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2002 Xmas I had a great spring semester. Most of my classes were great and the new curriculum I wrote during the semester (bit of a challenge, that) was very successful. I modified the AppleWorks portion of it as I taught it, and did so to a certain extent with the HyperStudio portion. In April I discovered a leak in the living room; there was no rain the next month or so and as soon as school was out, Gene, a very good friend, came by and repaired the leak in the roof and the hole it caused in the living room ceiling He then started cutting down some dead trees he'd noticed in the front yard; we BOTH tripped over some of the branches that we had left in the yard and his trip was harmless; mine was not; I cut my cheek; bruised my right ankle and badly twisted my left foot. My friend Sutton (who's in Indiana the next 2 years, finishing her PhD) dropped off some Advil and a pair of crutches and gave me a ride to the doctor (I already had a physical scheduled). For the followup appointment ten days later, my regular doc was out of town; the replacement doc was called away on an emergency!!! A third doc was able to see me and she was great (I switched to her as my regular doc - still my doctor in 2020). There was nondisplaced fracture through the bases of the second & third metatarsal; I was on crutches 3 weeks and had very limited mobility another 3 weeks; it healed slowly and I did PT for about four months. I worked on a film most weekends during school. I spent countless hours on "The Perfect Man Contest" from late January to mid-May. I was Jesus's disciple #5 in this mockumentary, invited for the part by the writer/director and took about 1300 photos with my digital camera (and got screen credit for the photos). In March I got to work on my first TV movie: "Warning: Parental Advisory" which aired in May on VH-1. I played a photographer and am briefly visible in two scenes. I got paid for this part, which was filmed in the Capitol. Also, I got work on it for two new friends, Marta and Sana. After working on the film I got to see Jesse Jackson deliver a speech For "Jesse's Closet" I had a small part as an extra, but also got to be a boom operator (holding the mike) for one scene, as well as finding a composer for the film. When the film was shown I received screen credit as "Casting by Dan Eggleston". For "Manhood is Dead" I was scheduled to be in several scenes, but the foot injury reduced my role to mainly a scene as a liquor store clerk. "McLife" got me screen credit as still photographer. It also played at the Deep Ellum Film Festival in Dallas. "A Yeti in the City" was shot in Austin Studios (using green screen – the background added by computer later) and I got to be a blind prophet. "My Name is Buttons" (started summer 2000) was finished and selected for the Austin Film Festival. I was visible in three scenes. "The New Guy"(filmed two years ago) finally opened in May; I was surprised that I was visible in one scene. In August I was paid to be a TV cameraman for "Screen Door Jesus." All told I worked on 22 films this year. I have written detailed accounts of my experience on these films. You can read the details at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DansMovies/messages; click on "subscribe" to receive future accounts. (Yahoo deleted these in late 2019) I took about 5000 photos on the films I was in, posting them all at Ofoto. Links to the photos are at the URL about my movies. (Ofoto started charging a few years later deleted all my photos ther.) Next year I will get to be the head of a monastery for "Ex Libris" and the devil in "Leviticus." We did a photo shoot for the latter which was great fun. It took an hour to get my hair into horns. (sadly, the latter never got made) I bought a new digital camera in January, replacing the one that I'd accidentally broken in October. In April I replaced my Macintosh with a new iMac. It's a very cool machine and I'm delighted with it. I needed a new scanner for the Mac and picked up a great one at a very low price. I saw about 30 plays; "The Laramie Project" was one of the best I've

2001 Xmas letter It's been an interesting year. The spring semester was one of the most stressful I've taught, with some very difficult classes. This fall, by contrast, was a delight. Most of my classes were great, and I taught two sixth grade classes (the first time since the '70's). The last day at school I spent five hours moving out old computers and moving in newer ones; I'll be spending more time during the vacation setting these up. I'm also in the midst of many hours of preparation of a new curriculum for the change in computers. The renovation was finally completed, after two years of slowly changing the campus. Our campus was one of 37 Texas secondary schools nominated as a Blue Ribbon School Last year I worked on five feature films, only one of which has been released ("Miss Congeniality"). Earlier this month I finally got a copy of "Pagaent" (on video) and I am in three scenes, with dialogue in two of them; I also got an end credit as Casting Assistant (and this was before I started any of the casting lists). Sadly, some of the sound is of poor quality, which may prevent it from being released. A brief clip from it was broadcast on local cable ("The Jeff Davis Show"). "The New Guy" was postponed several times and is presently scheduled for a Feb, 2002 release. The other two films are still being edited. This year I worked on eight projects. Two were feature films: "Xtracurricular," which should be about complete (I am in one scene, briefly, as a teacher) and "No Pain No Gain" which is in production. I will probably work on it four days during the holidays. I was in one TV pilot "Behind Closed Doors" which is about half completed. I am in more than one scene, and have a little dialogue. The rest are shorts; I tried out for a lead in one, "Close to Normal," (not expecting to get the part), and a small part was written in especially for me. Sadly, that project is in a state of limbo in part due to the economic climate. "The Late Show", "Making the Porn," and "Diamondella" are all complete. I expect to see two in early January, and saw the third in December (I’m briefly visible, and got thanked in the end credits). A fifth short, "Lonelyland" is still being edited. I will probably work in two feature films in early 2002: "Good Time Boys" (from the same company that made "Xtracurricular") and "The Perfect Man Contest" (in which I will be playing Jesus's Disciple #5 - in one scene I will be playing basketball with Jesus) For all of these projects I took photos, which were digital after I bought a very cool Sony CyberShot camera (which sadly has been in the shop since October - due back in January). I've been able to borrow the school digital in the meantime. All of these have been posted at Ofoto.com. One year ago my Austin Casting list had about 500 subscribers and I had just started lists in Dallas and Lubbock. The Austin list is almost up to 1500. The Dallas list has about 1100, and the Lubbock list about 150. In February I started a list for Houston, which now has almost 700. During the summer I tried to spread the idea around the nation and helped start lists from Florida to Oregon. Several have been very successful, but none as active as my Texas lists. The lists I started in LA and California were not run by the people I helped start them, so I have been running them. The LA list is up to 400 and has been very active with hundreds of casting calls; I've found someone in LA to post most of the calls. Earlier this month I helped start a list in Chicago which is still under 100, but should be very large by next Christmas. I made many great friends as a result of the lists and on the sets of the films I shot. During the summer I was treated to lunch twice because of the list; once by the head of one of the top talent agencies in town and once by the director of one of the films I worked on. I was also the guest on a local cable talk show ("The Jeff Davis Show") in June and again in December. I have written detailed accounts of my experience on these films and am working on the latest. You can read the details at

"Most times, it isn't easy to know where to start a story, or what to include in the telling. The threads of any present moment are spliced into the weave of the past in a complex and often inexplicable way, and just when you think you've got the pattern figured out, another seems to emerge and the meaning unravels. Or to use a different metaphor, the present and the past swirl together like different colors of paint you're mixing in a bucket, one color marrying with the other in swirls that eventually belong to neither. Exactly when the two become something different than either are alone, it's impossible to say." (Susan Wittig Albert – Chile Death (1998)) After many months of being told I would have to move out of my classroom at Lamar for the renovation, we were told January that the move would actually take place in a few weeks. The next two months I began slowly sifting through 19 years of accumulation and managed to clean out tons of things and was almost finished in March. The move took place the day before spring break; we got all 27 computers and all the furniture moved to the portable where I would only spend about one month. Several hours were spent during spring break preparing the portable. One month later my room was ready and everything got moved back. On top of all this I had two very challenging classes which sometimes made life very difficult. The renovation is almost complete and in the next month the building will finally be wired for the Internet. We will at last have a PA system that works for the entire campus. It will be a relief to have many months of hassle ended. This year the district ended the block schedule we've used the past several years (8 class periods spread over 2 days) and went back to 7 periods every day. It proved to be a more strenuous schedule for all of us. Our principal was chosen as Texas Middle School Principal of the year and was a finalist in the national competition. The past three years, as many of you know, I worked as an extra on one movie each summer. This June I almost worked as an extra on one movie but when I got to the site found no one there and later discovered that all of their footage had been ruined. A week later I began work on a movie, "Pageant", on which I would spend several days, be in about 11 scenes, get a few lines of dialogue, and possibly two screen credits. The movie has been submitted to South by Southwest and we will find out if it was accepted by late January (it wasn't). In late December I was in a pickup shot for it (one scene had to be re-shot because the sound on the original was poor). In early July, immediately after what I thought was my last scene in "Pageant", I began work on "Miss Congeniality" (which just opened nationwide) starring Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine, William Shatner, and Candice Bergen. I spent eight very long days working on this movie playing a backstage employee and got to speak to both Caine and Shatner as well as being paid about $550. I am visible in two scenes; the first is after the flaming batons when Sandy goes backstage & chases away the pageant girls by her water glasses. I pass behind Caine and only the side of my head is briefly visible for a fraction of a second. A few minutes later I am clearly visible during the announcement of the final five. There are several shots of Caine watching the action; I am about 10 feet behind him, watching a light board and looking up and down. During the filming I started a casting list for Austin films, signing up about 100 of the extras. This list has grown to over 560. Two weeks later (because of my casting list) I worked on another film, "Still Steel Frames", for two days, again getting some dialogue. This film is still being edited. A few weeks later, after school had started, again due to the casting list, I worked one day on "My name is Buttons," which should be finished in March. In late November I got a phone call to work on "The New Guy" and spent two long weekends of four twelve-hour days working as a paid extra for this movie. It appears that I will used in its mo

1999 newsletter Now that the Xmas rush is over, here's one more. It was an interesting year. In May I got to see President Clinton. He was here to dedicate our new airport and luckily had to re-schedule the visit, since I wouldn't have been able to see him the first time. After his speech, he worked the crowd & I was able to work my way up to the front & then sideways about 40 yards (trailing a secret service man) where I got some great pics & finally got close enough for my arm to be within reach of Clinton's for a handshake. He does love to work the crowd. That same evening, I saw Martin Sheen and Ramsey Clark (LBJ's AG) and got their autographs. After 14 years of living under the flight path of the airport, the neighborhood is very quiet now without the airplanes. A week later I attended an LBJ symposium on the 60's, which was, in part, a reunion of staff and press from that administration. There were some wonderful LBJ anecdotes. LBJ tried to persuade ex-Guv Pat Brown to accept a government appointment & was buttering him up; Brown wanted to be a Supreme (Court Justice) & thought that's what Lyndon was leading up to; finally LBJ asked him to be the ambassador to Togo; "Where the hell's that?" "Don't know, but there's a Togo room in town, maybe they know." Brown accepted the appointment. I got a photo with Bill Moyers that eve. Thursday I saw Peter Yarrow, Carol Channing, Gregory Peck & Van Cliburn entertain. On Friday Peck sat next to Lady Bird at the historians' session & I got his autograph & a photo. At that session Michael Beschloss remembered writing a letter (when he was 7) to LBJ in '63 suggesting JFK be added to Mt Rushmore. He got a nice reply from the president's secretary (which his playmates didn't believe was real). When he first visited the LBJ Library in 1977, he asked about the letter & 5 minutes later a staff member showed it to him. The famous reply of a congressman was recalled: on being phoned at 4 a.m. by Lyndon & asked if he'd been awake, he answered, "Why no, Mr. President, I was just lying here waiting for you to call." Renovation on my school finally started in February. It has moved very slowly and often behind schedule. The new 600 wing was finished two weeks ago and four teachers will move in next week. The music building was supposed to be ready by this time, but will probably not be finished until February. I've been gradually preparing for moving out of my room (originally scheduled for this month), cleaning up 19 years of accumulation; throwing out or recycling tons of stuff and finding some forgotten and very useful things. The building's heating/ac was off most of December due to construction and my room was about 60 degrees most mornings. (I went to a play this month where it was about 10 degrees colder than that - a newly converted theater space, which needs to add proper heating once the money is raised). For the past three years one of my colleagues was a former student from ten years ago. This fall, he transferred to a school nearer to his home & his replacement turned out to be a student I taught 20 years ago!!! I moved to Austin in 1976 in order to be with my girlfriend at that time. We split up in 1980 and when she moved to Seattle I didn't anticipate any further contact. This fall I discovered that one of my students is her niece. Small world. For years I've wondered how much walking I do at school. This summer I bought a pedometer and was surprised to find I walk about 4 miles on a typical school day. During the fall semester I've walked over 400 miles. I went to about 30 films at SXSW in March & also saw David Douglas Duncan, the photo-journalist, speak. He was a dear friend of Picasso & the talk turned out to be mostly about Picasso slides; he was the official photographic chronicler of Pablo's works. In February I was having major allergy problems & (on a friend's recommendation) tried acupuncture (& herbs) to treat it. It was very helpful and I've had 6 treatments since then. We have 2 acupuncture schools in Austin & by chance I met the head of one (at a Trout Fishing i

1998 Christmas It's been a pretty good year, for the most part. Once again, I was a movie extra, this time in "A Slipping-Down Life" which will be shown at both Sundance and SXSW. This time I spent two days on the set (in August) and took part in two concert scenes. In the first, filmed in Austin at La Zona Rosa; I was at the front of a raised area of seats at the back of the hall, and thus may be more likely to be seen. The second scene was filmed in an auditorium in Lockhart. I sat in the row behind the star, Lili Taylor, (later I got to speak to her and get her autograph) and got to stand up, leave and then return to my seat. The action, again increases the odds. Come March, I'll get to see whether I'm actually on screen or not. (I wasn't visible in "Hope Floats" (nor were most of the extras)). (I wasn't visible in "A Slipping-Down Life") The spring semester was a bit rough, since I had daily low-level math classes with numerous "difficult" students. In fact, one student from one of those classes (transferred to another school in January) killed an eight-year-old cousin of his. I survived the semester and this summer spent a week training for our new connected math curriculum. It's an exciting program, though the change in style has its share of problems. I've only one math class (honors, this time) and 5 computer classes, all of which were pretty good this fall. The renovation of our building, which should have been almost complete, has been delayed for a year. New contracts, however, have been recently signed, and work may start, hopefully, early in the year. A new fine arts building is included and several million dollars worth of work will be done. I hadn't been to Fort Worth since I researched my thesis 25 years ago, but 3 exhibits at the Amon Carter Museum (modern furniture, Thracian gold, and a 17th century Mughal manuscript from Windsor Castle) got me there in the summer. All were quite wonderful. I hadn't been to Dallas for even longer (since my brother Ed lived there in the late 60's), but I visited there last week to see the exquisite Lalique exhibit (there through early January, if you can get there) and while there saw the fantastic Trammell Crow Asian Museum, which just opened this month (don't miss it when you're in Dallas). I also toured the Las Colinas Movie Studios. Both were long day trips, the first in the midst of the heat wave. Driving 400+ miles make for a tiring day, but both were very worthwhile. Last April I saw the world premiere of a play written 150 years ago by Percy Shelley!!! It was spread over 3 days and took place in four locations (each act a different site). It was an exciting production and a chance conversation with a woman also attending led to a new friendship. Sutton is a doctoral student and from time to time joins me for a play or an Austin City Limits taping. In fact in October I got her parents to see the Deana Carter taping when they were visiting from North Carolina. In May someone put a dent in the side of my car. I had three estimates, ranging from $630 to $1400. The low one was also the fastest and did a super job. The guy even picked up the deductible so I didn't have to pay anything. Further, Sutton lent me her truck for the four days it took, so I even had wheels. One major project this summer was cleaning up the house; something long overdue. I was able to throw out or donate tons of stuff. I ran across the name of a friend I'd known several years ago & tried to track her down in Houston only to discover she'd moved here a year before. She has also joined me for occasional plays or movies. It's wonderful to have two new rewarding friendships. As always I saw lots of plays, concerts, ACL tapings, and movies. Among my favorite movies this year are "Pleasantville", "Love & Death On Long Island", "The Opposite of Sex", "Dancer Texas Pop 81" and 2 great documentaries, "Hands On A Hard Body" and "The Cruise." I also got to see William Wegman, Molly Ivins, Judy Collins, Governor George Bush, Peter Nero, Michael Moore (again), Dave Barry, the Coen brothers (Fargo), Terry G

The big event of the year was probably during my visit last summer to Smithville (50 miles from here) when I got to be an extra in "Hope Floats" the new Sandra Bullock film. I went to try to see the shooting, and was lucky enough to be there for the crowd scene in the end. I was there all day, leaving finally at 1 a.m., though shooting ran 'till 4 a.m. Curiously, a week later, in line for Austin City Limits, I was spotted by 4 people, who were also extras. The movie opens sometime early in 1998. I'm standing in front of a Butane store, should I be visible (I wasn't). Got to see Sandra Bullock & Harry Connick from across the street, but no autographs or photos. I did get to visit with the director, Forrest Whitaker, whose autograph and photo I got last March (at the SXSW film festival). Got photos & autographs this year with Michael Moore, Oliver Stone, Robert Rodriguez, Dennis Hopper, Buck Henry, Lynda Obst, Michael York, Bobby McFerrin, Maddy Prior (Steeleye Span), Lyle Lovett, Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, and Nanci Griffith. Some were here for the Austin screenwriters film festival. By mail I got autographs of Woody Allen, Robert Redford, and Tony Curtis and in person Larry L King (playwright of "Best Little Whorehouse"), Linda Ellerbee and Tsui Hark (Hong Kong director, UT ex). Got to see Michael York speak on Shakespeare, and also saw Gerald Ford, Walter Cronkite, and Katherine Graham (Washington Post). Linda Ellerbee's speech was hilarious and I enjoyed reading her books after seeing her. Nellie Connolly read the notes she wrote (and recently re-discovered) of her impressions of the JFK assassination viewed from the middle of the action. During Xmas vacation saw a group of over 100 tubas playing Xmas music on the Capitol steps. Sounded great. I attended, as usual, most of the Austin City Limits tapings, including Loretta Lynn (whose autograph I got a couple weeks later by mail, courtesy of her biggest fan). and a tribute to Townes Van Zandt, with an amazing lineup of Guy Clark, Peter Rowan, Steve Earle, Nanci Griffith, John T. Van Zandt, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Lyle Lovett , and Jack Clement. The latter show was fantastic. Also saw a delightful taping of Trout Fishing in America (which will be aired for the March PBS pledge drives.) Went on an art trip to Houston in the summer, seeing several museums, and most notably, the amazing Romanoff collection. My health, other than the ongoing RSI to my hands/biceps was good. This summer I had the experience of a colonoscopy, having to get up at 4 a.m. for an enema to prepare for it. It was not as bad as I feared, but no picnic. Also good results & I won't need to undergo it again for 5 years. Saw about four dozen plays: the most memorable of which were Deviant Craft (a very unusual version of The Tempest) and Ubu Roi (the Dadaist play) which included croissants flying at the cast (and at the audience), great fun. Saw several hundred movies (see Ulee's Gold, if you have a chance) and read about 191 books; one of the best was Lady Bird's White House Diary. I met many new friends through the net and my thesis on Shawn Phillips. One of those who found its first chapter on the web was my thesis advisor. It was great to hear from him 24 years after I wrote the thesis. Maybe 1998 will see its publication, either in book form or CD-ROM. The Texas Music Commission has added it to its list of publications on Texas musicians. I'm teaching two math & two computer classes, and the math classes are daily (computer classes are alternate day). Math students are lower level & require a great deal of time & energy & parental contact (to try to keep them up on their work). Very tiring. Next year will be an entirely new math curriculum & I'll have to spend a week next summer in training. I got another jury summons for federal court & it's been deferred 'till next June. Apparently I'll be in a jury pool for two months. Sounds like I'm likely to serve on a jury this time. We have two new portables completed and 6 more due to be built early in 1998. In January the $9 million

1996 It's time for the annual review of the past year and it's been an eventful one. The biggest event was my father's death. Two days before Thanksgiving he passed on; his last months were not easy, but at least he got to spend most of them at home with Thelma's loving care. On Thursday, Ed & Sandy flew down from D.C. & my Aunt Sis from Buffalo; Thelma's daughter Dana (& husband & son) and her son Jerry drove over from East Texas & the house was bulging; not wanting to sleep on the floor I drove down early Friday morning. Thelma asked me to tape some music for the service & I brought along a tape of the beautiful Barber "Adagio for Strings" (which all agreed was perfect). When my brother Larry died, Ed & Sandy were with him the last few days, & he hung on 'till the loose ends were tied; his funeral was delayed 2 weeks 'till his organist could play the service. When my mom died I was so upset (I was very close to her) that I missed the service. Thus this was my first funeral. For the first time since the early '70's I donned a tie. We went to the funeral home in a caravan of 3 cars, almost getting separated by mall traffic. It was an open casket & dad looked very good. The last few weeks Medicare had been paying for people to bathe him & give him PT & occasionally (for a little extra) to take over & give Thelma time to get into town. There were about 1 or 2 dozen of his friends who came plus Thelma's daughter Elaine (& family). Her daughter Krystal flew in from Germany but didn't arrive 'till that evening, missing the service. He retired as a Lt. Col. in the AF, and had an Air Force honor guard as pallbearers. The service was beautiful & in very good taste. Burial was at Fort Sam Houston with a 21-gun salute. The honor guard immaculately folded the flag & after the salute presented it to Thelma, inserting 3 of the rifle cartridges in the flag, saying that they stood for duty, honor & country. Aunt Sis & I had originally planned on visiting that week, but those plans had to be revised. Sis was going to come up to Austin to see me & visit a girl friend who just moved to McDade (30 mi east of Austin) next year she plans to make that visit and see some of Austin. All week the weather had been cold & rainy & Friday morn was cool & rainy; but by the time of the service the sun was out & the temp was in the 60s. I flew to Washington in July and spent several days with Ed & Sandy, including my 50th birthday. One highlight in D.C. was getting to see John McCutcheon perform at George Washington University & meeting him afterward. He was the main reason for the timing of my trip. I've attended several more Austin City Limits tapings this year, though I missed one to see one of my favorite composers (John Corigliano) who was visiting UT from NYC. I passed on another to see a live videoconference with the creative team for The Simpsons (it was great). We have a new principal who is doing a great job & it appears this will be the last year (for a while at least) that I'll be teaching students directly. Next year plans are for me to help integrate the curriculum; I'll be working in the computer lab helping teachers with projects in math, English, social studies, and science & teaching the kids their required computer skills that way. I now have 14 (or 15) straight years of perfect attendance. I taught my second student who is the child of a former student. This one is the first child of a Lamar student (who got pregnant while in high school). One of our new custodians is also a former Lamar student of mine and when the new teacher who was teaching one computer class in my room bailed out, he was replaced by another former Lamar student of mine who was doing his student teaching for one of our math teachers. He just graduated from UT this month & will be a fulltime replacement next semester! I had my first autistic student this semester & he was a real handful; luckily he was in a super class; his mom gave me a poinsettia last week. In a year our school will begin one year of renovations with $9 million worth of improvements. I discover

Last spring my dad decided to write his autobiography. First his step-daughter, Elaine, typed it for him, but when it kept growing, I was delegated. It ran to 9 chapters & was fascinating. If you have e-mail, I could send you the text quite easily. (my address: dane@...). Last June two of my fingers started hurting & it turns out it was probably due to excess typing. After months of anti-inflammatory drugs (6 days of steroids in October finally ended the swelling so it could start healing) and hours of exercise, it’s finally close to healing. Last summer I had the siding for the trim & under the roof completed & got new windows. the windows are helping with the insulation this winter & reducing the noise of the jets as they land. I continue to attend most Austin city limits tapings & at Joe Ely’s in September, i had my camera with me (for the 1st time) & got a picture & autograph of Dan Rather, who was vacationing at his nearby lake home & was there as a member of the studio audience. Also got pictures with Lady Bird Johnson and Itzhak Perlman (thanks to being friends of the orchestra’s conductor). It’s been an expensive month. I upgraded my Macintosh to one with a built-in phone & TV receiver and then had to replace my washing machine. Our school is in line for 5 million dollars of improvements if the bond issue passes. Next year I will probably be teaching 1 or 2 classes instead of 6; the rest of the time I’ll work with the other teachers in the lab, teaching their kids computer skills.

Saturday, December 31, 1994 I visited dad & Thelma & dad is doing well, all things considered. He has not needed to be catheterized for 2 weeks, thanks to finding the right dosage of the right medicine. He has prostrate problems & Parkinson’s, which is also under better control. Last week he was tested for Alzheimer’s, results not known yet. Physically he is still very strong, but his short term memory is getting bad. A couple of months ago he gave all his tools to a neighbor, telling him he didn’t have much time left; then he got upset when he discovered them gone, blaming Ann for hiding them; Ann takes his anger well. he is still driving occasionally, which is a bigger worry than his health. While in Bulverde, Dad gave me copies of the yearly Xmas cards and re-reading the annual letters was fascinating. For several years the floor of my bathroom has had a hole growing in it which was caused by 2 rotten joists; there were some leaky pipes which was responsible for the problem. Last summer I had the floor repaired & while that was being done, got a new low-consumption toilet and new sinks for the kitchen and bathroom, as well as new wall for the lower half of the bathroom. Immense improvement. Expensive, but worth it. I continue to attend Austin City Limits tapings & for the first time in 3 years, missed one (battling fatigue & the flu). Went to my 101st ACL taping this week. Watch it & eventually you’ll see me in the audience. Some great shows. I have now got a perfect attendance string at school of 11 or 12 straight years (not sure exactly which January I was last absent in, ‘82, ‘83 or ‘84). If you have e-mail, i can be reached at dane@.... Ed can be reached at egglestone@.... I have had great fun exploring the internet & keeping up with friends electronically. Last summer I attended my 30th H.S. reunion. Great fun. The subject of my thesis, Shawn Phillips, has now moved to Austin; it’ll be easier to keep in touch with him. Among the great concerts I saw this year with Uakti, the Kronos Quartet, L. Subramaniam & a "long-lost cousin" Kat Eggleston (from Chicago; the daughter of the creator of Gumby & the winner of best new folk artist at the Kerrville Festival 2 years ago). Among the autographs I added to my collection this year (these by mail) were James Earl Jones, Jack Lemmon & Walter Matthau.

Saturday, December 25, 1993 My vacation has been a good one, and I’ve been getting lots done around the house. Last month Ed & Sandy came down to see dad & visited up here, for the first time, for half a day. It’s the longest time I’ve gotten to spend with them ever & we had a great time. A year ago I went to the doctor to find why my arm was sore & discovered after three doctors & several weeks, that I had a frozen left shoulder. It’s probably caused by excess typing. I had a dozen sessions of physical therapy & continue to do exercises every day. The situation is much better but I’m still working at it. Have limited the amount of typing I do, but some is required. I'm teaching a new computer curriculum this year, with no textbook, a videodisk player, and a Macintosh to help out. Unfortunately, this year’s 7th graders have an excessive number of problem kids (2 kids, now at alternative schools, were caught stealing cars). Been a real battle. Hope that next semester will have a smaller share, but time will tell. I bought a new Macintosh last spring, with a big color monitor. love it. I discovered I can send electronic mail messages to Ed, free, and that was a great way to quickly keep up to date on his travel plans when he came down. I noticed a great printer was on sale and bought it. Dad is having prostrate trouble & was scheduled for tests. Thelma said his movements suggest he may have Parkinson’s. All things considered, he looks reasonably well. I just bought him a ‘94 diary since he couldn’t find the one he’s been using for decades. If you watch Austin City Limits, you may see me; I’ve now been to 118 tapings in Studio 6A (90 of Austin City Limits) & made every taping the past two seasons. Joan Baez & Leonard Cohen were highlights of this season & the finale was a songwriters’ special with Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett & Rodney Crowell which was wonderful. I sat directly behind Lyle, so will surely be on camera. March through August I spend time each week helping with the fourth & fifth edits of the relationships video documentary I worked on three years ago with a good friend. maybe it’ll be finished next year finally. Our principal is now head of curriculum for the district & we’ll get a new one in a few weeks. It’s a loss for our school, since she was a great principal. Next month also marks ten consecutive years of perfect attendance. I got to teach the first child of one of my former students this year. The mother was one of my students in San Antonio in the seventies. It’s sad that Larry died so young, but at least his suffering has ended. He had some wonderful experiences in his final months. I’m glad Ed could help out at the end & take care of the details Larry was concerned with.