Unsolicited Testimony

I’ve been reflecting on the week I’ve had, and it’s funny how what was supposed to be a stretch of relaxation turned into a bit of a wild ride.

Monday and Tuesday were good days. I slept in, walked the dogs, and went to the gym. Monday evening was the civic association meeting that I run, where I encouraged residents to sign up to volunteer for upcoming activities. On Tuesday, I went to another civic club meeting on the other side of the Super Neighborhood, which led to some interesting conversations.

Wednesday morning, I’d signed up to speak at the city council budget hearing. My main concern is how regressive the proposed fees are. My district has a median household income of about $52k a year, and a flat fee charged across the board falls much harder on low-income families.

On my way to the metro stop, I stumbled upon a goat just wandering around. If I hadn’t been headed to the hearing, I would have scooped it right up and taken it home. Who doesn’t want a little goat?

I made my statement at the city council meeting, then met with a few people in the mayor’s office about some railroad matters. I was also asked to do a few TV interviews about the budget hearing, so I did them. I don’t love doing TV interviews, but I do them anyway.

I got home pretty late and was tempted to take a nap, but I’d made a reservation for a sparkling wine tasting with friends and realized we should probably eat first. So we hit happy hour beforehand, which was so much fun, though we showed up to the wine tasting just a little too giggly.