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I took my kids out of school and took an unplanned day off work in the middle of an important meeting series to drive 5 hours west from Virginia to Ohio to see

I took my kids out of school and took an unplanned day off work in the middle of an important meeting series to drive 5 hours west from Virginia to Ohio to see the last eclipse. The schools and my boss were both yelling at me, both saying the eclipse wasn't a good enough excuse. I'm sorry, but it definitely was. I am so glad I did that. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Uncle_Brumpus 2mo ago
I drove ~3 hours to the Vermont-Canada border... and then drove 14 hours home. I'd also do it again in a heartbeat. I almost signed up for a live-work program for a big music festival happening in Iceland, but the flights (the only thing not covered) were astronomically expensive and I had already made plans with my dad last weekend, and he's getting older so I really didn't want to bail on him. I would love to sit atop the Rock of Gibraltar (with 47,000 other people) for the next one, Aug 2 2027, but that is likely also a pipe-dream, because NORMAL flights to Gibraltar are already too expensive for me.
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 2mo ago
  I also report strange time anomalies. I blasted to Burlington from Nashua early morning and it took ~3 hrs to get there and ~7 hrs to get home...in a manual transmission. I'd do it again too, life changing experience.
  - flymasterv 2mo ago
    Boston to Bingham, Maine in about 4 hours. I was in my car and headed home about 10 seconds after totality ended and made it home in 5 hours. Totally worth it.
alnwlsn 2mo ago
Both myself and my boss took off work to see the last one. Though unplanned it was not, as eclipses can be predicted centuries in advance. I intended to see it before even working there. Looking forward to the next local one in 2045.
joebates 2mo ago
I took off work to drive from Houston to Little Rock to see the eclipse at 100% and I'm so glad I did. I can't imagine prioritizing a temporary job over a once in a lifetime event. I had a colleague who really wanted to see the eclipse but felt bad about taking off from work, so he didn't go. He ended up being laid off within a year. I feel terrible for him. I also learned how important it is to keep perspective on what matters.
artisinal 2mo ago
In many places in Europe that could have cost you jail time.
- nullhole 2mo ago
  What are you talking about? Where on earth does taking an unplanned day off work get you jail time?
  - artisinal 2mo ago
    Taking your kids out of school is illegal in many places in Europe. Children are supposed to be in school. And if you are not the assigned pickup that is an automatic national alert for abduction.
    - moron4hire 2mo ago
      You are such a typical German, afraid of the law. There are laws that are important like murder and stealing and then there are laws that are not important like jaywalking and being a public nuisance. You need to stop treating the latter like the former.
      - artisinal 2mo ago
        Not having your kids in school is an offense that is ranked significantly higher than jaywalking. I don’t see how you are comparing it to murder. Afraid of the law is a silly statement. Laws are made by the democratic system. Adhere to them. There is a reason not bringing your kids to school can lead to jail time. It’s a serious offense.
        fcatalan 2mo ago
        I now read that German police will stop and check families with kids in airports the days immediately before and after public holidays. Chilling "Ihre papiere bitte" vibes there. Not doing a great job at avoiding stereotypes, you guys maybe could historically benefit from saner laws and a healthier relationship with them.

Uncle_Brumpus 2mo ago

I drove ~3 hours to the Vermont-Canada border... and then drove 14 hours home. I'd also do it again in a heartbeat. I almost signed up for a live-work program for a big music festival happening in Iceland, but the flights (the only thing not covered) were astronomically expensive and I had already made plans with my dad last weekend, and he's getting older so I really didn't want to bail on him. I would love to sit atop the Rock of Gibraltar (with 47,000 other people) for the next one, Aug 2 2027, but that is likely also a pipe-dream, because NORMAL flights to Gibraltar are already too expensive for me.

2OEH8eoCRo0 2mo ago
I also report strange time anomalies. I blasted to Burlington from Nashua early morning and it took ~3 hrs to get there and ~7 hrs to get home...in a manual transmission. I'd do it again too, life changing experience.
- flymasterv 2mo ago
  Boston to Bingham, Maine in about 4 hours. I was in my car and headed home about 10 seconds after totality ended and made it home in 5 hours. Totally worth it.

alnwlsn 2mo ago

Both myself and my boss took off work to see the last one. Though unplanned it was not, as eclipses can be predicted centuries in advance. I intended to see it before even working there. Looking forward to the next local one in 2045.

joebates 2mo ago

I took off work to drive from Houston to Little Rock to see the eclipse at 100% and I'm so glad I did. I can't imagine prioritizing a temporary job over a once in a lifetime event. I had a colleague who really wanted to see the eclipse but felt bad about taking off from work, so he didn't go. He ended up being laid off within a year. I feel terrible for him. I also learned how important it is to keep perspective on what matters.

artisinal 2mo ago

In many places in Europe that could have cost you jail time.

nullhole 2mo ago
What are you talking about? Where on earth does taking an unplanned day off work get you jail time?
- artisinal 2mo ago
  Taking your kids out of school is illegal in many places in Europe. Children are supposed to be in school. And if you are not the assigned pickup that is an automatic national alert for abduction.
  - moron4hire 2mo ago
    You are such a typical German, afraid of the law. There are laws that are important like murder and stealing and then there are laws that are not important like jaywalking and being a public nuisance. You need to stop treating the latter like the former.
    - artisinal 2mo ago
      Not having your kids in school is an offense that is ranked significantly higher than jaywalking. I don’t see how you are comparing it to murder. Afraid of the law is a silly statement. Laws are made by the democratic system. Adhere to them. There is a reason not bringing your kids to school can lead to jail time. It’s a serious offense.
      - fcatalan 2mo ago
        I now read that German police will stop and check families with kids in airports the days immediately before and after public holidays. Chilling "Ihre papiere bitte" vibes there. Not doing a great job at avoiding stereotypes, you guys maybe could historically benefit from saner laws and a healthier relationship with them.