AUSTIN, Texas, Mar. 28, 2005 — Pain is hard to bear. Especially pain that limits your mobility. That's the situation my dad is in and it worries me. Especially with him living alone. He wants to do something about it. I have agreed to play a tennis match this morning. On my way to Lost Creek (where we will play) I call the doctor's office and get him an appointment. They will see him at 1PM.

The weather is lovely and the tennis if fun, but I'm distracted. When it ends (I won 6-1, 6-1), I rush off to get a shower and pick up my dad.

Dad hurts. He can't put on his socks. ("A couple of weeks ago, I was putting on Sarah's socks," he says.) Yeah, my sister has to have help with her socks. He gave her the sock helper from Mom's

rehab stay but she didn't learn to use it. I'm worried because he only hurts when he is moving or getting up. Doesn't seem muscular to me from my experience.

We go to the doctor. The doctor prescribes xrays and writes prescriptions for a pain killer and an anti-inflammatory. He's also still concerned about the blood pressure and wants to change the dose of one of the drugs. We go to the xray place. They see him pretty quickly but it takes a long time. He says they took two views. For some reason. I ask him where we should go to get his prescriptions. He says we need to go home and get a bottle for one he has run out of. I take him home. He has to look around a bit for the bottle. He hurts. He finds it and I go to the pharmacy. They get them out in fifteen minutes or so and I take them to him. I review the what, why and when and with what with him. I have a meeting. I ask if I can do anything else for him. But he says no.

At home I grab a snack (I've only had cereal and a banana) and we go to a meeting downtown. We are too early. I feel despondent during the meeting. It is a capital campaign for a charity. I worry about getting people to give money. I worry about my dad. It is easy to get depressed over other people's pain.

When we get home, we eat some butternut squash and some leftover salmon. I have some guacamole and chips and a half of a beer. I feel like drinking, but the few ounces of beer make me sleepy. We watch some women's NCAA basketball and a CSI: Miami and I try to read the paper but I'm falling, falling asleep. So I give it up and get in bed. I'm feeling no pain but other people's pain has me worried. I wish there was something I could do.