tomorrow i have a date with the road, and the day after a date with an old friend.

tomorrow i have no idea what direction i might set out in, and the day after we have about two options to choose from.

hocking hills? pittsburgh? youngstown? toledo? buffalo? i don't have much money; i just want the road and nice scenery. borders? cafe arabica? this town sucks, and one of those isn't even in it. it's all about the company.

tonight at work i passed this big personal test. (meaning, naturally, this is going to sound ridiculous to you.) i was just sitting there minding my own business, rearranging paper with consummate skill, when what must be the largest daddy longlegs spider i've ever seen came barreling at me.

at me, i tell you. and barreling, at that.

but when i decided not to eat things that were once living, i also decided not to put to death things that are living. i haven't killed anything all year, except the hornet that stung me in my bed. then, i was so freaked out i put a cup over it and slept on the couch.

i had to physically restrain myself from grinding the disgusting thing into the carpet or finding a man to carry out the death sentence on my behalf. but i let the thing barrel out of my sight, let it alone to terrorize me from any dark corner it chose.

hey, i let it alone, and it let me alone!

progress of a sort, my friends, progress of any sort.

i can still feel it crawling all over me, though. :

ps - final travel itinerary: leave cftown 9am. arrive columbus 11am. read in coffee shop till 1pm. arrive logan 2pm. hike around hocking hills as desired. find nice spot to sit, reflect, write as desired. depart logan 5pm. arrive cftown 8pm, eat dinner, work on gender paper, prepare to go to work again. blah.