My pretty pretty Motobecane

I got a new (to me) bike to replace my Schwinn (affectionately named Schwinn "The Tank" McSchwinnster). I need something I can weigh down and haul groceries, you know? And also ride to lobby visits in a skirt and look classy. This bike is pretty classy. (Yes, photos will be forthcoming -- she looks like this but blue.)

So anyway I rode this bicicleta to work today so that I can fix it up after work using tools that are not mine. I don't have tools. I have a stupid adjustable wrench and all I want is a set of flat wrenches... So mom, Christmas? Christmas is so far away.

Anyway, I was riding the bike to work and I kept thinking of the Motobecane as "she." I've never felt that way with my Raleigh. Never had a desire to name it, never personified it in my head. Then I started waxing poetic while biking past the patch of prairie on the Metro Branch Trail as I considered my two bikes. See here's the thing: the Raleigh is a machine. It's light and responsive and when I ride it, it's really mostly about me. My Motobecane, she is a blues singer. She's all soul. When I ride her (yeah, getting a little dirty...), it's all about her. I bow down to you, you beautiful French coquette. Keep doing like you do.

FIFA Copa Mundial!

I know I'm not the only one going soccer (scuze me, football) nuts right now... Like today: I'm sorry, ref, WHAT? You're gonna go and take away our goal -- not just any goal, but a winning goal -- because that Slovenian dude fell over? Yeah, he fell. Why'd he fall? It might have had something to do with him forcibly holding Bradley back, as Bradley struggled to get at the ball. Yeah, it might have been that.

Photo courtesy of NYTimes

This is Team USA being all, "WTF?" and the ref is like, "No comment." 

Look! I can garden!

My first flowers are blooming! I've got this beautiful cosmos and a little pink something or other so far.

In other news, Raleigh and I do this a lot. No explanation is really needed:

Hahahahahahaaa

This happened today:

Me to Alex:
In case you were wondering what you were out and about doing last night while you slept, you were showing up in my dream. Yep. I had a dream that you and your parents were flying to Fiji for dinner (!). I stopped by your house as you were getting ready to go and then it turns out that someone had used one of those credit card swipey things to steal  your credit card info and had spent like $8000 and you were like, "Yeah, I think they took my info from outside the house." And I was like "Those things have that kind of range?!!" Then you thought about inviting me to Fiji but you had to go take care of the credit card thing and then my computer got a Fijian virus and I had to use a cardboard box instead and it meant I couldn't get in touch with you to find out if you had decided to invite me to Fiji because you had changed all your contact info and I couldn't look up your facebook account ON A CARDBOARD BOX. They're too slow. Oh yeah, and it turns out you had changed your phone number to 202-509-TIGER (yeah, like that's exactly how it showed up in my cell phone). And then I was like, "Hold on, who is this guy who flies to Fiji for dinner and changes his phone number to 509-TIGER?? This is not the Alex I thought I knew!" Then I got food poisoning.

All in all, what the fuck.

Alex to me:
hahahaha that is one of the funniest dreams I've ever heard. a cardboard box. ahhhhhhhhhhh

you know that now you need to call that number back, right?

Me to Alex:
yeah, i'm going to call and it's going to go like this

TIGER: Hello?
ME: Hi. I'm calling because your phone number showed up in my dream last night. Is your name maybe Alex?
TIGER: Ummmm....... what the fuck?
ME: Look, I don't know. Maybe we're fated to meet. Like you're my Wesley Snipes or something. I hate you, but I have to marry you anyway. I don't know.
TIGER: [click.]

i [heart] farmer's market

Observe:

Special on bread - 2 loaves of country white for $3. Niiiiiice. Also, produce:

Wait, wait, wait. We need a close up on those sugar snaps.

Unnnnnh. Sugar snap peas. I can die happy.

Oh yeah, and that asparagus was so fresh and tender that even Colin (who doesn't like asparagus) liked it. Also thanks to Baby Kap and Mama Kap (yeah, I just called you Baby Kap. Deal with it) for bringing [cue celestial music] roasted asparagus into my life. A little olive oil, a little salt, and then stick it on a pan in a toaster oven at 425F for 11 minutes. 11 minutes is perfect. 9 is DEFINITELY not enough minutes. 12 and they might be kind of limp. So trust me, 11 minutes.

Pilgrimage

Yes, I went to Ithaca. Ithaca and Costa Rica, my childhood homes, are like my (nonreligious) Mecca. Without a once yearly pilgrimage to one or the other, I feel like my life is missing something.

Putting my feet in a creek, for example. I met up with Sue and Abreham and Adamu at the Wildflower Preserve, where I hadn't been back in 12 years. 

Abreham hunted for crayfish with his bare hands (brave!).

And it turns out that Adamu is quite the swimmer! That boy just loves the water!

Seriously, I don't think I can express how happy it made me to go hang out in creeks. Monday (the day we left) was the only day I didn't put my feet (or my whole body...) in a creek. I was really happy to have rented a car so that I was able to take my pup with me, and let him play in creeks too. He loved it! (Surprise, surprise.)

Oh yeah, and Elise graduated (with honors!) from Cornell. You know, no big deal.

Look at that: a real live college graduate/adult. Damn, girl. Good for you.

Fin.