The President is back from vacation, and focused on the urgent need to create jobs and grow our economy. I heard that he welcomes the opportunity to address a Joint Session of Congress next week. They say he is going to “challenge our nation’s leaders to start focusing 100 percent of their attention on doing whatever they can to help the American people.”

There was some controversy about the timing, since he first summoned the Joint Session to coincide to the minute with a Republican Presidential debate. I dunno. I am tired of the endless Campaign already, big black buses and the side-show in the Republican tent. I don’t know about you.

I assume the President (who is having his problems) is talking to Congress (which is having its problems). Speaker Boehner responded with a predictably political demurral, and now the Big Address about jobs and out future goes head to head with the Packers game.

I don’t know who the real target might be. Maybe he will speak over the heads of the recalcitrant legislators to us, the unwashed American People, or whoever it is that creates real jobs. Heck, I have a small business; maybe I should think about taking on a couple helpers.

I did not sleep in this morning, since I have to work, and happy to do so. I am taking the liberty of gushing to you a bit before I leap in the shower at seven-thirty to be at the Agency at Joint Base Bolling-Anacostia with a couple passengers by 0915 to deliver a Task Order proposal and meet with a Government Official.

I looked at the calendar (or rather, the digits on the system toolbar, and registered surprise). It is in fact September 1, and though Labor Day is late this year, it is still right around the corner.

I am screwed- we will all be working the weekend celebrating Work, and it is good to have it. My pal Charlie wrote yesterday about all the construction I saw walking to work, and said “If you really want to see the recession in Arlington go to afac.org – we provided groceries to 1498 families in need last week.”

He does good works for a living, and despite the artificial flush of construction here, I guess we still have our problems.

That is my line of work. Problems. The proposal on the re-compete on the Big Contract I manage is due to the government on the 12th, unless it is delayed. Better than even chances on that. Hope to find out more about that by tomorrow if they bother to answer the questions.

Worse, the season really changes as the pool closes here at my building Sunday night, when I plan to be grilling with Jake and a crew at College Park at the Terps game, which is the real mark of Fall.

The “Man Up!” crew will probably be alongside, dispensing shots of hard liquor, and the women in attendance will still be in shorts and tank tops, so that is the official start of the tail-gate season, which will end in bitter dark wintry blasts.

Missing the pool closing would break my ten-year streak of “first in and last out,” of the Big Pink Pool, since they padlock the enclosure then for the week-days. But no!

Thankfully, we will have some underemployed Americans on the pool deck for the two weekends after that, but Tuesday marks the beginning of the end for real summer, when the crystal clear waters beckon after a glass or two of Happy Hour White at the bar near my office where we hang out after work.

Some gentle readers have enquired about how things are going up there, and I have been a bit of denial about the whole thing, what with the constant demands of year-end task orders and the Big Proposal.

Suzanne from the Friendship Center called yesterday to express concern about a couple items.

Big Mama: The enhanced personal care is going fairly well, she is more accepting of it, anyway, and the anti-cradle cap (severe dandruff) shampoo appears to be making some progress in loosening the skin on her scalp. That is the good news; the bad news is that she is getting less engaged in what is going on around her, from what they have observed.

Lovely Rita turns on the Turner Classic Movie Channel for her, which is the only channel she likes in the afternoon. The upside is that she is holding her weight and appears to be eating, even if less interested in what is going on around her.

She also only answers the phone periodically.

As to Raven: he sleeps. There is also a rash of some kind on his back. Suzanne recommended a generic hydrocortisone cream to try to knock it back, and I called IV and had them add a tube to the weekly shopping list from Glenn’s. Suzanne described him as “frail.” No change, I think.

I called Big Mama right after and she knew me, and although I have noticed things getting a little more loopy than earlier this year, she seemed fine. She handed me off to Raven and I got a couple half-relevant responses to my line of bright banter. Status quo on that front.

I told Big Mama I would be coming up after the Big Proposal is submitted to the government, currently due on the 12th of September. That could change based on the earthquake/hurricane/plague of locusts here in the National Capital Region, but that is the working plan. It will be a fairly brief visit, with the intent to follow up on Annook’s last visit and keep things moving out of the garage and Dad’s office toward some other place.

I don’t expect things to really be put back in the box here until October, and we will be well on the way to the long cold season by then, and some real chills in Michigan. I volunteered to take Thanksgiving up there; my sister will have Christmas, and Brother Spike chimed in that he would try to fill in between.

So, a lot going on and no apparent answers. It is all in the command of someone else, which is no comfort, but they say “a change is as good as a vacation,” so who knows. I am just happy to have a job to work over Labor Day.

Copyright 2011 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com