Bike Safety

Well, it's summertime and you know what that means.  It's bike riding time.  Could anything be more rewarding than trading in your bus pass for biking shorts?  Probably.  Anyway, moving on.

As good as riding a bike can be, it's not without risks, especially these days.  Between idiots driving cars and hazards (both natural and unnatural), it's all too easy to wind up in a situation that's bad for you and/or your bike.

1.  Ride Like No One Gives A Darned

Because they don't.  The road is a lot less friendly toward bikers, with people texting and driving, people rushing to get home to watch Love & Hip Hop, or people driving like they're auditioning to be Hollywood stuntmen.  As a biker, you have to assume that the person behind the wheel is sadistic, uncaring, drunk, or just plain stupid if you want to survive.  Put another way, ride on the sidewalk where it's legal, especially if you aren't in a rush or traveling on the major roads in your city.

2.  The Two-Ton Death Machine Always Has The Right Of Way

Do you know how many times this writer has been hit when the traffic light or stop sign was in his favor?  Twice, with countless close calls.  Do you know how many times this writer has been hit waiting for the car to pass before going?  None.  It doesn't matter what color the light is, the car/truck/bus/UFO always has the right of way.

3.  Always Be Armed

A good lock can get you trough those rough patches of your commute.

Carrying a weapon can be risky, especially if you aren't licensed.  However, you do have a weapon that police can't confiscate.  Your bike lock.  A chain lock is thick and can inflict some nice damage.  A cable lock can be used to choke out someone who's getting too aggressive.

The one this writer prefers is a nice, hearty u-lock.  It's five pounds of solid-steel pain waiting to be unleashed that works well on both rowdy humans and animals alike.  You can also use u-lock to immobilize a foe if you're feeling nonviolent.  Simply put it around his or her neck and lock them to the nearest stop sign.  This will give you the time you need to escape a rowdy individual.

Of course you can also get your CCW, which help if you live or travel through a particularly wild area.

4.  Watch Those Hazards

It doesn't matter how tough your tires are, avoid it.

This is a one-way trip to Flat Tire City.

Talk about crumbling infrastructure.

Potholes, downed tree limbs, and other things can quickly mess up your commute.  This is especially true at night, when most obstacles are hard to see and potholes are impossible to see.  At best, you'll suffer a flat tire.  At worst, you'll be like Buzz Lightyear, flying to infinity and beyond over your handlebars.

And there go some bike safety tips for you.  It's a dangerous world for bikers.  To stay safe, you stay calm, be alert and observant, and be prepared.  You also have to act like you give a crap, because nine times out of ten, the people you're sharing to the road with don't.

Until next time...

Seven "Friends" You Should Shed

Good friends are hard to find.  Everybody knows that.  And because they're so hard, you don't get many of them.  Most people can go their whole life and never find one.

Bad friends, on the other hand, are easy to find.  Heck, you'll probably make more bad friends than bitter enemies.  Here are seven friends to shed if they are in your flock or avoid if they're not.

1. The Time Leech

This will be brief, as a previous post already goes into detail about "friends" like this.  Basically, a time leech is someone who thinks you should hang out with them, no matter what you may have going on in your life.  You have to put them first and you have to hang out with them whenever THEY are ready.  And they always make you do stupid stuff, just for the sake of wasting your time.  Make sure YOU control the time when you see them and you'll be fine.

2. The Butthole

The thing about the butthole is the fact that he's a butthole.  It's that you are associated with him.  You may not co-sign everything he does, but you may end up taking the fall for something he does.  The only thing worse than a bitter enemy is a friend who will get you caught up in some bullshit.  Avoid them unless you're extremely desperate (near suicidal, really) for friends.

3. The I-Think-I-Know-It-All

This "friend" wants you to hear how informed or intelligent they are.  The thing is, they often talk about things you don't care about, so they come off as annoying instead.  This is often coupled with them telling you how little you know about anything, in an attempt to make you feel stupid or make themselves feel smart.  You don't need that in your life.

4. The "You Need Me" Guy

A variation of the Time Leech, these "friends" will force their presence on you.  Their logic is that without them, you enjoy their company so much, that you would be lonely without them.  That, as you may have surmised, in BS.  This is obviously a lie they craft for themselves to feel good about being downright invasive at times.

5. The Person Who Won't Shut Up

These are those "friends" who don't seem to need to breath in between statements.  They just talk and talk and talk, not stopping to breathing or giving you a chance to respond to anything they say.  If you don't force your two cents in, they will NEVER stop talking.  It's even worse when you're trying to be alone or enjoy some peace and quiet.  So annoying.

6. The Projector

These "friends" are always looking to put THEIR flaws and problems on someone else in an attempt to feel good about themselves.  These individuals often have sad, pathetic lives and it's always somebody else's fault.  They can't get a girlfriend, it's the woman's fault.  They can't get a job, it's the employer's fault.  They can't get a candy bar, it's the store's fault.  Naturally, they will try to put some of these things off on you as well, which is meant to stress you and make them feel better about themselves.  The Either avoid them or take them to a good therapist.

7.   The Downtalker

These "friends" are losers who aren't living the life they want or think they deserve and need someone to feel like they are better than.  That's where you come in.  These people will try to talk you out of getting ahead in life with the hope that you're dumb enough to listen.  These people NEED you to feel bad about wanting to grow, trying to bring you down if you feel good and discourage your advancement.  This is coupled by them trying to brag about their own achievements.  Put another way, their greatest achievement is making sure you don't achieve anything.  This is dangerous for fairly obvious reasons.  Ditch 'em.

And those are the seven types of people you should to trim out of your circle.  You want friends that you actually want to see you do better, perhaps even helping you get to where you want or need to go.  You don't need human obstacles who only live impede your progress and/or stress you out.  As this writer has said before, you only get so much time in this world.  Do you really want to waste it on people you don't like?

Until next time...