the daily snivel

On Canada Day this year, my good friend Celeste was riding her bicycle home through the University of Ottawa campus. She was on a cycle path that cut through the campus, and was merrily on her way when a group of drunk "beer commercial guys" (the kind that wear Canada flags as capes) who were playing frisbee ran across her path. Like a reasonable and safety-conscious cyclist, she rang the bell on her bicycle to let them know she was coming through.

They yelled at her, telling her to stay out of their game. One of them threw the frisbee at her, hitting her in the back.

It was late and wet. Celeste stopped her bike, causing the wheels to screech dramatically.

The frisbee boys, drunk on booze, testosterone, and the muddling safety of numbers, taunted her. "What are you going to do?" they sneered, "Citizen's arrest?"

"No," Celeste replied, "I'm going to take your frisbee."

And with that, she grabbed the frisbee and started riding away. One of the guys complained, "C'mon, give it back! That's a $17 dollar frisbee! We'll call the cops on you!" But she kept going, even as they vainly chased after her. As she explained to me afterwards, there's really not much they can say about that.

Celeste still has the $17 frisbee, and plans to mount it on her wall like a trophy deer head.

I love that girl.