The Visible Woman...April 14, 2003

planning and plotting

Got up before 7:30. Answered e-mail trying to organize the week's activities. Worked over pictures taken recently on digital, did journal. FFP had a little graphics project I poked around on, finally hopefully turning a busy with text logo and some info into something readable at 120x90 pixels.. Changed light bulbs in my office. Talked to a radio rep who visited Forrest a minute. Before I know it, it is 11am.

Today's gym routine is known as 'lower body' although it also involves the biceps and triceps. I am slowly learning to do the routines, um, slowly. Slowly and under control with lower weights is the scheme. I also am worried that my weight is going to pop up again so, although the instructor has said ten minutes of aerobic before and after, I actually do twenty before and thirty after. I feel good.

I have spent a lot of time in the gym since I retired almost seven months ago. The payoff? I was able to play seven sets of tennis (3-6, 1-6, 6-1, 6-1, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3) without significant joint pain and with good recovery of breath the two or three times I really, really ran for balls. Things really do take time, don't they? [Note to self: remember that.]

I get back from the club around 1pm. After probably. I am hungry. I eat a couple of bowls of salad with good things (plus cheese and dressing of course) and drink a bunch of water.

One thing hanging over today is that FFP has a spot of what is probably poison ivy on his arm. It doesn't look as bad as this (and this was a mild case I tell you) but he's also getting allergy symptoms so he isn't happy. And, when he isn't happy, it always takes the edge off my pleasure.

Somehow I don't get much done with my time. I work The New York Times crossword while I eat, I read this and that, I get a shower. I need toothpaste and floss and I keep meaning to go to Eckerd's. Finally, I do so after having a chat with SuRu and she decides to ride along. She looks for birthday cards for a fifteen-year-old nephew and decides against them...too expensive. They are ridiculous in price. That's why I try to make mine. Man, where did the time go? I meant to straighten up this office and get these newspapers out of here and.... Well, I did go over our health insurance stuff. Yes, we have non-COBRA health insurance. For a few hundred a month we can carry a health insurance card so we won't scare doctors and hospitals and, meanwhile, pay all our own costs until they become significant. Yes, we went for the high deductible.

FFP and I and, I think, everyone in Austin, have been invited to a book signing at Mike Levy's house.

A Texas Monthly writer (Mimi Schartz) and the 'insider' (Sherron Watkins) have writtern Power Failure (subtitled: The Inside Story of the collapse of Enron).

So, we go, getting there pretty early, buying a book from the Book People table conveniently placed in Mike's drive, admiring the Julie Speed painting and other art, getting our book signed, saying 'hi' to a bunch of people we know. I hadn't seen Mike's house (FFP had been there when I was busy or out of town). But we don't stay long. The free food is of the cheese cube and chip school (nothing wrong with that but it's a sign of the times) and FFP is feeling not so great and hungry.

We stop at Randall's and buy a giant salmon filet package and catfish package, a frozen pizza, some bread, some frozen dinners. We go home and I divide the fish and freeze all but one catfish portion (for tomorrow) and FFP makes the pizza. We each eat part of that. I have a Dr. Pepper. I had some cheese in the afternoon and some cheese and chips at Mike's, too. Don't want you to worry about my cheese consumption. It's right up there.

I watch part of a documentary about DJs (those guys who 'play' turntables) that I've actually seen part of before. We watch Third Watch and Crossing Jordan.

I read a little in bed. About 2:30 in the morning (it's now April 15th...is this the IRS talking to us?) a huge booming noise fills the house. Wandering around without glasses we try to locate the sound. It's definitely in THE ROOM. I listen at the left speakers. Nothing. No components are on. FFP listens to the subwoofer. Yikes. My eardrums hurt. We unplug the thing. What has happened here? Yikes.

It seems that my days fill up. There are things to do, places to go, stuff to plan. It's not much different than when I worked. It's just that I can't say, "I have to go to work now." And go hide from whatever needs doing or whatever I tell myself I'd like to do. Today someone called and asked me to sub in tennis on Thursday morning and then Dad called in the evening and said the hearing aid place left him a message but he couldn't make out what they said on his machine. (Ironic?) Anyway, obviously we need an appointment to see about his hearing aids now that they have been manufactured.

captured on a walk a couple of weeks ago

"Freedom from unreal loyalties.... You must rid yourself of pride of nationality in the first place; also of religious pride, college pride, family pride, sex pride, and those unreal loyalties that spring from them."

Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas

JUST TYPING
whatever

			planning and plotting Got up before 7:30. Answered e-mail trying to organize the week's activities. Worked over pictures taken recently on digital, did journal. FFP had a little graphics project I poked around on, finally hopefully turning a busy with text logo and some info into something readable at 120x90 pixels.. Changed light bulbs in my office. Talked to a radio rep who visited Forrest a minute. Before I know it, it is 11am. Today's gym routine is known as 'lower body' although it also involves the biceps and triceps. I am slowly learning to do the routines, um, slowly. Slowly and under control with lower weights is the scheme. I also am worried that my weight is going to pop up again so, although the instructor has said ten minutes of aerobic before and after, I actually do twenty before and thirty after. I feel good. I have spent a lot of time in the gym since I retired almost seven months ago. The payoff? I was able to play seven sets of tennis (3-6, 1-6, 6-1, 6-1, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3) without significant joint pain and with good recovery of breath the two or three times I really, really ran for balls. Things really do take time, don't they? [Note to self: remember that.] I get back from the club around 1pm. After probably. I am hungry. I eat a couple of bowls of salad with good things (plus cheese and dressing of course) and drink a bunch of water. One thing hanging over today is that FFP has a spot of what is probably poison ivy on his arm. It doesn't look as bad as this (and this was a mild case I tell you) but he's also getting allergy symptoms so he isn't happy. And, when he isn't happy, it always takes the edge off my pleasure. Somehow I don't get much done with my time. I work The New York Times crossword while I eat, I read this and that, I get a shower. I need toothpaste and floss and I keep meaning to go to Eckerd's. Finally, I do so after having a chat with SuRu and she decides to ride along. She looks for birthday cards for a fifteen-year-old nephew and decides against them...too expensive. They are ridiculous in price. That's why I try to make mine. Man, where did the time go? I meant to straighten up this office and get these newspapers out of here and.... Well, I did go over our health insurance stuff. Yes, we have non-COBRA health insurance. For a few hundred a month we can carry a health insurance card so we won't scare doctors and hospitals and, meanwhile, pay all our own costs until they become significant. Yes, we went for the high deductible. FFP and I and, I think, everyone in Austin, have been invited to a book signing at Mike Levy's house. A Texas Monthly writer (Mimi Schartz) and the 'insider' (Sherron Watkins) have writtern Power Failure (subtitled: The Inside Story of the collapse of Enron). So, we go, getting there pretty early, buying a book from the Book People table conveniently placed in Mike's drive, admiring the Julie Speed painting and other art, getting our book signed, saying 'hi' to a bunch of people we know. I hadn't seen Mike's house (FFP had been there when I was busy or out of town). But we don't stay long. The free food is of the cheese cube and chip school (nothing wrong with that but it's a sign of the times) and FFP is feeling not so great and hungry. We stop at Randall's and buy a giant salmon filet package and catfish package, a frozen pizza, some bread, some frozen dinners. We go home and I divide the fish and freeze all but one catfish portion (for tomorrow) and FFP makes the pizza. We each eat part of that. I have a Dr. Pepper. I had some cheese in the afternoon and some cheese and chips at Mike's, too. Don't want you to worry about my cheese consumption. It's right up there. I watch part of a documentary about DJs (those guys who 'play' turntables) that I've actually seen part of before. We watch Third Watch and Crossing Jordan. I read a little in bed. About 2:30 in the morning (it's now April 15th...is this the IRS talking to us?) a huge booming noise fills the house. Wandering around without glasses we try to locate the sound. It's definitely in THE ROOM. I listen at the left speakers. Nothing. No components are on. FFP listens to the subwoofer. Yikes. My eardrums hurt. We unplug the thing. What has happened here? Yikes. It seems that my days fill up. There are things to do, places to go, stuff to plan. It's not much different than when I worked. It's just that I can't say, "I have to go to work now." And go hide from whatever needs doing or whatever I tell myself I'd like to do. Today someone called and asked me to sub in tennis on Thursday morning and then Dad called in the evening and said the hearing aid place left him a message but he couldn't make out what they said on his machine. (Ironic?) Anyway, obviously we need an appointment to see about his hearing aids now that they have been manufactured.

	captured on a walk a couple of weeks ago "Freedom from unreal loyalties.... You must rid yourself of pride of nationality in the first place; also of religious pride, college pride, family pride, sex pride, and those unreal loyalties that spring from them." Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas
	JUST TYPING whatever

Monday, April 14, 2003