This (Thanks Google Maps!!) is the absolute worst thing in the entire state of Pennsylvania: the I-83 N/581 W? split. Notice in the northbound lanes that only one lane bears to the right (or as I say, gets off of 83 to stay on 83). I can just imagine some stupid PennDOT person thinking "hm, what's the best way to piss off a lot of people that need to commute from York to Harrisburg on a daily basis." And if there's an accident, holy hell, forget about it. On Tuesday, I sat in traffic for 45 freaking minutes to go 6 miles because some stupid truck decided to break down in the lane right where it meets up with the Harrisburg expressway. I curse PennDOT's name on a daily basis.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Bane of My Existence:
This (Thanks Google Maps!!) is the absolute worst thing in the entire state of Pennsylvania: the I-83 N/581 W? split. Notice in the northbound lanes that only one lane bears to the right (or as I say, gets off of 83 to stay on 83). I can just imagine some stupid PennDOT person thinking "hm, what's the best way to piss off a lot of people that need to commute from York to Harrisburg on a daily basis." And if there's an accident, holy hell, forget about it. On Tuesday, I sat in traffic for 45 freaking minutes to go 6 miles because some stupid truck decided to break down in the lane right where it meets up with the Harrisburg expressway. I curse PennDOT's name on a daily basis.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
My State Capitol is Prettier than Your State Capitol Pt. 1
Here's all sorts of fun pictures from around the main capitol building. Pictures from the House floor are in the works (I just need to wait until they're out of session).
The dome inside the Capitol Rotunda...absolutely freaking beautiful. And sometime before the end of the summer, the other interns and I are going to get to climb to the top and look out over Harrisburg!
The Rotunda Steps...all sorts of fun photo op shit happens here. Monday, there was some labor organization...and sometimes high school bands.
The view of the Susquehanna from the bridge I cross over every day walking into the city from the parking lot. Absolutely gorgeous on nice days like today.
You know you're jealous. I talk as if my office isn't actually in the Capitol complex's bomb shelter...exposed pipes and all. Eh, at least if there's a nuclear bomb or something, I'll be safe!
The dome inside the Capitol Rotunda...absolutely freaking beautiful. And sometime before the end of the summer, the other interns and I are going to get to climb to the top and look out over Harrisburg!
The Rotunda Steps...all sorts of fun photo op shit happens here. Monday, there was some labor organization...and sometimes high school bands.
The view of the Susquehanna from the bridge I cross over every day walking into the city from the parking lot. Absolutely gorgeous on nice days like today.
You know you're jealous. I talk as if my office isn't actually in the Capitol complex's bomb shelter...exposed pipes and all. Eh, at least if there's a nuclear bomb or something, I'll be safe!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Life is a Roller Coaster Ride
Just when I was thinking that this summer might be relaxing and involve lots of relaxing, being by the pool, and hanging out with family, I sat down to plan out the rest of the summer. Holy hell, I'm gonna be a busy girl. Weekends were pretty empty in the beginning of the summer...I guess to get a rest from a pretty rough semester and letting myself get settled into work (plus, there was that whole passing out at work thing -- not fun -- that kinda prompted me to make sure I get some "me" time and lots and lots of sleep on a regular basis). But the weekends are pretty damn booked for the rest of the summer...here's a rundown:
June 28, 29 -- Sat: Hershey Park with my mom's boyfriend's company, first car payment due (ahh!!!); Sun: Samantha's grad party (and I really need to remember to stop and pick up her gift this week...or else)
July 4, 5, 6 -- Friday: Lighthousing with Carrie's fam (and making Greg the allergic-to-shellfish crazy kid leave so we can have fresh yummy crabs straight from the boat) and ideally creating another good traffic-causing accident on the bridge with fireworks like we did the last time -- all of this after driving through DC the night before the 4th of July...are we nuts or something??; Sat: Staunton with the Greggers' family and getting to see Marley who's not so much of a puppy anymore; Sun: Driving all day and probably hanging out with Greggers in Aberdeen on the Army base before he needs to officially report for duty or whatever.
July 12, 13 -- GRE...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (and that doesn't even begin to describe it)
July 19, 20 -- OC, MD with the fam...and telling all sorts of fun stories to my cousin Stephen's new gf (shake-up anyone?) and hopefully enjoying the first weekend at the beach when I can drink legally and hopefully Stephen and I can take advantage of this. Plus, my youngest cousin will be there who is absolutely the sweetest little hell-raising four-year-old there is.
July 26, 27 -- empty, for now
August 2, 3 -- packing stuff up to head down to school
August 9, 10 -- Blacksburg to move my crap into my apartment
August 16, 17 -- empty, for now, but I'll need to start packing up clothes and stuff to head back down to school.
August 21 -- down to Blacksburg for SJC training and all that jolly-good stuff...and then school starts.
Somewhere in there I want to sneak up to East Stroudsburg to see my grandma for a weekend and I should start doing some serious research into grad school and print out applications and shit. You're talking to the girl that had all her undergrad applications in to the guidance office and sent by the end of November. Plus I just want to hang out by the pool. Yet, I've been home exactly 4 hours of this weekend and I'm already bored. So maybe busy is good.
June 28, 29 -- Sat: Hershey Park with my mom's boyfriend's company, first car payment due (ahh!!!); Sun: Samantha's grad party (and I really need to remember to stop and pick up her gift this week...or else)
July 4, 5, 6 -- Friday: Lighthousing with Carrie's fam (and making Greg the allergic-to-shellfish crazy kid leave so we can have fresh yummy crabs straight from the boat) and ideally creating another good traffic-causing accident on the bridge with fireworks like we did the last time -- all of this after driving through DC the night before the 4th of July...are we nuts or something??; Sat: Staunton with the Greggers' family and getting to see Marley who's not so much of a puppy anymore; Sun: Driving all day and probably hanging out with Greggers in Aberdeen on the Army base before he needs to officially report for duty or whatever.
July 12, 13 -- GRE...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (and that doesn't even begin to describe it)
July 19, 20 -- OC, MD with the fam...and telling all sorts of fun stories to my cousin Stephen's new gf (shake-up anyone?) and hopefully enjoying the first weekend at the beach when I can drink legally and hopefully Stephen and I can take advantage of this. Plus, my youngest cousin will be there who is absolutely the sweetest little hell-raising four-year-old there is.
July 26, 27 -- empty, for now
August 2, 3 -- packing stuff up to head down to school
August 9, 10 -- Blacksburg to move my crap into my apartment
August 16, 17 -- empty, for now, but I'll need to start packing up clothes and stuff to head back down to school.
August 21 -- down to Blacksburg for SJC training and all that jolly-good stuff...and then school starts.
Somewhere in there I want to sneak up to East Stroudsburg to see my grandma for a weekend and I should start doing some serious research into grad school and print out applications and shit. You're talking to the girl that had all her undergrad applications in to the guidance office and sent by the end of November. Plus I just want to hang out by the pool. Yet, I've been home exactly 4 hours of this weekend and I'm already bored. So maybe busy is good.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Work, Work, Work All Day Long
Work is definitely started to drudge along a little. This past weekend marked about the 1/3 of the way through point (holy hell, where's my summer going??!!), but the guy that I'm researching for the oral history project is, well, kinda boring. One of those people that should have left the House before they did, but stayed because they kinda dug knowing everything and holding people to the "rules" even when they were a detriment to progress. I only have a few more years of Legislative Journals to work through and then I'm done...and then we're soon going to be moving on to processing collections and all that fun stuff, which was the whole point in actually getting this job. I'm excited to go through people's papers, in a slightly nosey and voyeuristic manner, and see what actually happens in the House, behind the scenes. I've seen the House floor, but that's all for show...for getting up at the podium and getting your 15 minutes with the hope of being re-elected. I'm hoping to sneak out to a committee meeting before session is over...but once the budget talks start (don't even get me started...that's a topic for another day--aka the budget talks should have started weeks ago!!), that kind of stuff will be at an end. I just need a change, I guess. I've been doing pretty much the same thing for like 3 1/2 weeks and I need something different. I have the attention span of a small ant, you know.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Books, Book, and More Books (and a Little Bit of Work Mixed in)
It seems like all I've been doing since I've been home is reading. I've finished nearly 3 books since I've gotten home from Tech and that's in addition to the 3-4 books I read in the week/week and a half in between my last final and coming home. It's getting ridiculous. So Saturday morning I'm heading into Martin Memorial Library in town and borrowing about 3 books to get me through the 3-week circulation period they have. I have some planned, but I won't share yet because the fact that I already have my library trip all planned out is just a little too nerdy for me.
Atonement was absolutely amazing. The movie's been added to my list at Netflix, but I've been warned that if you read the book first, the movie is sorely disappointing. Eh, we'll see. But the book is beautifully written...just a wonderful mixture of beautiful language, intelligent and related literary elements, and just a wonderful story. I'm not a spoiler so I won't say how it ended, but when I finished it (after staying up until 3:30 am because I could NOT bear going to sleep without reading the end) I laid there for a while letting it all sink in. I think this is one of those that stays with you for a while, being re-read every so often.
I'm currently working on (and almost finished with) The Other Boleyn Girl, a totally different kind of book. Historical fiction (with lots of sex) relating to the Boleyn sisters. Word on the street is that the movie has even more sex than the book, which I can't even imagine. But it really is a good story and a wonderful book for summertime. It seems long when you first look at it but it really is a fast read...about a week for me. I'm excited to see how it ends.
All of this reading is mixed in with work stuff. We've been doing research for oral histories and I think the man that I'm researching is one of the most dreadfully dull people...he's one of those that you just roll your eyes at. He's a crazy stickler for the rules and almost every time he speaks on the House floor it has something to do with a Parliamentary Inquiry or something about "how things should be." He never really introduces any fun legislation or anything (although he did suggest that right turns on red should be legal...fun stuff, eh?).
We went to the House floor on Tuesday to sit in on session with Wally, the head page. He made it fun; he knew everything about everybody...and he's working on me, trying to get me to vote for Obama. I don't see it happening, but it's sure as hell funny watching him try. But really...being a State Legislator is about the cushiest job there is...make a whole bunch of money, have other people push your button for the roll call votes, and stand around in little circles and gossip all day. It would be insanely amusing if my tax money wasn't going to their insanely high salaries.
Atonement was absolutely amazing. The movie's been added to my list at Netflix, but I've been warned that if you read the book first, the movie is sorely disappointing. Eh, we'll see. But the book is beautifully written...just a wonderful mixture of beautiful language, intelligent and related literary elements, and just a wonderful story. I'm not a spoiler so I won't say how it ended, but when I finished it (after staying up until 3:30 am because I could NOT bear going to sleep without reading the end) I laid there for a while letting it all sink in. I think this is one of those that stays with you for a while, being re-read every so often.
I'm currently working on (and almost finished with) The Other Boleyn Girl, a totally different kind of book. Historical fiction (with lots of sex) relating to the Boleyn sisters. Word on the street is that the movie has even more sex than the book, which I can't even imagine. But it really is a good story and a wonderful book for summertime. It seems long when you first look at it but it really is a fast read...about a week for me. I'm excited to see how it ends.
All of this reading is mixed in with work stuff. We've been doing research for oral histories and I think the man that I'm researching is one of the most dreadfully dull people...he's one of those that you just roll your eyes at. He's a crazy stickler for the rules and almost every time he speaks on the House floor it has something to do with a Parliamentary Inquiry or something about "how things should be." He never really introduces any fun legislation or anything (although he did suggest that right turns on red should be legal...fun stuff, eh?).
We went to the House floor on Tuesday to sit in on session with Wally, the head page. He made it fun; he knew everything about everybody...and he's working on me, trying to get me to vote for Obama. I don't see it happening, but it's sure as hell funny watching him try. But really...being a State Legislator is about the cushiest job there is...make a whole bunch of money, have other people push your button for the roll call votes, and stand around in little circles and gossip all day. It would be insanely amusing if my tax money wasn't going to their insanely high salaries.
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