Play ball

"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America is ruled by it like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again. Oh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."     -- Terence Mann, Field of Dreams

Day in the life of a legislative staffer

Scene: Fifth floor hallway of the Capitol. I was meeting with a group of constituents too large to fit in our office.

Constituent A: blah blah safety net blah blah redevelopment money blah

Nora: *nodding, taking notes, making sympathetic noises*

Constituent B: We know things are moving quickly with the vote coming up Thursday, and..."

Nora: I understand. And?

Constituent B: Do your shoes have whiskers on them?

Nora: Uh...

Constituent B: And are those ears?

Nora: Ah, well, yes, they are.

*Entire group is now staring at my feet.*

Constituent A: They're mice!

Nora: They are. They are mice. They were on sale. And seemed whimsical at the time.

Constituent C: They are whimsical.

Constituent D: I think I see their noses.