#I am so sick of the legislature I could vomit

[torn--and--frayed]

Committee Amendments

“She’s a United States Senator, Josh, not a kindergartner.”

“After ten years in this town, you should know that’s a distinction without a difference.”

“I just want to say,” Josh says as he pushes open the door to Donna’s office, “I deserve some kind of a prize.”

“Josh.”

“I’m serious,” he continues, making his way to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, “this must be a new record for me. Out of here by,” he pauses to check his watch, “seven o’clock.”

“7:13 but okay.”

He exhales dramatically, “This must be what it feels like to have a normal job.”

“Hardly. But Josh—"

“C’mon let’s go,” he hikes up his bag and beckons her towards the door.  “I want to see what it feels like to leave this building while it’s still light out.”

“Josh.”

“What?” Josh turns to look at the desk where Donna is hunched at her computer screen and deflates instantly. “You’re still working.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Donna groans and buries her head in her hands, “Senator Stevens won’t take the amendments.”

“To 804?”

“Yes,” she mumbles, still hidden behind her palms.

“Isn’t that—”

“The First Lady’s first piece of legislation?” she questions, her head jerking up from behind her hands, “The legislation I have been frantically trying to keep from getting killed in Appropriations? Yes.”

“Well, what are the amendments?”

“We’re moving the program to a different chapter of the code," she grits, turning to glance at her computer screen. “And I’ve got the Education Committee consultants breathing down my neck telling me if we don’t take the amendments, the bill is dead. And I’m fine with the amendments, her Legislative Director is fine with the amendments, her Chief of Staff is fine with the amendments. So, I don’t understand why she just can’t be fine with the amendments!” she finishes harshly.

Donna lets her frustration stew for a moment, until she’s distracted by the sound of Josh clearing his throat, “What?”

“Nothing.” Josh shakes his head, trying, and failing, to hide his smirk.

“Seriously,” Donna eyes him critically, “why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing!” he laughs. “It’s just—I’m taking a mental picture of this moment.”

“A mental picture?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“To commemorate your first time getting jerked around by the U.S. Senate. It’s a rite of passage.”

“This isn’t funny.”

Josh tries to school his features, “Do you see me laughing?”

Donna groans again, this time sinking dejectedly into her office chair. “I hate Congress.”

“That’s the spirit,” Josh says brightly as he walks around her desk to stand behind her chair. “Just wait until someone double crosses you on a vote count.”

Donna stares up at him from her chair, “You know, I actually have whipped votes before, right? On account of the fact that I previously worked for you?”

“Ah,” Josh nods and begins to knead at the knots in Donna’s shoulders, “Yeah, but it’s different this time because you’re the boss.” He presses his lips to the crown of her head, “Am I wrong?”

“No,” she sighs.

“Now,” Josh pauses and rests his chin against the crook of her neck, “not that you asked, but can I offer you my professional opinion?”

“As long as it doesn’t involve a dead fish…”

“Don’t knock it until you try it,” he mumbles against her neck. “No, if I were you I would…”

“You would?” Donna prompts.

“Call her,” Josh shrugs.

“Call her?” Donna jerks away from him, the indignation evident in her voice. “That’s your advice? I’ve been on the phone with her five separate times today, Josh.”

“Hey!” Josh raises his hands in self-defense, “I’m telling you, as someone who has made a career out of wrangling members of Congress, all you need to do is call her.”

“I think you’re beginning to lose your edge.”

“Tell me,” Josh argues as he drops his bag and swings around her desk to sit in one of the visitor chairs, “on those five calls, how many times did her staff take the lead?”

“All of them.”

“Exactly,” he says leaning back in his chair triumphantly.

“Exactly, what?”

“She feels left out. It’s all moving fast, and she doesn’t understand her own bill. I’m telling you, that’s the problem.”

“She’s a United States Senator, Josh, not a kindergartner.”

If Josh was smug before, he was absolutely relishing it now. “After ten years in this town, you should know that’s a distinction without a difference.”

“She feels left out. Really?”

 “Really,” he smiles, “Now, as your mentor, here’s what you’re going to do.” He points at the phone on her desk, “You’re going to get on the phone, no aides, no consultants, and you’re going to go through each finding, each section, each paragraph—”

“The bill is like a hundred pages long!”

 “Each subparagraph,” Josh holds up his hand to stop her protests, “until she can’t possibly have any questions.”

 “Fine,” she says, her frustration dissipating. She takes the phone from its receiver and instructs her assistant to connect her to the Hill. “This could take a while,” she sighs, “Meet you at home?”

“Nah,” Josh exhales, slapping his hands against his thighs while he stands, I’ll wait in my office. I’ve got some emails to send anyway.”

“You’ll miss the sunset, or whatever it is you were going on about.”

 He brushes her off, picking up his backpack, “We’ll try again tomorrow. Come find me when you’re done?”

“Always,” she smiles as she watches him walk towards the door, “And Josh?” she calls, “Thanks.”

“Anytime. Now go get your amendments.”

#tww fic #josh x donna #my fic #I am so sick of the legislature I could vomit #tww #trying a different posting format with this one #I feel like my first couple fics performed really well for some unknown reason #I’ve reread them they are awful #and now I’m just working to recapture that glory

[ahnsael]

A Disneyland Paris commercial that became a Disney happy-cry.

I know a lot of people are questioning the reopening of some parks (particularly in Florida and California), and I get that. But I happy-cried to some videos from inside the Magic Kingdom earlier tonight, which were taken during a cast member preview day yesterday.

But while I’m not sure I’m ready to go to a theme park right now, I think I would be safer at Disneyland or Walt Disney World than I am inside an enclosed casino that makes a mask exemption for anyone with a lit cigarette. “Hey, let’s make it so the people MOST likely to cough aren’t wearing masks in here, where the HVAC will carry their cough droplets to everyone in the building!”

Still not sure what the future holds for the casino. Later today there will be a special session of the NV State Legislature to address the budget shortfall that our closures have caused (which leads me to believe that we will stay open because money talks). But I still don’t feel safe at work when I’m constantly having to tell people that they have to wear a mask, not a chin strap. And that being in possession of a beverage doesn’t exclude them from the rule (take the mask off to take a sip, but if not actively drinking PUT THE MASK BACK ON YOU SELFISH PRICKS).

And over the past couple of days, we’ve had two managers get sick. Don’t know whether it’s virus-related. One left yesterday after 30 minutes after a sudden vomiting spell (she said she woke up feeling fine, but had been burping a lot, and as I was handing her the keys to the casino she suddenly bolted to the restroom and we could hear her through the whole casino throwing up). She said it was probably something she ate, but...she called off again tonight.

And our assistant boss called in sick for yesterday.

So I’m worried that the virus could be taking a hold in the casino. But I don��t know that this is what it is. And other managers were talking WAY too loudly about it while the first manager I mentioned was puking, and guests were looking uneasy (then again, while I’m used to the Disney way of “keep it under wraps,” maybe it’s good to put a little fear into the same people who keep trying to shirk the mask rule).

Can I take this Tom Hanks interview and play it on repeat (with volume) throughout the casino and play it for my entire shift? (I know the answer is no, but...part of me really wants to).

#work things #Tom Hanks #Disneyland Paris #coronavirus #COVID-19