BikePortland.org reports that Lt. Mark Kruger has been transferred and promoted. Lt. Kruger will soon be the captain in charge of the Drug and Vice division, a position for which he is probably better suited. I had previously voiced my disapproval of Kruger’s capacity to enforce bike lane laws here, here, here and here.
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2352
Weight lost (in pounds): 35
Hours of sleep last night: 7
Hours billed last week: 37
Aches & pains: sciatic (when I stand too long), right shoulder (when I extend my arm away from my body), left achilles tendon, joints in my right hand (likely RSI from Guitar Hero)
Current reading: The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, Space Cadet by Robert A. Heinlein
Recent listening: In Rainbows by Radiohead, The Shepherd’s Dog by Iron & Wine
Recent viewing: Countdown, The 300 Spartans, Rank, Numb3rs, Eagles vs. Cowboys
Recent playing: foosball, Guitar Hero III (Wii)
Recently accomplished: cleaned cat boxes, recycling, old email, Christmas shopping
Imperative To Do: Sift through inbox, post office (Sunleafs, Seagate, Kent, Sue), sunglasses, InstantCake, phone calls, vacation planning, packing list
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2332
Weight lost (in pounds): 35
Hours of sleep last night: 9
Hours billed last week: 44
Aches & pains: sciatic (when I stand too long), right shoulder (when I extend my arm away from my body), left achilles tendon
Current reading: The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, Beyond This Horizon by Robert A. Heinlein
Recent listening: Velvet Goldmine: Original Soundtrack, Come On Christmas by Dwight Yoakam, Wolfmother by Wolfmother, Kid Rock by Kid Rock
Recent viewing: Countdown, Suns vs. Jazz, Steelers vs. Patriots, Raiders vs. Packers, Ravens vs. Colts, Wired Science
Recent playing: foosball, Guitar Hero III (Wii)
Recently accomplished: hosed off walkways and deck, stored hoses for the winter, groceries, gorilla shelf parts on Freecycle, paid bills, cat box, email to Curt N.
Imperative To Do: Sift through inbox, post office (Sunleafs, Seagate, Kent, Sue), sunglasses, InstantCake, phone calls, vacation planning, packing list
What dreams are made of
Lately, as I’ve been waiting for sleep to come, I lay in bed and fragments of recent dreams begin to stream through my mind. Each fragment brings to mind another and, before long, I have embarked on a new dream journey. Here’s a few of the disconnected thoughts from some of those dreams:
- I’m living in Iowa and trying to get my car working. I own several cars and one of them is a muscle car which my dad is helping me fix up, the idea is put this car in the leasing market, I got this obsession after I check a article call Addicted to Transit Custom Lease? Us Too. 6 Reasons We Just Can’t Stop.
- My dad and I trespass on a farmer’s land. The cops come and we make a break for the car, but I am shot in the back. My dad gets away. The cops question me for several minutes before I ask them if they want to look at my wound or call an ambulance. They were unaware they had shot me.
- I’m riding my bike through Cedar Falls trying to find my old apartment. I purposefully cut through the bank parking lot by the ATM but still end up going down a hill by a park. My previous experience (which is fictional in real life) tells me I have overshot my destination and I am bummed I have to pedal back uphill.
- I am at the Dental Office in NY for family and general dental services office and I remember belatedly that they should check my bottom left molar because it’s sore when I chew (in real life), and them I got a wisdom teeth removal.
- I’m back in Riceville and there’s something incredible happening in the sky. It could be aliens and it could be atomic bombs. Everyone is outside watching it.
- The whole family is on a road trip and we decide to go through Kansas which is way out of the way.
- I’m late getting on an airplane that is taking me home. As we fly in to land, we dive at a terrifying steep angle.
- I’m back in Charleston and wondering around trying to find a particular place. I have an idea of how the city is laid out but I keep getting confused.
- I find a pawn shop in a really shady part of town. When I walk out of the shop I find that my car has been stolen from the parking lot.
- I go to a club where I know that there is a play. The play is self-referential and recursive which makes it cool. But there is something evil in the back of the club that I can never remember.
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2307
Weight lost (in pounds): 35
Hours of sleep last night: 10
Hours billed last week: 47
Aches & pains: sciatic
Current reading: The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, Rocket Ship Galileo by Robert A. Heinlein
Recent listening: Chicago IX by Chicago, Broken Boy Soldiers by The Raconteurs, Essential Ten Years After by Ten Years After, Chrome Dreams II by Neil Young
Recent viewing: The War, Countdown, High Stakes Poker
Recent playing: foosball, Guitar Hero III (Wii)
Recently accomplished: cat boxes, cardboard recycling, completed RMA for broken Tivo drive, final build of soon-to-be-released product
Imperative To Do: Sift through inbox, post office (Sunleafs, Seagate, Kent, Sue), freecycle gorilla shelf parts, sunglasses, InstantCake
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2268
Weight lost (in pounds): 40
Hours of sleep last night: 6
Hours billed last week: 24.5
Aches & pains: right knee, sciatic, right hand, left wrist
Current reading:: The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, The Rolling Stones by Robert A. Heinlein
Recent listening: Chrome Dreams II by Neil Young, Coverville, DrugMusic, Pure Pod For Now People
Recent viewing: The War, The Simpsons, Eagles at Patriots, Dolphins at Steelers
Recent playing: Guitar Hero III (Wii)
Recently accomplished: cat boxes, raked front yard, cardboard recycling, fixed sitting room speakers, paid bills, called Kent
Imperative To Do: RMA old Tivo drive, sift through inbox, post office, freecycle gorilla shelf parts, sunglasses
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2236
Weight lost (in pounds): 44
Hours of sleep last night: 10
Hours billed last week: 40
Aches & pains: sciatic
Current reading:: The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Recent listening: NPR Story of the Day, Science Friday
Recent viewing: Nature: The Cheetah Orphans, Nova: Intelligent Design on Trial, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Numb3rs, High Stakes Poker
Recent playing: foosball, Guitar Hero III (Wii)
Recently accomplished: cleaned and lubed bike, cardboard recycling, groceries, cat boxes, installed rear fender
Imperative To Do: RMA old Tivo drive, sift through inbox, post office, freecycle gorilla shelf parts, sunglasses
Rare Saturday bike ride
Distance: 14.4 miles
Riding time: 87 minutes
Max speed: 32.3 mph
Average speed: 9.9 mph
Temperature: 60º with lots of rain
Soundtrack: Science Friday (return legs only)
Route:
- Drove the van to Marine Drive and 43rd
- NE Marine Drive to N Vancouver Ave
- N Vancouver Ave to NE Broadway
- NE Broadway across Broadway Bridge to NW Broadway
- Broadway to Alder (and office)
- Alder to Waterfront (for rally)
- Max to NE 148th
- 148th to Halsey to 162nd to home
Yesterday I attended the We Are All Traffic rally underneath the Hawthorne Bridge. Prior to the rally there were a number of memorial rides that originated at spots where bikers had been hurt or killed by cars. I chose to join the one where Bob Verrinder was struck while crossing Marine Drive back in October. Most of the people on the ride were Verrinder’s friends and members of the same cycling club.
The weather was good for riding up until the point the ride actually began. About a half mile after we started pedaling the rain was coming down in sheets and I was soaked to the skin before we were even halfway downtown. I remembered that I had stashed some spare clothes at work so I detoured there before joining the rest of the crowd under the Hawthorne Bridge. The rally went great and I really enjoyed all of the speakers but especially Siobhan Doyle and Susie Kubota. Most of my bike heroes (Jonathan Maus, Joe Kurmaskie, Ray Thomas) were there which also was cool.
Afterwards, I grabbed lunch from the nearest open food cart (gyros) and returned to the office long enough to eat it. I took the usual route home for bad weather which mostly involves reading on the Max.
Another lawyer speaks up for cyclists
Another lawyer is convinced that the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) is biased against bicyclists. Robert Mionske makes the case in a recent column for VeloNews. In that column, he talks about the three recent cases reckless driving accidents in where motorists were not charged after hitting a cyclist as a result of breaking the law. In each of those cases, the Portland police cited specific reasons that those motorists were not charged or even ticketed for a moving violation. Mionske introduces a fourth example where the PPB did cite a cyclist even though their previously stated criteria for doing so had not been met. In other words, the PPB has a double-standard for determining whether an accident should result in an investigation, criminal charges and/or a traffic citation. That standard is heavily biased in favor of motorists to the detriment of cyclists.
Siobhan Doyle speaks
Doyle was the Portland bike commuter who was right-hooked on Monday.
Kudos to the Oregonian for the great video.