Just because they perfectly fit the stereotype of the bike thief doesn't make it any less likely that they actually stole the bikes.

W


hen I came back from much time at UVA's Cocke Hall, Deya informed me that most of the bikes had been stolen from the front yard last night between 7:30 and 9:30 pm. I'd thought the yard had looked a little too uncluttered when I left.

There's no serious question about who stole the bikes either. Before dark Deya had seen a group of unknown ten-year-old black boys milling around at the end of our dead end street. They asked her if she knew of a short cut, and she invited them to leap over our back fence. Just because they perfectly fit the stereotype of the bike thief doesn't make it any less likely that they actually stole the bikes. Further evidence that little people were the thieves was the fact that someone had actually attempted to steal my bike, but it has such a huge frame that it apparently proved impossible to ride, and was left in the street.

Matthew Hart's bike and Deya's bike are relatively expendable, if you can possibly imagine what I mean. But Leah's bike was an expensive Bianci for which she paid real money. She has every reason to be upset.

This may not be our first problem with theft; Matthew's acoustic guitar hasn't been seen in days, and this has him pretty upset. It was worth $300, but more importantly, it has lots of sentimental value. It was the Big Fun guitar a year and a half ago, and before that, it was the Tandem School guitar. His only hope is that it was borrowed by a friend.

We will be more vigilant in the future. Doors will not be left unlocked so casually.

Matthew had me accompany him to Farmer Jack so I could buy him a bottle of champagne. He's still plagued by a lack of an alcohol-purchasing ID. The champagne was for a noble cause, however. Sarah "Rosy" Rosenthal recently had her wisdom teeth extracted and can only eat cold food that requires minimal chewing. The champagne was to be used in a Honeydew Melon "soup" for which Matthew had obtained a recipe. From the ingredients, it sounded more like a fruit smoothey than a soup.

What a sorry reason to sacrifice ones life: in support of the cause to continue the exploitation of working men!

I


n the evening, I watched news shows on cable teevee, including the News Hour with Jim Leher. Deya told me that her parents regard that show as "dorky." It's kind of a bore, I agree, but I'm sort of interested in the economic and social turmoil resulting from the UPS strike. The strike already has a death toll: I see that a UPS tractor trailer just overturned and killed the driver, a strike-breaking white collar guy who apparently should have stuck with his desk job and left the truck driving to the guys who know how. What a sorry reason to sacrifice ones life: in support of the cause to continue the exploitation of working men!

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