Memories of a Frantic Last Night of the Session

Tonight is the last night of the session. It made me remember a night long ago in 2001, when as an intern for the Utah House I was running around the halls until midnight. Here's my favorite memory from those days:

It was, as I said, the last night of the session. It was a crazy frantic rush as I tried to keep my Representative updated on everything going on over in the Senate with her bills. I spent most of the night sprint-walking between the two chambers.

On one of those quick jaunts, I was walking along talking to an intern at my left. We were quickly speeding toward the House floor, and I was looking at him as we went. So there I was, walking, talking, and suddenly I run into someone. Not just a mere brush of the shoulders, but hard enough I fear I knocked the person to the floor. My momentum had carried me a few feet past by the time I stopped and looked back. There sprawled on the floor was the Governor Mike Leavitt being helped up by his entourage.

Honestly, what are the chances of taking out the governor! Especially with so many lobbyists choking the hall. I must admit, I didn't go back and apologize. I decided instead to fade into the crowd and keep my embarrassment to myself. (Which didn't work because the whole scene was witnessed by the other intern, who cheerfully shared the story with everyone that night)

A similar thing happened to a friend of mine when she was an intern in Washington D.C. Only she was hurrying out of the ladies room when she smacked the bathroom door into the face of an unsuspecting Sen. Hillary Clinton.