What I do all day ...

So apparently heading off to a one-year Congressional Fellowship is not as simple as one might think. After two weeks of excellent orientation seminars hosted by the Brookings Institute (which ended last Friday), I am officially "on my own" to land an assignment in a cramped office on the Hill. Office space is at a premium, so most Fellows are squeezed in -- with the option of a desk by the front door or in the broom closet (literally, I'm not kidding). This is quite a departure from the cushy offices with sofas and large windows that I and my fellow Fellows (is that how you phrase it?) are used to back in our home agencies.

It has been several years since I've had to dust off and update the old resume and start interviewing. It has been a revitalizing experience (yes, I know more than just Sudan). I have an advantage of course -- the State Department considers this Fellowship a training opportunity, so they continue to pay my salary (good news in this job market). You'd think offices would be clamoring for the free labor. Indeed, if they can dig out from their overwhelmed email boxes and overflowing voicemail to return my call -- they are doing well. Case in point: It is now 7:25 pm on a Friday night and Missy is still at work. Since her boss became a ranking member on the Interior Subcomittee of the House Appropriations Committee, her job has taken on a whole new dimension.

So, at the moment, Missy and I have had a bit of a role reversal (sort of). After a "hard day" of pounding the pavement job searching (sending emails, networking over coffee, an odd interview or two), I come home at a decent hour, make dinner (chicken tortilla soup is brewing in the dutch oven), and write on the blog. I could get used to this.