Monday, August 22, 2011

AEM's Agenda, August 22: Congressman Hansen Clarke's Office and SparkAction.org

I am headed to the Hill today with a proposal in hand. It offers a multi-solution approach. First up? A meeting with Congressman Hansen Clarke's aides about his proposal to forgive student loan debt. After that, I'm hooking up with a great - and superbly funny - woman who works at an awesome org, Spark Action.

Once I've ironed out the details for the proposal, I'll post that document online.

On a personal note, it feels great to be back. I feel like I'm home, and can't wait to relocate to the east coast again. Incidentally, our flight to DC was absurd. We were scheduled to fly from Dallas to National, but DC was hit by strong thunderstorms, so the plane flew above the city for over an hour. Since we were running low on gas, the pilot, who was quite funny, told us that we were maybe headed to Greensboro, NC. Luckily, we didn't head there. Instead, the flight was diverted to Dulles. We refueled in Dulles and then flew into National! Yup. It was a whopping 48-mile flight, and took less than 20 minutes. Out of the thousands and thousands of flights I've taken in my life, this one was the shortest and silliest. But we made it safe and sound, and I am ready to get to work!

Stay tuned. AEM is stronger than ever, and moving forward. Just remember to grab yer surfboards!


5 comments:

Hilary said...

Go get them Cryn! You will do fabulous!!! I can' wait to hear how it goes.

One Who Survived said...

These days I equate Washington DC with Mordor, but you don't need a downer on this trip, so here's an upper:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FF13OyDFbA

Cryn Johannsen said...

Haha! Mordor - yeah, that's pretty accurate. But at least the weather is nice. After basically 10 weeks of temps over 105, this feels like paradise, and I'm talking about DC in AUGUST!!! F--k Texas.

One Who Survived said...

It's not just a canard to say the main culprit is the humidity. In my part of Oz long stretches of 100+ degrees are standard in January-February, but it's arid heat, bearable with lots of water and a hat.

I wouldn't curse Texas for its climate. There are better reasons, such as my swarthy Italian-American mate experienced when he moved there, being called "non-Christian" (Catholic) by his Evangelical neighbours who in the next breath boasted about their adulterous affairs.

But at least those kinds of Texans TOLERATE Catholics, unlike the manufacturers-of-culture in Hollywood and Manhattan who would like to see all Christians (except for liberal Protestants who are not so un-progressive as to believe in God except as an abstract neo-pagan metaphor for "The Universe") driven into the catacombs along with the reactionary minority of Orthodox Jews who do not regard the New York Times as their Holy Scriptures.

Oh dear, now I hear them coming for me! La Papesse (mythical female Pope) Americaine, Lady Gaga is drafting a Bull for my excommunication from the society of Bien Pensants! Oh but Lady Gaga, I was "BORN THIS WAY!"

One Who Survived said...

And then there's this, Aragorn's speech in front of the gates of Mordor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1WuGKI4aaE