I went biking after work on Wednesday in an effort to whip myself back into shape. It's been a while since I've ridden the ol' bikes on a consistent basis and I figure I am all out of excuses (rain, cold, work, band, lazy) so I was determined to get a lap or two in at the lake.

The first lap was great. I hauled ass and went faster than I normally do. Since the sun was still kind of up, I thought I could get one more lap in before it set entirely, so kept riding. About twenty minutes into the second lap, something strange happened. Well, it I wasn't so strange because I experienced the same thing a couple summers ago when I was an intern here, but I didn't expect the same thing to happen since it's not really summer yet.

What happened was this: swarms of tiny airborn bugs descended on the lake. It was like the Ten Plagues. Determined to drive me away from their feeding grounds, they bombarded me with their presence. They made noise as they hit my helmet and glasses and bike. They were too small to see with the fading light, but as soon as the sun was completely down and my bike light was the only thing illuminating the bike path, I could see them streaking past in the night. I had to duck my head as I rode to keep from eating or snorting them. It was hilarious. One of them got caught in my ear. That wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Today, I went for a ride in the beautiful 75 degree three o'clock air with The Evil I. After he complained of nausea and impending hurlage and headed home, I kept riding for another lap. Somewhere along the way I found myself in a strong head wind. While I was huffing and puffing up a hill, a bug much larger than the tiny insects from the other evening set itself on a direct crash course with my mouth and quickly got lodged in my throat.

It happened so fast I hardly had time to come to terms with the fact that I had just eaten a bug. Thankfully, he didn't go all the way down, but had just gotten caught in the back of my throat, so I hocked him right back out. Bastard. I'll show you. Then I vigorously rinsed my mouth with water, cursed at nature, admired the pretty trees, and rode on.

I saw The Breeders last week. And they weren't drunk and/or high on something this time. I saw The Breeders in college (2000?) and I'm pretty sure Kim and/or Kelley had engaged in illicit substances prior to the show. But this time, the Deal sisters were sober and witty. They played some of my old favorites - Iris, I Just Wanna Get Along, Shocker In Gloomtown, Divine Hammer, and a song I did not expect to hear, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, which may have been the best song of the night.

The opening band, Colour Revolt, really wants to be an experimental indie band. They have a ways to go. "A" for effort. I'll reserve judgment on the rest.

Who knows how long the Deal sisters will keep touring. Go see them while you can. It's a nice taste of off-camber mid-90s indie-pop. Which, of course, will never go out of style.

This song has been stuck in my head for weeks. I wish I could write songs half as good as this one. With only four chords, she manages to create a catchy and powerful melody.

Not to mention PJ Harvey is totally hot.