Saturday, I got to visit Susan, my high school bud, and her husband Mike. She made Zucchini Pie and raved about the awful linoleum they had pulled up a few weeks ago. Some things about her do not change. She still loves great music, says exactly what she thinks, and tells you to f*** off as a sign of affection.

There are a lot of Susan stories, but here's the one most people remember. We skipped the prom together to go see The Outsiders, after which I took her home, promptly backed up her driveway ... and right into the drainage ditch. So I rung the doorbell and called my folks from inside. Susan's mother was very nice and pitched in to help, while Susan was laughing hysterically in the corner. "It was so cute," she described it later. Ehhhh. I dunno. I'm still working through it.

This was the first time I met Mike, and he's really cool. He's a prof in the English department at the University of Nebraska, so we talked about some of my old eccentric professors, and about academia and old movies. Susan is the Young Adult's librarian at Loren Eisley library, and she is very protective of her customers. She's the kind of person I'd want to guide my reading my life at that age. But then again, she pretty much did that with music - she got my hooked on The Clash and The Sex Pistols and all that. And I find myself unearthing old treasures like The Smiths, and she'd say, "I told you 20 years ago about them. But did you listen?? No-hoh!"

Travellin' Tom and I went out on our first bike ride this morning. I rented a cool Trek Pilot on Saturday, which developed a spontaneous flat tire by Sunday morning. (Where did this curse come from?) Having fixed it, I cut a diagonal path through the town, along Lincoln's newly constructed bike trails. They're really cool, and there were many bikers out and about. Monday I'm going to riding from Lincoln to Omaha, about 45 miles, so this was a really good warm up.

What's in Omaha besides Warren Buffet? That would be my brother Bret and his family, off to the left there. My folks and I drove out there for an early dinner of barbecued country-style ribs, corn, cucumbers, green beans, homemade french bread and pie. They had used a hand truck to load me back in the car afterwards.

It's been like ten years since I've seen them. My sister-in-law Lisa and I share the same birthday, although in different years, and we had lots to talk about. My niece Taber (holding Trvaellin' Tom with Lisa) is about to start her senior year, preparing to do the veteranary school track. I let her practice on Tom (some cosmetic surgery would do him a lot of good). Tess, who Tom is looking at, is an avid reader and wonderful to talk to. And Cameron, my only nephew, seems to be the only jock ever in the Riecke lineage.

I didn't mention Bret, my brother. After a hug, it took 30 seconds for us to devolve into a volley of name-calling ("Scumbag! Jerk! Fool!") It was so dysfunctional. Hee hee.

Well, the rule is ... if you feed Craig he keeps coming back to your door. So Monday I'm riding out to their place. More meat will be involved, I'm pretty sure. I am such an environmental disappointment. Oh well.