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SnaKKer
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Name: Nathan
Country: United States
State: Texas
Metro: Austin
Birthday: 8/20/1987
Gender: Male
Interests: Hip-hop, comedy, zombies.
Expertise: Kickin' a freestyle for the people.
Occupation: Student
Industry: Something.
Message: message me
AIM:  rekkans
Member Since:
6/23/2003
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| So, Xanga, huh?
I don't actually want to start posting here again, I feel like I should forever leave this thing as a time capsule to go back and read about my successes and failures in high school and whatever college I wrote about on here, and I should start a new blog for my post-graduation self to use. I'd like it to be on djsnakk.com, but that may not work, we'll see about that.
So yeah, hey Xanga.
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| Nathan Miller
Representation in the US
June 19, 2008
Independent Kurdistan: A History of Precedent and a Future of Prosperity
Since creating the first civilizations thousands of years ago, the Middle East has given life to some of man’s greatest achievements. In ancient times it created the basis for modern law, architecture, science, math, and warfare, and in modern times it has become one of the world’s largest producers of oil. It is the spiritual birthplace of many of the world’s biggest religions, such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Yezidi, and in Iran, Mithraism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and the Bahá'í Faith. The earliest civilizations, Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, originated in the Fertile Crescent and Nile Valley regions of the ancient Near East, as well as the civilizations of the Levant, Persia, and Arabian Peninsula. The Arab Caliphates of the Middle Ages would first unify the Middle East as a distinct region and create the dominant ethnic identity that persists today. The modern Middle East began after World War I, when the Ottoman Empire, which was allied with the defeated Central Powers, was partitioned into a number of separate nations. During the Cold War, the Middle East was a theater of ideological struggle between the two superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union, as they competed to influence regional allies. Throughout its history, the Middle East has seen a great deal of religious, cultural, and political conflict, and modern times have created a new era of opportunity along with new, difficult decisions for the peoples of the Middle East. Due to the reign of Saddam Hussein and the dual subsequent invasions by the United States and her coalition of supporters, Iraq has been segmented both culturally and geographically, with the different people-groups of Iraq separating themselves and attempting to determine their best course of action to progress as a people and as a nation.
Amidst the turmoil of the past fifteen years since Operation Desert Storm, the northern part of Iraq named Kurdistan has become a relative oasis of hope, safety and prosperity in a desert of conflict. The Kurdish people have a rich history reaching back to 3000 BC, and are mentioned many times by Greek historians as “very warlike and not subject to the Persians.” The Kurdish people are descendants of a wide variety of Middle-Eastern peoples and their lands have seen some of the great empires of the world sweep through, including the Romans and Sassanids. Much like today, the medieval Middle East was filled with small ethnic communities building their own states and combining with others only to separate, sometimes violently, later on. As Iraq formed as a nation, there was a great deal of Kurd rebellion and resistance to the incorporation of the country, and that carried on into the regime of Saddam Hussein. The brutal slaughter of Kurds by Hussein only served to draw attention to his dictatorship and would lead to two American invasions, the second resulting in Hussein’s capture, trial, and subsequent execution. Following the Gulf War in 1991, a no-fly zone was created over much of northern Iraq, and this safety net led to the creation of the Kurdistan Regional Government that protected the three provinces of Arbil, Dohuq and Sulaymaniya. In today’s Iraq, Kurdistan represents the most peaceful and prosperous parts of a country ravaged by cultural, political, and religious differences, and their model is the best chance there is for peace in Iraq.
Because of the success in utilizing the regional government and the support given by the United States, some Kurds believe it would be best to declare themselves independent from Iraq and form their own country. Others believe it is safer and more logical to remain intact, under some form of federal government that keeps the local power in the hands of the regional governments. There are several factors that are being taken into consideration regarding the autonomy of the Kurdistan region, but it is important to recognize the historical precedent for a partition of magnitude. The 20th century alone saw the separation of many countries; some successful and conducted peacefully, others with violence and destruction. By studying these earlier events, Kurdistan can make a more informed decision about what is best for her people and future prosperity.
An excellent example of a peaceful, beneficial split is Czechoslovakia. Slovakia had long been ignored in favor of the Czech Lands, and four decades of defense-based industrialization had left them ill prepared for a market economy. This resulted in a rise in unemployment in Slovakia, as well as economic hardship. Meanwhile, the Czech Lands fared much better, with their economy more geared towards the mass privatization program that was underway. These economic differences, as well as disagreements about the division of power between the federal level (Czechoslovakia) and republic level (Slovak Republic, Czech Republic), led to politicians in both republics debating the possibility of the two republics becoming two separate sovereign states. Czech politician Vaclav Klaus and the Slovak politician Vladimir Meciar championed the idea of two separate sovereign states. As the Prime Ministers of their respective republics, Klaus and Meciar negotiated the disbandment of Czechoslovakia. On January 1st 1993, the two republics amicably split, and Slovakia became a nation state. It is worth noting, however, that polls taken at the time indicated that if there had been a referendum on the proposed split, the majority of the people would have opposed the break up.
Russia also successfully broke off over a dozen smaller territories into their own independent states following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. While these were generally peaceful, the separation wrecked the economies of the smaller countries like Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Moldova, leaving them recovering for years. Many of the Eastern European countries have since joined the United Nations and the European Union, giving them more economic and world stability. Russia stands as a prime example of the best-case scenario of a federation of separate regional governments dissolving and being able to support themselves on their own.
For every peaceful secession there have been several violent ones, most notable Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. A communist republic with several smaller, ethnically diverse states, Yugoslavia was kept in check by a brutal dictator until 1980, when civil unrest began to grow and the first work towards independence started. In 1991, Slovenia broke away with little trouble, due to the fact that its population was 90% Slovenian. But later that year when Croatia tried to break away, the 12% population that was Serbian fought for almost four years against the secession, and in the end most of the Serbian population was evicted. When Bosnia pushes for autonomy in 1993, the ethnically diverse country is torn apart with violence, leaving thousands dead and over a million displaced. The only way a peace was reached was by partitioning the country into three parts for each of its major people-groups. In recent years Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro have all become their own territories, but not without street violence and UN intervention. It took fifteen years, but all the people groups finally fought for their independence and have a reasonable peaceful state to govern.
In 1947 Britain partitioned the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and left India as a secular nation. These two nations, ruled for over 300 years by Britain, we split along religious lines and the rapid withdrawal of British government and citizens left the economies shaken. Whether the partition of these countries was wise and whether it was done too soon is still under debate. Even the imposition of an official boundary has not stopped conflict between them. Boundary issues, left unresolved by the British, have caused two wars and continuing strife between India and Pakistan. The partition of India and its freedom from colonial rule set a precedent for nations such as Israel, which demanded a separate homeland because of the irreconcilable differences between the Arabs and the Jews. The British left Israel in May 1948 and handed the question of division over to the UN. Un-enforced UN Resolutions to map out boundaries between Israel and Palestine has led to several Arab-Israeli wars and the conflict still continues.
Many nations have been partitioned or declared independence even in the last century, and many of these were based on religious or ethnic differences. Kurdistan has many similarities to these aforementioned situations. Ever since the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government, the issue of autonomy has been on the table. There are many positive aspects to a free Kurdistan, but also several drawbacks. Either way, Kurdistan needs to be in control of itself in some respect, whether as a country or part of a federalist Iraq.
"Iraq is not salvageable as a unitary state,” wrote Peter Galbraith in the May 13 New York Review of Books ("How To Get Out of Iraq"). "The Iraq we're trying to herd back together," Peters wrote in July 2003, "consists of three distinct nations caged under a single, bloodstained flag." Iraq was famously invented in 1921 by Winston Churchill, then the British colonial secretary tasked with carving up the recently defeated Ottoman Empire. Churchill's main concern was to consolidate areas containing, or suspected to contain, oil fields. He achieved that at the expense of long-term political stability. From the start, mistrust existed between the country's three predominant groups: the Shiite Arabs in the south, the Sunni Arabs in the middle, and the Kurds, who weren't Arabs at all, in the north. A succession of regimes managed to yoke these three groups together only through varying degrees of repression, with Saddam's the most repressive of all. At this point, government by repression is no longer an option.
Many people supported a unified Iraq when the US invaded and removed Saddam from power, however the coalition’s inability to maintain peace and rebuild a prosperous state has causes many of the wealthy elite in Iraq to lose faith in the United States’ ability to rebuild the nation. This has led to further talk, especially in Kurdistan, about breaking away and trying to survive alone. With three distinct people-groups in the country, it makes sense for many involved that there should be three separate nations. Kurdistan would be in the north, with Kirkuk for a capital, the center could be called Babylonia, and the capital could be Baghdad or Tikrit. Finally, the populous South, historically the cradle of the ancient Sumer, could be named Sumeria, with its capital located at Basra. Such a partition would right some historical wrongs, and it also offers a kind of rough justice since the oil fields are located largely in the areas that would become Kurdistan and Sumeria. Democratic institutions can more likely be maintained and strengthened when political conflicts no longer fall along ethnic fault lines.
How would a partition function in Iraq? A quick similarity can been seen between the situation in Iraq and that in Yugoslavia in the 20th century, so it would be tempting to form a similar structure in the Middle East. However, the fact that Yugoslavia’s system collapsed in lengthy violence seems to discourage Iraq from attempting anything similar. But some argue that Yugoslavia could have been saved had the government loosed control over the states and that foreign powers like the US and UN had intervened earlier. Perhaps with guidance from outside, Iraq could reproduce a similar partition.
Some suggest that Iraq is not ready for three fully independent states and simply need to be given freedom under a loose federal system. A weak presidency rotating among the three republics, with moderate responsibility for foreign affairs, monetary policy, and coordination of defense, would give the individual state governments plenty of power over their own business. But this arrangement might fail because of continued Sunni rebellion against post-Saddam initiatives and this scenario would require the formation of three separate countries. This would leave the Sunnis paralyzed economically, since they have very little oil reserves to speak of. Some experts consider the Sunnis ‘ungovernable’ at this point, but a partition would limit the anarchy to a smaller area, give the Shia and Kurds a chance for peace on their own, and could hopefully lead to a peaceful government for the Sunnis as well.
Unfortunately, autonomy for the Shia region is problematic as well. They have plenty of oil, and the ability to run a free and fair election, but the problem is what kind of government that election would produce. A theocracy seems the most likely form of government for the Shia to utilize, which would leave to restrictions on women and free speech that would fly in the face of what the Western world has been trying to stop in Iraq. But if the United States were to give the Shia autonomy and allow them to govern themselves, and hastily withdraw from the region, it might actually be beneficial for US-Shia relations in the long term.
Finally, the Kurds in the north would benefit the most from independence. They have been generally autonomous since the creation of the No-Fly Zone by the US after the Gulf War, and have held elections and maintained a free press. The problem lies in giving the Kurds independence while not granting it to the Shia and Sunni. It is clear that the Kurds can operate a functional state, generally free from corruption and almost completely peaceful, but the other peoples of Iraq have not demonstrated that measure of ability. If a Kurdistan was formed without the consent of the US and Iraq, it would severely cripple any Kurdish relations in the Middle East and abroad and cut ties with two potentially necessary allies. Doing so might create more tensions in the old Iraq and awaken a new Arab nationality that would threaten the infant Kurdish state. Turkey, Syria, and Iran would obviously be concerned that their prominent Kurdish communities would push for independence and join the new Kurdistan. These neighbors have long dealt this Kurdish nationalism movements and the creation of a free Kurdish state would incite further internal struggles, and would reflect poorly in their official external recognition and support of Kurdistan. The geographic location of Kurdistan means that they require support of at least one neighbor to get to the ocean and use their oil pipelines, and a sudden declaration of independence would jeopardize those critical economic ties. In that situation, it would be difficult for Kurdish officials to convince foreign businesses to invest in Kurdish lands with such a small market. If Kurdistan welcomed a permanent US presence in their territory or became a territory of the United States, that would also make neighbors Turkey and Iran very nervous. Finally, one of the biggest obstacles to independence lies within the leadership of Kurdistan itself. The primary political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, have not yet resolved issues about how to share power and whether to push for full independence or autonomy in a federal state.
The issue of Kurdish independence is of utmost concern not just to the peoples of Iraq but to American citizens as well. Kurdistan represents the success of peace and democracy in the Middle East, and perhaps best of all, they accomplished these things without direct military or political involvement from the United States. The resolve of the Kurdish people to raise themselves about the sectarian violence and ethnic disputes and create a peaceful, prosperous community is a beacon to the other nations of the Middle East, and proof that a democratic, capitalist, tolerant state can exist in peace and harmony. The question now is where do the Kurds go from here? Can they help guide the rest of Iraq to democracy and peace, or is it safer to cut ties and attempt to survive on their own?
At this point, I believe it is better for Kurdistan to remain a part of Iraq and continue to support the other states and the US in their attempt to weed out terrorist cells and build a free and tolerant society. The Kurdish model has been very successful and hopefully can be replicated with the other peoples of Iraq. To declare independence now, with relations with Turkey, Syria, and Iran so shaky, and an upcoming US election leaving future American involvement up in the air, would be a self-destructive mood that would not only jeopardize the current peace, but also perhaps destroy all the success of the past decades. Hopefully soon Kurdistan can be in an autonomous position, at least in a federalist system, but for the time being, it needs to remain a part of Iraq and work to spread the democracy and economic growth to other parts of the country.
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| This is the tracklist for the big party I played at the end of the semester. I'm pretty proud of it.
Track List: Mo's Party| Title | Artist |
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| Tops Drop | Fat Pat | | Renegade | Jay-Z Feat. Eminem | | Size Em Up | Big L | | Insane In The Brain | Cypress Hill | | The Champ | Ghostface Killah | | The World Is Yours | Nas | | Shimmy Shimmy Ya | Ol' Dirty Bastard | | Paid In Full | Eric B. & Rakim | | N Luv With My Money | Paul Wall | | Movin On Up | 50 Cent | | Purple Stuff | Big Moe | | Liquid Swords | GZA | | Hot Sh** Makin' Ya Bounce | Busta Rhymes | | 3030 | Deltron 3030 | | Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin') | Dr. Dre | | What We Do (Feat. Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel) | Freeway | | Damn It Feel Good To Be A Gansta | Geto Boys | | We Made It | Ghostface Killah | | You Never Knew | Hieroglyphics | | Check Yo Self(Remix) | Ice Cube | | Brooklyn's Finest | Jay-Z | | Touch The Sky | Kanye West | | Wanna Be A Balla | Lil Troy | | Large Amounts | Ludacris | | Method Man [Remix] | Method Man | | Straight Outta Compton | N.W.A. | | New York State of Mind | Nas | | OPP | Naughty By Nature | | It's all About the Benjamins (Remix) | P. Diddy | | Passing Me By | The Pharcyde | | Juicy | Notorious B.I.G. | | Baby C'mon | Ol' Dirty Bastard | | T.R.O.Y. | Pete Rock & CL Smooth | | Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik | OutKast | | Ice Cream (feat. Ghostface Killah, Method Man & Cappadonna) | Raekwon | | Guess Who's Back | Scarface | | Gin And Juice | Snoop Doggy Dogg | | 93 'til Infinity | Souls of Mischief | | Top Back | T.I. | | Side 2 Side | Three 6 Mafia | | International Players Anthem feat Outkast | UGK | | Regulate | Warren G | | C.R.E.A.M. | Wu-Tang Clan | | Str8 Ballin' | 2Pac | | Electric Relaxation | Tribe Called Quest | | Star/Pointro | The Roots | | G'z And Hustlas | Snoop Doggy Dogg | | Duel of the Iron Mic | GZA | | My Adidas | Run-D.M.C. | | Can't Truss It | Public Enemy | | Hypnotize | Notorious B.I.G. | | Gangsta Gangsta | N.W.A. | | Ridin' Dirty | UGK | | All I Need | Method Man | | Old Man (Feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard) | Masta Killa | | Blueberry Yum Yum | Ludacris | | Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit | Wu-Tang Clan | | Party Life | Jay-Z | | It Was A Good Day | Ice Cube | | Express Yourself | N.W.A. | | Beneath The Surface | GZA | | 17-Marvel | Ghostface Killah | | Justify My Thug | Jay-Z | | Lollipop ft. Static | Lil Wayne | | Top Billin' | Audio Two | | I Get Money | 50 Cent | | All Eyes On Me | 2Pac | | From The South | Z-Ro feat. Lil Flip, Paul Wall | | Cold World | GZA | | Let Me Ride | Dr. Dre | | Stick Me For My Riches | Wu-Tang Clan | | Brooklyn Zoo | Ol' Dirty Bastard | | Swang | Trae | | Kick In The Door | Notorious B.I.G. | | **** Faces | Scarface | | Boyz-n-the-Hood (Remix) | Easy E | | Shook Ones Part 2 | Mobb Deep | | Threat | Jay-Z | | One Day (Feat. 3-2 & Ron Isley) | UGK | | Tell Me Something Good | Dj Screw | | Damn | Young Bloodz | | Bangin' Screw | Paul Wall | | Smile | Scarface | | Child of the Night | Ludacris | | Cant Knock The Hustle feat. Mary J. Blige | Jay-Z | | Can't Knock the Hustle | Jay-Z | | Swords Drawn | Army of the Pharaohs | | No Endz, No Skinz | Big L | | Can I Get A... | Jay-Z | | Feels So Good | Mase | | 9 Milli Bros. (Feat. Wu-Tang Clan) | Ghostface Killah | | Roc Boys (And The Winner Is). | Jay-Z | | We Don't Care | Kanye West | | I'm Still #1 | KRS-One | | As High As Wu-Tang Get | Wu-Tang Clan | | I Was At The Club | Big Moe | | Ruff Ryders' Anthem | DMX | | Nuthin' But A "G" Thang | Dr. Dre | | My Mind Playing Trick On Me | Geto Boys | | Takeover | Jay-Z | | They Don't Know | Paul Wall | | Y'all Been Warned | Wu-Tang Clan | | Break Em Off (feat. Lil' Keke) | Paul Wall | | Girl | Paul Wall | | The Next Episode ft Snoop Dogg | Dr. Dre |
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| Big weekend in DC, let's see what I can summarize.
On Friday I started work at Kurdistan Regional Government. I woke up at 6:30, got ready, and got out the door by 7. Way too early, normally, but it worked out, because half of DC lost power while I was on the Metro, and there was a fire in the Metro Center so almost all the trains stopped. Thousands of people just had to step off onto the platforms and wait. It was super hot down there, so I just decided to get on another train and go. I don't think it saved me any time, but I was moving so I felt better about my progress. The Red Line was shut down all morning.
I got to Farragut around 7:55 and ran upstairs, only to find that nobody was in the office. Kurds are very sincere people but apparently not always the most timely. I looked around Farragut for a while, got coffee, and read some news, then went back up around 8:45.
This time Khalid, the other intern, was there, so I got in and looked around. There are some pictures of the office on one of my albums. I don't know if I should refer to the important people in the office by name, so for now, and for the sake of sounding like Bond, I'll call my superiors Q and D. I met both of them, Q very briefly because he is important and running around all the time, and Michelle explained some of what I'll be doing over the summer. She is really cool, and according to everyone here she is the only reason anything gets done.
Basically, my job will be to find alot of information here in the States from the Senate, House, and various think tank organizations in town and boil it down to the hard facts and relevant parts for Q, the Prime Minister of Kurdistan, and President Jalal Talabani (pictured below). I'll be either reading things online and writing about it, or going to these events, some of which are on the Hill (yay) and then writing about it. I'm very excited about it, because the work is interesting and relevant to the world and as a history/govt major, I have the tendency to elaborate to fill space in papers, and if I have to keep it to 1 page, then I'll learn how to write better info with fewer words. I am also going to be working on building a database of US Senators and Representatives that have worked on legislation or made statements in support of Kurdistan so we can approach them about the recently formed Kurdish Congressional Caucus and reference them in upcoming legislative work.
Everyone in the office is really cool, and half of them are going to Kurdistan on delegation this week, so I will be working on my own alot of the time. SnaKKer delivers results. They all sing alot, all day, in Kurdi, and will often sing and staple papers in rhythm together. Epic. Around 3 PM Najat will bust out a Kurdi guitar and play and sing, it's pretty cool.
Friday night I decided to go to Union Station, explore a bit, and see The Happening. I discovered that I am apparently terrible at finding the actual train part of Union Station, but concurrently very good at not finding the train part. Half full. My blind loyalty to M. Night cost me another $8, The Happening was a mess. So much potential, thrown to the wind (plot joke lol).
Saturday was pretty good, except for my feet. I left home around 1 and walked and walked and walked. At first I didn't plan on going to the Smithsonians, but after walking all the way down 2nd and Independence, with no lunch in my stomach and the sun high in the sky, I dived into Air and Space, which (un)fortunately had a McDonalds. See album for more about that, but it was fun being there again. I liked coming to DC with my family, but there's much less dissension when it is just me making decisions.
As I was walking down to the Washington Monument, I was overcome by a wave of fear that I had not yet come to terms with. When I came to DC, my chances of being involved in a zombie attack went through the roof. So many top scientists in DC trying to get federal funding - what if their experiments go wrong? What if a foreign power creates a zombie weapon, where else would they release it? DC is both a very safe and very dangerous place to defend from zombies. Obviously there are alot of police around, but they are going to be primarily concerned with the safety of the government and the president. They are going to be heavily concentrated downtown, but that is also where the most tourists/zombies would be. It's a tough call. I'll share more as I figure it out.
Anyway, saw Washington, got to see the World War 2 Memorial for the first time. That was pretty cool, alot of people don't like it, but I thought it was alright. Had a close scare with a ton of black swan things... I don't want to talk about it. Went to Vietnam and as I was leaving it started to rain, so I booked it over to Natural Science to explore in there for a while. By the time I left, the rain was stopped, so I headed home.
Josh has a PS3. One of the most anticipated games ever, Metal Gear Solid 4, just came out last week, so I figured God had given me a way to play an awesome game. I found the nearest Blockbuster and started walking there after leaving Natural Science. Turns out it was 10 blocks past my house, and these blocks kept getting longer and longer. It was rough, but after playing some of the game, it was worth it.
I went to Capital Hill Baptist for church on Sunday, and it was really cool. I'm so used to Austin Stone that it was interesting singing old hymns again, but the message started out with a Lost analogy, so I was fine. Since I don't know anyone up here, one of my biggest prayers was that God would bring me some good friends, and so he brought lots of people up to me after church and I ended up going to lunch with them. It was really good. God has provided so much for me before and during this trip, I can't believe I ever doubt that he is going to come through for me. Anyway, there is a college/intern bible study on Tuesday nights, so I am excited about that.
Went to the corner store to get some basic foods... everything is freaking expensive. I mean, you've gotta be rich or crazy to live here, because $4.50 for gas, $7 for Big Macs, and $5 for M&Ms is ludicrous.
I found out that I don't have to be at work until 9 every day, so I got to sleep in a bit more today and got to work around 8:45. I listened to a podcast from a think tank event this weekend and wrote up my first report, so that was really cool. One of the main Senate committees we focus on is obviously the Foreign Affairs one, on which as certain Senator Obama sits, so I am very hopeful that I will be able to go to one of those and that he will actually show up. The more important that it is the more likely it is that he will be there, but also the less likely that I will be able to get in. Tough.
There's a Potbelly's down the street, and they have the same prices here as they do in Austin. Sigh, finally, something familiar.
One of my favorite parts of working here so far is that I can sit alone in my office for a couple hours working, then run down the stairs and I am in this honking, yelling, saxophone madhouse. It's so different from Austin, and I think it's good that I am getting the real city experience. The street vendors everywhere are super cool and have the best prices ever, so I hop down there for chocolate milk and root beer.
Tonight I am having dinner with a family that might be able to have me live with them until August. I'd get a real bed, too. So hopefully that will work out.
Oh yeah, and I saw a girl with a UT shirt earlier and was happy. I'm not alone!
East side one love.
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| Well I'm here. I fell asleep trying to write this, so we'll see how this goes.
I was behind from the get-go, when my dad woke me up at 4 AM and I went
right back to sleep. We got to the airport around 5:45, and that was
BARELY enough time. The security lines at 6 AM were all doubled back,
with thousands of frustrated people standing around worrying. While I
got my boarding pass, Dad thought ahead and got in line, and if he
hadn't, I would not have made it. It took forever for me to get
through, because I was dumb and the xray couldn't see through my
microphone case so they had to take my backpack apart to inspect. I ran
to Gate 7 and they shut the door right behind me. Sat in the very last
row, which was pretty loud, but I had a well-charged iPod and plenty of
Nas and Jay-Z to listen to. I realized as I took off that I had not
been on a plane since the last time I went to DC, and I had not been on
a plane since Lost has been on, so that was cause for concern, but
everything was fine.
Got into Baltimore on time, grabbed my bags, and just barely caught the
B30 bus out to the Metro. I called Josh to get directions to his house,
and began what will be a multi-week learning experience about the way
DC is organized. He told me he lived on 6th Street NE, and
unfortunately I wasted 30 minutes with all my bags on the wrong 6th
Street. I might explain how it all works, but I don't really know that
well myself, and I am having trouble naturally finding north after all
this Metro and walking so it will take a while for me to figure it out.
I ended up at Union Station and finally wandered to the apartment and
met Josh. He's really cool, getting married to a girl named Lindsey who
went to A&M (whoop?) in July so I am taking one for the team and
helping him adjust to living with someone, or something. I hope we can
connect more the longer I am here, because at this point I don't know
how well our personalities are going to work, so we'll see. Made me
very grateful for how well I get alot with my housemates.
Anyway, after I got settled in, I decided to just walk around
indefinitely and see the city. See my Facebook album for that show, it
was very interesting. It was amazingly difficult to find someone to eat
dinner, I try putting food off until I am able to enjoy it, for some
reason, so I was really hungry for a long time, and finally cracked
when I found a Burger King. I found my office, and there is a Metro
stop RIGHT next door, and I didn't realize that, so that is a blessing.
My apartment is a little farther than I thought, but it will work just
fine. I'm about 4 blocks from Union and can take the metro for 3-4
stops over. Bright and early tomorrow morning, professional Nathan
makes his world premiere.
Oh, I took SkyMall from the plane, expect an epic post about that at some point, because it was really funny.
One thing I noticed was the wild packs of interns roaming the streets
like wolves or Jets or something. They walk 3-4 across on the sidewalk
and laugh alot, but their individual confidence is amplified
expontially with each like-minded person they are with. They are a
social wave coming to engulf my single engine motorboat, laden with my
bags. Once I got rid of the bags I felt better, but I was still in
street clothes so I was vulnerable, but tomorrow the sheep will put on
wolves' clothing and ride the metro and buy Starbucks and read the Post
just like them and all will be good.
I am back home now trying to figure out how to watch the NBA game, and
I am really tired, and I am kinda homesick and I didn't expect that. I
mentally make myself an island when I need to be, but I am naturally a
people person who needs to be around people I like, and I don't know
anyone here yet, so I'm not quite comfortable.
Also, I don't know Josh's opinion on hip-hop, so I might be in a
listening/writing phase until I find another place to live, then I'll
have to catch up on my recording. DJ SnaKK has a timetable for this
stuff.
A list of some things I want to do/see in DC:
International Spy Museum
Nationals vs. Astros July 11-13
Smithsonian
Library of Congress
Rock The Bells Tour July 27th
Go into the Senate for a real reason, not a tour
Crime and Punishment Museum
World War 2 Memorial
Take a picture of the 'This Old House'... house
Meet three important people
Be a pack of an intern pack
I'll be adding to that.
Today was a good day.
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