I promised to do name tags for the conference I'm attending on Friday. I'm a calligrapher, of sorts, and I thought it would be a nice gesture to make classy-looking name tags in italic script. I will admit I was trying to make up for my general lack of participation on the programming committee due to my move and my surgery.

Well, I got started last night, and it was a disaster. My calligraphy pen leaked all over my hand, and in the end I decided it was unusable. I went out to get another at Michael's, but my GPS took me to a shopping plaza where there was no Michael's. By this time it was almost nine p.m. I went to Wal-Mart and Walgreen's, both a long-shot for a special item like this, and of course, no dice.

This morning I emailed another board member who had offered her help and said she could easily print the name tags at her office, and had done it in past. I laid out my problem. I haven't heard from her yet, but my Plan B is to go out at noon and find a pen. I drove to work instead of taking the train so I could do this. I have to get more plastic sleeves and lanyards, anyway -- our attendance is unexpectedly large.

I hate it when I'm trying to do something nice and it goes wrong.

I did more laundry last night - $1.50. (Am I the cleanest or dirtiest person in the world? -- I don't know).

On my trip to work this morning I stopped at McDonald's and got breakfast -- $4.02.

While I am down here with my car, I'll get gas since it is so much cheaper -- even though I am not even down a half-tank yet.