As I shared on social media this morning, it was nice to see the Eagles get the ring, finally, on their third trip to the Big Game™. As a life-long, but sort of lapsed fan of the game and the team, it hit a lot of nice, nostalgic notes. I know a lot of happy people this morning. Of course, as I couldn’t be arsed to deal with technical difficulties (my antenna has a complicated relationship with NBC on the best of days, and it was raining and cloudy last night), I didn’t actually watch the game live, so that, dear fans, is the reason the Birds won.

You’re welcome.

Instead, I ended up making some food – a pretty decent attempt at Buffalo wings in the Instant Pot (finished in the broiler for maximum crunchiness), and a truly transcendent taste experience in this recipe for spiced rice and lentils, which I also made, and found absolutely divine. I highly recommend giving this a shot, folks. Seriously.

I did watch some television, catching up on this week’s Agents of SHIELD (I’ve been enjoying this season, though I’m glad to see this current plotline largely wrapped, even with the cliffhanger-ish ending), and being pleasantly surprised with, of all things, Cars 3 on Netflix. It wisely ignored the existence of Cars 2, minimized Larry the Cable Guy mugging, and included a surprisingly nice message about mentorship and finding joy in different aspects of life. I find it odd to say I actually recommend this one too.

Saturday was nice, doing the taxes and hitting up a couple of businesses to make use of the spouse’s free birthday coupons, and a wonderful dinner out with friends at Penny Lane Pub, where the food, drinks, and company were excellent, though I think I may have had some disagreement with the curry sauce, as most of Sunday was not necessarily cool with lower GI issues (still isn’t Monday, but I won’t burden the general public with details).

This week is shaping up to be the basic usual crap, of course, with the added bonus of the also sadly usual end of the latest continuing resolution on Thursday, and my not knowing if I’ll be working Friday again – it’s shutdown/furlough time again. I did manage to finally solve some long-lingering issues at the office on Friday, so that’s one thing out of the way. If a shutdown hits, impacts to project schedules won’t be my fault.

As this has been on my mind, my third (I’m a day ahead of schedule!) tune for FAWM deals with exactly this issue. As I commented in the “liner notes” for this one, if a shutdown comes, I might get a chance to record some demos of the tunes, at least. I added a link to my FAWM profile over in the “tunes” box to your left (if you care to follow further progress), though I’ll share the lyrics for this one here, because why not:

“Bureaucratic Talking Shutdown Blues”

another couple of weeks have passed
another continuing resolution running out of gas
and the legislature’s wrapped up in something else

as non-essential bureaucrats
we once again are served the shaft
left to wonder if we’ll be working come next week

I don’t care much about these memos
just more posturing amongst these fellows
in their expensive suits and power ties

It’s tough to keep my projects moving
with budgets tied up in politicians’ proving
which of their sides has the gods’ approval

I plug on with the people’s business
watch the news and management’s empty missives
and prepare for another disorderly shutdown

I sit planning meetings and stage responses
try to adjust deadlines to suit this nonsense
wait for guidance and take home my office plants

I’m a pawn in a game of legislative conceits
of back room deals and late night tweets
but at least my health care coverage won’t lapse

I put off fixing the broken taps
pad the accounts to absorb the pay lapse
hoping that this all won’t go too long

it’s sad to say I’m used to this
this is far from my first shift
a public servant’s work is never done

Have a good week, everybody. I shall try.