1987-03 (March)

Sunday, March 1st

Cereal Breakfast; later, egg on toast. Weight, alas, is 162.5. Four large dinners in the past week wrecked my diet. Walked 2.5 in 38 mins. Played Ravel. Gwyn went out to see Johnny + Deb; got there just in time to go to the hospital with them. Labor began around 4 oclock, but by midnight the doctor decided to go ahead with a ceasarian. Baby “delivered” at 12:25—a boy, 8 pounds, 14 ounces, length 22 inches. A big one. Born just under half an hour into gwyn’s birthday.

Monday, March 2nd

Gwyn’s birthday; 57. Best present, the new grandson, John Joseph Shea IV. Walked two miles in 32 minutes; played Beethoven’s Seventh. Continued the piece on the new Sherman letters. It will be more than double the requested 300/400-word length: as usual, once I get interested. Sunny springlike weather, with more of the same predicted for the rest of the week.

Tuesday, March 3rd

Sarah outside, yesterday + again today. I finished the Sherman letters piece by noon. Wrote to Hugs about Maupassant. Then read through XXXXXXXagain, + at 4:45 took them down to the post offices + mailed XXXX; left on counter, despite phobia. Skipped walk despite fine weather for sake of work; not a good practice. Lean Cuisine, fortified with XXXXX mushrooms, linguine, with clam sauce for me, spaghetti for Gwyn. good. Watched PRs program, “The Commandos.” This XXX XX Georgi Zukov, flowed by "Hill St. Blues."

Wednesday, March 4th

Sarah still out sick. Began the day be reading the Library chapter in Ulysses; Stephen on Shakespeare. A good deal too clever for anyone’s taste, but one hell of a skillful writer. Walked two miles; Beethoven’s Piano Con. 3. Lean Cuisine; followed by Reagan’s “apology” speech on the Iran-ContraXXXXXdeal—which (the speech) was also lean. He’s now seen for what he is, aXXXXXXman, “headpiece filled with straw, alas.” Another overheated call from Margaret wanting still more living-money. I said no, + when she became obscenely abusive, hung up on her. It’s hard to know what do; what’s best I mean.

Thursday, March 5th

Read Lattimore’s Introduction to the Illiad, prefaced to his translation. A good summary of the current overview. Call from Bill Thomas proposing trip up to Shiloh for the 125th anniversary; some kind of “reenactment.” May go.Walked 2.5 in 37; early Beethoven piano sonatas 9 + 10. good walking music, much better (for that) than the later ones. Dinner at Peking. Home by 8:30.