So, here's my things:
1. I like politics,
2. I like young people, especially kids,
3. I like being outside.
I can think of ways to mix 2 out of 3, but ultimately, I think one of the three will have to take a hit in terms of what you can practically combine into a career.
So, let's say that I want to work on getting young people more involved in politics and human rights issues.* And you know, go camping on weekends.** What do you study in order to do that? Political Science? Public Policy? Social Work with a focus on Youth? Education? ...what?
I like the idea of going back to school because (a) the economy is crap anyway so finding a job is frustrating, (b) I can still get a scholarship from Cornell if I go back to (any) school soon, (c) I think figuring this sort of stuff out involves a lot of research, and nobody researches better than a university.
And then, of course, what do you then do with this additional degree? Work...at a school? For a political campaign? Some office that does stuff for youth but never actually interacts with them, other than by spamming their inboxes? Start your own organization?
Hmm. Sometimes the world is just so big.
*This doesn't mean just the 18 & over voting age crowd. You can work on human rights and political issues at any age through writing letters, lobbying, just learning about them, etc. Don't let voting hold you back, kids!
**Ooor, be a girl scout leader, because I love the girl scouts and could totes work with young kids then. And my troop would be bad ass, so we could camp and hike.
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
It's Human Rights Day!
I went to American University today and was mistaken for a faculty member. Awesome!
But more importantly, today is international Human Rights Day, marked to celebrate the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN in 1948. The day symbolizes both celebration of past accomplishments as well as ongoing struggles. Amnesty International always hosts events around the world, including the Global Write-a-thon. Even if you don't read this until after Human Rights Day, think about writing a letter from Amnesty's action prompts, or donating. Human rights are important every day.
So go celebrate.
I've been thinking a lot about what we call our rights. For example, there's a lot of bruhaha over the marriage equality debate and the use of the words "civil rights". On the one hand, we are talking about marriage which is a civil issue (correct?), and the right to marry. So civil rights. However, the term civil rights is pretty much inseparable from the Civil Rights Movement, and some people feel that it's a word that you shouldn't and can't co-opt because of that - especially in light of all the "blacks are to blame for Prop 8!" crap that came out after the election.
So if not civil rights, then what? Some people seem to think that "human rights" would be a better term. Others argue that human rights are those very basic things: food, water, shelter, medicine, safety from violence. But wouldn't you put "the pursuit of happiness" in that list? Isn't that the point of the list? It's the base of Maslow's triangle! The whole reason for advocating for these things is that people can't be happy without them. So does that mean that the pursuit of happiness is a human right? And wouldn't marriage - or whatever one might call the ability to be with the one you love and have it be legally recognized - therefore be a human right?
I'm still not sure about all this. The best I've been able to come up with is "equal rights". I feel that even if the left can't agree on the names, we can at least agree that everyone deserves equal rights.
But more importantly, today is international Human Rights Day, marked to celebrate the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN in 1948. The day symbolizes both celebration of past accomplishments as well as ongoing struggles. Amnesty International always hosts events around the world, including the Global Write-a-thon. Even if you don't read this until after Human Rights Day, think about writing a letter from Amnesty's action prompts, or donating. Human rights are important every day.
So go celebrate.
I've been thinking a lot about what we call our rights. For example, there's a lot of bruhaha over the marriage equality debate and the use of the words "civil rights". On the one hand, we are talking about marriage which is a civil issue (correct?), and the right to marry. So civil rights. However, the term civil rights is pretty much inseparable from the Civil Rights Movement, and some people feel that it's a word that you shouldn't and can't co-opt because of that - especially in light of all the "blacks are to blame for Prop 8!" crap that came out after the election.
So if not civil rights, then what? Some people seem to think that "human rights" would be a better term. Others argue that human rights are those very basic things: food, water, shelter, medicine, safety from violence. But wouldn't you put "the pursuit of happiness" in that list? Isn't that the point of the list? It's the base of Maslow's triangle! The whole reason for advocating for these things is that people can't be happy without them. So does that mean that the pursuit of happiness is a human right? And wouldn't marriage - or whatever one might call the ability to be with the one you love and have it be legally recognized - therefore be a human right?
I'm still not sure about all this. The best I've been able to come up with is "equal rights". I feel that even if the left can't agree on the names, we can at least agree that everyone deserves equal rights.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Fired Up & Ready to Go
No rest for the weary.
If you are a human who believes in the basic rights of other humans, and you are currently in the United States, you should join the impact. You can even join it on facebook.
There is going to be a nationwide protest of Prop 8 and related amendments on Saturday, November 15th. There is literally at least one protest in every state plus DC. Most states have multiple cities participating - I'm proud to say Upstate NY will be there in style.
The way I see it, we just went through a very dramatic election that showcased the power of a lot of people who get organized and get their voice heard. So now that we know we can do it, let's keep doing it.
If you are a human who believes in the basic rights of other humans, and you are currently in the United States, you should join the impact. You can even join it on facebook.
There is going to be a nationwide protest of Prop 8 and related amendments on Saturday, November 15th. There is literally at least one protest in every state plus DC. Most states have multiple cities participating - I'm proud to say Upstate NY will be there in style.
The way I see it, we just went through a very dramatic election that showcased the power of a lot of people who get organized and get their voice heard. So now that we know we can do it, let's keep doing it.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
It's time to vote.
Go vote.
I saw Obama speak at his last campaign event in Manassas, VA tonight with 80,000 of my closest friends. I was at the rally for 6 and 1/2 hours, total, after canvassing since 9am.
Obama spoke for 45 minutes.
It was worth it to be able to say, in the very near future, that I saw the last 2008 campaign speech of the President of the United States.
If you haven't already done so: go vote today, people. Stand in line if you have to. If someone tries to turn you away from the polls for whatever reason, call a local campaign office, the board of elections, your lawyer, or any number of volunteers (legal and non) that will be working from when the first polls open in Maine until the last polls close in Hawaii and Alaska.
Find your polling place at www.voteforchange.com
We write history today. No more, no less.
I saw Obama speak at his last campaign event in Manassas, VA tonight with 80,000 of my closest friends. I was at the rally for 6 and 1/2 hours, total, after canvassing since 9am.
Obama spoke for 45 minutes.
It was worth it to be able to say, in the very near future, that I saw the last 2008 campaign speech of the President of the United States.
If you haven't already done so: go vote today, people. Stand in line if you have to. If someone tries to turn you away from the polls for whatever reason, call a local campaign office, the board of elections, your lawyer, or any number of volunteers (legal and non) that will be working from when the first polls open in Maine until the last polls close in Hawaii and Alaska.
Find your polling place at www.voteforchange.com
We write history today. No more, no less.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Phone Freak Outs and Blogger Greek Outs
I think that I've mentioned this: a big portion of my internship is helping run nightly phone banks for Obama & friends. The phone banks, I feel, are fun, important and always provide some good stories. For example:
I called a family tonight and asked to speak to one woman. The man who answered the phone told me "Yeah, you better because we are a household divided. I just donated $100 to you guys to mess with her. SHE'S voting for the other side!!"
Another guy told me "I might vote for Obama on the pro-choice, but I think he has a liberal agenda and he's going to drive this country into the ground so think about THAT!!" *hang up*
Or, everyone's ridiculously overzealous favorite: "I'd rather die than vote for ______!" Really?
Anyway, tonight one of the bloggers from feministing.com came and called with us. I was totally star-struck. Feministing was/is a fundamental part of how I learned about feminism and became a feminist rock star myself. Obviously it was a very big deal to me to meet someone who has unknowingly had a pretty big influence on my life. True to that unknown part, I don't think she realized that she was a really big deal to me. Which is clearly for the best, because one of the only things lamer than geeking out about meeting Barenaked Ladies or Neil Gaimen is geeking out about meeting a blogger.
I called a family tonight and asked to speak to one woman. The man who answered the phone told me "Yeah, you better because we are a household divided. I just donated $100 to you guys to mess with her. SHE'S voting for the other side!!"
Another guy told me "I might vote for Obama on the pro-choice, but I think he has a liberal agenda and he's going to drive this country into the ground so think about THAT!!" *hang up*
Or, everyone's ridiculously overzealous favorite: "I'd rather die than vote for ______!" Really?
Anyway, tonight one of the bloggers from feministing.com came and called with us. I was totally star-struck. Feministing was/is a fundamental part of how I learned about feminism and became a feminist rock star myself. Obviously it was a very big deal to me to meet someone who has unknowingly had a pretty big influence on my life. True to that unknown part, I don't think she realized that she was a really big deal to me. Which is clearly for the best, because one of the only things lamer than geeking out about meeting Barenaked Ladies or Neil Gaimen is geeking out about meeting a blogger.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Fund raising, raising hell and trying to raise the bar
Before getting into the bulk of the post, I present my cewebrity debut (and don't worry, it's plenty embarrassing). I'd also like to take this time to stress that we are a non-profit and that while some of my friends work for high-end screen and stage producers I, uh, do not.
Anyhow, view it here: Liberty Lowdown: Election Day
---
Three stories in three paragraphs.
On Saturday, I went to a fund raising dinner with work for the Human Rights Campaign. It was by far the fanciest dinner I've ever been to with lots of tuxes, heels and oddly shaped salads. When Joe Biden didn't show due to family illness, the crowd rejoiced when "his good friend" Hillary Clinton took his place. She delivered the best line of the night: "John McCain isn't a maverick. He's a mimic." Suze Orman, who received the National Equality Award offered up a great soundbite as well when she declared "I don't want to be a lesbian who is tolerated."
---
It was dinner time at the nunnery and a heated debate was taking place. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) for once it wasn't republican vs. democrat - it was liberal vs. liberal. One of the girls at the table announced that she was undecided, which prompted another to announce that "if Sarah Palin becomes my Vice President, I will vomit all over the White House". A hilarious image (I thought), but the diatribe quickly crumbled under claims that both Palin and McCain are "whores" with bad accents. "That doesn't help our side!" one person said, while the other argued that she was just expressing her personal opinion. And there in lies the rub. The personal is political, and so is how you express it. Whatever your personal feelings about a candidate, calling the other side whore, Barbie, terrorist, etc doesn't help senators become presidents - but it does make their supporters look like jackasses. And when you're trying to sway every last swing voter, it does matter how your supporters present themselves. Just ask the guys supported by Rev. Wright and the worst president in U.S. history - winning people over when your base embarrasses you is tough work. This election is going to continue to be a circus. It's time we all start performing at our best.
---
I went to an exhibit at the Smithsonian on Saturday about Jim Henson and the muppets. They had some of the puppets on display, including Kermy and Gobo (<3)from Fraggle Rock. It was amazing to see the sheer volume of work that this man produced. From 8-second commercials to multiple full-length feature films, Jim Henson changed the face of pop culture - and that was what was even more amazing. Every single person at the jam-packed exhibit was talking about their favorite muppet, arguing over the best muppet movie (it's Muppet Treasure Island) and talking about how much Labyrinth f-ed them up as a child. People reminisced about Sesame Street, relived Dark Crystal and wondered out loud what the hell was up with The Cube. We have to thank Jim Henson for raising the bar in terms of children's programming and in turn having a profound effect on millions. Face it - all of us have shared childhood memories because of this man. And I have to personally thank Jim Henson for potentially one of the most fulfilling moments of my life; because let me tell you: you honestly haven't lived until you've sung the entire Muppet Show theme song with a room full of strangers.
Anyhow, view it here: Liberty Lowdown: Election Day
---
Three stories in three paragraphs.
On Saturday, I went to a fund raising dinner with work for the Human Rights Campaign. It was by far the fanciest dinner I've ever been to with lots of tuxes, heels and oddly shaped salads. When Joe Biden didn't show due to family illness, the crowd rejoiced when "his good friend" Hillary Clinton took his place. She delivered the best line of the night: "John McCain isn't a maverick. He's a mimic." Suze Orman, who received the National Equality Award offered up a great soundbite as well when she declared "I don't want to be a lesbian who is tolerated."
---
It was dinner time at the nunnery and a heated debate was taking place. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) for once it wasn't republican vs. democrat - it was liberal vs. liberal. One of the girls at the table announced that she was undecided, which prompted another to announce that "if Sarah Palin becomes my Vice President, I will vomit all over the White House". A hilarious image (I thought), but the diatribe quickly crumbled under claims that both Palin and McCain are "whores" with bad accents. "That doesn't help our side!" one person said, while the other argued that she was just expressing her personal opinion. And there in lies the rub. The personal is political, and so is how you express it. Whatever your personal feelings about a candidate, calling the other side whore, Barbie, terrorist, etc doesn't help senators become presidents - but it does make their supporters look like jackasses. And when you're trying to sway every last swing voter, it does matter how your supporters present themselves. Just ask the guys supported by Rev. Wright and the worst president in U.S. history - winning people over when your base embarrasses you is tough work. This election is going to continue to be a circus. It's time we all start performing at our best.
---
I went to an exhibit at the Smithsonian on Saturday about Jim Henson and the muppets. They had some of the puppets on display, including Kermy and Gobo (<3)from Fraggle Rock. It was amazing to see the sheer volume of work that this man produced. From 8-second commercials to multiple full-length feature films, Jim Henson changed the face of pop culture - and that was what was even more amazing. Every single person at the jam-packed exhibit was talking about their favorite muppet, arguing over the best muppet movie (it's Muppet Treasure Island) and talking about how much Labyrinth f-ed them up as a child. People reminisced about Sesame Street, relived Dark Crystal and wondered out loud what the hell was up with The Cube. We have to thank Jim Henson for raising the bar in terms of children's programming and in turn having a profound effect on millions. Face it - all of us have shared childhood memories because of this man. And I have to personally thank Jim Henson for potentially one of the most fulfilling moments of my life; because let me tell you: you honestly haven't lived until you've sung the entire Muppet Show theme song with a room full of strangers.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Before I was famous...
This just in: tomorrow I will be starring in my first film since we shot that "Worst Day Ever" movie for English in 6th grade where a fake bird shat on Rachel's head and we wrote the credits on a roll of paper towels.
My follow-up role is going to be starring as a "what not to do" voter in a short viral video about election day. And don't worry, I promise to post it here, even if it's embarrassing.
My follow-up role is going to be starring as a "what not to do" voter in a short viral video about election day. And don't worry, I promise to post it here, even if it's embarrassing.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
38 days to go
I live on Capitol Hill now. Not like the lawmakers and policy pushers that live in their offices and work on Saturday nights, of course. I actually live here.
Last night there was a seemingly endless array of cop cars parked on every street surrounding the Capitol Building as the People Who (are supposed to) Represent us duked it out. The tension is absolutely palpable around here. Republicans prattle into cell phones about how the House is making the bail out impassible; protesters preach outside on the lawn waving signs that say "No bail outs for billionaires". Strangers wearing Obama gear give each other sly thumbs up. People wearing no political garb at all stop me in the street to tell me how my Obama pin makes them angry. Last night a bouncer told me "I'm pro-life and I'm voting for McCain. What are you gonna do about it?" Mostly just pay you $5 to get into your bar, but, you know.
It rained on the National Book Festival today, but I stuck it out and met Neil Gaimen without embarrassing myself (seriously! I was so proud) and heard R. L. Stine read from the latest Goosebumps spin-off. When the rain cleared, there was a beautiful rainbow that landed right in a big pot of gold - the Senate side of the Capitol. Everyone in line with me started joking "It's a sign! The economy's fixed! Rainbows don't lie!"
Everyone watched the debate last night. Unable to bear the thought of watching it with the building's plethora of Republicans, I went to Adams Morgan with my new friend Laura from Sweden to watch the debate with her friends. All of her friends are from outside the US, so the crowd was completely pro-Obama (doesn't that say something?) and putting a lot of pressure on me to vote (come on!). It really puts things in perspective, doesn't it? I was in a room of maybe 15 people, all from entirely different countries, and all of them care about our presidential race.
Tonight I sat through a painful dinner conversation as the R's I live with spoke their warped view of the world. Some of it was interesting - they admitted being disgusted with Bush for lying about why we are in Iraq, though they do believe we need to be there. Some of it was boring - Obama's foreign policy sucks, from the mouths of people willing to vote for Sarah Palin. But some of it...some of it is just down right mind blowing.
"I think a terrorist attack would be really good for John McCain's campaign," said one of his supporters tonight. I know, I know - McCain's adviser said it first. But hearing from the mouth of someone I share a dinner table with is different. It's not some ambiguous politico talking head anymore. It's a person. And I sit there, screaming on the inside, HOW can you support him when that's the line, that's the truth? How can you know that having a couple thousand people die will help your candidate and not realize that you are supporting the bad guys? How can you sleep at night? What is it going to take, voters of the once-United States? What is it going to take?
Working at my internship does make me feel better and even, as Obama would have it, hopeful. My job is to help our activists campaign for Obama, by giving them materials, resources and different ways to get involved with the campaign. I talk to people every day that have gotten so fed up with our hands-off political process that they feel compelled to get involved personally and bring about (another great Obama word) change. They're sick and tired of living in fear of Bush: the Second Coming, and they are starting to demand action from their friends, classmates and neighbors. Every time I speak with a volunteer, I feel like we're going to win. Maybe we've all been down so long it just looks like up to me.
Or maybe by one vote, one phone call, one person at a time, we're actually going to win.
Last night there was a seemingly endless array of cop cars parked on every street surrounding the Capitol Building as the People Who (are supposed to) Represent us duked it out. The tension is absolutely palpable around here. Republicans prattle into cell phones about how the House is making the bail out impassible; protesters preach outside on the lawn waving signs that say "No bail outs for billionaires". Strangers wearing Obama gear give each other sly thumbs up. People wearing no political garb at all stop me in the street to tell me how my Obama pin makes them angry. Last night a bouncer told me "I'm pro-life and I'm voting for McCain. What are you gonna do about it?" Mostly just pay you $5 to get into your bar, but, you know.
It rained on the National Book Festival today, but I stuck it out and met Neil Gaimen without embarrassing myself (seriously! I was so proud) and heard R. L. Stine read from the latest Goosebumps spin-off. When the rain cleared, there was a beautiful rainbow that landed right in a big pot of gold - the Senate side of the Capitol. Everyone in line with me started joking "It's a sign! The economy's fixed! Rainbows don't lie!"
Everyone watched the debate last night. Unable to bear the thought of watching it with the building's plethora of Republicans, I went to Adams Morgan with my new friend Laura from Sweden to watch the debate with her friends. All of her friends are from outside the US, so the crowd was completely pro-Obama (doesn't that say something?) and putting a lot of pressure on me to vote (come on!). It really puts things in perspective, doesn't it? I was in a room of maybe 15 people, all from entirely different countries, and all of them care about our presidential race.
Tonight I sat through a painful dinner conversation as the R's I live with spoke their warped view of the world. Some of it was interesting - they admitted being disgusted with Bush for lying about why we are in Iraq, though they do believe we need to be there. Some of it was boring - Obama's foreign policy sucks, from the mouths of people willing to vote for Sarah Palin. But some of it...some of it is just down right mind blowing.
"I think a terrorist attack would be really good for John McCain's campaign," said one of his supporters tonight. I know, I know - McCain's adviser said it first. But hearing from the mouth of someone I share a dinner table with is different. It's not some ambiguous politico talking head anymore. It's a person. And I sit there, screaming on the inside, HOW can you support him when that's the line, that's the truth? How can you know that having a couple thousand people die will help your candidate and not realize that you are supporting the bad guys? How can you sleep at night? What is it going to take, voters of the once-United States? What is it going to take?
Working at my internship does make me feel better and even, as Obama would have it, hopeful. My job is to help our activists campaign for Obama, by giving them materials, resources and different ways to get involved with the campaign. I talk to people every day that have gotten so fed up with our hands-off political process that they feel compelled to get involved personally and bring about (another great Obama word) change. They're sick and tired of living in fear of Bush: the Second Coming, and they are starting to demand action from their friends, classmates and neighbors. Every time I speak with a volunteer, I feel like we're going to win. Maybe we've all been down so long it just looks like up to me.
Or maybe by one vote, one phone call, one person at a time, we're actually going to win.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Finding Balance in Washington D.C.
It's official; I'm in Washington. So here are some basic updates.
Living('s easy): I moved into the place that I'm staying which will henceforth be referred to as "the nunnery". It's extremely close to the Capitol Building and all the Senate offices. As a result, the street is patrolled 24/7 by the DC police department AND the Secret Service. Now, I know the Secret Service aren't there to protect me, per say, but it is rather reassuring to know that were something to go down, everyone and their mom would be there to step in. It's a nice building and I've met lots of people. A lot of them are Republican, which I honestly wasn't expecting. As a bleeding heart liberal, feminist, anti-capitalist, environmentalist troublemaker, this is very, very different for me. I've always been surrounded by people like me (except for that time I accidentally dated a Republican. Read my lips: never again). I'm learning to adapt. Just the same, I cannot tell a lie and none of them seem impressed by...
My Work: I started my internship on Monday, and so far I've been enjoying it. On the plus-side, I'm helping promote the Obama campaign and working to assure that we are not ruled by vengeful overlords come January. On the negative-side, it is very, very office-y - biz cas, inter-office memos, and lots of copy machine problems.
Pluses being what they are, I would still probably punch myself in the face if I had to go to an office every day. For that reason, I'm looking for a non-office based ppart time job. So I'm going to be crazy busy (at least I don't have prelims, bwahaha!!), but I think that they will all balance each other out after a while.
The Yin and the Yang. Office and outside. Young Republicans and bleeding heart liberals.
It's going to be an interesting few months.
Living('s easy): I moved into the place that I'm staying which will henceforth be referred to as "the nunnery". It's extremely close to the Capitol Building and all the Senate offices. As a result, the street is patrolled 24/7 by the DC police department AND the Secret Service. Now, I know the Secret Service aren't there to protect me, per say, but it is rather reassuring to know that were something to go down, everyone and their mom would be there to step in. It's a nice building and I've met lots of people. A lot of them are Republican, which I honestly wasn't expecting. As a bleeding heart liberal, feminist, anti-capitalist, environmentalist troublemaker, this is very, very different for me. I've always been surrounded by people like me (except for that time I accidentally dated a Republican. Read my lips: never again). I'm learning to adapt. Just the same, I cannot tell a lie and none of them seem impressed by...
My Work: I started my internship on Monday, and so far I've been enjoying it. On the plus-side, I'm helping promote the Obama campaign and working to assure that we are not ruled by vengeful overlords come January. On the negative-side, it is very, very office-y - biz cas, inter-office memos, and lots of copy machine problems.
Pluses being what they are, I would still probably punch myself in the face if I had to go to an office every day. For that reason, I'm looking for a non-office based ppart time job. So I'm going to be crazy busy (at least I don't have prelims, bwahaha!!), but I think that they will all balance each other out after a while.
The Yin and the Yang. Office and outside. Young Republicans and bleeding heart liberals.
It's going to be an interesting few months.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Obama's Heading to Washington and so am I
Many of your may already know this, but I thought I'd give an update anyway.
On Saturday (so soon!) I'm moving to Washington D.C. to work for a non-profit. I'm going to be interning in their Affiliate and National Programs Department, which is more interesting than it sounds, I promise. Basically I'm going to be working with volunteers, doing trainings and canvassing supporters in an effort to protect and secure women's reproductive rights nationwide and help get Obama & Biden elected.
I'm very excited about the internship and think it will provide me with a lot of really great experience. That said, it pays basically squat. Therefore, I'm looking into other part-time jobs. I've applied a few places including the National Council Against Domestic Violence, a few after-school youth programs, and Greenpeace.
I'm living verrrry near the Capitol Building, which is going to be interesting. I can watch all those politicians that rule the world walk around during their lunch hour and get bagel sandwiches like the rest of us. Maybe I'll get to harass some of them on behalf of women or human rights or the environment. Maybe I'll meet Dennis Kucinich! <3 National Book Festival (so I guess that's just really, really dorky love). It happens on the National Mall, which by default is also near my abode, and even though it's hosted by Laura Bush, I'm going. I need to meet Neil Gaimen to get his autograph and R.L. Stine to discern that he's real. Let me know if you want signatures, Goosebumps fans.
I'm be in D.C. during the biggest, weirdest election in memory. That in mind, I'm headed down to the County Broad of Elections to get my absentee ballot - don't forget to register for an absentee ballot if you won't be home to vote! I would remind everyone else to remember to vote as well, but I honestly don't think anyone could "forget" during this particular scenes-from-the-apocalypse election cycle.
On Saturday (so soon!) I'm moving to Washington D.C. to work for a non-profit. I'm going to be interning in their Affiliate and National Programs Department, which is more interesting than it sounds, I promise. Basically I'm going to be working with volunteers, doing trainings and canvassing supporters in an effort to protect and secure women's reproductive rights nationwide and help get Obama & Biden elected.
I'm very excited about the internship and think it will provide me with a lot of really great experience. That said, it pays basically squat. Therefore, I'm looking into other part-time jobs. I've applied a few places including the National Council Against Domestic Violence, a few after-school youth programs, and Greenpeace.
I'm living verrrry near the Capitol Building, which is going to be interesting. I can watch all those politicians that rule the world walk around during their lunch hour and get bagel sandwiches like the rest of us. Maybe I'll get to harass some of them on behalf of women or human rights or the environment. Maybe I'll meet Dennis Kucinich! <3 National Book Festival (so I guess that's just really, really dorky love). It happens on the National Mall, which by default is also near my abode, and even though it's hosted by Laura Bush, I'm going. I need to meet Neil Gaimen to get his autograph and R.L. Stine to discern that he's real. Let me know if you want signatures, Goosebumps fans.
I'm be in D.C. during the biggest, weirdest election in memory. That in mind, I'm headed down to the County Broad of Elections to get my absentee ballot - don't forget to register for an absentee ballot if you won't be home to vote! I would remind everyone else to remember to vote as well, but I honestly don't think anyone could "forget" during this particular scenes-from-the-apocalypse election cycle.
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