Thursday was pretty cool. Really cool actually. I was really comfortable with myself and felt like a (passably) normal person. I wasn’t feeling awkward or a fish out of water and am really grateful for that!

I went to Toastmasters. (Anthony Wayne Toastmasters Club 521 founded in 1947) One of the prominent members and his wife were unable to come. There were four of us there and we visited for about a half hour since we didn’t have any speakers. We saw projects that Leon made that were really awesome… elegant wooden steering wheels that had clocks in the center. He said that he’d given many of them to friends. He also described how he made them.

We got on the subject of 3-D printers. Leon did a better job of explaining them than I could. He had been a member at the makerspace TekVenture in Fort Wayne in the past and so had I. We made an expedition across town to see the facility. We got a really nice tour.

Tekventure was pretty cool. On the stage, some were practicing a play. I saw a lot of people working in the ceramics section of the workshop. I also learned a little about CNC milling machines. My guide explained that experience with a manual milling machine is a helpful background before one starts making CNC programs. I got a liability release form and indicated that I wanted to join. I need to pick the right day to pay online so that I have something to do right away.

After leaving TekVenture, I went to Kroger to buy some groceries. I was looking at the Jumbo, Extra Large and Medium eggs to compare prices and decide which would be right to buy. (I chose the medium. They were 30% cheaper than the jumbo.)

While I was there, a woman came next to me and was looking at a coupon for large eggs. I tried to help her and noticed on the coupon that it said 18 large eggs. I had only wanted 12, so I didn’t look for the 18s. She hadn’t noticed the 18 count citation on the coupon. Once I showed which she needed, she picked the package that she wanted and went to the rest of the store. She apologized for bothering me, but I said it was ok.

I was having trouble finding nail polish remover. I asked a woman at the pharmacy and she went out and was very helpful too. Overall, it was one of the most pleasant shopping experiences. (Actually the whole day was pleasant, so it was a nice way for it to wind down.)

Then, on my way to the checkout, I realized that I had left _my_ coupons behind in the car. I spoke to one of the cashiers and she commented that she had her eyes on my cart. I got the coupons and came back. I thought of a couple more things to buy and went back to the same cashier’s line.

The woman I helped earlier was immediately in front of me and before her was a very tall man. I wasn’t listening to their conversation real closely, but I did learn that he was 6′ 9″, had played basketball in college and was looking to become a basketball coach.

The woman wasn’t sure about whether her coupons matched what she had bought, but they did. Her balance was $0.00. It took the cashier a minute to figure out how to cash out a $0.00 balance, but she must have been experienced and figured it out.

The cashier, woman and I talked briefly. We were laughing and I learned a little about her late husband and mother. I was smiling all the way to my car. I did not have as good of coupons as the awesome woman who I saw near the eggs.