Getting cred

Stopped by my bureau today to get oriented and make formal introductions. It's located on the 11th floor and has a pretty good view of two streets for a few blocks. It's also a lot cleaner than The State News newsroom, as you can imagine. It's strange to work in an office that doesn't smell like pizza.

After a stop-in at the bureau I headed off to the Capitol to get my credentials. It's a greenish badge with holograms all over it and a less-than-stunning photo of myself. In order to get it, I had to go to the Senate Press Gallery on the third floor of the Capitol. Of course, I didn't know where I was going, so I kept asking people directions, including one guy who had a "New Yorker" ID badge on. Hm... someone from The New Yorker gave me directions. Well, that's good I suppose. Tonight is The State of the Union address, and I'm anxious to see how that goes. It's possible I might find some place to observe the reporters in action on it. I also offered any help I could provide to my bureau, but seeing as I haven't officially started yet, I'm not sure how useful I could be.

People in D.C. seem to like to sing. One guy was sitting in the food court at Union Station with headphones on, singing at the top of his lungs. Think "American Idol" style. Then, on the Metro ride home, some guy got up, walked to the middle of the train car and began singing about the blood of Jesus. When he was done, he simply said, "Thank you, you all have a nice day," and then exited at the next stop.