Summary

On January 6, 1981, the author provided a short recap of recent events happening in his life. Though still residing in Raleigh, Sedaris has begun working on a new performance piece with his friend Ronnie entitled, HUD (for Housing and Urban Detectives). He gave notice to regardless, the lunch restaurant he had been working for, and applied for a job as a teacher’s aide at the Tammy Lynn home for the retarded.

In February, Sedaris wrote, “Mom took me to the IHOP for lunch and told me not to worry about the $ 20 I owe her. It’s her birthday” (50-51). In another entry later in the month, Sedaris also wrote about a recent trip to the Winn-Dixie on Person Street, across from Krispy Kreme. The grocery store was located in a low-income neighborhood, “right on the line separating the white and black areas of town” (51). While...