1-21-01 3:05 PM Su

Is a bike ride and a beer a violation of the Sabbath? Maybe as long as you don’t buy the beer on the Sabbath?

I caught no fish yesterday. I’m still depressed about it today. I’ve been feeling listless and mopey, and I finally figured out why: Because I caught no fish. I rode my bike up to Aaron’s records and traded in the “Chicken Run” video—the one I paid nineteen ninety-five for a month ago; they gave me a whopping five-dollar store credit. I got a thirteen ninety-nine Stevie Wonder Greatest Hits double CD set out of the used bin and guessed for eight ninety-nine with my whopping credit, it would be worth it. Only, while I was in line at the checkout stand, I compulsively picked up a Miles Davis CD and the soundtrack to “O Brother Where Art Thou.” Still, my despondency has not eased.

So, now I’m at the Snake Pit having a beer. I’m thinking of going to the Regent to see “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” at 4:30. I guess if I do that I better call the wife to see if she wants to meet me. The last time we brought the baby to a movie, Rochelle spent half the movie in the lobby trying to quiet down the baby’s squawking.

My beer came in a mug. I’ll have the flu withing twenty-four hours if I drink from that mug. I can’t waste it, though. Let’s see. Flu or waste beer? I took a sip. The barmaid is a cutie. She knows the guy sitting next to me. He talks about skydiving. She says she would never. “Happy hour with your feet on the ground?” asks he. “Well, no. Earthquakes,” she answers. Shelves of glass bottles go up to the ceiling behind her. I get she wouldn’t want to be in a quake under those bottles, but her comment is a non sequitur to me. She loaned me this pen. I’ll read some Crossing after this. I was looking for porn on the web this morning. Rochelle woke. Never done that one before. I couldn’t find anything. Then I heard her coming and everything I did to get rid of it only brought up new porn.