and I still made it to the meeting on time...

tonight I had a meeting that I wanted to attend...
well... tonight I had a movie I wanted to attend
24 Solo was being played as part of the Banff Film Festival at Nat Geo tonight... I wanted to be in attendance
I felt as if I should go to this meeting

so I went to the meeting

there was not time to for a ride between work and the meeting
but there was enough time for me to rush home
I needed to grab a the lock
I had forgotten pack a lock... I do not bring a lock with me to work
because I bring my bicycle into the office

so went home to grab a lock
and I though I could walk the dog real quick
lisa was home and brutus had already been walked
the boys were down the block at a friend's house
I said hello to lisa and the dog
then I sat back for a few minutes.... and yes... I blogged

having to be at the meeting by six I felt that a five thirty departure would be plenty of time to get across town on the fixed gear at a casual cruising pace
not far into my travel across town I ran into Anna Kelso on Mount Pleasant Street
we exchanged hellos as we paused in the no man's land in the center of the street
a foolish but convenient place to slow and stop

a car passed fast and close with a driver with a phone in their hand
I heard the words dumb ass
they were not talking to the person on the phone... they were talking to me
I smiled... because I call the car drivers that are doing ignorant things dumb ass

we disbanded from our center of the street hello and went our separate ways
in seconds I had passed the driver who had called me a dumb ass as well as a number of double parked cars
each car no less inconsiderate than the two bicyclist
yet the cars get no tongue... not a honk... not even a consideration

several cars lengths ahead of my friend the dumb ass I make the light
then catch a long queue of backed up cars and split the road on the double yellow line and make the light which feeds me onto 16th Street

RUSH HOUR IN ALL ITS GLORY!

I feed in cleanly between the right turning traffic and the fast moving traffic in the center lane
I move from the center lane to the right lane
but have to take the center lane a block ahead as a car entering traffic does not take me being in the lane into account
I move to the center lane then back to the right lane
I am moving at the same rate as traffic.... then when traffic slows I am moving faster

I take the full lane
there is no reason to share the lane here
there is not enough room for a car and a bike in the lane
if I ride to the right
the cars will try to squeeze by
traffic is blocked up just ahead
there is no need for me to play submissive and put myself at risk
the most safe thing is to take the full lane

I split lanes headed down the hill
but when traffic picks up I take the full lane again
moving the rate of traffic with traffic... traffic is moving slowly... I could move faster if traffic were not in my way

I pass the backed up traffic

approaching behind me I hear and feel some serious pipes
unsure what it is and it I am at risk
I glance back and see a large white male on an equally large orange motorcycle with a fair amount of chrome
LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES
flowing through traffic with a very similar form of efficiency is this very large man on a very large motor cycle
it may not have been a harley... but it was a biker's bike
not some crappy as jap harley wanna be.... but an american bike of great expense and great craftsmanship

he flows past me and works pretty much the same path on the other side of U Street that I had planned on taking... the left side of the right hand lane along side of the parked cars
it is a good path... a solid path of the car trying to get past the left turning traffic
I take this path always watching for opening car doors, right turning traffic, and cars coming out of a space or a car panic stopping to grab a space

things have flattened out and I am moving pretty good
just ahead I hear a slam on the horn
no contact
but there is an altercation
words from the motorcyclist
the kickstand goes down and he is off the bike

in no time he is off the bike and coming around the front of the car
I zip to the center line and get to the car just as car door is opening
the situation is too obvious
the motorcyclist is not so mad at the one man behind the wheel of this car
but this is the last car that did not look before it went for a lane change
one close call too many
this is the hundredth caller... bonus... we have a winner... jackpot

it is none of my business... but I know that this man does not want to cause harm on another... well... I know that this man does not want to do something stupid that gets him thrown in jail
so I get involved
I am not sure why... but I often get involved

things are happening fast
I am standing in the street in cycling shoes holding my bicycle upright
I try calm the irate biker dude down
the very large irate biker dude... taller and larger than me
so... while trying to talk this man down
I am also making sure that this man does not level to get to this other man

this is really none of my business
I let him know... I know this is known of my business

I try to be dependent upon words instead of action
there may be a gentle hand on this very large man's chest just below his very large beard
a gentle hand... not enough of a hand to slow or stop him from knocking the baseball cap off the latino man who is now out of his car
the latino man reaches in his car to get something
he comes out with a screwdriver

by this time the adrenalin has built within the large biker dude
and well... the car driver... well.... he has been insulted and struck
and he may well not realize what he has done

with weapon in the game I get a little more involved
bad idea.... that is a bad idea
you do not want this to go there

by this time there is a man off the sidewalk
this man has taken the latino man with the screwdriver and is holding him
as I am forced to contain the very large biker dude with the heart pumping full of adrenalin

the car pulls off
the biker guy is still mad
I talk to the biker guy long enough to get him to calm down
more importantly long enough for the car to get a few city blocks away

I hear the biker dude yell out that he is going to go hunt that guy down

24-solo.com
banff at national geographic
annakelso.blogspot.com