AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 16, 2006 — There were all these things scribbled on our calendar. But no obligations. For me anyway. FFP had a meeting for some charity he was helping to put together a fine wine tasting at nine.

I started working on a 'save the date' thing for Dad's birthday party which is going to be in the fall. I'm excited to have a date set for it. I want folks, especially my relatives, to have it on their calendars. I'm hoping I can get a family turnout like my cousin got for his kid's Eagle Scout ceremony. Surely living to be ninety warrants a merit badge at least. I decided not to order them until I had the location really hammered although just letting them know it will be in Austin ought to be enough.

But back to the calendar.

I'm a member of the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association. Now, we don't live downtown. But we want to do it. And Ballet Austin moved downtown and so we have taken a special interest in downtown for these reasons. But there is free food and drink, too, every now and then. Tonight a new la-ti-da furniture store is hosting a deal. So we could go there. And there is a benefit for Project Transitions (housing for people suffering with HIV/AIDS) to fund another benefit. They have a bunch of volunteer stylists to cut hair for donations. The money will underwrite a fashion show fund raiser that will have fashion designed from the offerings at Top Drawer, their thrift store. How fun is all that? They are the beneficiaries of the "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" fundraiser we did a couple of Saturdays ago. Anyway we could go there and get haircuts.

We could skip these obligations, too. No one would miss us at a cattle call for food and drink. No one would miss our heads in the shampoo bowl.