If you think March Madness does not seep into the nation's Federal Office Buildings, you're wrong. While I of course do not know of any office pools that exist, much less would I ever be part of one as they are of course unethical, I could probably talk to someone who could talk to a "guy" who may be able to send you in the right direction. Basically, I have the scores on auto-refresh going on in the background, and peeked in the minority office at the TV as often as I could. If I were in an office pool, I'd be doing okay. Actually, on the bracket I filled out on facebook.com, I only have two wrong so far (Stanford, yeah, that was stupid of me (but so were 10 other picks I got right); and Creighton, Nevada got lucky in over time).
In the office today I attended a meeting set up by the National Pork Producers Council, which featured representatives from the whole supply chain. The panel included producers, Tyson foods, Walmart, a lobbying firm for grocery stores, a university professor and some of the board members of the NPPC. They talked about how Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL, and Voluntary COOL is VCOOL) would affect retailers, and explained that the fish industry has showed us that there is no added value for the consumers, and an average of $9,000 cost per store to implement MCOOL (with virtually no return). It was a really interesting debate, especially because the Chairman is one of the few Representatives on the Agriculture Committee to come out and support MCOOL (although he has voted for only VCOOL in the past).
Then Gabe and I went out to lunch to talk about our progress in the internship with our intern Coordinator, and to talk about how he got to where he is, and his advice for upcoming college graduates. It was really interesting information, and amazing how much the pay scale (and time dedicated to the job) jumps in just a 10 year span from a ridiculous $22,000 to close to $100,000. Once at that $100,000 level, jobs in the public sector (in the D.C. area) pay two or three times that because all those contacts you have made in your years on the hill stay the same as all your contacts take similar jobs with different firms. It's no wonder this is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country.
It's raining and 35 degrees with a chance of snow. Not sure what I'm up to for this weekend, but you can bet it will involve many hours in front of a television watching basketball. Today also marks the halfway point in my internship, I couldn't imagine being here for only 3 months in the summer, I feel like I have so much more to see and do.
3/16/07
A Little Late
Yesterday was Ag. Day, and I had the opportunity to attend an event sponsered by FFA, ADM and John Deere on behalf of Agriculture Future of America(AFA). SkillsUSA partcipants also attended. The event was basically a be proud of ourselves and keep promoting agriculture event, similar to most motivational speeches by FFA Presidents at any State Convention (no offense, it is just that they are all very alike). That was at 3 pm, and I got in on a picture with Secretary Johanns along with AFA, and got back to work by 4:30. Later in the evening I headed out to supper with DC-area AFA members, Advisory Team Members and Employees at Chadwicks. Unfortunately, I went to the wrong Chadwicks. It ends up that there are actually 3 Chadwicks in the D.C. area, and two right on Wisconsin Avenue. I went to the one at Friendship Heights (thinking oh great, right across from the Metro station), but I was 3 miles away from my final Georgetown destination. So I stood in the rain waiting for a cab, and when it pulled up, there was a passenger in the back. Long story short, my 3 mile and 15 minute cab ride turned into a long ways and a lot of time. I ended up being an hour late, felt horrible, but everyone seemed to be okay with it. Originally they thought I was at the Chadwicks in Old Town Alexandria, which is a lot farther than 3 miles.
Other than that the day went smoothly. Between attending a couple of meetings and keeping an I on the basketball scores, today should be just fine.
Other than that the day went smoothly. Between attending a couple of meetings and keeping an I on the basketball scores, today should be just fine.
3/14/07
Manual Labor
I'm going to go ahead and up the ante from yesterday, a gorgeous 74 degrees at 9:51 pm. Unfortunately I was stuck inside even longer, but patience is a virtue, good things come to those who wait, and everything that goes along with it. I left the building after 8 pm, because tomorrow is the last day the contractors will be working on our main Committee room, 1300. So tonight we setup just over 50 of the 70 total 15 inch monitors the room can use during briefings, hearings, and anything else someone might use it for to show documents electronically. It is also outfitted with state of the art microphones, timers and speakers at every seat (currently we have 3 timers total, which are all about 2 inches tall, and a few dozen feet away from the Members). The paint is dry, the carpet is down, and the 70" TV is installed on the way.
I also finished sound-proofing the door I was working on a few weeks ago, and got our quotes up to date. Other than that, the excitement was when a staffer brought us food at 7:30 from a reception she attended because she felt bad for us unpacking, disassembling and reassembling 50+ (We had to take off the regular TV-type stands, and mount on tabletop brackets to sit on their desks). I'm going to try to head to bed, so I'll end this here. Tomorrow I will celebrate National Ag. Day/Week with Agriculture Future of America at USDA, and have dinner with some of them in the evening. Adios.
I also finished sound-proofing the door I was working on a few weeks ago, and got our quotes up to date. Other than that, the excitement was when a staffer brought us food at 7:30 from a reception she attended because she felt bad for us unpacking, disassembling and reassembling 50+ (We had to take off the regular TV-type stands, and mount on tabletop brackets to sit on their desks). I'm going to try to head to bed, so I'll end this here. Tomorrow I will celebrate National Ag. Day/Week with Agriculture Future of America at USDA, and have dinner with some of them in the evening. Adios.
3/13/07
2nd Amendments
I'm doing some research for a paper I am writing comparing our legislators, so I decided to do a little research on the 2nd Amendments (a bipartisan band the Chairman plays in), so of course I turned to YouTube for its superior research materials, not bad for a bunch of politicians...
National Biodiesel Conference - 2007, Brown Sugar
National Ethanol Conference - 2007, he sings in this one, I do not have enough wisdom to know what song this is
National Biodiesel Conference - 2007, Brown Sugar
National Ethanol Conference - 2007, he sings in this one, I do not have enough wisdom to know what song this is
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.
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.
3/12/07
Major Changes
Today was more of the same. Although I sound like I am bored and things are getting more and more stoic each day, I think its just part of the process with most internships, or starting any new job for that matter. I've gone over that initial hump of excitement, and the great things I experienced in the beginning are still happening, but I've begun to take them for granted. So, I tried to spice things up a little bit this week, by making some events to look forward to. I started planning a trip home some time around Easter, am thinking hard about changing my major (not just because nothing is going on at work), and set up lunch with my intern coordinator at the end of the week.
Because of the lull during our break periods (when we are not in session) my little vacation home looks like it's good to go. I am going to spend a little more money this time for a direct flight, because after last time, it's worth it.
My major change is also probably going to happen. I just look forward to animal science classes and briefings out here, more so than other parts of agriculture.
When I talked to our intern coordinator, he was up for lunch with the two interns, and then offered something even better. While we will still be having lunch, but he wanted to set up some meetings with NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) to talk to them about what they do, and how the people got to where they are, and what they want for the future (if you are part of one, and interested, shoot me an email). This will probably be one of the biggest reasons on whether or not we return to Washington, D.C. in my opinion, and I am really happy he is willing to try to set this up.
Late this afternoon, we set up for our Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry Subcommittee hearing which will be held tomorrow about Food Stamps. The nice thing about this subcommittee is that there will be enough room for all the members to comfortably sit in front of the room (there are only 11). I do not yet know whether people will be lining up early or not, but hopefully I don't have to explain the concepts of fire code or blocked viewing or I am an intern and would let you in if I could.
Because of the lull during our break periods (when we are not in session) my little vacation home looks like it's good to go. I am going to spend a little more money this time for a direct flight, because after last time, it's worth it.
My major change is also probably going to happen. I just look forward to animal science classes and briefings out here, more so than other parts of agriculture.
When I talked to our intern coordinator, he was up for lunch with the two interns, and then offered something even better. While we will still be having lunch, but he wanted to set up some meetings with NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) to talk to them about what they do, and how the people got to where they are, and what they want for the future (if you are part of one, and interested, shoot me an email). This will probably be one of the biggest reasons on whether or not we return to Washington, D.C. in my opinion, and I am really happy he is willing to try to set this up.
Late this afternoon, we set up for our Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry Subcommittee hearing which will be held tomorrow about Food Stamps. The nice thing about this subcommittee is that there will be enough room for all the members to comfortably sit in front of the room (there are only 11). I do not yet know whether people will be lining up early or not, but hopefully I don't have to explain the concepts of fire code or blocked viewing or I am an intern and would let you in if I could.
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