Last day at work

So, today is the day that I have to turn in my office key and clean out my desk.
I had a lot of fun working with The Potomac Advocates this fall and learned so much about the way things operate in D.C. I was very fortunate to get placed with these guys and I plan on staying in touch with them.

Compared with other internships, The Potomac Advocates really knows how to treat their interns. Not many other college interns were able to spend a weekend at a beautiful resort in Pennsylvania. I was also able to meet a lot of interesting and important people during my time with The Potomac Advocates, such as Congressman Reyes from Texas, Jeff Baxter-the guitarist/defense consultant and a handful of senior military officers.

For our last day at work, we all went to a great seafood restaurant together and then went to the office Holiday Party at The Monacle (I think I mentioned this place on Election Night). It was a great way to spend my last day with everybody.
Thanks for everything Potomac Advocates!

This is a picture from the U.S. Capitol with "The Man". Every state gets to put 2 statues of someone from their state in the Capitol. Oklahoma chose Sequoyah and Will Rogers of course. I knew I could not call myself an Okie or an RSU Hillcat if I didn't take this picture.

It's official...

I graduated! Yesterday, The Washington Center held a commencement ceremony for all of the interns. They gave us a nice certificate and a t-shirt, but obviously I received much more throughout the entire semester in terms of education and experience.

One of the things I enjoyed about the semester was meeting and being surrounded by other college interns who have the same type of drive and motivation that I have. Having the drive to be successful in life is one of the most important characteristics a person can have.

I know I've mentioned this before, but the semester really went by fast, too fast for me. So, before arriving in DC, I had a long list of all the things I wanted to see and do while I was here. For the most part, I did see and do the majority of the things on the list. But, about halfway through the semester, I realized that every time I would scratch an event, landmark, or monument off the list, I would hear about or see something else that I had not thought about or knew about before. Not to mention all of the sites that I wanted to go back and see a 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th time (Lincoln Memorial). So, unfortunately I can't say that I did everything that I had on my list, but I came close, at least on the original list.

Some of the places I'll try to see one last time for the semester:

• Lincoln Memorial again, why not?
• Supreme Court (There's a hearing that I'll try and get into tomorrow!)
• The White House- I haven't seen the Christmas tree since they put it up
• Wizards basketball game- I've never been to an NBA game before, so I figured tonight would be a good time, tip-off is @ 7 pm!
• The perfect night picture of the Capitol, I know just the place.

I'm probably leaving out other places, but if it doesn't happen this time, something tells me I'll be back in DC again.

Well, my last weekend in DC has passed and although it was fun, I definitely had to overcome some obstacles. Two things that I have no control over were working against me big time. Snow on Saturday when I went to go check out Alexandria, VA and the Metro subway was delayed all weekend.

Maintenance work on the subway turned regular 25-30 minute commutes into almost an hour, it was ridiculous! I just now realized that I have not driven a vehicle for the entire semester, so it's going to feel pretty strange when I get back home. You know how whenever you are driving and in a hurry, it seems like all the lights turn red and the slowest drivers in the world end up in front of you, well the metro can be very similar. Whenever you're in a hurry, you will just miss the train and the next train will not arrive for 10 minutes! Or like this weekend, you'll be on the train and pull up at a station, then for some reason wait there "momentarily" which turns out to be 10 minutes!

So the big thing I wanted to do this past weekend was go to the Smithsonian National American History Museum. It just opened recently after being closed for about 2 years. This is the museum where the original star spangled banner is and one of the original copies of the Gettysburg address, plus tons of other cool stuff. I could have spent the entire day at this museum and I'm thinking about going back before I leave. So, I took some pictures from the museum:

• yes, that is the "puffy shirt" from Seinfeld
• Roberto Clemente's uniform (A former Marine and a great baseball player)
• Kermit!
• And a poster that is so true.

Also a picture w/ a quote that is on the side of the U.S. Dept. of Justice building that I really liked and since I am a Justice Admin. major, I thought it would be appropriate.

Side note, I'm a little disappointed to say the least with TU losing in the conference championship game on Saturday (one of the ugliest performances from them in a long time), even more disappointed with all of the so-called fans who did not show up! A conference championship in a stadium as small as Tulsa's should have been sold out. Nevertheless, I can be happy with a 10 win season from TU every year and we still have the chance to win 11, GOLDEN....

Another week

Here are some pictures from the past week:

A group picture of all the interns at The Potomac Advocates with our Research Coordinator, Patrick in the middle. All the guys were giving me a hard time because I wanted our group picture to be at the Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial, but democracy was in effect and I lost. This is still a good picture though.

In the middle is a picture at the apartment after finishing my Forensic Psych. class and my portfolio project, nothing but relief and joy on my face!

The last pic. is my favorite, because that's w/ Jeff Baxter, I think I mentioned him earlier in the semester when I saw him at a dinner over by the Capitol. He's a guitarist that was in Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers and also does missile defense consulting work for the government. My mom has always been a big fan of the Doobie Bros., so I think she'll like the pic as well!

So, I'm leaving DC soon and have to do some last minute sightseeing of all my favorite places and some that I haven't been to yet.

Down the home stretch!

My time in DC is coming to an end, unfortunately it flew by so fast, I wonder if RSU will let stay another semester!

I just finished my Forensic Psychology class last night and it was a good class that touched on some interesting topics. Anytime you have bright students who want to learn and a professor who shows enthusiasm for the course, I think it is a guarantee to have a good semester.

The past week was a blur with all the work I had going on, but for the most part everything is finished. All I have left to work on is my portfolio for The Washington Center which shows people what I was doing all semester. In the portfolio, I write about things such as my volunteer work and the lecture's I attended. But most importantly I try to persuade or convince the good people at RSU who made this experience possible for me that their $$$ was definitely well spent!

I really don't know where to begin with all of the opportunities this internship has provided me. I could start with the education, the people, the places, and I still think I would forget to mention something or someone.

The educational benefits alone, my gosh! The lectures that you attend on a variety of important topics that are presented by some very respected individuals. You learn from your job, the people at your job, the people you meet through your job-NETWORKING! Then there is the college course you take such as Forensic Psych. Also, you can learn a lot from your fellow interns that come from all walks of life. Aside from my time in the Marine Corps, this semester has been one the best learning experiences of my life.

It's not a gym...it's a fitness studio!

In Oklahoma we call 'em gyms, at the Bedford Springs Resort, it is
a fitness studio. Notice the perplexed look on my face, I wasn't the only one.

Okay, it was a great weekend at the Resort! Such a beautiful place, I tried to hide from my co-workers when it was time to leave, but unfortunately they found me.

There was a lot of history at Bedford Springs that I was unaware of. For example: President Buchanan was such a frequent guest, that Bedford Springs was actually called the "Summer White House" when he was in office. Also, Ronald Reagan stayed there during his second term as California's governor and Eisenhower stayed there while campaigning for President.

All three interns got to stay in the suite overlooking the golf course.
This was the view at night from our balcony, which was bigger than the entire apartment I stay at in D.C. This is one of my favorite pictures because of the sunset.

The pictures: Can you guess which bed was mine at the resort? Now you understand why I didn't want to leave!

A picture of the front of the resort, what you can't see is the opposite end of the resort(where I stayed). The resort is located in a valley surrounded by mountains or hills depending on where you're from.That's right ladies! Just for you, I got to meet Ty Pennington on Saturday night at the resort. He was a super nice guy, just hanging out with some friends, shooting pool, and watching football.

more to follow

I had another full week in the capitol, no surprise there. The Marine Corps turned 233 on Monday and then Veterans Day on Tuesday was excellent. Thanks to all those who called me, it always feels good to hear.

I could not have thought of a better way to honor the veterans than by going to the war memorials and helping out with a volunteer organization that helps the survivors who have lost a loved one in the military. TAPS(Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors)

http://www.taps.org/

is a great organization that offers services to people who have lost someone serving in the military. I spent the day helping out at their office in D.C., helping them prepare for an upcoming weekend seminar where they provide assistance for the families.

Also, in my last post, I talked about another excellent organization called USA CARES, they do great things for the troops and their families, go to their website at http://www.usacares.org/

and under the volunteer/projects links, you will find some really good projects that help the troops. I am hopeful that I can get some of those projects going at RSU when I return in the spring.

So, right now, I am writing this post from a suite at the Bedford Springs Resort in Pennsylvania. My company brought us here for the weekend to attend the annual post-election conference that they hold for their clients. This place is great! Our balcony is about 100 yards from the golf-course, I just finished swimming in the indoor spring water pool, which was outstanding! Then I decided to go really high class and sport the complimentary terry cloth robe. I'll have a lot more to write about this place after the weekend and I promise to include a lot of pictures. Hey, you work hard and play hard!

I'll always remember...

where I was when Barack Obama was elected President of the United States! Tuesday night was one of the main reasons why I wanted to be in D.C. this semester and it definitely did not disappoint. The atmosphere before and after the election has been one of the most interesting things I have ever experienced.

I started out election night watching the results at The Monacle restaurant, it's on the Senate side of the capitol and a lot of Senators and Representatives like to go there. It's interesting because there was an older autographed picture of John McCain on the wall right by our table. After hanging out at the Monacle, my friend Tere and I decided to go check out some more places. I wanted to experience all D.C. had to offer that night. So, we went to another restaurant called Bullfeathers (I've mentioned this place before) over on the House side of the Capitol. The atmosphere was much more lively and festive there, it was a younger crowd compared to the Monacle so we decided to that we would stay as long as we could before having to take the subway back home, because their service ends at midnight.

It was at Bullfeathers, where I watched the historic moment at around 11 or 11:30 when it was announced that Obama had won. The place went wild. By that time, I think most of the McCain folks had already gone home.

My only regret of the night and I didn't even think about this until I got back to my apartment and it was too late, was that I wish I would have gone to the White House. Outside the White House, is where all the energy and excitement was at. Traditionally, it's not a place where people go, so maybe that is why it didn't occur to me,but for some reason, the street in front of the White House was packed that night. I finished the evening by running on the treadmill for 40 minutes while I listened to President-elect Obama's speech.

Change of subject, this is one of my favorite pictures because Dennis Miller was so cool when I met him. He's the national spokesperson for USA cares, a really good organization that does amazing things for the troops and their families.

couple gallons of coffee and I'll be fine

Today is the day! It's going to be a long one, actually I think today and tomorrow will just blend into one very long day.

Things are tense right now in D.C. I saw a lot of anxious and concerned faces on the subway this morning. The past 2 years have funneled into today and I could not think of a better time to be in our nation's capitol. There is no question that this has been the most exciting/controversial Presidential election of my generation, but I think everyone is just ready for it to be over with.

My firm is hosting a private watch party tonight for our clients and associates at a restaurant down the street from our office.

So, change of subject, I thought I should add some new pics. The "I have a dream" pic is actually an old one from my 2nd day in D.C. It's pretty cool because that day was the 45th anniversary of the famous speech.

There are actually two residences in the White House picture. If you look in between the 2 yellow signs, you'll see a make shift tent where this lady has lived since the 80's.

Also, if you look in the left corner of the pic, you can see the top of the Washington Monument.

It's gone by too fast!

It's not that I don't miss the folks back home or the good home cooking, but the time has gone by way too fast out here and unfortunately, there is not a magic button you can push to slow things down. To tell the truth, it does not take long to adjust to the high speed lifestyle when living here. So, I am trying real hard to get the most out of my time left in D.C.

I ran in the Marine Corps 10k this past Sunday, it was the first 10k race I have ever run. I was a little disappointed with my run time, but out of 5,000 runners, I finished 128th. I feel like I could have easily finished in the top 100, but these things happen. Some days you're just not as fast as you would be on other days. So, I have 2 weeks to train for my next race, the Veteran's Day 10k on November 9th. Hopefully, I can crack the top 100.

On Tuesday, I was able to go on my first tour of the White House with my TWC group. It was a self guided tour that takes you through about 5 rooms with a lot of history in each room. I was disappointed because I didn't get to hang out in the oval office with the President(my friends informed me that I set my expectations a little too high!). Nevertheless, it was the White House and it is definitely worth seeing.
In the State Dining Room, this inscription was carved into the mantel by John Adams on his 2nd night in the White House, it reads:

I pray Heaven to Bestow the Best of Blessings on THIS HOUSE and on All that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but honest and Wise Men ever rule under this roof.

Whoever the next President may be, I hope he will take the time to read those words because it will take both honesty and wisdom to lead the country over the next 4 years.

Now that's how you start your day!

You wake up at 6 am on Sunday morning when all of your roommates are still sleeping off last nights festivities. You go out in the cold and run in the inaugural 5k for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and post one of your best times since before having 2 knee surgeries.

Then once you've finished the run and your cooling down, sipping water, you learn that out of 400 plus runners in the race, you finish 30th. And out of 40 runners in your age division, you come in third(I realize that some of my friends will remind me that I was the second loser)! But, let me also give a shout out to the top 6 overall finishers who were all over 40 years of age! The winner was 41 and he finished in 15:45!

Yes. It was a great way to start my day and my week for that matter. I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I had lost 7 pounds since coming to D.C., and now I'm pretty sure it's due to all of the running that I've been doing. Even though my days and weeks are always busy, I have still found the time and made the effort to continue exercising and this morning it paid off for me.

And by the way, when I got back to my apartment at 11 am, all of roommates were still sleeping.

Last minute trip

After meeting General Petraeus and winning some $$$ in Atlantic City, I decided to go see Baltimore for the day on Sunday. It was a last minute decision, so I bought a round trip ticket for about $35 and took off. Baltimore is the home of Edgar Allan Poe, one of my all time favorite storytellers. Babe Ruth was also born and raised there. So I have some pics from the day and I also got to take a tour of Camden Yards, where the Orioles play baseball. Baltimore is a very old city, but there is a lot of great history there and I'm pretty sure I will be going back soon!

It keeps getting better

Well, even though the following actually happened 2 weeks ago, I still have to write about it. So, the 1st full week in October was hands down the best I've had since being out here in D.C. I Started out by going to the Supreme Court on the Monday, the 6th, because I knew Dr. Clayton would beat me if I was not there on the first day the Court began hearing cases. It was funny because there was a group of protesters in the front with red tape over their mouths, so when I asked a lady who worked there what they were protesting, she told me they're always there and they protest everything. Some people have too much time on their hands!

The next day was the highlight of my week. I went to an army convention after learning that General Petraeus was going to be speaking and being a big admirer of his, it was important to me to be able to hear him speak. Before hearing General Petraeus speak, I also met a couple of Hollywood actors who were signing autographs at the convention. It was well worth the wait to meet R. Lee Ermey, a Marine legend who has his own show called "Mail Call" on The History Channel, he signed my October issue of Leatherneck magazine. I also met comedian/actor Dennis Miller, who came across as one of the coolest guys on the planet, super nice and sincere.

It was finally time to go hear the General speak and I waited in line for about 30-40 minutes, but again, well worth the wait because I sat 4 rows away from the podium. The lecture was about the current state of Iraq, the progress that has been made and what challenges lie ahead. The General is a very good speaker, who started out with some really funny Chuck Norris jokes. My favorite was- "Chuck Norris doesn't breathe, he holds oxygen hostage." The lecture lasted for about 45 minutes and afterwards the General took pictures and shook hands with members of the audience. I would say that General Petraeus received rock star treatment with the numerous ovations and long line of women wanting to get their picture with him. Of course in the military community he is the equivalent of a rock star. I waited for about 15 minutes until I could shake his hand and introduce myself. In my opinion, General Petraeus is my generation's version of General MacArthur or Eisenhower, an excellent soldier who possesses all of the traits a strong leader needs.

Obviously, meeting General Petraeus was the highlight of my week, but I was able to end the week on a great note when I went to Atlantic City for the day on Saturday. I am not a card player, but I can sometimes be a skilled or lucky slot machine player. On Saturday, I was just really lucky, because I took home about $250 and ran, not walked out of the casino! I spent the rest of the day walking along the boardwalk, taking pictures, and feasting off the buffet! I've somehow lost 7 pounds since being out here, so I wanted to try and gain some of that weight back. Like I said, it was a good way to end a great week.

some more pics

I wanted to post these pictures from my trip to the Pentagon Memorial last Sunday. That building behind me is the Pentagon, if you could walk through the entire building, you would end up walking over 17 miles! Those are benches with the victims name on them, every victim has their own bench, 184 benches total to honor the lives lost on 9-11 at the Pentagon. You'll notice how the benches are facing opposite directions. That tells the visitors whether the person was on the plane or in the building when they died. Facing away from the Pentagon, like the one right next to me, means the person was in the Pentagon. The memorial is very pretty at night when the sun is going down and there are lights under all the benches as well.

The picture with the bell is a replica of the liberty bell and that was taken at the union station metro stop, which is where I get off to go to work. I've been walking by the bell every day and never knew what it was until my friend went up and took a closer look.

So, I don't think I mentioned that I'm going to Atlantic City on Saturday with a group of TWC interns. The best part is that it's only costing me $10 for my bus ticket. The trip will be an all day event on Saturday, leaving early in the morning and coming back late, so it will be a long day. I'll either be coming back on the bus or in a limo!

Pictures

So, I wanted to start showing some more pictures of what I've been up to since my last post. The picture of me and the the sailor is at the Navy Memorial, which is right across the street from the National Archives. The National Archives was our(my roommates and our neighbors) intended target for the day, but by the time we got there the line was really long. The 2 pics of me is at the WWII memorial, which is probably my favorite out of the all the war memorials, although the Korean War memorial is really good at night.

I also have the picture of my roommates Nathan and Kevin, along with our friend Katie at the Lincoln Memorial. Whether in the day or at night, the Lincoln Memorial is my favorite and I could visit everyday. A very inspirational place. The last picture is at the Albert Einstein Memorial with Katie and our other friend Kim in the picture as well.

I went on a tour of the Pentagon last Thursday, but we were not allowed to take pictures on the tour. However, I did go to the Pentagon Memorial last night and my friend did take pictures so I promise to put those up pretty soon. There is a lot of symbolism in the Pentagon Memorial, it is very interesting.

Today was a very long and busy day. I think I'm starting to sound like a broken record! First, I went to the Supreme Court since the new session began today. I was able to listen to the Locke v. Karass case, which dealt with the 1st and 14th amendment and labor union involvement, very dry stuff for a criminal justice major. I spent more time taking in my surroundings than I did listening to the case. I definitely plan on going back, once is just not enough! After the Supreme Court, I went to the Department of Interior for a lecture by U.S. Representative James Clyburn. Congressman Clyburn, who is the House majority whip, delivered an excellent speech about how to contribute to your surroundings and knowing your role in life. It was one of my favorite speeches that I have heard so far.

Hope I don't jinx my team, but GO TU!! The Harvard of the Midwest is 5-0 and looking great!

Hanging out with Mr. Mayor

Like I said the other day, you never know who you're going to meet. Yesterday, The Washington Center hosted a speaking engagement for Ryan Coonerty, a former TWC alum, who is now the mayor of Santa Cruz, California. The mayor talked about his time in D.C. as an intern and how he ended up in politics. He also gave some really good advice for students considering law school(he went to the University of Virginia law school and reminded us several times that Bobby Kennedy went there as well). Mayor Coonerty said it's okay to go to law school in order to learn a new way of thinking, because you would learn how to break down and analyze everything you read and what people say. But, the downside is that you would turn into the annoying know it all friend!

When Ryan Coonerty was an intern in D.C., he worked at the White House during the Clinton administration and he had plenty of good stories to tell. His girlfriend at the time had a college class with Monica Lewinsky, so he had to dish out some good gossip there(apparently Bill Clinton wasn't the first boss or professor). The mayor was one of the best speakers I've heard in a long time. He talked in a simple laid back way with plenty of good humor. I haven't met a lot of mayors in my life, but I'd be willing to bet that Ryan Coonerty is one of the coolest. So cool in fact, that I had to get my picture taken with him afterwards! Doesn't he look a lot like RSU's own Dr. Woller without a goatee?

You never know who your going to meet

First things first, I've got to congratulate Dr. Carolyn Taylor for being named woman of the year in Oklahoma! It is because of Dr. Taylor, who serves as the liaison for the Washington Center, that I am here in D.C. for the semester.

What an amazing night! I came to work last Tuesday and I had completely forgotten about a dinner that I was supposed to attend that night. I had known about the dinner for 2 weeks, but for whatever reason it had slipped my mind. The dinner was at the Capitol Hill Club, a republican social club located on the House side of the capitol that has been around since the fifties. To make things worse, I was wearing my least favorite suit (just a plain old black suit, very boring). Note to all guys: your shoes and tie should never be worth more than your suit! About the only positive thing I had going for me was that I did not make any plans for that night. I was debating whether or not I wanted to go to the Mets-Nationals game, good thing I didn't.

The dinner was for all the big players in the intelligence business(government and private sector) to be able to hear the House Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Rep. Silvestre Reyes speak. It was sort of like a state of the intelligence community speech, what took place over the last year and what the intel. community can expect in the upcoming year. I met congressman Reyes as he was coming in to the room and had the chance to briefly talk to him. Rep. Reyes is a very interesting man, who told us the story of how he helped deliver a baby girl from a woman trying to cross the border by the Rio Grande river and that the woman named the girl America. A very entertaining story! On top of meeting Rep. Reyes, I sat next to a very interesting Colonel in the Air Force who flies the U2 surveillance planes. The Colonel gave me a history lesson on the 5 branches of operation within the military and how the system was created by Napoleon.

Last but not least, I met a person who stood out from the crowd in a major way, he was the only guy with a pony tail and his tie had guitars on it. Not the sort of thing you expect to see at a dinner like this. So, I definitely had to know who he was and he turned out to be Jeff Baxter, a guitarist for Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers(sorry Mom, I didn't get his autograph). After making millions(he told us 7.6 to be exact) in the music business, Mr. Baxter decided to change careers. He now serves as chairman of the civilian advisory board for ballistic missile defense and was also an adviser to members of congress on the House Science Committee.

My adviser at the Potomac Advocates told me on the first day of work that you always have to be prepared in D.C., because you never know who your going to meet and last Tuesday night was a prime example of it.

The days just fly by!

It really seems like it. I had another busy week filled with a lot of interesting work. On Wednesday, I was able to attend a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the situation in Iraq & Afghanistan. The thing I enjoyed about the hearing on top of the good information that came out of it, was that I was sitting in the same room as the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the Secretary of the Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Mullen. My congressman Dan Boren was also there. Both Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen were the witnesses presenting the information.

Thursday was just as cool because I spent half the day on the Senate side of the capitol. Although I didn't see any of the senators, it was still kind of fun going into the offices of big name politicians like Clinton, Biden, Ted Kennedy, and both Oklahoma senators. After work that day, my supervisors took all of the interns to a bar called "Bull feathers" over on the House side of the capitol. The bar is named after a word that Teddy Roosevelt always used and today serves as a popular hangout for House staff members and lobbyists. It's just a place where people can gossip, network, and try to impress the others. Our bosses introduced us to a female Navy pilot who used to fly surveillance planes and now works as an intelligence staff member for the House. She talked to us awhile, gave us her card and offered to give a tour of the capitol building whenever we would like. I've learned very quickly that to be successful in D.C., it is all about who you know and timing. Timing is everything! Of course, those two things could be applied to every city, but you'll see it up close herein the Capitol.

I just got back from the Library of Congress with some friends of mine and was impressed with the architecture inside and exhibits they had inside, especially the part that covered the the start of the United States. Tomorrow (Sunday), I'm going to try and make it up to Baltimore for a baseball game. The only problem is that there is a strong chance of rain. If I don't go to the game then I'll go to the Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington, maybe start out the day by running on the Capitol Mall and through other parts of D.C.

A long 1st week... it was great!

Well, I started work last Tuesday with the lobbying firm and I already know that it will be a great learning experience. My work duties consist of a lot of researching different military programs for our clients and maintaining a weekly tracker report of what is going on with congress. Last week, congress was still out of session, but they return on this week, so I am expecting a lot more action and some trips to the offices of House and Senate members. My supervisors have been in the political business for awhile, so they have a lot of contacts in DC and have told the interns that we can expect to attend many different networking opportunities. I also learned that my internship will reimburse my metro fare to and from work every month, so that ends up saving me about $150, in addition to $15 a day for lunch( very rare among most internships).
I also started my forensic psychology class last Wednesday and I think it's going to be interesting learning the relationship between psychology and criminal justice.
It rained pretty hard on Friday and most of Saturday, so I wasn't able to do as much sightseeing as I wanted to this weekend. But, I was able to make it to the Jefferson Memorial and the FDR Memorial last night. Both memorials were impressive. I think I liked the Jefferson Memorial just a little bit more, because I enjoyed sitting on the steps and looking at the Washington Monument and the other buildings around. You can see the American flag on top of the White House from the steps. After visiting both memorials, I had to go back to the Lincoln Memorial. Anytime I am near the memorial I have to go there. I don't think I mentioned before that when I first visited the Lincoln Memorial on August 28th, it marked the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I have a dream" speech. There is a marker on the steps to commemorate the speech.
Today, I think my roommates are heading out to the Arlington cemetery. I've been wanting to see it every since I've been here, especially the tomb of the unknown soldier. I'm expecting another busy yet exciting week, so for now that's all I have.

the vacation is finally over

My long vacation is coming to an end. The 1st day of work starts tomorrow and on Wednesday I have my first forensic psychology class. I can say that I ended my summer on a really good note. I walked about 5 or 6 miles in D.C. on Saturday and went to a Nationals/Phillies baseball game with one of my co-workers today. I'm ready for the serious work to begin! Took some pics from the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the ball game, hope you like, you will see one of the Tulsa Police Dept. fallen officers name-Gus Spanos.

The future looks bright

Well, I got to D.C. on Wednesday the 27th, all in one piece with my luggage and I already know that this place is going to be a blast!

I'm staying in an apartment about 25 minutes away from all the monuments, which if you're a history buff like myself, then you're in heaven. I could probably visit the Lincoln Memorial everyday and not get tired of it. One of my roommates and I went to see the Washington Monument last night and we also saw the WWII, Vietnam, and Korean memorials, and also some place called the White House. I was speechless for most of our tour. Sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and watching the reflection of the Washington Monument in the pool, a person can become overwhelmed with feelings of patriotism and pride for this great country of ours! There is so much to see here in the nation's capitol that I'm kind of wondering where to start. I finished my 2nd and last day of orientation today, so I have until Tuesday to explore the city before starting work.

Besides touring D.C., I'm also looking forward to starting my civic engagement project. This is an assignment that requires all interns to perform some sort of community service. A lot of interns will probably help with one of the presidential campaigns and I don't blame them if they do, this is certainly the most exciting election of my generation. But, I've decided that I want my project to focus on helping our military veterans in some way, whether I'm volunteering at a VA hospital or at Walter Reed Army/Navy hospital I just want to do my part to help.

Lastly, I have to tell everyone how I lucked out in the roommate dept. I have three other guys living in the apartment and 2 of them are from Ohio and the other one is from Mexico. My 2 roommates from Ohio (Kevin and Nathan) like to exercise as much as I do, so I'm always guaranteed to have a workout partner. My roommate from Mexico (Fernando) is from Monterrey and every morning he gives me a brief Spanish lesson. So, when the internship comes to a sad conclusion in December, I'll come back to RSU in good shape and be able to speak Spanish.

Well, I'm hoping to be able to see the last Marine Corps evening parade of the year tonight, so I'll talk with you all later!