Power tools to the people

The Man has upped and left us again - I said goodbye to him at the airport at lunchtime and have since heard that he arrived safely in North Carolina. He'll be gone until next weekend.

The Boy is disappointed to have lost his tennis-in-the-road partner for a week.  He mooched around this afternoon, and was only partially consoled by a trip to Barnes & Noble with his sister. She also baked us some cupcakes, so those are cheering us up a little bit as well.

Curiosity of the day: I called in at Lowes DIY store in the hopes of buying a bradawl or gimlet. The staff were mystified, which didn't surprise me as everything is called something else here (I had already selected some spackle, which I think I would normally call filler). But even when I described what it was I wanted - a tool for manually making holes in wood prior to screwing in a screw - they couldn't help me, as I wasn't asking for a fitting for an electric drill.  Tomorrow I shall try the local, much smaller, hardware store and see if I fare any better.

The Man adds...it's noticeably greener down here.

I had straightforward flights via Dulles, where I had lunch in supposedly the only Chipotle in the nation that was open today, Easter Sunday. Tonight I visited the hotel fitness centre, which is across the road in the Holiday Inn. Not too inconvenient, except that it is an eight lane road and the only possible way of crossing it is by car.