Clinton was appearing at a place called the Capitol Diner, located on the outskirts of Harrisburg. Her campaign was billing the event, which wasn't open to the public, as a roundtable discussion with middle class families about the economy.

I got there at just about 1:30. Right before I arrived, I got a call from one of Clinton's staffers, asking if I wanted to participate in a conference call with T.J. Rooney, chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.

I did, so I had my cell phone glued to my ear as I joined the group of about 20 or so reporters, photographers and TV camera people standing out back in the chilly drizzle as the Secret Service finished a sweep of the diner. It turned out that Rooney, a Clinton supporter, basically wanted to rail at length about Obama supporters calling on her to drop out of the race.

When I pulled up, I saw about 50 people mostly wearing jeans and baseball caps, holding hand-lettered cardboard signs identifying themselves as members of a group with the not-very-catchy name of "Truckers and Citizens United Against Unreasonable Fuel Prices." Most of them were standing across the road from the diner.

They eventually let the journalists into a back room of the diner, where about 50 people were sitting around at tables. We all waited for about half an hour. Then Clinton's campaign people said that she was arriving, and would meet with the truckers outside if we wanted to cover it.

When we went outside, all of the truckers were gathered in a group in the diner's parking lot. A van pulled up and Hillary Clinton emerged.

I always find it a little disorienting when I'm covering an appearance by someone I've seen many times on TV. For a moment, I feel like I'm watching them on TV before I realize -- hey, I'm in the show too.

The journalists clustered tightly around her as she spoke with two of the truckers. At the time, I assumed that her campaign had coordinated this meeting as part of her Harrisburg stop. I later found out that wasn't the case.

They were taking part in a nationwide protest by independent truckers. Earlier that day, they had been in center city Harrisburg. I don't know if they positioned themselves outside that particular diner because they'd gotten word that Clinton would be there, but it seems likely.

However it happened, it turned out to be good timing for the Clinton campaign. She ended up inviting a couple of the truckers in to participate in the roundtable discussion. Their complaints juxtaposed well with those of the other participants, who talked about their troubles affording homes, saving money for their kids' college education and -- yes -- filling their gas tanks.

In the parking lot, she talked to a couple of the truckers' representatives. I heard some of the other truckers complaining about the media people packed in so tight around Clinton that they couldn't see her.

No apologies there. Personally, I always yield to trucks on the road that are trying to enter my stream of traffic. Why? Because I figure you should let people do their job. 'Nuff said?

In both the parking lot and the diner, I never got particularly close to Clinton. By unspoken consent, writers like myself tend to end up in the back row at events where there are a lot of cameras and space is tight.

Again, it's about letting people do their jobs. I can cover a story while peeking around the backs of heads, but photographers and TV camera people aren't paid to produce images like that. Besides, I don't particularly relish the thought of my bald spot showing up on CNN.

Inside, Clinton talked about the aforementioned concerns with several people, all of whom were from the Harrisburg or Mechanicsburg area. She spoke about her plans to eliminate tax credits for companies that outsource jobs, and help people pay for college education with a combination of tax credits, loans and aid programs.

It went on for maybe an hour, then Clinton stood up to leave.

I left the room and went around to the front of the diner. I spoke to a woman from Lower Swatara who was waiting in the parking lot with her daughter, who was visiting from Florida, and her high-school-aged granddaughter. They'd been at a nearby mall when they heard that Hillary was there, and they wanted to see her.

The two women said they hadn't yet made up their minds about the election, but the girl had. She was backing Clinton. Just about then, Clinton walked out of the diner and they called out to her. She walked over and stood for a picture with the three generations of women. The girl was practically dancing with excitement as they walked back to their car.

I also got into a conversation with one of the protesting truckers outside the diner after Clinton left. I guessed he was in his early 60s.

He told me that he drives a small rig himself, regularly traveling down to southern states to sell farm equipment. But he was there to protest on behalf of his son, who drives a big rig and now pays in excess of $1,200 every time he fills his tank.

I realize that I'm assuming a lot on the basis of a single conversation, but the trucker put off that Central Pennsylvania, rural blue-collar vibe. You know the type. Listens to Hank Williams Jr. Goes deer hunting every season. Distrusts the government in general and federal-level Democrats in particular.

The trucker himself said that he's ordinarily an "ultra-conservative Republican," but he hadn't yet made up his mind how he would vote this year. A lot of it came down to who he thought could be most effective at lowering gas prices. For him and his son, it was becoming a matter of survival that edged out all other concerns.

Although he wasn't yet sure if Clinton was that candidate, he was impressed that she took the time to listen to the truckers.

Recently, I spoke to Professor Mel Kulbicki from York College about this year's election. He believes that the distinctions of "liberal" and "conservative," so stratified these past couple of decades, are starting to break down in the face of pressing issues that don't fit neatly into either category.

I could see that. Anti-globalization, for example. Is that a liberal or a conservative cause?

I can also see it in people, such as the war-protesting, pot-leaf-medallion-wearing hippies I wrote about in a previous entry who are supporting Republican congressman and Ronald Reagan pal Ron Paul for president.

And I could see it in this trucker, who perhaps hasn't made a full-scale political conversion, but whom I'd wager wouldn't even have considered supporting Hillary Clinton for the presidency 10 years ago.