This week everyone at UGA was on Spring Break. We to did get a couple of classes off, but remained hard at work. And spring is still a misnomer, although it is starting to warm up nicely.
As everyone else took their breaks, the tour schedule picked up--I gave a tour each day during the early part of the week. I actually really enjoy these, as it's a chance to make conversation while spouting random knowledge. We also began our NCAA brackets. Mine is pathetic as normal, with my pick to win it all being UNC. We'll see how far that gets me!
On Thursday, I went to dinner at Horace and Dickie's, a fried fish place off of H Street. This small shack was featured on Travel Channel's Man vs. Food, and yes, there's a lot of very good food there, which you can get for very cheap. I certainly recommend a trip there for anyone who likes fried catfish!
Today, I took a trip to the National Zoo and saw lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! The tiger was definitely the best, as we saw it waking up. It then proceeded to play like a house cat with a toy--the toy in this case being an empty keg. Pictures from the zoo should get posted eventually--perhaps when I post the very old ones from Alexandria.
The plan for tomorrow is a trip to Mount Vernon, but considering how fickle our group is, we'll see if that holds up. I hope everyone else continues to have a wonderful end of spring break!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
3 Weeks in One Post
Well, I kind knew this would happen. . . I'd get busy and not post a blog update for 3 weeks or something. And that's exactly what's happened. Anyway, for those of you who really want to talk and find out everything I'm doing, e-mails, and facebook messages get higher priority responses. I'll try to respond to hand-written letters on the same day I receive them.
My parents came to visit on the week of Feb. 21, which was a very welcome occasion. I took them to many of the places I'd already visited, and enjoyed a couple of new places, like Pizzeria Uno inside of Union Station. I also got to check out the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, which for a kid who briefly wanted to be an astronaut is fascinating.
School work took up a great deal of time over the next two weeks with a midterm on the 28th and a paper due on the 7th. Work has been pretty much the same. I've gotten to give some fun tours, and I've stayed busy with the budget debates. I feel like I've become much better informed, as I've been dealing with a great variety of issues from a wide variety of people.
Our program has done a number of really fun things over the past few weeks, including tours of the White House and Pentagon. No pictures will come of these though--photography is prohibited in both of those locations. A wonderful UGA alum also hosted us for lunch at National Geographic, and we got to meet the creator of "crittercam."
I'll have to admit, I haven't done too much more that's incredibly interesting--mainly due to the fact that everyone has become busier with work and classwork. I'll try to do a little bit better keeping everyone informed of what's interesting in DC. Expect either posts to be less frequent, shorter, or both compared to how things started. And again, if you want more detail, feel free to message or write. Hope all of my UGA friends have a great spring break this week!
My parents came to visit on the week of Feb. 21, which was a very welcome occasion. I took them to many of the places I'd already visited, and enjoyed a couple of new places, like Pizzeria Uno inside of Union Station. I also got to check out the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, which for a kid who briefly wanted to be an astronaut is fascinating.
School work took up a great deal of time over the next two weeks with a midterm on the 28th and a paper due on the 7th. Work has been pretty much the same. I've gotten to give some fun tours, and I've stayed busy with the budget debates. I feel like I've become much better informed, as I've been dealing with a great variety of issues from a wide variety of people.
Our program has done a number of really fun things over the past few weeks, including tours of the White House and Pentagon. No pictures will come of these though--photography is prohibited in both of those locations. A wonderful UGA alum also hosted us for lunch at National Geographic, and we got to meet the creator of "crittercam."
I'll have to admit, I haven't done too much more that's incredibly interesting--mainly due to the fact that everyone has become busier with work and classwork. I'll try to do a little bit better keeping everyone informed of what's interesting in DC. Expect either posts to be less frequent, shorter, or both compared to how things started. And again, if you want more detail, feel free to message or write. Hope all of my UGA friends have a great spring break this week!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Presidential Adventures
Happy President's Day weekend to everyone! Here in DC, it's a federal holiday, so no work, but we still have classes. With that said, the extra time off is presenting more opportunities for fun around the city.
Before going any further along that tangent, I must recognize that it's not every day that your boss receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom. So, congrats Congressman Lewis! As many of you have already seen, I've posted pictures with him wearing his medal. There was a very nice reception in his honor that night hosted by the Faith and Politics Institute. I had the opportunity to meet Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer there. We spoke for a minute and he gave me a nice pat on the shoulder before going off to say kind words about his colleague. The food there was also spectacular, I might add. The crab cake sliders were my favorite. There was also a UGA reception on Wednesday, but I found it a little underwhelming, perhaps I was comparing it to the night before!
Friday, we ventured to Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street for dinner. The food is very good (it's been featured on the Travel Channel) and U Street is a very fun place to wander around. It's the jazz center of the city. It's one of those places you just have to go some point in DC.
Saturday, a group of us went to the National Cathedral, which is located about 7 miles from the Capitol. It's the second-largest cathedral in the United States, and has been the home to numerous memorial services and famous sermons over the years. After that, we ate some Lebanese food for lunch. It was good, even though I have no idea what I was actually eating. After that we strolled down Embassy Row and visited the Woodrow Wilson House in DC--the only president to remain in DC after leaving office. I will post those pictures and the ones from Alexandria soon.
And because it was so nice last weekend, I'm going back to Old Town Alexandria with a different group of people today. Happy Sunday!
Before going any further along that tangent, I must recognize that it's not every day that your boss receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom. So, congrats Congressman Lewis! As many of you have already seen, I've posted pictures with him wearing his medal. There was a very nice reception in his honor that night hosted by the Faith and Politics Institute. I had the opportunity to meet Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer there. We spoke for a minute and he gave me a nice pat on the shoulder before going off to say kind words about his colleague. The food there was also spectacular, I might add. The crab cake sliders were my favorite. There was also a UGA reception on Wednesday, but I found it a little underwhelming, perhaps I was comparing it to the night before!
Friday, we ventured to Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street for dinner. The food is very good (it's been featured on the Travel Channel) and U Street is a very fun place to wander around. It's the jazz center of the city. It's one of those places you just have to go some point in DC.
Saturday, a group of us went to the National Cathedral, which is located about 7 miles from the Capitol. It's the second-largest cathedral in the United States, and has been the home to numerous memorial services and famous sermons over the years. After that, we ate some Lebanese food for lunch. It was good, even though I have no idea what I was actually eating. After that we strolled down Embassy Row and visited the Woodrow Wilson House in DC--the only president to remain in DC after leaving office. I will post those pictures and the ones from Alexandria soon.
And because it was so nice last weekend, I'm going back to Old Town Alexandria with a different group of people today. Happy Sunday!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Old Town
This past week of work has been quite busy. After being in the districts last week, the House was back in session, and I was busy again taking phone calls, running around to various offices, and generally trying to be of some miniscule importance. There were lots of meetings the Congressman was in, and he did a couple of interviews as well. For the first time I actually recognized one of the reporters who came into the office: Ms. Emily Heil of Roll Call, who has been an occasional contributor on MSNBC.
In policy circles, Egypt has been the hot topic, and was also the topic of a policy forum in which the WSP students participated. For those who may not know, Hosni Mubarak, an authoritarian ruler but US ally nonetheless, has stepped down from power in the wake of massive protests.
There was a reception on Wednesday night hosted by the Georgia State Society, but I was feeling under the weather, and declined to go, resulting in a relatively quiet week. With little school work to do, the break was much appreciated.
The one fun activity which several of my friends and I did on Saturday was a trip to Old Town Alexandria, VA. The only true analogies I can give are St. Augustine and Savannah's River Street, and I would mostly describe it as a cross between the two--about as large as St. Augustine's historic district, but with an English design more similar to Savannah. I will post a few pictures shortly. We went to a small bakery for lunch, which was quite good, and a good value, and walked along King Street, which is the main thoroughfare. (FYI, it's accessible via the King Street Metro Station located on the Blue and Yellow lines). The street ends near an old torpedo factory, which has been turned into an art center. There are also quite a few restaurants located right along the Potomac. It was a pleasant day trip that I would recommend to others in DC.
In policy circles, Egypt has been the hot topic, and was also the topic of a policy forum in which the WSP students participated. For those who may not know, Hosni Mubarak, an authoritarian ruler but US ally nonetheless, has stepped down from power in the wake of massive protests.
There was a reception on Wednesday night hosted by the Georgia State Society, but I was feeling under the weather, and declined to go, resulting in a relatively quiet week. With little school work to do, the break was much appreciated.
The one fun activity which several of my friends and I did on Saturday was a trip to Old Town Alexandria, VA. The only true analogies I can give are St. Augustine and Savannah's River Street, and I would mostly describe it as a cross between the two--about as large as St. Augustine's historic district, but with an English design more similar to Savannah. I will post a few pictures shortly. We went to a small bakery for lunch, which was quite good, and a good value, and walked along King Street, which is the main thoroughfare. (FYI, it's accessible via the King Street Metro Station located on the Blue and Yellow lines). The street ends near an old torpedo factory, which has been turned into an art center. There are also quite a few restaurants located right along the Potomac. It was a pleasant day trip that I would recommend to others in DC.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Conjunction Junction
Today's fun fact: if you call the Department of Education, the hold music is the soundtrack to Schoolhouse Rock's "Conjunction Junction."
Anyway, I need to explain my week-long hiatus from posting. Part of the reason is a paper that was due tonight. However, the main reason was that my computer broke down during the middle of last week, about the time I would have made the next post. So, I had to spend my time going on adventures to get it fixed. I went to the Apple Store in Georgetown on Thursday and was told that what I thought was a small problem was really the Logics Board (Apple's equivalent of the motherboard). Friday, I went to the only store nearby with the part, and Saturday, I picked it up. They expedited my repair and really saved my paper, which I was afraid I'd have to restart. It's worth noting that by "nearby" I mean Tyson's Corner, VA. It's basically the equivalent of Norcross from Atlanta for my GA readers. Here's a map. I also owe a tremendous amount of thanks to the Metro (or WMATA) their rapid transit system. Walking in Tyson's Corner (an edge city--I recommend the book for more info, I loved it), you feel like you're in suburbia, but I was able to navigate it thanks to the Metro. And upon later exploration, they are actually in the process of running a new rail line right into Tyson's Corner.
The House also goes back into session tomorrow, so more action should be happening. I'm scheduled to go to a briefing and collect representative's signatures for a bill. I fear that I may be coming down with a slight cold, but I'm hoping to stave it off with medicine and vitamins. Hope everyone reading this is doing well, and may you all have a happy Tuesday!
Anyway, I need to explain my week-long hiatus from posting. Part of the reason is a paper that was due tonight. However, the main reason was that my computer broke down during the middle of last week, about the time I would have made the next post. So, I had to spend my time going on adventures to get it fixed. I went to the Apple Store in Georgetown on Thursday and was told that what I thought was a small problem was really the Logics Board (Apple's equivalent of the motherboard). Friday, I went to the only store nearby with the part, and Saturday, I picked it up. They expedited my repair and really saved my paper, which I was afraid I'd have to restart. It's worth noting that by "nearby" I mean Tyson's Corner, VA. It's basically the equivalent of Norcross from Atlanta for my GA readers. Here's a map. I also owe a tremendous amount of thanks to the Metro (or WMATA) their rapid transit system. Walking in Tyson's Corner (an edge city--I recommend the book for more info, I loved it), you feel like you're in suburbia, but I was able to navigate it thanks to the Metro. And upon later exploration, they are actually in the process of running a new rail line right into Tyson's Corner.
The House also goes back into session tomorrow, so more action should be happening. I'm scheduled to go to a briefing and collect representative's signatures for a bill. I fear that I may be coming down with a slight cold, but I'm hoping to stave it off with medicine and vitamins. Hope everyone reading this is doing well, and may you all have a happy Tuesday!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Of Snow Days and Subways
The snowfall did cause a brief delay in Government business on Thursday, but the city seems rather resilient in the face of snow. With that said, the city has had its faults, but managed the snow reasonably well. There is still quite a bit on the ground, and many sidewalks are quite icy still, but with my boots I've been able to maneuver around the city somewhat.
This has also given me the opportunity to ride the Senate Subway instead of walking to work. I prefer the walk, but with icy sidewalks, I've treated myself to the subway, which is kind of cool. Not to mention just the concept of underground tunnels and subways linking office buildings together with the Capitol. It makes you feel important. And it's a lot nicer than venturing out into the cold.
And on the topic of other Subways, that was also my choice for dinner on our night of the snowfall. As I mentioned earlier with the provolone post, different subways have different ingredients. And this one, had spinach! Popeye would be pleased, as was I. There's also nothing like a warm tuna melt on a cold day. It was actually my second one of the week, the first coming from a place called Cosi on last Sunday.
Work has been a little quiet, with the recess beginning, and lasting through next week.
The biggest development from the WSP apartment has been the establishment of a game bank. We're hopeful that we can expand this collection over the years. So far, we've got Apples to Apples and Catch Phrase. Who knows what will be added next?
And so, until next time, Good Night and Good Luck.
This has also given me the opportunity to ride the Senate Subway instead of walking to work. I prefer the walk, but with icy sidewalks, I've treated myself to the subway, which is kind of cool. Not to mention just the concept of underground tunnels and subways linking office buildings together with the Capitol. It makes you feel important. And it's a lot nicer than venturing out into the cold.
And on the topic of other Subways, that was also my choice for dinner on our night of the snowfall. As I mentioned earlier with the provolone post, different subways have different ingredients. And this one, had spinach! Popeye would be pleased, as was I. There's also nothing like a warm tuna melt on a cold day. It was actually my second one of the week, the first coming from a place called Cosi on last Sunday.
Work has been a little quiet, with the recess beginning, and lasting through next week.
The biggest development from the WSP apartment has been the establishment of a game bank. We're hopeful that we can expand this collection over the years. So far, we've got Apples to Apples and Catch Phrase. Who knows what will be added next?
And so, until next time, Good Night and Good Luck.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
State of the . . . I can't think of anything witty to put here. . .
So, it's been a few days since the last post, and there's not been much to say. We watched the State of the Union address as a hall--with bipartisan seating. Although the House has been in session, there haven't been as many contentious votes as last week, when healthcare repeal was the big issue.
Today was a fun day. I got to give my first tour of the Capitol as a staffer. We've also seen our first major snowfall in Washington since I've been here. The current forecast calls for 4-6 inches of snow tonight, so a fun time should be had by all.
The House is now going into a recess, so things will remain on the relatively slow side. . . unless my roommate decides to keep on throwing snowballs down the hallway. . .
Today was a fun day. I got to give my first tour of the Capitol as a staffer. We've also seen our first major snowfall in Washington since I've been here. The current forecast calls for 4-6 inches of snow tonight, so a fun time should be had by all.
The House is now going into a recess, so things will remain on the relatively slow side. . . unless my roommate decides to keep on throwing snowballs down the hallway. . .
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)