There's something about a gray Washington day that makes me want to walk the streets aimlessly. An intense gloom sets over our capital that seems to affect everyone from the bums in the park to the three-piece suits sipping their starbucks. I like because it slows things down just enough to give people an extra second to think about where you're coming from and where you're going; not in terms of career or position, there are plenty of non-introspective days for that. These early winter days are like conversations with my ambition.
Hey man, how're you doing? You happy?
Yeah, I'm pretty happy, actually. But tired.

The cold keeps me sharp. The gray keeps me calm. Needless to say, Scotland will provide a healthy dose of both. I've been wondering how much I'll be tuned into the Hill while I'm gone. Sapple said I'm addicted to DC politics, and I'll never be able to stop reading the paper and surrounding myself with criticism and analysis. I'd like to think it's not the hypocrisy and corruption I'm addicted to, but the possibility of change and being a part of a coalition of progressives that's willing to fight day after day after day for the voiceless, for the tired. Through all the paradoxes and absurdity of the American process, the egalitarian framework remains. As TJ said: Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.

So enjoy these gray days, DC. And as always, work hard play hard.