Ride Home 11/21

I hate when I underestimate the cold. I stopped on the side of the road in order to look through my bag for my gloves. Tip: remove your front light and use it as emergency flashlight. Note: steady beam works better than blink, unless of course you spend much time in a dance club and search better under a strobe. Second note: this might make you Enrique Iglesias.
When I initially stopped, I did so in the road, thinking that I could get in and out of my bag before the light changed. When I realized that I couldn't, I hoisted the bike to the sidewalk. In the mean time, hipster on a fixie rode by and stopped in the place at the light that I had just abandoned. It seems I only see him when it's raining. Does this have some analog to something fantastical? Field of Dreams? Frankenstein? Wuthering Heights? Anyway, I rode behind him, slowly, until he left the road for the sidewalk, at which point I could ride a bit more freely. While I could have passed, it just doesn't seem right, especially in the dark and rain.
Lots of slow going at the bottom of the hill. Since I've forsworn riding in the right turn only lane, I took my place amongst the car traffic and waited my turn. I really wanted to tilt my head back and scream at the top of my lungs "HONK," you know, to fit in, but I'm afraid that would make me appear insane. Funny that doing the same with mechanical assistance in the confines of a metal box just makes you a "commuter."
Ok, here's a tip. When you're riding in the right side bike lane and a car drives past you and you can see that the driver has activated the right turn signal, here's what you do: put out your left arm and merge into the travel lane. Then ride past the slowing car on the left and merge back into the bike lane at the other side of the intersection. I watch people screw this up every day.
I remember a time when I could get from 20th past 18th on Q without getting stuck at the light at New Hampshire. It only requires an open bike lane, which I haven't been treated to in a while. Instead, I stop at New Hampshire and wait and count the lightless bicyclists.
14th street. For two blocks, it's like DC's SoHo. Caution: I have no clue what I'm taking about.
I decided to ride out of Thomas Circle via Vermont. That put me at Farragut Square and I rode along the access way back to the cycle track at 15th. I think that this was much, much faster than riding through the leaf depository lanes. Almost related, TFTS reader and commenter Rachel witnessed something I actually wrote about! That means it's verifiable and that I'm not lying to you! (In case you were ever wondering if I made this shit up, two thoughts: 1) no and 2) if I were making this up, would it really be this banal? There'd be like polar bears and Nazi hunters every post. Probably hunting Nazi polar bears (global warming melts the ice caves where they keep their pilfered gold. Anyway, I'm working on a screenplay)
Sure is something when you see a Secret Service bicycle officer riding without lights. Don't exactly know what that something is.
Some Capitol Police officers carry rather large guns. I find it disconcerting. Though I suppose that their weapons are less destructive than the Super Committee. #rimshot #topical.
I stopped for a pedestrians along East Capitol and two cars passed before the third driver stopped. Nissan from Maryland (who saw that one coming?). The pedestrian waved thank you to him, but didn't even acknowledge me. I think that windshields actually help some social interactions. If she were to thank me, it'd be like talking to a real person and that would just be weird.