Ride In 10/12: Peerless Gynt

Sometimes you're riding along behind someone and you're perfectly content doing so and then that person realizes that you're riding behind her and maybe doesn't realize your level of contentment and then pulls over and turns around and says "you can pass me" and then you're like "what?" and then she repeats herself and you say "it's ok" but you pass her anyway when what you should've said was "thanks" even though you don't really feel like saying thanks because you didn't want to pass her in the first place and now you feel obligated to pass her because she's made a big deal of offering or it least it seems to you like she's making a big deal of it and even if she wasn't making a big deal of it you still feel pressured into passing because you feel that there's a possibility that your riding behind her was making her uncomfortable for some reason, that reason likely being her thinking that you wanted to pass her in the first place, which wasn't true because you were perfectly content to ride the way that you were riding and you wish that she didn't turn around and didn't move over and didn't say anything because then you have to go through this whole big thing that seems awkward at the time and seems even more awkward in retrospect but maybe it wasn't even that and it wasn't a big deal but how should you even know because it's not like you were able to stop and discuss your feelings about the matter because, again, in the interests of not wanting her to feel bad or uncomfortable and not wanting to seem impolite based on an offer that maybe either came from discomfort or maybe politeness you passed her even when you didn't want to in the first place. You know?

I saw a guy on a Trek Y Foil. This was at 13th and Pennsylvania.

Jack Evans' car was outside the JAWB. I used to think it was absolutely ridiculous that the councilmembers got free parking spots directly in front of the building, but now I think it's only partially ridiculous, mostly because it's fun to see who's working when. Or at least who's parking when. In either case, Jack Evans seems to be on the bandwagon about supporting safer cycling in DC, so thanks to him for that.

Taxi in the 15th Street cycle track? Taxi in the 15th street cycle track. Driver looked miffed that I looked miffed. Pretty sure only one of us gets to be miffed and I'm going to suggest that since I'm the one on the bike and we're both in the cycle track, it's me.

I folded the bike and brought it into Swings and left it by the coat rack as I engaged in the #fridaycoffeeclub shenanigans, which weren't exceptionally shenanigan-y as it's a fairly sedate group and most of what we do is stand around tables and drink coffee, while chatting. I suppose I could up the shenanigan level by filling an espresso cup with confetti and then "spilling" it on someone but then we'd have to redo the hashtag to #fridaycoffeeshenaniganclub and that's far too many characters. Speaking of characters, it was good to see Seattle-based Friend of the Blog Jesse in town again and partaking in a little caffeine tourism. Also, thanks Ted, Jean and Ben for buying some Sharrows buttons. Your money will definitely be given to WABA and not to my bookie. You can bet on it! (I'll take the other side of that wager- call my bookie)

The Brompton is a really excellent bike for weaving through traffic. Not that one should weave through traffic and one certainly shouldn't weave through traffic as much as I did this morning, so let's just throw that out there along with my somewhat sincere apologies to all of the drivers I might or might not have weaved around. Though, in my half-hearted defense, if drivers didn't want me to weave through car traffic, wouldn't they not have driven in the first place, thereby mitigating my need to weave? When you think about it that way, the way that absolves me of all personal responsibility for my actions, it's a totally different story. This was mostly on G Street and 20th Street.

By the time I got to Massachusetts it was metaphorical smooth sailing (I don't literally sail to work and won't until they install catamaran lanes on major arterials) but slow going, but I didn't especially mind since I wasn't in any particular kind of hurry. Even if I were in a particular kind of hurry, I would've only been hurrying my disappointment, as I am quite slow. I knew I should've gotten the carbon fiber Brommie.