yesterday, three interesting things (to me at least) happened inside of a half hour...

first, i passed a bike messenger on my commute home. he looked too cool for words, on a track bike that was as beautiful and self-assured as he was. he was so fluid; like poetry in motion. i couldn't help but smile. as i nodded in appreciation, he with his furrowed brow rolled his eyes and turned his head up and away in a look of seeming disgust as we passed each other on the two way street.

not five minutes after that, on my way to a grocery store, i spotted two very attractive young humans riding their bikes in the same general direction... it was a guy and a girl on two of most beautiful looking track bikes i've ever seen (one looked like a circle A and the other like an old benotto). everything about their bikes was top-of the-line and the riders were equally invested: very skinny, attractive faces, strategically placed tattoos, punky attire, cool messy hair. outside of the the grocery store, there were bike posts. we kind of arrived at the same time. so visually pleased by this sight i was ready to interact with them. their faces seemed closed and uninviting to me. they spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out how to lock their bikes together, but to no avail because i went in, did my shopping and came out to find them there again exactly where i had left them, only now in a quandry about which top tube would get dinged if they locked-up a particular way. finally, they abandoned their project and hit the old dusty trail.

in my own departure, not three blocks from where i had been, a car sped up behind me, slowed down, sped up again, and rode along my left side. i glanced over at the driver as he edged his vehicle even closer to me... disoriented, i was being pushed towards the curb. my wheels scraped along where the curb and street met, and front wheel lodged itself into the drain. i was thrown to the ground. laughter was heard, then an engine rev as the vehicle sped off. could have been worse. fork bent, front wheel out of true, damaged drop bars and a few scrathes.

and i ask, does $250 sound pricey for a "messenger" bag?