On the way back from Rainbow Foods this afternoon, J and I sat at the back of the nearly empty #4 bus. A man across the aisle quickly struck a conversation:

"Now, I bet you all are roommates. I've seen you two around, on the bus on weekdays. This is the first time on the weekend though. You must be roommates, right?"

(J and I exchange bemused glances. Not only are we not roommates, but we rarely take the bus together)

"And what are your majors?"

"Psychology" I volunteer.

(He turns to J)"You have to watch out for those psychology people; they mess with your head. I got this friend, she's always playing games with me, saying one thing and thinking another and tryin' to get me to think what she's thinking. It don't work on me, though, I got her figured out. Everyone else, it works on. So you got to look out. So, you both study psychology?"

"No, I'm an English major;" said J, "totally useless."

"So, what school do you girls go to? That one?" (He waves in the direction of Macalester) "Or that St. Thomas or St. Kate's?"

"Macalester" we reply.

"I bet you got your room all decked out, big screen tv and fridge and food and all. You have nice rooms there? big? you pay rent, or is that all taken care of?"

We tell him what the rooms are like, and pull the cord for our stop. We gather up our bags, and are dropped off at the corner of Grand and Snelling. "That," J says, "is why I like to ride in the back of the bus."

My true nature exposes itself:

venus: I want to run my own national news station :-) I could have a running bar at the bottom of the screen listing every present military conflict.
BE11iott: Aren't Stock quotes more important?
BE11iott: I wasn't serious.
venus: hell, no! And instead of those cheesy heartwarming community stories, i'd do a story on a political protest every day.
venus: i know :-)
BE11iott: A political protest on the same subject everyday?
venus: no, not on the same subject. all different ones, all across the country. anything but those damned human interest stories featuring chihuahuas who rescued their 130 year old owners from a burning building

Join the notify list- discourse, diatribe, subversion, insurrection, and various sundry items, along with, of course, notification.

Startling Personal Development: I can now drink black coffee. No sugar. No soy milk. Just bitter black strong coffee. And I like it!

Hearing: Orff's Carmina Burana- an amazing choral work, made especially cool because it's completely secular in meaning.

Smelling: The first rain of spring- probably the most-appreciated scent after a long Minnesota winter.

At the bottom of my grocery receipt:

"THANK YOU, YOUR STORE MGR. DICK"