Ride Home 7/11

I wore a white shirt today and I'd wear this short more often, but the bottom of the sleeves are stained yellow from sunscreen (I hope) and it looks sort of stupid and gross and evokes a slovenliness that I do my best to keep hidden, even though it's really just an unfortunate confluence of cheap material and a high SPF sunblock. It looks like weird inverse sweat stains. And yet, whenever it gets hot enough, I wear it.
Was the cop driving on Tunlaw checking her out or looking for crime? I don't think the tank top was stolen, so I'm gonna go with the former.
I was feeling pretty spry going home, in spite of the heat. And thus concludes the weekly spry report. Check back next week to see if I feel spry or not so much.
It's totally allowed to piggyback when the car in front of you stops at a stop sign. Just make sure you don't ride into it, but try to stay as close as you safely can. Controversial? Maybe. But it's pretty useful since drivers tend not to see cars better than they do bicyclists.
Misunderstandings happen every day and they really don't enrage me. Using the roads is a series of negotiations and inasmuch as there are lots of parties to these negotiations, invariably there will be misunderstandings and confusion. Why get upset about it? I don't really know, but there must be something about looking through a windshield that makes the world around you seem hostile and bent on thwarting your every move. My first misunderstanding was with a zombie jogger who looked like he was continue straight, but then as I entered the intersection, decided to cross the street in front of me.
ME: I'm sorry. Do you want to...?
HIM: No, just...
ME: Yeah, you can...
HIM: Go! Just go!

Sorry dude. I didn't know you were going to change directions.
My second was with a driver coming down Key and Oak. I was in the middle of the travel lane with my left arm extended and the driver had her right turn signal on with the aim of turning on Oak in the same direction as I planned to ride. So, I waited and rode forward a little because stopping and unclipping while riding uphill wouldn't really be in my best interest and I figured that she's be done with her turn in just a second and we'd be cool. But then she slammed on her brakes, aborting her turn and started at me, inducing me to complete my turn. "Just go!," I said, shaking my head, and completing the pedestrian to biker to driver circle of misunderstanding. But she didn't go, so I rode across in front of her, only to be immediately passed once she completed her turn. Some advice to drivers: don't try to do bicyclists any favors. Just follow the rules and norms of the roads in your interactions and we'll probably be able to make do.
I saw a guy with a great bike and I rode behind him a bit and when I rode past, I said "I like your bike a lot." It was an older, orange frame, maybe a Bridgestone, with nice fenders, a Brooks, and a cool front basket. I added the a lot because the last time I told a guy I liked his bike, I think there was some confusion and I thought that if my compliment was more substantial, there'd be less so. He said "thanks" but I'm still mostly convinced that his real sentiment was "why are you talking to me?" I'm sharing joy, geez.
Ever ride in front of a car, only to see to person inside mouth "fuck" because your appearance prevented them from making their turn? It's not personal and it's not some sort of slight against bicyclists or judgment on your lifestyle or anything like that. It's just generic frustration and the mouther would probably do the same if it were a car. I'm reasonably confident of this because when I'm driving, I've done my fair share of bemoaning the presence of other road users. I can't think of another thing in society (driving, I'm talking about) that people find so frustrating but defend so apoplectically.
Is anyone looking for a construction worker to round out their all-Salvadoran Village People revue? Cause, I saw a guy outside my building and he's pretty spot-on.