T Minus Two Days

It's been pretty surreal thinking that it's almost over. I have learned more than I could explain and feel like a better citizen for having been here. This week has already half-flown by! 

Yesterday was the last intern lecture that I will attend and the guest speaker was none other than Colin Powell! It was held in the House chamber so Robert, Madelyn, and I went directly to the gallery without any major security obstacles. When we noticed there weren't people around we quickly realized that we probably cheated the system by taking the route we had chosen. After getting kicked out by the police officer, listening while Madelyn fought with the police officer, and sneaking back into the line while praying we wouldn't get caught, we made it to the same place we started: the House gallery. Leave it to me to have an incredibly complicated time getting into an intern lecture. Come on now.

It was enlightening to hear his perspective on world conflict now that he wakes up and reads the paper like everyone else. I expected to hear James Earl Jones when he opened his mouth but he has a surprisingly soft, rather grandfather-like voice that sounded like he had a mouth full of cottonballs. Weird? Probably. A very sweet man. I wish I could elaborate but there was just so much said. I will say, though, that if you're going to have the nerve to stand up during Q & A and ask the former Secretary of State/Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff/National Security Advisor/Four-Star General a question, please, please make it good. One girl stands up and asks (in front of 1,000 people), "What should [we] be doing to secure women's rights in the Middle East?" Listen, it's not a stupid question but why would you ask Colin Powell a question like that? I would die to have been a fly on the wall while he advised Ronald Reagan or worked with Bush after 9-11. And women's rights? Seriously? And then this kid stands up and repeats his question 3 times before General Powell has him approach the microphone and sweetly puts his arm around his shoulder. This kid is (ahem) a House intern. Keep in mind that the House wasn't in session so understandably, their dress code is a little lax. He's wearing blue jeans, an unbuttoned polo, and sneakers. Represent. And he was given the last question. Kids these days.

Today was Wednesday, and therefore, my very last tour. Thank you, thank you very much. This sounds stupid. But I have a huge crush on the "gallery boy." He's blonde (usually not my type) and tall and very attractive. We're not required to take our tours to the gallery because there's no script for us up there and they can exit normally from the gallery entrance. But I ALWAYS take my tours up there so I can see the nameless cute gallery boy. Like I mentioned, today was my last tour and he wasn't up there for me to bat my eyelashes and give him my most winning smile! So I just might steal someone else's tour on Friday and try one last time. And I don't even know his name. 

Today was also a weird day for Dr. Coburn and I. He's one of the more vocal Senators (haha) so he's constantly on the go with all the interviews and meetings and blah. So today, as I sorted his fan mail (or hate mail), I saw him walking down the hallway. I smiled at him, thinking that he'd just walk by but he nudged by arm and said, "Where'd you get that green hair?" Whaaa???? I kind of muttered some unintelligent confusion before he shouted over his shoulder, "I'm color blind!!" Are you kidding me? Our press secretary, Becky, was the only one to witness this and all we could do was crack up. Did he think my face looked green, too, because I was blushing sooo bad??

Tomorrow is our goodbye A.O.P. In case you don't know what that means, it stands for "Awkward Office Party." So the staff is supposed to bring "baked goods and soda" and everyone's being weird about it. Haha. Honestly, us interns have come up with a million scenarios that would allow us to skip it. We thought we could all call in sick and then hang out together all day. But we came up with this idea in front of our boss? So I guess it's a no... PLUS, tomorrow is our pictures with Dr. Coburn so I wanna look sharp and be in attendance, for sure!

Sincerely, Confused

Have you ever just realized that your expectations were too high for someone? Allow me to digress.

I consider myself to be a pretty safe person; meaning, I don't put myself in compromising or potentially hazardous relationships. When I've ever felt like I had a flaky/inconsistent friend, I just stopped hanging out with them or making them a priority. I wouldn't say that it was spiteful or mean -- just saving myself the trouble of getting hurt. That's human nature, right? So let me set this one up for you. I've known this person a long time. I've had feelings for them a long time. But somewhere along the way, I found out that their importance to me wasn't reciprocated. Although that can sting a little on impact, it's not so bad.

So I learn to live without them. I've been doing that with everyone else and usually, I'm good at it. Only this time, it's different. This time, sometimes I feel like I've been punched in the stomach. What do you do when not having someone in your life, even if they're potentially hazardous, is actually more hazardous? I've done a good job of forgetting but every time I come close to moving on or even feeling that way about someone else, you show up out of nowhere and it starts all over.

Believe me, I've thought this one out from every angle. Is it the ole' I-want-what-I-can't-have routine? It's possible. Is it that I'm remembering someone that no longer exists? It's possible. One thing's for sure: I'm raising the white flag. I'm done worrying about it, thinking about it, wondering about it. This chapter is officially closed. So please, please, leave me alone and let me close it.

Such is Life

I. Am. So. Tired. I had the early shift this week (8:30) and was such a wimp about it. You'd think they had asked the world of me. Just within the last two weeks I've gotten really attached to my office. I can't believe I'll be going home in one week. I'm stuck in the middle of the excitement of going home and the anxiety of leaving. Such is life.


This week flew by! Dad left Wednesday and that evening we had a OKC Chamber of Commerce reception. Between one of our staff assistants having wine spilled down his suit and three of us getting hit on by the same old man, I'd say it was a great night! Apparently, my eyes are dynamite, in case you didn't know. Last night, Madelyn and I went to see Laura Bush speak with the Archivist of the U.S. about her memoirs and the George W. Bush Library that's going up as we speak. The tiny, intimate theatre made me feel like I was right in front of her (I practically was) and I was so glad I went. 


Tonight I went out with some people from the office after work to an Irish pub for dinner. It's been awhile since I've had "fish and chips" but it was nice to see those people in a less stressful atmosphere. Meghan and I walked around the jazz festival and the Mall before calling it a night. Make fun all you want. I am very aware that our Friday night was over at 9:00. We're exhausted okay? 


So you're wondering: What will Courtney do with her last weekend in the District of Columbia? I'm not entirely sure. Since the beginning, I've been wanting to go out on the Potomac. Unfortunately, my roommate is  in East Hampton for the weekend (jealous) and my suitemate is spending the day at Six Flags, including the water park (not interested). Meghan from the office invited me swing dancing. This inspires mixed feelings. Normally, WITH FRIENDS, this sounds like a blast-and-a-half. But with people I don't know, I imagine dancing will be less fun for everyone concerned. So . . . To be determined? Sounds good.


As for this week: I anticipate that it'll fly by as well. I'm dreading Friday night at 5:00 because I just don't know if I'll be able to leave. But I will be glad to see my family and my sister's new engagement ring in person. 

Republican Love

"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left."

Ecclesiastes 10:2

A Thing or Two

Although my list is rather short, I have noticed a few things that make me anxious to see Oklahoma.

1) Men look a lot less chivalrous when they're roughly shoving you around on the metro. I have seen grown men plow people down as they run up escalators or are trying to catch trains. Now boys, don't get cocky, you're not THAT much better -- just a little better.
2) Everyone needs money. There are so many unfortunate people on the streets and sorry, but I can only give out so much spare change.
3) My punctuality is based on someone else's watch. Sometimes, I wait 13 minutes for a trains. Which brings me to number 4....
4) I miss Zorro, my Jeep. Dad keeps talking about how he replaced the tires and fenders and how handsome he looks. I just can't wait to drive with the top down!

But most of all,
5) My beautiful OLDer sister, Cara, got engaged while I am here! Congratulations to the future Mol-doh-nod-oh (that's the proper pronunciation) family! Just Friday our office was talking about engagements so they were shocked when I came back Monday with the news. They are all just as curious as I am to see a Mexican-American wedding. Guess we'll all find out!

Believe it or not, beneath all the negativity, there has been a few things I've particularly enjoyed:

1) Free and helpful newspapers! I read the paper on my 30 minute ride to work and recycle it by the time I get off the metro.
2) Plans. I always have them. Back home, I get tired of going to Harkins or Warren, dinner, or coffee. We hang out over a movie in the park at night, kayaking on the Potomac, shopping in Georgetown, a show at the Kennedy Center. You name it, it's available.
3) Celeb sightings! All the time.
4) My office. More specifically, the front office. Don't tell them because they'll get a big head, but I love them.

Another special part of this week has been having my dad here for the weekend. We went to the National Cathedral, Spy Museum, ate, blah, blah, blah! All this dad-time making me even more stoked for our family vacay coming up in a week and a half!

Happy Father's Day!

Important Votes

Happy Centennial Ronald Reagan!

Of course, if you've been watching Fox News at all, you know that Dr. Coburn had been working on eliminating the ethanol subsidy. It just so happens that I'm rooming with girls from Iowa and South Dakota; and I'm also good friends with a guy from the Indiana office. It becomes really comical exchanging opinions on the importance of corn in gasoline when your Senators are voting against each other. Lots of interesting things happening right now and I feel like I'm in the busiest office of them all! It seems like the Senator is on a network every day to every other day so the phones are always ringing off the hook from all over the US -- Florida, NY, Wisconsin, California, you name it. I really admire his efforts, especially when no one else seems to be doing the hard part of taking negative publicity. But when you win an election with over 70% (even though it was just Jim Rogers), you must be doing something right, right?

Today I went to a Ronald Reagan's 100th Birthday celebration. Speakers included his speech writer, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher; his Communications Director, Mari Will; his assistant on Political and Intergovernmental Affairs, Frank Donatelli; and his assistant for Domestic Affairs, Kenneith Cribb. Needless to say, it was an enlightening experience. For those of you who are liberals, sorry, but one of my favorite things in the world is sitting in front of ole' men talking about the good ole' days, before them liberals started takin' over. All jokes aside, I just don't think people are driven for the same reasons anymore. The speakers digressed to a lot of personal stories about him but they also just talked about his character and how that contributed to his decision-making and ultimately, his legacy.

Congressman Rohrabacher really got me thinking about a couple of things:

1) He said he was still part of the Reagan administration when he decided to run for Congress. He was broke and all he had were about a hundred pictures of him with Ronald Reagan to prove to his state that he was capable. And that won him the election. But after telling that story, he said, "I had so many friends that tried to talk me out of running because on paper, it seemed impossible. Don't ever let your best friends tell you what your proper place is because you could be the one that's meant to serve. Now, not everyone can win, but if you don't even try, you definitely won't succeed." It's interesting that he warned us that it's our best friends that will try to limit us. I never really thought about it, but I bet those are the people who could most easily sway my decisions.

2) This is a little PG-13 so sorry folks, but the second Congressman Rohrabacher quote was a little more feisty. "If everyone thinks you're a pain in the ass, but you're doing what you know is right, then go ahead and be a pain in the ass!" 

Wise words from the sprite but slightly deteriorated Reagan staff.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

Ronald Reagan

I love New York?

Before I even left, we caught a cab (my first car in 3 weeks) to head to our departure location. In all the excitement, I left my phone in the cab. Yes, I am now blackberry-less, which is proving what my mother has always said: my phone is my pacifier. When my friend Cam tried calling my phone a hundred times, the man finally picked up, denying that the phone belonged to anyone besides himself. Awesome. Way to sport that D.C. hospitality. Great way to start my first visit to NYC!?!? It gets better (or worse).

Under no circumstances would I voluntarily revisit New York City UNLESS:
1) It was free
2) I was seeing multiple Broadway shows

The metro system smelled like urine. In fact, everywhere smelled like urine. Sometimes, we'd be walking down the street and I'd think, "What's that smell?" and look over to find a heap of rubble and trash dumped on the side (and sometimes in the middle) of the street. In pictures, Times Square looks lit up and modern and new. In real life, it's chaotic and annoying.

We went looking for tickets the second we had checked our bags into the hotel. Obviously, seeing a show was of the utmost importance. We started with "How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" since Daniel Radcliffe is starring in it. We didn't act fast enough and lost our spot there. Too bad -- I, along with 654854641 other teenage girls, was looking forward to it. Then we tried The Lion King but I wasn't too disappointed when there weren't tix available since I saw an off-Broadway production at the Civic Center. Finally, we tried Mamma Mia at The Winter Garden and they had two Mezzanine seats together so we grabbed them! Cam, the girl I went with from DC, had a connection with the original "Sophie" from the Broadway cast of Mamma Mia so we got to go backstage after the show!!!! Take a moment and imagine my face. Jaw drop and all. My favorite part was on  my way out, we left through the backstage door and fans were waiting for autographs. They assumed since we were leaving through that door that we were part of the cast so they started screaming. The doormen told us we should've taken advantage of the opportunity to sign autographs. I was too busy laughing at them.

We went to the Statue of Liberty on Sunday morning. Although I definitely recommend that everyone see Lady Liberty in their lifetime, I feel obligated to warn you that she's not as big as we were taught she is. She's green of course but actually on the short side; and the ferry to the island is SUPER crowded. If you're ever in Jersey, you should go to the statue from that side. They loaded only like, 10 people on the boat and were able to enjoy the ride.

Then we went back to the city to go to the Empire State Building. For $21, you go up 86 floors to the first Observation Deck, which has about 100-150 people on it, all fighting for enough space to see and take photographs. One of my friends suggested I go at night to avoid lines but then you're limited on what views you can see. During the day, I could see the Statue of Liberty from the Empire State Building, which was cool.

The whole experience is so commercialized that a lot of the awe and wonder has been degraded to this really unappealing and unpatriotic experience. I thought it'd feel awesome seeing the Statue of Liberty because it's supposed to mean so much but really, it's just another way to sell souvenirs and little foam hats. BUT I'm glad I went. Now I know not to be jealous of them and their disgusting city. I'd go as far as to say, they may have these awesome tourist attractions, but have they ever seen an Oklahoma sky?

A week in the life:

Where to start! It's been a long week since I wrote last. A long, good week. Maybe I'll start with this weekend:
On Friday night I was tired from the week and there was NO WAY I was going to be able to do anything fun. So what do two awesome Capitol Hill interns do on a Friday night?? .... Laundry. And I must say, I've never appreciated free laundering this much in my life. I can deal with the fact that I have to pay $1.50 to wash and $1.50 to dry. But with no quarter machines and no corner gas stations, we barely scrape by with the minimum number of loads.
Saturday I got up with the sun (11 AM) to go see Mount Vernon. I actually left at 12:30-ish and began the hour-and-a-half trek, which included the metro, lots of standing and waiting, and a bus ride to the estate. Of course it was beautiful. It was spacious, had a gorgeous view of the Potomac River and its seafarers, and a peacefulness that made you wish you'd brought a blanket to take a nap in the sun. I realized, though, that even the little side trips are a lot less fun alone. Only my family would've appreciated it like me. I got to see George & Martha's resting place, which was very quaint and fitting, I thought. The whole place seemed like a wonderful place to raise a family and play and eventually, die -- as weird as that probably sounds.
After I left, I went to the local mall and walked around, bought a couple of things at Forever 21 and came home. I went out to Bertucci's near the dorms and had a great Italian meal and crashed again from my seemingly long day.
Sunday we woke up kind of early to go to Georgetown Cupcakes, the home of the show D.C. Cupcakes on TLC. We expected to be in a line that went around the block but I guess we showed up at just the right time because we didn't wait long at all. I wish I had my camera cord to post pictures. It was definitely cute but you can tell that they have an enormous response from the public because they have settled for some pretty generic cupcakes, like: vanilla, vanilla-chocolate, chocolate-vanilla, vanilla birthday, chocolate birthday, that sort of thing. They had a few "special" flavors so I bought a carrot cake cupcake because carrot cake's my favorite:

It was okay but the experience was worth it! We spent the rest of the day walking around Georgetown. They also have a new Serendipity (it's the same chain from NYC) so we had frozen hot chocolate, which is one of their specialties.

Dad's coming with the Chamber of Commerce on the 18th for their annual D.C. trip and I'm kind of freaking out. So what... I'm sure you miss your dad, too, sometimes. I think we're going to catch a Nationals game, which I actually haven't done yet.

On Friday I will have halfway completed my internship. We're starting to be assigned more intense projects that are more time-consuming and challenging. Completing them makes it worth it, though. In the last week, I've seen John McCain again -- he was actually in Coburn's office today. And apparently Richard Gere was in the Capitol testifying before the Foreign Affairs committee about religious freedom in Tibet. My suitemate sat in on the committee meeting and had no idea who he was or why so many reporters were there taking photographs. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

In all seriousness, though, I can't imagine working for any other Senator. There are few people here that speak with conviction or overwhelmingly high standards for the nation we live in. He's the only one of his kind and I'll be sorry to see him go in 2016.

"I trust America a whole lot more than I trust the U.S. Congress. We have a $1 trillion deficit of common sense in Washington, and we have an excess of common sense outside of Washington. If you will trust your common sense and look at what we are doing, what you will find is: we can solve our problems; we can come together as a nation; we can fix what ails us; and we can do that without destroying the future of our children and grandchildren."

-Senator Tom Coburn