Beautiful Noses and Broken Dreams

Let's just say that it was a beautiful day in Los Angeles when I was out riding last Saturday.

I started from my humble abode in DTLA and headed west on 6th st.
For the first several miles 6th street is all piss and potholes but after that you enter the wonderful land of trees, mansions, manicured lawns and synagogues.

Wait. Back up. I guess I should mention that I intended to get on my bike at 7am and was well on my way until I realized that my helmet was still at work. So I really started out by driving to Starbucks, then work, then home.

And then. I really should mention that I actually made a critical newbie mistake. I forgot to wear sunglasses. Which means that about two miles in I had a new friend, Herbert, in the form of a little gnat living behind my eyeball where I apparently forced him to go after he so carefully flew into my cornea (can you even do that? I don't know. I just say things.)

So really, I was riding through piss and potholes and really really really big mansions with a bug in my eye, one functional contact, no depth perception and a slightly faltering will.

Everything got better though when I started smelling all the fragrant flowers waking up to the day.

I'm not totally fond of biking by myself, but I do really appreciate the time that it affords one to just think. And because I'm me, I also talk to myself . . . out loud . . . at stop signs . . . where people in cars stare at me. During this particular ride I was practicing answering job interview questions about my qualifications as a zip line operator for the Catalina Tourism Board. As if.

So yeah. 6th runs into San Vincente which I took to La Cienega which I took to Beverly which I took to Little Tokyo.

Huge win for the day - I heard a pretty consistent click in my stride (I don't know what bikers call it) and actually got off my bike and inspected my tire for damage. Found a nice shard of someone's Newcastle bottle working its way into my tire. I felt accomplished and only have Bike Tech 101 to thank! Take that flat tire!

Huge fail for the day - As per usual, I was calmly stopped at a stop light at 5th and Grand, unclipped on my left and carefully trying to avoid a construction worker and his man hole (hehe) when I lost my balance and well, fell. It went like this:

My Brain "Hey Sarah, sup?"

Me "Hi Brain, just waiting for this light to change, about to shower, thinking about cheese, wondering where Sunny is, thinking about whisking myself away to Catalina for the summer . . ."

My Brain "You've lost your balance"

Me "No way I'm totally focused on not falling . . . fuck. Panic. Try to unclip right leg. Fail. Panic and flail. Succeed. Kick construction workers ladder (which he is not on). Ladder falls over onto Leg. Ow. Bike falls on ground. Handle bars turn. Face plants into handle bars. Like the kind of face plant where your nose (the bottom part) takes a handle bar to the face and starts bleeding everywhere and hurts like an *expletive* (remember, I was stopped when I fell) and then your chin his the ground or the ladder you don't really remember. and then you just lay there because you know there is a construction worker standing over you and you really really really just want him not to be there.

Construction Worker "Hey I hope you're okay"

Me "Hey I hope you can move this ladder off of my leg also I hope you're not real"

My Brain "I told you so"

So. I walked a few blocks and contemplated how to put my bike back together. Called Sunny who told me to be careful (Thanks, Dear). Contemplated going to the hospital but couldn't think of any good lies to tell the Dr. if he ended up being totally hott . . . got back on my bike and rode (slowly) home.

Along the way I passed the first few in line for the Grilled Cheese Invitational (whom I would be joining shortly) and everything was fine. Except my face, which is broken.