A Change in Plans

AUSTIN, Texas, August 30, 2004 — I'm not sure what the plan was but it changed!

I was up early enough to get to water aerobics on time. I came home in my wet bathing suit and showered up. When I came back to my office after I was ready, my dad was standing there. I thought he was going to Sun Harvest before he came by but he decided to go after. I was working on printing this little project for him which I had to do upstairs on the one inkjet with ink. I got that done (not without some fits and starts to clean and align print heads) and we went around noon to eat. We ate at NeWorlDeli and it was fast but then we were way early for the 1:40PM doctor's appointment. I'm in this desperate downsizing mode and didn't want to go to the bookstore because, if I did, then I might buy something. So we went to the doctor's office way, way early and sat and read magazines and I read my book. We got through with the doctor pretty fast and Dad got a reprieve from the doc about his giant goiter to get it cat scanned in six months or come in if he had swallowing or breathing problems. It isn't growing! Since they think they would have to split the sternum to remove it, this is good news. But not surprising. It hadn't grown three months after they discovered it so I didn't think it would grow suddenly in the next three.

We go back home. Dad gets his printouts which he is going to add personal notes to and use as thank you cards for his trip. He borrows a book. He gives me back my luggage that he used for his trip.

Great! I have some time to do stuff now. I get out an old machine I had Linux on that quit working. I open it up, reconnect a connector from the Power Supply to the motherboard and it starts working. But I can't make it connect to the network and I'm thinking of using this software that boots from the floppy to make it a server but I can't make it read the floppy. I decide this is a non-essential project. Good thing because FFP asks me to help reconnect the bookkeeper's machine to the printer on his machine. And all spirals down! I boot her machine and then his only it won't finish booting! I try a few things in my limited arsensal. We call two different services for help, schedule an appointment for tomorrow, finally get someone (www.shanehogan.com) to come over right away. By the time he arrives I have gotten it to boot in Safe Mode with no networking. We try booting in Safe Mode with networking (which was hanging up just like the normal boot before). It works! So we try a normal boot. It works! Very, very strange. Shane downloads some spyware fixer upper and finds and removes a bunch of crap. Since it all started with a connectivity problem with the bookkeeper's machine he does the same there.

This consumes a lot of time. I have time to eat and we go to a movie. It turns out to be a bad movie, really. The script is self-indulgent but has some good aspects but the production values are awful. Shot on a GL-1 with awful sound of more awful music. But. Anyway. Live and learn. Nothing about the day went as planned.

At home, we snack, I read, we watch some true crime stuff. I stay up too late. What else is new?

Blast from the past...shop window

No way to Get Things Done

AUSTIN, Texas, August 29, 2004 — I get up around seven to let the dog out. I have heard FFP's spoon hitting the side of his bowl while he eats dry cereal, dry. I go back to bed. I don't feel too sleepy but I should. I haven't slept well. When I was trying to fall asleep I spent some time trying to remember the last name of a person. I should know it. I realized a few days a go when I was talking to a mutual acquaintance that I had forgotten it. I tried my trick early this AM, sleepless, of going through the alphabet toying with the first name, which I knew. I got to 'M' and thought, 'hmmm, M sounds promising.' Then I remembered that he was once a co-manager, sort of, with someone and that there was a pun on the two names (although the woman that was the other half had since married and changed her name, both of her names I remembered). Anyway, I got it.

And I explain all that to explain the dream I was having when I next woke up. This guy was in it. There were some plaques with his name misspelled. There was lots more to the dream including me trying to find a job for a friend's daughter. (I recently got an e-mail from her that she thought her company was closing.)

I crawl out of the dream, FFP telling me to get up. It was, maybe, nine.

I work a little on the journal and finally go to the gym and do about an hour. I should have done more but I feel hungry. I go home and eat a bunch and it's one o'clock. We have tickets to a movie in the AGLIFF festival at 4:30 and also at 9:20. I wonder what I should do in the interim. I should probably work on some of my straightening up. With that in mind, I return to the approximately one square foot in front of my main monitor. But immediately for some reason I start to think about reworking the components on my desk, maybe going with a shared montior/keyboard with the old machine I use for my SCSI scanner. Maybe making (dare I think it?) some desk space to write in longhand and spread out books and papers on. This seems like more effort than I'm willing to put out at the moment. Then I think about going to get a ink cartridge for my ink jet printer. But I make no move to go shower up and do this. It's not cosmic...I can use the one upstairs. So I go back to the little area around my monitor. There are some photos. I realize that they are culls that I've saved for a possible collage project. I put them in the closet in a box labelled 'collage parts.' I find a piece of paper with a 'to do' list. I've done everything on it except make an appointment with the eye doctor. I have decided to delay this until I get back from Dublin. I find a clipping about Dublin web sites. Well, this inspires some surfing. A lot of surfing and not just to those sites. I finally get back to the pile of paper andthere is a brochure for Fall Art Festivals in San Antonio. This makes me look at our relatively full calendar a little sadly. I don't entirely give up, throwing the brochure under my keyboard. (Who knows when I will clean out under there?) Next in the pile is a couple of pieces of paper from the holder of my 401K account I left with my ex-employer. One is about a customer ID change I made. I file this one but the other is about investing in company stock, something I did not and will not do. It goes in recycling.

Next in the pile is the reminder to make an appointment with the eye doctor, the postcard they sent. I put the phone number and a note in my online todo list and put the card in recycling. That uncovers a few birthday cards. I toss all of them in recycling except one that is hand-stamped, colored and collaged. I like the way it's done and save it for reference in the collage parts box. Those out of the way, I uncover a little matchbook notepad from the restaurant in San Antonio where we went a couple of weeks ago. You know they look like a matchbook but they have tiny sheets of paper inside. I put this on the blank book and paper shelf. The only things remaining in this little space of desk are a pile of tabbed cards that I've used to note all the years of my life and important events. It is part of a biographical art project. One of the many projects I start but never finish. Anyway...I decide to make a folder for these...which means finding a folder, finding a label, figuring out what to label it and where to file it. This makes me think I should get all my file drawers and boxes cleaned out and organized. Right. This prompts a desultory look through some of the file drawers down here. I return to my little spot of desk. I prop a pink 'while you were out pad' next to my computer tower and pull out the stuff behind and beside the monitor. There is a small digital voice recorder that was forever eating batteries. A battery has now eaten it and it doesn't work anymore. I decide to open it to see if the circuit board would be a good collage piece but I can't find a small enough screwdriver which leads to reorganizing my tools in here a little which, in turn, leads to the discovery of a pair of twissors (tweezer with scissor handle) that I'd been looking for to do the dreaded 'hair plucking.' I decide at that point to go take a shower.

While in the shower, I decide to get all the travel stuff out of the closet and take it into the guest room for packing. Which leads me to wonder where my toiletry kit is and to sort around looking until I realize that it is, of course, in my gym bag in my car.

I have a few minutes before going to the movies so I go back to tidying up my work surface. A glass ashtray has been sitting there. In it is a small puzzle ball giveaway from my ex-employer, a nail file, two nail clippers, two tubes of Blistex, a Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle chapstick, a wood and pewter bird call, a key labeled "Dad's garage" on a piece of gold stretchy elastic, an AGLIFF key fob, a tiny black rubber band, an Allen wrench, a fragment of a credit card, six pennies, a paper clip and a foreign coin from I'm not sure where. Most of it goes right back into the ashtray. How does this stuff collect. Well, it's time to go to the movie so no more time to fret over getting this area tidy.

We go see a series of shorts, one a documentary, about death in the gay community. Only one is about AIDS. The other two are about cancer. The documentary is really a movie about a community of older Lesbians but two of them die of cancer. We have tickets for another feature film. But FFP wants to watch the Olympics and Six Feet Under. We do that. And try to unstop our sink which suddenly quits draining. I stay up too late.

 

Frost Bank Tower, new Austin landmark

Cleaning out

AUSTIN, Texas, August 28, 2004 — I've been scouring Freecyle for a few weeks looking for an opportunity to get rid of a few things while amusing myself and not putting out too much effort. This morning was no exception. After sleeping in and messing around with my journal and the WEB and my one cup of coffee, I posted an offer for a bunch of stuff, a lot of it new or more or less so out of my "gift and wrapping and miscellaneous" closet. I also offered small shipping boxes and peanuts and packing stuff to someone who was asking for them.

I don't manage to get to the gym until almost noon. I come home and eat a little. FFP has been to the grocery store. I help him unpack groceries and put away.

I expected a lot of responses to my offers and one did come within minutes. However, back from the gym after three hours there are only two more. Out of the three only one item appears on more than one list. The 'digest' version of the message has been out less than an hour and I'm sure a lot of people really do things with their lives on Saturday so maybe that isn't too surprising.

Aside from social and 'stuff' experiments, I did little before 2PM except eat and go to the gym for a short workout. (Anything less than a hour is short for me.)

I decide I should work on the family budget. I talk to an aunt who calls and my dad (she was looking for him). He's been helping out with some friends' garage sale and says he 'bought a few things.' Yikes! And here I am trying to get rid of stuff. Circulate it, I suppose.

I finish entering all the expenses for the month after pondering receipts, credit card statements, check book and such. Of course, August has three days to play but I want to finish it up.

I decide to start trying to tidy up my office again. I just attack the pile of stuff in front of my monitor. I find an old list of phone numbers on a scrap of paper and check through those and check my phone for them. I notice MCI access numbers for France and U.S. and so I go surfing the WEB for one for Ireland. The mail comes and I sort through that which is pretty quick: bill and magazine to FFP and mostly junk except for a Netflix. (Which makes we want to watch movies of course.)

I continue with the small area in front of my monitor. There is a video labelled "1989 Men's Wimby Quarterfinals" that I pulled out of the closet the other day wondering whether to discard before or after sticking in the machine to see if it would still play at all. Fifteen-year-old video tapes? Yikes! But I go play it and, sure enough, there is a reasonable image of Mac with his long hair! Well, I'm saving this to watch one rainy day. There are five (5!) of the little 3x5 top spiral notebooks I favor for old-style note taking. Some have only a few pages full, some more. Interview notes, journal notes, phone numbers, to do lists. I pile them back on the blank book shelf for use another day. All three of the books I bought for Dublin are sitting there. They inspire me to make a packing list for my Dublin trip. This sends me to the WEB to check the weather I might expect. Hmmm...if it is cloudy with a high of 63 today then in ten days it will likely be the same, or cooler. Well...anorak and blazer. I knew that anyway, I guess. And long-sleeved shirts. Light sweater?

Making the packing list sends me looking for a couple of things. I remember, too, that my dad has a couple of pieces of my luggage and call him to get him to return them at his convenience. Even though I don't think I'll use either of them. He says he thought he did return them and discovers they are in his car. He says I should make him some sort of form 'thank you' that he can add a note to and send to thank everyone for their hospitality on his trip. So, before I can finish the cleaning of this one foot square of desk...I'm doing a new task! This send me to the WEB, looking for pictures to decorate up a little letter. When I finish a draft of it, I discover the color printer down here out of ink and then I discover that the new color cartridge I paid $28.95 has an empty used cartridge in it. Someone returned it to the store, cleverly gluing the bottom flap closed. Great way not to pay for ink. I print the piece on the color printer upstairs after running and taking a shower so that we can go to FFP's high school reunion thing. We get there about an hour into it which is fine because we stay sort of late (10:30). The people are interesting enough. Amazingly, a fairly large number are retired.

We go home and check our e-mail and watch a DVD. We stay up late and even after I'm in bed I have trouble going to sleep. That's the opposite of how I should be doing. I should be shifting toward early to bed and early to rise.

shop window a few years ago

Domestic

AUSTIN, Texas, August 27, 2004 — I'm can't believe it's after eight when I get up. I've been in and out of dreams about having swallowed some bottle cap and then the doctor who was supposed to remove it having some legal technicality. This seems to have happened twice. I'm nonplussed both in the dream and when I wake up and remember it. I get into gym clothes, let the dog out, make the bed. I try to finish yesterday's papers but FFP gets a call from a friend we are helping with a WEB page (well, so far we just have reserved the domain) and I have to get on the phone and chat about that. I get the papers disposed of and fiddle with my journal, suddenly deciding I need comments in the this section and the essay section and so going to figure out Haloscan and copy the code. I promise myself I'll be off to the gym by 10:30 but I'm a little later than that. I have a pretty good workout. One of the older ladies that I've played tennis with comes in for her personal training session and says that "it is working." She's sweet...she's saying I look good. It's easier being in the gym after taking off yesterday.

When I get home I do a few things on the computer and flip around the Olympics and then eat. FFP asks me to finish up the laundry and pick up some pants at the cleaners. I agree. I fold one batch of laundry, put the other batch in the dryer. I take a shower, try to make my hair look OK and get in the mail, going through and opening stuff and looking at it and tossing a few things in recycling. I fold the second batch of laundry, sew a button on some pants of FFP's and I'm preparing to go to the cleaners when he returns and says he will do it himself. I don't feel like I've accomplished much and it's four o'clock!

I end up working out some stuff on the bookkeeper's machine, working on an essay for today (which sends me looking up some references) and generally goofing off until time to go to FFP's high school reunion reception at some Mexican place on the east side, Nuevo Leon.

We go over there and find a room full of people who mostly look more than two years older than me. FFP talks to people, some of whom he knew since he was tiny. He wants a guy who was at the Whitman shooting to describe where he was. We talk to various people and find one woman who does bookkeeping for a restaurant we do business with and who was a good friend of a deceased friend of ours very interesting. She also looks lots younger than the group. We do about an hour and a half of it, having a drink but no food. Then we go to Fonda San Miguel.

We enjoy our meal, talk to the owner and several waitpersons and head home. We watch a little Olympics (the U.S. Women's 4x100 relay disqualified for a bad baton pass, for example) and go to bed early, for a change.

yeah, shop window

Well, now, what's the story?

AUSTIN, Texas, August 26, 2004 — I'm dreaming when I'm struggling to get up.

Breakfast, coffee, computer. I intended to go to the gym before my lunch with my friend Charles. Then I realized how nice it would be not to rush off to the gym and rush back through the shower. And FFP wanted me to write up some thoughts for a client of his.

I had a nice lunch with Charles.

So I didn't go before lunch and so naturally I was (pick one) too full, too lazy, too involved doing other things to go after. I tried to rationalize this by saying that I hadn't felt perfect physically and should give myself a day off from sweating. Any excuse will do.

So I wasted the afternoon, really, finishing my book and such and not making a dent in the important things on the to do list.

We went to the opening night of AGLIFF with two friends. The low budget movie was really well-done but the party after was too crowded to get drinks and food and it was pretty loud to talk. So we went home and invited our guests to come by and see our remodel. They liked it and then gave us advise about doing a few little things to pick up the kitchen without remodeling it. (We have decided to leave remodeling the kitchen to the next owners. So we have a 53-year-old kitchen. But it's really OK...we just want to get rid of the aging wallpaper we put up when we moved in.)

We watched a little Olympics, I failed to finish reading the newspapers (after all that goofing off!) and we gave into sleep.

SoCo house

Nothing Scheduled

AUSTIN, Texas, August 25, 2004 — There aren't many of these days. Actually we had scheduled a look at a Cambridge Tower condo but we decided that we shouldn't look. We don't want to sell any of the real estate we have yet. We don't have the cash for a condo. We should wait. Waiting means we probably won't ever migrate to that downtown (or university area) lifestyle. Downsized and downtown is our dream. But for now, we decided not to start that way.

Anyway, there is nothing on the calendar. So I get up, have coffee and water and read the Dining In and Arts section of The New York Times and finish the puzzle. (Yeah and it's Wednesday!). Dad comes by since he was at the barber shop. He's visited his doctor and gotten a haircut and done some other errand. We discuss when it might be possible to go to Denver. You would think, wouldn't you, that being retired scheduling vacations would be easy? But there are other things to consider. Operas, ballets, meetings, film festivals.

Suddenly it's eleven. After, actually. Oh, I've cataloged a few more books (the pile you see in today's picture are all books I've read in the past couple of years and I separated them after getting them in the data base or updated there) and caught up the journal and did some 'thinking.' But I need to go work out and get more done.

I feel pretty charged up, really. Maybe it's the blank calendar. Maybe it's finishing the crossword puzzle. Maybe it's talking to my dad about getting rid of some more stuff.

I get to the gym a bit before twelve. I waste time having a conversation with one of the trainers. I cut my workout arbitrarily short for some reason. Just happens that way some time.

At 1:15 I'm home and getting together something to eat. After I eat salad and leftovers, I decide to cook up some zuchinni that has been in the frig a few days and I decide to make some tuna salad. So I boil eggs and chop stuff (zuchinni, garlic, tomatoes, red onion, boiled eggs, apples) and cook the zuchinni dish and make the tuna. For me this is a bunch of cooking! (Yeah, I know.) So I reward myself by reading the paper and finishing the Breaking Away DVD.

FFP wasn't feeling well this morning and so he didn't work out. A little after five, he samples some of the tuna salad, pronounces it good and wants to go work out. I go along and do a bit more than this morning.

Home again, we eat stuff from the supply we now have (FFP pronounces the zuchinni a success, topping it with some fresh grated paramesan he found in the frig). We watch Olympics and read. I struggle to finish the Gertrude Stein book and I have difficulty going to sleep. I end up on those old TV reruns again.

 

books read

Change in Plans

AUSTIN, Texas, August 24, 2004 — My schedule is to go with my dad to get a cat scan and then go from there, if he's OK, to a tennis workout. FFP is reading me a story in the newspaper about the rehab of the neighborhood where we owned a building with an Amy's Ice Cream complex. I stayed up too late. I'm sleepy. I go back to sleep as he leaves for his workout. I guess I need to get on his schedule. Finally I get up, have a cup of coffee, make the bed, get in the shower. When I'm grooming I get a call from Dad. The machine is broken at the radiological place where we were going. He has to go at 11 to a different place. We decide that he'll call on my cell phone if there is a problem and he needs to get a ride. I hate to do that but I hate to blow off the workout I agreed to sub for, too. Usually he is fine to drive himself home. He did last time.

With the extra time I work on my journal and watch the U.S. Women's water polo team lose the chance to go for the gold medal and read The New York Times section The Arts. Even fill in the crossword puzzle.

I make it through the workout. Dad calls and leaves a message but he's at my house so I assume he's OK. I get home after the workout (at which my play is terrible but, oh well, I'm a sub and will probably never play with the team again). I have a few strawberries. Dad has eaten something at my house and he goes home. He says they think the injected dye will make him feel woozy but it doesn't. Before he leaves, the maid comes and starts vacuuming. That means I can neither shower up (I'm all sweaty) or eat or do anything to get in her way. Sigh.

So....I decide to read and catalog some books and stuff in my office. She has come fairly early, though, so she leaves pretty early, too. Then I have a late snack (about two o'clock) and fool around reading the papers and watching some DVDs. First time I've watched DVDs in a while. I guess I'm overloaded with Olympics.

I eat a sandwich and go to my film meeting. I feel like having some candy so I stop in the dusty little store connected to the gas station at 45th and Burnet and get some Skittles. That's the bad news. The good news is that after a few Skittles I don't feel like having any of the cake or popcorn offered at the festival office. I don't have the soda either because I've been avoiding soda, cutting down on coffee and trying to cut down on alcohol, too. All in the interest of health.

I leave the festival office at about ten. I've seen a couple of good things and some I really thought were silly, too. It will be so interesting to see what makes the festival.

 

straight lines downtown

Scheduled Events

AUSTIN, Texas, August 23, 2004 — I need a schedule and yet I resent it when I have appointments. I want to go to water aerobics today to be with my dad. (This is the only time this week that he can go.) But I always resent having to be some place at a certain time. I've made a lunch date, too. I have two this week in violation of my 'one scheduled lunch a week' dictum but I'm still catching up having lunch with people somehow. We also have a meeting this afternoon.

I get up in time to make the bed and answer a few e-mails (scheduling something social September and October, settling on a place for lunch today with my friend). I get to the pool before anyone, even Dad. After the class I go right home rather than doing anything else. This gives me plenty of time to shower, dress and groom at my leisure and to fool around on the computer finishing yesterday's journal and starting today's.

I have picked a Korean/Japanese place, Koreana, for lunch. I usually have this same dish there but I vow to have something different. And I do. That makes me feel more spontaneous. After the lunch, I come home. I don't get much done before the meeting. I watch a few snippets of the Olympics, help FFP with a photo project and worry over a few things on the computer. I read some of the papers. The meeting is long and parts of it are dull, but part of it is kind of fun. I eat enough fruit and cheese to really not be hungry when I get home. But I eat anyway when FFP cooks some chicken breasts for sandwiches.

I finish the papers and watch Olympics and fail once more to fall asleep without watching old episodes of M*A*S*H and Northern Exposure.

Berlin Post Collage

Am I on Vacation?

AUSTIN, Texas, August 22, 2004 — I continue to be sort of lazy, I guess. I stay in bed late in spite of FFP's efforts to get up and see softball games in the Olympics. Olympics are playing all around me all day.

It is after noon before I get out from under a project of printing out some photos for possible hanging in the bedroom and posting my journal and looking at the ads in the newspaper. (Which I sometimes do on Sunday although I'm not really shopping for anything...just to see what people are pimping and for what price.)

I go to the club, come back and eat, read some of the paper, shower up all while watching the Olympics. Washing dishes, folding clothes and stuff like that intervene as well.

A little after six we head out for a cabaret show, a celebration of Cole Porter. We stop and get our tickets for the film festival that's coming up (AGLIFF).

The show is pretty good and we have a tasty 2000 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de LaTour Private Reserve which they are selling for less than retail I think.

We go home, eschewing invitations to hop some more bars, and watch a tape of some of the TV we missed while out. Then, sleep. I'm not sleeping well. FFP is up and down and just when I seem to get solidly asleep, he and the dog seem to be up doing something.

my friend LG examines a Swiss Bear...in Berlin however

Relax and Enjoy

AUSTIN, Texas, August 21, 2004 — I decided I was going to take a relaxed, Saturday cut on things. Yes, I know I'm retired and so Saturday is, theoretically, meaningless. But still, I was going to kick back and enjoy what came to hand. I did,too. FFP was off to watch the UT football practice before eight. I stayed in bed a little while and then got up, made the bed, brushed my teeth, drank a couple of cups of coffee and a bottle of water, watched some table tennis (Olympics) and badminton and soccer, finished yesterday's papers, watched a Queer Eye rerun I hadn't seen, posted my journal, surfed the WEB reading other journals and looking at random stuff. I didn't worry about how useless I was being.

FFP called from his cell about ten and said that he was 'done' meaning the practice was finished or he was finished with it. He said he'd be home and did I want to eat or workout or whatever. Yes to all of it. We have a dinner date at a friend's house at 6:30. I guess I'll be useless until then.

When FFP gets home it turns out he wants to eat and I want to work out. So he eats and I go to the gym. He comes along later and I go home to eat.

I just sit around in my sweaty clothes and read the papers and my book and watch TV until I have to shower to go out to my friend's house. We arrive on time. We have a leisurely five course meal which he originally scheduled for a celebration of the copyright of his play but which he's now decided is in honor of Julia Child.

At home we watch some more Olympics (boy there is a lot of Olympics) and read. I'm falling asleep reading but when I turn out the lights I have trouble getting to sleep.

shop window: Berlin

Confusion

AUSTIN, Texas, August 20, 2004 — I just felt confused all day. I had confused my buddy LG about what day we were getting together. I forgot to take the bank deposit and then forgot I forgot. ("Did you take the bank deposit?" FFP asked. "Umm...I came back for it!" I said hopefully, hoping he wouldn't think I was a total loser. He took it.)

I was a little confused about FFP's client changes to a WEB site I was working on.

I was confused about how to entertain the get-together tonight which had ended up being all the parental units and our friend LG and we were going to get food to go rather than try to hear each other in a restaurant. But then the parental units were bringing stuff.

And, of course, I'm always these days trying to watch Olympics. So I'm confused on about four channels about where coverage is and what the rules are for, say, trampoline.

Well, I got my workout (a long one) while reading more of my book. I got some of the papers read. I did these two little jobs for FFP. They really came out all right. I watched Olympics some. And eventually I entertained our parents a bit. Everyone was happy with take-out from 34th Street and some stuff my dad brought that was leftover at church...fruit, vegies, snacks, some desserts. We watched the Olympics and talked. Naturally, given the average age of the group, it was over a little after nine and I took FFP's parents home and washed a few dishes. We watched some more TV and I dozed off without finishing the day's papers.

 

Going Nowhere Fast

AUSTIN, Texas, August 19, 2004 — I got out of bed before I wanted to, I tried to bustle about. FFP gave me some simple assignments. Well, two were simple. I got a workout, came home and showered and picked up the dog's liver pills on the way to a lunch date. (Assignment one.) I had lunch with an old work buddy. I went home and started scanning pictures and changing a WEB page for one of FFP's clients. (Assignment two. Not easy.) I never got around to trying to set the timer on the water softener. (Assignment three.)

I know it doesn't sound like much, does it? But really I was productive.

We invited Dad to go along to eat out with a couple of friends because the perpetrator of the meal tonight invited him. He accepted. He came over around four or five. We were eating at eight. He gave me an assignment, too. Find a picture of a roadrunner (the living thing) and print it out. Took no time to find one. Had to clean the printheads to get a good print, though, and that was time-consuming.

So it's six and other than glancing at some beach volleyball...that's my day. And I haven't even read the paper. I try to get the paper read, I watch Millionaire with one eye and our friend Kevin comes by to show us a drawing he has done of a ballet dancer he's been dating. Kevin is so sweet and young (22) but so talented. We've kind of adopted him (although he has a local and enthusiastic family). He is a good golfer, basketball player. He sings like Frank Sinatra. And he can draw. Didn't know that. The drawing of his ballet dancer friend in an extreme position is pretty credible.

Dad, FFP, Kevin, Gayle the bookkeeper and I go to Moonshine. This was Kevin's suggestion. A 22-year-old goes out with people who are all at least twice his age, almost three times (and well over in Dad's case). And he did the inviting. Sweet boy. Now you know why I did his domain and WEB page for free.

Home again, Dad goes home, not forgetting his photo I printed of a roadrunner for his host in England who thought the roadrunner was just a cartoon character!

Dad has revealed some stories of his trip over dinner. Food, sights. I'm proud of him for making this trip.

FFP and I park in front of the TV Olympics and I finish the papers. I go to sleep a little earlier than usual. That's good. I need to skew things that way in preparation for going to Europe.

SoCo Reflection

Flaking Out

AUSTIN, Texas, August 18, 2004 — I went to bed too late and slept too poorly. I completely flaked out the day.

I had promised to go get my dad at his friend's house where he went in the wee hours after arriving on a late flight that was delayed until early today. So I did that. We sat around and talked a bit and I took Dad home. I showed him where mail was piled, pointed out that the plants weren't dead. I got the info to renew his driver's license and took it home and did that. I arranged some social life, put up a day's worth of journal and went to lunch with my friend SuRu at Z'Tejas. Well, I had a ten dollar gift certificate for my birthday. So maybe I'm through celebrating my birthday now?

After lunch Ru and I went to a couple of thrift stores. I did this to remind me that the world is full of junk and I need to let some of mine go. My favorite (for giving stuff to) store was still in a turmoil. They were moving stuff around and trying to refinish the floor.

At home I handled a few more things and tried to get into my organization projects but I was starting to feel not too well and sleepy besides. I napped and watched Roddick unravel in the Olympics. FFP said I needed to do something on the bookkeeper's machine. I did that. Then I just sat, watched Olympics and read. I started feeling better, though, and thought...tomorrow, tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll work out. I'll do something constructive. I'll get rid of stuff. I'll finish projects. I'll feel better. As today becomes tomorrow I do start to feel better. Really.

SoCo Reflection

Nerves

AUSTIN, Texas, August 17, 2004 — Having my dad fly home from Europe has my stomach in a knot. I decide that I won't work out until I go to the tennis workout. I get up, late, staying up too late you know, and make the bed and let the dog out and put on tennis clothes. I have coffee and breakfast and work on the journal and read papers. From 10:30 until 12:30 I have the tennis workout. It isn't all that enervating but it's a little hot out.

I realize when I get out of the thing that my Dad's plane is flying from London. I assume he's on it. It makes me nervous. I do checks on the airline WEB site and flight tracker all afternoon and evening. SuRu calls and comes by and I work a little bit on my book data base. The maid comes and does a little bit. SuRu leaves. I'm peaking at Olympics stuff (swimming, tennis) off and on. It makes me a little anxoius, too, that there is all this converage and not enough time to watch. ("More than we can eat," I say to FFP.)

I end up never getting out of the house again except to go around the corner to Fonda. I want a birthday present for a friend we are having drinks with and SuRu picks it up for me. The husband of the friend who is traveling with my dad picks them up at the airport...after midnight, although I stay awake until I hear from them.

It's funny what makes you anxious. They didn't get their luggage either. That always makes me anxious but my dad seems sanguine about it.

seemed like a good idea at the time

Amazingly Nonproductive

AUSTIN, Texas, August 16, 2004 — Part of the reason I feel unproductive is that a lot of things I do, want to do, love to do, feel an unrelenting need to do don't count as productive!

FFP is sleepless and he keeps getting up, then the dog gets up, then she can't get back in bed.

I dawdle for a while over coffee and the computer. I scan the picture you see here. Which is interesting given my constant obsession with the "things we own" topic. In this picture (a Polaroid probably taken in the early eighties) there is a melange of things I owned. A dog (Lucky, died in '97); a 'flasher' doll in a little raincoat some comedian gave us (or maybe we bought it and we may have given it away as a white elephant gift, in any case, it's gone); a pink brocade easy chair (cannot remember when this was ejected from the house or where it went); a pillow with a striped pillowcase (the pillow has most likely been discarded but the pillowcase survives). Under the chair are several pairs of tennis shoes, all long ago worn out and discarded. Behind the chair is a wall which may itself be gone. (I believe this was in our bedroom, recently remodeled. The venetian blinds were also discarded. Save the pillowcase and the dog's ashes, nothing in this picture survives.

Yeah, it was one of those days when I had such thoughts. When I ate and then decided to drag out the blender and make cucumber feta soup. When I watched bits of Olympics, wrote lists of things to do I wasn't doing, wrote listed of things I was interested in and needed to spend time pursuing.

I went to Dad's and tried to make sure I hadn't thoroughly killed any of his plants. I went to the gym and did a reasonable workout, reading my book on the bike and between weight lifting sets. I read papers and worked crossword puzzles. I watched various sports on the Olympics. Swimming sticks in my mind.

I fed myself. I sauteed salmon for eating reheated the next couple of days. I made a chilled feta cucumber soup because we had the leftovers from the Greek excursion. I washed dishes a couple of times. I read all the papers and my book.

I watched more Olympics. Gymnastics. More swimming. All these people training forever for a few minutes.

things I no longer have

Just Goofing Off

AUSTIN, Texas, August 15, 2004 — I'm in a serious dream about card games and other more important things when I struggle out of bed. After eight. I get that first cup of coffee, make the bed, let the dog out. We go to our respective offices and end up watching Olympic softball (U.S. vs. Australia) with FFP calling me to complain about the umpires.

Around ten I've editing yesterday's journal and I'm feeling like I should go work out and get that over with. But I don't. I fold the sheets and watch the U.S. Women's softball team finish their mercy killing of the Aussies. Then I go work out and when I return it is after noon.

Lunch and an afternoon of reading and the Olympics follow. I think I prefer swimming and volleyball. Even that beach volleyball is all right. I mean to watch, of course. I am easily seduced by the next sport I see, though. It's a once every four years foray after all. Usually I don't watch sports. And with only one eye when I do. Olympics are no different in this way except sometimes in a race (swimming of something) I get caught in the moment. Those South African guys were great in that 4x100m Medley weren't they? (Actually that was in the evening that I saw the final but I saw a prelim in the afternoon.)

An old friend and her daughter stopped by and we went to Zoot. The food was good, we took a nice white Bordeaux. It was pleasant and our friend's daughter who is sixteen was amazingly beautiful and mature and sweet. When you knew people before they married or had any kids, it is so strange to see them with grown children. The daughter had found a skirt made from old ties at a vintage shop and she looked great in it. I felt a little, well, if not sad, nostalgic after they took off. Time has passed. My friend doesn't look that different. We had a great time talking. We talked about seeing each other when we go to NYC. (They live nearby.) I guess it's just the feeling of time passing by that you get with old friends.

Home alone again we read and watch Olympics. Around eleven we get to bed.

cold poetry

Just Goofing Off

AUSTIN, Texas, August 14, 2004 — Alcohol, up late. I wake up and think "it's probably eight o'clock." And it is, exactly.

I decide to change the bed and get the sheets in the laundry. I get the bed made and the sheets in the washer and get some coffee and finish tidying up the kitchen from last night. I watch some Olympic coverage. I eat cereal and yogurt. I read the paper. I surf the WEB.

FFP is in and out. Goes to watch the UT football team work out. Runs some errands. Goes to get a massage.

Finally I can't believe it but it's afternoon. Well into the afternoon, nearly two o'clock. I go to the club. It's nice to work out with no pressing reason to hurry. Only my laziness sends me home about 3:30. We don't have anything to do tonight. I can do whatever I please. I don't even have to shower off right away.

This is, of course, a dangerous situation, particularly with the Olympics on and FFP feeling a little under the weather. I end up surfing the WEB, watching swimming, judo, sailing, gymnastics, bicycles flying past Greek ruins. We watch a DVD of a movie I've seen fragments of on cable. I don't shower until late in the evening. I read. What I don't do is anything particularly constructive.

I go to bed too late. Too late for what? Too late to get up early.

I'm thinking of doing away with the frig poetry

The Olympics Begin

AUSTIN, Texas, August 13, 2004 —I am getting slow starts these days and today was no exception. I did get some time in the gym before showering up for a lunch date in my ongoing self-indulgent "it's near my birthday so buy me a meal" month. I get to Ba-Le on North Lamar early and my friend is even earlier but I drive right by it but then I find it. It's kind of a Vietnamese sandwich shop. Very cheap so my friend Nancy got off light in the deal. That's good. We have a good talk about all things relevant.

I then head off for a different ethnic flavor for the evening. I am determined to serve Greek food to FFP and a few girlfriends. So I shop at no less than four places, buying stuff at three. I decide against picking anything up at Pars deli on N. Burnet on my way back from N. Lamar. Instead, I buy hummus, kalamata olives, pocket bread, pickled asparagus, pickled hearts of palm and Greek sheep feta at Phoenecia. I take that home and go to Miltos and get gyros take-out for the lamb/beef meat and tsatsiki sauce. I take that home and go to Central Market for some chicken, cucumbers, peppers, spices, fatty yogurt (I usually use the nonfat kind) lettuces, a Greek sounding salad dressing, a Greek red wine and baklava. Good thing all these places are close to the house or I would have to take an ice chest to shop.

By the time I do that it is around four. I decide that I'll chop and cook at five and sit down and read some of the papers and watch old M*A*S*H episodes. At five I go chop the chicken and prepare it and sautee some onions. I put out some warming trays, reheat the other meat, warm the bread things, peel and chop cucumber, wash and tear lettuce, make a yogurt/garlic/dill sauce, slice peppers, put out olives and hummus, crumble feta. In other words, it's the kind of meal that I like best where mostly you chop things!

SuRu shows up during the preparation with Zoey (who has been to the groomer). Our other two friends show up and one has brought some stuffed portobellas and some green Greek olives and a bottle of the exact same Greek red wine. One has also brought a dog. So, five people and three dogs enjoy the food and opening ceremonies and the wine. During commercials, clean-up occurs so that after everyone is gone, clean-up is a cinch. I wash a few more things by hand and start the dishwasher. Then I drink a little more wine and finish the papers. Late to bed.

SoCo shop window

Decadent Day

AUSTIN, Texas, August 12, 2004 —OK, it was just a decadent day. I had a long and pleasant workout after going to the club when I pleased and had a late lunch (at South Congress Cafe with SuRu). We walked down the street and perused Uncommon Objects. I read and watched TV in the afternoon and in the evening had a long and pleasant meal with drinks with FFP. When we get home I finish the papers, read my book, watch Without a Trace and then stay up late watching old M*A*S*H episodes and Northern Exposure and reading.

I enjoyed myself very much, thank you. But I think the mindless TV might should stop!

When we were driving back from South Austin, SuRu went down west 2nd which is being constructed to be a 'pedestrian-friendly' street with retail on one side with apartments above and the city hall and offices (CSC, etc.) on the other. Hence the picture today.

new City Hall and street construction

Old Friends

AUSTIN, Texas, August 11, 2004 —I am trying to catch up with old friends. And celebrate my birthday for weeks at a time. So I have an early lunch date with some people who I used to work closely with. You start to miss people a lot after two years.

I intend to get to the club pretty early but, of course, I stayed up late. Still, I'm out of bed before seven, before FFP goes to the club. I manage to waste time writing and thinking at the computer. Looking stuff up, pondering, sending some e-mail about my social schedule.

But at 8:30 I head out to the club. Plenty of time for a good workout, shower and get to my lunch date on time. Actually somehow it is a little bit later when I actually leave. Still I'm back and dressed in plenty of time. I get to the restaurant early and have time to drink a glass of water and pick out my pasta dish.

My friends arrive, maybe five minutes late. I regale them with my trip, where my dad has and is going. They are jealous. They wish they were retired. They are intellectuals, especially the two guys. They really look jealous when I say I think I've read sixty books while retired. I catch up with their kids and, for one gal, grandkids. I wish I saw more of these people but not by going to work every day.

After lunch I go to Dad's house. A thunderstorm brews up. It dies down as I drive to his place and then brews up again after I've gotten the garbage can and mail in. It patters down while I water the ferns and stuff (he is cultivated poinsettas from Christmas? Who does that?), rain making noise on the skylights. I look around the house at stuff I still need to clean out then I lock up and leave.

I stop by The Container Store to get a couple of things for a little gift I'm planning for my friend whom I'm meeting in Dublin in September. She will be in the middle of a trip, mostly to Edinburgh, and will fly over to Dublin to meet me. I am preparing a little gift that won't increase her load my too much and will be welcome in the middle of a trip. I also find a remote organizer that is painted black and, I decide, will look good by our chairs in the bedroom.

I am anxious to get home. I have reorganized my 'to do' list and I think I'll start on something on it. What I actually do, though, is go home and after checking on a few things on the computer, I sit in my chair in the bedroom reading the day's papers and watching part of a Jean-Luc Godard movie Outsiders. I snack a little, too. Until it's time to go to an opera lecture on the upcoming Austin Lyric Opera season. We listen to the discussion of Tosca, Elektra, and Marriage of Figaro with slides and bits of CDs and DVDs. I'm still pretty opera-stupid but I enjoy the discussion. I saw a few people I knew but most of my friends in the opera crowd are probably still vacationing somewhere cooler.

The lecture is good. FFP asks me if I want to go out since it's still my birthday, um, month. I say no and we go home and eat leftovers and watch TV. A panel discussion about the Olympics. I try to read but I'm droopy. Finally to bed. Another more or less unproductive day. But nice.

tile deatail in the McNay garden

Busy

AUSTIN, Texas, August 10, 2004 —I don't get up until almost 8:30. One thing about the Tempur-Pedic bed is that once you have established an overnight groove in it, you don't want to get up. It isn't as tempting (to me) to get into at night as a normal bed somehow. But once it has adjusted to you it's like quicksand at keeping you in it. (I hadn't thought of quicksand in years. Seems it used to figure in some of the first TV series shows we watched as kids.)

At 9, I'm sitting in front of the computer, thinking I'm going out somewhere tonight and the next two evenings and wondering how productive I'll be during the days. Based on my sleepy start today, I'd say not very.

FFP is still in his workout clothes. (I presume he went to the gym. I didn't hear him leave or come back really.) He brings in a newspaper article on Amtrak and how they are never on time. He had thought it would be cool to go to Chicago on the train and I had said, "Yeah, if you could figure out what day you were going to arrive to get a hotel room!" He says, "I guess you are right." In Europe it is usually so different. I point out that our train ride to/from Strasbourg and Paris was ontime, pleasant and predictable.

I do a bunch of e-mail stuff, renew some domains, surf some and suddenly, it's 10:30. I don't have anything scheduled until tonight. I haven't even had a cup of coffee! I do feel better today (in spite of having a drink last night). In fact, maybe I'm 100 percent except for being sleepy and, obviously, lazy.

Off to the club! But not before reading a bit of the newspaper.

One P.M. finds me still sweaty, in front of my computer, having had nothing but a single sup of coffee. I need a shower. The maid may come. FFP and I have been taking care of social stuff and searching for books.

I jump up from my computer, take a quick shower, dress, eat and go to my dad's and check on things. I go back to the house and the maid is there. I watch a couple of films for the festival on my computer. FFP comes down and suggests Mexican food, early, so I can still make my AFF meeting.

We eat at Santa Rita while it is filling up. Eddie is there and we suggest some changes to the dishes. We go home and I get my stuff together and go early to the meeting to turn in my films.

We split into two and then three groups at the film office and watch things that the program director is considering. Some of them generate a lot of controversy. I see some age differences in tastes. No kidding. Most people agree on, though. Usually on the 100 percent 'nos.' I have earned enough volunteer points for a badge and many are still trying to get a badge so I don't take any films out. (I didn't sign up in order to get this badge. I figured we'd just reup a membership and go see films. But with this badge, I can go to some seminars, too.) This phase of my volunteering is probably over. Although the program director says to call later in the week in case he has films he wants me to see. It is amazing how many submissions there are. I've probably watched fifty or more films plus the ones in these meetings and there are many I haven't seen. I probably won't see any in the festival that I reviewed.

It's nearly ten. I go home and read the papers while FFP channel flips. He settles on a disturbing Jeremy Irons movie based on a true story. He goes to sleep before it ends. Near the end I turn it off because it's disturbing.

tile work on the stairs at the McNay

Monday - Planning

AUSTIN, Texas, August 9, 2004 —I am pretty intent on staying in bed this morning but somehow I manage to have my coffee drunk (I limit myself to one cup this morning still) and my correspondence checked and my journal posted and some WEB surfing done by 9:19. I also whip out the Monday The New York Times crossword puzzle. And then I go off to try to get a decent workout and shower and do an errand before FFP's doctor's appointment this afternoon.

At 11 I'm talking to a friend on the phone about the state of the world. Then I dash off to get a shower. By noon I'm clean and have had some food. I spend a few minutes handling some financial matters and talking to FFP about books. A book he wants. A book he wants to read but we can't find although we know it's in the house.

In the afternoon I go to the film festival office and get some films to review, go with FFP to the doctor for a brief appointment. (And a satisfying one. He's okay and needs no further treatment at this time.)

We decide to go out for drinks and snacks at Reed's tonight. I watch a couple of films first and then we go. We meet two nice young women and a friend of ours and eat, drink and listen to the nice piano music.

We don't get home until about 10:30.

I had intended to plan a bunch of stuff. Schedule things with people, make some appointments and do some RSVPs, a few things like that. I ended up at an impromptu social event and even having a drink.

I went to bed thinking that I'll either wake up in the morning sorry about the drink or thinking that I feel great, never felt better.

 

FFP's rear view and McNay pond

An "I'm Special" Outing

AUSTIN, Texas, August 8, 2004 —I always wangle lots of special treatment for my birthday. For weeks, too. One day just can't do justice. It's not about gifts. It's about getting to choose special activities.

Today we went to San Antonio. It had been ages since we'd been there. We couldn't even remember when. FFP made reservations at Biga on the river. He drove us down there, found an on-street parking place and we walked on the river walk a long way. They have really cleaned it up. The river still looks sort of disgusting, kind of like Six Flags or something, but there is great landscaping all around the old cypress trees and is looks clean. We enjoyed the meal at Biga although it wasn't as fabulous as I thought it was going to be. The service was good, though, and the waitress drew us a map to the McNay museum. We spent a pleasant hour or more looking at the Renoir and Degas and other stuff. It's such a pretty little gem and they have some nice stuff. We bought a couple of things in the gift shop, too. Normally, I would drive us home, but FFP drove because, you know, birthday month!

At home, FFP gave me a foot rub while we kind of watched a DVD of a 1967 movie adaptation of James Joyce's Ulysses. Ah. We read and watched TV. We had a salad and leftover dinner. And I was quite happy. The good news is that FFP enjoyed it, too. Except, of course, that he had to drive all the way and give me a foot rub.

FFP and the McNay Renoir Sculpture

Lost in Time

AUSTIN, Texas, August 7, 2004 —I seem to be lost in time today. I've had this lost, unfocused feeling lately. Don't know if it is from not feeling so well or just the summer doldrums.

FFP woke up mumbling, "Oh, we have to go to San Antonio!"

"It's Saturday," I said. We planned to go to San Antonio on Suncay.

So we sleep some more. Finally we both get up, have coffee and go separately to the club.

I don't do a lot at the club but at least I'm going, even if I feel out of it. A day of really exciting things: clean the stack of papers in front of my monitor; defrag my hard drive; watch some movies for the AFF; read papers.

Around five I shower and groom. We are going out to see House Arrest. We get to the theater deadly early. We are pathologically punctual especially if we both go somewhere. I've gotten to the point that I'm sometimes actually late, left to my own devices.

The play finally starts (late) and much later finishes. We skip the snacks and champagne and go home. Shortly we are in bed.

Boggy Creek okra

Temporary Enthusiams

AUSTIN, Texas, August 6, 2004 —I do feel better this morning. Still not one hundred percent. I stay in bed kind of late. I mess about finishing a book, doing stuff at the computer and then go to the bank and a thirty minute workout. It's noon when I get home. What sloth! But I have nothing scheduled today, nothing really nagging at me

And so...I eat a little and shower. I really feel pretty good but I find I'm a little depressed. Perhaps because I can't get rolling on anything and feel good about it lately. Too many enthusiams, too temporary.

FFP suggest a Central Market shopping expedition. And we go. After the groceries are put away I watch some films for the festival and read papers and snack a little.

Dinner time comes and we have dinner and watch a little TV and a couple of DVDs. I read a bit. Watch an old episode of Northern Exposure at the beginning of the new day.

eggplant at Boggy Creek

I'm a Medical Nihlist

AUSTIN, Texas, August 5, 2004 —I should go to the doctor. But I feel better this morning than last night so I figure I can fight it off. I decide not to exercise (and sweat) however. And drink a lot of fluids (I send FFP out later for cranberry juice). And take a couple of more Echinecea.

I watch the rest of the films I currently have checked out from the AFF for reviewing. FFP goes out to buy a few groceries and get us a take-out salad for lunch. It's after noon. I'm not feeling that great. But I still decide not to go to the doctor.

I decide to shower and go change the films and come home and cook dinner (chicken Provencal again) and give it until tomorrow. Time heals things. It does. Doesn't it? Usually. A lot of times. Give it a chance. Only. Don't wait too long and ignore symtoms. Where do you draw the line?

I change my mind about the shower. Instead I sort through the stuff I've ejected from the wrapping and gift closet and ponder how to get rid of it all.

Then I just change clothes. I've been wandering the house in my gym rat uniform...T-Shirt and knit shorts except no shoes. I go out to and from the gym and even stop for errands but if I'm not going to the gym I feel I should have on more clothes. So I don jeans and a camp-style shirt and loafers and go return films and get more. I have spent a bunch of hours on this volunteer project but it has been fun. And somewhat enlightening. When I get home I'm a little bit at a loss as to what to do next. Watch more films? Make my Provencal Sauce? Clean up some more?

In the end I cook, I look through some of my stuff that needs reordering, I review some AFF films. FFP comes down to eat the chicken which came out pretty good.

We watch some TV. I read. I feel better, but not perfect. However, I think tomorrow or the next day I'll wake up and feeling bad will be a memory. I hope anyway. I end up staying up too late, watching an old episode of Northern Exposure.

peppers at Boggy Creek

Slighty Uneasy

AUSTIN, Texas, August 4, 2004 —I have days where I feel slightly uneasy. As if I'm missing something, forgetting something, doing something wrong. But I'm really not. I don't think.

I get up and, in this sort of uneasy haze and have coffee and clean up in the kitchen and make the bed and let the dog out and put yesterday's papers in recycling. It is 11:30 before I get to the gym and get back. I know I need to eat and go to Dad's to water and stuff but I sit in front of the computer, thinking and writing and looking things up and sending e-mails.

Finally I decide to tear myself away from the keyboard. Somehow I feel centered there, feel like I can somehow hold off my uneasiness if I type.

But I cook, I eat, I clean up the kitchen, I shower and groom and I go out to my dad's and take care of a few things. I hope he's having fun. I've heard that he's doing OK, third hand. One of his traveling companions called her husband and he called me.

At home I watch a couple of DVDs for the festival. One doesn't go anywhwere and one goes in too many directions at once. I start feeling bad, like I'm getting a bladder infection.

It is time to go out. We've promised Kevin Ahart we'd go to the 219 West Anniversary party and hear him perform. It's a James Bond theme and the theory is that people are supposed to dress formally. We trot out our tuxedo pants and white dinner jackets and tuxedo pumps. Somehow the white jackets make it seem a little more sane to do this in August in Texas. We stay through a couple of sets but I don't feel very good and I don't feel festive drinking Panna (still water) which is the only sane thing to drink if you think you are getting a bladder infection. I would hate to have to go to the doctor and take dreaded antibiotics. People take too many of those. I do take a couple of Echinecea. Once I had this 'I might get a bladder infection' moment right before I left on a trip. I started Echinecea (which I would have done anyway hoping to innocuously fend off germs from other passengers in close quarters) and it cleared up.

I go to bed, watching old M*A*S*H and Northern Exposure episodes, not feeling great. Sigh.

peppers at Boggy Creek

I Told Myself I Would and Wouldn't

AUSTIN, Texas, August 3, 2004 —I told myself that I wouldn't get up too late and then dawdle and be both rushed and late to tennis workout. I told myself I'd be productive today, that I would do things that needed to be done.

I was dreaming and I kept waking up. It was very complicated, the dream. At least I think so. There was a guest bed that kept having new occupants and there was fake food people tried to give children. I kept going back to sleep to try to resolve things. Just before I finally got up there was actually an explanation rolling on the screen. "Now that's silly," I said to myself. So I woke up witout reading it.

I felt a little drug out and I knew that if I got in front of my computer I would probably end up leaving late. I was conflicted, too, about whether I would do any workout after I finished the hour of tennis drills.

I am also conflicted about telling a freecyler that they could pick something up 'around 11:30.' Yeah, and the maid will be here 'around 1 or 2.' I need to get out and go put out the trash at Dad's. (His can is full of our stuff.) And check things there.

So my woulds and wouldn'ts appear challenged before eight in the morning.

I am not really late for tennis although it's touch and go. Fortunately as I drive up I see the pro headed to one of the 'soft' (fake clay) courts. There is a junior tournament or something. I like these courts, though. The hour of running around the hot court has me drenched but I go to the gym and do a little more. When I get home, I should jump right into the shower and continue getting my day going. But I don't. I have another cuppa I shouldn't have and check for messages. Oh. Well.

But I do finally shower quickly without drying my hair, I grab something to eat (the heat and sweating has removed my appetite). I start cleaning the gift and wrapping closet. This closet holds things we might give to someone as a gift and wrapping and gift sacks and shopping sacks and boxes and tissue. It's completely stuffed so you can't actually find anything in it. I take everything out and put on the couch in the guest room and the floor in front of it a bunch of sacks, bows, boxes and 'stuff' I'm eliminating. I fill the back seat of the car with bubble wrap and such that I'm taking to Dad's so we can pack up the last of the stuff of my mom's that will go to my sister. Just before 11:30 the person from the AustinFreecycle comes by for a duplicate Laser Disc I'm giving away. Cool. This is a good way to get rid of things! Maybe someone will take the stuff I took out of that closet!

I go over to my dad's house and I leave a bunch of the bubble wrap for packing some stuff we want to dump on, um give to, my sister in Colorado from his house. I put his garbage can out full of styrofoam packing. Boy the remodel, refurnish left us with lots of that. I check out things at his place and return here. The maid is still working which always is an excuse for me to interrupt my progress.

But then she's gone so I watch some of my movies for AFF, fold laundry and snack. We have dinner. SuRu comes over and the three of us go for a free sneak screening of Danny Deckchair at the Dobie.

When we came home I was hungry again. I snacked, watched TV and tried to finish looking at the day's newspapers.

peppers at Boggy Creek

Accomplishments

AUSTIN, Texas, August 2, 2004 —FFP is up early. He has things to do. He has a 7:30 dentist appointment. I am out of bed by 8 and by 8:30 the bed is made and my journal for yesterday is in cyberland and I've had that first cup of coffee. I feel that I should accomplish things today. I'm not going to start with a workout. Club is more crowded earlier and I need to do the workout that most gets in other peoples' way. Plus I figure I can get started on all those alleged accomplishments.

After a couple of cups, though, I go dig out the laser disc of The Manchurian Candidate and play the last scene. I hadn't remembered this totally accurately. This movie's ending is a thousand times better than the new one. Sorry. It is.

I talk to FFP and field a couple of his phone calls while he is over at the doctor's office (that is in the building we sold) picking up the payment on the loan. I talk to an old buddy on the phone and make a lunch date for a couple of weeks from now after a long talk. I think I'm displacing from doing the financial stuff I should be doing. But I get some stuff done, pay a bill for my dad and, finally, at 11:30 head out to do errands and get a workout. I buy the dog her special liver diet food from the vet, take deposits to the bank and mail a package. At noon I'm at the club. It's nearly two when I leave. At home, it's nearly three after I've eaten. So my days go. I do get the family budget worked over, though. FFP has been working hard to estimate the income side and I'm trying to manage estimating the outgo side. I get some pictures and souvenirs sorted and stored that have been cluttering up the floor since I pulled them out the other day. I get some other boxes off the floor of my office, too.

FFP comes down and is talking about the cocktail hour and I realize it is that time. We have something to eat and I do have a beer. We watch some tube. I read the papers. Then I go back to my computer and do a few things.

Soon it is bed time. How quickly my days flee.

peppers at Boggy Creek

 

Entertain Yourself

AUSTIN, Texas, August 1, 2004 —So am I turning over a new leaf and doing useful things? No. It's my birthday month. So I'm entertaining myself. FFP is my co-conspirator.

First we spend some time with coffee and computer. Then we go to Upper Crust for more coffee and baked treats. Then we browse both BookStop and Half Price Books. Like we need books. We don't buy any at BookStop although I'm tempted by a few. FFP almost buys a book that chronicles encounters between various writers (or maybe it was artists of all kinds). At one point he started asking me about books we read in France. I couldn't remember. I wander happily looking at and in books, thinking about all the things I wan to learn in the world. At Half Price we succumb to an older book called James Joyce's World and a screenplay of Sling Blade and a book of letters Robert Crumb wrote. We buy more books than we read, sadly. However, when you finish a book there is never a problem finding something to read around here.

We stopped off at Zen on Guadalupe and had some sushi and sashimi. Then went back home to work an hour or so before we went to the movies. I told you we were being self-indulgent.

By 'work' I mean (for me anyway) fooling with my journal and working on the family budget.

Then we are off to see the remake of The Manchurian Candidate. I'm not usually into remakes but this one I want to see.

After the movie (it's two hours and ten minutes but it doesn't seem that long) we stop off at the grocery store for some food and treats. We've long since lost the urge to go work out. Ah, well...a day off from anything once in a while?

At home we have leftover cucumber soup and leftover chicken Provencal and vegies. The latter taste especially good left over.

Then we have a piece of the pie FFP bought and dig in to TV and videos. I get the Sunday papers sorted through and go to bed feeling odd and dislocated. Don't know why. Not working out? Going out to a movie? Eating lots of things I shouldn't?

cafe Mundi