Yesterday was beautiful---sunny, barely 80 degrees and essentially all around wonderful outside. I went rollerblading before D's birthday party on the west side through Riverside Park, Fort Washington Park and the "cherry walk" --the path between the two around the 100s.
I got back FRUSTRATED as hell. I had almost cussed out two men on bikes. Now let me just say that I don't have a problem with "Bikers". The people that are out every day, or at least weekly, wearing their spandex? Fine. They, like the rest of us that are out on the paths frequently, know how to handle their business.
HOWEVER, the TRUE Weekend Warriors are the tourists of the recreational paths. Yesterday, I ran into several of them. So this message is for them:
I'm on rollerblades. If you aren't aware, these have considerably smaller wheels than a typical bike does. Whereas you have two different sets of brakes, I only have one. On one foot. While you can put your legs down to stop, I can't. I only have my hands and my ass.
Bikes can plow through virtually anything, including but not limited to: sand, gravel, grass, broken glass and water. All of these things are vast hazards to the typical rollerblader. We have to stop, or at least slow down, when these hazards come up. Meanwhile, you can plow through virtually anything as long as there's not nails involved.
I'm speaking generally, of course, but here is a typical situation: The path is not even as wide as the 1 train. Coming towards me, two bikers on non-racing bikes (which are wider than racing bikes) riding next to each other on the path. I can hear that there's a biker behind me that doesn't want to slow down, and there's a hazard to my right. What do I do? Typically I either motion the biker to the right, or slow down a bit and give dirty looks to the double bikers.
Yesterday, there was a DOOZY of a hazard to my right, and a minor one in front of me. I slowed down to pass the bikers and then went briefly left to get around the hazard. A biker (previously behind me) came around gave me a dirty look. He wasn't in workout clothes, so I KNEW he was a weekend warrior. I just gave him a dirty look back and fumed for the next mile.
What I should have done (channeling 50): Skate up to him fast and a) bitchslap him (unlikely) or b) go up to him and school him about rollerblading and how he should probably workout outside more often than when its perfect weather (slightly more probable) or c) mutter asshole under my breath (what actually happened).
Okay. I'm breathing again. My rage towards bikers goes way back to the paths of my college town, but they're bad here. You think people would figure out the general rules of the Loop or paths like it, but they don't.
In other news:
I met a new boy last weekend that seems promising. He's going out of town pretty much every weekend so hopefully we can meet up again this week before I go to Wisconsin.
I met the most AWESOME girl in publishing who's exactly like me only a little shorter and black. I love her. She brought me to the best bar ever out on the Hudson Piers and I'm SOOO going back.
I discovered I embarrass easily about newcomers to NYC. I'm not sure why, but I resent their temporary stays. But I'm jealous of it too-I wish I had a career and a potential boyfriend waiting for me at home.
Has anyone else noticed that there are an abundant amount of Europeans in the city lately?
For whatever reason, I've been sleeping in lately. Could it be the weather (Finally comfy to sleep) or just that I'm lazy and tired?!?!?
In case I don't get to write again, I'm heading home on the 19th for a week. I'll try to blog on the farm (or at least before then) but it may be sporadic.............
Oh, and cheers to the author who encouraged me to write somewhere other than the blog. I may try that.
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