Sorry to alarm my readers...or reader I mean (thanks MA). As my good friend Bobby Dylan once said, it's alright ma, it's life and life only.
Here's what's happened this morning (slightly edited):
1. It was raining. Biking in the rain is always more of a pain.
2. I got hit by a cab. I was fully in my rights, riding the right hand lane through a green light, when a cabbie decided turn right on red meant "turn right on red into a bicyclist." Fortunately, I wasn't hurt, my bike wasn't hurt, but he did knock me off the bike a bit and I did pound on his hood and call him a nasty name. His reaction seemed to indicate it was an everyday occurrence for him to run over cyclists -- a quick wave of his hand, like a "sorry...my fault."
Still...being hit on a bike, even if you're not injured, gives you cause to pause.
While on my bike, I've been hit by cars about three times (I don't count the daily near misses from clueless drivers who pass you up and then turn into you, etc.). I've never been hurt in any of those collisions. While on my bike, I've been hit by another bicyclist once. I ended up in the hospital with a broken cheekbone for that collision, then ended up in the hospital again when the bone didn't set right and they had to rebreak and reset it.
I suppose I'm still a little shaken from this morning's close call.
3. I was in the Library of Congress for a forum related to International Education Week. It was several government functionaries and the executive director of the NEA and a few education types. Two low points: one panel member told an anecdote about teaching science and his niece or cousin or something and how it was hard because, "she's a girl, so she doesn't like science to begin with." WTF? And they've invited this moron to talk about advancing education? The other low point was realizing that most of the panelists couldn't think their way around education except to believe its purpose was to serve either the business community or the CIA (Why learn a foreign language? So you can be a spook!).
Grumble grumble.
7 comments:
Hey stranger, send me your email I want to send you something. citysparkle at gmail dot com
Thanks!
Bummer about the educators, man. They can be lame.
:)
Oh my gosh-- I'm so glad to hear that you're okay. That's scary. I hope that nonchalant cabbie gets some bad karma from that.
Riding a bike through town takes balls. And some bandaids.
Glad you're ok. Damn! How often do you bike on the sidewalk? That's how I avoid cars; better for me to hit a pedestrian than a car to hit me..
AM: Many thanks of course.
MA: They weren't exactly educators. More like technocrats and business types who think they know about education.
MG!: It really turned out to be nothing, although it was unnerving. When are you going to post again?
Casey: Many people think I'm crazy; I'm just glad I'd already dropped my daughter off and the babyseat was empty.
LB: I don't like to ride on the sidewalks and as a pedestrian I don't like it when people bike on the sidewalks, but the cops yelled at me one day when I had my son riding in front of me on the street, so he rides on the sidewalks now, which I feel is more dangerous for a little kid, since cars zip out of alleys and side streets with little concern for the crosswalk.
When the sidewalk is crowded, I bike on the street. I once asked a cop if it was ok, and he said it's fine as long as the sidewalk is mostly empty.
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