AUSTIN, Texas, Apr. 6, 2005 — Every day when we get up, we hope our lives can be different. That we can accomplish more and feel better about ourselves. I did feel pretty good for a while today. I got up pretty early. I did some fun writing (well, the journal but finishing the research on site readers was fun). My dad called. He's feeling better. Back still sore but he walked around his neighborhood a bit, got his own garbage out. He has to have a procedure next week and he is going to the dermatologist today. But I have reason to hope he can get in better shape, maybe go on a trip, keep living alone. It's amazing, really, at 88.

FFP goes to the gym, comes back. We discuss things. He fields a call from the neighbor. One of the 'calming and beautifying curb things' on our street was run down last night. So, of course, I take some pictures and make a WEB page.

I keep drinking coffee, fooling around with e-mail. I should be getting to the gym, getting back, doing something productive until our evening events. But instead I start an essay. And edit another one that I started a long time ago.

Finally, well after 11, I decide to go for a workout. I cut the bike riding short at thirty-five minutes so I will do a few more sets of weight stuff. And I do a little better in that regard. When 1:30 rolls around, it finds me in front of my computer, goofing off seeing who comes to my site and from where. (I have brief obsessions, I'll get over it.) I haven't eaten (just black coffee). I've read some of today's papers, but, other than the workout and my writing here, haven't accomplished anything.

I eat some cereal and yogurt, strawberries and a banana. More coffee. I read some more of the newspapers, watch TV (the great sinkhole of time) and get a shower and get dressed. We are invited to a party at 5PM. There is a movie we want to see at Alamo Downtown at 7PM.

Do you ever get invited to stuff and then wonder why? This party is at the Driskill. It is a Long Center Party. We've donated a small amount and made a pledge for a little more so we aren't real surprised to be invited. But the party seems geared toward Leadership Austin. We aren't joiners. Frankly, we sometimes scoff at LA. We would never participate in it. There are Long Center board members, people in something called the corporate council. We really can't figure out why we were invited. We eat some food, talk to people about the arts, greet. When the talk starts (including a bunch of that Leadership Austin rah-rah), we look at our watches. This is our one chance we know of to see this film. We slip out before YASS (yet another slide show) on the Long Center.

We walk over to the Alamo and get in and watch old toons and silly horror movies on their chips reel. We order some iced coffees and fries and fried cheese. Our friend Liz Lambert owns the Hotel San Jose. Well, we are sort of friends. We've been out with her a few times, use the same CPA and got to turn down the plea for money when she was financing the renovation. (Maybe if we'd sunk some money in it we could get a room now, but, alas, last time we tried we couldn't.) When she bought the place it was a drug and prostitution and low-life hangout with a smattering of people who were just poor. Because she couldn't get the money together she had to run the place for three years before making it hip. She decided to film her experience. I think it is an insightful film. Liz is nonplussed at the delusions and the trouble her patrons are in, but she really never writes them off and she gives each of them credit as individuals. A lost kid who is doing housekeeping for board and a little money ends up in law school and a mother and son get some Section 8 housing, but most stories are a bit sad. I assume she got permission for all the footage, but one might question some of the briefer encounters. She had all kinds of music permissions (maybe she agreed to rent them a room!) including Glover Gill and Tosca. We enjoyed seeing Liz navigate the low life and then turn the Hotel San Jose into an Austin treasure. Her film showed that the life that existed there didn't disappear, though, it just moved on. For Austinites this is a must see especially if you know some of the people and background. I'm not sure how much other people would enjoy it but I think Liz showed a deftness for film-making, for getting people's reality on film. I couldn't have done it. But then I couldn't have begged people to pay up their $30 a night and clean up their blood, bodily fluids and drug paraphernalia either. She says, at one point, "I spend half my time begging people for small amounts of money. Then I spend the other half of my time begging people for huge amounts of money." If you are an Austinite through and through, try to see this film some time. Guaranteed to give you a better feeling about Austin than listening to Leadership Austin grads talk about the "best class ever."

We head out. As we walk to the car, FFP waves his hand and says, "In our twenties, we would have loved this."

"What? A sports bar?"

"No, all of it. All the clubs, the warehouse district."

"Yeah, but we are old. So we will go home and pat the dog."

My stomach is upset. The fries? The fried cheese? The Mexican snacks at the party? At least I didn't have a purple margarita. (No word on how it was made purple.)

At home we settle in for TV and I finish the papers and read some old ones. My stomach rolls. I try a Coke to calm it. I'm sure it will be better in the morning.