I can't believe I forgot this:
Jake bought his plane ticket to come see me! He flies out Friday, March 20th and will be here until Sunday, March 29th! He will celebrate his birthday out here too (March 24)!
Only 48 days! (Yes, we are counting....)
Saturday, January 31, 2009
A long overdue update
Sorry it has taken me so long to get a post up here. I've been meaning to for the past few days but haven't had ten minutes. Actually, that isn't entirely true. I certainly could have Wednesday or Thursday night, but I had a bad migraine and spent my evenings trying to remedy that. No fun. In October, the doctor's gave me Imitrex for them. I take it when I feel one coming on, but I can't take it more than once every three weeks. It dulled the pain a little on Wednesday night, but wore off by Thursday. I discovered Excedrin Migraine is awesome. Well, I'm fine now and this blog isn't entitled "Amy's Many Medical Mysteries" so I suppose I should get to the point and talk about what I've been up to in Washington DC.
I started my internship at Nemours last Thursday (the 22nd or 23rd, which ever was a Thursday). The office is brand new so everyone is still getting the hang of how to make the copy machine work and we are still operating one computer short and off the network. But, I've been getting some stuff done. Mostly, I have been working on the graphic details for a PowerPoint presentation my boss has to make to the CEO and the Board of Directors next month. I have also done some research for a few meetings - one was about Health Information Technology (which is like Electronic Medical Records) and another was background on Congressman Ander Crenshaw from Florida (we are building a new hospital in his district). This past Thursday, I went to a Senate hearing on improving quality in health care. The expert "witnesses" basically said Health Information Technology is a huge part of it.
Not to scare anyone, but medication errors are really common in offices/hospitals that don't use electronic medical records, because no one can read doctor's handwriting. Fact of the day: 98,000 people lose their life due to a medical error in the United States every year. So make sure you know what you are taking and how much you should be taking. And be thankful if you go somewhere that does electronic medical records.
So in addition to working on small projects and going to hearings and such, my main job is going to be to establish a advocacy communications plan for the company. When SCHIP passed this week, we had a lot of Nemours people (doctors, etc) e-mailing us to let us know... as if we didn't know. So I will be working on establishing some plan of how we can do internal communications within Nemours, and externally for other health policy groups, legislators, whoever.
Wow. That's a lot to take in. Sorry for being so long-winded. But there is still more.
My classes started this week. On Wednesdays, I take two "classes". One is an actual political science class that I think I like and the other doesn't qualify as a "class", at least in my mind. My roommate calls that one "BS101". No joke. That one is "Internship Seminar," and we basically sit around for two hours discussing our internship and developing a Professional Development Plan (what do you want to do in the next three months) and a Cognitive Map (reading log). They told us we all need business cards. I could barely hold the laughter in. I'm not paying $30 to get 500 business cards printed with my work phone and e-mail that will do me absolutely no good in three months. Call me cheap but I don't see the point. My actual "class" seems okay. I like the professor; he teaches at American University. It's about public policy and we get to do formal debates, write a 5-7 page research paper about and political policy topic (ie: abortion, gun control, same-sex marriage, etc). There are other assignments, but those are the big ones. Shouldn't be too bad.
What else... I went out to dinner with Kelly, my friend from high school and her boyfriend, Kyle on Friday. I was super craving a bacon cheese burger so we hit Chilis because it is cheapest and fairly close. Local, only in DC restaurants are ridiculously expensive (about $30 for dinner). But if you find a chain restaurant, especially outside of DC (like Arlington) its reasonable.
Last Friday, I went to the funniest show ever. I seriously almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard. It's called Capitol Steps and its basically a live, musical comedy show about current politics. Its put on by former Hill staffers and they satirize the people they used to work for. The four liberal "Supreme Court Justices" sang Staying Alive. They poked fun at President Obama, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton, former Pres. Bush, Larry Craig, Blagojevich, Elliot Spitzer, Joe the Plumber, etc. Definitely recommend it.
Today, I've just spent my day doing laundry, cleaning my room, the bathroom, nothing too fun. I made pancakes and bacon for breakfast! Nummy!
Alright I absolutely promise to write more often so you don't have to read this much again. I apologize. Until then, over and out!
I started my internship at Nemours last Thursday (the 22nd or 23rd, which ever was a Thursday). The office is brand new so everyone is still getting the hang of how to make the copy machine work and we are still operating one computer short and off the network. But, I've been getting some stuff done. Mostly, I have been working on the graphic details for a PowerPoint presentation my boss has to make to the CEO and the Board of Directors next month. I have also done some research for a few meetings - one was about Health Information Technology (which is like Electronic Medical Records) and another was background on Congressman Ander Crenshaw from Florida (we are building a new hospital in his district). This past Thursday, I went to a Senate hearing on improving quality in health care. The expert "witnesses" basically said Health Information Technology is a huge part of it.
Not to scare anyone, but medication errors are really common in offices/hospitals that don't use electronic medical records, because no one can read doctor's handwriting. Fact of the day: 98,000 people lose their life due to a medical error in the United States every year. So make sure you know what you are taking and how much you should be taking. And be thankful if you go somewhere that does electronic medical records.
So in addition to working on small projects and going to hearings and such, my main job is going to be to establish a advocacy communications plan for the company. When SCHIP passed this week, we had a lot of Nemours people (doctors, etc) e-mailing us to let us know... as if we didn't know. So I will be working on establishing some plan of how we can do internal communications within Nemours, and externally for other health policy groups, legislators, whoever.
Wow. That's a lot to take in. Sorry for being so long-winded. But there is still more.
My classes started this week. On Wednesdays, I take two "classes". One is an actual political science class that I think I like and the other doesn't qualify as a "class", at least in my mind. My roommate calls that one "BS101". No joke. That one is "Internship Seminar," and we basically sit around for two hours discussing our internship and developing a Professional Development Plan (what do you want to do in the next three months) and a Cognitive Map (reading log). They told us we all need business cards. I could barely hold the laughter in. I'm not paying $30 to get 500 business cards printed with my work phone and e-mail that will do me absolutely no good in three months. Call me cheap but I don't see the point. My actual "class" seems okay. I like the professor; he teaches at American University. It's about public policy and we get to do formal debates, write a 5-7 page research paper about and political policy topic (ie: abortion, gun control, same-sex marriage, etc). There are other assignments, but those are the big ones. Shouldn't be too bad.
What else... I went out to dinner with Kelly, my friend from high school and her boyfriend, Kyle on Friday. I was super craving a bacon cheese burger so we hit Chilis because it is cheapest and fairly close. Local, only in DC restaurants are ridiculously expensive (about $30 for dinner). But if you find a chain restaurant, especially outside of DC (like Arlington) its reasonable.
Last Friday, I went to the funniest show ever. I seriously almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard. It's called Capitol Steps and its basically a live, musical comedy show about current politics. Its put on by former Hill staffers and they satirize the people they used to work for. The four liberal "Supreme Court Justices" sang Staying Alive. They poked fun at President Obama, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton, former Pres. Bush, Larry Craig, Blagojevich, Elliot Spitzer, Joe the Plumber, etc. Definitely recommend it.
Today, I've just spent my day doing laundry, cleaning my room, the bathroom, nothing too fun. I made pancakes and bacon for breakfast! Nummy!
Alright I absolutely promise to write more often so you don't have to read this much again. I apologize. Until then, over and out!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
One in a million...
All I can say is wow. The inauguration of President Barack Obama was probably the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life. Estimates range from 1-2 million people at the actual ceremony and I can confirm that those numbers are not an exaggeration. I certainly could not see the inauguration, but jumbotrons were set up along the national mall so, I could watch and hear what was going on. The crowd was absolutely wild. As all the big whigs walk out and take their seats for the ceremony, an announcer introduced them. Nancy Pelosi, President and Senator Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and the Obama family all got rave reviews from the crowd. But not all were so "lucky". No matter what you think of Dick Cheney, George HW Bush, or George Bush, I think it is inappropriate to "boo" them. Yes, the National Mall literally echoed with disapproval when they walked out. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not a fan, but grow up people. If you don't like them, ignore them.
Overall, the inauguration itself went well. Chief Justice John Roberts screwed up the wording slightly during Obama's official oath, but they quickly recovered. Obama's inaugural speech was well written. I'm happy he reminded America that we do have to make some sacrifices.
When I was making my way out of the park, President George W Bush's helicopter flew overhead. It was taking him to Andrews Air Force Base, where he was to catch a plane home to Texas. The crowd around me started singing "na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na hey hey hey, goodbye!"
Oh and today, I was walking to my allergy shots, and the Presidential limo, nicknamed "The Beast" by the Secret Service, drove right past me. And you know who was inside?
Over and out!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
I'm here!
Hi all!
So I made it out to DC. Goodbyes were hard, but that is typical me. The train ride was long but I met some nice people.
I got to know the Erdahls, a nice couple who actually knows my mom's extended family pretty well. Mr. Erdahl is a former congressman and Minnesota Secretary of State. He has some very interesting stories to tell. He told me that when he was first running for Congress, he had to go to a training seminar for the GOP. At the seminar, the speaker told them to look at the person on their left and the person on their right. He said that only one out of three would survive and win their election. The person on his left was President George W Bush, who was running for Congress at the time.
Wednesday I arrived at Union Station, got my luggage, and took a cab to the apartment building. I met two of my roommates, Hadas who is from North Carolina, and Karin who is Swedish. Claudia will be arriving from Sweden next week. There was also a opening reception for everyone in the program.
Thursday and Friday was orientation in the morning. Fairly boring, but I learned how to get around the city and navigate a little better. In the afternoons, Kelly and I went out sightseeing. On Thursday, we hit up some Smithsonian museums - American History, National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Castle. Friday, we walked through some Congressional office buildings and took a very dry tour of the Capitol. We took pictures outside of Barack Obama's former Senate office. Everything is packed up in boxes!
Today was a pretty lazy day. Slept in late, watched some TV and worked out upstairs (yes, I actually worked out). I'm headed out to Kelly's tonight. We are going to the big Inauguration concert tomorrow. Hopefully it will be warm out!
First impressions of DC... everything is either much more expensive, or completely free. Grocery shopping was much more expensive. A box of Mac and Cheese that normally costs $1.00 is $1.56. But pretty much all the museums and tours are free. Also, snow is scary. They rarely get any at all, so if it does snow, everything shuts down completely. Half an inch is enough to close all the federal office buildings, the airport, etc. Ironically, it is supposed to snow on Tuesday (Inauguration Day). If it starts to snow, they are moving it into the capitol so everyone will have to just stay home and watch it on TV.
Alright, I think that is all for now. My internship doesn't start until next Thursday, but I'll try to post another update after the Inauguration! Over and out!
So I made it out to DC. Goodbyes were hard, but that is typical me. The train ride was long but I met some nice people.
I got to know the Erdahls, a nice couple who actually knows my mom's extended family pretty well. Mr. Erdahl is a former congressman and Minnesota Secretary of State. He has some very interesting stories to tell. He told me that when he was first running for Congress, he had to go to a training seminar for the GOP. At the seminar, the speaker told them to look at the person on their left and the person on their right. He said that only one out of three would survive and win their election. The person on his left was President George W Bush, who was running for Congress at the time.
Wednesday I arrived at Union Station, got my luggage, and took a cab to the apartment building. I met two of my roommates, Hadas who is from North Carolina, and Karin who is Swedish. Claudia will be arriving from Sweden next week. There was also a opening reception for everyone in the program.
Thursday and Friday was orientation in the morning. Fairly boring, but I learned how to get around the city and navigate a little better. In the afternoons, Kelly and I went out sightseeing. On Thursday, we hit up some Smithsonian museums - American History, National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Castle. Friday, we walked through some Congressional office buildings and took a very dry tour of the Capitol. We took pictures outside of Barack Obama's former Senate office. Everything is packed up in boxes!
Today was a pretty lazy day. Slept in late, watched some TV and worked out upstairs (yes, I actually worked out). I'm headed out to Kelly's tonight. We are going to the big Inauguration concert tomorrow. Hopefully it will be warm out!
First impressions of DC... everything is either much more expensive, or completely free. Grocery shopping was much more expensive. A box of Mac and Cheese that normally costs $1.00 is $1.56. But pretty much all the museums and tours are free. Also, snow is scary. They rarely get any at all, so if it does snow, everything shuts down completely. Half an inch is enough to close all the federal office buildings, the airport, etc. Ironically, it is supposed to snow on Tuesday (Inauguration Day). If it starts to snow, they are moving it into the capitol so everyone will have to just stay home and watch it on TV.
Alright, I think that is all for now. My internship doesn't start until next Thursday, but I'll try to post another update after the Inauguration! Over and out!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
10.... 9...... 8.......
So in ten days, I will be on the train headed for the east coast. I know its going to be the greatest experience of my life, but typical Amy separation anxiety is starting to kick in. Oh joy.
Great story: Jake and I did Christmas on the 26th. I had bought two webcams, one for him and one for me. I wrapped both of them up and thought it would be sweet to skype each other all semester. Well apparently, so did he. Different brands but same gift. Great minds think alike. Now we just have to figure out how to hook them up.
Anyways, address update and new roomies! I got my housing assignment and I am excited even though I don't know a thing about any of the girls, except I think two of them are from Sweden. I'm not going to post my new address here because that would probably be a bad move, but if you want my address, I would be happy to e-mail it to you. Just send me an e-mail first!
Not much else to report! Over and out!
Great story: Jake and I did Christmas on the 26th. I had bought two webcams, one for him and one for me. I wrapped both of them up and thought it would be sweet to skype each other all semester. Well apparently, so did he. Different brands but same gift. Great minds think alike. Now we just have to figure out how to hook them up.
Anyways, address update and new roomies! I got my housing assignment and I am excited even though I don't know a thing about any of the girls, except I think two of them are from Sweden. I'm not going to post my new address here because that would probably be a bad move, but if you want my address, I would be happy to e-mail it to you. Just send me an e-mail first!
Not much else to report! Over and out!
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