So, we took a walk today, partly to get some whiteboards and soda, and partly just to take a walk because it was all horrible and sunny and warm, and we've both got these backpacks now....

The backpacks are Jansport Odyssey 38 'Technical Freedom Daypack', or something. Some long, stupid name that basically means 'really decent, really comfy backpack that holds a lot and makes it feel like not-so-much.' It's got a 2350 cubic inch capacity, with two main compartments, and a bunch of smaller ones, including a place for one of those little hydration-tube-bladder-things. Camelbacks, or whatever they're called. The straps are curved and unusual [to me], but the shape and the fact that they're filled with strange squishy stuff actually seems to make a difference.

The internal 'frame' -- really a well-padded sheet of metal in the back, between you and the backpack -- might also help. It certainly distributes the load in an unexpectedly nice way, and the padding is just lovely. So are the sternum strap and waist belt. It'll hold two FridgePacks of soda, and a few other small things. It seems to hold the soda and the laptop at once, but I wasn't carrying that pack, so I can't really say.

The backpack is here, but don't listen to their little list of features -- it does not come with a drinking tube. And you can't get their special tube unless you buy their 'Big Squirt' pack. Meh.

So, yeah, we walked to get soda. And some whiteboards. And some McDonalds, since McDonalds will kill you instantly, right now.

Why the sudden obsession with whiteboards? They're spiffy, and nifty, and the little ones fit in my scanner, so I can do stuff like this.

Yeah. It's stupid. But they're also surprisingly good for getting website ideas mapped out visually -- and more reusable than graph paper. And, again, scannable.So, we've got a few now.

The whiteboards led us across the street, because they were about three dollars cheaper over there. Also, the McDonalds was over there, and, like I said, instant death.

At least that's what someone told me in chat. I think they lied.

Anyway....

Going across the street like that may've been a bad idea. See, Kohls was over there. And I got this crazy idea thtat they might have something I'd want. Like new bras that didn't cost $40.

Big mistake.

See, I'm never really certain what size I am, because sizes? They're not set. So I have to try them on. And I hate that.

Because sometimes, the fitting room doors don't lock. And sometimes, you get stuck using the cripple changing room, with the floor-to-ceiling wall. And sometimes, people don't knock.

And sometimes, the doors just don't latch properly anyway.

Sometimes, everything lines up just right so you end up flashing someone while trying on a bra because your fucking doors don't latch and they didn't bother checking to see if anyone was in there....

But I have front-closing bras that fit now, so I guess some girl seeing my girl-parts and then showing up everywhere I went in the store wasn't all bad....

I also found these really comfy pants, and I actually got a picture of me trying them on, but since I am having a bloated and ghastly day, I'm not going to share that picture.

Then it was off to get soda, and then back home with a fairly heavy load.

Throughout the entire walk, I noticed that there are two responses [not counting the 'ignoring response'] to people getting around on foot. I only just got to see the second one today -- the polite, considerate response. Where they don't try to run you over when you're crossing the street [even though you've got the little white walkin' dude]. The other kind is the one I usually see -- the scornful glare. This angry, hate-filled, sorta snooty look that's sometimes hard to catch, because it's being given to you from behind the tinted window of some huge fucking SUV. I saw that look several times today, and there were four or five over-the-shoulder nasty looks from a guy in sneakers, old BDU trousers, some product shirt, and a USAF-rank-bearing camouflage cap.

What the hell is it with these people? Are they members of the 'we hate pedestrians' club? What's wrong with walking, anyway? So what, so I'm on foot. Should I be ashamed that I'm not driving a car half a block, getting eight gallons to the mile, just so I can get a jar of mustard and a pack of gum? Is that what it is? Are walkers eco-nuts? Because not all of them are. And they're not all health-nuts either. Nor are they necissarily poor or homeless or even just someone else's under-driving-age kids looking to get into trouble.

Sometimes, the pedestrian is just someone [or a couple of someones] out to get some fresh air. Or a little non-health-nutty exercise. Or they're just people who understand that it's way faster to walk to certain locations than it is to take the loopy fucking streets from point A to point B via Points Q, L, and ZZ 9 Plural Z Alpha. Sure, you can't carry much on foot [depending on your backpack], but any sufficiently large trip should be made to a 'Big Box Store' anyway.

My ankle isn't too happy with the walk, and my head isn't always thrilled about it either. This walk was also full of other humans, but it wasn't nearly as bad as being on a crowded highway and thinking that absolutely everyone is going to hit you, and mean it.

Ah, anxiety. My constant, loving companion. Always looking out for me, making sure I can't eat, and can't function properly if I don't have a 'personal space' of five feet in every direction. Today was a good day, though. An 'actually leaving the house while the sun is out' day. Not that I was alone -- Gremlin was there, too. Out in the sun, because he had a headache already.

I'm gonna pay for that. And it's probably going to be a weird, horrible sort of payment, based on what I found under my big pine tree when we got home.

A broken SuSE Linux CD. Disc 5, I think, but I can't be sure, because I don't know anything about SuSE, but there's a bigassed five on it, and it says 'SuSE, and it was just sitting there, broken, like someone tried to install Linux on my tree.

I should've gotten a picture of that, but I was too wrecked, and didn't feel like pulling my camera out of my useless little jacket pocket. I just wanted to get inside, lose thirty pounds, put stuff away, and figure out how to blog about my insanely retarded moment of partial public nudity.

Now, I'm going to watch 24, and wish that my DVR wasn't bulemic.

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