One month in (or more accurately, out)

When the Pandemic happened, there was a question at work about how long it would last and what we would need to take home with us (aside from our laptops).  I was naive at the time, thinking that we would be back in six weeks and probably left a lot of stuff that i missed (particularly shoes).

So when the current shutdown was announced, my coworkers and I were opining on how long we thought it would last and what could be safely left behind. There was a clear divide between people thinking this would be essentially a long weekend and those that thought we would be gone for a while. And while I tended to fall in the latter category (I definitely brought home shoes and candy), I really didn't think it would last this long.

As an intermittent excepted person, I assumed that I would be out for the long haul, but shockingly, there actually was a statistical issue regarding employee benefits involving human life or property, and so I was called into the office for a few hours 28 days after I was I was told to leave.

It was quiet at the Department of Labor. Most of the workers deemed essential are allowed to work remotely during the shutdown so there was only a skeleton crew in the office. This also meant that most of the entrances are closed and it took me four attempts to get inside the building. Once there, I spent a few hours working and also catching up with my boss, who was scheduled to retire the end of the month, but has extended his tenure until the end of the year in the hopes that we'll have reopened and transitioned back to regular days by then.

We shall see...

A Return to Hawking

Last year we attended our inaugural St. Marys' Hawktoberfest, and while overall we had a great time, we felt that for our second outing, some adjustments should be made. For instance, given Owen, as President of SMCM's Softball Club is in an active feud with the varsity baseball coach, maybe we should skip the varsity vs alumni baseball game. Since Noa gets seasick and hated the river cruise last year, suppose we don't go on it. And in response to both children being horrified by the annual crab boil and resulting in Allen eating 12 crabs (both his and Owen's servings – we knew enough to opt for the vegetarian option for Noa) in record time while the kids waited outside the dinner tent before we had to head back to DC to make a Billy Bragg concert that night, we opted for take-out and an extra night in Ridge, MD.

But the two things we insisted on were renting a house on the water (though this year we went to the the other side of the peninsula for the bay and sound instead of the river) and making sure that all of us made it to the Great Bamboo Race (Noa opted for a nap last year) and even invited the Telfair-Chas to join us since Gabriel was back for his fall break.

We headed down to St. Mary's Thursday night after Noa's fall conference (they're doing great) and Owen's softball practice (eight members showed), checked into the house and made dinner. Afterwards, Noa and I crashed while Allen and Owen enjoyed both National League and American League Championship Series playoff games. Owen woke up early Friday morning to drive back to campus for his French class while Noa slept, Allen had a call, and I enjoyed kayaking in the sound. Once Owen returned and Noa eventually woke up, we picked up lunch, played games for a bit, had nap time, and picked up our official Hawktoberfest welcome package followed by a quick stop at the Dollar Store for provisions (the local grocery store for Ridge). When we returned, the kids opted to play catch while Allen and I decided to go explore the beach so that Allen could scout out locations for this year's Holiday card. As light started to change, we headed back to change into our approved outfits and started corralling the children for pictures. It didn't go well, culminating in Noa slipping while climbing on some rocks and soaking their shoe and pants. After a break which involved drying their shoes and them changing pants, we were eventually able to snap a lovely family portrait during sunset before heading to dinner, where Allen and Owen watched more playoff games on their phone.

The next morning, Allen and I got up earlyish to do some more exploring in the sound before returning to the house to enjoy a pancake breakfast having successfully procured syrup from the Dollar Store the day before followed by some more games and some napping while we waited for the Telfair-Chas to arrive. After they got there, we showed Steve and Megan the disappearing shoreline at high tide while Owen and Gabriel explored the road and Noa continued to nap. Once they awoke, we head to campus where we toured Owen's dorm room and headed to the river to inspect the race's entries, and partake in funnel cake and other snacks as the heats started. This year, there were only enough seaworthy vessels for two heats and only four boats made it past the start line for the first one (one of which sunk halfway on the course) and only three boats made it for the second heat which meant they all made it to the finals and no rowers were hurt in the races.

Afterwards, we stopped for takeout (and wine!) and headed back to the house to hang out for a few hours before the Telfair-Chas headed back to DC and we crashed. The next morning, we packed up the house, took one more picture on the beach and then said goodbye to Owen until Thanksgiving as he headed to school and the rest of headed back to DC.

(To see all of this year's Hawktoberfest pictures, click here.)

Damn, Yankees

When you come from a family that loves baseball and musicals, and the greatest lover of said game has a fall break when the local theater helms a revivals of Damn Yankees, you immediately buy tickets (well, after you explain to any family member that might have confused the musical with 1776 that it doesn't involve the Continental Congress). And while ideally you would have bought tickets when the youngest member of said family didn't have the PSATs, well, as the Yankees find out, you can't win them all!

Shutdown

The betting markets were correct: Congress was unable to reach a budget deal (or a CR) and so on October 1st the government shutdown. As the head of a non-enforcement office, I was deemed "intermittent excepted" which means i am non-essential unless there's a research or statistical issue in the employee benefits space involving human life or property that only I can solve. Which is to say, I'm probably home for the duration. Given that the Speaker is refusing to even let the House meet and the the Senate is continuing to debate whether we as a country want people's health insurance premiums to double, I'll probably be home for a while.

The last major shutdown Labor was funded while EPA was not, which resulted in a rather extensive home renovation project. The one before that, we were both off and so at least we had company. Since Allen moved to the pseudo-private sector (which means he's currently funded but given the government is one of their major funders, he only has a few weeks before he has to start furloughing staff), I'm alone this go round and have spent my time catching up on doctor's appointment, cleaning our John's old files, making Good Will runs, and doing a lot of yoga.

It's a weird shutdown (which I can say with some authority, having been through a number of these now), in that there doesn't appear to be any negotiations happening and so it's not clear how long this will go on and what will be left if and when it does end. Which is frustrating, because I first moved to Washington thirty years ago because I really believed that government was the means to making the world a better place, and it's really hard to do that if it doesn't exist.

Homecoming 2025

The theme for Burke's Homecoming this year was neon, which meant a trip to a craft store, a trip to a fabric store, an order from Amazon, some late night sewing, a manicure, and a hair touch-up.  It also meant a pre-party which involved more manicures (this time for others), spaghetti, and a scenic drive to school which almost resulted in their being locked out (Burke doesn't allow entry after 8:30 pm and requires students stay until 10:00 pm). And while the DJ may have been lacking, a fun time was had by all.