He's baaaack!!! Oh, and so is she.

Since my last "Maverick" posting, many of you have sent me requests for John McCain's autograph, a stitch of his clothing, or a strand of his ever-thinning hair. I have regrettably been unable to fulfill these petitions, and for that I apologize. I can, however, provide you with another story.

Well, it's really not much of a story, but today I and another intern were on our way to the House of Representatives (or "the HOR" as some like to call it) and got into the little subway cars that they have underneath the Capitol. Well, we were just about to leave, and wouldn't you know it? John McCain must have missed me, so he came and sat in the subway car next to me! We didn't have a conversation like last time, but at this point in our relationship we don't need to talk much. We understand each other by simply turning our backs to each other. See?

A little blurry, I know. But you get the idea. That green lump in the bottom left corner is my shoulder.

Yep. Me and Johnny are getting pretty chummy out here. Let me know if you want him to invade something. I'm pretty sure it won't take much convincing.

Okay, I should now explain the "she's back" remark.

Celeste O'Tela Britt Olsen, the girl of my dreams and the future mother of my adorable children (tentatively named Boulder, Blitz, Raider, Rifle, and Mordecai, just in case you were wondering), made it safely to DC this week. As some of you may know, I had to come out 2 weeks before her to start my internship while she tied up all the loose ends at her work in Hyrum. Well, those two weeks were long and painful, and I found myself on more than one occasion referring to my co-workers as "dear" or "baby doll" in a spat of wishful thinking. But now she's here, and the two of us are as happy as ever. We've been hitting the town, seeing the sights, and loving every minute together.

We gotta soak it up while we can, because it's just a couple more weeks before we head to Chicago for our training and North Carolina for our official teaching assignments. We're gonna live it up this summer, believe me. In fact, just to prove it, I'm gonna go get some popcorn.

The University of Virginia and Monticello

In his last days, after serving as Ambassador to France, Delegate and Governor of Virginia, President of the United States, and Secretary of the State, Thomas Jefferson undertook what he saw as his most prized achievement: the founding of an American university: the University of Virginia. Yesterday I ventured there with a new-found friend of mine, and was not disappointed. While the university has grown substantially, it's original layout and architecture designed by Thomas Jefferson himself has remained completely intact.

The University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia (about 2 hours southwest of DC), a quaint little town comparable to Logan in that its entire economy and infrastructure is based on the university. Charlottesville is also the location of the famous Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's estate. This, my friends, is a sight to behold. The grounds are amazing, the home intact, and the garden sprawls over the length of a football field (Grandpa Jack, it's the only garden that compares to yours).

The garden

Walking around at Monticello really gives you that cliche sensation of "walking back into history". Thomas Jefferson was such an interesting character, and was a brilliant mind in any day. He was an avid farmer, architect, and was the first and only president to ever patent an invention - a farming tool. And after all of his life accomplishments, he only wanted to be remembered for 3 things, all of which he had engraved on to his headstone.

Author of the Declaration of Independance,
the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (helped lead to the religious revival spoken of by Joseph Smith),
and the Father of the University of Virginia.

Maverickin' it up with the ol' Maverick

So today I and a few other interns had business at a House of Rep. committee hearing. To get there, we took this cool underground subway system they have designed exclusively for Capitol Hill. All the cool people use it, trust me. Anyway, a train was about to leave, so we all started running to catch it.

Well, in my haste, I became separated from my colleagues, and jumped into the car next to them that was far less crowded (each car can hold about 6 people). The doors of the subway closed behind me just as I dashed into the car and took my place standing next to an old man who was talking to a couple of staffers (don't let the rhetoric fool you. 'Staffer' is just the fancy political word for 'brown-nosing employee').

In an instant, I knew why my car was less crowded than the rest. Senators usually ride alone (or close to it), and the cute old man that I had just stood next to was none other than The Original Maverick: John McCain.

At first I didn't know what to do, and felt very awkward and foolish for invading the senator's privacy. I was put at ease, however, when the gentlemen carried on in their conversation as if I wasn't there.

Pheww!

As the train hummed along to its destination, I stood my ground with a slight grin on my face. You see, I had said some pretty bad things about Mr. Maverick when he had been campaigning for the presidency. Who knows, I may have even threatened the poor old man. In either case, there we were, me and Johnny B. Good.

He was talking to his staffers about Arizona (a good topic for him), and without even thinking about it, I chimed into the conversation.

Me: You know, Senator, I was recently accepted to the University of Arizona's law school (a small lie. I was actually waitlisted at UA and removed my name from consideration before they issued a final decision. That said, I was never rejected from UA, but I really didn't want to explain all that to John so I just lied, okay? Boy, I really hope he doesn't read this blog.)

John McCain: Really? That's fantastic!

(Cue John reaching out his broken right arm in a handshaking gesture.)

(Cue me returning the gesture, locking hands with the man, and smiling politely as our hands moved up and down 2 times.)

John McCain: Arizona is a great state to live in but we've been hit hard and the housing market blah, blah, blah...

The subway soon came to a stop, and my magical Maverick moment came to an end. But just for the record, I still haven't washed my hand.

McCain 2012!!!

My Big Day in D.C.

Why tell a story with words when you can tell it in pictures?

Featured below is a makeshift slideshow of my first day at work on Capitol Hill. Overall, it was a great day and I learned a lot. I talked to a lot of constituents (only 10% of which were mildly insane), learned the ropes of the Senator's office, and worked the mail room like no tomorrow.

Enjoy.


This is a car that my host is letting me borrow. I drive it to the metro station and then commute from there. Not bad, eh??


A shot of the Capitol Building in the morning. Literally a stone's throw from us.

My place of employment.

My stupid excited face as I approach the office.

The man, the myth, the legend.

The Capitol's rotunda.

Original Kennedy family photograph. The office is full of this kind of priceless memorabilia.

My sweet security clearance card. Check me out! I've got a badge!

The white marble, elitist toilet.

On my way home.

It might as well say, "candy store."

Just walking to the metro.

Last stop before home.


I love you all,

Jackson

Uncle Terryisms

I've got a crazy uncle. Not crazy in the way that requires medications or straitjackets, but just crazy in the way he views the world and other people. Don't get me wrong - I love the guy. He's an old cowboy, born and raised in Cache Valley with no intention to leave. He's a chain-smokin' rodeo ropin' champion, and can put "knots on your head faster than you can rub 'em," as he would say.

I just spent the last three days with he and his wife Maxine (who, by the way, is a saint just for putting up with that old son of a gun) on a fishing trip out in the middle-of-nowhere Wyoming. I got there late Monday night, and it only took me about an hour of talking to him before I realized that I needed to jot down some of his memorable quotes, which I now call "Uncle Terryisms". So I did, and I've brought them home for everyone to enjoy.

Now, keep in mind that some walk that fine line of profane and humorous, but you've just got to remember where they're coming from, that ole' dirty bugger.


(Read in a cowboy tone: raspy, drawled, and serious as hell)

1. "Jackson, I can guaran-damn-tee it!"

2. "What the God?!"

3. "Yeah, China's nice, but it's hotter than a $2 pistol over there."

4. "You can pick your nose and you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your relatives."

5. "I don't buy that shit about secondhand smoke."

6. Terry: Richmond is getting too big for me.
Jackson: Really?
Terry: Yeah. It's got a stop light now.

7. "Hallelujah, praise the Lord and pass the chicken!"

8. "That Al Gore's a lyin' sonuvabitch."

This is as close as I could get to him with a camera - seriously.

Just when you think you've got it figured out...

Life is full of surprises.

We've learned this lesson over the last month or so better than at any other time in our lives. Just when we thought we had our 5-year plan nailed down, and our future for the most part mapped out, strange and unexpected paths presented themselves before us, and we found ourselves navigating through the uncertainty of the future - a future filled with potential and possibility.

As most of you know, Celeste and I have been preparing to graduate in the Spring of 2009 and promptly begin the rigorous 3-year law school experience that same fall. I took the LSAT, began applying to schools, and made plans to move shortly after graduation. However, at the same time that all this was happening, I was approached by and met with the national recruitment director for a program called Teach For America. (Teach For America is a division of Americorps, and is a program dedicated to education equality. They take the very best recent college graduates - with many of their members coming from Yale, Harvard, Georgetown, Stanford, MIT, etc. - and put them in some of the worst public schools in the country, complete with low graduation rates, high volume of students living in poverty, and a host of students who simply don't consider education as an option for the future. The idea is to let these fired-up college grads really roll up their sleeves and work with kids both in and outside the classroom to help them succeed. You should really learn more about the program. It's freaking awesome: www.teachforamerica.org.)

So, back to law school: after several months of grueling anxiety and anticipation, I finally started hearing back from law schools. In general, the response wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. I got accepted outright to two very good schools, and was waitlisted at 5 others. However, for some reason, my options just weren't singing to me. It was around this same time that I decided to apply to Teach For America, just as a backup plan with little intention of actually doing it. Celeste applied, too, and thought the same of it - a nice program, but not for us.

Well, long story short, we were both accepted into the program (which was competitive enough as it was, not to mention how many more applications they got this year because of the economy). And not only that, we got placed into a region that we were really hoping for (North Carolina), and we were offered teaching positions in subjects that we both love (History and Spanish). So, after much thought, prayer, fasting, deliberation and debate, we've decided to take the plunge. We're going to be school teachers for the next two years!

Now, some of you may be wondering about law school. Well, that's the beauty of this whole arrangement. See, Teach For America has been around long enough that they've created lasting partnerships with all of the top law schools in the country so that it's actually very advantageous for me to do Teach For America, and will allow me to get into better schools. Not only will we save a little money to pay for law school, but law schools offer special scholarships, endowments, and other benefits that are only available to Teach For America alumni. In fact (just to give you a little perspective on how much law schools value the Teach For America experience) every single law school application that I filled out this year asked if I had done Teach For America, and if I had, there was a special section to fill out on their application. It's weighted similarly to military service for crying out loud!

So anyway, Celeste and I will be in Chicago from June 21-July 25 to get our teaching certificates, then we'll move to North Carolina (Raleigh/Durham area) in early August. We'll be living 4 hours away from Washinton D.C, 3 hours away from my mission in S.C., and only an hour away from the beautiful beaches of the Southern Atlantic. And the great news is that I still get to do the Ted Kennedy internship in D.C. I fly out on May 15th, and Celeste will follow me out there after a few weeks.

So, just when you think you've got it figured out, fate sends you off on a new adventure, unexpected blessings fall at your feet, and heaven smiles.

A Crazy Week

So this week was a little crazy. Jackson became something of a local celebrity when his efforts to reduce the budget cuts on higher education caught the attention of the local and state-wide media. He appeared in interviews for Good Morning Utah, ABC 4, KSL 5, and FOX 13. He planned and organized a student rally at the State Capitol that made it to the front page of nearly every newspaper in Utah, including the Salt Lake Tribune. I'm so proud of him!
I've attached some links and videos at the bottom so you can learn more about it.

Other than that, things are going great. We've heard back from The Catholic University of America (the law school we applied to in Washington, DC) and got some okay news - not great news. Jackson got wait-listed, which means that there's still a decent chance he'll get in, but it's not guaranteed. We'll keep you posted.

Love you all!

FOX 13: http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-students-protest-heavy-cuts-to-education,0,7642977.story

KSL 5: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=5457973 and http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=122071540300&h=t5C_R&u=rd_kH

SL Tribune: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11593459?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

Deseret News: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705281423,00.html