AUSTIN, Texas, May 13, 2005 — It's hard to march to your own drummer when there are other people in your life. I'm trying to stay asleep and FFP is banging around, telling the dog I'm going to get up and feed her. I don't get up for the dog, but my bladder gets me up. Then he wants her to go out for her morning constitutional but she is lurking by the bed which I'm occupying again. I stayed up too late. I have to get up so she will go outside with him and then I figure I might as well stay up. I get dreessed, drink coffee, proofread yesterday's journal. (I don't always do that as the typos will attest.)

I call Dad. He asked a lady friend who drives to take him to the church for games. He says I can have another 'day off'. He sounds like he is getting cabin fever a bit. I promise to come see him in the afternoon. I have a long e-mail journal from his friend in Germany to give him, fifty printed pages.

I feel free. We are going to the ballet this evening, but until then, I don't feel any pressure to do anything on anybody else's schedule. I'll get over to Dad's briefly, but no pressure. So naturally I sit at my computer, writing and fooling around.

Finally I go to the club. I have a long workout. About fifty-five minutes on the bike. Various ab and lower back exercises, some weight work. I relax and sweat and read on the bike and in between the sets. I am trying to finish last week's The New Yorker. But it is hard because every article seems interesting enough to read. A short story translated from the Japanese, an article about Tony Blair, one about André Malraux. Part two of three on global warming. I do read a few sections from yesterday's newspapers as well or, at least, glance at them.

When I get home from the gym, FFP says someone is coming by to look at our backyard. I'm not sure why. But he says he will be home so I don't let this dictate my schedule. I eat some vegetarian barbecue (it's a wheat roast product made by a local company) and whole grain bread. I eat a banana. I shower and watch a little TV and get my grooming done. I gather up stuff to take Dad, stuff I have to mail.

I go see Dad. I deliver his long e-mails printed for him to read. He doesn't really have any chores for me except to empty the dishwasher that I ran a couple of days ago. I do that, put in a few dishes he has carefully rinsed. I sit and talk to him, look at the paper, work the puzzles in the Statesman. He says one of my friends is back in town and going to bring him lunch tomorrow.

I bid him goodbye and go to my favorite mailing place on Exposition. (They keep track of the addresses of people you mail to so it's easy to mail there again.) First I go look around the toy store nearby and pick out a puzzle for my great nephew. I mail some plans for my dad's house to my cousin the architect. I mail the puzzle and some books to my niece for the little ones.

I go home and call my friend who had called my dad. We talk about getting together before she leaves town again. I get some Brussels sprouts ready for cooking. FFP and I eat them with some salad and various leftovers and stuff. We get ready to go to the ballet. A friend is coming by and we are going early to get a parking place. The UIL track meet is also going on.

We go down to the PAC and park in the spots reserved for Ballet Partners. We go to The University Club and have a drink and wait around.

Swan Lake has been pushed into the era of the turn of the last century making the costumes a bit more interesting. It's a beautiful ballet with beautiful music. It's emotional for long-time fans and dancers because one of the ballerinas is dancing the lead for the penultimate time. (After tomorrow night she retires.) After the performance we go back stage for drinks and snacks and toasts to the artists.

It's late. We go home. FFP and I watch a bit of the show with old Elvis home movies and Priscilla and Lisa Marie and Priscilla's parents talking. Sleep.

Ballet and home.