a day in the life

When people ask me "How is the bike riding going?" I always have this video montage flash in my head of random situations, events, and ridiculous moments and in the end, my answer is usually: "interesting". So this week, if you were to ask me that question... here are the thoughts that come to mind...

1. I am biking across the bridge when I catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye... and it is a pod of dolphins. I watch them for about five minutes as cars rush by, completely unaware, as one by one, each sleek gray animal rhythmically breaks the surface for a breath of air.

2. On my way home one afternoon, with one headphone in and one out, I swear I hear someone talking to me...lo and behold there is a dude biking past me saying: "Is it just me or are there so many more bikers on the road recently?"

3. Crossing the bridge at night when I come up on a homeless man with kind eyes and a long gray beard, his bike covered with all of his possessions. We both have to stop and wait for the cars because there is not enough room for us to pass and so we chat about weather and traffic. When we part ways he tells me to be careful and protect my "young bright light."

4. I am running late to be a guest speaker for 50 college seniors and have to catch the bus because there is no time to bike- but I will be getting back to campus past 9pm, so I need my bike for the ride home. The bus is 10 minutes early, so I am literally chasing it down the highway in a dress on my bike, knocking on the side until it stops (just like in the movies). Ive never used the bike rack, so I fumble awkwardly pulling all the places labeled "pull/push here" while trying to hold my helmet, bag, make-up and wallet- in the end three men get off and we all debate how it works while a bus full of people watch. (Just so you know... you have to squeeze the handle in the middle and then set your bike in the slots. Then pull the bar next to the tires up and over the front tire. Both handles will be hard as hell to get loose- so give it hell.) Of course I forgot my bus-pass, but at that point, no one cared and the bus-driver accepted a high-five instead. I get a small round of applause from some younger guys in the back. So then I sit down, sweaty and wet-haired and have to start putting on my make-up while everyone stares at me. In the end, I arrive on time, with no speech prepared and rock it.

5. I am biking home- the same night as above- and I overhear two men, one white, one black, arguing over racial terms (really one is just yelling at the other). By the time I am close to them, they have finally agree that no one, regardless of color should use words that could be seen as derogatory, but the one man is still really mad. I pull off the road and offer the angry guy a hug. At first he gives me a look that makes me regret stopping, then his face melts into a smile, he starts laughing and accepts my offer. Both men agreed on the fact that you should always accept a hug from a young lady and then conversation quickly changes into talking about women, so I continue my ride home.

That is a week in the life of this biker.