The Ramble

There is no point to this post. It is mostly an update. It is indeed a ramble of massive proportions.

Update #1: The truck has been returned to us. Monster is shinier than he has ever been while in my custody AND they cleaned out the cab (they make vacuums you can use on cars, but I don't know if Monster has actually ever seen one of those) AND gave me a little accident documentation kit to keep in my glove box that includes a camera and a pencil and a piece of paper. Genius. The insurance company finally just gave in; I think they were sick of me calling twice a day.

Update #2: I am no longer dying. I guess I should add that I never was dying, but last Wednesday I wasn't so sure about that. Biker Boy and I even managed to go on our first real bike ride of the season together earlier today. My definition of "real ride" means we weren't commuting. We put on bike shorts and rode our bikes without locks or panniers. My bike goes so much faster when it's not carrying three really heavy books! It wasn't a long ride, just over to Lake Harriet and looping around the trio of lakes that include Harriet, Calhoun, and Isles. Altogether it was maybe ten or eleven miles, but it was certainly a reminder to both of us that we need to get out more and enjoy our bikes, instead of just using them as transportation.

Last Friday, I turned down several offers of social capital building and insisted that Biker Boy join me at the University Bookstore for a reading and book signing by David Sedaris. Sedaris has released a new book and if you have never read a book by him before, go out, get all his previous books, read them, and then read his new one. It was hilarious listening to Sedaris read his personal essays and even more fun was waiting in line with my husband, playing 20 Questions. (He thinks "throwing star." I say "a pink elephant"? I think "a meteor." He says "a Rickenbacker guitar"?) It took hours, but was well worth it if you ask me.

I also promised you a story about blood, but instead I will say that BB's family in Iowa is safe and sound. Grandma and Grandpa's basement flooded, but no other harm has come. The last academic year was the first time in almost fifteen years that a person in BB's immediate family didn't live in Iowa City and there is a palpable sense of relief for the entire family that no one is having to deal with the current flooding.

Oh, and I do have to say that I have never had eyes as itchy as they are this year. I have gone through two entire bottles of Visine allergy drops. Holy hell. What's up with that?

Does anyone know how to cook salmon? We're slowly trying to introduce new recipes into our repertoire and I'd like to do a fish dish, but it turns out I don't like a lot of fish, so we're going to do salmon. Only we don't really know how...