(4th Floor Elf Staffers mixed it up with Santa Claus this morning about the Comet Thing. The kids thought the arrival of an interstellar visitor to the solar system might mean an alien invasion to coincide with Christmas. The Boomers sighed at the notion of a trajectory required for something that big to have traveled that far to arrive just now with the tail fixed on backward to the sun. So, we agreed to just note that there is a big thing that will cross our orbit this week and probably- almost certainly- nothing will happen. So, we all win, despite the fact that it terminates some great story and plot lines).

The Advent Week of Joy is well underway. Don’t worry- the

Creative Section at Socotra House is all over it. Better said, some of the group is interested in whether they can cobble together a platoon of the younger members that could resemble a family in order to plausibly secure a large loan for a small new townhouse like the ones over in Arlington at RiverHouse. It is only nine minutes away from the corporate crash pad at Big Pink.

There were some nods and a few smiles from the Boomers who have some memories of the place from more youthful times by the River at time when it was a haven for young upwardly mobile young bureaucrats.

And there was the romance and tragic heartbreak that went along with young couples and new families that produced some of the Millennials who have contributed the GenZ’s that Miles uses for run-arounds on local stories like this. Which naturally includes the drama a vibrant young group can generate.

we have one of those at the Rotonda, the sprawling 1970s condo colony they built across the parking lot from the weird NADA HQ building that once occupied this quarter of the Farmer Tyson’s Corner.

This is what Zack and Bonnie brought in this morning from the GenX submission, hoping to get partial credit for writing their chunk of the 15-Minute County thriller in progress now:

This is what the GenX & Zs in our gang are going to be dealing with. Some of them have a monthly bill that looks the size of rent but is actually the heavy load of the student loans that so far have not produced real jobs except for the part- time stuff at Socotra House.

Rocket, Melissa and Splash are thinking about how useful a couple spare bedrooms down by the Potomac’s civilized shore would be nice. They could host transient professional and personal people visiting for projects. Holly says she knows a respected NGO with solid performance in Minnesota that is looking for bold new charities now that some of the Mogadishu money has dried up. We might be able to water some here, now that we have seen what is done in a lot of states with the right governments.

They also figure there could be opportunities coming along with the new development and the prospect of 2,500 new homes to target marketing things. The first steps have been made with holiday cheer!

So, there is the prospect that some of the wardrobe useful for the Horn of Africa might be useful at the pool here once spring gets going. We hope some of the joy that will continue into Spring. Beyond these holidays, though we are hoping the Elves and Santinas have some costumes for the pool as good as the ones they have for seasonal joy!

Copyright 2025 Vic Socotra

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