Thank you to all the wonderful people who dont endanger my life when you drive.
Thank you for moving over.
Thank you for waiting for me to go straight when you want to turn.
Thank you for not honking at me when you want to turn right on a red and I'm in the way.
Thank you for acknowledging my presence and treating me like traffic.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Rant: Stupid People in Cars
I dont know what has gotten into people. Or why they are more stupid than normal. But they are.
I'm talking about bikes and cars. Yet again. I swear since the weather has gotten nice, people have become much worse drivers.
Last Thursday: I'm headed up to the trail head. I have to go straight through a light (because the turn lane doesnt recognize bikes). This is a 3 lane road, one lane each direction for traffic, and a turn lane in the middle. I need to turn left into a parking lot so I can cut across it to get to the road I need. So I look behind me, there is a car, a little ways back. I have plenty of room. Nobody coming the other direction. I put out my arm to let the car behind me know that I am turning. I'm almost in the turn lane, when the car flys up behind me and passes me on the left. Yea, I'm attempting to turn left and I get passed on the left, with my arm still out. The driver and I made eye contact, I gave him the finger. This dude deserves it for his stupid behavior. I dont even drive and I know passing on the left when someone is turning left is bad/illegal/potentially deadly. Best part is he slams on his breaks when I flip him off so I almost hit his shiny new black Impala.
Monday - Friday: People just driving waaaay too fast on small residential streets. Come on people, the speed limit is NOT 40. It is 25. So what if a bike is also doing that...doesnt mean you HAVE to pass that person on a bike to prove your superiority of fossil fuel burning.
Yesterday: On the way to the market, there is a car in the separated bus lane, trying to turn across 3 lanes of traffic w/o any sort of right away. The buses HAUL ass in their own lane, and they trigger the lights so they get the green...this could have been bad. After work, I'd to catch the bus to get to the shop to pick up my bike. I'm waiting for the bus and some idiot tries to make a left across the same 3 lanes of traffic, where there is no turning left. He creeps across the intersection and is halfway into one lane waiting to turn. Nobody even honked at him. And then on my way home from my ride, at about 8:30 - plenty of light left, sun didnt sent until 9ish. I have a kid (he couldnt have been over 20) in Mom's Camery, look directly at me and pull out infront of me, causing me to hit the breaks had and the dude who was behind me to almost hit me. I just gave him the hand up in the air, WTF look. He looked at me with 'What, I didnt do anything wrong, f#*king cyclist'. He also got the finger. Had he waited the 10 seconds or so for me and the dude behind me to pass, he would have been able to pull out w/o any traffic around. But no, his time is more important than my life.
It really seems like people have no idea what to do around bikes. How to interact with bikes, or where bikes even belong (the "get off the road" comments). I'm amazed at how many people dont seem to understand hand signals even. I am really surprised there are not more car/bike incidents in this town. Maybe there are, but they arent reported or maybe there isnt a good public forum (like www.bikeportland.org ) But I am getting very tired of almosts and close calls and feeling like I'm a target sometimes.
I'm talking about bikes and cars. Yet again. I swear since the weather has gotten nice, people have become much worse drivers.
Last Thursday: I'm headed up to the trail head. I have to go straight through a light (because the turn lane doesnt recognize bikes). This is a 3 lane road, one lane each direction for traffic, and a turn lane in the middle. I need to turn left into a parking lot so I can cut across it to get to the road I need. So I look behind me, there is a car, a little ways back. I have plenty of room. Nobody coming the other direction. I put out my arm to let the car behind me know that I am turning. I'm almost in the turn lane, when the car flys up behind me and passes me on the left. Yea, I'm attempting to turn left and I get passed on the left, with my arm still out. The driver and I made eye contact, I gave him the finger. This dude deserves it for his stupid behavior. I dont even drive and I know passing on the left when someone is turning left is bad/illegal/potentially deadly. Best part is he slams on his breaks when I flip him off so I almost hit his shiny new black Impala.
Monday - Friday: People just driving waaaay too fast on small residential streets. Come on people, the speed limit is NOT 40. It is 25. So what if a bike is also doing that...doesnt mean you HAVE to pass that person on a bike to prove your superiority of fossil fuel burning.
Yesterday: On the way to the market, there is a car in the separated bus lane, trying to turn across 3 lanes of traffic w/o any sort of right away. The buses HAUL ass in their own lane, and they trigger the lights so they get the green...this could have been bad. After work, I'd to catch the bus to get to the shop to pick up my bike. I'm waiting for the bus and some idiot tries to make a left across the same 3 lanes of traffic, where there is no turning left. He creeps across the intersection and is halfway into one lane waiting to turn. Nobody even honked at him. And then on my way home from my ride, at about 8:30 - plenty of light left, sun didnt sent until 9ish. I have a kid (he couldnt have been over 20) in Mom's Camery, look directly at me and pull out infront of me, causing me to hit the breaks had and the dude who was behind me to almost hit me. I just gave him the hand up in the air, WTF look. He looked at me with 'What, I didnt do anything wrong, f#*king cyclist'. He also got the finger. Had he waited the 10 seconds or so for me and the dude behind me to pass, he would have been able to pull out w/o any traffic around. But no, his time is more important than my life.
It really seems like people have no idea what to do around bikes. How to interact with bikes, or where bikes even belong (the "get off the road" comments). I'm amazed at how many people dont seem to understand hand signals even. I am really surprised there are not more car/bike incidents in this town. Maybe there are, but they arent reported or maybe there isnt a good public forum (like www.bikeportland.org ) But I am getting very tired of almosts and close calls and feeling like I'm a target sometimes.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Life Updations
Now that I'm all graduated with school, you are probably wondering what I am doing with my time. Well, probably not, since all 4.3 actually read this blog. But anywho, no matter. I'll fill you in with life goings on.
Sat 6-14: Graduation Day. Hang out with family. Ride a couple of hours on the mtn bike with Chris. We previewed his short track training course. Pretty cool. Lot of climbing. Would be a fun race, but on private property (shhhh).
Sun 6-15: Test of Endurance. 50 freaking miles on the mtb. Oof. And I didnt even race. I organized, and did all the results. So I guess if there is an issue, you can blame me. I did bottle feeds for all the Collin's racers. I got a bit of a sun burn, and now its just a few freckles. Bother the northern European decent. I did have fun working the other side of the races. Its pretty amazing they can keep results straight like they do. I mean its hard when there are 2 people coming across the line at the same time. And mtb races are easy compared to road races where a group of people could be all bunched up and number hard to read. At mtn bike races we make em stop and can enter the data on the spot. I did get a free pair of socks and bit o cash out of the deal. Oh yea and I didnt kill myself trying to race 50 miles in one day. The fastest Sport Woman did it in just under 7 hours. Thats a long assed time to be on a bike, especially a mtn bike
Mon 6-16: Work. Work Work. I get to work full time now. Woo. I dont have any homework. My time is mine after I leave work. I can do whatever I want! Wooo! Freedom. Work. Ride. Dinner. Crappy TV. Guess what I didnt do, and didnt feel guilty about not doing HOMEWORK!
Tuesday: Same as Monday. Watched Cloverfield. My recommendation: Dont. Predictable, obvious, and the creature was unbelievable, the main characters were annoying and deserved their ending for being stupid pratts.
Wednesday: Yep you guessed it: Work and Ride.
Today: Yea this is freaking awesome. Work Ride. Weather is even finally good. No warmers needed. No rain, so the trails are dry. Currently watching Sweeny Todd. Frankly, a bit too much singing. But damn, its got quite the cast. Sasha Cohen Baron is in purple very tight tights and singing with a cheesy Italian accent...I'd call that comedy, not a dark drama.
Anyways. Chris gets back from Tahoe tomorrow or Saturday. We go to Bend immediately after that for Picketts Charge. The last of the series. Right now I'm in 4th place, but the points are wrong for Firecracker, so I should really be in 3rd. So I need to do well, and I could be in the top 3 Sport Women of the state. Which means I probably should upgrade....next year, when I have time to train!
Sat 6-14: Graduation Day. Hang out with family. Ride a couple of hours on the mtn bike with Chris. We previewed his short track training course. Pretty cool. Lot of climbing. Would be a fun race, but on private property (shhhh).
Sun 6-15: Test of Endurance. 50 freaking miles on the mtb. Oof. And I didnt even race. I organized, and did all the results. So I guess if there is an issue, you can blame me. I did bottle feeds for all the Collin's racers. I got a bit of a sun burn, and now its just a few freckles. Bother the northern European decent. I did have fun working the other side of the races. Its pretty amazing they can keep results straight like they do. I mean its hard when there are 2 people coming across the line at the same time. And mtb races are easy compared to road races where a group of people could be all bunched up and number hard to read. At mtn bike races we make em stop and can enter the data on the spot. I did get a free pair of socks and bit o cash out of the deal. Oh yea and I didnt kill myself trying to race 50 miles in one day. The fastest Sport Woman did it in just under 7 hours. Thats a long assed time to be on a bike, especially a mtn bike
Mon 6-16: Work. Work Work. I get to work full time now. Woo. I dont have any homework. My time is mine after I leave work. I can do whatever I want! Wooo! Freedom. Work. Ride. Dinner. Crappy TV. Guess what I didnt do, and didnt feel guilty about not doing HOMEWORK!
Tuesday: Same as Monday. Watched Cloverfield. My recommendation: Dont. Predictable, obvious, and the creature was unbelievable, the main characters were annoying and deserved their ending for being stupid pratts.
Wednesday: Yep you guessed it: Work and Ride.
Today: Yea this is freaking awesome. Work Ride. Weather is even finally good. No warmers needed. No rain, so the trails are dry. Currently watching Sweeny Todd. Frankly, a bit too much singing. But damn, its got quite the cast. Sasha Cohen Baron is in purple very tight tights and singing with a cheesy Italian accent...I'd call that comedy, not a dark drama.
Anyways. Chris gets back from Tahoe tomorrow or Saturday. We go to Bend immediately after that for Picketts Charge. The last of the series. Right now I'm in 4th place, but the points are wrong for Firecracker, so I should really be in 3rd. So I need to do well, and I could be in the top 3 Sport Women of the state. Which means I probably should upgrade....next year, when I have time to train!
Monday, June 16, 2008
I Done Be Edumacated!
Sent to me by my overly educated father (BS in Math Ed, BS in Math, MS in Ed, MS in Math, and soon a PhD in Math Ed...like I said, overly educated).
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Things Younger than John McCain
Ralph Lauren
The LP Record (Long Playing)And for my younger brother "those big black CDs"
And last but certainly not least....
Monday, June 9, 2008
Falls City Firecracker
I learned a new phrase that day: Hike-a-bike...
This was a fun course. I felt good. The course had A LOT of up hill. I tend to do well on those. I however wasnt expecting the fact we went the opposite direction on a downhiller's course. This means we werent just going uphill, we were going up stuff so steep it was completely vertical.
We had half a lap up, and then the other half a lap was downhill. I really enjoyed the downhill. It wasnt on the downhillers course, which is why I enjoyed it. Those courses and jumps and what not are INSANE. We also got heckled by a friendly dude in kevlar waiting for us to finish racing so he could fling himself, his 50lb bike which he pushes to the top, over jumps 3x as big as me. I'd seriously like to know how many bones he's broken.
Overall it was fun and good. I ended up doing 2 laps because the lap counters got a little mixed up with the masters sport women and the regular sport women and all the pro men standing around at the finish/lap point. And I couldnt hear at the start line, well I cant hear so well to begin with, but this was bad because I was behind all the beginners, so I started at the wayyyyy back and had to find my competition. Such is mtn bike racing.
I had fun, I got 3rd - PODIUM! And I got some nice swag...bottle and socks and a sleeveless jersey.
This was a fun course. I felt good. The course had A LOT of up hill. I tend to do well on those. I however wasnt expecting the fact we went the opposite direction on a downhiller's course. This means we werent just going uphill, we were going up stuff so steep it was completely vertical.
We had half a lap up, and then the other half a lap was downhill. I really enjoyed the downhill. It wasnt on the downhillers course, which is why I enjoyed it. Those courses and jumps and what not are INSANE. We also got heckled by a friendly dude in kevlar waiting for us to finish racing so he could fling himself, his 50lb bike which he pushes to the top, over jumps 3x as big as me. I'd seriously like to know how many bones he's broken.
Overall it was fun and good. I ended up doing 2 laps because the lap counters got a little mixed up with the masters sport women and the regular sport women and all the pro men standing around at the finish/lap point. And I couldnt hear at the start line, well I cant hear so well to begin with, but this was bad because I was behind all the beginners, so I started at the wayyyyy back and had to find my competition. Such is mtn bike racing.
I had fun, I got 3rd - PODIUM! And I got some nice swag...bottle and socks and a sleeveless jersey.
Finals
Finals suck.
Finals suck more when its almost the very last one for a long long time.
Sigh....back to Chem.
Finals suck more when its almost the very last one for a long long time.
Sigh....back to Chem.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
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