Correspondents checked in from places far from New York City.

LOS ANGELES MUSIC AFFICIONADOS

By Paul Davidson

Three overweight men wearing a Buffy T-Shirt, a sweat-stained tee- shirt, and a mesh see-through something or other. All three stare at the front cover of the new Annie Lennox album.

#1: "She doesn't have any make-up on."

#2: "Cover of your own album, you'd think she'd at least look good."

#3: "That's the point. The name of the album is "Bare."

[A beat. A longer one. Cocked heads, examining and thinking.]

#1: "Well get a freakin' bear on there, then."

#2: "Yeah. Jesus."

GETTING AWAY FROM THE INSANITY?

By Tom Weiser

Odd signs on the highway on the way to Gettysburg:

Heavy Deer Area
Giant Trout Stocking
Land of Make Believe, next right.

Near Gettysburg:

Battlefield Taxidermy

THERE'S THIS FROM DETROIT

By Matthew Tobey

My wife and I stood on our porch at 3 am, smoking with some friends, when we heard a peculiar sound approaching. Simultaneously, the five of us turned our heads to find the source. 

We didn't expect to see a thirteen-year-old kid riding his bike.

We especially didn't expect to see a thirteen-year-old kid riding his bike with another kid on the handlebars carrying another bike. 

But that's what we saw.