My day at the statehouse...

This is the most beautiful building I have ever worked in, although it's only the second most historic (I sold pretzels at Yankee Stadium for parts of two seasons). I hope you enjoy my photo tour of a typical work day.

I wasn't lucky enough to get a spot in the parking garage near the capitol (which would've cost money I don't have anyway), so I park in a residential neighborhood, 7 blocks away.

When I walk into the building I go down to the basement to the Republican and Democrat Caucus offices. It's directly next to the Secretary of State's office, and a little down the hall from the press area. See that door in the back right of this picture? That's the door to the democratic caucus office in the next picture.

That's where I am...

When I open the door each day, I can see new newspaper clippings and the blue legislative update that Cathy puts up everyday.

Here's me at my desk, where I sit accross from Cathy. She's a fantastic secretary to many of the democrats in the House, often knowing their schedules better than they do. She's been invaluable support to me, showing me around the building and making me feel very comfortable. See that black door? It's a really cool safe, but we don't get access to it. It's where the Republicans keep their paper.

Whenever I need to drop something off or pick something up from Rep. Margaret Henbest (the Rep. I work for), I ride up to the 3rd floor in this funky elevator. The governor specifically mentioned this elevator in his speech as one reason that the building needs dramatic repairs, that it's not even big enough to fit an EMT stretcher in. I think getting a new paint job would be reason enough to renovate!

When I get off the elevator I wind my way through Senators, Representatives, Lobbyists, Reporters and tourists to enter the House chambers. This is where all the Reps have desks and where they do most of their work. I'm on the House floor at least 3 times a day, so if you watch the streaming video on this website between 1 and 5, you just might see me! You probably won't though, since Margaret's desk is all the way in the back, out of the scope of the camera. If you look at this pic from the state of the state, she's on the right side of the aisle, closest to the door, wearing a grey suit. All 13 of the House democrats are clustered together in that little area. What a great place to work, isn't it? When she goes public with some of the stuff we're working on it, I'll tell you all about it. I have certainly learned a lot and couldn't be more grateful for this experience.

Here's a picture borrowed from the newspaper, of what it looks like when you walk into the House Chambers.

This is a picture from the Governor's State of the State on Jan 9th (which I borrowed from the Idaho Statesman website). Do you see me clapping on the top left?

Pics from Utah

While in Utah last weekend I got to spend time with my mom and her two sisters, including my Aunt Brenda's who is courageously dealing with ovarian cancer. I have always loved Aunt Brenda, and I am grateful for every opportunity I get to convey that love to her. The girl with my mom is Catharina, Brenda's youngest daughter and one of my coolest cousins. I remember so clearly the day she was born as I was staying with Brenda's family for part of the summer. As I already mentioned on the blog, I went to Salt Lake City and got to see the new Joseph Smith movie (which I am in!!!), and as I began the 5 hour drive back to Boise it started to snow. It wasn't much and although I was tired, I decided I could just keep going, getting to Boise around midnight. I believe in divine inspiration and assistance, and that's what I had on Saturday night, as I could almost tangibly hear a voice say "C'mon Dave, pull over here, stay the night in Utah. Don't try driving through the snowy mountains in the dark..." The funny thing is that voice sounded just like my dad's! This impression came just as I was approaching the Forrest St. exit of Brigham City, and so I decided to get off and drive to my Jones grandparent's house. Of course, they are on a mission in Boston, so no one was there, but when I told my story to their neighbors (who had been asked to watch over the home, and who I had previously met), they lent me the spare key and I got to stay the night and eat Grandma's strawberry jam; thanks Grandma!!! I made to Boise the next day, and I was so glad I didn't try to push it, since I saw 5 dead deer within a one mile alongside of the road span up in the hills. I wouldn't have stood a chance in my little car and my lack of experience with snowy roads. As you can see from the pic of my car in Brigham City, the roads weren't that bad the next morning.

Birthday at the Steenson's

I got to celebrate my 25th bday with my step-sister and her family. My nephew Caleb turned 7 a few days before my bday, so we got to blow out the candles together. One of the highlights of the trip was having 3 year old Katie in my arms the entire weekend. She would curl up next to me the moment I woke up and sat down to watch morning cartoons, and would insist I carry her until it was finally time for bed. Of course, it wasn't hard to convince me to hold her, how could I resist?

Weekend in Utah

After an exciting end to the week (there was a lot of drama in the House Education committee which I might write about after things get resolved on Wednesday), I drove 5 hours down to SLC for a Phix concert (remember my previous post about the phish cover band?) It was just as fun to see them this time. The real highlight of the weekend was getting to spend time with my mom (who was in Utah from NYC) and my aunt Brenda, who is currently suffering from Ovarian cancer. It was a very touching and emotional experience, but I learned a lot and am so grateful for the love I was able to give to and receive from Brenda. I also got to see the Thompson's, my dad's little sister and her family (remember this picture of Kayla, their youngest?). I also saw the new Joseph Smith movie the church produced and was thrilled that all that work of growing a beard paid off, as I made it onto the big screen for an entire 3 seconds! Remember what I looked like with a beard and in my costume? I can't describe the thrill it was to see myself on the big screen. I almost grabbed the arm of the stranger next to me just to tell him that was me up there. As the goosebumps receded, I decided that wouldn't be the humble thing to do. Anyway, I had many incredible experiences this weekend which taught me many important life lessons, and when I get the pictures on my computer I'll share what I've learned with you. By the way, thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes, I really appreciate your friendship.

25

I was born 25 years, 1 hour and 11 minutes ago this morning. It's humbling to know that I have been on the earth for a quarter of a century already. I couldn't be more grateful for my life and my family who are absolutely incredible to me. I think I've had a few rough spots in life, but I truly couldn't imagine someone having a better life than I've had so far, and I am so grateful to my parents and grand-parents for giving it to me. Thank you mom, dad and everyone else. I celebrated my bday last weekend in Arco with my oldest step-sister Tara and her family (husband and 5 kids) who I absolutely love (remember my August posts?) Caleb turned 7 on Friday and so we had lots of birthday junk food to enjoy. I'm also very excited that my Jones grandparents will arrive in Boston today to begin their 1 year mission. What incredible examples they are to me, I hope they know how much I love them. Thank you all again for making this such a happy birthday.

Another meeting...

This afternoon I attended the first Democrat caucus meeting of the session. Apparently the Republican caucus meetings are closed to the public, while the Dems leave theirs open. I noticed reporter Betsy Russel stand to take this picture, but I didn't think you'd be able to see me in it (though I'm pretty obscured). I happened upon Russel's blog this evening and noticed the picture I saw her take a few hours ago! Can you see me sitting on the back row with some of the other interns? I'm right behind House Minority Leader Wendy Jaquet and a few other impressive legislators. They spent most of the time talking about the state budget for 06/07, though I must admit it wasn't an edge of your seat kind of meeting.

Harry Reid in Pocatello

I showed up at the Capitol building around 1pm yesterday and was asked if I was going to Pocatello with the rest of the Democrats. I knew Senator Harry Reid was speaking in Pocatello, but I had been told it was Thursday, and that it cost a little bit more money than I had, so I told them no. I happened to bump into the right person who said there was a ticket someone had paid for but couldn't use so I could go for free if I wanted to, but I had to be ready to leave in 15 minutes. So, somewhat spontaneously, I soon found myself sitting on a chartered bus with most of the Democrat legislators of the state, including House Minority Leader Wendy Jaquet, Senate Minority Leader Clint Stennett, Boise Mayor David Beiter, as well as plenty of journalists, interns, campaign managers, etc. Needless to say it was an interesting ride over there, meeting active people and overhearing policy talk. On a personal note, it was especially strange to be back on the roads I drove as a missionary. In a little less than 4 hours we were at the Idaho State University Student Union building, seperating into groups going to pre-dinner gathering or to a fancy reception for the high donors. I almost followed all the interns and younger people into the student union, but waited to be handed my actual ticket, and found out that I scored a ticket to the super fancy high priced gathering at a private home where Senator Reid would be making an appearance. In case you don't know, Harry Reid is the minority leader for the US Senate, essentially the highest ranking Democrat in the nation, who also happens to be a member of the same Church as me. I was grateful to have gone to the small reception where I had the opportunity to shake his hand and thank him for his example. It really is inspiring for me to see a soft-spoken, humble, LDS man rise to such a level of achievement and leadership. After the small reception we were shuttled back to ISU where Reid spoke at a dinner for 400 people. He is a good speaker and spoke of values and the responsibility to care for the needy. Someone mentioned being in the same "ward" with Reid in Virginia, and not knowing that I was LDS, the girl I was sitting next to explained that a ward is a mormon term for congregation, but that her mom says the only wards she knows about are maternity and psychiatric. By the time we got back to Boise, and I drove home from the statehouse and was in my bed with my eyes closed, it was 2am. I'm tired this morning, but am grateful that I had one of those days where I was in the right place at the right time, a few times. Thanks Amber.

State of the State

Today was my first day interning for the House Democrats in the Idaho legislature. It has already been a great experience, as I've been surrounded by impressive people doing impressive things. As you can see from the top two pictures of the rotunda, and from the other two, the capital building is a fantastic place to work (thouth I work in the less glamorous basement). I love how accessible everyone is and the opportunity I have to be where the action is (I can hear some of you on the East Coast smirking, wondering how much action there is in Idaho, but let me reassure you that there are a lot of important things going on). The third picture (sorry it's blurry) is where I was sitting in the gallery in the House chamber when the governor gave his State of the State address before a Joint session of the legislature. It was a good speech, and I appreciated the focus he gave to health care, emphasizing that Idaho has an opportunity to be a leader in Medicaid reform, fixing a broken system that costs too much and takes care of too few. The bottom picture is of the JFAC committee room (Joint Finance and Appropriations Comm.), arguably the most important committee as it has a huge role in influencing the development of the budget. Rep. Margaret Henbest, who I work most directly with, is a member of this committee, as well as the Health and Welfare Comm.

Thanks dad

This post is overdue, but it's in honor of the holiday tradition that Dad and I have to go to the college basketball games at Madison Square Garden. For the second year in a row the games included St. John's vs. Columbia, but we admitted to ourselves on the way home that this years games were some of the least exciting we've seen over the years. Nonetheless, we had great seats, sat near 4 NBA scouts and kept a holiday tradition alive. Thanks dad.

Boise

I've made it to Boise, Idaho and much to my delight, the family I'm staying with has high speed internet. They also have almost the exact same Dell computer I had back home so I'll be able to keep my blog running pretty easily. Boise has been great to me so far. This evening I parked my new car (woohoo!) at my new workplace (the capital building) and gave myself a walking tour of downtown. While talking to a friend on my cell phone in front of the Qwest arena, someone walked up to me and said "you going to the game?" I wasn't, but when he offered me a ticket and I asked how much he wanted for it, he handed it to me and said "enjoy," so I did. It was a CBA basketball game between the Idaho Stampede and the Rockport (or was it Rockland?) Lightning from Illinois. Idaho lost but it was still a lot of fun (in case you are wondering, that is me in the photo). I'm excited to be here and I'm really looking forward to the start of the legislative session on Monday. Many thanks to Alan and Sharon Bingham for their incredible hospitality (and a dog named Sarah!).

Last Day in NYC

I'm at work waiting for them to give me another assignment, but I doubt they'll give me anything new to do since it'll be time to leave in an hour. Almost since the moment I arrived in NYC from Montreal I've been working at the place down by Wall St. where I was in July. I've been doing mutual fund accounting for Legg Mason, which has been a good experience for me. I've been well paid and have had very flexible hours, working exactly as many as I possibly could, without being required to do more or less. I've already been home two weeks. Can you believe that as of tomorrow I will be living in Boise, Idaho? What will I do with my last evening in NYC? Probably go to the Temple and stay up until 5:30am when I need to leave for the airport. Hopefully I'll be done packing by 2 so I can squeeze in a few more minutes of recording songs on my four track (which I'm not taking with me). I am very excited to be starting my internship in Boise, working in the capital building for Rep. Margaret Henbest of the Idaho House of Representatives. I look forward to posting my thoughts about the issues that come up and to reading your comments.

Happy New Year

My friend Sarah came down from Montreal for new year's eve weekend and I had a great time showing her around the city. We went to Greenwich village, central park, the new temple, the Empire State building, grand central station, battery park, Rockerfeller Center, the statue of liberty and anywhere else I could think of. After an evening of sight seeing on the 31st, we found ourselves in Grand Central station at 11:25pm. Being just a few blocks east of Times Square we figured "what the heck" and took the shuttle train over. Of course just as we're about to enter these massive barricades the police used to control traffic I realized I had to go to the bathroom(times square was never easier to walk through, I wish they controled pedestrian traffic like that all the time down there!) . We waited on line at the nearby Burger King for 20 min, and then joined some people in a light jog, ending up at our spot on 40th and 7th at 11:56pm! We were just in time to do the countdown and watch the fireworks and get a NYE midnight kiss (strictly out of obligation of course). It's been 23 years since I became a new yorker (as a 2 year old) and this was my first NYE in Times Square. Grandma was thrilled to talk to someone on a cell phone who was at the place she had just watched on TV.

Got my phix

It's been 15 months since I've seen a Phish show (Aug 12, 2004 in Camden, NJ) and I've only seen two in 4 1/2 years (the last shows before that were 4 shows in Sept 2000, 2 in Albany and 2 in Mass). It's hard to describe why I like them so much, and why their concerts are so fun and why I've seen them 16 times (traveling all over the northeast US and as far as Columbus, Ohio to see them). The band has broken up but the other night, Sarah and I went to see a Phish cover band called Phix and had an absolute blast. It was so much fun for everyone to sing along with the words and dance to the music while realizingn there are many other people who enjoy this music as much as you. In fact, one of the best parts of the show was watching the crazy phish style dancing that you can't describe until you've been to a show. I think I've got a phish convert in Sarah, though she did decline the chance to go to the 31st show...