{"id":32213,"date":"2025-12-31T18:21:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T18:21:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/?p=32213"},"modified":"2026-01-04T18:24:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T18:24:55","slug":"steady-hands-clear-windows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/steady-hands-clear-windows\/","title":{"rendered":"Steady Hands, Clear Windows"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nMiles was back this morning, determined not to let the last day of this bedraggled year slip away without at least a brush of irony and a wave in the rear-view.<\/p>\n

It may explain why the entertainment channels that had occupied the big screen at the end of the Conference Room at Socotra House were shut down, replaced by Fox messaging blaring north up the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a thirty-percent chance of light snow in Northern Virginia,\u201d Miles announced, \u201cso my recommendation is to get out and practice keeping the vehicles straight. There\u2019s an electric tricycle demonstration around lunch\u2014if the snow gets plowed\u2014and then some testing of Twenty-Three Toast-Worthy Drinks Perfect for Any New Year\u2019s Eve Party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds like a Liberty Insurance ad,\u201d someone muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d said Splash, scanning a recipe list printed in gold. \u201cWe only have to worry about celebrating safely right here.\u201d He laughed. \u201cI vote for something light\u2014maybe a decent white\u2014if we\u2019re supposed to look social and photogenic for seven straight hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr eight,\u201d Melissa said. \u201cWe can start with one to welcome Grace, my pal from Majestic Event Planning.\u201d<\/p>\n

She swept her hand toward the door, where a silver-haired woman stood holding a smart bag large enough to carry tools, smiling above a bright red top trimmed in gold.<\/p>\n

\u201cHappy New Year,\u201d Grace said with a slight bow. \u201cMelissa said she needed help covering the entertainment tonight. Arlington\u2019s already handled\u2014and that crowd\u2019s all Gen Z with their own ideas\u2014so I came to help here. Older audience. No cocktails at first? Just a pert white? That works. But after a year like this, there should still be a signature drink.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was nodding from those still slurping Flat Yank Hazelnut coffee.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about sparkling pomegranate cocktails?\u201d someone offered. \u201cThere\u2019s no denying a good cocktail makes any gathering more spirited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n(Grace\u2019s ten-minute cocktail, guaranteed to impress: Combine four ounces dry vermouth, three tablespoons pomegranate liqueur, one tablespoon pomegranate seeds, and two dashes orange bitters. Shake with ice, strain, top with seltzer. Garnish generously.)
\nMelissa laughed. \u201cWe need steady hands after a year like this. All car keys surrendered at happy hour. Mocktails and the light white will be available.\u201d<\/p>\n

She gestured toward the floor-to-ceiling east windows, where shreds of blue were chased by high gray cirrus clouds. Sky and screen collided in motion.<\/p>\n

\u201cOtherwise,\u201d she said, \u201chow are we supposed to keep the windows clear?\u201d<\/p>\n

The conversation drifted\u2014as it has\u2014toward what comes next.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing is clear,\u201d someone said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a big choice coming up. And we ought to be able to see the mountain of fraud that\u2019s apparently penetrated every institution in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr rental assistance for people buried in cemeteries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laughter. Gallows-style.<\/p>\n

\u201cElon Musk says the national fraud could top a trillion dollars a year,\u201d someone added. \u201cThat\u2019s more than a thousand billion being shoveled into empty storefronts and shell nonprofits. Every color of state.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what\u2019s coming?\u201d Splash asked. \u201cWe need a steady hand on the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Post says the District\u2019s flirting with recession. Federal cutbacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the Big Beautiful Bill?\u201d<\/p>\n

Miles raised both hands. \u201cAll of that, yes. But here\u2019s something else. The new NASA Administrator\u2014Jared Isaacman\u2014used his confirmation remarks to outline plans for a permanent moon base.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence. Then grins.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does that have to do with our New Year in the District?\u201d Holly asked, topping off her coffee.<\/p>\n

Miles laughed. \u201cI think he knows exactly who he\u2019d like to send to stand it up. Best and brightest. Where they keep telling us we belong.\u201d<\/p>\n

General laughter. Somewhere, a cork popped\u2014purely to assist with lunar exploration.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n(Photo: Socotra)<\/p>\n

Happy New Year!
\n\u00a9 2025 Vic Socotra
\nwww.vicsocotra.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Miles was back this morning, determined not to let the last day of this bedraggled year slip away without at least a brush of irony and a wave in the rear-view. It may explain why the entertainment channels that had occupied the big screen at the end of the Conference Room at Socotra House were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-socotra"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32213"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32218,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32213\/revisions\/32218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}