Ready or not, we're gonna be here tomorrow, wild with hope in spite of everything…

Thanks to The Submarines for this week’s blog title!!!   

Well, its all over. My time in DC has come to an end and after fleeing an impending snow storm, driving through the night, and listening to a wonderful mix of jams, I’ve finally made it back to New Hampshire. Its really hard to believe that I’m no longer living in DC, that my internship is over, and that another semester has come and gone. Its even harder to believe that I’ll be graduating in 5 months!! But my time in DC was truly phenomenal and I once again STRONGLY encourage all of you to take part in this wonderful opportunity.

I was supposed to leave the city Saturday morning, but due to the treacherous blizzard making its way quickly up the eastern seaboard, my roommate and I were forced to leave Friday afternoon. We made our way home through the night with hourly updates regarding how far behind us the weather was. We reminisced about our time in the District while listening to only the best 90’s hits and mentally prepared ourselves for life back in New Hampshire. It was yet another wonderful 9 hour car ride, but I ended up realizing that car rides are something I actually enjoy! Go figure! 

I think the reason I am saddest to leave DC is leaving my internship.  Its been an incredibly wonderful experience and I’ve gained so much from my time with Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline. Its been an eye opening experience, one that’s taught me tremendous amounts of a variety of things and one that’s helped me to grow a great deal. Its been a truly rewarding experience and i can’t believe its over. While I’m not ready to graduate just yet, I know that when that time comes I’ll be ready; I may not want it to come, but I’ll be ready. So here’s a big thank you to the OFL team, Meghan, Hayley, Leigh Ann, Laura, Janet, and Cathy!!!  Thanks for everything!!! :)

So what’s next for this blogger? Well its back to Wildcat country to finish school. UNH is calling me, and its definitely time to go back and be a college student for a few more months. After I graduate… well, who knows? Maybe I’ll be back in London, living and working in that beautiful and wonderful city. Maybe I’ll be working for AmeriCorps out in Seattle or down in New Orleans. Hopefully I’ll be taking some time to fulfill my dream of bumming around the US while attempting to be Jack Kerouac. (I’m not saying I’ll write a book, although that could be cool, but I’d love to bum around for a bit) Or maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll be doing all of these things. Either way I’m excited for the next adventure/experience in store for me, whatever it may be. 

Taking part in The Washington Center Internship program was a really wonderful experience and I highly, highly recommend it. I’ve learned that saying goodbye is, well, hard. Especially when you have to say goodbye to people and places and experiences that were truly wonderful. After having to leave London, and now leaving DC  what I’ve learned about it is that if the people  and the experiences were  truly phenomenal and life changing then as hard as it is to say goodbye, its never truly sad. If you can look back and be filled with happiness by the memories of the people you met and the things you did, then in the end, its okay to say goodbye. Like London, my time in DC was pretty great and while this city may not be the city for me, its still a wonderful place to visit with endless things to do and see.

Okay, enough with the sappy rhetoric. J (Although I guess it is sort of par for the course).  In honor of this being my final blog posting I’ve included the top 15 songs and places to visit of the semester. The songs that I think were post important and the places I enjoyed the most during my time here. I hope you enjoy them and I sincerely hope you come to Washington, DC. Even if its not through TWC, you have to visit this city because it truly is a wonderful place.

Top 5 Songs of the Week:

1. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: "Travel Song"
2. The Rumble Strips: "Girls and Boys"
3. The Kooks: "She Moves In Her Own Way"
4. Jenny Lewis: "Godspeed"
5. Broken Social Scene: "Stars and Sons"


Top 15 Songs of the Semester:


1. Lupe Fiasco: "Kick, Push"
2. Matt and Kim: "Good Old Fashioned Nightmare"
3. Jurassic 5: "Concrete Schoolyard"
4. Josh Ritter: "Girl In The War"
5. The Clash: "Straight To Hell"
6. Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah: "Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away"
7. The Avett Brotheres: "I and Love and You"
8. French Kicks: "So Far We Are"
9. The Kooks: "Shine On"
10. Darwin Deez: "Bad Day"
11. The White Stripes: "Hotel Yorba"
12. Jamie T: "Sticks and Stones"
13. The Helio Sequence: "Lately"
14. Broken Social Scene: "Stars and Sons"
15. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: "Travel Song"


Top 15 Places to Visit of the Semester

1. Black Cat
2. The Hirshhorn Museum
3. USDA Farmers Markets
4. The National Museum of American History
5. Saint Ex
6. University of New Hampshire
7. Meridian Hill Park
8. U St./14th St. Corridor
9. Ben's Chili Bowl
10. The Kennedy Center
11. The Vietnam War Memorial
12. Old Town Alexandria
13. The Friendly Toast (NH)
14. Holocaust Museum
15. The Capitol Building 

I got a feeling, that tonight’s gonna be a good night, that tonight’s gonna be a good, good night…

Yes, yes I did use The Black Eye Peas “I Gotta Feeling” for my title because it so perfectly describes the epic-ness that was this weekend!

So how does one celebrate the holidays/ the end of an internship while living in Rockville, Maryland? With a cocktail party of course! In celebration of the end of my wonderful time in Washington D.C. and with the phenomenally great organization Share Our Strength/ Operation Frontline, my roommates and I invited our friends for food and drinks and a night of reminiscing. We learned the moves to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” dance, laughed, listened to music and realized that we had truly had a great semester. 

After finishing up another work week this was a great way to relax. This past week had been one of the busiest. Not only were there multiple projects at work and class to attend, but this was the week before the final portfolio project was due and so I spent the majority of my time working on that monster project… and let me warn you now, it is a monster project.

I find when things like this end I become suddenly nostalgic… which I’m normally not. Okay, that’s not true I’ve been nostalgic and pining for London since the day I left. But I suppose it makes sense, especially given that I’m about to return to what is quite literally the frigid north. Word on the street is that the temperature in NH hasn’t gotten above 35 degrees in the last week or so. But not to worry, I’m prepared for the cold and actually looking forward to it! I can’t wait to throw on my oversized winter coat, ridiculous teal pompom winter hat, bright purple mittens, and embrace the cold New Hampshire weather. I fully intend to go sledding, engage in a snowball fight, build a snowman, and who knows maybe there will even be a couple of snow angels in there too… if I’m feeling adventurous. :)

On top of having a truly great holiday party some friends I decided to embark on a long journey on the underground to a place called Old Town in Alexandria on Saturday. It’s AWESOME! Old Town is a section of Alexandria, Virginia along King Street. It’s lined with antique shops, thrift stores, coffee shops, little places to eat, several stores selling Irish and Scottish goods, twinkling lights in trees and brick sidewalks. Walking through Old Town is like being home in New England. When you reach the end of the street you are standing in a harbor looking out at the water. The architecture of the buildings and the atmosphere around you scream colonial times and the residential neighborhoods are ones you could get lost in they are so beautiful. 

We popped into a few shops, I made sure to visit those supplying patrons with “a taste of Ireland and Scotland”. They reminded me of the gift shops geared towards tourists in Ireland and Scotland, but they were still pretty great. I searched for my family name and crest, looked at kilts, admired sweaters from the Aran Islands, and for a brief moment felt like I was back in Galway and Edinburgh. We grabbed a burrito (the largest burrito I’ve ever seen), wandered the streets, headed to the water, and walked through the residential area admiring homes.

From there we hit Chinatown at night, grabbed and drink and headed to Adams Morgan for one last night out. It was a good night and definitely a great way to spend my final weekend in the this amazing city. With only four days left at the office its going to be over faster than I can possibly imagine and spending a weekend with friends having fun was very much needed.

What could have quite possibly been the best part of the weekend was the moment when my TWC portfolio was officially bound and done. This final project is something that you probably will not enjoy very much, but its mandatory, and a good way to compile all the work you’ll end up doing while here. I spent several days organizing work samples, writing letters, and papers and when it was finally done I felt a massive sigh of relief come over me. That was moment when I realized that my time here was really just about over. It could have been a bitter sweet moment, but let’s be honest, I had just finished a major assignment...I was too happy to no longer have “homework” to feel any type of sadness :)

There are only a few days left. I’m not quite sure how that happened, but it’s been a great ride!!

Oh btw… Christmas is 10 days away… when did that happen!? 

Top 2 Places to Visit This Week 

1. Capitol South/Good Stuff Eatery: Capitol South is a very cool part of the District. Home to the Capitol Building (duh), the Supreme Court, and offices of our Congressmen (and women), it’s got a unique atmosphere. People on their way to hearings and very important meetings weave through crowded sidewalks in their suits and congregate at the local bars for happy hour. Now, very importantly, located on 1st and Pennsylvania Ave (just off the Capitol South underground stop) is the fine little vegetarian friendly burger joint, Good Stuff Eatery! Home of the Obama burger and the Vegetarians Are People Too burger, Good Stuff Eatery provides a great atmosphere and great food… for cheap (something all interns desperately search for)! My good friends Jill and Monica introduced me to this fine establishment before class one night. The hardwood floors and two-story hole-in-the-wall is a great place to chill out before your 3-hour TWC class, and if you time it right, when you leave it will be on your walk back to the Metro you’ll be able to enjoy the seeing the Capitol Building glowing in the night sky. Plus… Chef Spike, who owns Good Stuff, was featured on Top Chef! :)

2. Old Town Alexandria: If you find yourself living in Braddock Apartments during your time with The Washington Center, consider yourself lucky. You’ll be just a stone’s throw (or a short walk) away from Old Town Alexandria and King Street. Lined with store fronts, lit by tree lights, and right on the water, Old Town is a beautiful place to go out both at night and during the day. There are several Irish and Scottish themed stores including TKN, a store completely dedicated to … kilts (awesome). 

it’s reminiscent of colonial New England and offers beautiful residential streets to wander through, endless pubs and coffee shops, antique stores, and thrift stores. There are carolers and outdoor music and if you just want some piece and quiet you can go down to the wharf and sit by the water.

Top Five Songs of the Week

1. The Helio Sequence: “Lately”

2. Regina Spektor: “Fidelity”

3. Violent Femmes: “Blister in the Sun”

4. Tilly and the Wall: “Beat Control”

5. Coldplay: “The Scientist”

 

Standing on the board, board is on the wheels, wheels are on the ground, spinning round and round…

World Cup matches were picked this week!!! USA v England in group 3 matches! (this will be a hard one for me… as I’m an American, but LOVE England…)

Now back to business. So I think over the last few weeks I’ve developed a new trend with my blogs, the use of song lyrics for titles. It started with “A Weekend In the City” by Bloc Party and have gone on to include Matt and Kim, The Hombres, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. This week I’d like to thank The GO! Team for my blog title.

As my internship here in D.C. winds down, the work has picked up. We are coming ever closer to our deadline for Local Program Reports and with the cake contest at this year’s holiday part looming over head… there’s a lot to do! Literacy evaluations, meetings, and compiling of work samples took up my life at the office this week. It was hectic, it was busy, but despite that, it’s still a great time and there are really no words for how great that is.

So how does one end a hectic work week? With free tickets to the Washington Wizards of course! So you know how I’m always talking about looking for free things to do in the city… this is one of them. The fine folks at the Verizon Center donated 15 free box seat tickets to TWC and a couple friends and I were able to reap the benefits… thanks guys! This is one of those great perks that if you pay attention to your emails you’ll get to enjoy while interning through TWC.

Now if you’re not familiar with the Wizards, that’s understandable, before getting these tickets I really knew nothing about them. Having said that… check them out. They have some pretty cool things that go on during their games including the give away of free burritos, t-shirts, and a show by a group of guys called the “Secret Service Dunkers”. These guys are AMAZING! They run from the opposite end of the court, jump on a trampoline and while doing a series of spins and flips in the air, dunk the ball in an effortless display of talent.  

The game was… GREAT! Now I know the Wizards aren’t the most phenomenal of teams (nor are the Toronto Raptors, their opponent this past Friday night), but both teams were on an even keel and as a result the game was pretty intense. Once again, I found myself completely caught up in the competitiveness of a sporting event. With my friends on either side of me, we yelled, we screamed, we cheered, we engaged in a running commentary throughout the whole game. I gripped my seat as I watched the Wizards try desperately to gain a lead on the Raptors and as the fourth period came around they tied up the game with two successful three point shots and we found ourselves entering into overtime.

Overtime quickly became double overtime as both teams refused to give up or let the other gain ground. By the time we were in the last minute and a half of the game, I was out of my seat jumping up and down, pumping my fist in the air cheering on the Wizards with a desperate hope that they could pull through. They put forth a truly valiant effort, but sadly the Toronto Raptors proved to be just a little bit better and ended up winning the game.

As the buzzer sounded, the heads of several TWC students suddenly hung low as we realized our team had lost. It was a sad moment but one we quickly recovered from, largely because of the chaos that ensued getting on the underground. All I could think of as I fought through an endless crowd of people and ran through Chinatown station on to a Metro car overflowing with people, was the walk to the underground after an Arsenal game back in London. 

My family had come to visit me and my brother had treated us all to tickets to the most phenomenal football team ever… ARSENAL!   

(Thanks mi hermano!) The game was phenomenal! Arsenal won, meaning they would be moving on to the championship at Wimbley, and the crowd had been amazing! (When you go to London, which I know you all will because it’s the coolest place ever, please, PLEASE go to a football match. It’s seriously one of the best experiences you’ll ever have!) As we left Emirate Stadium we found ourselves being herded like cattle away from the Arsenal Underground stop towards one a mile or so away. It would have been a quick walk except for the fact that the streets were literally flooded with people. There was no where to go and almost no space to move. As my family and I made our way slowly down the streets of North London and I share a plate of fries with a fellow Arsenal fan, we sang the team’s fight song and cheered with endless joy over their victory.

After a great Wizards game, I awoke the next morning to… SNOW!!! Yes that’s right, beautiful, wonderful, glorious snow, falling softly and swiftly on the ground of Rockville, Maryland!!! Now as a New Hampshire girl, I LOVE snow. I love it! Snow means winter, and while winter means shorter and much colder days, it also means sledding, snowmen, hot chocolate, and ice skating! 

Winter is a truly great time of year! It’s no fall, lets be honest, but it’s great in a way all its own and just like fall, there’s nothing quite like a New Hampshire winter!

To celebrate the first snow of year my friends and I hit the skating rink. We braved the incredibly cold weather and made the long journey down to Pentagon City, trekked through snow and puddles for a few glorious laps on the ice. As we skated around the outdoor rink in skates that seemed very unsteady trying desperately not to lose our balance, the snow fell on us in a blanket that covered everything around us. It was a perfect way to get into the holiday spirit and spend a Saturday afternoon in the city.

Between work, jazz concerts, basketball games, ice skating, and commuting in and out of the city, this week was perhaps one of the busiest I’ve had since being here, but it was worth it. When you come to D.C. or visit any city for that matter, take part in absolutely everything! Anything you can find to do, whether it’s a museum, a free concert, a happy hour, a sporting event, a lecture, whatever it is, take part in it! These are thing things that make your experience in a new place. They open your eyes to so much and they make your time, wherever you are, truly wonderful. And don’t stay in one part of the District, be bold, be adventurous, get out there and see every part of the city, because when you wander off the beaten path you find the greatest things!

Oh and before I forget, the link below is a reason why you should always get out into the city while here. While rocking out at the Bishop Allen concert last week, I was filmed by the Washington Post’s “Scene In” series. I’m only in it for a brief second, but it made me feel momentarily bad ass. :) Make sure to check out the whole “Scene In” series!

Thanks WaPo!

This Weeks Top 2 Places to Visit: 

1. Capital Jazz Project: If you like jazz (and I’ll assume you do) then while you’re in D.C. check out the Capital Jazz Project at the Kennedy Center. I had the privilege of going this past Wednesday and I LOVED it. This free forty-five minute jazz concert takes place on the millennium stage and is open to the public. The band is comprised of several students from local middle schools. These students are given the opportunity to work with professors of jazz from various universities in the area and are then able to perform live at the Kennedy Center and let me just say, these kids are PHENOMENAL!!! I was seriously impressed by these kids. They performed better than some professional jazz bands I’ve heard in the past and they loved what they were doing. Attending a show is not only something free and fun to do while you’re in the city, but it’s also a great way to support a program that helps bring music to public schools and develop education in the arts. Its something I HIGHLY suggest you check out while here!

2. 14^th Street/ U Street Corridor: Located at U Street, home of the wonderful Bens’ Chili Bowl, and 14^th street is the Corridor. Home to the Black Cat, Saint Ex (which have already made appearances on this blog), Bohemian Caverns and the Duke Ellington memorial, the Corridor is my favorite part of DC. Now, I like Georgetown, I like the Dupont Circle area, but the best part of D.C. is the U St/ 14^th St. area. Its laid back, relaxed, and here you can go with the flow. There’s no rat race vibe, no feeling of needing to be dressed to the 10s. No, here is where you can go to listen to bands like Bishop Allen, to enjoy some live jazz, grab a drink at an underground bar, and get away from the competitive atmosphere that exists in most of the District. It's incredibly diverse and the vibe and atmosphere here is unlike anywhere else in D.C.

When coming to 14th St/U St, check out:


Black Cat
Saint-Ex
Ben's Chili Bowl
Polly's Cafe
9:30 Club
Busboys and Poets 


This Week’s Top 5 Songs:

1. Temper Trap: Fader”
2. Anya Marina: “Whatever You Like”
3. Jamie T: “Sticks N’ Stones”
4. Bombay Bicycle Club: “Ghost”
5. Ben Folds: “Time”

Hanging from a pine tree by my knees, sun is shining through the shade, nobody knows what is all about; it's too much man let it all hang out…

First I’d like to thank The Hombres for the lyrics used to create this week’s blog title.  I’d also like to warn you that this blog entry will be heavily, if not entirely, focused New Hampshire (it’ll be great). So this week was Thanksgiving week, an amazing week. I worked for a day and a half, it was wonderful. They were busy days full of various projects, but spending only a day and a half at my desk was definitely welcomed and appreciated. :)

After scanning surveys and working on literacy evaluations for curricula I left my office at 5:30 pm Tuesday evening and hit the road. My roommate Brittany

and our friend Monica prepared to make an epic journey north. It was supposed to take us only 8 hours to reach good ol’ Epping, NH...supposed to being the operative word. It ended up taking us an insanely ridiculous 12 hours!! We were going just fine until we entered Connecticut and realized that instead of getting on 90 north, we’d stayed on 95 forcing us to travel along the border of Connecticut rather than cut straight through. This wasn’t so bad. Did it suck? Yes. Was it annoying? You betcha, but things didn’t really start going south until just outside Providence. 95 was detoured and as I was roused awake I found that we had ended up on 495 east. Now I realize that these roads may be ones that you’re not familiar with. Basically we were headed to Cape Cod, to a peninsula far, far away from New Hampshire.

We spent several horror filled minutes driving through Old Lyme, a small, serial killer-esque type town in Connecticut in the desperate hope of finding a bathroom… we never found one. From there on out it became a desperate sprint to get home. We managed to get back on 95 and in the wee hours of the morning I sped towards home faster than I ever had before. Plowing down the road at 95 miles an hour I crossed my fingers that no police would be on the road and that I wouldn’t hit any strange burst of traffic. As the trip progress my friend Monica and I slowly began to lose our minds… literally. We began creating raps about our predicament trying to use Jay-Z and Kanye West for inspiration and we found ourselves laughing at things that in all honesty, weren’t at all funny. (This is what happens when you’ve been in a car for 10 hours and its 4 in the morning, your brain turns to mush and everything becomes a hazy, laugh filled nightmare).

The eventful drive made coming home all the more worthwhile. Once again I found myself relishing my time in New Hampshire. I can’t say enough about what an amazing state it is. It’s insanely beautiful and the few days I spent there were filled with good times with my family and friends. Thanksgiving was… Thanksgiving. There was turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and more, food as far as the eye could see. After indulging I felt the nauseous feeling overcome my stomach and instantly wished I hadn’t eaten so much (a typical holiday feeling). There were runs through the woods behind my house, black Friday shopping, breakfast at the local diner, and Portsmouth.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 

Just another wonderful reason visit my fine home state. Portsmouth is home to Four Tree Island, Prescott Park, The Friendly Toast, Bullmoose Music, Marco Polo, Strawberry Banke, The Gaslight Company, The Odd Showroom, live jazz festivals, cooking competitions, a killer library, a London style phone booth, a annual real life Pac Man game every summer, and dozens of other incredible things.  I spent my Saturday night with my roommate Brittany and our dear wonderful friend Lindsay relishing all the awesomeness Portsmouth has to offer. After a truly stellar dinner at The Friendly Toast and a coffee at Breaking New Grounds,  

we headed to Prescott Park.

Now it’s already been established that I have a love of parks. There’s something about a park that just captivates me. Prescott Park is the park that started my love of parks. I grew up going there as a kid, and as an adult I’ve learned to enjoy in a number of different ways. In the summer I head over with a book, a blanket, a homemade lunch, and I settle in on the grass for the annual jazz festival, I play Frisbee in the evenings with friends, and wander aimlessly through the gardens. I head to Four Tree Island to sit by the water and have cookouts. In the winter when snow covers everything I sit on the pier letting the snow fall on  me and the wind whip up from the water. I spend nights watching the lights on the river and listening to the buoys in the harbor. There’s no place like Prescott Park, it’s truly amazing.

Seeing my friends and family, spending time in New Hampshire, and getting out of the city for a while was a much needed experience. I’ve got only two and half weeks left here in our nation’s capital and while I’ll be sad to leave, I’m definitely ready to go home. I miss the cold, crisp wind of New Hampshire, the crunch of leaves beneath my feet, and the little pleasures that have always made it home to me.

Top Two Places to Visit This Week:

Due to a lack of time in the city this week my top two places are in New Hampshire. You should definitely go to NH to check them out, they’ll make your trek to the Live Free or Die state very worth while.

Prescott Park: This is by far one of the most beautiful parks you will ever step foot in. It sits on the banks of the beautiful Piscataqua River and is home to a whale statue,  

modern art installation, beautiful gardens with fountains, benches with chess boards, live theater and music festivals, and three piers that jut out into the water. During the winter when a blanket of snow covers the ground you can sit on the pier and listen to the water hit the rocks while lights from the bridge between Portsmouth, NH and Kittery, ME dance on the water. When spring and summer roll around the park comes alive. Flowers bloom everywhere, live jazz plays from the stage, kids run on the grass, boats sail past, and the sun bleeds through the think canopy of green leaves. There’s always something going on, always a show or performance to see, and it’s right in the heart of one of the coolest towns in NH. 

The Friendly Toast: If you ever find yourself starving in New Hampshire with only $10 in your pocket, do me a favor and head to The Friendly Toast. For $10 dollars you get the largest grilled cheese you’ve ever seen. If you’re not a grilled cheese fan, let your money buy you eggs, vegetarian sausage (or regular if you prefer) and two slices of thick toast bigger than your head. The walls of this fine establishment are a deep red color and are covered with random pieces of memorabilia including a flying nun, movie posters, old PBR adverts, and pieces of artwork. Your waiter will most likely be covered in a variety of interesting tattoos and they’ll be more than willing to talk to you about where they got them and what they mean.  You’ll eat some truly wonderful food and find yourself surrounded by a wide variety of people all while listening to a truly unique playlist showcasing the various styles and tastes of those who work there. Its cheap, its good, its fun, and its considered a necessity if you’re in Portsmouth.

Top 5 Songs of the Week:

1. Matt Pond PA: “New Hampshire”
2. Dropkick Murphy’s: “Shipping Up to Boston”
3. Samantha Ronson: “Built This Way”
4. White Stripes: “Hotel Yorba”
5. Snow Patrol: “Just Say Yes”

Paper lanterns hangin' from the ceiling. Sticky stars aglow. Mappin' out some constellation…

First, I hope you all enjoyed the Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin lyrics that have comprised this week’s blog title :)

Okay, so this week… AMAZING!!!! In the post conference wake I’ve been able to relax at work. While I’m still busy working on surveys, mailings, attending meetings, and helping to get our local program reports ready, things are nowhere near as hectic as they were during Conference. Its been really, really nice.

My class this week… phenomenal and so I once again have to sincerely urge all of you to take “Politics, Power, and Poetry” with Professor Swerdlow. You know when you have a professor who makes class incredible? A professor who makes you think about things you’d never thought about before and makes class fun, exciting, and a place you actually look forward to going to? That’s what this class is like. So okay yea, it’s every Monday night from 6:30-9:30pm and that’s rough, especially after working all day and being at TWC programming, but its SO worth it.

This week we had a mock debate over the new health care bill. There were two sets of debaters. A pro and con group addressing the 1945 bill submitted by former President Truman and then a pro and con group addressing the bill currently facing Congress today. Everyone in class was assigned a role and we talked about how the bill was applicable then and now, how it’s changed, and how the need for it has changed as time has progressed. I was lucky enough to be given the role of blogger… I wonder why. ;) The entire class was involved in the discussion talking about a variety of different subjects which I soon realized are all related to health care in one way or another. This class was truly one of the greatest classes I’ve ever attended in my college career (and I’m including classes that involved field trips across London and to the London theater in that).

Now as amazing as my class was, and it was truly amazing, nothing, and I mean nothing from this week tops my Thursday night. In my first blog entry I urged you guys to check out a venue called the Black Cat. Well, I’m once again going to tell you to go check this place out. Thursday night I left work at 5:30pm, headed to the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl for some veggie chili cheese fries with my friends, stopped by the London-esque bar Cafe Saint-Ex and then saw three AMAZINGLY INCREDIBLE bands perform at Black Cat.

Small, insanely awesome concerts are something D.C. is a great place for. There is an endless number of great venues in the city that bring not only the wonderful quirky bands that tug on my heart strings to their stages, but also bigger named bands that have developed a die hard following. The best thing about these venues… cheap ticket prices! As an unpaid intern the possibility of seeing three amazing bands perform for four hours in a killer venue for $13 is something you will quickly learn to cherish.

This Thursday Darwin Deez, Throw Me the Statue and Bishop Allen graced the stage at Black Cat and put on a phenomenal show. I’m a concert junkie. Much like good dive bars and farmer’s markets, I have a passion for concerts, especially those in smaller, slightly dingier venues where you can literally be standing up against the stage (as I fortunately was). The atmosphere at these types of concerts is other worldly. People there come together in a very unique way. When the music starts to play everyone feels it. We clap, we jump, we dance ridiculously with no shame, and we let the music take us over. If you’ve never heard of Bishop Allen, Darwin Deez, or Throw Me the Statue, go check them out…. NOW! They are phenomenal.

Darwin Deez is a quirky band that wears bright day glow colors, old man style sweaters, backwards caps and jumps off the stage into the crowd to dance along side avid listeners. They make you laugh and make you want to sing at the top of your lungs… even if you don’t know the words to any of their songs. I’d never heard them before, but let me tell you, I am now a HUGE fan! Throw Me the Statue, a Seattle-based band, takes a less crowd involved approach but still delivers an excellent performance. I’ve been a fan for many years and seeing them perform live made my weekend.

Now if you don’t know Bishop Allen…I highly suggest that you correct that as soon as is humanly possible. I’ve listened to this band for years and this Thursday was the first time I’d ever seen them perform life. They are so great and this concert was particularly wonderful because they played several of my all time favorite songs including, “South China Moon”, Middle Management”, and the awesome ukulele jam, “Butterfly Net”.

I jumped, I screamed, and I sang every wonderful word at the top of my lungs… it was great :)

Top 2 Places to Visit This Week:

1. Saint Ex: If you want to experience a tiny taste of what it’s like to be in London, head to this bar on 14th street. Located just a few doors down from the wonderful Black Cat, Saint Ex is a bar/restaurant. Up stairs offers seating, food, and more of dining style atmosphere. Head to the back and down a flight of stairs and you find yourself at Gate 59. Now the bar is advertised as a “French-American” style bistro, but all I could think of was London while I was there. The laid back atmosphere, bartender who looked scarily like the lead singer of Bloc Party, and crazy paraphernalia littering the walls made me long for the football crazy, pint hungry, laid back neighborhood pubs of good ol’ London town.

2. Georgetown C & O Canal: This intricate canal system is a great place to go for a run, a walk, or get lost in your thoughts. The canals almost right next to the waterfront in beautiful Georgetown and provide a more quiet and peaceful setting from the bustling, crowded, streets. I’ve been only a couple of times, but I’ve developed quite a liking for going down to the canals when I’m in the area and wandering aimlessly along the paths. If you’re in the city and in need of new running route, or just looking to step outside the city for a bit, I highly suggest you check this place out.

This Week’s Top 5 Songs:

1. Bishop Allen: “Butterfly Nets”
2. Darwin Deez: “Bad Day”
3. Throw Me the Statue: “Ship”
4. Passion Pit: “Little Secrets”
5. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: “Some Constellation”

Riding trains to end of lines, still we’ve got nothing but time…

So my time here is sort of coming to an end. Its weird really to think about because its hard to fathom the fact that I’ve been here for almost three months already, that Thanksgiving and class registration are right around the corner, and that in only a few weeks I’ll be packing up, moving back to NH, and writing my final blog entry (don’t worry I’ll make it a good one) :)

This was actually one of the less eventful weeks for me in regards to work. With the end of Conference and people settling back into their routines at the office, not a lot has been going on. In all honesty the Share Our Strength office was sort of dead this week, at least for me. There was an eerie silence my first day back and things didn’t pick up too much by the time Friday rolled around. It was kind of nice though. It gave me a chance to acclimate to office life again and I enjoyed not having to run around getting materials boxed up. :)
       
Friday I headed to another farmers market event, which was definitely… eventful. Hurricane Ida attacked Washington D.C. I was at the City Harvest Farmer’s Market at the Reagan Building spreading the good word about Operation Frontline when massive gusts of wind took our tent and the tents of fellow vendors. All around me people were grasping desperately to tent poles and table tops trying to stop their items from blowing away. Despite the gale force winds, the stream of papers swirling up into the air with each gust, and the freezing down pour rain, people came out to sample foods, but meat and produce, and make small talk with us and I once again had a great time!  Farmer’s markets are amazing, there’s no possible way to argue that statement. I don’t know why I love them so much, but I do. They are full of friendly people, good food, tons of information, and they’re a great place to go get fresh fruits and veggies. This was sadly our last farmer’s market of the season!!!! No more sampling OFL recipes, no more chit chatting with friendly vendors, and no more coffee from Saint Lucia, located in my hometown (well current hometown) of Rockville, MD. (AMAZING coffee). :(

As sad as it is to say goodbye to my time as a farmer’s market participant, it was the start of a very good weekend. My weekend was consumed with running, museums, aimless wandering, live music, and friends, all the necessary ingredients to a good time. I headed into the city Saturday afternoon for a day of me time and went to the National Mall. I watched a soccer match going on as I slowly made my way to the Hirshhorn Museum. When you come to this city please make sure you take some time and visit the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden because it is seriously one of the most amazing places. 

As I’ve said before I love parks and gardens, especially in cities. Living in Regent’s Park in London was amazing because when I wanted to feel disconnected from the world, or the craziness of the city, I would wander through that park. I’d head up to Primrose Hill and sit on a bench and I could see all the way to the river Thames. There was no noise, things were quite and peaceful, it made you feel as if the world had stopped and everything around you was standing still, it was amazing. The Sculpture Garden is similar while you’re there you can almost forget you're in the city. 

After spending an hour and a half getting lost in artwork I continued my journey back down the mall. Trudging through mud and what seemed like a million tourists I notice how beautiful everything looked in that moment. It wasn’t conventionally beautiful. It was beautiful in that way that things are when you catch them in a specific moment, a moment that you’re not looking for, that just sort of happens. (Those are the best kinds of moments). The sky was gray, the leaves were a burnt orange color, the carousel was full of passengers, and all around me were families, kids running through the grass, couples sitting on park benches, and museum steps flooded with patrons. For a moment I just stood and looked around as if I was seeing the city for the first time.
    
These are the moments I think I’ve come to appreciate most over the last year. In London I feel as if they happened almost every second of every day. That city was constantly surprising me, constantly leaving me in awe of everything, and constantly stealing my heart. Maybe it’s a growing sense of nostalgia since my time here is quickly coming to an end, but in a lot of ways I’m starting to see that same beauty here in D.C. All I have to say is come to D.C. Whether or not you decide to participate in The Washington Center, come to this city. Its not a place I think I’ll live in again, but it really is beautiful and it really is worth spending some time in.

This Week’s Top Two Places to Visit:

1. Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden: Located just outside the Hirshhorn Museum of modern art on the National Mall is the sculpture garden. Here you can see works from Monroe, Auguste, and Yoko Ono. The garden includes an audio exhibit, and several surrealist style sculptures. It also include The Wish Tree (Yoko’s creation). 

One of the cool things about this particular piece is that you can write your own wish and put it on the tree. There are wishes for peace, happiness, love, and so on and it’s really cool to be able to contribute to the art. 

There are also several benches randomly strewn through the garden, perfect places to sit, relax, and write if your journal (if you happen to enjoy writing in a journal) J As I’ve said before I’m a huge advocate for wandering aimlessly through museums and the sculpture garden is an outdoor museum so its extra cool!

2. Madam’s Organ: On 18^th St. in Adam’s Morgan, is this tiny, dark, crowded bar. Madam’s Organ features live music, a warm atmosphere, good drinks, and tons of fun. This is one of few bars in the area that charges a cover but the $5 is definitely worth it.  A different band plays every weekend offering a variety of different music styles, there are three floors, and friendly people. So if you’re looking for a more low key night out, check out Madam’s Organ.

Top 5 Songs of the Week: 

1. The Mountain Goats: “International Small Arms Traffic Blues” 
2. Greg Laswell: “Like How the Day Sounds”
3. The Kooks: “Shine On”
4. Noah and the Whale: “My Door Is Always Open”
5. Sleepy Rebels: “Magic Girl”

A Weekend In The City…

Well it’s done. Conference of Leaders is over. Two long months of planning (many more on the part of the Share Our Strength full time staff) and the conference is done. It was AMAZING!!!! I feel as if I will never be able to fully explain how wonderful conference was. I had such an incredible time and I feel so unbelievably lucky to have been able to be part of something so informational and wonderful. I honestly never thought Conference would happen. We were planning and planning and I never thought the day would actually arrive. Now I can’t believe it’s over!!!

Conference started last Friday at 9 am when I got to my office. From there I headed to the Fairmont Hotel where I stuffed goodie bags, helped assist FEED meeting attendees and boxed materials for Operation Frontline. Now before I continue I do realize how boring these tasks must sound but trust me… they weren’t and they were also just the beginning of the incredibly wonderful things I got to do while at conference. I was given the opportunity to interview OFL’s Hall of Fame chefs (volunteer chefs who teach our nutrition education classes), I sat in on lectures regarding SNAP (food stamps), meals served in school, and I was able to participate in our service day.
       
I spent service day, an INCREDIBLE day, at Miller Farms in Prince George’s county, Maryland. While there I helped to glean crops. (Gleaning is a term used to refer to the picking of crops left behind by commercial harvesters).

Over forty volunteers, myself included picked mixed greens to be donated to a local school for food baskets for the holidays. The sun was shining, we had our white polo shirts on, and it was a ton of fun working on the farm. I had been lucky enough to be able to help work on the organization of service day and it felt really good to be able to be part of something that would help someone else.        

During my time at the farm I learned that more than 10 million pounds of crops a year go unharvested because they are not aesthetically appealing enough to be served in chain grocery stores. How disgusting is that? I’m asking because in a country where 14 million children go hungry every day, wasting 15 million pounds of perfectly edible food seems horrific to me. As does the fact that SNAP doesn’t provide incentives for buying healthy food and the fact that food served to kids in school contain almost no nutritional value.
   
I don’t want to ramble and I don’t want to turn this week’s blog entry into a rant on the injustices in our country, but I did want to give you some food for thought. This conference taught me a lot about programs like WIC and SNAP, about the issue of obesity and hunger, about school meal programs, and hunger in America. It’s a really important issue that unfortunately is ignored by the mainstream media. So think about these things and I encourage you to do some research because it’s truly a dire situation facing the people of this country.
       
Back to better fun things about the conference. Along with all the great knowledge that I gained I also got to meet Aaron McCargo from “Big Daddy’s House” on Food Network.  

He was a key note speaker at our conference and he was a brilliant speaker. Meeting him was truly one of the highlights of conference for me. His speech was truly inspirational and coupled with the hip-hop choir, Saturday night was definitely a great time at conference. George Stephanopoulos also spoke along with the USDA under secretary and the founders of Share Our Strength. I gained so much from this weekend and if I could, I’d go back and do it all again!!
       
However now I’m incredibly tired and in desperate need of some relaxation. As wonderful as this weekend was and as wonderful as it was… it will be nice to have some down time in the office. Although its now time to prep for the next farmer’s market event. Work at Share Our Strength has definitely picked up and it’s been great!

This Week’s Top Two Places to Visit:

1. Miller Farm: Located in Clinton MD, Miller Farm is one of the coolest local farms you will ever go to. You pull up and a beautiful array of flowers decorates the outside of the store, which is surrounded on two sides with fields of green vegetables. Inside the store barrels of fruits and veggie fill the space.  There is a bakery to your left that sells a variety of homemade baked goods and ice cream. The walls are covered in signs and unique pieces of artwork. You can watch the staff hand pick crops and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to engage is some truly wonderful conversation with them. 

2. Mie N Yu: This is perhaps one of the coolest restaurants I’ve been to in this city. Located in Georgetown on Wisconsin Ave, Mie N Yu offers authentic Middle Eastern food in a crazy atmosphere. There are two floors this restaurant, one with a bar, a cabana style seating area, and purple lighting. The second floor is more laid back. The Venetian room has chairs made of old tree trunks that are so heavy you need the help of your waiter to pull it away from the table (no joke). The coolest part of this place though isn’t the lighting, the furniture, or the food; it’s the coveted Birdcage table. It’s a table… in a giant birdcage tucked into a corner in a stairwell hovering between the first and second floor.

This Week’s Top Five Songs:

1. French Kicks: “So Far We Are”
2. Voxtrot: “Berlin, Without Return”
3. Los Campesinos: “This Is How You Spell HAHAHA”
4. OK GO: “Shooting the Moon
5. The Submarines: “1940”

Ghouls, Goblins, Witches, Wizards, oh and Conference of Leaders…

Halloween. Greatest holiday… ever. Not only is it a holiday of zombie movies, haunted houses, and ghost stories, but it’s the one time of the year when it really is okay to act like a total idiot and do crazy, ridiculous things (and no one second guesses you!) There is nothing and I mean NOTHING better than Halloween. I love this holiday, basically because I love any excuse to dress up ridiculously, act like a fool, and eat more candy than human being ever should. I successfully accomplished this mission this Halloween. Dressed as a 1980’s camp counselor, my roommates and I took Georgetown by storm.

If you ever find yourself in Washington D.C. on Halloween, do me a favor and please go to Georgeetown. There is an endless list of great things to do in this city on Halloween, but Georgetown turns in to a fashion show. A fashion show of ridiculous, crazy, outlandish, and weird outfits that is. Within ten minutes of stepping into Georgetown I saw Gilligan from “Gilligan’s Island” J.D. from Scrubs, several mobsters, flappers, a giant bottle of mustard, and the cops from “Reno 911”. I was seriously impressed with the creative costume ideas people came up with and was very happy to know that there are other people out there who get as into Halloween as I do.

I was also seriously impressed by the number of cool things you can do in this city during Halloween. Case in point: you can go trick or treating on Embassy Row. That’s right. You can wear your craziest, most outrageous costume and go to every single embassy in the city and get free candy, from diplomats….from foreign countries!!!! Maybe its just me, but I think that’s pretty awesome. The White House also welcomes hundreds of children wearing adorable costumes and gives out candy. Basically what I learned this week… D.C. loves candy. And because of that I love D.C. ;)

All of the crazy Halloween festivities this week were greatly needed. Conference of Leaders is THIS WEEKEND!!!! Can you believe it? No, of course you can’t, neither can I. I have no words for the fact that it is right around the corner. I’m freaking out a little bit to be completely honest, I feel like there is so much to do and really no time to do it. But as stressful as all the pre COL planning is, I am incredibly excited. I can’t wait to spend the weekend in the city meeting people from Share Our Strength programs and getting the opportunity to learn even more about the work SOS has done over the years. I think the part of COL I’m most excited for is Service Day. I’m excited to get the opportunity to do more hands on work in the D.C. community.

The countdown to Conference of Leaders has begun and the aftermath of Halloween has set in. This coming week will most definitely be one of chaotic craziness, feeble attempts at getting some much needed sleep, and preparation for a weekend of Share Our Strength awesomeness.

This Week’s Top Two Places to Visit:

1. Toledo Lounge: I have this quirky obsession with dive bars. I don’t know what it is, but there is something strangely wonderful about a bar where none of the chairs match, paint is peeling off the walls, the linoleum floor sticks to your feet, and thought of using the bathroom scars the crap out of you. Toledo Lounge encompasses all these things. They’ve got PBR on tap, grungy lighting, red walls, and a bar tender who is so chill and so laid back he makes Jeff Spicoli (Fast Times At Ridgemont High) look straight edge. It’s a great place to go out with your friends for cheap drinks, loads of laughs, and a night full of awesomeness.

2. Meridian Hill Park: Also known as the Malcolm X Park, Meridian Hill Park is located near U St., a really great part of the district. Its one of few places in this city you can go too where for a moment, you don’t feel like you’re in the city anymore. There is a beautiful waterfall at the entrance and a drum circle that’s open to the public most Sunday afternoons. It’s a truly great place to go and relax when you need to get away from the chaotic hustle and bustle of the city.

Top 5 Songs of the Week:

1. The National: “Lucky You”
2. We Were Promised Jetpacks: “Quite Little Voices”
3. My Morning Jacket: “Off the Record”
4. Kanye West: “Paranoid”
5. White Lies: “Death”

One day, I took an epic trip north….

Well once again another week has flown by. I’m starting to get the feeling that time really doesn’t care about my feelings, how rude. But I guess this is what happens when you become an… “adult” (quite a scary thought). I’m learning that being an “adult” means losing track of time on a fairly regular basis and working a crazy amount (but I do love my work at Share Our Strength). As quickly as the weeks seem to fly by down here, I can’t complain because they are constantly filled with fun things.

This week, for example, I got to listen to Gillian Sorensen from the United Nations speak. She was part of TWC’s President's Lecture Series. Now I’m not going to lie, sometimes I find these lectures less than fascinating. They point of them is great, but after running around all weekend and getting up super early to go to work, I’m not always super enthusiastic about them and I don’t always want to go.

However, this one was pretty great. I took a human rights course while I studied in London and found it incredibly fascinating. We focused on the UN and the human rights covenants set forth by the Human Rights Council. Listening to Sorensen speak was great because it reminded me of everything I had studied in that course and it raised a lot of questions for me. One, for example, is why has the U.S. not signed or ratified any of the human rights covenants? It seems incredibly strange to me that our country has refused to officially accept these documents, which protect people from torture, discrimination and so forth. This was definitely one lecture I really enjoyed.

I enjoyed it almost as much as I enjoyed hearing that George Stephanopoulos...will be at Conference of Leaders!!! SWEET! I’m very excited if not a bit tense considering the event is only two weeks away. Seriously grandfather time you couldn’t give us just a few more days? Jeez. But in all seriousness the office has really entered crunch time. We’re trying to get Service Day squared away and I have just been given the task of creating a truly kick ass poster of the reception complete with facts, photos, and information about this past year. I’ve started compiling my materials and I think its going to turn out pretty well, but I’m still freaking out a bit, I mean this is going to be on display for everyone to see. I don’t want to be the intern who glue sticks a photo upside down…. it could happen.

Now about my epic trip, my trip to the land of fall foliage, D- hop (Durham House of Pizza) pizza, wildcats, ice hockey, falafel, and academia. That’s right I went to one of the greatest places a person can go, the University of New Hampshire. There a swarm of Regent’s College spring 2009 students were waiting. That’s right this weekend a mass of truly great people I studied in London with converged on my home campus of UNH for a weekend of awesomeness. I have to say, I really did miss these people and seeing them again was truly amazing.

It all began with a 10 pm train Thursday night from Union Station. Yes, that’s right I said a 10 pm train. I know how ridiculous that sounds; honestly who wants to spend their night on a train!? But I wanted to maximize the amount of time I’d have at UNH and not take off too many days from work (we’re still incredibly busy and I don’t foresee that changing any time soon). So I hopped on the underground (sorry, the Metro) at 8:30 pm and took the hour long trip into the city. From there I spent my night attempting to find sleep on an Amtrak. I awoke to find myself at Boston’s South Station. Groggy, tired, and desperately wanting to brush my teeth, I hurried off the train and onto the T and made my way to North Station where another train was waiting… At 9 am I made the final leg of my journey to Durham NH. At this point, if I never ride another train again, I’ll be a very happy person. Well… that’s not true, I love trains, we just need to take a break for while.

The weekend was AMAZING! It was great to see all my friends again. People came who I never expected to show up and it was two days of nonstop fun. Being back on the UNH campus was wonderful. Its beautiful this time of year, and after being away for nearly a year, I’m definitely getting ready to go back. I’m ready for breakfast at The Bagelry, walking on T-Hall Lawn, taking history classes in Horton and especially hanging out with some of the coolest people ever. I’m not saying I’m done with D.C.--this city is full of so many wonderful and exciting things.

Top 2 Places to Visit:

1. The Capitol Building: This one I feel, is a given. I mean if you’re going to spend time in our nation’s capital, you should probably go see where the House and the Senate meet to decide what goes on in our country. I’m just saying, coming to D.C. and not seeing the Capitol Building is like going to London and not seeing Big Ben… its weird. This place is actually a really cool place to visit. You can see the entire mall from the back side of the building and walk up to the balcony. The visitor’s center is fully of really fascinating information about the history of our government and there is always the chance you might see someone cool, whether it’s a congressman, senator, or even a congressional aid running through the plaza out front on their way to a meeting. Plus there are tons of great photo ops!

2. UNH: Now I realize this is not in Washington D.C., however, you should still come check it out anyway. (Basically this blog has become a shameless plug for my home university… sorry!). Seriously though UNH is AWESOME! We have Gnarls the wildcat mascot, the greatest hockey team ever with fans who chant things that no decent person would ever think to say, Diamond Library (the mecca of libraries in my opinion), boulder field, rock climbing, and who could forget wonderful College Woods, one of the most beautiful places in New England. We are also home to Polly’s Pocket’s falafel, Durham House of Pizza, The Knot and Libby’s (all cool places to check out in our rather small “downtown” area). There’s always something going on and as the last four three and a half years have gone by I’ve truly come to love this place. So if you ever find yourself up in the Live Free or Die state, head to Durham for some friendly people, good times, and fun.

This Week's Top 5 Songs:

1. Kings of Leon: “Use Somebody”
2. Old Crow Medicine Show: “Wagon Wheel”
3. Wyclef Jean: “Sweetest Girl”
4. The Verve: “Bittersweet Symphony”
5. The Avett Brothers: “January Wedding”