Early usability report, STC work, a neighborly UPS visit, MS Orientation, a mall walk, cheap drinks

I was up at 9:00 today, and checked my e-mail first thing for a response to my e-mail to one of the usability participants to clarify one of her questionnaire answers.  It was there, and I finished up the report by updating that particular detail.

I sent the report to the team, and shortly after received excited and appreciative e-mails back from two of the team members. They are on a short runway with this project, and receiving the report two days ahead of schedule should help. Yay!


I got a bunch of STC work done today, including creating this electronic ballot, which we’re going to use to vote on a proposal to accept an update to our student community’s constitution.

I sent a link to the ballot to the officers for their review and approval.

I exchanged a few e-mails with Jenn, our Vice President and Webmaster, to get PDFs of the current and proposed constitution posted to our web site, to which I refer in the ballot.

I exchanged an e-mail or two with Myra about getting my newsletter to Jenn in PDF format to post to the web site.


I was waiting for the UPS guy to deliver Kathryn’s (my neighbor) computer, and at 3:30, I was just about to call her at work to ask her if she had an estimated delivery time when my phone rang.

“John, this is Kathryn. Have they come yet?”

“I’m so glad you called. I was just about to pick up the phone to call you — had just looked up your number. They haven’t come yet, and I have got to run to the grocery store, as I’m going to a meeting tonight at 6:00 to which I have to bring refreshments, and I have to buy them.”

“Oh, just go! I told them if you weren’t there to leave me a notice, and I’d handle it tomorrow. I’m in court all day today.” She’s in court as a lawyer, not a criminal.


I ran to Food Lion on Avent Ferry, and I got, among other things, some two 12-packs of rolls, some chicken salad, some egg salad, and some pimento cheese.

Back home, I made up 24 little sandwiches — 8 pimento cheese, 8 chicken salad, and 8 egg salad — to bring tonight.


Tonight’s meeting, orientation for new students entering the Master of Science Program in Technical Communication this semester was from 6:00 – 7:00 this evening. The orientation meeting is always “sponsored” by the STC Student Community, so all of the officers were there.

I got to Tompkins 123 at just after 5:00, and was the first one there. Everyone trickled in, and it turned out to be a fun time setting up for the meeting, during it, and cleaning up afterwards.

I suspect at least one homo among the “students entering the program” present for orientation this evening.

I had a fun little chat about the crossword puzzle with Dr. Carolyn Miller after the meeting.


After the meeting, I met Joe at 8PM at Cary Towne Center, where we “mall walked” for 30 minutes. At the end of the walk, he spent some time in a shoe store, and I spent some time in a book store that was going out of business.

I saw a couple of audio books that I wouldn’t mind having, but none bad enough to actually buy, I guess.

We stopped by Helios for about a half hour, and since it “was after 9:00,” (they close at 10), Joe couldn’t order food. He had coffee, and I had a “Single Iced Caramella.”

At 10:00, we went over to Flex for some $1.25 cocktails. Joe and I played three games of pool, and enjoyed as many cocktails, for a grand total of $3.75 a piece for vodka tonics and three bourbon and cokes.

There were more people there for a Monday night than usual, but no where near crowded. Jay, the bartender, is addicted to television/movies.

We left before midnight.

Leave a Comment