Election Assistance Commission

I am interning this summer with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (www.eac.gov) which is a federal commission that was created by the 2002 Help America Vote Act.  Being a relatively new organization, they have more flexibility and less bureaucracy than some of the more established federal entities which allows for a lot more creativity and fresh ideas.

I have been working with the communications department since I started three weeks ago.  I may end up floating around to different departments or I may stay in communications, I'm not sure yet.  However, I really love working in this department.  I've always had a latent interest in communications and public relations.  I even went and spoke to a public relations adviser at one point at Auburn with thoughts of changing my major.  In almost every organization I was ever involved in, I took on the role of PR person.  I would make phone call and put up fliers for theatre shows.  I would organize information for students in the most accessibly way possible as a GTA.  I would make sure everyone knew where to go for summer camps.  It's just the role that I naturally gravitated towards.  Now that I'm looking towards an actual job, it's definitely something that I could see myself doing.

Most of my tasks thus far at the EAC have centered on our new website.  We launched a brand new website about a week after I arrived so I've been working to get all the information transferred from the old website to the new website.  I actually have a little experience working with websites.  I worked on both Senator Little's website and the election administration program in Auburn with different types of software.  The two programs I've used in the past were Dreamweaver and a local, website based program, neither of which I liked very much.  The web based program was extremely limiting with very little functionality and Dreamweaver, while very thorough, was complicated and I never could get any training with it.  We use another web based program to manage the EAC's website and it's much better than what I've worked on in the past but isn't without its flaws.  We do occasionally fight.  I've also gone through a few sections of the website and suggested changes to make things more usable for the average person who probably doesn't have a background in elections.  I have a few long term tasks that I'm working as well such as researching web governance policies and gathering information on all past EAC policies and procedures.

Working for a federal commission in a large city is quite different than anywhere I've worked before.  We have lots of keys - building/office keys (which really aren't keys at all, more like tiny skinny credit cards), desk keys, bathroom keys.  Lots of passwords for different things (that must be changed often and you can't use old passwords either!).  I have my own little cubical complete with computer and telephone.  The building that our office is in is beautiful.  The lobby is mostly green, white, and purple marble.  There is a large fountain in the lobby and most of the offices have windows that look out on the lobby.

Office lobby

One of the things I've had to get used to was the common usage of acronyms that I wasn't terribly familiar with.  I have a background in election so I was good with some of the basics (HAVA - Help American Vote Act, FEC - Federal Election Commission, NVRA - National Voter Registration Act) but I've learned several more (including non-election acronyms) such as FOIA - Freedom of Information Act, MOE - maintenance of effort, TGDC - Technical Guidelines Development Committee, UOCAVA - Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Voting Act, etc.

So far, I really like working at the EAC.  Like I've said before, everyone is really nice and helpful and indulge my constant barrage of questions.  I can't believe I'm already creeping up on halfway done!  Even thought D.C. is so very different than what I'm used to, it's a great city.  Though the heat has certainly reminded me of home!  This city can rival some of Alabama's worst days with the heat and humidity.  Yuck!  I miss everyone at home a lot but I'm enjoying my time here. 

Sausage Breakfast Rolls

These sausage rolls are one of the things I can eat until I'm sick, which is a very bad thing considering how super easy they are to make.  I'm not much of a breakfast eater and certainly not much of a breakfast maker.  Usually Andrew is the one to make breakfast.  However, these sausage rolls are easy enough for me to want to make in the morning.  I got the recipe from Andrew's sister-in-law Laura (hiiiii!) who fed them to us when we visited a year or so ago.  Mine aren't nearly as pretty as hers (Laura - what's wrong?  Do I fill them up too much?  Do you buy large crescent rolls and I've just been in the dark all this time using original size?) because as you can see I often have to use the edges to hold in the filling.  Do not be deceived by the amount that this recipe makes.  If you are cooking for more than 2 people (and if any of them are boys), you'll be fine.  If you really are just cooking for 2, you can half the recipe.  The filling stays good in the fridge for about a week.

 

By the way.  Yoohoo!  Down here.  Someone told me the other day that they thought my posts were really short and cut off.  Yeah.  You have to click this little 'read more' link to get to the rest of the longer recipe posts.  I just didn't want to clutter things up!  So click!

Strawberry Cheesecake

I love cheesecake.  It's one of those decadent treats that you only make on a special occasion.  Or should only make on a special occasion.  Our special occasion was we had strawberries that needed to be used.  When I asked Andrew what I should make with the strawberries, he chose strawberry cheesecake.  So cheesecake it was.  I don't need much convincing to make cheesecake!  This recipe from bakerella was pretty good taste wise.  I thought the consistency was just a tiny bit grainy but I didn't let it sit overnight in the refrigerator like you're supposed to, so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

You can top it with this strawberry sauce (which, by the way, was amazing), chocolate sauce, caramel (oooh my that would be good..), whipped cream, or pretty much anything you like.  bakerella made some amazing white chocolate decorations for the top of hers that I would like to try at some point.

 

The White House and American History Museum

Jessica (my friend from the MPA program at Auburn) and I had an 11:30 tour of the White House last Saturday morning.  You can hardly bring anything into the White House - no cameras, no purses, no bags of any sort.  We had a little trouble finding where we were supposed to meet for the tour but we finally got there and found that there was a huuuge line that we had to wait through to go through security.  Thank goodness just about everyone in the line was slated for the 11:30 tour.  And it was hot.  By the time we made it through the line, we were both about to die.  We met two different secret service guys from Alabama and all the secret service members that we met along the way were all very nice and informative.  It was a self guided tour but there were secret service members stationed in each room that could answer questions.  We toured the basement and the first floor of the White House (the 2nd and 3rd floors are reserved for the president).

We saw several different presidential portraits, very ornately decorated rooms (which all seemed huge on the inside) before we ended the tour walking out the front doors of the White House.  Once we were outside looking back on the White House, it really seemed very small.  Not nearly as big as it always seems in pictures and on TV!  We happen to meet some people from Alabama walking out who had mutual friends with Jessica.  Small world!

Jessica and I stopped for a quick lunch before heading to the American History Smithsonian museum.  There are so many Smithsonian museums (and they are so huge!) that we weren't going to try to do more than one at a time.  I'm glad we picked the one we did to start with.  We saw lots of exhibits including Julia Child's kitchen, Dorothy's shoes, Kermit the frog, Fonzie's jacket, lots of first lady gowns, presidential memorabilia, and my favorite - the original 1813 American Flag.  Very successful trip.

Picture Note - while I'm in D.C., I'm sure I'm going to be taking a lot of pictures that I want to share with you guys so I think I'm going to start uploading things to Flickr so I can use slide shows here rather than posting individual pictures.  Hopefully this will work better but let me know what you think!

DC - One Week In!

So I have successfully survived one week in Washington, D.C.!  I feel like using a list so here we go...

1.  Metro - I was pretty nervous about figuring out how to use the metro since I have never lived anywhere with public transportation before.  Before I got here, a good friend of mine who had been in D.C. last summer gave me her metro card (called a SmarTrip card) so I was able to start off by just adding money to this card. I found out later that each of these cards are individually registered so I ended up getting a second one so I could get it registered in my name.  So now I have two.  Anyway.  To get into the metro stop, you touch your card to the little pad, the light turns green, and the doors open.  To get out of a metro stop, you do the same thing.

I downloaded the 99 cent Metro app for my iPhone (which has been amazingly helpful) and managed to figure out the trains pretty easily.  Each train is colored by line and named for the final stop on that route (you can take a look at the metro map here).  For example,  to go to work I get on at the Union Station stop and take the red line Shady Grove and get off at the Metro Center stop.  Coming home, I get on at the Metro Center stop and take the red line Glenmont.  Fairly straight forward.  But noo, they do manage to throw a wrench in the plan!  Sometimes you'll see trains labeled with names other than their final destination on the map, such as red line Silver Springs.  I finally had to ask a very nice stranger about this one, who explained to me that during rush hours, they set a few trains to end earlier on track to increase the number of trains stopping in the more congested spots.  Makes sense.

The metro isn't perfect - it can occasionally be hot, smell odd, and be absolutely packed but it is really a lot better than I was anticipating.  I have only gotten on the train going the wrong direction once!  It's quite convenient but the money you spend on it eats away at your balance more quickly than you think it will.

2.  Escalators - thank goodness I was warned about this one before hand.  Stand on the right.  Walk on the left.  This is a cardinal rule.  You will be yelled at if you don't follow it. Edit - And about 60% of the time, the escalators will be broken and they turn into stairs. Like this morning.

3.  Plastic bags - everywhere you go whether it be grocery store, restaurant (to go food), any store, you will be specifically asked if you want a bag and usually charged 5 cents if you say yes.  While I think this is a fantastic idea to cut down on America's usage of plastic bags, it isn't something that has caught on yet in the south so it was a bit surprising.  I purchased 2 Target canvas bags and my mom sent me a nice canvas bag as well.  All very helpful.

4.  Target - speaking of Target, we actually have one!  I was a little surprised (no WalMart though).  But here, Target is the cheap option.  Ya know back home, you go to Target expecting to spend a little extra money?  Nope, not here.  You go to Target to get daily items more cheaply than at the corner market.  I wish it were a little closer to where I am (though it's still only a metro ride away).

5.  Expense - everything is expensive.  Let me say it again.  Everything is expensive!  Whew.  Yes, I knew to expect this but jeeze.  You are severely pushing it to get a meal (even a cheap quick lunch) under $10.

6.  Walking and walking distance - I have walked more here in one week than I have any other time in my life.  And being in D.C. has drastically changed my definition of 'walking distance'.  Back home, we drove down the road and across the street to go to the store.  Walk?  Why?? I walk half a mile every morning from my dorm to my metro stop and then .3 miles from the metro stop to work.  I repeat this each afternoon so I end up walking at least 1.6 miles everyday.  On top of that I often go by the store or try to explore a new area each day so I'm sure I end up walking at least 2 miles a day.  This is drastically different than at home where I have never been much of a walker, runner, or exerciser.  And I actually don't hate it.  It isn't bad at all (except on afternoons where D.C. tries to compete with Alabama for heat and humidity levels which it is quite successful at!)

7.  Work - so far, I adore it.  I really enjoy where I'm working and the people I'm working with.   People have been extremely nice and welcoming.  I plan to post a more work detailed post later once I get a little more into it.

8.  Things I'm missing most - Andrew, Toby and my friends (of course) but more specifically being able to hop in the car at a moments notice, privacy (I'm staying basically in a womens dorm), good internet (the internet here is quite sub par),  being close to the beach (especially before the oil hits!), and cooking!  Eating out or in the dorm kitchen (where I'm staying provides 2 meals a day included in the rent) every meal is really starting to weigh on me even after one week.  I want to be able to cook something quick and fresh for myself and it be what I want rather than what the kitchen is serving or restaurant options that I can find (that are also expensive).  I really miss cooking.

I have a lot more to say but I think eight is a good start.  So far, I really like D.C.  It's an interesting, vibrant city full of so much history and especially history that is very relevant to my educational studies.  My next post will be about my trip to the White House and the National Museum of American History this past Saturday :)

I love and miss everyone! <3

Arrival in Washington, D.C.

This will be a very quick post, but I wanted to say that I've arrived safely in Washington, D.C. for my internship with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission!  I had a direct Delta flight from Atlanta to Ronald-Reagan National Airport.  The flight was surprisingly short (the stewardesses didn't even get to serve drinks due to a little mid-flight turbulance) and the landing was beautiful.  We got a very nice view of the Capitol and a few of the monuments as well as the Potomac River. A good friend and his wife picked me up from the airport, took me to dinner, and got me to Thompson-Markward Hall where I'm staying.  I've pretty much completely unpacked and plan to spend tomorrow picking up a few other necessities and figuring out how to maneuver the Metro system before I start work Monday morning.

Obviously, the food posts will be fewer and farther between this summer as I do not have access to a kitchen but I have several posts saved up to fill in some of the gaps.  I'm planning to blog about my internship either here or on a separate blog.  If I decide to use a seperate blog, I'll certainly cross post over here.  I miss everyone already but I'm excited to be here!  Everyone has been very nice thus far and I think this is going to be a good experience.  Until next time :)

 Thompson Markward Hall - My new home away from home (for at least 3 months)