I am very busy! And slightly disorganised!

[blamebrampton]

Three quick things.

1. Thumb much better. Now that the bone is healed I am in that 'It's better! Oh, almost …' stage. Very annoying stage. Every time I forget it exists …

2. John Lanchester is the best. I say this not just because he keeps saying EXACTLY the things I say on several issues, which makes me think him brilliant and insightful, but also because I have finally sat down to read my way through more of his work including his essay on the District Line, What We Talk About When We Talk About The Tube, which includes this in a footnote:

'Skyfall, which came out just after the proofs of this book came thumping down on my doormat, is a welcome addition to the filmography not just of the Underground but – hooray! – of the District Line itself. The station through which Bond chases his love intrest, played by Javier Bardem – sorry villain, I mean villian …'

3. A British woman ran down a cyclist, did not stop, TWEETED ABOUT IT, and was then pursued by the Norfolk Police who, on reading her Facebook account, found photos she had taken of herself tailgating, tweeting while driving and doing 95mph.

The police, bless em, are on the case, while the cyclist was not badly damaged. You can read an account of the saga here.

Just remember kids: there is no such thing as road tax, car drivers' time is NOT more precious than cyclists' and you hold us up as much as we hold you up, and yes, I am sure you have seen a cyclist go through a red light: today I had a bus go through a red light in front of me and yet another pedestrian try to commit suicide by running out onto the road without looking because she could not hear me due to earphones (I heroically avoided her, because that's the kind of law-abiding cyclist I am)  and a moron turn left across me despite the fact I am now wearing a bloody hi-vis vest to go with my four bike lights and four wheel lights (next accessory: bike-mounted bazooka). Can you tell I idiotically read some of the comments on the Guardian's report of this story? GRRRRRRR!

And in a post-script, BIG HUGS TO YOU ALL. I don't say that often enough, and a couple of you need some cheering up while others deserve a hearty cheer. Current hair colours: dark red, white stripe. Current number of bicycles owned: three, but one is for sale. Know anyone in Sydney who wants a 51cm Miyata?

Comments

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

A British woman ran down a cyclist, did not stop, TWEETED ABOUT IT, and was then pursued by the Norfolk Police who, on reading her Facebook account, found photos she had taken of herself tailgating, tweeting while driving and doing 95mph.

There should be an extended Darwin award for idiotic behaviour. Honestly ... *shakes head* I plead for the headstone inscription: Addiction to social fame was her downfall.

*HUGS* just because :-)

[janey-p.livejournal.com]

Good to hear about your thumb. :)


Whoa... that story about the woman and the cyclist is crazy!
And the more they reveal about her, the clearer it becomes that she has absolutely no respect for other road users - and a speeding problem in general.

So, I'm never a cyclist, I mostly walk or I drive my tiny car.
As a driver, I sometimes get annoyed with cyclists myself (if I've just passed them and at the next traffic light they go forward so that the cars all have to pass them AGAIN and can't because of oncoming traffic, for example, or if they are blocking my way when I could pass them if they weren't using the middle of the lane), but I've never done anything about it. Why getting all worked up about these people? I can't change their habits anyway.
And thankfully there aren't all that many inconsiderate cyclists on the roads here, so I can deal.

But I've come across a lot of drivers who seem to think that just because they have the bigger vehicle, they have privileges. So they bully pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers alike.
Some people should really get a reality check. XD

[incandescent.livejournal.com]

Good God. The horrors of cycling. It's too bad I don't live in a dense enough area to successfully take it up and annoy people.

You are a good person! *hugs*

[ashindk.livejournal.com]

That story with the cyclist is completly insane!

[pionie.livejournal.com]

Luckily that cyclist basher was pretty dim. If only all the criminally minded could leave such great clues/evidence.

The hair sounds fab :)

[mayela-delarue.livejournal.com]

So, I sell electric bikes, I think everyone should buy one, that would solve lots of the idiocy. Also, on Twitter, there's a movement to claim the hashtag #bloodycyclists in a positive way eg: "I'm a #bloodycyclist and I want to get home safely to my family. Please drive safely/ share the road etc" Thought you might like a bandwagon... or bike bus might be a more appropriate term ;)

The Tube is a love hate thing. But Watching Skyfall I cynically thought, 'there's never cops on the tube, he'd stick out like a sore thumb!" and "no way were they able to move let alone quickly through that train!" Ahhh, London has spoiled me.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

TWEETED about it? Stupid cow.

[adrianchester.livejournal.com]

When I used to cycle to work I found this all the time, just because I ride a bike I am not entitled to safety? Ugh.

[sherryillk.livejournal.com]

My god, the stupidity of people... *shakes head*

I'm not really sure what this road tax is (guessing it's something that doesn't exist somewhere other than the US) but for me, cyclists scare the hell out of me. I'm always afraid I'm going to hit one of them so I make it a point to slow down (probably by too much) and bypass them with as much room as I can when I can... You really hear way too many news reports about another cyclist getting hit and I have nightmares that it's going to be me one of these days... >.<

[phoenixacid.livejournal.com]

*snuggles you and your thumb*

Wow, how daft can you be to tweet about a crime you've committed? If only all crime-doers are the same...

[valkyrie17.livejournal.com]

Couldn't believe anyone could be as stupid and insensitive as that girl.

[kath-ballantyne.livejournal.com]

Ugh people. I don't always know what to do with cyclists. I usually wait until it's safe to pass and then give them plenty of room. I don't know if it disturbs people when I'm going pretty slow behind them though. I don't pass unless I have heaps of room and that can sometimes take a while.

[birdsofshore]

I am amazed about the cyclist incident, but must own up to experiencing some good schadenfreude while reading of her comeuppance, heh.

Thanks for the friend add!