Garbage Protection Services Group

Have you ever felt the following about taking out the garbage at night?

• nervous
• scared
• intimidated

It's perfectly normal to feel this way. There are real dangers in this world and it's okay to ask for help!

The Garbage Protection Services Group (GPSG) offers secure and reasonably priced ($10/semester, along with a $2 paperwork processing fee)* to help to dispose of your garbage. Our staff have been trained at the highest military and civilian training facilities in the world and have served in the streets of Mexico, Brazil and Southern Provo.

Our agents have nerves of steel, capable of taking on both man and beast

Some have served in various military roles.

Many of our operatives have spent time as double agents and can move freely among the villains of the universe.

Others have spent time in jail and are completely home among criminals.

So call today (1-781-452-4077) and feel safe as you dispose of your garbage!

*shipping and handling not included. AA batteries required and also not included

Presidents Day at Mount Vernon

Today I was able to spend President's Day at Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon was George Washington's home for much of his life and it now focuses on his accomplishments and legacy. It was also free today, which made it even more enjoyable. The mansion and houses were a lot of fun to see, but they also have a museum that had a lot of artifacts from George and Martha Washington's life. It's easy to see why the Washington's loved Mount Vernon; the view of the Potomac is amazing.

Members of the United States Army 3rd Infantry Regiment (the same group that guards the Tomb of the Unknowns) made up the Fife and Drum Corps that showed a demonstration in both combat and music of the 18th century. It also inspired me to buy a fife in the gift shop to try and achieve my goal of being able to join a Civil War/Revolutionary War reenacting group someday.

It was a fantastic way to enjoy President's Day, learning more and enjoying the legacy of General Washington.

The White House, Afghan Orchestras and Napoleon

The past two weeks have been a huge whirlwind of adventures.
I guess I never mentioned why I am here in Washington. I am an intern at the Library of Congress. I am working in a division that helps with the care of the books and I'm also working with some Portuguese materials which is exciting. I am enjoying the atmosphere and everyone I have met has been very helpful and friendly. Working in such a historic building with books and items that are living history makes every day exciting and very rewarding.

Last weekend I went on a tour of the White House. It was an amazing tour and to be able to see priceless works of art like the picture of George Washington that Dolly Madison saved during the British invasion of Washington in 1814 was wonderful. We also entered the room where Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy were laid in state after their assassinations. During the tour you can only see the East Wing and the two floors of the main house, but it was still so amazing to see what we could.

This past week I was able to go to one of the most sought after events in DC. A group from Afghanistan called the 'Afghan Youth Orchestra' is visiting the United States. They are all from the ages of 12-20 and many of them are orphans. They study at the Afghan National Music Institute where they also receive the equivalent of a high school education. The school has both boys and girls which was exciting to see them both perform. The school was opened in 2001, shortly after the US coalition drove the Taliban from Kabul. The music was absolutely amazing and beautiful. They played a combination of traditional Western instruments (violin, piano, clarinet) but also combined it with traditional Afghan instruments like the rubab, sitar sarod. The two combined was one of the best musical experiences I have ever heard. They ended with a version of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" that combined the music with the Afghan instruments. There were a lot of Afghan Americans who were there and they would wave Afghan flags during the applause after each number. 

Here is a video that has them performing

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/02/20132913315944254.html

Yesterday I went to the National Gallery of Art. It was very nice, but best of all I was able to see a painting by my favorite painter: Jacques-Louis David. He is a French Neo-classical artist who is most famous for his painting "Oath of the Horatii" and his paintings of Napoleon. I saw this painting 

Napoleon in his study

This DC experience has been this constant feeling of seeing things that I have heard and learned so much about, but to see them in person really drives home the importance of art, history, music and our shared culture as children of God.