We like to control and organize land uses and exercise time! Once that hour in the gym is up it's back to your regularly scheduled lazy program. The biggest gym annoyances to me is people taking forever to fill their water bottle at the fountainand then you get the people talking on the phone in between doing military press. I like to be on foot. Honestly though, I think most people have good intentions-taking elevators is a habit. You're not really used to looking for stairs in a high-rise. Well, unless you're like I was in LeVeque; I'd take stairs to dodge the guards because if they knew I was still in the office late, it would give them an excuse to do a random walk-through in our office and snoop around or try to hang out and talk. I think they suspected we were shady bc we were the only tenants there late. One guard walked in and said, "Is that your scale to weigh drugs?" I said, "No you dolt, it weighs mail so you know how much postage to use".  Dumb@ss.

I watched Robin Hood (Russell Crowe) last night...and it made my history degree hurt.

 

Worse than Kevin Costner's did???

 

Did you know that Robin Hood's father developed the Magna Carta? Did you know that the French invaded England? Did you know that English Archers were mounted and found that their long bows would work wonderfully in close quarters instead of at a distance and they frequently engaged in hand to hand combat? Most amazing...did you know that the French used Higgins Boats for military landings (as the Allies did on D-Day)?

 

It's a movie and i suspend my disbelief most of the time...but give me a break. that was appalling.

 

I recently watched this with a few of my history geek friends who had seen it before.  They talked it up to me for months in advance, "you've got to see it, they did such a good job!", "they approached it in the most plausible way possible", etc.  They got me good.  The movie really did start out fairly well.  But, it went downhill fast in the last act, and when the WWII landing ships showed up, I groaned and they turned to me and said "Surprise, it's crap!". 

 

B@stards!

 

One thing- the mounted archers are more plausible than they at first appear.  I just got done reading an excellent account of Henry V's Agincourt campaign.  In fact 150 years later the English did indeed mount their archers for campaign, though they didn't ride into battle and dismount to shoot, dragoon style.  So, "plausible", though not accurate.

I watched Robin Hood (Russell Crowe) last night...and it made my history degree hurt.

 

Worse than Kevin Costner's did???

 

Did you know that Robin Hood's father developed the Magna Carta? Did you know that the French invaded England? Did you know that English Archers were mounted and found that their long bows would work wonderfully in close quarters instead of at a distance and they frequently engaged in hand to hand combat? Most amazing...did you know that the French used Higgins Boats for military landings (as the Allies did on D-Day)?

 

It's a movie and i suspend my disbelief most of the time...but give me a break. that was appalling.

 

I recently watched this with a few of my history geek friends who had seen it before.  They talked it up to me for months in advance, "you've got to see it, they did such a good job!", "they approached it in the most plausible way possible", etc.  They got me good.  The movie really did start out fairly well.  But, it went downhill fast in the last act, and when the WWII landing ships showed up, I groaned and they turned to me and said "Surprise, it's crap!". 

 

B@stards!

 

One thing- the mounted archers are more plausible than they at first appear.  I just got done reading an excellent account of Henry V's Agincourt campaign.  In fact 150 years later the English did indeed mount their archers for campaign, though they didn't ride into battle and dismount to shoot, dragoon style.  So, "plausible", though not accurate.

 

I had no plans on seeing this, but after hearing how bad it is, I must admit my intrested has grown. Perhaps I should wait for the directors cut complete with Ewok gliders...

I think maybe Ohio cities should use this technology for infill  :-P

 

 

I watched Robin Hood (Russell Crowe) last night...and it made my history degree hurt.

 

Worse than Kevin Costner's did???

 

Did you know that Robin Hood's father developed the Magna Carta? Did you know that the French invaded England? Did you know that English Archers were mounted and found that their long bows would work wonderfully in close quarters instead of at a distance and they frequently engaged in hand to hand combat? Most amazing...did you know that the French used Higgins Boats for military landings (as the Allies did on D-Day)?

 

It's a movie and i suspend my disbelief most of the time...but give me a break. that was appalling.

 

I recently watched this with a few of my history geek friends who had seen it before.  They talked it up to me for months in advance, "you've got to see it, they did such a good job!", "they approached it in the most plausible way possible", etc.  They got me good.  The movie really did start out fairly well.  But, it went downhill fast in the last act, and when the WWII landing ships showed up, I groaned and they turned to me and said "Surprise, it's crap!". 

 

B@stards!

 

One thing- the mounted archers are more plausible than they at first appear.  I just got done reading an excellent account of Henry V's Agincourt campaign.  In fact 150 years later the English did indeed mount their archers for campaign, though they didn't ride into battle and dismount to shoot, dragoon style.  So, "plausible", though not accurate.

 

I had no plans on seeing this, but after hearing how bad it is, I must admit my intrested has grown. Perhaps I should wait for the directors cut complete with Ewok gliders...

 

LOL. I've always felt the Ewoks role in the development of French / British relations during the Middle ages has never really been fully explored.

 

I would never have seen this otherwise, but suddenly I'm compelled to see it. At least Russell Crowe has an Aussie accent. Much better than Costner's Brooklyn one. I think he mistook the 'Hood' aspect of the title. "Hey, yo, Maid Marian, I got a quiver full-a arrows for ya over here...OH!!"

^ Ha. That reminded me of a stand up routine that Rob Riggle (formerly of the Daily Show) has about taking the red eye from NY to vegas surrounded by 6 chachi guys from Long Island... I can't do it justice, it's fricking hilarious. I'll try to link the youtube when I get home.

I think maybe Ohio cities should use this technology for infill  :-P

 

 

 

Looks earthquake-proof, and if there's a tsunami it probably would float. :-)

I am finally getting the countertops installed today! Yay!

 

Anybody know where the home renovation thread went? I tried searching for it but had no luck.

 

I just wanted to take a minute and RAVE about Cleveland Public Library and CLEVNET in general.  I love the fact that I can go online, get pretty much WHATEVER I want, and have it delivered to the library that's closest to my work.  It's amazing to me, to say the least.  PLUS, when I went in today on my lunch, not only did they have my books waiting for me, but Season 3 of Mad Men was just sitting on the SHELF, calling my name!  Can you tell I'm a bit of a nerd?  :-D

I just wanted to take a minute and RAVE about Cleveland Public Library and CLEVNET in general.  I love the fact that I can go online, get pretty much WHATEVER I want, and have it delivered to the library that's closest to my work.  It's amazing to me, to say the least.  PLUS, when I went in today on my lunch, not only did they have my books waiting for me, but Season 3 of Mad Men was just sitting on the SHELF, calling my name!  Can you tell I'm a bit of a nerd?  :-D

 

You fit right in.

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2011/01/25/ohio-the-nerdiest-state

I think maybe Ohio cities should use this technology for infill  :-P

 

 

 

It's kind of funny how it actually matches setbacks of the neighboring houses.  And to building codes too! 

I'm obsessed with "hipsters".  I don't know why.  Maybe it's because I see them all over the place, or maybe I want to BE one, but God, I can't get enough.  However, at the saem time, I make fun of hipsters.  I'm just all over the place!

Well if you need to find one...

 

Someone Is Setting ‘Hipster Traps’ in New York

Max Read — This "hipster trap"—baited with Pabst Blue Ribbon, American Spirits, a bike chain and neon-pink Wayfarers—was photographed by Reddit user gigaface, who encountered the fauxhemian hunter in New York City.

 

http://gawker.com/#!5781582/someone-is-setting-hipster-traps-in-new-york

 

I'm obsessed with "hipsters".  I don't know why.  Maybe it's because I see them all over the place, or maybe I want to BE one, but God, I can't get enough.

 

Wow, I'm obsessed with hipsters too!  I've read up on the phenom quite a bit.  Lots of fun stuff out there on it, including this little book, which I read earlier in the year:

 

http://nplusonemag.com/what-was-hipster]What Was the Hipster[/url] (though the pix books and Hipster Handbook are maybe more fun).  Then there is "Hipster Bingo"...'Blogger with Camera" is one square that I fit for awhile (so, a wannabe hipster for a while).

 

The thing about this is that its sort of an infinite regression of coolness and insder knowleged.  You (or I) can never be one because we might want to be one, since hipsters never cop to being hip, they just are....

 

...or something like that.  Which I guess makes the phenom so interesting. 

 

Maybe its the larger concept fo bohemianism that I find appealing...I guess hipsterism (is that a word?) is a subset of the bohemian, no?

I'm obsessed with "hipsters".  I don't know why.  Maybe it's because I see them all over the place, or maybe I want to BE one, but God, I can't get enough.

 

Wow, I'm obsessed with hipsters too!  I've read up on the phenom quite a bit.  Lots of fun stuff out there on it, including this little book, which I read earlier in the year:

 

http://nplusonemag.com/what-was-hipster]What Was the Hipster[/url] (though the pix books and Hipster Handbook are maybe more fun).  Then there is "Hipster Bingo"...'Blogger with Camera" is one square that I fit for awhile (so, a wannabe hipster for a while).

 

The thing about this is that its sort of an infinite regression of coolness and insder knowleged.  You (or I) can never be one because we might want to be one, since hipsters never cop to being hip, they just are....

 

...or something like that.  Which I guess makes the phenom so interesting. 

 

Maybe its the larger concept fo bohemianism that I find appealing...I guess hipsterism (is that a word?) is a subset of the bohemian, no?

 

I agree with you 100%.  I used to call myself a hippie, but I don't smoke pot, so that didn't really fit me.  I guess I find myself loving AND hating hipsters at the same time.  It's just this weird thing that I have going on.  I love how they've "embraced" white trash culture in many ways (PBR, etc), yet have probably never LIVED that life.  I guess that's what I find it so fascinating.  But I've always been obsessed with the countercultures of the past: beats, hippies, etc.

I find myself at home hanging out with hipsters or in hipster places. But I'm not one. Nor do I want to be one.

 

Does that make me one? LOL.

 

The thing I don't like about hipsters is it seems they think they can be anti-consumerist by being "ironically" hardcore consumerists (see: Apple products). The same goes with their stance on (non)conformity (which is also a gripe I have with, e.g., punk rockers).

 

There's definitely something fascinatingly postmodern about their embrace of irony, but it seems pretty hollow to me. (Which I guess is part of the point, but hollowness is still hollowness, even if it's self-aware.)

I don't know that I'd consider upper middle class kids that dress down, drink cheap beer, and embrace poor hygiene a counterculture, per se.

 

Jeffrey, from what I've seen of you on this board, you read eclectic books for the love of reading (as opposed to showing someone what you're reading), are taking up a car free lifestyle in a city that doesn't exactly warmly embrace public transportation like other, larger cities might, and have a unique style / philosophy that you've cultivated based on your own interests, not someone elses. I'd say you're the real deal, and the 'hipsters' are trying to emulate you. Just shotgun a Beast and you're there. ;-)

^Exactly.  They all want to be "different", but they all dress the same, eat the same, listen to the same music, etc.  I actually read The Hipster Handbook and this is one of the things the author points out.  I also read a book a while back called Hello, I'm Special, how individuality became the new conformity  I saw this in HS years ago.  One year, everyone was wearing African medalions, Gumby Haircuts, and baggy pants (mind you, I grew up in an EXTREMLEY white area), and the next year, grunge hit, and everyone wore Docs and flannel.  I was wearing that stuff WAAAY before, but that's because I'm ahead of the trend!  LOL

I find myself at home hanging out with hipsters or in hipster places. But I'm not one. Nor do I want to be one.

 

Does that make me one? LOL.

 

The thing I don't like about hipsters is it seems they think they can be anti-consumerist by being "ironically" hardcore consumerists (see: Apple products). The same goes with their stance on (non)conformity (which is also a gripe I have with, e.g., punk rockers).

 

There's definitely something fascinatingly postmodern about their embrace of irony, but it seems pretty hollow to me. (Which I guess is part of the point, but hollowness is still hollowness, even if it's self-aware.)

 

Agreed. 

 

It takes guts to be earnest.  And my jeans actually fit me.   

 

But PBR is genuinely good for its price and I'm glad everyone serves it now.

^ Ice cold PBR is good for the price. Warm PBR, not so much. But I am more of the Highlife sort of guy.

 

I could never be a hipster with my body type, I am neither pleasantly chubby (the pot belly hipsters) or skinny framed. I have wide shoulders and a thick athletic build so I kind of look silly in the hipster uniform.

^ Ice cold PBR is good for the price. Warm PBR, not so much. But I am more of the Highlife sort of guy.

 

 

It is the champagne of beers!

I agree with you 100%.  I used to call myself a hippie, but I don't smoke pot, so that didn't really fit me.  I guess I find myself loving AND hating hipsters at the same time.  It's just this weird thing that I have going on.  I love how they've "embraced" white trash culture in many ways (PBR, etc), yet have probably never LIVED that life.

 

I guess I sort of didnt catch on to the white trash/hipster connection thing until just very recently.  I lived around that stuff while growing up in KY (and now, I can see more recent version of it in Dayton), and it never did much for me...I sort of dislike a lot of that....the real white trash culture, not the hipster version. 

 

Maybe its been so altered by their ironic take on the style that I dont recognize it in hipsters.

 

As for irony, that used to be a gay thing....crossing over into that old concept of "camp".   

 

 

I dont think I've drank alcohol in like 3 or 4 weeks. I never cared for the taste of any beer but I suppose Miller or Bud Light is probably my favorite. If I get a 6 pack from the store I basically just get whatever is cheap that isn't Natty lite. I always wondered why Budweiser is the only beer thats the same price for cans aand bottles. Obviously people are going to go for the bottles.

I guess it's more the embrace of a ironic/nostalgic look at working class culture, instead of straight up WT, which is a different beast all together. I grew up in a small rural town with a significant poor  white population, so I know it well.

 

Trucker/Gimmee hats were the worst hipster trends. Oy! Plastic mesh hats? Are you serious?

 

^ I had a few of those as a kid. Unfortunately, they weren't meant to be ironic. They did go well with the Sears Roebuck jeans and western style shirts with pearl-esque snaps that for some reason I fancied for about a years time (I was 9 ). Did I mention the big belt buckles I liked?

 

 

Wait, did I actually send that....?

It's OK AJ, with all of the exposure to Smokey and the Bandit and the Dukes of Hazards we all wanted to dress that way....

 

You also probably tried to slide across the hood of your parents car. I know I did. or crawl in and out of the open car windows.

 

 

I did through the window all the time. Couldn't ever figure out how to slide across the hood. Of course I was shorter then and could only jump high enough to bang into the quarter panel

 

 

Yeah those hoods were a lot higher on the old cars....My younger brother had my mom's old Taurus (lower sloped hood)when he was in highschool and one of his friends actually put a huge dent (collapsed it basically) in the front fender doing just that. My brother said that he came running full force to slide across the hood, misjudged his jump and just slammed into the side of the car midair. Luckily for my brother the car was on it's last legs.

 

I came to visit and saw that and cracked up...

 

 

Hey GCrites, if you're out there; you're from Groveport-- out of curiosity, have you heard of this...church called World Harvest? Do you know anything about it?

Oy! Plastic mesh hats? Are you serious?

 

I had a buddy in high school who used to call them MF hats.  Because the rural types who wore them got them from Massey-Ferguson, who made tractors or farm equipment or somthing aggy, so these hats had this big M-F emblazoned on them.  Of course the pun was that MF also stood for something other than Massey-Ferguson. 

 

@@@

 

I guess there are varieties to subculture things.  I tend to like that jam band style more, which is sort of mix of rasta looks and updated hippy/grunge style (grunge was pretty close to the "backwoods hippy/counterculture" thing we had going on in Kentucky back in the 1970s.  Very close to it. 

 

I think this probably survived the more extreme punk and new wave subculture styles and resurfaced with bands like, say, Huusker Du.

 

Say, does anyone here recall NYC "Dowtown" alternative culture called "No Wave"?  It was back around 1977-1981 or so.  Sort of a cross between punk, anarchism, and avant gard art.  There was a famous art show geared around it called "The Times Square Show".  Sort of the Armory Show of it's era. 

 

 

Hey GCrites, if you're out there; you're from Groveport-- out of curiosity, have you heard of this...church called World Harvest? Do you know anything about it?

 

My dad used to go there a lot. My folks used to take me there from time to time until I ditched church completely in the early '90s. For awhile it was closer to Pickerington and was called World Life until they moved it out to Gender Rd. Can't say I much of a fan of these megachurches. The Southeast Side seems to generate more and more of them every year. Don't even think about driving down Refugee between 33 and Hamilton on a Sunday; they shut down traffic to let all those places empty out.

All I see around here are Methodist churches. It's really weird. Anywho, I was talking to one of the locals in C. Winchester and he brought up church (it was Sunday). He asked me where I went; I said I don't have a church. He goes, "World Harvest is now taking new people". So badly I wanted to say, "Oh yeah, God is now accepting applications?" What the f---? The idea of churches being exclusionary is f_ing hilarious to me. I never said I wanted to join a church, let alone that one but this guy made it sound like it would be such a privelage for me. Another thing is that people love to go into a random tirade about President Obama at the most inappropriate moment. You could be having the happiest conversation in the world and then they bring up how terrible Obama is, out of nowhere. This place is so weird to me.

Churches (especially ones of the mega- and alternative types) have learned to use the same sales techniques that the door-to-door, telemarketing, pyramid and other high-pressure sales industries use to get you to do what they want.

This place is so weird to me.

 

 

Duh.

 

They must be able to smell a lost soul such as myself from half a mile away hehe. Also, I don't think I've supported so many organisations in my life. I got shook down by the Girl Scouts 2x right outside of Walmart and this kid showed up to my door, had a box of candy bars and I saw the cookies and cream Hersheys and said "Sold!" I don"t even know what I was supporting; to me it's like having a delivery service for snacks. 

I find myself at home hanging out with hipsters or in hipster places. But I'm not one. Nor do I want to be one.

 

Does that make me one? LOL.

 

The thing I don't like about hipsters is it seems they think they can be anti-consumerist by being "ironically" hardcore consumerists (see: Apple products). The same goes with their stance on (non)conformity (which is also a gripe I have with, e.g., punk rockers).

 

There's definitely something fascinatingly postmodern about their embrace of irony, but it seems pretty hollow to me. (Which I guess is part of the point, but hollowness is still hollowness, even if it's self-aware.)

 

I find myself in the same boat. Most places I prefer to hang out at have varying degrees of a "hipster" following (just going by the clothing style), but while I feel more comfortable in such places I don't identify with the hipster mainstream. I've always found myself outside the mainstream of any culture: mainstream or sub. Here in Columbus, a lot people who would be labeled as a hipster on appearance alone more often than not are artists whether they be painters, musicians, etc. There's a reason Carabar is vying for Columbus' most popular hipster bar-live music venue with Cafe Bourbon Street: it serves as CCAD's (Columbus College of Art & Design) main watering hole.

Has anyone ever met a hipster that will admit to being a hipster?

^ Surprisingly I do.  But they make it work.

 

 

Had a really lousy day today.  I went to take a coat zipper I had repaired for $30 back to the cleaners because they didn't do a good job.  They didn't give me a receipt and they are cash only, so they didn't buy the story.  So this morning I was down $30.

 

Heading home today, I'm stopped at a stop light on my bicycle.  I was stopped because bikes are supposed stop at red lights.  The law requires bicyclists to stop at red lights, so that's what I was doing.  Following me right?  I was within 16 inches from the curb in a dedicated through lane (again, doing exactly as the law said). 

 

The vehicle in front of me, for no reason starts backing up.  I try to move out of the way pulling my front wheel foward first trying to get it up over the curb.  But the curb was too high, and my back wheel didn't make it.  It got crushed under the back wheel.  The tire nearly missed my foot.

 

I knock on the guy's window.  "Hey man, you ran my bike over, I can't get it out!"  Suddenly he hits the gas and drives off.  Well, this is downtown Chicago.  You can't just get away.  Not wanting to create a confrontation, I snap a photo of his vehicle and plates at the next light.

 

I then go to the first police officer I see, but they are just a paddywagon, and can't do much, so they direct me to the nearest station.  I get to the station.  Without going into a lot of detail, they basically treat me pretty poorly.  To put it simply rude, and not willing to help.  I don't understand how it would be hard.  The job is to fill out a police report and that's it.  They don't have to do anything else.  Yet, their main intent was to play "blame the victim."

 

Officer: Why are you riding your bike in the street?

Me:  Well isn't that what the law says?

Officer:  Well, not really you can ride in a bike lane, but you aren't allowed in the road.

Me:  Uhhh, but that just leaves the sidewalk since most roads don't have a bike lane

Officer: --silence--

Me:  I'm not sure that's allowed

Officer:  Yeah well I don't know, so you were PARKED at Ontario and Wabash?

Me:  No, I was STOPPED at a traffic signal.

Officer:  You can't stop in the middle of the road

Me:  Officer, I was not in the middle of the road, I was near the curb, waiting behind the vehicle.

Officer:  You can't wait behind vehicles, and you can't be in the road at an intersection

Me: ?????.  I'm so confused.  I'm pretty sure Illinois Law and city cycling laws are contrary to th...

Officer:  I've worked for this department for 16 years, I know the law. 

 

It was kind of that discussion for 15 minutes, while he made a ton of mistakes on the police report.  Basically, what I learned at the station.  was that people can't bike in the road, but it's unknown if people can ride on the sidewalks.  Obviously, these laws are online.  They are clear cut, thought the sidewalk rule is ambiguous.  If you are bicycling in the road, you obey the same traffic laws as vehicles. 

 

Basically, I lost both places.  A guy got away with a hit and run, and I got treated like crap at the police station.

 

Now, I have a bent rim which will cost $150 to replace.  I have an incomplete police report with alot of scribbles and mistakes. 

 

Maybe this is why people ride critical mass.  For just a few hours, cyclists can rule the road and make motorists wait for all the time and money cyclists have gotten screwed out of. 

 

 

Here's where the accident happened:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&q=Ontario+and+Wabash,+chicago,+il&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=E+Ontario+St+%26+N+Wabash+Ave,+Chicago,+Cook,+Illinois+60611&gl=us&ll=41.893083,-87.626167&spn=0.001515,0.002183&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=41.8931,-87.626749&panoid=2t1YPoBekQSWkxfICUNecg&cbp=12,52.09,,0,2.57

 

Stopped at the red light I was in the right lane on the "Y", admiring the architecture of Pizzeria Due.  Had I kept staring, I probably wouldn't have noticed the backup lights.  But I did see the guy from drive to reverse so it wasn't like I was off in my own world.  I just couldn't get out of the way fast enough.

 

I for one vote you post the picture of his car on here :)

NorthAndre, that is just really, really shitty. Is there some kind of pro-bike group you could get behind you to complain about this? I am not a huge fan of bikes myself but this is just ridiculous and the person who backed over your bike and then drove away could have really hurt you and should be cited!

I've read someplace about attorneys who take on cases where cyclists' rights have been ignored or abused by law enforcement. You might check with some cycling advocacy groups like League of American Bicyclists or Rails to Trails to see if they can direct you to any resources.

 

Edit: ... or go back and take a bag of donuts with you this time. :wink:

I for one vote you post the picture of his car on here :)

 

I wait for this all to blow over before posting.  While id like to right the wrongs against me, at the end of the day it's not worth my time getting in contact with certain organizations of people.  So far my insurance through Allstate has been really helpful.  My renters covers damage to bicycles on the roadway.  They asked for the motorists info and everything

Wow, this sucks.

 

I can't say I'm surprised though.  Just like with any profession, you find cops who are stupid, or just lazy.

 

^ Surprisingly I do.  But they make it work.

 

 

Had a really lousy day today.  I went to take a coat zipper I had repaired for $30 back to the cleaners because they didn't do a good job.  They didn't give me a receipt and they are cash only, so they didn't buy the story.  So this morning I was down $30.

 

Heading home today, I'm stopped at a stop light on my bicycle.  I was stopped because bikes are supposed stop at red lights.  The law requires bicyclists to stop at red lights, so that's what I was doing.  Following me right?  I was within 16 inches from the curb in a dedicated through lane (again, doing exactly as the law said). 

 

The vehicle in front of me, for no reason starts backing up.  I try to move out of the way pulling my front wheel foward first trying to get it up over the curb.  But the curb was too high, and my back wheel didn't make it.  It got crushed under the back wheel.  The tire nearly missed my foot.

 

I knock on the guy's window.  "Hey man, you ran my bike over, I can't get it out!"  Suddenly he hits the gas and drives off.  Well, this is downtown Chicago.  You can't just get away.  Not wanting to create a confrontation, I snap a photo of his vehicle and plates at the next light.

 

I then go to the first police officer I see, but they are just a paddywagon, and can't do much, so they direct me to the nearest station.  I get to the station.  Without going into a lot of detail, they basically treat me pretty poorly.  To put it simply rude, and not willing to help.  I don't understand how it would be hard.  The job is to fill out a police report and that's it.  They don't have to do anything else.  Yet, their main intent was to play "blame the victim."

 

Officer: Why are you riding your bike in the street?

Me:  Well isn't that what the law says?

Officer:  Well, not really you can ride in a bike lane, but you aren't allowed in the road.

Me:  Uhhh, but that just leaves the sidewalk since most roads don't have a bike lane

Officer: --silence--

Me:  I'm not sure that's allowed

Officer:  Yeah well I don't know, so you were PARKED at Ontario and Wabash?

Me:  No, I was STOPPED at a traffic signal.

Officer:  You can't stop in the middle of the road

Me:  Officer, I was not in the middle of the road, I was near the curb, waiting behind the vehicle.

Officer:  You can't wait behind vehicles, and you can't be in the road at an intersection

Me: ?????.  I'm so confused.  I'm pretty sure Illinois Law and city cycling laws are contrary to th...

Officer:  I've worked for this department for 16 years, I know the law. 

 

It was kind of that discussion for 15 minutes, while he made a ton of mistakes on the police report.  Basically, what I learned at the station.  was that people can't bike in the road, but it's unknown if people can ride on the sidewalks.  Obviously, these laws are online.  They are clear cut, thought the sidewalk rule is ambiguous.  If you are bicycling in the road, you obey the same traffic laws as vehicles. 

 

Basically, I lost both places.  A guy got away with a hit and run, and I got treated like crap at the police station.

 

Now, I have a bent rim which will cost $150 to replace.  I have an incomplete police report with alot of scribbles and mistakes. 

 

Maybe this is why people ride critical mass.  For just a few hours, cyclists can rule the road and make motorists wait for all the time and money cyclists have gotten screwed out of. 

 

 

Here's where the accident happened:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&q=Ontario+and+Wabash,+chicago,+il&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=E+Ontario+St+%26+N+Wabash+Ave,+Chicago,+Cook,+Illinois+60611&gl=us&ll=41.893083,-87.626167&spn=0.001515,0.002183&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=41.8931,-87.626749&panoid=2t1YPoBekQSWkxfICUNecg&cbp=12,52.09,,0,2.57

 

Stopped at the red light I was in the right lane on the "Y", admiring the architecture of Pizzeria Due.  Had I kept staring, I probably wouldn't have noticed the backup lights.  But I did see the guy from drive to reverse so it wasn't like I was off in my own world.  I just couldn't get out of the way fast enough.

 

I for one vote you post the picture of his car on here :)

 

I wait for this all to blow over before posting.  While id like to right the wrongs against me, at the end of the day it's not worth my time getting in contact with certain organizations of people.  So far my insurance through Allstate has been really helpful.  My renters covers damage to bicycles on the roadway.  They asked for the motorists info and everything

 

ِAt least you have that. When I was hit it was just enough to bump me off my bike and ruin it. I was *right in front of him*, but he was looking at oncoming traffic on the left. Fortunately, he stayed while the police came over and his insurance paid for a replacement. I would just assume in cities like Chicago or NYC that it wouldn't be worth wasting your breath with police there. Fortunately you're OK, but it is a big pain when stuff like that happens.

I for one vote you post the picture of his car on here :)

 

I wait for this all to blow over before posting.  While id like to right the wrongs against me, at the end of the day it's not worth my time getting in contact with certain organizations of people.  So far my insurance through Allstate has been really helpful.  My renters covers damage to bicycles on the roadway.  They asked for the motorists info and everything

 

Good idea. If Allstate chooses to go after the driver they can muster some intimidating resources without costing you any more than you already paid for the coverage, and you won't have to deal with indifferent or hostile cops in the  process.

 

Years ago, I got "doored." A woman opened a car door into my path while I was running late for work and hurrying. The impact destroyed the frame and front wheel of my Peugeot PX-10 road bike, and fortunately only gave me some long-lasting bruises. Her insurance company was only too happy to buy me a new custom frame plus other top-of-the-line components to build a very nice bike, to get me to endorse a check. I got the further satisfaction of knowing that the driver's side door of her Camaro was sufficiently sprung that it wouldn't shut and latch afterward, and had to be replaced.

I'm happy I haven't seen a single door swing open into my path yet.  Knock on wood.  I think it helps Chicago's parking spaces are unusually wide, so the bike lanes are further out from the curb.

 

I'd like to point out that my poor experience at station was the result of one officer.  I'm sure 95% of them would have been more willing to help.  I know Chicago's police department is full of courteous people, and do excellent work.  It's just a shame that this particular officer had to be the one victims interface with to report a crime.

Scottie Pippen Yardsale

http://triblocal.com/highland-park-highwood/galleries/2011/03/scottie-pippens-former-home-offers-bargains-for-shoppers/#/1

 

The weird way some people live

Alright so my renters insurance is actually going to cover a full replacement of the bike. The deductible is about the same as if I were to repair the wheel out of pocket.  This is probably good considering I noticed a knocking sound this morning where the pedal crank arms attach.  I figured it was unsafe idea, went back home and took my longboard to work in 32 degree weather instead -- which the city requires you to ride on the sidewalk.

Why do people in trendy neighborhoods complain about people with strollers? Is it just me or is that completely nonesensical? Is it something against families or people holding up pedestrian flow on the sidewalk? They usually complain about it in areas with wide sidewalks anyway. People who complain about strollers in their neighborhood should be kidnapped and dropped off in an alley in E. Detroit.

^Children are just so ICK! and un-hip.

 

Just kidding.