ye olde random assortment

Today I learned:

• In riding news, I can ride my bike almost entirely on back streets to the smaller of the two Tucson Sunflower Markets, which last time we checked, had expired anchovies and yucky-tasting almost expired soup, unlike the bigger store. Since we're still carless until the end of the week* and unlikely to need any anchovies or soup, that Sunflower is my new favorite store. I will admit to having trouble with the car exhaust at a couple of stoplights, but this trip was much better than the one after the Christmas party, so I might actually try it again sometime, not that I should be pushing it. I mean, way to relapse.
  
  
• In wildlife news, coyotes are wandering around more and more urban neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and residents are having conniption fits, not that it does them any good. Now, in my experience, coyotes pay as much attention to people as the average New Yorker does to fellow pedestrians -- you have to check them for threats, but then you just ignore them. Apparently residents of LA expect the coyotes to be afraid of them, but instead they are afraid of the coyotes.
  
  
• In expensive news, CDs cost a whole lot more in Europe than they do here in the US. Some of it is tax, but you can buy a CD there for around $30.
  
  
• In global warming news, companies like BP, DuPont, and PG&E have gotten together and are bugging President Bush to do something about global warming, most likely so they can have their fingers in the pie when rules actually do get made. But the fact that oil, chemical, and power companies are worried about global warming makes me wonder if we're all going to be under water next week.
  

* We were supposed to get the car back weeks ago, but the mechanic got jury duty. That was just not something we thought to ask about when we handed over our only car.