...i just wanted to run an errand.

i went out to run an errand tonight, and it was my weirdest venture out of my apartment in a very long time.

first, i got to the skinker metro station. i hadn't heard anything funny because i was listening to the wonderful bucket podcast on my ipod. all of a sudden i see two wackenhut guards. that in itself isn't odd, because they're always around to guard the stations. but, one of them is screaming at the top of his lungs, and slammed his box of metrolink ticket forms onto the ground as hard as he could. that made a very loud crashing noise, since tickets are stored in metal boxes. he was screaming something about how that eastbound train, which had just left the station, should have held for him. the other guard was trying to calm him down.

this was bizarre. if it were something serious on that train, you'd think one or both of those guards would be on a phone or a walkie-talkie, calling their fellow guards at the next station down the line. if it weren't something serious, and the guy just cared that much about his job, you'd think he'd be a little more professional about it. i was curious, and about to take off my ipod and eavesdrop. but, since that would be rude at best and suspicious at worst, i decided to keep my ipod on and walk away.

that turned out to be a good choice. i heard him hurl that ticket box down three more times in the next few minutes. i still don't know what was wrong, but i do know there's a guard with a serious anger management problem who is guarding my local train station.

you'd think that would be enough weirdness for one silly little errand trip. you'd be wrong.

i'm standing at best buy, looking at some stuff for my computer. i'm not wearing anything particularly cute...in fact, i look pretty darn dishevelled because honestly, i don't care that much how i look when i'm running errands. this random guy about my age walks up to me while i'm comparing the virtues of various computer peripherals, and the following exchange ensues:

random dude: excuse me.
me: yes?
random dude: are you...umm...with anyone?
me: with anyone?
random dude: yeah, like either way. are you here with any of them? [points to random guys looking at other computer peripherals]
me: i don't know what you mean by either way, but no, i'm not here with any of those guys over there.
random dude: are you with anyone at all? i mean, i'm newly back on the market, and i just couldn't leave here without asking if you were available.
me: no, no i'm not seeing anyone, but i don't want to 'cause i'm leaving town really soon.
random dude: aw man! alright...i just had to ask. [walks away.]

he wasn't particularly skeezy, and i have to tip my hat to him for not invading my personal space and for walking away as soon as it was obvious that i had shot him down. but, still. it was a very weird encounter.

luckily, the ride home wasn't nearly so weird in comparison. on the train ride home i saw a dude with the worst case of meth-mouth i'd ever seen...but that's far less weird than any of that other stuff, especially because missouri is the meth capital of the country.

hoops!

in about fifteen minutes, Georgia and Xavier tip off. this is awesome...this means that March Madness has finally come again!!

we'll see how well my bracket does. as usual, it has a few cracky upsets in there just for fun. as usual, i have picked Duke to win the whole thing, because i love them and hey deserve to win every game they play. ♥

and, even though i have them picked to make the final game and then eventually lose to Duke...i won't complain if Mt. St. Mary's goes where no sixteenth seed has gone before, and gives the Heels the old heave-ho.

oooooh, shiny.

quick quiz! what do the following two videos have in common, other than making the persecuted crack smoker laugh so hard she can't breathe?

1. "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny" by Lemon Demon:

2. [The Potter Puppet Pals in] "The Mysterious Ticking Noise" by Neil Cicierega

give up? they're by the same guy! Neil Cicierega is Lemon Demon! he is officially a master of internet hilarity.

the internet is a tiny, tiny world.

more news crack smokers can use.

certain items that aren't normally green are customarily dyed green for st. patrick's day. we've seen green beer, green hair, and those creepy old shamrock shakes. even some things that are normally green get greener in the spirit of the holiday: case in point, the Chicago River.

however, some folks in Marietta, Ohio have outdone themselves. a group of crack dealers was caught on monday selling green crack to the police:



i've got to hand it to you, you clever band of small-town crack dealers, for getting into the holiday spirit. it's a great marketing ploy, putting a little extra fun in that extremely addictive drug you're peddling. hopefully a few more enterprising crack dealers will obtain a competitive advantage by following that trail you blazed, and making more fun coloured crack for special occasions. but you? it's not going to be you, at least not for a few years.

you closed a contract to confer your clever celtic crack upon the cops, they caught you, and they confiscated your colourful cocaine concoction.