Gridlock in Washington is usually caused by the Senate and its filibuster, which is easily available and difficult to override.
But compared to the House, lately, the Senate looks downright stately.
It renewed the Violence Against Women Act, along with a few updates to cover gays, lesbians, Native Americans and immigrants, before the House dropped the ball and let the bill expire, leaving agencies that provide social services to victims of domestic violence without funding for the foreseeable future.
It was Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell who begrudgingly worked with Vice President Joe Biden to hammer out a compromise on the fiscal cliff, and though no one was happy with the final result, it passed.
And while more than 60 House Republicans opposed $9.7 billion in flood relief aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy -- a small fraction of the $60 billion required to repair the hardest hit areas -- the Senate unanimously approved it.
Strange being the good guys for a change.
That might be short-lived, as the White House is expected to nominate former Republican senator Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense, a move that will likely result in a contentious fight among his old colleagues.
And the debt ceiling debate looms just a few months off. McConnell and his caucus won't back down on spending cuts, now that they've ended up raising taxes on billionaires.
But just like the House, the Senate has some new faces, including five new women. That brings the total female population of the Senate to 20, a record fifth of the chamber.
And one of those new faces is Elizabeth Warren, who will have some things to say about and financial deals.
She could be joined in the Massachusetts delegation by an old face from the other wing of the building -- Barney Frank.
Frank just retired from the House literally two days ago, but he wants to try his hand at being a senator for a few months so he can see this whole fiscal cliff deal through to the end.
Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick could appoint Frank as interim senator once John Kerry resigns to take up his post at the State Department, so that famous lisp could be echoing through the halls of a different chamber very soon.
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