Swing Dancing!

On Friday afternoon, I went to the first ISTP Reception, hosted by Secure World Foundation. It was really nice to see people again - Chloe, Vid, Matt, Steph Pals (who I haven't seen since before she left to study in Lebanon last semester), Ray Williamson (the professor I worked with last semester that now works for Secure World Foundation) and others. I met a few new people, too, though there weren't that many faces I didn't recognize.

In the evening, Jeff and I went to Glen Echo, an old amusement park, for swing dancing. We met up with Tim and Rachel there - they've gone to a few swing dances already, so they're getting pretty good. It started with an hour-long free lesson and then a few hours of dancing with a live band. It was really fun - by the end, Jeff and I had the basic steps and a few of the spins down pretty well.

I forgot to mention that one of the things I did on Thursday was attend a really interesting talk entitled: "The Russia-Georgia Conflict and the U.S.: How did we get here, and what leverage does the West have?" It had four very high-level speakers who had worked in past (and current) administrations, specifically with Russia and/or Georgia. They talked about the friendly relationship the U.S. and Georgia had over the years, and possible directions the presidential candidates might take in their relationship with Russia. One of the great things about living in DC is getting quick, professional insight into events like this.