It_Matters_To_Me

I am a bit disappointed because I read this stupid article on dating during a recession. I am always disappointed at how shallow and materialistic people are. It is the bain of 'reality' tv as well and it just annoys me. I am sure it doesn't help that the WP is interviewing people in their young 20s, but I also have hope that these few interviewees do not represent the majority. It just depresses me because all I can think is that there are so many other things to invest your energy in than sizing up your date's earnings. While we all want to be comfortable, frankly, I am totally unimpressed by people who live outside their means and utilize material possessions as the barometer of their contribution to our relationship or society. This cuts both ways with those who supposedly eschew materialism but are affected in their interactions with people.

I wasn't going to write this blog post on dating in the material_world so I'll turn away and go on to tell you that I am half an inch closer to employment. My intuition tells me I am on the verge, though nothing is in stone so don't congratulate me just yet!

Finally, was it me or was Bobby Jindal's response to Obama's speech a disaster? Not one of the papers I read today had his response any where near the front page. It could have been his amazing delivery. His voice sounded fake. Or maybe because he invoked memories of Hurricane Katrina as the government's "response" to a disaster, yet said we need to do nothing in the face of this disaster, except cut taxes. Um, am I missing something? I thought the government was criticized for NOT responding fast enough to Katrina...his little anecdote was not powerful enough to make people forget the horrors of Katrina. And the Republicans supporting universal access to affordable health care coverage? Yeah, of course there was the caveat of not government run, but I want to know the Republican plan for providing this insurance. Someone needs a new speech writer. Here's the text. Wow. Tough night.

Baby_Cakes

There is not much of an update on the job front, other than there are a couple positions I am applying to this week. The President's budget comes out on Thursday and I know that will create a flurry of activity here at my internship. His non-State of the Union address tomorrow evening will provide many topics of discussion as well along with Jindal's response. Speaking of Jindal, reading the NYT article on the riff in the ranks of Republican governor's makes me think that this is the prelude to the 2012 Republican primary. The far-right vs. the moderates. 2010 will influence 2012, but watch for the dialogue in the NYT article to get much nastier as the primaries gear-up.

In other news, hearkening back to my time in Macedonia and the Western Balkans, I was pleased to see an editorial in the NYT saying we need to pay attention to Bosnia-Herzegovina. While there is a lot going on domestically, foreign affairs will need some attention as well. Here's hoping for a miracle that Macedonia is accepted into NATO in April. I highly doubt the Greeks will allow such a thing. I am pretty sure Macedonia has troops serving in Afghanistan. They let NATO use their infrastructure during the Kosovo campaign too. They're playing nice, let's let them in.

Whip_It!

I don't have much of an update, other than the Governor of Texas is saying that he is considering not taking part of the Stimulus package. Very interesting. Senator Kay_Bailey_Hutchison is going to run against the current Governor of Texas in the primary and she is a not as socially conservative. Watching the Republicans solidly hang their hats on voting down the Stimulus package is very interesting. I wonder if the Republican gamble will pay off. It could in 2010, but 2012 is when there will be a knock-down, drag out primary. You see, in 2012, we'll still be dealing with this economy (hopefully things will be less dismal, but I doubt we will be out of the woods) and social issues will be divisive. How will the Republicans image themselves? Will the social conservatives edge everyone else out or will the moderates overcome? John McCain of 2000 was very palatable to center leaning Democrats. John McCain of 2008 was not. Are the Republicans ready to come towards the social center and make their tent a little bigger? At this point, signs point toward "no", but that is why 2012 will be so interesting. The person to watch is not Sarah_Palin. It is Eric_Cantor, the Minority Whip in the House. The Whip's job is to ensure that votes are there (as in the case of the Dems passing the Stimulus) or not there, as Rep. Cantor did. Not one Republican broke rank in the House. Do not underestimate this man. My thoughts are not original - you can probably find many editorial pieces touting what a good job Cantor did, regardless of the writer's political affiliation. Oh, and he is not bad looking, to boot.

Fall_At_Your_Feet

It is Tuesday and arguably my least favorite day of the week. However, this Tuesday has been different for me. I have been exceedingly productive, despite being unable to fall asleep last night. I spoke with my Gramma for a while and she seems happy, which relieves me. She's probably my favorite person in the whole world so I am glad she is cheery. We decided we need Dr. House on the case.

In other good news, I'm published for the first time, albeit anonymously. My organization produces a document entitled This_Week_In_Washington and I contributed 2 briefs! If you want to read me two short paragraphs, let me know and I'll forward you a copy of the document. In case you are itching for how the Stimulus Package impacts human services funding, click here and select the Comparison document. I contributed to the SSBG and LIHEAP parts, just so you know (the 3rd column is my doing).

Not much else is that exciting in my life. I haven't applied for any new positions yet, but we'll see what turns up. I am trying to not be nervous about my future income situation and am pretty chill about things. But still, it lingers there in the back of my mind. I have some commitments I would like to keep, like being in my friend's wedding in October, and I will need income soon so I can save up and purchase things like a dress and airfare. I know it will be ok.

Get_Into_the_Groove

Happy President's day! Things are looking both up and sideways for me. Things are going really well at my internship and I am so happy there. While I am glad to have a 3 day weekend, it will be good to be back on Tuesday. I'm still looking for jobs but I am also hopeful that my internship will turn into something paid. We'll see! In the mean time, I sent my resume off to a lobbying firm and applied to be the Clerk for a House Subcommittee.

So, while on one had things are going well, on the other hand, I have some bad news. My Gramma has a lesion/tumor on her brain. They do not know if it is cancer and performing a biopsy would be more risky than it's worth and the treatment would be the same. So they are going to give her radiation, see if the mass reacts, then do chemo. I am so sad. I know my family's lucky because they happened to find the mass when they were looking for something else, it isn't so big it affects brain function, and it hasn't metastasized. But I am still sad.

Cactus

I feel a "doh" moment coming on. I am going to apply to two legislative assistant jobs on Capitol Hill and I need to submit 2 writing samples along with my cover letter and resume. I need to ask Cassie what to write. I really hope I have something already. I didn't read through the whole vacancy notice when I flagged the positions. I think something from my White_House_Fellow application should work, but maybe they aren't look for a memo to the President on changing how we determine the poverty threshold...I have to be careful because I am not applying directly to the Members' offices. I am applying to the general clearing house so this probably means I need an objective on my resume. Job searching can be so frustrating.

The other two jobs I am applying for are a bit different. One is a clerk in a subcommittee and the other is a researcher at the Urban Institute. I really want to stay at my internship, only get paid for it but at this point, I would say the outlook is not good. I know it will all work out, but some times I get impatient with the process.

In other news, Cassie, Tony the chocolate lab and I walked around a nearby lake. It was great and it took a couple hours. I also went to Mass and must say that I like this Catholic church much better. And the priest is Father What A Shame because he is quite handsome. He actually had a good sermon too.

All and all today was pretty productive. I am trying to look more forward instead of behind me, but that is difficult. It is hard to not over identify with experiences from one's past. Sundays bring out that reflective, ruminating part of me and it can be quite annoying. I also discovered that I am a master sudoku player.

Hung Up

My internship is off to a fast start. Thankfully, I really enjoy my projects and the people I work with. I just wish I could get a decent night's sleep so I was more rested. I am so busy and I feel like I am constantly reading something. This has to do with the Stimulus package and all the amendments and how this will affect the States. I really feel like I have a tremendous opportunity here and I have already learned so much. One of my projects is calling the Senators and Representative's offices to confirm or find out who the staff members are that work on the issues we deal with. These poor offices are getting so many calls about the Stimulus. I get busy signals a lot and leave voice mails. The staffers answering the phones have been great.

I am also working on getting info together about each individual state and how the contracting economy influences their budgets and human service programs. Additionally, I am working on updating and getting information for one of our websites. I get to do a lot of writing and researching so it is fun!

My commute is about an hour each way and by the time I get home, I am pretty tired. I was hoping to run on the treadmill more but so far, it looks like the weekends are the only time I have to do this. I am going out with a friend from high school on Friday night. She is an attorney in the area. Saturday, some friends from Penn are coming down and we are all going out to lunch/sightseeing so it should be fun! I know a lot of people in the area and hope that I can connect with them soon. I am still getting my bearings so that will happen in all due time!

Finally, I am freezing today because I decided I needed to wear a skirt. While I look great, the wind has not been kind to me. Fashion hurts, or in this case, stings. My coat is great, but it is not quite long enough. Oh well, I am not outside that much anyways! Take care!

Fake Plastic Trees

Well, so much for me being more faithful in updating my blog. A lot has happened in the past couple weeks and will sincerely try to update at least twice a week, from now on.

Firstly, my grandfather died. So, after finally unpacking my suitcases after living in them for about 5 weeks, I had to repack them and go back to Colorado. I will miss my grandpa and am so glad I was able to be at his funeral with my family. The funeral was on a Friday and afterwords, we, being 30 or so of us, went out to dinner at one of my least favorite restaurants. I got food poisoning and spent the rest of the evening and night vomiting, etc. while trying to keep Gatorade down. I was very scared of becoming severely dehydrated because I have no health insurance. Eventually, I got over the poisoning and by Sunday evening, I was eating normally again. I went to another funeral on Thursday - a woman from my church in Golden died. I am so glad I went to go see her with my Dad when I was in Colorado over the holidays. Her funeral was very comforting. So, 2 funerals and a week and a half later, her I am, back in the DC area.

I have excellent news! I am the new legislative intern at the American_Public_Human_Services_Association. While the position is not paid, I interviewed on Friday, they loved me, and I got the job! I am so happy that I have this opportunity to learn and to meet people, as opposed to being at home, frantically worrying about work. I am still looking for a full-time, paid position, but at least I am gaining valuable experience doing the internship. There is a chance that this could become a paid gig so we'll see what happens.

Finally, I applied to be a White_House_Fellow and am anxious about it. I don't really think I have a shot at all, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? I will find out if I am a finalist in March or April. There will be over a thousand applicants for 12 - 19 positions. But someone has to be a finalist...maybe that some one is me!

I must get ready for church. We are going to Catholic mass and I hope it goes better than the last time I was at mass. Last time, my heart started racing and I realized it was because I am not a fan of the patriarchal system, aka it is only men and boys who have leadership positions, at least during the service. I also do not subscribe to the church's official stand on reproductive health. Nevertheless, I like the liturgy, music and am interested in hearing the sermon. Maybe I will have a different experience at this church.