The Iowa Senators throw a party

This was the scene outside the Russell Senate Building, just a few blocks from where we live, this morning. A long line of people standing in the cold wind!

We were in this long queue.  Why? Because Senator Grassley and Senator Ernst invited us, that's why!

It was the annual Spring Break Reception for Iowans, hosted by the two Iowa Senators.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a big fan of either of those senators. Their voting records and their public personas have been known to make me exclaim "What is the matter with [him/her]?" I mean, "Make 'em squeal"?  I mean, working to repeal Obamacare because "Republicans campaigned on it. That's pretty much as much of a reason as the substance of the bill." 

But really, they are my elected officials, even if I didn't personally vote for them. And plus, I am curious: I wanted to know how many other people would be there, why they might go to the reception, etc. etc.

Because the line to get into the building was long, it gave me plenty of time to talk to the people around me and ask them what brought them here. Not all of them were there for the Iowa reception.

Two women behind us were there from Atlanta and were going in to visit with the Georgia senators about support for foster care issues. "Senator Grassley is one of our champions," one of the women says. "He supports foster programs." Another woman was there as part of an MBA program.

The Russell Senate Office Building, where the reception took place, was built in the early 1900s. It's very stately and grand.

And this room, where the reception was held, was where the Titanic Hearings were held back in 1913. The Watergate hearings, the Iran-Contra hearings, and Clarence Thomas's nomination hearings were held in this room, too.

Inside the elegant reception room,  there was a big crowd, milling about and enjoying coffee and donuts. I'd been hoping for a reception line, like at a wedding, to shake the hands of the senators. But no: at first, it was more like a couple of scrums.

After eating a donut for sustenance, I decided to make an attempt to shake one of the senators' hands. Near Joni Ernst, a line was forming out of the scrum, so we decided on her.

In the line with us were lots of other Iowans, at the reception for different reasons:

• a garrulous, bearded guy with a Farm Bureau pin on his lapel. "What do farmers want from the senators?" I asked. Apparently they want low property taxes (probably not in a Senator's area--that's a state issue). And they are horrified by Trumps tariffs, which will hurt agricultural trade, or at least that's what the farmers fear.
• a family from Indianola, in DC for spring break, and just wanting a photo op with the senator
• an attorney from Cedar Rapids, who wanted to bring employment issues (medical leave, etc.) to the Senator's attention
• a group of people lobbying for continued financial support for TRIO, a Federal government program that offers support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds (Coe has a TRIO program, so I was glad to talk with someone from that group!)

As I stood in line, I planned what I wanted to say:

1. Thank Senator Ernst for holding this reception, 
2. Thank her and her staff for responding to my calls and emails. 
3. Urge Senator Ernst to do anything she can to financially support the arts and humanities. 

Yes, there were many other things I could have bent her ear about. But as a US Senator, she can't do anything about these stupid ideas that I have strong feelings against: states deciding to arm teachers, lifting clean water regulations in Iowa, cutting education funding in Iowa, electing Donald Trump--so I chose something that she was just lobbied about by a colleague and other Friends of the Humanities. The federal government has always provided financial support for the arts and humanities in the US. We want that to continue.

So that's what I did. She shook my hand. She listened (or at least looked like she was listening) and said the expected things. An aide was taking notes. He also took this photo for me.

She is not a particularly tall person.

All in all it was a good morning. I'm glad the Senators provided me this opportunity to talk to people about what matters to them. Oh, and to shake Senator Ernst's hand, too.

No, no, no, no, no, no, yes.

This semester in DC has been a wonderful adventure so far. We're doing the Urban Living thing, seeing historical sights, visiting museums, attending free lectures and concerts, and generally having a great time.

But it's not exactly what I had planned.

I was actually hoping to find some kind of employment while here. Not full-time, certainly, but SOMETHING.  I wanted to be working, at least a little!

Many of my friends didn't understand this. "You can just go to museums and all those free things," they told me. And yes, I'm doing that!

We visited the Postal Museum today.

But I don't just want to be a tourist here in DC. I yearn to be working, connecting with people, making a difference in the world with the talents that I have (and determination when talent isn't quite enough!)

So I applied for all kinds of work: non-traditional internships, part-time writing jobs, temporary communications positions. At one point, I was talking with a university writing center director about working part time as a consultant at her writing center. But that fell through.

I applied for jobs as an online tutor, a restaurant hostess, an office receptionist. I reached out to local contacts and sent letters to "friends of friends" who might be able to hire me. Didn't get anything.

Even the volunteer opportunities didn't work out: most of the Cool Places looking for volunteers (Smithsonian, Library of Congress, Botanical Garden) want volunteers to make a one-year commitment. I contacted the DC school district about volunteering--through the DC volunteer clearinghouse website (that's how you do it here)--but I never heard back.

But then finally: I got a Yes!

d365, an ecumenical devotional website, finally got back to me about an inquiry I'd sent about writing for them. Yes, they'd like me to write a week's worth of devotionals if I'm still interested . . . Yes, I am!

I wrote back immediately, and look forward to getting my assignment.

Just having someone recognize that I have something to contribute gives me a boost! It's one thing to know that for yourself, and another thing for someone to be willing to pay you to do what you do well!

A Tale of Two Libraries

I'm an academic in DC, so of course, people want to know if I've been to the Library of Congress.

The Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, photo swiped from Slate.com

Actually, I have. In fact, I'm a card-carrying Reader.

If you've been to DC, you may know that you can visit the beautiful Library of Congress for free. You can see the Gutenberg Bible, Thomas Jefferson's library, the awesome sculptures and artwork. But you can't get into the elegant domed reading room without a card.

Here's the news, though: anyone over 18 can get a reader's card--you just fill out a form, present your driver's license, and they make a card for you.

It's pretty nice being within just a few blocks of the largest library in the cosmos. Yes, it's the one that was featured in National Treasure.

Nicholas Cage looking super-scholarly at one of the desks in the Main Reading Room.

The L of C doesn't work like most libraries. Because its collection is so huge, it has closed stacks, which means you need to request the material you want, and someone goes to get it for you. You can't go looking for it.

I did this the other day. I needed a book that would help me with my research on the Dieman-Bennett Dance Studio. First I found the record for the book on their online catalog--which I accessed from our apartment a few blocks away.

Then I requested it, also online, asking for it to be brought from the closed stacks to the Main Reading Room. They sent me an email when the book was there.

That's the easy part. Then you need to run the gauntlet of getting INTO the reading room. First there's the security check at the front door--for everyone, researchers and tourists alike. It's just like at the airport except you can leave your shoes on: put your bags and keys on the conveyor belt through the x-ray machine. Walk through the metal detector. Hope you don't set it off.

Once through, researchers need to check coats and bags at the cloak room. You can't bring them into the reading room. (I have a clear plastic bag for my wallet, pens, and notebook.)

Now the real test: you have to figure out (or remember) how to get across and upstairs into the Reading Room! It's not marked on the "You Are Here" signs and maps spread about the building because tourists aren't allowed.

I've been to the Reading Room three times and each time I've had to ask someone "which way to the Reading Room?" The L of C is a huge building (3 buildings, actually) with winding hallways, staircases, underground tunnels, elevators, and lots of doors that don't lead to the Reading Room, and don't ask me how I know that. . .

Finally, once you find the entrance, you have to sign in and show your Reader's Card to a bored-looking security guard.  Whew!

I knew that the book I'd requested was in the Reading Room, waiting for me at the central desk. I just showed my card again to pick it up--right by the red arrow here . . .

I didn't take this photo; you can't take photos in there. It's not a tourist spot, it's a place to do research and read so cut it out with the selfies,

and I went to sit and read it under that amazing dome.

Photo from the L of C website itself!

I had to finish my reading there; the L of C isn't a lending library, so no books go home.

Besides a HUGE collection of books, excellent digital databases, and a beautiful space, the L of C also has my favorite library element: friendly and helpful reference librarians! I've gotten help from them already (locating the most recent Writer's Market and Writer's Guidelines in the Reference Room).

Now the Library of Congress may be spectacular and amazing and beautiful. But the library I visit more often--much more often!--is the tiny Northeast Neighborhood Library, just a few blocks from my house--in the opposite direction of the L of C. I'm probably there 3-4 times a week, picking up books and printing things out, saying "hi" to Coe College Writing Center Alumna Heather Scott and the other reference librarians.

In fact, the Northeast Neighborhood Library was the first place in DC I went after I arrived--to get my library card, of course!

This little branch library is part of the large DC Public Library system, and it shares resources, including books and digital resources, with the whole system. The book collection at the Northeast Neighborhood library is small, but because there are 27 branches, between them, they have just about any book I could want!

Just like the CRPL, I can use the online catalog to find and request books, which can be held for pick-up at any branch--so that's kind of similar to the L of C. As you may know, I am a reading addict, so this is pretty handy for me. I've already enjoyed reading a couple of books from the DCPL, including Behold the Dreamers, which is this year's Linn Area Reads book. I recommend it, Linn County friends!

Another reason the DC Public Library is awesome: I can attend events sponsored by different branches--other Neighborhood libraries. I knit and listen to audio books with the Southeast Neighborhood Library's Knit Lit group on Tuesday evenings. And I took an Excel class at the downtown Library Express branch. Oh, and the NE Neighborhood library is celebrating its 86th birthday on Sunday--with cake and a celebration!

I love the Library of Congress. And I'm enjoying all it has to offer, from research opportunities to art exhibits to free lectures and music to an awesome gift shop. But for those of you far from the L of C and wishing you could visit it: might I recommend a visit to your own public library? You'll find a whole world of resources just waiting to be used.

Every day is leg day in DC

This is my phone's activity log from yesterday. 

(Did you know that iPhones have this step-counting feature? I was delighted when I discovered it! I try not to think about how it figures out how many miles I've gone--does it know how big my "steps" are? Or is it tracking me via GPS?)

Just as comparison, here's random activity log from a day when we were living in Cedar Rapids.

So why the big disparity? Yesterday, I walked 4.4 miles, or 10,479 steps, but on a similar Thursday in October, I walked just 1.2 miles or 2,861 steps. I didn't "go on a walk" yesterday. I wasn't sick on October 26. I didn't suddenly become more righteous in terms of trying to get in my 10,000 steps.

The difference is DC itself--and the way living in an urban area shapes one's life. Rather than driving everywhere, you just walk.

As I already reported in this blog, I drove to DC, so we do have a car. But it spends most of its days here parallel-parked on a street near our apartment. I use it maybe twice a week: to go grocery shopping, and maybe one other time--to get places that are just easier to access by car. Other than that, we walk. Or take public transit.

Walking here is great. Our neighborhood has beautiful tree-lined streets with pretty brick row houses and scattered parks that make walking very pleasant. 

Plus, this is the south! It hasn't been very cold.

Not only that, so many places are just easy to walk to: the Northeast branch of the DC Public Library is just .4 miles away. I probably go there 3-4 times a week: to pick up books, use the printer, or just sit and read. 

The outside and inside of my favorite local library, the NE Branch of DC Public Library.

The Library of Congress is also .4 miles away, for more obscure research materials, and the Folger Shakespeare Library, with its exhibits, theatre, and gift shop, is .2 miles away. Our pharmacy, Grubb Pharmacy, is a mere 600 feet away!

A church that we've attended, Capitol Hill United Methodist Church, which has wonderful worship services, a welcoming congregation, and plenty of outreach (including daily breakfasts for "housed and  unhoused neighbors") and programming is just a short walk away: .4 miles, and there are a half-dozen other churches less than half a mile away (we've visited several!)

So just doing ordinary things--running errands, going to programs, going to the library--you can rack up lots of steps!

And let's say that I decide to take public transit someplace here in DC. Bruce has written about the many DC public transit options on his blog if you're interested in seeing photos of buses, the Metro, and a streetcar, and reading his analysis.  In brief, public transit here is easy and not expensive. I use it frequently. But even if I, say, take a bus downtown for a free concert (I've done that a couple times), or if I had a job I took transit to, I still have to walk .2 miles to the bus stop, then maybe another .2 to the concert at the other end. If I take the Metro (the subway), the station is .5 miles away. So even when taking public transit, I'll still walk 1-2 miles (roundtrip) to get there.

I guess the upshot is that living in a city--which seems like it might be less healthy because of congestion, pollution, no backyards, etc.--is actually better for me in terms of keeping me active and moving. I'm not the only one who's noticed this--there have been actual scientific studies that find the same thing.  (This article by AARP The Magazine has plenty of evidence that using alternatives to cars is not just healthy for people, but also for the economy, the environment and for cities in general, too.)

Every so often I wonder whether I'll continue to walk as much when I get back to Cedar Rapids. But even though we chose our house because it's relatively close to downtown and to Coe, the walks aren't quite as nice--or as short--as they are here. Coe is a little over a mile from our house, 

so not too far, but I usually drive when the weather isn't nice enough to bike. The Cedar Rapids Public Library is 1.9 miles away from our home (a nice bike ride, but a bit of a time-consuming walk) and the pharmacy we use is 1.5 miles away--and has some unpleasant stretches past parking lots and highway entrances. 

Probably I should just enjoy my life in this walkable city now! And maybe some of my new habits will carry over.

Thrifting in DC and Baltimore

Washington DC is an expensive place to live! But I've discovered a very nice Goodwill within an easy drive of our apartment, and have been able to pick up a few useful things there for not much money.

PacSafe messenger bag and Lands End rubber shoes purchased from Goodwill.

Thrifting isn't super-easy here, and prices are a bit higher than in Iowa, but you can get some nice things!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the treasure hunt excitement of going to thrift shops. In Cedar Rapids, we have an excellent network of Goodwill stores, part of Goodwill of the Heartland, the regional branch of Goodwill Industries that serves southeast Iowa and western Illinois. The stores are clean, well-organized, and have an ever-changing stock of used items, from clothing to housewares to electronics. And of course, it's all very inexpensive.

I started shopping at Goodwill when the boys were very young and money was tight. Today, I shop there more for the thrill of the hunt--it's so fun to find that cashmere sweater, tiny book, or lid to replace the one you broke. At the same time, I know I'm keeping stuff out of the landfill--my own donations, and other people's "trash" which might be my "treasure." And although I enjoy saving money, I'm not a fan of cheap clothes out in the world today--fast fashion--I don't like the look and I don't like the injustice.

As I often do when I visit new cities, I checked to see if there was good thrifting in DC, and it didn't look promising. Real estate in DC is so expensive that thrift shops can't really make it. There are few thrift shops in the District. Most of the Goodwills are on the edge of town, not particularly accessible by Metro. Of course, that's the way it is in Cedar Rapids, too.

But one is fairly close to where we live, and just a few minutes away from the Arboretum, which I've visited twice. So I decided to check it out.

The South Dakota Avenue Goodwill in D

One thing I noticed is that there are some pretty nice brands! Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Lululemon, Chico. Those are pretty rare in Iowa (we aren't slaves to fashion ...) but pretty common on the Goodwill racks here. Everything is a bit more expensive than in Iowa; for example, shirts go for $4.99-5.99 except for the colors on half-price (half-price colors--that's similar to Iowa!)

There are a ton of shoes! I just like to walk around and look at all the varied shoe styles. There were lots of rain boots when I bought my rubber shoes.

Also very DC: a huge selection of women's suits! This is a suit-wearing culture.

Some of the size small suits.

The housewares selection isn't great. I was looking for a small casserole dish and didn't find one. On the other hand, there are tons of suitcases.

Besides Goodwill, I also discovered a crafting thrift shop--or, as the owner put it, a "creative re-use shop." It was in Baltimore, and I stopped by on my way up to a conference (and visit to my aunt and uncle) in Delaware. Called SCRAP B-more, it's a national chain.

It reminded me of Create Exchange in Cedar Rapids, my favorite place to go for crafting notions: knitting needles, measuring tapes, scissors, bits of fabric or ribbon, odds and ends. I found a few things I could use: circular knitting needles, some thread in different colors, Velcro. I think the total charge was $3.50. I wish it were closer!

The cheerful interior of SCRAP B-more.

And while they're not "thrift" shops, I have visited 3 used bookstores since we got here. The first is the famous Capitol Hill Bookshop--a messy, labyrinthine shop overflowing with books and slightly grumpy signs. Yes there are books in the bathroom (foreign languages). I didn't find anything here, but it's fairly amusing.

I also visited Baldwin's Book Barn with my Aunt Dee. It's in a somewhat rural area of Pennsylvania, near Wilmington DE. It's a barn . . . filled with books! Aunt Dee and I wandered through its 3 floors, amazed at all the books. There was a wood fire burning in a cast-iron stove--the day was drizzly--and just a few people browsing. If you want books about military history, or late 20th century cookbooks, or, heck, books about horse racing, dog breeding or yachting, there are plenty here.

My favorite used bookstore so far is Riverby Books, just a couple blocks from us on East Capitol Street.

Photo swiped from Yelp; leaves are not on the trees here yet.

I bought a tiny Danish-English dictionary there for my tiny book collection (yeah, I know: not very useful! But cute!)

and a book with "24 Walks in DC" for Bruce. Riverby books is friendly, close, and fairly tidy.

I'll check in later if I discover other great places to find treasures.

In solidarity with a protest

I was thinking about the high school students who've been protesting since the Parkland shooting, and feeling disappointed that I cannot participate in the DC protest march in March--I'll be presenting at a conference in New Jersey on March 24, the day of the national marches.

But I didn't miss my chance to stand with those kids. Students have already come to DC to make a statement for safer schools and stronger gun laws. They were here today.

I missed the big march--saw news of it online at lunchtime. It was such a beautiful day today (75! and sunny!) that I decided to walk over to the Capitol grounds to see if I could spot any remnants of the march on the mall.

I didn't expect to see anything.

But there, on the west lawn of the Capitol, I spotted a large group of students, lying on the ground.

Capitol Police hovered protectively nearby. A few tourists were taking photos, and there were a couple of young people with big cameras. They told me they were with "a local college newspaper"; I later saw they had GWU bags.

I took a couple photos, then stood with the kids in solidarity.

After a while, someone yelled out: "OK, that's 17 minutes." The kids got up. The protests are 17 minutes in memory of the 17 people who died.

I couldn't help wanting to go over and ask questions--I wished I had my interview notebook! I decided to go talk to the kids, not as a journalist, but as a citizen.

"Thanks for what you did here today," I said to three young women near me who looked to be about 14.

"We wanted to do it," one said. "We feel like we need to take things into our own hands."

They were from a high school and middle school in Arlington, VA called H-B Woodlawn, an "alternative secondary program" where students gain more and more "unsupervised time" to choose their own educational goals and projects as they get older.

The three girls I talked to said that some of their teachers were with them. "Some of our friends from 6th grade are here, too!" one said.

The protest I saw was the end of a day of protests for the H-B Woodlawn group. The girls told me they'd been part of a group that marched to the White House. Their group marched through Georgetown, which they said was exciting. "There were so many other people," one of the girls said. "They all had signs."

Protesting at the White House was just the beginning. The group's organizers wanted them to make the walk over to the Capitol grounds "because this is where they make the laws," one of the girls explained to me.

"And it's funny," another girls said. "Tomorrow, we're going to be back here for National Model Congress!"

If I'd had my wits about me (and my interviewing notebook), I would have asked whether the girls saw any connections or contrasts between today's protest and their participation in the Model Congress.

As I left the west lawn, I saw a couple other kids, a bit older, being interviewed by one of the GWU journalists. She was asking them what kinds of legislation they wanted to see.

"First, we want better background checks, especially at gun shows," one young man was saying. "And then, we'd like a ban on automatic weapons. No one needs those for hunting or self-defense."

"Yeah, who needs to shoot up a deer with bullets?" said a young woman, next to him.

I agree: who needs an AK-15 for anything other than the thrill of shooting it? We need to stop selling them. It's going to be a while before those go out of circulation (especially black market) after a ban so we need to start now. We had a ban on them before; we need to bring that back. And we need to strengthen background checks; the shooter at the last massacre at least should never have gotten a gun in the first place.

I'm so glad I saw those kids and their protest. My heart has been with all those young people, so full of energy, courage, and determination. As my friend Paul pointed out, (via my friend, his wife Anne, who emailed me his insights) these teens are the perfect people to protest the lack of sensible gun legislation:  gun activists can't demonize kids without looking bad themselves.

Let's hope they inspire us adults to do more--and to put our money and votes where our hearts lie. The kids can't do that--yet--but we can help them there.

#ENOUGH

DC: it's the South

It's mid-February, but here in DC, it feels like mid-March

Or maybe even mid-April--not sure kind of blooming tree this is, but I saw it today, when it was 60 degrees--on February 15! I spent a couple hours in the morning biking around the mall. In February!

Before we left Iowa,  I looked up average temperatures in DC during the months we'd be here. DC seems to be about a month ahead of Cedar Rapids in terms of warming up for spring. 

This is because DC is in The South, I said to Bruce.

Why else would there be these gigantic Southern Magnolias on the Capitol grounds?

And holly--holly TREES, for heaven's sake! They're everywhere here. Holly doesn't grow in Iowa--the winters are too cold.

I am really enjoying having missed a lot of the worst of a Midwestern winter by coming to DC. It's nice being in The South this time of year--even the coldest days here are much warmer than February in Cedar Rapids, and it's always nice enough to walk (unless it's pouring down rain of course).

On one of those rainy days, I was sitting in our apartment reading. Right around the corner from our apartment, there's a historical plaque marking a home where Frederick Douglass lived for 6 years.

After I saw that, I decided to read Douglass's autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: a riveting read (and in the public domain, so you can get it free for your Kindle or iPhone).  As I read that afternoon, I discovered that Douglass was born and was enslaved on a plantation in Maryland!

Not Georgia or North Carolina or even Virginia! Maryland! The plantation, Wye House, was just across the Chesapeake Bay from where I was sitting and reading.

My brain doesn't hold onto history very well. I told Bruce about Douglass's birthplace and asked him how that could possibly be--wasn't Maryland a "northern" state? He told me that Maryland was a slave state. It didn't secede like the more southern states (and Virginia, also just a few miles of where we were sitting), but it allowed slavery.

There were plantations in Maryland.  Africans were enslaved in Maryland and forced to work without pay or freedom. They were separated from their families. They were whipped and raped in Maryland, not far from the nation's capitol.

Probably you all, dear readers, remember this from your U.S. history classes, but it stunned me upon being reminded about it. Remembering how close slavery was/is to my current physical location is like a looming shadow just at the edges of my vision whenever I look around here. All the wonderful historic neighborhoods and buildings and monuments that we are so excited to see--they might have been around when, just a few miles away, people were enslaved. Maybe they were built by slave labor. Certainly they were affected by the economy of slave labor--everything was.

It's easy to ignore America's history of slavery when you're living in Iowa. Iowa had terrible discrimination, including an act preventing African-American settlement in the mid-1800s. But it had no legal slavery. But here in DC, a tiny district surrounded by states that were once slave states, we're surrounded not only by beautiful Southern Magnolia trees but by that shameful history. It will be an interesting experience to hold both this region's beauty and its history in my mind this spring.