Back Where I Come From

Tomorrow morning I'm flying home. I'm not flying to my parents house, to my hometown, or my old place. I'm flying HOME. If there is one thing that I learned out here, and I suspect I will learn anywhere I go, I've learned that I know where my home is and who makes it home. I can't say I will always stay there and I probably won't, but wherever I go I know that there is one place where my heart is at rest.

Yet, I am torn. Basically, I love my home. I love my community. I love my friends. Most of all, I love my family. Can I ever leave these behind?

Coming up to my DC trip I was preparing myself, although half-heartedly, to be "home-less" and prepared to go wherever the wind would take me. Essentially, I was trying to keep myself personally and emotionally uprooted in order to move more easily. But it wasn't true. I am not homeless. Lynden will always be home and where my heart rests peacefully.

But it is not yet my time to rest in peace. My life is still before me and the more I see, learn, and develop here, the more I know that I must face and engage the world. I feel the responsibility of knowing. I wanted to look, but once I've seen I cannot go back. God gives us sight so that we may go and do. This is not my statement of intention to save the world or declaration of having figured it all out, but it is my acceptance of responsibility for what God gave me.

The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. The more I know (as a verb, not a collection of truths), the more I must give of myself. I wished to know the world, but did not realize the cost. Knowing is not about static facts, but dynamic relationship. Relationship can only be and grow as each entity gives of itself. I wished to know the world from my tower and retreat from its harshness into the loving folds of northwest Washington life. I fear that I sacrificed this peace for the pursuit of my passions.

I cannot say that I fell into these pursuits or that they are bad. It has been the call of God. I do not mean the call of God as we popularly hope for and envision. There were no moments of revelations, "signs," or wet fleeces. Instead, I found the call of God written on my heart, as it is in everyone's. God created man in His image and so inscribed His heart upon all the hearts of men that in knowing our own hearts and the hearts of others we may know God more. Thus have I been drawn into the learning of the ways of the world in power and institutions, how they move and influence human life, and how God is revealed or denied in them.

The pursuit of our passions is hardly a happy occasion. When God reveals His interests and passions in ourselves and others, He will also then reveal His great sorrows. He opens our eyes not to the pain of others, but primarily to His pains, if we will see them honestly. There is so much that is broken in this world. You can imagine the pain of a potter discovering the shards of his pottery on the ground. The scariest and most sorrowful part is that these pains will continue. The world groans in the pains of childbirth and God mourns the pain as it does not end. We must accept that there are deep sorrows about the world that will always be present and to care about them is to ever be sorrowful along with our Master. It is only out of true sorrow that joy can come.

Joy is a tragic love that never reaches its peaceful consummation of its love, but remains love triumphant. To love something not in spite of its ugliness, but in its whole brokenness is true joy. Only that can withstand the greatest powers this world can muster. It is not sweet; it is not pleasant; it is not easy. It is love and it is joy.

Suffice to say, the realization of our passions and the joy of God is the realization of great sorrows and the sacrifice of ourselves to the healing of these sorrows. This is where I am often finding myself these days, especially now as I review the beauty and peace of my home. I have found something beautiful to which I want to retreat and in which to hide myself and be at peace. Yet, I feel and I fear that I have already given myself away. I cannot hide away. I have seen and felt the passions God placed in me and seen and felt them in who He is. Therefore, I must live as my Master shows love in Christ. I must sacrifice my right to my peace if I am to love God.

Who knows where this may take me and how much or how little I will do by the world's standards, but I do know I cannot retreat; I cannot hide. I must heed the sign of Jonah. Contrary to what I thought earlier in this DC adventure with the "home-less" idea I do not have to stop loving my home and uproot that part of my heart. I must keep loving it as God loves it.

But I must learn to willfully deny myself the consummation of that love much the way Christ surrendered His place in heaven and connection to God to become a sacrifice for world. Not because the world was where He wanted to be, but because He loved His Father so much and His Father so loved the world. This is not to put me on par with Jesus or Lynden on par with heaven, but it is an expression of a desire to follow Christ more and more deeply. It's not very pretty, but it is beautiful. It's not very happy, but it is love.

I am torn, but in the tearing my life is being made whole. I'm flying home, but after that, who knows?

(Picture by Caitlin Honcoop. I included this picture because it focused in on something along the wayside that is usually passed by in light of more grand impressions. When the focus is placed on this thing, it shows the struggle and the beauty of life. In the harshest of places and bitterest of struggles, a rock at the alpine level, life springs forth and grows into something beautiful. It reflected some of the themes I was grasping at in my writing. Good pic, Cait.)

Antietam and Harper's Ferry

My roommate Ben escorted myself and the ASP program intern Abigail around Western Maryland on Saturday. The main features we visited were Antietam and Harper's Ferry.

Antietam, as in Civil War Battle of Antietam, was a large area, which is now preserved as a park. It was used for the movie Gods and Generals for good reason, because A. it was the actual site of the battle they filmed and B. it's very old and very beautiful. It is not extravagant or colorful, but instead sprawls in wizened grayness across the landscape this time of year. Old-style fences wind and cross all over. Monuments and plaques mark the many placements of regiments, divisions, and commanders. In places, a farm or a church still stand from that time.

We were all impressed by the size of the area. The battle clearly took place over a wide area and it was interesting to catch glimpses of what it must have been like here and there.

We swung through Boonsboro and Sharpsburg as well, both very small but very old towns. Ben took us through his town, Hagerstown, and past his church which was founded in 1770. The town was founded in 1774. Crazy.

The other main highlight was Harper's Ferry. That was the place where John Brown and his followers raided the armory and prepared to arm a slave revolt, but were thwarted by the US military. The historic part of town is tiny and is perched on a point where the Potomac splits into two directions. The buildings cling to their rocky perch with weathered resistance. A beautiful little church stands out. I wish I had a picture of the view of this, but the only view is from a busy bridge.

We went to a Christmas vocal performance in the church and walked around the town a little before heading home.

The West Coast just does not have these kind of things at all. There is history seemingly in the air here. Some of the fields, hills, and houses watched a new world revolt in war and still seem unfazed by the shaking and shifting of the world. This is a very special place.

National Christmas Tree Lighting

We were privileged to attend the National Christmas Tree Lighting on its 85th anniversary. President George W. Bush and the First Lady Laura Bush were in attendance. Everything was very organized and ran very smoothly. The US Army Band was the main source of music and accompaniment for the evening. Along with them was the Enterprise High School Encores, a very talented and energetic performance choir.

The first performer was Jon Secada, a very good singer and Broadway performer. The next was Rissi Palmer who was pretty good. The real magic was Kaitlin Maher. She's four years old and she sings. She debuted on America's Got Talent and she's become very popular since. I am usually unimpressed by child performers and their blatant and cheesy sentimentalities. But Kaitlin Maher was just too cute. I was dumbstruck by just how cute she was. So sweet and just plain magic. She sang really well, but she was tiny and still can't say r's. We were freaking out and the whole crowd was like putty in her hands. Brilliant.

The next performers were called Step Afrika!, a step group that involves an almost hip-hop tap-dance in a group with a lot of flair, creativity, and precision. The next performer was Phil Vassar, I was pleased to learn. He's a favorite of mine and he did not disappoint. Lastly, Santa came out and sang with Rissi Palmer and Kaitlin Maher. Then he performed a special number called "Christmas in Texas," I believe. The President loved it. Throughout the musical numbers you could see him bobbing his head to the music and really getting into it. After that number all the performers came out and sang together.

Then the Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne introduced the President who gave a brief message. Then Laura Bush and the daughters of two US soldiers in Iraq pushed the button to turn on the lights. The President and First Lady proceeded out onto the stage for a brief sing-a-long and the final fanfare.

It was a really fun show, even without the presence of the President of the United States. So much fun. We had great seats. We had seats about 20 rows back from the stage almost right in the middle. Overall, it was a very fun and festive occasion.

New York, Part II

Continued from previous post...

Right at the end of Wall Street there is Trinity Church and I swung through that pretty, old church. The church yard was full of old graves listing dates as late as the early 1700s. They looked almost like props from a movie. Trinity Church was featured in the movie National Treasure.

Then I went back to Times Square to meet up with my travel companions to get tickets to a Broadway show. Each day a store/place(?) in the middle of Times Square has day-of, reduced-price tickets to lots of shows. So my roommate waited in line for over an hour while I visited the Charmin bathrooms.

Right in the middle of Times Square there are huge signs advertising Charmin public bathrooms. I went in the place just to go to the bathroom. I didn't realize that I had signed up for an experience. Inside, an escalator takes you up to a floor that is pumping a song about Charmin that constantly loops while the music video accompanying it plays on screens all around. The rooms are all painted and decorated for Charmin, with a little stage for anyone who wants to do the Charmin dance, little swings, other playground type things, and a mini-store all centered around Charmin toilet paper. Once there, you wait in a line to go into the actual bathrooms room. It was a three-sided room with about 20 individual bathrooms. A guy with a microphone was chatting up each person in line and entertaining everyone as attendants checked each bathroom for cleanliness and then held the door for each person. Inside mine, it was a nice luxurious ski lodge look that was clean and stocked with every type of Charmin toilet paper possible. Only New York.

That night we went to Shrek the musical. It was a fun show. Not the typical Broadway show, but very fun and colorful. The special effects were especially impressive. I wish I could go to a Broadway show every night. So much fun.

Saturday we got up and went to Tom's Restaurant from Seinfeld for breakfast. Then we headed to the south of Manhattan to catch a ferry out to the Statue of Liberty. The wait to go to the Statue was very long so we opted for the cruise instead. That took us around the harbor while giving a good close look at the Statue of Liberty. She is beautiful and I thank God that we can enshrine such virtues at our entrances. The cruise also provided another perspective on just how expansive the city is. What an unbelievable place.

The shuttle bus to the subway took us right past Ground Zero and the construction that is going on there. Our next stop was Chinatown and Little Italy. Chinatown was really busy and all kinds of sketchy. There were blocks of people selling watches, designer purses, scarves, sunglasses, pirated DVDs, and other illegal things to sell. There were a lot of sketchy characters and sketchy deals going on. We caught lunch at one of the hundreds of little Italian restaurants in Little Italy. Then we worked our way past the Asian lady selling designer purses out of a van with garbage bags over the windows on a side street, the people chasing some lady who supposedly had their money, the cops searching another person for something. I was nervous and glad that we finally got out of there.

After killing some time, we hustled back to Penn Station for our ride back. Getting back into DC was refreshing and would have been more so were I not so tired and hungry. Things were so quiet and peaceful. Beyond Union Station there was hardly a soul to be seen and it was beautiful. It was really neat how familiar and homey everything looked here. For the first time since August I did not feel like I was living in the big city.

New York is incredibly dense, intense, and expansive. The city actually never sleeps and I think it has a glandular condition. I was apprehensive going into the trip and many of my apprehensions proved true. New York is an exhausting and crazy place. There were times when my only concern was just getting through to Saturday. But once you are placed into that roiling sea of machines and humanity a funny thing happens - you learn how to swim. There were moments in the city when I felt like a kid the first time up on skis. "Look, Dad, I'm really doing it. I'm living in the big city." It was a challenging experience, but a broadening one.

Being the city also led me to consider those that grow up and live there. What would the world look like to me if I grew up there? Would I just accept that that is the way life is supposed to be? Would I ever see beyond the city limits? After being there for just a short time, I could easily tell who was a New York native and who was not. Something in their faces, the grim set of their mouths and the hard look of their eyes, set them apart. They are very helpful and friendly, but in a distant sort of way. They can go out of their way to help out a random tourist and not display any sort of warmth or any care in the doing. I think that they have learned to be guarded and the constant exposure to masses of people numbs them a bit to other people. They go out of their way to help people because they know that's how to survive in the City.

Being of a political bent, I also see how this can shape a person's political and societal values. Life in the City is a lot less free. Freedom as we know it in the country is not a reality for those in the City. Everything those in the City do, everything they see is part of the City structure. Life in the country is decidedly unstructured. Therefore, those in the country seek to gain and maintain their personal freedom, while those in the City are more concerned about building up and strengthening the structure that orders life. They are two different realities and without understanding the lifestyle of the other, one may never understand the other's politics or come to any agreement.

Laying my political musings aside, I have to say that I am very glad to be back in DC. I never thought it would feel so much like home, but after the tornado of New York it feels like I'm back in Kansas again. I wish I had a little dog, too. I also know now, more than ever, just how beautiful Lynden is -- the Last Homely Home.

New York

I returned last night at 11:30 pm from my Thanksgiving trip to New York City. I left DC on Wednesday morning and after a six and a half hour (normally five hour) drive my two friends and I arrived in New York.

First of all, I must say that if you want to appreciate Lynden, go to New York. I was apprehensive about the trip, having heard the warnings of my roommate who made the trip before and those New Yorkers I met that told me DC was a "small town." Thus, I came into the trip expecting intensity and busy-ness. New York does not disappoint.

From the minute we got off our bus, it was crazy. We disembarked at Penn Station and proceeded to the subway, or at least tried to. Being accustomed to the easy and streamlined DC metro system, we found the New York system to be more complicated and not as nice. It would have been confusing enough on our own, but we had to figure it out while navigating an ocean of humanity. There were masses of them everywhere and all on a desperate mission to get wherever they needed to go.

Finally, we managed to get on the subway in the right direction and then went through the process of checking into the hostel. The hostel is apparently the biggest in the world and is really pretty nice. Things were mostly clean and organized and they had a lot of special programs going on at the hostel or in connection with it. I was in an eight person room. The first night I went to bed with only one other person in the room and woke up with four others. Had similar experiences the other nights. The hostel was interesting, but not a problem.

Since it was not that late, we decided to go out and do some exploring, and so we got to see Times Square for the first time. Times Square is unbelievable. There are an unbelievable number of billboards, lights, and giant screens all flashing logos, products, and videos. It's really quite stunning and I guess I never thought about going there until I was in the middle of it. I wish I could paint a picture with words to describe the buzz and excitement of it all, but there are no words to describe it. It's a can of worms; it's Pandora's box with broken hinges; it's a circus without walls; it's a storm of lights and people. It's way too much. I understand now why so many movies and TV shows depict New York with the camera circling the person in the middle of it. It sums up the madness of the conglomeration of humanity that it New York.

After Times Square, we got on the subway thinking we were going somewhere else, but ended up at Grand Central Station. So we checked that out. Thinking we were near the Empire State building we walked around until we thought we found it, but then realized it was the Chrysler building when we went in. Then we went back to the hostel to get a good night's rest before getting up early for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Bright and early Thanksgiving Day we went to between 50 and 51st on Broadway and claimed our spot for the parade and then waited for two and half hours in just above freezing weather for the parade to start and arrive at us. Yes, it was worth it. I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to be in New York for Thanksgiving again, so I was glad I got to see it. It did not disappoint. I got to see a bunch of giant balloon characters, cool floats, marching bands, and several celebrities, some of whom I recognized (Miley Cyrus, Trace Adkins, Idina Menzel). I would need to watch the Disney channel to recognize some of them. I also got to see Santa, but it wasn't the same guy as on Miracle on 34th Street, so I don't think he was real. We were standing by the families of the first marching band, which was from South Dakota. Nice people. I couldn't believe I was right there watching it all float by. Me and about three and a half million other people. I wish I was kidding. Then we had to fight the crowds more. Later we realized that it would be that full all weekend.

Then we wandered off to try to find the Empire State building again. For some reason we thought it was on the 50 streets, so we wandered that way. The goal of the Empire State building eventually took the back seat as we found more and more to see on each block. You know how in most cities there will be maybe five or six blocks of cool, old, or really big buildings, then it peters out? New York isn't one of those cities. In comparison to everything I've seen before, New York seems to be the only real city. Again I am at a loss for words or pictures to communicate the size of the city. Block after block of soaring skyscrapers, interspersed with nice old buildings and the odd giant cathedral.

We passed the Rockefeller Center and the famous outdoor skating rink. It's not that big and it was full of people with a lineup of hundreds just waiting to get in. We moved on down 5th avenue and the famous shopping district there. Way out of our leagues. Went past Tiffany's and De Beers. Eventually we came to the end of it and realized we were at Central Park. So we walked into and around the park. It was amazing to seek how distinct the line between the park and the city was. There are massive skyscrapers on one side of the street and a quiet pond, trees, and winding paths on the other side. After wandering through there for a while, we learned that the Empire State building was on 34th Street, so we went that way.

On 34th street we walked past Macy's (THE Macy's, all nine stories of it), to finally get to the Empire State building. We had debated about when would be the best time to go up to the observation deck. During the day we could see more, but at night things would be all lit up. It just so happened that we chose the perfect time. We got up there while it was still light, but the sun was quickly fading and thereby got the best of both worlds because in the matter of about 20 minutes we got to see it in the light and the dark.

That has to be one of the most amazing sights in the world. New York city is huge, but you don't fully comprehend it until you see the vast expanse of it from above. It was the first time I had ever seen city as far as the eye can see in every direction. It was amazing and scary. You could actually imagine that you were actually on top of the world and it had all gathered at your feet. What a name mankind has made for itself with that building! It was a truly thrilling view.

Not having any Chinese checkers game to play, we went to a movie and went back to get to bed for another early morning for the two shoppers of the group who wished to dare Black Friday in New York. After I thought about it, I realized it couldn't be that much more crazy than what we were experiencing everywhere we went, all the time. Madness seems less mad when you're living in a madhouse.

We each went our own ways on Friday. I headed for the United Nations. I was immediately struck by the artwork within and without the UN. Right in front of the visitor's entrance there's a sculpture of a revolver with the barrel tied in a knot. Wow! Take that warmongers! The barrel was tied in a knot...so it couldn't shoot! If people everywhere could just see this art, then maybe finally we would all lay down our arms and have a worldwide hug. Thanks, Mr. Sculptor. You just blew my mind. Uh, I mean, you just respectfully and peacefully related with my mind.

Once I got there I realized I wasn't really all that thrilled about the UN. I didn't want to take the time to go on a tour of it, so I looked around the visitor center and bookstore, eventually deciding that the UN is built on a hyper-internationalist, anti-American, and pacifist sub-culture that seems distant from the real world. It has potential, but it has been made into the project of a certain group of people, not all people. I then planned to go to Wall St., but the subway I chose stopped at the Brooklyn Bridge. So I went out on the Brooklyn Bridge, which is cool by itself, but also offers amazing views of the city and the Statue of Liberty.

I finally made it to Wall St. and walked around the financial district a bit. Saw the New York Stock Exchange, Federal Hall (where George Washington took his oath of office), and the other impressive and important buildings there. I didn't see any of those "fat cats" walking around Wall Street with their golden parachutes strapped to their backs, but I'm sure they were inside taking money from Main Street, 'cause that's all they do. Grumble grumble fat cats mumble bail out grumble groan Main Steet Wall street ("Yes, I will have a side of sarcasm with my sarcasm, please."). I did see the NYPD walking around with partial riot gear and M4's. I just realized that it was probably because of the events in India. Hm.

To be continued...

November 5th

Disappointment seems to be the state of affairs among those of us in the conservative camp. But this is not the time to despair. Face the disappointment and them step past it. Reality presented a harsh face to us, but it is not the first time, nor will it be the last. This is not the end, just the next step.

Governments come; governments go. Parties rise; parties fall. But the people remain. The people carry on and build a better tomorrow. Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress are not a danger to our souls and the souls of our families. We are secure in that, unless you doubt the power of God. Congresses and Presidents ultimately cannot change the core virtue of the American people. That is in the hands of each and every family that connects and builds its members up into virtuous, God-fearing people.

In four years or eight years, the votes will swing back the other way and the political agenda of the government will look more familiar. In the end, patience and cooperation will win out. Denial and despair must be left on November 4th as we move into November 5th.

Slowing Things Down....Just Kidding

Classes this week have been a bit more relaxed and reflective, but everything keeps coming hot and fast.

My internship this week picked up a bit. It was my best internship week so far. Due in part to increased tour activity (school fall breaks), I kept busy at work all week, which is a good thing when you're in an internship. As well as doing some tours, I also got to do more substantial and interesting work, which is encouraging and could open up more opportunities as I prove my abilities.

Tuesday I went straight from a really good day of work out to the Washington National Cathedral for a special event there. It was titled America and the World: Picking up the Pieces and featured a star-studded cast of speakers. The main ones were Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft who discussed the future of American foreign policy, moderated by highly respected columnist and writer (Body of Lies) David Ignatius.

They did this to demonstrate the idea behind their latest book which is written as a discussion between the three of them. Brzezinski and Scowcroft represent Democrats and Republicans respectively and have been involved in American foreign policy for many years and are respected as some of America's most esteemed statesmen. Contributing to the discussion after them were three highly involved activists and writers representing views from Africa, China, and the Middle East.

The night was capped off by a rousing speech given by Thomas Friedman another very famous and important contemporary thinker and writer. His speech was the highlight as it presented the most inspiring view of America's future in the world that I have heard in a long while. It is not often that a discussion of American foreign policy among international experts remains distinctly positive about America's importance and ability to be the world's leader in the present and future challenges we face. Each of the speakers was convinced of the need for America to lead on the world stage. They were not blind to the glaring weaknesses and failures of America, but neither were they blind to the great accomplishments and potential of America. A truly thrilling evening. Plus, I got to meet Thomas Friedman and get him to sign my program. Woot!

Oh, yeah. On top of all that awesomeness, the event took place in the Washington National freakin' Cathedral. It was the first time I'd seen it at all. It's huge! What an amazing and beautiful place. This also meant that the venue contributed to the inspirational quality of the event. What an opportunity!

The one downside was that I was not able to eat until after 10 that night. However, this was just the beginning. Wednesday night was what has been termed the starvation boat cruise.

It was billed as a Potomac dinner cruise. On arriving at the dock and walking down the ramps, we marvelled at some of the nice boats that we apparently would be boarding. We seemed to be walking toward one nice-looking one. "Ooh, this looks cool," I thought. Then I saw our group being directed toward the Nightingale. "Oh. Shoot." The Nightingale was clearly the cheapest boat at the dock, aside from Nightingale II. It was a comically tragic moment. Then, we learned upon boarding that the dinner we were supposed to eat was in the wrong spot so we would not get food until after the cruise. This was bad news. Besides all that, the night was one of the colder ones we had experienced so far. To make matters worse, as we backed out of the dock a thick, dirty cloud of smoke blew straight into us. It was such a collection of crappy things that it was just kind of funny at that point. There was nothing we could do but make the best of it. To make up for it, a group of us went to an IHOP to get the All-You-Can-Eat pancake deal afterward.

After starving myself for two nights in a row, I guess I thought I might as well keep it rolling. Political philosopher Charles Taylor was speaking at Georgetown on secularity, faith, and public life on Thursday night. I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Again I left work a little early and went straight to Georgetown. Unfortunately, we arrived about 10-15 minutes late. Normally this would be manageable, but Charles Taylor is a brilliant political philosopher and his lecture was very dense. It was also his third lecture of the week in a series. Basically, it was hard to follow and fully appreciate. I was glad I went to at least say I went to see him. After that I was done with running myself into the ground each night. No more starvation, thank you.

Saturday was the next event. Myself and several others from the program signed up to do a bus trip for the Republican National Committee as part of the 30 hours of campaigning we are required to do for our class project. We departed at 7:30 am and made sure to get on the bus to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (2.5 hour drive), not the one to Springfield, Virginia (40 min. drive). So I got a free trip to Pennsylvania, my first time there. I paid no money, but I did have to pay in man hours. I spent almost all of the time there phone banking, which can be interesting, but after the first half hour the euphoria of calling people who don't want to be called wears off, leaving you to wallow somewhere between anger and suicide. So it was a long day, but I got in 12.5 campaign hours. Phew.

Upon returning, I discovered my package from home. I have a lot of words and none of them quite fit just yet, so I will just say thank you. It was a real blessing and encouragement. Upon opening it, I immediately read the Lynden Tribune and proceeded to flatten out the Bellingham Herald that had been used to pack the stuff in the box and read it, too. For a while I could feel the peace of home in northwest Washington again. Thank you.

This morning I went off to church at Capitol Hill Baptist Church for the second time. Although I initially went to the church just out of casual interest last week, I have struck both times by both a challenging sermon that spoke right into my life and thoughts as well as an obvious commitment to adhering to the foundations and tradition of the faith. The music is all hymns, which I find very refreshing. Hymns are so beautifully crafted and so grounded in the foundations and Truth of the faith. I am thoroughly disenchanted by contemporary style churches. I had given up hope of ever really finding a church that actually challenged me by building directly out of the foundations of faith and not trying to be more modern or "relevant" (actually making them irrelevant). I didn't really expect it, but I think I've found my church.

Tonight I made and ate some cornbread. I found the same stuff that we have at home, bought a pan for it, and baked some up. If I had some homemade syrup, it would have been a complete experience. Alas, I will have to wait about a month and half for that. Parties and candidates may rise and fall, speakers pontificate, and philosophers philosophize, but I know that in my corner of the world I have home and home has my favorite syrup.

Milking Washington

Last Friday, as part of our courses at ASP we got to go to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (OEOB to you Oliver North readers). There we met with the Deputy Director of the Public Liaison of the Executive Office of the President and the Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. They spoke about their work and their views on how their work and politics in general related to faith.

By Monday, I was on the South Lawn of the White House. My buddy who interns at the Pentagon hooked myself and others up with tickets to the arrival ceremony for the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. We got up early and headed off to the White House where we gathered to watch the fanfare of troops, military bands, and two heads of governments showering each other with compliments. It was really cool seeing George Bush for real and being that close to the White House. Now if he would just let me inside...

Monday night, I grabbed a student rush ticket to the Washington Capitals hockey game which got me a great seat in the lower section to watch the Caps play my old favorite team the Vancouver Canucks. It was cool seeing the Canucks again, watching an exciting hockey game, and having my new favorite hockey team beat my old one. During the game I called one of my Vancouver friends to let him know I was at the game he was watching on TV. As I was talking to him, Vancouver scored. I groaned and then five seconds later he suddenly cheered. Forgot about the delay. After exiting the game, there was a really cool jazz/dixieland band playing good music and partying it up. It was a roaring good time until the cops came and broke up the good time.

Tuesday night we had an important paper due at 11:59 pm. One energy drink later, I emailed it in at 11:41 and felt more alive than I had felt in a while. It's amazing how much stress affects you subconsciously. Wednesday after work, class, and family dinner night, a group of us went ice skating. Afterwards, we tried to catch some of the debate at the nearest pub that was showing it. As we went into the room with the debate on, it was clear we were not in the best place to watch it. The doorway had an "Arlington Obama supporters" sign and the tables were filled with various sign-up sheets and Obama paraphernalia. Everyone in there was clearly and vocally an Obama supporter. We finally tired of that and left.

Thursday was actually pretty busy at work. I gave two tours, one surprise one in the morning to a group of German high school students. Luckily they knew English. The tour in the afternoon was for a group of 8th-graders who were pretty fun for a while, but they had been up since 2 am and by the end of the tour they were exhausted and so was I. ("Guests, guests...")

PSA: If you are ever going to be on a tour of the Capitol, or anywhere for that matter, please be aware of the fact that you take up a certain amount of space and the fact that that space and your use of it affects everyone else. Follow your tour guide and stick close to him or her to both hear what they have to say and to stay out of other peoples' way. Listen to what they say. Do what they say. It is not your space. It is a privilege to be there. When you enter a room, do NOT stop in the entrance and take all your pictures then no matter how much you block the entrance and your guide beckons you onward. Pay attention to where your group is. Do not leave your group. Ask good questions. Don't discuss my, I mean, the tour guide's position on the election. If you follow these simple guidelines, you will have a better tour and your tour guide will not say mean things about you after you are gone.

So basically, work ran me into the ground. But after a quick change and a quick bite to eat on the way, I was off the last DC United soccer game at home. Unlike the last game we attended, we got tickets in the supporter section. It was sweet! We had great seats close to the field and the supporters' section was constantly raucous. We waved flags, joined in the constant chants and cheers, and yelled until we were hoarse and we had a 2-1 victory. What a night!

Friday night we went out for dinner for one of the guys birthday. We ended up walking around Dupont Circle until about midnight. Today, I spent the day at Mount Vernon. It was a beautiful day. It's just at that point where it is tipping toward the chill of fall, but still clinging to summer's warmth. We got to walk around a really pretty, green, open, and forested area of land, which I appreciated. Saw some animals, got a wagon ride, roasted apples, observed a different way of threshing grain, and met George Washington. It was a fun day.

So here I am, trying to catch my breath and trying to look past my white knuckles clinging to this adrenalin-fueled carousel ride and see just how lucky I am to be here and milk Washington for all it is worth.

This is my town, na-na na na na

Apparently our Northeastern quadrant of the city used to be a much rougher neighborhood. I think it's very beautiful, even though it's still not 100% safe at night. If I could live anywhere in the city, this would probably be the place I'd want to be. I love the classy older buildings stacked right next to each other, with spires, towers, and lots and lots of brick. Even the tiny yards seem are cool and add to the cozy feel. It's pretty and relatively quiet and it only eight blocks away, everything goes into high gear. Only a mile away, everything goes down.

It's a pretty cool arrangement here on the brink of Washington.

Busy Week

This past week has been busybusybusy. Classes are alright, but our class work is confusing and quite burdensome. A lot of requirements and not a lot of time to do them.

Work has been pretty busy for me as I have to help process the all the responses to today's major issue, which have come in by the thousands. That was time-consuming and challenging, but work has also allowed for some cool opportunities. I got to go on an exclusive tour led by a former Senator and then go to lunch with Senator Dick Lugar.

I also made it into the gallery for the Senate's vote on the bailout, ahem, rescue package. I arrived at the gallery just as they were forming a line because the staff galley had already filled. The two people ahead of me in line eventually were allowed in as others left. After about 20 minutes or so, 2 people left and I was allowed in. I wasn't sure if I would get in. Who would leave at such an historic moment? But I got in and watched the whole gang (Senate) filter in. Everyone except Ted Kennedy was there. Barack Obama and John McCain included. It was exciting and interesting to see them all interacting with each other down below me, as did the other interns in the gallery who barely stifled their "oohs" and "aahs" at the entrance of each big name. I was embarrassed for them and annoyed because we're barely even supposed to move in the gallery, much less make noise. Oh well. I got to see a lot of important people and watch the passage of some important legislation as passenger train safety legislation and the US-India nuclear deal were passed just before the bailout. What an opportunity.

On Friday, myself and others had to shift gears dramatically as we planned a camping trip for the weekend. I was apprehensive coming into it because our original plan turned out to be illegal and potentially more dangerous. However, we were able to find a nice, quiet campsite along the Potomac and set up camp. It was a beautiful and peaceful little camping area. It felt like we were hours from civilization, but in reality we were just minutes away from sprawling suburbia. It turned out really well and it was nice to feel like I was outdoors again for a while.

As I was anxious about wasting my time in the city getting out of it and anxious about school work, my buddy Sean and I opted to skip the second night of camping and head back. We decided to go to the Major League Soccer game to watch DC United play Chivas USA. It turned out that DC United got played by Chivas USA, but it was a fun experience and we had great seats anyway. Next time (one more game) we may try to get seats in the supporters section which looks crazy. Everyone there is decked out, bearing flags and streamers, chanting, and making the bleachers significantly bounce. Cool stuff.

Today I slept in, having not decided on a church to attend, and went for a walk to take some pictures and just get out and take in the city. I ended up walking down to the Washington monument where I read a biography on George Washington and listened to the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival that was in full swing nearby. This city is happening, man.