Last day of work this month, Deer Hunting w/Jesus & Robert & Katherine…

I wore shorts and a t-shirt to work today. Among other things, I created an announcement about my trip to the staff, which is now posted in the Staff News section of the Office of Information Technology home page: OIT staff member talks technical communication in China.


I picked up Katherine Chandler at the airport at around 6:30, and we went to Elmo’s Diner in Durham for dinner. I had quiche and she had a Greek Grilled Cheese sandwich, which she loved.

We met Robert at Manbites Dog Theater to see Deer Hunting with Jesus, which Katja was directing. It was a staged reading of an adaption of Joe Bageant‘s book Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America’s Class War.

There was a scene about three-quarters of the way through that had the three of us in absolute stitches. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening.


I dropped off Katherine at my house, and ran down to Flex for just a little while. Joe didn’t go out tonight, and I spent most of the time talking with Steve Harris.

I wasn’t there more than an hour, leaving at just a little bit after midnight.


I hate how I’m consistently running about two days behind on my blog now. Gotta remedy that soon.

Back to work, a class, scripts filled, a run to MBD, and a drink on the lanai…

I caught the 8:25 bus today, and Barry, one of my neighbors, and this other sort-of regular at our stop had a little chat. The lady works for the federal government, so was off yesterday for Columbus day. Barry works for the university, as do I, so both state employees, who did not have the day off yesterday. I took a sick day for my trip to Rhode Island.


Since today was the last day that I could adjust most of my benefits (tomorrow is 30 days since my start date), I updated my NC Flex benefits, the Health Care Flexible Spending Account to be exact, to defer $200 into it for calendar year 2008, since I paid a $20 co-pay for my Hep A shot visit, and I’m going to get about $185 in prescriptions filled tomorrow.


I was in a Drupal training class from 9:30-11:30. It was taught by Don, and there were about 15 people in it, including my team, and several of the liaisons representing teams who are about to move content into Drupal.

I grabbed two hot dogs for lunch at Coffee Haven. They were okay, but were those red, red hot dogs that “they love down here.” There was a time during which I wouldn’t touch them. Now, I only eat them if they’re the only kind available, or close by when I’m pressed for time, which was the case today.

I worked on the Drupal Inventory Worksheet, reviewed and commented on our CIO’s proposed Strategic Operating Plan.

The 6:00 bus didn’t arrive until 6:15. I was beginning to think I had missed it.

I got a funny birthday card from Suzanne in the mail today. At some point, probably after my China trip now, I’m going to capture all of my cards in an entry. I like doing that.

I checked in with mom and dad to let them know I had received their birthday call, and was in Coventry for Uncle Frank’s funeral. In her classic way, my mother said, “Yeah, I’ve been doing alright, considering my leg (the one she just had replacement surgery on again), and the car accident I was in a couple of weeks ago…”


I filled my car up tonight—making it to 3-weeks with one tank. For posterity, gas was $3.39 a gallon. Which reminds me, I saw it for $2.79 at a gas station in Rhode Island when I was there.

I stopped at K-Mart, where I ended up leaving my prescriptions to be filled over night.

Back at home, I addressed 50 envelopes for Manbites Dog, and then drove out to Durham and put them in the theater’s mailbox out front. I drove by Robert’s as the moon was full and beautiful, and I thought we might have a drink on “the lanai.”

He generously offered me some crackers with a cheddar cheese and roasted red pepper spread that was delicious, and some ginger ale. We sat on his deck long enough to gaze at the moon, have a sip of drink, and say we did.

Back home I tweeted this:

Back. Bonus: Visited Robert, got fed, had a “drink on the lanai under a full moon” and got a kiss goodnight. 🙂 SWEET!