Getting Testy
What with it being Monday and all and only three more shopping days until Christmas, the natives are starting to get a bit restless in the snow around here.
I rode my bike downtown for an eye doctor appointment and a few holiday gift items and while the roads weren’t all that bad—as long as I could stay in a tire track—people driving (and even walking for that matter) sort of scared me.
Coming up Jackson from Pioneer Square, this guy in an SUV started honking at me from a good two hundred yards away. I think he was afraid that I would slow him down as he climbed the hill. Funny thing is, after I pulled aside to let him pass, I easily caught him by the light at Twelfth, where he had to wait as his fellow drivers crept through the intersection.
Downtown, I saw a guy step out from behind the wheel and plant his foot deep into a slush pile; he started yelling “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” all the way across the street even though he was wearing boots.
Somewhat surprisingly, the sides streets around the neighborhoods are much easier riding than the more well-traveled routes. Around our block, for instance, the roads are packed with soft snow that rides like sand; once you get out on the main drags, though, it’s all huge clumped up chunks of stuff that knock you all about sideways.
I found my own self getting a bit frustrated from time to time, but I’ve yet to start screaming at anyone; that’s partly because I’m so out of breath from plowing up the slippery streets.
It looks like the snow is going to hang around another couple days, at least, so it will be interesting to see how much grouchier people get as time passes; everyone always hopes for a white Christmas, but I’m not sure that, if the snow stays, people’s holiday spirit will last that long.
I rode my bike downtown for an eye doctor appointment and a few holiday gift items and while the roads weren’t all that bad—as long as I could stay in a tire track—people driving (and even walking for that matter) sort of scared me.
Coming up Jackson from Pioneer Square, this guy in an SUV started honking at me from a good two hundred yards away. I think he was afraid that I would slow him down as he climbed the hill. Funny thing is, after I pulled aside to let him pass, I easily caught him by the light at Twelfth, where he had to wait as his fellow drivers crept through the intersection.
Downtown, I saw a guy step out from behind the wheel and plant his foot deep into a slush pile; he started yelling “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” all the way across the street even though he was wearing boots.
Somewhat surprisingly, the sides streets around the neighborhoods are much easier riding than the more well-traveled routes. Around our block, for instance, the roads are packed with soft snow that rides like sand; once you get out on the main drags, though, it’s all huge clumped up chunks of stuff that knock you all about sideways.
I found my own self getting a bit frustrated from time to time, but I’ve yet to start screaming at anyone; that’s partly because I’m so out of breath from plowing up the slippery streets.
It looks like the snow is going to hang around another couple days, at least, so it will be interesting to see how much grouchier people get as time passes; everyone always hopes for a white Christmas, but I’m not sure that, if the snow stays, people’s holiday spirit will last that long.
posted by Professor Dave at 1:39 PM
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