7/28/11

Ride Home 7/28

I type this with (yet another) episode of Dance Moms playing in the background. Just throwing that out there.
Who is Xanthippe? Until I got home and looked it up, I had no idea. But this didn't stop me from asking during my ride home, having no context for the question or any idea why I would even be thinking of the word. Great name, though. Likewise, why would (Narayana) Kocherlakota's name be stuck in my head? I guess today was weird name day and I'm glad that it's over.
Can't descend as fast on the Haul, so I sit up and take it easy. Seems like it takes forever to get downhill, made even more complicated by the stream of drivers making lefts and rights and u-turns and stopping short and not stopping at all. I wouldn't mind as much if it wasn't so imperiling. I'd just rather not be hit because some driver didn't have the patience to allow a slightly slower moving vehicle pass.
Heavier bike means less mashing. That's not so bad.
White Mercedes convertible, older white dude, head phones in ear, less care for traffic laws, fan of tailgating. Glad I was behind and not in front. I imagine he wouldn't be so patient, but who knows? Maybe he won his white Mercedes convertible in a 'share the road' contest, a fictive contest that certainly wouldn't offer a car as a prize.
No matter how fast you drive down 34th street, odds are that I'm going to pass you before you get to M. Bike lane or not, it's still faster to go by bike. It's a question of scarcity- much like a small woodland creatures in the waning time of dinosaurs, I'm more adaptable and need less to get by. I'm pretty sure that The Land Before Time planted the subliminal messages in my youth that paved the way for my bikey lifestyle. And an American Tail has made me a staunch support of Israel.
Resplendent in an azure Bike Arlington jersey was Chris Eatough at the corner of Lynn and Lee Highway. That's two local luminaries in back-to-back days. Double winning. We weren't going in the same direction, so I didn't get a ride along. If I can spot Shane Farthing tomorrow, I'm pretty sure I win BikeDC bingo for an as yet to be determined prize. Maybe an autographed Smuggle game board?
I took the Custis up to Veitch and rode behind a guy on a full-suspension mountain bike. If you're just buying a commuter bike, you probably don't need a full-suspension mountain bike. It might not even be the right choice. Do what you want, but I really think you could do better.
I haven't written in a while about how nice Key Boulevard is. It's very nice for bicycling. A change of pace from Wilson, which isn't exactly the most 'dicey' of bike routes, but is still fairly trafficked. Key runs parallel for much of the way, is residential and has a lower speed limit. If you're trying to convince someone hereabouts (and by hereabouts I mean in a very specific part of Arlington) to bike to work, you're not going to do better in terms of introduction that this route.
Theo Stamos: not a dude.  I had no idea. In my head, it was a cross between Malcolm Jamal Warner and Uncle Jesse.Anyway, here's my official apology/endorsement. Now, I'm not saying that this is going to sway the Commonwealth's attorney race, but I'm also not saying that it won't. I like your campaign signs. You have a lot of them. If this endorsement has submarined my future in Arlington Democratic politics, I guess I could always run as a Republican. On a related note, I have no future in Arlington politics.
Turned out to be a lot hotter than I expected. Should be worse tomorrow.

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