what a day? ain't life good?.......awe nothin' special happened today. i just made it through another swelterin' summer day, or is it still spring? yep, ......it is. summer don't start for another 11 days. hold on tight, because it's gonna be a hot one!!
those of y'all that know me. i mean really know anything about me. now I'm not talking about those that know me because of my world wide fame as the writer of this blog that nobody reads. those that i actually love, and you love me back in spite of my terrible faults. those are the ones that I'm talking about!!
when i was a much younger man i used to ride a motorcycle. i love to ride a bike. i rode one every where that i went. no matter what the weather was. cold, sun, rain, night, or day. i know back all those years ago that most people had no respect for a guy riding a bike. although, i was buck wild and didn't deserve any respect because of the way that i drove myself. i should have never been allowed to ride, because i rode like every ride might be my last!!
years have passed since then, and today i ride a bicycle. i ride it because i got into trouble drinking, and driving too many times. state law enforcement put a stop to me drinking and driving for good. it's not that i still can't drink and drive. it's the very high price you pay today if your caught. i would rather ride my bicycle than spend my life in prison.
I've thought about sending a letter to the editor of the Florida Times Union. that's the newspaper here in Jacksonville. I've wanted for a long time to let those who drive here with no consequence to me, have it good!! I've never done it..........yet,.so I'm gonna write a blog about it.
you know that all the drivers here aren't that bad. actually, there are quite a few that i need to applaud for excellence in driving skills. it seems though that all it takes are a few jerks to give a bad rep to the rest of them.
the same goes with people riding bicycle's. I've seen some totally stupid stunts from people riding bikes. i actually was following a couple young girls riding bikes on the sidewalk. every time they would come to an intersection they would just cross without thinking. keep in mind that they were heading west, and all the traffic was coming from the west. all these cars at the intersection was looking to the west, and not to the east to pull out on the main road.
these girls made me cringe just watching them. they like to got hit at two intersections, and finally did at the third one. the girl wasn't hurt, but the good Lord took her bike from her that day.
OK,.......i will admit that some people are just too stupid to be in public to begin with, little lone riding a bicycle, or in control of anything.
most of the major roads here have a bike lane. a lane specially built for bicycle travel. if I'm not in the bike lane then I'm on the sidewalk. I'm amazed at the amount of people that try to see how close that they can get to me. hopefully without out hitting me!! then there are those that like to throw things at me, and shout derogatory things. i remember one man that leaned as far out of his window shouting at me, " get out of the road you moron!!" i was in the lane designed by the state for me to ride in. now,....who is the moron here?
these people don't realize that I'm highly nervous already, because i have the responsibility to not run in front of anybody.
have you ever thought of the mental pain that a person would suffer if they ran over me just because you threw something at me, and i swerved in front of another driver? do you realize the amount of law suits that could be brought against you for one stunt?
i reckon there is a reason that they call it a sidewalk. i respect all those that are walking on it. anytime there is a woman, no matter what the age, i get off. if i can't get off which is rare, i just stop. i do the same for kids, and the elderly. the sidewalk was built for humans to travel on, but it's great for bikes when it's clear.
I'm a defensive rider. i don't challenge anything that moves. i guess that i have to be that way, because I'm an easy target. i look all directions while I'm passing through an intersection. people have been know to run red lights, and emergency vehicles can appear from nowhere..
anytime that I'm riding through a parking lot i have to be especially cautious. i don't know if it was the thrill of shopping, or rage caused by standing in the check out line. maybe it's just the tightness of the quarters, and more blind spots, but people act crazy in the parking lots.
I've always been curious about the horn blowers. some people will get right behind you and lay down on their horn. this confuses the heck out of me. I'm thinking that something is wrong, and I'm about to die. some folks just toot their horn, and i realize that they are saying that they are there, and want me to be aware that they are there. that's cool, but those that blow the hell out of the horn i don't understand!!
i ride my bike anytime that i go anywhere, so I'm fully legal. I've got lights on the front and back. I've got mirrors, reflectors, and reflective tape on my bike. i am aware of my surroundings a good 98% of the time. i wish that i could say 100%, but sometimes i get distracted.
maybe road rage causes people to disrespect me. I'm really not sure what does it, but i don't care for it at all. i just want people to show me respect when i ride my bike. then again, some people don't respect anybody. they do the same to people walking. they throw stuff at them, and cuss them. never considering that those people are doing what their doing for a reason. nobody, or few people walk, or ride a bike in the freezing cold, or blistering heat, because of the joy of it. however, some people will exercise in these conditions..
if you are one of these terrorizing numb nuts that act this way to other people, why don't you just stop, and talk to them. ask them why they are doing it. then put yourself in their shoes. maybe you should put your mother, or grandparents in their shoes.
we are all human, and we have a story behind everything that we do. once you talk to them, and know what the deal really is, maybe you can do something positive to get them off the streets that you claim as your own!!
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