Paying My Dues

I knew I was going to get a ticket when the cop hit his siren’s squawky chirpy thing not once but twice from behind me, in addition to the fact that he’d lit up the rooftop lights of his prowler — and despite the fact that before the second blarp! I’d already pulled over to …

Bullet Time

I’d heard the first two, but it was when the third one sounded that I came awake as if shot from a gun myself. Then came the fourth round. All of them in quick succession. But the fifth took just a split second longer. As if the shooter hesitated thinking maybe four was enough, or …

Apparently I Have a “John Wayne” Attitude And It’s Dangerous

In learning about another cyclist getting attacked on the Ballona Creek (via Damien Newton on Streetsblog LA), I first “chewed with my mouth closed.” In other words I seethed in silence, digesting the angrifying news without posting a hyperbolic comment in response. Then yesterday after reading the comment of a fellow bike commuter whose response …

More Good Than Harm

It may not be readily evident, given my frivolous rants about Dodger Fan Douchebags and finally heeding Susan’s call to get my photos from our fantastic Mexico vacation up on Flickr, but these past few days I’ve been pretty beaten up by a combo of things: exhaustion and overload from the longest presidential campaign ever; …

Today’s Lesson: Just Say ‘No Comment’

It must be tough out there if you’re somehow ancillarily connected to the subject of a story topping the current news cycle — in this case the super-tragic one involving the Porter Ranch man who killed his children, his wife and her mother reportedly from a growing despondency fed by worsening financial woes. I try …

Crimestopper!

My guess is they were after the bike. Probably saw it on the porch from across the street, but couldn’t tell it was secured to the house with a cable lock and a Kryptonite u-lock. I had only a minute or two earlier slid the deadbolt and shut off the front door entry light and …

Murder Off The 101

As the crow flies the dead body was found a half-mile from my front door. As the bike rides it’s about two-thirds of a mile away. Far enough away for some, but too close for comfort for me. I pedaled upon the cordoned-off scene above on my ride home from work last night. It was …