Philanthropy

There was a panel of individuals involved with non-profit work at the RAF today.  They discussed how companies are looking to incorporate programs that give money back to local communities or initiatives into their business models.  The panel members included William McGinly (President of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy), Aaron Sherinian (Vice President, Communications and Public Relations for the United Nations Foundation), Scott Sapperstein (Executive Director, Public Affairs, AT&T External & Legislative Affairs), and Kevin Webb (Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation).  In this digital media and social networking era it is easy for either negative or positive news about a company to spread like wildfire.  Emitting a positive image about giving money to scholarships, donating to healthcare, or improving the environment can increase consumer support for a company.  This, in turn, makes CEOs and stockholders interested in partaking in these efforts, creating a beneficial cycle.  I was able to bring up the Dozer scholarships that we have in Cambridge during the course of discussion, and maybe recruited some new donors?  I’ll be working on homework for the rest of the night, goodnight!

Aurora, CO

The horrible event that took place at a movie theater in Colorado on Friday has affected many individuals, families, and communities.  The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater family was not left unscathed as a 2008 graduate, John Larimer, lost his life.  The 27 year old had double-majored in Political Science and History, and was a member of the U.S. Tenth Fleet Cyber Command at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora.  As saddening as the events were on that day, it is always inspiring to watch the way people will come together to help one another rise above the suffering caused by evil such as this.  The hospital staffs, local law enforcement, members of the community, the media, and even politicians have demonstrated how caring and compassionate the vast majority of society really is.  We all mourn the suffering brought upon dozens of innocent individuals in the wake of some incoherent rage.  May mankind find a way to eliminate these acts of violence from the theater in Aurora, to the streets of Chicago, and around the world from Damascus to the Congo.  If that goal is never to be reached, then at least may we work together as well as the Aurora community has in its wake.

Silver Diner

I went to lunch with a friend from the Cato Institute at the Silver Diner near George Mason University in Virginia today.  I had a delicious plate of pancakes, ham, and scrambled eggs.  I spent most of the day at the RAF doing some homework and relaxing with the roommates.  Pete experienced Papa John's pizza for the first time tonight, and I'm honored to have shared that moment in his life with him.  I am going to jog to Harris Teeter in a moment to pick up some fresh blades for the shaver because I have to be looking sharp tomorrow for some modeling, or so I'm told.  It has been rainy and overcast all weekend here in D.C., which threw a kink into my plans for catching some rays today.  I would like to share some of the rain we've been having with the crops in Wisconsin!!

Comedy Show at RFD

On Saturday I was invited to go to a comedy show at RFD in Chinatown.  After jogging a couple of miles and doing an upper-body workout I joined a couple of people I had met at the Cato Institute and their friends for the performance.  The list of comedians included Chris Milner, Kat Timpf, Haywood Turnipseed, Jr., Stephen Nicks, Pat Coffey, Clay Miles, and hosted by Brad Ryan and Ralph Cooper.  The comedians were quite funny, and by the time we left my head hurt from laughing and smiling.  My favorites were Stephen Nicks, Kat Timpf, and Clay Miles.  A member of our party, Pete, had the same wristband that I wear from the Mises Institute, and I enjoyed debating some political philosophy with him.  Afterwards we stopped at Rocket Bar to play some darts before calling it a night. 

The W

Friday night I went out with a handful of friends to a rooftop bar at The Willard Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave.  It is really cool.  You can see the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the Washington Monument, Capitol, the White House property, and many other prominent buildings along the National Mall from its prime location.  After peering out into the surroundings for awhile, we moved over to Cafe Citron to pick up a Latin vibe!  The place was absolutely packed, and the music just forces you to move your hips.  I suppose I don't need very much encouragement to begin with, but I really couldn't help myself that night.  We wrapped up the night at Madhatter's before heading home.  I met a number of new people, and, perhaps much to the chagrin of those around me, burned off quite a few calories!

Cafe Cozy Corner

This is a cafe a few blocks away from where I work that has absolutely delicious sandwiches, and I thought it worthy enough to have it's own blog post.  I have dined there three times now, including at lunch yesterday with one of the people I met from the Cato Institute on Wednesday night.  I love meeting new people!  Thursday night was largely uneventful, and Friday has had little to highlight thus far.  I would like to mention that I think my coworker, Patrick, is a very intelligent individual, and I thoroughly enjoy speaking with him.  I have been invited to go to a comedy show tomorrow night, but that is all I have tentatively planned for the weekend.  I do need to get some homework done though!  Happy Friday!!

Cato vs. Heritage

After work on Wednesday I went to the Cato Institute to listen to a debate between two members of Cato and two members of the Heritage Foundation.  The debate was between the political philosophies of libertarianism and conservatism, moderated by Tim Carney who regularly appears on MSNBC.  I thought the debate was well done, and covered topics that included defense spending, gay marriage, drug legalization, and others.  I may be slightly biased, but it seemed that the Cato Institute's team did a better job of presenting their case throughout the debate.  There was a reception afterwards where I was able to enjoy some free crackers, cheese, and beers...perfect!  I was also able to meet several individuals that I have either interacted with, or have spent time listening/reading about over the past several years, including; Jack Hunter, Jennifer Jones, and Alexander McCobin.  I was also able to meet a dozen or so people otherwise that work with organizations like Young Americans for Liberty, Students for Liberty, and the Cato Institute.  I managed to make a good enough impression on a couple fellow attendees to be invited with them to grab a couple of cold ones at the Sign of the Whale bar, how could I say no?  Had a great night out on the town.

HR 6018

"To authorize appropriations for the Department of State for fiscal year 2013, and for other purposes," so reads the opening of House Resolution 6018 that I watched pass as a member of the gallery last night.  My night class was not meeting this week so I was able to attend to the evening as I saw fit.  I decided to look up what the voting schedule was for the House and Senate, and discovered that the votes for the day had been pushed back until 6:30.  This left me just enough time to swing back to the RAF, and pick up my gallery passes.  There were a number of other people in the gallery, and it was interesting to hear the decibels rise as the members of the House made their way into the room.  What a noisy crowd!  The members place their vote by swiping a card into one of the scanners that exist on the back-side of their chairs, and select the green button for "Aye," red for "Nay," or yellow for "Present."  The bill passed by a wide margin, with only 30 or so of the present members voting against it.  I saw many familiar faces in the Chamber, but many of the elected officials were entirely new to me.  There was a second vote that followed, also passing easily.  Afterwards there was time for general speeches.  One member highlighted the life of a recently deceased constituent.  Another spoke in memory of a pair of pilots that crash landed on Osprey 10-years ago, and that were still blamed for the accident despite the Congressman's protest.  He was attempting to get the Marine Corps to issue a statement to the pilot and co-pilot's wives that their husbands were not at fault, citing the circumstances of the crash that caused the death of 17 soldiers.  I was the last person present in the gallery (E Pluribus Unum?) when the third speaker came to talk about the middle class, and I decided to move on for the evening.  You are not allowed to bring any cell phones, cameras, or really anything with you inside the gallery.  I couldn't even bring in my pad of paper and a pen to take notes on what I observed...that doesn't seem right.  I picked up some postcards on the way home, and enjoyed the rest of the evening reading and writing back at the RAF.

Armand's & Lobbying

Sunday and Monday were both pretty lazy days.  The highlight on Sunday was having some delicious pizza at Armand's Chicago Pizzeria with Pete and his friend that visited from home.  Why has nobody from Wisconsin come to visit out here yet?!?!?!  Monday we had a panel discussing their role as lobbyists for their respective organizations.  It was an interesting discussion, as lobbying is considered a four-letter word of sorts outside of the beltway.  The way they presented their occupations puts a softer image on it than what the general public perceives.  One of the panelists pointed how politicians are highly unlikely to read and research the topics that they are voting on enough to fully comprehend them, so lobbyists see themselves as educators in a sense; Jack Abramoff was just a bad egg.  I wasn't fully convinced, but I do see the purpose of their role, and as Richard pointed out in the question that he asked, they may be a necessary function in a pluralist system.  Just in case though, maybe the amount of dinners they can provide members of Congress ought to remain limited.

Turning 30

On Saturday I had a great workout at our fitness center here at the RAF, and took up an offer from one of my coworkers to go to her friend's 30th birthday party that night.  Sure, sounds great!  The party was over in Virginia, about a block away from the Courthouse stop on the Orange line.  I was the youngest attendee, and it was a lot of fun getting to know the dozen or so people that were there.  They all seemed interested to hear about what I was doing in D.C. and what my future plans are.  I mentioned how I would have to find something to do between now and when I am eligible to run for president, but I wasn't quite sure at the moment.  There was a brief discussion of politics that followed, and everybody seemed interested in the views I shared.  The general consensus was that I should go to graduate school...we'll see.  I picked up a few more contacts while we were at her very nice apartment, and then I experienced a new bar, Lola's Barracks, on 8th Street SE with the party.  D.C. is definitely an economy onto itself, the people come and go at a feverish pace, but the institutions remain.  As was evident with our grouping of individuals, and explained to me by the affable bartender.  I was granted a ride home from one of my newest acquaintances, and spent the rest of my waking hours philosophizing to Keenan in our living room.  I may have came up with the solutions to solve the world's problems last night, but I, unfortunately, didn't write any of it down.  Next time!

Truckeroo

Truckeroo is a monthly event that takes place at the Bullpen just outside of Nationals' Park, and it happened to land on this Friday the 13th!.  There are over 20 food trucks selling everything from empanadas, pizza, cupcakes, and more.  Live music was being performed by a very good jazz band (I would like to learn how to play the harmonica), cold beer was being served, and some great drinking games were being played.  I considered joining one of the games of cornhole, but figured it would unfair for an intramural champion to compete against the average joe. ;-)  Truth be told, the line was too long, so Keenan, Kristin, and myself went to the side of the grounds were the music was being played after eating some delicious empanadas.  We grabbed an open table, and were shortly joined by a group of people that were heavily intoxicated and about to leave.  To our benefit, they had two beers they were about to part with, Keenan and I obliged their request for us to drink them without protest.  We left around 10:00 and spent the remainder of the evening back at the RAF.

La Tasca

One of my coworkers, Jaime Laliberte (such a cool last name!), celebrated her 21st birthday on Thursday.  So about 10 of us from the office went to La Tasca, a bar and restaurant in Chinatown, to celebrate.  We sipped on sangria, and dined on a consortium of appetizers all paid for by our VP!  We need to have birthdays occur more often!!  There were a couple of other great friends back in Wisconsin that celebrated a birthday on July 12th, and I made sure to wish them a happy birthday as well.  I would recommend La Tasca, the food was great and the fruit in the sangria packed quite the punch!

Ford's Theater

I stopped at Ebenezer's cafe that is just a few blocks away from the RAF for a late lunch, and enjoyed their steak & cheese sandwich.  I made it back to the RAF and with only a couple of hours left in the work day, and I decided to not make the 35 minute walk in to the office.  Instead I got dressed in some athletic attire, laced up the kicks, and jogged over to Ford's Theater to check out the famous landmark of Lincoln's assassination.  There is a gift shop, museum, and the theater itself inside that is all free to enter.  I really enjoyed reading about the history that was shared in the museum, and it was a memorable experience to be standing just a few feet away from where Lincoln was fatally wounded.  After spending a little over a half hour walking around the building I exited to head over to the house that Lincoln was actually pronounced dead in across the street.  My timing was just a little late, as I had made it to the last open tour of the Theater, and the line into the house across the street was too long to make it into before they closed down operations for the evening.  What didn't have a line to wait through was Lincoln's Waffle Shop.  A delicious spicy half-smoke, french fries, and a gatorade made for a great dinner before I headed over to the sand volleyball courts for some more exercise.  I took a route that I had only partially walked before down Pennsylvania Avenue.  It took me through Freedom Plaza which is an open area that has numerous quotes engraved in it from leading figures in America's past.  I also saw a dance class taking place there once.  Next was Pershing's Plaza that is dedicated to John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, America's leading general in WWI.  There was an individual doing some tricks on a skateboard, and an individual filming him, despite the clearly presented sign that says no skateboarding.  I held off from making a citizen's arrest.  There is a statue of Pershing there, along with some engraved quotations, and a man made pond of sorts that is entirely overrun with algae.  The ducks don't seem to mind though, as there was a mother duck with six ducklings at her side swimming through the chartreuse-like waters.  I carried on to jog past the Washington Monument, down the Reflecting Pool, and past the Lincoln Memorial to the volleyball courts near the Potomac River.  I met some new people there, and was asked to join one of the teams that are in the Wednesday night league.  Went undefeated on the night, and walked home with Amy and Armando.  We caught the end of Red Dawn, featuring Patrick Swayze, at the outdoor NoMA theater just before making it back to the RAF.  I slept well after walking/running probably seven miles, and playing six games of volleyball.

Ron Johnson

After leaving Senator Kohl's office, I talked my fellow interns into stopping by Senator Ron Johnson's office while we were in the area.  Perhaps we could get that engaging discussion with a senator that had eluded us thus far.  The other three interns seemed like quite the liberal bunch, and were not all that intrigued to visit the 'Tea Party Republican,' but they decided is was a good idea nonetheless.  We successfully navigated through the underground tunnel that connects the two Senate office buildings, which has it's own underground train by the way, and found our way to Senator Johnson's office.  He, of course, was in a meeting and it was unlikely he would have time to come meet with us on such short notice.  After checking out his office, greeting some members of his staff, and picking up passes to view activity from the Senate and House galleries at our discretion we exited the premises.  We parted ways outside and I headed back to the RAF to decide my next move.

Herb Kohl

The Washington Center disappointed me on Wednesday.  I was notified at the end of the week last week that I, along with three other Wisconsinites interning this summer, would have a half hour to an hour to speak with Senator Kohl.  We were to have researched his committees, his voting record, his personal bio, etc., in order to have an informed and engaging discussion.  The interns showed up on time, our organizer for the event was late.  Upon entering his office, we realized that it wasn't an event that was set aside just for us, as it was made out to be, but a social event for constituents that regularly occurs at the office.  Which I think is really cool, but I was under the impression this was to be a very unique experience.  After moving past the initial frustration I engaged in some conversations with members of Kohl's staff.  For instance, I discussed with the member of his staff designated to defense research why Senator Kohl voted against the invasion of Iraq in 1990, but voted for it in our most recent escapade into the country.  Seeing as though the individual had only been on the staff for two years, he didn't quite know.  So, I went on to ask the staffer involved with legal affairs what the reasons were that Senator Kohl initially voted for the Patriot Act, but has subsequently voiced criticisms of the bill.  She suggested that at the time of its passing it was necessary to award the powers to the government, but the issues with civil liberties for Americans since than has been problematic for the Senator.  After indulging on a blueberry muffin, glazed doughnut, and orange juice I was able to meet the Senator, along with the others in attendance.  There was a group of six people that seemed to all be related, along with a few other individuals that came to meet good ol' Herb.  His presence did shift the attention in the room, obviously, but he doesn't do much to command the attention of an audience.  He came around to shake all of our hands, and then we moved into his office to take a photo.  I felt a bit imposing standing next to him, so I did my best to not stand entirely erect.  We stuck around for a while after the photo, and I made small talk with some more of his staff.  One individual was from Random Lake, and the other from Freedom, WI.  I never did get to ask my farm subsidy question...oh well.  The experience was nice, and had I been told to expect what indeed had occurred I would have been very enthused by the entire event.  Instead, however, I was left with a little bit of a bitter taste in my mouth despite the bagel with cream cheese that I scored on the way out.  I was determined not to be dismayed for the remainder of the day, so I set about finding a worthwhile engagement.

Substitute Teacher

My tasks at the office on Tuesday were centered around contacting the remaining campaigns I had left in the State of Ohio.  If I hadn't mentioned it earlier, I have played the role of office handyman and perform pretty much every task that requires some sort of physical effort.  Like replacing the office water jug for instance, or fixing a damaged cabinet.  I enjoy these tasks as they break up my day, and give me a little bit of a unique appreciation in the office...I think.  The professor for my class was absent on Tuesday as his responsibilities had taken him out of D.C. for a few days, so we had a different instructor for the evening by the name of Jocelyn.  We went through several topics from Reagan's Presidency onward, focusing on the numerous Budget Enforcement Acts that dominated the political discourse at several different moments in time.  The walk home was highlighted with rain, and an introduction to Phillip and Mya that are in the TWC program from Canada.  I've noticed that there are quite a few Canadians as part of TWC this semester.  My long day concluded with a bowl of cereal, and preparation for a meeting with Senator Herb Kohl in the morning.

Brian Lamb

The Chairman of C-SPAN, Brian Lamb, came to speak at the RAF this afternoon.  He is very easy on the ears, and involved us as an audience very well.  He kept asking members of the audience to answer various questions, including; who do you plan to vote for, what would you do about the deficit, what role does/should the media play, what have you learned here, what are you going to tell your best friend when you get back, etc.  I raised my hand probably a dozen times during the course of the lecture/conversation, but managed to not be selected once, maybe the red shirt and tie was the wrong look today?  I was freshly shaven anyways.  I managed to gain him as an audience afterwards, talked about how I had been in the C-SPAN office just a week earlier, that I am from Cambridge, WI, go to UW-Whitewater, etc.  He has interviewed every President from Nixon to Obama, which has to be absolutely amazing.  I asked him for some locations to visit while I am here that he would most highly recommend.  The three sites that he listed that I have yet to enter were Ford Theater, Lincoln Cottage, and Mt. Vernon.  I have three new destinations to make it to in the next couple of weeks, stay tuned for my reviews of them!

Movies in Chinatown

Keenan and I have been debating on how good the new Spider-man was going to be.  He was arguing that it was going to be great, I had my reservations.  It turns out he was right.  Pete, Keenan, and I went to the Regal Theater in Chinatown to catch the flick.  After watching it Pete suggested we watch Ted as well, no comment as to whether we theater hopped or not.  But, from what I have seen of the movie, it is hilarious! ;-)  When we left the theater Pete (who was looking incredibly dapper that day) headed home, whereas Keenan and I decided to eat at a Chinese restaurant.  I mean, we were in Chinatown after all.  The restaurant we stopped at was named, in English, New Big Wong...not sure if that has some sort of meaning to it.  I enjoyed their General Tso's Chicken, and had a fortune that read, "You are sociable and entertaining."  I did my best to not voice my disapproval.  While we were there Amy texted me asking to join her on a tour of the monuments at night.  I willingly accepted the offer, and accompanied her, and her visiting family members.  We checked out the White House, Washington Monument, and the WWII Memorial before heading home.  It was still incredibly warm out, and we were all sweating despite the late hour.  Another great day in D.C.

Basketball & Baseball

Saturday was a pretty action-packed day.  Keenan, Jon, and myself went over to the recreation center in our neighborhood to play some pick-up games of basketball.  It was a good workout, and after struggling through the first couple of games I finally started playing well.  I needed to start playing well at some point, because I was going to get booed off the court as the only white guy on the floor!  I've never been involved in any pick-up games that involved so much whining over fouls, that includes you Jon!!  Everybody fouls and then everybody complains.  I'm used to playing at Ripley where you aim not to foul, play tough D, and you call your own foul if you actually get hacked.  Seems to work so much better than the system we played underneath on Saturday.  After coming back Keenan and I headed over to Nationals Park to meet up with Pete and his friend that came into town to visit.  It was 106 degrees out that day, and people had their very young children at the game, ay yi yi.  We were able to bring in our own bottled water to the game, which was nice, and the Nats won 4-1 against the Rockies.  Keenan and I dined at Union Station on the way home, and I had a delicious chicken salad sandwich!  The night was spent back at the RAF, and it was mostly uneventful.  I say mostly because our room at one point was intruded upon by an un-welcomed guest.  If you are in interested in hearing that story, you'll have to ask me in person. ;-)

Thursday & Friday

The end of the work week was quite slow.  I was moving a little behind the pace I have previously set as a standard, and everybody else seemed to be as well.  There were a number of people out of the office for a long holiday, and I think the interns there should have as well.  After work on Thursday I went with Alejandra, one of my co-workers, to a hardware store to help her pick-up a lock for her bike, and to help her set it up.  I'm not sure if the design of the lock wasn't made for her bike, or if I was doing something wrong, but we couldn't get it to work just right.  She appreciated my help though, and it felt good to lend a hand.  The end of the work week had little to highlight, as temperatures were still quite hot, and the city as a whole was moving slower than normal.

Fourth of July

Happy Independence Day!  Keenan and I brought in the nation's birthday with a pair of cold beers at a bar on H Street.  We intentionally avoided the bar with British flags hanging outside of its front doors, those couldn't have been good for business that day.  Wednesday was a fun-filled day for me.  I jogged down to Constitution Avenue to watch the Independence Day Parade in the morning.  Appleton East's marching band performed in some patriotic garb, and they did very well.  They were the only Wisconsin band I have seen play between the Memorial Day and Independence Day parades.  After the parade wrapped up I jogged back home, and relaxed out of the sun back at the RAF for a little while.  In the afternoon I headed over to a friend's place a few blocks away, Jake is his name.  He had a few of his friends over, and we played some Beersbee, grilled burgers, and drank some Yuengling the rest of the day.  What more could a guy ask for?!  As the sun began setting I left to enjoy the fireworks that are set off by the Washington Monument.  I ended up watching them as I walked a block off of the National Mall, and they were quite beautiful (nothing compared to the show the Notstad's put on though).  Afterwards, I met up with some more friends at a bar downtown that had Pabst Blue Ribbon calling my name.  I would have to say that Independence Day was a nearly perfect day for me.

Mid-Term

This past Tuesday was my mid-term exam for the Federal Budget course I am taking.  It was seven pages long with fill in the blank, true/false, multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions.  I dominated the first half of the exam's possible points that had a myriad of different questions, but stumbled when I hit page six that was asking for some activities that typically take place on targeted dates.  I'm not sure if it was the heat that got to me on the walk in, or if I just didn't study the dates enough, but that part was a struggle to get through.  My grade ended up being in the B range, which I am okay with.

The Nuns on the Bus

...go shh, shh, shh...er, I digress.  In between my time at the Supreme Court, and dining at We, the Pizza today, I stopped by at what seemed like an impromptu press conference.  I stuck around to figure out what was happening exactly, began reading the signs people were holding, and listening to what was being discussed.  It was an odd consortium of Evangelicals, Democrats, labor movement supporters, and feminists all there to support a bus tour of Nuns that were about to come to speak in support of universal healthcare coverage.  Before the Nuns arrived there were a series of old labor movement songs that the crowd sang, and an introductory speech by a Muslim individual that tied in verses from the Quran that suggested agreement with the tenets of the present group.  Talk about a dynamic group of people.  The nuns came off the bus dressed in normal attire, I was expecting the fully covered habit outfits that are associated with their titles.  The crowd of maybe a couple hundred erupted as though they were rockstars upon their arrival.  I listened in for a little while longer, as the nuns suggested the Paul Ryan budget plan is immoral, and moved on to get out of the sun and fill my growling stomach.  There is always something going on around the Capitol during the weekdays.

C-SPAN

While I was working at the Campaigns and Elections conference a couple of weeks ago I befriended a JC Chamberlain, who is friends with the VP of Digital Media at C-SPAN, Barkley Kern.  Today I went on a personal, behind the scenes tour of C-SPAN's office on North Capitol Drive with Barkley.  I arrived  a little before 9:00 to meet with him.  After walking through some of the offices there we had a general chat introducing ourselves to each other, and a brief synopsis of what he does at C-SPAN.  Then we went on a tour through the rest of the facilities, and watched part of a live broadcast.  For anybody that was wondering, the image of the Capitol that is portrayed behind the broadcasts is real, not some green screen generated image.  C-SPAN's entire budget is around $60 million for the entire year, which I'm sure is drastically less than the other mass media channels.  I also recall Barkley mentioning how the New York Times' claim to, "All the news that's fit to print," is really just, "All the news that fits," as time and resources are limited.  Agreed.  After walking through all of their master control rooms, rooms filled with servers, and the multiple interview areas we headed back to his office to wrap up the meeting before his 10:30 meeting.  I was able to discuss with him some of my future plans, and the story behind the Dozer Scholarships.  I would like everyone in Cambridge to know that everyone I speak to is blown away by what we are able to accomplish for a community of our size, and there are a lot more people that know about our organization than before I came out here.  Keep it up!!  After concluding our meeting, I ventured over to the Capitol to walk around inside for a little bit, I opted to wait to take a tour at a later date, and wandered over to the Supreme Court instead.  There were several tables outside, mainly focused on the inhumane practice of capital punishment.  While inside I was able to read about the history of the construction of the Supreme Court building, I didn't realize that it wasn't constructed until 1935.  I was able to see the actual Courtroom, which is a pretty tightly constructed room, not very much distance between the Justices and the arguing attorneys.  I left to wander about the area just Southeast of the Capitol, and stopped at We, The Pizza restaurant for lunch.  I had the Notorious BBQ slice with an Orange Crush, and sat in the outside dining area with a Library of Congress visible in the distance.  I doubled back to the RAF to attend a lecture from a couple of individuals who have participated on multiple campaign staffs.  One of the individuals works at a company that helps non-profits, we exchanged contact information after the meeting, and I may be working with him on some future projects.  Keenan, Jon, and I went over to an outside basketball court this afternoon and ran it for a couple of hours.  Back at the RAF now to study for my mid-term tomorrow, wish me luck!

Red, Hot, and Blue

Saturday morning Pete and I headed over to Arlington, VA to get our haircuts at Willy's Barber Shop.  The damage from the storm on Friday caused one of the stops on the Red line to be down, and the trip along that section of track was horrid.  We would move forward for three seconds, hit the brakes (drift back because we were heading up hill), move forward, hit the brakes, move forward, hit the brakes.  I even felt a little sick after 10 minutes of such rocky movement.  The newspaper that was located next to me had an apropos title page for the moment.  It was the Washington City Paper, that had an image of a large pig constructed on top of a trailer that was made to argue against the proposed construction of a Metro line into Loudoun County in VA.  Very interesting article; http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/42920/planes-trains-and-conspiracy-theories/.  After finally making it to our stop, we walked over to Willy's that was also without power...but they still remember how to use scissors there!  Pete and I walked out with fresh fades, and headed over to Ray's Hell Burger for round two.  Ray's, of course, didn't have power either.  A family was walking up at the same time we were that said they were from Florida, and that they came all the way there to try Ray's.  I really hope there was more planned in there itinerary, but they did venture in to see the non-operating restaurant.  Pete and I headed back towards the Metro and stopped at the restaurant Red, Hot, and Blue where we were joined by Keenan (I also noticed the family stop in there a few minutes later).  We somehow managed to receive the worst service we have ever come across at a restaurant, featuring a forty-five minute wait before having our order taken, another 25 minutes or so before the food came, an overcharge on Keenan's ticket, an absence of silverware for the majority of our dinning time, and Pete went without his order of potato salad until just before we were going to leave.  Somehow the lady didn't offer us a discount, but she did float an apology our way.  The food was great though, and I have a feeling the service was an exception to the rule.  We stopped at Safeway to pick up some groceries on the way home, never want to do that on an empty stomach!  For a nightcap, Keenan had won a raffle for VIP status at Front Page on Dupont Circle, granting us drink specials and the opportunity to win a $100 bar tab if we had the largest party show up.  We were in second or third place the last time I looked, and considering we didn't get the word out until Friday night it wasn't too bad of a showing.  No word yet on whether we won or not. 

32nd Annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games

Friday brought about an entirely new experience for me.  A group of us rode on a bus to Richmond, VA to volunteer at the Wheelchair Games.  After waiting for the bus that arrived about an hour late Keenan, Pete, Kristin, Laura, and our fellow interns boarded to take the roughly two and a half hour trip.  We arrived at a convention center in the heart of Richmond, and boarded a shuttle to where the field events where taking place.  I volunteered in one of the throwing areas for shot put, discuss, javelin, and club throw.  We would help get the throwers positioned properly, either in their chairs or in some specially designed chairs to aid in motion and distance.  Then we would bring them whichever object they wished to throw, mark the spots, and then measure the distances to be recorded.  It felt great to help the competitors out, and you could tell it was a big deal for them.  I had previously contacted UW-Whitewater's wheelchair basketball coach, Jeremy "Opie" Lade, to see if he knew anybody that may be present at the event from UW-W.  He told me that a Harold Hack, Whitewater alum, would be there.  I did my best to try and track him down, but armed with only a name and none of his events transpiring on that day, it was a bit of a daunting task.  I was able to speak to a Carl that said he knew him, and that he believed Harold's basketball team may have made it to the Final Four.  Well, of course his team did, they have a Warhawk on the squad! I asked Carl to say hello for me when he sees him next, and I hope the message will make it Harold's way.  After helping set up the indoor slalom course, and trying out the basketball court (tough rim), I stopped at Penny Lane's Pub two blocks from the convention site with some new friends to enjoy a pint.  Allagash White was on tap, and copious amounts of British decor lined the walls of the inviting watering hole.  After one round we headed back to hop on the homeward bound bus.  The trip home was an hour longer than the trip there due to a couple of accidents along the highway that bottle-necked traffic for miles.  Pete managed to entertain us as he fought off sleep while listening to music on his headphones to drowned out our laughter.  We decided to just relax at home once we made it back, and a good decision it was as a swift, powerful storm rolled in seemingly unannounced.  The wind began whirling at very high speeds, and the rain poured for a brief time.  Trees were knocked down, power was out all around the area, and the Metro was damaged.  We were safe and sound in the RAF for the evening, but the damage did cause some logistical problems for our activities on Saturday.