It was a roller coaster week, but we have finally entered the best month of the year, February. From what I know, all great people are born in February, we've got everyone. Boris Yelstin, Fran Tarkenton, Charles Lindbergh (the airplane guy, not his dad the U.S. Representative), Hank Aaron, Normal Rockwell, Ronald Reagan, Babe Ruth, Garth Brooks, Charles Dickens and Laura Ingalls Wilder, and that's just the first seven days. I also have some relatives, my grandpa, me, my late great-grandpa and an uncle. Also my friend from church who gets this blog as a printout.
So first, I would like to wish my Grandpa Lowell a Happy Birthday today! I do not know for sure just how many years he has been around, but those who know him can see that he is still young at heart! Second I would like to say Happy Groundhog day because, as you can probably tell, I do not have too much to write about.
Today was a day much like the end of yesterday. Few people were on the Hill for our second day in a row not in session. It was the quietest I had ever seen the office, and we actually had a period where I didn't receive an email for 2.5 hours.
For the weekend, I am doing homework, and watching the Superbowl with Walt.
2/2/07
2/1/07
Empty Halls
Today was the slowest day by far. At times the halls were empty and no sound was heard for over five minutes, which is really long for any office of Congress. The House was not in session as it was the Democrat's turn for a retreat. I spent the day working on projects and greeting the people coming into our office. At 4:00 Gabe, Garrett (the minority office intern), and I gave ourselves a tour of the Capitol. While this was fun, we were doing it more as re-con, than anything, so if we ever had to give a tour we would be able to know where we are going, and remember some of the important things we learned in our class.
After work I met Emily Zweber at the Dubliner and we had supper with the rest of her colleagues. It was good food, and only a few blocks from my House. Possibly a new favorite place to go when I do not feel like cooking. Another business casual day tomorrow...
After work I met Emily Zweber at the Dubliner and we had supper with the rest of her colleagues. It was good food, and only a few blocks from my House. Possibly a new favorite place to go when I do not feel like cooking. Another business casual day tomorrow...
1/31/07
USDA Certified
Today the rest of the staff and I were rushing around to set up meeting rooms for meetings we had as this was the last day we were in session this week as the Democrats take their retreat Thursday and Friday.
I began again to transcribe Mr. Peterson's Salt Lake City speech, but time goes quickly when you have to listen to an hour-long speech in 15 second increments, twice. The first meeting was one that made a lot of news today: Secretary Johann's recommendations for the 2007 Farm Bill, given right next door. We sat and listened to the Deputy Secretary give a detailed report, and were all handed thick books with every single recommendation they suggested.
Our office was really surprised. Overall the staff and Mr. Chairman ended up hearing more good ideas than they thought would come from the USDA. I got to see what kind of real numbers the Farm Bill works with, around $640 billion dollars. It seems like chump change compared to the national debt, around 8 trillion. I am surprised that agriculture is a whopping 7% of that number, as I thought it would be lower.
The next meeting was the first meeting for the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry subcommittee, just to get to know one another. There were no votes taken, it was more just to introduce themselves to one another, and understand exactly what they will be dealing with.
The day flew because I sat in meetings for 2 hours, and prepared for them for another hour and a half. I got out at 6:00 for the first time this week, and tomorrow is business casual. P.S. My story will be in the Minnesota Daily tomorrow.
I began again to transcribe Mr. Peterson's Salt Lake City speech, but time goes quickly when you have to listen to an hour-long speech in 15 second increments, twice. The first meeting was one that made a lot of news today: Secretary Johann's recommendations for the 2007 Farm Bill, given right next door. We sat and listened to the Deputy Secretary give a detailed report, and were all handed thick books with every single recommendation they suggested.
Our office was really surprised. Overall the staff and Mr. Chairman ended up hearing more good ideas than they thought would come from the USDA. I got to see what kind of real numbers the Farm Bill works with, around $640 billion dollars. It seems like chump change compared to the national debt, around 8 trillion. I am surprised that agriculture is a whopping 7% of that number, as I thought it would be lower.
The next meeting was the first meeting for the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry subcommittee, just to get to know one another. There were no votes taken, it was more just to introduce themselves to one another, and understand exactly what they will be dealing with.
The day flew because I sat in meetings for 2 hours, and prepared for them for another hour and a half. I got out at 6:00 for the first time this week, and tomorrow is business casual. P.S. My story will be in the Minnesota Daily tomorrow.
1/30/07
A Lay of the Land
Today was probably the day most jam-packed with action so far. I woke up at 6:30 to make it to the White House by 8:15. I actually ended up leaving late, and got there at 8:30. Once I was there and Gabe arrived, the man told us we could enter anytime between 8:30 and 11:30. I may have caught a few more hours of sleep if I had known that was the case. Gabe and I entered, with policemen and tourguides watching our every move, for a quiet 45 minute self-guided tour. Compared to the homes of dignitaries in other countries, the White House isn't much. Don't get me wrong, it's a great place to tour and understand the history of what has happened there, but people with asthma are in no danger of getting exhausted from this tour. The tour basically brings you into the main level, up a set of stairs, past a library, two large dining rooms and three smaller living rooms, and out the back. It does take 45 minutes, just because you stop so long to look at all the intricate detail that goes into the paintings, tables, chairs, and statues that furnish the rooms, but if I had to guess I think I could walk it in 7 minutes with no stopping. It's hard to describe what I saw there, as no pictures are allowed, but there are many paintings of Presidents as well as one of Hillary Clinton.
After the tour Gabe and I trekked back through the mall to be only an hour late for work. I again began working on my project from yesterday, but now I had to write descriptions of each section that I had pulled out of the 2002 Farm Bill. I had not gotten far (and realized that fish and shellfish fell under the jurisdiction of the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry subcommittee, thus having to pull out a few more chapters) when 1:30 came around for my Capitol building tour class.
We arrived at the South visitor's entrance and were scooted up to the front of the line, ah, the power of the staff badge. We then were put into a room that can hold 15 people and got an interesting history lesson, along with Public Speaking and How to Not Offend People: 1001. This is of course not the class title, but the feeling I had as the teacher took me back through the past 10 years of my life, the most boring parts at least. She told us what we can and cannot do as staff including our clearance to be able to look at George Washington's tomb, but not being able to bring "normal citizens" with us. I learned a two more things I thought were very interesting:
1. Tours of the rotunda can only be given to a party with a Member of Congress, and he/she must be present on the tour.
2. There are a lot of myths that have been passed down from year to year (such as John Adams putting his head on his desk to hear his opponents talking on the other side of the old House chamber, where there are spots where you can whisper and someone will hear you on the other side of the room) that the Capitol curators and tour guide staff are now trying to debunk. Most of which I had heard at one time and thought they were true.
I finished my project at 6:30 tonight, and decided to sit in the House Gallery (which was the first time I had ever done that) to watch the debate, which wasn't really substantial. But, it was amazing to sit in a room that powerful, with paintings on the walls of some of the greatest human beings of all time, a place of such respect and honor. I just like the look of the place, and I wish I could take a picture, but they have the most sensitive metal detectors in all of the Capitol Hill area in front of the House and Senate Chambers.
I then decided to try to get lost in the Capitol basement to try and find places I had never been, which I did not succeed at, and ended up on my usual path home.
After the tour Gabe and I trekked back through the mall to be only an hour late for work. I again began working on my project from yesterday, but now I had to write descriptions of each section that I had pulled out of the 2002 Farm Bill. I had not gotten far (and realized that fish and shellfish fell under the jurisdiction of the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry subcommittee, thus having to pull out a few more chapters) when 1:30 came around for my Capitol building tour class.
We arrived at the South visitor's entrance and were scooted up to the front of the line, ah, the power of the staff badge. We then were put into a room that can hold 15 people and got an interesting history lesson, along with Public Speaking and How to Not Offend People: 1001. This is of course not the class title, but the feeling I had as the teacher took me back through the past 10 years of my life, the most boring parts at least. She told us what we can and cannot do as staff including our clearance to be able to look at George Washington's tomb, but not being able to bring "normal citizens" with us. I learned a two more things I thought were very interesting:
1. Tours of the rotunda can only be given to a party with a Member of Congress, and he/she must be present on the tour.
2. There are a lot of myths that have been passed down from year to year (such as John Adams putting his head on his desk to hear his opponents talking on the other side of the old House chamber, where there are spots where you can whisper and someone will hear you on the other side of the room) that the Capitol curators and tour guide staff are now trying to debunk. Most of which I had heard at one time and thought they were true.
I finished my project at 6:30 tonight, and decided to sit in the House Gallery (which was the first time I had ever done that) to watch the debate, which wasn't really substantial. But, it was amazing to sit in a room that powerful, with paintings on the walls of some of the greatest human beings of all time, a place of such respect and honor. I just like the look of the place, and I wish I could take a picture, but they have the most sensitive metal detectors in all of the Capitol Hill area in front of the House and Senate Chambers.
I then decided to try to get lost in the Capitol basement to try and find places I had never been, which I did not succeed at, and ended up on my usual path home.
1/29/07
The Javelina
Today I literally spent the whole day on one project, and have little to report. It was a time consuming task, pulling everything from the 2002 Farm Bill that had anything to do with Livestock, Dairy, or Poultry, then putting it in a format that even a Congressman could read! Just kidding, but really, that is all I did, besides at noon, Mr. Peterson had us run and get coffee on the way down to meet him at the House Garage. He said he had a package to carry back up to the office. So we met him at his car, and he gave us the box. "Have you ever heard of a Javelina?" he asked. I hadn't, Gabe had. We carried it up to the office.
After work, I interviewed with Allison from the MN Daily for a while. She said my article should be in next Thursday's paper.
Tomorrow I will not really be working, I get a tour of the White House (you can't really bring anything in, no camera, no cell phone) and a workshop on how to give Capitol tours. So that should be a great day, especially when I get to finish up reading the 2002 Farm Bill too!
After work, I interviewed with Allison from the MN Daily for a while. She said my article should be in next Thursday's paper.
Tomorrow I will not really be working, I get a tour of the White House (you can't really bring anything in, no camera, no cell phone) and a workshop on how to give Capitol tours. So that should be a great day, especially when I get to finish up reading the 2002 Farm Bill too!
1/28/07
Wandering with Walt
Today I went exploring with my second cousin, once removed, Walt, who is almost 50 years wiser than I am. He is an ex-FBI agent , so needless to say, knows a lot about the area. He talked about one major difference in security between then and now. He started working for the service just as the Viet Nam War was beginning. At that time the attitude was that the Capitol was "The People's House". He once pulled up with a man from the UK at 10 pm, and a Capitol Policemen took them on an exclusive tour once he simply introduced himself. Tonight on our walk back to his car, a Policeman in a Blazer watched our every move as Walt took pictures of the East Front of the Capitol. Times have changed, and I got to hear a lot about Walt's life, and we saw a lot of parallels. In 11th grade, I took a week-long trip to Browning, Montana at an Indian Reservation as a mission trip. In his sophomore year of college, he worked on a ranch 30 miles north of Browning, and we could talk about many of the same sights and sounds. He also went to the U, joined a fraternity, and has a law degree, something I have looked at quite extensively. It's all in the family.
Walt and I decided to go to places that I had never been before, most of the lesser toured museums. I was glad we did. Our tour took us first to the mini-Arboretum just off the mall, then to the National Museum of the American Indian. Here I learned a lot, noticed how close the creation stories are of all cultures, and ate some good food. I would recommend this museum (along with the rest of the institution) to everyone. It gives a different look at the colonization of the Americas, the building of the border fence (right through two Indian reservations), and modern day life of Indians mixed with their culture. After an hour and a half tour, I still want to go back. Then we went to the Smithsonian Castle, the original museum, because I asked who Smithson was... and that is quite an interesting story, one that I had never heard. The last two museums were the African Art Gallery, and Sackler Gallery. I never knew these museums existed, because they are underground. So in conclusion, all the Smithsonian Museums are great, but the lesser traveled museums sometimes offer just as much, with less of a crowd. I am cutting this short to get to some homework. Have a great week!
Walt and I decided to go to places that I had never been before, most of the lesser toured museums. I was glad we did. Our tour took us first to the mini-Arboretum just off the mall, then to the National Museum of the American Indian. Here I learned a lot, noticed how close the creation stories are of all cultures, and ate some good food. I would recommend this museum (along with the rest of the institution) to everyone. It gives a different look at the colonization of the Americas, the building of the border fence (right through two Indian reservations), and modern day life of Indians mixed with their culture. After an hour and a half tour, I still want to go back. Then we went to the Smithsonian Castle, the original museum, because I asked who Smithson was... and that is quite an interesting story, one that I had never heard. The last two museums were the African Art Gallery, and Sackler Gallery. I never knew these museums existed, because they are underground. So in conclusion, all the Smithsonian Museums are great, but the lesser traveled museums sometimes offer just as much, with less of a crowd. I am cutting this short to get to some homework. Have a great week!
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