Fucking makes me SICK!!!!

Holy fuck sticks. This pisses me off so much. I cannot believe that this guy still has a job after what he posted in the Austin Chronicle. I know that everyone is titled to their opinion, and he certainly is, but when you talk about committing multiple (possible) murders/assaults, that kind of draws the line.

"FREEWHEELING I recently went to Tribeza's party at Lance Armstrong's new venture, Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop at Fourth and Nueces. I suppose if I were really into bikes, I'd have been in hog heaven, but I made do with plenty of socializing with old friends instead. Lance greeted me warmly; I thanked him for the marvelous sponsor party he gave before the Texas Film Hall of Fame. He, in turn, was most solicitous about my cancer and gave me a big spiritual boost that made the rest of the evening fly by. I especially laughed over the in-store coffee shop called Juan Pelota Cafe. You figure that one out. Speaking of bikes, my heart began to turn to stone as I was stopped at Riverside and Lamar watching a parade of bikes indulging, presumably, in some form of civil disobedience. What that meant was that dozens of clowns on bicycles took up the entire street and brought most traffic to a standstill. After several minutes of obnoxious waving and smiling from the riders, I was ready to pull a Lizzie Grubman and plow right through them and be on my way. But I was hesitant to rack up a lot of hit-and-run charges against me ... and then there would be all that damage to my car. The thing is, all the smiling and waving did not make me sympathetic to the scofflaws' "cause." It made me think: "Don't give bikes the right. Give 'em the finger.""


He doesn't seem to mind "crawling" the streets when it is the gay pride parade, but doesn't want to wait 5 minutes for some cyclist to have their one day where we can ride in mass.

"DRIVE-BY MOMENTS With my chauffeur/sister-in-crime Stephen Rice commandeering the Champagne-pink 1965 Cadillac Coupe DeVille convertible, we sailed (well, crawled) through the streets of Austin along the Austin Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce's Pride Parade route. I kept wondering what I really wanted to throw from the car: Rocks? Cocktails? Bon mots? Instead, we settled for tossing garish beads and Twinkies"


If I ever see this guy in person, I will tell him what I think of him and punch him in the dick. The problem with that, is he might like it. I will be sending a formal email to the chronicle to fire or at least reprimand him in some way. I hope that you who live in Austin will do the same.

til next time


Your pissed off blogger,


OLC

That area's getting more and more dangerous with the bears

Another story of a bear attack, what is going on? I know that we are in their home, but come on....

"A teenage girl riding in an all-night mountain bike race was badly injured early Sunday morning when a bear attacked her on a trail in Far North Bicentennial Park."


The bear ripped off the girl's helmet and flung it in the woods, Basinger said. Sinnott said it was pocked with the bear's teeth marks. Hill said it probably saved the girl from further injury.

Bears frequently walk on Rover's Run, Sinnott said. Most likely, Sinnott said, this bear was fishing for salmon in the creek and might not have heard the cyclist coming due to noise from the creek and from strong winds roaring through the forest.



I hope she makes it through. If I am every up in that area, I will be sure to stay away from the trails, and hopefully not run into one.


til next time

OLC

Bike Theft in the ATX

So it seems to be getting more and more rampant. I just received this information from my friend John D. If you have any information about the bikes, please let him know here.


" As some of you may know, 3 bikes went missing from our house last week, 2 of them my own.

They are as follows :
--- large frame (58 cm) yellow Centurion road bike with the Velocity Spartacus wheels and the red acid pedals,
--- 19" red Trek 4500 mountain bike with all the cool components that ive had for 4 years *so many memories...*
---and last, but not, a bike belonging to a friend who had the bike at our place for a cable replacement and a general tune-up was a dark red and silver Giant mountain bike, a smaller frame, maybe 15" or 17"

If you see thes bikes in a pawn shop or wherever, contact me please.

I want to ride again! "


Thanks


OLC

A Jackass, A F-350, A Hit and Run, A Bear, oh my....

So recently, it seems that more and more people are not paying attention to cyclist on the road. Maybe it is the heat, maybe it is the fact that they are inconsiderate assholes.

Jenn was riding south (in the bike lane) on Plesant Valley, and some jackass in their car started honking several times and as they were passing by, they opened their car door and almost hit her. I mean what is the point of that? It is not like she was in their way or taking up the whole road. Really what is the point. I don't get it. People who do this need to be punched in the dick and shot in the face.

It was also brought to my attention, that one of my friends was recently hit by a F-350. F350 one, cyclist zero.

imagine this...you buy a ticket to go to new york and visit some friends everything is going great, you make a good amount of money at work over the weekend, you buy yourself some new cycling shorts and a pimped out jersey and then BAM.....you end up underneath the front end of an F350 with your face breaking the fall on the front of this guys cast iron custom cattle guard.



back wheel of my bike.....destroyed.



my teeth......destroyed.



my pride......well its a little fragmented but its probably gonna fall apart only to be rebuilt later in the future.

Luckily, Cloyd seems to be alright.

im lucky to be alive really.....my helmet saved my life and when i hit the the cattle killer the driver had come almost to a complete stop. the impact with which my head hit the concrete shattered the back of my helmet and aside from a gash on my knee and a couple shattered teeth im fine. sore as shit

It is getting really tough to think that Austin is a "bike friendly" city. It seems that with the rising gas prices people in their cages are more pissed off at cyclist at gas prices then at the oil companies. Instead of maybe trying to find another means of transportation, lets just hit cyclist and be pissed off at the world. A about a week ago a cyclist was hit on South Congress at 8 am.

Police are looking for the driver in a hit-and-run involving a cyclist in South Austin.

Amy McNair was riding her bike south along South Congress Avenue when she was hit from behind near the intersection of Annie Street about 8 a.m. Saturday.

"There was screeching, and I knew that it was too close to me," McNair said. "I just remember hearing a really loud impact, lots of pain."

McNair opened her eyes to see a white car speeding away. Her body is scraped and bruised and so is her cycling gear. The impact with the car split the frame of Amy's back tire in half.

This is just getting ridicules.

Now on a lighter note, this is a little funny, but scary at the same time.Bicyclist Going 45 MPH Hits Bear In Boulder Co. A cyclist in Boulder County was injured after a run-in, literally, with a bear.

Tim Egan, 53, was riding on Old Stage Road Tuesday afternoon when suddenly a bear appeared in front of him. Egan hit the bear and ended up skidding across the road.

"This bear looked at me with a look of terror on his face and sort of made a noise," said Egan. "I looked at him with a look of terror and we went, 'aaaahhhhh.'"

I can't imagine what would be going through my mind if I saw a bear in the road and I was about run into it....It would probably be AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! as well.

The rider seems to be ok, considering running into a bear.

He cracked some ribs, suffered cuts on his head and had road rash. Egan said he and the bike flipped and flew over the bear, hitting the pavement hard.



His bike was okay so he got back on it and pedaled to the hospital.



It seems this area is not safe for cyclist or bears.

The accident was the second involving a bear and cyclist in Left Hand Canyon in the past two years. A woman in the Boulder Triathlon ran into a bear in the same area last year.

Just keep an eye out everyone, because no one is looking for you on the road.

til next time


OLC

You know what really grinds my gears...

So I have started noticing a lot more lately that city employees don't use there signal lights. I mean I have always noticed this, but being a cyclist, it is really frustrating. I mean, police officers will just turn right in front of you without signaling. What the hell is that? I mean, they give out tickets for this. I have even had a friend get a ticket on his bicycle because he didn't signal. Now I understand when an emergency vehicle is on the go or even a squad car with his sirens a blazing, but when they are just driving and not signaling, that just pisses me off. This is partially how I got hit, a no signaling driver. I would just like it if cops would follow the normal laws of signaling when they are turning. Thats all.


til next time

your "gay and stupid" blogger

OLC

Worst of ATX Craigslist #6

So I can't help but look through craigslist list to see if there is something that I wouldn't mind picking up. It always seems there are just a few people out there that are just trying to take you.

First up,

Vintage Pashley - $750 (round rock)
Reply to: sale-712434272@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-08, 2:21PM CDT




Very good condition bicycle from England. I have had the bicycle for 10 years, but it is older than that. It has the original tires and rare Mechanical Brakes. Serious only please.

If you want, you can buy one of these for around the same price, but brand new. Not to say that "vintage" is nice, but all of there bikes new or vintage, look about the same.



shwinn lowrider
Reply to: sale-712284057@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-08, 12:07PM CDT



"heres a picture 200 obo"

I think I even know this guy, good friend, but come on 200? I watched you take that thing apart....good thing you put "or best offer".


80's PEUGEOT - VITUS 979 - Size 54 --- great shape/ one of a kind - $350 (Nw Austin)
Reply to: see below
Date: 2008-06-08, 10:14AM CDT"



"This bike is in good condition. It has been in my garage for several years and hardly ever ridden. The frame is aluminum and the bike is very very light. Weinmann brakes, stronglight components, shifts and brakes very well. old Handlebar tape coming apart a little and the rubber parts around the top of the brake levers are wearing down. The bike has no rust and tires are in good condition. Rare bike especially in this condition".


I just want to know what makes the bike such a "one of a kind" I mean was the bike built just for you? I have seen several of Puegeot's owned a couple too, but none of them were one of a kind.

Now for my favorite one of the day,


Drum roll please......


Ventage 10 Speed Bike - $200 (RR)
Reply to: sale-712043384@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-08, 7:17AM CDT



Spell check ....maybe?



Diamond Back, Mens Bike from the 70'S,lightweight, sells for around $600 Used, My son says it has to go, has custom pedals, great racing bike, call 248-0330

sells for around $600

Are you kidding? Awesome....I'd like to know who would pay six bills for this bike. I would much rather buy this and for the money and get the remaining needed parts. Maybe a little more information might help you sell it also...like size. Just an idea.


That's it for the day, I need to continue working on the old cruiser.


til next time


your "gay and stupid" blogger


OLC

It's Friday

I don't have to much to say, other than I am going to get drunk tonight, and go see a show. Unwed Sailor is playing tonight at Emo's. If you haven't seen these guys before you should go and check them out. I know this is not a bike related post, but I don't feel like talking about anything bike right now. It gets depressing sometimes knowing that I can't ride.

If you care to know I went to the doctor last week and the X-rays are looking good. I have another appointment on the 23rd and if all goes well, then I might be able to take this brace off. If the doc gives me the approval I will be back on the bike, because I am just a few steps away from having the cruiser done. If he does in fact give me the thumbs up I will ride, but I will do it with the brace on, that way I am less likely to injure myself more.

Alright, if you made it this far, here is some bike porn for you.

Something interesting

As some of you may know I am restoring an old Schwinn cruiser. Jenn had found the bike along time ago in a pond and thought it was cool. I ended up taking over the project. I haven't taken any pictures of it yet, and I forgot to take some of it while it was in it's original state before I started the process. Check back later and I will add some pictures (to this post, if you care to see) of how it is coming along. While I was sanding down the bike, I found the serial number and I was curious to what year the bike was made. Jenn went to the Schwinn website and found out when it was "born". Turns out the bike I have was born on April 9th 1953. The bike is now 55 years old, awesome.

So after reading the website, I found what I think some interesting facts.

In 1899, Paced by a locomotive, Mile-a Minute Murphy is the first man to go... you guessed it... 60 mph


1902, Bicycling is an adult-driven market. A racing bike costs $150 ($27,450 in today's dollars). Time payments are still a long way from reality.

Bicycles are where most advances in machining and metallurgy take place.

Keep in mind these were single speed fixed gears. I'd like to see what kind of fixed gear you would get now a days with that kind of money.

1936, Schwinn presents the "Auto Cycle" Deluxe balloon tire bicycle - featuring the Schwinn full floating saddle and seat post, plus twin headlights and speedometer.


1941, Drafting a race car, French racer Alfred Letourner sets the speed record of 108.92 mph on a Paramount bicycle with 255 gear inches. Now that's pushing a BIG gear.




That gear is fucking HUGE!!!. I would not want to do that, and brake less at that. It reminds me of this video I saw awhile back.

I thought it was a little interesting how fast some of these people have gone on a bicycle before most of us were born.


til next time

your "gay and stupid" blogger


OLC

Worst of Craigslist ATX missed connections

This is always a little fun. A little different this time. Enjoy.


Massages for great bike! (south Austin)
Reply to: sale-706963868@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-03, 11:58PM CDT



Hello,

I'm a licensed massage therapist who would give 4 massages ($70 value each) in exchange for a bicycle in great shape. First come, first serve pretty much, or best offer. If interested, please email me directly. Thank you.

Peace and love.



Why don't you just do four massages at an office building, and pay for a bike? I mean that is your profession right?


I almost hit you with my car, you on your bike - w4m - 22 (hyde park)


Reply to: pers-699245669@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-05-29, 12:18AM CDT


Not sure what the intersection was, but it was somewhere around 52nd and guadalupe... There was one of those circular medians in the middle of the intersection that you have to go around. I was driving a dark grey yaris, you on your bike, i saw you and hit my brakes, we made eye contact and smiled, I was pretty embarrassed. I had a friend with me. We should go bike riding some time.

So let me get this straight. You almost hit someone on their bike and then you want to go for a ride?


Death of a Blue Peugeot - w4m - 24 (Central)
Reply to: pers-705751605@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-03, 1:08AM CDT


To the kind, beautiful guy who laid my bike to rest at the Bicycle Sports Shop- Thank you. It was (almost) a bearable loss because of you.


I like a peugeot's as much as the next guy, but they are quite easy to put down.

If you live in Austin TX and Ride a bicycle you should fill this out.

From Jason at ATXBS.com



I know Critical Mass and the group rides are fun and all, but if you want to ACTUALLY make a difference in City of Austin bike policy, here's an quick way to do it. The City of Austin (specifically the APD) is conducting a 2-week long survey of local residents regarding what we feel are the most pressing driving safety concerns in our community. The question that really popped out at me was the one that asked me to rate the following statement on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree: "Austin drivers are courteous to pedestrians." It also has several comment fields. Though it seems that the survey was written with a very automobile-centric mindset I think it'd be incredible if we could get a few thousand cyclists to fill it out and make known what OUR big worries are. Check out their press release if you want to read the official words about the survey, or just cruise on over to the survey proper to get it over with.




Deadline is June 15th! Don't slack!


I filled this out and and so should you. Thanks for the heads up Jason.

til next time


your "gay and stupid" blogger

OLC

Just goes to show, we are almost never safe

So as I am doing my morning routine, I stumble across this.

"A car plowed into a weekend bike race along a highway near the U.S.-Mexico border, killing one and injuring 10 others, police said.


The 28-year-old driver was apparently drunk and fell asleep when he crashed into the race, said police investigator Jose Alfredo Rodriguez.


A photograph taken by a city official showed bicyclists and equipment being hurled high into the air by the collision.

Rodriguez said Juan Campos was charged with killing Alejandro Alvarez, 37, of Monterrey".




Sometimes it is just baffling to me that people can do this kind of shit. I mean it is obviously early in the day, and it is a group of twenty plus riders and the guy passes out because he is drunk and plows into them. I mean holy fuck.

This guy should get the book thrown at him. These cyclist were doing nothing wrong and have no protection against an onslaught of a drunken driver passing out at the wheel that runs them over.

I feel bad for all of these cyclist to have to go through this. They did however kept the driver from fleeing until the cops got there.



Some people.




til next time





your "gay and stupid" blogger



OLC

Cycling is a not a religion...but maybe it should be?

So Saturday night I went to the YBP(Yellow Bike Project) birthday party. There was a five dollar suggested donation at the door, to help raise money for their new building off of 12th and Webberville. It was the second time I have gotten out and about and mingled with friends and fellow cyclist. I had a few beers talked to some of the bike messengers, told people who didn't know exactly what happened how the wreck happened and what was broken. Overall I was having a great time.

Jenn and I went outside to watch some tall bike jousting. Which is always fun to watch people purposely hurt each other, especially when they are on bikes. As we were watching, a girl was wanting to leave, because people were standing on her car (taking pictures) and folks sitting on it. I would want to move my car as well, I mean I don't want someone standing on it just to get some pictures, especially if I didn't know them. As she was trying to leave (keep in mind this is the back alley way behind spiderhouse and i luv video) people were not moving and getting pissed off at her because she is driving a car. So she gets out of the parking space and proceeds to drive off, only to have one of the tall bikes thrown in front of her car as she was leaving. This in turn pisses off a few of the people there and they start kicking and hitting her car.

I see all of this happen and I said "that is gay and stupid for people to do that" and some chick and dude start to say they are "gay" and I shouldn't say that. I said again that it was gay and stupid for people to get pissed off when they are causing the situation of angry and animosity. I didn't say that those people were fagot's and retarded. I could see someone getting upset about that. I said what I said and I stick to it. Gay and stupid. I keep going back and forth with these two and Jenn gets in the middle because it is starting to get heated. Me with my broken back arguing with two people about something that I said. Some of my closest friends are gay and lesbians. I am not homophobic and I don't condone hurting someone in anyway. Jenn calmed everyone down, along with some of the other people and we went back to watching the tall bikes joust. What really started to aggravate me, is the two that were giving me so much shit started making out, so they obviously were not gay, maybe bi, but not gay. Jason won the tall bike jousting just in case you wanted to know.


So with that being said, it now brings me to my point of this blog. Some people out there think cycling is a religion and they try and force it on others. This has never worked. Just because you are into something you should not try and force it one someone else. I am all for more and more people getting on bikes and riding them. I am also for local bike projects, like YBP. I am not however for people who try and push something on someone else. Getting pissed off because someone was leaving in a car from a bike benefit doesn't justify throwing a bike in front of their car. I fucking came in a car because I have a broken back because of a motorist. Do I blame all motorist? No. I blame the old man that ran me off the road. I drive and ride just like most everyone I know. I also know people who just ride and just drive. Do I force riding on people who just drive? No. They are adults and can make their own decisions.

Recently Critical Mass has started coming under a lot of scrutiny. Some from local forums and some from a other countries. This happened a few days ago. I am not against CM, but this is fucking stupid. Riding with your kids on a freeway? Gay and stupid.



Again not against Mass, I ride in them almost every month. I haven't the most recent one, but the doctors won't let me ride right now. My point is that we cyclist need to be more active in the community, and not turn drivers against us even more by being jackasses when we ride in a mass group. We don't need to take every single lane, we don't need to throw things at the drivers, we need to be respectful of them, if we want to get respect from them. If you want to help change things then pay more attention to whats going on at city council. Start being more pro active and not just going to mass to try and prove a point.

You don't have to force what you believe in on people. Be more active. Enjoy your bike riding. Don't be a jackass about it.



til next time

your "gay and stupid" blogger

OLC

Bike wash and things that piss me off

So yesterday was the bike wash to try and help raise some money for me since my hospital bills are so much and I just lost my job. A lot of my friends came out to get their bikes washed or a glass of lemonade. There were quite a few people that I didn't know that Jessica works with and knows. Also a few people just happened to be riding by and they stopped to donate some money and get there bikes washed too.

Overall it was a success and I am glad a everyone came out. It was nice to be out of the house (even if I did get a little sun burned) and see all of my friends and have a beer or two with them. Once everything is said and done, I will do something special for everyone.


Now onto some stuff that really upsets me to no end.

First, even though this didn't happen in the states, this is the kinds of things that we cyclist have to deal with on a daily basis.


Furious driver takes out- 50 strong cycle pack






This story makes me sick to my stomach. The fact that this guy could do something like this is baffling. I mean it is not like it was critical mass and all the lanes were taken up. This was a ride that "professional" cyclists were doing. They were following all the rules of the road, and this guy has to be aggressive to the back of the pack.

"One of the group said the motorist was "worrying" the rear of the pack"

Then he once he had enough with the back of the pack he,

"Pulled in front and slammed on his brakes, giving the riders no time to stop."

WTF!! I mean seriously. What was the purpose of that?


"Everyone's slammed into each other ... there were broken bikes - wheels busted and wheels snapped - and people lying on the road."Mr Cooper said: "Three female cyclists took the brunt of the accident, careering into the back of the braking vehicle, several of them being thrown into the air landing on the boot and roof of the car."Most riders were left with cuts and bruises and at least some damage to bikes, shoes and helmets, including some bikes sustaining thousands of dollars of damage".

This whole situation had me in an up roar when I was reading it. As I continued to read I just got more and more upset, one of the other things that pissed me off,

"A perfect example of the enmity were the jeers and taunts of several drivers - more than three separate drivers that I noticed - making their way past the aftermath of the accident, despite the fact that a police car and two ambulances were on the scene treating seriously injured people."


These cyclist have thousands and thousands of dollars worth of damage, all because of one jackass. Then you have the taunting assholes driving by while people are being treated for injuries. This is absolutely retarded. No one should have to fear for their lives when riding their bikes. Now it seems that we have to watch out for people when we are in groups. I always felt really comfortable with the " safety in numbers" Now it seems I might have to starting worrying about being harassed even more when I am riding in a large group, or even worse being hurt.


Now, something else that upsets me is hit and runs. There is no reason this should happen. If you are drunk or high or not paying attention or anything, and you hit someone, you should stop. Period. This story, is equally bad.

When are people going to just start paying attention to their surroundings, and stop being so angry?


til next time


OLC

It's been awhile

Alright, so I have been basically laying around since the first of the month. As many of you know that is when I was ran of the road by an older gent in a '85 dodge ram van.


The police report was not very forgiving, at least on my end. It stats that I was traveling at an un-controlled speed and that my bike didn't have brakes. Well, as far as the un-controlled speed, I was going down hill, but I had enough control to make a 90 degree turn and avoid getting hit by a old van. This was according to the eye witness report, that the van actually didn't hit me. The no brakes thing, MY BIKE IS FIXED GEAR, the drive train itself is the braking system. As many of you know I like to ride the higher ratio, but I had actually two days prior changed my gear ratio to 40x14 which is about the same as 48x16. So that means I was skidding my ass off to slow down so I didn't run into the dumb ass that decided to turn right in front of me, after passing me.

So now I have to get a lawyer to help me try and get some money to cover all of the hospital bills that I am going to have. This sucks ass. Before I even left the hospital I had a bill for more than three thousand dollars, and this is with insurance. It would have been for more than seven thousand without insurance. I just await all the bills that are slowly coming in that I will have to start paying on.

Since I am not really able to work, my job has cut my pay in half, which means (of course) I have less money to pay bills with. Now this is a lot better than not getting any money from my job while not working, it still sucks to know that this wreck is going to cause me to get in debt really quick.

So my days are now spent laying around in bed and thinking about how much it sucks that I can't really go and do anything. Can't work, because I can't stand for to long, can't ride, because of fear of getting hit while having this back brace on and it screwing my back up even more, not to mention, I just can't ride. I can't go for a walk, because doing it for to long kills my back, unless I take about 4 vicadon before going, but that in turn makes me dizzy, which might make me fall over. Even going to the grocery store sucks... I used to not want to go, but now I do, just to get out of the house. Over all this just sucks big donkey balls.

So what I have decided to try and do is restore one of the old 50's beach cruisers that I have. I have been wanting to do this for some time now, but haven't really had the time. I am doing this one because I want to, and two, because when I finally can ride again, I think that it will be good for my back to be as straight as possible and not lend over trying to be as aerodynamic as possible. I will be taking everything apart and sanding it down little by little. I know this because I know that I am only going to be able to do a little at a time, because of my back. What I really want is to get a new set of wheels for it since it is going to be damn near impossible to sand down some really old wheels that are covered in rust. I mean the bike was found in a pond.

The bike is originally black with white wheels and some whit pin stripes. I am not sure if I want to keep the stripes. I think that I am just going to have an all matte black cruiser with a black wheelset and some whitewall tires. I will try and keep you updated with the restore process.


On another note, I was supposed to be riding in the tour de cure this past weekend. Obviously I wasn't able to, but Jenny took my place. She rode 58 miles from San Marcos to Austin in just under four hours. I was really proud of her. I hung up some banners and congrats stuff all over her apartment. She also did the ride on her SS, the only reason she didn't go fixed is because her lock ring was loose and didn't want any problems out of it. So the next time you see her, tell her congratulations!!!! She did something that most people will never do in their lives.

Also thanks to everyone who donated money for the ADA for this ride. My goal was $150 and I was able to raise $250!!! Again, thanks to everyone.

Thanks again to everyone who has sent me get well soon cards and baskets and for coming to visit me while I was in the hospital. It really does mean alot.

One last thing, the Midnight Ridazz ride is tomorrow night It is eighties rock star themed, so go dressed in your best eighties rocker and ride!!!! The ride starts at nine at Donn's Depot. I will try and make it, but I would be driving a car and that is a real pain in the ass with this brace on.


til next time

OLC

TMNT

Alright, so last Thursday I was riding over to my friend Kirk's house and then to work. On my way from what I am told, I was traveling west on 12th street, and a van passed me and then turned right on to Alexander. Well I was right there also. I was apparently in the driver's blind spot, and he didn't see me,so it made me have to turn also. I don't remember any of this, this is just what Jenn was told from the eye witnesses and the driver.

So this caused me to jump the curb and then run into a tree. I'm not sure how I hit the tree or sign or whatever I hit, but it caused me to break two ribs and five bones in my thorax.




So now I have to wear a back brace that make me look like one of the TMNT. If I would have broken any of the bones lower, I would not be able to walk for the rest of my life. So I consider myself very lucky.

I also hit my shoulder which is swollen and purple and yellow.(will show pictures later, so check back)


I'm in yellow, the driver is in red.






This really sucks, and I am very sad that I will not be able to ride for quite sometime. I am very grateful that I am still alive and that I can walk, and that one day (hopefully soon) I will be back on my bike. I just wish that people would pay more attention when they are driving their vehicles. I mean this guy had to have seen me when he passed me, and then he turns and cuts me off. This is the same as a car being in the left hand lane and then suddenly making a 90 degree right hand turn, when there is a car in the right lane and the two collide. It is obviously the person in the left hand lanes fault. Now I have to wait for a police report so I can file a insurance claim the guy who ran me off the road, insurance company.

I have been in the hospital for almost one week (6 days) right now, pumped full of drugs and filled with absolute pain in my back, neck, chest and shoulder. All I want to do is go home and relax. I do get to leave today, but the police still haven't filed a police report yet. Which means, I have to come up with more than three thousand dollars for a hospital bill, until I can basically sue the guy who ran me off the road.

I am not going to be able to work also. Which means, that I am not going to be getting paid. On top of that the bed that I sleep on, is a futon mattress with no frame (frame broke). I am going to have to go and buy a new bed, because I will not be able get out of bed with the way my back is and how the brace is on. So that is going to cost me around 400 dollars as well.


So I am pretty much screwed...hopefully everything will turn out ok.


til next time



OLC