bliss

our new home has a deck that overlooks the greenway. For those who aren't savvy, it is an off road bike highway that connects the river to the lakes. I can drink coffee while watching my fellow bikers. Plus, there is an exit right at my condo. heaven. 

bike culture

I find it strange that people in cars yell at me for biking. I'm doing what all other cars do, but for some reason, they feel free to shout and curse. I suppose it's because I'm a person sitting on a metal thing....note...not IN a metal thing. So I can HEAR them billowing. 

one time i stopped at a stop sign. A driver rolleddown his window and screamed "there's a stop sign there" I guess he didn't like that I stopped quickly. well, i was only going 10 mph. you know. 

One time I was biking on the right side of a busy street and someone from a car hollered "Get on the sidewalk idiot"....um..ok...if i wanted a traffic ticket.

Couple days ago I was biking south on Bryant Ave and the driver's door opened in a parked car as I was biking passed. I almost got doored (as they like to say in the bike community) and out of surprised i yelped "hey" and he yelled back "watch it"....hum...if I was a car and smashed his door, would he say "watch it" how was I suppose to know he was in the car, it's his job to look for traffic. 

point being, I'm finding myself having a harder and harder time thinking the best of drivers and yellers.  Give us a chance, we are actually nice people. 

-beauties on bikes are nice-

a new method

New Rule: To avoid harassment while biking, listen to headphones.

Warning: You may be at risk of getting hit.

Related: This reminds me of a story

Story: I was biking my normal five mile trip from uptown to Cedar and Riverside. I always listen to my headphones (please, no motherly caution) and these headphones are special. Iphone headphones. If you get a call while listening to music, just click this convenient button on your ear bud wire and viola, headphones turn into hands free cell phone. anyway. I was biking south on Briant ave and stopped at the Bryant and lake red lights. Just as the light turned green, I get a phone call. So instead of pushing off, i choose to answer my phone while the car next to me moves into the intersection. This takes only two seconds, it's my husband on the other line. As I pull into the intersection, i witness a car to my right run it's red light and crash into the car i was next to only a few seconds before.  All this only ten feet in front of me and that's when I realize that my husband saved my life.  If he had not called, I would be between those two cars....dead...

Moral: If those cars would have been bikes instead....no one would have been hurt......ok ok...that's my moral.

-beauty still biking with headphones-