the dc life

what a whirlwind. i've been here for over two weeks: it feels like nothing/it feels like i've been here all my life. there is so much to say but i guess i'll start with the house and the people. we live in an incredible house in Woodley park about 2 miles from the mall (that's the washington mall, home to the smithsonian, capitol, etc not abercrombie and nordstrom) The building was an old hotel before stanford (aka helen bing) bought and renovated it into our home, cafeteria, library, classroom and bar/club. it's in a wonderful neighborhood close to dupont circle which has a bunch of great restaurants and bars. we conveniently live across the street from a metro stop, making our early morning commutes quick and painless. the group living here is great and obviously extremely ambitious and intelligent. Dinner conversation can range from debating the democrats response to John Roberts' nomination to hilary's presidential ambitions to my favorite topic of social security reform and bush's ownership society. put 25 type As working all over the nation's capital at a dinner table and tempers are bound to flare. and let me tell you, these kids can drink as much as they can debate. 40 plus hours a week on top of class will give you a lot of steam to blow off when the weekend rolls around. in just 2 weeks the phrase "work hard and party harder" has taken on new meaning and become a mantra here at siw. as for work, i couldn't be happier. i wasn't quite sure what to expect from an agency called the office of the management and budget, white house nonwithstanding. just to clear things up, the omb is in the white house as in the institution not the white house proper. that does not prevent me from attending meetings next door or looking out the window into the White House property. in addition to our prime location, I work with some amazing people. most everyone did a masters in their policy area, if not a phd. On any given day i'll chat with a few experts in health policy, report to a phd economist and then make conversation with everyone over lunch. don't worry about it. but honestly, it is such a unique opportunity and i have been lucky enough to be spared the coffee fetching, copy making, phone answering, excessive filing that is every intern's nightmare (and not extremely uncommon). more later!

not in kansas, er, california, anymore

as my internet access has been rather limited for quite some time i have a lot to say. let me start with this: our country is funny. i arrived in dc a fresh faced girl ready to take on whatever this city could throw at me. three hours later i realized i had forgotten that the east coast means i'm not in california anymore. it means that it is quite possible to wait for 30 minutes while three subway employees attempt to make my sandwich. it means that when i ask for my sandwich to be grilled i get a flat out "NO" as opposed to a "sure, no problem" and a smile. it means dodging people in crowded areas to avoid being mowed down and not expecting an "i'm sorry" or "excuse me" if i do get knocked over. it means waiting almost an hour to be helped at the bank when all i wanted to do was open a checking account and then having my ear talked off as the rep attempted to cram the lost hour of customer service into the next 20 minutes. it's enough to make me laugh out loud. and i have. snickered, giggled, and outright snorted my way up and down the northeast. and then there was the shopping. i would like to point out just for the record that business attire was designed for men. for men and probably by men. ugly men. coupled with the conservative colors that working in dc demands (ironically reminiscient of a bruise), any attempts to appear remotely femine in a suit have been squandered by miles of pinstripes and racks full of frumpy jackets. in another life i hope to solve this problem by becoming a real life elle woods and bringing hot pink to the people of our nation's capital. somehow i feel my current position is not (forgive the pun) well suited to this endeavor. in the meantime i must content myself with the shoes, jewelry and other accessories that will scream "i am woman" even as my clothing shouts "i am donald trump". there is definitely more to come but siw orientation awaits my conservative, power suited presence.