Day 34 - In the land where one may or may not live next door to the PBS headquarters

This will be a light post filled with more pictures than words.

This is a creation I made the other night. It is rice with chicken and cream of chicken and broccoli. Usually when I make this I like to keep the rice and the goop separate, but due to my limited tupperware space and for convinience sake, I combined. I made a ton. I take it to work and eat it for dinner. I like it. I think I will continue to do something like this, make a huge quantity of something and eat it for days. Yum.

I have previously accounted my experiences/joys/struggles living with six roommates. Here is a struggle. As common in many single man apartments, garbage stacks up real high and everyone hopes someone else will take it out. Notice we have two garbages and garbage is beginning to pile up beside the cans. I took this pic right before I took it out. Lucky me. 

Food truck. These are very common especially around the touristy sights. I have yet to buy food from them, its a big gamble. I guess its sort of like your local gas station, you never know how long those hot dogs have been rolling there. I'm sure at some point I will break down and get a dog. I love me a dog.

This is from the same spot, just looking north. Here you can see a truck selling souvenirs. These are everywhere too. They are the crappiest souvenirs know to man. Anyone who buys anything from these trucks is a sucker. They are in for a big surprise when they take their tie-dye I heart DC t-shirts home and it falls apart in the washer. 

I hope my feelings concerning these trucks are clear.

Don't get me wrong I love the TV show NCIS, but I would never buy a shirt with the logo just because I am in the same area where the show is based. Ridiculous. 

About two weeks ago I went back to the Air and Space Museum after work. I had been there previously, but had not been able to see it all. It was a treat to return as the crowds had significantly diminished. 

These are two week old pics, but you will enjoy them nonetheless, if you don't, you hate air and space.

The above picture is a NASA rocket plane, this is the first plane to go Mach 2 (Two times faster than the speed of sound). Neat.

Display of Amelia Earhart. One of her planes.

One of four rocket blasters that were on the bottom of the Mercury rockets that put men in space and on the moon.

So, if you were wondering where the PBS headquarters were (I'm sure you have spent many a sleepless nights wondering), it is right outside my window. In fact as I am writing this, I sit under the PBS building in a underground mall thing. Neat huh!?!? No?

This is the view from my balcony. 

This is the view from my bedroom window. 

I'm not going to lie, PBS never had that much of an impact on me, as I grew up with cable. Many of my friends, including my wife, are big PBS advocates as they grew up with Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street.

This may be particularly interesting these days as now our country is having major budget issues. PBS and NPR have been and still are on the chopping block as options to cut spending and reduce deficit. That would be sad to see those organizations diminish and perhaps vanish, but sacrifices must occur. (ok ok, I won't get all political)

Right now, I look to the corner of my screen and see that it is exactly 11:00 pm. Exactly 24 hours from now, my wife will be landing at Reagan National Airport. I can't wait. I may or may not post on the blog tomorrow before she comes, but I will definitely not blog while she is here. You'll have to wait till Tuesday night or Wednesday. I will document our adventures.

I am so excited for her to come. I haven't seen my wife in over a month. 

This will be an awesome Independence Day in the Nation's Capital with my wife.

Day 32 - In the land where not everything is fun and games

So, I know on this blog it may seem that all I do is travel around skipping and frolicking while I enjoy seeing the sights and learning of our Nation's Capital... in reality... it's not all fun and games.

I don't mean to be a downer, but for this blog to really reflect my experiences in DC, I suppose I need to describe some of my struggles.

As not to depress you all into the depths, I will limit the enumeration of my struggles. They are in no particular order, just how they pop into my head.

Struggle Number One: Work

I love what I do, but at the same time, I dislike what I do. My job can be quite rewarding, as I have stated before, but it can also be quite boring and monotonous. I constantly am reminding myself that I am an intern and interns get stuck with the work that no one else wants to do.
The days drag on as I sit and stare at a computer screen for eight hours a day. Pandora and Dan Patrick help to ease my load.
Additionally, I have some co-workers that may or may not crawl under my skin. I won't go into specifics. If you want specifics, call my wife and she will recount you many of my struggles as I call her frequently and complain.
For the most part, I enjoy what I do, but as with every job, there are a few unpleasantries.


Struggle Number Two: Natural Disasters

As you read that you may be confused? You may ask yourself, "How and why is Shawn struggling with natural disasters?"
Let me tell you.
I am taking an online class this summer entitled, "Natural Disasters". Now, this class has nothing to do with my major or minor, but I need it to fulfill requirements for graduation.
The class is quite easy, but its the act of just doing it that I struggle with. I am doing fantastic in the class and expect an A, it just takes completion of much busy work.
In fact, just minutes ago I completed my second of four exams in the class. I'm half-way through.
I have an assignment due every Saturday by midnight... well as you can guess I wait till Saturday.
(Don't worry Dad, I haven't gotten lower that a 96% on an assignment.


Struggle Number Three: Living with six roommates

I love my roommates, they are all so different and very fun. They come from all over the state of Utah and we are all interns somewhere here in Washington.
This past month has taken me back to the days of single life where dishes and garbage pile up and the shower is so nasty you have to wear flip flops to bathe.
Having seven guys in a three bedroom, two bathroom apartment is a struggle. Imagine all that can accompany that. This is especially a struggle for me as I am transitioning from living with my neat wife who is very clean and tidy and knows that I get stressed out when things are not so.
Needless to say, I am the one who does most the cleaning in our apartment. I'm sick of doing dishes and taking out the garbage, but someone's got to do it.


Struggle Number Four: $

I won't get much into this, it is pretty straight forward.
I am an unpaid intern in an expensive town. Additionally, I have not been known to be much of a frugal man. Amen.


Struggle Number Five: My Commute

I guess I could have lumped this one with my work, but it is a whole different animal. My commute isn't as bad compared to others in the DC area, but to me it is a slap in the face. Some day I will go into detail of my commute (complete with pictures). For know, all you have to know is that it takes me about 45 minutes each way and most of that time I am smashed up against strangers in a moving train... oh yeah, it is extremely hot and humid. You're welcome for the visual. I am at the mercy of the Metro and the trains running on time. If there is something like a bomb threat (there have been two so far) I may experience delays.


Struggle Number Six: Not being with my wife

This is obviously the biggest struggle for me. I love my wife and miss her so much. I am loving her more and more as I am away.
Some people have questioned why I am doing this internship and living away from my wife. I'm not going to lie, I have even questioned that. However, I know this is where I am supposed to be.
I miss everything about Laura. I don't have to go into specifics, you can imagine the things I miss about not being with my wife.
We keep in contact very often. She texts me at 10:00 am my time to tell me good morning, we text throughout the day, I call her during my lunch break and we talk for a while, I call her when I get off work, and we call and talk to each other throughout the evening. In all I would say we talk to each other for about an hour a day, not to mention the countless text messages and picture messages we send each other. Additionally, she keeps up to date on this blog.
Have no fear though, there is light at the end of the tunnel... She is coming out to Washington DC in three days!!!! She will be here Friday through Tuesday. I won't work while she is here and we have a very busy weekend planned. We are very excited.
I will also be traveling to Utah the weekend of the 22nd of July for my sister Shersti's wedding. So, the longest part of mine and Laura's separation is over! That's neat.


I hope you don't get the wrong message by this blog post. I am loving my time. It is even better than I expected. I absolutely love it and I do not have a single doubt for coming out here. I just had to be fair and balanced and share the other side of my experience.

If you are still reading this, I am impressed.

Sorry, not a single photo tonight. I actually tried to upload two, but the internet is being really slow. I guess this post will identify the most loyal of my followers.

Day 29 - In the land where instead of states, there are commonwealths

Yesterday (Saturday) was kind of a lazy day for me. I slept in (which was much needed) and then did my laundry. I curse doing laundry, luckily I have enough articles of clothing to last me two weeks. It is just a lot of work to do laundry here (not to mention a lot of money too).

Most Saturdays I have my day planned out pretty far in advance, what museums to visit, what memorials to see, etc. Yesterday was different, I didn't know what I wanted to do. After getting a slow start to the day, I wasn't really in the mood to go into DC and to the National Mall where there are what seems like millions of tourists. I did however have a craving for a really good burger, a bag of cajun fries and a frosty cold coca-cola. Where do you find such a thing? There is only one place: Five Guys. So, I searched for nearby Five Guys restaurants and saw that there was one in Alexandria. That tempted me. I have never been to Alexandria, Virginia, but I have heard good things about it... so I went.

Alexandria isn't too far away from where I live, just three stops away on the metro. Going there, I had no idea what Alexandria had to offer, but it sure didn't disappoint. I absolutely loved it. It was a breath of fresh air.

Alexandria is a very old town with a old section cleverly named "Old Town". I wandered the streets for hours looking at the old shops and stores. Art galleries, antiques, souvenirs, book stores, pubs, restaurants, and much more. It was a turkish delight. I went down King Street and eventually made it to the river front where there was an awesome little marina and everything that goes with a marina.

It was a great day, it wasn't as crowded as the popular sights would have been and I got to see some really old and cool history. Each one of my senses was stimulated.

My first sense that was stimulated was taste. I found my Five Guys and my temptation was satisfied. A burger, greasy bag of fries and a coke. Simply marvelous. As I was sitting there I came to the following conclusion: Five Guys >In-n-Out.

Don't start up a riot, I still love In-n-Out, especially after spending a significant amount of time in southern California, but Five Guys is just plain superior. (Although I would suspect In-n-Out is healthier)

Cool little church with fountain and a huge American flag. Welcome to colonial America.

In this photo I tried to capture the cool brick store fronts and buildings. Everything was made of that old red brick. It was awesome to SEE.

All the sidewalks looked like this.

Red bricks, narrow sidewalks and streets, close stores, restaurants with tables on the sidewalks, etc.

I have seen a lot of street performers in my day, but this guy was without a doubt the best I've ever ever seen.

He had a table full of glasses filled with water in which he would create a sound that was completely fantastic to HEAR. He was amazing. He would take requests and play anything and everything. His fingers would be playing multiple glasses at at time and at the same time, he had a baister which he would use to add or subtract water to get the desired sound. He constantly had a huge crowd gathered round and a basket full of cash.

Here he was playing a little Irish tune.

The marina on the Potomac River. Lots of personal boats and water taxis and pleasure cruises.

I took off the ol' flip flops and hung my feet over the side of the pier. I just sat there for a while and didn't do a thing. It was wonderful.

My view looking down river. This river is a little bigger than the Weber back home. (Although these days it may not be that much bigger)

Marina

People

The neatest little alley. It was so picturesque. Brick walls, cobblestone with green growing up, bars on the windows. It was like something from the movies.

Closer view.

This is what every square inch of sidewalk looked like. Uneven red brick. It was cool to FEEL the uneven and often loose brick under my feet.

Neatness.

This might have been the highlight of my day. I found an old used book store. The store had no A/C so it was hot and musty. There was a strong SMELL of old books. (you know the smell) The aisles were very narrow and the shelves were filled from ceiling to floor. I found a history and politics section and probably spent about an hour sitting on a stool browsing through books.

I ended up buying two books. One called "The Nine" which is about the nine Supreme Court Justices (I love the Supreme Court) and the other book is written by Tom Brokaw entitled "The Greatest Generation" I am excited to read that one. I am just finishing up a book now called "Flags of our Fathers" about the six flag raisers at Iwo Jima. This has given me such a respect for those men and women that served and that whole generation. (Another reason why I look up to my Grandpa so much)

Street.

In Alexandria there is a giant Masonic Temple. It is pretty neat. It sits on a hill and overlooks Alexandria and the river.

A bad view of Alexandria

Big temple. I got there too late to go in and tour it... maybe some other day.

Thank you all for reading and visiting. I enjoy doing this blog, it helps me keep connected with those I love as I am far away. 

This is more for me than it is for you... though I hope you like it.

In five days my wife comes!!!!! I have the whole weekend planned out. We might have to return to Alexandria. Laura would love it.

Day 28 - In the land where influential people abound

Today is Saturday morning, I am doing my Laundry. I had to do three loads today and so it cost me over $10 not including soap and dryer sheets. Life is expensive, especially when you're an unpaid intern.

Enough complaining, I would like to report on something I was able to experience yesterday...

I saw the President of the United States.

The President had been on a short trip to New York and Pittsburgh and was arriving back at the White House. When he travels, he obviously uses Air Force One which is based out of Andrews Air Force Base. (Across the river in Maryland) But, to get to Andrews and to take other smaller trips, he takes Marine One. This is the call sign for his helicopter. Marine One picks him up and drops him off in the South Lawn of the White House. So, sometimes they make these arrivals and departures available to see for White House staff and other guests. My supervisor, who is the coolest guy ever, set up so our department could go.

Getting to the White House from where I work is really easy when speaking of distance, its only a block away, but to be able to get in I had to go through three security checks and show my ID about four times. (All for a good reason)

I took some pictures and even a video or two. I'll try to post them.

Another highlight was to meet Bo! Bo is the First Family's dog. He is awesome. He is a Portuguese Water Hound. He was a gift from Ted Kennedy.

View from where I was standing.

South face of the White House

BO!!! He has the life. This guy with him just follows him around all day and trains him.

He is the most spoiled dog in the world. He is a celebrity.

The press.

View looking south. National Mall with the Washington Monument and Jefferson Monument in the distance.

Again.

So, I have a lot more pics and even a movie, but it has taken me over an hour to do this already, so you will have to see them some other time.

Marine One. The helicopter travels with two other identical helicopters and the are constantly rotating and changing position in the air, so as to not disclose which one the President is in. When they get close, two helicopters peel off and one lands. As you can imagine, with a helicopter this size, the wind force it creates is quite powerful.

Thats the President by the tail. I know, not a very good view.

Taking off.

Headed back.

This is the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door to the White House. It houses most of the Executive Branch and the White House staff.

These wheels are what the helicopter uses as guidance to land. It was amazing how accurate it was. The wheels landed right on.

This is my little department. My supervisor is taking the picture.

This is me, Shawn Irwin Walker, in front of the most house in the world.

That is all. Today I don't have much plans. I might go to Alexandria to see what that has to offer.

I'll be back soon

Day 27 - In the land where the choo-choos travel underground

Yesterday (Wednesday) was probably the best day I've had since I've been here. It might sound lame to some, but it was bliss for me.

Wednesday I didn't have work due to the full-time staff in my office having a retreat. I didn't complain and was able to see some sights on a weekday and avoid the crowds.

Lets dive into my 26 photos...

They are not in the order I would like, but I'm too lazy to switch it up now.

This is a huge plaque honoring/remembering Flight 93. If you remember, Flight 93 is the fourth plane on 9/11 that was headed to Washington, either to the Capitol or the White House. I saw this at the end of an awesome tour and really put it into perspective what those brave people did by thwarting that hijacked plane. Honor those who stated, "Let's roll."

So, as stated before, I live with six other guys. Five of those six intern at the Capitol with a Senator or Representative, so through one of them I arranged to tag along on one of the tours they were giving. The people never showed up, so it turned out to be an exclusive tour. 

If you ever come to Washington, schedule tours through your Rep or Senator it is so much more awesome than the generic/crowded tours offered at the Capitol.

The above picture is the old House Floor. They grew out of it and moved the current one. This awesome room is now to display the many statues. (each state provides two statues to the Capitol)

Naturally, one of Utah's statues that they provided is that of Brother Brigham. Classic.

Just a view of some statues.

I have been watching the TV show "The West Wing" lately. (I know... kinda cliche for a White House Intern to be watching that) Anyway, we couldn't get over that this guy looks like the President off that show. (Martin Sheen) I don't know who it really is. 

Speaker John Boehner gets an exclusive office right in the center of the Capitol.

The Rotunda. So big that the Statue of Liberty could fit inside it standing up. The dome is made of cast iron. This is so awesome. The artwork and architecture is completely breathtaking. Much of it is honoring George Washington including the ceiling painting which depicts Washington becoming a sort of Diety.

The old Senate floor. No longer in use, but very authentic and cool.

Amazing tile work.

The old Supreme Court Room. They used this in the early 1800s. it is quite small and tucked away in the basement. 

Americana architecture. Corn.

This is a statue of John Calhun, this is interesting because there is a bullet mark in his calf. In the late 90s a man opened fire in the Capitol Building and a bullet hit the statue. This was pre-9/11 and security is obviously very tight now. 

To learn more about that shooting which killed two people, click here.

Center of the building and from this point, all streets are based in Washington DC.

"The Crypt" No one is buried here, its just in the lower floor and the architecture looks like a crypt.

Statue from Hawaii. The coolest, and heaviest.

Visitors center.

After the Capitol tour I went to a very famous and popular pizza place in DC. Its called "We The Pizza". Get it? ha ha. It was the best pizza I've ever had. Period. 

After lunch I took a tour of the Supreme Court. I was very excited for this, I took two Supreme Court classes last semester and consider myself to be somewhat of a Supreme Court junkie. It is my favorite branch of government.

It was everything and more that I ever dreamed of.

Inside the great hall.

Ceiling.

Staircase.

Quotes from famous opinions concerning the court.

Statue of Chief Justice John Marshall. Probably the most influential Chief Justice to have served (and the longest serving)

The most amazing staircase ever. No supports, each stair is designed to support the one above it a they are anchored in the wall. Six stories high.

Proof.

Notable figures of law.

So I got to go inside the courtroom, but cameras aren't allowed, but here is one I pulled of the internet.

It is really cool. Especially to think of what has occurred in that room. You can feel it. 

Interestingly enough, there is a basketball court right above this room. It is private, intended for the employees, but it is cleverly nicknamed "The Highest Court in the Land" ha ha, very funny. 

I could go on for days about the Supreme Court and my love for the court and the building and the influential cases and everything, but I won't put you through that. Just ask my wife, she has had to endure my rants and raves.

What do you think of this pic? Pretty nice eh?

After my touring, I met up with some roommates and friends and we went to a ball game. Nationals vs. Mariners. It was really fun. This is the third game I've been to I love them. (Only $5) It is so great, and last night was $1 hotdog night, so I stuffed myself.

The bad thing about the day was that it was very hot and very humid. I was so hot and sticky when I got home. So, I ended the night with a Mtn. Dew slurpee.

It was a great day. I just gave you the condensed version (if you can believe it) I could go on about the history and whatnot, but again, I won't put you through that.

I have had major computer issues. My power cord went out, so that is why I haven't posted for a few days. I had to borrow a charger from a roommate. My sweet wife bought me a new one and it is on its way.

Tomorrow is Friday and I am excited, especially because tomorrow I get to go on the South Lawn of the White House and watch President Obama as he leaves and takes off in Marine One (his helicopter). I guess its pretty exclusive to be there. Instead of a monetary pay, I get paid in perks like this. I'll take it.

Pictures to come tomorrow.