by MustBTVDay nineteen of furlough. The great New Orleans adventure is over, and the Living Room Republic has returned to standard operating procedures. No airports, no jazz, no questionable hotel plumbing. just the comfort of my own coffee mug and a thermostat that listens when I tell it what to do.
Breakfast was a bagel and Starbucks, the official signal that normalcy has been restored. The caffeine hit like an old friend, reliable, forgiving, and mildly enabling. The Family CFO has resumed control of domestic operations, and I’ve reclaimed my post as Director of Doing Whatever Needs Doing.
This afternoon’s mission: haircut and beard trim. The two-week furlough growth had reached “philosopher in exile” status, and the time had come to restore order. My stylist didn’t say it out loud, but her eyes clearly communicated, “You’ve been out of the system too long.”
Remington has recovered from her bout of separation despair and now follows me everywhere, likely to ensure I don’t vanish again. Mittens continues to assess the situation with quiet judgment. Tabby has reemerged, clearly unimpressed by our absence and more concerned about her dinner schedule.
Curly and Moe are running smooth, perhaps too smooth. The kind of quiet that makes you suspicious. Still, after recent travels, even that feels like a gift.
Morale check: solid. Coffee hot, beard trimmed, order restored. The Living Room Republic is once again calm, caffeinated, and fully under civilian control.
