This morning I met the staff at my new job. I wore the almost-Prada black suit and the dark gray shirt. No tie. I came into the city early to get the gang doughnuts from Doughnut Plant. An obvious bid to get them to like me. I got off the subway and had a half an hour to kill, and it was starting to rain. So I ducked into Starbucks and got a decaf latte. And then I sat and did the crossword puzzle for twenty minutes. Time to go! Into the building, juggling my umbrella, my latte, and my box of doughnuts. When I got on the elevator, I put the latte on the box of doughnuts, using the box as a sort of tray. And spilled the latte all over me. So much for making a striking first impression. My confidence--which a minute ago had been at record levels--was just crushed. I was all flummoxed.

The meeting went well. They're all really sweet and young. Most of them are just out of college. They all want raises. Bad news. This, of course, is a problem. Members of the State Legislature get a fixed amount of money to run their offices. It's all about how you divvy it up. Since there's been some absences, it might be possible to juggle the budget a little bit. We'll see. I mean, they're all probably making less than their age, living in studio apartments with six roommates. I know exactly what that's like.

And I start there on October 21st. I may ask El Senadador if I can take that week off and start the next week (and my second day on the job we'll all go out for my birthday!). Why why why did I let my Board chair guilt me out of my oritinal plans to leave on the Thursday before Columbus Day weekend? Oh well.

Sadly, it seems that all the good issues in the office are taken. What the hell does that mean? Staff are assigned various areas of the District, and are responsible for keeping happy constituents that call from that area. And, they also get issues. Here's a run-down of the issues...

Uniformed Services
Prisons
Civil Liberties and XXX establishments
Access for People with Disabilities
Health Care/Mental Health
Arts/Theaters/Libraries
Public Housing
Environment
Transportation
Domestic Partnership
Poverty/Public Assistance/Homelessness
Seniors
Juvenile Justice/Youth
Animals

When I worked for El Senadador before, my issues included HIV/AIDS, Access for the Disabled, Public Housing, Public Assistance, Loft Tenants, and the Environment. I fought to have all of those.

Here's what I'd like to have this time around.

Economic Development and Markets
Arts/Public Art/Theaters/Libraries
Animals
Transportation and PATH
Landmarks and Parks
Uniformed Services

Those are the issues where I think I could do some good work but still be on the same page with El Senadador politically. Here I am, working for one of the most liberal elected officials in the City (and, therefore, the world). And I'm so... uh... not liberal.

The Governor's race heating up could mean it's a whole new landscape. I mean, as a minority member of the State Senate, El Senadador is still totally kneecapped as far as getting anything done legislatively, but if there was a Democrat in the Governor's Mansion, that could raise his stature considerably.

This is why this new job is so exciting to me. Who knows what tomorrow brings? With the current job, the only real excitment comes when something really bad happens. Other than that, it's just paperasserie. But no. Battles, drama, crises. But, for the most part, the issues are abstract. Turf wars. Win or lose, nothing really changes. But it will be fun. And it looks like the people I'll be working with will be fun, and smart, and energetic. So it's all good.