It's a winter wonderland out there

The first snow of the season has been falling off and on since two pm. I walked back from the metro and was awed by the quiet of it. There were few cars, fewer people, and a silent sprinkle of snowflakes. Tomorrow it will be muddy slush, and a headache in traffic, but it is soothing tonight.

I was coming home from the College Bound Taste of College Night. It's a chance for the partners to put on their old college clothes, for the students to learn about different schools, and for everyone to have a nice time celebrating the organization. The speaker at dinner was the new head of the DC Teachers Union, and I was amazed to listen as he spoke about the power of focus and discipline, and of being willing to follow your own path. We were sitting in a room covered with pictures of Gingrich, Dole, Bush, etc... and here was a union leader speaking to a roomful of yuppie liberals and underprivileged kids, and it worked. Working hard to get a good education is such a universal message that it could bring us all together. So, for one-time only, I have to give the Heritage Foundation props, for actually practicing compassionate conservatism.

Of course, mentoring played more than a small role in my passion essay for Columbia. Clearly, I'm well along the path to the dark side, praising the right, and getting more than mere joy from volunteer work.