Joe Zauner
Well, I sincerely
respect your opinion, and let me just state for the record that the women Jim
dates are not representative of all women, just like Jim isnt representative
of all men or all cyclists, especially when hes blowing through a stop sign.
And Jim will blow
through some stop signs.
Four-way stops? Forget
it. Hes not even touching his brakes. One time we were riding in Miami. Sunday
morning. Lots of cyclists on the road en route to rides in Coconut Grove and
Key Biscayne. The ride we wanted was 10 minutes away and we were cutting it close.
Jim was visiting and couldn't have known that around the bend and obscured by a
big banyan tree was a four-way stop. Running late, we were clipping along, me
on his wheel. Jim saw the four-way stop with about three seconds to spare.
Plenty of time for Jim. Then about a second later we both saw a kid clipping
along on a road bike like he too was late for a ride.
Now, at this time in
Miami there were probably a handful of cyclists whose pedal mechanics caused me
to stop and marvel. Andrew Talansky was one of them. I didnt know his name at
the time (few did) but you could tell from blocks away that
this kid could handle himself on a bike. I cant be sure it was Talansky
because it happened fast, but Jim and (lets just call him) the
kid were eyeballing each other as they headed into the intersection on a T-bone
collision course.
The kid kicked out of
the saddle. His speed quickened. Standing, he raised his fingers high off the
brake hoods and shook his head. Unmistakably he was saying, I aint slowing
down. Jim feathered his brakes enough so that he slipped within inches behind
the kid's rear wheel. They both sat up to get a good look at each other and for
a split second there was this unmistakable moment of shared recognition: respect.
Sadly I did not sail poetically
through the intersection tucked on Jim's wheel but instead I was all over my
brakes. Not because I didn't want to run a stop sign but because I didn't want
to run into what seemed an eminent crash. Here's the rub: some guys (okay,
and gals) can do that stuff and some can't. I fall into the latter
category and Im okay with that. I dont place my anger on people who can when
they do but instead on those who think they can and make a
mess of it when they try.
Anyway, I digress.
From: erinne.larissa@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:55:02 -0700
To: obra@list.obra.org
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] You make us all look like a$%holes
Yes, because what every woman REALLY needs is a MAN to fix her. Yep, you got it right.
(Yes, I realize your response was tongue-in-cheek, but do we really have to even go there? Can't women be a$$holes of their own volition?)
Peace, Erinne
This woman actually sounds perfect for my brother Jim who recently
became single and moved to the area. He has a track record of turning
crazy (Oh no I'm not going to drop the b-word) women into sane rational
functioning members of society. I've had this conversation with Jim over
and over where I say, "Jim, you're not seriously going to try and date
that woman," and then a week later she's all behavin' herself on his arm
and I can't believe this was the same chick who was dry humping the
mechanical bull at Billy Goat's Bar and Grill a week earlier. Now, if
she's got a meth habit -- and it sure sounds like she might -- then it's
going to take a little longer than a week. But if anyone can turn her
around, it's Jim.
Martina, if you catch up with her fourth time do you think you could get her number for Jim?
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