Oh it was fun. Goddamn they are so good!
I don't know who is familiar with "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers, but the following paragraph made me laugh out loud on the train yesterday:
Pg. 300: Because his chain has been stuck, or broken, for weeks - we've gotten it fixed twice but it quickly reverts to its useless, congealed form - he has been doing what amounts to a coasting sort of thing to school, where, without sitting on the seat, he has one foot on one pedal, and pushes off with the other, using his bike like a skateboard, or scooter. He had described it to me, but I had not seen the routine until one day, when, after he left, I was walking to the bathroom to pee before going back to bed, when I noticed his lunch was still on the kitchen table. I ran out after him, and he was gone so I drove to the school, not expecting to see him en route but there he was, heading toward the first traffic light, at California and Masonic. It was unbelievable. He was doing the thing with the pedals and the pushing off, like riding the bike sidesaddle - it looked like he was joking. No normal child would ride a bike like that. And of course he wasn't wearing his helmet. I honked and stopped him at the corner.
If you haven't read this book, you must do so. It is terrifically funny, and sometimes nauseating, and sometimes... oh yes, sometimes... more than a little heartbreaking.