A working girl works stops to breathe

This is the first second I've had to sit down all alone and not be technically working. Monday I left for a Department of Energy conference in Pittsburgh. I felt a little out of place, but still found plenty of people to talk with and plenty of things to do. At night I only had about 5 whole hours to sleep. Now I'm a wee bit worn out! But I think I learned a lot and got to interact with fascinating folks.

When we got back from Pittsburgh last night we had to go straight to the British ambassador's house on the embassy compound for a little party. Wow, it was super fancy! Too bad I was almost half asleep through it all. His house is like straight out of a Jane Austen movie. It looks like it was built in the 1800s, with about a million gorgeous rooms, a huge garden, and pictures of the Queen everywhere. There are butlers and official looking servants everywhere. There was even a lady to take your hand towel after you washed your hands in the bathroom.

When we first went in we glided up a red carpeted staircase and into a ballroom, where the ambassador and his wife--Sir Nigel Sheinwald and Lady Sheinwald--received the guests.

After the fancy party, I got home quite late. I had to still get some groceries, walk the dog in the dark, and make dinner so I could get some sleep. Then today I woke up at 6:15 a.m. like usual and headed to work. I got to go into D.C. by myself for one of the last times (there's only about 2 weeks left of my internship!) So I tried to savor the long bus ride, the colorful people, the crowded Metro, and fancy luncheon at the Chamber of Commerce. The speaker at the event was the president of Shell Oil Company. He didn't seem too thrilled about the current state of affairs in the U.S. That's a common theme these days--nobody is happy with the Obama administration and everyone is unhappy about the economy.

Here are some blurry pictures from this week:

Bright lights of Pittsburgh

At Sir Sheinwald's digs