End of the Shutdown

On December 21, 2018, the federal government ran out of money to fund a portion of the government and approximately 800,000 federal workers were furloughed on Wednesday December 26, 2018 and the government shut down.  The President of the United States demanded money for a southern border wall, which was (and is) unneeded and wasteful.  Both houses Congress passed an appropriations bill, which the President refused to sign and the shutdown continued.

Finally 35 days later - as airports began to experience ground stops and flight delays (TSA workers were forced to work without pay), the President capitulated and reopened the government. A three week continuing resolution was signed; back pay was authorized for furloughed federal employees, and we can all breathe a little easier, until the CR runs out on February 15.

So what did I do with my time off?  I'm glad you asked.  I kept a log.  Mrs. BA began telling people that she believed that I may have touched every single item in the Launchpad at least once.  That is likely true.  I spent a lot of time cleaning, organizing, purging, rearranging, and redecorating.

Some specifics:

• I sent a number of old winter coats off for new lives, courtesy of a coat drive, sponsored by the Cheverly American Legion and other donation spots.
• I cleaned and organized all of our cabinets and closets throughout the house and lined the shelves with shelf liners (and yes, I alphabetized the spice rack).
• Several months ago, I ordered two cartons of clamshell archival storage boxes.  As the last project I worked on during the furlough (really, who wants to deal with archives when you're not being paid to deal with archives), I reboxed the entirety of the Brave Astronaut Archives.  I did not get a chance to work on a finding aid.  Perhaps in three weeks.
• As part of the archival project noted above, I have pulled together approximately 10 boxes of photographs.  That project, too, must wait for another time, when I will hopefully scan and preserve the photographs.  I know that some of you are dying to see some photos, but you're just going to have to wait.
• Just prior to the shutdown, I revisited my LibraryThing catalog.  I spent a portion of the furlough re-cataloging the Brave Astronaut Library.  I was somewhat disappointed to learn that my book collection is only about 500 books (and some of them are not on the shelf - several of them are for sale - and many were donated to the boy's school MLK Day of Service project).
• I de-Christmased the house, at least the interior.  I did not take the lights off the outside of the house.  It was too cold, then it snowed.  I made a decision to leave them up until the shutdown is over and am going to try and move forward with my invention (which actually may already exist) for "year round lights" that you can program to change color based on the season and/or holiday.
• I organized the cellarette (which is a fancy, French word for bar).  I needed easier access for day drinking if it came to that, which luckily it didn't ever get to.
• I got rid of an old sideboard that had been in the dining room since shortly after we moved into the Launchpad in favor of an IKEA Kallax shelving unit.
• Despite the cold, I spent some time in the attic, cleaning and organizing (I had to put the Christmas stuff back).  I found artwork that had come to the Launchpad (there is other artwork in various closets and other storage places) and did make some changes to the gallery collection and am planning on hanging some new works around the Launchpad.
• Bad Parenting Mistake #1 (there may have been more, but this was the first one and it got me into the most trouble): while cleaning SoBA's room, I may have deconstructed several Lego pieces in an effort to streamline the multiple boxes of Legos in SoBA's room.
• I did some records disposal courtesy of the Launchpad fireplace.  In 2013, I did the same thing - but that was October and it wasn't nearly as cold as it was these past few weeks - so it helped with the heating bills to destroy some records.
• I grocery shopped during the week, which if you've been to the grocery store on a weekend day - you'll know that is a joy unto itself.  On several occasions, I think the staff outnumbered the customers.

We were lucky than most folks, Mrs. BA works for a federal agency, but is not a federal employee and her office is in a non-federal building.  So she went to work every day, and got paid regularly, which was more than a lot of folks who are two income federal employee families.  She would come home in the evening and find things different than when she left in the morning.  I may have also made piles for her, which she very kindly went through, either with me or on her own.  As a result of me rearranging stuff, she has also gotten back into knitting and cross-stitching, while also giving away some of her crafting stuff, allowing me to sell some kits on eBay, and she bought a sewing machine.

Of all the residents at the Launchpad, it's possible that LBA may have been most relived that I was called back to work.  As the shutdown entered into its fourth week, I mentioned in jest, to the boy's principal that maybe I should come in and sub at their school.  In fact, one of LBA's teachers was preparing to go out on maternity leave.  The principal however, was completely serious and wanted to know if I would consider it.  I went back and forth about the idea and ultimately agreed that I would do it and was prepared to start next week.  I didn't agree to it until I had LBA's buy-in, which he thought about for a while and ultimately agreed.  So while I missed my chance to get back in the classroom, I'm ready to go on Day 1 if need be in three weeks.

I did manage to get out and do some fun things, I had a few furlough lunches with friends, two of my colleagues joined me at the boy's school to judge some National History Day projects, and I was able to spend the right amount of time on some of my other projects for which I wear a responsibility hat, including the pool in town, for which I am Treasurer, the boy's school Casino Night event, which will take place this coming Saturday, and leading our Parish Men's Club, for which we will be holding a furlough potluck supper on Thursday evening - because for many, this shutdown is still hurting and everybody needs an opportunity to have a night out and not worry about anything.

On Public Speaking

Today I participated in a class offered through my employer on Successful Public Speaking.  I don't particularly have a problem speaking in public - in my various roles and hats that I wear - I tend to do a lot of public speaking.

It was an opportunity for me to hear about where "the knowledge bar" is these days and what the current "do's and don'ts" of public speaking are.  The instructor was outstanding (as she is in most things - although she is retiring in January and leaves some might big "ruby slippers" to fill).  I say ruby slippers - as she equated our experience today to going on a journey of unforeseen consequences, unforeseen circumstances, and unforeseen outcomes - much like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.  She also used some visuals, including Paul McCartney and George Harrison (she has a thing for the Beatles) and a clip from Home Improvement, specifically an episode where Jill has to give a speech.

For the class, we had to prepare (and then deliver) one-minute, two-minute, and three-minute speeches.  In the first speech, we had to "inform, motivate, or persuade" our audience about a particular topic.  The second (two-minute) speech asked us to use an illustration / visual aid to make our point.  The final speech was to use visual, vocal, and/or verbal techniques to convey our message.

I procrastinated on preparing for the speeches (much like Jill Taylor does in Home Improvement) - finally making some notes on the metro ride in this morning.  I chose the topic of professional organizations for my first speech (as most of you know, I am involved in several professional organizations, including currently serving as Chair of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference.  I spent my minute extolling the virtues of being professional active and finished under the time deadline by telling the audience to talk with me after if they were interested in being more involved.

For the second speech, I employed the visual aid of a thumb drive to illustrate what happens when you get records on a medium that is not supposed to be transferred to the archives.  Of course (for those of you monitoring - the thumb drive was my own, the other thumb drive is locked away at work).  I used the remainder of my time explaining the "problem" and the "solution" that I would employ to deal with the thumb drive transfer.

Finally after lunch (never a good time to give a speech - or listen to one, for that matter), I explained for the audience how one "Trick or Treats" with an 8-year old (LBA) and a 5-year old (SoBA).  I explained how the costume selection process went at the launchpad - LBA is planning on being Harry Potter for Halloween, while SoBA has flitted from costume to costume, before finally settling on (we think) Indiana Jones - we'll find out tomorrow what is the winner.  In order to keep the audience engaged (and use visuals), I went out at lunch time and bought a bag of Halloween candy to proffer to them, which I believe helped my case a great deal.

Happy Halloween to all of you out there!  "See you on the other side, Ray!"

Notes on a Shutdown

As most of you know, I work for the federal government.  At least I do again - today I was allowed to go back to work after I was furloughed on October 1, because the government could not appropriate funds to keep the government running.  So for 16 days, 12 work days, I sat at home.

It would be nice to say that I did something fun - I have a few friends who managed to get away for some vacation - but that wasn't an option for the Brave Astronaut Clan - LBA and SoBA had school and Mrs. BA is not a federal employee, she's paid out of a Trust Fund revenue stream - so she went to work, every day.

So what did I do with my time?  My days started with taking LBA and SoBA to school and then bringing Mrs. BA to the metro so she could go off to work.  That put me back at the launchpad by 8:15am.  Gone are the days when I would stay home from school sick and I would set myself up in front of the TV with a diet of game shows in the morning and then maybe Barnaby Jones or Jim Rockford to keep me company in the afternoon. Luckily, The West Wing is available on Netflix Streaming, so I watch several of those episodes, naturally starting with "Shutdown."

As we were looking at reduced income while furloughed, we decided to pull LBA and SoBA out of aftercare at school - so I picked them up at the end of their school day.  Then school was in session at the launchpad - and the former teacher in me supervised homework for the third grader and kindergartener.  I had planned to volunteer some time at their school - but that didn't happen.

I did some records management for the church men's club for which I serve as Secretary and for the pool.  I learned a lot about the pool going through the records - it was rather interesting.  I had planned to work on the Brave Astronaut's archives, too, but I didn't get there.

I went to the grocery store more than I normally do - which is usually on Sundays.  As a result, I cooked more - making dinner almost every night - no eating out during a furlough situation.  I went back to my youth, making meatloaf, my mother's mac and cheese, roasting a chicken, making the big meals that I can't usually do when arriving home at 6:00pm.  I also ran some errands here and there - one of the first days, I was in Home Depot at 8:30 and had my pick of employees to help me, which never happens on the weekends.  When I moved on the grocery store, I think there were more employees than customers in the store.

During this week, as the shutdown stretched on, I decided to do some serious cleaning of the house.  I intended to work on one room each day, but wanted to focus on places that were hiding things, like my desk and then Mrs. BA and my closet.  That's as far as I got with that - when the shutdown ended.

We did also do some entertaining - holding a "Furlough Friday" Pizza/Movie on the first Friday then a "Furlough Monday on the Columbus Day Holiday this past Monday.  We invited several of our friends who were also furloughed and had a good time as usual.  I went out to lunch with a few friends who were also furloughed - we decided we needed the intellectual stimulation and collegial conversation.  And of course, there was drinking, I'm waiting to hear of some poor government worker who tries to sue the government for their alcoholic problem they didn't have before this started.

Looking back, I would have taken more naps (I overheard a colleague say to our supervisor today that he had been taking a nap at 1:00 and hoped that would be OK), I would have gone to the movies or played some golf.  I didn't accomplish a great deal with my time off - I often found myself thinking, "well I can't do that - I'm going back to work soon."  It was a very strange two weeks, I may have also been a little depressed - my sister called me every day to check on me - and I thank her for looking out for me.  It was a very strange feeling - it wasn't like I had lost my job - I knew where it was, I just wasn't allowed to do it or go to it.

I also want to thank my father, who sent me a little something to help us bridge the gap in income.  It was much appreciated and helped immensely and offered peace of mind to both Mrs. BA and me.

So we're back to work.  At least until this funding deal expires . . . in January.

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho - It's Off From Work I Am

Today is a day off of work for me.  Some time ago - I came across this list of "the 20 Greatest Songs About Work."  Discuss.

1. Tennessee Ernie Ford - "Sixteen Tons"
2. Sam Cooke - "Chain Gang"
3. Bob Dylan - "Maggie's Farm"
4. Lee Dorsey - "Working in the Coal Mine"
5. Glen Campbell - "Wichita Lineman"
6. Loretta Lynn - "One's on the Way"
7. Rush - "Working Man"
8. Randy Newman - "Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man)"
9. Johnny Paycheck - "Take This Job and Shove It"
10. The Clash - "Career Opportunities"
11. John Prine - "Fish and Whistle"
12. Dolly Parton - "9 to 5"
13. Bruce Springsteen - "Atlantic City"
14. Utah Phillips - "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum"
15. Dire Straits - "Money for Nothing"
16. The Bangles - "Manic Monday"
17. Uncle Tupelo - "Grindstone"
18. Steve Earle - "Telephone Road"
19. Robbie Fulks - "Let's Kill Saturday Night"
20. Belle and Sebastian - "White Collar Boy"

I may have to make some additions to the iPod for the work shuffle mix.

When I used to work in retail - I often had to work on Friday evenings and would find myself driving to the store at 5:00, when a local radio station would have it's "5:00 Whistle" to signal the start of the weekend.  The program would always include a little Loverboy, which should be on this list, too.

It's a Sitcom Party!

Hey, it's Pizza / Movie night at the launchpad, but we are always up for a good sitcom. Check out this picture and see how many of the sitcoms you can identify. Click on the picture to see it larger. The key is here and the list is also below. No peeking until you at least try. I put in bold the ones that I missed.

Bonus Quiz - I have listed the characters as identified in the picture. Name the actors.

In other news, The US Government will not shutdown today. For that I am grateful, as I am sure are those people to whom I pay bills. The Congress passed another Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government for two more weeks, so they can keep talking about finding the money to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year.

Bonus Quiz #2 - Why is this date significant in American History? Why is it of some significance to Franklin Roosevelt, though he likely feels the same way about January 20?

Finally, if anyone is in the market for a car - I might be willing to give you mine. It would appear that another model of Mazdas (the Mazda6) may have spiders in the engine venting that may cause a fire. But a fire would be preferable to having SPIDERS in one's car! You can read the article about the recall here.

OK? Ready for the list. How'd you do?

1. The Odd Couple (Felix Unger)
2. Seinfeld (Cosmo Kramer)
   
3. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Mary Richards)
   
4. Sanford and Son (Fred Sanford)
   
5. Night Court (Nostradamus "Bull" Shannon)
   
6. Mr. Belvedere (Lynn Aloysius Belvedere)
7. Everybody Loves Raymond (Ray Barone)
8. Welcome Back, Kotter (Gabe Kotter)
9. What’s Happening!! (Freddie "Rerun" Stubbs)
10. All in the Family (Archie Bunker)
11. The Cosby Show (Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable)
    
12. The Honeymooners (Ralph Kramden)
13. Maude (Maude Findlay) - I got this one on the second pass
    
14. Married . . . with Children (Al Bundy)
    
15. The Facts of Life (Natalie Green)
16. Chico and the Man (Ed Brown) - I thought it was Ed Norton, but that couldn't be right with Kramden also there.
    
17. Will & Grace (Grace Adler) - but only because it didn't look like her.
    
18. The Golden Girls (Sophia Petrillo)
19. The Dick Van Dyke Show (Rob Petrie)
20. Good Times (James "J.J." Evans, Jr.)
21. Roseanne (Dan Connor)
22. Saved by the Bell (Sam "Screech" Powers) - a show I never watched, thankfully
    
23. Charles in Charge (Charles)
24. Home Improvement (Wilson Wilson, Jr.)
25. Family Matters (Steven Quincy Urkel)
26. Three’s Company (Chrissy Snow)
    
27. Growing Pains (Jason Seaver)
    
28. Happy Days (Arthur "the Fonz" Fonzarelli)
29. The Jeffersons (George Jefferson)
    
30. Perfect Strangers (Balki Bartokomous)
31. Laverne and Shirley (Laverne DeFazio)
32. I Love Lucy (Lucy Ricardo)
33. 227 (Sandra Clark)
34. ALF (ALF)
35. Family Ties (Alex P. Keaton) - although he looks like a girl, must be the hair
36. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (William Smith)
37. Friends (Rachel Green)
38. Sabrina the Teenage Witch (Salem Saberhagen) - I knew the show, but would have never been able to come up with the cat's name
    
39. Blossom (Blossom Russo) - tonight on a very special "Blossom," Blossom tries not to look so pained
    
40. Out of This World (The Cube) - never would have gotten this one, either
    
41. Frasier (Eddie)
42. Webster (Webster Long)
43. Full House (Michelle Tanner)
44. Diff’rent Strokes (Arnold Jackson)
45. Punky Brewster (Penelope "Punky" Brewster) - although I initially switched her with the Olsen twin.
    
46. Who’s the Boss? (Tony Micelli)
47. Mork & Mindy (Mork)
48. Taxi (Louie DePalma)
49. Two and a Half Men (Charlie Harper)

What Could I Be Doing? Part III

In my previous two related posts (Part I and Part II), I remarked about my "professional life" and then answered some questions about being an archivist. Finally, here today, I wanted to address what I could be? want to be? doing with my life. (I have to admit that I am a little proud of myself - I have found the time to write for the blog - I thank everyone for sticking with me).

Recently, I went through a few days where I wasn't feeling 100%. I wasn't exactly sure what it was, I thought I had a cold, then it got worse and felt like the flu, and so I finally went to the doctor. He put me on a run of steroids which made me feel 1000 times better. So whatever it was, the steroids killed it. And I'm getting a flu shot. And next week I'm getting a physical.

But while home sick at least one of those days I realized that I probably wouldn't be happy doing nothing for the rest of my life. But I would like to at least give it the old college try. Daytime TV is a barren wasteland (now that I don't watch the "soaps" anymore) although occasionally you score with the good movie. A few weeks ago it was the Airport 1975 and I am a HUGE sucker for the disaster flick. Then again, my point is still if I were to win the lottery and didn't have to work, I would still want to do something.

So what would I do? One thing I have always wanted to do was run my own restaurant. Mrs. BA, OSG, and Mrs. OSG even flirted with the idea a few years ago. I would still consider this one day. But on the "heavy workload" scale, that one is certainly at the top of the list.

I have been writing a novel for the better part of the last several years. One day I am going to finish it and see if I could get it published. I think it's a pretty good story. I also have a few ideas for non-fiction books. So if I had all the time in the world, I would write more.

As an employee of the federal government, I am not allowed to participate in partisan elections. As many of you know, I ran for Town Council last year (a non-partisan position) and am considering running again. I have always loved politics and I truly believe in the concept of public service and would like the opportunity to work for the people in my community. Maybe someday, if I am out of the federal service, I might think about some higher office.

So what's in your pipe [dream]? What would you do differently if you could?

I Am An Archivist, Really - Part II

Last week (see Part I), I gave some background on my professional life, how I got to be where I am, what I have done before my current profession, etc. Next week, I will discuss those things that I would like to be doing. Feel free to come along and comment for the ride.

To confirm? deny? support? disavow? that what I am doing is the right thing, I am going to answer a few questions that were recently posed to friends in the profession and answered on their blogs. Geof, the first, is one of those people who is always operating at that higher plane. We can all aspire to be like him - or at least be liked by him. The second, who chose to answer the questions on his blog is also one of those "too cool for school" archivists. I am glad Terry agrees to be seen with me on occasion.

How did you become an archivist?

That's an interesting story. I went to school fully intending to become a social studies teacher. Which I did. For a few years. Then the education system and I had a disagreement and I found myself looking for something else to do. It came down to wanting to work with the records and being able to work with people with a genuine interest in history (the students only had a marginal interest, at best).

There is some conjecture in the archival profession that many of us suddenly find ourselves working in archives (starting work in libraries and other information-related positions, like teaching). I know of many of my colleagues who started work at some library, museum, etc., and then found themselves "in the archives" and then never left.

What's changed the most since you became an archivist?

When I started at my first archives position, we had only two computers that were connected to "the Internet." This was in 1995. For us, the web was still a series of pages that often contained the word [image]. I helped my repository update its computers, revolutionized the website and served as its webmaster until I left.

In my second archival position, I had the opportunity to work for a repository that was just getting its archives program up off the ground. Now, of course, I work primarily with electronic records (which I never thought I would). So, if you ask me what has changed since I became an archivist, it would be that everything has. Suddenly we are picking up steam and really barreling into the next generation. Finally.

What's stayed the same (for better or worse)?

I have long wondered why the national organization for our profession does not get behind and support an "official" archives degree and make sure that job vacancies call for that degree. I got a Masters in Library Science (MLS) because that's what I needed to get ahead in the field, but I am not a librarian.

Another thing that I would like to see start to change would be the competitive nature that exists between the various archivist types that populate our profession. In the end people, we are all really just trying to do the same thing. We don't need to be sniping at one another.

How did you become interested in electronic records?

I never expected to be where I am now, dealing primarily with electronic records of the federal government. While I think I have told this story before, it serves as a really good answer to the question. A few months into my position here I was sitting with two friends and colleagues and we were discussing our work and I began talking about this and that and actually making sense about electronic records. The two of them looked at one another and then looked at me and pretty much said together, "you remember when you said you didn't want to work with electronic records? Well, you're there now." So it would seem that I made the transition fairly easily.

What advice do you have for new archivists or those interested in the profession?

Get involved.

Our profession will only continue to be successful with us reaching out, speaking out, being involved in the issues that are important to us.

What Do I Want to Be When I Grow Up? - Part I

I recently started a temporary detail to another division in the agency where I work. I will be a part of this division until the middle of December. The division is "above" the division where I work and the work is at a much higher level than the granularity of processing and reference where I work every day. The detail comes at a good point, I was beginning to feel a little stale and it is my hope and expectation that I will return to my work refreshed and ready to be much more productive and efficient. (It will also coincide with those New Years Resolutions that I should make.) Let me be clear, I love what I do and am very glad to be doing it.

There is a larger question here as well, that being, am I doing what I want with my life?. Excepting those teenager part time jobs that I did growing up that kept me in candy and Matchbox cars, I have done a variety of things so far. I was a paperboy, but that got old rather quickly. I mean, really, delivering papers? In the morning? As previously discussed, I worked in a library, which was a job that I really enjoyed - likely pushing me in the direction of where I am now. Later, I also spent a few brief months as a bank teller before I started teaching.

One of the most fun jobs that I have had was one as a valet parking attendant. It was a job I got at the last minute (I needed money and responded to an ad and got sent out to a job that next evening). The money was really good and I had the opportunity to drive some really nice cars (and learn how to drive a standard). And there was always Prime Rib from the kitchen at the catering halls after the cars were all parked.

Inexplicable to many (including Mrs. BA), I spent a fair amount of time working in retail. I was never interested in the fast food or restaurant-type jobs, but I could work with people and I became fairly good at it. I rose through the ranks of retail, from a sales associate, to a trainer of new hires, then to a staffing supervisor, then finally "retiring" as a Senior Customer Service Manager (basically, when a customer got out of hand, they sent me to deal with them).

As for my first "real job," I was one of those people who went off to college fairly certain I knew what it was I wanted to be. I wanted to be a teacher. It had everything to do with the Social Studies teacher I had in high school. So I went to college and pursued that degree. My undergraduate degree was in American History (with a minor in Political Science - I am and always have been a political junkie) and I then set out to get my Masters Degree in Social Studies Education.

I performed my student teaching in the Junior High School where I went to school, a somewhat surreal experience. There were those teachers (ones that I had not had as a student) who I could call by their first names and then those that would always be referred to by their surnames. After my student teaching, I spent another year at good old Harry B. Thompson (by now) Middle School) as the building substitute, before getting my first real teaching job. Unfortunately, the educational system of which I wanted to be a part of did not exhibit the same fondness for me and I ultimately left education behind for a job in archives.

My career in archives started as a result of my first marriage. My wife at the time took a position in archives with the understanding that it was what she wanted to do. Then she realized it wasn't. She had also been recruited to return to a position as a library director for a small public library where we were living in the Hudson Valley. She jumped at the chance. I was at a point in my life where I was out of education, back in retail, and looking for something else. In my head I could hear the words of one of my beloved college professors - "You must make the decision to either teach students history or teach history to students." He never explained himself and left it up to us to figure out what he meant. As a teacher, I strove to emphasize the latter, using first-hand historical materials whenever possible and trying to make history as much fun for them as I had always found it.

So why not a job in archives, where I could be right next to those materials that I enjoyed working with for so long? I got myself an interview with the Director of the Archive Center and the rest is, as they say, history. As much as I thought I really had wanted to be a teacher, I had moved into a career that I really enjoyed.

In a subsequent post sometime next week, I will address several questions about how I got into the archives field (which have also been touched on here) and finally, address the idea that somehow my professional life may as yet, still be unfulfilled.

It's Almost Here - Everything!

Next week at this time, I will be in the middle of the Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), which is being held this year here in Washington DC. As is often the case when SAA meets here in DC, this will be a joint meeting with the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators (NAGARA) and the Council of State Archivists (CoSA).

There will be lots to do and I have a pretty full schedule of sessions and events that I will be attending. As most of you know, I usually bring a group of attendees to a local baseball game and this year is no exception. With SAA's help, I have 175 people attending a Washington Nationals game on Saturday evening (want to come? let me know, I might have an extra ticket). It is the highest attended event in the history of my planning and executing these events. I hope that all will have a good time.

Following next week's festivities, LBA will enter his final week of daycare, before starting Kindergarten at the end of the month. I am not sure about how I feel about this, although I think it is safe to say that Mrs. BA is a little unsure about it. I just can't believe that he is all of a sudden old enough to be in Kindergarten. We shall see how that all plays out.

Before that, we will hopefully get away for a few days of relaxation. If that plan falls through, we might initiate the "staycation," lounging at the pool and taking some day trips out of the DC area. Stay tuned.

At work, I am working hard to make headway in my various work responsibilities as I will be working in another division for most of the fiscal first quarter. It is sure to be exciting and challenging and I am looking forward to the experience.

I still haven't forgotten about you all, my faithful readers. I know the recipes get a little boring, but rest assured I have a number of things sitting in my Google Reader feed that I am hoping to get out to all of you soon. Stay with me and enjoy the ride. It hopes to be an exciting fall.

So What Are You Doing With Your Free Time?

Part 2 of why I have no time for anything else. Read Part 1 here.

Tonight I picked up my father and his girlfriend at the airport, as they have decided to visit with the Brave Astronauts for the holiday weekend. I suggested to Mrs. BA that we invite them, not expecting them to accept and then they did. But we are going to have a good weekend, with lots of things to keep us busy. Here's the weekend line-up:

• Friday - as close to a normal day as we will have. Both Mrs. BA and I will go to work and the boys to daycare. Neither of us is expecting an early dismissal (although the chances for Mrs. BA are better than mine). I have already told my father they will be on their own for much of the day, unless they decide to venture out. We might cap it off with a visit to the pool in the evening. I'm also planning on suggesting that perhaps someone might make dinner for us tomorrow night. (If I ask here, it's like asking her, right?)
• Saturday - we have a picnic at a local park for the boy's daycare. It will surely be controlled chaos, with lots of kids, lots of parents, and hopefully some good food. The pool will close at 8:00 on Saturday night for "Adult Night," which is not as seemly as it sounds. It's just the one night out of the pool season, where no kids are allowed, and alcohol is served. So no pool on Saturday night.
• Sunday (the Fourth) - I am going to be one of several "float escorts" for the parade down Constitution Avenue in Washington. My employer is going to have a float in the parade this year and several staff were selected to walk along with the float. I am given to understand there will be sashes . . . That's my morning. In the late afternoon, the Brave Astronaut clan will head east for the Annapolis parade, in which OSG will march with his fife and drum corps. So Sunday will have not one, but two parades, and likely several very tired people, and fireworks. There needs to be fireworks.
  
• Monday is still up in the air (it's the federal holiday, Independence Day Observed). It might involve the pool for much of the day, which would be fine. We will see if something else presents itself. My father and his girlfriend will head home on Tuesday morning.

Free time? I'm sorry, what is this thing, free time, of which you speak? Now, this post was supposed to be about all the other things I am involved in, but I've already taken up too much time with one weekend's activities. Stay tuned for Part 3. Happy Fourth everyone - and to my Canadian friends out there - Happy First! (also known as Canada Day!)

So What's Your Day Look Like

Okay, so I'm going to complain here a little bit. Now I know we are all busy and much of this is my own fault. But perhaps you can see something here and have an idea for me . . .

The normal weekday starts at the Brave Astronaut launchpad between 6:00am and 7:00am. The time varies because (a) the alarm clock(s) go off at 6:00, but the snooze button gets punched by both Mrs. BA and I (for a better understanding of why - see the end of the post - when we actually get to bed) a few times and (b) if LBA and SoBA are still asleep, there is less of an impetus for us to get up. Hey, if they're not calling for us, we don't have to get up, right? LBA has possibly already entered his teenage years as he often needs to be awakened, but SoBA is usually up in the 6:00 hour (and why is it that they can all sleep late on weekdays but not on weekends?).

Mrs. BA gets the shower first and I head downstairs for breakfast time. Breakfast time involves, well, breakfast, getting car snacks together, and if feeling particularly productive, lunch for Mrs. BA and the Brave Astronaut to take to work. The boys head upstairs a few minutes ahead of me and I quickly cleanup the kitchen and then head upstairs to shower and dress. I have managed to hone my morning routine to the point of once I get upstairs, I can be ready to walk out the door in about 15 minutes. Mrs. BA works on corralling the boys through the final steps of their morning routines.

Of late, the Brave Astronaut clan has been all leaving the house together, with me driving the boys to school and Mrs. BA to work and then I head to my office. Somehow, as long as we leave before 8:00am, that entire process takes about one hour and fifteen minutes from house to my office. If it is after 8:00, add about another half hour to the trip. SoBA gets dropped off first (by Mrs. BA), then I take LBA to his center. I come back and pick up Mrs. BA and take her to her office. Then its the hike back out to Maryland to my office. I don't mind this as I like us all being together and come the fall, it's all going to change anyway (LBA will start Kindergarten in town, while SoBA will still be going downtown with Mrs. BA).

Once at work, (currently) my day starts between 9:00 and 9:30. This means that I will not leave until between 5:30 and 6:00pm and I'll address in a moment why that's a problem. My current workload has plenty to keep me busy and unfortunately, I spend much of my days keeping the smoldering embers of things I need to get done from roaring into uncontrolled conflagrations. There's meetings, administrative functions, and other responsibilities that pushes me into making a series of lists (a To-Do list for the week, a daily To-Do list, long range goal lists, timetables and schedules). I would likely benefit from a time management course.

Leaving the office, if it's a day like it has been of late, I am going to head to the Metro station to pick up Mrs. BA and the boys from the train, as they have taken the Metro home. Ideally, I would have (and have in the past) gone home first to get dinner started for the boys (and if there's plenty of time - for Mrs. BA and me). With the summer months upon us, it's OK for the boys to play outside in the yard while I get dinner together. I would like to be more diligent about menu planning and making use of "timed cooking" (i.e., a crockpot or using the timer in our oven), but that hasn't happened yet.

Once dinner finishes up, it is usually coming up on 8:00 and that means bath time and bed for the boys. Mrs. BA graciously takes on that task (baths) and then the boys will usually settle in for a show (current favorites: Arthur and Cyberchase, and the occasional Thomas). Then the boys will get a few books read to them and it is off to bed. SoBA is a very good sleeper and goes to bed very easily. LBA still needs a little encouragement but both boys are usually down and out by 9:30 at the latest.

So finally, it's grown-up time. Mrs. BA and I are both TV addicts and we would certainly like to just veg out in front of the tube and watch something (we have an extensive list of shows of our own on the DVR list). We both usually wind up working on our computers, although it's possible that I might spend a fair amount of time on Facebook, playing CafeWorld or Lexulous. I can't tell you why, but CafeWorld is mindless entertainment and it relaxes me. Mrs. BA is usually dealing with laundry, as that task never ends, with two small boys in the house. Some nights, I or Mrs. BA will announce we are "up," which means we are heading to be, sometimes with the computer, sometimes not. Now because we are not smart people, there is a TV in the bedroom and it will most of the time get switched on. We will often get sucked into some bad "B" movie, the occasional "A" movie, or a rerun of an old sitcom. What that results in is lights out usually around midnight. And then it starts all over again just six short hours later.

Next week, I'll talk more about some of the specific things I am involved in and discuss the things I would like to be doing and things I really should be doing. Feel free to comment away.

Snopocalypse / Snomageddon / Snoverkill

Has anyone noticed there's a little snow outside . . . still? The Brave Astronaut launchpad was the site of an impromptu playdate yesterday - I had managed to make it to the store on Monday to lay in some additional supplies for the next round of winter weather. So we had about sixteen people in the house, fairly evenly split between kids and adults. Mrs. BA had made white chicken chili on Sunday and I made brownies. Tonight on the menu is a hearty beef stew to combat the blowing and drifting snow outside.

In the middle of all this snow, when I first saw this, I really thought it was an Onion headline. But no. From the Hill Newspaper:

Sen. Jim DeMint twitters: D.C. snow will continue "until Al Gore cries uncle"

So here we are. Those of us who work for the federal government are enjoying our third snow day in a row. I'm going out on a limb here and saying that I don't think we are working tomorrow either. My main contention has always been that if Metro is not running (or only running underground), the federal government really cannot open. Public schools around the area have already thrown in the towel, closing for the rest of the week. And Monday is President's Day holiday, though many have announced that students will go to class that day to make up the abundance of snow days that have been needed this season.

I'm beginning to feel a bit feral - it's getting to be a lot like Little House on the Prairie (the Blizzard episode, of course). And I've been out of the house. The children may turn on us, especially if we lose the media options.

It's Snomageddon!

So here we are. Sunday night and the temperatures are down in the single digits. It likely due to the HUGE amount of snow cover out there. For those of you who may not have heard, we got a little snow over the weekend. It started on Friday afternoon and started to pile up all through Saturday. By the time it was all done there was about 24" of the white stuff on the front lawn.

I spent most of today digging out the cars from the driveway and shoveling the walk. Based on the amounts, I did not shovel off the deck or the side walk. Plus it would seem there is more snow on the way (see the prognosticators at Capital Weather Gang for more info) for Tuesday into Wednesday.

For the record, I could have gone to work tomorrow if the situation presented itself. But the Federal Government has announced that it will be closed tomorrow. This gives us another snow day (after the Snowpocalypse on December 19) for Snowmageddon in this winter of snowy weather. Remember my mother always used to say that the first time snow sticks on the street is how many storms you will have. The December storm was the first time. By my count, this storm was #4, with more this week and possibly (hey, don't kill the messenger) again next weekend.

In other news, they played the Super Bowl tonight. The ads were okay, but for once, I really enjoyed the game. Congratulations to the Saints! I am sure the French Quarter is rocking tonight.

So to all my DC federal friends, enjoy the snow day tomorrow. Let's see what the rest of the week brings.

So here we are - 2010

It's a new year. 2010. A new decade . . . although Mrs. BA debates that point, but that's a different story. Looking back over my recent posts, I see that I have somewhat neglected Order from Chaos. I have several draft posts which need a little more fleshing out and several Monday recipes ready to go so there has been some content out there. Would you all miss me if I stopped blogging? This would be the point where you go and leave a comment and say yes. Placate me.

I am going to try and be better about my time management this year. My day is fairly well structured in its unstructuredness. The Brave Astronaut clan starts its day with Mrs. BA in the shower and me getting breakfast for LBA and SoBA. On many mornings - and I/we had a conversation with LBA just last night about this - instead of "good morning" from LBA when he pitter-pats into our room in the morning, we often get, "Can I watch a show?" Perhaps LBA's New Years Resolution will be less TV, he just doesn't know it yet. Some mornings we also get a request for "I want Mommy to give me breakfast," meaning I'm in the shower first. But however it shakes out, we all try to be out of the house by 8:00. That's the goal. (Yesterday our day started much earlier, but I'd rather not relive that anytime soon.) Of course, if we are running late and I help Mrs. BA and the boys get on their way and I haven't showered yet, I often fall victim to "The West Wing," which is on Bravo each morning. Though I can time it that I can get my shower done during one of the interminable commercial breaks.

Once at work, I have more than enough to keep me busy. My goal this year is to be more productive and so far I am doing pretty well in that regard. My To Do List is rather lengthy, but I'm working the problems. I would like to say that I plan to build a lunchtime visit to the Fitness Center back into my work day, but for now, that is not in the cards.

The evenings involve getting dinner together for the family, as I am the one who is home first. On some occasions, I can manage to get dinner for the boys together and Mrs. BA and I will forage later after they are in bed. That would be another New Years Resolution, plan and execute more family dinners. It's one of my most favorite times of the day. I like us all sitting around together. LBA is at the age where he has a lot to say and much of it is amusing and I like talking with him about his day. SoBA is close to talking and he has many words and expressions to convey what it is he needs or wants.

Next, the boys get baths (most nights) and then it's off to bed. I often get SoBA, who is the easier of the two to get to bed (it's getting him to stay there all night, but that's a different story), which involves a story or two, perhaps part of a show on TV, and then he willingly goes off to bed. While still in a crib, the big boy bed is coming, I think, this summer. LBA gets a few stories, after a show, and then goes to bed. By this time it is close to 9:00 and there is still a lot to accomplish, let alone things that I (or Mrs. BA) would like to do.

The siren call of the computers often get the best of us and we are often working (or playing on Facebook - in my case) on our laptops, while watching something on TV. However, there are a number of archival projects that I would like to accomplish this year. I have started working on the family archives of late and next up will be a rather extensive project to gain intellectual control of the Brave Astronaut photo collection. Anybody have a scanner I can borrow?

There are of course any number of things that could be accomplished around the house. We have been there a little over two years now and I guess it's time to start dealing with some routine maintenance. I'd like to do a little painting and I would really love a new shed. Spring cleaning may get interesting at the launchpad.

None of the above are excuses for my neglecting the blog. But it is a bit of a declaration as to why I might not be here as much as I would like over the next few months. But don't worry, I won't be far. And there's always recipe Mondays so you know I'm still around. I have a post (still in my head as of today) that I will put out this weekend as Christmas comes to an end at the Brave Astronaut launchpad (watch for the Loot List!) and a number of draft posts, which I mentioned earlier, which I hope to get ready to roll out soon. And then there's all those starred items in my Google Reader . . . why is it that I can't be afflicted with insomnia again?

The Brave Astronaut Christmas / Holiday cards went out late this year. If you were not a recipient of the "official" card this year, please accept my sincere wishes to you and yours that you had a great holiday and that 2010 holds for you nothing but health and happiness.