Get Your Grump on Thursdays - Was (What's chapping my @ss today?)

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Originally Posted by mjbabcock

Young man from the college I work at committed suicide...been far too many over the years.

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It's a challenging moment to be optimistic. His loved ones and those fighting similar demons will be in my thoughts.

My favorite winter gravel route through the woods is being paved. But not paved in any kind of way that ever involved a civil engineer or even a person who understands pavement. Just some idiots smearing asphalt on what used to be some really awesome packed gravel that was rideable year-round regardless of weather. Some brainiac had a proposal that the trail be made accessible to everyone and while that is noble, you can't even walk on this crap. The asphalt has been down for a month and has never been packed or finished. If you ride on it, you sink to your rims.

So, I have decided that the most dangerous place to be on the roads around here is in the bike lane on any right hand bend, mild or acute.

The facebook checking, text messaging phone addicts at the wheels of their twin turbo’d, supercharged 550 HP grocery getters treat any right hand bend, no matter how mild as a chance to “shoot for the apex” to shave .000001 of a second off of their travel times.

It is no surprise that the fog lines in any of the right hand bends around here are worn to the point of invisible.

Or maybe people are just too lazy to actually steer their cars?

And just in case you think you might be safe on a left hand bend? Not if a moron decides to shorten his travel time by cutting to the inside and then has to emergency correct because, surprise (!), someone is coming the other way. Of course that correction just might put you, the unsuspecting cyclist into the ditch, but hey, the car is OK.

I hate most drivers.

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Originally Posted by TMB

So, I have decided that the most dangerous place to be on the roads around here is in the bike lane on any right hand bend, mild or acute.

The facebook checking, text messaging phone addicts at the wheels of their twin turbo’d, supercharged 550 HP grocery getters treat any right hand bend, no matter how mild as a chance to “shoot for the apex” to shave .000001 of a second off of their travel times.

It is no surprise that the fog lines in any of the right hand bends around here are worn to the point of invisible.

Or maybe people are just too lazy to actually steer their cars?

And just in case you think you might be safe on a left hand bend? Not if a moron decides to shorten his travel time by cutting to the inside and then has to emergency correct because, surprise (!), someone is coming the other way. Of course that correction just might put you, the unsuspecting cyclist into the ditch, but hey, the car is OK.

I hate most drivers.

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Where is here?

I made a dumb comment in the TdF thread.

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Originally Posted by 72gmc

I made a dumb comment in the TdF thread.

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I'm pretty sure you are not the first.

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Originally Posted by TMB

So, I have decided that the most dangerous place to be on the roads around here is in the bike lane on any right hand bend, mild or acute.

The facebook checking, text messaging phone addicts at the wheels of their twin turbo’d, supercharged 550 HP grocery getters treat any right hand bend, no matter how mild as a chance to “shoot for the apex” to shave .000001 of a second off of their travel times.

It is no surprise that the fog lines in any of the right hand bends around here are worn to the point of invisible.

Or maybe people are just too lazy to actually steer their cars?

And just in case you think you might be safe on a left hand bend? Not if a moron decides to shorten his travel time by cutting to the inside and then has to emergency correct because, surprise (!), someone is coming the other way. Of course that correction just might put you, the unsuspecting cyclist into the ditch, but hey, the car is OK.

I hate most drivers.

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It's Canadia, do they at least say "Sorry"? When I moved here, I assumed the worst with the rednecks in big 4X4 trucks and so far they've proven me wrong. I guess they aren't in that much of a hurry.

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Originally Posted by bigbill

It's Canadia, do they at least say "Sorry"? When I moved here, I assumed the worst with the rednecks in big 4X4 trucks and so far they've proven me wrong. I guess they aren't in that much of a hurry.

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Canadia and the U.S. are both expansive. As you indicate by your post that Texas is not like everywhere in the U.S. Location, location, location.

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Originally Posted by bironi

Canadia and the U.S. are both expansive. As you indicate by your post that Texas is not like everywhere in the U.S. Location, location, location.

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I lived much of my adult life in the Silverdale/Poulsbo area and commuted to Bremerton. Most of my routes were either low traffic or had a shoulder. I had very few run-ins with drivers, just the occasional right hook turn.

Nolan, one of my framebuilding students from last year lost his battle with cancer last week. He was in his middle 30's. He was a pilot and when he didn't have medical clearance to fly anymore he turned to bicycling as therapy. He had all the tools (literally) to be a successful builder. I customized his training to do multiples of transportation bicycles instead of making something more for himself. He had done a lot of research to find out where he could learn the most after he took a class at UBI. I get to know a person pretty well in a 3 week class and we had corresponded a lot. He had cracked the code of what to do but the end came way too early and without enough warning. I had just sent him pics of me walking my daughter up the "aisle" at her outdoor wedding at Mammoth Mountain, CA when it was snowing and 32º in June. It showed finding joy in bad conditions. I'll miss his questions.

Seeing your 6y old girl being flown by helicopter to the nearest major hospital. I don't wish that to anybody.

Thanksfully she is ok according to all exams/scans/whatever that have been made to her.

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Originally Posted by sk_tle

Seeing your 6y old girl being flown by helicopter to the nearest major hospital. I don't wish that to anybody.

Thanksfully she is ok according to all exams/scans/whatever that have been made to her.

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No greater suffering on this planet then a parent for a child. Glad to hear she's ok and hope all ends well for you both.

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Originally Posted by sk_tle

Seeing your 6y old girl being flown by helicopter to the nearest major hospital. I don't wish that to anybody.

Thanksfully she is ok according to all exams/scans/whatever that have been made to her.

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Thomas...I had this same experience two years ago with our daughter and with the same positive ending. Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy so good karma sent to your daughter, you and your lady.

As I was a commuting to work this morning, about a block away, I rode through a huge blob of extremely soft excrement. It was just sitting there in the middle of the sidewalk. Since I'm in Portland I cant just assume it was a dog... possibly human. I had to clean off my wheels before I carried my once pristine bicycle into work. I almost puked.

Since friday I have had an intermittent toothache that at one moment was so intense I was nearly brought to tears, and the next moment was just a dull ache, repeating like that for 4 days. After dealing with it all weekend (better living with simultaneous naproxen sodium and acetaminophen) I finally could get into see the dentist. He finds nothing. X-rays, extensive probing, tapping etc. Finds nothing. No better explanation than something under the gum line I finally dislodged...

I wish I still drank. Now would be a very good time for a double whiskey.

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Originally Posted by Shinomaster

I rode through a huge blob of extremely soft excrement. It was just sitting there in the middle of the sidewalk. Since I'm in Portland I can't just assume it was a dog... possibly human.

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Shino...in a twisted way and sitting in Portlandia as I write this, you made me chuckle while reading your post. The killer was "Since I'm in Portland I can't just assume it was a dog... possibly human."

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Originally Posted by rwsaunders

Shino...in a twisted way and sitting in Portlandia as I write this, you made me chuckle while reading your post. The killer was "Since I'm in Portland I can't just assume it was a dog... possibly human."

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Haha, sad but true! Oh the things I've seen on our streets.

At risk of jynxing it, this is one of the least grumpy thursdays in some time.

I have a rash. For a week now.

Finally saw a doctor yesterday who prescribed some anti-itch cream and told me these things take about two weeks to resolve.

Two weeks. I am grumpy.

Kansas City got slammed with 4-8 inches of rain last night depending on the neighborhood. Guessing mine got 8 or close to since my basement has 6-8 inches of water in it. Highest levels of water in 40 years.