Let me preface this by saying that I have been waiting all day to write a blog post. Literally since I got off the bus this morning after reading the paper I knew I wanted to write one. What I didn't know was how much more stuff I'd have to say before I got home. So first, a story.

In Seattle we are generally used to seeing homeless people walking the street. There's a tent city and many other places around town where they tend to group. Obviously for some alcohol is a problem, but when they are on the street, it's generally hidden in a paper bag. So imagine my surprise when I'm sitting at the bus stop in broad daylight on 19th and I St. (literally right in the middle of the business district, a block from Pennsylvania Ave) and this homeless guy just whips out a 5th of vodka and starts chugging it. Clear bottle, bottoms up. I was stunned. But it gets worse. About five minutes later a police car pulls up. They slowly get out and walk over to the guy, start asking him questions, to which they get few answers, and start looking around. Right behind the guy is a bush about three feet square. The cop reaches in and pulls out the guy's bottle. Then he reaches back in a pulls out another vodka bottle. Six bottles later the cop finally finishes. None of them were empty and they were all vodka. By this time at least 10 people are standing around, incredulous. Again, this is right in the middle of DC.

On to a pretty good day. We lost three interns after Friday (back to college) so a bunch of work is being spread around to five of us. The communications guy called us into our office to challenge us to be more productive than the group of eight had been. And we were. More the doubled the average daily production on the blogs. That was on top of the stuff that we normally do on a daily basis. This was the first day that I've been at LCV that I didn't stop working. Finally.

So, some of the interesting things observed...

Dominoes has a step-by-step updater to tell you when your pizza is ready at the store.

Our main blog is Act Green. We update it several times daily with factual information that we find from various sources. It basically coupled with Twitter and Facebook. We also regularly update our more interesting (in my opinion) blog, Really? Seriously?. There's some great stuff on that one. And if you think we weren't serious about the Oprah thing, check out the organizations main website, LCV.org.

So today I skimmed or read about 14 newspapers (I do this to the main and opinion sections of several papers across the country everyday). Skimmed the websites of 23 senators. Wrote two blog posts (and posted one in two places, including the Heat Is On blog). Like I said before the HIO site is pretty much all me right now. That's why it isn't so up to date. Working on it, I promise.

If the workload stays like this I will really start loving this. It is so exciting to actually be working. That is what I came here for.

Now, finally, the things that made me so excited to post today. I wonder if all of you realized what a momentous day August 3 is. These things happened today in history, in no particular order:

• The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, basically allowing African Americans to vote across the country.

• Arkansas carried out a triple suicide. First time that had been done in 32 years.
  

• In 1981 U.S. air traffic controllers went on strike, despite threats of firing by President Ronald Reagan. They did it anyway, he fired them. Oh the good old days, when people kept their word.

• The 1980 Moscow games had their closing ceremonies. Obviously I was not alive, but in the move Miracle they play the real clip of Al Michaels at the end of the U.S.A. - Russia hockey game. "Do you believe in miracles...yes!" I get chills every time.

• In 1900 the tire company Firestone was founded.
  

• In 1949 the NBA was formed after the merger of the Basketball Association of America and the NBL. Hard as I tried, not a single famous player was born on the same day, but by sheer odds one of Shawn Kemp's kids probably was.
  

• Jed Bartlett (AKA Martin Sheen from the West Wing) was born in 1940. But that's not all. Martha Stewart (1941), a pretty good former 6th round draft pick out of Michigan named Tom Brady (1977), and some guy with the birth name of Anthony Dominick Benedetto (1926) were all born. You might know that last guy as Tony Bennett.

• Germany and France declared was on each other in 1914.

• And finally, the thing that we're taught made these stories all come true, was the day in 1492, when some guy named Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Thank the Lord other people did too...

Actually only got part of this from here, but it's still a pretty cool site.

Like I said - pretty awesome day.

Stay Classy.