A Very Sad Drive in to DC

We try to take the car out at least once a week so the battery holds up. Last week it was time to finally get some gas. We brought disposable gloves for that purpose and put the charge card in a baggie to sanitize when we got home. We haven’t been to DC since March - for good reason. As we drove down the GW Parkway, it wasn’t that “quiet” though certainly nothing like it typically is in the mid afternoon. Once we hit the city the traffic was non existent. The streets were wide open. The only activity was construction and the occasional pedestrian standing in line for groceries or carrying groceries on the way home. The new Eisenhower monument on Pennsylvania Avenue was supposed to open - but hasn’t. It felt like the government shutdowns, except everyone was wearing a mask. I’m sure the dreariness has a lot to do with the mental affect this pandemic is having on me. Our old neighborhood looked worn down and overgrown with unkempt foliage. No one was out - but at least the sun was. I’m glad we moved from Capitol Hill to northern Virginia last year. At least our home is so much more cheerier. I’m not sure when we will take our next ride in to town. All I know is I was glad to leave it. 

My Favorite OPM Signs - Closed!

It's really different working for the federal government. Every one tells you that before you start, and then you tell everyone that while you are there - especially if you have spent any time in the private sector. My thirty year health care career in Wisconsin did not prepare me for this career change. We had to get to work no matter the reason filling twenty-four hour a day, three shift, all year schedules. We had eight paid holidays. I was very happy to get on a Monday through Friday schedule without being on call or worry about weekend problems. And winter was no different than summer. Here in DC at this job there are more holidays, though working three days a week I no longer benefit from most of them because I am already off. I now have an app that informs us of government closures due to typically bad weather. It's a lot easier to use instead of calling. I love the closed red signage the best. Wouldn't you?