In the novel “August” by Judith Rossner, a psychiatric patient is so fearful of her doctor’s absence during summer vacation that she grows more and more depressed at the mere thought of it. 

But she manages to get by in her shrink’s absence, and so can all of us poor pathetic people stuck here in Washington, D.C., while our bosses and colleagues are cavorting around the country and the world.

Here’s a taste of what’s on tap for the travel-challenged:

From Aug. 13 to 19, a host of restaurants around the city will participate in D.C. Restaurant Week, offering diners three-course, prix-fixe meals for $20.12 at lunch and $35.12 at dinner. For Hill staffers looking to take a long lunch to make the slow recess days pass, 12 Capitol Hill restaurants are participating, including Johnny’s Half Shell, Belga Café and Sonoma Wine Bar. Be sure to make your reservations early.  

The Shakespeare Theatre Company will be hosting screenings and free performances throughout the month. Theatergoers have three opportunities to catch an HD screening of performances of Nick Dear’s contemporary play “Frankenstein,” filmed at the National Theatre in London, on Aug. 7, 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Sidney Harman Hall.

If live theater and classic Shakespeare are more your taste, the Shakespeare Theatre Company is running its “Free for All” series Aug. 23 through Sept. 5. “All’s Well That Ends Well” is this year’s presentation. Tickets are available by online lottery on the day of each performance.  

The ninth annual Dance DC Festival kicks off Aug. 24 and runs all weekend. Dance styles from around the world will grace the Atlas Performing Arts Center, including flamenco, percussive foot performance, Argentine tango, capoeira and Asian Masquerade.

Capitol Hill is surrounded by museums to check out on an afternoon when you’re let out of the office early. If you’ve got the Olympics on your mind, the Folger Shakespeare Library, situated right behind the Capitol, has an exhibit on the Games’ host city — London. The exhibit focuses on the history of the city from 1500 to 1700 and how the landscape morphed from a medieval fortress to a metropolitan mecca. 

On the first floor of the Renwick Gallery, the Smithsonian American Art Museum displays “40 under 40: Craft Futures,” which celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery and presents the work of 40 artists under the age of 40. The artwork selected for display was created from Sept. 11, 2001, to present and reflects the ways the world has changed since that day.  

Football season is around the corner, and through Aug. 14 fans are invited to Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va., to watch the Washington Redskins’ training camp. Each practice lasts 90 minutes to two hours, and there may be an opportunity to get autographs and take photos after each practice. The Skins also have two preseason games at home at FedEx Field. They face the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 25 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug. 29. 

The first-place Washington Nationals have 13 home dates (with 14 games) in August, including series this week against NL East foes Philadelphia and Miami. The full schedule is available online. 

On Aug. 10, head to the fairgrounds located at First and M streets Southeast for Truckeroo, the monthly food truck festival featuring live music, games, alcoholic beverages and, of course, food from the city’s most beloved roving restaurants. The event begins at 11 a.m. and runs through 11 p.m. 

The Citi Open (formerly the Legg Mason Tennis Classic) is in town through Sunday at the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center at 16th and Kennedy streets Northwest. The event will include a WTA International Level tournament played simultaneously with the ATP World Tour 500 event. Special events are slated to run alongside the tournament. Thursday is Wine Tasting Night. A $75 ticket to the event includes admission to the tasting and a reserved ticket to the session on the same day. Members of the military who bring their ID will receive complimentary tickets for the Saturday session. 

In celebration of the Aug. 26 anniversary of women’s suffrage, the National Archives is hosting two events to mark the 92 years since passage of the 19th Amendment. 

At noon on Aug. 22 in the William G. McGowan Theater, professor N.E.H. Hull of Rutgers School of Law will discuss her latest book, “The Woman who Dared to Vote: The Trial of Susan B. Anthony.” The book details the case of the United States v. Susan B. Anthony, in which America’s most prominent leader of women’s rights was tried for illegally voting, and chronicles the aftermath of the case up to adoption of the 19th Amendment. A book signing follows the program.

Check out this link from the Archives that shows the order committing Susan B. Anthony to Albany County Jail: https://research.archives.gov/description/278299.

At 7 p.m. on Aug. 23, also at the McGowan Theater, the Archives marks Women’s Equality Day with Beyond the Vote: Post Suffrage Strategies to Gain Access to Power. Page Harrington, executive director of the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum, will moderate a panel that includes Joy Kinard of National Capital Parks-East and Jennifer Lawless of the Women & Politics Institute at the American University School of Public Affairs.