I've been considering an eccentric kind of thing.

Here it is: Should I consider making it a life goal to ride a long bike ride in every state of the union? It might be amusing to try that. But doesn't that mean I need rules? What is a "long" bike ride? Should it be point-to-point and not a circular route? I mean, I know that the time I crossed a bridge into Maine, rode a hundred years, then turned back to New Hampshire didn't count. But what about the time I rode across the southern part of Vermont? It wasn't a long ride, but it's not a very big state!

My ride that I'm taking in September will start at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and promptly head North to Utah. Will that count as long enough to say I rode Arizona? Hey, Utah isn't a problem; I've crossed that state from East to West before. But what would a substantial ride in Rhode Island look like?

CDs listened to today:

• Dewey Redman: The Ear Of The Behearer
• Test Icicles: For Screening Purposes Only
• Krzysztof Penderecki: Symphony No. 3