April 7th, 2011

Time is really flying by these days as I approach the end of my time here in Washington. Yesterday I gave 3 Capitol tours and the first one got a treat! As I was finishing the tour in Statuary Hall (the former chamber for the House of Representatives) Speaker John Boehner walked through the middle of my tour and smile and said hi to me after I said " Hello Mr. Speaker" This of course before his meeting later in the evening with President Obama trying to fox the shutdown fiasco that has permeated all the time/resources around here. I also saw Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi several times in what is becoming a daily ritual for the two of us to run into each other and exchange greetings. Lately, I have been giving a tour like clockwork at 10 am and see him almost everyday to the point he recognizes me and always says hello. After 3 tours that take about 2 hours each and about 2 miles of walking I was tired but they are well worth it as constituents are always glad to be seeing things and office staff isn't so glad when we do something for them. Oh well, I have less than 20 hours left in the office and will be headed home soon!

March 30th, 2011

Kind of a cool day around the office. I went to take the labels that will go on our wedding announcements to the post office in the Capitol. On the way I noticed a bunch of reporters/cameras setup for a press conference right outside some House office rooms. I came back through and watched a few seconds of Speaker John Boehner giving his "Pass the Damn bill" speech about the Senate budget bill which he wants to see passed soon. Along with him was Majority Leader Eric Cantor and others I did not know. So all the invitations that go out will have been in the presence of power! Anyways, there was quite a stir this afternoon as Martin Sheen came in to personally lobby Senator McCaskill on an issue. I was not at the front desk to see him but heard all about it! Other than that just poking along counting down the days until I return to Missouri. ( I now have 8 days in the office and 25 til home!)

March 21st, 2011

Been a few days since I last posted, man the days are starting to run together here. Ready to come home here in about a month. Since I last posted I picked up my motorcycle from the seller in Virginia. It is a big boy bike, a Yamaha Raider which is a chopper style bike. It is heavy but well-balanced so I don't think it's any heavier than my old bike until I go to stop. I have had more than one idiot that decided to turn with no turn signal and I had to evasive maneuver to avoid a crash! Still a fun bike and it is LOUD! The aftermarket Cobra pipes look and sound beautiful and turn a lot of heads. Going down Constitution Ave (on the North side of the Capitol/National Mall) people can't help but look since I make a lot of noise! I'm sure many of you will see me riding around when I get back. I will be riding it home so that will be an adventure in itself!

At work I have just been doing a lot of the same stuff, answering calls, email, mail and faxes. Along with a few more tours since the weather has turned nice and people are coming to sight see. Many groups are out here on spring break and that means lots of kids running around. A highlight of a tour today I was able to access the Appropriations committee room that usually is look only! I have a backlog of pics that need to go up and I will work on them over the next week. I am in the final countdown now and have only 15 days left in the office! Thanks for you who are still reading this!

March 9th, 2011

I went to the Capitol twice today. Once, I tried to gain access to the joint session of Congress that was welcoming Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. She is the first women to hold her position for Australia and gave a 35 minute speech to the chamber. I was unable to get a special ticket as they are hard to come by but watched the speech on C-Span back on my computer in the office. A second trip got me yelled at for doing bad things. I saw the Foreign Relations room open and since that room is usually locked tight I decided to take a look. Senator Richard Lugar the Ranking member of the Foreign Relations committee. The ranking member means they are the top Senator that is not in the Majority. In the current case, Republicans that are the most tenured on their committees are the ranking members. That simply means of Republicans regain control of the Senate in 2012 the ranking members will become chairman and the current Democratic chairman will become the ranking member until the power shifts again or if the member retires or resigns their committee assignment.
Well, since I had the unique opportunity to snap some pictures I decided to as my camera on my phone takes pretty decent pics. Others in the room were taking them and I was too, but the lady in charge saw me without a Farm Bureau name badge (as that was the group meeting in the room with the Senator) and asked who I was with. This is a little disconcerting to say the least as I have a Senate ID badge that gains me access to all rooms that she and other Senate employees can enter. Alas, she said I needed to leave and make sure that I did NOT post pics of the room on the web as we welcome various Heads of State from around the world in the room. A little harsh since everyone else was able to take pictures and not given the same warning. You can bet I WILL be posting the pictures as soon as they are offloaded to my computer! I am here to get as much information for people back home that may never see this wonderful place! There is no reason that our Capitol cannot be shared with everyone as it is a symbol of Democracy the world over.

March 8th, 2011

My friend and fellow intern Jake Young decided to give me an in-depth tour of the Capitol today. He was a Senate Page in Summer of 2008. The Pages run errands on the Senate floor and there are only 30 of them so it is highly competitive. He was able to show me some things that I saw on the C-Span DVD last semester in Legislative Process class. We toured the Mansfield room, the Senate Reception room, found the old Senate bathtubs as the Senators used to literally do everything at the Capitol back in the day. He also showed me where the Senate Chaplain's office was with a great view of the National Mall. We also went out onto the West front where they temporarily build the stage for Presidential Inauguration every four years. It was a great tour and I was glad to see things I probably would not have found on my own. We also toured down the hallway where Speaker of the House John Boehner has his office. We didn't go in but it was neat to see where it was hidden away! There are numerous stairways that could take years to figure out where you are. One of the coolest rooms was the Howard H. Baker rooms where Minority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell has a fireplace that wafts its smoke out into the rotunda area. I have to remind tourists that I am giving tours to that the Capitol is not in fact on fire like in 1814 when the British burnt the Capitol. Lots of laughs ensue when they discover the reason for the smoke smell. I will post pictures when I upload them from my camera.

February 16th, 2011

Today was one of those feel good days where you get to connect with fellow office members in a social setting. Senator McCaskill hosted the editor of Mark Twain's Autobiography Dr. Robert H. Hirst of the University of California-Berkeley. Dr. Hirst delved into the aspects of looking through tons of materials to nail down what needed to go in. Twain would write a letter and number it to go into his biography then type the same letter again with a different sequence of numbers for inclusion to something else. Figuring out what needed to go where was the hard part. Twain also was a jokster and kept various letters that he received and had written a response but never sent back to the person. It was a great event held in the Capitol room S-115 on the Senate side. A very small and ornate room-as all in the Capitol are. It was good for the approximately 20 or so guests. For snacks there were cheeses from all over the world. I was talking with a staffer from the House side and she said at the House receptions they were lucky to have much of anything. As with most receptions there has to be a state of Missouri product and that was Anheuser Busch products. In addition to beer there was wine and liquor all for free!

March 3rd, 2011

March 3rd
Pretty cool stuff I just witnessed, Senator McCaskill was unhappy with an email she received on the Senate floor and believed she was misinformed of an amendment. She had to use the phone on the Senate floor and call back to the office and the cubicle next to me got the call.  The staffer had to relay the message that she needed to vote Aye to table an amendment by Senator Dianne Feinstien. I heard her conversation end, then she appeared on C-Span and voted right afterward! Lovely how electronics have changed the way Democracy works!

February 17th, 2011

Feb 17th
Attended the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing which hosted Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen. It was in Dirksen G50 which is a huge committee room as they expected lots of guests. The gentlemen detailed out questions ranging from Guantanamo Bay and the F-35 Joint-Strike Fighter program which is set to deliver its first jet to the Navy later this spring and to the Air Force later this fall. It was neat to see two guys who have a direct hand in what my future in the Army will hold. They operated without notes answering the Senators’ questions and were very knowledgeable and had detailed numbers at the ready. Senators from both sides were very forthcoming with comments that uncontrolled military spending is coming to an end. The Secretary detailed how they have already saved over $300 billion over the past two years in budgets going forward by streamlining programs and acquisition processes such as the F-35 program. The Marine Corps’ jets have been pushed back so the first jets can be delivered in the next few months. Trying to bring 3 branches jets to completion at once was holding up the entire process. There was no talk over FY 12 expenditures other than the big programs but I’m sure the staffs will be working out the President’s numbers in the coming weeks.

February 15th, 2011

Feb 15th
An exciting day today. I gave two Capitol Tours where I lead around constituents to see the Capitol and the support buildings. People are generally pleased to see how things work and are excited to see historical things they have read about for years. While touring the Senate gallery around 3pm this afternoon I witnessed my first session of proceedings on the floor. There was a roll call vote on the McCain amendment to the FAA Bill which has been debated for a few weeks now. Several Senators were in attendance including: Sen Harry Reid, Sen John McCain, Sen Mitch McConnell, Sen Claire McCaskill, Sen Tom Harkin, and Sen Al Franken-who later took the President’s chair to preside. The amendment went down 47 to 51 and was not added to the bill.
Earlier in the day I went to a welcome to DC event in the Cannon House Office building for lunch to get the free food and handouts ranging from candy to stress balls that were shaped like the Capitol dome. Jumping off the elevator on the 2nd floor I passed right by Sen Joe Lieberman and other Senators that I have not memorized their faces yet. Reporters were of course swarming them with tape recorders outstretched and questions firing a mile a minute. Lots of neat things and people I have seen today making it one of the most rewarding since I have arrived here in Washington. Giving two Capitol tours was not easy on my feet as I wear dress shoes but I will make it, I am a Soldier after all! Funny thing is, my combat boots are much more comfortable and I would prefer to wear them instead of these shoes!

January 23rd, 2011

Jan 23rd 2011 Pretty lax weekend, went to the Museum of Natural History yesterday and spent about 2.5 hours there. Lots of cool stuff to see, mostly from the earth type of thing. Animals, gems, volcanoes, sea life and the like. Some huge skeleton’s and stuffed animals on display. They did have the Hope diamond in a temporary setting that was really pretty and shiny.  A really good place for the kids but all the Smithsonian’s have been so far. Other than that just relaxing and watching the football games on this weekend enjoying the company of my roommates.

January 20th, 2011

Jan 20th 2011 This week has been settling into more of the same checking emails, faxes, mail and voicemails and listening to callers complaining about the healthcare bill repeal. Went to Uno’s today for lunch with some people from the office since one of the Fellow’s John is leaving us. Pretty good Chicago style pizza at a decent price located in Union Station. I went over to Rep Carnahan’s office yesterday to deliver something and Longworth House Office Building is very nice. It was built in the early 1930’s and is pretty inside. The Architect of the Capitol does a great job of preserving these working buildings to make sure they are still useful and keep their heritage.

January 16th, 2011

Jan 16th 2011 Went to the Smithsonian American History museum which has A LOT of artifacts from American life through the centuries. I arrived late and didn’t finish all the exhibits by 530 so I’ll be back tomorrow. Some of the highlights include: Dorothy’s ruby red slippers from the movie The Wizard of Oz, Inaugural ball gowns worn by first ladies. A lot of George Washington’s personal items were on display as well.

January 15th, 2011

Jan 15th 2011 Went to see the Smithsonian American Indian museum and was disappointed. They did have a lot of stuff showing how the Indians have been wronged over the years and how they survive now but it was centered towards the major tribes and not the smaller ones like the one my Great-Grandfather was a part of the Comanche. It has only been there since 2004 so they don’t have a backlog of stuff yet to make displays for everybody. There was a really good gift shop that had a lot of mass-produced Indian goods for consumption. Jewelry was a big thing in that shop and I would say it was higher quality. Then I went to the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. I’m sure it will be cooler when the weather cooperates but the outside of course had nothing to display. The inside had a lot of room and the building looked neat as it is a cylinder shape. Nonetheless I am not one to stare at art so it was unexciting for me. I saw 4-5 exhibits that caught my eye but I was in and out relatively quick. I then walked back through the National Mall which most of the Smithsonian institution’s face. It was lively with street music, hot dog vendors, runners, tour buses, and lots of people perusing and taking pictures. It wasn’t too crowded but I’m sure that will change with the cherry blossom festival the first week of April.

January 13th, 2011

Jan 13th 2011 Today was pretty educational. My fellow interns and I were introduced to Capitol Tours which we will lead in the coming weeks. Just some overview of how the Capitol came to be about and how we will show visiting constituents around. Thanks to Dr. Euchner last semester when we watched about 5 hours of the CSPAN coverage of the intricacies of the Capitol on DVD. I am already halfway there when starting to study the things I need to know! I also got to go to the Library of Congress Madison building for an intern orientation about the various resources that LOC can provide for us. The Congressional Research Service or CRS provides lawmakers and their staff with unparallel research staff that can find anything about an issue. You have to be specific or you could wind up with wheelbarrows full of information when you are asking. It is nice to have research experts-about 500 in all that are at our disposal. If only I could have tapped this when writing research papers for my undergrad years! The LOC is so big it is in 3 different buildings, the Jefferson, Adams and Madison buildings. I only went in the Madison one but will visit the others in my travels around the Hill I’m sure. The day went fast which always helps and I am looking forward to Friday and no snow unlike at home where you guys are buried in it! I did also get to go onto the floor of the Senate! It’s a surreal experience that I enjoyed! Unfortunately no pictures of course. We went in through the Democratic cloakroom that the Senator’s themselves enter through. There are personal phone booths that are named after the senior senator that occupies the booth. Only Senators can utilize them for private phone calls. I saw quite a few desks as they all have nameplates and we went down to the majority leader and minority leader area in front. We weren’t allowed to sit in any of them but it was still interesting to see what the Senators see. The camera lights are really bright so that’s why they probably blink fast or not into the camera! It was relatively small but a very nice-sized room that would be fun to debate in. The cloakroom was the staging area and very busy when the Senate is in session. Freshman and Sophomore Senators mostly control the Rostrum and preside over the Senate since VP Biden only comes over for important issues. So they kind of fight over the job so they can get so many hours presiding. After 100 hours they get a golden gavel but Claire hasn’t presided enough yet, but she did preside the first day of the 112th Congress on the 5th. In the 80’s when the Republicans were naming all the rooms and other things in the Capitol, the Democrats were afraid they would have nothing to name after themselves. So they started naming the phone booths and Sen. Inouye received stationary that proclaimed him chairman of the phone booths as a joke from the staff. There is a copy of the stationary in his booth named after him.

January 11th, 2011

Jan 11th 2011 Pretty lax day just went through the mail and sorted it into categories to be scanned into an email type system to be processed. Thank god we don’t scan all the sheets there was probably 600+ pages of stuff that had accumulated since Christmas. We took it to the printing and graphics shop and it will be scanned for us. Along with answering emails, phones it was a pretty average day. After work, I went to a reception for all the WISH-Washington Intern Student Housing students in my building and the surrounding areas. It was in the home of some very nice people who started WISH to make sure interns had a good opportunity to live and work on Capitol Hill. It was packed but the food was good! Manicotti and pulled pork sandwiches! Saw a few interns from this past weekend and got out quickly because it was too packed. You do need to remember that I am the old guy and all the “kids” think in a totally different way than I do and it pains me to listen to them for long periods of time. They have too many hopes and dreams and daddy’s wallet that has ALWAYS provided for them. I cannot connect with people who have had this kind of lifestyle. I have worked for everything that I have and I am proud of that fact. The family and friend support network that I have built is for a reason, to help me along the way. I appreciate everyone who plays a part in this process! I hope you are all as proud as I am. I do feel like I have quite a bit on most of these kids because I have lived outside the college bubble. They will learn or make quite a few mistakes trying, just as I have. But it’s still funny to see the way they think and interact with others! Ok, my rant is done for the night, off to bed!