2/06/02 - 4:36 p.m.

So time passes. My new woman friend is busy at work this week. I should send her an email.

I've been amusing myself debating whether to try anything special for February 14. If anything, I've decided: A valentine. A home-made valentine. But amateurish enough that she can laugh it off if she doesn't want to get serious.

I feel kind of stupid for not taking better care of myself when I was younger. Or, now, for that matter. I started reading a psychology book which posits that any halfway-intelligent child will psych out their parents at an early age, then try to do whatever will assure their parents' love. The challenge, it says, is to shake off those ruses when we become adults.

If I pay attention to -- well, to me -- then I can pull that off. Becoming an independent, fully-functioning adult.

Maybe this diary will help.