I spent the day at home, reading, watching a documentary film or two, making soup, talking to cats, and just generally being on vacation. Once the clock hit 5:00, though, it was time to get on the bike and head down to the French Quarter to meet D. and friends for food and drinks. I suited up in lights and florescent vest and my helmet out on the corner. I saw a little wriggly movement out of the corner of my eye, and there it was! A little mouse! He hopped up on the curb and looked around all nervously before scampering across the oak tree roots and into the night. Now, if this mouse had been inside my house, I’d be talking about it in an entirely different way, but out there I can keep a safe distance. I don’t see a lot of mice or rats in my travels, but I know they’re out there. I see the giant rat traps along sidewalks around the Breaux Mart and have discovered the chewed bits on the edges of bread bags. And tonight at the super fancy schmancy bar down on N. Rampart, there was this glue mousetrap behind the sink. There are probably entire colonies of mice and rats scurrying under our feet as we blithely move through space. All the more reason, I think, to ride a bike–keep your feet on the pedals and off the ground. After a slow, leisurely drink, we all parted ways, and I hopped on the bike for a quick ride down the St. Claude bike lane and back up Chartres. Sometimes I just want some smooth asphalt so I can zone out and go–lucky me to get a couple of those miles in tonight.