For Connolly, a Regimen of Public Appearances

11:55 a.m., Poplar Tree Park, Chantilly. Another synthetic turf groundbreaking. Connolly's lower back, which he wrenched a few days earlier, is throbbing, and he grimaces as he climbs out of his car. Many of the same park officials and athletic field boosters are waiting, looking colder. Connolly repeats the "Moon Connolly" story. The same people laugh. County Parks Authority Board Chairman Harold L. Strickland hails Connolly as "the daddy of synthetic turf fields."

12:40 p.m., lunch, Red Robin, Fair Lakes Shopping Center. No event, just lunch. Joined by Chief of Staff Dominic Bonaiuto, Connolly reflects on his 10 years as a staff aide for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Describing the difference between working in local and federal government, he recalls feeling a sense of accomplishment after laboring for days on the wording of a "Sense of the Senate" resolution. By contrast, Fairfax taxpayers are not interested in "Sense of the Board" resolutions on potholes.

"They expect us to actually do something," he says.

2:10 p.m., home, Mantua. Break to change from windbreaker and khakis into suit.

2:40 p.m., Powhatan Nursing Home, Falls Church. Appears with Pets on Wheels, an organization that brings animals into nursing homes because of their therapeutic value. Connolly's itinerary says: "They want you to say a few words, such as how happy you are to be there, love pets, etc." He talks about his two cats, dog and parrot.

4:40 p.m., home of Sharon and Seth Clark, Fairfax Station. Campaign kickoff for Mike McClanahan, a Democrat running for the Springfield board seat held by Republican Elaine N. McConnell. Gently self-deprecating story No. 3: Connolly says he received 900 phone calls in 48 hours after the blizzard of 1996 from residents complaining that the streets were not plowed. To one he said, "Would it make you feel better to know that my street hasn't been plowed?"

"Now I know you're ineffective." Click.