So, I forgot to mention this in my previous post, but I managed to take everything I'll need for the next three months in D.C. in 3 pieces of luggage. I was pretty impressed with myself. Furthermore, when I unpacked, I discovered that none of my shirts even needed ironing (in my opinion, at least...). How's that for a good job of packing?
So what has Phil been up to lately? Well, when you last checked up on me, we were planning on going on a tour of the Capitol building on Wednesday. That turned out well. We got to see the Rotunda in the big room with the dome and take as much time as we wanted to look at the pictures. So I was sure to take the advice of a wise man and get a good long look at all the pictures. Sorry there aren't pictures right now, my camera battery ran out, so it's currently being charged.
Our Capitol tour guide told us how to get House gallery passes, which enable us to sit in the House Chambers and watch the proceedings. But then he told us, "And I heard just today that they have a few extra tickets for the State of the Union tonight!". Now, I'll admit, I didn't stop to think about that statement simply because I got very excited about maybe going to see the State of the Union. So our Professor goes to a Congressman's office, gets House gallery passes for all of us, and then asks about the State of the Union tickets. Before I tell you what the staffer said, I'll remind you how big the House chambers - the location of the State of the Union - actually are (because they look deceptively large on TV; at least to me). There are about 440 permanent chairs in the lower level (I counted when we visited - hey, Nancy Pelosi was talking, so I had to keep myself entertained somehow). In the above level, there are maybe 200 chairs. So, if every House and Senate member comes to the State of the Union, plus the Chiefs of Staff, plus families of the important people, plus honored guests, plus the media, that's already pushing 650 or so. And I'm sure there are other people slightly more important than 21 Calvin students who might snatch up any extra tickets. So, obviously, the staffer laughed at our Professor.
Anyhoo, so a couple of us were wandering around the Dirksen Senate Office building after our tour, and we stepped out of the elevator to see none other than John Kerry himself. He was hauling down the hallway. I couldn't get a picture in time; he seemingly disappeared once he turned the corner. It was a little creepy. So, that's my famous person sighting for this week.
Stay tuned for pictures.
Posted by phil at February 5, 2005 12:11 AMThanks for the tour notes.
Posted by: Mom at February 5, 2005 08:23 PM