Daniel, my brother, you are older than me.

Good song.

 

Interesting facts that occurred on our birthday:

 

1519 - Charles I of Spain was elected Holy Roman Emperor. He was crowned as
Emperor Charles V.
 

1914 - Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife, Sofia, were
assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serb nationalist -- the event which
triggered World War I.
 

1919 - The Treaty of Versailles was signed in France, ending World War I.

1976 - Women entered the Air Force Academy for the first time. (The Air Force tried to get me to join them. I said no.)

 

2000 - The Supreme Court ruled the Boy Scouts can bar homosexuals from serving
as troop leaders. (I think this is crap)
 

People who share our birthday:

 

1491 - Henry VIII, King of England (1509-1547), founder of the Church of
England. (I've seen his painting in the great hall of Christ Church in Oxford)
 

1712 - Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French philosopher. (Daniel's probably read him)
 

1902 - Richard Rodgers, award-winning composer with Lorenz Hart and Oscar
Hammerstein. (I love musicals)

1926 - Mel Brooks (Kaminsky), writer, director, actor. (I love Young Frankenstein)
 

and the rocket's red glare

"The flag-burning amendment will move out of the category of inane legislative posturing in which it has lurked since the Supreme Court rightly declared burning the flag to be a form of constitutionally protected speech.

Such an amendment would be offensive even if flag burning were a kind of expressive epidemic. But the problem the amendment purports to address is a fiction. When was the last time you saw someone burning a flag? If the answer is never, that's because it hardly ever happens. In fact, one of the few certain consequences of passing this amendment would be to make flag burning a fashionable form of protest.

The other effect would be to water down one of the most profound principles that the Constitution articulates: that Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech. The great power of this principle is that it admits no exception: not for the most odious racism or Holocaust denial, not for the most insulting criticisms of those in high office, not for cone-shaped white hoods or hammers and sickles, and not for burning or otherwise defiling the Stars and Stripes. Passing this amendment probably wouldn't create a great substantive shift in the general scope of the First Amendment's protection, but it would sap it of the idea that gives it its power: that American government does not punish even the most offensive ideas. Congress does the flag no service with such protection." - The Post

fire in the sky, clouds burning in the night

TUESDAY, JUNE 28, IS MY BIRTHDAY. IT IS ALSO DANIEL'S AND OUR AUNT'S BIRTHDAY. TUESDAY. JUNE 28. I WILL BE 21.

Just letting you know. Last year, just about everyone who has ever met me forgot my birthday. My friend Faith, whom I had just met in DC, remembered and called me. But friends I've had since I was 11? Nope. All of Daniel's friends called him and added a tell Sarah Happy B-Day, too. So maybe now that I have told everyone I won't feel so lonely out here on the other side of the country. OK, my pity party is done with. Actually, I think I am going out that night with the rest of the interns, so that should be fun.

I sat next to a guy in a flight suit on the Metro today. I love taking the Blue line down toward the Pentagon. I always see important-looking people, or really just attractive men in uniforms. I definitely started singing GSP's Sing Song act in my head though. The train was too crowded for me to do the windmill.

One of the interns actually talked me into reading Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. Jon wrote Wild at Heart. I have generally stayed away from books like this being the skeptic that I am, but I didn't have anything else to read on the bus and train. Aside from the numerous pop culture references that really shouldn't be equated to my life (if they reference the Lord of the Rings film trilogy one more time I'm writing a letter. See, they're referencing the movies and quoting and talking about things that happened in them and not the book. Yes, I'm a nerd and I have issues.), the book isn't as bad as I thought it would be, though, and it's actually started haunting me. I'll give you a book report when I'm finished.

Wednesday I went to a House Subcommittee hearing called "combating Trafficking in Persons: An International Perspective." One of our director of operations testified before the committee, which looked at the recent Trafficking in Persons report and discussed measures Congress is taking to prosecute Americans who are sex tourists, as well as those who sleep with prostitutes, etc. I felt pretty honored to be associated with the organization and it was nice being part of the entourage that sat behind the director as he read his testimony. Several weeks ago we toured the Capitol and we were able to see the Senate in session. The members were all coming in for a vote and we got to see all the all stars including Hillary, Kerry, McCain, Obama, Frist, Brownback and Kennedy. At least those were most of the ones I recognized. I wanted to yell "I voted for you!" to John Kerry, but I didn't think it'd be appropriate. It was interesting sitting up in the galleys and watching important people walk about beneath me, doing their job and not paying attention to the public they represent. I didn't like Hillary's hair. But, it's safe to say I've been able to see some cool things so far.

I stayed up watching the Spurs game last night and am so excited they won! I was pacing back and forth in front of the TV and then was jumping up and down and trying not to wake up my aunt and uncle. I also got pretty homesick watching all the footage of San Antonio and the natives going crazy. Things are just more relaxed back home. People will stay up all night on a weeknight to party on the Riverwalk to celebrate the win. Then, they'll call in sick and go and get themselves a breakfast taco. That's the way life should be. The slower pace seems comforting to me right now.

Man, I'd give anything for a great breakfast taco.

save a mouse, shoot your brother

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin..."

I was reminded of this part of scripture today as I was forced to go on a hike with my fellow interns a several staff members. My father used to call me a lily of the field. Yep. I'm high maintenance. I considered our trek through the woods, crawling over jagged rocks and hardly stopping as a form of punishment. I kept hearing the phrase "this is fun" escape my colleague's lips. I was confused. I was sweating, out of breath and had a pounding sinus headache. I kept most of the swearing internalized. I did, however, get a comment from the intern supervisor that I have heard before: "So, you're not really an outdoorsy type of girl, are you?" Yeah, that was my day.

I could spend quite a few posts crafting an ode to the Metro and public transportation in the city. I'll spare you most of the details, but it's interesting to watch all the commuters coming in from Virginia, boarding first a bus then a train to get to work. They don't talk to anyone but spend their time reading the Post or the Express (a short version of the Post) or listening to music on their iPods. Man I want one of those. You kind of feel like you're a part of the culture, but it's exhausting watching everyone be so exhausted. Being stressed and tired is a requirement in the city.

Things are going alright at work. I haven't had as much to do as I would like, but I guess that's an internship for you. Apparently, I work faster than previous interns the Communications department has had, so they are having to think up more projects for me to work on. I guess you shouldn't tell your employers that you're really bored. But maybe I'll get some fun stuff to do out of it.

Current listening: Coldplay, X&Y. If you do not have this yet, you must purchase it. Otherwise, we cannot be friends.

My brother actually shot a mouse in his apartment with a BB gun. Luckily it was on top of newspaper so the blood didn't get on the carpet. Crazy stuff goes down out in LA.

Long and tiring days, waking up at 5:30 a.m. and going to bed at 10:30 p.m. Is this what adulthood is going to be like?

so keep on comin', these lines on the road

And how I'm all wrapped up in my mother's face
With a touch of my father just up around the eyes
And the sound of my brother's laugh
But more wrapped up in what binds our ever distant lives

I love those lyrics. They just fit.

Goodbye, comfortable car and really long commute. My uncle switched car dealerships and had to give the Taurus back. So, hello public transportation. It's not fun being stranded in the suburbs of Virginia, but I can hop a bus that takes me to the metro, so it's not so bad.

It's interesting how you can experience culture shock within your own country. One of the other interns was talking about this since she's from Oregon and goes to school in California. Life out here is much different and we both come from places where people are much more laid back. Watching professionals out here teaches me both what I do and don't want to do with my life. I'd like to be successful, but when the weekend comes, I want to have time off. My aunt is the kind of person who doesn't know how to slow down and I don't want to be that. I pride myself in my ability to sleep for 12 hours easy, watch TV all day and shop for hours. They walk into a store, grab something, don't look at the price, rush around and buy it. "We'll take it, it's fine, just ring us up," etc. Where's the fire? Why do we need a game plan when we're coming home from the grocery store? Why do we need to plan out who will put the groceries up, who will take in the dry cleaning and who will walk with dog? It's exhausting just watching them.

I finished my first week of work and it's been interesting. I like the interns and we have a lot of fun in our corner of the office. We have cubicles but they're open, so I'm sitting in a quad with three other girls and I'm looking at them. I'm also looking out the window onto downtown Arlington. In the distance I can see the Capitol and the Washington Monument. I've started writing some of the mailouts and editing one, which is what I'm used to doing so it's not such of a challenge. It's good to be working though, but the work days are so long. By the time 4 p.m. rolls around, after I've been awake since 5:40 a.m., my productivity level drops significantly. I have a calendar with meetings, workshops and activities scheduled for every day. And I wear business professional attire every day. It's just funny.

I have Fridays off though. I think that makes up for everything. I'll and post more often.