At seven a.m. on my way to the train station yesterday I found myself pocketing a CTA summer fun pass, beskirted, besandaled, beponchoed and with a bicycle under-haunch. It felt so right. Even more satisfying, however, was today's blitz past throngs of surprisingly sedate Cubs fans down (up?) Southport with a bag full of popsicles and peanuts after a full week of work. Yessssss.

Haaaaa. Apparently this is what I look like at mile 11 of a half marathon: grainy. Regardless, the Dexter-Ann Arbor run was about 3 times more enjoyable than I'd hoped: I had bib number 100, and all my cohorts and I finished solidly under 2 hours (1:56-something). Woo.

The cottonwood tree across the street has been blowing fuzzy little orbs around Adams Ave all week. They manage to nose their way into all possible crannies, only to breeze off in short order. I am a fan.

After dropping Dave off at the airport this morning I decided I was in the mood for travel. The DTW smelled like what I remembered of Mexico City somehow, and flight seemed inevitable. Disappointingly, eerily empty I94 led me straight back to Ann Arbor. Next time I'm going to Canada instead. Wee.

Anyone in Ann Arbor on June 1st should come witness the spectacle of at least three Urban Planning grad students, myself included, blitzing through the Dexter-Ann Arbor half marathon. After yesterday's trial 12ish mile run (the Huron was so pretty yesterday morning, but owch!) I'm predicting a stupendous outcome. Some committed spectators have revealed plans to drive alongside us with forties in hand, so perhaps you can join them.

Also, I am 2.5 seasons deep into The Wire, and Wallace (deceased) is probably sill my favorite character. But Pearlman and Daniels? I simply cannot support that relationship. The end.

Living in a house of five this year has been interesting. Our kitchen got pretty filthy at times, the living room was an icebox for five straight months, and everyone (party-goers and visiting mothers especially) wreaked havoc on Maoxie's gender-confused emotions. Still, it has been a fairly comfortable living situation, seasoned with plenty of Happy's fried chicken runs, Top Chef marathons, gossip, and hard feline drugs. For today, though, I've got the pool to myself: the roommates are dispersed to northern michigan (2, temporarily), California (1, temporarily) and DC (1, foreverrrrr), and it's shockingly subdued and quiet around here. I guess that's the cue for me to bust out the power sander and cause a ruckus. I started disassembling/sanding my bike for painting about three weeks ago and it's high past time to finish the job.

The semester is over. Hooah. To celebrate after our final final (6 pm on Tuesday) some classmates and I toasted each other with delicious Miller Lite at the Heidelberg, while I, alone, shed some tears regarding the lack of Warren-Michigan-Induced visual stimulation (example below -- Van Dyke Ave just north of Eight Mile) looming in the near future. Doesn't it look like it needs an urban greenway running alongside it? I think so.




Re: summer plans, I'll be in Ann Arbor for the next couple months before blitzing back to sweet Chicago for a coooool internship. Get ready, city.

This was the first time, and maybe the last, that I dabbled with Adobe InDesign. It's a black hole, it is. Click for full glory.

So Vic Thrill just got me through about an hour of data manipulation, and for that I am thankful.

The roommates and I threw a kick-a** end-of-the-semester party last night. Drifting off to sleep on waves of kegged beer as the hordes continued to dance to old soul faves above my head (my basement bedroom is directly below the dance floor) realllly drove it home in the best way possible. It was like living with Baby and Angel all over again!

Stars was, likkke, totally awesome in Pontiac on Saturday. Torquil (left) was especially angry, Amy (right) was especially sweet, the bass player (not pictured) was especially brooding, and the patrons were especially Canadian.

Maoxie looks so good in the morning. So good!

Today:

I discovered that Maoxie weighs a disappointing 13.5 lbs. Come ON Maoxie!
Also, I downloaded Camino. Lookout, pals.