AUSTIN, Texas, Mar. 6, 2005 — Things about the day make me think of are surprising complex, cruel world and all the people in it.

We don't sleep in but it feels like we do. Because we were in bed early.

We both sit at our computers, even batting some stuff back and forth through the Internet to reach office to office across the house. Then we both go to the club, at slightly different times, doing our own exercise and reading.

I eat some salad and drink a V8, shower and dress. We go downtown to the Palmer Events Center to a conversation about coexistence. The speakers are the editor of the newspaper, a Black state legislator, a Hispanic education scholar, the mayor and a woman from the Anti-Defamation League out of New York. The latter gave a wonderful speech. Her family stories (her mother sent as a child to the States, parentless, a grandmother in hiding, a grandfather on the Voyage of the Damned, experiences in New York post 9/11) made the speech personal. OK, her references to that cartoon that the Christian Right attacked for having a gay character and a character who associated with gay people...that was funny, too. Sad, but funny.

After the speeches there were questions although most people didn't ask a question but made a mini-speech about the make-up of the audience (it was open to the public) or the powerlessness of their group. One little girl complained that the program didn't include music but music was a great crosser of boundaries. Someone pointed out that across the street music groups of every stripe were or would perform.

So we trudged in the rain to Auditorium Shores. Under a tent a group of Jewish kids sang on the stage. Bagpipers were queuing up. There were speeches, a balloon release, kids, dogs, mud and some amazing billboards of works of art on the theme Coexistence. It will be there through the end of the month. Worth an outing especially on a fairer day.

The weather put FFP in the mind of caldo and enchiladas. We went to Little Mexico on South First and indulged.

Not long after we got home we got ready for the cocktail party that was a joint effort of the Anti-Defamation League and Ballet Austin. We enjoyed talking and having some dessert and wine. It's amazing the different groups the ballet has managed to mobilize behind this project. The ballet April 1-3 (Light: The Holocaust and Humanity Project) should be wonderful, too, in adding another art to the conversation.