Days 2-7 (Pardon my Neglect)

It has been said that the best way to learn how to swim is to jump into the deep end of the pool. That was definitely the case with this past week and, thus, the reason why my second post is coming more than a week after my original post.

I am really enjoying my job to the point that it doesn't really seem like work. It's face-paced, exciting, and gives me the opportunity to tell people in high places (i.e. Congressmen, Senators, etc.) to stop ruining my country. Last week alone, I had meetings with the staffs of four major Senators and fought Kenneth Cole, aka "the shoe guy" (yes, we won).

Outside of work, I have just moved into my permanent living quarters for the summer at George Washington University. It's an older studio apartment, but it's nice and in a great part of town. I decided to go running this evening after work to get a feel for the neighborhood and discovered that I am not too far from the National Mall. After a couple miles, I ended up at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and took a minute to just sit and think about where I am, what I am doing, and the reasons why I am able to do it. There is a tendency in this town to get so engrossed in your work and the breakneck pace that you lose track of the significance of where you are. After a while, the monuments start blending into the background, so I have made it a point to take a little time every day to just soak it in and think about all the giants who have walked the same streets that I walk each day.

Last week, my cousin Ben was in town for a conference, so we were able to hang out just about every night. One night, we even decided to get all classy and do dinner at Ruth's Chris. The food was fantastic and there were three Congressmen eating there at the same time. That's just how the Brown men roll.

So far, this summer is turning out to be even better than I even thought it could be. I have been greatly blessed and am so thankful.

Take care everyone.

Day 1 (Part Deux) - The Angry Renter

I'm coming to the end of my first day on the job and just wanted to update everyone on some of the exciting stuff that has been going on. I arrived to the office bright and early this morning and went through the normal orientation. A couple hours later one of my bosses came and asked me to go with her to a meeting on Capitol Hill - pretty cool way to start off the job.

One thing that I had no idea about before arriving here, but that immediately caught my attention is the Housing Bailout Bill that Congress passed last week. In a nutshell, this bill would provide up to $300 billion in federal insurance to help refinance troubled mortgages - you know, those risky Adjustable Rate Mortgages that allowed folks to buy homes that were WAY outside of their means and then went south when the housing market slowed. Essentially, Congress is taking the tax dollars paid by Americans who have been responsible with their finances and lived within their means to bail out the 2% of the population that made an irresponsible fiscal decision. This is especially relevant to many people in my age group who rent their home because they do not make enough money yet to own. So, basically, if you have either opted to rent to save money or have been forced to because you're a poor college student, Congress has chosen you to bear the burden of someone else's irresponsibility.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I was raised to take responsibility for my own actions.

More info can be found here: http://www.angryrenter.com

-AB

Day 1

Well, I am finally in Washington, D.C. I moved up on Friday afternoon and started work this morining. Check back often for pictures, stories, and randomness from this summer.

-AB