Warning: Imported from old college This post was moved from an older website hosted on a college server. These have been unedited and contain many mistakes. But, whatever.
To those individuals, I answer (1) check my About page, and (2) I can’t beat the good old days of Milk Jug Minton, “Pantyhose & Tennis Balls” (a.k.a. foxtails), and other ways to have gym class in underfunded school districts. However, I will write more about adventures… which brings to mind the title for this week’s post. I recently met and interesting character at GAO: Omari Norman. I wrote a welcome article (for the NRE newsletter, but this is only my own personal musings and in no way is the opinion or representation from the GAO) about this interesting guy. For those who don’t understand the title, Omari’s office is on the seventh floor of the building, as is the Comptroller General, the boss of bosses at GAO. We all probably know what it’s like to work in any large organization where the supreme boss is worshipped and people will always listen to what he says. That’s a good thing in any organization because it means that you have a good organizational hierarchy, good leadership, and most importantly it’s something thatDilbert constantly pokes fun at. So, hopefully, you’ll get the joke… “God the Highest” Resides on the Seventh Floor Omari usually receives questions about his name, and the usual answer is “Swahili for God the Highest.” However, most of the time, Omari is the one doing the questioning. For example, Omari cannot read the law degree in his office. As one of the newest attorneys assigned to NRE, this news may cause alarm. Sure– Omari can pronounce “Collegium Georgiopolitanum” and the rest of the Latin script on his degree, but he has no idea what it means. If people ask him what his law degree says, he is forced sheepishly to pull out the translation sheet his law school provided. Although irksome to Omari, it is quite entertaining to hear him discuss his arcane degree. This small observation exemplifies the interesting way Omari looks at life and the audit support he provides NRE. He pays attention to detail, and in doing so, always finds something of interest. Sitting down for an afternoon interview with him, one would not know that he is a guy who likes to cook vegetarian meals (he’s not vegetarian though, he also cooks his mother’s fried chicken recipe) or that he has a website dedicated to the Infrastructure of the D.C. Metrorail called the Pipeshaft. “I don’t know all that much about the Metro, but I like to take pictures of it,” says Omari. “For instance, you’ll find Metro’s sidewalk grates all over town. Sometimes they provide ventilation for the tunnels, and at other grates there might be bits of electrical infrastructure underneath.” He has seen a grate near the White House, and he thinks there is an emergency evacuation stairway inside. On his computer appear the big words: The Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II grate. “This grate fascinates me because it is integrated into the WWII memorial.” This isn’t the World War II memorial on the Mall but, rather, a memorial that is near the Capitol on Louisiana Avenue. When you ask him about the cause of his interests, Omari gives a slight shrug. Perhaps D.C. public transportation fascinates him because he grew up in Denver, Colorado, a city that does not have an underground public transportation system. Or perhaps, he was destined for greatness (or godliness), as his name implies, and as such should know everything. He does reside on the seventh floor, right? Ask Omari about his mother’s intentions and he will reply jovially, “She got the name from a book of black baby names. My parents taught me perseverance, but they weren’t pushy. They let me pursue my interests.” For as long as he can remember, he has been interested in anything and everything. Peculiarly, he first learned about GAO through his curiosity. While a Boettcher Scholar majoring in Political Science at the University of Colorado, his interest was piqued when he happened upon some GAO reports. He spent an evening perusing reports on the GAO website. AtGeorgetown Law, he had the opportunity to intern in 2003, and he continued to work part-time until he started full-time at GAO in 2004. “Only while working for NRE would I learn about ’stream-gauging’ or Mexican power plants,” explains Omari. The work he does for GAO keeps up his interest in politics, but delights his curiosity. He’ll tell you that his goal is to just live life to its fullest and enjoy every moment like most human beings in the world. The difference though, is that Omari practices what he preaches, by attempting new things like trying to program a database that shows nutrition data from recipes. While working at a civil rights law firm before coming to GAO, he was fascinated by his work on “donning & doffing” labor cases, which involves people working in agribusiness settings who must spend long periods of time dressing up in their protective gear. By no means, are his interests limited; he likes oranges, cantaloupe, the movie: When Harry Met Sally, the weekly NRE Thursday lunch (of which he has a humorous first-time lunch story), and recommends people read the book: Confessions of a Tax Collector by Richard Yancey. So, if you have any questions about the law, Metro, or life’s details, does not hesitate to seek Omari. Perhaps, these adventures will suffice:
People come to this website and wonder two things: (1) Who is this guy?! (2) Adventures?! Are you kidding me? I’ve had more adventures with a jug of milk and a tennis ball.
Who’s Florence Sabin or Jack Swigert? And you call yourself a Coloradan…
Where’s Dave Chappelle? Newsweek answers…
In an effort to undercut the U.S. News and World Report, America’s Best Colleges… Newsweek now ranks America’s top high schools! I proudly say that Lakewood is 111th, but I’ll have to wait until Time comes out with America’s best middle schools.
Gay in the Heartland- NPR always just… gets it right.