Are you glad you did?
Yes. There are basically three things that anyone can talk about with anyone else: the weather, sports, and politics. It's fun to be involved in one of those (and I am equally glad to talk about my fantasy football team, "The Ragin' Pundits," or today's weather if you want).
What does a typical "day on the job" consist of?
I work at a think tank, so basically, you arrive in the morning, sit at your desk and think powerful thoughts all day. Then, you go home and watch something on TV where you don't have to think (like Real World or Fox News) so that your brain can cool off.
Actually, the typical day is a mix of activities. I might be working on an article or book chapter, so depending on where I am in the process, part of it could be spent on research, writing, or editing. Our program might be hosting or organizing an event, such as a conference or a general coming to talk, so we might be working out the agenda or logistics. I might be giving a talk that day, be it to a university class or a group at the Pentagon, so that would involve preparing the lecture and/or giving it. A journalist might call and inquire on a news story, and so I might answer their questions, which usually involves at least 30 minutes of walking them through the nuances of something really complex, sometimes on background and sometimes on the record, which they then will try to boil down into a 5-second clip on TV or a sentence-long quote in the newspaper. Or, the 30 minutes might go to helping someone on the policy side, such as a congressional staffer, better understand an issue.
The two constants that run through every day are the need to stay on top of the news and issues in your particular field (so lots of reading) and dealing with e-mail. Lots and lots of e-mail.
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