Jerzei Collie's journal

 My Washington, DC vacation started out a bit shaky but quickly got much better. Since my tax refund -- around which I budgeted my trip -- won't arrive until next month, I applied for a $1,500 loan through the Lending Tree website in the week before the trip. A local branch of One Main Financial completed the loan and said the money would be in my account on Thursday, the day I flew out to Washington. My mood was dampened a little Thursday morning when I got an e-mail from Lending Tree saying the loan wasn't approved. I greatly reduced my spending that day, then got an e-mail that night from One Main saying the loan actually was approved and the money was in my account!

THURSDAY
My first flight from Colorado Springs to Chicago was very peaceful because no kids were on it. I had a cup of orange juice and a stroopwafel on the flight, then got a tomato and mozzarella sandwich and a bottle of water during the layover in Chicago. There was a kid on the flight from Chicago to DC, but it didn't make a lot of noise.

The singles group went to Whitlow's restaurant in Arlington for dinner Thursday night. I had a barbecue bacon cheeseburger, chocolate cake for dessert and a rum-and-coke. Instead of separate checks for each person, the restaurant gave checks to each table of 5-6 people. I didn't have any cash on me at that point. The bill for the table was $120; the others at the table offered to reimburse me if I paid for the table with my credit card. I figured this would still leave me with enough money left on the card for the hotel and one or two nights of dining, along with cash in my wallet (This was a few hours before I learned my loan was approved.)

Taking the subway back to the hotel, I thought the train's announcer was beatboxing and calling himself "Willie Rest-In-Peace." Looking at the signs, I realized he was saying the train was headed toward the "Wiehle-Reston East" station and the "beatboxing" was just the announcer clumsily putting the microphone in its holder.

FRIDAY
The day started with a group tour of the Capitol building. There was nothing really going on since Congress wasn't meeting at the time. The group had lunch in one of the Dirksen Senate Building's cafes (I had chicken and fries.) A member of our group took us on a tour of the Senate's TV and radio studios.

The group went to Chadwick's bar before the dinner cruise. The cruise went up and down the Potomac river. I had the parmesan chicken for dinner. After the cruise, the group took an Uber ride to the Crystal City Sports Pub near the hotel. The pub was too crowded, so the group went down the street to Bar Louie instead. I had a couple of s'mores martinis.

SATURDAY
I wasn't able to sign up in time for the White House tour (The deadline had passed before I committed to go on this vacation.) I was told the group would meet at Arlington Cemetery for a bus tour at 1 PM. I took the subway and got there by about 12:50. I waited inside the visitors center and asked the group on Facebook when/where the group was supposed to meet. When I didn't get a response by 2:00, I headed back to the hotel.

That night, the group had a few drinks in the hotel bar, then headed down the street to Ted's Montana Grill for dinner. I had a "Red Rock" bison burger and some "Mountain Breeze" martinis (no relation to the Mountain Dew knockoff from Safeway.)

I got back to the hotel around 10 PM, then played some of the games on Steelwoulfe's Jackbox stream for a couple of hours.

SUNDAY
The group had a brunch buffet at the Crystal City Sports Pub. I got some andouille sausage with peppers and onions, some biscuits with chipped beef, and a mimosa. My ankles had blisters from all of the walking I'd done so far. I decided to just have two of the instant pasta cups I packed for lunch, then had dinner later in the hotel's restaurant. I couldn't stay up to listen to all of Doggy Radio because I needed to get some sleep before my flights.

MONDAY
United Airlines had given me two one-time passes to their "United Club" lounges for this trip. I had a two-hour wait at both DC and Chicago's airports, so I visited the lounges at both locations. I had a light snack at each location, along with coffee in Chicago. My flight from Chicago to Colorado Springs left about 40 minutes late. There was a loud kid a couple rows in front of me on this flight. I had eaten an edible before the flight, so I was thankfully relaxed and unaffected by the kid. The flight wasn't too far behind schedule, arriving 10-15 minutes late.

I thought I had lost weight during the vacation due to all the walking I did because the planes' seat belts fit comfortably on all of the flights. When I got home, I saw I had gained 11 pounds. I don't know if I have less body fat than before or United recently installed longer seat belts. I've had to request seat belt extensions on many of my past United flights, but none this time.

Another cruise reunion is scheduled for July in Denver. That will be much easier and cheaper for me.

My boss at KRCC tried to contact me during my Toastmasters meeting earlier, looking for additional phone staff for the membership drive's final day.

I just saw an article about a proposed "Hyperloop" train which would serve various cities:
http://www.kktv.com/content/news/Colorado-proposal-among-finalists-for-Hyperloop-system-418587193.html

One of the planned routes would go from Cheyenne, WY to Houston, TX, with stops including Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo. I don't know if this route would stop in Dallas/Fort Worth, but there's another route linking DFW with Houston. This would be a nice system (if I'm still alive when it's completed) for traveling to Texas Furry Fiesta.

Just 20 days until my Washington, DC trip, and 124 days until Rocky Mountain Fur Con!

During dinner with my parents on Friday, my dad said Congress is voting on a bill that would extend unemployment benefits for all states EXCEPT Colorado (where I live) since Colorado is the only state with unemployment below the national average. The bill already passed the House (with three Colorado representatives voting for it, the other four against it) and is headed for the Senate. I decided to send this e-mail to my senators, urging them to oppose this bill:

Dear Senator Udall/Bennet:

I understand that a vote on a bill which would extend unemployment benefits for all states except Colorado is coming up for a vote in the Senate. I would appreciate it very much if you would vote against this bill as it would severely harm Colorado citizens who are still unemployed.

I was laid off from my job last October, and I have been unable to secure a new full-time job despite applying at hundreds of businesses. I’ve already cut way back on spending in order to keep my bills paid. Losing the benefits I currently receive would be devastating.

Just because I live in a state with a low unemployment rate does not mean the unemployed taxpayers here do not deserve assistance. The last time I checked, this was the United States of America. The Congress should be doing what it can to represent all citizens. The bill which passed the House (with the help of three representatives from Colorado) does not do that. This bill needs to be rejected and re-written to extend unemployment benefits for all 50 states.

Please encourage the Senate to vote against this bill. Thank you for your time.

I actually had to edit this a few times before sending it to take out some of the hostility I felt. For example, the "three representatives from Colorado" line originally included the word "back-stabbing."

EDIT:
I received what appears to be an automated reply from Sen. Michael Bennet:

Dear Friend:

Thank you for your e-mail message. Hearing from Coloradans is important to me. I will respond to your concerns in the near future. In the meantime, I am especially glad you reached out, because it gives me a chance to briefly introduce myself and share with you some of my priorities for Colorado.

Our country faces serious challenges today: rising unemployment, home foreclosures, and companies on the verge of bankruptcy. Congress and the President have set bold goals for our country to address these challenges and lay the foundation for sustainable, long-term economic growth. We must make responsible investments in health care, education, and our new energy economy, while providing much-needed tax cuts to middle-class families. As we do so, however, we must work to reduce the deficit, because economic recovery will be short-lived if we mortgage our children’s future to achieve it.

It will be my mission every day in the Senate to represent all corners of Colorado and do everything in my power to stand up for the natural beauty and Western values that make our state unique. If you need assistance from my office, or if you need help dealing with a federal agency, please use the link below to access our casework form. If you are not a Colorado resident, I encourage you to contact the U.S. Senators from your state directly.

Once again, thank you for contacting me.

http://bennet.senate.gov