Just when I had a second to breathe....

Hey Everyone!


It has only been a few days, but I feel like it has been a week since my last blog. Every day, I feel like the days get longer and the sleep gets less. Yesterday, I celebrated my one month anniversary of living in Washington, D.C. This month, has changed me so much.  In a past blog, I commented that it was starting to feel like adult time, but I should have knocked on wood. Looking back, I realize on a good day I am home before 10, on a great day before 8. These long days, however are filled with new, exciting, and challenging things. Some days it might be staying on campus for meetings, running through senate office buildings, wandering the Capitol Building, seeing newsmakers, hearing great speakers, I have learned to never expect anything anymore.

Inside the Rotunda

Monday saw a great opportunity to meet with and discuss life as Capitol hill staffers with Alumni of the Washington Semester Program. The four panelists, ages ranging from 24 to 30, discussed the struggles of living in DC and attaining a job, but also the proactive feeling of making a difference in the world. Also discussed was the set up of offices, daily routines, and how Washington Semester assisted the alumni into getting where they are now. After the conversation, one of my close friends, Megan from St. Marys, practiced giving a tour of the Capitol, which truly was the best tour as she could talk to us as friends and colleagues, rather than visitors. Monday afternoon's speaker was a media extraordinaire. Through his almost twenty year career he has seen the way people get their news go from local newspaper to today's online and social media. He served as one of the organizers of the first consortium of news from local papers in one document and has worked amongst several different companies and networks. His insight on politics from the behind the scenes was very intriguing and assisted me in learning more on how the news works to be nonpartisan. Tuesday, my class had two class discussion in which we discussed one of our texts, Hardball by Chris Matthews, and what we thought would be on this year's congressional agenda. Wednesday, the illness I had been suffering from hit me full force and called out of work for the first time ever. All the rest however, helped in getting me to be able to present a "How to Blog" presentation at our WASSA meeting to introduce the new WASSA Blog and co-host, with the rest of WASSA, the first PAJAMA JAM AND ROOT BEER PONG of the semester. It was a fun time had by all!!

Students playing root beer pong
and dancing in their PJS!!!

Like I stated in the beginning, these past few days have been quite hectic. I had two large assignments due that took up much of my free time. One was a series of memos to a candidate supporting them in a bid for a 2012 congressional or gubernatorial seat. My paper discussed the reasons why Joseph Kennedy II should run for his late-uncle's seat in 2012 and how he could do so, based on class discussions and seminars. The second assignment, and most time consuming,  was my outline for my research paper. Now, the work is done and the weekend is here. I look forward to spending time with friends, relaxing and sightseeing, taking a break from the fast life.

Stay honest and keep those around you honest,
- Josh