I am a frickin' idiot.
Well, maybe not every minute of the day. Scott Adams of Dilbert fames says we're all idiots from time to time, but there are moments...
For instance, spent much of last night stomping around the house because I lost my glasses. Woke up this morning resolved to retrace my steps in hopes that they might turn up. I sat down on the bed to put on my shoes...and there they were, on the floor, under the dresser. AARRGGHH. But the upside is they're back. Since I was all geared up for a ride, I hit the road. Went to the Pinion Plaza for some fried flour (been eating too much flour ... bad me), then rode to Albertsons via Long, Roop, Winnie, and Carson. Got a new water bottle and carrots, and dropped a dollar in the poker machine.
From Albertsons, went down Carson, which was the best part of the ride. I stayed on Carson for as long as I could, in the highest gear on my second spoke, but the road narrows at Long and there's no room for me and the SUVs and semi's that run that road. I took to the sidewalk since nobody was using it and I biked as hard as I could. There are lots of obstacles like metal poles and driveways, but it was a rush like when I watched the speeder chase in Return of the Jedi on the big screen. Turned off at the bike shop (closed this weekend) and lollygagged down Curry, then went home via King. An awesome ride. Easily five miles, but I'll only record what's on the computer.
The media and I are making nice to each other (well, mostly me). Looked through the 09/03/2005 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle and found something interesting to read on almost every page (eat dust, Gannett!).
Front page: Little Jaida Holloway is trying to make her daddy smile while they and hundreds other are camped out on Interstate 10 in 90+ degree and 90+% humidity, waiting for something, anything to get them out of there.
Page A3: Sgt Monta Ruth, USA, of Winston-Salem is the 1886th casualty of the Iraq conflict.
A8: Speaker of the House Dennis Hasert (Republican) is taking it in the teeth for declaring that large parts of New Orleans are unfixable and saying, "It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed." He was not present when Congress had an emergency session to fund a $10.5 billion aid package for the affected areas. Democrats are understandably upset and are using the sound bite to fuel their fury. Former Arkansas governor Bill Clinton said he would have "assaulted" the congressman if he had been here.
A10: Experts and critics alike state the government infrastructure was not ready to evacuate the poor, aged, and infirmed. In New Orleans, these generally are African Americans, so Hurricane Katrina becomes a racial issue ... as it should be. Shame on all of us for not doing better and double shame on us if it happens again. The upside is there will probably never be another Hurricane Katrina-type disaster response ever again.
A13: That thought will probably not comfort the family of the dead woman floating in stale water outside the Superdome.
B6: The Chronicle's editorial board calls the government's emergency response, "a national disgrace."
C1: The California Attorney General plans to investigate the possibility that the oil prices are being artificially inflated to take advantage of recent national and global events. (Duh. Mr. AG: remember the brown-outs?) There's a picture of a dude who spent $54 to fill the tank of his SUV. Poor baby. I spent less than $5 to fill my tank (stomach) this morning to go bike riding and you have mass transit. I do not feel your pain, sucker.
D1: How about them A's?
D2: Human nature generally makes us beatify the dead after they pass on. Bruce Jenkins pulls no punches when writing about his late colleague Jake Smith, who succumbed to a lifelong love for alcohol. It reminded me of the obituaries for Mickey Mantle and what he could have been if not for his public and private excesses. Sometimes, the demons that fuel our talents keep us from ascending to the summit. Mr. Jenkins and I agree on the San Antonio Spurs (next year's champs) and Rafael Palmeiro ("preposterous").
D7: Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world. Well, not every article is a gem.
D10: Weather report. It will be 67 at SFO, 74 in Petaluma, and 92 in New Orleans in the shade. It'll be warmer on the Interstate 10 for Jaida Holloway and her daddy.
E1: Marianne Constantinou writes about 94-year-old Frieda Adams, who lives in an elder-care facility with five other senior citizens. Ms. Constantinou could easily have written nearly the exact same story about Grama. These two sentences sum up Ms. Adams and could have been said about Grama on her 94th birthday: "She is lucky: She still has her health. She is unlucky: She still has her health."
Distance: 2.2 miles on the computer
Time: 00:09:16 minutes on the computer
45 Days Until the USN
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