Mortal thoughts

Weather: Do I just call it "Default" at this point? Clear and cool, a nice ride home.
Encounters: Mysterious
On Netflix: The Vampire Diaries. So many pretty people.

The only real problem with my ride home was (and remains) an occasional twinge in my leg. Hopefully it's not sudden-onset autoamputation. No bunnies or slugs or coyotes tonight, but I *did* hear a surprisingly large splash in one of the local apartment complexes' small ponds. I have no idea what it was... anything amphibious or aquatic usually handles splashing a little more calmly than that. So I wondered if it was the coyote diving in after something. Or someone throwing a bag full of trash in, because they're jerks. Or falling in. Or throwing a bag full of murdered body in! In short, I've no idea what fell or jumped or otherwise entered the pond.

Speaking of bags full of murder, being left with my own thoughts always seems to result in grandiose visions, usually of a tragic nature. I've never been at a point in my life that I would describe as "suicidal" - the stereotype of a suicidal person is that they think they won't be missed, and frankly I know a lot of people who would be pretty pissed (ok, mostly devastated first) if I checked out unexpectedly. No worries there.

I did, however, stumble across a pretty disturbing video the other day.* The Washington Post has been talking a lot about bicycle commuters recently, and one post linked to a Youtube video captured from the point of view of a cyclist who got clipped by a passing pickup truck in Texas. It was jarring - 30 seconds or so of biking along your average state route (two lanes, 40mph, etc), then all of a sudden the camera takes a crazy dive and ends up sideways on the ground, looking at the jersey barrier over the back of the motionless rider. The only sign of life is a formless, pain-filled wheezing. Every now and then the camera tilts as he tries to shift position or perhaps pull the bike out of the road.

Thankfully a car almost immediately stopped, and soon you hear its driver repeatedly telling the cyclist to "lie still, buddy." The driver of the pickup also apparently stopped, according to news reports on the accident. But biking home at 12:30 at night through a mostly quiet suburb, every car that goes by me scares me just a little. If I got clipped, would I be seen in the dark by the next car to pass by? How long would that take? Would I be able to call 911, or find help nearby? Would they be able to reach my fiancee or family?

I do my best to stay safe. But sometimes being alone with your thoughts gets a little scary.


* You've been warned: it's a pretty unsettling video.