Filed under: Uncategorized
Well thanks to the free trial on offer after their ‘Burning Crusades’ release, I’ve wasted most of my weekend playing World of Warcraft (WOW) again. Impressively my character was still on their system. They say they keep them for at least six months, but as it has been a year since my subscription lapsed I was expecting to have to start all over again.
So I’ve spent a very geeky weekend getting my gnome up to a level 37. My aim is to get up to a point where James and I can play together (he’s lvl 43). Its addictive and takes up a huge amount of time – but hey its fun. As London is finishing off on the warmest April in over 300 years and heading towards what is likely to be the warmest summer on record, I may just have to stay cool by drinking Pimms and playing Warcraft.
Ah what a geeks life. I’d stay to chat but monster killing time is ‘a wasting….
Today I was a happy cyclist. My rides to work and back felt the safest and fastest yet. This is because I rode in the middle of the road and made drivers think about me. The fact I was there and made myself an issue on the road meant they had to allow for me as they drove.
Up till now I’ve been tucked away as far to the side as I could. I thought this ‘Don’t mind me I’m not really here’ attitude when biking would make me safer. But today drivers had to account for me on the road and I forced them to make way. It made for a much more enjoyable ride as drivers waited behind me until they could pass. Most of them did at a much slower pace and giving me more room than they did when I was tucked away at the side.
Why the change of attitude? Its all come out after an study was leaked from TFL (Transport for London) about the risks faced by cyclists and female cyclists specifically. It was shown to me by a fellow, though far more experienced, London cyclist with whom the discussion about safety on the road has been on-going.
The report was on the e-zine for bike couriers – ‘Moving Target‘ – before being picked up by the Times. For any cyclists and drivers, indeed every road user out there, its worth a read. There was an interesting interview with a bike courier and a member of the TFL on Radio 4 which unfortunately has gone now. It was this interview that changed my mind.
Scarily, the report suggested that those who waited patiently in the designated cycling lanes at the lights were more likely to be killed. Those cycling lanes, where the cyclist wobbles and plods their way up the left hand side of traffic, trying to avoid drains, side mirrors and careless smokers thrusting their cigarettes out the windows, are known to the professionals of Moving Target as ‘Suicide Zones’. Now there’s an attractive name.
Women cyclists were being killed by lorries turning on top of them at the lights, and it was revealed that unless there is an independent witness to the crash the police will not prosecute. They still might not even if there is one. Even more scary, if a lorry driver turned on top of me, there was an independent witness, the police did prosecute and they won a conviction, that lorry driver would face nothing worse than a fine and a few points on the license. A slap on the wrist for taking a life?
So all this has sparked the new, assertive me. Watch out for me driver, I’m not hiding in the ‘suicide zone’ any more.
Filed under: London
Yes another birthday to add on to an ever increasing number. James and I have been celebrating by eating copious amounts of chocolate. Apparently the Montezuma shop close to James work had a sale on Friday and I am certainly not complaining. Beautiful, if normally expensive, dark chocolate.
So on a warm day in London – not hot but decidedly warm for those doing the marathon – we’re off to see the Blue Man group. Not quite sure what to expect, when booking tickets I decided not to go for the really cheap seats at the front – apparently you get splattered with paint from the stage and ponchos are provided… Should be good.
You may notice this hasn’t been updated for quite sometime. March turned out to be a very hectic month. Filled with sleet and sun and holidays and stress. I claim to still be relaxing after it, but really I’m just lazy and like reading books in the sunshine on a Sunday. Can you blame me…?
