Work Wednesday
The day before Thanksgiving last year, I confessed that I hadn't started cooking despite the looming dinner deadline. I termed this Turkey Day delay my "trouble with a capital T." (It all turned out fine, of course, especially this divine maple pecan pie with a wheat-flavored crust from Bon Appetit.)
For this year's Thanksgiving post, I'm blogging about three other T's. Telework. Traffic. TSA. (You'll see at the end how they all relate to the holiday.)
First up, telework. Last week, Congress finally passed a teleworking bill for federal agencies. The bill is now awaiting the President's signature. According to the Washington Post, the "measure establishes a policy framework and a set of procedures essentially creating the assumption that telework is permitted, rather than something workers must fight to get." That's good news for many reasons: teleworking decreases congestion and traffic, helps attract highly-qualified and technologically savvy workers, and allows parents to balance work-life responsibilities more easily. And it may save the government money in the long run. My agency already has a telework program, and on the occasional days that I telework I'm as productive if not more productive (no interruptions, no meetings in far flung federal buildings) than I am when I'm in the office. Of course, I don't think I'd want to telework all the time or even most of the work week - I like the camraderie of my colleagues and I do think that there are some things that are best done face-to-face. (In reality. Not virtually.) But all in all, I'm thankful for this bill. And it couldn't have come a moment too soon . . . .
Because of all the traffic. I don't know if its all the people driving around in search of the perfect pie but the traffic in my corner of the DC-metro area has been horrendous for the past few days. It hasn't been pretty and the last two evening commutes have been astoundingly ugly. On Monday, it took me nearly 1 hour and 30 minutes to drive the 9 miles between my office and my home (not counting the 10 minutes it took to retrieve my son from his school). Yesterday, it took me 25 minutes to go less than one mile in a usually zippy stretch of my commute. So, I'm already out of gas even before my husband, kids, and I hit the road (along with about 42.2 million other Americans, up 11% from last year) for the endless, oppressive drive to New Jersey, where my husband's entire family is gathering this year. I am looking forward to the celebration, though. Truly. And, of course, driving's better than flying this Thanksgiving, right . . . .
Which brings me to TSA. There's little point in writing anything about the Transportation Safety Administration's newly-introduced full body scanners or aggressive pat-down protocols: no matter your view it's been said already. In recent weeks, the backlash against the TSA's new airport screening procedures has been intense. I'm just glad that I won't be beached in some airport while the "opt-out" boycotters slow down the usually slow-moving security lines . . . .
Wait! The Washington Post has weighed in on our Thanksiving route. According to Dr. Gridlock (WaPo columnist Robert Thomson), Thanksgiving travelers should fear the toll boths in Delaware (which are currently under construction) more than an airport pat-down. He writes: "The Delaware toll plaza was born bad, but this week may be the worst in its infamous history as a major East Coast bottleneck." And, driving his point home, he elaborates: "If we did a poll, I think Delaware would win in a landslide. The pat-down is over faster. Driving through the I-95 toll plaza in Delaware this week could take hours."
Aaagh! Oh, well, at least there's a fourth "T" at the end of the journey. Turkey! (And, even though it doesn't start with a "T", pie.) Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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