2002-04-22 - 12:22 a.m.

Sorry to leave you with such a cliffhanger, but (if you really wanna know), the hanging man did indeed crawl his way up and then go for a walk with the Roommate.

Highlights included:

* Iced Cappuccinos at Herrell�s

* Ninjas

* Passing C.(from work)'s house on the way to Harvard Square

* And also Hooker St. (he he!)

* Thinking about a Sebadoh lyric.

* Pointing out where C. (from work) and I had dueled against each other in a push-up competition.

* Buying pants in Harvard Square!

* More ninjas (will they ever go away?)

* Onward to Inman Square

* Getting super-hot wrapping paper and a retro easy-bake oven magnet (and a super special present for Molly) at a kitsch store

* More walking

* And looking at stuff

* And feeling alive

* And coffee at the original 1369 (finally)

* And checking that one off the list

* (By the way, Herman Hesse's Damien was not there waiting for me, ready to start an underground scene)

* Saw the FRESH KILLED sign once again. Still as chilling and as beautiful as it was on the day when I discovered it.

* Went to Mars, the music store giant. The Roomate gave me 20 minutes. I stretched it a little. You can check out difference in mic quality there. Wish I knew that before.

* Ate at Papa Gino's (!)

* This airplane, out of nowhere, started shooting airplane bullets at me. I was in a cornfield. I thought it was a cropduster, even though I've never seen a cropduster or a cornfield. I pushed the Girlfriend down, and the plane passed by. Then, all these ninjas came out from the corn, and I had to husk 'em all, one by one, in an epic battle to defend the Girlfriend's honor. They were polite ninjas, though, which made them easy to defeat. I only had to deal with one at a time, the next in line either jumping out of the cornstalks, or dancing about in a threatening manner until I had dispatched his predecessor.

* Spent hours in the antique shop at Lechemere. Yes, it's a store. I prefer to think of it as a museum. Five goddamn floors, and there's fish on the third floor. I've already said too much. Let's keep it a secret, shall we?

* Read Al Capone�s palm. He wasn�t happy. Made quite the scene.

* Got my hair cut for the first time in seven or eight months yesterday. Yesterday, I had an unfashionable haircut. Today, a couple of girls (not lotsa, obviously) gave me looks. I got over myself in about 20 seconds, of course.

* Oh my God, it's Russel Crowe! Nayh nah NAH neah nah na NEAH!

* Lovingly navigated a Big Dig maze to make our way to North Station, and settled for Paddy Burke's. The Roommate balked before entering 'cause Madonna was playing (Music, makes me feel good, feel like dancing, or whatever)

* Led her upstairs, the Strokes a-posturing, and then somehow the Dead, and there were two patrons and the uber-friendly bartender. We were tired from walking. Good tired. Had the best Boddington's of my life.

* Fought for the rights of the working class, and at my own expense.

* Gov�t center, but more like Haymarket, and then to Charles/MGH, and onto the bridge over the Charles. Passed by the E. Memorial Non-existent Sidewalk, and from there

* across the Salt and Pepper bridge, and to Kendall, and to Central, and we talked, and to the People's Republic. And rest. And beers.

* And then to Harvard, where the whole thing basically started. And it was finished. And I was sad. I looked out the bus window at the Harvard Coliseum on the way home. Which we had walked by on our way away from home.

* Sighed inside.