Day 96: Day 94

Excel tells me that somewhere in the telling, I lost two days. These things happen.

Wrapping up threads: I made my triumphant return to Cambridge last night, even nabbing an aisle seat in the process (and the seat next to me was empty -- double score!). Unfortunately, it seems that because the weekend consisted largely of sitting in cramped seats, at stadiums and on airplanes, my IT bands stiffened up something fierce.

Fortunately, I loosened them up good today. After work I biked about three miles to meet up with Carson, who led me on a five-mile, death-defying run through the wilds of Cambridgeport and the Fenway, during which we braved Swiss-cheese-like pavements, screaming insane pickup-truck drivers, and the hanging-by-a-thread Boston University Bridge, a deathtrap to pedestrians, runners, cyclists, and drivers alike. So I counted today as both a running day and a biking day, even though only six miles were spent on the bike. You'd think that this would make me even sorer tomorrow, but in fact I expect to wake up somewhat more limber than I was today.

Bonus (actually a penalty): when Continental rebooked me on US Airways yesterday, I had to switch terminals, meaning that I had to exit the "secure" area at Continental and re-enter at US Airways. (By the way, the Continental terminal looks like the sort of landside facility you'd find at the airport of a country hostile to America.) Anyway, this meant that I had to dispose of the seltzer and water I'd bought. The seltzer was no problem: I drank it. But I couldn't also down 20 ounces of water without exploding. I tried to return it to the drugstore: no dice, for the same bogus reason I can never just get a plain ol' cup for water at a ballgame. ("Inventory.") I then tried to pawn it off on one of Sky Harbor's official greeters, an elderly man in a cheap vest who recoiled in horror when I proffered the bottle. "Just chuck it," he said, perhaps fearing some manner of imminent physical attack. "Isn't a shame to waste it?" I asked earnestly. "Everyone does it," he said, body twisting away from me. I abruptly disengaged and tossed the full water bottle into the trash can, muttering, "This is why the planet is dying."