Bad News/Good News

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Bad News (a few months ago);

Tra-la-la, I ride my bike to work, really into the audio book I’m reading.

Ka-dunk, ka-dunk. Flat tire. Luckily I’m at OBT and Lee right by the BP. Ooops! I’ve left my phone at home today. Call Eric (son) six million times from the store phone until he wakes up. Since I’m a tire changing goddess, I just tell him to call Lindsey (friend) to let her know I’ll be late for bus duty. Change tire with the only trouble being the guy in the store not understanding why I need him to turn the air on twice for such a little tire.

Tra-la-la, riding my bike. Proud of myself, loving the book.

Ka-dunk, ka-dunk. Flat tire. Now I’m near a Kangaroo express. No, you can’t use the phone, but there’s a pay phone outside. Please deposit 50 cents. I did. Please deposit 50 cents. I did, recorded (expletive), I put in a dollar already! Please deposit 50 cents. I’ve put in a buck 50 already, and now I will tear this phone out of the ground! No, I will go ask the nice lady to let me use her phone since her pay phone is (expletive) broken. No, you can’t use our phone, we need to leave the line open for incoming calls. Of course! because so many people need to make emergency calls to the Kangaroo Express. Shame on me for being so selfish. Nice man whose wife is a teacher offers his cell. Call Lindsey to pick me up.

Tra-la-la, walking along with my bike, listening to a great book! Here comes Lindsey, yay. Dismantle entire bike to get it in her back seat. Woo, she drops me and my jigsaw puzzle bike home. Shower. Boy, a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit will taste really good!

Tra-la-la, McDonald’s drive thru. Ma’am, we don’t have any biscuits right now. Okay, bye, there’s another McDonald’s down the road. Mmmmm, maybe I’d rather get the hotcakes. Yum. Second McDonald’s drive thru. Buy food, drive to school. Open hotcakes. Ooops, they’re from last Monday, they are cold and hard as a rock! Hmmmm, in my starved state, I didn’t notice that my classroom a/c is still not working. It is torn off the side of the building and in parts like my bike. Not the best ride ever…

Good News (fast forward several months):

On a ride, stopped at a red light. A large SUV pulls up next to me, in my lane, and as I’m ready to look him in the eye and give him ‘the look,’ he rolls down his passenger side window. “Excuse me ma’am,” he calls. “I’m sorry for asking but I just don’t know. Is it okay to pass a cyclist when they’re in the road?” I responded that vehicles need to give 3 feet clearance when passing, or even better on a 4 lane road, change lanes. I asked him to tell all his friends too. “I will, thanks a lot! Be safe!” He waved and went on his way and I was really glad that I hadn’t acted upon my immediate assumption that the guy was a jerk trying to muscle me out of his way. There are some good ones out there!

5 replies
    • Laura
      Laura says:

      ohhh, pray tell what are RibMo tires? My bike town bike came with tires/tubes pretreated with that green goo stuff that prevents flats. Of course I can’t think of the name right now. But it worked great, until I got a few flats and of course it’s the rear wheel. I’d love to find something similar.

  2. Robin Frisella
    Robin Frisella says:

    Yes, I actually have RiBMos on both wheels now. Because I’m the flat tire queen though, I actually managed to blow one of those too! But it was because I ran over some staples. Our school was having its floor redone over the summer and the construction materials were all over the parking lot.

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