The Story of Tanabata

This is the story of Tanabata (the 7th Day of the 7th Month).

A long, long time ago, in Heaven there was living a God. His daughter was alone, and her name was Orihime. Orihime was very serious; every day she woke up early and performed weaving.

One day, God thought to himself, "Orihime is already an adult. She should probably get married."

God looked for a serious man. On the other side of the Milky Way there was living a man; his name was Hikoboshi. Hikoboshi worked with cows on a farm.

Orihime and Hikoboshi became married. The two fell in love. They were always together though they didn't work.

God became angry. But, the two still did not work a job.

God, very angry, took Orihime back home. The two did not want to be separated. Orihime wanted to meet Hikoboshi, and so she cried every day.

God thought the two were pitiful, and so he said: "Orihime, Hikoboshi, you may meet one day a year. That will be the evening of the 7th day of the 7th month. Orihime, on that day you may go to the other side of the Milky Way. But, you must return by morning."

One day a year, on the evening of Tanabata, Orihime and Hikoboshi meet. Thus, their wish had been realized.

Cinco de Mayo

How to spend the occasion? Grab a friend and head down to Seven-Eleven. That's right- patronize your local convenience store by grabbing a hot dog covered in onions and free chili, and an ice-cold slurpee of one or many flavors. What better way is there to spend a nice night, like that which tomorrow's will prove to be, than to hang out at Seven-Eleven. A nice, warm night with your friends, enjoying the simplest parts of life.

Speaking of which, why do you think human beings exist? Leave me some thoughts in the comments.

Bicycle vs. Sidewalk Bicycle

In reading through the District of Columbia Bicycle Regulations pdf I've noticed a distinction in privileges between "bicycles" and "sidewalk bicycles." For example, a sidewalk bicycle may not travel in the street, unless, for example, it is passing in a crosswalk. So what's the difference between bicycles, which have much more freedom of operation in the District, and these "Sidewalk Bicycles?"

I have found a sidewalk bicycle for sale on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Diego-27167-10-Inch-Sidewalk-Bike/dp/B000HDDFFW. It appears to be a very small, childrens' bicycle with training wheels on it. It is quite clear, then, why a bicycle of this size or capability would not be allowed in the street.

But... other than Amazon's result, finding web pages referencing "sidewalk bicycles" proved challenging. In essence, a bicycle is a device with two wheels that propels a user. Maybe a device such as a scooter, which also has two wheels and is used to propel its owner, could be a "sidewalk bicycle" because of its proximity to the sidewalk during operation. In this case too, though, it is quite clear why a scooter would not be permitted operation in a roadway.

The mystery lives on. It is unclear why a term so seemingly ambiguous to even a very educated person would be implicated in a penal code which has the power to affect someone's life. In a document so powerful, Lehman's terms might have been better served.