That

was one hell of a speech.

Yay!

NPR story on electric bikes.

I think it overplays the "it's so easy!" aspect of things, but I was grateful for mine today. First day back at work after a two-week vacation, it was chilly and threatening rain*, also windy, and I carried mail. Flip the assist on, baby!

*I even fished out the rain cover for my pannier, since I was ferrying paperwork and returning books to my coworkers. It covers five sides of the cube, and while I'll have to wait for a wetter day to truly test it, it shows promise.

Also, Ted Kennedy. *sniff*

only exciting if you are me

In a final fit of Accomplishing Something While On Vacation, I cleaned my office.

Removed:

--1 1/2 bags* of recycled paper
--2 banker's boxes of magazines
--1 paper grocery bag of outgrown children's books
--1 banker's box of miscellaneous stuff to go to Goodwill
--1 banker's box of stuff to sell or swap

*These bags are the approximate size of a first grader.

I also revamped my filing system, cleared out the holding bin downstairs where my husband tosses my stuff which he doesn't know what else to do with it (or doesn't want to, which is fine), finished sewing the knitted top on a throw pillow--a project which has been languishing for at least three years, and fixed a sweater I'd made for the kid in order to pass it along to the younger cousins.

So, while I mostly screwed around, played Guitar Hero, and went camping, I did knock a couple of items off the to-do list....

at least I didn't get wakened at 3 am

B- U bsy? Cuz u didnt txt me.

(Aside: when we were camping, the kid had made friends with a pack of kids, and wanted to go over to their campsite. I told him he had to wait until the dad, the supervising adult, was back from the store. He started petitioning me: "Well, if Barack Obama went with me, could I go now? How about Hillary Clinton?" Yes, fine, but I think they're both a little busy right now...)

went campin'

I've been on vacation, and we went camping. Top to bottom: 1) My kid paddling a canoe from the rear position, never having done so before in his life. (He buddied up to a kid who was with a Boy Scout Troop at the same park we were camping at. One of the other scouts commented, when the boat, predictably, started drifting off course, "Mr. Kirby, we have a situation here.") 2) She Who Watches 3) A snail. 4) Touch-Me-Not Jewelweed. 5) Me, my husband, my mom, and my kid in front of the yurt we stayed in at Paradise Point State Park. It rained a lot when we were there--the yurt as awesome. We'd tent camped at our previous site, where it was 115 F one day. The difference a day and a couple hundred miles makes....

Like all such outings, it had its ups and downs, but all in all we had a fun time, and didn't do much. Which was the point.

Onai

With the addition of this guinea pig, the critters in our household now outnumber the humans.

I was initially entirely against the adoption of this little beastie, because rodents, ew. But he is terribly cute, and sweet, and the kid is extremely gentle with him. I call him the wee rattie. He's not, of course.

He is enjoying some green bell pepper in this photo.

zeropergallon.com

 
So far, I haven't been beat up because of my new sticker.