Ride In 7/28

Tempted by the knowledge that cooler feet are only a pair of sandals away, I went full Arlington and rode in brown flip flops this morning. I opted for the Haul, a leisurely pace and a travel mug half-full of luke warm, slightly over-sugared coffee. It was a nice change of pace, breaking up a sequence of commutes that have been more 'racy' (not like that) than I general tend to prefer. And since the weather was vaguely cooperating (I think it'll only be 92 today) and since I've got this second bike that I haven't even taken to the grocery store in the past couple of weeks, the circumstances seemed to call for it.
My newly shellacked cork grips feel a bit slippery. I guess this will go away after some time. The price we pay for our vanity. (Yes, if I make statements in the third person plural, I am trying deflect criticism away from myself. Thanks for noticing!)
I don't know where everyone was today. I rode my normal route and saw only three guys heading in the same direction in Arlington. One was on, what to my eye, looked to be a time trial bike. Of course, he was blurry on account of his super-speed. It seems like a waste to have a bike that's designed to achieve tremendous speed and to ride it in any area besotted with stop lights. Maybe he was on his way to some open trail. (I truly don't understand the recreation schedules of people here. Is everyone on flex time but me? Or do they use their vacations to head from home during the morning rush hour to exercise at maximally inefficient times?)
Remember how Bikeshare doesn't work?

This summer, the city’s innovative bike-sharing program has been crippled by its own success when it comes to commuting during rush hour, with bike racks completely empty - or just as often, completely full, making it impossible to drop off a bike.

Just an aside. I have nothing else really to say about that, just that 'crippled' seems like a pretty strong word for a system that allowed 150,000 rides in June.
I guess there's a camera now at one of the bike lights along the Custis. I didn't notice it.
Maybe she reads the blog, maybe she doesn't (she doesn't), but my shout-out to my New Mexico friend apparently magically induced her reappearance. I saw her today on T street and smiled the biggest, craziest grin I could muster and now I'm confident that she will never ride her bike again for fear of having the pass the 'deranged man.' Sorry.
First rule of bike commuting: don't mess around with garbage trucks. They're big, smelly and they guys (typically) inside have a job to do, so it's best just to stay out of the way. You can 'assert your rights' (whatever that means) all you want, but when as far as my personal road hierarchy goes, garbage trucks are at the top of the list in terms of deference. Plus, sanitation is really important to preserving the thin veneer of our civilization and it's important to remember that in general.