AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 14, 2006 — Rob Rummel-Hudson, a fairly famous online diarist, recently got a diagnosis of Type II Diabetes.

Today FFP heard back from his doctor on some blood work. His blood glucose number was 102. Not really even pre-diabetes. Maybe 'high normal' would be a good designation.

FFP doesn't read Rob (or not enough to be keeping up with this recent health development), but FFP is more pro-active about health issues than I am. And that's an understatement. When he has a little something wrong, he seeks treatment, diagnosis, drugs. He gets check-ups. I do well to see a doctor often enough for the basic checks. And I haven't been doing a good job of that lately.

Anyway, I'm reading Rob the last couple of weeks, thinking how hard it is to do the exercise and diet things that might allay some of the symptoms of really having this disease. And today FFP tells me his number is 102. He has no symptoms. (Of course not...he doesn't even have the number that is recently the lowered number to announce that you have the disease.) Anyway, the doctor advises watching his diet, losing a few pounds, exercising more. Taking fish oil tablets. Well, that can't hurt.

FFP always goes after these things seriously. At least for a while. So we now have lots of oatmeal. He's printing recipes off of diet sites on the WEB. He bought a bag of apples. Fish oil tablets. He's steaming vegetables. He seemed to be putting in a little more time in the gym.

That's great. A lot of times he gets on these kicks and I end up eating better, too. Just because he is. And he cooks. I don't usually switch my breakfast for his kicks, though. (If I eat it, it's some dry cereal with nonfat yogurt, maybe a banana.) And I can never get into taking the supplements with any regularity.

It can't hurt. Lose weight. Eat better. Exercise more. I tell him "Rob actually has diabetes. Blurred vision, everything."

"Really? That's too bad," he says.

FFP exercised caution at the party we went to tonight. He didn't have any wine. The doctor said a few glasses of wine were OK, said FFP. Hmm, yeah. We had about three the night before, though, so a little restraint tonight didn't hurt. I started out on water myself. I got a glass of Pinot Noir late in the game. It wasn't very good so I didn't finish it. Hey...maybe I'll lose weight on FFP's diet.