Again

9:41 pm we just finished a motion to recommit vote or Iraq Bridge funding, one more vote and I'm done for the day. The life of a Hill Staffer is weird. I htought as I moved up it would be easier, but it isnt it sucks. nowing too much or being told oo much is often a burden and a curse. but I love it. i would have left a long time ago, like when I lived in LA.

Intern-- all the reflected glory you want but you still make copies, get lunch, get called intern, and harrassed by real staffers. Get sent to briefings, you spend hours on the phone with angry constituents. but you find good people who show you the ropes. Its like freshman year in college and man I fell in love with this place.

First real job-- I was a Legislative Correspondent/Systems Administrator. Basically i wrote letters and tried to fix our office computers. Back then we had dummy terminals and I had the only PC in the office. I remebr showing people in the office the internet and I showed them outlook email. i showed them my college's website and everyone was in awe. I came in at 900am and left promptly at 600pm. i was out the door as soon as possible first to a recpetion for free food and drink and then at happy hour. After happy hour it was finding cheap drinks. More often then not I was back at work the next day not hung over but definitely put through the ringer.

After that I was a Legislative Assitant doing meater work. I got to do committee work and it was awesome. Talk about knowing issues, crap we learned things inside and out. At this time I had lunch out at least twice a week on a lobbyist. For you loyal readers my first forray into Les Halles was on the dime of a telecom lobbysit who insited that we order a ton of fries. Fridays definitely and if not busy monday and tuesday. GOlf and more golf. We had day long mark up sessions, i got a ton of interaction with my boss. but I had to know my shit. I had to really understand the digital Millenium Copyright Act, privacy propsoals, spam, and why cable and broadcasters hated each other. I read the Wall Street Journal for work. At 600pm I got to leave unless we had late votes in my issues, even then my boss wanted us out. After words it was happy hour then a dinner, or dinner and drinks. These nights were always rougher with alot of questioning one's manhood for not being able to drink alot. You had to crush people at pool and drink more burbon then was produced in a day. You were defintley hung over and it was made worse by sitting through a terible hearing next to your friends that still smelled of smoke and beer.

Now as a senior staffer. I know too much useless policy for my own good. People I used to drink with and who did dumb things are in real postions of power (scary). i follow my boss around everywhere, tell him how to vote and have to make sure he is OK anytime we are in session. you spend all yout time with your boss and go to posh places for dinner.