What We Do

In this town, it seems that the question of what you "do" comes about two seconds into a conversation. Now, there are probably better questions (like "what is life-giving for you?"), but I'm resigned to having to field the 'do' question. I say resigned because after about 243 attempts at an answer, I still can't manage to give a good response. Part of the problem, of course, is that I'd like to give an answer that will elicit a response like, "wow, that sounds really interesting!" While I find my job really interesting and rewarding (most days), there are relatively few people in the world who would find it so (and most of them work in my building). Take for example one of the more high-profile things I work on, the FOMC Minutes. If you managed to read more than a paragraph or two just now, you probably work in my building and happened upon this blog.

But then there is the Mrs. When she mentions that she is an architect, people tend to say "wow, that sounds really interesting!" And, for good reason, the response is genuine.

This last weekend we stopped by one of the projects the Mrs. worked on for some time, Olson's Books in Crystal City. I'd heard a lot about it, but seeing it finished was fantastic. As we walked around anonymously, I felt like what an angel walking around Yosemite with God must feel. I wanted to grab people and say, "how about singing some praises to the creator of this joint you're enjoying before I smite your ass!" OK, so maybe an angel wouldn't say that, but you get the point. I managed to keep myself in check for the whole visit, absent the snapshot below that I subtley took while browsing a book.

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