February 03, 2003 - 12:50 p.m.

two facts about my knees that are pertinent to this entry:

1. i cannot ride a bicycle because my knees pop every time the pedals go around. (this is due to a car accident i had in 1994, in which i was hit head-on while driving a volkswagen beetle.) it feels quite gross and a bit like a tendon popping out of place or some sort of dislocation. then the knees swell up and hurt for months at a time.

2. most of the time, my knees are ok. that said, when i do have pain, it's rarely both knees at the same time, and it's rarely the same knee in a row.

i have many kinds of knee pain, all relating to different activities or weather, or for no reason at all. there's precipitation pain (snow hurts worse than hail, which hurts worse than rain, in case you were wondering), swelling-from-too-little-sleep pain (a.k.a. all-nighter knees), stiffness from the previous day's over-exertion, etc. they all feel different, and they all hurt in different ways.

i have no idea how it happened, but my right knee began experiencing the bicycle popping pain last week, but without the bicycle, which i find most disturbing. i haven't done anything to provoke it (i rarely do), but it keeps making the same painful pop every time i bend or flex my leg. even in bed. add to that my sore lower back of late (who knows why?), and you might understand why i've been holding my bladder lately. when it hurts to sit down and get up again, i'd rather stay in place, thank you.

that might have something to do with why i've been running around the city all weekend - anything to avoid sitting.

i was excited about heading to a flea market on saturday morning. it was organized as part of the midsumma festival and advertised as a "bargin hunters' paradise" [sic] and "buying bonanza" in a local paper. when i got there, about an hour after opening, there were only five stalls set up. five. one woman had a selection of books by gay and lesbian authors next to about 40 jars of honey. "it's all homegrown!" she cheerfully told me. i ignored the urge to inform her that we don't eat honey in my household because of a certain person's vegan diet. instead, i channeled my energy into making it look like i was just strolling through the area and wasn't planning to buy anything.

yesterday was a bit more eventful, with my shopping purchases including:

* a voltage transformer, so simon and i can plug in our american electronic toys and not have them (or the house) blow up. a whopping $118.

* cold-pressed watercolor paper for making polaroid image transfers of the lucksmiths photos i took on friday.

* grape soda and jackfruit snacks from indonesia - purchased at an ethnic grocery store

i should also add here that simon bought an x box this week. i suppose it was inevitable, really, but i still can't help feeling defeated. sigh.