Wednesday, September 21, 2005 (Bring it on Rita)

Today I found 86 cents. . . 1 nickel, 5 dimes & 31 pennies. I also found a Canadian dime, a British penny, and a token from Chuck E. Cheese. Sadly, the last three do not count toward the daily totals.

This morning, as scores of vehicles exited Galveston Island I got in my car and drove SOUTH on Interstate 45 for an AM appointment. In Friendswood, TX I was stopped at a red light and saw a penny in the road. As the light was red the penny was retrieved with little fanfare. Driving back towards Houston (a drive that took me four hours because of all the people fleeing the hurricane) I stopped for lunch at the Home Plate Bar and Grill and found two cents on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. Closer to home I stopped at the Kwick Kar Wash and found 11 cents (all pennies).

At a car wash next to my apartment complex I found another nine cents (again, all pennies) on the ground. I finally decided, along with four million other Houstonians, to do some grocery shopping today. At HEB I found two cents in the self-checkout line (I purchased ground beef for hamburgers, charcoal, and some beer–the essentials for hurricane survival).

I also went to Randalls, another local grocery store, to use the ATM and to get some other provisions. Walking into Randalls I spotted a dime sitting vertical in the change return slot of a vending machine. The dime was added to my collection. Inside Randalls I hit the jackpot at the change counting machine. When I collected all the change in the return slot, as well as some change sitting on top of the machine, I had a total of 53 cents (one nickel, four dimes, and eight pennies). I also had the assorted foreign coins and Chuck E. Cheese token, which have been added to my “Not Change Cup.”

According to weather reports that I have seen Hurricane Rita, now a Category 5 storm, should hit the Houston area on Friday evening. I have already been given off work for the next few days and I have no plans on leaving the area, so I’m going to enjoy my time off and get ready for a big hurricane party that I’m going to throw on Friday night! Bailey is invited, assuming he does not punk out and leave Houston like a scared little girl!

Totals for the day: 86 cents
Race Totals: $168.31