I worked from home in the morning, taking an hour-and-fifteen minute conference call with Paul H. and “Gustorm,” who was in Oslo, Norway. He took me through one of the new set of Rational tools, out of a suite, that might help us meet the ISO requirement of traceability of requirements throughout the development process. The suite definitely can do it, but as usual, the investment to move to the new set of tools is a huge one that requires funding, which either isn’t available or so hard to build a case for that it doesn’t usually get done.

I left for Souper! Salad! at about 11:05, stopping by the Avent Ferry post office to mail birthday cards to Mathis and to Julie P. I also mailed a note to mom, with my latest phone numbers on them.

I actually arrived on time for lunch with the bookclub, which was surprising to me. Janet was very cranky today, and all of us sensed it. Sharon shared with us a little about Lou Gerstner’s book, how impressed she was with it, and Janet proceeded to repeatedly ask, “What about the $650 million salary he took from the company, and all the layoffs he did.” She just wouldn’t let that go. She left a little early, and afterward, Suzanne told us that she (Janet) was going on vacation again, next week, up to Canada, I believe. Vancouver? British Columbia? Someplace like that.

Suzanne expressed her anxiety about hosting her parents this week. We all tried to offer consolation, but I’m not sure it did any good.

I got back to work at about 1:00. At a little after 2, Robert called from Sears, where he needed to leave his car for break work. I left shortly after that to go pick him up. We went to his place, and I sat out in the sun at the picnic table out near the little pond behind his place, and read Seabiscuit. He did some chores in the house.

After a while, he came out to check on me, and went to the car to get the blanket I keep in the trunk, and I laid on it out in the sun by the pond for a while. I read some; I dozed some. He came back out a little later with celery sticks and cream cheese with chives in it. A yum, yum snack.

We had one of those heavy conversations about his progress in school, his plans for the future, getting a full-time job maybe, deciding on his major, etc. We talked about therapy, and connections of food to how you feel, and depression. I wish I could understand depression. I feel like I have no empathy for it because I can’t or haven’t experienced it myself.

We made dinner plans, and settled on Maggiano’s at Southpoint. Once there, however, we changed our minds, and went to CPK instead. We sat outside, because it was nice out and the wait was a lot shorter. After being out there for a while, though, and with the sun setting, it started to get a little chilly. The folks working there tried diligently, but without success, to light the gas heated lamps they have out there. Robert got up and tried to help at one point, but with no luck. We got one Thai Pizza and one order of Portobello Mushroom Ravioli. The ravioli had a cream sauce with a lot of garlic in it. It was very rich, but good. Robert thought the pasta was a little underdone, but I like it “doughy,” so thought it was fine.

On the way out, we stopped at Sears to pick up Robert’s car. As we turned the corner into the place, we saw it still up on the lift with the tires still off it. Not a good sign. Robert when in to check on it, and they said it would be ready at approximately 10:00 tomorrow morning.

We stopped by VisArt on the way home, and rented Chuck & Buck, which we watched together. Interestingly, Robert didn’t find it as awkward as I did, and watching it again this time, with him, I didn’t think it was nearly as awkward as I did when I watched it the first time. Interesting.

Lights out, and we MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMed.