1985-10 (October)

October 26th, 1985 Continued Parkman's Jesuits, up to final hundred pages. In afternoon went down to movie at Paramount - "Kiss of Spider Woman." The kind of interesting, experimental movie you wish had been still better than it was. Good performance, all round. Back home, arangement recieved, only worse; a sort of nonsensical showdown that solves nothing except for the subtraction of spirit in every sense. One stops caring - which, in itself, is a sort of solution, [?] viation of the first. World Series, in Kansas City; Royals won in ninth inning. games now 3 to 3. Tommorow night's game winds it up. I'm for the Cardinals who've played miserably these last three games and may well lose the series.

October 27th, 1985 Sunday; cereal then egg and bacon breakfast. Read the next-to-last fifty pages of Jesuits; then we went to Lucy Fisher's for a poolside barbeque lunch. Home by 3:30; went down to see Sandra, but found her gone. Back home. Set all the clocks back one hour, ending daylight savings time. Kansas City Royals won the Series- a rout. Went by to see Sandra, as noted above; will go back at first opportunity, keeping in mind my debt to her for looking after Tunkie so well these past two years. I miss him already, and will do so for a long time, I know. Wrote to Lucius Burch, following our brief exchange at the funeral three days ago, recommending the "Writers of America" two-volume edition of Parkman.

October 28th, 1985 Woke at 5:30; got up, made coffee; finished Parkman's Jesuits in North America. Fixed toast and egg breakfast at 7, only to have Mary arrive (late) fifteen minutes later; first time she's been here since her car crash two weeks ago. In afternoon mailed Charles Bell's Dante and Chauncer cassettes to him; crossed Union to Magic Video, checked out Altman's Come back to the Five and [Dine?]. Put it in at 7, after early dinner; liked it. Then saw a good [?] documentary of the statue of Liberty, produced by the people who want me to work with them on a six part Civil War series.

October 29th, 1985

Haircut. Then to Bank; paid $200 note, cashed $25,000 CD and renewed $17500 of it; banked the remaining $5500. back home by 11. In afternoon walked two miles; Dvorak, cello concerto. Threatened eain held off. Read two Canus-stories, 'The Artist as Work' and 'The Silenr Men.' Didn't much like either of them, and in fact dont much like any of his work except The Plague. Wolf River; Robert Gochnost, Peter Taylor's "The Old Forest." Only Bob Johnson not here - his place taken by gooch's wife Kate. Brief meeting; I was home by 8:30. Johnny had dinner here with Gwyn, but had just left when I got back.

October 30th, 1985 Woke early; heavy rainstorm. Made coffee; read NY Times till Mary arrived at 7 to fix breakfast. Walked two miles; Elgar's Cello concerto. Dinner at Country Club with Lucius Burch; fellow guests Mary and Jim Hammond. Home by 9:45.