a day of extremes
Today was my day off. I still ended up spending most of the day at the Capitol, but continued my supermarket search in the afternoon.
I went to this hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on China in Africa. It was dry. Of course it was dry. But it was interesting to hear from academics and State Department officials and listen to the back and forth between them and the Senators who came (Feingold presided and Isakson, Casey, Lugar, and Nelson were there). They're not something to go to if you really know and care about the topic. Also, it is a really good idea to get there early to get a good seat. But I can say I've been now, and I think I want to go to some more regarding civil liberties in the coming weeks.
Then, I decided to wander around the Senate office buildings to find Senator Durbin's office. I couldn't find it at first, so I stopped by the Obama office to ask (they had jelly beans just like they do in Chicago!) and heard a staffer saying that there was a vote scheduled for the morning. I stopped by Durbin's office really quickly to find out about tomorrow morning and went straight to the gallery again to watch the vote.
At first there were only 5-6 Senators there and I thought something was wrong, but about 15 minutes later they all came swarming in to vote. I saw pretty much everyone except Biden, Clinton, McCain, and obviously Kennedy and Byrd. IT WAS SO COOL to watch them come in and interact and vote. As soon as Obama came in, a bunch of people congratulated him, and he walked around groups of people and talked for a while... with Lieberman for a long time, actually. And it was really cute because Durbin was usually by him. And then Obama and Kerry were talking and they hugged! That was really cute, too. I wonder if any of that 2004 Kerry/Edwards slash outpouring came from interactions witnessed on the floor... *__*
The roll call vote in itself was really interesting. They have this mechanical voice that calls out everyone's name and after it's done, Senators just walk up to the front of the room and motion to the clerk up (aye) or down (no) and the mechanical voice says their name and how they voted. It also pronounces everyone's name correctly, so that in itself was educational.
I've been to the Senate gallery a bunch of times now since Monday, but the most Senators I had ever seen on the floor was maybe like 5. So today was enormously cool because there were so so many of them there. I narrowly missed getting to talk to Senator Durbin again -- he left on the tram right when I got to the subway. I will definitely catch him tomorrow morning, though, because I'm going to the Illinois constituent breakfast regardless of whether or not I still live in Illinois. (If they don't let me I can pretend to be Brad's guest :DDD)
After phone training at the office, I went back out to look for a Korean supermarket that was supposed to be in the city. I had gotten lost and confused the last time I went, and it was kind of a not so great neighborhood, so I thought going earlier in the day would be better.... I did find it this time, but it wasn't a supermarket and it was still in a really shady neighborhood.
To make things worse, I am also quite convinced that I almost died on my way back. To get there, I had to walk maybe half a mile on a highway (it did have a sidewalk most of the way) and on my way back I got caught in a "severe thunderstorm with damaging winds" (as Accuweather puts it). The wind was blowing so hard that I couldn't walk anymore-- plus it was blowing dust and ground pieces at me and it hurt-- and I had to hold on to the railing. I couldn't see anything but headlights because it was pouring and I was starting to get a panic attack but eventually decided to just keep walking forward because it wasn't in itself a very long distance. At one point I was seriously considering calling 911-- I wonder what they would have told me to do.
I didn't get hit or blown away or struck by lightning, so that was all good. I was, however, completely and totally drenched all the way back. I would be a lot happier about this situation if I had at least gotten frozen dumplings out of it. Ugh.
Also, my faith in humanity is lowered a lot by today's incidents. While I was struggling to get back to the train station along the highway, there were literally people passing by to open their windows and mock me. What the hell? Who does that? On my way there, before the storm, there were several cars in which men would just roll down the window and yell something at me, too. I don't understand the thrill of this activity at all and hope that not all men are really this ridiculous and stupid.
I know the world is too icky and unsafe a place to have expected anyone to help or reassure me at that point--and even if they did I imagine I would be too wary to accept-- but it's terrible to have the exact opposite happen. What the hell is wrong with people?
I am really a completely hopeless romantic at heart. 少しだけ優しさが欲しかった。
People often disappoint me when I want them most to come through.
I'm really starting to dislike this city. Here's looking at another... 6 weeks. Let's see if they can change my mind.
I went to this hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on China in Africa. It was dry. Of course it was dry. But it was interesting to hear from academics and State Department officials and listen to the back and forth between them and the Senators who came (Feingold presided and Isakson, Casey, Lugar, and Nelson were there). They're not something to go to if you really know and care about the topic. Also, it is a really good idea to get there early to get a good seat. But I can say I've been now, and I think I want to go to some more regarding civil liberties in the coming weeks.
Then, I decided to wander around the Senate office buildings to find Senator Durbin's office. I couldn't find it at first, so I stopped by the Obama office to ask (they had jelly beans just like they do in Chicago!) and heard a staffer saying that there was a vote scheduled for the morning. I stopped by Durbin's office really quickly to find out about tomorrow morning and went straight to the gallery again to watch the vote.
At first there were only 5-6 Senators there and I thought something was wrong, but about 15 minutes later they all came swarming in to vote. I saw pretty much everyone except Biden, Clinton, McCain, and obviously Kennedy and Byrd. IT WAS SO COOL to watch them come in and interact and vote. As soon as Obama came in, a bunch of people congratulated him, and he walked around groups of people and talked for a while... with Lieberman for a long time, actually. And it was really cute because Durbin was usually by him. And then Obama and Kerry were talking and they hugged! That was really cute, too. I wonder if any of that 2004 Kerry/Edwards slash outpouring came from interactions witnessed on the floor... *__*
The roll call vote in itself was really interesting. They have this mechanical voice that calls out everyone's name and after it's done, Senators just walk up to the front of the room and motion to the clerk up (aye) or down (no) and the mechanical voice says their name and how they voted. It also pronounces everyone's name correctly, so that in itself was educational.
I've been to the Senate gallery a bunch of times now since Monday, but the most Senators I had ever seen on the floor was maybe like 5. So today was enormously cool because there were so so many of them there. I narrowly missed getting to talk to Senator Durbin again -- he left on the tram right when I got to the subway. I will definitely catch him tomorrow morning, though, because I'm going to the Illinois constituent breakfast regardless of whether or not I still live in Illinois. (If they don't let me I can pretend to be Brad's guest :DDD)
After phone training at the office, I went back out to look for a Korean supermarket that was supposed to be in the city. I had gotten lost and confused the last time I went, and it was kind of a not so great neighborhood, so I thought going earlier in the day would be better.... I did find it this time, but it wasn't a supermarket and it was still in a really shady neighborhood.
To make things worse, I am also quite convinced that I almost died on my way back. To get there, I had to walk maybe half a mile on a highway (it did have a sidewalk most of the way) and on my way back I got caught in a "severe thunderstorm with damaging winds" (as Accuweather puts it). The wind was blowing so hard that I couldn't walk anymore-- plus it was blowing dust and ground pieces at me and it hurt-- and I had to hold on to the railing. I couldn't see anything but headlights because it was pouring and I was starting to get a panic attack but eventually decided to just keep walking forward because it wasn't in itself a very long distance. At one point I was seriously considering calling 911-- I wonder what they would have told me to do.
I didn't get hit or blown away or struck by lightning, so that was all good. I was, however, completely and totally drenched all the way back. I would be a lot happier about this situation if I had at least gotten frozen dumplings out of it. Ugh.
Also, my faith in humanity is lowered a lot by today's incidents. While I was struggling to get back to the train station along the highway, there were literally people passing by to open their windows and mock me. What the hell? Who does that? On my way there, before the storm, there were several cars in which men would just roll down the window and yell something at me, too. I don't understand the thrill of this activity at all and hope that not all men are really this ridiculous and stupid.
I know the world is too icky and unsafe a place to have expected anyone to help or reassure me at that point--and even if they did I imagine I would be too wary to accept-- but it's terrible to have the exact opposite happen. What the hell is wrong with people?
I am really a completely hopeless romantic at heart. 少しだけ優しさが欲しかった。
People often disappoint me when I want them most to come through.
I'm really starting to dislike this city. Here's looking at another... 6 weeks. Let's see if they can change my mind.