The #20 bus was on time this morning. It was again being driven by the stern looking woman. I was distressed to learn through a conversation she was having with one of the passengers, Eric from BGE, that she will be off for the next three weeks. Friday will be her last day before the start of her vacation.

Egads! What will I do? How can explain the possibility of being late for three weeks to Brian, my supervisor? I hope and pray this January that he doesn't have to hold the semi-annual, ‘you all must be on time for work meeting’. I always feel like those meeting are directed at me, the sole MTA rider of the group.

OFFICE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING COMPLETED: I finished my Christmas shopping for presents for my co-workers last night. I ended up buying small economically priced Whitman chocolate samplers. They came prewrapped so I didn't have to worry about wrapping anything. I think they’re nice and petite.

I’m not sure how they will go over. I think the majority of people in the group are on diets. I know for sure that Brian is a health and physical fitness nut. I think he works out for like 4 hours a day or something extreme like that.

Anyway, I really wanted to get them all silver holiday boxes of Hershey’s sugar free chocolates. However, I couldn't find the price for them anywhere on the shelf or on the box. I tried going up to the cash register to get a price check but the line was too long.

In the end I figured it would be best to get the small box of sugary chocolates as opposed to the big box of Hershey’s sugar free chocolates. This way it wouldn’t seem as though I was making some sort of grandiose gesture. Besides, some people in the group might interpret the big box of sugar free chocolates as saying that I think their fat. Which in a sense would be ironic....

WHAT I’M WEARING: Today, I have on a blue sweater. It’s multicolored and has a knitting sampler feel to it. Underneath this I’m wearing a mock dark blue turtleneck. I’m also wearing blue jeans and a new pair of blue suede shoes.