AUSTIN, Texas, October 17, 2005 — When I didn't work, I rarely took sick leave. I always thought I felt better than I really did when I got up in the morning and it always seemed like too much trouble to 'go home sick' when you are already at work and have infected everyone else. But I sort of welcomed dentist appointments and doctor's appointments for well care and even the occasional test like a mammogram. Because you always had to take some sick leave to do these and get off work.

Now that I don't work, a teeth cleaning is just so much torture. Both the procedure. (And I'm not fond of this new hygienist I had today...rough!)

And the fact of having to show up some where for an appointment. Truth is one is always having to be somewhere at some time. I never like it. It disrupts my train of thought. (You may laugh now.)

I made it water aerobics and actually did a bit in the gym after that. I uploaded the pictures I took in South Africa from my computer to SNAPFISH. And after the dentist, well I happily went to big warehouse stores. I bought truly exciting things like toothpaste, Q Tips, deodorant, cereal, fish, cheese, D batteries and pens. I actually went to Sam's and Costco. Only Sam's has this toothpaste I like.

I actually sorted some of the newspapers that FFP piled up while I was gone. I culled out ads, sports, etc. Woo-hoo. I'm so productive. Organizing my reading material.

FFP cooked salmon with ginger wasabi and I ate a bunch of spinach, broccoli, carrots, onions, a little tomato and that good Eastside feta dressing. We watched a little Antiques Roadshow and got stuck into the Astros-Cardinals. Someone called and I agreed to play casual doubles at 9 before a 10:30 workout I already agreed to. Why do I do that? Because, I think, I want to help everybody out who calls and needs a sub. And, of course, I like to play.

We watched Astros almost win then lose.