Capital or Capitol?
Depends on what you're talking about. Capitol is the building and capital is pretty much everything else, including cities, letters and some sort of money. I learned this lesson the hard way...well actually I looked it up on my phone while I was in D.C. talking to the VP of my little outfit here in Shreveport. But if I had walked outside my hotel I could have taken a gander to my right and seen the Capitol with a capital C. If I was really good at throwing stones and could throw them approximately 3-4 city blocks then it would have been a stone's throw away from where we were staying.
The trip was fantastic and thoroughly exhausting. In fact there's a good chance that none of this will make sense because I tend to not proof-read my posts before I publish them and my mind hurts from over-exertion. I was given the amazing opportunity to brainstorm about work and learn about what the other Goodwill's around the country are doing from last Thursday to Tuesday. You're probably thinking some sort of thought about how that seemed to have taken up my entire weekend and shouldn't I get a few days off to make up for it this week...and I have to confess that I thought the same thing. But I guess it's the price to pay for loving your job.
We arrived on a Thursday afternoon to the Hyatt on Capitol Hill and almost immediately ate lunch. Then some of us walked around for hours seeing the monuments and generally marking off the places you have to see when you visit DC on our metaphorical lists.(Metaphorical actually isn't the right word to use there because the list doesn't represent anything, the correct word to use would be imaginary but I like metaphorical a lot better so I used that one)
I ended up acquiring a bone spur in my heel because I walked too far on a fresh pair of Toms or some other bs like that and my foot hurt the rest of the trip. Good thing my entire day was mostly sitting in conference rooms and listening to people talk about programs they had and what was working for them. That means I really only had to walk to lunch and to my room to take power naps and change for dinner. After the 8-5 grind of learning and coming up with ideas to implement in my Goodwill while someone was talking, we usually went and got dinner and "went out" afterwards. When in Rome right?
Well basically this put me to bed after midnight most nights...I'm pretty sure I met a murderer one night and I also met a real-live lobbyist. I was out and about while congress was agreeing on a budget (my theory is they were playing wall ball and making paper airplanes just so they would get some attention in the media and give the American public a good-ole classic scare. It was a really neat and safe city and if the traffic wasn't such an unholy establishment there I might consider living there one day in the late future.
I don't think I've ever felt more grown up than I did on this trip. I had a hotel room to myself with 2 double beds, I had to dress business casual everyday, and I only had to wear matching shirts one day. I met the CEO of Goodwill Industries International, bonded with my coworkers, got a lot of inspiration, and got some great ideas. Oh and I didn't have to pay for an over $200-a-night hotel and room or any food while I was there. But like I said I'm exhausted. My mind is just drained from running at a million miles an hour day after day and I'm a little bit overwhelmed after seeing all the things that I have to do in the coming months, but its a good feeling.
I feel accomplished and successful and appreciated, and my awesomeness has been confirmed. I could lie to you and say that I got to play basketball with Barack Brobama but...actually guys guess what!!! I got to play basketball with Barack Brobama and I won, then we smoked cigarettes, and then we played rock-paper-scissors for about an hour...god freaking times.
So a little advice to all of my avid readers out there...if I hear the words strategic planning, leverage resource or re-invent the wheel I will Smack you in your ribs...and that's smack with a capitol S...
Or is it capital?
Who cares?
Not me...actually that's a lie. And it should be capital.
Bye
