AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 25, 2005 — Free as in there is nothing on the calendar. There are always duties. Things that need tidying up, errands. And, currently taxes and financial stuff hanging over my head. I don't feel so hot when I get up. It is early, six or so. Because we need to put out the trash and if we don't do it they will come at 6:30.

We get the trash and recycling out and I fool around with the computer a bit, posting all my journal entries. I don't really feel all that well. FFP goes to the club, returns, showers. He has an appointment.

After FFP leaves for his appointment I go to the club. I row for ten minutes and ride the bike for forty-five minutes. After that I feel better. Strong almost. It lasts most of the day.

I try to get things done. I spend a bunch of time sorting out the stuff piled on my desk and floor. The New York box returns to the closet, stuffed with some new clippings and a map book I bought. I organize some tax stuff, scratching my head over an original of a 1099 I seem to have lost. (But only after I made a copy so it could be worse.) FFP comes back. He is looking for a 1099 from a mutual fund and it isn't there and we have this deja vu when he calls up their service line that we did it last year and, sure enough, there is no 1099 for that one. We also have to track down some charities who failed to give us proper doc. Naturally we don't have some of the K1-s we need since partnerships are required to send them until some time in March. I hate taxes. They not only take your money but they make you scratch your head. Sure if you have earned income and just a W2 and no investments and take a standard deduction, it's easy. But otherwise, it's a mess. Well, I have enough stuff for the CPA to get started.

I ask FFP if we can have Chinese for dinner. He orders some but forgets to tell them 'no MSG.' He is allergic. They already have it made when he calls back. He kindly goes to get it even though he swears he will eat something else. We have leftover Chicken Provencal I made but I just had a hankering for Chinese.

So I have my Chinese, feeling a little guilty but not so much because FFP went for a foot massage today so, well, we both got something we wanted. But when he gets to Peony that swear there is no MSG in the food so we both eat it.

We settle in and watch a Netflix rental, A Home at the End of the World. It's a good flick and it really evokes the book which is excellent I think. Then we watch Third Watch off the VTR. (I'm less and less fond of this one.) Then I watch Numbers but FFP goes to sleep. Then I do it, too.