There is a new show on IFC called Portlandia. It is about how the dream of the 90's is alive and well in Portland, OR. I like it because, some character stereotypes in the show are true about me. Maybe not totally, but I can certainly relate to clips like this:
Today on my way to work I was distressed because the light in the turn lane would not turn green. Apparently my Capo and I don't do much for triggering the signal. There was no traffic, so I just turned despite the red light. There were some cars nearby that I was sure could see me, so I sprinted towards work like I owned the road, fully aware that they were in awe of my speed and sheer awesomeness for riding my bike at 6:30 am. It only took me 13 minutes to get to work. That's how awesome I am.
On the way home I came upon the Reed Market roundabout (If there is any traffic control device that motorists are most confused about when it comes to cyclists, it is the roundabout). I entered the roundabout safely enough, but a quarter of the way around, a man with a mustache in a Toyota pulled into the roundabout right next to me as if there were two lanes, mine the inside his the outside. I looked at him and he at me, both obviously confused at the others actions (or maybe he was confused about the neon yellow cycling jacket I was wearing). The situation turned out fine. He only traveled 25 feet, or so, next to me and then exited the roundabout. The whole time, I was thinking in my head: "Bicycle rights, bicycle rights! It's my lane, you have to give me 10 feet!!!" I exited the round about thinking about how right I was and how wrong mustache man had been. I ride bikes and I'm awesome.
The rest of the ride home was relatively uneventful... There was the Hispanic woman who tried to run me over by turning left into me as I was going straight through the intersection at Brosterhous and 3rd, but other than that it was just another safe commute where I proved to other people how awesome I am for riding my bike.
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