The air was tense this AM on the ride in, but nothing particular happened. ASPHUNDAH (or something like that) was doing some tree work and had my bike lane (the only one on my commute) blocked, so I moved over and controlled the lane as I past the crew. Just as I was moving back right a dingbat felt I had been holding him up by controlling the lane, so he crossed the yellow line and red lined his engine until he had past me. He stopped at the light 200 yards ahead... dingbat! A couple minutes later, I was coming up behind a guy jogging to school at the university I attend/ work. Thing was he was jogging at a good clip with a backpack with traffic, so his back was too me... not wanting to buzz him, a couple rings of the bell elicited a wave from him and I pedaled past. Shortly thereafter, I made the second of my 4 lefts and started up a short hill. Got blown past by a roadie, he waved, I channeled Yehuda and rang the bell... dunno if he heard me!
The ride home was less fun, and I experienced what I'm calling bike rage for the first time. I got buzzed and revved by a stooge on a crotch rocket. My instinctive response was to yell at him, dunno if he heard me, and I didn't feel any better. Then about a mile later, I signaled that I needed to merge to the left, (there is a right turn only lane) and checked behind me, all clear, started to move left. As I'm about there, a scumb bag in an old school Explorer crosses the yellow to my left and speeds into the left turn lane. I yelled an angry "Dude!" at him, but I'm certain he couldn't hear me over the crappy classic rock blasting out the windows. Again, justice was served as he sat at the light waiting for the green arrow, just as long as I waited in line to go straight.
Today was the first time I really got pissed that the drivers here were not just being bad drivers but were messing with me specifically because I was on a bike. Nothing was accomplished by them startling or aggressively passing me. In fact, it was more wasteful than anything. No one got to work or home faster and my normally enjoyable ride wasn't.
Oh well, tomorrow is another day.