Going to Court

Don't worry... the title is a little misleading.
Today was a day full of beautiful weather, it's currently 67 degrees with a slight breeze. I know this because I am writing from the back patio of my house, and it's absolutely perfect weather for shorts and a t-shirt. It reminds me of the end of almost every day I spent in Brazil (which was a little more than a week during this time last year). Unfortunately, I do not have the moon slightly peaking through the trees, but the alley light. You win some and you lose some.

So, while it would have been a good day to go out for a walk or hold a hearing on the National Mall, we were all inside. I am kidding, and I know we needed to stay inside, but you can always dream. Actually, if we had gone out, we would have had the inconvenience of waiting in a line to get in that stretched around the block. Of course that is because people think they can just take Spring Break and go on vacation here, making the halls and elevators a little more busy. What they don't know, is for the 3 main doors (1 at each building) everyone was trying to get in with 30 minute waits, there is at least 1 additional door at each building that no one really knows about, with no line at all. So if you're ever in line, give me a call and I can easily direct you to a faster entrance. Someday I think I am going to put together a list of do's and do not's when coming to Washington, D.C., so the test won't be until after that time.

Enough about the outdoors, inside we were busy with our Subcommittee on Department Oversight, Operations, Nutrition and Forestry subcommittee hearing. I was put at the front desk with minimal door duty, but there were many people who just never got in. By the looks of it, our large committee room should be finished near the end of the month, and fix a lot of our current headaches. I'm not sure what the conclusions of the hearing were, or really who testified (although you can read full testimony online as soon as they put it up), but as usual the USDA witnesses came in with an entourage of people, at the same time everyone else wanted to be in. Then for the second panel of witnesses, many of the people listening to the first panel leave, and no one wanted to get in anymore. If you needed to get in without waiting, you probably could have paid someone to save your spot, as there were three or four line-holders already at the door when I got to work at 9.

The rest of the day went pretty well, I entered some quotes (a job I had previously started that needs to be done every once in a while) and can proudly say we are up to over 900 quotes cataloged in our database since January 1st from the Chairman and Secretary Johanns, among other leaders in House and Senate, about anything agriculture-related.

A few of us went to a nice reception tonight, and while we were happy for the great food and refreshments, we got there right when they were starting the speeches. This turned our dine-and-dash into a support-and-stomach, as it was a smaller room and not easy to sneak out being one of the tallest people there.

I'm still outside, and will be until my battery gets low. I also found out that the Supreme Court has wireless internet on its steps, so I might wander up the street and research in front of the highest court in the land... speaking of, I just found out there is a full-size basketball court on the 3rd level of the Supreme Court (literally the highest court in the land since its on Capitol Hill), and my goal is to take (and make) a few shots before I leave.