Copley Square in Boston is a busy place on Fridays, it seems, though I would guess it depends on the Friday. Today there was a whole bunch of people gathering to protest Israel's recent actions towards Lebanon, a couple hundred people on bikes for Critical Mass (which I was there for), and a couple Green Party members handing out "fruit for free," "soybeans, cherries, and strawberries in the bag!", wearing some shirts that said something about voting for Ralph Nader.

So, the Green Party handed out food to the bikers while we were circling up and getting ready to head out, and the bikers and protesters cheered each other on as we rode by, in a sort of bizarre, random symbiotic relationship.

Today was also the first time I rode through the heart of a thunderstorm. We were passing through Harvard Square when the worst of it hit, though it was really obvious that we were heading into the storm a good deal of time beforehand. Some parts were a little like riding blind into a sheet of pins, but it really made the whole thing just a little more exhilarating. Especially when you get to ride through six inches of runoff on Mass Ave. Mmm, puddles.

Luckily, I had the foresight to check the forecast and pack my laptop into a plastic bag since I didn't go home before riding out with a couple friends from the Media Lab. Really, that's amazingly lucky on my part. I never think of these things in advance. I think, however, that the laptop was the only thing dry in the bag by the time I got home.

The ride petered out in the middle of Brighton somewhere, and a guy from BU and I broke off to head back. Neither of us really knew exactly where we were, or how to get back to our respective residences. There is nothing quite like the feeling of being completely lost at dusk, with the whole night before you to find your way back home. It's a good feeling. IMHO. Provided you're not lost in a sketchy neighbourhood.

After a little while of based-off-the-sun-setting-in-the-west wandering, I was about to break out the laptop and go wifi hunting. Somehow, we just ended up asking for directions at a 7-11.

I love friends made in really weird and random ways.