( You can picture this as me now though...riding with the big dogs)
The highlight of my week has been my first ever Bike purchase!
On sunday Kristie and I finally decided it was time to break down and get bikes, mainly because all the guys had them by this point, and walking home alone for 2 miles at night is apparently a bad idea...or at least that's what I've been told.
Oxford is a pretty safe place, but I guess thieves are attracted to obvious unassuming gals like me who think they can handle pretty much any danger that comes their way....danger? what danger?
did I ever tell you about that night I got stalked home in the 7th grade...??? if not, just ask, it's classic.
So anyway, ever since then I have responded in one of 2 ways, The first is my irrational confidence that nothings' going to get me. The second is my irrational fear of a lot of different people I pass in the dark on the way home. Any night either irrationality could be at play...
Needless to say I am soooo excited to have my bike. I'd like to see some mugger guy try to scare me as I'm flying past on my one speed golden REGALE....(handmade in Britain w/ a little picture of a british flag where it says so)....complete with a bell that could probably double as an alarm...that is if he could ever get me to slow down enough to have to use it...
Hah.
The downside to this is that I no longer have an excuse not to study past 9 in the library.....
But I can not explain to you how liberated I feel riding the Regale for 15 glorious minutes coming into college. Gone are the days of leaving the house a full 45 minutes before having to be anywhere. Gone are my limits to the NIKES and my walking boots....the heels are ready to roll. (well the liklihood of me dressing up to read in the library isn't that great...but the possibility is there) Most of all, Gone are my poor little feet that feel as though I have broken them for good.
Now, there is this little factor that comes into play when riding to school which requires me to employ the irrational confidence....and that is that double decker bus coming up beside me ...in my lane...less than oh 5 ft away maybe? or at least that what it feels like when it blows on by sending me a fearful gusty chill as the people inside just kind of stare in that "i'm so ready to be home after my boring job all day" look....
I don't know what's worse...getting passed unexpectedly by the lime green montrosity (yeah they aren't all red) OR...ME having to navigate my way between two of them as they are going through the massive contruction area that has taken over down town Oxford.
My latest plan of attack has been to find some other crazy biker riding through town and just following right in behind him...this has proven to work well. Especially since I'm still getting used to the who left side of the road thing. Last night was pretty terrifying however, as it was rush hour and I found myself amongst 10 of 15 other bikers......i felt like i was in the tour de France....more specifically losing the tour de France.
Hopefully there will be no bike disasters to report. I have this fear of my bike getting stolen for some reason. Maybe because I read yesterday that that amounts to 30% of the crime here. huh. well, we all know my chances then of something like that happening.
The highlight of my week has been my first ever Bike purchase!
On sunday Kristie and I finally decided it was time to break down and get bikes, mainly because all the guys had them by this point, and walking home alone for 2 miles at night is apparently a bad idea...or at least that's what I've been told.
Oxford is a pretty safe place, but I guess thieves are attracted to obvious unassuming gals like me who think they can handle pretty much any danger that comes their way....danger? what danger?
did I ever tell you about that night I got stalked home in the 7th grade...??? if not, just ask, it's classic.
So anyway, ever since then I have responded in one of 2 ways, The first is my irrational confidence that nothings' going to get me. The second is my irrational fear of a lot of different people I pass in the dark on the way home. Any night either irrationality could be at play...
Needless to say I am soooo excited to have my bike. I'd like to see some mugger guy try to scare me as I'm flying past on my one speed golden REGALE....(handmade in Britain w/ a little picture of a british flag where it says so)....complete with a bell that could probably double as an alarm...that is if he could ever get me to slow down enough to have to use it...
Hah.
The downside to this is that I no longer have an excuse not to study past 9 in the library.....
But I can not explain to you how liberated I feel riding the Regale for 15 glorious minutes coming into college. Gone are the days of leaving the house a full 45 minutes before having to be anywhere. Gone are my limits to the NIKES and my walking boots....the heels are ready to roll. (well the liklihood of me dressing up to read in the library isn't that great...but the possibility is there) Most of all, Gone are my poor little feet that feel as though I have broken them for good.
Now, there is this little factor that comes into play when riding to school which requires me to employ the irrational confidence....and that is that double decker bus coming up beside me ...in my lane...less than oh 5 ft away maybe? or at least that what it feels like when it blows on by sending me a fearful gusty chill as the people inside just kind of stare in that "i'm so ready to be home after my boring job all day" look....
I don't know what's worse...getting passed unexpectedly by the lime green montrosity (yeah they aren't all red) OR...ME having to navigate my way between two of them as they are going through the massive contruction area that has taken over down town Oxford.
My latest plan of attack has been to find some other crazy biker riding through town and just following right in behind him...this has proven to work well. Especially since I'm still getting used to the who left side of the road thing. Last night was pretty terrifying however, as it was rush hour and I found myself amongst 10 of 15 other bikers......i felt like i was in the tour de France....more specifically losing the tour de France.
Hopefully there will be no bike disasters to report. I have this fear of my bike getting stolen for some reason. Maybe because I read yesterday that that amounts to 30% of the crime here. huh. well, we all know my chances then of something like that happening.
3 comments:
OH Jennifer! It makes me laugh thinking about how you still lose your GCARD while your in Oxford! You're still the Machine!
<3 Amanda B
It sounds like you are doing well. Tell Ryan, Tyler and Taylor hello. I think the beard make Tyler look, well, kind of leftist.
Dr. Burch
Who stalked you in the 7th grade?!
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