Saturday
Sept. 8, 2001
|
Saturday Sept. 8, 2001 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saturday slips away |
|
SuRu and I had an agreement. It amounted to this: get up some time 'tween 7:30 and 8 and, when you were partly ready (pants on, shoes not, maybe) give the other a call. It was a struggle. I'd drank too much and eaten all wrong and it had unsettled my stomach and my head. So I was up a few times in the night. First aloe gel caps to settle the tummy. Later some Ibuprofin for the the head. Then I was blissfully asleep, pain-free when it was time to get up. And I hadn't slept enough. Geez. But I got up and the phone calls got made and the Urban Adventurers (FFP joined us) made our way to 'the other side of the creek.' It's the other side to us, of course, and this designation may be lost on the rest of the world. And it is Shoal Creek and not the Hancock branch I'm speaking of. SuRu wanted to know whether I wanted to go 'over the hill.' That would mean on the other side of Mopac, aka Loop 1. There are no highway entrances there, just a steep overpass over the highway. "No, we will cross Bull Creek, though, and get in a long enough walk." Bull Creek isn't a creek. Well, it is but not in that sentence. Rather it is a street which may have once led somewhere near the creek. The other side of the creek is constrained by our reluctance to walk on the pedestrian-unfriendly 45th Street. And we aren't really that keen on Hancock walking, although it offers a sidewalk in some areas. Bull Creek (the street) is busy, too, and generally a thing to cross and forget. The dogs were delighted because it was garbage day. On holiday weeks, garbage days slide to the next day sometimes. Saturdays aren't usually garbage days but our neighborhood if Friday and so this week it was Saturday. Chalow happily sniffed near garbage cans or recyclying ("Ah, beer!") looking for something besides the carefully measured liver diet the Vet has prescribed. It threatened rain and was overcast with the happy result that it wasn't too hot.
At home, I thought I'd settle in and do some of the things on my long list. Maybe have the network down during the football game while FFP was watching and really take care of trying a couple of more attractive arrangements for my work space. Forrest reminded me that our buddies from last night had invited us to come over for maybe a casual lunch. While FFP watched the first half of the game, I tried to figure out how to get my 340MB IBM Microdrive to work with NT. First by trying it. It recognized it but said it wasn't working and didn't offer any install. And by searching the WEB for info. A frustrating experience. At one point I saw a claim that the 1 gig version works with NT with PCMCIA . At one point I was offered a rant from www.computergripes.com about the subject. This page is run by a friend of mine and it always depresses me because it shows that the most astute of us will continue to be baffled by our little home computing set-ups. I had read my buddy's experience before and didn't really think I was going to have good luck with this experience.
I finally ate a snack because I had a headache and around half time of FFP's game, we went to our friends' house. I wasn't good company, I'm afraid. They had some snacks and sodas. I had a little of that and turned down wine. Our friend Marie made a huge meal and Jon grilled steaks. Steak, pasta, delicious vegies and salad stuffed me and made a nap seem inevitable. Home, napping in the chair, with a little more Ibuprofin, I was a zombie when...it was time to shower and go out.
I was briefly revived by the shower although my headache wanted to sneak back. Felt like allergies with my face and teeth aching. We went to east Austin. It was the first time I'd been on the IH35 upper deck in a long time. I'll never forget around Thanksgiving 1975, with FFP driving me on that upper deck. We were on our way to Armadillo World Headquarters. I'd just moved to town. Dramatic views were being offered up for the first time. Including the view of the Capitol building from the upper deck. Nor had I been to east Austin in a while. And a greater while since I'd been down east 7th. Things had changed in some ways and in some ways not. The theater was an old warehouse. One waited outside in the open air for the doors to open. The ticket window was a crude booth of 2x4's and the bar a table (offering soft drinks only). A couple of picnic tables and a few wire spools offered seating. The play was sold out. This production at Off Center Stage of 'Big Love' included a lot of raucous and athletic goings on and singing and lip-syncing and a smattering of nudity and two roles delivered by our friend Karen Kuykendall. Her delivery was great. She always finds ways to phrase, time and inflect that the writer of script may not have expected. As we walked out, a man in a wheelchair, propelling it with the help of one foot across the rough gravel said, "I've seen high school production that were better." Well, that would be surprising. I was pretty impressed with what this low budget group had accomplished. I didn't fall asleep either. Amazing considering my condition.
FFP had taped Serena vs. Venus. I slept through most of it but did marvel at the silly Super-Bowl-like hype at the beginning. I also thought that it was so odd to hear the chair umpire saying "Advantage Venus" or "Game Serena." But, of course, it had to be that way. The Williams sisters are great for tennis, I think. Maybe inspiring more kids, more girls, more non-white people to consider the game. But they don't really grab my interest on this day. I snooze as the sisters battle. I think Serena starts strong but Venus is the victor.
|
|
|
Shop window on 6th Street.
|
|||
|
Meta: I'm really enjoying my journal these days, but I'm feeling a break or disconnect coming, probably because I'll be out of town on business in a couple of weeks. |
|||
|
|
|||
|
I plan things, I do. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
JUST TYPING