Amongst the dozen of so readers of this blog must be at least one covert operative employed by the CIA. Evidence? The "Fedex" spy truck was replaced by a Penske van and the surveillance of the Russian Embassy continues. On Monday, it'll probably be a dump truck. Or not, now that I've mentioned it...
It wasn't as hot today as it was yesterday and I could tell this because I both didn't burn the inside of my upper leg when I brushed it against my top tube, as happened yesterday, and because the contents of my water bottle didn't reach a boil today. I could have made tea yesterday. Time to look into a bike-friendly Herend travel mug. They might not make those.
Sometimes you see a guy who might be wearing workout clothes, but he might also be wearing some weird S & M spandex outfit. He sort of looked like Conan O'Brien with a shock of red hair and pale, pale skin. His black shirt was not only tight, but had a deep scoop cut that far exceeded the bounds of good taste and propriety. Maybe I should have lent him my fingerless bike gloves to complete the outfit. Watch out, Burleith.
I "love" when drivers race me. Like, not jokingly, but really try to beat me to the next stop sign. Spoiler alert: cars are going to win. That is, until they hit traffic and then I'm going to win. If you're a driver and you think you're proving some kind of point by driving your car really fast past a bicycle, I can assure you that you are: it's that gas is expensive and you're wasting it trying to race someone who doesn't give a damn.
Never trust walk signals. Walk signals do not tell you that it's safe to cross; they indicate that the property rights of a particular right of way have been temporarily transferred to the pedestrian group. This is a key distinction! What keeps you safe is looking for idiots driving their cars too quickly through red lights because they're distracted by their cell phones and not getting in their way. The crossing between M and the Key Bridge was tricky today- especially in light of the parked, unloading Miller Lite truck outside of Dixie Liquors. It impeded the right lane and made it difficult (for me) to see oncoming car traffic and I'm glad that I took extra caution rather than flit out with my usual insouciance. Because when it comes to flitting and insouciance, I'm basically the Madeline of bike commuters.
There's not many more important skills a bicyclist can learn than the ability to look behind him or her over his or her shoulders. It's not only useful for the purpose of seeing, which is important, but moreover, useful for the purpose of signaling. There's something about that movement that makes drivers take notice. I have previously given instructions on how to practice, but you can also just start doing it without practicing. It's way more effective than hand signals.
I realized when I got home that my sunglasses were smudged and that it wasn't nearly as hazy as I thought it was. Whoops.
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