Okay - the other morning I was riding to work, after a "climate change" snowstorm here, which dropped 8" though, due to the 30+ temperature, only stuck on the grass etc. and cars. That is, the roads were clear w/o any plowing. Now, lets be frank, I've been called a self-righteous bastard (in so many words) for many years now, but I've also ridden my bike to work, year round, for close on 20 years. Its not a big deal - they do a much better job of plowing the bike path (or at least my bike paths) than the streets and, while, yes, many's the morn I ride past the main drag now a "parking lot" (or a "mule race") of commuters inching thru the snow w/ a "Oh, aren't I clever?" grin, its still just a nice 20-30 minute pedal into the coffee shop and there I am, at work w/ a warm latte, ready to start reading email. My current bike is (ah, the scent of lavender here) a 1937 (so the guy tells me) "Sterling Sports Tourist" (Westfield Mass - "Built like a watch" un-google-able though) one speed, a sweet, sweet bike. The great thing about one speeds - you just can't go any faster. This looks a lot like the wicked Witch of the west's bike, while still in Kansas.
Right, so I'm coming down a residential street and this white Caddy backs out of the drive, 3 of the four sides of windows completely covered in 4" of snow, the windshield clear only where the wipers had been active. Its a soft easy snow, you could clear the windows w/ your hand and not be cold, so I say (okay, the driver's side window is down 4") "You should scrape your windows ..." and, as I ride past (after making sure he's not going to run me over) turning and shaking a school marm finger at him. Yes, snotty etc but geeez. So, the block and a half to the stop sign (ignoring a honk) and then left and a half a block to the next stop sign at a school crossing (the school being right there) and he pulls up and mid-intersection, yells "your self-righteousness is showing!" Oh, I wish I were able to make snappy retorts - "yeah, but you couldn't see it", "for all you know I'm a Catholic priest, but you still need to clean your windows!", "it took you 3 block to think of that?" hmmm, maybe I'm retort challenged here. I did ride over and bicker, trying, I'd like to believe, just to point out that he was backing out of driveway w/ no possible view and driving down the street w/ no peripheral vision. "They give out tickets for that, you know" His reply; he had a sick child at school to pick up.
Yeah, so ... no justice (a cop car came the other way a half a block later and I just barely didn't hail it and explain the white Caddy needing a ticket just around the corner), no peace and I'm left riding to work stewing over the whole shebang. There was a couple crossing guards there, even, I could of appealed to them, "should this guy clean his window?", its a school zone etc but something about being wrong, making a mistake was so overpowering ... funny thing is, yes, I know I do this but our son, just 8, he's always done this. Like Chomsky's grammar here, the necessity of not being wrong requiring the "accuse the messenger" thing ....
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