Lessons from Irene

Superman can fly in 60 mph winds

So we survived the Hurricane. For all the hubbub, the Irene was more like a gusty rainy day. My mom's friend Judy visited, so we enjoyed the company of friends, which made up for the lack of power. We stayed inside all day, and I read a lot (The Road to Serfdom ... a must read for all libertarians). If I may have yet another existential view on the world type moment, I realized how dependent we are on energy. Will I change my day-to-day now? ... probably not. But I did learn that bad things can happen without power. The take home message -- have a backup plan. We've invested in a generator; consequently, we didn't lose all of our food. Contingency planning in the broad sense is important. By the time something bad hits -- be it a hurricane, lack of clean water, or any natural disaster -- it's too late to prepare. Only after we lost power did my dad and I spend hours scouring Rhode Island for 15 gallons of fuel. Who knows, maybe a day will come when we all wish that we had stored canned beans and bottled water.

Promised picture

The hurricane is a comin

To the loyal followers, this may be my last post. The hurricane is coming; the necessary preparations have been made; our futures are subject to fate.

Having been reared on the east side of New York and in Newport, I have led a sheltered life style unencumbered by these things people call "hurricanes." Now, as we cruise down Memorial, I've seen shops boarded up, emergency signs all over, and Home Depot is out of generators. My sister, dad, I will make one last trek to Five Guys today -- our last supper. Let's hope for the best. My camera is charged, and I'll be taking photos of the ocean as the storm intensifies. Stay tuned for pictures on another day (if there is one ...).

A harrowing Yankees game

First, let me announce that I've began my year long "Gap Yah Burger Quest." By next summer, I will hopefully be able to recommend the best burger in the US. To date, my notable burgers have included Five Guys, Ray's Hell Burger, and Good Stuff Eatery/We the Pizza. I tried Shake Shack on Wednesday with Madeleine Foote; it was really good and the burger was especially meaty -- I kid you not; this burger had the most pure beef flavor of any burger I've ever had. Unfortunately, I forgot to order "Shack Sauce," so my assessment is incomplete. I'll have to revisit and reassess. Also, as a general burger pet peeve, I hate it when a place can't cook a burger medium rare. Shake Shack was the most grievous offender, because they "can only cook the burger medium or rare." Really?

We were in the nose bleeds all right.

I'm not much of baseball follower. I was a huge fan of the Yankees in 2009 and a bigger fan of the Rangers in 2010. Are you noticing a pattern? Either I'm the greatest baseball soothsayer in the history of history, or there's a more insidious motivation behind my support. This summer, I've had the good fortune of being invited to two baseball games, both times using the tickets as a backup. Last week, Brian McNamara had an extra ticket, so Brian, Madeleine Foote, Mariah Foote, and I went to see the Yankees play the Oakland A's. The game was rather boring until the 8th inning, at which point the Yankees were down 6-0. Nick Swisher hit a home run in the bottom of the 8th to make the score 3-6. Oakland didn't score in the 9th and went on the defensive. Jorge Posada, first at bat, knocked a homer into left field ... 4-6. Bases loaded, two outs, the pitcher walks Cano ... 5-6. Nick Swisher gets at bat again, hits the ball deep center, and comes 10 feet short of a grand slam. The Yankees lose. What an exciting anti-climactic game!

Got my permit

The line at the Cranston DMV

Equipped with 3 hours of cram studying, I woke up bright and early to go to the Cranston DMV to take my permit test. I had heard the horror stories, tales of government bureaucrats, incessant lines, and the effects of budget cuts apparent everywhere. To our dismay, my dad and I arrived 10 minutes before the DMV opened, and there was a 1/4 mile long line. To quote the great Ned Gallagher, I thought "ah fag-ga-gaad." Surprisingly, once the doors opened, employees ushered in the entire line and the process was painless from there. The employees were respectful, but more important, efficient. I got in, took a number, waited in line for 30 minutes, was processed, waited in line for another 30 minutes, took the test, passed, waited in line for another 20 minutes, took my picture and then went to Whole Foods. Here's the scary part (though loyal viewers, you need not be scared). I have no idea how to drive, but I can legally take a Hummer, for example, and cruise down the highway. Unfortunately my parents won't take me unless I'm a good driver, so I now I have to get lessons, learn to drive a stick, and pass my driving test on October 18th. We'll see if that's possible. My only hope -- our two cars, a Mini and a Wrangler, are idiot-proof when it comes to parallel parking. Just remember, when the car starts hydroplaning, don't slam on the breaks. I unfortunately learned that after I took the test.

Today's juices

Breakfast - Carrot, Apple, Orange, Yellow Pepper, Tomato

Lunch - Five Guys

If you haven't noticed yet, a full out cleanse assault was a failure. However, I'm sticking to multiple juices a day, coconut water, and less substantial foods to the best of my ability. Beginning tomorrow, I will start posting about RhodySquash and my experiences as the Executive Director!

Cleanse temporarily postponed

Don't judge me yet. Sometimes I can be like the government; I make promises I can't keep, impediments eventually arise, inconvenience mounts, etc. I'm only human. The cleanse is still on, but we postponed it until Saturday.

Today, I woke up at 5:30 to take a train from Kingston to Stamford, CT. There I met Chip. The Choate board had a meeting today, which for all intents/purposes, meant we had a chance to interview Bruce Gelb for ChrossTalk. Equipped with a new mic, Chip and I conducted our longest interview to date -- 1600 bars on GarageBand, which amounts to a 75 minute interview. Luckily, Chip edits our interviews! Tomorrow is my birthday, and I'd prefer to eat cake rather than juice. Barring no unexpected surprises, the three day cleanse -- and my extremely soon to be mercurial mood -- will begin on Saturday.

Now that it's the end of August, I'm having to send many of my friends off to college. Not having to attend school next week is a total relief. I'm not ready for college. Choate cooked me to a crisp, and Washington exposed me to a completely different and at times more satisfying reality than school. Planning for the rest of the year continues. Tomorrow I have the inaugural RhodySquash meeting with the seed donors to chart the direction for the coming year. Off to the next adventure!

Preparation for "The Cleanse"

Please excuse the tardiness between posts. I just returned from DC. Last week, my Mom and I collectively agreed that we're going to do a three day cleanse. The idea was completely spontaneous, but probably necessary. I need a cleanse more than my mom does. I could lose some weight. I need a six-pack. I probably could afford to eat slightly healthier, having lived in the land of Five Guys for the entire summer. Beginning on Thursday, my Mom and I will go more intense than vegan.

Here are the rules of the cleanse:

1. The cleanse shall last for three days -- no more, no less.

2. Only fruit and vegetables allowed. No meat, eggs, bread, bagels, butter, hamburgers, hotdogs, and pasta. Include any and all other foods that you hold near and dear to your heart.

3. The food need not be raw. If compelled to sex up the food, please do so for the sake of sanity.

When I get hungry, I get upset. The running joke in the family is that I'll have to lock myself in my room to avoid flipping out at people. I'm totally obsessed with food. With the exception of a few Fox/Bravo game shows, I am devoted to the FoodNetwork. I should also mention that I've attempted cleanses in the past to no avail; my record is one day with a lapse for an after-dinner snack. As a testament to my obsession with food, I am genuinely scared. Without squash, I'm certain I'd be another obesity statistic. I have gone thunderous in the past and danger always lurks. Let's hope I last and emerge with a willingness to eat healthier foods. After all, I need to jump into the dating scene some day... 

I will give daily updates tracking my increasing desperation. God speed!

A little something stupid I co-wrote for the American Action Network

Quintessential Class: The Origins of Bow Tie Tuesday

 

We have often pondered the nature of the tie. Why is it expected in certain environments to hang a tailored piece of cloth from your neck? Perhaps that question is too existential. That is for the sages of yore and the scholars of now to discuss. We have not reached that level of thought… yet.

But, we have experienced several levels of dress, while interning in Washington, the District of Colombia. We have come to one conclusion from our time in this city on a hill.

What is classier than a bow tie?

The short answer is nothing. Perhaps a bow tie coupled with a cumber bund, but there may be such a thing as too classy.

There is a myth called Bow Tie Tuesday. Some say it doesn’t exist, but we are here to tell you that it does and it is growing. Tuesday used to be a day without anything to look forward too, until now. Bow Ties. Real ones. Everywhere. Every Tuesday. That is our dream and we will fight for it until the end of time.

To date, three interns have embraced the idea of Bow Tie Tuesday. We are reminded of Star Wars as an appropriate allegory at this time. Forces of good exist and they perpetually war against the forces of evil (aka Han). However, the forces of good, seem to be gaining momentum as a fourth person, an employee no less, has pledged to take part in next week’s Bow Tie Tuesday.

Change can be slow and often cumbersome. But, we will not rest until the bow tie has won.

If we don’t fight, who will?

By Ben Gitis, Mark Bednar, and Ross Freiman-Mendel

Spottings and confidence

In DC, if you walk around and don't space out too much, you're bound to see famous government people. There are two types I have noticed while here: those who I should have heard of and those who I instantly recognize. Regarding the former, this happens often. I'll be walking with Pete and he'll point to somebody, explaining "That's Rep so-and-so, Chairman of the this-and-that committee." It happened for example with Krauthammer, who I had not heard of until before this internship. Normally it's cool, and I proceed with the tasks of the day. However, the latter is often more difficult, because failure to solicit someone I instantly recognize results in the missed opportunity for an interview. Please excuse any bragging connotations, but I while in DC I have shied away from soliciting 1) Michelle Bachman at breakfast 2) Roy Blunt walking with a staffer from his Senate office building 3) Debbie Wasserman-Schultz in the metro (Chip's fault, not mine) 4) Janet Yellen at the Fed 5) David Axelrod entering the White house and 6) yesterday a sweaty Al Franken leaving the squash courts. Hope prevails! As they say, "7th time's a charm."

Hitting up the museums

Mass workout in the National Mall

One nice thing about DC is that all the public museums are free. In the short time that I've been here, I've tried to visit as many museums as possible -- checks off my tourist bucket/to-do list. In addition to hanging with Ethan Underhill (which was awesome-blossom) this weekend, I visited the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Holocaust Museum. Generally the exhibits were great, albeit slightly childish. Being that it's summer in DC, attendance to any of the museums is actually quite annoying. It can be difficult to appreciate the magnificence or profundity of an exhibit when surrounded by throngs of crowds: hot, sweaty, body odor, stupid commentary and loud Chinese filling the atrium, shoving, pushing, and the list goes on. For this reason, I entered and quickly strolled through the Air and Space and the Natural History Museum. In contrast, the Holocaust Museum was far more civil. Surprisingly -- and I found this encouraging -- the museum was packed. But the exhibits are only open to "x" numbers of people at a time, giving one time to appreciate the exhibits in a more personal, less tourist intrusive manner. The museum was very moving and depressing, but having actually been to Auschwitz, it didn't nor could it compare.

A mini Choate reunion

Last night, Chip, Serena Elavia, CJ Bell, and I went to Founding Farmers to have a nice meal before all of them left DC for the summer (I still have one more week). It was so nice to reconnect with old friends -- Serena and CJ primarily, as I see Chip almost every day -- and do it over a very nice meal. We went wild with the menu: crispy fried green tomatoes, Prince Edward Island mussels with chorizo, bacon lollipops, flat breads, crab cakes, pastas, shrimp-and-grits, and the list goes on. The meal was absolutely delicious, if not a bit superfluous. Choate afforded us a level of intimate conversation, a consequence of over 3 years of a unique, shared experience. It was nice to reconnect with Choate, even if it was only a couple months after graduation.

Heat

Notice the temperatures in each city

The Senate Gallery

Yesterday the Senate voted to raise the debt ceiling. If anything, that's kind of historic, given the length of the debate and the supposed dangers at hand. In the morning, all of the interns had a tour of the Capitol with an intern for Boehner's office, which afforded us the opportunity to see the House gallery. When entering the galleries from the visitor center, there is a security check point after which you decide whether to take a left to the House or a right to the Senate (important later). After our mediocre tour (if I'm going to be completely honest), 3 other interns and I decided it would be awesome to travel to the Senate gallery and watch the debate and vote on the Senate bill. The story follows:

11:00. We all headed to Sen. Orrin Hatch's office and play the constituent card in order to get tickets to the Senate gallery. Easy as pie -- we didn't have to fight for them.

11:30. In 90-100 degree weather, we hauled you-know-what across the Capitol, helped set up an event for the AAF on the House side, and then went back again to the Senate side.

11:42 (approximation). We enter the Capitol visitors center and notice there is a 200+ person line for the Senate gallery.

11:45. Matt the intern has a brilliant idea. We can bypass the line for the Senate gallery by taking the elevator to the House side. Once up there, we can swap our House badges for our newly acquired Senate badges, and voila, we've circumnveted the line and stuck it to the man.

11:47. Nathan and I realize we threw out the House badges we got at Boehner's office at the end of the tour. We can enter the elevator to House gallery and are stuck at the entrance.

11:50. Nathan and I beg unsuspecting tourists who had completed the tour for their badges. We eventually pressure (maybe too harsh a word) some nice foreigners who have already been to the gallery to give us their badges.

12:00. We triumphantly exit the elevator, having just successfully cut a 200 person line, to find out that the gallery has been full for hours, and there is no chance we can enter. We are turned away at security but are politely reminded we can visit the House gallery. How exciting! Twice in a day and the House is on recess.

Perhaps we should have done our research more thoroughly ...

Party on the boat

I'm writing this post during a break at work, so please excuse the brevity. For the past couple of weeks, I've been staying on a 55 foot boat (size will become relevant later...). Though it's been a blast -- and far superior to dirty, crowded, hookah ridden GW housing -- the three of us have been cramped. JY and Ethan are now staying with us, making the grand total 5 people on the boat. That's equivalent to 11 feet per person. So while it's a total party, it's also quite cramped ... But you know, after living in closets for 4 straight years, having a water front view ain't too shabby.