Current mood:	refreshed
Entry tags:	biking, crazies, los angeles

I officially {heart} biking in LA.

I was slightly afraid I might hate it -- dodging cars, running out of bike lane, never escaping Doomed Bike Syndrome, etcetera -- but I don't. I love it.

My little love (a.k.a. Chick'n Nugget, a.k.a. The Girlfriend Formerly Known As Chibooty) dismantled and sent me my bike, following my failed attempt to "Just take it on the plane! It shouldn't be any problem!". I walked to the bike shop a few miles away (a venture that made me salivate in anticipation of pedaling there), bought me some tools, and re-assembled it quite easily Thursday evening. On Friday, I pedaled to work and was happy.

Today I determined I would work on the card-basket that my sister asked me to make for her wedding reception. After trying the art stores in my neighborhood and determining they were actually art stores, as opposed to arts-and-crafts-and-froofiness stores, I googled the closest Michael's (Burbank), and started pedaling the eight miles (twelve if you add my Forest-Lawn-MUST-be-a-shortcut! detour... as I, needless to say, did). I went through the cloggiest part of the city (barring the highways, that is -- Highland Avenue, from Sunset to the 101), up the ginormous hills of Cahuenga and Barham, into the Valley, and so on and so forth. I bought a too-big-to-reasonably-be-carried-home-on-a-bike-unless-you're-as-stubborn-as-I-am iron basket (and fake flowers and ribbon). I pedaled over to Target and grabbed a seat-post rack to strap it onto, after determining that looping it around my backpack was too uncomfortable (albeit sexy looking) to be practical... I wish I had pictures of the awesomeness that was my first plan. I pedaled home, legs burning but dependable, without any of this body-crap that I've been experiencing lately -- no I.T. band flare-ups, no herniated disc pinching -- just pure, unadulterated muscle burn. Scooting past gridlock and to the front of stop-light lines has to be one of the best feelings in the world.

One of my favorite things is when there are cars parked in the far-right lane. You'd think this would put you closer to traffic, but it instead keeps the traffic OUT of that lane completely, effectively guaranteeing you six or seven feet of roadwidth in the remainder of that lane, when normally you're trying to squeeze into about three.

Also. I like zipping onto the sidewalk when it's more appealing than the road, and vice versa. Cars can't go on the sidewalk, and pedestrians can't really go on the road, but little bikies can do both!

Also also. I like having a mountain bike SO MUCH MORE than a road bike. Pot holes, the above-mentioned sidewalk/road swapping, curbs -- maybe I'm too aggressive a rider, but I would be completely fucked -- very, very often -- if I was on a roadie.

What else. Oh, guaranteed close parking -- and made-up parking spots that are COMPLETELY LEGAL. Very cool.

Some lady in a shitty grey car, when I was doing my ride-on-the-sidewalk-and-let-the-cars-have-the-road thing in Burbank, fucking turned right in front of me on the way into some Fast Food Place. I slammed on my brakes, stopping just in time to avoid hitting her/being hit by her. My assumption was that she'd see me after that, and she'd wave her hand in apology for not paying better attention, and we'd make silent friends, and I'd be on my way. Wrong. I look up to get my apology and see her face -- beyond her massive Bluetooth headset -- completely unfazed and unaware. I make the carefully considered decision to give her car the ol' friendly-smack -- like the smack you give a dog to let it know you're done petting her, and that she's good, but that you're done petting her, and it's definitely not a pet, but it's definitely not mean-spirited, and that she can go lay down now -- to let her know that it would be nice if she'd pay better attention next time. Friendly-smack instead of the lawsuit she would have gotten smacked with if one of us hadn't been paying attention, you know? Damn if that woman doesn't put her "meal" on hold and CHASE ME DOWN THE STREET IN HER CAR, pull into another drive way in front of me, and yell out her window. She either said "EXCUSE!" or "EFF YOU!"... I think it must have been "excuse" (even though it doesn't make a whole lot of sense), as yelling "eff you" seems rather contradictorily restrained in such a situation. She also said something with the word "car" in the phrase. I don't know. Regardless. I ignored her and kept pedaling. I correctly predicted that her food addiction would keep her from following me any further; she must have turned around. I just think it's ridiculous that she would think for even a second that she had a valid point. I would have ripped her to shit if I'd engaged her in an argument. Hell, if I'd swerved a bit and made her "hit" me on the second pull-in, I could have taken her ass to court. No matter the situation -- even if the pedestrian/biker is WRONG -- the pedestrian/biker is RIGHT in a court of law. Fucking idiots.

So that happened.

Other than that, though? Love, love, love. I feel so at home on my bike -- my actual bike -- and I'm so glad I finally have it here. Word to yo' motha' my kickass love that shipped it for me.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank her for making her bike-shipping services contingent on the promise that I would get a helmet. While I hope it never gets "used" in the head-bonk sense, the peace of mind it instills is way worth the forty bucks and fashion-tard look (even the prettiest helmet is still a fashion tard, let's be honest).