Sunday, June 5, 2005

Today I found $2.44. . . 13 nickels, 4 dimes, 4 quarters & 39 pennies (the amazing change cycle).

I woke up tired this morning, but I felt there was some change to be found so I got out of bed and decided to do some searching before the Astros game. I checked the Boston Market drive-thru and found five cents (one new buffalo nickel). A nearby Wendy’s drive-thru had three cents in it and they were all added to the daily totals. Across the street was a Starbucks and for some reason there were no cars in the drive-thru. Excited I went and checked and I was rewarded with 33 cents (one quarter, one nickel, and three pennies). Both the quarter and the nickel were bicentennial, minted in 1976.

A carwash on Louetta Road was my next stop and there I found eight cents (all pennies). Two more fast food drive-thru windows in the general area were checked, McDonalds and Arby’s. The McDonalds had 36 cents (one quarter, one nickel, & one dime) and the Arby’s had five cents (one nickel).

Driving back home I saw a new carwash, named Ale Gators. It appropriately had an alligator on the sign. It also had 26 cents (one quarter & one penny) on the ground. Near my apartment while I was stopped at a red light I saw and retrieved a single penny from the road.

Refusing to rest after my morning success I did some searching on the way home from the Astros game, a rare Roger Clemens win. At an Exxon I found 88 cents (one quarter, six nickels, three dimes, and two pennies) all on the ground by two vacuum cleaners. The majority of that change was in one pile, and how it got there I don’t know. It also marks a rare change cycle at one location. At a Sonic I found seven cents (one nickel & three pennies) and at the Kwick Kar Wash, which was right next door I found 13 cents (one nickel & eight pennies). At a Shell gas station, where I stopped for a drink, I found a single penny on the ground by the cash register. Finally, at a car wash next to my apartment I found 14 cents (one nickel & nine pennies).

As mentioned earlier the Astros got a rare win. Roger Clemens pitched his worst game of the year, giving up four runs in the first two innings. This was not good because he was facing Mark Mulder, an excellent pitcher. Don’t forget Mark Mulder was a stud with the Oakland Athletics last year. Today, Mark didn’t have his A game. I attribute this to the fact that he would not sign my team ball. On the autograph front I managed to get two signatures, Randy Flores and Chris Carpenter. Chris is a right handed pitcher, but signed my ball with his left hand. Strange.

Totals for the day: $2.44
Race Totals: $75.20