DC (not the brian brotman article though!)

well, i've found a free alternative to the starbucks internet (yay!) and will use this opportunity to write in my blogspot!! i have just finished my first day of work at the national low income housing coalition. it was lots of fun, kind of, but i was so tired the whole day i almost fell asleep SO many times! i have my own computer, email address (bethc (at) nlihc.org, if any of my lovely readers want to contaminate my work email!) and extension. that's pretty cool. i'm going to be doing a big project on waiting lists for section 8 vouchers. there are thousands of people trying to get housing vouchers (for reduced rent) but they have to wait for years because there aren't nearly enough vouchers to go around. my project (i think) is to try to figure out how many people are on the waiting lists and how long they have to wait and probably other things about them. today i read a book called "advocate's guide." and i met people in the office. and my supervisor took me and the real research analyst to lunch. and i looked for a report called "waiting in vain," and i found it and read it on lexis-nexis, and i did other stuff until it was time to go. i work in one room with mark treskon, the real research analyst, and danilo, the research boss, works in another room. we have a corner office but it just looks out onto other office buildings...like the alley or something. there are 3 other interns but i'm not sure if i will really do much with them, it seems that our functions are pretty separate. i'm nervous for 2 things: 1. staff meeting on thursday. 2. writing my bio for the memo to members.

tomorrow i move into the real apartment! that's another thing i'm nervous about, i guess. at least it won't smell like wet socks, like the hostel does. i'm staying in a youth hostel which is pretty nice, but there seems to be a leak in the roof which got the carpet wet which made the room smell like wet carpet which smells like wet socks. we had the windows open in the hostel to air it out, and i guess mosquitos got in, and one of them must have bit me on the eyelid while i was asleep. when i woke up my right eye was so swollen! i almost couldn't see out of it. the swelling went down a little before work so i didn't look like a complete freak. it's almost gone now.

the girl behind me in this cafe has the same computer as me.

i can't wait until RC comes here, it is lonely only having 1 person (a German hostelroommate) to talk to, and i want to live in my REAL apartment and hopefully get a REAL BED too. the hostel only has foam mattresses. i hope for better.