Ride Home 3/15: George Eliot

It was one of those boo-frickin-hoo nights where I was in a crummy, glum mood and all "woe is me" about all things and this didn't help contribute to my overall excitement about bike commuting. Oh, poor baby, has to ride his bike home in beautiful sunny weather through an amazing city and pass world famous landmarks that millions of people pay money to travel to each year. But whatever. I don't like being in moods like this for my rides because it's really not a fun mood to be in ever and my bike commute is something that I'd rather not have spoilt through my own piteousness. Plus, it's always better to ride with a clear head, helmeted or otherwise.
Don't think much happened until some stuff did, but it was the kind of unremarkable stuff like drivers getting themselves in the wrong lane and then pissing off other drivers trying to get back into the right (lefter) lane. This happens every day at the entrance to the Rock Creek "Why is there a highway in this park?" Parkway. It's not like there's a big red arrow and a bunch of signs that suggest one shouldn't get in that lane. I mean, other than that one big red arrow and that bunch of signs. I only complain about it, insofar as it affects me, which is sometimes a little. I guess it mostly concerns me insofar (double insofar points!) as I'm the most vulnerable road user (I mean aside from Samuel L. Jackson fron Unbreakable) and once things start breaking down and starts getting unpredictable and deviates from the usual, things get appreciably worse for bicyclists. I just like it when everyone does what everyone always does because that means I can do what I normally do, instead of, like tonight, ditching to the sidewalk for a while and then jumping back onto the road a couple of blocks farther down.
I think that bus riders are the least looked after members of the entire urban transportation ecosphere. Poor bus riders. You should start a union or something. Or some kind of fraternal order. Maybe if you wear hats that look like moose antlers, you'll get some respect.
Enterprise rental truck ---> right hook potential. I didn't like it at the time and I don't much care for thinking about it now. Some bike rides seem to lend themselves to quiet contemplation and others seem to lend themselves to mostly audible cursing.
Rode behind the same woman on Q today as I did yesterday. She's my commute buddy, I guess. She has a tote bag that she throws alternately over her right and left shoulders. I'm not totally sure there's anything in this bag, as it flaps about quite a lot.
[The Harlem Globetrotters are featured on tonight's Dance Moms. What is this, Scooby Doo? (hope you speak Swedish!)]
11th street, from Mass to Penn, needs bike lanes. It's sort of inexcusable that it doesn't. But here's the problem: any bike lanes on 11th are just going to be blocked by turning cars, buses pulling in and out of stops, and cars leaving parking garages. So, unless there's a dramatic change to the way the rest of 11th street works, bike lanes aren't going to be a panacea. Also, does anyone else wish the Hotel Harrington's kitcheria still existed? I see the sign every day and think, " you know, I've always wanted to get food poisoning at a kitcheteria."
Somehow Penn seemed less onerous today than yesterday. Maybe I'm maturing (pronounced with a hard t). Though the Penn bike lanes were occupied today by a Chinese tv news crew. Breaking at 11: my slow ass biking home.
Occasionally, traffic gets backed up on Independence Avenue and it diverts to the local streets and drivers like to drive on these calm residential streets like they're on some kind of thruway. I don't appreciate this and when I feel especially cheeky, I decide to be that bicyclist who not only comes to a complete stop at each stop sign, but also dramatically puts a foot down and makes a big show of looking both ways, at least twice, before crossing. Because I'm something of a jerk. Something that isn't jerky in any way is Friday Coffee Club and since it's Friday tomorrow, this is a reminder that all are welcome. Swing's is at 17th and G and there are bikey types around from 7:30 to 9. You'll know the place because there'll be all those bikes out front. And people inside who look like they've biked there, whatever that means. Also, one of us will be wearing a pirate costume. I hope. Yarrr.