It is the center of the world right now! So exciting! I miss being able to take the subway everywhere! I miss having so much to see and do you can never get bored. I miss seeing the Washington Monument when I ride would the subway from Maryland to DC everyday for work. Washington D.C. is truly my Mecca and I will always miss it.

Ok, so I was hoping for snow, a lot of it, but it's now gotten to the point of ridiculousness! I have been snowed in since Thursday and could very well be snowed in until Christmas or later. I live on a hill and a sidehill. The hill is plenty covered with snow, but I think my SUV could navigate it, but the sidehill is a death trap. It hasn't been plowed and the snow is very deep and slick. So, to get out of my parking garage, I would have to either go up the sidehill or down. sigh.

My kitties arrived from Oregon on Friday and thank goodness my brother has an Xterra and drove from Federal Way to come and get me and take me to the airport. I made him stop by the grocery store so I could get some groceries and firewood (duraflame), but jeepers, had I known the hell that is my sidehill would be this bad and continue to be this bad, I would've stocked up more!

Last Christmas I spent it alone in Rhode Island. How ironic if, after moving across the country from DC to Seattle, I would spend this Christmas alone because there is no way I could make the 26 mile trek down I-5 to my parents house? Now, if my main hill is driveable and if I-5 is fine, I'm sure my brother or step-dad will come get me and my pets and bring us to Federal Way, so I highly doubt I will truly be alone, but this whole experience has made me grateful for the City of Rexburg, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Concord, and every other town and city in Idaho and New Hampshire for the way they handle the snow.

I can't blame the City of Seattle too much. The amount of snow we get is unpredictable and it would be hard to justify the expense of several more snow plows. I do think these storms we've been having have provided the City with information and hopefully new ideas for tackling storms in the future, namely, plowing the roads.

Seattle is very hilly and the City lacks the resources to tackle all the sidehills in Seattle and trust me when I say, there are hills everywhere, but there is always room for improvement. It seems as though they have done a good job with setting up temporary shelters for the homeless and heating stations in case the power goes out and you're cold. But heating stations don't help if you can't get there!

So, my fingers are crossed for some rain to wash away the snow and/or some sun to melt it away, so I can finish my Christmas shopping, go buy some kitten supplies, and return to some semblence of normalcy.

Watching the convention this year from Seattle will be extremely bittersweet. I watch with envy as some of my dearest professional mentors are in Denver soaking it all up. I had the opportunity to go to Denver, for free, but I turned down the job that would've brought me there. 

I'm sitting on my bedroom floor surrounding by bags and boxes knowing the end to my time in D.C. ends in the next 12-14 hours. I was hoping to leave today, but I needed to ship more boxes than I anticipated and my sleep schedule is so out of whack, there was just no way I could leave before tonight.

I said my last goodbyes yesterday and now it truly feels as though it is time to bid farewell. So, Washington, D.C., you are my Mecca forever, but the timing just isn't right. I know I'll be back for visits, but until then, goodbye.

So my auto insurance provider for the last year has been Geico. I've been pleasantly surprised with them and they have not only given me a very competitive rate, but superb service. A few days ago I logged onto my account and updated my address to my address in Washington State. I didn't expect a rate increase, maybe a small one because I would be using my car, but nothing dramatic. Boy was I wrong.

My auto insurance premium has doubled. Yes, doubled. With no change in coverage, the increase in mileage providing only a minimal effect, my monthly premium will now be well over $100 a month. I don't have a clean record, but I do maintain a premier status with Geico and apparently the reason for the big increase is the fact that I am moving to Washington.

I did some googling and one random person said that she was told that 40% of drivers in Washington are uninsured. If I'm paying up the ying yang because of moron drivers who can't cut their spending on booze, drugs, or cigs to pay their premium, that's truly pathetic and I'd like to give a big middle finger to those uninsured drivers. YOU are the reason so many of us see increases like this. Yes, the insurance industry as a whole leaves much to be desired and so often their actions border criminal behavior, but I can't blame them solely for this mess. Other people posting about the high rates have experienced the same thing, even when moving from California!

A little less than a year from now I'll be a year older and my one traffic infraction will drop off and my rate might drop just a bit, but until then I'll be paying at least $50 more a month because apparently it's more dangerous to drive in Federal Way, Washington rather than the Washington, D.C. area, it really makes little sense.

By now, you may have heard about the John Edwards affair allegations that include a child he allegedly fathered. sigh. I have many thoughts. First of all, nothing has been proven. Second of all, I hope to God it isn't true. But, if the affair and/or child story is true, it is a very sad story.

It basically underscores a problem many politicians face, adultery. Hell, it's a problem many people face. Frankly I'm not too terribly surprised when there are allegations of this sort of thing and when the allegations are proven, it's just another public face who did what we have come to expect. Truly sad that we have become numb to something as tragic and wrong as adultery.

I think the reason adultery bothers me so much is because I believe that trust is sacred and adultery can ruin or at least damage the trust that has been sacredly placed with another. Also, adultery doesn't just affect a married couple, but the children, extended family, even the person(s) who is sleeping with the married person.

This situation with John Edwards is really providing me with a test. I have a problem with splitting. As you all know, I love and adore John Edwards. Not just the politician, but the person. I think he geniunely has a good heart. Yeah, he's filthy rich and lives in a big mansion and is a millionaire, but I know he cares about poverty. I know he was geniune in what he wanted to fight for as President. I still believe in his message and I will never regret voting for him in the NEW HAMPSHIRE Primary.

So my splitting problem is something I try to work on. Believe me, it's a daily battle. The John Edwards allegations are providing me with the perfect test. It makes me angry that he might've done this to his wife, kids, and supporters. It will damage his reputation and hurt him if he continues working on issues he cares about. We may never know the effects.

This is all so unfortunate because it shouldn't discount the work he has done; the kids he has helped put through college with his own money, the people he helped who are poor, the millions he inspired with his message. I think if we knew of every politician who had an affair, we'd be shocked. If we withdrew our support based on the fact that a politician did have an affair, we'd be hardpressed to find many to support.

A politician who doesn't cheat shouldn't be given a pat on the back, but one that does have an affair shouldn't get a free pass. We want better and we should demand better. (FYI: John McCain cheated on his first wife with a much younger woman, his current wife, Cindy McCain. His first wife was a model but was in a car accident and gained weight and lost height and didn't have those same model looks.)

I hate that politics has come to this. We expect adultery, corruption, cronyism, special favors, and special interests placed over majority interests. So, either we can keep expecting this, or we can do something about it. What will you do?

Editor's note: This post was written over a week ago. I didn't post it until today because I am lazy.

Tonight I met with some of my former co-workers at Recessions, a bar a block away from the infamous K-street (I worked on K street, ironically enough!). It was a time to celebrate and a time to say goodbye. Words can't adequately describe the emotions I experienced tonight. Some of the strong emotions are related to individuals I am leaving behind. Some, the life I am leaving behind.

The journey I've embarked on over the last year has been remarkable in many ways. I have traveled this wonderful country we live in. I have lived in Vegas, New Hampshire, and now Maryland. I have fallen in love with New England and I think about NEW HAMPSHIRE almost daily.

I have grown up in a lot of ways, matured in just as many, and I have fallen short and recognized that it is a daily struggle to improve upon ourselves, and sometimes we lose the struggle.

So, here are some pictures as I reflect on the last year and the journey I began July 1st, 2007 and the journey that ends this August.

One of my first days in Vegas (July, 2007), I met my hero, John Edwards. Words cannot describe how excited I was to meet him. When he walked into the room, he saw my shirt, shook my hand and grabbed my shoulder with his other arm and said, "I like your shirt." I was speechless, but I managed to say, "I like it too." A friend captured this on video but I never got her to send me the footage. Ah well.

This was my office in Vegas! Sign signs everywhere. This was in August of 2007.

Tim Russert and on the NH Primary Day (January 2008)! He was so kind! RIP.

Me at Daytona Beach in Florida (February 2008). Probably the prettiest beach I saw on my travels. Miami beach was pretty too. Daytona Beach was better. More peaceful and better sand.

I am meeting the regional director I had when I was field organizing in Vegas. She works up on the hill (Capital Hill for those non-DC folks). I am excited to see her, she is pretty damn cool. She is one of my references and I wanted to say goodbye before I move and I have yet to go to the Capital Hill area. I am hoping to get in some sightseeing as well.

I had a phone interview for a job today. It went okay. I stumbled and my answers weren't as organized as they should've been. We tend to speak how we think and I obviously think in a unorganized fashion.

I've been emailing my resumes out for random organizing positions in the Seattle area. I received a call back about one particular position. The fact that they want to put you up in host housing worries me. But, it's always nice to get calls back because the person thinks you are qualified enough to talk to.

The pay for organizing can be good, but it depends on who you are organizing for. Unions tend to pay more because it is a union and they try to practice what they preach. There is more stability with unions and usually the chance to be promoted. Campaigns tend to pay less because they would rather spend the money on ads and there isn't as much stability. sigh.

I've officially began really really worrying about how I will fit everything into my car. I'll need to ship a few boxes and I've been using those space saver bags (the ones at Target that don't require a vacuum SUCK, DO NOT BUY THEM) but as I look around my room and imagine stuffing everything into my car, I panic.

I have a post in the works. A more emotional and intimate post about me saying goodbye to my former coworkers the other night, but I'm still working on it.

If anyone has any tips on shipping, let me know. I don't care if it takes weeks to get to Seattle, I just want it to be cheap. I am not sure if UPS, USPS, FedEx, or DHL is the best option. From what I am gathering, I should shop around because each package can vary. Great.

My romance with the east coast that is. I LOVE D.C., but that love mainly consists of loving the monuments, museums-all the touristy stuff. The weather during the summer is hellish and it can be expensive using the subway for transportation. Having a car out here can truly suck because parking and traffic are nasty. The economy, meh. There are so many educated and experienced people here that companies and organizations can afford to pay low wages. In many respects, the economy in Seattle and surrounding areas is superior.

I truly miss New England and everything about it. If I had the money to rent a place in Maine on the beach, I would do so in a second. I miss the smell of the ocean, lighthouses, the beaches, the history, the town halls in NEW HAMPSHIRE, the people-the amazing people and their accents. I miss the snow, I miss seeing presidential candidates daily. I miss being in love and by that I mean being in love with where I was at. So close to so much. One hour to Boston, one hour to Vermont, one hour to Maine, 45 minutes to the coast, 40 minutes to the Mass. border. A few hours from New York City. Ahhhhh!!! That, my friends, is one of the biggest differences between the east and west. Everything is so close out here and I LOVE THAT. But I can't love it enough because I don't have the funds to see everything that is close. And this plays into my decision to move. Being so close to things doesn't mean much when you can't trave to those things.

I've been on the outside of politics for the last few weeks and I've found it surprisingly delightful. I still read Politico daily and want to keep up with the general political happenings. It's been nice to refocus on what's important. Last night I was laying in bed and it hit me. My job dominated my life far too much and I lost track and focus of things that deserved my attention. Hopefully my next job won't present the same time and mental challenges to having a well-balanced life.

Ok, before you do anything else, read the post I just made below. Now you can read this. I've decided to add a donation button to my blog (look to the right) in case anyone feels so inclined and would like to donate to my journey back to Seattle. If I don't decide to go back, any donations will be returned, but I highly doubt I'll stay out here. If you do donate and have a special request tied to the donation (pictures, a post, a public thank you, etc), let me know. With gas prices, I'm anticipating paying around $600 in gas and tolls. A few motel nights thrown in there, buying food and snacks for the road, and the trip could easily reach $1000.

Life in Bush's America and this Bush economy is frighteningly expensive.

So I've continued mulling over whether I want to step up my job search and return to Seattle. I've felt very torn over the decision, but I feel that my growing desire to settle down somewhere will only increase as the weeks and months pass by. I'm in a financial position where I can afford to drive back to Seattle (with gas prices this will be an expensive drive) and take a little bit longer to get back, unless I get a job offer relatively soon.

It's a 41+ hour drive, and I'll be driving through 2 states I've never been to (North Dakota and Wisconsin) and I would like to hit South Dakota, if it's not too far out of the way (leaving only Alaska and Oklahoma as the only two states I haven't seen). I am hoping to do about 8-10 hours a day, making it a 4 day trip, but also take some time to smell the roses so maybe another day or two? I will also be going through Billings, Montana, and one of my good friends is from there and I would love to see her parents and the remodeling they've done to their house. I would also love to spend some time in Coeur d'Alene.

Call me tacky, but I kinda want to put a donation form on this blog in case anyone is inclined to donate a bit of money for me if I do make the drive. I can reward said donations with lots of pretty pics of the journey and updates along the way!

When I drove from Vegas to New Hampshire, I slept in my car, except one night when I was in Nebraska and my friend Noah let me stay at his place and I got his big king sized bed all to myself!!! Thanks, Noah! So, I really want to treat myself and stay in motels on the way.

The way things are looking is that I will stay in DC for the next few weeks as I've already paid the rent for this month and I can continue applying for jobs in Seattle and do some of the touristy things I've never had time for.

Today I'm taking my car to get everything checked over, fluids replaced, maybe new tires, whatever is needed to make her run good. Fingers crossed for a small bill. She was a champ on my first cross-country trip and I'm hoping she continues if I make the drive back.

Lastly, I'm thinking of heading to the national mall for fireworks on the 4th. I'll be alone, but that's ok.

I've been dead set on staying out in Washington D.C. ever since I lost my job. I just didn't think I was ready to leave, until the other day. I can't quite pinpoint what triggered it, maybe feeling the full extent of the nothingness D.C. represents now, but I felt this sudden and strong desire to move back to Seattle. I felt like I was ready. I had ventured out on my own at the age of 18 and seldom returned home for extended periods of time. Three times for a few months at a time in the last nine years, if I recall correctly.

I think my last trip helped me realize what I miss out on when I choose to see the world and grow up, on my own. I miss familar faces, home cooked meals, extended family, my pets, familiarity of surroundings, memories, my dog sleeping under the covers to keep warm, puppies and kittens, and the realization that I am not completely alone.

I go into the storage area where all of my stuff is in Washington and get so excited at what I have collected over the years. I cannot wait until I settle down somewhere and I can hang my diploma's up on my wall in their beautiful frames my dad bought for me for the last three of my four degrees. I cannot wait to have my stuff back. I cannot wait to have my winter, summer, fall, and spring wardrobes all together!

So I texted my mom a few days ago and told her I was ready to come back. Not necessarily move back into the family home, but move back to the area. The sad reality now has been the foundation of why I wanted to stay; there are just more jobs here. More professional opportunities to grow. My professional ties are here. A job I might get is most likely here and to start applying to jobs in Seattle would be a time consuming and potentially fruitless effort.

This job I might get would last thru November. I couldn't drive across the country in December. The time is now, or next year when I am most likely broke. I can't make the decision now, nor a week from now. I need time. I need things to sort themselves out and then everything will become clear again and the road will unfold before me. Until then I bask in the nothingness of Washington D.C.

So I had two phone interviews today. The first was for a Senatorial campaign in a southern state. Pretty major race. I would be so much more interested if it meant I didn't have to move. I thought for sure they were calling and wanting to guage my interest in field work, but it was actually for a research position, which I found so much more interesting. What's really great is they approached me! I sent them some of my research work earlier tonight. I just have no interest in moving to this particular state. DC or bust!

Then I interviewed with a group who does staffing for a lot of campaigns and organizations, such as the DNC, Moveon.org, etc...You do work on behalf of the groups but are paid through this other group. A lot of campaigns contract out some, or all, of their staffing. I have a feeling that the pay will not be great and the hours (80-100/week) is really tough to maintain. I pulled hours like that for two months last summer, then dropped down to 60-80 hours for a few more months, and have been at around 50-80 hours since then and it is killer. I just don't think I can maintain that and this position includes a lot of door-to-door work, which can be physically and mentally exhausting.

Later on I received a call from a political temp agency. Only in DC. I'm gonna go see them next week. Figure it's worth a shot, ya know? I'd love to work in a PR Firm or Ad Firm, or something like that. I find advertising so interesting.

So that's the status. Meanwhile, I'm plugging away at cover letters. Ugh.

There were aspects of my last job that I greatly enjoyed. Namely, the candidate tracking. The rest of my job, which encompassed most of what I did, I didn't enjoy. It felt like menial work and everyday that passed, my IQ dropped a point. With this in mind, I continued in my job, worked my ass off and didn't search very hard for another job. Why?

I enjoyed the familiarity I had with the campaign and my coworkers. I loved the casual dress code and other small perks that can be unique to campaigns. But mostly, it was safe. I knew how to do the job, it wasn't difficult, and I made enough money to pay my bills. So when I was laid off, I was pretty upset but realized the silver lining. I wasn't strong enough to leave on my own to pursue something better, someone had to push me out, push me out so I could pursue something great. Greatness doesn't happen when you are playing it safe.

So with a severance package that buys me a month or so to find another job, I begin my search in hopes of finding greatness.

So after spending a few days home in Seattle, I returned to my other home back east. I felt like I was going to a funeral, which sounds so awful and melodramatic, but it's painfully true. My whole life was my job and now it's gone which means I have no life. My social life revolved around my work and co-workers and that is gone. I can only spend some much time job hunting, writing cover letters, tweaking my resume, etc, before I become bored to death. So, I decided to use my severance check to buy a small television and get cable installed...

I haven't had my own access to a tv and cable in almost a year, so I think it's high time I was reunited with one of my great loves-television. I love to sleep with the tv on. It's a bad habit, but I've done it for so long and the familiarity of it feels really nice. I also figure that even when I do find a new job, it hopefully won't require 60-80 hour+ work weeks like my last job so I will have more time to relax in front of the tv.

I've been really toying with the idea of moving to Seattle. I just don't know if I should pull the trigger on that idea quite yet. Here's why; I've spent the last year building up my resume, but building it up for campaign work. Now, I'm not quite sure I want to do campaign work. The hours, the instability, the often times shitty treatment, I just don't know if I have it in me to make a career out of it. So when I look at other jobs that I'm not quite qualified for, but could be soon, I think what better place to be than D.C. to build up my resume and really get good experience outside of campaign work?

I love politics, and if I don't/can't work on campaigns, maybe I should keep myself in my Mecca to still feed that hunger but not gorge myself on it by working on campaigns?

Lastly, I would just like to say that I wish more than anything that my family lived out east. I love it out here, especially New England.

On my birthday!!! And we are posing with a "trash person."

This week at work I've been working a swing type of shift. Get on the clock at 1pm and technically get off at 11pm, but a few nights I was done earlier. It's been interesting, but when I get back home to Silver Spring, everything is closed. Ah...the life of suburbia. Makes me miss the 24 hour-ish-ness of Vegas.

The city is a bit better in this respect but even when I am downtown in DC working, lots of things are closed on the weekends and late at night. Silver Spring is a decent sized city, but still, not a lot open. And though I try to minimize my shopping at Wal-Mart, I do miss not having one semi close by just in case everything else is closed and I need to make a 2am shopping run. The closest Wal-Mart to me is 11 miles away and frankly, I don't feel like hopping on the highway at 2am just to get some pop, and Wal-Mart doesn't even carry my beloved ranch sunflower seeds anways.

Next week I'll be working a 6am to 3pm shift, which means I'll be getting up at 4am every morning. Ugh, but I do like some variety.

Bill Richardson endorsed Obama today. I'm not surprised. The fact that it took him this long to endorse should've been a sign he wasn't endorsing HRC.

Go here and watch John Edwards on Leno. Why oh why oh why can't he be our nominee? I'm so done with the drama and crap with HRC and BO (Obama).

In the next several weeks, I will make my last visit to Idaho to cut off the last significant ties I have to the state, aside from dear friends and professors. I might make it back to Idaho for a visit or two, but I will never live in the State of Idaho again. It's a state that just isn't for me. This post isn't meant to disparage the state or anyone who chooses to live there, I just can't live there. Not after what I've seen and experienced.

A tinge of jealously swept over me as I read some accounts of the Frank Church Banquet in Boise until I realized I got to go to lunch with Paul Begala a few weeks ago. A longing to be in Boise this past weekend existed until I realized I've met Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, and Dennis Kucinich multiple times. I missed Boise until I realized I work in Washington D.C. and get to work in my Mecca and travel for work and see states I would never have seen without this job.

It was several months ago when I texted a friend in Idaho about how I was angry about something some of the Idaho Dems were doing when she responded with, "You're on to bigger and better things." There is nothing small and/or unimportant about working for Democrats in the reddest of red states, but this bird couldn't fly until she left the confining skies of Idaho.

I will forever be indebt to what many Idaho Democrats have done for me, meant to me, and taught me. Jim Hansen taught me to never give up, always be proud of being a Liberal, and smile as often as you can. Alan Anderson taught me to hold your head up high, even in the face of defeat because tasting defeat is better than tasting nothing at all. Jana Jones taught me that even when people in your own party aren't loyal to you, always be loyal to them.

It was the Bonneville County Democrats and the Bannock County Democrats which gave me my first tastes of volunteerism that gave me my craving for campaign work. It was the Idaho State University College Democrats that gave me an opportunity to be a leader. Some of my dearest friends are in the College Dems at ISU and I love them dearly. They are people who I didn't give a fair shake to at first, but slowly, ever so slowly, I came to love them and appreciate their uniqueness.

I am moving on to different things, some say bigger and better, but I will never forget where I came from.

I am blogging from my bedroom at my new place I am renting. I am renting a bedroom out of a single family home in Silver Spring, Maryland. It's around a 10 minute walk from a Metro stop so I can take public transportation into work, thank goodness. It came furnished, which is nice. I definitely need to shell out some dough on a mattress pad because I do not like feeling the springs! I just hate buying stuff like that...ugh.

So before I moved in here I was staying at my bosses half empty apartment and since there is no parking over there, I left my car in what I was told, was a safe place. Yeah, not so much. The thieves who got into my car made off with a few bags of my stuff. They mainly got clothes, including dirty laundry, a bag of tennis shoes (nothing sellable), my bag of toiletries (large bag with 95% of my toiletries, including brand new, never opened makeup), and maybe a few things they could sell on the street...I'm lucky they didn't spend another minute looking to discover my wallet, video camera, case of dvd's, etc. Obviously the thieves were totally stupid. I'm just annoyed they took all of my toiletries, except a few essentials I had with me, many clothes they will just throw away, and my bag of shoes. Talk about pathetic, and talk about hilarious that the thieves were too stupid to know any better. Hopefully it was some homeless dude so he can be a little more stylish in my pink fleece sweatshirt from The Gap. haha. Ugh, I just realized they got my favorite sweatshirt that I just bought in NEW HAMPSHIRE. :(

Oh, and auto insurance, at least mine and most others, doesn't cover the cost of the stolen items. They told me to file a claim through my homeowner's insurance. Um, ma'am, I don't own a home, nor do I rent a home, nor have I rented a home or apartment since June, hence the reason I don't have homeowner's or renter's insurance.

So I've been busy working and when I wasn't working, filing a police report, or moving into my new place, I was resting because I got nasty nasty sick. I haven't been sick in 14 months, so I guess I was due. Ugh. My boss wouldn't even let me go into the office I sounded that horrible on the phone. I asked her if I could just come in late instead of miss the whole day but she insisted I stay home. I went back to my normal work schedule the next day, which maybe wasn't that smart, but ah well.

My roommate today asked me if I work 40 hour work weeks. I had to laugh. Um, I usually hit the 40 hour mark 3 days into my work week. I had today off, which was nice, since I haven't had a day off since Christmas, though I did get 3/4th's of a day off for Disney World!

I'm gonna sign off for now. I feel sick to my stomach. I can't believe the thieves got my favorite sweatshirt. My favorite gloves. My prescription of happy pills. My brand new makeup. All of my tennis shoes. My disc I need to reboot this computer if the hard drive crashes. So many stupid little things they can't even sell or use, but things I loved and adored. Life sucks right now.

I am writing from the center of the political world, Washington D.C.!!! The drive down from New Hampshire was fabulous. I drove through New York City, which was crazy!

I've been going into the office and doing other work stuff which has kept me insanely busy, but I love being here. I was staying with a coworker for a few days when I got horribly sick. So now I am at my bosses place, which she is moving out of, to recover. I looked at a room for rent in Silver Spring, Maryland tonight and I think I may be moving into it in the next few days. You just can't live in D.C. with a car unless you have lots of money to spend on parking or a place to rent which has parking, or if you don't care if your car is broken into all of the time. As much as I love the city, it is nice to live in the suburbs with stores and shopping, and space, and parking, and less craziness.

Well I'm beat, but I hope to blog more often now that a work assignment I had is complete.