AUSTIN, Texas, September 16, 2005 — I'm not good at fund raising. I can write checks for what I'm capable of giving. That's about it. I'm not that good at asking other people for their support. Still, I've joined Forrest on the Capital Campaign for a downtown Dance Education Center for Ballet Austin. Today (and tonight) marks the end of our 'quiet phase' during which big donors and the Board of Directors are located to give the final phase a financial footing. Of course, Katrina appeals continue apace and since tonight is a big ballet fundraiser, the annual fete, which will go on while a

Katrina fundraiser is held in Republic Park, FFP and I have not only contributed our little piece of the Dance Education Center, but made an additional donation to Katrina so that they can announce at the Katrina fundraiser that the Board raised $11,000 for the Red Cross in addition to what everyone has already given. (I would also point out that maybe there is a little girl or boy displaced by the storm who will live here and one day dance at the DEC. Scholarships available.) Yeah, we have given our donation (the same amount we gave to the opera for their building) and we have sort of helped ask people and we've given to the Red Cross in the name of the ballet and we've also bought seat plaques in the theater in honor of our two moms. We enjoy giving. We wish we had the money for the six and seven figure donations. We don't. Our only claim to fame? We brought one of the guys who gave six figures into the ballet fold by inviting him and his partner to ballets and events.

It was also a day to talk about our finances and how we can arrange to live on in retirement (and keep giving away our small donations which give us so much pleasure). We had an appointment with yet another bank.

Must exercise to get the blood to my brain for all this. Thirty minutes on the bike and some things like dead lifts and lunges and leg extensions.

We are reconsidering aspects of our financial planning and life and in the process we are talking to some banking and financial advisors. We have a second meeting with some of these guys today. We are always amazed and how much work they do (and color ink they spend) writing up custom plans for you. We can't be big enough fish, we think, to make this pay off for them. Or else they are getting paid in ways you don't want to think about (because it influences their advice). We are cautious, many times burned. Of course, we know that our own management of our financial affairs is fraught with problems and missteps. (I personally think you have to allow for that in your planning!) The guys we meet with today are very impressive, I must say.

When we get home from the meeting, I'm overwhelmed thinking about our finances. I get an e-mail from a buddy that there is a bit about Cape Town food and wine in the current Bon Appétit issue. So I go off to the Book Stop and find the magazine. I look around at books, too, to see if there is anything my dad would like and to try to find a book FFP wants to no avail. I go home with my magazine, deciding to read it on the way on my long journey. I fiddle around reading papers and watching Oprah (I know but who can resist her reactions to one of an identical twin set deciding on a gender change?) Until it's time to go to the big Ballet Austin Fete.

Giving is fun. Tonight we announce that our ten million dollar Capital Campaign is just about 70 percent funded. Thanks in no small part to a building naming donation by Sarah and Ernest Butler and a significant gift by one of our table mates at tonight's dinner. We hope to convince another couple at our table to give a bit more than they alreday have, too.

We get dressed up. FFP wore one of those long ties with his tux for the first time. I wore all black velvet-like stuff. I didn't get a picture. Sorry. Someone else did. Maybe they will send it. We went downtown and dropped our car with valet parking at the Driskill.

"Let's take a shortcut through the hotel to the Paramount and stay cool longer," I say. One of those things you do in Texas especially when you are dressed up black tie like before six in the evening. When we reach the bar on our way out the Seventh Street door, there is a collection of other people sitting there in the cool. We sit down until there are more people and all walk over to the Paramount. There is a food and wine reception there.

We meet and greet people and a bit later there is a fantastic performance with announcements in between the season teasers about the Capital Campaign and awards and activities. Some great dancing. The Carmina Burana outtake is quite something. I wish I didn't have to miss that performance, not only the complete dance but the backing by voice and symphony.

After the performance a gaggle of penguin-like people march over to the Driskill and are funnelled up the stairs to the ballroom. It's crowded and loud. A few announcements and they loose us on the entire mezzanine for dining. There are gigantic (some three-foot, some five-foot) silver candelabras on all the tables and red drapes around and it's quite stunning. We settle in with our tablemates for food and conversation. Only it is a bit loud. After the dinner we mix and mingle. We walk into the ballroom once (where desserts are) but the music makes my chest rattle. We retreat and talk to people in the mezzanine finally finding a table of friends way back in the Maxamillian room just eating desserts and having a quiet conversation. We visit a while there and it is LATE. We drive home as it gets close to midnight, observing a few driving manuevers from other drivers that give us pause.

Safely home we wind down, getting to sleep sort of late.