I'm driving my van last night to the grocery store, and I see a man walking his bicycle. It's laden with plastic bags, hung from every extending aspect of the bike. I noticed that his tire was flat, so I pull over and walk toward him. He's maybe in his mid 20's, tall and lanky, baseball cap barely sitting still on his fro, and a strong smell permeates the air around him. "You need a ride somewhere?" "Yes. I would like that." "Where am I taking you?" "Wal-mart, please. I need a new inner tube." So I load the bike onto the rack on the back of the van, and we both get into the vehicle. He asks me, "What do you do for a living?" "I'm a programmer." "You work for Microsoft?" "No. If I did, I'd have a lot more money." "You know, if I had money, I would invest in gold and silver. The dollar is collapsing." "A lot of people agree with you." "I like silver better." "Why's that?" "You can eat silver. It's healthy for you." "Okay..." "I'm a nutrition consultant. I want to go to California to be a homeopath. Or Canada." "I've been to Canada. I like it there." "Is it cold?" "It's not much different than Minnesota." "I think I'll go to California. I don't like wearing a lot of clothes." |