When I was a senior in high school, I was too much of an A-nerd to be highly affected by senioritis. That year, our school changed the policy to say that all seniors had to take all exams, with the exception of AP classes. So I worked fairly hard all the way to the end. So today, I got a real taste of senioritis. The lecture and discussions were good, and not to take anything away from the professors, but since my paper was done, and today's topic had no bearing on what I was writing, I found it extremely hard to stay focused. A small part of me feels guilty, but on the other hand, it feels good to not worry about it.
This afternoon was what I was really looking forward to. After talking to the office of my Congressman last week, it didn't look like it was going to work out to meet him based on our schedules. But on Monday, I got an unexpected call from his office, and it worked out that I would have a chance. So this afternoon, I headed towards Capitol Hill to his office. I left in plenty of time to take care of a couple of other items on my checklist: get a picture of the Supreme Court chambers and stop by the Library of Congress to get my official Library library card (yes, I am that big of a nerd, don't judge me). As I walked towards the Longworth House Office Building, I am 98% sure I walked by Congressman Paul Ryan. I wish I would have stopped him for a minute, not because of his politics, but how many chances do you get to meet someone who is well known on a national stage. I made it to Congressman Kissell's office a little early, and one of his staffers met me there. The Congressman was in an Agriculture Committee bill mark-up meeting. They were going through 99 amendments on the bill, but he took a couple of minutes to step outside and speak to me. He had visited our school in May, but I didn't get a chance to speak with him there. He is a former teacher, and in fact, when he was elected, his position was filled by one of my co-workers, Jessica Sullivan. How often do you get to say that you know someone who took a Congressman's job?
There are stats out there that show Congress's approval rating at all-time lows. However, there is also data that shows most people like their individual Senators and Representatives. The two numbers, when put together are staggering, something like 75% for their individual representatives, but 12% as a whole. I can now understand that juxtaposition. When we think of Congress as an entire body, we are oftentimes unhappy with their work. But unless things are bad in your own district, you tend to think your own leader is doing well. When you meet the person, you realize that they are a person doing what they think is best for you. Yes, they may be putting on a politician's face in order to keep or win your vote, but it changes what you think of them as a person.
After the meeting, I left Longworth, and decided to check a couple other things off the list. On my way out though, I saw Congressman Barney Frank walking towards the building. Again, I should have taken a second to introduce myself, but didn't take that step. I got back to the Metro, and stopped at the Smithsonian stop to see the monuments. However, in my suit and dress shoes, I didn't feel like hoofing it all the way to Lincoln, so I was satisfied with taking a couple of pictures of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial in the distance. I hopped back on the Metro to the White House, and took a couple of pictures there as well before heading back to Rosslyn.
In short (I know, too late right), I did a few days worth of touristy stuff in the span of about 3 hours.
MEET THE FELLOWS: Christoph Brown is officially listed as a Fellow from California. However, since he has lived longer in Greenville, SC, we still claim him as a southerner. Besides, he still wears more Clemson University clothing than anything California related. He and I share a common bond- we both have a wife that is smarter than us. I know that many of the guys here would probably say the same thing (at least in earshot of the wife), but we have proof. My wife holds a MS in Mathematical Finance (which still boggles my mind to think of what it is about), and his wife is working on her PhD as he is finishing his Masters.
TOMORROW: Our last official day of classes, then the banquet tomorrow night!
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