Bikers in Winnipeg

no not the motorized ones - at least not gas powered.

I cycle to work. Have for 3 years now, ever since I purchased a bike from a friend of mine. Over the past year, though, I have noticed a larger number of bikes on the road. More and more people, it seems, are choosing to cycle. Unfortunately, many of these new cyclists are not realizing that to cycle in the city for commuting purposes is NOT the same as riding in the park on a Sunday afternoon.

Some points to remember:
1. You are sharing the road with cars - ie. death traps. I've been hit by a car, and trust me, YOU WILL LOSE IF YOU TAKE ON A CAR! It doesn't matter if you have the right of way, or if you are crossing at a corner legally. ASSUME THEY DON'T SEE YOU!
2. You are a motorized vehicle, as far as the laws of the road are concerned. YES you have to stop at red lights and stop signs. YES, you have to signal! YES, you have to stay in your lane.
3. Helmets may clash with your fashion, but wear it anyways. I was wearing a helmet when I was hit by the car, and it was the only thing that saved my head. I wear one now all the time.
4. STAY OFF THE SIDEWALK! That's meant for pedestrians and cyclists who are on bikes of a certain size. If you are an adult, use the road!
5. YOU MUST RIDE ON THE RIGHT! Riding on the left hand side only puts you in danger of being hit by a car - see #1 above - YOU WILL LOSE!
6. If you decide to ignore these 5 simple points, don't get mad at the car that hit you because you decided to go on the sidewalk and go through a red light. Even pedestrians know better than to go in front of a car when they have a red hand facing them. What makes you think you can ignore the rules of the road?

Finally - If you decide to ride your bike, don't daydream, don't use you phone, and for God's sake don't listen to the radio. You need every sense you have to pay attention out there. You are counting on the cars making way for you - and you will be wrong.

Why am I writing this? Well, I saw a cyclist today go through a red light while on the sidewalk, and get bumped by a van. Who did he blame? the van's driver. Who was in the wrong?

In my books, the cyclist. Unfortunately, he didn't agree with me. I got a tongue lashing.

It got me thinking, though.

It's cyclists like that, who blatantly disregard the rules of the road, who put themselves at risk and then blame others, who are to blame for the drivers who give me the finger, who cut me off, and who bad-mouth cyclists when they see them.

If cyclists like him become the norm in Winnipeg, I'm not surprized at the bad press we will get.

prayer update

For those of you who do so....

Baby Sasha is undergoing various operations over the next while. Can't give details (don't know them all - but God does). Please add your prayers to our for her safety and for her parents.

Thanks.

Baby's here!

no, not for us.... my sister gave birth around 10:45pm Sept 24 - 4 pounds, 6 ounces, baby girl. Great job, sis.

Video about adoption.

Found this on another blogger's website - very interesting. Credit to "Brad the Dad". Thanks.

Reading Recovery

Well, I just finished my third official class in Reading Recovery today. What a lot of work! I'm really enjoying the class and the content - it's interesting to read the conclusions that Marie Clay has come to about how children acquire language. Being a music teacher, I am seeing a lot of parallels between her studies and studies I have read about how children acquire musical knowledge and skills.

Unfortunately, that's about all I can write about it - as there is quite a bit of copyright involved, and I might cross a "copyright line" if I put any of the connections or any of my thoughts, impressions or reactions to the content of the course in this blog. I was disappointed to find out today that I have to handwrite all of my Reading Recovery data - typing the forms into a word processor also crosses the "copyright line". I feel sorry for my instructor who has to try to read my chicken scratch!

Currently Reading

Currently in the middle of this book by Nasrin Alavi - It's a collection of blog entries from Iranians of the under 35 year olds - my generation and younger. It's wild to read how disillusioned they are with the revolution and what their attitudes are about the dress codes, as well as love, and life in general. The book also talks about the history of Iran. For example, did you know that Iran had the first democratic government in the Arab world in the 1950's? Too bad the CIA and the US government at the time took it down and put the Shah in power instead. The more I read this, the more I watch the current president of Iran, as he continues to say that Iran will develop nuclear energy, and think that he can't be speaking for the people who are quoted in this book.