Well, I was busy procrastinating half an hour ago when I realized I was hungry, and that a batch of cookies from the local grocery store would hit the spot. So I popped into the car (I didn't take the bike because my flashlight hasn't arrived from Hong Kong yet), and put on some Yo La Tengo for the drive.

There I was, speeding at 30 or so mph down the narrow two-lane suburban road when I barely noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I moved to the center of the lane, and two seconds later, passed a cyclist on my right. He was riding toward traffic (as in, towards me in the right lane), without any form of lights whatsoever, and yes, without a helmet. If I'd been driving a little closer to the curb, I'd have hit him easily. As it was, I only saw him because of the reflectors in his spokes. Looked like an older guy, maybe middle-aged. I drove the rest of the way to the store without incident, and found they were out of cookies, so I bought some pastry thing in consolation. But seriously...if you're riding at night, against traffic, and without lights, it's only a matter of time before you're going to get hit by someone who doesn't notice you until turning you into a human speedbump. I'm still not sure whether to be incredibly mad or incredibly sorry for the guy.

As a side note, some of you who've read my posts might note that I'm a strong proponent of sidewalk riding when the situation calls for it. Here is a situation that called for it; if this guy had been on the walk, I wouldn't have had to swerve to avoid running him over. Of course, he might have found some other way to get hit, but I can guarantee he'd have been safer there than the way he was tonight. Personally, I'll admit that I've ridden without front or rear lights at night before. But NEVER into traffic on a two-lane (or any other lane) road. This was just crazy.

Anyway, just needed to vent. I'm mildly pissed that some fool almost turned himself into a statistic on my watch.