can we all just agree that the arrival of the police is a pretty crummy end to an evening of bike polo?

but it was an exceptionally nice night, before that. and now i'm taking my slightly tipsy self to bed.

fin.

can we all just agree that it's amusing to discover that i am the 11th hit on a google search for "social label nerd"?

all i've got to say about that is that if c.w.a.j.a.?.'s nerd party section is used as an example for someone's research paper, i'd better get a copy of it emailed to me. yes.

can we all just agree that kurt vonnegut's death is sad?

sometimes, kurt vonnegut novels help me make sense of life.

can we all just agree that it's really nice to like your housemates?

they are wonderful.

can we all just agree that braid makes good music?

can we all just agree that there's something kind of satisfying about breaking up walnutmeats with your hands instead of chopping them?

i've done it twice today (it has been a very baking-intensive day) and i like it. except that i'm kind of allergic to the walnut oil on my hands. but other than that...great!

can we all just agree that birthdays are nice?

it's only 32 minutes old, and it's nice already. thank you life.

can we all just agree that train travel can be excellent?

but that it is more excellent if the person seated directly behind you doesn't sound just like george w. bush, both in speech pattern and accent, and also in content? sheesh.

but dozing in the sunshine (once he finally stopped talking) with beautiful views and not driving! are wonderful.

can we all just agree that working with ridiculous people can be amusing?

[when discussing concerns over the potentially harmful health effects of cellular telephones]

me: you should just make him a tinfoil helmet!
her: we actually talked about that, and he said that he's heard that that can make it worse.

can we all just agree that junior highers can be totally rad?

i knew this. but sometimes it's nice to be reminded too.

can we all just agree that a party is a nice thing to have?

can we all just agree that sometimes the universe tries to even itself out in odd ways?

so the other day i was riding my bike, and it was totally beautiful outside, and i was happy. i needed to get from the right side of the right lane into the left lane so that i could turn left at the light that was coming up. so i looked over my shoulder, and saw that there was no one behind me, and started over and ALLOFTHESUDDEN there was a fancy little sports car RIGHT BEHIND ME and the driver was leaning on his horn. not just honking a little bit, but depressing it for a sustained and excessive period of time. (in case you were wondering, having a car horn right behind a person when a person is on two wheels doesn't generally make a person safer, steadier, or more likely to do what you want them to.)

then the fancy little sports car driver got tired of tailgating me while leaning on his horn, apparently, because he zoomed past me into the other lane where...wait for it...we ended up waiting for the same light together anyway. he took this opporunity to stick his entire upper body out of the window of his car, glare at me in a vile manner, and spit, "BITCH."

i just looked at him, because i was pretty unprepared for the whole situation (it was a sunny day and i had looked behind me! it wasn't my fault that he was speeding and thus well poised to sneak up behind people! sheesh!) and then the man stopped right beside me leaned down from his tall truck cab and said, "it's okay, baby" in such a kind way that it made me feel better.

but damn, dude, don't be so agro if you're in a car. some cyclists travel with their locks in their back pockets just for people like you.

can we all just agree that it's nice when cyclists and drivers can have positive interactions?

because yeah, i'll totally give you directions. and smile at you, maybe, if you're lucky. you just have to not try to harm me or call me names.

there are countless others like me.

can we all just agree that pecan pie is totally fantastic?

i think i will make it more often.

can we all just agree that random notes to oneself are also fun and confusing?

because we've already agreed that random lists are. i found a note today that reads:

"0052D1
9:05-10:55
________
5:40-7:18"

i just thought you might want to know. don't forget to reset your clocks. goodnight.

can we all just agree that this is an extraordinarily precise measurement?

11.8125" by 11.8125". and dudes, we're not measuring parts for a space station or anything. it's a washcloth. from the dollar store. from the extraordinarily precise dollar store.

can we all just agree that dressing up is more fun when there are housemates to give you advice?

i miss the flora.

also alan, although there was considerably less clothes-sharing with him.

can we all just agree that peanut butter chips are a wonderful addition to brownies?

can we all just agree that this is a truly amazing recipe suggestion?

from the sunsweet prunes publication our favorite sunsweet recipes:

sweet and savory appetizers:
roly poly—stuff each prune with a water chestnut. wrap half a slice of bacon around each and place on shallow baking sheet. bake in preheated 400 degree F oven 15 minutes or until bacon is cooked through.

my mind is boggled. boggled! does this even deserve the "food" tag? how about the "gross" one? i wish i felt like i needed a tag that was called "this is an astonishing idea about how to combine otherwise perfectly respectable food products. please think about it a little bit!"

and who thought of that? and who decided to name is "roly poly"? because where i come from, roly pollies are bugs. they're kind of fun to play with, but imagining eating a giant one is not appealing.

can we all just agree that not going away for the weekend is totally glorious?

can we all just agree that dinosaurs are rad, and so is "dinosaur comics"?

you should go look at it, probably. here is one highlight from an episode called compressed relationship comics:

first dinosaur: "i notice you are attractive!"
second dinosaur: "you as well!"
f.d.: "care to put our emotional stability on the line in exchange for a chance at happiness?"
s.d.: "OK!"

sometimes i think that all the cool websites are made by canadians.

can we all just agree that ladytron is a good idea?

i thought so.

can we all just agree that there is something seriously enjoyable about "the apollo program was a hoax," by refused*?

no, make that several things:

1. the song is beautiful.
2. the lyrics are really kind of intense, if you actually listen to them: "there is no prestige in your title, we are after your head / your new world is on fire and soon you'll be too", etc.
3. the singer has an adorable speech impediment. and a darling swedish accent too. (maybe the speech impediment has something to do with being swedish, and english being his second, third, or maybe fourth language) but there's something disarmingly charming about hearing "sabotage will set us fwee / thow a rack in the machine." yes.

*and yes, i know, refused is fucking dead and everything, and nobody's supposed to write about them anymore, but i've been listening to them lately and i like them. that is all.

can we all just agree that three with three can be good too?

can we all just agree that scooter libby's conviction is kind of satisfying?

there will be appeals, of course, and our criminal "justice" system is so crazy that i certainly have second thoughts about it...but all the same, it's kind of exciting when it turns out that the entire bush administration isn't made of 100% pure teflon. yes. sometimes there are consequences to jacked-up actions.

ps also what grownup goes by "scooter"? those guys. sheesh.