Please send...crutches, wheelchair, or hoverround

Orlando and I have come up with this brilliant idea to have game night with the interns every Monday night. It has been a success amongst our fellow colleagues. The first couple nights we played catchphrase. An indoor game that requires no activity, and is quite calm. Well, since then our bright ideas have progressively involved games in which we are walking away injured.

Capture the Flag
By far it is probably one of the best childhood games ever! The strategy mixed with the physical ability to win is a perfect concoction for fun. About 25 other interns from our workplace were just as enthusiastic to play the game last Monday. We split the teams into Stars and Stripes. Orlando and I (the dynamic duo) were on the winning Stars team. Orlando, the General, was the mastermind behind our strategy. Our team hid behind bushes and trees, leaving the other team bewildered and confused. One by one they were captured. As the sun began to set, I took advantage of the dusk to sneak from tree to tree to rescue my fellow teammates from jail. I, nicknamed The Sniper, finally was close enough to free my people and make a mad dash to find the flag. We WON! Or did we? We might have won the game, but that week we suffered for days with sore muscles. Before we knew it Monday rolled around again. So what is the only sport that can truly top CTF?

Soccer
Upper Senate Park was the location for a fabulous game of amateur soccer. Once again we had enough interns to play 11v.11, a perfect number for a game of soccer. For some reason I always forget playing with inexperienced players can be dangerous. Orlando and I were knocked around...and of course we knocked a few folks around too. I could feel my shins throbbing from being kicked and cleated. However, a "true" soccer player never quits because of an injury. That would be insane to do. About 30 minutes into the game I saw Orlando limping around. His hammie was shot! But like a "true" soccer player he didn't quit. As for me, the final blow that really took me down was a kick in the shin by a 6'2" mammoth of a man. I hit the ground, debated if I wanted to get up, and then decided I was a "true" soccer play. Orlando saw me fall down and instinctively eyed the person who took me down. Nothing I could say was going to stop him. Before I knew it his opportunity came to challenge the mammoth man for a ball. Orlando, with a pulled hamstring, tackled the mammoth in such a way that he use his entire body weight to flip the guy over his back. It was CRAZY! Everyone was shocked. Of course, Orlando made sure the dude was okay. But he's a mammoth nothing could harm him. After Orlando sought justice upon my behalf we realized we were done. Our injuries were to painful to keep playing.

Upon arriving back at the apartment, Orlando was immobile and I had massive bruises from my ankle up to my thigh. One is a bruise of a soccer ball...stitches, hexagon shapes, the works.

After icing our injuries last night, we are still struggling to make it around. As two gimps, we looked silly walking around in the professional environment of a think tank. So as it says in the title...if you wouldn't mind sending any crutches, wheelchairs, or hoverrounds to us...we would be greatly appreciative. Especially, if game night continues...the injuries might too.

OD in DC Part 2: We're Back!!!

Finally...the first blog. The internet in the intern housing building has been in disarray since we arrived. All the local wi-fi spots are closed by 9pm, so there has been a very small window of opportunity to get work done. As for me I've used that opening for homework, although the blog has been a potential thought of a way to procrastinate.

Orlando and I made a pit stop in NC to visit my wonderful family for a few days. This may sound very biased, but Ireally have the best family ever. Going between Uncle Dan and Aunt Dori's houseto Uncle Barry's home was so pleasant and each host so hospitable. Our afterdinner conversations are always interesting. The best story was from a certain uncle(he likes to think he is my favorite, but all three are my favorite) who told mehow he used to eavesdrop on my mom's conversations when she was a teenager. It was brilliant and quite mischievous, yet I believe I would have been his partner in crime if I was there. Here are a few pics from our trip to the great state of North Carolina...

Go Mason!

Score!

Moffitts are very sweet...

but very silly!

I am now an official intern and absolutely loving it. The organization is the best in DC and it treats the interns very well. During our orientation the intern coordinator made it very clear the organization plans everything around meals. Meaning all meetings and lectures will be during meal times. Can't complain about that! My supervisor said the joke in DC is we disquise ourselves as a think-tank, but we really are a catering service. Needless to say I've been well fed.

These past couple days have been quite interesting. My arrogance got me caught in a hail storm and out $20 worth of food. I know, I know...not very smart. Union Station is a couple of blocks from my apt and I went over there to get some food. My great idea was to buy a whole pizza to have leftovers for a couple of days. Well, by the time I was walking out of the station with my large pizza pie in hand it started to rain. It wasn't just a small rain shower. It was pouring! Folks were hiding behind the columns to block the wind and rain. (This is where my idiocy kicked in) I thought to myself "These wimps! I'm from Florida, hurricane country...this is nothing. Let me show them how it's done." Well, I proceeded to role my jeans up (I hate when the bottom of my jeans get wet) and pulled out my umbrella. I began to cross the street. Umm yea...when I got half way through the street I realized why they say DC has a terrible drainage system. The water was up to my calf (So much for keeping my jeans dry). Still with my pride intact I proceeded onward. After about a block, I realized the rain drops were feeling a lot harder. Well, it was hail about the size of pennies. But nothing could stop me now. I was just praying the hail didn't get any larger and knock me unconcious and kill me (I know, that thought was very morbid). After crossing through a couple of more flooded streets, pelted by hail along the way, I made it to the lobby of my building. To say I was drenched would be to mild of a word. To say the pizza was drenched would also be to conservative of a word. (Shoutout to Orlando. He was a sweetheart when he ran to a pizza parlor and bought me some pizza.)One thing is for sure any stubborness and pride I had got washed away in the rain. I don't think I will be charging into any more hailstorms with my Florida flag of pride raised high in the air.

I really look forward to blogging this summer about all the things I learn and
experience. My hope is you will enjoy hearing about Orlando and my adventures. Feel free to leave comments. We love when you do.

Until next time...

Yuumm...Tortilla Coast...Ouch! way to expensive for interns!

I found a little bit of heaven in DC.

Hello Everyone!

Danielle and I are starting the OD in DC blog again! But before I begin, I want to thank everyone for reading, writing, and providing feedback for last year's blog. What's more though, is that a year ago we were writing on this blog. It feels like yesterday when I first came to DC. I was shocked at how big the Capital was, how beautiful and majestic the WWII memorial was, and how lucky I was to have Danielle with me to experience it all. Now, we do it again. For those who did not read last year here is the synopsis of what we do here. In this blog we are going to keep up with the things we experience, the lives we change, and the world we shape. (More of the latter will occur, just kidding!) In fact this first blog will document Danielle and I's magical mystery trip Washington DC.

Tired, cranky, and did I mention tired we started on the road at 6:30 in the morning. Our trip up to the seat of the America's crony capitalistic system is a 2-day trip; it consisted of a brief stop in Brunswick, to stop at a friend's business, and a two nighter at the North Carolina Moffitt's houses. After dragging ourselves out of the bed into the car we began the first 7 hour leg of the journey. The ride between Jacksonville to Brunswick was quick, and before we knew it we were there. My best friend, whose name is Mike Werner, works for CUTCO. He is amazing at it and sells an amazing product, Cutco cutlery. (That was a shameless plug.) This summer he owns his own branch in Brunswick and he is doing a phenomenal job. Between hiring and filtering employees, filling out the required tax work (and more will be coming with the increased taxes on business,) and keeping up with the price points, Mike is well on his way to being the next Bill Gates, Mark Cuban, Michael Bloomberg, or Steve Jobs. I just hope he remembers this plug and gives me a couple thousand dollars when he makes it big. Below are some pictures of him. I just want him to know that my family and I are very proud of him and wish success!

After meeting up with the BM (Branch Manager or…) we got back on the road. We got out of Georgia and were cruising through SC when suddenly we, going 75 miles an hour, got a flat. Thankfully Dan the Nascar fan skillfully got us over three lanes of traffic and safely on the shoulder. When I jumped out to change the tire, and after Dan prayed, a South Carolina Transportation Officer came up; he changed our tire to the spare and pointed us in the direction to get a new tire. It was truly a blessing! Don’t get me wrong I “know” how to change a tire, but I wouldn’t want to ride on that tire afterward. A couple hours later, after Danielle was adequately ogled by a bunch of Mexican car workers, we made it to the most hospitable family ever, the Moffitts!

23 hr road service???

There is truly no way to sufficiently express the overall warm disposition of the (North Carolina) Moffitt family. They are truly a welcoming and godly family, who opened their doors and hearts to me, for a second time. Nevertheless, I want to again thank the family for giving me the mass and the vacation needed to start the arduous internship that I will soon begin.

After 2 days in North Carolina going to tee-ball games, making chants for Mason, playing tennis, watching tennis, getting beat by TJ at soccer, watching cricket break the porch, eating pancakes at IHOP, sliding down slides, and having a great time, we leave for the new operational headquarters of GM.

-Orlando

PS: Dad, Mom, Sandra, and Veronica...I miss my family so much! I will pray for all of you!

Despite Recess the Hill is Energized about Energy!

It is the time of year that most Hill inhabitants despise. At the beginning of August the Senate and House go into recess for five long weeks. If you happen to be one of the staffers stuck on the hill for the duration then life pretty much slows down to a pace that makes each hour seem like three. The Hill is like a ghost town, there is no hearings to go, no laws to pass, no senators or congressman to appease. It is the hum-drum part of the year that allows staffers to come dressed in jeans and a polo because there really is nobody of significance to impress.

Yet, this year has been different. The House Republicans have refused to leave. They're still giving floor speeches to Nancy Pelosi (although she is MIA and won't acknowledge them). It began last friday when the House was adjourned by the Majority, yet there was still a line-up of GOP congressmen and women who still wanted to solve the energy crisis. They feel it is wrong for the lawmakers to leave for five weeks and not do anything to solve the energy crisis. So, they have revolted. On Friday, the majority party turned out the lights, turned off the microphones, and turned off C-SPAN. The republicans ushered constituents into the gallery and answered their questions from the floor. It lasted for 5 hours before the protesting congressmen and women decided to call it quits for the weekend. Now I do say the weekend, because today they were back at on the house floor. I invite you to read some more articles and watch this video about what they are doing for the American people.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gop-energy-revolt-presses-on-dems-dismiss-stunt-2008-08-04.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs-dNopBDeQ

These men and women are taking the time they have from campaigning for re-election, visiting their districts, and attending to their families, to fight to find a compromise to solve the energy crisis. Yet, the house majority is refusing to acknowledge them. Even if you would like to call the congressmen and women to give them your encouragement and also your appreciation, I know they would be thankful to hear from the American citizens.

Random Pics and Clips...

Orlando's as Stephen Colbert

The Moffitt DC visit!

Thank you Uncle Dan, Aunt Dori, Kaley, Taylor, Mason, Ashley, Lacey, Cytauni and Rierson. We had a great time showing ya'll around D.C., despite five miles of walking. Let us know if you find an answer to your trivia questions. We are still stumped on the origin of D.C.

Colin Powell

One of the great things about being on the Hill, is the opportunity to go to different lectures and hear some great Americans speak. This past Monday, we had such an opportunity. In short Powell was fantastic. We really wish he had run for president.

Congressional Baseball Game

In July, the congressmen and women play a charity game of baseball at National's Stadium. It is the Republicans vs. the Democrats. For the past 8 years the Rep. have won. This year the Dem. set up practices to try to conquer the Rep. Unfortunately for them it did not work. "Yes you can" didn't work for them. We had a great time and loved watching the amateur and error-prone game. Final score 11-10. GOP!

My Family

The cliche goes "you do not know what you have, till its gone." Well, I have finally learned that truth. My family just visited me in Washington DC and I truly miss them. Each one provides a special thing in my life. My sister Sandra provides laughter and a benchmark. My sister Veronica, gives me her devotion and an ear. My Mom, a crazy coolness thay is unparalleld and unmatched by anyone. And my Dad is an idol I constantly aspire to. My family, who got me here, has been my greatest lesson while here. I learned that no matter what I do, or fail to do, they love me and I have their support. And now that I have learned that I really do miss them. Sandy, VP, Mom, and Dad I love you guys.

Thank You!

I wanted to write a quick thank you note to my family and the Pryor family. I really appreciated you all taking time out of your busy schedules to come visit us in DC. Now, that everyone is gone and I know there is no one else to come visit, I am starting to feel a little homesick.
Mom and Michael, I had a great time during your visit. Mom, I loved seeing your old home and your high school. I'm happy I can finally put a visual with all the great stories you tell about your childhood. I love you a lot and miss you very much. Michael, it was awesome having you around to make me laugh ("Excuse me Miss can I have a dollar?"). I can't wait to see you two in about a month!
Pryor family, thank you so much for coming to DC. Ya'll were so caring and considerate, when I was under the weather. Veronica and Sandra, it was so much fun to have my two favorite ladies here. I'm glad you got to see where I worked and the LOC main reading room. I believe you actually ended up seeing more of DC on Saturday night, than I've seen in a month. Also, thanks to Sandra, instead of a taking a "spill on the hill" we took a "jump on the bump". Mr. and Mrs. Pryor, it was a pleasure hanging out with you and hearing all of your great stories. Mr. Pryor, I still want to try collard greens made the right way :) and Mrs. Pryor I hope you got the perfect flower pictures for your frames.

Once again thanks to both families!

Charlie and America's War by: Orlando

Having just watched Charlie Wilson War’s I have a new found appreciation for “Dubya” and the Republican Party’s strategy for GWOT (Global War on Terror.) And with growing fervor I believe that we need to win the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq. There has been multiple times where I have lost my faith in this war. Many times I have said, “Goodness, these people are completely ungrateful. We waste billions rebuilding schools, rebuilding their economy, and establishing there military. Let’s do the world a favor, ourselves the justice and leave these suicidal guys alone.” But wait, let us look at history. We have been in Afghanistan before and we have been in Iraq before, our strategy of not going all in has cost us more money and more war.
We all know the history of Afghanistan, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and they asked us for help. When it was all over we were spending a billion dollars a year, in weapons and other supplies. The moment they won their freedom we cut all spending. It went from 1 billion dollars to 0 dollars, in a day. We ran out there, leaving them to be swallowed by Islamic-fundamentalism and anti-American zeal. When we stopped funding them half of the population was under the age of 14. What would have happened if we had continued fund them? What would have happened if we spent a billion dollars on building a liberal and secular school system? What would have happened if we established a purposeful infrastructure? What would have happened if we put money into a functioning government? Instead we left them alone, and now that 14 year old boy we liberated, we killed because there were no schools. Instead for education he went to a Madrossa, there he learned that America is the “great devil.” After that, he found a place in the mujahideen, he helped design the attack on the USS Cole, taught 14 other young men how to make IEDs, and he then messed with the wrong marine. Our failure to go all the way is now costing us a BILLION dollars a day, when could have spent a billion dollars a year. Make no mistake, if we give up on them now we will be in there again, and only God know how much money we will be spending then. Iraq is the same thing. The first Bushy went in and refused to go all the way. Where are we now? At this point liberals, democrats, and everyone else needs to get over why we went there. It does not matter anymore, we are now in there and it is time to win. The GWOT is the most pressing issue, and is why I am voting for McCain. I believe everything is tied to our winning the war on terror. If we win and both those countries are democratic, what then? Our nation’s prestige goes up, the Middle East is that much closer to peace, and as a result our economy, which is tied up in it, begins to pull out of this ebb. America Akbar!

(P.S. We are winning the war. Investment shows that we are. China is the number 1 investor in Iraq, and everything they touch lately becomes gold. Or at least the price of it, a.k.a. oil)

THE Dome Tour by: Danielle

About a week ago, I was able to go on a very rare dome tour. It was absolutely amazing. About two weeks prior I went to a lecture given by the Capitol Hill Architect. It was very informative and I liked it a lot. Afterward one of the interns I work with went up to the man and asked him if he could give us a dome tour. The intern gave the excuse that our member could not take us due to a hip replacement. The architect said that would be fine. The six other interns and I were ecstatic! We couldn’t believe we somehow nabbed a tour of the dome. When the office staff found out about our good fortune, they were so envious. Almost all the staffers have never been on a dome tour. So, as you can tell it didn’t help when all the interns came back with the opportunity to go on one.
Finally the big day came for the truly grand tour of the dome. As we sat waiting in the rotunda for our tour guide to show up, we had to sign waivers incase we were to die or be seriously injured during the tour. Once the guide came he quickly made a remark about my shoes. I was wearing three inch heels and supposedly someone was supposed to tell me that I wasn’t allowed to wear them. I quickly reassured him I would be fine and it wasn’t worth missing the tour. We started working our way up the 300 steps. The first stop was above the frieze on a balcony with windows. On one side we could look into the rotunda. On the other side we could look outside and see the Supreme Court. At this point I was debating to go further or not. It really never occurred to me that we would be so high up and still have to go even higher. I have a terrible fear of heights and my knees were already shaking. But I thought to myself that I didn’t want to be the loser who quit. I continued on upwards. The stairs became almost vertical. They were very difficult to climb, especially with high heels on. Then we got to the next stopping point, the top of the rotunda. I was just feet away from the Apotheosis of George Washington. It was absolutely breathtaking. Literally, I had to stand up against the wall as I took in the art and the fact of being so high up. I finally got the nerve to stick my camera over the side to take a picture and determine how high I was. When I saw it the people looked like little ants walking around. The acoustics up there were also spectacular. Our tour guide walked over to the other side and continued the tour by just using his normal voice. We were able to hear him as if he was speaking directly in our ears.
Once we left the inside of the rotunda, we continued up the stairs to go to the outside of the top of the dome. We finally arrived outside at the very top of the Capitol building. The view was breathtaking! We were able to walk around on a small balcony and spot every major building with in the DC area. I even saw my apartment building all the way over in Alexandria, VA. While we were up there I watched a storm across the National Mall. This was absolutely the best tour/place I have been since arriving here. I don't think anything can top it. Here are the pics from the tour...