February 14, 2000

civic duty and odd encounters

Forrest dropped me off across from the City Colesium. We receive many instructions and alternatives. We are organized into lines. My line is 'juror numbers up to six hundred with scheduling conflicts.' I'm given a 'one day' case on Wednesday in municipal court.

Outside it's a beautiful day. It's tempting to not go to work, but rather go to a park and take in the cool, sunny beauty. I call Forrest on my cell phone and walk down to the corner by the new opera building to await being picked up.

It's not really lunch time, but close. So we go have a late breakfast at Four Seasons. I come home, check mail, work a little bit and then actually go to work. It's hard to get organized. At this stage I always wish I'd taken better notes from the customers. Surely they said something I should remember that isn't here in my notes. While I'm organizing that, I decide to do my expense report. I plug in the two currencies, transfer the numbers on a spreadsheet. I don't have many items, thankfully, as I let my traveling companion and salesmen and such pay for meals and cabs. I figure that is their burden for wanting the trip. I try to work out whether the trip was helpful. Did we learn anything? Did the customer? Are they more likely to understand our products' benefits now?

I'm feeling really weary. Because I didn't sleep properly last night.

It's actual Valentine's. So we are going to the bar at the Four Seasons. Rebecca is playing even though it's Monday. They've saved us a table.

We take Robert with us. Robert is Jessamin's father. You met Jessamin a few diary pages ago. He has retired as a surgeon and moved to Austin only a couple of months ago. Of course, he grew up here. But that was a long time ago. He enjoyed the Four Seasons but left before we did. Unfortunately, we were joined by a couple who seemed nice enough until they began raging about Capital Punishment. The guy finally said something to me that was so completely strange I got up and walked out, leaving Forrest to find the bill, pay it and follow. I'm not easily brought to such a thing. Some people! Rebecca told us these characters then staged a nice argument between them, resulting in him leaving her to take a cab. Nice. Well, there is a good clientale there most of the time. Glad Forrest's long-lost cousin didn't have to see that.

"There are all those early memories; one cannot get another set; one has only those."

Willa Cather, Shadows on the Rock

50's childhood