Ride In 2/10

On Thursdays for work, I have to go to a different office, which requires either a bus trip or a walk down  Massachusetts Avenue. Though I'm a hearty New Englander (?) and I've made the walk without a coat before (on account of wearing only my bike jacket to work), I'm also maybe a little bit pragmatic and decided that today I would forego the bike jacket and wear a navy blue pea coat, but otherwise my usual bike outfit. Between the tight bike pants and the jacket, I looked like I had just wrapped up at Borodino. Add in the sunglasses and bike helmet, I'm sure I was quite the sight. 
A bit of my own scofflawism led to some confusion with a Corner Bakery delivery van. Typically, when I'm on Fairfax I cross over to to the bike lane on the wrong side of the street in front of the George Mason campus. I do this in order not to get stuck at the light waiting to turn left onto Kirkwood. I know it's not legal ("...and while there is a criminal element I am of it"), but it normally works out ok for me and ok for cars. Well, today the Corner Bakery van coming up Fairfax across Kirkwood was planning on parking in front of George Mason, so there's was some confusion about whether I should go right (putting me in the travel lane, opposite oncoming cars) or left (towards the curb and thus blocking the van even more). I went right, pedaled past and we all moved on with our lives. 
It was cold and I was pretty sniffly. I wonder if drivers thought to themselves "What's the deal with grand armee robocop and his flaring nostrils?" I'm guessing they didn't. 
There's snow blocking the sidewalk-cum-bike path between at Uhle Street along Lee Highway. I think it'll melt by this weekend, but it would have been nice if it were cleared. 
I saw two dads pushing strollers on the Custis this morning. I assumed that they were dads and not "mannies." Don't know what that means about my feminist bona fides. 
I was carrying my toolbox with me on account of Tool Academy tonight. It was heavy, so the hills of Georgetown passed me by a little slower than usual. I did my usual waving/hand signaling to the police officer directing traffic outside of the Washington International School. She waves me through the stop sign pretty much always, so she's the Idaho Stop cop. Speaking of which, I think that DC needs to re-evaluate whether it should be advocating for something called an Idaho stop, which sounds foreign and isn't a stop at all, and should maybe think about re-branding it the DC Go-Go? That would add some local flavor and maybe if we could get Chuck Brown doing some promotions for WABA, we could have a real constituency for a change in bike laws? Somebody tell Mendo. 
When I got to work, I had an awesome email from my wife, who took the 4B to work this morning:

I just saw your pterodactyl shark mobile parked at 9 th and Barton!!

Sweet.