Actually, it's Arlington, VA, but close enough. According to my old roommate who I'm staying with Arlington used to be part of DC, but they gave it back to Virginia, which is why the diamond of DC is actually a 3-sided diamond with a chunk taken out of the southwest side. And I'm really hoping for a Trivial Pursuit question about that in the near future because I could just wow everyone.
So here I am, trying to decide what to do with my life. Not to jumpt the gun, but I think I'm probably going to move down here (there are enough qualifiers in that sentence that if I actually don't move, no one can say I lied).
I got here Thursday night and went out with Kristina for steak quesadillas at Chili's while Kristina gave me the low-down on some friends of ours from Chicago who she saw over Christmas. Apparently a friend's 32 year old brother married some 20 year old harpy who wouldn't let him see his family on Christmas. Fun fun.
Friday I drove up to Baltimore to go to a job fair where Health and Human Services had a booth so I could talk to someone and apply for a position with this program they have. Yeah, an hour drive in rush hour traffic so some lady could hand me a blue piece of paper with an extra-special code on it that allows me to go to the website and apply. I have to apply soon though since the code expires on the 16th. Weird.
So I drove back to Kristina's house and took the bus and the train into DC. Monuments thrill me in the weirdest way. The bus stopped at The Pentagon, which is where I caught the train and I was all, "Ooooo, it's The Pentagon. The Pentagon!" Lots of uniforms and men holding AK-47s watching me walk by. I smiled at them and tried to put a little swing in my step to brighten their day. Whatever, it's The Pentagon. And off in the distance: The Washington Monument and The Capitol.
I had an interview at the General Counsel's office in the Department of Health and Human Services (networking works, people!). Thrilling! And guess what? They liked me. A lot. I met with two attorneys first and we had a good repoire going, talking all about health care and what they do in the GC's office. Then they said they wanted me to talk to someone else, which means I got bumped up to the next level. I went to go talk with the Acting Associate Deputy General Counsel (or some such long title). One of the attorneys showed me in and handed him my resume saying "This is Kelly. Mark and I just met with her and we like her a lot." (Hooray!) The problem, as the higher-up told me: they have no money to hire someone right now. However, there's a bit of hope. First of all, they may get more funding. He said they are super-busy and could use another person. Second, if I get into the program I drove up to Baltimore for, I could get into the GC's office. The program rotates you through different sections of HHS and he said that if I rotate into the GC, then they can keep me.
Regardless, I interviewed at HHS and they liked me! Honestly, that gives me such a nice little ego boost that is going to follow me around as I continue my job search. I was in there talkin' the talk, all HIPAA this and Stark that. Oh yeah, I know my health care legislation.
Yes, I realize I'm a total dork.
Kristina has kept my social calendar hopping. Last night we went to a CD launch party and then to a gathering at the house of a friend of hers (and apparently some guy there told her he thinks I'm cute. DC is just turning into the ego-stroking town for me). To emphasize the smallness of the Mormon world, we ran into a girl there who we knew in Chicago. She's out here visiting her sister.
Today we slept in and then went to the DC temple, which was nice. There was a dinner at the church tonight where the Elders Quorum served the Relief Society. I saw two girls there who I know from Boston AND met a girl who was college roommates with a friend of mine from Chicago. The men, and a couple women, put on a floor show that honestly was just painful in parts. I don't know about you, but I just get embarrassed for people. After dinner we watched The Wedding Singer at another friend's house.
Oh and FYI, tomorrow is my sugar splurge day. This guy Craig, who had the party Friday night, foisted food onto us, including a couple pieces of cheesecake. I really can't be expected to turn down cheesecake, it's just not in me. And I get to eat the Butterfinger that my roommate Angie bought for me for my trip before she remembered I'm off sugar because they were on sale and she knows I love Butterfingers. Bonus.
So all in all, DC has been fun. It's very very different from Boston. I have to keep telling myself that and assessing it with a different perspective. Like I know I won't be able to walk everywhere here like I do in Cambridge and Boston. It's just not set up that way, unless I could somehow afford to live in Georgetown or somewhere like that. However, the roads are wide and make a bit more sense than Boston's roads. There are a ton of trees here with no leaves so I know it's going to be lush and green in the summer and gorgeous in the autumn. One thing I noticed, driving down I-95. The further south I got, the nicer people got. I do appreciate that.
Tomorrow is the assessment of church and then Kristina is throwing a dinner party so I can meet some more people, including one woman who has been a lawyer down here for a couple of years. Good night.
8 comments:
Mmmm... Butterfingers.
Did you see the WWII Memorial? That has become my new favorite.
Re: They need help, have no funding, but may--or may not--get it: Ooooh, the frustrations of government. Let's just say an agency I'm aware of recently purchased a whole bunch of new cell phones. State of the art, brand new, shiny phones, that are desperately needed by the front-line people for whom they were purchased.
Only, there's no money to activate service on them. That's right. Buy the phones, with money from the "equipment pot," when there's no money in the "operational pot" to turn them on. So they just sit there. Makes sense, no?
Did you go to the Colonial wards? They got so big they had to split them last year (though yesterday most stakes in our area just formed their own YSA branches, which might cut down on the size of those two wards). Lots of LDS singles in this area, and there's quite a bit of turnover, too, as people come in for internships for a few months, etc. So there are always new faces around.
Glad you liked the area! You're right.. it's beautiful in the summer, very lush, but also VERY humid. I'm sure Boston gets the same way, but hey, that's why we have AC.
I glad to hear things went well. We'd love to have ya! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you, except when I'm taking notes in class, in which case I will need them to type.
I home my fellow Virginians represented us well. As for the guy you met, who knows, remember the State motto: "Virginia is for lovers."
BTW: Speaking of trees. You should see DC when the cherry blossoms are out! :)
I think you should start looking for jobs in Los Angeles. That way you can move in with me and solve my roommate-finding problems!!
I don't know you know, but it looks like you have been stalking me here in DC all weekend. I was at the same cd party you were at and you at my ward's Valentine's Dinner. I have to admit it dragged in parts, and things are very different here compared to other places. It really is a small world down here in Virginia. I hope things work out for you. I really enjoy your blog. I'm actually a friend of Laura Llew's.
abby
Eddie, I didn't get to do any real sightseeing unfortunately. But that's the fun of moving there.
And that's insane about the cell phones. I'm sure if I do get a job with the government things like that will become familiar. The attorneys I met with were joking about how one of them somehow obtained a coveted 2-holed punch from the supplies lady.
Abby, did we meet? I met about 4500 people this weekend so sorry if I've forgotten. :) If not, we'll have to catch up the next time I'm down there.
Eddie, Boston and Chicago get incredibly hot and muggy AND most of the apartments do NOT have AC. How wrong is that? I have a window unit in my apartment right now.
I grew up spending a month or so every summer in South Florida, so I know all about hot and humid. However, South Florida also understands the joy of AC.
Neat blog, though when you post on other sites the way you list your url doesn't result in the link taking someone back here.
Wish you well in your interviews.
Thanks, Stephen. I wonder why the link doesn't work...? I usually just type it in as www.kellyim.blogspot.com.
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