Yes it is 10 pm. Yes I am at my desk.

Now that we are past that. I know my mom commented that she wanted to hear more about what I am doing and less about my job, however, my job, as you can tell by the hour I have returned to my office, even after a couple hours schmoozing, really is what I am doing. Even that beautiful Sunday was more a reaction to the fact that I needed to get out of the house after forcing myself to stay on the couch and reclaim my health on Saturday. No, the Huskies, nor the Pac-10 refs, helped. Don't even ask about the 'Hawks.

Anyway, wanted to throw in quickly, a little detail of an awesome day. Today, in conjunction with about 150 businesses, LCV held a lobby day with the executive directors of many of the state leagues across the country. These leagues are somewhat loosely tied to LCV.

What this entails are exactly as the name suggests: lobbying. I took part in three meetings, mostly because I was also doing some office damage control and sort of the catch all man for the day.

However, two of the meetings were crucial.

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) is a major environmental force. Got to meet with her. Also, with Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) (pronounced like crepe), who was very positive, to our surprise, and seemed prepared to take action on the issue.

Finally, with Rep. John Lewis (D-GA5), who is what we call a "champ", we met for a lengthy period of time. He is just awesome. The first black member I have met, he understood uniquely the effects of climate change on the minority and poor communities (being that he serves Atlanta) and generally agreed with us on stuff. Then, at the end of the meeting, he would not let us leave without taking a group picture on the balcony, with the Capitol in the background. Hope to have that soon.

Rep. Lewis' office was incredible. There were pictures everywhere, both of him and of important African Americans. His staff was southern at heart, with the hospitality to match. No less than 10 times was I offered food or beverage (especially the free Coke and Georgia peanuts that come in GA offices).

A great experience for a kid from a humble NW background. Got a little taste of many corners of the country today. And make no mistake, Idaho is not Washington state. By any means.

Sorry for the brevity, but I want to go home. Hope all is well and you get some enjoyment from today's entry. I'll also add quickly that, for the second time in as many year, the Dalai Lama and his entourage prevented me from getting somewhere I needed to be. As he was leaving the Capitol building, not heading to the White House, however, his motorcade blocked all traffic into the building, where I needed to be. It is an interesting question that I would invite any response to: for a man who preaches peace on a level above that of anyone else in the world, is his message lost amidst the enormous security detail he retains? Just food for thought.

Goodnight.