Bedbugs. I know nothing about them, but I suspect my neighbor in New Orleans had a recipe for them. He was a native New Orleanean and cooked all sorts of critters so well that one would always ask for seconds. I think it was something in the New Orleans gene pool. His wife was no culinary slouch, either.

With regard to the approaching eating season, I'm in good shape on this year's mileage, and I consider fighting weight to be about 162 lbs. After today's ride, I was at 157 (at 6'2" I might actually qualify as roadie skinny), but please do not tell the better half. She maintains that I'm too skinny and look as if I had just escaped from a concentration camp. My mother always throws in with the wife on that one. Therefore, when I'm in LA I will throw caution to the wind and eat with wild abandon. This will please the maternal and spousal units, and I may get back up to fighting weight. Of course, I'll take Slick with me and, barring unforeseen events, will burn some of those calories.