[dplasters]

Nicest morning commute in a very very long time. I’ll take 40 and rainy anytime at this point. Props to Dexshell waterproof socks. You rock and are less expensive than Sealskinz. The things I do to keep fenders off my bike.

5-8″ predicted in Fairfax tomorrow.. guess I’ll be WFH or driving the rest of the week…

[dplasters]

@ctankcycles 109894 wrote:

Try to contain yourselves, orange cable end caps arrived…

Funny, my black ones just arrived.

I have some dexshell waterproof socks coming today as well.

Somewhere between here and Ipswich are new dhb tights, a Castelli Therm Neck Thingy and some socks…. and then somewhere between Fairfax and Garden City, NY are some new WellGo pedals which appear to be taking as long to get from Taiwan to NYC as from NYC to Fairfax.

whoa… new random questions.

[dplasters]

@Raymo853 109627 wrote:

Holy mackerel! While riding along Suitland road just South of Southern, I saw a whole bunch of cars ignore the flashing lights on a yellow school bus.

This school bus stop is horrid as kids come from both sides of Suitland and the bus only picks up from one side. The first car to go around the bus from behind hit a car coming the other way. (Who was also ignoring the lights.)

Turns out, that black sedan turned into Lincoln Cemetery.

No time to waste! The dead are counting on us!

[dplasters]

I enjoy discussing things with people who genuinely can be persuaded their original viewpoint is skewed in some way. I also try to come into any conversation with the knowledge I could very well be wrong.

This site, being the overly educated bastion that it is, often does engage in real, honest, engaging discussion. Sometimes we engage in pedantic silliness. Perfection is hard, no? Anonymous comment sections on local new sites are several steps down the conversation quality ladder. Somewhere between “populist drivel” and “cesspool”.

Forums can work because they develop a sense of community about them. That sense of community can run the gambit between 4chan/b (or more locally-ffx) and something more like here. But at least its not news story comments. Which can only be one upped by youtube comments.

[dplasters]

I don’t think the temperature is even an issue anymore. I basically ignore it. Its the sand, salt, ice, snow, roads bleached so white can’t quite tell if dusting of snow or brine, pot holes, wind and anything else I’m missing that seems hell bent on seeing me fall off my bike that is getting me to the breaking point.

I weep for what I so recently took for granted – smooth pavement. Its like I’m riding on some frozen, pot hole riddled, beach boardwalk, hell scape.

Also, hipsters. They are the worst.

[dplasters]

Wife – Did you fall?

Me – No….

Wife – Your jacket says otherwise….

Me – OK maybe… but it wasn’t cause of ice or snow!.. they put down too much salt/sand at the apex of the turn!

Seriously though… my scranus hugs the seat so hard on every corner at this point.

[dplasters]

The ice on the front of my buff tells me it was cold outside.

[dplasters]

It may have been the cold (virus) that I’m getting over, it may have been the cold wind I road into for the first mile of my commute, it may have been that I haven’t ridden any real distance in three days due to the cold (virus). The first mile or two this morning stole my lungs from me. Literally breath taking.

[dplasters]

@scoot 108012 wrote:

Too easy: get rid of it. Yesterday.

This is perhaps the worst of all special-interest preferential tax treatments. Remind me why our society should be encouraging irresponsible debt, inflating real estate bubbles, etc.?

Just seeing if people’s logic is the same across the board.

[dplasters]

Just from a curiosity stand point – if you believe that charities and religious groups should be taxed, I would like to know your thoughts on the mortgage interest deduction.

Yeah, I stopped being a scofflaw and cycling through the Vienna Metro Pedestrian bridge. Sometimes you get called out … by metro police… sometimes by ministers. Sometimes in life we’re wrong.

[dplasters]

@MRH5028 107708 wrote:

Also a thanks to the Fairfax Connector bus driver who pulled up next to me at the light near the metro station to commiserate about the crazy driver above. At first I thought you were going to tell me to stay off road, instead you made my morning.

I go back and forth on this a bit but:

We gripe frequently as cyclists about the crazy drivers and the awful things they do to us. But in this area I honestly think I get treated only marginally worse than if I was in a car. There are just a lot of special drivers out there and your mode of transportation is irrelevant. You are in their way. When I do drive, I make sure I go the speed limit or less as I’m much more aware of vulnerable road users and am aware that even that 5 mph can make a big difference. Most cars treat me just as bad as when I’m claiming the line on a bike. Narrow misses, hard swerves, dirty looks, and honks abound.

Our position on the road is more vulnerable, so I get the extra griping. I’m just not sure if we are treated terribly much worse than the way every other road user is treated. Which is a more global sad note. It is great when I run into a fellow road user (using whatever method of transport) that has a more sensible approach to transportation.

[dplasters]

@Harry Meatmotor 107597 wrote:

14th St. Br. was… entertaining? All i know is Topper Shutt is a liar. The windiest it’s been while I’ve ridden across the 14th St. Br. was sustained 30, gusts 45-55.

Today was worse than that day, despite Topper telling me sustained 15-20, gusts 30-35.

I am thrown off that as far as I’m aware there is no wind advisory today?? but to me the wind is kicking just as hard if not harder than any day the last few weeks.

[dplasters]

I’m sorry winter jacket. I know I filled you with more sweat than usual this morning, but you will be necessary this evening.

Forgive me.

[dplasters]

I intend on wearing shorts this evening. Light jacket. Sunglasses. I’m going to imagine its April.

[dplasters]

Idaho’ing the lights on Lee Highway/Fairview Park is not an option for me. I’d be a pancake. The other side of that though is they take a long time, so I am frequently stopped for more than 20 seconds.

There are three lights near the Vienna metro I’ll do some combo of what VA legally allows and an Idaho. I know I won’t set the sensor off so if a car isn’t behind me I just go with best judgement after coming to a complete stop. I fail at the whole two light cycle or 3 minute thing.

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