I had an RPG yesterday and “other stuff”

The “kinky RPG” group met yesterday, so my Warlock5 in that game got to get some exercise. Since this was the “kinky” game and this is (mostly) a family-safe blog I won’t be recounting this game session. That means we have to talk about the “other stuff” going on in my life.

The main thing going on right now is “Arthur, Arthur Dent” taking over from “Chris Christie” on the back of my neck. “Arthur, Arthur” is much better behaved than “Chris” ever was. As a matter of fact, the biggest problem with “Arthur, Arthur” is all the loose skin wrinkling up the incision site, followed closely by all the steri-strips getting all crumpled up over the incision. The combination is not very comfortable, but stilllll, orders of magnitude better than having the lump sitting on the back of my neck. I finally got all of the adhesive residue off from the dressing they put on after the surgery which was the most aggravating thing I had before. And when having a layer of sticky, gummy, residue on the back of your neck is the most aggravating thing about your surgery, your life is relatively fantastically great. I mean think about it: “The back of my neck is all sticky” compared to “I have a huge lump on the back of my neck and I can’t look up or to the side” is a massive upgrade in the quality of my life.

So, other stuff going on, I’m trying to get back on a bike, any bike. I have Blue “up on jacks” in the garage for repairs, and all Francis/es needs is the tires pumped up as soon as I can get the pump to it I’ll be able to ride it. I’m still not “clear” to ride until after they pull the stitches out tomorrow, and I’m just aching to get one out and ride it. But I will have to wait another day. Talk about anticipation!

And there was an interesting collection of racing on the tube today, GRC from St. Petersburg FL, Sprint Cup from Dover DL, and Indy Car from Belle Isle in Detroit MI. Ken Block (of Gymkhana video fame) won the GRC race, Jimmy Johnson won the Sprint Cup race, and Sebastien Bourdais won the Indycar race in Detroit that was shortened by numerous yellow flags and one red flag. Several cars ran out of fuel on the cooldown lap after the race with the winner running out of fuel during the victory donuts in the IndyCar race. That’s cutting the fuel mileage really close.

And I have to go to a church meeting now, so I’m stopping here.

PSA, Opus

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After going to the doctor and the grocery store I do not feel like doing a blog post

Actually what I do not feel like doing is the massive late night scramble to get the Feed filtered, and then sorted and posted to this blog. I have all day and night tomorrow to create a post. It is almost 1800 now and I haven’t even finished my “normal” daily emails, the ones that are not about bikes. That means that if I rush like mad I might get done about 3 AM and collapse into the bed about 4 and try to force my mind to shut down and sleep before everyone starts getting up around 0600…

So, what the doctor said. He said I have a lump, and taking it off is going to leave a dent behind because there is as much dent below the “normal” level of my neck as there is above it. So yay? Also I can start mild rehab the day after surgery, but I have to wait until the wound heals before I can get chiropractic done on my neck. There will be much rehab to get my full range of motion back as this thing has been sitting on my trapezius and neck muscles since 2005 and settled on my neck full time about 2011. The funny part is I will not be allowed to leave the hospital after the surgery in anything EXCEPT a private motor vehicle. No public transit, not even a taxi. How messed up is that? Fortunately I have a support system set up with people from my church, and I will have a ride home.

The surgeon has offered to use my cell phone camera to take a picture of “Chris Christie” after removal so I can post it to the blog Wednesday after the operation. That’s right, I’m going to take more time off from the blog, 2 days in fact. I’m taking Tuesday off because I know from previous experience I have less than a 50-50 chance of being able to use a keyboard for anything other than a drum kit for my fingers until several hours after the anesthetic has worn off. And because my neck will hurt something fierce after getting cut apart and sewn back together. I have enough problems typing without chemical “assistance”.

And I’m tired now and want to lie down, so I will. I will see y’all tomorrow (actually very early Saturday, but I will be working all day Friday).

PSA, Opus

Slightly damp still, and the Feed

OK I got caught in the rain on the way home from the LRK, all the way from the bus stop to the house. I was soaked to the skin walking the 0.4 miles (0.6 km) from the bus stop home, had to have help stripping because the wet clothes were not coming off very easily. I had to have Mrs. the Poet grab the bottom of my T shirt and hag on while I walked away backwards bent over with my arms over my head. You know how baggy T shirts sometimes get when they are wet? This one the bottom was past my hands over my head and the fold was about mid-chest, not even close to coming off. That’s why I enlisted Mrs. the Poet’s assistance. Anywho, the LRK says my BP is on the bottom edge of what the study will allow, but they can’t reduce my dosage because I’m taking the smallest dosage the study allows. So yay for meditation and just “letting go” of stress. And here’s hoping I continue to skirt the lower edge of the study guidelines so I can still get free meds, and that free autopsy/cremation when I cork off.

Starting out with Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: LA’s DPW goes forward to the past, the Bike Week beat goes on, we’re #8, and a pretty bike painting

I debated on just linking the entire front page from BikePortland today, until I realized that today’s page would not be the same as tomorrow’s, just like yesterday’s is not the same as today’s. So, more backlash from bicycle advocates on that wreck where someone had to retrieve the cyclist’s mangled leg from the street Sunday. BTA statement on 26th and Powell collision questions state priorities and BikeLoud’s “die-in” this afternoon aims to keep safety pressure on ODOT not from BikePortland A Cyclist Lost His Leg to A Driver’s Inattention Yesterday. Activists Say SE Powell is to Blame also City hires project manager for high-profile downtown protected bike lane project Whoops, that one is just pure infrastructure, not specific to the maiming wreck on Sunday Support builds for walking and biking improvements on east side of Naito Parkway (updated) Not directly related, but undoubtedly given a major bump but the wreck. They could definitely use sidewalks and bike lanes, forget the MUP. The only places where MUP work are low travel density routes, with not many cyclists or pedestrians.

More from AK on the teen drunk driver who killed a cyclist. Biking community seeks ‘justice for Jeff,’ cyclist killed by teen driver and Plea deal for teen in hit-and-run death of Anchorage cyclist sparks backlash A year in jail, for killing a man while driving drunk…TANJ!

Moving to NYC, Hey more CitiBikes. Citi Bike Reveals 39 New UWS Locations, But Some Locals Want More Who wouldn’t want more bikes that you don’t have to patch the flats, clean the chains, or charge/change the batteries in the lights?

And this is late, by the time you read this it will be the day after so Meh! Bike Commuters: Here’s Where To Find Free Coffee & Snacks On Wednesday Morning

How many people have to be killed or maimed before crap infrastructure is recognized to be crap? Cyclist Fights For Life After Collision In Same Intersection Where Amelie Le Moullac Was Killed

Some good news from The Great White North. Driver that hit and killed cyclist near Okotoks could face charges”

Someone talking (writing) sense about the cyclist killed standing off the side of the road with his bike in Canuckistan. Babin: When we blame cyclists for being killed, it’s time for a rethink For those who don’t remember the cyclist was standing just off of the paved shoulder with his bike for some reason when he got hit. If you’re not safe from cars when you are all the way off the pavement, where on the roads would you be safe?

Another link to the story of the blind UK driver who is going to prison for killing a cyclist. Driver who caused cyclist’s death thought he’d hit wheelie bin Seriously, if yu can’t tell the difference between a human being in HiViz, and a garbage can with wheels…

Another link to the (possible) cyclist murder in Oz. Geelong hit-and-run that killed cyclist may have been deliberate

When everything is falling apart because there was never any money set aside to fix it… For U.S. Cities, Every Week Is “Infrastructure Week”

When your bike infrastructure sucks or does not exist, many cyclists bail to the not quite-as-bad thing. Opinion: Drawing a line with sidewalks and cyclists Hint: when you spend more time watching behind you than in front of you, your infrastructure is crap.

This might help, combined with crushing the cars used to kill or maim pedestrians and cyclists. Take more care around cyclists Take more care or your car will be crushed and melted down for scrap.

More words with little to no action behind them. Maryland Works To Lower Number Of Cycling Accidents

When more than ²/₃ of your fatal bike wrecks are caused by HGV left-hooking a cyclist an expedient way to prevent deaths would be preventing HGV from turning left. UK safety app keeping lorries on the right side of cyclists

I will have to pay close attention to this when I am able to get back on my bike (hopefully some time in the next month). The Body Mechanic: a beer drinker’s analogy on sports injury I don’t binge drink (I only buy the Good Beer, and I pay too damn much to just chug a bunch down so I can’t taste them) so I have no personal experience with getting drunk. But I did ride so far that I rubbed the skin off of my tailbone once. Friction and sweat are a bad combination for bony protrusions. Took about a week until I could make short rides, and about a month before I could ride a century again. That was my attempt to ride to CMA, a 242 mile trip, in 2 days.

More Ride of Silence links This group bike ride is a somber memorial, observance and Sussex Cyclists’ 11th Annual Ride of Silence set May 20

And I am out of links and patience. This has been a long day and I want to go to bed.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

My lump has a name now, and the Feed

I got a suggestion in the e-mail for a name for my lump, which I have been comparing to a GOP presidential candidate. The suggested moniker is “Chris Christie”. Whaddya think? Now as to why there was no post yesterday I just could not muster up anything to say. I wanted to write, but just could not come up with anything I wanted to share. Sorry if I disappointed anyone.

And before I forget, I hope you had a happy Star Wars Day (May the 4^th).

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Photographic proof of bikes in Hollywood, ride LA with Phil Gaimon, and transvestites on bikes

The Big Story today is someone has been disrupting travel on Oz by putting tacks in the bike lane. Stop the tacks: Kew Boulevard cyclists say enough is enough and Angry cyclists fed up with tack attack on Yarra Boulevard Why has this not been treated as a terrorist’s attack on infrastructure? And the culprit(s) have been busy, re-tacking the route between the 11PM sweeping and the start of the protest ride against the tacks. The expense of all those tacks means that if there is a single suspect he probably has access to a lot of money, or he lives very simply to afford the endless mounds of tacks he spreads on the streets. And why call a blowout an “explosive decompression”?

It’s hard to believe that it has already been a year since a bicycle tourist was stabbed to death in a random attack. Festival honors cyclist killed on ride to Florida last year and Festival honors cyclist killed on ride to Florida last year Same headline from two different stories. Apparently the killer was off his meds or something because there was just no provocation for the attack, he just walked up to the victim while he was talking on a cell phone and stabbed him.

Another Southern killer of cyclists faces court in AL. Parker pleads not guilty in criminally neglect homicide case He hit 3 cyclists, if it wasn’t “criminal neglect” it was on purpose and he was undercharged. If this case was in TX he would have been charged with Felony DUI and since there was a death the prosecutor could seek the death penalty.

Riding season starts in Upstate NY after a very bad winter for the roads. Potholes or not, Rockland bicycle season hits high gear This sounds like fun.

Getting the word out on NYC’s pedestrian right of way law. Families For Safe Streets Demands Accountability From Bus Drivers Look before you turn.

Trying to get NYC drivers to slow down is a never-ending struggle. Jarring New Vision Zero Ad Tries To Make Drivers Less Sociopathic

Sometimes it feels like a war out there, and I’m not the only one who noticed. Bikes vs Cars: why it’s war between cyclists and drivers on city streets They have: light armored vehicles that would be classified as WMD if they were deployed against soldiers in wartime. We have: cameras and styrofoam hats. I don’t like this war…

Lifestyle in MI. ‘Ghost bike’ removed by city, replaced by activists

Lifestyle in IN. Mayor’s Ride kicks off National Bike Month events

More lifestyle this time from NE. Blood Drive Honors Former Millard Educator Killed While Biking Put some of that good cyclist’s blood in circulation.

There is something I want to say very badly about this link, but I will take the high road and not do it. President Bush’s 2015 W100K bike ride: Healing the invisible wounds of war

And those were all the links I had to share today…

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet.

Why do we have a for-profit health care system, and the Feed

Contact has been made with my PCP concerning the GOP presidential candidate sitting on the back of my neck (“ugly lump of useless fat” for the people not among my Facebook friends). There was a 3 working day delay caused by my HMO having to approve of the surgery and the surgeon I was getting sent to. Remind me again why we don’t have a single-payer system like the UK, where stuff like this only takes a day? I mean obviously, this thing has been on the back of my neck for almost a decade now so it probably isn’t going to kill me (again), but still the MRI came back as “atypical” so this also isn’t something that can be ignored until it goes away. I will hear back from the surgeon on scheduling later today or early tomorrow.

The Bug Story today is from Oz as a Fox Sports announcer is found guilty of hitting a cyclist. Bosnich pleads guilty to reckless driving which injured cyclist and Mark Bosnich pleads guilty to charge of reckless driving after road rage incident also Bosnich knocked cyclist down: court And of course they got a plea bargain that never mentioned assault with a deadly weapon when the driver turned his vehicle at the cyclist and hit him with it, knocking him to the ground with numerous injuries.

Our Daily Ted, round 1. Morning Links: LAPD ordered to turn over video of bike rider beating, and Redlands riders do the right thing Surprise, surprise, LAPD beat a cyclist half to death and he was not white.

Our Daily Ted, part the second. Guest post: BAC Vice Chair Glenn Bailey reports on efforts to undo the Chase Street road diet and bike lanes This was the meeting that may have had an illegal agenda item added at the last minute. In TX the item would have been illegal to discuss since the agenda had already been published.

In today’s NYC news, the DA actually grew a pair and indicted a killer driver. Driver Charged With Manslaughter For Killing LES Pedestrian The driver was doing 55 in a 25 zone and attempted to flee but hit a fire hydrant on a crowded sidewalk and could not continue driving. The hydrant probably saved having several more victims.

Usually “Take your kid to work day” does not include teaching bicycle theft. Stroller-Pushing Bike Thief Has Allegedly Stolen $16K In Bikes

And a bit Upstate from The City, drunk asshole in a Camaro takes out his and two other vehicles when he’s prevented from excessively speeding. Video: Sociopathic Camaro Driver Causes Terrifying Highway Crash The Camaro driver was tested at more than twice the legal limit for BAC%.

Apparently driving while blind is not a crime in NE. Prosecutor will not charge woman in crash that killed cyclist The cyclist was riding a recumbent tricycle with an 8 foot tall flag on the back. If you can’t see a normal-sized adult human with an 8 foot tall flag in the road, please stop driving immediately and seek medical attention.

Not your average wreck in South Africa. Cyclist trampled to death by giraffe in South Africa Usually the traffic I have to wrangle is more 4-wheel than 4-foot.

More on the Scottish clamor for presumptive liability in civil cases where a cyclist is hit by a motor vehicle. Cyclists call for ‘presumption of liability’ against motorists in civil cases Yeah, we cyclists are just throwing ourselves against light armored vehicles in the hopes of getting a huge lawsuit payout… And I have a bridge in AZ I want to get off my hands. Used to be owned by a nice English lady named Elizabeth…

After the second cyclist is killed by a truck turning across the bike lane at a badly-designed intersection in NOLA legislation to restrict truck traffic is considered. Cyclist’s death spurs bill to ban hazardous material trucks on St. Claude, North Claiborne Note that there was nothing done to change the bad intersection, just to restrict hazardous cargo from using it.

More infrastructure news from Portland. East Portlanders want one mode of transportation prioritized above all others, survey finds They just want to be able to cross the street without having to play “Frogger”.

There has been a paradigm shift in city planning while nobody was looking. End of the car age: how cities are outgrowing the automobile

It’s about that time again. National Bike Month: Hupy and Abraham celebrates safety and awareness and Community encouraged to participate in Bicycle Month Notional Bike Month, or as I see it National This Blog Is Important Month. I’m hoping I can get Blue up and running and be healed up from neck surgery by the Ride of Silence. Last year was terrible for me as I couldn’t see where I was going because my helmet was hitting the lump on the back of my neck.

Speaking of that lump, the surgeon did not call today, but I at least know his last name: Ritter. And thanks to the powers of the Internet I know something about him.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet