What I did on my Forced Fall Furlough-caused Vacation

 I have long been bemused that my pursuit of a career in public service to my fellow Americans has been twisted by candidates and elected officials alike into a decision that makes me a parasite on the American tax payer.  That is all I am going to say on that because, I don't care to engage in a discussion that will just turn ugly. In what I think will be my copious amount of suddenly free time,  I figured I would try once more to resurrect my blog to pass the time, record and share some greater knowledge for others who might be in the same boat, and exercise my writing muscles because that it is what I do for a living. So here goes:

Day 1 - October 1, 2013:  Started the day with a medical appointment and rolled into work to engage in an "orderly shutdown" for four hours.  Wrapped up my performance evaluation and sent it to my boss--just in case the furlough lasts longer than the deadline for submitting.  The deadline is October 15. Given that the debt ceiling will be reached on the 17th, I have zero confidence that this mess will be cleaned up by then. (Passive voice is convenient because it allows me not to lay the blame where I believe it lies and get me into the discussion I'd rather not have.)  Cleaned up my desk (it's the office of a creative-type if you get my drift) and pulled some tertiary reading materials off the shelf that I have a personal interest in together and did some research on what my financial options are during a furlough.

Day 2 -  October 2, 2013:  Other than starting the day off with some rehab exercises for my rotator cuff, this was a totally wasted day. I felt terrible due to a touchy gut caused by the super anti-inflammatory med I'm taking. I spent the day sleeping, playing Tetris, Words- and Scramble-with-Friends. I did take the tom cats outside for their twice daily romps.  They are confused by my presence.  I felt emotionally bad that my telecommuting wife was busting her tail, while I lolled about.

Day 3 -  October 3: Woke up feeling much better after starting Prilosec and skipping the Voltarin. Started the day off discussing a bunch of issues follow from not knowing what may  looking up what the unemployment insurance options are. OPM's site makes it clear that during a furlough, government employees' unemployment benefits are governed by the state in which their facility is located.  I'm in Virginia, and VEC says I have to be out of work a week before I can file.  It doesn't look like Virginia will pay much, but by the two additional weeks pass by which time I could actually collect anything, every little bit will help.  Hell if this keeps up, 25 years of government service will seem like its been long enough, and I'll probably be checking out all of my options.