Post-Shutdown, Post-Season: The Ties that Bind

My two worlds have finally collided. And by two worlds I mean my two collegiate worlds, Boston and Washington D.C. Now please enlighten me and follow along with my story of this crossover.
Last week the federal government ended its 16-day shutdown by passing a bill that raised the debt ceiling and continued to find the government. Last weekend, just three days after the government reopened the Red Sox won the ALCS advancing them to the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. You may be asking yourself, now where is this "collision" she's taking about? Well, let me explain...
During the shutdown, furloughed workers were stuck at home resulting in many of the furloughed male employees to grow beards. Also during the shutdown journalists on the Hill began growing beards. (Yes, #ShutdownBeard was trending on Twitter at one point).

One of my favorite #ShutdownBeard tweets

Then finally, comes the Red Sox, and yes of course, the whole team is growing beards in the post-season. You following? The collision comes with the obscene amount of fascial hair I've been seeing lately. From journalists to ballplayers they all are sporting unshaven looks, some more dashing than others I must say. Yet the simplest thing, a beard, has brought more people together in the past few weeks than it probably ever will. At an otherwise polarizing time in politics- Democrats vs. Republicans and sports- Sox vs. Cardinals, the beard bonds.

While our furloughed friends and Capitol journalists have taken to the razor and shaven their beards, the Sox still remain hairy as they head into Game 2 of the World Series tonight, but come next week, the ballplayers' beards too will most likely be shaven.
But don't fret, if you had any thought of missing the familiarness of a bearded face, now is the time for me to remind you November is eight days away. #NoShaveNovember

So there you have it. The collision of my two collegiate worlds. There is just something about the camaraderie of sports that I love and I think I'm starting to get that feel among the reporters on the Hill. When you go through the same highs and lows week in and week out you bond. Whether its bonding over a facial hair or not we all love the feeling. So here's to the 2013 World Series!!! Go Sox!!!