5:21 p.m. | 2003-01-18 Sometimes, You Just Gotta Pick Up Your Marbles And Go Home. Since I didn�t get a chance to visit my usual haunts in OldTown last weekend, I decided to go back there today to do just that. First though, I stopped to have lunch as I was quite ravenous. After lunch, I rolled up on OldTown. Right off, I noticed that it was quite busy which I didn�t expect. Then, I heard a motorcycle. And another one. And then some more. All of a sudden I realized that OldTown was chock full of bikers with big old noisy Harley Davidson�s and shit. Uh, oh. Not that I have anything against bikers � they�re an interesting bunch to say the least � but my ears are just a tad sensitive and those bikes are just a wee bit loud. And, they were ripping and roaring down the streets. Everywhere. Ouch, ouch, ouch. I also noticed a plethora of horse-drawn carriages which only appear during the Winter when something�s going on in OldTown. With bikers come cops and they were everywhere. In standard cop cars, on horses, on motorcycles, and surprisingly, in PT Cruisers. Maybe it�s just me, but I don�t really think of PT Cruisers as the ultimate law enforcement vehicle. There were also a ton of tourists which, again, is a little odd in the Winter. Anyway, since I was there and on a mission, I decided to tough it out. I went and checked out some of my favorite shops, visited the local artists� gallery, dropped by to say hi to Spin and entered the raffle to win a handmade quilt. I wanted to do more but the bikes soon became too much for me. I could feel a migraine forming and I thought my head was gonna pop right off my neck and roll down the street. I�m quite sure my ears were bleeding internally. I was hitting my threshold and would soon be telling big old burly men to shove their fucking bikes up their asses, so I decided to keep the peace and just come home. Going from such loudness to silence was a little too severe for me so I popped in my �just calm down now� CD (az�car � Spanish guitar music) to settle my nerves and my stomach. Almost lost my mind and my lunch in that little foray. I did get a couple of new books though (�The Black Seminoles�, Kenneth W. Porter; �Navajo Code Talkers�, Nathan Aaseng) to add to the stack of other new books that I just bought, including one that I received in the mail just prior to leaving the house this afternoon (�Last Dance, Last Chance�, Ann Rule). Plus, I didn�t pay anything for parking. Nothing, zilch, nada. God, I love the secret parking trick. I was especially lovin� it as I watched mounted police writing out parking tickets. And, fortunately, I still have my marbles. Well, at least most of them. your thoughts? seed flower