This afternoon on my way to work I forgot to put the tail light on before I left. I don't notice until I get there, so I figure no biggie, I'll stop by my house on my way to my parent's place for dinner and grab it before it gets dark. I usually get off at 5:30. No such luck today. I left 10 minutes before sunset and despite hauling as much butt as I am capable of hauling, I didn't make it. Not 5 blocks from my house I got pulled over by a member of Abilene's finest who proceeded to hassle me for riding at night without a tail light. At least he let me off with a warning.

My crappy day doesn't stop there, oh no. I picked up the tail light and figured, while I was at the house, I should grab my camera, since my wife had the baby over at my parent's house and they're always on my back for baby pictures. I stuffed my camera into my pocket and headed out. I cut down the alley to save some time and made it about 100 feet before a branch flipped up into the spokes of the rear wheel and bent the crap out of the fender. Broke one of the fender stays, too. I bent the fender back straight enough to ride and continued on.

People around here call it "the hill" but it's really more of a small incline. I had just reached the top when my camera fell out of my pocket and tumbled down the road a ways. It somehow survived, I've gotta give Canon some credit there.

I finally got to my parent's house and hammered the fender back as close as I could get it and replaced the busted rivets where the seatstay bracket goes with bolts and nuts. Couldn't do anything with the broken fender stay, though. Did I mention I was riding my wife's bike? She's not terribly pleased with the damage. I owe her a new set of fenders now.

At least my ride home was uneventful...