District of Col-FUN-bia

Final Post

2007-12-13T06:24:00.000-08:00

This week, this week... Is the last week I will be here in Washington D.C. The holiday season is a relishable time to be wrapping up. I get to attend five, yes FIVE, cinco, cinq, cinque, fünf Christmas parties. Please try to control your jealousy. First off was my boss's cookie party, then a Coca-Cola party, then the big mCapitol party, tonight is the Recording Industry Association of America's party and tomorrow I will round out with the mCapitol office party. Party, party time. Let me just tell you why these parties are sweet, in case you are unblissfully unaware. They are sweet because they provide endless amounts of cute bite-size morsels, all at no charge to Gina Marie Christensen Messamer. I have been eating a lot of mashed potatoes at my apartment lately, and whoooeee does some variety taste splendid.

For the mCapitol party, I worked the coat check. I enjoy that because I also write out name tags, so I get to check out who who shows up. A more enterprising person would probably exchange scads of business cards at these events, but that's not my bag. I'm just there to hang out. Networking stresses me. As the party died down, the other coach check intern exile and I snuck inside to hang out with the real employees. It's fun to talk to the people in my office now that I know everyone better.

I am in a super mood at this instant. Last night I turned in my final paper and gave my final presentation for my Political Psychology class. The Peaceful Solutions class has also drawn to a close. We took a class photo and wise Colman McCarthy said in closing that when he gets discouraged about things sucking in the world, he just looks at the bulletin board where all this class photos are displayed and it encourages him instantly.

My roommate Michelle and me with Colman McCarthy, living legend

Anyway, since everything is finishing up, I'm almost carefree right now. Except for cleaning out my apartment. Barf.

I feel like I should have some deep, introspective comments to share now, looking back on my semester and the copious amounts of knowledge that have wandered into my brain during my stay here. Well ladies and gentlemen, it was very fun. I definitely overuse the word fun, but you know what, biiiiite me!! It was fun! It is also an extremely comprehensive semester. I got two classes that I loved that I learned a ton from and actually enjoyed attending. I became more socially aware. I got to hear a great variety of "How I Made It" stories from successful Washingtonians through The Washington Center programming events. I made new friends, I socialized with my new friends. I gained an understanding of how lobbying works and how a lobbying office works. I learned that I don't want to be a lobbyist. I learned that I love big cities for all the interesting activities they offer at a very low cost.

I would definitely recommend it. For me, it was as close as I will come to a semester "abroad." When you take yourself out of your normal environment, you have to learn and adjust. Experiential learning is the bomb. Not as painful as sitting in lectures all week and taking multiple choice tests.

PEACE OUT!!

gina marie

Week 14

2007-12-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

Washington D.C. is still good. It's a pretty consistently fun place to be. Friday was World AIDS Awareness Day and a few of us from the Peaceful Solutions class met at Dupont Circle to participate in a candlelight vigil.

It was interesting because there is such a large population of people who are infected in D.C., much more so than the rest of the country. I believe the statistic is 1 in 20. It's strange to think there are so many people who have the disease. No one I know has HIV...at least that I'm aware of...so I don't realize how widespread the epidemic is, even here in the U.S.

Saturday my boss invited me to a cookie exchange party at her home. It was a good opportunity to solidify a relationship with her before I leave, and it was also nice to get to see her home and meet her family and friends. I brought my roommate along so I wouldn't be overwhelmed by the pressure to mingle. For about two hours, Michelle (the roommate) and I sat by my boss's fireplace and ate crab cakes other delectable finger foods. MAN we ate A LOT. We would eat as much as we could, then sit and let it settle and then try to squeeze some more in our bellies. After a while we got into some natural mingling, which was entertaining. Some people really like to talk. One of my boss's friends asked us if we were going to lots of holiday parties.... We hadn't even thought about the possibility that we could go to more parties. She told us how there are tons of parties going on, and invited us to her company's party next week. We're pretty pumped about that.

Monday my boss John took me out to eat. I think just because he's nice. But it might have been my "goodbye" lunch. We went to a restaurant that we had been to before. The previous time John had tried to hook me up with one of the waiters. He gave the waiter my business card and told him to call me. When the kid finally called a month later.... mmmm...I didn't call him back. So when we went back to the restaurant, of course John calls the guy over to our table and says, "So she said you called, but she didn't call you back!" Just called the guy out. It was pretty awkward, but really amusing. I just sat there and laughed. The waiter didn't look like he thought it was quite so fun. John teased me for the rest of the meal. He says he must be from the "old school," where consideration is in style. He is silly.

And finally, the big news of the week.... IT SNOWED! I love it! It is getting pretty brisk. But I need to get used to it because in TWO WEEKS I will be getting right back into it in Iowa. My mom booked a ticket to come out here to help me "move out." She basically just wants an excuse to come back to D.C. But heck, I guess more power to her.

Week 13

2007-11-30T08:33:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving in D.C. was just delightful. Of course, who would expect anything less? My family came out to bring me some holiday cheer. When I admitted to my boss that I had neglected to make reservations for Thanksgiving dinner (and had absolutely no plans to cook) he insisted that I allow him to procure us some reservations at the swanky Willard Hotel. Hey, that sounded good to me... Until I realized that a delectable Thanksgiving meal at the Willard will cost you a tidy $95 per plate. But there are some favors that just don't seem right to decline so I kept quiet as John made arrangements. Luckily The Willard Room was booked to capacity and John got us into a less expensive restaurant. For a few minutes there, I was dreading the phone call to my mother to inform her that she should expect to drop $400 on supper. Wooooo!

My family and me enjoying our Thanksgiving feast.

I was pleasantly surprised when my mom decided that the optimal use of our Friday would be shopping. She packed my brother and dad off to the Holocaust Museum and we tore up Filene's Basement. Having never previously been exposed to Filene's Basement, (which is a roided up version of T.J. Maxx or Marshall's) I just cannot get enough of it. I will sincerely miss it when I am gone. All those bargains I will be missing out on... So sad.

The rest of the weekend was devoted to touring... We perused the National Portrait Museum and the Spy Museum on Saturday and made the rounds to all the memorials on Sunday. I like the Portrait Museum a lot, but by the time I was done in the Spy Museum, I was sick of reading small placards with intriguing facts written upon them. It was nice to have visitors in though, because I needed to do some more touring before the semester ends in TWO WEEKS!

Marcus Messamer reveling the majesty of Toni Morrison's portrait.

My brother just doesn't have the stamina for D.C. Not a trooper.

My dear friend Addeliar D. Guy was in town visiting family, and you know I just like to include pictures of everyone I hang out with.

Programming was interesting this week... A panel that talked about campaigning. The new guy who works for the TWC Congressional Leadership program spoke about his experience with campaigns. He has been working in them since he was in Junior High. How depressing. I knew I needed to start earlier!! I totally blame my lack of experience on my parents. I am going to make my kids start networking as soon as they are potty trained.

The roomies and I at programming. Cool huh??

I also went to an TWC event today regarding government jobs. How to get them, how they pay, when to apply, how long it takes to get security clearances, the pros and cons.... Everything one might want to know. Would you like to know the answers to those questions? Well that's just too bad. You should have gone to the information session. I'll give you just one tidbit.... For instance, did you know that all government agencies are required to post available jobs online? Yes, that is a fact! The website is usajobs.gov. I haven't checked it out yet, but I think they post internships on there also. Interesting stuff. Plus the event included a free lunch. Which cannot be beat.

So, like I said... Only TWO WEEKS until we are done and out of here. Crrrrazzzzy. I have a some papers to finish up before I leave, and I want to go to all the neat holiday events going on, and I want to tour a few more places too, and I want to hang out with the people I have met here, and I need to buy Christmas presents, and I want to take a nap. My time management skills will be severely tested in the coming weeks. Oh boy, but I am up to the challege!! Yahoo.

Week 12

2007-11-25T17:15:00.000-08:00

Last week at work I helped set up meetings for a client, Jeff Cole from USC, who represents the Center for the Digital Future. The Center for the Digital Future conducts longitudinal research on American's use of the internet. This type of longitudinal research is extremely valuable in mapping trends and predicting the role that the internet will play in future generations.

Mr. Cole met with various members of the Internet Caucus to brief them on the research the Center has been doing. I was able to accompany my boss and the client on a meeting Friday. I enjoyed the meeting very much because it was an informational briefing, and the client did not need anything. It was nice to go into a office and not have an agenda that you are trying to convince the office to support. The meeting was a very interesting exchange of ideas. I sat in on a meeting with representatives from the House Judiciary Committee. Whereas the other meetings I have attended have been brief and to the point, this meeting lasted longer than an hour. The people from the House Judiciary Committee were knowledgeable on the technology and communications issues Mr. Cole was addressing and they had lots of questions for him. The meeting was more than just a pitch, it was an exchange of ideas between educated parties.

I really enjoyed listening to the discussion of upcoming issues, ranging from Americans' internet usage to the future of television advertising. The issues that Mr. Cole deals with are extremely relevant to the future of marketing, so that interested me from a business perspective. The work Mr. Cole is doing is exceptionally interesting because it allows him to have a very broad and encompassing perspective on an emerging market. He is very much a scholar, but the information he is collecting and the subjects he studies have very lucrative practical applications. Mr. Cole consults with the government at no charge, but many other industries pay dearly for his reports. Mr. Cole travels constantly, sharing information with a wide variety of interest groups. I admired Mr. Cole's extensive knowledge on communications and technology subjects, and also admired how he is able to apply his scholarly research to very practical problems. Sitting in on the meeting made me think about the role of technology in our everyday lives and how amazing the development of technology is. There are many specific technological developments that could be studied at length, but I appreciated the big picture that Mr. Cole presented through his research. It was nice to take a step back and notice how society has changed due to its use of technology.

I'm very thankful that I got to sit in on the meeting because it gave me another perspective on what lobbying can be. Lobbying doesn't always have to be begging for money in earmarks, it can also be advocating important interests and sharing relevant information with governmental officials who could use it to improve their work. It was refreshing.

In other news...

My roommate, Miss Elizabeth Hague, celebrated a birthday. We went to The Melting Pot and had fantastic fondue festivities.

My other roommate, Miss Michelle Anderson, and I attended a get together with other members of her Peaceful Solutions class. They are trying to play an event so they can be actively peaceful, with an added benefit of possibly waiving their final exam for the class. Everyone decided to advocate for the legislation establishing a U.S. Department of Peace.

This picture is unrelated, besides the fact that it took place at the Peace class meeting, after discussion was dying down. Michelle and another TCUer, Ashley Hale, decided to do some cool contortionist moves.

Michelle is a certified pilates instructor and Ashley can walk on her hands...Ya, those are their backgrounds. And here we have movedon to full blown pilates.

As I was driving back from themeeting on the Hill with my boss, we noticed a protest going on. So being the protest-lover that I am, I walked down on my lunch break to check it out. It was a Jena 6 protest that started in front of the Justice Department and went to the Capitol. The marchers were chanting, "No justice.... No peace." I like seeing all this civic engagement. So here are some pictures from the march...

Week 11

2007-11-16T07:21:00.000-08:00

Every week I do some reconnaissance work and take a peep at what the other bloggers are writing for The Washington Center. Just to make sure that I'm not writing anything too mind-blowing, checking to see if I need to dumb down my brilliance in order to conform to an inferior standard. I don't want the other bloggers to resent me, ya know. Unfortunately, reading Miss Christy Fink's blog this week compelled me to develop a strong case of jealousy. She's doing neat stuff! I need to quit sitting around!! In a state of agitation, I rushed to the Monday Express in search of an event with which to increase the interesting-ness of my life.

In the Top Stops section, I struck upon "Adopt-a-Candidate," a set of original plays based on various candidates in the 2008 Presidential race. It seemed the perfect alternative to a night of television. And indeed, I was not disappointed. I watched six entertaining and funny short plays and stuck around afterwards for the audience discussion. I really enjoyed it because, while you hear a lot about the campaigns in the news, it's easy to only gain a superficial understanding. There were some smart people in the audience, so it was great to hear their educated opinions and insights. I'll have to bootleg some of their good thoughts and pretend like I'm on the ball too.

The event at Mr. Milne's house that I mentioned last week was indeed delightful. I felt a little awkward standing around at first, not knowing anyone, but I felt more comfortable as the night went progressed. I had the feeling that nobody was especially keen on chatting it up with the intern... I'm not exactly a high-profile power player. But it was fun to watch everyone else interact, and I eventually did end up conversing with a few people. Plus the food was delish. Although I a bit disappointed when I discovered that Mr. Milne does not in fact have a stuffed bear on display in his home, or a jacuzzi. I think you could get a lot of quality lobbying done in a jacuzzi.

Another interesting detail about this week.... Today I attended an information session that was set up by TWC regarding the The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation associate program. They have internships too (THAT ARE PAID) if anyone applying to TWC is looking for a good opportunity. The program is focused on the non-profit sector and seems like a super way to develop a comprehensive understanding and skill set. D.C. is a marvelous place to find opportunities for real-life jobs. I need to check out more stuff like that while I'm here so perhaps I can get some post-graduation plans lined up.

PICTURES! and other random news....
I went and saw Jay-Z perform last weekend. If you're into that kind of stuff, it was neat. I still haven't written my research paper, I'm irresponsible. Those are the updates of my life.

My roommate Michelle.... she's really stressed.... not. She is just a dork.

All of my precious roommates. We like each other. Thank goodness.

The picturesque walk from my apartment to the metro. Ahhhh fall.

Week 10

2007-11-08T07:23:00.000-08:00

I feel like I am starting to under appreciate D.C. It's midway through the semester, I have a research paper to write, it's getting cold, and I am becoming increasingly disinclined to go walk around town and check out new stuff. I'm getting in the habit of going to work, returning to my apartment and sitting around watching TV... and when the weekend rolls around, I take full advantage of it by remaining holed up in my apartment. Last night I stayed in and watched Die Hard: With a Vengeance. It was pretty sweet.

My friend Lewis Banda came to D.C. last weekend to renew his passport and he stayed with me. I felt like a pretty lame host when we spent both Thursday and Friday on the couch watching YouTube videos. It was a truly cultural experience.

My sweet apartment

Lewis and me on G street during my lunch break

To my credit, I did manage to wander out Saturday night for a Thermals concert at the Black Cat. They weren't anything to write home about, in my humble opinion.

My friend from TCU, Seth, and me at the Thermals concert. You can't really tell there's a concert going on in the background but WHATEVER, you get the drift!

I'm guessing that I will becoming more energized in another week once I realize that it's almost time for me to go back to Iowa. Then I'll probably be in a frenzy to go pack in all the sight-seeing I neglected to do earlier. It will be like drinking from a fire hose.

For work last week, the big project was preparing for an event Mr. Milne is hosting at his home tonight, which I get to attend, being the lucky girl that I am. I'm guessing that his house is going to be pretty impressive, because he's an impressive kind of guy. I'm expecting to see crystal chandeliers and a lion skin floor rug with the head still attached. Perhaps for the next blog I will have some tantalizing pictures of some Senators and me.

I went to a couple more client meetings this week and that was nice. The talk about different bills and what's moving in the House versus the Senate and what legislation is getting tagged on what and what might never make it out of committee and all that jazz gets confusing. There is a lot to keep straight. And it all sounds like a foreign language to me. A foreign language that I do not like. I prefer French.

Week 9

2007-11-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

This week this week... I have less material to work with because I abandoned the District of Columbia in order to return to my homeland. But luckily, the week prior to my Thursday departure was at least stimulating enough to yield a 4 paragraph blog.

Here I am with my brother, Marcus Alan Messamer, and my old friend Mr. Alex Nielsen back in good ol' Oskaloosa, Iowa. I could have taken out the red in my brother's eyes, but I thought it added a little extra evil Halloween glow.

At work this week my principal tasked me with looking up some of her old contacts from Chicago. Unfortunately, she had very few details on the people I was attempting to find. Although misspelled names and incorrect employment background complicate the search, it makes the research a little more fun and detective-like. I had to call a few places to track down some names and that made it more exciting when I actually found them. What a sleuth I am.

The other challenge this week was attempting to schedule meetings with people on the hill, which requires a little more effort than one might expect.

The process goes something like...

Call the congressional office to figure out who deals with the issue you're trying to address...
Write that person an email...
Call the office back when that person doesn't respond to their email...
Leave a message when that person doesn't answer his/her phone...
Try calling back again later...
Feel like a loser for hassling that person so much...
Send a follow-up email....
And so on and so forth.

But then again, that extra effort makes it seem especially rewarding when somebody agrees to schedule an appointment.

I also got to sit in on my first client meeting this week. And I loved it. I'm getting a double degree in political science and marketing, and the client meeting made me realize how much of a marketing feel that lobbying has. Product, price, promotion, place... The 4 P's are all there. I guess lobbying would be seen more specifically as a promotion tactic. It seems that the target market in lobbying would naturally be the government, but that over-simplifies things. Lobbying reaches markets outside government, plus there are so many distinct markets within government. It's nice when you can make connections between things you learn in school with whatever is going on in your life. Makes me feel like I'm getting my money's worth.

Week 8

2007-10-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

I am having a hard time remembering what the heck I did this week. Time went by super quickly, and, if for no other reason, I'm glad I'm writing this blog so that I can preserve some of the details of my life before they slip through the cracks in my brain. To future Washington Center interns, I highly recommend keeping a record of all the exciting affairs in which you will surely take part. For posterity's sake.

I started off my week by speaking with the legislative advisor to whom I report. My purpose for the meeting was to attempt to persuade him to think of me when substantive projects come up. It didn't take much persuading, and he was happy to hook me up with some interesting things going on in my office, almost immediately. The ancient adage, "An internship is what you make of it," is, I hate to admit, true. That saying should not only suggest that hard work is necessary, but should also convey the importance of making your internship into what you want. Although it made me a little uncomfortable to sit down with my supervisor and tell him that I wanted some more stimulating projects, that discomfort was well worth it. I feel like I can communicate more openly with my supervisor now, which is a big plus, and I am also learning more by getting the opportunity to help out on wider variety of tasks. So, the moral to the story is: Tell your boss what's up (in a respectful, appreciative, duteous, obeisant, deferential, nonrude manner, of course)!!!

So yaaaa... This week at work went well. We also got a new (non-TWC) intern this week, and that's fun to have another person my age. Plus the new guy is assigned to work the front desk, which means that I don't have to show up early to open the office. Booya. Since he covers the front, now the three TWC interns in my office (including myself) get to sit together in the back office, which is nice. It feels more team-ish and it's fun to talk throughout the day. These details may seem insignificant, but let me just tell you, they have made my work week much more enjoyable!!

I am beginning to feel as if the semester is running away from me. Working full-time, it is easy for me to forget that I also have a class and TWC assignments to stay on top of. I need to get shaking on a big research paper and boy it sure seems hard to get started. But that is one of the things I like about this semester, there is such a mix of things going on and it keeps me on my toes. There isn't enough time for anything to become banal and routine. Super!

Here I am with one of my best friends, Mr. Billy Blake de Oskaloosa, Iowa. He came to visit me because he thinks I'm cool. I know I'm slacking in the picture category again this week, and I feel terribly guilty. Please don't be mad at me.

Week 7

2007-10-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

I previously mentioned that I was attending my roommate's "Peace Studies: A Solution to Violence" class. Well, as a fake member of that class, I was able to take the day off work last Wednesday to accompany the other students on a field trip. We first listened to Joseph Brown, who was exonerated from Death Row, speak about his experience. At one point he came within thirteen hours of being executed. During his speech, Colman McCarthy (the Peace Studies professor) passed around a collection for Mr. Brown, to help him out with his rent. It is sad that a man who served over a decade of his life for a crime he did not commit is still experiencing hardships. For all the wrongs that have been done to him, Joseph Brown was amazingly positive. I get mad if I get blamed for a mistake at work for which I'm not responsible...I can't imagine trying to be calm in a situation like his.

After he spoke, we stayed to listen to a former drug addict give a motivational speech to a group of homeless men. It is amazing the lives that people can lead. It is hard to understand how people function with the obstacles and addictions they have. It was good to hear the man's story because it is easy for me to see things only from my perspective, forgetting about all the different versions of life that are possible.

We rounded out the day with two more speakers, coauthors of a book on the United States' asylum process. One of the authors is a Georgetown Law professor, and the other is a Jeff, originally from Kenya, who was denied asylum in the United States. The Kenyan man is another excellent example of a version of life that is extremely unlike my own. After leading a protest, Jeff was imprisoned and tortured by his government. Upon his release, he managed to escape the country by coming to the United States on a basketball scholarship. Although he had never played basketball, a junior college was willing to take a chance on him simply because he is around 7 feet tall. His story was very interesting because I previously knew nothing about the amnesty process or the involvement of lawyers in the process.

So, as you can see, I had a very stimulating field trip experience. I wish I could go on a field trip every day. A field trip intern, I would be.

Yesterday my crazy old principal John invited me to accompany him, a few other people from mCapitol and a client to the GOP Presidential Trust Dinner. I liked getting to see John interact with a client. A lot of lobbying is built simply on relationships, and that seems to be what John does best. The dinner was fabulous and I got to hear Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Fred Thompson speak. I wanted to go harass them all to take pictures with me, but I didn't think that would be the cool kid thing to do. But in retrospect, I think it would be worth being the annoying kid if it would have gotten me a picture with the future President.

Sometimes it's better to lay your pride aside and just go all out obnoxious.The event was held in the National Building Museum, where the offices of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial also happen to be. I got to go up and see all the plans for the memorial and it was super cool. The amount of planning that goes into such a large project is staggering. Here is one of the models of the memorial... the original is going to be over 30 feet tall.

We have had two Washington Center speakers this week, first of which was Bill Greener, who is the founder of a communications and political consulting firm. He showed us some political commercials that his firm made, which were entertaining. Political commercials are certainly their own breed. We also woke up early yesterday morning to journey to the Capitol for the privilege of hearing Representative Honda speak. While Bill Greener was animated and boisterous, Representative Honda was much quieter and subdued.

All the speakers seem to reiterate the message that passion, hard work and integrity are the integral components necessary in order to achieve career success, although they all have their unique way of delivering the message. It's good to have that message continually emphasized, but the aspect I enjoy most in listening to the speakers is learning about the different career paths they have taken that have led to their current position. Many people have had extremely varied careers, jumping around a lot before they settled down in one area, or before they even decided to enter politics. So maybe there is hope for my undecided soul yet. Here are a couple pictures of my roommate Michelle and me messing around, just for my own personal entertainment.

Week 6

2007-10-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

Since I have been enjoying my social life so much, I haven't yet written in great detail about my internship. So this week is going to be a catch-up update on some of the projects I have been working on thus far. To help everyone fully understand my intern responsibilities, I will first roughly explain how my office is set up. There are 9 principal lobbyists in the firm and 4 legislative assistants. The legislative assistants work primarily with 2 principals, supporting them and doing whatever they ask. Further down the food chain, there are 3 interns, all from The Washington Center. We have each been assigned to a legislative assistant, so we support their support of the principals.

mCapitol Management is trying to guide their future business development by focusing on a few select areas in which they have an expertise. To this end, the interns here have been tasked with researching the trends in those areas of expertise. This has been a good challenge for me because, through my research, I've gained a solid understanding of a broad topic, which I previously knew nothing about. I started my research by checking out Senate and House committees that are relevant to the business development areas. The committee websites have valuable information on recent legislation and hearings. I have also learned to use various political publications, such as The Hill and Roll Call, which provide good background. It took awhile to wrap my brain around the whole issue, but after some time and a lot of reading, I started to get a feel for the issues that future legislation might address, and the priority of the legislation. We interns have completed the first research stages of the issues, and the next step is to investigate potential clients that could be affected by future legislation. This is a whole new set of research that will require a whole new set of sources.... Good for keeping interns on their toes!! It is interesting to see how a business manages its growth and steers that growth in a specific direction. There certainly is a lot of research that goes into making business decisions.

Anther project I have been working on that involves the whole office is the expansion of mCapitol's National Network. mCapitol wants to develop a large affiliate program with other firms across the U.S. to help when their clients need local representation. I and my fellow interns are facilitating this process by meeting with the principals to discuss expanding the list of potential affiliates. So those are some of my work details! I will try harder to stay on top of my internship updates from now on.

And even though this is my work-focused blog, I will still sneak in a little social news! I don't have very many good pictures from this week, except one from the Common concert that I attended with two of my roommates last Friday. My roommate, Liz, somehow managed to get us in VIP and we stood right in front of the stage. It was FABULOUS!! I was taking a picture of Common during the show when he took my camera and took a picture of my roommates and me in the audience. So here is that picture:

Week 5

2007-10-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

Through one of my principals at work, I got the opportunity to volunteer at the Financial Services Roundtable dinner last Wednesday. My principal told me that she likes to volunteer for events like that because they are a great opportunity to network. I thought it was interesting that someone in her position would still bother volunteering, but after seeing how many Senators and Representatives attended the event, I can understand how it would be well worth her time.

The dinner was at the Ritz, and it must have cost an arm and a leg. Guests helped themselves to an open bar, snacked on lamb and artichoke appetizers, and enjoyed a supper of filet and scallops. Luckily, my roommate and I were also able to ride the gravy train and consume some of the delicacies. We sat at a spare table that was set for 10 people. However, only three other people joined our table, so my roommate took the opportunity to eat an extra three deserts that were left at the table. She's no dummy!

The Ritz event was probably exceptionally extravagent because it was finance-related. Around 400 guests were present, representing the leadership of some of the largest financial institutions in the world. I would guess that 25% of the world's wealth was assembled there. I, personally, did not contribute to this statistic, although the great state of Iowa was represented by John Deere Credit.

Here's Michelle and me earning our supper by handing out nametags to some high rollers. Also pictured is a lovely bouquet of flowers.

It was a good week for me, because not only did I eat for free on Wednesday, I also ate on someone else's dime Thursday. My work hosted a Happy Hour at Tortilla Coast, and I again perfected my nametag-handing-out abilities. I really am a virtuoso of my craft. I am also an authority, a phenom, a pundit, a maven, a ringer and a guru regarding nametag-handing-out. I like all those words. I think you should now have a fuller comprehension of my abilities.

Here I am pretending to be an adult. My other coworkers probably aren't faking it.

Here I am with my principal, John Milne, who is quite the character. He continues to call me the "anti-Iraq protester girl."

In social news, I went to hear Emily King perform at the Black Cat last Friday. I saw her open for John Legend this spring in Dallas, and those tickets set me back about $70. So I was overjoyed to find that tickets were only $20 for the show I attended. Plus, I got to stand right in front of the stage. Booya! Maybe I wasn't paying attention when I was in Texas, but it seems like there is a lot more going on music-wise here, which is just fabulous. Last weekend I also walked around Chinatown and visited the Dupont farmer's market. All in all it was a successful weekend, nothing to wild to report.

Week 4

2007-09-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

This week was my VIP week. Not that every week isn't a VIP week for a person such as myself, but this week was exceptionally VIP. I'm sure this week's blog will inspire admiration and jealousy from readers across the globe.

Another girl from my university, (who must also be a VIP) received four Diamond Club tickets to a Washington Nationals game through her very important boss. She extended the offer to accompany her to some other TCU students and we promptly RSVPed. Before going to the game, we heard rumors of a free buffet. Imagine our joy when we discovered it was not a rumor, but fact! Upon arriving at the game, we spent the first two innings gorging ourselves on hot dogs, salad, cookies and even crab cakes. After sufficiently overindulging, we wandered down from the Diamond Club to locate our front row seats. They were located in an ideal spot, and we enjoyed the personal attention of a ball park vendor who even wiped down the seats before we sat down. Besides the fact that I think baseball is boring, it was a satisfactory night.

Here's VIP Seth, VIP Gina, VIP Lauren & VIP Michelle, all in risk of getting hit in the head by a foul ball!

At work this week, I spent a solid 3 hours hand-delivering invitations to various members of Congress. Now, this is not necessarily a VIP assignment. I am only, as of yet, a VIP in my personal life. But rest assured that I will soon achieve occupational VIP status, as well. Barack Obama spoke in Washington on Tuesday, and as I delivered invitations Wednesday, I wildly fantasized about the possibility of riding in an elevator with him in the Senate office building. He would probably even speak to me! But alas, my dreams were not to be realized and I delivered my invitations uneventfully. Also at work this week, we received a visit from The Washington Center's very own Aaron Dahnke, illustrious Congressional Leadership Advisor. Aaron spoke with my supervisor and me in an "open dialogue." I must be doing alright at work because my supervisor didn't publicly denounce me!

Back in VIP news, the residents of my apartment building received an invitation to attend the White House's celebration in honor of 2006 NCAA Division I winners. And what a lovely coincidence that my best friend just so happens to be a 2006 NCAA Division I winner! My friend Jordan runs track for Arizona State, so I was thrilled not only with the opportunity to get to set foot on the White House lawn, but also to watch my amazing friend be recognized. It was bizarre to see President Bush speak in person, because I guess I forgot that he is a real, regular person.

Me walking all over George W. Bush's lawn

Jordan's teammates (who I got to meet finally!!), Jordan and me riding the Metro. It was their first time and they thought it would be scary and dirty. Maybe in New York, but Washington D.C. has high Metro standards!

Week 3

2007-09-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

It is said that a picture's worth a thousand words.... so here is a 7,000+ word blog.

This weekend my high-spirited roommates and I set out to attend a "ball." One of my roommates had received an invitation through The Washington Center, and, delighted at the opportunity to play dress up, all the members of my apartment RSVPed. We prepped for the evening by trying on potential ensembles and grooming excessively. And although my attempts to curl my hair were later foiled by a list mist, I think, as a whole, our group looked quite captivating as we departed for the ball in our little black dresses. To our dismay, we arrived at the affair only to discover that no one else had taken the dress code nearly as seriously. As in, everyone else was wearing jeans. After a brief tour of the small gathering, we helped ourselves to the buffet of snacks and sashayed our over-dressed selves out the door and back home. Although the party turned out to be a bust, we had a good time looking fancy and riding the metro.

Saddling up the feline outside the National Geographic Building. I highly recommend accumulating some crazy people to accompany you on your escapades in Washington. They will increase your entertainment exponentially.

The next day, two of my roommates and I got up early (noon) to go participate in an act of civil disobedience--a march from the White House to the Capitol protesting the Iraq war. I was looking forward to an afternoon of Molotov cocktails and pepper spray, but alas, the march was largely peaceful. A Republican lobbyist in my office inquire as to my plans for the weekend, and when I mentioned the march he communicated to me his opinion that the march would be a worthless waste of my time. However, I beg to differ. The march was very stimulating. I have no idea whether those types of events have any impact upon the government's actions, but it's nice to feel like you're trying at least.

(Above) A free sign that the roommates and I got at the rally. We are charity case protesters.
(Below) Pictures from the march that I felt like sharing.

To round out my very liberal weekend, I attended the cinematic event "No End in Sight" on Sunday. It was depressing, because it's not just a movie. As I mentioned in the previous blog, I attended my roommate's class "Peaceful Solutions" last week. I read a book by her Professor that I really enjoyed, which was a main motivation for my attendance. The book was the Professor's journal from one school year, and he discussed a lot of the peace topics he was covering in class. The book was published in 2002, but when I sat in on the class last week, I discovered that the curriculum has changed very little since then. It is interesting and sad to me that there are so many developments in wars and aggression, but the syllabus for peace has not evolved much. There is a lot more material for violence.

Week Two

2007-09-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

I love Washington D.C.!

There is so much going on, all you have to do is pick a stop on the metro and you will find a whole new set of attractions to entertain yourself. The free Daily Express is excellent because it lists off all the activities going on around town. There is a plethora of free activities to take part in... If I had extra money to spend I would probably be overwhelmed at the vast number of events I could attend. But since I am limiting myself to free & dirt cheap events, my selection is slightly narrower, although still abundant.

Last Friday night my roommates and I went out and wandered around Dupont Circle, where we ran into a fabulous jazz trombone band playing on the street.

My roommate Michelle and me busting a move to the trombone band

Saturday we visited the Kennedy Center, where there was a circus-type event going on. From there we went to the Washington Mall to watch Trey Songz and En Vogue, as part of the National Black Family Reunion.

Arriving at the Washington Mall to watch the concerts

We rounded out the day by going to a sports bar to watch the TCU/Texas game with the Washington DC TCU Alumni Group. Unfortunately, TCU lost. Death.

Me and my roommates Michelle & Amanda having school (GO FROGS) spirit before we got depressed that TCU fell apart in the second half

Sunday there was a TWC outing to the zoo, in which my roommates and I all participated. So there, now you know everything about my weekend. The point is that there are tons of things to do and i loooove it.

I went to my first class last night, which is titled Political Psychology. I think it is going to be very entertaining. Later this week I think I am also going to attend my roommate Michelle's class, Peaceful Solutions. She told me about it after her first class last week and it sounded intriguing. Their professor is a staunch pacifist and one of the class assignments is to improve yourself somehow and then write a paper about it. One of his suggestions was to become a vegetarian, which I thought about for awhile... I even ordered a dish with tofu for the first time, and it wasn't bad. But meat is just too convenient and I couldn't commit. I think instead I am going to try to stop overusing the word "like," try not to waste, and try to follow through on what I say I'm going to do. I will keep everyone updated on how my self improvement is coming along.

Week One

2007-09-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

I have been in Washington for almost a full week now, and even though I have only had a couple required events to attend, I feel like I haven't had a chance to really sit still. Moving in couldn't have been any simpler. Our apartment came fully stocked-which I hadn't expected-with everything from a new DVD player to sheets on the bed, so relocating to D.C. was easy enough.

My mother was here Wednesday through Sunday to help me get settled, and she kept me busy visiting a lot of attractions. It was nice to see some of the sights and get a feel for the city before starting my internship. And it was also nice to know that I have another 15 weeks to check everything out, so I don't have to worry about seeing it all at once in a tourist crash course.

Here I am at the Capitol with the statue of Samuel Jordan Kirkwood, founder of the prestigious Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

And here I am trying to touch a squirrel by the Lincoln Memorial. I just thought it was a goofy picture.

One of the most interesting experiences touring with my mother came when we took a trip to the Iowa Representative's office. My mother had a complaint that she felt she needed to voice, related to medical treatment at a Veterans Affairs office. As we rode the metro to the Capitol with another TCU guy in the Washington Center (Seth), my mother told him about a few times she'd had success contacting Iowan governmental officials over the years to help her resolve her various problems. Seth said something along the lines of, "A lot of people don't understand how democracy works, but your experiences are a good example of how it is supposed to work if you just get involved." As an embarrassed daughter, I often fail to see the lessons in my mom's outspoken ways, but this struck me as a really nice observation.

So we went to speak to the Iowa Representative, and although he wasn't there to personally speak to my mother, she did leave a detailed message with the man at the front desk. He was very polite and sounded sincere and concerned, which pleased my mother very much. But she should have quit while she was ahead. On our way out of the building, she passed the office of another Representative who happened to have the title of M.D. on the plaque behind his name. Excited by her success in the Iowa office, she decided that this representative would, naturally, also be interested to hear her problem--it was related to medical treatment! Unfortunately, this was not the case. As my mom left the office, she commented to me, "He could have at least pretended to take a note on what I said." You can't win them all.

Here is Karen Kay Christensen Messamer, my mother, active United States' constituent.