Author: Vic Socotra

Messaging the Jan 6 Pipe-Bombs

Creative Section Leader Miles was clearly uncomfortable on this last weekday of the Advent week of Hope. He had hoped to clear the deck of some of the great tides in social affairs that are moving with slow but inexorable speed. He had asked Rocket and Splash to sort things things out a bit, and […]

Arrias: Nor-East Wind

Gentle Readers, there was an erroneous post the last time the Boomers decided to swap sea-stories and let the Zoomers put out the holiday edition in which they assumed Arrias had passed away since he is about as old as some of the Old Salts around the Conference table. He is not only still ambient […]

The Lunar Super Finale

Happy Hour hadn’t started yet when there was a startled roar from the end of the Conference Table that has the unobstructed view east through thr floor-to-ceiling windows in the east side of the building. From the 4th floor there is currently a broad view of the territory where Fairfax protrudes into Arlington. It is […]

The Maplewood

The Maplewood

(Despite preservation efforts, the historic Maplewood Mansion in Fairfax County was demolished in the middle of the night in 1970 to accommodate construction of the Capital One Hall.  The Second Empire-style mansion dated to the early 1870s and was one of the last Fairfax examples of its architectural style). This is still the Week of Hope, so you can […]

Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday

Vic looked a little disoriented in the morning Production Meeting. He gripped the edge of the table in a way that displayed his right hand with a garish piece of jewelry gleaming on his wrist. “I was warned about frauds on this cyber Monday that represents people coming back to the office on the Monday […]

Advent at Socotra House

Advent at Socotra House

Inline image It is a pretty big Sunday at Socotra House, and you can understand why if you follow one of the most Christian traditions, We are proud to share some of the Abrahametic traditions across three major faiths, of course. But we have a few of the other, older traditions involving eternal flames and […]

Socotra House Motors

Socotra House Motors

The Chairman decided to clean out the garage before the holidays and threw open the doors on the P1 Level at The Trillium. You can imagine how the Zoomers acted when they got a chance to sit- or lay down- in some of the classics the Boomers remember from the days when the open road […]

Arrias: Thanksgiving

Arrias is no longer with us to do the celebrating today. He was a shipmate in uniform and in the publishing game and his memory is kept alive at Socotra House, but is recalled with fondness. We have a copy of his collected works on life in modern America on display on the conference table […]

Black Friday 2025

Black Friday 2025

The Boomers and Zoomers were at the table early on Friday. There were some stories to clear up that had languished over the flurry of alarming news about the shootings here in downtown DC, and the apprehension about danger to the parades on Thanksgiving Day. Black Friday earned its name with the news that one […]

Two National Guard Soldiers Shot Near White House

Two National Guard Soldiers Shot Near White House

Twenty minutes ago there was gunfire down between the White House and Farragut Square. Preliminary reports are about a lock down at the Treasury Building after two National Guard personnel, unidentified and with conditions not yet released. Gunman not yet apprehended. The two victims were reportedly walking down the street. The safety of such behavior […]