August Amnesia and Good Samaritan Wednesday

It took me a bit to dredge up what mode of transport I had used over the past month, but once I got things rolling it came back to me like so much soap opera.

August Summary

Week 89 (Aug 2 - 6)
Monday - Friday: Bicycle

Week 90 (Aug 9 - 13)
Vacation - There wasn't much counting for me in Portland, so I had to make up for it with cycling. I considered how to account for the miles I racked up on the sub-ledger and have determined I won't add them to the total tally.

Week 91 (Aug 16 - 20)
Monday - Tuesday: Bicycle
Wednesday: Bicycle (AM) & Car (PM)
Kind of a strange combination, but the facts that led to a morning bike commute and evening return via automobile include meetings with regulators, some dudes from New Jersey, and a last minute invite to The Oceannaire. I'll leave it at that.
Thursday - Friday: Bicycle

Week 92 (August 23 - 30)
Monday - Tuesday: Bicycle
Wednesday: Car (plus bonus Bikeshare action )
Thursday - Friday: Bicycle

Week 93 (August 30 - Sept 3)
Monday - Wednesday: Bicycle
Thursday - Friday: No commute - recruiting event in Cedar Falls, IA

Good Samaritan Wednesday
Many of you are perhaps familiar with this parable. I had a similar experience this past week, just substitute the whole assault and robbery part of the story with me getting a flat tire and forgetting my hand pump at home.

While one can hardly eat muffins in an agitated manner, one can certainly change a flat tire in that exact mental state, be it a car or bicycle tire (see Exhibit A). This day was no exception, and it was especially easy to get myself worked up since I had a patch kit, but was without the necessary means to re-inflate the tire. I couldn't even blow up the tire to spot the hole and see if it was patchable. Frustration gave way to carelessness, which led to the rear cog scooping out a chunk of my right index finger as I removed the tire. What a (literal) bloody mess.

Thankfully, a kind soul noticed my plight and stopped to help. He was already late to work, but nevertheless offered his bike pump even though he didn't have time to wait around for me to finish the patch job and test my work. After briefly considering my dilemma, Douglas trusted me to drop it off at his place of employ sometime during the day.

What a relief! I don't know if I would have just walked the bike into downtown and dealt with the mess later or if I would have waited for someone else to stop with a pump. I finished the patch and it held, so I hopped back on the bike to finish my commute. My finger still oozed, and I didn't have anything to clean it up with, so I rode the last mile or two with my right hand held up, blessing oncoming cyclists with a bloody pope-like hand gesture to keep my handlebars clean.

Mileage Count (Fiscal YTD)
8/23/10 - 326.7 miles
8/31/10 - 384.9 miles