Counting Down...

Tomorrow marks the three week mark until the end of the program here. It's kind of hard to believe, in all honesty...it's just that I've gotten so used to the routine of going to my internship and working on assignments that the time has slipped away. And while I've enjoyed my time back here, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to get back to Beaverton and Newberg this summer.

My last few weeks in DC aren't going to be uneventful, either. This weekend my cousins from Maryland are picking me up and taking me to their home for Easter. And then next week, we have our final project for our current unit in international policy. I'm not too worried about this one, considering it's a group project and the members of my group are really on top of things.

My last weekend here is going to be fantastic. Actually, it won't be "here," per se, but rather in New York City. Kevin and I are taking the Amtrak a few hours north and staying with his family friend. While there, we're taking a tour of Yankee Stadium (I've been before, but Kevin has not) and catching a Mets game on Sunday afternoon before coming back. But the coolest part, for me at least, is that after our tour at Yankee Stadium afternoon, we're going to stay in the Bronx and find a cool place to watch that afternoon's Yankees-Red Sox game. I don't think I can prepare myself enough for what that will be like.

Tonight, a bunch of us are catching a Nationals game. They play the Diamondbacks. It's going to be the first time I watch a game in a National League ballpark. Should be fun!

A Recap

It has been far too long since making a post, so I'll attempt to remedy that this morning.

Speaking of mornings, the past couple of mornings walking in to work have been unusually pleasant, in terms of the temperature and overall state of the weather. No need for coat at all, in fact. And with today being the first day of spring, I can only assume that, FINALLY, the freezing temperatures of the past couple of months are finally behind us.

A couple of weekends ago Kevin and I headed south on a Greyhound bus (not the best of experiences, I confess) to see my friend from high school who happens to be going to school at UVA in Charlottesville. Our stay there was great, and just what I needed to relax and recharge after a busy academic unit in the program.

We visited Monticello, the estate which was home to Thomas Jefferson some 200 years ago. The house, which you can see in the picture to the right, was amazing. We also saw his grave and wandered around the estate for a while. We arrived at the earliest possible hour, beating the crowds of other tourists and obnoxious 8th grade classes.

While in Charlottesville, we also drove out to a park and hiked up to a collection of rocks high atop the Shenandoah Valley. It was during this hike where I concluded that I am a tad out of shape. Surprisingly, my legs were not sore at the end of things, but my heart and lungs were certainly overworked. The view, however, made everything worth it, as you might be able to see to the left.

These last few weeks in Washington will no doubt fly by. It's hard to believe that there are just over five weeks left; even though I had figured the time would be going by fast, I could not have imagined it going this fast. And there is no indication that it slow up at all. The next few weeks will be busy with academic projects (our next project is a group-oriented study of Syria's relation to Iraq) and work-related projects (I won't go into detail, but suffice it to say that I'll never be short of something to do).

Before I leave, I'm determined to go to at least two or three Washington Nationals baseball games, and possibly make it up to Baltimore to catch a game at Camden, which happens to be one of my very favorite stadiums. Good goals to have, right?

I am looking forward to being in Oregon soon, though, and look forward to the time when I can look out my window and see green again. And it will be great to see Mt. Hood once again.

First Half Highlights

Well, as expected, this semester is flying by. I am officially over halfway done with my time in D.C., and our next academic unit is rumored to be more managable than the previous. Of course, this makes me very happy.

Highlights from the first half of my semester include:

- Hearing oral arguments in two cases at the Supreme Court (it's hard to top that one)

- Sitting directly behind President Bush and Laura Bush at church (that was just surreal), and attending church with them on a somewhat-regular basis

- Our first afternoon in DC, standing on the roof of our apartment building and taking in the view of the city for the first time

- Getting re-addicted to "The West Wing" (it's a recent development that I'm not entirely proud of, but somebody here as the first five seasons)

- Attending a press conference right after the minimum wage bill vote and being just feet away from senators and religious leaders that I've seen on television many times (granted, one of the senators was Ted Kennedy, but still...)

- Walking around Alexandria with two friends one Saturday afternoon

- Eating pancakes with the family of the residence director every Saturday morning (what a GREAT family)

I'm here in Charlottesville right now, and just got back from visiting Monticello and the campus of the University of Virginia this morning. I'll post pictures soon.

I can see the light...

I'm almost done with my unit project here. After I submit it before Tuesday at 11:59 pm, I won't have any homework obligations until at least next Monday when they hand out the next unit's syllabus.

I can almost breathe freely.

Oh, and I shook hands with Laura Bush at church today. It only reaffirmed my previous belief that she is a very nice and lovely woman.

I'll post again when I'm completely free.

Hearing Arguments

Yesterday morning, I woke up extra early and walked to the Supreme Court to wait in line to hear oral arguments in two cases. When I got there (around 6:15 or so) there was already a small line of about 10 people. By the time the deputies handed out tickets around 7:15, there were substantially more than that. Needless to say, I'm glad I arrived when I did.

I was seated on the left side of the Court towards the front, which provided a good view of the entire bench. The justices entered a little after 10, and John Roberts immediatly got things going. One thing that surprised me right away was the demeanor of some of the justices. For example, Clarence Thomas was talking with Stephen Breyer for a few minutes at the start of the first argument, as if the two were sharing a joke. I suppose I shouldn't have been too surprised, though; they're people, just like the rest of us.

The first case I witnessed was pretty technical, involving tax levies, and since I hadn't done my research on that case (for shame, I know) I didn't really know what was going on or even who was arguing for what. But there was a light moment towards the end of the case, when one of the counsels answered a question by Antonin Scalia by referencing a footnote he had made in a previous case, which made Scalia snap his fingers and say, "Dang it! I forgot about that footnote."

Cue laughter.

The next case was more interesting. In fact, it has gotten quite a bit of media coverage over the past few days. This case, Scott v. Harris, was about a police officer who tried to stop a fleeing, speeding car by hitting the vehicle, and whose driver, a 19 year old who was running away because of a suspended license, is now a quadriplegic because of the contact.

I tried to take note of how many times each of the justices spoke independently or asked new questions:

John Roberts - 8
John P. Stevens - 9
Antonin Scalia - 11
Anthony Kennedy - 10
David Souter - 3
Clarence Thomas - 0 (of course, he never does)
Ruth Bader-Ginsburg - 7
Stephen Breyer - 6
Samuel Alito - 3

Hopefully that gives you an idea of the variety and frequency of the justices that spoke and questioned during this argument.

My favorite quote of the day came from Stephen Breyer, responding to the lawyer for the respondant's argument that although his client was speeding, he was using his turn signal to pass people on the two-lane road on which the chase occurred:

"He used his turn signal. That's like saying the strangler observed the 'No Smoking' sign."

Again, cue laughter.

Predictably Unpredictable

Predictably Unpredictable.

What is how I've come to regard the weather in Washington?

That's correct.

I remember writing in a recent e-mail that I had thought I had seen the last of the cold, winter weather here. After all, it's almost March, and we had begun to thaw out after a cold spell of several straight days below freezing.

And then, today happened. It started out as mostly sleet and heavy, watery snow. But by 10 AM, it was pretty obvious that there was going to be noticable accumulations.

How does six inches sound to you?

It was acually kind of a mixed blessing. The snow was perfect for throwing snowballs, which many students here at the program took advantage of after lunch as a way to take a break from studying. But while it was nice and very beautiful, I'm concerned that if it doesn't melt enough this evening, they may cancel tomorrow's session at the Supreme Court, which I was planning on visiting in celebration of my weekly day off.

So all in all, I've decided that while, yes, I do enjoy the snow, I much rather appreciate it less often and in small doses. I think that's just another one of the many, many reasons why I love living in the Willamette Valley.

Church with the President

Kevin and I decided to hit St. John's Episcopal this morning; I had been before, but not to this early of a service. Upon arriving at the church, we were searched and scanned before being allowed in, so we knew someone important was there. We made our way to our seats, and noticed that President Bush was sitting in the middle section of the church with his wife. We sat to their right in another section of pews, one row ahead of them; we were probably only 25 feet from them the whole time. They participated in the service just like everyone else (the Eucharist included), and before he left he (to the immediate right of the pillar) stopped and greeted a group of children sitting in front of us, while Laura (in green) spoke with one of the rectors. This was the only picture I could take, and it's a bit blurry, but it gets the job done. I really like the church, and I'm planning to keep attending the 9 o'clock service. But maybe I'll occasionally go to that early service and try to get some better photos. In any case, it was a surreal experience, to say the least.