Week 10

I’ve already written about hanging out in crazy protests and demonstrations trying to understand how that fits into this whole advocacy thing. I have a lot of questions about that. But when people are in the middle of protesting or doing a die-in or something, it’s not the best time to start asking them why they’re there. So on Sunday morning, I sat down on the front steps of the Cannon House office building with a pretty high-profile demonstrator named Start Loving. No, seriously. That’s his name. He changed it when he dumped his 25-year career as an executive in the computer industry, his two Masters degrees, and pretty much everything else in his life because he needed a better reason to get out of bed in the morning. Anyway, he’s been in that same spot for over a month now, which is how I knew where to find him, and he was kind enough to field about 2 hours of steady interrogation.

The short version is that he’s been hanging out in front of this building for a while now with a sign asking lawmakers to think about human dignity while they’re figuring out what to do about the growing conflict with Iran. He doesn’t strike up conversation or go after people or anything; he just sits and tries to be a visual reminder of what’s at stake. My first thought is, this can’t possibly be an effective use of time. He’s just sitting there. Shouldn’t he be, like, tutoring the Iranian kids at my agency instead of letting his hair grow out and looking homeless?

But when you walk by, you pretty much can’t ignore this guy. And when he starts talking, it’s even harder. He looks pretty crazy with all the forehead tattoos and ratty clothes, but he knows exactly what he’s doing and what he’s about. I came away from the conversation with a pretty good feel for the root and motivation for at least this side of advocacy work. He’s not sitting in an office and getting paid or anything, but he says he’s there because he can’t not be there. And I can relate to that. I mean, I’m shooting for something a little more stable than his job, but I think I’m starting to understand that side a little more.

As a side note, I thought about trying to pass this off as my required informational interview for TWC, but I didn’t think they’d go for it!

Productive weekend, though. But don’t go thinking it was all work and no play. The other highlight was that Jack Bauer and the 24 crew have been filming around town for the past few days. Despite my best efforts, I haven’t found them, but I did stand exactly where Jack Bauer had been standing just a few hours earlier. The molecules from Jack Bauer’s shoes are probably on the bottoms of my shoes now, and I’m never throwing them away.

There was also Halloween in Georgetown, which was a little insane. I went out with some coworkers as a nudist on strike (give me a break—this was very last-minute) and our IT guy said I looked pretty legit. I even had a picket sign! Hey, I might not understand protesters, but I can absolutely play the part.

Lots of ceremonies and parades coming up for Veteran’s Day this weekend, so be on the lookout for that. Enjoy the long weekend!