far from, but right at home

So Long, Andruw

2007-10-02T21:55:00.000-05:00

I never really liked Andruw Jones. I emphasize "really" because I loved him for a short while at first. What Braves fan didn't? In games 1 and 2 of the '96 World Series, this kid came out of nowhere and hit two home runs against the Yankees we hated more than Clinton. For a brief while, all of two games, Andruw was our hero. And then we lost the Series 4-2. Our streak of bad luck has continued ever since.

Maybe he's to blame, then. I'm only kidding, of course, but it's worth a consideration, at least. The Braves never had much success in the playoffs following that '96 Series with the Yanks. Sure, we made it to the Series a time or two after, but we never won. Most years, it was plumb disappointing, losing to Houston or some other wildcard team in the first round.

A few days ago, I was looking back at old stats, looking at the Braves W-L record in the late '90s and the first few years of the century. We did pretty well. We probably averaged 100 wins from '98-'05. You'd figure we'd get lucky one of those years, like the Marlins, Angels, or Cardinals, but we never did. It didn't make any sense why we weren't winning in the postseason, when it mattered.

Try to remember those years, if you can. If you followed baseball, even peripherally, try to remember. The way I remember it, Andruw Jones never made it big. Sure, in all, he won 9 straight gold glove awards; he's one of the greatest center fielder of all time. But what does that mean to an American audience saturated by the media with famed athletes from dozens of sports all over the globe? If you're playing baseball, and your name isn't ARod, Bonds, or Clemens, no one's going to think much about you. Players like Vlad, Manny, Big Poppy, Andruw, and a host of others are decent gamers, but they're not great. Maybe what they have in common is that each has the ability to be great, but none has the consistency to be great.

Andruw never excelled as a batter. There was a year he hit over .300, but for all the Braves baseball I watched growing up (and I watched a LOT), I never wanted him batting in the clutch, with two on and two out. He could hit homeruns, but he couldn’t hit. I wanted Chipper, or Javy, even Klesko some years, but I never wanted Andruw. I always thought he would ground into a double play. Most of the time, he did.

Andruw might have been the last great player to come through Greenville. I think Jermaine Dye passed through AA a few months before Andruw showed. Dye always struck out, but when he hit the ball, it was beautiful; that's how you knew he was going to be good, sort of like Francoeur. We never saw Andruw swing the bat much, but when he did, he was great. After just 40 games, he was off to Richmond. This kid's star was always on the rise. Some players struggle to find their footing in the minors; most never do. Andruw soared through Greenville with a batting average near .350, 37 RBIs in as many games. He was supposed to be great.

As I said before, the sport I grew up in love with is almost dead. Few people care to watch it relative to just a decade ago. Blame the strike of '94, the constant shift of players from team to team, the steroids. I just don't feel as if I can relate to baseball players anymore. I feel as if I knew Sid Bream, Jeff Blauser, Terry Pendleton, Fred McGriff, and Mark Lemke. Those guys were your average run-of-the-mill ball players. They made me believe they played, as the cliche goes, for the love of the game. I can see those guys as kids, playing on a sand lot.

I loved the Cecil Fielders and John Kruks of the sport, the guys who weren't uber-athletes, but who played with heart. I can't recall anything these days that makes me the feel the same way Sid Bream did, huffing and puffing his way from 2nd to home to the cry of "Braves win! Braves win!", or the same way Kirk Gibson did, slamming one of the most memorable homers in baseball history and pumping his fist as he rounded first.

Guys back then didn't play for a salary or leave the teams they loved for more money; at least not as much as they do now. They loved baseball and everything else--their fans, their city, their teammates. Back then, we had teams to cheer for, groups of guys we'd recognize when we saw them on TV! Nowadays, with players switching jerseys on a monthly basis for higher salaries and hopes of greater popularity, you can hardly recognize the guys on "your" ball club.

All this raises another issue--are the Braves even my team anymore? All the guys I grew up cheering for, the guys I admired, are gone, save Smoltz. I recently moved to Arlington, VA, 700 miles from Atlanta. But it's not so much what I've done; it's what the players have done. They've started selling themselves to the highest bidder. Fans don't control the players anymore. Maybe we never did, but at least the players showed us respect. Now they couldn't care less for respect, but why should they when they're getting paid millions regardless of whether we like them or not?

It's possible I don't keep up with baseball as much as I used to, but I'm not so sure about that. I still watch it quite a bit, and I always keep up with the stats. I'm fascinated by statistics, and I'm not quite sure why. They're only numbers, and they're usually the same each year. I'd like to think it's not the numbers, but what they stand for.

For all the pitches fouled off, all the swings that slice air, all the balls low and away, one pitch on a full count can end all hope, that last pitch, a strike, taken, looking, that makes you 0-1 for the game, that makes your average dip .003 immediately, that makes your season average end up .003 percentage points short of the NL batting title for the 2007 season. But it's just one statistic. 0-1.

As baseball has died off as a sport and football has risen to the ranks of royalty, few baseball players are outstanding enough to catch the attention of the media, to make a splash in the human interest stories. Players like Andruw Jones are old news, a consistently good defensive player with only a semi-decent swing. Every now and then, he'll generate some hype with an incredible catch, but he'll always be overshadowed by the home runs and the 5-5 days of the guys who can hit.

In football, the Peyton Mannings, the LTs, and the Chad Johnsons--the guys who score, the guys on offense--make the highlight reel. Still, in football, defensive players can make a name for themselves, guys like Champ Bailey and Sean Merriman, and show up on TV quite often. Maybe baseball's sunk so low that defensive players aren't even in the ranks of the "almost" famous. Seriously, who's the second best defensive outfielder in the majors? Who even wins the gold glove awards these days?

It's sort of sad, the slow death of baseball and, now, the departure of Andruw Jones from the Atlanta Braves. I don't feel as if I'll miss him as a player, though, but I'll miss what he takes with him. See, he played for the Braves in the '90s with the likes of Glavine, Maddux, Smoltz, Klesko, Javy, Chipper, Wohlers, and Rocker. I miss that he'll take those memories that seem like family memories to me. He doesn't deserve them as much as I do.

He played pathetically all year long. He never came out of his slump. It was painful to watch him swing and miss so many times. Even batting in the 5 spot, he couldn't drive in 100 runs. Andruw undoubtedly played 2007 with 2008 on his mind. Unfortunately for him, 2008's going to be here soon, a lot sooner now that the Braves failed to make the playoffs. There isn't a single at bat left for him to improve his pitiful .222 average, an average that isn't going to impress a single team out there, certainly not the guy cutting the salary checks.

Maybe Andruw always failed when he felt pressured to do well, like in the postseasons. From '97 to '05, he never did surprisingly well in October, certainly not as well as we'd hoped he would when we saw him play in Greenville as a kid or the '96 Series as a rookie.

If there was a reason we didn't make the playoffs this year, it was him. All those strikeouts, all those double plays added up. No one on the Braves played as poorly as he did. Well, maybe Scott Thorman, but only by 2 points on the average. And when we start comparing Andruw Jones to Scott Thorman, it's time to say farewell, Andruw, and good riddance.

Bar & Grill

2007-08-26T02:13:00.000-05:00

In Greenville, you might see a restaurant include the words "Bar & Grill" in its title (e.g., Uno's Chicago Bar and Grill). As my friend Paul would say, "No worries!" Although you'll certainly find a bar, a staple in restaurants these days, you'll also find a significant portion of the establishment dedicated to food service.

Not so in Arlington. Assume it's only a bar unless told otherwise. Yeah, there's probably a grill somewhere in the back, but no one's eating, and no one goes there for food.

I've found out that learning a city means hitting and missing. Mostly missing, but when I hit, it's pretty cool. When I miss, it rots.

Goodnight.

Marshall justifies America's claiming ownership of Indian land

2007-08-21T16:54:00.000-05:00

This type of post, justifiably, appears unorthodox. Not the scholar, I'm definitely not the type to blither on, sounding old toast all the while, about "intellectual" muck. I've been in the library all afternoon and just read an interesting, well-articulated SC decision from J. Marshall in 1823.

Here are the basics of the case (NOT to bore you): this guy Johnson purchases a piece of land from some Indians. Later, this dude M'Intosh obtained a land patent (right of ownership) from the US gov't to the same land. So who owns the land? Does Johnson, who got the land from the original inhabitants, or does M'Intosh, who got the land from the ruling national authority? Well, as much as Americans back then loved Indians ( . . . ), they loved land more and claimed ownership of any land they discovered (n. The act or process of finding or learning something that was previously unknown). So, yeah, I mean, realistically, the Indians discovered the land first. But evidently lacking a soul excludes you from owning land. So although Indians, technically, discovered the land first, they didn't own in; they just occupied it.

And guess the only person to whom the Indians could sell the land? Or, as Marshall puts it, who possessed the exclusive right to purchase from the Indians? Yeah, Uncle Sam. Not that Johnson guy, or anybody else, for that matter.

BUT before you start feeling all sorry for the Indians, as I did (I mean, there is this issue of natural rights . . . ), read the following:

". . . the tribes of Indians inhabiting this country were fierce savages, whose occupation was war, and whose subsistence was drawn chiefly from the forest. To leave them in possession of their country, was to leave the country a wilderness; to govern them as a distinct people, was impossible, because they were as brave and as high spirited as they were fierce, and were ready to repel by arms every attempt on their independence.

"What was the inevitable consequence of this state of things? The Europeans were under the necessity either of abandoning the country, and relinquishing their pompous claims to it, or of enforcing those claims by the sword, and by the adoption of principles adapted to the condition of a people with whom it was impossible to mix, and who could not be governed as a distinct society, or of remaining in their neighbourhood, and exposing themselves and their families to the perpetual hazard of being massacred."

Abandon America or take control using the sword to create order? A utilitarian concept, for sure. But moral, as well -- save lives? The Indians could not be controlled (think Lord of the Flies), even when Americans attempted to live peaceably among them. So was the US Gov'ts ultimate use of the sword justified? Upfront compensative measures would have been a more justified approach, rather than the immediate claim to ownership of land and later (necessary, I believe) domination by the sword.

Enough on that. I'll get to posting normal stuff soon enough. Until then, love y'all.

two phrases I coin for the world tonight

2006-12-23T05:24:00.000-05:00

Anticipation heightens satisfaction.
- me

Once you've loved, you always want to be in love. You don't want to jump, though. You want to fall all over again.
- me

The guys cabin beat the girls in Scripture memory, so it's only fair . . .

2006-06-11T11:54:00.000-05:00

Two of my Boys -- GO CC!

2006-06-11T11:53:00.000-05:00

The Two Craziest Calhouns!

2006-06-11T11:52:00.000-05:00

Guys of the Crazy Calhouns!

2006-06-11T11:49:00.000-05:00

Ladies of the Crazy Calhouns!

2006-06-11T11:48:00.000-05:00

message from camp

2006-06-11T11:04:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd update my blog for the first time in a little under a year. I earlier explained why I don't much care for blogs -- people who keep blogs constantly updated have either perfected their time management skills or time to waste (I know the parallelism isn't quite there, but this grammar and spelling on this blog should still rank in the 99th percentile of internet blogs).

So I've been at camp. Three Saturdays ago, I packed up and sped off to the Wilds Christian Camp near Brevard, North Carolina. One of the largest Christian summer camps in the world, the Wilds (accurately penned "WILDS" [an acronym of which I've long since forgotten the meaning]) attracts approximately 800-1000 kids, graded anywhere from elementary school to senior high school, each week during the summer.

I began staff training week that very Saturday I arrived, and I wasn't ready. I thought counseling would be fun. I thought I'd be able to use my persuasion and intellect to the glory of God. I had no clue that God had other plans. God revealed my self-centeredness more than anything else that first week of camp. At this point, I should interject to mention that I'm describing all the gory details neither to make my reader revere me nor to draw a sympathetic vote. I hope you'll examine your heart all summer long, determined to root out anything that makes you think you've got it down (Rev. 3 -- referring to the Laodiceans).

Almost everyone who knows evangelist Tom Farrell has an opinion about him. I can't see how criticism does any good. It's cliche, but nobody has it down perfect; God's not preaching to us. At times, I disagree, but at most others, I couldn't be more satisfied that God's put him in the pulpit. He preached to us staffers a few times during staff training week and every night during the first week of camp. When you realize your complete dependence on God, you tend to take more notes during services and absorb more of the biblical references. I've taken in so much Scripture and studied so much more that I can, from the Bible, lead somebody to the Lord, assure someone of his salvation, or help him root out and replace the sin in his life. I couldn't do any of that before. SURE I knew what Scripture said, but I couldn't place the references. It was as though I had a debate case with a lot of evidence, but I didn't know what the sources were for the evidence. Now I can truly say that I have both a logical and a biblical defense for the blessed hope inside me.

The very nature of a large university, divided into many different colleges, makes it impossible for any one student to know, either nominally (correct usage?) or personally, more than half of the other students attending the same university. When I chose to counsel at camp, I placed myself among Bible, Camp Ministries, Missions, Women's Ministries, and Music majors -- VERY FEW of whom I had every met. The counselors come from a number of Christian colleges and universities: BJU, Maranatha, Crown, Tennesse Temple, Clearwater, PCC, etc. With over 120 counselors, the Wilds is a place where I've not only met a ton of new people, but also made a ton of new friends -- close friends. The religious aspect ultimately forces counselors to be closer friends, constantly discussing the most-asked questions (Who am I? What am I doing here? Where am I going?) and most controversial subjects (Music, Suffering, Addictions, etc.).

I finished my first week of camp this past week, and thank God for his strength in my weakness! I had junior high-aged teens (12-15), and, once again, a hearty THANK GOD that my campers didn't destroy me! During the week, I heard horror stories. One counselor had his mattress, pillow, and bed sheets thrown on top of the bath house. Another counselor had to deal with campers flashing cameras after lights out . . . for hours each night! I think all of us counselors had to deal with lazy campers, but that's the essence of a junior high boy, so no surprise there :) I had some great kids who made even greater decisions. If I can remember how, I'll place pictures on this blog. The camp divides into three teams: red, blue, and GREEN! I'm on the GREEN team, and we're the Calhoun Crazies. The theme this year is "Friendly Feudin,'" so red=McCoys, blue=Hatfields, and GREEN=CALHOUNS! With more Peggy passion (don't worry about it), more games won, and more voices lost, we CALHOUN CRAZIES won the first week of camp.

So 9 more weeks. I can't promise an update every week, but I'll do my best. If you happen to think about it, pray for us. I thought the majority of campers would be Christian kids from good homes who wanted to have a fun week at camp. Boy was I surprised! From so many different backgrounds with so many different stories, these kids need Christ badly! Pray that each counselor can continue to be used of God for his perfect work. Pray that we'll remain (or get) healthy. Finally, pray that the kids will be tender to the amazing love of our God.

"All glory, laud, and honor, all majesty and praise,
to Creator and Redeemer, to the Ancient of Days!"

2005-07-08T01:05:00.000-05:00

And finally, Lily & me in front of the White House

2005-07-08T01:04:00.000-05:00

Jake and "L" Wood

2005-07-08T01:02:00.001-05:00

Mom & Dad with Calliope

2005-07-08T01:02:00.000-05:00

Lady with a Carisol

2005-07-08T01:01:00.000-05:00

My favorite artist and a favorite painting of mine

2005-07-08T00:57:00.000-05:00

Still life

2005-07-08T00:56:00.000-05:00

I'm a sucker for landscapes

2005-07-08T00:54:00.000-05:00

Adam & Eve thrown out of the Garden of Eden. Note the lion's look of shock and the lamb's face of anger.

2005-07-08T00:51:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of a young Bacchus :o)

2005-07-08T00:49:00.000-05:00

Did someone say tennis?

2005-07-08T00:45:00.000-05:00

It was pretty busy at the July 4th festivities in DC on the Capitol lawn

2005-07-08T00:44:00.000-05:00

Should this guy really be in the 4th of July Parade?

2005-07-08T00:43:00.000-05:00

Korea. 52,246 US Dead. Thanks, Harry.

2005-07-08T00:36:00.000-05:00

Mom & Dad by the reflecting pool

2005-07-08T00:35:00.000-05:00

Girl at the Vietnam Memorial

2005-07-08T00:33:00.000-05:00

Vietnam Memorial

2005-07-08T00:31:00.000-05:00

Lily and me at the WWII Memorial

2005-07-08T00:30:00.000-05:00

Mom & Dad at the WWII Memorial

2005-07-08T00:27:00.000-05:00

How radiant!

2005-07-08T00:26:00.000-05:00

Puck in front of the Folger

2005-07-08T00:24:00.000-05:00

"His drama is the mirror of life" - SJ

2005-07-08T00:20:00.000-05:00

Milton's praise of Shakespeare

2005-07-08T00:19:00.000-05:00

A side view of the Folger Shakespeare Library with the Capitol in the background. The engravings depict a few of Shakespeare's plays (Macbeth, Juliet Caesar, and Midnight are just a few).

2005-07-08T00:17:00.000-05:00

Will, busy at work......

2005-07-08T00:14:00.000-05:00

Russell—constructed from 1903-1908. Senators moved into Russell in 1909. At that time, each Senator had 2 offices. Currently, Senator DeMint has 9 offices. The oldest Senate office building, Russell is also the most aesthetic: 26 huge Doric columns line Constituion Avenue while Corinthian columns decorate the Russell Rotunda.

2005-07-08T00:09:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of the Capitol from the Southeast side

The Final Day

2005-07-07T23:42:00.000-05:00

Now that it’s all over, it’s hard to believe it ever happened. I guess that’s just cliché; however, it’s also true. I’m back at home, a fact that makes this post seem a little less distant. I had a great time in DC this past month and I learned a lot.

I had a final day that defied the limits of misfortune. Usually, one or two bad things happen to a person in one day, causing him to label his experience “a bad day.” I lost count.

Earlier in the day, I gave my parents a tour of the Capitol and helped Jacob move out. Around 3:30 pm, I met Mr. Razmgar at his car dealership in Clarendon; he drove me back to the house so I could pick up my car. When I arrived at the Razmgar residence, Dave Williams, a graduate of BJU and a member of Pi Gamma, was waiting in the driveway. He had been working in Alabama this past year; just recently, Dave was promoted and was transferred to the DC area.

I got the keys, jumped in my car, and—voila—the battery’s dead. No surprise here. The car hadn’t been driven in a month. When I came to DC, I had planned to drive my car on the weekends; that never happened b/c I could get anywhere I needed to go using the Metro. Luckily, I put jumper cables in my trunk before I left SC earlier in June. I took them out, hooked them up to my car and Dave’s, and I started up my car. I thanked Dave and Mr. Razmgar, and I headed back to DC.

My plan was to keep my car in a parking garage overnight, pick it up and pack it up in the morning, and leave. As I look back on the evening, Burns’s “To a Mouse” comes to mind: “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men, Gang aft agley.”

During my drive into DC, I most wonderfully discover that my air conditioning doesn’t work anymore. How does that happen? One month it works, the next month it doesn’t. Did somebody steal my A/C? When my A/C decided to give up the ghost, I’ll never know. I rolled down the windows in order to keep my sweat to a minimum (here, “minimum” means 2 gallons of sweat/minute instead of the usual 17). At this point, Zeus gets a sick idea in his head and turns on the clouds. Of course, this action adds balance to my life. The day after I arrived in DC, it rained; it only makes sense to have it rain the day before I leave.

Ever seen the movie Airplane? Remember when that pilot guy starts sweating profusely at the end of the movie? That’s what happened to me. With no A/C in the car and pouring-down (an adjective) rain outside, I started to get hot. But that’s hardly something to complain about. My interior lights start to blink, indicating (I think) a problem with the battery. After the first 30 or so blinks, I understand that there exists a problem with my battery. Did you hear me, you stupid car, I realize there is a problem! SO STOP BLINKING!!!!! Note: I have discovered a technique that the U.S. military might find useful at Gitmo.

With no A/C, pouring-down rain, and blinking lights, the windows start to fog up. See, defrosters require cold air in order to effect (not affect) a disappearance of the fogginess. B/c the A/C is broken, my defroster does not work. So as I enter the DC area where traffic lights are positioned on the side of the road (rather than hanging from wires like I’m used to), my windows start to fog up. I start asking simple questions: Why me? Why now? I start on 26th and Constitution NW, exactly 28 blocks from my apartment and 31 blocks from a parking garage at Union Station. Painfully I drive down Constitution, stopping suddenly whenever I realize that I’m in an intersection and don’t know the color of the light (red, green—who cares, right?).

Go get a drink, get some food, or just read the rest of this later. Anything that could have gone wrong went wrong. I found Union Station and the parking garage without further ado. After parking my car, I headed to the shops at Union Station, where I would meet an agnostic friend for dinner. I met her on the Metro two weeks before. We had gone out to dinner a couple days after I met her. That’s when I was able to get to know her and explain my faith to her. She attends Vassar College in upstate NY, a college known for its extremely liberal students and faculty. Her name is Jamie and, surprisingly, claims to be apolitical.

Her family situation, personal situation, etc. is complex. She’s had a rough life, many ups and downs. I shocked her with my background :o) A nuclear family, a Christian school, and a faith in which I have complete confidence—it was all new to her. The first night, we ate dinner and walked around. All summer, the Lord had been preparing me for this moment. I used what I had learned in Doctrines, The Screwtape Letters, and Can Man Live Without God? to answer all of her questions; and she had a lot of questions! The night before I left, we went to dinner at Hotel Washington.

Both inexpensive and extravagant, Hotel Washington is a restaurant I would recommend. Never a fan of organized religions, Jamie believed that the individual determined his own purpose in life. But she had no answers when I asked her how she determined moral law, or what hope she had for an afterlife, what meaning we had here on earth. We talked about everything: Kant, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, origin, meaning, purpose, Christianity, Catholicism, and Islam. I left her with many questions and hope to keep up correspondence. Please pray for her if you remember her. She couldn’t bring herself to believe. She admitted that she didn’t have the faith.

I left her around 10:00 pm and headed to the Metro. When I arrived at Metro Center, I would have had to wait 15 minutes for the next train. I decided to leave the Metro station and walk back to my apartment. Yes, I’m the idiot who said, “Forget the Metro, I’m going to walk the 14 blocks to my apartment.” I’m not sure why I did that; five blocks into the walk, I was even more unsure. So fourteen blocks later, bathing in sweat, I entered my air-conditioned apartment building to pick up my car keys. B/c Union Station didn’t have overnight parking, my plan had changed: I would drive my car from the parking garage to my apartment complex, pack that night, and leave in the morning.

I didn’t want to spend a lot of time at my apartment; I just needed to pick up my keys. B/c I was thirsty, I wanted to get some water before I left. And I entered the kitchen....... What in the world??? Did my sink throw up? What looked like either fertilizer or wet ground coffee coated the sink and blotched the wall and countertops. I stood there and stared for about 20 seconds. I made sure nothing was moving and then I turned off the light and left, trying to forget what I saw. The only way my night could have been any worse was if my car didn’t start up in the parking garage.............

After that, the only way my night could have any been worse was if my arm got completely stained in soot when I leaned it on a traffic sign while waiting for a jump.............

After that, the only way my night could have any been worse was if my A/C still didn’t work, if it was still raining outside, if my windows continued to fog up, if I got lost while driving to my appointment, and if those STUPID INTERIOR LIGHTS KEPT BLINKING!!!!!.............

But after it all, I picked up a friend I had met at Russell, parallel parked in front of my apartment at midnight, and walked over to the Heritage Foundation, where I watched Sleepless in Seattle. That movie would have given even Ivan Denisovich a warm feeling inside. After watching the movie and saying goodbye to the friend, I headed back to my apartment with a smile on my face. I cleaned what I could in my kitchen, packed everything in my car, and hit the sack around 4:00 in the morning.

What a day, right? And after spending an hour writing over 1,400 words about it, I think I’ll remember it for quite some time :o)

Reflections later. I left my apartment yesterday at 6:57 am (my car started—yay!) and arrived in Greenville at 3:15 pm. I went to bed at 11:40 pm last night and awoke at 4:30 pm today. Sweet :)

Back to bed. I’m out.

I just can't keep this up

2005-06-28T23:08:00.000-05:00

I must tell you all the obvious: I could never write a book. I would get 20 pages in, max, and then become completely bored with the venture. At which point, I would begin writing another book, get 20 pages in, and ...... You get the point.

I'm going to be finishing off my time both here in DC and here on this blog with reflections on some things (I'm vague b/c I'm not sure how to define some of what I will be reflecting on) that I have learned. Life lessons, if you will. Some may seem out of the ordinary while others may seem just right.

I'll begin tomorrow night. This is the best part; don't miss it.

Don't think I've been ignoring you . . .

2005-06-24T23:18:00.000-05:00

. . . I've just been extremely worn out. Tonight is no exception. I went to a Washington Nationals game and President Bush was there. Seriously, that guy is following me wherever I go. First the White House, now the baseball stadium. Hmm.....

Also, last time I wrote (last night), my computer shut off before I could save my writing or post my comments. Yeah, after typing 7 huge paragraphs, I grabbed my gatorade and took a swig to keep the mental juices flowing, and when I turn back to face the screen, my computer is restarting. WHAT????? Ostensibly, my computer failed to detect its processor. Yeah, like you haven't had a processor all along? And what are you thinking - I'm going to remove your processor just moments after typing on you? Seriously, what are you thinking, you big, dumb computer? Oh, that's right, you're not! B/c no rational creature would be stupid enough to think that it had lost its arm when its arm became numb. Unbelievable. And no, a mac would have been no different. A mac would have shut down while I was typing on it. So there.

So before my computer shuts down once again, I'm going to check-out. Tomorrow, I have free time from 4:00-6:00 and I promise to update you on the ENTIRE week. Here's to hoping.

I'm out.

Is it true? Could it really be big post SUNDAY?

2005-06-19T22:54:00.000-05:00

So says I. I wonder how long I can keep this up? Just a short comment about blogs: there are very few legitimate reasons to keep a blog. i can think of one - being away from home, one keeps a blog in order to tell those back at home what is going on. from my shallow dive into the blogging world, i've come to the conclusion that 107% of bloggers are obsessed with themselves and 112% write as well as the person who wrote the screenply for "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon." most people don't read, and for that very reason, most people write poorly. usually, if a person is bad at something, he will avoid doing it. clearly, this is not the case with bloggers. the entire blogging world consists of humans who cannot write well and thousands more who write worse.

Without a doubt (I haven't used a cliché in quite a while...), keeping up is difficult, but enough procrastination already! On Thursday, I led my 2nd Capitol tour. This tour was an absolute blast. I had only 4, a mom and dad with two children. With a smaller group, it's much easier to communicate. Also, they were really interested. A lot of tourists just want to see the Capitol, but these people were interested in the actual history, which I thought was neat. Unfortunately, we didn't ge to see any famous senators from the gallery, only one who gave a long speech explaining his solution to the energy problem. After work, we attended a reception hosted by the Heritage foundation. The reception was held on the 7th floor and the rooftop of the Heritage foundation building. It wasn't muggy and we had a breeze to cool us down, so all in all it was really enjoyable. After the reception which didn't offer much food, we headed to the Dubliner, an Irish pub and restaurant. I had fish & chips, a smashing combination (HA......). Nah, but it was a good meal. We stayed out until around 10 and then headed back to the apartment.

At the reception, I met a guy who just finished his first year at HLS. I told him I was interested in going to law school after college and asked him what he thought about Harvard. He told me the pros and cons. He told me he wouldn't think of going there on the undergraduate level b/c of the intensely liberal philosophies that pervade pretty much everything. He argued that on the post-grad level, one learns more for himself and is able to discern flaws in philosophy if there are any. Concerning application to the law school, he told me that I might want to keep my conservative leanings hush-hush until I get accepted. And that's when I lost respect for this guy. One thing I'm never going to do is disguise who I am. What end can be great enough to deny not only my political philosophy, but also, ultimately, my theology?

I met a kid who graduated from BJU back in 2001 and now works with the Heritage foundation. He couldn't sing the praises of Dr. Abrams loudly enough. He gives credit to the school for a lot, but I guess that's easy to do in a conservative environment like Heritage. He seemed moderately intelligent, so who knows. Evidently, he roomed one semester with Brandon Moody, Luke Frans, and some other guy. That must have been one dorm room.

Friday was a short day. 3 interns--Jacob, Eric, and myself--worked until 1 pm. I took 12 girlscouts on a tour of the Capitol and they didn't even give me cookies; can you believe it? At 1, instead of heading back to my room, I went to the basement of Russell to the Senate Hair Care. Because I didn't have an appointment, I waited in a chair and read the WSJ. I found out that Chrysler is crushing GM and Ford in the auto markets due to the Hemi. Over 50% of Chrysler 300m's, Dodge Chargers, Dodge Magnum's, Dodge Durango's, etc. (the apostrophes are for clarification and are not grammatically necessary) are sold with a Hemi engine. Anyhow, Mario ended up cutting my hair and it turned out well. After the hair cut, I decided that I wanted a shoe shine. What gave me this idea was the man giving shoe shines in the barber shop. I hopped on up in the chair and watched him go to work on my two-tone shoes; they turned out very nicely. I shall wear them tomorrow.

I went back to the apartment and crashed. I woke up around 6 and Jacob was getting ready to head out to Boston. He has some turf-and-grass-major friends working up at Fenway and they invited him for a BoSox game; not bad at all. Especially b/c BoSox tickets run upwards of $70 dollars. He left at 7, I ate my leftover pizza that I had walked 16 blocks to pick up a couple nights before (too much info in that sentence. oh, figure it out). I waited an hour after eating and then decided to go running. I wanted to run somewhere I hadn't gone yet, so I ran from my apartment to the Lincoln Memorial. What a place! When I got there, I read the Gettysburg Address out loud, notiticing how many times some form of the word "dedication" is mentioned. I ran there without stopping and did the same on the return. I almost stopped, but at that moment, as if the running gods were calling out to me, Eye of the Tiger started playing on my Ipod and I knew I couldn't stop then. Rocky would have been proud. In total, seven miles, and it felt GOOD.

Wow, writing really wears me out. I'll super try tomorrow to get through the weekend. It was pretty loaded with a visit to the White House, a metro breakdown, and the start of a new book. I'll get to it all later. Until then,

I'm out.

I think I'm drinking more than I'm eating.....

2005-06-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

. . . b/c I feel sick. I went running again tonight. I run about every other night. From Constitution Avenue, I'll run down 1st St, past the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. I'll hook a right on Independence, running alongside the Capitol. I'll cut onto the Capitol grounds, passing directly in front of the building. Turning left, down the steps, and past the Capitol pool and I enter the National Mall. That's one LONG mall. I choose either the left side or the right side (which doesn't smell really good). I usually take the left side, all the way through the mall, until I hit the Washington Monument/Pennsylvania Ave. I take Penn up to the White House, circle around and head back the same way I came. Overall, it takes an hour and fifteen minutes. It's a long run, but I've got a nice wind, I'm taking in the restaurants and stores, and I'm running towards the most beautiful architecture on the Eastern seaboard. I'll be worn out, but not wasted.

Last week, I attended a lecture set up as part of the Intern Lecture Series. Trent Lott spoke. He started with his background, continued by explaining his beliefs, and ended with a Q&A. Lott told us that he grew up in MS, a very blue state at the time (then again, so was every southern state). As he grew up, he chose to be a Republican. After finishing up law school at the age of 26, Lott went to Washington where he worked with the Democratic Representative from his district for a few years to gain political experience. At 31, when the representative he was working for decided not to run again, Lott announced his candidacy. The representative respected Lott greatly, but told him that he was chasing a pipedream. A few months before the election, a journalist asked the retiring Democratic Representative who the people should vote for. The representative responded, "The people of MS have chosen me as their representative for the past 20 years. I believe they are perfectly capable of choosing their next representative. But as for me, I'll be voting for Mr. Lott." At that point, Lott explained, the election was over. Lott began his political career back in the early 70s and rose to be the Senate Majority Leader before stepping down from the position a few years ago. Senator Lott took a few questions and I was lucky enough to be called upon. I asked, "You explained that you became an administrative assistant at the age of 26. At the age of 31, you were elected to represent your district in the House. During those 5 years in Washington, what made you decide to run office?" He said that young people think they can change the entire world and have the passion to do so. At that young age, he had both the dream and the passion. He wanted the chance and the people of MS gave him that chance. He said that the years have helped him realize the truth. People rarely change. He told us that over the course of the 30 years he'd been in Congress, maybe 1 or 2 speeches on the House or Senate floors changed the way he voted on an issue. Nowadays, we seem to be regurgitating things to fight over. Of course, I think that a lot of the communication is done electronically; the debate has shifted from the Senate floor to the phone lines, computers, or blackberries. Yeah, what is UP with these blackberries? They cannot be as important as people make them out to be! I know I would totally lose mine if I ever got one.

Last week, a few of us interns went over to the Senate to watch the Senators vote on Justice Brown. Whereas 90% of the time, the floor of the Senate is empty, it's packed whenever there's a vote. We saw all the big name senators - McCain, Kerry, Lieberman, Kennedy, Frist, Reid, Clinton, and Schumer. Barbara Boxer tilts whenever she talks to people. The Republicans crowd around each other like good ol' boys right there on the Senate floor. The way they're patting each other on the back and smiling back at each other, you kinda expect them to take out a few Bud Lights and throw some burgers and hot dogs on the grill. Unless there's a tie, Dick Cheney doesn't preside. We haven't seen him here yet. After the vote was through, we headed back to Russell. We took the elevator up from the basement of Russell to the 3rd floor. When it opened on the basement level for us to get in, a lady said hi and, without glancing at her face, I responded with a kind "Hi there." Around the 1st floor I looked over at the lady and realized it was Elizabeth Dole. Hah. So what am I supposed to do at this point? I kinda just looked straight ahead, didn't say a word, and exited after she did on the 3rd floor. Interesting elevator ride.

Finally for the night, I met Congressman Michaud from Maine. He's a Democrat and a very nice person. I met him in the laundry room in our apartment building. Evidently, he's staying there, too. I would expect more Congressman to be staying in my building, considering it's the closest apartment building to the Senate office buildings. Oh well. Maybe I'll see someone later.

I'm out.

2005-06-13T23:30:00.001-05:00

The Saudi Flag

2005-06-13T23:30:00.000-05:00

Hey, Deep Throat - look familiar?

I've got some catching up to do

2005-06-13T23:16:00.000-05:00

Lunches and Dinners have proved difficult to come by. It's not like I can't find food; it's that I can't find cheap food. "I'd like to pay under $5 for lunch just once." That's how I thought during Week 1. But now, I have a plan. See, On Monday, I go to Cups (it's a deli, a coffee shop, and a buffet all-in-one). I'll purchase a Milano (it tastes like the #3 at Substation 2 [salami, ham, and cheese]) for $5.99 and a coke for $1.00. I will eat half of the Milano and leave the other half in the fridge in our office for the next day. The next day, I'll buy a coke and a couple pieces of fruit for about $4.00 total. That's a grand total of $10.99 for two days. Not a bad average, if I may say so myself.

And while you may get bored of the same sandwich every day, I will not. It's what I like and once a day is not over-doing (hyphenated?) it. Dinner's been sketchy. Most days I eat dinner; in fact, I've skipped dinner only once (Saturday) b/c I had a large, late lunch at the ESPN Zone. And let me tell you this while I'm here. The ESPN Zone is trash. Don't waste your time. It's basically a huge plasma screen on which ESPN is displayed, surrounded by smaller plasma screens broadcasting the WNBA, European football, and college baseball. Apart from the size of the screen, the only difference b/w the ESPN Zone and home is that you have to pay $2.00 for a coke and $10.00 for a burger at the Zone. I'd rather stop by McDonald's.

Back to dinner. I didn't eat dinner Monday, but that doesn't count b/c I was too busy moving in and driving around in the rain.

*Tuesday I ate my Hungry Man salisbury steak dinner back at the room. I was tired from work and didn't want to go out.
*Wednesday I ate at the food court in the Pentagon City Mall. I just had 2 huge pieces of pizza from a joint similar to Sbarros.
*Thursday - Confidential (how can food be confidential, you ask?)
*Friday I had the horrible experience at Outback (which you can read about further down).
*Saturday I ate a late lunch at the ESPN Zone, so I didn't eat dinner.
*Sunday I ate at La Lomas, a Mexican restaurant on Massachusetts Avenue. The food wasn't too expensive and the shrimp quesadilla (as always) was fabulous.
*Today, Monday, I ate at the Flames at Union Station. After work, I took the orange line to Carrelton to pick up my sunglasses and apartment keys (which I left on my car keychain. I've been using a spare) from Mr. Razmgar's car dealership, located just two blocks from the station. I actually picked up 2 pieces of fried chicken from this Chinese place (pray for no food poisoning) and cheese fries (basically McDonald's fries with melted cheddar cheese poured on top) and a pink lemonade from Flames.

Last Friday, I took a tour of the Saudi Arabian embassy. Security was so high that I could take a picture of the Saudi flag only if I was across the street from the embassy. When I entered, I was forced to surrender all of my belongings until the tour was through: wallet, cell phone, camera, etc. I were taken into a theater and were shown a 20-minute propaganda piece on Saudi Arabia. I didn't know this, but evidently Saudi Arabia is one of the richest, most powerful countries not only in the Middle East, but also in the world! Confidential. I ask him what he thinks of Wahhabism. Of course, Wahhabism doesn't exist; who'da thunk it? Wahhabism is merely a western illusion, he says. So I ask him what he thinks about the Wahhabi Quran-- I mean, the illusion that I read from last semester in school. He breaks a little, claiming that a man named Wahhabi exists and that he did write a Quran....... He starts going off on something completely different. Satisfied, I quit my interrogation.

tomorrow - meeting Elizabeth Dole, Trent Lott, a congressman from Maine who lives in my apartment building, and the kindest girl in the world who happens to be interning for..... Senator Harry Reid :o)

I'm out.

Outside Russell

2005-06-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

I have removed certain information from past posts. In place of the removed material, the word "Confidential" has been inserted (and he escapes the dangling modifier!).

I have been asked to not include any specifics of my internship in this blog. Although none of the deleted information risks confidentiality, it does deal with specifics. As unfortunate as this may sound, do not fear!

I have a way of manipulating the mundane. Enough is going on, events that have no direct relation to my internship.

Out with inside Russell and in with "Outside Russell"

2005-06-11T23:41:00.000-05:00

Ryan just graduated from USC. He began his internship a month ago and finished this past Friday

2005-06-11T23:37:00.000-05:00

Eric attends Covenant College and will be a Senior next year

2005-06-11T23:36:00.000-05:00

Thomas attends Clemson (home of the greatest slogan in the nation, "Are you orange?!?") and will be a Senior next year

2005-06-11T23:29:00.001-05:00

Eleanor attends USC and will be a Senior next year

2005-06-11T23:29:00.000-05:00

Will attends Brown University and will be a junior next year

2005-06-11T23:18:00.000-05:00

My half of the room

2005-06-11T23:15:00.000-05:00

The Eatery

2005-06-11T23:14:00.000-05:00

You call that a closet? What? It's a hallway?

2005-06-11T23:11:00.000-05:00

Jacob's side of the room

A sad day in the history of Outback Steakhouse

2005-06-10T23:49:00.000-05:00

I wrote this complaint to Outback following a terrible experience in Alexandria. Please note: the Outback in Greenville, SC, is 2nd to none and will provide you with quality fast service all day long, every day. I'll fill y'all in on the other day's events tomorrow. I'm out.

Here's the letter:

I work at the Outback in Greenville, SC, at which Martin Hill is the proprietor. I love my job and I have pride in Outback. That's why I'm writing this complaint.

Currently I'm living in Washington, DC, and I'm working at a Senator's office (it's a political internship). So for dinner tonight, although I didn’t want to spend too much money, I thought it’d be nice to take 2 of the other interns to the Outback in Alexandria, VA, on Richmond Highway. They had never been to an Outback before, and I told them that they would love the experience. Unfortunately, they will remember the experience for the wrong reasons.

After calling ahead, we arrived and were seated within 15 minutes. Not bad at all. But after we were seated, we waited . . . and waited . . . and waited until finally, I walked up to the hostess stand and asked if our waiter had been notified that we were seated in his or her section. The hostess went to the back and a few minutes later, Charles strolled out to our table.

For the rest of the night, we asked Charles for everything: bread, refills, small plates, the check. He never offered. I ordered a LGSirloin, cup/pot, and Shrooms. When my cup/pot did not come out with the salads ordered by my friends, I reminded Charles that I had ordered the soup, thinking he had simply forgotten it (easy to do). Charles responds, "You didn't order the soup. You had shrooms." I explained that, yes, I had the shrooms, but that was a side item (I'm thinking, is this guy serious?). Then he says, "That’s not what you said." What did you just say to me, Charles? So not only does he correct me, the customer (albeit, I am an employee, but just the same), but he also has no clue that a salad or soup comes with a LG Sirloin!

The table beside us also had Charles, and when they left, themselves frustrated at the surprisingly slow/absent service, they told us, "We hope you get out of here tonight." I quickly apologized for the slow service and told them that it was not typical of Outback. Just a rotten apple. I invited them to the Outback in Greenville if they ever traveled south and to ask for me.

After Charles became confused about how to divide the check (at this point, nothing surprises us), the manager came by our table. Talk about providence. See, I didn't want to ask for the manager b/c I didn't want to be rude. I didn't want to make a big deal in front of my friends. So when the manager came by, I finally had a chance to explain not only the billing situation, but also the remarkably poor service. What the manager said shocked me.

He blamed the poor service on the fact that it was Friday night. HUH??? He said that it was just a long night and that I should understand. Understand what? That a busy restaurant = slow service? What restaurant is this guy working at? Certainly not the Outback I know. The Outback I work at doesn’t make excuses! The Outback I work at certainly doesn’t accept slow service as the norm on busy nights. When he left with the bill, my friends sat there in disbelief. I didn't have to tell them that the manager handled the situation completely inappropriately. Never once did Charles apologize. Never once did the manager apologize.

Martin Hill offers free appetizers, free desserts, even free entrees if customers are not completely satisfied. That makes people happy. That makes people come back. Here I am, with my friends, attempting to show them great food accompanied by great service, and I get a rude server and a lazy manager.

This duo puts a sour taste for Outback in the mouths of my friends. It’s a disgrace to me as a server. I take great pride in what I do, and I don’t appreciate it when other servers/managers make Outback look like Applebee’s or any other restaurant where you don’t expect quality fast service. At Outback, you should be able to enjoy your meal without worrying about a refill, more bread, or warm food. That’s how it is in Greenville, and I’m disappointed it wasn’t that way here in Alexandria.

I thought you should know.

Tim Silvester
(864)-414-0472
Employee of Store #4110

Let's get going.......

2005-06-09T22:29:00.000-05:00

Long story, short - I drove back to DC knowing 2 things: I needed to get to DC super quickly and I lived at 215 Constitution Ave. So about 11 miles from DC, it starts pouring. I followed the interstate signs to Constitution Ave., after which I used the monuments as directions (so if that's union station, i need to go this way; if that's russell, i need to go this way....). I couldn't use the street signs I couldn't see them b/c of both the rain and the fact that the right lane was flooded. It's miserable driving in DC in the rain at nighttime. The stoplights are on the right side of the road at ground level and easy to miss. Also, don't drive and talk on the cell phone at the same time ($100 fine).

I arrived at my apartment and the rain had subsided. I unpacked everything into my room and drove the car back to Fairfax, arriving at Cyrus's house at 10:45 pm. Although his dad insisted that I stay with them another night (all too nice), I really wanted to get back and sleep in the apartment. I hadn't eaten dinner, so I asked Cyrus to drive me by a grocery store. I picked up 2 frozen dinners, peanut butter, pre-cooked bacon, popcorn, a 12-pack of RC Cola, peanuts, yogurt, and orange juice: the Essentials. I got to Fairfax-Vienna, the orange line metro farthest from DC, and took it to Capitol South, arriving there at midnight (when the metro shuts down).

I walked back to apartment, put the food away, then fell on my bed and slept - waking up all too early the next morning.

After Monday, the week slowed down substantially. No more 30 minutes metro rides, no unnecessary walks outside. I'm getting a little more sleep and I'm getting into the flow of things.

I'm loving the work, just absolutely loving what I'm doing. So what is that? Well, that's Confidential.

I've been able to use the skills and education received at Bob Jones University here in Washington. BJU has equipped me with every tool (intellectual, social, and spiritual) to not only survive but also succeed here. Expository writing gave me the ability to write clearly. State & Local Gov't gave me the ability to spot the differences b/w here in DC and there in SC. Both semesters of both British Literature, American Literature, and US History, along with numerous European History classes, gave me the ability to question why in the world this girl I met from a Minnesota Rep's office (she attends Hillsdale College in MI) prefers American Literature to British Literature and American History to European History.

I worked a little in the front office this past week. Confidential. Hmm......

I've worked in the mailroom, but I've already explained working there. So far, I feel like I'm still in school. All week, I've been writing. Humph. But hey, it's what I do and it's what I like.

How about 2 more things before I go to bed: Congressional Research Service and Capitol Tour Training. Tuesday morning, Eric, Eleanor, and I walked over to the Madison building of the Library of Congress for instruction in Congressional Research. I learned basically one thing: the government knows everything. EVERYTHING. And if any of you need to find out just how many astronauts used to be boyscouts and grew up in single-parent households in California and how many hairs they had on their heads at the age of 23 (okay, maybe not that), I can find it out for you. Just shoot me an email (my account had been temporarily deleted [grrr..], but it's back up and running now). But seriously, that's basically all we learned. We learned how to ask questions and get information from them, but that was all to say that they are the intellectual gods of DC and we are merely lessers in need of informational salvation without which we can't survive.......

Capitol Tour Training. Think of the most obnoxious guy in the world.... Now imagine this person has been giving tours and training tour guides since the age of 10. He might say something like, "Rubbing the foot of George Washington isn't good luck, it's VANDALISM!" No, it's not your Dorm Supervisor in Graves. Meet Chris, your tour guide trainer. I'll say this: he knows what he's talking about and I guess that's what's important. I took 11 pages of intensive notes (back in school, once again) on the Capitol and early American History. Dr. Larson would have been proud. Now I just need to memorize everything before I give my first tour next week. I have a feeling I'm going to like giving tours :) I've been told that I can't make up any stories. Yeah, but there's enough accurate 411 to fill a 2-hour tour. The tours I give will be just 30 or 40 minutes.

Enjoy your days as much as I am. I'll tell you later about my encounter with Elizabeth Dole, my lunches and dinners, and my thoughts while sitting in the Senate gallery (is Hillary Clinton really sporting an orange pantsuit???).

I'm out

I love it, but I wouldn't want to live here.....

2005-06-07T21:58:00.000-05:00

From 3:30 pm until 6:30 pm, those driving by themselves may not use I-66 (a major interstate connecting DC with Virginia). Only HOV (vehicles with 2 or more people) may use that road.

That doesn't even begin to describe how busy this city is.

My first two days in DC have been far too adventurous. At 5:30 pm on Sunday, I arrived at Cyrus Razmgar's house where I would spend the night. Around 7:00 pm that evening, Cyrus drove me to the Fairfax/Vienna metro station. I took that metro (the orange line) to Capitol South, hoping to arrive just steps away from either the Russell Senate Office Building (where I work) or my apartment. Both are located on Constitution Avenue. After a 7 block trek north, I found Constitution Avenue. As fate would have it, I walked 3 blocks west before realizing that I should be going east. Thanks be to the capitol police! They are EVERYWHERE and they are kind. Wherever I am, they see me. There's absolutely no chance I could get mugged.

I'm getting sidetracked. Sunday night I found my two buildings (Russell and my apartment), trying my hardest to decode the entirely too complicated map of DC. Our nation's capitol should be somewhere in the NW where the streets are straight. Instead, we're stuck where the streets are complicated (thanks L'Enfant!) and the weather is miserable.

I arrived back at Cyrus's abode around 11:00 pm. I hadn't eaten dinner, so his wonderful mother warmed up some spaghetti and toasted some bread—everything tasted so good!!! I drank two root beers with my dinner so I was burping well into the night. The night was rather short.

I woke up at 6:00 am, proceeding to take a shower and, as is my habit, go back to bed. I re-awoke around 7:00 am and got dressed. Mr. Razmgar, a man very kind and well-informed about the area, drove me to the metro which I took to Union Station (a metro stop closer to Russell). Union Station isn't as clean as it is in the movies (duh). In fact, the only fancy part about it is the outside. However, it's absolutely gigantic! I'll move on.

The "short" walk to my office building left me drenched in sweat, wondering why I couldn't wear a dark t-shirt and shorts to work. I arrived at SR-xxx, the front office 15 minutes early. I met the 5 other interns: Jacob Dawkins (my roommate; from Clemson), Eleanor (goes to USC), Thomas Rhodes (goes to Clemson), Will (goes to Brown U), and Eric (goes to Covenant and has one suit with him). They're all wonderful people.

I'll stop for now at 9:30 am on Monday morning. So much has happened since then. I'll attempt to finish out Monday (the longest day of my life) sometime tomorrow night. Today went by rather quickly. I'll have y'all caught up in no time.

Unfortunately, I do not have my camera cord for my computer which would allow me to put up pictures (sorry Phil!). The cord is getting mailed up to me, so I should have it by the end of the week.

Until tomorrow, have a good night, and God bless,
Tim

2005-06-04T20:25:00.000-05:00

here I am, Tim

Hello World

2005-06-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

I just want to make sure this works.