Well after this week, I can honestly say that this will not be a short journal entry. Last Sunday I had the opportunity to go deep sea fishing with the former CFO of the House, John Lawler, and Mr. Turch. I also brought Eddie and Mary along to partake in the experience. Mr. Turch arrived at the house around 4:30 on Saturday, and we made our way to Sandy Point, VA, Mr. Lawler's home.
The next morning, we were up by 4am and ready to make our way to the marina to begin our full day of fishing. Mr. Turch had informed me that it's rare that they ever catch large fish when they are out on the Chesapeake Bay, but it happens from time to time. Not having a clue what to expect from this experience, I decided it would probably be a long day in the boat with not much excitement. However, I love being on the water so I was not complaining!
After being out for about 3 hours, we were trolling when both my line and Eddie's went down. There was so much commotion on the boat that I had no idea what to do, so I grabbed the nearest line and started to do what I thought was the best way to reel in what I thought was probably a boot or some other debris. I found out very quickly, from Mr. Turch, that I was reeling this "thing" into the boat by the most difficult means possible. After I was instructed on the best way to reel the "thing" into the boat, it was much easier to say the least.
And then I saw the biggest fish ever at the crest of the wave right in front of the boat, all I could think was, "O shit, this is where it ends!" I thought that I would certainly be pulled over, but I just kept reeling more and more line back to the boat. After what seemed like an hour, I had finally reeled a 40lb red drum to the boat. Mr. Lawler came over to my side of the boat with the net, and in his excitement, grabbed my line. When Mr. Lawler grabbed the line, it snapped in half and the fish swam away as fast as it could.
Mr. Lawler felt extremely bad about what he did. However, I was in awe of the fact that my chicken arms were able to reel a 40 lb fish to the boat. I know consider that a lifetime achievement for me.
When I returned to the office on Monday, I knew I had quite a few tasks to complete. Mr. Turch had given me the task of setting up a meeting for him. I took on this task with great pride because it was one of the first more important tasks he has given me. Everything went as planned with the calling. Some people were easier to contact than others, but by the next day, everyone that was supposed to be at the meeting was there. Mr. Turch informed me I had done a great job, and hopefully, that means I will be doing a little more for him in the future.
A second task that I had to complete this week was to attend Barbara Boxer's press conference on the transportation and reauthorization bill. She spoke of the House needing to get its act together and pass this completely bipartisan bill that is being prevented from being passed by a few House Republicans. The bill passed with 74 votes in favor in the House, and I find myself getting angry with the fact that the House will not pass a bill that will create 3 million jobs domestically. It really does not make sense!
Once the news conference was over, I made my way back to the office to finish some of the preparation for the Monocle event on Thursday and the "Cottage" event on Friday. Everything went smoothly with those preparations as well. On Thursday, the Monocle reception went well. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and I broadened my network here in D.C. Mr. Turch also had me give a short speech to introduce the student speakers, which I though went quite well.
By Friday, I was just ready for the weekend. This week had been so busy, and all I wanted to do was sleep. However, the event at Mr. Turch's home was that evening, and I could not wait to meet more of his friends. The event at his home went extremely well. Only one minor incident with the breaking of a wine glass, but everyone seemed to be having a delightful time. I was also put in charge of giving tours of Mr. Turch and Meridel's artwork throughout the home. I had heard they were collectors of many artworks, but I was not expecting a life-size horse called, "Brandon Spectrum's Nightmare", to be encompassing an entire bedroom! It was definitely one of the most interesting pieces of their collection.
All in all this week went by very quickly with a few minor hiccups. It was great that I was able to meet so many great people and broaden my network. I also now have a piece of writing for my portfolio. I had written a memo on the Boxer press conference, and Kevin will be putting it in the David Turch and Associates newsletter. Needless to say, I feel very accomplished after this week
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