Ride In 5/19

Before leaving, I put some air in my tires, hoping this would maybe shake some of my lethargy. It's hard to get on the bike when the weather isn't very nice. It wasn't even raining, but greyness is just hanging over everything lately and there's perpetually a 50% chance of thunderstorms. Though I guess it's not bike-specific. I doubt car (or pogo) commuters have any greater desire to leave the house on such a crummy day.
So, how to combat this weather induced ennui? Well, referring to it as ennui doesn't help. I try to take different route to work from normal. This at least gives you something different to look at. Today, I got to look at a fellow bike commuter that didn't use his seat. Like ever. He might as well have been on an Elliptigo. I think to think of biking as having of all the freedom and pleasure of walking, but accompanied by the pure joy of getting to sit. Why you'd forsake that boggles me.
I think that drivers sometimes forget that car windows are transparent. In that, I can see what you're doing inside. Secret texting? Not secret. Checking out that girl in the short skirt? I see the head swivel. Applying makeup? Yup. They're like moving dioramas.
I took Wilson and Clarendon and then went down 15th to connect to Fairfax Drive and come up on the Iwo side of Rosslyn. Along 15th, I felt like I was being run down by some maniac driving a jeep. I'm used to riding pretty close to cars, so I have a good sense when I'm being followed and when I'm being followed too closely. Speaking jeeps, I forgot to mention that yesterday I saw one with MATTHRN on a "Friends of Tibet"  license plate. I don't think he knows his mountains very well.
I wonder if any Chinese cars have "Friends of Hawaii" license plates.
Transitioning from the Key Bridge sidewalk to M street is a bit tricky. Normally I ride the sidewalk until the Ukrainian Embassy and then cut over into the road. This doesn't work when there's a bus stopped. I got stuck on the sidewalk for another block and I'm sure I was very annoying.
I took Wisconsin today and that was fun, though the people watching wasn't that interesting. The folks outside of the Apple Store just looked sad. Does the iPad sop up your tears of loneliness?
On Wisconsin, I saw a girl with a non-traditional "fashion" bike helmet. I told her that I liked her helmet and she said thanks. I brighten people's days.
The stretch of road by the social Safeway isn't very fun. Just a lot of places where cars be turning. And buses be stopping. And taxis be taxi-ing.