Book Report : Life Without Anger

I'm not big on self-help books, but I picked this one up during Christmas shopping (last year:). Hmm, I have anger sometimes, so do other people in my immediate family. It's normal, but hey let's check it out. Finally got around to reading it, and there's a lot of good stuff in there. The basic premise is that anger is usually a conditioned response to events - it's programmed into our brain based on past experience and our view of the world. But it can be 'de-programmed' if you start to think about it. Anger is not the only response, why not laughter, or thoughtfulness or something else ? The tone of the author is somewhat annoying, but like I said many good points. Now I have to read through it again to find them, since I didn't have a highliter at the time.

Sounds of Spring

Hmm not much to talk about lately, life is busy or boring, or I've been working on my taxes.

Ahh, the wonderful sounds of spring ! As I begin to ride my bike more, amidst the crazed masses in their multi-thousand pound killing machines, I enjoy the friendly hails of "Fuck you!" from the redneck assholes in their jacked-up monster trucks, as I impede their progress to the next red-light, where they will wait several minutes, while I weave my way illegally across the intersection and continue on, not forgetting to wave my middle finger back at them. They rev their engines and get out their baseball bats, as I grab a handful of steel ball bearings... Ok not really - yeah yeah I finally learned that antagonizing them only creates more determined enemies and endangers those who follow my path even more. Last year one time I moved a few feet into the main traffic line [after checking it was clear], to avoid something on the side of the road. I was honked at immediately. At the next stoppage in traffic, I halted alongside the driver, whereupon I observed a woman yakking on her cell-phone. I knocked at her window to get her attention, smiled to indicate I was not (or was) a psycho, she rolled down her window, and I got out a few words reminding her that a bike is a legal road vehicle just as the one she's driving, and then I was assaulted with a barrage of angry words, whereupon I calmly continued on my merry way, still hearing the verbiage emanating from that window for quite a ways. Hmm, I guess that is not the way either.

Yeah it's nothing new, the lack of Awareness many people have when they're in their vehicles. Subconsciously (perhaps) they resent cyclists, who are getting in shape, not polluting the environment, etc, while they perceive themselves as lazy sloths. So they take it out on the cyclistos, honking at them, swerving by them, and gnashing their teeth as we slow down their progress in the slightest amount.

What else.... how about Walmart, eh ? That place gives me the creeps. We went there to get some Easter family pictures. I'm not saying I'm normal or superior or anything, but what an interesting display of humanity. Nuff sed.