I thought I was going on a date, but it quickly turned into an unpaid legislative strategy session. My date spent the entire time grilling me on how our office was whipping a particular vote, not even pretending to be interested in anything I said about my life outside the Capitol. It felt less like a date and more like a deposition with a rival staffer. The final straw was when he asked me to “pre-brief” him on my boss’s talking points for a hearing the next day. Needless to say, there was no second date. As they say, the odds are good but the goods sure are odd.
I once went on a date with an intern who kept checking her work phone every 30 seconds, terrified she’d miss a vote call. We weren’t even in session! This is why I make a point of not dating hill staff anymore.
My worst was a girl who asked what my GS level was within the first 10 minutes. Not what I did or anything about me, but my literal pay grade. I don’t think she even understood that Hill staff aren’t on the GS scale and I just told her it was “classified.”
I guess I was lucky when I met my girlfriend when we were both interns. We’ve gone from fetching coffee to running committee hearings. No one else on earth understands my work stress like she does. It’s the ultimate partnership.
I don’t do dates with staffers. It’s a nightmare.
My worst one was when he asked me if I could give him pointers for his hearing memo since my boss is the Chair of the Committee. I’m an LC so idk that anyway but the audacity!