The Visible Woman...January 2, 2001

Appropriately, I wake up from a dream about a business trip. I'm not packed. I'm not prepared. I am riffling on some desk among other people's tickets for mine and it is either only a few minutes until the flight or it is already passed. The ticket is small (one flight and one return) as opposed to the usual monstrosity when flying from Austin. Another person's ticket that I see is for a friend. Who no longer works where I do. His is a many-part, many flight ticket.

No, I haven't decided to do a 'dream a day.' But for some reason I have being waking up mid-dream and remembering something about them for a few minutes.

Today is the day to begin all the resolutions. And apart from that, the day we agreed to begin to record all our spending.

The scales say I weigh 176. They talk. They said Forrest weight 178 and had 'lost 21 pounds.' (Of course, he was holding Chalow last time he weighed!)

Heading off to work, even for a four-day week is kind of depressing. But in another way...I feel good about it and ready to do it. I handle a couple of things from home before I head out. I've done some housecleaning at the office and while it's still a mess, it isn't quite as distracting.

I stop by the parents on the way to work. To give them the leftover cornbread and desserts from our party. They are arguing amiciably over writing a rent check. Mom does it. I say, as I usually do, "You all argue among yourselves. I have to go to work." Dad follows me out. He says, "This morning I found out she doesn't like oatmeal. I never knew that. She said she had to eat too much of it when she was a kid." I guess he made oatmeal for breakfast.

I am charged up to get a lot of work done at work. Then I discover a meeting I have to go to and prepare for and that throws me off a bit. And I have follow-up from that to do tomorrow. But I'm back in the rhythm of the whole thing. Having to go to work. Getting frustrated. Someone even asked me about code I wrote long ago. I wasn't helpful, I don't think, but I did remember something about it that he hadn't noticed. Made me kind of ache to actually get to code something or design something. Do something besides wordware.

SuRu and I go to Whole Foods for lunch. I have a big salad with lots of goodies like olives and cheese and artichoke hearts. As a nod to my resolutions, I don't have a weird health food store soda (like my favorite, Ginseng Rush) but instead drink a couple of glasses of water. I thereby save money and calories and, at the same time, DRINK MORE WATER! I drag SuRu through Best Buy and CompUSA looking at computers and gadgets. Not because I intend to buy anything but just to see what they have and are charging. I'll probably buy Mom's new computer on-line. I am tempted to buy a wireless Ethernet station and a wireless PCMCIA card. But I don't really need it. I am also tempted to buy a flat screen monitor or this cool little Sony laptop. But I don't. I don't buy anything. I just look.

My meeting runs late so it is 6 PM before I leave the office and nearly 8 PM by the time I have eaten (leftover sausage in barbeque sauce and a baked potato with yogurt, green onions and cheese) and checked my e-mail. It's much nicer when you don't have to work, isn't it?