AUSTIN, Texas, August 22, 2005 — I've been taking a vacation. Not really accomplishing anything, just doing what I please. In the spring and early summer I had to attend a lot more to my dad. And I planned our vacation to the Northeast. And that was work, of course. When we got back I fell into a great big goof off mode. Oh, I've reviewed lots of films and done a bit of planning for a trip I'm taking and one FFP is taking. (We now vacation together but separately, too.) I've attended to birthday celebration for myself and friends. But it's time to get serious about trip planning and

also about organizing stuff including the financial stuff I started on Friday. It's time to be a productive member of this household if not society.

I'm not eager to get up this morning. The dog is sort of bothering me and I can't figure if she wants to get in bed or go out. FFP says she's been out. I just get up. I whack at my journal for yesterday and look a few things up on the WEB. I build my resolve to do more useful stuff. I think that maybe I'll come straight home after water aerobics but I really need to lift a little anyway. I'll get busy as soon as I get home, though. I'll get cleaned up and do useful stuff until time to go to the film office. I have these feelings of needing to get on with it occasionally. Fortunately for my retirement happiness they are tempered with self-permission to consider my social life, tennis, travel and working out duties!

Dad and I are back trying to do water aerobics two days a week. I'm delighted he's able to do it and when he does it and I don't have anything else going on, I want to be with him because it gives us something to do together. However, it is now an appointment for two days a week and one that interferes a little with my own workout plans. Although I think the class gives me some important different types of movement and it does get me to the club before nine those days. So about 8:15 I rush off to get into my suit and get over there.

The class is quite well-attended. After class I come straight home. Dad comes by after he changes to pick up some cheddar cheese I bought him at Costco.

I get a shower, finish yesterday's papers, read a review of Six Feet Under in The New York Times and also look briefly at an article about this portrait photographer's work. Yesterday while rooting around Uncommon Objects I wondered, as I always do, who the people were in the old photos now for sale at a junk shop.

I have a big serving of cereal and nonfat yogurt and brush my teeth and get dressed. I finish watching AFF films (I hadn't watched a couple to the end but then I didn't see anything to make me glad I bothered) and write them up. I should be getting better at assessing them but I think I'm getting worse. I hope not.

I decide that I'm going to put away the old journals cluttering up my floor. I've read some of them (especially the old '70's travel ones I was looking for) and I've weeded out some stuff and organized it a tiny bit. One hour and seven minutes later (I'm not kidding I timed it) I put the box away just saving out a few things I might write something about.

That bit of completely unproductive time spent, I decide to work on our finanaces a bit. I'm going over brokerage statements making spreadsheets of various kinds and FFP and I are talking about moving money around in a retirement account. I'm mostly just fooling around but I am getting more comfortable with it all. It may help me make better decisions.

Around five I go try to look through my notes for films that I really liked to tell the AFF programmer. Then I head out to the film meeting. I get put in a group that watches documentary shorts. It isn't a happy thing. When we are done I go down and get some more films.

I go home after the meeting. I had a large sugary soda, a slice of pizza and candy. That was on top of a small portion of salmon with lemon and capers and peas. I feel an uncomfortable buzz and fullness. But that doesn't keep me from accepting FFP's offer of a part of a Guinness and then eating a sandwich. When the football he's been watching is over, we watch The Spanish Prisoner with Campbell Scott. I've seen the end before probably while surfing cable. It's late. We sleep.