Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Confirmed: Punctuality can be hazardous to your health

Answering the call of duty I launched early enough this morning actually to be on time at work.  As always when I do this, I was throwing elbows with an aggressive swarm all the way to town.  From school buses in my neighbirhood to a steady stream northbound on Route 16 when I needed to cross to the southbound lane, all the way down Route 28 and into the approaches to town.

Speaking of swarms, a wasp stung me on the side of the face out on 28.  The venom does interesting things as it spreads.  Pulses of stinging pain blend with a mild numbness over about a three-inch radius from the point of entry.  I'm not allergic, so it's just an unscheduled science experiment.

One dump truck deserves special commendation for an exemplary patient pass in a narrow, twisty bit known for the opposite kind of behavior.  I did not have the pop to sprint into the pocket, though I tried.

In town, an oblivious pedestrian walked straight out in front of me.   He was probably ten times the age at which children are taught to look both ways before crossing the street.  I locked the brakes and wished him a cordial good morning.  Seconds later I held the door for him at the post office.  He might or might not have realized I was the same person.

And so here we are. And the dang coffee shop is closed.  I- I- I'm coming down!  Ack!

Soon I hope to post my brief review of a ride on my brother's Trice.  For one who earns so little I manage to find many things to fill my schedule.  It's cut into my time to do justice to posts on topics that should have good links in them.

3 comments:

Ham said...

Not that I would like to gloat but (at least for this week) my commute has undergone a transformation. For this week (working in Zurich), I have a 2 mile flat commute along some of the most civilised cycling streets ever (they have multiple cycle lanes around roundabouts and coming up to junctions, depending on where you are headed) and after work I get to ride up Adliberg and Uetliberg (3 & 500M climbs) This is NICE. http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/londondailyphoto/Gloating?authkey=Gv1sRgCOn3reK7gsibTA#

Funny, but you don't see many single speed or fixies here ;-)

Oh, and hope the sting subsides, soon. The rest of the description sounds like an average to good day in London.

cafiend said...

Nice place you're in, there. Is that the Swiss Navy I see on the water, those little white dots?

greatpumpkin said...

I'd like to see that Trice review myself. I've now done more than 100 miles on it and I am eager to get out and do a long ride. It gets better with practice. Wish you had been able to more than a brief ride. Had it up to 27 mph on the flat, which is about where it spins out in top gear. Now I have my new dyno LED lights on it, I can actually see at night. It's great to be on the road again.