Posted by barb on Jul 30, 2005 in
Biking,
Random Thoughts Every public trail has them. They try to look like professional cyclists. They wear brightly colored jerseys and black cycling shorts, just like the professional and hard-core cyclists. They train hard like professionals. They bike fast, even on the steep grades, like professionals. But they are not professionals. In fact, professionals probably dislike these imposters as much as the non-professionals. Let’s call them brainless cyclists, or bcs for short.
What exactly makes them brainless? There are a couple things.
BCs are the cyclists who feel entitled to go 20 mph (or their normal riding speed) no matter the conditions on the trail. There are a hundred pedestrians on the trail? No matter, I’ll just weave between them like an idiot. The cyclist ahead of me is passing a pedestrian? No matter, I’ll just brush past them within an inch…maybe two. There’s a sign ahead saying that the trail narrows, so cyclists please dismount before crossing? Screw that, it doesn’t apply to me. Never mind that there is barely room for a single pedestrian; I’ll just be there for a moment, so they’ll hardly notice me.
Perhaps worse, BCs are also the cyclists who don’t feel like the rules of courtesy on trails apply to them. The foremost courtesy on the trail is to give a audible warning when you are about to pass someone. Andrew and I have bells on our bikes that we ring. Many other cyclists just say, “On your left”, or simply “left” or “passing”. The reason for this should be clear — if you’re passing someone, you don’t want to startle them, causing them to veer one way or the other. It is equally important to warn other cyclists as it is to warn pedestrians. The BCs, however, don’t see it that way. It’s too much effort for them to say “left” when they are passing, or perhaps it’s beneath them. I’m not sure which.
To these assholes on the trail I say, find another damn place to ride your bike. Find a nice quiet country road where you can be alone. As for those of us on the public trails, we don’t want you here.
Tags: rant
Posted by barb on Jul 23, 2005 in
Random Thoughts To the person who found my blog by searching for “March of the Penguins sucks”, you’re an idiot.
That’s all.
Tags: oddness
Posted by barb on Jul 22, 2005 in
Thesis/Grad Life For the past two years I have focussed the entire of my thesis work on writing scripts and running data through a data pipeline, while losing sight of the underlying physics. All along I’ve kept telling myself that I really need to read more journal articles and that I really need to explore the physics of the sources that I’m studying, but the allure of getting my data through the pipeline quickly has taken over. I’ve used the excuse that I only work half-time on my thesis to justify my tunnel vision.
Over the past month, Andrew and I have been attempting to carve out one night per week where we go to Starbucks and I read journal articles. If I sit at home, it’s too easy to get distracted by other things — the cats, tweaking my data pipeline, watching tv or a movie, reading a book, cleaning, anything. So, at Starbucks, I have only my articles and a frappuccino (or iced tea, if I’m trying to be healthy). While I read, Andrew works on writing that he’s been neglecting. It seems to be a good system.
However, I need to do more than just read the articles.
Read more…
Tags: grad life, science
Posted by barb on Jul 21, 2005 in
Random Thoughts Saw this license plate on an SUV in the lane next to me on my way to work:
YREWOM
The SUV also had a “Washington Nationals” sticker on the back. No other bumper stickers. Take a minute to think of what it might be. I had several minutes as I sat in stop and go traffic on my way to the beltway.
Any ideas? Hm?
Here’s what I came up with: “You’re Womb”, and I was very excited! How cool!
Then my lane advanced a bit on this car’s lane, and I was able to look at the driver. I was expecting a young woman…or even a middle-aged woman…or a woman of any description.
Instead, it was a middle-aged man. He looked kind of paunchy, but dressed in a nice dress-shirt and tie. His hair was receding slightly, and he wore substantial looking glasses.
Then his lane pulled him ahead of my lane again. I stared at the license plate, trying to make something different out of it, but I couldn’t come up with anything reasonable. My first guess could certainly be right — he could believe in the freedom of women or he could be driving his wife’s car. He just wasn’t the person I was expecting to go along with my first guess….
Anyone else have any ideas?
Tags: oddness
Posted by barb on Jul 17, 2005 in
Random Thoughts From a 30-something woman:
You know, the ice cream man always ruins the mood.
Tags: overheard
Posted by barb on Jul 15, 2005 in
Random Thoughts I’m supposed to be working, so I thought I’d blog the easy way this morning — links. Happy Friday!
- From Pharyngula, “The cost of being a woman in science”. Women have to be over twice as productive in science to be taken as seriously as the least productive men. And, women do this to ourselves as much as the men do it to us. Sigh.
- Quantum Diaries is a collection of blogs by physicists living through the World Year of Physics. Most of them are personal blogs, rather than “physics blogs”, but still fun to read through.
- Bitch. Ph.D. urges us to let O’Connor and Rehnquist make their own retirement decisions. Rehnquist doesn’t want to retire yet, and just because he’s been hospitalized doesn’t mean he’s finished yet. Having the country on a death-watch has got to suck. And, sure it sucks for us that O’Connor is retiring, but come on. She’s had a full career, and she wants to spend some time with her husband, who has Alzheimer’s, while she can.
- Another reason to enjoy the Harry Potter books
- Just for fun: Calvin and Hobbes are traveling back to the Jurassic
Tags: linkalicious
Posted by barb on Jul 14, 2005 in
Random Thoughts At the movie theater ticket counter:
Two old people for March of the Penguins
Tags: overheard
Posted by barb on Jul 12, 2005 in
Random Thoughts This was interesting[Link removed 9/2015 – no longer active].
AtCenterNetwork.com, an online news site, asked abortion protestors if abortion were made illegal, what should the punishment be for women who have an illegal abortion. It’s fun to watch these protestors, many working for several years, try to come up with an answer. Despite thinking that abortion is murder, they had trouble coming to the conclusion that a woman who has an illegal abortion should serve jailtime, let alone considering the death penalty.
[via Feministe]
Tags: rant
Posted by barb on Jul 8, 2005 in
Random Thoughts I recieved an invitation today for my ATR’s 30th birthday. ATR is contract lingo, which basically means she’s the person I answer to, but who has no direct authority with my contracting company. Basically she’s my boss. And she’s just now turning 30. I’m 33, still in school, and so far behind her that it’s almost funny. And she’s just now turning 30. Ugh.
Sweetie turned 30 just a couple months ago, but she and I are on such different career paths that I can’t even compare myself to her. Besides, it’s not like she tells me what to do in my day-to-day work. She’s my best friend.
But my boss? She’s gone through grad school. She has her PhD. She’s done the post doc thing. And she’s just now turning 30. Gawd. I’m so far behind.
Tags: grad life, rant
Posted by barb on Jul 2, 2005 in
Random Thoughts My Dad brought along some unwanted house guests when he visited earlier this week — germs. I’m not sure what it is, but I’m a bit dizzy and headachy, I’m congested with a bad cough (though it’s getting better) and a sore throat, and I’ve been waffling between being too hot and too cold. I also have been sleeping a lot, when I’m not having coughing fits.
So, Andrew and I are cocooning this weekend, with vague thoughts of taking in a movie or two if we’re up to it. I’m trying to catch up on some of my blogging, but I’m finding that I don’t have the concentration for it. Here’s hoping that we feel better before too long…
Tags: comfort, health