves pitching great Warren Spahn.  He met him through a random encounter with a custodian that was high school classmates with Spahn.  A couple weeks after he met him, Spahn sent the autographed photo to him just out of courtesy.  Very cool.  After leaving the class, I walked to the front desk to say good evening to Officer Johnson who is a plump man that rests in his seated position as regularly as the chair he is upon, and who has as diverse a demeanor and facial expression as Tim Duncan.  Doing so caused me to come within a few feet of Fox News host Chris Wallace, and we both nodded towards each other before parting ways.  I enjoyed a conversation over the phone with both my mother and Ben Dayton on the walk home.  A successful day indeed.

Madeleine Albright

I forgot to mention that I was a couple of feet away from Madeleine Albright last night as I walked past The White House to play sand volleyball.  I would have introduced myself, but she was slipping through a security barricade before I could address her.  A guy came walking up behind me asking the officer why she was allowed to walk through.  The officer replied, "Dude, that's former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright."  To which he retorted, "Who?  Oh." and walked away.  I shook my head, and chuckled a little bit.

Sand Volleyball

The work day was relatively normal, and I was having success with some contacts that I made with legislative campaigns on the state level in Nebraska.  Fun fact:  Nebraska is the only state in the USA that has a unicameral legislature.  Meaning they only have one chamber, instead of the two that exist everywhere else.  Wisconsin has a State Assembly and a State Senate, for example, Nebraska just has a bunch of people that call themselves senators, and are not represented by party affiliation on the ballot.  After work I walked to the National Mall, and down to the Lincoln Memorial where I joined Amy and her friends, Armando and Giovanni, to play some sand volleyball!  We dominated the night, going undefeated against all who attempted to oppose our reign!!  The venture home was long, but seeing some of the memorials at night is a sight to behold, and it was absolutely beautiful out tonight.  Going to finish up some homework and hit the hay for the evening.

Hamilton's

My internship was similar to the past days, but it will be switched up a little bit the rest of the week where I will be working on more state and local races.  We also had a meeting that one of my fellow interns, Rajan, hosted, and I ended up being heavily involved in the presentation as I worked alongside him.  After I left my internship I realized that my night class had been shifted from tonight to Thursday night, making my evening discretionary.  I decided to walk to a bar and grille, Hamilton's, that has a Badgers flag waving in the front of it!  While I was there I enjoyed a conversation with the bartender, Dre, and met a young lady from Iowa named Meredith and her two friends.  I joined their party for a while before heading home to the RAF.  Sitting in the living room now with the best roommates in D.C. watching Game 1 of the NBA Finals.  Life is great.

JFK, Jr.

I attended a few presentations hosted by TWC on Monday.  The first speaker, Wendy Cumberland (President of the Junior League of Washington), was talking about volunteer work for non-profits, and she referenced a Curious George story a couple of times during her presentation.  I didn't take too much away from her presentation, but I'll keep participating in the non-profit work I do already.  The second meeting that I attended dealt with what you should, or should avoid, doing at your place of employment.  Jason Fenwick, Director, Business Advisory Group at Windsor, Wyeth & Ward, LLC, was the instructor and he talked about our ability to present ourselves, communicate with others, and how to sell our own personal brand.  I must have made a decent first impression when I stood up to introduce myself to the room, because he kept referring to me as 'JFK, Jr.' whenever he involved me in his dialogue.  He mentioned something about charisma.  I'll take it!  The third presentation dealt with how to negotiate your salary when you are about to agree to a position at a place of employment.  The overall presentation was lethargic and uncreative, but the websites that were shared to look up comparable incomes and benefits for whatever position you are applying for will be helpful later.  After the presentations I attended an interns appreciation event that allowed me to eat some free ice cream, and caused me to meet a Karen who not more than two minutes later had one two tickets to go to a DC United soccer game.  Being in the right place, at the right time, has me the holder of the second ticket!  I love this world.

NEWSeum

Sunday I went to the Newseum that is just north of the Capitol building with Robyn.  It is filled with the history of media in America, from the formation of the Republic up to the present day.  There is also the largest collection of pieces from the Berlin Wall anywhere outside of Germany.  It normally costs $20 to go into the museum, but we were able to enter for free because of their partnership with our internship program.  Woohoo!  It is a really cool museum, and I was able to attend a live broadcast of an interview between the CEO of Newseum, Jim Duff, and Ronald Reagan's Chief of Staff, Ken Duberstein.  Here is a YouTube link to the interview; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bxXnrSoLOI.  The focus of the interview was based on the 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall' speech that Reagan gave in Berlin on June 12, 1987, five months before the wall was taken down.  There was also a large gay pride festival going on outside, and we ventured through the various venders before heading back to the RAF, where I enjoyed a fantastic salmon dinner.

Lazy Saturday

I didn't do a whole lot on Saturday.  Dined at Union Station with Allison.  Stopped at another co-workers home briefly in the morning to say hello.  Was locked out of my apartment for a couple of hours.  Spent the evening at the RAF with the roommates, and watched several sporting events while working on some homework.

Thursday & Friday

On Thursday we hosted a live webinar at work that was broadcasted to people across the country via GoToMeeting.  It covered a bunch of the products and services we provide as a company, and I was able to learn a good amount from being a part of it.  On Friday the CEO of the company, Ravi Singh, called in to the office via Skype to meet the new interns.  He is an incredibly driven individual, and he has lived a very interesting life.  Search him online, or check out this website if you're interested; http://www.ravisingh.com/index.asp.  I recommend checking out his brief book on leadership, I believe it should be free to download from this page.  Both evenings were spent with friends from the RAF, and brought to conclusion another successful 48 hours in our nation's capital.

Moving Day

Wednesday's work day consisted of collecting more data, and follow-up calls and e-mails from the data I collected.  I was also an office hero of sorts because I was able to change the water jug when the first couple of people that tried couldn't figure it out, namely Patrick.  We also had a visit from an executive of Microsoft that helps keep us up to date with the newest innovations they are creating, and I will be attending a convention with him later this month.  Pretty cool!  After the work day was complete, Allison, my fellow Wisconsinite here in the office, asked if I would help her move her stuff into her new apartment.  A free beer was offered in return of services performed, how am I to say no to that!?!  Moving wasn't too bad, and we stopped at a place called RFD's afterwards.  I indulged in some versions of Sam Adams that I have never tried or even seen before, and had an engaging evening over a plate of fully loaded nachos before making my way back home.

Richard Nixon

Yesterday was a very long day.  Work was relatively the same as the previous days, and I spent most of the day working with Katie, Allison, and Patrick.  We had a group meeting with a couple of the managers of our various functions in the office that was informative, and I chimed in with a recommendation that was integrated into our spreadsheets.  Woohoo!  After work I headed straight to my Federal Budget course.  We discussed further the process that is followed in order to create the budget, and the impact that Richard Nixon's presidency had on establishing the practices we see today.  It was an interesting class, and the wheels in my head were still turning fast enough to be involved in several conversations throughout the class.  I walked home with some of my fellow classmates, Sam, Rachel, Audie, and Nicole.  We had seven of us in the classroom tonight, adding a Kevin and Jermaine that were not present last week.  The end of the night consisted of leftovers from my Dinner for 10, and watching the Heat lose game five to the Celtics.

Dinner for 10

Tonight I made a pasta dinner that fed 10 people, plus leftovers!  It's an excellent recipe that I learned from Ashley Schroeder, although I doubt I made it quite as well as she always does.  Everybody said they loved it, and we opened our door so the aroma permeated through the first floor of our building.  Several people commented as they walked past, and a lady named Audrie stopped in to see what I had all cooked.  A pretty proud moment.  Keenan baked some excellent garlic bread to add to the pasta, and Deanna's bottle of wine quickly disappeared.  After dinner I taught Keenan, Lindsey, and Deanna how to play Euchre, they all need a little bit of work after our first game played, but with a little bit more teaching I think I may have found some card playing partners.  Time to do some more reading for class tomorrow, watch the end of the Spurs vs. Thunder game five, and head to bed so I can get up early for my internship tomorrow.

Former Congressman Bob Carr

Milton Robert "Bob" Carr came to speak to the interns in the Political Leadership program here at TWC today.  He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan during the 80's and 90's.  He grew up in Janesville, and graduated from UW-Madison before doing post-graduate work at Michigan State.  His career outside of politics has been as a lawyer, and he currently works at Dow Lohnes here in D.C.  While he was attending UW-Madison there were protests going on about the Vietnam War, and I asked him about his memories of those after prefacing my question about where I come from.  He didn't share any exact specifics, but spoke about general police actions taken against the people around him.  He had interned with Gaylord Nelson, a former Senator from Wisconsin when he was in college.  He highlighted how our generation does more peer-to-peer work to solve problems, and government should look to crowdsourcing when available to more efficiently handle large programs; which is to outsource responsibilities to other groups of people (highlighting the handling of securities in the SEC).  It was nice to listen to him, and our group did a very nice job of asking follow-up questions.  I was able to shake his hand and speak with him afterwards about Wisconsin politics.  He is rooting for Tom Barrett in tomorrow's recall election, and classified him as a, "dear friend."  The political winds tell me that Walker is going to win re-election, but I didn't debate the matter with him.  Just thanked him for coming to speak, and moved on to other topics.  Rumor has it there is a place to go for free salsa dancing tonight...time to get my homework done so maybe I can learn some new moves!

Eastern Market & Space Museum

Today I rode the Metro over to the Eastern Market stop with Robyn to go to 'DC's Oldest Continually Operated Fresh Food Public Market.'  It was a lot of fun walking through the stands of fresh produce, arts and crafts, and other merchant stands present there.  There were tons of beautiful pieces of art and jewelry, interesting foods, and handcrafted furniture.  If anybody is interested in having me bring a piece back, send money!  I was wearing a Brewers' shirt, which prompted a young man named Alex to ask me if I am from WI.  Turns out he goes to UW-Madison, and we had a fun conversation about Tuesday nights at Wando's and other Madison activities.  I ordered a half-smoke from Darrell's Delicious Dogs, and added some of their *Parental Advisory Warning* 'Hot as Shit' hot sauce after the man selling the dog challenged me to it.  It was friggin hot.  I made it through it though, and moved on to pick up some gelato.  On the way back we stopped at the National Mall and went through the entire National Air and Space Museum.  'Hubble 3D' was being played in the IMAX theater within the building and we watched the 43 minute production narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio.  We headed home after that, and now I am back at the RAF.  I'll be working on some homework tonight, and attending some Washington Center programming during the day tomorrow.

The Setting Sun

I stopped at Union Station to get some food at their food court, Trattorio's Pizzeria won my business this time.  After I dined, I headed over to the Capital to watch the sun set from the Western steps.  It was beautiful to watch, with the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial visible in front of me and the Capital at my back.  I ignored my phone for a little while as I sat there in peace, but I eventually responded to a handful of new friends that were requesting my presence back at the RAF before they all wanted to head to a club called Ultra.  I jogged the mile or so home, dressed up nice, and went out with about 20 friends to this new place.  It was a lot of fun, with several stories in the building playing various types of music, flashing lights, billowing smoke, and a very fun environment altogether.  I met Ben, Tracy, Tina, Gabrielle (from Dallas), and Amy (from England).  I also noticed a shorter guy walking around with some big aviators on...did a double take...and realized in was Manny Pacquiao!  Keenan and I walked up to talk with him and shook his hand.  It was pretty cool.  After we left I rode the Metro home with Keenan and Deanna, and so concluded another awesome day in D.C.

Arlington

I slept in a little bit and relaxed at the RAF for part of the day on Saturday before going to the National Cemetery in Arlington.  It is a sight to behold.  I spent two hours wandering through the walkways that run through the various cemeteries within the complex.  I walked past the Women's Memorial, the Tomb of President Kennedy and family (that has a flame burning at it constantly), the Arlington House that was once the property of Robert E. Lee, the Old Amphitheater, and the Memorial Amphitheater before reaching the Tomb of the Unknowns to view the Changing of the Guard.  I noticed there was a group of older Veterans all wearing orange shirts there that said they were a group from Southeastern Indiana, and a few select members where to be involved in the Presenting of the Wreath service.  Brett Bondurant was one of those members.  He is a veteran of the War in Afghanistan that lost both of his legs from an IED.  He walked down the steps with his grandfather and two other Veterans, and it was an incredibly moving experience.  My eyes began to swell and water as the bugler played Taps while my right hand was placed over my chest.  The setting sun, the pristine surroundings, and the thanks being given to such a young soldier who had already given so much in front of the embodiment of all those that were lost over the course of our nation's history was enough to move the emotional senses of any proud American.  After the conclusion of the ceremony I moved along to view some more within the Cemetery.  Some of the other areas that I came across represented those lost at the Battle of the Bulge, the Rough Riders, and the Tomb of President Taft, amongst others.  By the time I made my way back around to the entrance/exit the gates were already being closed.  I stopped to look back, and it felt like I was the last person left behind the gates.  I made my way back to the Metro station to head back home to the RAF.

Here is a link to a local news source about the Changing of the Guard event I witnessed; http://www.eaglecountryonline.com/news.php?nID=3640

End of the Work Week

The office was pretty relaxed on Friday.  Justin had departed for a convention in Minnesota, and Allison left in the morning to go back to Wisconsin to watch a Brewers game and attend a wedding I believe.  She is from Cedarburg, and interned at ElectionMall last year before she was hired on as a full-time employee.  I dined alone at Pizzoli's Pizzeria for lunch, and, at Ghani's (not sure if he was the owner or just an employee) suggestion, I ordered the Steak & Cheese Deluxe sandwich.  Magnifico!  My work was similar to the past couple of days, collecting campaign information, and reaching out to them over the phone.  Left the office at six, and Katie asked if I would join her and a couple of friends at Buffalo Billiard's for their happy hour.  Sounds great!  We met up with a Deanna and Anthony that I have previously met at the RAF.  They had ordered some food and didn't want to eat it all, so I scored some free grub!  Came back to the RAF to change and meetup with the roommates and friends (and to make my first weekly post to D2L as part of my responsibilities to UW-W and Professor Johnson this summer) before following a crowd to some rooftop bars on U Street.  Totally cool!  It was really nice to sit outside and look out over the city.  However, I was once again confused by the numbers appearing next to the list of beers.  Is that a 9 and a dollar sign next to that Samuel Adam's Boston Lager?  Are they trying to bring back prohibition here?!  Maybe I'll just enjoy the scenery instead.  The night was a lot, lot, lot of fun, which seems to be the trend of every night out here!

Pumpers & Mitchell's?

Thursday night turned into another fun experience.  I had it suggested to me that I visit the Front Page restaurant/bar/club on DuPont Circle.  Keenan and I checked it out online, and it turns out that it is the place to be on Thursdays.  There is a free taco buffet line, and a happy hour that lasts from 4:00 until bar close!!  Two dollar Coronas is the featured drink, I'm not the biggest fan of la cerveza mas fina, but for a deal like that, mucho gusto!!  There is outside dining, then a nice bar area when you first walk in, followed by an interior dining area that leads you to another bar with big screen tv's and an elevated dance floor.  The two different environments reminded me of a Whitewater establishment.  Jon and Maegen came with us, and Jon challenged my capacity to introduce myself and hang out with some people at the bar.  Challenge accepted.  Introduced myself to an Amanda, Geena, and Katie, and had Keenan slide in with me.  I also introduced myself to the bartender named JC, good guy.  Had a great time conversing with them and watching the Thunder vs. Spurs game three the rest of the night before we headed home to the RAF.