bunsen_h

Earlier this afternoon, I was heading westwards along my street (Norice), and was slowing to a stop behind the student driver waiting at the red light to make a left turn onto Woodroffe.  The SUV well behind me honked.  I glanced backward, then returned my attention to the important matter of signaling my turn and coming to a safe stop, centred behind the student driver.

The SUV pulled up close behind me.  Then edged fowards, partly in my lane and just to my right, so the woman could open her window and tell me that I wasn't supposed to ride across the road.  "You're supposed to walk your bike across."

I gave her a "what planet are you from" look.  "I'm a vehicle, and I have as much right to be on the road as you do."

She became more insistent.  "But you aren't supposed to ride across the road.  I'm sure of it.  I don't want you to get in trouble."

A "what colours are the moons around your planet?" look.  "Read your Driver's Handbook.  I'm a vehicle, and I have as much right to be on the road as you or any other vehicle."

"But I don't think..."

Then the light changed, the car ahead went through, and I followed it.  Carefully switched into the bike lane on Woodroffe when I was through the intersection.  I was worried that the idiot was going to pass me on my right and then cut me off, but she stayed behind me through the intersection and stayed in the regular lane.

Good grief -- if she's expecting that cyclists won't ever try to bike across roads, she's going to hit somebody.  Of the two of us, I know which one shouldn't be on the road.  How can people be so ignorant?

Another flat tire, this time on my way home from work. On the plus side, it happened shortly before I passed the Canadian Tire store, so it wasn't even much of a detour to get a replacement inner tube.

Because I was pretty sure that the old tube was shot.  Note to self, for when civilization goes kablooey: drywall nails make effective caltrops.  Even if they don't land point-up when dropped, a tire running over one can flip it over, point-upwards, then puncture.  And the ridges on the nail rip quite a good hole in a tire.  For a bike tire, you get a big entry puncture and a smaller puncture on the other side of the tube, and if you continue to roll on for a few wheel rotations, you can even get a small but deep ding on the inside of the rim.

The previous flat was a bit less than a week ago, when a patch applied a number of months ago gave way.  The new patches, small self-adhesive squares, are certainly much more convenient than the older rubber patches that had to be glued on.  But they're a lot less sturdy, and the adhesive is much less durable than the rubber cement of the old patches.

I'm glad I'm taking tomorrow off work.  I can use a break, and a bit of catching up on sleep.