Weekly roundup: the shutdown edition

After a long (and much needed) hiatus during which I moved, bought a house, started a new job... yada... yada... yada... I welcome you back for another installment of the weekly roundup we all know and love:

Friday potluck!

This week is we're going to party like it's 199...5. Government shutdown 1995.


THIS MUST BE A VERY BAD JOKE?

Since I've moved to DC, we've had a mass shooting, a federal government shut down, and all national parks and monuments are closed.


Read: almost every public space in and around DC is closed. Runner friends, this includes closing almost all local parks and bike/run/hike paths. Local run clubs are scrambling to re-route planned weekend runs, at least two races are being postponed until November, and an upcoming Ragnar race has to be re-routed, but the Marine Corps Marathon and the Army 10 Miler will go on, as scheduled.

Granted, bike path closures are not nearly as bad as pulling funding from Head Start and WIC, but the point here is that the District is a mess.

A tropical storm might be headed straight for my old home in Pensacola, but the Gulf Coast never looked so good...


SHUTDOWN PICKUP LINES

Thankfully the days here in DC are not entirely dark.
The funniest thing to come out of the shutdown? Shutdown pickup lines.

Some of the best (or worst?):

• You must be furloughed from the Center for Disease Control, because your smile is infectious.
• Are you furloughed from the Library of Congress, cause us getting together is overdue.
• Baby, you've chained up my heart tighter than the Lincoln Memorial.
• The only thing nonessential about you are those pants.
• My resolution continues ALL NIGHT.
• Congress might be closed, but we can always have a caucus at my place. 

IN MY KITCHEN...

If you can't beat 'em... whip up some pancakes?

Fluffy whole wheat pumpkin pancakes (modified from the original in Epicurious)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups whole milk
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
3 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:
Whisk first 6 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Whisk milk, pumpkin, egg yolks, oil and vanilla in medium bowl to blend well. Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients; whisk just until smooth (batter will be thick). Beat egg whites in another medium bowl until stiff but not dry. (Whisk by hand for an excellent arm workout!) Fold whites into batter in 2 additions. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Working in batches, pour batter by 1/3 cupfuls into skillet. Cook until bubbles form on surface of pancakes and bottoms are brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining batter, re-spraying the pan between batches.


QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

Baby, I let the government shut down, so I could spend the whole day with you. #shutdownpickuplines @MattVas

HAPPY FURLOUGH FRIDAY, FRIENDS!