This Is Getting Depressing

In the past couple of days I have heard of 2 serious bike accidents. In the forums and blogs about biking that I read, you can add 3 more serious accidents to that number, and I'm talking traumatic brain injury, broken vertebrae type stuff. If you read my drivel and you bike - WEAR YOUR DAMN HELMET. The guy with the broken vertebrae was in a hit and run, wearing a helmet, and he is going to be fine, although he's not on his bike yet. The guy with the TBI was biking drunk, in the dark, no helmet and is still in ICU at Regions 18 days after the accident. He ran off the road and went headfirst into a electrical switchbox, no cars involved. My only accident was 23 years ago when my front wheel fell of and I did a head over handlebars onto the pavement. I rolled so I hit shoulder first, and I remember distinctly in that time-slows-to-a-crawl moment, "My head is going to hit next." It did. I had a helmet on and there was no permanent brain damage. At least that's what I tell myself. In addition to wearing a helmet, obey the traffic laws. Bikers are treated the same as motor vehicles on the road under law. I don't care how nerdy it looks, wait at stoplights and at the very least slow waaaay down for stop signs if you're going to roll through them. Signal your turns. As the kewl kids say, "Keep the rubber side down."

The upside of biking? I am working on some awesome tan lines. The ones on the back of my hands are the best. The tan runs down my arm to my wrist. Then there is the pasty white back of my hand, except for the hole on the backside of my biking gloves created by the velcro strap that is up by my wrist. I'm starting a little tan oval on the back of my hand. Sweet. This will serve as yet another embarrassment to my family. When I was at FedEx, my left arm was noticeably more tan than my right because of all the time I spent in the truck. They thought that was funny.