Due to certain budget or non-budget situation of the U.S. Government caused by the miserable failures of non-representatives in Congress, I am on a temporary job assignment.

I have skills that are needed and thus deemed essential, but in a different job from usual. That’s one good thing about building up professional skills and credentials all these years. Those skills are valued and allow me the flexibility of accepting a temporary assignment when needed.

The only thing is…

…I have had to switch my schedule to working on a very early shift, starting at 4am. Oh joy!

Actually, early morning has never been a problem for me. I drive my spouse nuts by rising every morning with a song and great energy. Without coffee! I’m a real morning person.

I have to leave home by 3:30am to get to the office. As readers of this blog know, I usually commute via Harley. A buddy asked me, “do you ride your Harley to work at that hour?”

I thought about it, and said to myself, “you know, it is just as dark at 3:30am as it is at my usual departure hour of 5:30am, so why not?” I momentarily thought of the noise of the engine bothering my neighbors, but since I kept my stock exhaust and I roll the bike out to the street before starting it, the noise in the neighborhood is minimal. I asked my neighbors the other day if they heard me, and none said they did.

All last week, I left at 3:30am. I am cautious and ride especially carefully on one road along my commute where deer have been known to cross. In fact, I saw a herd of deer on that road last Thursday. Last thing a driver of any vehicle wants is a collision with a four-legged animal (which, by the way, has more brains than those TP nitwits in Congress, but I digress.)

This week, rain is predicted and may be severe at the time I come home, so I’m back in my truck for safety’s sake. But it was nice to commute via Harley with almost no one on the roads.

Life is short: ride safe!