i have a job interview today. this is the first time i have ever been nervous going into a job interview. i have actually spent a great deal of time preparing for this interview, and really would like to get this job.

here are the details: i am applying to work as a legislative assistant for a pretty high profile lobbying firm here in DC. the firm was the first ever firm ran by a woman and has been around since 1977. they represent clients on issues ranging from the environment to entertainment to trade, and it sounds like a pretty incredible place to work.

here are the downsides: i would be leaving the Hill. i have enjoyed my time (mostly) working in a Congressional office. there are a lot of cool perks to working on the Hill, and i currently hold a senior staff position that has a lot of prestige.

the upsides: i would finally be doing what i wanted to do when i moved out here: lobbying for causes. one thing i have found about working on the Hill is that you do not really get to be involved in the process, but only the final solution. the creative me wants to be a part of the process.

i wish that someone else could make all of my decisions for me. 

i don't know much about love...but i do know i love it.

in 3 minutes i get to go home...yay!

i could not fall asleep last night, so i listened to damien rice for what felt like hours. damien rice makes me happy. i love his voice, and his lyrics, and the sound of the cello and the depth of his songs. i think that if i had to give up all of my music and only listen to 3 singers/bands for the rest of my life they would be damien rice, ryan adams, and ani...no, wait, there has to be room for the counting crows and bright eyes in there...oh and ellis (who is not real well known, but i love)...and kasey chambers and the indigo girls and over the rhine. now i'm done. no, i could never be done. i think that music is so necessary and wonderful. back to damien rice, though, he is definitely the best singer for me to paint to. something about his music inspires creativity in me. i love it. i wish he would come do a concert here soon.

my cat has this new thing that he does. i think it is the cutest thing ever. every time i buy him a new toy, i call the toy his "love". he really likes little stuffed animals with catnip in them, so when i get him one, i say, "hey billy, i bought you a new love". i never knew he really was paying attention, but the other night i was watching tv and he kept playing with my shoelaces, and it was driving me nuts. i asked him, "billy, where are your loves?", and he ran into the other room and came back with two of his little animals in his mouth. it was so cute. i think my cat is really smart...i have never been a cat person, but as soon as I adopted billy i fell in love with him. he is the greatest companion...i think part of why he is so great is that he had a rough beginning of life. he was living on the streets, and was found when he was three months old. when they found him he was under a porch with a whole bunch of other kittens, and he was the only one that was alive. he is a very scrappy and wonderful fellow...

i hope all of my friends out there are doing well.

i know i haven't written in forever, and it might seem to some that i have dropped off the face of this Earth. i haven't. still here. things have just been busy, and my creative side (which used to get a lot more time and attention) has been neglected for awhile. i am ready to stop neglecting it now.

today i have been thinking a lot about oppression and discrimination. i regularly spend time reading a debate list serve, and one of the threads that i was reading today had to do with gender discrimination at debate tournaments. although i agree with what people were saying...especially since i remember discouraging ballots from judges through the years...i wonder at what point does all of the complaining about things not being fair for girls in debate become an excuse for not becoming a better debater? i mean, as a girl that competed for four years in an activity that does have some gender issues, i can relate to the concerns that people have. it is not fair that numerous times i was docked speaker points because i debated in the same aggressive manner as a guy would debate, and thus was not seen as a good debater, despite the fact that a guy doing the same thing would be seen as good...the reality, is, though, that my senior year i was the top speaker in the country, despite being a girl...and i never changed my style because of discrimination. i guess my point is that if i spent all 4 years complaining about the fact that some judges were discriminatory, i may have never worked on becoming a great debater. i think this point applies to all aspects of life. it is noble to take on a cause, and to fight for justice, but at the same time, i think that "sexism" is used a lot as a buzzword, and sometimes gives people an excuse to stop trying. at the point in which life is discriminatory, i say fight harder and rise above despite discrimination...i think too many people give up, and use discrimination as an excuse to step back from their goals...which means the discriminatory person or agency has been given all power.

i don't know where that diatribe came from.

i have a headache....

katie

Oh my goodness. So much has gone on in my life lately. Here's what's new:

1) I just got back from 5 days in Cape Cod with my parents. We go up there almost every summer, because my grandfather built a house up there, and we always go stay. It is a beautiful place...with the ocean, and the quiet of a little town. I love it. We had a really nice time, too...We don't get to see each other very often, now that I am living in DC...It was nice to see them.

2) I just got a HUGE promotion in my office. I am now the Executive Assistant to the Congresswoman. It is cool because I will get to have a lot more contact with her, and will be responsible for planning her schedule, and informing her about every legislative issue that comes up daily. I am looking forward to learning, and growing, as I take on this new task. The promotion also means a great raise in pay, which is appreciated right now, as I am looking to start saving to purchase a home on Capitol Hill.

3) I went through a tough time recently, when I had to have 2 biopsies because the doctor feared I might have skin cancer again. Both tests turned up negative, and I am thankful that I don't have to go through surgery again. I had skin cancer when I was 18, and it resulted in an incredibly painful surgery on my back to remove the cancer. I was so scared to go through that again, and am happy I don't have to.

4) I have 3 new members of my family: Nigel, Guido and Bob-my three beautiful goldfish.

5) It looks like my brother is going to be able to take an R&R from Iraq, which means he would come home for a few days! I would love to see him.

Well, that is all the news. Things are going well. I am in a pretty happy place, now...which is a blessing. I keep all of you in my thoughts and my prayers!