I haven't felt much like blogging since I have had an endless stream of deadlines AND I got into yet another collision over the holiday weekend. Working like a dog on unpleasant things that have little to do with writing really forces me to conserve my writing energy for other things, like the dissertation. Anyway...
Phil tagged me to do a meme, so I guess I'll follow suit. Dude, we really need to talk now that classes are winding down!
The rules:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
5. If you don’t have 7 blog friends, or if someone else already took dibs, then tag some unsuspecting strangers.
Seven random facts
1. I have a serious affection for hats. When I was growing up, I used to decorate my room with them...
2. Even though my cat has a proper name, I still call her "cat" when I come home.
3. I haven't had a functioning iPod for over 3 years and I have no real desire to get another one. (This wouldn't be so weird if I didn't study music.)
4. I watch two or three TV shows on a weekly basis, but I don't own a TV.
5. My hair grows freakishly fast causing me to go to the hair stylist every 3 weeks or so.
6. I can touch my tongue to the tip of my nose.
7. I like going to the movie theater alone.
And tags: Bill, Regarding, Sam, and Xandra. I don't like the idea of tagging random people.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Interview
Excerpt:
Sometimes I wonder if I'm becoming a parody of myself... In other news, check out the new streetfilm about LA's bike coops.
Interviewer: What interests you about our program at [fancy university]? Why do you want to work here?
KG: [some stuff related to the department's reputation.] Also, I'm a cyclist, and I'd like to live in a place where I don't have to worry about being hit by cars all the time. [Fancy city] has a reputation for being bike-friendly, am I wrong?
Interviewer: No, that definitely makes sense. You aren't wrong.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm becoming a parody of myself... In other news, check out the new streetfilm about LA's bike coops.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Losing Patience
Today, I officially yelled at a fellow cyclist whose zest for dangerous riding pushed me over the edge.
See, there are many more cyclists out there, the majority of whom never think about safety issues on a bike. They wear headphones and listen to their iPods at top volume completely erasing the only method of signaling from behind that other cyclists have. When a passing cyclist calls out "on your left!" they don't hear, and even sometimes drift leftwards putting the passing cyclist at risk. I don't like being pushed into traffic.
Today, after dealing with many headphone wearing cyclists, I was almost taken out by a cyclist riding ::gasp:: on the wrong side of the road. I was attempting to make a left turn into a bicycle parking lot and was looking for oncoming traffic. This fellow came up from behind and almost hit me. I yelled, "watch out!" Really, though, I shouldn't have to yell. After he realized what had almost happened, I said something along the lines of "traffic laws apply to you too!" Dear. God.
And now, I end with a brief list of other offending actions only committed by irreverent cyclists in town:
• Passing on the right, especially when a cyclist is trying to make a right turn. Disaster waiting to happen!
• Switching rapidly between riding on the sidewalk and the right side of the road causing chaos among cyclists, pedestrians, and cars. Ack!
• Refusing to yield to anyone or anything.
• Riding two or ::gasp!:: three abreast on a busy street at a low speed, thereby eliminating the possibility of safe passing.
• Not looking before moving into traffic thereby almost causing a vehicle to hit a car/ cyclist.
And, my personal favorite:
• Completely running all red lights thereby making all cars hate cyclists. Boo!!
That's all. Someone needs to more actively promote basic courtesy among commuting cyclists. For the love of god, people.
See, there are many more cyclists out there, the majority of whom never think about safety issues on a bike. They wear headphones and listen to their iPods at top volume completely erasing the only method of signaling from behind that other cyclists have. When a passing cyclist calls out "on your left!" they don't hear, and even sometimes drift leftwards putting the passing cyclist at risk. I don't like being pushed into traffic.
Today, after dealing with many headphone wearing cyclists, I was almost taken out by a cyclist riding ::gasp:: on the wrong side of the road. I was attempting to make a left turn into a bicycle parking lot and was looking for oncoming traffic. This fellow came up from behind and almost hit me. I yelled, "watch out!" Really, though, I shouldn't have to yell. After he realized what had almost happened, I said something along the lines of "traffic laws apply to you too!" Dear. God.
And now, I end with a brief list of other offending actions only committed by irreverent cyclists in town:
• Passing on the right, especially when a cyclist is trying to make a right turn. Disaster waiting to happen!
• Switching rapidly between riding on the sidewalk and the right side of the road causing chaos among cyclists, pedestrians, and cars. Ack!
• Refusing to yield to anyone or anything.
• Riding two or ::gasp!:: three abreast on a busy street at a low speed, thereby eliminating the possibility of safe passing.
• Not looking before moving into traffic thereby almost causing a vehicle to hit a car/ cyclist.
And, my personal favorite:
• Completely running all red lights thereby making all cars hate cyclists. Boo!!
That's all. Someone needs to more actively promote basic courtesy among commuting cyclists. For the love of god, people.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Overdoing It
For the past two weeks, I've been using my bike as my only mode of transportation around town. It's been great. Riding from UCLA to the Grove for Rosh Hashannah? Cool! Travelling from Marina Del Rey to UCLA to teach? No problem. Stopping by the pet store to get cat-food? Not even a question.
But then, something weird happened. I continued to do my long training rides on the weekends AND I woke up at an absurdly early hour on Wednesday to ride 20 miles with the UCLA cycling team (up Mandeville Canyon). Around yesterday afternoon, my left achilles tendon started to scream at me. Quite loudly. And then I noticed that my old injury in my right leg was making some noise as well. So, even though I had been training intensely for over 2 months to do the Angeles Crest Century ride, my body was starting to let me know that I have been overdoing it by just a tad.
I skipped the century in favor of my physical health (and to preserve my ability to ride in the future). It's a good thing that my scooter is finally fixed because my legs need a serious rest.
Part of me wonders why I have been riding with such manic intensity. I have it boiled down to three reasons:
Whatever it is, I think I need to tone things down just a tad. Or maybe I ought to stick to slower riding speeds for my training rides. Or something. The good news is that I don't need to be riding to wear my cute Surly cycling cap and look at the new bike models for next year. Nothing heals sore tendons like retail therapy.
But then, something weird happened. I continued to do my long training rides on the weekends AND I woke up at an absurdly early hour on Wednesday to ride 20 miles with the UCLA cycling team (up Mandeville Canyon). Around yesterday afternoon, my left achilles tendon started to scream at me. Quite loudly. And then I noticed that my old injury in my right leg was making some noise as well. So, even though I had been training intensely for over 2 months to do the Angeles Crest Century ride, my body was starting to let me know that I have been overdoing it by just a tad.
I skipped the century in favor of my physical health (and to preserve my ability to ride in the future). It's a good thing that my scooter is finally fixed because my legs need a serious rest.
Part of me wonders why I have been riding with such manic intensity. I have it boiled down to three reasons:
• I cut off my hair a week ago and I now want to take advantage of the increased ease of wearing a helmet. It literally takes me 2 minutes to remove all traces of helmet head. Awesome!
• Getting hit by a car sucks. In my need to not let the accident ruin my love for my bicycle, I've let my riding get a little too intense.
• I recently let go of a very major commitment in my life, and instead of dealing with the reasons for leaving this organization, I want to distract myself from the inevitable.
Whatever it is, I think I need to tone things down just a tad. Or maybe I ought to stick to slower riding speeds for my training rides. Or something. The good news is that I don't need to be riding to wear my cute Surly cycling cap and look at the new bike models for next year. Nothing heals sore tendons like retail therapy.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Lame
For the second time in two years, some motorist knocked over my scooter and failed to leave any contact information. The result was two broken lights (the all important left-turn directional signals) and a bent left break handle. Just in case you didn't know, scooter repairs are legally necessary and can also be costly. The last time someone knocked over my scooter, the damage amounted to nearly $1000. Who knows how much this one will cost! Lame.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Wreck
Please forgive me, but I am in a lot of physical pain right now. Today, at 8:00 AM, I was hit by a mini-van at the corner of Barrington and Olympic. I was going straight, she decided to try to go around me to make a right-turn. I was essentially cut-off and thrown to the pavement. It was bad. I am bruised all along the left side of my body, and my left elbow and hand are sporting a seriously nasty looking road rash. She was the better kind of impatient motorist: she stopped to make sure I was ok, listened to me as I explained what she did wrong, put me and my bike in her van, and drove me to UCLA's student health clinic. She also gave me all of her information and never once tried to blame me for what happened. What's sad is that her behavior is the exception not the rule, and that makes me sad. But I'm not blogging today to complain about her, the van, or the intense pain I currently feel in my left arm.
Instead, I need to complain about the many motorists who had the nerve to honk at me once after the accident happened. OK, so you see a cyclist and a car collide resulting in a pretty nasty looking wound including blood, a dazed cyclist, and a whole lot of confusion. Does honking really help the situation? I wonder: if the accident had involved a pedestrian would the other impatient motorists have felt the need to honk at the injured party? Just thinking aloud here...
Instead, I need to complain about the many motorists who had the nerve to honk at me once after the accident happened. OK, so you see a cyclist and a car collide resulting in a pretty nasty looking wound including blood, a dazed cyclist, and a whole lot of confusion. Does honking really help the situation? I wonder: if the accident had involved a pedestrian would the other impatient motorists have felt the need to honk at the injured party? Just thinking aloud here...
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