Only in Washington can you go get your hair done and overhear such tidbits like, “I knew him socially – I suppose his life is ruined now” or “why didn’t he just get a trophy twentysomething to dress up like a teenager?” Yes, everyone was abuzz over the latest scandal. I felt like I was in a 1930’s ‘women’s picture’ where the manicurists gleefully dispense the latest gossip as cattily as possible. Except this gossip was tinged with political savvy. Well, I was on K Street after all…

Sometimes the strange connectivity that we call “inside the beltway mentality” strikes me as part of the fun of living in Capital City. As Tom observed earlier, official Washington can seem like a “town of back rooms.” But living here also affords us, by virtue of proximity, a unique view on power – both its highs and pitfalls. Other times this proximity makes me want to hide under the blankets. Everyone is always discussing the news of the day in an insular and slightly manic way. It’s fascinating and revolting and inescapable – I can’t even get my hair colored without hearing the news parsed.

As my pixie cut got blonder and blonder (“Billy Idol’s little sister” someone whispered) the stares from the other salon clients intensified. There’s another facet of “inside the beltway mentality” for you – the inability to deal with anything remotely outside the cookie cutter norm. Then again, I was on K Street. The stares continued as I sauntered away down the Street of Lobbyists, heads rotating after me like Linda Blair.