If I thought it was possible to "waste" a Saturday, this day would have been a prime candidate. I'm not sure what a wasted Saturday would consist of, though.

It wouldn't be a Saturday when I slept late, as I did today, because that's what Saturdays are for, first and foremost. That's especially true after a night when I stayed up too late. Maybe I should say that I was awake too late last night, because I wasn't really "up." I was flat on my back with the TiVo remote in my hand. Maybe that's the time that was really wasted.

A Saturday is never wasted when I can sit and watch the Giants win a game, especially if they're beating the A's from across the Bay. This is a team they always have trouble with, ever since the A's swept the 1989 World Series in four games. There were two in Oakland, a ten-day break for a devastating earthquake, and then two more losses in San Francisco. I was present at the last two games, so watching the Giants beat the A's, even in a game that means nothing, can't be called a waste.

Besides, I took a one-hour nap in the middle of the game, and I still didn't miss any of it (thanks to TiVo). How can you call time spent sleeping wasted time? Well, maybe you can, but I can't.

My diet and exercise program continues, even on Saturday when everything else in my routine changes. I got away from the house just once today, but when I did I managed to walk to the post office. And I got out into the yard for about a half hour of weed pulling. Things are shaping up out there, but you can't tell unless you saw it before. I've had it up in my face through the whole process, so I'm happy with the progress, even if nobody else can see it.

Plus, I ate a plum for lunch.

Any day in the whole week is a good day when I get thoughtful email from friends far and near, especially if I have time to answer it. And I had a lot of time today. Some might consider that a waste, having so much time on my hands, and I'll admit that upon first thinking back on my day, it seemed as if I'd done nothing to justify the air I breathed. Now I'm thinking that I barely scraped by, one more time.

There must be thousands of better ways a person could spend a beautiful spring day like this one. I don't think I added to the sum total of truth and beauty in the world. I didn't advance the cause of peace and justice. But I don't think I made things any worse for anyone, either. Not everyone can say that.