What Now?

The hockey season ended in the second round of the playoffs with a terrible game 7 in which the Capitals just choked.

Neil and I have been kind of bummed since then. We spent so much time watching hockey the past 8 months that we suddenly have a ton of free time on our hands. I'm sure that will be a good thing once we finish mourning the hockey season. It was funny at the game when it was clear that our team would not be winning, many of the male fans began to get angry. They were yelling at the team, imploring them to play better, to be the team we knew they were. Whereas, I just got sad. I thought about how sad and frustrated the players must have been and how devastating the locker room was bound to be after the game. Perhaps that's the difference between male and female fans, or maybe it's just me.

As the game was ending, the fans stood and gave the Capitals a standing ovation, not for the game they were about to lose, but for the amazing season that was about to end. And when the final buzzer sounded and the teams had done their handshake, the Capitals raised their sticks to the fans. It was not an electrifying moment like when they won game 7 against the Rangers, but it was incredibly moving. At that moment the saying "Sport is cruel" popped into my head and held new meaning. Oh the agony of sports fandom.

In other less hockey-obsessed news, I started my government job two weeks ago. The first week was spent sitting at the government contract office that's my actual employer surfing the Internet. I was waiting first, for my security clearance, then for paperwork to get my badge. Week two was spent waiting for the same badge paperwork and then waiting for a computer log in. I finally began working on Friday after I got to spend most of Thursday running my personal errands because I still didn't have a log in.

In spite of the less than thrilling education in bureaucracy, I do have some things I really like about my new routine and daily rhythm.

1. I love working in the Ronald Regan Building. It's absolutely beautiful and filled with all kinds of people every day.

2. I love walking to work. It's an entirely different experience being downtown during the work day and my office is only about 6 blocks from my house. I have more hours in my day and a new feeling of freedom.

3. I like having a government badge - It makes me feel like a real Washingtonian.

4. I am enjoying meeting new people.

5. I like being a part of something so much larger than me. Now that I am optimistic about the future of our nation and our government, it's nice to be getting a glimpse inside.

6. I like leaving the office at 5 and being home by 5:15.

I hope to have more to add to this list soon.