End of Week One

By request, I'm going to try to update this more often to keep everyone apprised of my D.C. life. If you want any juicy details, though, you'll have to talk to me since I can't post everything online.

Week One of work is over, and things are going well. I'm already much more comfortable with what's going on in Congress and find editing stories easier than it was on Day One. I've also gone through a lot of my "curriculum" -- learning software, etc. I know the basics of Web posting, but I still have to learn a bit more about the process of posting stories in five places and sending out alerts.

As it turns out, almost the entire copy desk is originally from the Midwest (Midwest including Ohio and Michigan). Everyone's really great and helpful.

Also, on my second day, we ran a file photo by Wayne Crosslin of the Post-Dispatch. So there are reminders of "home" everywhere. (And a couple of co-workers and I shared some buckets of Bud Light at the bar tonight ... but of course Bud Light is everywhere.)

The cats are settling in. They have already learned how to open one of my closets, so child safety locks might be needed again. For the most part, though, they haven't knocked too many things off shelves, so I consider that a victory. Their major problem right now is that they're shedding like crazy. I'm going to be vacuuming my couch on a daily basis for a while.