I am now dangerous on two wheels

Took my inaugural real bike ride, testing out my summer commute, and it's all good news. I'm going to UMass-Boston, so I clocked some time on the picturesque Harbor Walk. Way too much time, in fact -- Google Maps' bicycle directions are in beta, so they predicted 22 minutes and it took me 52 to get there, 16 to get back. But I was rarely terrified on the roadways, so it seems I'm well on my way to becoming a two-wheeled menace. Now decompressing in the hammock, which is my real summer destination of choice.

Getting things done

Set myself a task list for today: Target, Home Depot, go across the river and pick up a bicycle, see a man about a horse, fill the propane tank. Did all that AND got an oil change AND had Indian buffet. And I saw the lights of the Goodyear blimp. And yes, that sentence is a gratuitous Ice Cube reference. And yes, that sentence is for the people who didn't realize it was a reference. This sentence, though -- this sentence is for you. I hope you like it.

My bicycle! The summer program I'm doing is in a spot where it makes most sense to bike. By T, 15-min walk, 5 min train, 10-min walk -- stupid. On foot, a 45-min walk -- possible, but too much. So I've committed to biking. I rode my new toy around the block and while I knew the basics of how to work the thing, I have a long way to go to be be a legitimate biker. Also, I fell off once. Which means it can only get better from here.

I heart Frankie Landau-Banks

I read an interview with John Green in which he twice praised The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. A sixth grader returned it from the netherworld of her bedroom, so I decided to use it to kick off my summer reading. Hilarious and clever, one of the more appealing teenage girl voices I've seen, I recommend it enthusiastically -- for smart middle school girls and up.

Huge stack of books from which to choose my next read. I need to work up to Donna Tartt (it's like 800 pages), so since it's the very beginning of my summer, I want to stick with known winners. The "books I know I should read" can come later in the summer. Think I'll jump into Gregor the Overlander.

Tonight, on "Weeds"

I can appreciate that weeds have evolved so that the outermost leaf allows itself to be pulled off easily. It's like a hydra: kill one head, two more grow back. Pulling off the top is like treating the symptom -- the Sudafed of wedding. I always feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment after weeding, followed by a sinking dread when they've grown back 2-3 days later.