We're going to work

Alas, the roads are clear.

Later tonight...

Today all the interns in my office got to attend a lecture by Marty Gold. Who is Marty Gold, you may ask? Well, Mr. Gold is considered one of the foremost authorities on Senate procedure and practice. He is even the author of a book, entitled Senate Procedure and Practice, of which I now own two copies. Here's why:

Anyone present the night before Jason and I headed out to Washington may remember that we had a rough time whittling our three suitcases down to fifty pounds each. In the process of making weight, my four-hundred-page copy of Senate Procedure and Practice didn't make the cut; it is currently in Utah somewhere.

Today after the lecture, my fellow (prepared) interns sauntered up to Mr. Gold to have him sign their books. I stayed back sheepishly. My supervisor noticed and asked what happened to my copy (since they sent me one in my Senate information package). I explained that I had left it in Utah and she was kind enough to give me another one. I had Mr. Gold sign it, then returned to a project I'd been working on earlier that afternoon. Right before going home, I looked at what he had written and realized that the inscription was addressed to...

Samantha.

I suppose it's still pretty cool that he signed it.

In case you're wondering, he wrote: "Samantha - Thank you for your interest in this grand American institution."

I'm really glad I got to hear him speak. He knows everything about the Senate. He gave us a crash course on how Senate and House rules differ, then touched on points of order, filibustering, unanimous consent, and waivers. After each example, he shared a funny anecdote about how the rule was used or the history of the mechanism. It was really fascinating.

Well, it's supposed to snow 12" on Friday and Saturday. Everyone keeps complaining that this is a particularly harsh winter. I think I'm just cursed with grim weather wherever I go.