Schadenfreude and a Deep Sigh

No video or pics or anything on this post. The events I am about to describe happened while the camera was running, but in reviewing the video I was once again wishing it had the nearly instant zoom and focus of the human eye, because what the video showed, even with software zoom efforts, was not capable of mirroring what I saw at all. I just deleted it.

 

Schadenfreude: While riding to work recently I saw a young man (on his way to school, likely) riding down the sidewalk and texting as we approached a 4 way stop. Oblivious at first to the pickup truck that had spotted him and stopped in the middle of the intersection so as not to run him down, the boy eventually woke up and awkwardly braked while descending off the sidewalk. The braking and the bump dislodged his phone from his grasp and it fell to the pavement and scattered into three distinct pieces (phone body, cover and battery) like many of us have experienced one time or another. While I hoped his phone wasn't totally busted, I felt a happiness unbecoming a grown man. Schadenfreude.

 

Deep Sigh: On my way home today while sitting at a light I spotted a cyclist in the right hand lane of a 4 lane, two way street, confidently signaling their desire to move left, into the centre lane. I was happy. Upon reaching the intersection, they proceeded to turn right.

 

Funny thing, I heard myself laugh when I reviewed the video. It was funny. Except when I thought about it later. How does that cyclist signal a left, I wonder? If it is with a right hand turn signal, they are quite likely to get hurt or worse pretty soon.

 

In addition, when stuff like this happens, it makes me wonder what the motorists around me think when I signal. Do they just wait to see what I do and then feel relief that it matched what I indicated? I like to think that motorists might appreciate the difference in appearance between a hardcore commuter like me and other bike riders and trust my signals accordingly, but that is completely unrealistic considering some of the stuff I've seen some well-equipped commuters do. Deep Sigh.

 

 

Well, it has been my pleasure to bum you out on Friday morning... in case I haven't, please remember that things only get worse and hopelessness is obviously the only reasonable course of action.

 

Or not! It's almost the weekend! Woohoo!

R A N T W I C K

PS - When I spell checked this post "texting" was highlighted. Good to know blogger is using the Queen's English and not some kooky modern day dictionary full of words used by, like, people.

Things People Say Fridays #12: A Startlingly Common Question

I've generally stopped keeping video of people saying, "Is that a helmet cam?", because it happens once a week or so and is no longer novel to me. This one was a little bit more memorable than most others because it startled me and was just a little funnier somehow, so I kept it to show to you now.

 

 

 

 

Have super weekends everybody!

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

And to my Right...

People look at the camera on top of my head and have varying reactions, a few of which are captured in this post.

There's the "Camera! Woot woot, camera, look at me!" types:

There's the "huh, that's cool" or perhaps benevolent "hey look at that weirdo" types:

But my favourites are the somewhat perplexed types. Is that a light? A camera? Wah?

The lady pictured above had a big perplexed smile on her face that was clearer than the photo shows, and her head did the classic cock-to-one-side thing as I got closer, like this:

OK, maybe her head didn't fall off. Or maybe, just maybe, it did! It was still tilting when I passed her and then she was out of visual range. I didn't hear anything on the news about a mysteriously headless woman or anything, but you never know! Hey lady, if you're reading this, yep, it was a camera. Hope yer head stayed on.

Remember, a stranger is a just a friend you haven't met! Or a totally dangerous psycho. One of those. I'm gonna stick all three of these strangers in the friend category, 'cause I am an optimist who believes most people are good. Or dangerous psychos.

 

 

Come back soon, ya psycho!

R A N T W I C K

PS - It's nothing personal. I assume all who come to this site and read to the end of any post is a psycho. But not dangerous. I hope. Signing off from my easily found home in Austin, Texas (just look for the 30' turkey statue in the centre of my front yard fountain), be good 'till next time.