Two things happened today that haven't happened since the 80's.

1 - I ate food from McDonalds.
2 - I heard a new U2 song and I didn't like it.

The McDonalds thing is hard to explain. Not the part about how I *never* eat there. The part how I managed to eat there this morning. I was starving and forgot all of my breakfast foods. I had 2 sips of a fruit smoothy and a peach at the office which I inhaled with no noticiable effect on my hunger. Slummy food sounded good. WKB was on his way in from the airport from a business trip so I called his cellphone and enthusiastically suggested that he stop at McD's and get me an egg mcmuffin. First he asked me specifically what mouth-watering entree I wanted, and being unfamiliar with the menu, he had to run me through it. I stuck with my original choice and he arrived at the office a short time later with a piping hot mcmuffin and hash browns.

"You're a prince," I said. It was so yummy I could suddenly understand why America loves this food.

About 15 minutes later I felt sick. I had a watery mouth and lurching digestive system for the rest of the day. I tasted that stuff FOR HOURS. I could feel it work it's way through every step of the digestive cycle. My innards groaned unhappily while processing the greasy, salty sludge. I couldn't eat my lunch. I did not feel normal until after 4pm. Why does America love this food? I told WKB if I ever ask for McD's again, not to bring it to me.

The U2 thing may be an anomaly. I sometimes hate a radio single the first time I hear it, and later I hear the whole album and it grows on me and I love it. So this may not be the end of this story. But the last time I hated a new U2 song was something from that dreadful Hum and Drum album that was also a movie. I think I might have owned it at one point but it's gone now. U2 did a couple of things in the 90's that I didn't bother buying but I don't remember disliking singles. This new thing was ... I don't know why I didn't like it. I want to say it sounded too derivative -- can a band be too derivative of itself? But also it sounded a little manic carnival Sgt. Pepper that wasn't working for me. Like I said, maybe after I hear it again or hear the entire album, I'll feel differently.