Summer Vacation Part 2: Halls... Erm, Sidewalks of Power

[attackfish]

After a week of small children and near constant jokes about my glow-in-the-dark pale skin, I wasn’t all that unhappy to leave my siblings and cousins behind and head up to Washington DC with just my parents for a little site seeing and law school scouting.

FISH: I can just feel the power, the history, and the lies.
MOM: They call that humidity, dear.
FISH: Well I can smell it!
MOM: They call that diesel exhaust.

This wasn’t supposed to be one of those restful vacations.  I got the rest out of the way the week before in North Carolina, with all that sand, salty air, and cloudy skies.  This was a vacation that had been scrupulously planned out ahead of time, including multiple calls to my US Senator’s office and highlighted maps of the metro.  This was to be the ultimate of all geeky vacations for a policy wonk and history buff.  It was, too, even if the wonky buff’s unusually brainless.

I saw the C street house!  I have a picture of myself in front of it!

I also of course went to the White House, the Supreme Court, the Pentagon, the Library of Congress, and the Capitol building, but who wan’s to hear about that?

And I sat on one of the chairs in the Green Room, because, as I said, I’m an unusually brainless wonky buff.

FISH’S FEET: *throb*
FISH’s HEAD: *aches*
CHAIR: *is very pretty and green*
FISH: Chairs, on our side of the ropes, oh thank God! *sits down*
AIDE: Each of these chairs costs several thousand dollars just to reupholster
FISH: I’m sitting on money!
MOM: *kicks Fish*

As it turned out, I was about to have a seizure, and I act really wierd before those, so I can’t be held responsible for my actions.  I managed to wait until we were in the Library of Congress to have it though, and I got taken away in Dick Cheney's usual ambulance.  All I can say is no wonder that man’s still alive.  These guys are good!

My seizures are always stressful on my mom, because she has to hold me down while I try to fight her off.  She has a way of dealing with this stress.

MOM: Of course, you know, this means chocolate.
DAD: We have chocolate back at the hotel.
MOM: Not enough!
DAD: There’s chocolate at the Whole Foods near the hotel.
MOM: Not enough!
DAD: I saw a chocolate shop back that way.
MOM AND FISH: NEED MORE CHOCOLATE!

Chocolate, the cure for the common seizure.

As for law schools, I’ve fallen in love with a few, but that’s two years away, at least.  I’ve also found out that certain American Bar Association requirements are horribly ablist, but I think if I get myself into really good health...

The last day, we spent resting, and touring the monuments.  We walked along the reflecting pool, discovering that all of the ducks had spawned, and there were itty bitty baby ducklings everywhere.  Ducks may be mean suckers, but ducklings are adorable.

Burned out and still feeling the after affects of the seizure, I just sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for a while, taking in the view and marveling at how pretty and green everything was.  New Mexico is beautiful.  It’ll take your breath away if you give it half a chance, but it’s not pretty.

FISH: Man, it’s so pretty up here.
MOM: If you fight a civil war and reunite a country and free millions from bondage, you can have the best view in the city too.
FISH: Move over, Mr. Lincoln.

Anyway, by the time the vacation came to an end, I was really eager to get home to my dogs, birds, bed, and internet access.  Unfortunately, if my dad gets his way, I may be travelling a lot more often.  My oxygen consentrator gets me and my entourage all the cool perks, and he wants to take shameless advantage.

Comments

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

It's just cruel. We've stopped beating children in school, we can stop torturing students as well. One of my friends S has anxiety and a teacher did it to her. She burst into tears and the teacher kept on grilling her, even as poor S choked on her tears. Learning should be a pleasant, emotionally fulfilling environment. I mean, most lawyers do hold people's futures in their hands, you'd think traumatizing us would be a bad idea, you want us to be happy people who care about others.

You're right. It can be so much better. We're using the same methods as we did 70 years ago. I'm Jewish, tradition rocks, but some traditions are worth tossing.

[attackfish.livejournal.com]

This is not the way to get someone to love Law and want to respect it. More than that, it's not the way to get someone to learn excessive anxiety actually prevents long term memory formation. Marrally and pragmatically, it's the wrong way to do things.

Actually, corporal punishment is still practiced in US schools, and worse, at some schools, the typical form is designed specifically to cause as much public humiliation as possible. Shows a lot about what our country's values are, doesn't it?

Ah, but tradition should never be blindly followed *says the Reform Jew*