4/6/00

It's sort of amazing the way one person's actions can have an impact on thousands of people. Today, my class started 45 minutes late because there was a shooting on the Bay Bridge, the bridge which connects San Francisco to its eastern neighbors, including Oakland, Emeryville and Berkeley. Apparently a gun-toting bicyclist was killed by California Highway Patrol officers after refusing to accept a ride from them (bicycles are prohibited on the bridge). As a result, traffic was backed up for hours, and our professor, who works at a research center in Emeryville, was extremely late. (The research center, by the way, is the newly dedicated Gallo Center for Addiction Research, which was funded by those Gallos--you know, Ernest and Julio? The guys who make the cheap, crappy wine? It's kind of ironic, huh?)

Anyway, it wasn't such a big deal for me, personally, although it was kind of annoying to waste 45 minutes when I'm so busy. But it just got me wondering how many thousands of other people's lives were directly impacted by this guy who for whatever reason was really determined to ride his bike across the bridge.

Today I was watching TV and a commercial for bacon came on. I'd never heard of the brand being advertised, but at the end of the ad, the announcer reminded the viewing public to enter in their "Everything's Better Wrapped in Bacon Recipe Contest." I swear to god, I'm not making this up.

I took some time off from the lab yesterday afternoon, and went running. I felt so great afterwards! I'm still feeling good today, even, although that might also be because I slept for 10 hours last night. I went to bed at 9:30, read my book for half an hour, and then woke up at 8. Unfortunately, I don't foresee being able to do that again any time soon.

The forum: are things really better wrapped in bacon?