20/08/2002 - 11:20 p.m.

Neither rain nor sleet nor snow... nor fish?

My friend Brandy wants to send me a fish through the post. Fish are the only pets you can have in dorms, and she just wants to see if a fish would actually make it through the US postal service. I have no idea how she intends to send it, but, a fish she intends to send me. I'm almost certain that I'll end up receiving a dead fish in a rather soggy box. We all remember the episode of Seinfeld in which Elaine buys the fish, do we not?

Of course, if it lives, I'm not sure what I'll do with it. First off, it will need naming. What does one name a fish who survives the post? Toby?

Well, after today's shopping trip I have shoes. Not so very painful an experience, actually. There weren't a whole lot to choose from so I ended up with a pair of Sketchers that I'm OK with but not wild about. I wanted the rollerskate kind (I have no idea how to rollerblade, but I can rollerskate) but they didn't have them in my size.

Here's a rich bit of irony. Today I saw a car all bedecked with American flags, flying from the windows, plastered on the back windows, on the license plate, from the antenna, everyplace you could stick a flag (well, almost...). The make of the car? A DaeWoo. Please.

I think I admire the Australians who scream and cheer like maniacs when their flag is flown. No hand over the heart, no pledge, nothing solemn and traditional that they're expected to do, they just scream and yell for the hell of it. That seems to me to be pretty wholehearted patriotism. I'm sick of this American bandwagon patriotism.

The Halloween decorations are up for sale between the back to school supplies and the clearance bin full of the remnants of July 4th. All will have their turn in that bin, of course.