Glad you could come, Dad

I actually asked for a day off from my work in the House. Dad was coming for the weekend, and I wanted to go around with him on Friday to see some sights.

Not only did my boss give me the day, but she took some time herself to give us a tour of the Capitol building, something I knew she'd be able to do better than I could. It didn't matter that it was Dad's first time in the building and not mine; both of us kept getting excited around every corner. We were able to get onto the House floor, in addition to the more regular tour sites, like the rotunda, the old Supreme Court room, the crypt, and so on. It is a truly awesome building.

Here's a shot of Dad in the chairman's seat of a committee hearing room.

We also went to some museums, monuments, and so forth, and then to Mount Vernon the next day. We had great time, but unfortunately Debbie and I both got sore throats, so we ended up being more like lumps than hosts. Sorry dad.

 

I absolutely love Mount Vernon. Washington was already one of my favorite people ever, and seeing his estate was fascinating. Even if you took away the history, the property is gorgeous. And then there are all the historic buildings and artifacts, like one of Washington's carriages, above.

Election day is tomorrow. And Congress is back in session the week after. I have a feeling things are going to get very busy again, and I'm not at all dreading it. In fact, I can't wait. I think the next couple weeks are going to be a great shot in the arm for the country, the economy, my internship, and my career.

Potpourri

The result of a long time between posts:

Getting Ahead of Myself

Just because Congress isn't in session doesn't mean I'm not busy during the day. There are projects here and there, or briefings to attend, and I've been filling plenty of the time in the middle with unapologetic networking; i.e., chains of informational interviews at the end of which I ask if there's anyone else that person thinks I should speak with. That's not to say it's been shallow. I've met some very amusing and very helpful people, and I'm getting a much better view of what a career on the Hill looks like, and where I might jump into this picture.

And then I saw an email from BYU. Oh yeah, I'm still not done there. ...dangit.

For this internship to count for credit, I'm reading a few books, and I'll have to write a paper when it's all done. That's no big deal. But in two days I'm supposed to sign up for my final capstone course. Luckily I already have a capstone project/paper in mind, and am quite excited about accomplishing it, since it involves the student organization I created, Praemon.org. The trick is that only one capstone course is being offered Winter Semester that falls under the Foreign Relations emphasis, and while I like the professor teaching it, he's built his curriculum around topics that are incompatible with my project. (Not that I'd expect him to accommodate me as he plans; just pointing out the issue.)

Thankfully, after a great phone conversation with the head of the IR major, I should still be able to go ahead with my project, and use it as a substitute for the regular capstone course. I just have to work on finding a faculty member willing to be my capstone mentor.

It's so very easy to get lost in the romance of working here--yes, even just as an intern--that I have to remind myself there are more steps to this process. I don't think there's any reason I shouldn't be actively seeking employment here, as I could either start after a couple months back in Utah, or negotiate something with BYU to finish my degree remotely, but I have firmly entered the I-kind-of-just-want-to-be-done phase with my degree.

That's not entirely true. I'm very proud of Praemon, and am excited to accomplish my project, but I'm even more excited to pursue prospects here in D.C.

And I'm realizing why these two efforts have been more exciting than all the work and school I've been doing for the previous couple years: because I am affecting change. I very much value the education I've received at BYU, but Praemon is how I can make the entire experience more tangible and valuable for the students that come after me. Working for Congress would mean being a part of forming the policy that allows this Nation to run. Preparation is good. Action is great.

Before my brilliant father and impressive sister take offense, allow me to make a point. For some people, education itself is the goal. Teachers and intellectuals can affect great change in their sphere by imparting knowledge and wisdom to others, and therefore the pursuit of even greater amounts of knowledge is an inherent part of that goal.

But for me... There's a story that I'm not sure is popular outside of the LDS religion, but it goes something like this: A man is instructed to push on a boulder with all his might, day after day. Finally, after years of diligence, the exhausted man is frustrated that he has not moved the boulder even an inch. The Overseer then reveals to the man the nature of the man's "true" success. He may not have moved the boulder, but by this process of consistently striving, the man himself has become lean and strong. He has been transformed through his efforts.

This story always bothered me. I get the point it's trying to make, but ultimately I feel the parable is incomplete. We are not meant to be strong--or educated, or talented, or prepared--simply for strength's sake. Those traits exist to be used, and used for good. The story deserves an epilogue in which the man returns to the rock, armed with will now, in addition to his strength, and actually moves the rock.

Timing

I happen to be interning in D.C. at an interesting time. It's fall, which means fewer interns overall, so work is divided between fewer people. At the same time, though, Congress has gone into recess for the majority of the time I'm here, mostly so a bunch of them can go try to get re-elected. Understandable, but it does make our work a little less exciting. When Congress is in session, the Hill just has more of a buzz, a faster pace, more urgency, more cameras, and seemingly less time. The work that goes on when the Members are gone is still very important, to be sure, but it's a different environment.

Luckily for us interns, there are still a number of lectures, receptions, and luncheons for us to fill our stomachs at. Actually, since I don't drink alcohol, the refreshments are usually less exciting, but the topics are fascinating. I've listened to panels discuss what U.S. foreign policy should be towards Egypt, what the state of the undersea technology market is, how blinded veterans are receiving treatment and rehabilitation, how Kenyan troops are fighting Al-Shabaab in Somalia, and how "green" technology is related to rare earth metals and might actually be a national security threat... and those were just during lunch time.

Being in recess has one special advantage: normally very busy people are slightly less busy. People that may end up offering other people jobs. A good number of interns are obviously looking to work their way into a job here on the Hill, and you can only go so far emailing resumes in response to job postings, so a good way to meet important people is to ask for an "informational interview." It's a job interview without the job. Luckily, with schedules a little more freed up, I've been able to meet a couple people and ask them about how they got where they are, what it's like to work in their office, and so on.

While everyone knows these interviews are in hopes of a job, what I've really been struck with is how much the staffers are really on your side. They speak openly, and have usually been in your position before. They're helpful and give you opportunities to follow up and keep the connection open. They'll also point you to other offices or people that they think you should get to know.

I had another experience that shed light on the kind of people I'm working with/for. Sorry if I'm a bit vague, but I think it's only appropriate. As I left the office the other day, I heard quick footsteps behind me. A staffer that works in the building tracked me down and stopped me in the stairwell. They said, "I just wanted to apologize. I lied to you earlier. I told you the conversation I had with X was about the election, but that's not true. It was a personal conversation, and I didn't want to betray confidence, so I lied to you about what we were talking about. But that wasn't right. I don't believe in lying, and I want you to know I'm sorry for that."

Wow. In the first place, I can totally understand a white lie about the content of a conversation, if the purpose is to protect the other conversant, so even if I had found out, I probably wouldn't have thought it was a big deal. I'm just an intern. What right do I have to know what a couple of professional staffers are talking about in a closed room? But more importantly, for a staffer to track someone down to clear that up--a lowly intern at that--was an impressing display of integrity.

This is not what most people think of when they think about Capitol Hill. This is not the character generally portrayed to the public. If you think government and political offices are full of ambitious, power-grabbing, self-serving people, think again. Oh, I'm not saying that doesn't exist, but on the whole, I believe government is made up of good, honest people trying to do what they think is right, and I'm glad for this staffer proving me right.

It was a good reminder (especially in an election year) just how good we have it, with our government here in America. People complain A LOT about dirty campaign ads, debate lies, finger pointing, misrepresentation, and nasty politics. But remember your high school history classes? It was a long time in human history before regime changes in a major political power occurred without bloodshed. Venezuela's ongoing elections don't have nice, orderly, moderated, televised debates. They have people shot at polling stations and tanks on the streets. Here in the States, we vote, and then wear a sticker on our lapel the rest of the day. Not long ago, Iraqis voted, and then tried to hide their ink-stained finger the rest of the day, for fear militias would take note and visit them the next day. Our presidential candidates find the most tactful way they can to call out each other's lies. Assad's political opponents are being targeted with mortars and fighter jets.

It's great to be in D.C. and work with such good people.

Down On the Corner, Out in the Streets

Here are a few things Debbie and I have been able to see and do, just on our afternoon/evening walks:

1) Shopping.

...this seems to be the D.C. version of ksl.com

2) Meeting with friends for lunch

...but they always just eat and run.

3) Finding a good place for drinks

...obviously, Michael's not as picky.

4) Taking in the fresh air.

...at varying elevations.

 5) Dropping in on the neighbors.

...but they couldn't see us. Apparently they were busy.

6) Catching a performance.

Normalization

I've had a couple weeks to get used to the flow of things since I started with the Congressional Internship. I'm able to do most of the work for SOSi in the evening, then double check in the morning if there's any major news that needs to be added. Then I send it off, shower and shave, and I've got plenty of time to walk over to the House side and get to work.

It's still a humbling thrill every morning to think that this is my walk to work:

A Congressional internship is pretty exciting. Oh, sure, a lot of time is spent on the typical office stuff you'd think of, like answering phones, running papers back and forth, and so on. But it makes a difference when the phone calls we get are likely to be from foreign embassies. Also, a lot of our time is devoted to research projects and hearings, which makes me appreciate interning for a Committee rather than a personal office.

Since Congress came back in session last week, we also had hearings for the Committee. That meant preparing the room with water bottles and notepads, and for me, learning how to run the timer. Depending on the situation, Members or panelists may have different allotments of time they're allowed to spend on questions or responses, so one of us has to be sitting to the side, starting, stopping, or resetting the timer. By itself, menial. The context, however, made it fascinating... and just a little bit nerve racking.

We interns also got some time to meet and chat with the Chairman, which was fun.

We were invited the other evening to a reception at the Lithuanian embassy. Debbie has gotten to know a few of the other mothers in the ward, one of whom was willing to watch Michael for us, so we went on a date very different than any other we'd been on before! All of the embassy staff was very kind, and the food was great. By chance, we found a seat next to some of the Lithuanian staff, and chatted the evening away about their country, their food, and their experience in the States. It was fascinating. By the way, if you ever get a chance to try traditional Lithuanian wedding cake, it's pretty dang good!

It really is an incredible experience that I'm so glad Debbie and I have taken. Set aside the school credit I get for this, or the possibility of starting a career on the Hill, and it's still amazing to be here, and be part of all this. It's anything but normal.

Paperwork

Creating the news summary for SOSi took a little less time today, and I'm hoping it will continue to shorten, considering I'll have to be at the office for my Congressional internship by 9:00 every morning, starting Tuesday. I think it will work out ok, if I get a start on it the night before. I'm incredibly excited about starting with Congress!

Today I got back around to the DMV, and yes, this time it was stereotypically long, but I guess we've all come to expect that, so it's only as bad as we're anticipating, right?

I was quite ready to go somewhere fun after that, though, so we did. Our first stop was going to be the National Gallery of Art, but we got there just a little after 5:00, which was too late. I looked on my phone, and found out the National Archives were open until 7:00, though, and I never got a chance to see that building my first time visiting D.C., so off we went.

The rotunda in the center of the building houses the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Around each one are a number of related documents that led up to, or were written in response to each of those three. Wow. Talk about lasting words. Say what you want--accurate as some of it may be--about any foibles, shortcomings, or ulterior motives that the founding fathers had. What passion! What forethought! What inspiration! Perfection? No, but to turn a piece of parchment into an artifact that would later be protected and enshrined with such care, by simply applying some careful scratches of a quill dipped in ink... Well, clearly that's not all it took; the minds, the persuasion, the experience, tenacity, and bloodshed behind it. The conviction that the best in God fearing men could produce something grander than the world had seen before. That's what makes these documents speak.

Sorry, no pictures. Photography is not allowed at all in that building.

Now, to another matter. I've given it a lot of thought, and I believe I can say that tonight I ate the best steak I've ever eaten in my life. Just around the corner from us, in that row of foreign restaurants, is the Bistro Cacao, a French place. Buffalo tenderloin with melted Roquefort cheese over the top, asparagus, and potatoes gratin. I ate ever so slowly, and tried not to sink deeper in my chair with each bite. Incredible. Photography was allowed here.

Getting the Ball Rolling

I still haven't actually started my internship yet; I'll join them after Labor Day. However, since the congressional internship is unpaid, one of the things I'm doing on the side is working part-time for a company called SOS International (or SOSi). I got to go in to their Virginia office the other day and meet some of the team, and I officially started working today.

I work remotely (so nice!) and all I really do is create a daily news summary with industry-related articles for the other team members and high-ups to read. It's not incredibly taxing, but has its benefits. First, I'm kind of a news junky anyway, so this is an effective way to stay up on the latest news. Second, it seems like a great group of people, and it might be handy for future career opportunities.

It took quite a bit of my morning to create my first news summary, mostly because of formatting. It's quite the process to take 20-30 news sources and try to put all the content into one document, looking nice. I have a few ideas to streamline the process, though, so hopefully it won't take so much time.

While I was working, Michael came to hang out with me.


As wonderful as it's been to be on pure vacation, there was some satisfaction to being productive again.

Debbie left me working and took Michael to a park with a wading pool. She met up with some other moms from the ward. They walked there, but took the metro back.

But with that out of the way, and Michael's afternoon nap over, it was time to have more fun! Debbie and I walked over to Eastern Market. Apparently it's more crowded and has more vendors on the weekends, but even during the week there are a number of little shops inside the large building with all sorts of meats, sausages, fresh local veg, cheeses, spices, and so on. What a great little place! We're definitely going back for a few things.

As soon as we walked back home, we got in the car to go see Debbie's friend in Maryland. She and her husband have a one and a two year old who were so full of energy, Michael just loved being around them and playing. They graciously let us stay late talking, keeping all the kids up past their bedtimes, but everyone was just having so much fun. We'll have to go see them again. Thanks, guys.

Lastly, when we parked on our street and got out, Debbie stepped into the road a bit to snap a picture before we went up the stairs to our door. This is what coming home in the evening looks like here. (That's the Capitol building all lit up, in the center):

Thank you, grandpa

We took care of a few items of business this morning, including rearranging the bedroom to fit a Pack-n-Play without having to crawl over it to get in bed. I also discovered two things about the DMV here: 1) you're better off walking. It's the only place I've had trouble finding parking so far. 2) Walk or drive, don't go on a Monday. No, the lines aren't stereotypically long. The place is actually rather empty. Completely empty, in fact. In D.C., they're closed on Mondays. Who knew?

I still have a few days before the internship actually starts, so once Michael woke up from his afternoon nap, we all took another walk down to the National Mall. With four months to explore, we went ahead and entered the first place that caught our attention, which happened to be the National Botanic Gardens. Debbie seemed to enjoy it, and we both thought Debbie's mom would have loved it, but for me, the best part was walking back outside and feeling like D.C. wasn't so humid anymore.

The next thing we came to was the Air and Space museum. All the early aviation stuff was fascinating, and I was surprised how many actual Wright brothers' artifacts they had. But the real excitement came when we got to the WWI and WWII sections. First, there were lots of actual planes or cockpits, and the WWI era planes were very interesting. Then, we went to the Sea and Air room. As we walked in, I mentioned how Grandpa Snider flew in a Dauntless off the USS Enterprise, so this is the kind of... no, wait, look up there, suspended from the ceiling. That IS a Douglas SBD-6 Dauntless!

Lance once made a model, and I'd seen plenty of pictures, but seeing this plane in person was a whole new experience. The half-windshield that leaves the gunner's seat exposed, the landing gear that folds to the center, the double barrels on the machine gun. It was bigger than I expected, and brought the few details I know about grandpa's experience very much to life for me. I just couldn't stop staring at it, and leaning in to see all the details I could. It really made me crave more details from grandpa Snider, if only there were more to have.

What must it have been like to be up in that seat?

What a nice Sunday!

I'll be honest, one of the nicest things about this Sunday was church not starting until 1:30. Hooray for sleep.

As I imagined, the ward here seems to be as transient as our ward back in Provo, so at the end of the summer, numbers are low right now, but it was still a great, friendly place. The bishop came right to us after sacrament meeting, and introduced himself, asking (as pretty much everyone did), "Are you just visiting, or are you here for an internship or something?" I guess they don't get many permanent move-ins.

It was raining after we first got here yesterday, and started raining again during church. Debbie and I are both too awe struck to care, though. We just kept pointing out the window at different cool buildings as we drove, and nodding as we let it sink in that this is the drive home.

Debbie made a perfectly house-warming dinner of chicken, potatoes, corn, and homemade rolls. Michael and I were two very happy boys. Then the view out the windows by the dining room table was just too much for Debbie. The rain had stopped, and it wasn't too dark yet, so we just had to go on an evening walk.

Out our door, and a few hundred feet down the road, we were on a path through the courtyard behind the Capitol building. The trees around the Capitol are huge, and were silhouetted against the orange and pink clouds, lit by the city lights. Underneath the trees, we caught glimpses of bats darting around after the fireflies that would light up for a second at a time, here and there beneath the branches. We went all the way around to the front, and saw the Washington monument all lit up across the mall, then back up the other side to our place again.

As ever, Michael's favorite part was when someone walked by with a dog on a leash. Love that kid. And love life here so far.

Our living room

Our new place

We're home.

We've decided not to pre-plan road trips anymore. Our trip to Washington state was a lot more fun because we stopped where we wanted and stayed in the hotels we found along the way. This time, we felt too much like we had to get where we were going, and do nothing else. It was still fun to be together, though.

Once we hit Kentucky, the scenery got much more interesting. Downright beautiful, really. West Virginia and Virginia were just as enjoyable, and we started getting really excited as we got into D.C. We checked in with the housing organization, and headed to our place.

Ever feel like you were in an MC Escher sketch? Not emotionally, I mean physically. Our building slants to the East. Well, ok, just the floors; I think the walls are fine. It's a pretty old building, so there are some things falling apart, and lots of creaks and moans, but mostly... I love it. This is going to be such a fun experience, and our place is already feeling like home, thanks to Debbie's knack for packing just the right things, and caring how things look. It's certainly more spacious than we expected.

Now all we need is a good night's sleep, or three, and we'll be ready to really enjoy ourselves.

More photos to come.

Nice Short Day

We only had to drive about five hours, wich felt so very nice. We spent a little time in the morning going through the historic buildings in Nauvoo, usually getting more of a tour than we were hoping for, but all the senior missionaries seemed so excited to go through their spiel. Michael finally got so exhausted, we just had to get in the car and hit the road.

So we're in eastern Illinois tonight, just resting up in a hotel. So far we've been successfully getting a photo every two seconds from the GoPro on the windshield, and starting to piece it together into a time lapse each night. I just hope the terrain gets more exciting in the next few days.

Mostly, though, we've all been enjoying the time together, despite the hours on the road. It seems like this is the first big chunk of time Debbie and I have spent so much time just being together with Michael. Maybe that's why he's been so good in the car. Not having homework, appointments, and so on, is one of the things I'm most excited for over the next four months. It'll be a lot of time to just be together.

DC Internship

This is actually day two of our trip. We left Tuesday morning, on the 21st, and had a long first day. Provo to Salina, KS. Tonight we're in Nauvoo.

We first found out about the internship about a month ago. I was starting to think I may not be offered any of the Congressional internships for which I had applied, but I got an email from the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and now we're on our way to live in D.C. for a few months. We've rented out our home in Provo, and arranged for housing near Capitol Hill, but even still, this feels more like a road trip than moving. I wonder when it will sink in that we're not just visiting somewhere, then turning around and coming home. Many thanks to Lon and Jeannie; Grandma Jeannie watched Michael during the day so that Debbie and I could work, and Lon helped me with all the heavy lifting. Now all our furniture is in storage--along with 90% of the rest of our belongings--and our car is sitting just outside the (ironically) White House Inn in Nauvoo, IL, practically bulging with everything we thought we'd need for the next four months.

Salina was a very long drive, that first night. We stayed up too late the night before in order to get everything packed and the house clean, since the three girls that are now renting the place would be moving in later the day we left. By 5:30am we were on the road. Absolutely nothing of interest happened during the next 19 hours, and by 11:30pm we were in Salina. Then the fun started. We got to the hotel we had previously booked, got charged a second time for the room, went up what was left of the staircase, opened the door and smelled the room. At this point, I went straight back to the front desk and told the lady to please reverse the charges; we'd be staying somewhere else for the night. I swear this was not just snobbery. I've stayed in some crazy places, but after that long in the car, this was not worth the $55, and I wasn't about to put my wife and child in there for the night.

Five minutes later, a wonderful lady at another hotel kindly upgraded us to a suite, once she heard I was in the military, and for $10 more than what we were going to pay at the first place, we stayed a short but comfortable and restful night in Salina.

Today didn't take as long. We only went about 10 hours, including rest stops. That also included a two hour detour to go see Debbie's brother, Connor, who's serving his mission in KS, only to find a note on the door from another missionary explaining he was in another town for the day. Oh, well. Have fun, Connor!

Nauvoo is beautiful, but since the Pageant isn't going on, it's kind of vacant. Still, you can't help feeling nostalgic about the place, even though you've never been before. I am by no means an LDS historian, nor did I experience some deeply moving spiritual event here, but it feels like visiting a great-great-grandfather's childhood home. "Oh, so this is where it happened." Like you can tell it's important to you in a way you couldn't have appreciated without seeing. Like you want to remember what every corner looks like. And what a beautiful temple, truly situated perfectly, overlooking the Mississippi.