AUSTIN, Texas, November 8, 2005 — I have many friends and relatives that I'd like to keep in touch with. (No, J&C, this isn't about you. But how are you doing?)

There was a guy I worked with at my old job who, as I mentioned yesterday, died. I didn't know him at all well. That didn't stop me from asking if I could borrow his apartment in London one time and he would have lent it except that it was already spoken for by someone else. I never invited him to my house or went to any social events with him. He was someone I talked to at work. He died of a stroke at 75. Still working. Everyone spoke well of him. He was a good man.

All the people who worked with him have been exchanging e-mail to make sure everyone knows. Those of us who didn't get official communications probably got several notes from people they hadn't touched base with in a while as people tried to make sure everyone was informed.

I probably wouldn't have made an effort to keep up with this guy. I liked him well enough and suspect he would have been a good and interesting friend. But, ironically, I do have good intentions of keeping up with the people who were thoughtful enough to be sure I heard about the death. And some of the ones to whom I passed the announcement. So his death has triggered promises to have long-intended lunch dates and such. His death has made me think of all these people I really count as pretty good friends that I should be keeping up with. But I'm not.

My day was calm and nice. I played tennis with the older crowd. Afterward I did a few weight machines and a recumbent bike ride.

I e-mailed people. I had some breakfast for lunch (banana, yogurt and cereal). I read some newspapers. I dodged the maid by getting a shower before she got here and hiding in my office while she vacuumed and stuff. I had a half of a pimento cheese sandwich to hold me until the dinner after the concert tonight.

And before I knew it it was time to think about dinner and entertainment.

The dinner and concert were in a private home. There were thirty or forty people. Two singers from Conspirare (Austin's professional choir company) sang solos and duets and accompanied each other. We then had a dinner.

During the arrivals, I cornered some local luminaries and talked to them about trips and such. I love to talk to people who can really afford to travel and see where they go.

The music was wonderful. It's nice to listen to music in a home, so calm and old fashioned. One song made the briefest of political statements agains Proposition Two. (Which of course passed handily in our religion as hate state...but isn't the state of the world?)

Dinner was a sit down affair with placecards although the main course was served on a buffet one table at a time. Spouses were split up so we could have good conversastions. The singers circulated between courses to give everyone a chance to talk to them.

Food was very good. Roasted cauliflower and truffle soup, Osso Buco, roasted vegies (including fresh Brussels Sprouts and Beets), rissoto and a fruit tart with Bleu Cheese. It was sort of rich. It will test my digestion which has been excellent for three days. I may pay tomorrow but I ate it all. (I did get in line first from my table, though, and took the smallest portion of meat I saw.) That soup was especially good. It had a lot of cream, I suspect. FFP said he didn't even take one thinking that even with the Lactaid he couldn't handle it.

At home I read the papers and doze from the food and wine. I couldn't really get interested in the stuff I recorded on the DVR.

Sleep came. It always does.