Door-ed in DC

Ok annoying little fact about this blog post: it is Take 2 after a post I was especially fond of was SWALLOWED by an errant internet that was acting out because it wanted attention. Last night I wrote a fresh blog post that happened the night of the incident you will shortly learn about. NOW it's a day-old and frankly not quite as interesting. I had even used "duplicative" last night! *sigh*. Read on, brave reader...you may still find enlightenment yet...

ha. ok. so.

To "door" is to [unwittingly] open one's car door into a passing person, often on a bicycle, and often with less than positive results. (let's make this an interactive lesson: ALWAYS check both ways before crossing the street, and ALWAYS check behind you if you're going to swing your door open in an urban street). To be "door-ed" is to HAVE a door swung into you while pedaling or pedestering on said urban street.

Why is this a relevant lesson? BECAUSE IT'S BECOMING AN EPIDEMIC!! In the span of 12 days, THREE people I know got DOOR-ED while on their bikes! and one of them was ME. last night! mother of pearl!

ok so stories. Katy was the first victim. 12 days ago she was cycling along one evening and was slowing to a red light and *BOOM* was doored from a woman coming out of her parked car. Katy was plopped off her bike and her chain popped off and her finger jammed. But she thought she was fine. and then the following day she did all her normal activities - including helping to lift people at her hospice-home workplace - and the next day her back threw a mutiny and it hasn't let up until just this weekend, but it's still very tender. she's been sidelined due to her dang door incident.

last night, I was biking to Katy's to go and meet up with our old housemate Clay and some of his friends. on the way, I had cause to coast down Columbia Road, a downhill stretch right before a red light, and as I was coming past the 2nd-to-last car in the lineup before the red light, *BOOM* the door swung out - of the back passenger side - at the exact moment I was passing him. this punk kid just started laughing and laughing as my bike stayed next to the door and my body flew to the ground. I got up and this old man on the side walk helped me pick up my bike and the guys in the fire truck in front of the culprit car all asked if I was ok and the guy in the car behind the punk kids asked if I was alright...and I checked all my limbs and everything seemed to be in working order. I popped my chain back on and made sure everything else was fine. the fire truck didn't go thru the intersection until I was back on my bike and waved them away. I appreciated the concern of the others, but was s.o. annoyed at the (15? year old) punk kid who just laughed the whole time. yo...dude...this is NOT youtube. it happened and my knee is swollen and thanks for nothing.

all that griping done, I am feeling ok, and feeling fortunate that nothing worse happened. my knee was swollen, and still is a bit, but it's improving little by little and I'm still mobile.

incident number THREE was on the way to church today, one of the current DY girls got door-ed IN A BIKE LANE. she was thrown into the left lane, but there was thankfully no traffic coming, so she wasn't hurt outside of a few bumps. we all commiserated with one another after church.

I guess since I've been biking now for over a year here in DC, my confidence has turned to an unrealistic belief in some sort of superhuman realm of safety that surrounds my bike like an invincibility cloak. well, no more. I now have a more sober perspective, or a renewed healthy fear (reverence) for the vulnerability of me - the city biker - on the open road. now, parental readers out there need not worry: I share this story not to sow fear but just to reap sympathy....haha..no no but just to acknowledge that like any driver of a moving vehicle, we all take risks. So, I will be careful, and alert, and I will pray that car-drivers remember to *cautiously* open their doors and check before doing so, and I will be ever more vigilant about checking/anticipating potentially stupid behavior in the dance we call sharing the road.

*note:* flowers, cards, sympathy checks, and other tokens of your care and concern can be sent to.. :) hehe..just kidding just kidding...

All things considered

Considering my track record of verbosity, isn't it kind of scary to start off with this subject line?  And YET, I will.  It's just that I haven't been as good about reflecting, and so now I have a lot to think about/process.

* Before I began at Jubilee Jobs, I started The Shack.  I'll admit I was intrigued because several people I love and respect recommended it to me, but I was also skeptical: how could it actually be all that great?  Michael W. Smith is on the back of the book raving about it for crying out loud!  For the first 4 chapters, it really wasn't all that great - the author was really into the way he described things (the lump out of the dude's head rose "like a humpback whale over the waves of his thinning hair" .. or something equally gag-reflex-esque).  

BUT - from the 5th chapter on I ate my words!  This book resonated with me; it struck something inside me that has continued to spark my imagination, particularly in regards to how I view God and what kinds of things I'm thinking about related to community, relationships, God's triune characteristics, the foundational truths that I sometimes pass over, and just a whole mess more.  

Some favorite quotes: 

"The choice to hide so many wonders from you is an act of love that is a gift inside the process of life."

"This garden is your soul.  This mess is you!  Together, you and I, we have been working with a purpose in your heart.  And it is wild and beautiful and perfectly in process.  To you it seems like a mess, but to me, I see a perfect pattern emerging and growing and alive..."

There were plenty more good quotes.  I recommend the read.  And then let's talk about it.

* Recent Frustration

It all stems back from me not being the greatest planner-aheader.  I had 45 days to get my temporary registration on my car switched to a for-real registration.  That requires an inspection, and then a trip to the DMV.  Sounds charming, right?  My deadline was Oct. 5 (that's ...today).  So about 10 days ago I realized I had 10 days and began to think about getting my car inspected.  I went online and scheduled for Thursday, Oct 2 (leaving myself 2 extra days for DMV hours...gooooo me).  

Well, Thursday I drove to work (instead of my usual bike-ride) to anticipate booking it down to SW to get my car inspected.  Well, I chose an alternate route than google maps (silly me) and was talking on the phone (strike 2) and wasn't exactly sure where I was going, so had just glanced down at my directions (during stop and go traffic around 5:15p in downtown DC = gross) when *BUMP* ... I hit the car in front of me.

[this story takes a while...shocker, eh?]  So - I had bumped into the rear bumper of this silver Toyota Camry.  I felt bad, b/c it's true, I was distracted.  But the lady started our interaction by saying that when I hit her, it had made her head snap back [on the headrest] and she was feeling dizzy; at a different point she told me she had called a family member because she didn't feel comfortable driving.  I did truly feel penitent - but dizzy?  Unable to drive?  I quickly began to get annoyed: a) at myself; b) at missing my inspection time; c) at drama queen lady; d) at the crappy situation.

So I called my dad (gotta love cell phones) and then called 911.  They dispatched an ambulance and those guys went to the Camry driver to see if she was alright.  The cop lady came and shortly after the Camry lady dismissed the ambulance guys.  The cop initially thought this would be not a big deal - just exchanging information.  But as she assessed the lady's drama level, she had the awareness that this may not settle nice & neat, so she wrote a formal report.  I drive a green car and there was absolutely NO damage to silver-bumper lady's car.  I took 4 pictures on my camera phone (at the suggestion of a sympathetic bystander) and am fully prepared to send them to whomever.  The cop sent me away with a $25 "failure to pay full attention" ticket (which she helpfully hinted could be contested..) and apologized to me for what I was being made to go through (she said, "off the record, I think this lady is BS-ing you").  

*sigh* Anyway, on Friday my insurance called me (I had reported it immediately) asking what happened.  APPARently, the lady is going to try to FILE A CLAIM to the incident!  I am befuddled trying to think of things she could possibly claim.  Imagine you were parallel parking and nudged the car in front of you a little too much.  That'd be similar to what I did to her car.  It was NOTHING.  But this is just something I have to deal with now.  go-ooo-lll-y! Piece of huffin cow patties!

Ok.  Enough ranting.  I'm sure more could follow.  At this point, I will close this lengthy 2-topic reflection and just try to check in more.  Life is moving rapidly and I have yet to feel secure in a balance that would sustain me.  I need more of this reflection time...so I'll have to work at carving that out still.  

For those that made it all the way down the post - good work!  Wishing you all wellness and autumn-ness :)