Mr. Calvin Goes to Washington

When I first got home from Europe (shoot, that's six months ago now), I applied for a job with the Foreign Service. There is/was a Consular Adjudicator position open in Brazil. The first leg of the application was six essays and an autobiographical statement. I passed that, and so I had a phone interview in Portuguese. I passed that, so they invited me to come to Washington, D.C. for two tests and an interview.

I can't tell you much (they swore me to secrecy), but I can tell you that I owned the interview. My final score, however, was .25 points below the cut-off, so I didn't make it onto the final list. Not gonna lie, it was a lot of fun to be walking around DC in a suit and getting clearance to enter government buildings. I kinda felt like James Bond.

So, I didn't get the job, but I stayed for the whole weekend and got to do quite a bit.

Took this on my way to the interview.

Obelisk.

The Washington Monument was closed.

It's cracked from the earthquake (which I felt in Boston).

Yes.

I could spend years at this monument and never get sick of it.

I went to check out the Washington, D.C. temple.

It's awesome.

Even the door decorations are awesome.

I got to see Sister Jones (the artist formerly known as Tiff).

She hasn't changed a bit.

I went to the National Gallery of Art.

I had been to Scotland's, England's, and France's National Galleries.

I guess it was time to go to ours.

This and the next few pics are from Thomas Cole's series called "The Voyage of Life".

"Birth" is above.

"Youth"

"Manhood"

"Old Age"

"Take Your Choice" by John Frederick Peto

"Right and Left" by Winslow Homer.

I love the way the hunter changes the perspective of the title.

Phenomenal.

I took random pictures of the Mall.

The one and only Brad Meehan.

He put me up.

He entertained me.

He introduced me to beautiful women.

He is the coolest person alive.

We showed modern art what we think of it.

We took pictures in front of cannons.

It's a tradition I'm not going to explain here.

Brad's not as in to art as he'd like to be, so we I suggested the National Gallery of Art.

"Houses of Parliament" by Monet.

"The Dead Toreador" by Manet.

"The Northern Whale Fishery: The 'Swan' and 'Isabella'" by John Ward of Hull.

"Daniel in the Lions Den" by my boy Peter Paul Rubens.

I love the immensity of his paintings.

That is a mean kitty.

Brad and I walked around the Capitol.

It's pretty.

Great place for some man talk.

If only my camera could capture sunsets like I want it to.

Gorgeous.

I have always loved Washington, D.C., and this trip did nothing but remind me of that fact.

I left with no job and seven poems.

Totally worth it.