Vid Store Robbery

The ability to commute by bicycle almost stopped me from moving here. It is a form of transportation that I value highly, and I decided it would be one of the greatest challenges of coming to a place that must have the highest number of single-occupant cars on the road at any one time. The well-documented benefits of bike commuting, such as increased endorphins from excersise, release from CO2 emissions, escape from parking fees, and the removal of economic support for oil wars are reasons why being a cycling activist here will be an important part of what I do. Showing people that it is not only possible, but fun and easy to get around on bikes is more rewarding when the obstacles to overcome, like a culture hell-bent on driving, appear to be greater. There is a stigma that you can't ride a bike in LA traffic, yet with patience, practice and common sense this is not the case. It's actually a wonderful place to ride your bike if only because the weather is perfect every day. A main thing I've learned is that side residential roads are often carless because of speed humps, and are most likely lined with palm trees and lush flower gardens. It's not too hard to be one block away from a six lane road and sit back and enjoy the pedal. The single most important lesson I've learned from my 7+ years of bike commuting and 6 months of being a bike messenger is that to put yourself in the safest position when surrounded by cars you have to be a car. This means you have to use left turn lanes, signal like cars, fully stop at stop signs, wait at red lights, etc. People respect this and will not treat you as a nusance if you show them that you are as serious about moving as they are, and that you are willing to play by the rules. Ok, ok, before I get too holier than thou about how to bike commute: of course there are always jerks in cars, and of course sometimes you have to not be a car to be safe, like ride on a sidewalk for a block or jump a red light to establish position in your lane.

I wanted to watch the third season of my favorite TV show that has now been released on DVD called Arrested Development. I biked about a mile to the local Hollywood Video store (is it still a chain if you're almost in Hollywood?) and rented it. I came out to find that my front light and its attachment paraphenelia was flat gone. It came to me in that moment that anything not bolted down is essentially like a donation to Good Will. There is a swirling tornado of people out there that need that stuff more than I do, and are willing to take it from me without my permission. I was lucky that the rest of the bike not bolted down or locked (i.e. the wheels) was still there. Lesson learned. It felt dirty knowing that someone was nabbing stuff off my beloved Salsa while I was inside musing about TV shows, but I came away the wiser and am now the proud owner of the top-o-the-line Kryptonite lock and a new front light. Commuting is the easy part now. Learning how to not worry while I'm there is the new challange.