Day Off at Home

My first full day at home since late October 1st. Man, I've got a bunch of stuff to get done around here.

My neighbor Charlene (without whom I wouldn't even have this place, as she's the one who told me it was on the market) offers to drive me downtown to pick up my rental car. My car's been just sitting for the last 12 weeks, so I'm not sure I trust it to get me to Charlotte and back for Christmas. Charlene gave me an awesome gift bag full of her homemade baked goodies.

Run by the grocery store for some vittles as there's not a shred of food in the place other than the Charlene goodies. Believe me, they're so good I could eat them for a meal, but I want to save some of them.

Run into Tom Cuthbertson at the Harris-Teeter, Jennifer's husband. He's pushing around a shopping cart with the entire polar icecap in it. Not really, but it must have 47 half-gallons of ice cream. Tom and Jen's baby is due on Monday, Christmas day. Spend a few minutes with Tom, then call Jen after I check out and get to the car. She's in good spirits for a woman with a bowling ball in her stomach and doesn't seem to care if the baby comes Monday or the next day, or the next.

Putz around the house doing this and that all day. Paige calls and says the neighbors are coming over for drinks this evening and that I should, too.

Make it over there around 9pm and stay for a couple of hours. Head home sometime past 11, but decide not to stay there.

Run downtown to see Night Prowler, some Bon Scott-era AC/DC cover band that's playing at the Lincoln. No one's taking the cover charge at the door, so I just stroll in. Stay for a couple of beers. The band's neither good nor bad, just there.

Swing by Northside for a nightcap. Jennifer the karaoke lady is there, doing her thing. I spend most of my time there chatting with her daughter, who's a big fan of some of the bands I've worked for over the past few years.

Home around 2…