Category Archives: Narrative

I angered at least 3 people driving in cars today.

I am empowered.

I don’t understand why people are in such a hurry to get everywhere. What kind of quality of life do you have when you are always rushing around to get somewhere? It makes no sense to me.

Cars pause and let people cross in the crosswalk, but when I rode through on my bike they honked at me. The people can walk there, but us cyclists, we should yield to the cars. Whatever.

I like making you angry. I like slowing you down in your oversized petroleum guzzling SUV that will never be driven off road. I’m in your way. You have to go faster. Be better. Get bigger things. Get more bigger things. Just because that’s what the neighbours have. Because that’s what your peers have. Because that’s what People magazine said.

You strive to be better, to go further, to get ahead of the crowd. You ARE the crowd. You buy what they’re selling. You drive your big car and race the other rats to get somewhere-anywhere, before everybody else.

What do you have when you get there? Where, exactly IS there?

A big car with Shrek II playing on the DVD. This is what fulfills you. This is your raison d’être. There you are on top of your mountain. Ahead of eveyone else.

But everyone else is still coming. And soon you won’t be alone on the top of the mountain. There will be a crowd with you – and then the race will be on for the next mountain.

Enjoy.

Get up tomorrow and go again. Let me know when you’re satisfied. Happy. Let me know when you figure it out.

I’ll be the one slowing you down on the bike daydreaming ’cause I know on the way home I get to ride through the woods.

So yesterday Lyn is doing some shopping for the pending kids birthday party this Saturday. She’s walking through the parking lot carrying a bag of stuff and Emma who’s birthday it was yesterday. She’s 2.

Some woman backed out of her parking space, and hits them. Knocking out Lyn’s knees from behind and throwing her and Emma to the ground.

The woman then realizes she’s hit someone, reverses direction, and speeds off through the parking space that was open in front of her, tires squealing.

Lyn’s left laying on the ground with her knees bloodied and pants torn up. Thankfully, she said that Emma actually landed on the bag of stuff she was carrying and came through scuff-free. She didn’t even cry.

Unfortunately, Lyn didn’t see the car or license plate it all happened so fast. She said that she didn’t even realize what was happening at first and when she did, her realization was that, she’d been knocked to the ground and the woman’s not going to stop and will run over the both of them. Imagine that feeling for a moment. Laying on the ground with your child, sure that you both are about to be run over by a car.

By some miracle, or the sheer chicken-shit factor of the woman not wanting to be busted, she stopped and drove off the other way.

Several onlookers did stop to see if Lyn was ok and help her up, but no one really got any distingushing characteristcs of the car. No police report was filed. The woman gets away.

This is why I don’t like people. This is why I want to move into the woods somewhere. This is why I don’t make small talk with you on the street. This is why I don’t like you. More and more evidence comes to light that seems to support the fact that for the most part people are no good.

I look around and all I see are more and more indicators that as a society we are both morally and ethically bankrupt. I need to have my head examined for wanting to raise my kids in this madness.

If I could have caught up to that person, I probably would have dragged them from the car and proceeded to pummel them. Makes me no better than them. Forgive and forget? How can I forgive people that have no concern or concept of anyone but themselves?

I rode my bike 2,395 miles to work last year.

117 days to work, out of 253 work days. An average of 11.5 miles each way. That’s 46% of the time.

With an average retail gas price of 1.93 a gallon for 2004, and my car’s mpg around 23 city, that comes to around 12 cents a mile for gas.

That means I saved roughly $287.40 on gas last year. Also less wear and tear/maintenance and mileage depreciation on my car.

I’m psyched to see what I can do this year.

What did YOU do last year?