We're going to Japan in June (trying to get Ghibli Park tickets in March), so I am following with interest, though our wants and needs with a 6 year old and nearly-2 year old are quite different

Well, the EPA sent out an email (after close of business on a Friday?!) that all remote work agreements are rescinded and employees are expected back in the office

oh, flea, my sympathies. One of my former staff is now a GS-14 at EPA and he lives well away from the office.

That said, I don't see how they can throw the remote work agreements out the window so easily. Many agencies don't have the space, and many employees took those position AS REMOTE. It doesn't really hold up. But I'm sure that doesn't help Mr. flea much right now.

At the moment I'm more upset about the fact that "they" cancelled the MLK event at the regional center scheduled for this coming Monday. They shut down our leadership/diversity group (which really just runs the annual organizational culture survey). When I go back to the office on Tuesday I will look to see if they took down the sexual harassment posters.

I've been reading some of the fed employee reddit forums, and those are full of horrifying details.

My friend who works at the VA in Pittsburgh (with severely mentally ill vets) shared some of their memos with me.

She only teleworks one day a week but said they moved the building she works from after Covid. And there is NO WAY they have space for all the psychological staff. And they can’t just pack a bunch of therapists into shared offices. They have privacy issues with treatment.

She said the early decisions were not made with short terms in mind and it will be a big, shitty dumpster fire.

But she also said, “We HAVE to obey patient privacy laws so fuck them and their anti-DEI memos.”

We had a really good day and I am here to report that I have conquered a QR Code!

Not all of them, by god, but the most important imminent one: the one that gave me our two reserve Shinkansen tickets to Kyoto on Tuesday.

We went to Kichijoji today - which is the neighborhood where the Ghibli Museum is. We did not go to the museum because I foolishly did not buy tickets to said museum back in November. (Actually they release tickets on the 10th of every month for the following month. Take note Debet! Feb. 10 for March tix. (Double check that, but I think that's right.)

Today was our first really successful day in that we had a plan and executed it and it was all fun. The other days were either getting our bearings or trying to fix the phone or jet lagged. But my longstanding traveling practice of picking one interesting neighborhood, and building a day around it worked beautifully.

Also, I have abandoned trying to find exact recommended restaurants. If the menu looks good and some locals are eating there, it's going to be yummy. That's how we found our yakitori (grilled meat on skewers) today and it was perfect.

We walked through Inokashira Park and stumbled across the cutest little creperie on the edge of the park, near the Ghibli Museum. So quaint and humble and cute. Got some postcards there.

Matilda said, "Well, hello there" and I turned around to see a man walking a stroller with two young owls perched on the edge. The owl swiveled his head around and stared at her owlishly. The boutiques and shops near the station were cute and fun.

Matilda scored a beautiful coat from a little boutique having a sale. Very Japanese and drapey, super soft.

We had to take the Metro and then transfer to the JR train lines (like going from Muni to BART, or NYC Subway to Path [I guess?]) and managed to sort it out together. Cool seeing the outlying neighborhood. Lots of older infrastructure - reminded me of Oakland in parts. Since we had an elevated train view I could see lots of roofs and lots of TV antennae!

Well, that's a disappointment about the Ghibli museum, but the rest sounds super-cool!

(I wonder if it's possible to scalp tickets? But you'd pretty much have to read/speak enough Japanese to penetrate the social layers to find someone to sell them. Or ask the concierge?)

(Note that I've never actually paid for scalped tickets, or looked for them, so it's all theoretical to me. But my mild knowledge of hotels is that the concierge knows if its possible, and how to go about it. Or else they open their concierge jacket and they've got preprinted tickets to various events lined up in clever little pockets.)

That sounds like a fabulous day, David.

Owls on a stroller!

One very clear lesson from the first time through was that rules only matter if someone enforces them. I worry....

Yeah, that's enough of that sentence. My worry is going to beat me down before reality gets to it, and that helps no one. Planning is one thing, worrying is blech. Aw, crap. I'm going to have to engage with other people in real life, aren't I? Dammit.

I'm very glad to be getting David's updates of something good! I am not sure I believe you about the owls on the stroller and will need more details to be convinced. Like, just how owlish were they?

That sounds like a perfect city vacation day!!

Making many Japan notes! Thank you.

I am not sure I believe you about the owls on the stroller and will need more details to be convinced.

Check out the picture he posted on FB.