Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Thanksgiving Eve

I was supposed to have class 4-6pm this evening, or so I thought, but when I arrived on campus I found most buildings were dark. Only the advising and registration offices were open, this being registration week for next quarter. I had a brisk bike ride both ways, about fifteen miles total, which is a good thing because I've gained a little weight since summer and need to keep my metabolism revved up for the holidays. I went to a yoga class yesterday evening, and may go again on Friday morning after the holiday, if I can get going early in the morning.

Possibly the early school closure was due to early snow and good ski conditions on Mount Baker, inspiring students, faculty and staff all to head for the hills for the four-day weekend.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Mental Processes

One Bike to Work Day several years ago, a young woman I worked with in a business near the Bellingham airport, tried biking to work for the first time. She had to ride across a busy freeway overpass, and hadn't had her bike cleaned and tuned before the big day. Naturally, her chain jammed as she was crossing a freeway entrance during morning rush hour. She arrived at work a bit late and pretty shaken, saying she did not feel safe going through the freeway crossing, and would never try again. I'm not sure how she got home; probably someone with a car gave her a ride.

Some time later, she was telling me about the car arrangements in her household. She and her husband had a small two-door car, which he used for daily commuting to his office. They also had a BIG 4x4 pick-up truck. She mostly drove the truck, since she only worked part-time and sometimes needed to haul bales of hay or gear for her horse, which she boarded some place out in the county.

One day when the truck was in the shop, she said, she drove her husband to work in the small car, intending to use it for errands during the day, then pick him up after work. That afternoon, as she was approaching an intersection, an on-coming car in the left-turn lane accelerated to beat her through the intersection.

Her first thought, she said, was: "You don't do that to me, because I can kill you."

Second thought: "Oh, wait, no, I can't! I'm in the little car."

This is a good explanation for the actions and reactions of many drivers, and an illustration of the danger of assuming that other people think like me.