ah.... the day is behind me

yesterday as I rode my bicycle into work I thought about a post on URBAN CYCLING...

it was going to be the usual rant about URBAN CYCLING BEING A SERIES OF NEAR MISSES...
there was to be a recount of a number of the close calls that occurred as I traversed the city from my home in Mount Pleasant to my office downtown
it is a short several mile commute... it is shocking how many close calls can occur in such a short span of time

people suck
car drivers are either idiots or assholes
but you know that

alas...
there was no time to rant and rave about the car chaos
no... I did not have time to bitch about how the taxi cabs, buses, and other allegedly professional drivers move about the city in a completely unprofessional fashion
their actions lack logic
the actions are inefficient... as a mass they script their own misery.... they are their own worst enemies after they are my worst enemies

no... I was unable to try and sum up the cast of characters who move about in their white contractor vans with massive blind spots that are not really an issue because these drivers are always too focused on their c
ell phones or their cigarettes to consider a glance in any direction
no... there was no time to start this rant
not a word about the inefficient efforts by the drivers that are just plan ignorant... creating a dangerous situation of chaos that gets themselves no where any quicker... in fact their efforts to more forward faster ends up sl
owing things down

no... I had to work... I had to knock some stuff out... no time to break from the madness to throw down some words... not even at lunch
had to stay focused... could not allow myself to become distracted

my wife Lisa had a meeting at work that had her staying late
which put me in the position of picking up the boys from school
initially I had the intention to get out early and SUPERDADING the afternoon
not sure what I was going to try and attempt... but I wanted to do something fun!
museum... movie... park... TARGET SHOPPING SPREE?
but instead... I had to work further into the afternoon
then once I was freed from the tasks at hand I stepped out of work and got on my bike
it seemed to me that an hour on the bike would serve my family better than me picking my boys up an hour early from the after school program... they would still be picked up early... but not as early

so I threw my leg over my bike and started pedaling
in an effort to avoid the tension of the idiots and assholes on the city street I found refuge on the Capital Crescent Trail headed out of town

the bike moved slow.... it was as if I were pedaling against the wind up hill the whole way

after about an hour ten I was home with numb toes and tired legs
my riding style was revealing my off season form
it felt good to break a sweat

out of riding gear and into civilian gear
in no time at all my bike was in my basement and I was in my car headed across town to get my boys
pick up is not part of my standard routine
so the process is actually quite fun for me
well... aside from the standard frustration that comes with trying to get a second grader and a pre-k-er to follow instructions
I tried to let the boys' excitement to see me outweigh the madness that can be pick up

when I entered the boy's school I stopped by and spoke to Dean asking him to put away the toys he was playing with and gather his stuff...
when I returned with Grant... Dean had done a good job of putting away the toys he was playing with and had
started playing with something else
there had been no effort to gather his hat-coat-gloves-backpack-and lunch
box
I tried to contain my frustration
I then apologized for my frustration
my frustration was front and center... no poker face here
once back at the car we then had to run back in to get some thing else that we forgot
it seems like that process was repeated several times over
my guess is momma lisa has a gear check before exiting the building the first time through
I am still not sure we left with everything that we needed

in the car headed towards home the boys were pleased to see that the I had put snacks in the cup holders of their car seats
as they ate their Cheese-Its and drank their yogurt shakes I informed them that we would be hiking the dog on the Melvin Hazen Trail in Rock Creek Park
to my surprise there was no objection
the boys finished their snacks as we parked by Klingle Mansion

as we entered the woods I issued the usual commands to try and keep things
safe
then I instructed the boys that there would be no playing by the creek... as it was far too cold and we did not plan to be in the woods that long

we had to walk the dog... go home for dinner (which I had yet to make)... then head off to Dean's basketball practice

the boys moved quickly in the woods
the sun dropped fast but it was not as dark as the images claims it to be
there was plenty of light for our hike

we did a short loop that we have done many times before
the moon through the trees had me pretending I was turning into a werewolf

I howled at the moon which did not amuse Dean

Grant thought it was funny and joined in on the game

at a few points in the hike I pulled out the camera
the camera is a tool not only for taking photos but for turning up the energy and guiding the behavior

at a few points in our hike I had the boys repeat clearing a large log so I could snap a shot

the digital delay made it tough to capture the action at its apex
this caused for some commotion
the boys could tell from the timing of the flash that the shot had been missed
over and over I had them run back to allow me another opportunity to capture the shot
honestly... it is not so much about the shot... but it is the process of taking the shot that I enjoy


we finished our hike and headed for home
Lisa had bought Salmon... but instead I cooked up some thawed Chicken Corn Chowder soup...
Grant consumed food as it was put on the table while Dean worked on his homework
once done with his homework Dean sat down to a feast of soup, toasted bagel, mandarin oranges, blackberries, and an over ripe banana with peanut butter and chocolate sauce for desert
all this with a milk chaser

once properly fueled there was the anxiety of getting ready and leaving for basketball
practice is short... we need to get there on time
again instructions were issued and instructions were ignored
it is frustrating that things have to be said to the boys 5 times
and then they do it... but only after I yell
I hate having to yell
I hate having to say things five times
how do I get them to respond on the first request?

lisa walked in the door a few minutes before we left
Grant ditched the option of tagging along for Dean's basketball practice for hanging back with mom
UPGRADE! One on One time with mom! Grant loves that!

we left off for basketball....
and that was pretty much our night
unless you want to hear about the routine of trying to get the boys to bed?

the drive was frustrating
in the car I saw that car drivers drive with the same ignorance with cars around them as they do with bicycles
the actions of the cars frustrated me
I may have used my horn a few too many times and was frustrated when I was honked at
driving in traffic sucks
people suck!

practice was awesome!
Dean made me proud
on the drive to and from the gym I quizzed Dean on his vocabulary
if he is as good on the test as he was on the verbal exchange he should score a hundred percent
even if he doesn't he makes me proud