Monday, January 31, 1994 - Norfolk, VA

Awoke to a lovely, clean, white, fluffy blanket of snow, about three inches deep. The boat was covered with snow, the docks were covered with snow, everything was covered with snow. How beautiful! But most of it melted off in a few hours.
Sure feels good to have my time to myself again. Went to the Post Office first thing and found a big pile of mail in my box. Then I went to the office of the local newspaper to find out what an ad would cost. What a shock! I'd been thinking in terms of $50 to $100 per week, and I thought that was a lot. Hah! An ad the size I wanted would cost more than $250 PER DAY! No discount for multiple days. So I priced smaller ads. Can get a little ad in the weekly supplement for around $50. That's for once a week. I'm going to check some of the freebie papers.
Spent most of the afternoon writing letters in response to the letters I received.
The mechanic worked on the engine again, but still isn't done. Will be back tomorrow.

Sunday, January 30, 1994 - Norfolk, VA

Finally got into the swing of working. Zoomed along rapidly and accurately. Didn't even feel tired. Guess what--it's my last day! The job is finished. Figures.

Saturday, January 29, 1994 - Norfolk, VA

Another day of work. Tried to go faster this morning, but soon realized I was omitting some items, so I slowed down. I'll be glad when this job is over. It doesn't pay very much, but it pays more than most of the jobs around here. Even more than in New Bedford.
This is the most changeable weather I've ever seen. It's summer one day and freezing cold winter the next. Or it's warm in the morning and cold by night, or vice versa. It's hard to know how to dress when I leave for work in the morning. I've been taking my winter coat even on warm mornings to be on the safe side.

Friday, January 28, 1994 - Norfolk, VA

I'm starting to get used to working. Didn't get so tired today, and my work is more accurate. The job has to be completed by Monday, so they're working three shifts around the clock and will work all weekend. What amazes me is that many of the people working nights also work full time during the day! That would kill me.
The mechanic is still putting the engine back together. Will probably finish Monday.

Thursday, January 27, 1994 - Norfolk, VA

Got up at quarter to five and caught the 5:45 bus. Got to work half an hour early, but that's better than being half a minute late. Gives me time to relax and get a drink of water before I start working.
To get there, I take the #20 bus out Virginia Beach Boulevard. Get off at Lynnhaven Parkway and walk the last mile. Coming home, I walk back to Virginia Beach Blvd. and catch the 4:30 bus to Norfolk. Get back to the boat a little after six. Roy has a delicious supper all ready for me. He walked to the grocery store twice and bought all sorts of delicious goodies for me to take in my lunch. After supper, he washed the dishes while I got ready for bed. Went to bed at nine so I could get up at five.

Wednesday, January 26, 1994 - Norfolk, VA

Had my day all planned. I was going to go to the newspaper for a price quote on an ad. Then I'd go by the grocery store for a few things we needed. After lunch, I'd go to Pembroke Mall to see the movie I didn't get to Monday. But my plans were changed abruptly. I'd scarcely left the boat when my pager beeped. It was the company I applied to Monday. They wanted me to start at noon today! In order to get there by twelve, I had to catch the 10 o'clock bus, so that didn't leave me time to do anything except tell Roy and grab a quick bite to eat.
They wanted me to work until six. I wanted to leave at four, so we compromised on five. I was plenty tired by then. It will take me a while to get used to working again.

Tuesday, January 25, 1994 - Norfolk, VA

Went by the Post Office to check my box, not really expecting to find anything. To my surprise and delight, I found not one but two letters! One was a very nice thank-you letter from Gina, and the other was a request for more information from an agency I had sent my programming resume to. (I had received a thank-you letter from Meghan in the last batch of mail Kathy had forwarded. What a pleasure to receive thank-you letters from my grandchildren!)
For some time, I've been thinking of going into business for myself, writing custom software, so today I went over to City Hall to inquire about business licenses. Found out I could get one for as little as $30, but first I have to get a clearance from the Zoning Department. Went up to the fifth floor and talked with someone in the Zoning Department. She told me the rules for working at home, all of which were easy to comply with (no signs, no loud noises, etc.). A zoning clearance will cost $15, but first I have to get a letter of permission from the operator of the marina.
Next, I phoned several telephone answering services to find out how much they would charge. The best rate was $50 a month for unlimited, around-the-clock service.
Looked up the address of the local newspaper. Tomorrow, I'll go there to get an estimate on an ad. Assuming it's between $50 and $100, it will cost me about $200 to go into business. Will I get any customers? Can I make enough to recoup my investment? Well, I won't find out until I try.
The mechanic started putting the engine back together again. Roy is irked, because he clearly told him he (Roy) had changed the oil and installed a new filter, but the mechanic removed the filter Roy had installed and put on another new one. Worse, he ruined the one he took off by getting diesel fuel all over it.
Roy figures the overhaul of the engine is going to come to about $3500. That's almost as much as we paid for the engine originally.