Today looks relatively quiet, especially after yesterday, where it seemed I was stuck briefing all the important people everywhere. As I said on social media, even two decades in public service, up here near the top of the pay scale, it’s weird to know that on a semi-regular basis, my voice echoes through the august corridors of power (even if it’s only playing through a speakerphone).

Beyond that, work’s been largely about spinning things up to operate without me. At closing time today, I’m down to five more workdays (maybe less if something I talk about later impacts things) before my holiday break. My tech lead is being a little alarmist about progress, but as I’m figuring out, that’s just the way he is, and he’ll pull a Scotty-level save out at the last minute.

Otherwise, this week has not been ridiculously busy. Housework, being followed around by the kitten, longing for the sweet release of retirement…you know, the usual. As mentioned previously, I had the day off on Wednesday, and did relatively little, beyond taking a trip through whiteout snow conditions to the other side of town so my lovely spouse could pick up some specialty elastic to finish a sewing project. The snow was all gone by the time we left the region an hour later after our shopping and a rare mid-week lunch date (although we actually did that *twice* this week, as she met me on Monday so she could retreive the wallet she left in my car!), but it was neat while it lasted.

Of course, the whole mid-Atlantic region is panicking now, on the radio, on my office email, in the high school halls, in the shopping malls (♫ Conform or Be Cast Out!♫) and elsewhere about the storm predicted for Sunday/Monday. The latest I’m getting from the NWS is only two inches or so, though other models folks are talking (including my resident weather hobbyist friend) about give us more. I’m mostly concerned it’s going to wreck my plans with the youngest on Sunday to run the 5k in the afternoon. We’re keeping our eye on it.

Otherwise, nothing else really on tap for the weekend from my end. If you happen to be in the Pacific Northwest, consider checking out the Weekend of Wizardry in Tacoma, Washington, where a ton of my wrock friends are going to be, including my bandmates from the Blibbering Humdingers. If you’re somewhere else, there’s almost certainly something cool going on in your neck of the woods.

With that, I’m going to leave things as they are, except to present today’s random playlist, which is heavy on post-punk alternative this time around, but that’s okay with me:

1. “Skip Under Lide” – Lumsk
2. “Didya Think” – Arlie
3. “Photograph” – Def Leppard
4. “Pictures of You” – The Cure
5. “I Turn My Camera On” – Spoon
6. “Every Breath You Take” – The Police
7. “Thick as a Brick”- Jethro Tull
8. “Time After Time” – Cyndi Lauper
9. “Change” – The Revivalists
10. “Ruler of Everything” – Tally Hall
11. “Jungle Bird” – Punch Brothers
12. “White Wedding” – Billy Idol
13. “Under The Milky Way (Acoustic Version)” – The Church
14. “Come With Me Now” – Kongos