Time Crunch

This phrase pops up everywhere in DC, a buzzword used for everything from an assignment for work to the metro rush home to cook dinner. It's the main reason I never have time to blog, and then later I either a) am too tired to look at words on a screen, much less write them, or b) I can't remember what I wanted to write earlier when I didn't have time. Am I cut out for this fast-paced life? The sad thing is, I overheard a New Yorker on the Metro complaining about how things are "slow" here. No wonder everyone in New York smokes!

Quick recap of the week:

Monday: My organization sponsored a special briefing for interns in our discipline. I personally felt a little overwhelmed with all the opportunities on Capitol Hill - now it's that much more difficult to decide what to do with my life! Should I work as an expert on this committee, or an administrator for that agency...is a law degree or graduate school the way to go? None of the speakers could answer that one; legal expertise can be good in some instances and met with derision in others. I liked what the "Chief" when asked what led him to this point: serendipity. Things happen, and you may not like it at the time but in the end it'll all turn out. This was especially comforting as I don't think I did as well on the LSAT as I would have liked. I believe you make your own luck, and often people who were "in the right place at the right time" make a habit of being in the "right places" so the odds are more in their favor. Luckily, with this internship I often find myself in the perfect place at opportune times.

Tuesday: Worked from home until after lunch (hooray for sleeping past 6AM!). Then I got all dressed up for a lecture and reception downtown. As soon as I walked in the door, I felt a bit out of place. First, I knew no one; second, academic types apparently have something against color. I mean, I love black, but REALLY. I rocked my flowery skirt and seafoam green blazer, though, and found a friend in bright red. We sat together during the lecture, and I was actually good and paid close attention instead of whispering to my new friend (those of you who know me know how hard this is). It was a good lecture/panel discussion on the future of agriscience research, but I did feel like they were preaching to the choir a bit. There were two main points that I remember, so they must have been good: (1) ag research MUST be multidisciplinary, which means cooperation among colleges within a university, and among universities and the private sector across the country. (2) we need to move away from trying to fix localized problems with localizes solutions to some degree. I agree that certain things only affect a state or a region, but in some instances many states face the same issues and instead of collaboratively working out a wide-area solution, state universities duplicate research and leave pieces of the puzzle out. Unfortunately, we live in a world where people don't want to collaborate because that means they won't get full credit for the results. Case in point: the party system in Congress. Anyway, back to the reception. S and I met this lady in hot pink, tennis shoes, and swigging Sam Adams. I immediately told her she was a baller at life and she made my day. I don't remember what she said, but she sounded German. Or maybe Canadian. Later on I gave S a demonstration on how to talk to important people. You can't let the crowd of people around them discourage you; you are just as important as anyone else. Interject, but don't interrupt, and mention something specific about that person/something from their speech. This is how I hooked the keynote speaker and the World Food Prize winner/panelist. TA: Don't act like an intern unless you want people to treat you like one.

Wednesday: Helped with briefings all day. I timed each of the speakers (they each had 10 minutes), and of course all but one went over the limit. One guy even actively avoided my eyes! Well, I didn't want to wave around the "Time is up" sign wildly and look like an idiot, so I sat quietly holding it in front of my chest and giving him my best "wrap it up or I scream" smirk. All in all, everything went well and we had a great lunch with the speakers at Bullfeathers (famous DC lunch spot). The one who I spoke with had a fit when he found out I took a soil science class last year (he is an agronomist). He even knew one of my professors (why does everyone know this man?!?). I told him everything I knew about our soil back home (i.e., how generally awful it is), which I don't think counts as sucking up because he was genuinely fun to talk to and he was the one asking me questions. Super-tired from running around all day with a giant bag, so I watched all the Grey's Anatomy episodes that I missed this season (six! what kind of fan am I?).

Thursday: I will NEVER take the beltway to Huntington Station again. There was a wreck, so it literally took me 40 minutes to drive 4 miles. Ridiculous. I was so late, I just went straight to the hearing, only to check my gmail on my phone and find a message from my boss to call 5 congressional offices before the hearing! See what I mean by time crunch? I freaked out and started to call while I was waiting for the hearing to begin, but I had to hang up on the staffer when she answered because I realized at the last second that I couldn't look at the email with the information and talk on my phone simultaneously. So embarrassing - at least I didn't say my name! It worked out later, though, and I got all the congressional visits scheduled for next week except one, which is apparently usually tough to do. Must be the southern charm I exude through the phone;) As for the hearing, I always find something entertaining at these things, even while I'm feverishly taking notes. Today's gem came from the ranking member of the subcommittee to the chief administrator of a USDA agency: "now I know since you're from Nebraska you know all about the problems that my people face in Kansas because they are the same problems and you have a vested interest in the solutions. However, I still hate Nebraska." Obvious reference to the school jumping the Big 12 ship; although some nerds in the room didn't get it. Funny men.

That's about enough for today; I need to work on a bunch of documents that need to be done by 3:00 tomorrow. TIME CRUNCH! But I just might finish in time to see a USA World Cup win tomorrow!