Better times on the edge of civilization.

I've been a security guard for the past month. I did it long enough to know I don't want to do it for a living, even though the work isn't bad or anything. Yesterday was my last day, and I found myself standing in the middle of a busy street stopping two lanes of traffic with nothing more than an outstretched hand. It was pouring rain, and a huge tractor-trailer rig was backing towards me.

"Time to quit," I told my boss, "after standing in traffic in the rain this job can't get any better."

He laughed and laughed. I gave him a bottle of Crown on my way out the door last night; he'd taken my quitting pretty hard.

And now I've got a new job. I know you can't really talk about your job on things like this, but I will say it's a good job with some great people - even without the hurricane I would have considered moving back to Memphis for this job.

We purchased a house. A real-live, three-bed-two-bath house. There's a garage and a back yard and everything. Tonight, for the first time in years it felt like, I got to come home and have some blessed routine. I made John some mac and cheese and peas. Sonya came in a little later, 'cause she'd stopped for some groceries. I gave the kid a bath, then we read some stories. He was asleep by nine. The dryer and the dishwasher are running, Sonya's watching some bad reality TV and I'm futzing with the computer. Outside it's cold and the wind slinks in from the north, across the soybean fields and around the unfinished houses on either side of ours, and that's just fine. Our house is cozy, the refrigerator is full of food, and all is right with the world. These moments are rare; I'm savoring it.