crashing

I was out running in the wee mornig hours on Friday and decided to snap a pic of this sculpture at sunrise. 

It's a bronze sculpture that sits along a popular trail near the bike racks for a a botanical garden attraction. 

It "shades" a bench and one of those public bicycle repair stations.

It's titled "Cycologist" and actually makes me think of a multiple bicycle crash... in a tree?

Looking at the photo afterwards, it looks rather sinister and thorny in the darkness. 

So when I was in the area again this morning at a later hour, I snapped it again in the daylight. Still crashy/ thorny, but a little less sinister? Maybe?

So yes, I am able to run again and have been reminding my body of that for the last month or so. The physical therapy, including the dry needling, seems to have helped. I don't exactly feel 17 again, but I'll take what I can get.

Speaking of bicycles and crashes, Magnum and I were out walking around yesterday when we came across a fresh accident between a bicyclist and a (I think) pickup truck.

It happened on the other side of a busy road we were walking along. I looked over and saw a laid down road bike with its front wheel looking rather bent and possibly detatched? That's when I noticed the guy on the ground, the car with its hazard likes blinking and a pickup truck with its hood opened.

From my astute observations, I surmise that the pickup truck was going south and turned left to enter an apartment complex and hit the bicyclist going north in the bike lane. Probably a bystander then pulled their car into the apartment entance to block other traffic from the injured bicyclist.

Shortly afterward, all the first responders showed up - fire, ambulamps, po po. Traffic was blocked and rerouted at he intersection a little further south. I was actually impressed at the quick efficiency of it all.

The injured cyclist - wearing a helmet - was on his back and appeared to be conscious and speaking with his helpers. This was along a busy stretch that I personally wouldn't ride a bicycle on. There is a bike lane, yes, but PFFFT.  Now, I'm not victim blaming here, I'm sure he had the right of way. But a little common sense goes a long way.

Just about every close call I've ever had while bicycling in traffic involved someone turning left. In fact, [that one time I was hit], several years ago when I was bouncier, was by a woman who turned left into me. It seems that left-turning drivers are looking for oncoming cars and bicycles turn invisible. 

spring is springing

 Aah, spring. Time for... wet, sloppy snow.

We got hit sometime in the overnight into the morning with a surprisingly large amount of snow. I looked out at around 5:30 this morning and saw a good 8 to 10 inches on our back deck, although the forecast said 3 to 6 inches by noon.

I was scheduled to work at 8am. No notification from the college, so figured travel must be fine. HA! Maybe the snow was just a fluffy 8 to 10 inches? But... March is not the time of year for fluffy.

And no, it was the sloppy heavy spring snow. Thank goodness for the transit bus, I thought. Staff shortages had cancelled the bus that goes to the college last fall, but the route was recently restarted. Although I'm a little less than two miles from campus, this was not a day to walk or bike or even drive my teeny-tired Toyota if I didn't have to.

I trudged to the bus stop. While there, a diehard runner when loping by, high-kneeing it through the thick mass. It wasn't particularly cold out - about 25 F - nice for morning run if you like loping.

Anyways, I made it to campus a few minutes early for my shift since I'd ridden the bus. Maintenance crews were busy plowing, shoveling, salting... Parking lot was still pretty empty.

I got into the testing center, shook off the snow, removed the outerwear, fridged the lunch, then headed to the ladies room. That's when the announcement came over the PA that the campus was closing for the day.

Whaaaaat? Announce the closure at 7:40am when classes and other facilities start at 8am? People were already out fighting the weather traffic wars trying to get in, or, like me, had already arrived. 

Okay fine. Another day of inefficiency to go along with Friday's inefficiency. I headed back to the testing center to redon the outwear, grab the lunch, etc. 

*Locked*

Yeah, once campus closes, all the doors - inner and outer - are automatically locked by security. Badge access means nothing. So I had to go to security and have them let me back in.

Then I realized, the bus to take me back home was due to arrive in about 10 minutes. I needed to hightail it off campus and cross a busy road to get to the stop. Throw the outerwear back on, grab the lunch, zip up and go!

Made it with about one minute to spare. I figured, if I missed the bus, I could Donner Party it back  home if I needed, but the sidewalks were a mess - covered in road vomit thrown up from the plows.

Despite the plows, the roads weren't a whole lot better. The bus arrived, and I was all glad I'd booked it to the stop. Then... the bus got stuck. Of course it did!

Bus driver spinning the wheels, back up, go forward, spin the wheels, back up, go forward, spin... We'd get it going just enough, but then the flow of traffic wouldn't give space, so we'd have to stop and be stuck again. 

I was almost ready to get out and push. A transit bus. Just for at least the illusion of productivity. Then I realized I was glad I'd stopped in the restroom before leaving campus.

This went on for maybe 10 minutes until a bus employee with a bright vest came out and blocked one of the lanes of traffic so the bus could reenter. Back home. I WILL do something productive.

tldr: snow day!

starting to finish

Greetings on this fine fall day! I'm very much enjoying the cooler temperatures. Leaves are just starting to change around here, and George, - remember George? - looks to be starting to join his colorful older neighborhood cousins. I'll update when he's ready.

This morning, I ran in the run club's first Tortoise and Hare race of the season. It was a short and sweet 4K (about 2.5 miles). Large turnout for the run, so much so, they broke us up into two separate routes. I expected to head east from the start, but was directed west instead. Welp, just point me in the right direction. I followed along and survived it.

While on the course, I noticed a couple of blind runners. They have volunteers who run with them and give gentle guidance. Seems like admirable work. I'd hate to mess up somehow in that job, though.

Speaking of changing routes, I decided to try a different bicycle commute to work this week. Omigosh, SO much better than my old route. I think I've whined here before about the congestion along my commute as it went through an elementary school zone followed by a middle school zone and all the drop-off line/ crossing guard guarding they involve. This along with the high schoolers going by in the opposite direction.

One morning this week, the voices in my head said, "go that other way, doofus!", so I did. Lovely lovely ride to be had away from all the school traffic, and it only adds a little under a mile to the commute. Not to mention, it avoids a couple of left turns off and on to busy roads, riding a busy road east into the morning sun... What was I thinking before?

This was an otherwise pretty busy week with, again, training new hires at work and pulling some extra hours for such, hence my lack of blog presence. Plus, I've been doing inktobers, and surprisingly have yet to miss a day. Here are this week's submissions:

I can feel my streak about to end, however. But I'll keep inking along in my instagram until the end and see how many I get done by Halloween. No pressure!

coming in hot

My mid- to late- 80s mother-in-law and her husband came to visit last weekend.  The drive from their home is about 135 miles. It can be an uneventful two to two and a half hour drive, but involves interstate driving through Denver along with traffic congestion, construction zones, and mishaps along the way.

A few weeks ago, step-father-in-law had an incident that helped him come to the realization that he probably shouldn't drive anymore, so now MIL is the sole driver.  I'm not necessarily convinced she should be behind the wheel, but it's the lesser of two evils. And they have an SUV with all kinds of sensors and control systems, so we keep our  mouths shut. They seem to do fine as long as they are in familiar surroundings during daytime. 

They made it up here just fine and attended Meego's graduation with us, Chaco in the role of chauffeur.  After the grad ceremony, we gathered with other families at The Lake House -  Meego and his roommates' college rental house. The house is a typical college rental house on a typical college rental house street and nowhere near any lake that I know of. 

Not surprisingly, MIL and SFIL were ready to turn in while the grad bash was in full swing.  I walked with them to their car and asked if they could make their way back to the hotel okay. It wasn't far away, about 3 miles.

"SFIL says he knows from his phone", MIL replied.

They typically don't use GPS, so I saw this as a sign that they're finally ready to embrace the technology.  So with that, I saw them off with confidence, adding that it was still light out so, no worries!

They did eventually make it to the hotel.  About an hour and a half later?  It was good and dark by then. SFIL rehashed their adventure for us the next day -  about how it was too dark to see any street signs, how they often didn't know which direction they were going, etc.  I'm sure they were exhausted by the time they made it to bed, but I'm glad they weren't in an accident.

Coming home from work on Monday, traffic was light in the area since the high school had the day off for some reason.  Good thing, because just beyond the high school is this 4-way-stop intersection where I turn left to head home.

There was no one behind me, and I eased myself to the left turn lane and approached the intersection.  A cute Miata convertible approached from the right, totally blew through the stop sign, then turned left into oncoming traffic.  Oncoming traffic = me and Daisy, my commuter bicycle.

Cue bike cam footage:

We managed to avoid each other, as the driver seemed to realize her mistake.  But strangely, she swerved around me by pulling further to the left?  

Thankfully, there wasn't much traffic around, and we easily avoided one another.  As she went by, I noticed she was an older woman - 70's maybe?  The Miata had dealer plates, so a new acquisition?  

I thought maybe she was meaning to pull into the cul de sac on her left and was cutting corners by driving down the wrong side of the road, but she actually continued down the left side, all the while, going upstream like a salmon.

She went over the crest of the hill and beyond toward the high school, never to be seen by me again.  

Cute car, though? 😕

fifty ways to leave your lover

Yesterday was a c-c-c-c-cold blustery day.  Another snowy Wednesday.  For some reason, our stormy days this winter seem to have all fallen on Wednesdays.  I have Wednesdays off from work and get a little stir crazy, so I braved the elements for an outing.

I walked to one of the university bus stops, and while I was waiting, I saw a person on a bicycle crash in the snow as he turned the corner about a block away from me.  He sat there in a heap, him and his bicycle, for about a minute - which is a rather long time to sit in a heap in the snow during a snowstorm.  I wondered if he was too injured to get up?  Should I leave the relatively warm bus shelter and check?

But he eventually got up and dusted himself and the bike off and started walking and pushing the bike in my direction.  Was he unable to pedal?  Was the bike too damaged to ride? Honestly, it appeared that he was playing it up a bit, hoping someone would notice - maybe make a viral tiktok?

He shuffled on by, and stopped, seemingly to reassess, a few feet from me.  Then he got back on the bike and started pedaling down a dangerous road in a snow-covered bike lane on a day of low low visibility.  No helmet, no lights.  Okay, so I feel a bit of solidarity with him as a bicycle commuter/ don't-use-a-car-unless-I-feel-a-need person.  But common sense says leave the bicycle at home.  I'm going to assume he made it to his destination... or got that video fame he wanted.

It felt good to get out, and I'm reminded that we're long past the lockdown days of early COVID.  I had a mask as they are still required on the buses - until March 18th it seems.  

Living in a college town means that public transit is relatively good, but I know that city buses are often seen in a negative light - thugs, druggies, homeless, etc.  I've seen very few questionable characters - usually from the druggie category - in my years of observations.  Most people I've ridden with are just going to work or to school.  

Then there's the routing and scheduling.  The bus doesn't go at the right time, or the stops are too far away from home.  Again, living in a college town helps - especially if one is going to or from the university.  Many paths to that mountain.

The transportation decision tree for me usually goes:

bike→walk→bus→car

or

orange→blue→pink→green from this lovely venn diagram 

Weather being the most common factor.

So yes, I'm pro bus even though I own a car.  Why add to traffic congestion just to transport myself and a few belongings? In fact, I sort of "make" myself drive the car somewhere about once a week, just to stay in practice.

I remember the bus driver in Colorado Springs who drove the route to the community college.  I would ride there to meet with tutor students, and he took it upon himself one day to mansplain to me how to go about buying a car.  

"Yeah, I have a car.  I've bought and sold several" 😒

One of my bicycle commuting cohorts had someone offer him money for a sandwich when he was stopped at a convenience store on his way to work one day.  They assumed he was homeless/ poor since he rode a bicycle.  He makes six figures.

I'm wondering how the current rising gas prices will affect driving habits if at all.  How high until it makes a difference?

the world is gonna roll me

It was a dark and stormy night...

No, wait.  I think it was an afternoon.  Slightly overcast.

Anyhoo, this was way back in the college undergrad days so... 30-something-ish years ago?  I lived off campus and typically rode my bicycle to and from.  I was heading home after another day of classes and was still on campus, going past the law building.

I was pedaling on this little stretch, and there was a BMW something or other heading in my direction, going pretty slow - maybe about 10 mph.  Then, just as we're about to pass and then never see each other again, the woman in the BMW turns that hunk of metal and rubber left RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.  

Next thing I knew, my front wheel hit near her passenger side headlight and I was soon no longer on my bicycle, but floating ever so gracefully toward her windshield.  Since I was much younger and suppler then and aware of The Matrix, I managed to slow time and do a quick little herkie-doo

Uhm, actually no.  I mean FAT CHANCE of THAT!  What followed was the much more expected

minus the dinosaur onesie.

I was wearing, however, my backpack laden with a hardcover textbook or two, hence it took the brunt of the impact.  Next I knew, I was sitting on the ground while other students scurried to my assistance and a frantic woman exited the BMW.

I remember one bystander in particular, a youngish guy with dark hair.  

"I saw everything!  I'll be a witness! Here, I'll write down the license number!"

Did I mention this was near the law building?

But really, I do appreciate the speed at which people came to check on me.  Actually, though, I was not hurt.  the MOST freaked out person on the scene was clearly the driver of the BMW.  Middle aged woman, looking for the law library, and kind of, 

"oh, there it is" *turn*CRASH!*

She took me and my injured bicycle back to my apartment, gave me her contact information and money to cover all repairs.  And that was that - the episode had a brief life as a short story to tell my friends.  

These days, it might have become a viral video or gif to live on in infamy.

Ain't that the truth, Martha? 
Clearly, I was ahead of my time.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:

1. Write a blog post about a time you were in a car accident.

see beyond the road I'm drivin'

On Monday, I made a lousy batch of French press coffee.  I guess I wasn't paying much attention to my process, and it was really *bleccch*

I'd made the awful coffee for taking in to work, and it was there that I realized it was awful and just would not do for a rousing day of invigilating.  During a break in the action, I ducked out to get a cuppa from the campus coffee kiosk.  Nothing fancy, just hot and caffeinated, please.

The coffee kiosk is a satellite operation of a well-liked coffee shop downtown, but I'd never been to the downtown location.  Since they saved the day from my pressed sludge, got me going with a punch card (buy 9, get the 10th free), and it was an unseasonably nice day today, Magnum and I decided to bicycle downtown and check out the mother ship coffeeshop.

We often go out for coffee on the weekends and sort of fell into a rut of the same 2 or 3 places, so we were due for a new experience.  It was a beautiful day for a ride, so I'm glad we took advantage because temperatures are set to plummet this week.  

So we're out enjoying our coffee run, headed east near the university.  In my rear view  mirror, I saw a guy coming up beside us on his bicycle, so slowed a bit to allow him to pass.  The three of us continued single file in the bike lane going east until we approached the bike path that would take us north to coffee.

Turns out, Bicycle Guy - now in front of us - was also turning north (left) onto the bike path.  He didn't even check behind him for motorized traffic before beginning his left turn.  Keep in mind that we were all in the bike lane on the right side of the road.

It's like I could see it happening before it happened.  I saw two vehicles approaching from behind us, I saw Bike Guy starting to turn left... Luckily for him, both vehicle drivers were paying attention.  The one in front hit the brakes, avoiding a collision with Bike Guy, and the one behind hit the brakes in time to avoid a collision with everybody.  

I'd guess that Bike Guy was in his 40s or 50s, and not some cocky college kid being a daredevil.  He was an older guy riding an average bike.  He stopped among the burned rubber and just sort of,

"Oh, heh, sorry.  My fault", and waved the cars forward before proceeding onto the path.  

And I'm thinking, "C'mon, you're giving us all a bad rep", and "so everyone knows, I look behind before turning left!"

All that to say we tried a new coffee place because I  made a lousy batch on Monday.

I added a couple of people drawings to the sketchbook this week too.

One with a pen.

One with a pencil.

The randomness abounds.

pandemic plusses

I was out walking with Merlin one night this week, when he suddenly turned around as if to say, "In't this nice?"


I had to agree that yes, it was nice.  Not everything about the current state of the world is hell and damnation.


With Merlin's prompting, I thought I'd take a moment to blog some good things I'm presently grateful for.


Already mentioned walking with dogs →→
Simple pleasures.

A lot of cities have noticed less traffic since the shut downs.  I'm not happy about people who can't go to work, but a lot of people have been able to stay productive working from home, and many plan to keep at it in the future.  I'm all for less congestion, who isn't?

Here's the lovely Ariel at one of the many bicycle maintenance stations around town.  To be honest, I'm not a fan of the bicycle tree sculpture. It looks to me like the aftermath of a multi-bike pile-up.  In a tree.

There have been a lot of jokes and memes about getting fat and lazy while in isolation, but I do know of a few people who have turned their lives the other way.  Started cooking their own meals and sticking to an exercise routine with not much else to do.

One of my nephews (he's actually a second cousin or some offshoot, but we just go by aunt and nephew) in the Philippines had gotten a little pudgy in recent months.  He likes to go out and eat and travel and drink, and it was starting to show.

He set a quarantine goal to lose 10 kg - that's about 22 pounds to us non-metric Americans.

He's achieved that goal, and I guess his quarantine has been extended a couple more weeks, so now?  Up next:  visible abs, he says.


I don't think he'll mind me posting his before and after pics since he plastered them all over social media.







Remember the old days of toilet paper hoarding?  Well, when people weren't able to find any TP, bidets started flying off the shelves.

I'd heard of bidets, but didn't give them much thought.  But there they were, in the news, and I was intrigued.  After the hoarding died down and after we FINALLY made it through all that awful Scott tissue stash, I remembered the friendly bidet, and this week...

...I installed on in our powder room.  And that's all I'm going to say/show about that, butt suffice to say that I've ordered a second one.

And while I was walking with Merlin, I saw a nice kid meticulously mowing a lawn.  He looked to be about 13 or 14 years old.  When I returned later, he was finished with the lawn and speaking with the homeowner - an elderly man.  I heard them discussing the boy coming each week to mow and do general lawncare as the yard looked great.

The kid mentioned, "My goal is to, by the end of summer, make enough to buy a..."

As I was listening, I thought, "what a nice kid, working to earn some sought after item, and setting goals and doing good work.  He's probably got a gaming system or such in mind, like a lot of boys his age..."

But then he stated his sought after item.  I don't remember the name specifically, but he is aiming toward getting a better lawnmower by the end of summer.

Damn.  Hardworker AND he's got the entrepreneurial sense to invest his profits back into the biz?

And I'm over here with a coupla bidets...

shedding

Ever been out for a walk, and then a train blocks your path and goes by, and goes by, and goes by, and goes by...

One thing we've had to get used to in Fort Collins are the trains that travel, seemingly quite frequently, north-and-south through the center of the town.  We got caught by another one today while out walking.  Our wait wasn't TOO long.  Maybe 10 to 15 minutes.  But 10 to 15 minutes can feel like a long time when standing around waiting for a train to go by.  I was so bored, I took a selfie.

But it was good weather to be out in.  I get even more bored if I'm stuck with a train while I'm in a car, making up a long line of train-waiting cars.  Since I rarely drive, that's  not much of an issue.

We were coming back from coffee and a little shopping excursion.  Recently, I was singing the praises of my big snuggly 20+ year-old winter parka.  I'd bought it from Cabela's when I was preggars with Meego, and it's lasted all this time and kept me sheltered from many an element.

No sooner had I finished gushing about the parka attributes that the zipper pull broke off.  Well, no biggie, I rigged a makeshift zipper pull in pure MacGyver fashion.  But it's like the universe really wanted me to shed that parka, because next, the whole zipper started giving up the ghost.  You know that thing where you zip up, but then the zipper unzips from the bottom? So annoying.

SOURCE

Freshly caffeinated, we hit Sierra Trading Post, where I found parka love at a bargain price.

Gosh, wearing it makes me feel like a Scandinavian ski bunny.

We've had a very snowy February, and I've appreciated the outerwear.  I'm eager to put the new purchase through its paces, but now we'll probably have an early spring.  Oh well, either way, it's a win.

I don't think it will help with avoiding trains, though.






Gotten anything new lately?  What'd you get??

question

Things have settled into a sense of "normalcy", for lack of a better term, since I started the high school job.  I'm a month into it and starting to feel like I somewhat belong there.

I still have regularly scheduled time with one college tutee, and I have a couple of other high school tutees who occasionally call me in a panic.

Plus I'm getting to know most of my 250-ish students at the school a bit better.  They're a diverse group of good kids.  My hardest adjustment has been getting used to how ordered and by-the-book public school is.  In some cases, it's good and necessary, but I also think it's rather prison-like in others.  I'm not much for being a prison warden.

One student, who sports burgundy hair and a septum ring, told me I was "pretty chill", I think as a compliment?  Either way, I don't think that's a typical descriptor for a prison warden.

In the meantime, I have short conversations with a couple of crossing guards along my commute - nice ladies, as most all crossing guards are 😉.  Some may recall that, back in my crossing guard days, I had a daily customer fondly known as "Bike Lady".

I never did learn her actual name.  We would exchanged pleasantries, and I knew how long her commute was, but that was about it.  In fact, I probably wouldn't even recognize her anywhere else because of her bike helmet and glasses she always wore with a ponytail.

Now, it seems, I have become Bike Lady.

One of the crossing guards commented on the large amount of traffic, noting that the high school and middle school were neighborhood schools, yet hardly anyone seems to walk to school anymore.  I took this pic from my classroom one morning before the start of school.

No, that's not the parking lot, it just looks like one.  It's the steady stream of cars inching to and from the "neighborhood" school.  At least there's one representative on foot.

There are buses for students who live over a mile from school, and some of the cars are students and staff.  But a large majority are students who live less than a mile away, being driven to school and dropped off  by parents.

This is quite different from my own high school days.  Parents rarely drove their kids to school, and typically only on days when the kids had something big to bring to school, and only if the kid didn't have a driver's license.   I went to a relatively small school in a small town, so thought that might help explain the difference, but Magnum went to a big school in a big city where no one was driven by their parents either.

Is this a new thing now?  Did YOU get your own self to high school and back?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Love,
Bike Lady

a separate peace

It was a robust red.  With training wheels,  tubeless tires, a hard plastic white seat, and red and white streamers flowing from the handlebars.  It was the first thing I saw under the tree that Christmas morning.  I had recently turned 5 years old.

Looking back, having and riding a bicycle seems like such a milestone of childhood.  I'd seen the older kids riding them, of course.  I remember staring at a 10-speed as the girl upon it had stopped to talk with my mom.  Looking at those skinny tires and trying to figure out how it was possible that anyone could ride such a thing.

Luckily, that Christmas I got my first bicycle, the outside was not covered in snow.  I could bundle up and test ride it right away.  What a rush of freedom that was!

Fashion Disaster on Wheels

I'm sure I received other gifts that Christmas, but I have no idea what they were.  And I don't know that I can say it was the "best" gift ever, but I loved my new bicycle.  And the infatuation didn't wear off after those initial first "dates".  I remember riding it a lot, even if just around our little block.  Eventually, the training wheels came off.

One of the most vivid memories I have from those years is when I learned to handle the 2-wheeler.  My dad had been patiently pushing me up and down the sidewalk,  holding onto the seat.  At one point, I realized he was just jogging along beside me,  no longer holding on, and so excited.  I had graduated!

Bigger bicycles and more fun followed.  The neighborhood kids all got around on them.  If someone got a new one, we all looked on, and eventually, the owner let us take a spin.  In high school, my close friend Ingrid and I would go on long rides on roads we probably should not have been bicycling on.  Ingrid sadly and suddenly passed away while just in her early 30s, and I'm so glad to have the memories of those rides.

So many years have passed since that Christmas of the Bicycle.  And I don't know what became of that little red bike with no name.  I have no desire for competitive bicycling, but I'm not surprised that, at my riper age *ahem*, my bicycles are my chosen methods of transportation.  It's hard to describe in words the difference between commuting on a bicycle and commuting in a car, but the bicycle experience is just so many nice things the car isn't.  The line of separation is thick.

Older face... 
same expression?

Not religiously epiphanous or anything, just better.

I was at the bike shop recently, where all of the employees are avid cyclists who ride to work and beyond.  One of them mentioned to me, "Whenever I see you on the path, you've got such a big grin on your face".

Really?  I hadn't thought about it.  I guess that's a sign of a great gift.

...................................................................

Linking up with Mama Kat this week, for the prompt:

4. Best or worst gift you ever received.


.

Silver Liningness Sunday

Greetings fellow Ice Agers!  Cold enough for ya??

Oh well, I'm happy to report that the sun is visiting us, at least for the time being. It's still cold, but brightly so.   Like Magnum says, maybe the sun reads my blog.

Still much to be grateful for this week, like a warm home and clothing.  I was out yesterday and saw what I think was a coyote.  It didn't look in very good shape - scraggly, limping and near frozen.  And I'm taking advantage by defrosting our freezer today.  The contents are out in the big walk-out freezer that is our back deck.

I was glad to not have class on Thursday.  The university didn't close altogether, but cancelled all classes before 10 a.m.  Mine that day starts at 9:25 - woot!  Meego got two full snowdays, hasn't been to school since Wednesday.  And I am grateful for the Metro bus system that gets me to school when bicycle commuting is out of the question.  It's clean, safe, and economical!  Okay, I got that from my bus schedule pamphlet, but it's true.  I do have a car, but prefer to not be a part of the congestion if I can help it, and the transit system makes it easy and convenient.  Here's one of the fleet all decked out for the Parade of Lights:

I love that they included the bicycle!

On Wednesday, when the storm was moving in, my dad went to fill their car with gas.  My parents are old and not in the best of health, and my brothers and I worry about them still living independently in their old house.  My dad had some troubles while getting gas - probably a combination of the bitter cold and his general health.  The gas station attendant could've just left him to struggle, but instead took action to get him needed help.  My little hometown gets teased somewhat for being a little podunk town.  Add the fact that it was once the sex change capitol of the world, and it can be the brunt of many a joke.  The people there are of the best though!  

Finally, here's a pencil portrait of Meego that one of his friends made during Thanksgiving break.  Isn't it good?  The artist is a middle schooler!  

My own artwork has taken a back seat while I'm going to school, so it's good to know there are still kids out there with pencils and sketchbooks doing other things besides cyber bullying each other!

.

Silver Liningness Sunday

I haven't seen the sun since Wednesday.  That's not necessarily something I'm thankful for on this silver liningness day, it's just newsworthy because we get spoiled here and rarely go so many days in a row without sunshine.  If my usual sunny disposition is lacking, you've been forewarned.

AND I see it as a good thing if all I have to whine about is cloudy skies.  For starters, we won Magnum's office football pool last weekend.  That was actually our second win of the season, and since cash is committed up front, we are now guaranteed to finish in the black.  We're a whopping four bucks above break even!  Oh, it's gonna be a good Christmas this year!

Remember Meego's hair last week?  And my to-do list?  While other things have been added to the to-do's, Meego has about half the hair he had last week.  Yay!

Wolfgang and I hung out a bit on Friday.  He'd ordered a long board that was due to arrive at our house Friday afternoon.  I took him to the mall to get a helmet and he needed a couple of things for his dorm.  He stayed for dinner.  I'd forgotten how much that kid eats.  I think we got a deal on the university meal plan.

And, with this yuck weather, I want to express my thankfulness for the bus service.  I've mentioned the parking hassles at the university, in addition to my aversion to driving around town in general.  I rode the bus twice last week, and am finding it very convenient and reliable - even on the freezing-cold-traffic-mess day.  Riding the bike was out of the question as bike paths and lanes were covered in ice and road vomit on both of those days.

And oh yeah, there was my birthday last week.  Magnum's birthday is today, so I guess that whole "grow old together" is still on schedule.
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live from the Met(ro)!

Geesh, what a difference a few hours makes.  Yesterday, I was out gallivanting around all bicycle commuter without a jacket, and today...  TODAY...

We woke to a world covered in ice.  There would be no gallivanting around all bicycle commuter for me, jacket or no.

Today was my fourth bus day for the semester.  My bus stop is about a mile from the house.  Usually a pleasant walk of about the right distance.  It's downhill all the way, so this morning, I slipped, slid, and fell all the way there.

I arrived to join three others of nondescript gender.  Really, with everyone bundled up, I didn't know the boys from the girls.  It doesn't matter, and actually, it gave me something to decipher rather than think about my frozen body parts.  I'm thankful for my years as a crossing guard, which prepared me to stand around in awful weather and just deal.

No buses came by, but we were prepared for delays as the traffic crawled passed.  At one point, one of my genderless companions left the little shelter and started heading up the sidewalk.   Another commented to me, "She thinks the buses aren't running today", which confirmed that both the deserter and the one speaking were female.

The other of us stood just outside the shelter smoking a cigarette.  I'm pretty sure she is a girl I've waited with on one of my other bus days.  She works at a restaurant and is usually pretty quiet - likes to be alone with her thoughts and her future pulmonary disease.  Having spent time as a service worker, I fully understand.

Soon enough, the deserter returned.  She wasn't deserting after all, she'd just gone up the way to get something from McD's.  She returned with a bag and a cold beverage.  I wondered about the contents of the bag.  An Egg McMuffin perhaps?  I wasn't hungry, but I would've loved to have wrapped my frozen hands around a warm Egg McMuffin.

In a couple of minutes, the bus that isn't mine arrived and all three of my companions got on it, leaving me alone with my thoughts and hopefully no future pulmonary disease.  I waited and continued to freeze and waited a little more.

At long last, my bus arrived.  Just twenty bone chilling minutes behind schedule.  For most of the ride, the roads looked like parking lots, and there were accidents ga-LORE.  But those bus drivers get 'er done, and soon I was deposited onto the university campus, having thawed somewhat during the ride.

I went to my class after a little more thaw time in the library.  My teaching partner arrived about 15 minutes late to class, having spent two hours driving there through a maze of traffic snarls and crashes and ice fields.

And this was my google screen today.  So happens, today's my birthday.  Mother Nature tried to give the gift of hypothermia, but failed.  But google knows everything...

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tired?

Our poor Honda Civic.  It probably thinks I don't like it, but truth is, I LOVE it!  - as much as an anti-driving bicycle commuter can love a car anyway.

Really, though, I think that my attempts to be as car free as practical make me all the more picky when it comes to choosing gas powered vehicles.

I recently mentioned the criteria for choosing our pedophile van.  Then, of course, there is the ever adored, recently adopted Ellie Mae.







Our third and final gas snacker is the sweet little (no-named) Honda Civic.  We got her about 4 or 5 years ago when we wanted a no-frills, reliable, economical commuter car.  She fits the bill perfectly.  She's a frugal 5-speed with an absolutely hideous interior, moody radio, no A/C, and U-Crank-Em windows and mirrors.

She's quite fun to drive, sneaking in and out of tight parking spaces with ease and otherwise instantly responding to driver commands.

Recall that a couple of months ago, in a haze of blizzard induced cabin fever, I took out the driver's side mirror.  The GUILT!

Yesterday was worse.

Meego and I were coming home from the orthodontist.  We'd just witnessed a crazy person entering busy cross traffic through a red light.  What??  This SUV was stopped and then... just decided to go?  I'm guessing they were just distracted (like so many are!) and forgot they were sitting at a light?  That was STILL red?

They managed to stop-and-go get across as the green-light people stopped, all wtf.  But it was just weird.  Anyway, maybe I was replaying that in my head, or maybe I was tired from unpacking and getting restocked after our little trip, or maybe...

Well, we were about a half mile from home.  I made a tight little road-hugging right turn that the Civic does so well - too well this time.  My turn was too tight and I ended up clipping the curb with the rear passenger tire.  "Ouch", said the friendly Civic.

So there we were, a block or so further on, changing out the flat and replacing it with the spare donut.   Meego actually enjoyed it - going all NASCAR pit crew, albeith much MUCH slower.  I noted that it was a nice day out for such activities, and it was nice to be in a quiet residential area rather than a busy highway or such.  I was not, however, thrilled about getting my new Hello Kitty Stormtrooper shirt all dirtied.

So, I will finish my coffee and take little Civic to the shop now.  I'm contemplating getting her a whole new set of tires as I noticed how baldy her current ones are as I was sitting on the ground with her yesterday.

Maybe we take her for granted because she never complains.  She is just SO reliable.  I even left a sticky note on the garage door so that Magnum didn't automatically climb in and take her to work this morning.

Spa treatment day.
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po-po wednesday

Kind of a grey morning today, but as I made my way to The Office, I saw a welcome sight.

A friendly police cruiser decided to join me for the morning commute.  He indiscreetly planted himself right on the shoulder of Crazy Driver Boulevard.  It was all I could do to discreetly snap a pic.

Since winter arrived, the motorcycle cops have been shelved, and I don't get as much po-presence.  So I think it's nice of them to come around once in a while.  A year or so ago, they unveiled this marvelous MTU (Mobile Traffic Unit).  It's a high-tech van equipped with radar and cameras that snaps photos of speeders.

They gleefully set it up at "my" crosswalk, and the wonderful MTU commenced to... malfunction.  It was concluded that the power lines (that apparently are cooking my insides daily) at the crosswalk were interfering with the onboard electronics.

Alas, back to the old school way of doing things.

But really, I prefer things that way.  A human rather than an electronic device.  Take that however you see fit.
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fine doubled

School's been in session for a little over a month now.  I don't know what the what's going on, but I've had traffic cops with me for 3 days in the last week of crossing guard zone.  I stealthily snapped a pic of Mr. MoCop this morning so as to share how pretty he is atop his shiny motorcycle in his crisp black uniform (RAWR!)

Can you even find him?

As you can, I think, see, he's not at all sneaky.  These are not speed traps.  He sits in plain view of traffic from both directions, and this usually results in good behavior from the motorists, which is all the two of us want!

Still, he chased down three perps in about 30 minutes... pretty much the going rate during good behavior times.

I happen to know that the previous crossing guard left the job because of "anger issues".  It was a mutual decision between her and the school to leave the crosswalk.  She is still a beloved employee of the school, just in a happier position for everyone involved.

I admit that careless/distracted drivers piss me off bother me somewhat.  But I think one thing that keeps me from going all road rage is that I totally expect the careless/distracted drivers.  They are there every day, how can I not?

This morning, after the good behavior shift with my MoCop, I was crossing the street to go back home, since we live on the school-side of the crosswalk.  In fact, we purposely chose that neighborhood so OUR kids wouldn't have to cross this street to get to school.

As I approached my side of the street, a car came barelling down the hill from my right.  It was almost like seeing me in the hideous vest in the crosswalk egged him on to assert his superior I'm-in-a-car-and-you're-not-so-you-better-get-the-&%$^#-outta-my-way position.  In fact, I think he was so focused on buzzing me, that he didn't see Mr. MoCop.

I wasn't fazed.  I had my eyes on him as I continued to walk at my casual pace, thinking, "Oh,  you so don't want to do this".

It wasn't even a pursuit.  It was more of an interception as Mr. MoCop pulled out and brought that snotty little sedan to a stop.

I wanted to hug him.
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good morning!

A few weeks ago, IT guy Chris from school came down to the crosswalk in the morning to "film the speeders".  Apparently the school is lobbying for a camera down there.  Not necessarily a red-light-runner camera, but just a surveillance camera for just in case something goes awry. 

He didn't have much luck recording speeders.  I noticed while he was there all out in the open with his camera and tripod, the traffic behaved quite well.  I think it was the effect of having a guy on the side of the road with a video camera.

So I did a little psychological study.  Now, I've brought the helmet cam to the crosswalk before.  I've always sort of had the thing hidden, but this morning, I brought it with me and stood loud and proud, helmet cam a-recording!

Yep, just as predicted, it had the same affect as when Chris was there.  People noticed.  They slowed down.  They probably didn't like me.

As I stood there with the camera up next to my eyeball for all to see, I realized I could probably wield a cardboard tube from a roll of toilet paper and get the same results. It's not the fact that they're being filmed that makes the motorists behave, it's the possibility that they're being filmed. 

I used to give some of them the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe they were unfamiliar with the area and just didn't notice the flashing lights and the big fluorescent signs and me (really?).  But now I realize that most of them just don't give a hoot.

What's worse, distracted ignorance or shameless disregard? 

Thing is, I got so caught up in my "study", I even distracted myself!  At least my friend NinjaBoy got me back  on task.

traffic king

I had some company this morning on the street.  Well, other than the usual company of traffic and pedestrians.  It was Chris, the part-time IT guy from school.

Chris, meet the blog.  Blog, meet Chris

He showed up across the street, set up a video camera and tripod, and began filming (is that an obsolete word?) the morning traffic.  I noticed that the traffic behaved a little better than usual.  I guess there's something about a guy with a video camera that gets people to fall in line, moreso than some chick in a loud vest with a stop sign. 

Once my shift was up, I crossed over and joined him.

"Hey, whatcha filmin'?", I asked.

He said his supervisor wanted him to film the morning speeders for some project.  While he was there, there'd only been one really blatant one - a dry cleaning van of all things. 

"Yeah, for some reason, they behave a little better in the morning.  It's more of a speedway in the afternoons", I told him.

"Oh, good to know", he said, "Maybe I'll come back out in the afternoon".

Then we wondered why that was.  Chris said he probably has more inclination to speed in the morning, to get to work on time.  After work, there's no rush.  I don't know why it is either.  School is out before the traditional "rush hour", so I'm not sure what demographic the afternoon drivers are from.  There are probably more high school kids going through at that time, but it's not them. 

It's women and old men for the most part. 

Women get the prize for worst drivers overall.  They speed, they go through red lights, they're more likely to be on the phone.  I just want to say, "COME ON!!  THAT'S NO WAY TO REPRESENT!"

Next are the old men.  By "old", I mean old enough so that every hair they have is white. 

The best drivers are clearly men on motorcycles.  Doesn't matter the age, doesn't matter the style of motorcycle.  Even the young guys on bullet bikes behave in a school crossing.  Once out of the school zone, however, they punch it. 

Of course, this is a small sample and probably not necessarily representative of traffic patterns in general.  Still, if we were to draw a conclusion?

Beware the dry cleaning vans being driven by women. 
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good karma?

Busy day.  Busy busy day.  I'm not complaining, I like busy, within reason, and today was certainly within reason. 

Still, this afternoon had me rushing out to the crosswalk with stop sign and cheesy vest flailing.  Once in position, I straightened myself up a bit and was immensely pleased to see this:

YES - a police cruiser, lights a-flashing, with a freshly nabbed criminal!

It's actually been a while since I've had any "backup".  Could it be that they somehow felt my recent  Illustration Friday tribute?

Granted, this wasn't a motorcycle cop, but it's still quite early in the season for those guys.  Cruisers it is.

Early in the school year, there was much hype about a new "mobile traffic unit" that the local police were dispatching.  It's a van equipped with radar gun and uber high definition camera equipment, all automatic.  It's very slick.  They just park it in certain speed zones, and if cars speed by, the drivers get very clear and unflattering photos of themselves along with speeding tickets and fines.

My crosswalk was graced with its presence early on.  I felt like how a dog rescued from the pound must feel - suddenly special. 

But, as sometimes happens with pound puppies, I was sent back.

It seems that the new, state-of-the-art, super-high-tech, mother-of-all-traffic-controlling-police-vans van was malfunctioning in my zone.  See, there are these large intimidating power lines that follow the path upon which the crosswalk is situated.  Apparently these power lines interfere with the state-of-the-art, super-high-techness of the van.

So, once again I was all alone.  All alone under the power lines that are probably cooking my insides daily.

But let's just sweep that under the rug for now...

I'm no longer graced with RoboCop presence, so must hold out for occassional visits from the flesh and blood kind.   I got one today, and he wrote lots of tickets.  I swear, it's like fishing in a bucket.

What's next for the drawing board?
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