AUSTIN, Texas, June 5, 2005 — Things are taking too much of my time. The journal. I never got it updated for yesterday today and it still seemed like a burden. I couldn't get the newspapers read. I wasted time watching the French Open final. I wasted a little time watching softball. Softball. Duller than baseball. I made a thank you card. For some reason I felt compelled to test all the pens and implements in the cups on my desk before doing the hand-written part. I kept writing scribbled 'to do' lists without 'to do'ing the things on them. When I got around to updating my mailing list data base, I got inspired to go through all the junk under my computer keyboard. (Don't ask.) As

well as those things in front of it. (Which included several scribbled 'to do' lists.) I never got around to doing the budget and we are already five days into a new month. But there is a piece of paper there with things scribbled from the checkbook to go into the budget spreadsheet. There are also invitations I need to RSVP to.

I needed to get more plans made for our trip. But I spent a long time on the phone with my aunt. Who is trying to get a reservation for us later in the summer for a B&B near her in Maine. I feel like I'm falling hopelessly behind. During the intermission to the show tonight I scribble notes about things I need to do on the program.

First off the late night meal and the bit of wine, pinned me in the bed until 8:30. As soon as I woke up I thought "the French Open!" and turned on the TV. Yesterday during the work for the party and the party and even during dinner, my stomach had been a little weird. It was better when I got up. When I turned the TV on, Puerta was getting his groin muscle looked at and they were doing shots up his shorts and then he got rubbed and taped. Then he started playing better. I was hooked. On commercials, I stripped the bed, put the sheets in the washer. I looked through the ad papers, having decided that I wanted some new sheets and to see what digital cameras were advertised. When we bought the adjustable split King, we had to get twin sheets for the bottom sheets at least and I got some 200 thread count at Bed, Bath and Beyond and some cheaper ones at Target. I like the former OK. I noted Mervyn's had 300 thread counts on sale. Will I get over there to buy them? I doubt it. I put all the ad papers in recycling. I kept watching tennis. I drank coffee and ate cereal and yogurt. FFP went outside to read the paper in the yard.

When the tennis was over, we went to the gym. Together, in the same car. Our own personal ozone action for the seven-minute trip to the club. While we worked out, FFP watched softball and I glanced up from The New York Times' Sunday magazine at tennis doubles and the softball.

We were going to eat in the club cafe next door and watch the softball (yawn) but they were watching football in there. We got takeout and went home.

Here's where I should have gotten some big park of my 'to do' list done. But I didn't. I got a card made. I talked to my aunt. I tested every pen on my desk. I didn't get the paper read or my journal updated. FFP and I moved the rental chairs and glasses off the good grass since they hadn't been picked up. We showered up and folded laundry and went downtown to our event.

The Paramount and State theaters were having a fundraiser called Hometown Heroes. Turk Pipkin, Ray Anderson, Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, Joe Ely, Jimmy LaFave, Marcia Ball, Marion Winik, Jimmy Dale Gilmore. If you bought the $100 seats you had a reception on the Mezzanine with a singer, donated food and drink. If you bought the $250 seats, there was another party. We got downtown at six, scored a Congress Avenue parking place. We were among the first guests arriving. Pathologically punctual. We'd even purposely wasted times so we wouldn't be too early. We had food and drink. Talked to people. We got a little bored.

We went on time to our seats. But the $250 party people were late. They also kept coming in when the lights went down (late) and were in and out of their seats being important or getting drinks all night. But for that the show was sort of sweet and good and nostalgic with our thoughts turning to our first date (where Marcia Ball was playing) or times we'd heard Jimmy LaFave or seen Tuna shows or had Marion Winik's wit in our house as a guest for a benefit. But the intermission ran long and it was 10:30 before things drew to a close.

Tired as we were when we got home, I managed to eat some chips and cheese and FFP went through the taped softball to see the Longhorns defeated and I tried and failed to finish the day's newspapers. I hadn't published Saturday's journals, I hadn't made our travel arrangements, I hadn't done the budget. I haven't watched any of the films I checked out from AFF to review and I haven't watched three Netflix that are sitting around.

I had managed to put the freshly washed linens (the only set I like I have) on the bed. So I got in the bed and went to sleep. Maybe tomorrow I'll get things done. Maybe I'll even publish the journal saying so in a timely fashion.