Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2001 10:48:29 -0800 From: gayathri To: gayathri@WORLD.STD.COM, sarah@labiker.com, "ynotfixit . steve.j.moonitz.-nd@disney.com" , jeniffer@aol.com, chairman_1@compuserve.com, r1s@msk.com, robertprice@hotmail.com Subject: um. wtf? After the test in moto class (which I bombed, who knew there were so many piddling details about the little numbers on tyres?) I headed towards home on the 110 Freeway north... there was a lot of traffic where the 110 and the 5 freeway intersect, so I had to lanesplit. I watched as a Harley split past me, weaving in and out of three lanes to get ahead. Whoa, wish I could do that... So far so good, I'm listening to Plantation Melodies, and humming along my favorite part of the 110 at a pretty good clip. Pity there are so many cars, its hard to really get into the turn when you see the SUV's having trouble keeping their lanes... Nearing the end of the 110, I switch into the middle lane from the far left doing a headcheck as usual. I slow down as the car in front is doing the speed limit and suddenly hear someone honking their horn and flashing their lights behind me. A quick headcheck shows a car suddenly pulling out from behind me, and zooming in on the right and then cutting in front of me. (oh, he used his signal. ) Then he slams on the brakes. (I've already slowed down to let him in front as I'm not quite sure what he's doing when he was honking his horn and flashing his lights. ) I signal to move right (which was my plan anyway) and he starts to swerve back and forth between the center and the right lanes. Now I'm slowing way the fuck down (thank goodness, i see the sign that says we're almost at the end of the freeway, so I know others are slowing down as well and I dont have to worry too much about getting slammed into from the rear, and I'm flashing my brake lights just in case...) and any movement in any direction in my lane results in more swerving and slamming of brakes. I'm afraid to try and get around him 'cause the 110 in this area doesnt have much of a shoulder and I suspect he's going to try and clip me. So I keep slowing down and fighting down that panic of "what the fuck do I DO?" I'm dropping down gears in case I need to make a quick getaway and trying to check out all the details about the car I can remember (early 90's acura integra, light blue, two door, couldnt see the license plate and didnt want to get that close to see it...) He finally pulls into the far left lane and zooms ahead to the red light. I pull into the far right lane and look over. he's got his window down and he's FROTHING at the mouth. I have _no idea_ what he's saying. (I try to turn the cd player off, but I dont think it would have helped, he's three lanes away and i still have earplugs in...) Now he starts pounding on the steering wheel, since I wasnt reacting, so I mime a shrug to indicate I have no clue. I give up. I can't see a good end to this, so I just put the bike in gear, and lanesplit past about ten cars to the front of the red light and take off. now, of course, all this adrenline and anger is coursing thru me, and I'm sick to my stomach. I still dont know what I did, and whatever it was,it certainly couldnt have deserved that sort of reaction. I'm afraid to stop in case this nutcase finds me (we're now on local streets in Pasadena) and to make matters worse, I must now be invisible. A ford expedition makes a U Turn in front of me, and then swerves into my lane. A small toyota tries to make a right turn from the middle lane into the local Trader Joe's while I am in the right lane. I putt along home, hopeing whatever fucked up karma is following me doesnt kill me before I get there.... Now, i have _no_ clue what I did to Mr Needs more DeCaf, and I had nightmares all night about him hitting me from behind. I dont think I cut him off, and unless he mistook me for the Harley guy and that rider did something, I'm still amazed that some minor freeway mistake could result in a direct attempt to kill me. -- Gayathri, trying to put it behind her... --------------------------------------------------------------- gayathri@labiker.com Calamari Club #002, CCS/WSMC #98 '88 FZR400 ('gurlzbike') '98 T595 Daytona, "huckleberry" "Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement." - Alfred Adler