It occured to me that since I'm talking about settlers & have an Oregon Trail graphic as my profile picture, I might as well have a picture of me in a bonnet. That I made.

And now it occurs to me that if I'm talking bonnets I made, I should bring up craft shows in the near future, such as next Saturday, May 5th. Conveniently located near the Clarendon Metro at the Lyon Park Community Center, and conveniently timed from 10-5, I'll be there in all my glory, if not bonnet.
Here's a map

Book Report

I believe you all were promised, when Colin introduced his tour de force (see Mr Hippity Hop, somewhere to the right), "dueling perspectives," was it? Better make it dueling ukuleles, actually. But this is quite true, in a scrappy His n' Hers kinda way. Some dueling (I'm switching to "differing" from now on; sounds less violent & hokey) perspectives come from how I'm lazy vs. he's slightly less lazy, i.e. actually exercises occasionally. I used to be at least vaguely athletic, back in my hulking crew days. Colin has a highly technical vocabulary, regularly saying such things as "techwik", "nipple wrench" & "thinsulate" I, however, talk like a sensible person. Colin also has some sacred books listed over at the Hippity. Here they are, for your ease:
Roughin' It - Mark Twain
Travels with Charlie - John Steinbeck
Desert Solitaire - Ed Abbey
Into the Wild - John Krakauer
A Walk In The Woods - Bill Bryson
The Innocents Abroad - Mark Twain
Life On The Mississippi - Mark Twain
Cannery Row - John Steinbeck
Now I love all these books- with a special nod to Travels With Charlie because it has a poodle. I mean, can you not without hating America? But they're all a little...dude-y? Like the lyrics to any given Modest Mouse song. So the lady books, where they at- not necessarily travel, but expeditionary? The best I could come up with is Annie Dillard's "The Living", which actually is maybe the most androgynous book I've ever read. It's amazing, and partly for the incidental deaths its filled with- poison gases, log fume collapses, fires, brain fevers. And faux coffee made from burnt crumbs, ughh, worse than death. But it's why I want to visit the San Juan islands off Washington coast. It was the story of settlers, trying to farm around the stumps of redwoods that they had cut down, and eating a lot of dried salmon. Pretty much a team effort.

Lobster Fest

...is actually just a small part of the larger Spending Fest. Take a look at these gloves I just bought:

Too bad they don't come in red

Being young & relatively poor like me means that big purchases, things researched, thought out, tested, saved for, are very big deals. Nicer, Bigger, Shinier-- not mine-ier though. My new bike is a 2007 Bianchi Volpe (Italian for ‘fox’, by the way) I had been fixed in this decision for many months now, but (attracting much scrutiny) I waited until April, or, 2 months before the start of our trip. Its pretty hard for me to part with $3, a thing ingrained from the Jeanne McIntyre School of Frugality (sorry ma) Parting with $1000 yesterday, though, was no big thing. I’ve had the sum fixed in my mind for so long now, that it is not my money, my earnings anymore, just an accounting difference, sifting around a few digits. I can’t really process that I’ve bought this steely thing, which so soon will be the focus of my life.

I gained ownership over my current bike, Anne-Marie, a Peugot UO-8, by tearing her down and building her back up again, all army-like. I scrubbed her with a toothbrush & built her wheels, and now there’s this clean, fresh-faced newcomer with shiny seductive parts, all ready to go. All it took was handing over my debit card. I kind of resent this bike for being able to coast. Its just so easy. Except for the gears, which I have no idea what to do with. They have a little window though with an orange bar though (only new feature of the 2007 model.) A little window into its new, polished soul.
The buying experience was less than enchanting, due to bored/sullen/condescending bike store employee syndrome, but that topic will be addressed in viscious detail later, I'm sure.

Lets give this another shot

this dealie is to more or less chronicle my great bicycle adventure of 2007. Said trip begins mid-June, but talking, panicing, anticipating, planning, training (well no, actually), buying etc. starts so much earlier, If you want actual substantive detail, you'll have to refer to my esteemed colleague, Colin M. (who, although he's started an substantive, detailed journal of his own, wussily hasn't published it yet.) I just do the cooking & the sewing around here. true story.