Instant karma's gonna get you

Yea, and after the mighty struggle with the sofa bed, didst the good karma train come a-rollin' back in. I had a fabulous morning.

Got up early and rode my newly pimped bike to light rail, took light rail to the Capitol. Overcame a moment of confusion ("Holy shit, where is everybody! Oh, I'm approaching the South steps, not the West steps."). Hooked up with the Alive and Kicking group and got my shirt (they're super-cool this year). It seemed like kind of a small group this year. I don't know for sure what the numbers were, but there was a year (2000 maybe?) where we took up an entire section of the South steps and Jerry had to go WAY back to get us all in the picture. This time we filled two park benches with people standing behind them and a few people crouching in front. It's such a mixed emotion -- the reason less money is going to AIDS charities is because it's out of the public eye, and it's out of the public eye because fewer people are dying of it. Which is good. But there are new infections all the time and people don't see it, so they're giving less money. Which is bad. Anyway...

Soon, about 11 of my students showed up! Yay! I wasn't sure who was really coming and who was just considering it, but these are the best kids, and several of them were in the Notorious Mockula 5 on the Yosemite trip last year. Three of them actually did the 5K run, the rest of us just did the walk. I ended up walking with one of the kids the whole way, and had a really nice talk with her.

When it was over, they were debating whether to stay and hear the music, go to the mall, see a movie... I told them to be good, don't lie to their parents, and I was going home. I was hoping to catch Sweetie before he went to work. I caught light rail, but as we approached 16th street station (about 3 stations from where I got on) they announced that it was a train bound for the South area. I haven't ridden light rail much since they added the second line (the Blue Line), so I had forgotten that was an option. I got off, and considered what to do. I didn't have a watch and didn't see a train schedule, but decided there must have been a cosmic reason that I was off the train downtown with my bike on a lovely Sunday morning. I pinpointed it -- I was one block from my favorite coffee shop in town! I went to Naked Lounge, ordered a mocha, used the potty, and saw a guy in an "Iowa shucks" t-shirt which I will probably get for my mom. I hope she's not reading my blogs while she's in England, because it'd be a good surprise. The baristas always make the top of your coffee drinks look pretty, usually with little abstract swirls. I heard them talking today about one that was a "work of art." They called my name, and it was my mocha. Noah (head barista guy) said "check it out, she made a perfect apple." And it was!!! And for those of you who know me well, the apple is like my personal symbol!! Frickin' awesome.

I decided I would ride part-way home and if I was tired, I'd hop light rail when I got to 23rd street or something. But I wasn't tired. I think I was energized by my pink laser streamers. I rode all the way home, and it was great. It's a really pleasant day out -- sunny, but not hot. I feel relaxed, happy, energetic, young - and not young in the way I felt when I was actually young, but young like "Hey, I'm 30, relaxed, I can do anything I want, I have security, and that provides a little freedom." It's like being in your early 20s, but without all the anxiety. I'm really happy. Now I'm going to read one of my forums then read the whole paper in the hammock. Oh yeah, then all the grading. Then I think I'm making French toast for dinner. See? This is a great life.