Wow, I suck at keeping up on blogs August 15, 2008

Hello one or two people I know who read this.

So today was the last day for most of the Mass Alliance interns. I am currently sitting at a bagelry waiting for lucas to come. We are going out to an all vegetarian chinese restaurant that specializes in their fake meat. There are about 150 items on the menu and I can eat ALL of them. It is amazing. I went when my family was here and it took me and my sister SO long to order because we are so used to having only about 5 things tops to choose from on any given menu.

So there was this woman sitting a couple tables from me. Her cell phone rang REALLY loudly and, completely unabashedly, she answered in the loudest and most obnoxious voice. I, incredulous and dumbfounded, burst out laughing at her behavior. I was a little surprised when a couple people who had ignored her looked in my direction like I was the disruptive one. Fuck modern society, yo.

I think I have decided that I will be coming back for Primary Election Day, Sept 16th. I will have to miss a few days of school, including my Econ seminar. I am pretty pumped, though, as the other interns will be there… including one I still am looking to get drunk with and possibly make-out with. That, of course, is not the main reason I will be returning. The election is going to be VERY unusual and I think it will really help my paper come together.

Invasion July 25, 2008

The family is coming in a matter of hours.

I fear for my sanity.  My mom, dad, sister, and grandma are staying with me for several days.

I H-8 Bars/Clubs July 19, 2008

Oh god, if I don’t move to city that I already know people in OR can meet super nerdy wonky people VERY soon, I am FUCKED.  I am not a bar person and don’t find them fun and don’t find the people in them attractive or entertainin.

UGH

The State House July 15, 2008

One of my intern bitch tasks today was burning pictures onto a CD and taking them to the dude who maintains our website.  He is the legislative aid for a candidate whose campaign I volunteered for earlier in the summer.  Not only do I always almost pee my pants walking around the State House because it is BEAUTIFUL and epic an wonderful, but this time was especially tingly.

I went to the Rep’s office and ended up talking to him and joking around for a while.  He is SO cool.  I then surprise visited the Rep I worked for in January.  We talked for a while and had a great time, then she took me on a tour of the House chambers and showed me her desk and I got to stand behind the podium where JFK and MLK and others spoke from.  I miss her and she is great and she offered to take me to lunch but I was just supposed to take over a disk and it had probably already been over an hour (the State House is a 1 minute walk from the office).

Anyway, it just felt really badass to walk into the State House and KNOW people there!  It is so imposing and to walk in and see people who wield at least some power that are happy to see me is really cool.  It was excited and kind of inspires me to get an office in there someday.

Porchin’ July 15, 2008

Last night Lucas and I went to my boss’ house for an Oberlin intern dinner.  It was GREAT.  I actually ate vegetables and they pushed a bunch of wine on us.

We ended up staying until about 1 am.  I think Lindsay Garces is wicked cool and I am hoping to work for her (with her?  volunteer for her?) this coming semester as she works for America Votes.

Georgia and Melissa are awesome and I would love to be like either of them in 4 years.  They seem to be very satisfied with their jobs and the way their lives are shaping up.

It was just a good night.  Everyone was happy, Lucas liked Georgia and Melissa (and they of course liked him) and I am happy he kind of got indoctrinated into the whole young Mass Politics thing between his time at the Lewis campaign and now this.

Tooth “Extraction” July 11, 2008

I just got back a few minutes ago from getting my tooth ripped out at the dentist.  The whole process only took around 20 minutes, which was great.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t freak the fuck out.  I was nervous all day.  The oral surgeon, first of all, started numbing the area on the OPPOSITE side of my mouth.  I kind of seized up and said “Oh God, NO, it’s on the other side!”  He then apologized and without skipping a beat just started to numb up the correct tooth.  This did NOT inspire confidence.

I then freaked out when he put the clamp on and started to pull it out… I seized up and kind of started to complain and babble.

This is not the first time I have freaked out in medical settings.  It is weird because I feel like it takes a lot for me to spaz out.  I am pretty confident/arrogant/self assured in a lot of situations.  I think the main issue is the complete helplessness and lack of control experienced when going to the doctor or dentist.  I try to keep it together, but it does not really work.

Anyway, now the bleeding cavernous hole in my mouth freaks me and and is starting to hurt.  Unfortunately, he did not prescribe me painkillers, saying that just ibuprofen would suffice…. there goes my fun weekend.

Life in Satire July 11, 2008

Gloucester, MA is a strange place.  A lot of times I feel as though my entire campaign situation is a very realistically written independent film.

Last night: I interviewed a potential campaign manager.  He was great; we got along really well and laughed a lot.  About an hour and a half into our “meeting” he casually mentions his active work in the Socialist Party and asked if this was a problem.  I mouth said no-no, by my brain said yes-yes you fucking idiot.  I then just played it off casually mentioning my Econ major and fake love of Milton Friedman and Ayn Rand.

Today  Par I: One of our great, amazing, wealth and full of in-kind contributions volunteers stopped by.  She apologized for having to leave in such a hurry, explaining she had not seen her daughter in almost two days.  She listed a variety of activities and obligations she had been engaged in recently, one of which struck me as especially interesting.  KC explained she had meant to get home earlier last night, but her parenting class ran long and her daughter was already asleep when she got there.  At first, I just nodded and tried to look empathetic, but very quickly the absurdity hit me.  She hadn’t seen her daughter in 2 days because she was taking a class on how to be a good parent.  (Caveat: she actually does seem like a great mom based on other encounters).

Today Part II: One of our volunteers is VERY obnoxious, but seemingly harmless.  While I cannot take being around him for more than a few minutes, he does not seem dangerous in any way.  The same volunteer as above when visiting the office mentioned that she had heard from a few sources he may have a habit of stealing things.  She proceeded to use the phrase “light-fingered” I believe.  KC mentioned I might not want to give him keys to our office.  Literally minutes after KC left, my candidate called and requested that, along with all the other things I didn’t have enough time to do, I should jaunt over to the hardware store and get a copy of keys cut for DG, the informally accused.  I managed to artfully express the concerns of KC, while not seeming like an asshole or making KC seem like on.

Microwave: Our office is pretty acetic.  It is one room and is mainly occupied by odds and ends furniture and boxes.  Around lunchtime, as I enjoyed the culinary delight I had packed for myself (Mac and Cheese with a ground-up Boca burger mixed in), I lamented our lack of microwave.  Every other campaign I visited has had a microwave and I have used many of them frequently.  Due to our hilariously low funds, I quickly gave up on the idea of having one in the office.  On the way back from my third (yes, third) trip to the coffee shop down the street, I noticed something right next to the stoop leading up to our office.  It was a microwave (I shit you not).  On the Microwave were signs.  One said: “I Work and I’m Free” and another: “Working: Free to a Good Home.”  So that has solved that problem.  MIND FUCK

I love you, Chris. July 11, 2008

There are so many great characters in “Achewood.” Which is your favorite to write for? Which is your favorite to draw?

Onstad: I like the main two guys, Ray and Roast Beef. In my mind, they are shlemiel and shlemazel. I am sorry if I spelled that wrong. I was not brought up in the Jewish culture and I can only appreciate it from a distance, much like a flower on a rock that is far out to sea, watching a boat full of Jews sail past. Do they wave? (Yes.)

Those Annoying Girls July 2, 2008

I went to a TAG “meeting” tonight which was fun.  My dinner cost $40 and my dessert was another $16.  I have never in my life spent that much  money on a meal.  It freaked me out a little.  Luckily I eat pretty much nothing but cereal otherwise.  But it does kind of deter me from buying the $70 shoes I have wanted… money is kind of a zero sum game from me.

The women are awesome.  I love Mass politics, especially the progressive women.  They are baller out of control.

Georgia is really adamant about setting me up with the field director of a campaign we’ve endorsed.  Apparently he is 23 and very awkward… which just so happens to be my type.  I would be totally down to mingling with political singles.  If only I wasn’t apparently so repulsive to all heterosexual males.  Oh well.

The Intern Diaries July 1, 2008

Today, when I got into work, my instruction was: I need you to go find 150 feet of string.

I did, in fact, triumph in this assignment, finding 200 feet of cotton string and a 50 foot clothesline, then the rest was pure brilliance.

An intern on Thursday gets to go with Georgia to a variety of polling places and hold one end of the string.