Okay, so when many of us think of Friday the Thirteenth we think of the wonderful fellow featured above. To those of us who remember seeing the original movie, we remember walking home on dark nights and fearing that we would see the above picture coming out of the trees at us. For others, Friday the Thirteenth might conjure to the mind the following;
And I have to say I used to be one that sort of dreaded Friday the Thirteenth. Not that anything bad has every really happened to me (oops, no scratch that, I was hit for the very first time while riding my bicycle on a Friday the Thirteenth, it was the day of the prom in 2005 and I couldn't dance because I had a bruised hip bone) so I didn't really have a reason.
Well, as of this year I have reasons to celebrate the holdiay ala the Kool and the Gang version;
Because we have (trumpet fanfare please) finally gotten word from the insurance company that they are going to accept liability for my bicycle! They are going to cover the bicycle repairs 100%, 90% of the shorts, and 80% of the shoes for a total of $1667.65!!!!!!!! Here's how it went down;
On Wednesday I finally was fed up with not hearing anything from Chubb insurance so I called again. I didn't get a response from the agent so I asked for a supervisor and explained that I had a sister that worked for the insurance industry and I knew it should not be taking this long. He promised to look into it. By today I still hadn't hear anything so I called again first thing this morning and the insurance agent informed me that she had made the determination on Wednesday (the day I had called, hmmmm) that they were going to assume liability of the accident and that I should have been already contacted by the property damage adjuster (so many adjusters for one accident!). About an hour later I got the phone call that they would cover the amounts listed below!
Woohooooo! Tomorrow I am going to take the bike to Adams Cyclery to have them do the work! Hopefully, Black Betty will be ready to roll again! and once again I can groove to the tune of;
So Amy and Sarah left on their Amazing Alaskan Adventure and has left the boys and I to our own devices, sort of. I'm sure on their return she'll be posting oodles (and honestly, is there a mathematic equation to determine how much is in an oodle - sort of how much is in a bushel or a peck) of pictures and videos of their adventure. Now, granted she leaves on this vacation with a great deal of excitement tempered by trepidation. You see, when she started talking about this (and before she broke the news to Sarah that our lovely daughter would be accompanying her on this journey) the kids and I began planning our two weeks of "manhood" - The Adventure of Being Men. Of course that has since changed since Sarah is now going on the trip. But of course Amy is still nervous. I'm sure she expects to see something like the following on her return;
With us rooting around somewhere in the middle of this trying to find more pizza.
So, before her departure, Amy reverted to her old super-hero identity - Virgo Woman
or as she was won't to be known in her younger days (particularly the Seven Brides days), "Julie the Cruise Director";
In other words, we have Organized Manhood - an oxymoron if ever I heard one. So we have lots of planned activities for the two weeks she's gone just so we don't fester watching tv and eating pizza off the floor.
On Friday night we did something that James has been wanting to do for months - we sang "The Rainbow Connection" at the open mic night. The boys were adorable, they sang together so well. I of course was intimidated by all the amazing talent around me - its what I get for being a closet musician. However, I find I do better when I'm with others since I can focus on them and less about how much I suck.
Saturday kicked off the the first of our "Manly Weekends" by going to the Baiting Hollow Scout Camp weekend ( Baiting Hollow Scout Camp Site). Our pack had gone about a month previously but it was on a weekend that was going to be incredibly hot and thunderstorms were predicted so we elected to postpone it until this weekend instead and it was a good thing we did. I just wish someone would have told us that meals were included and that we couldn't park anywhere near the actual place where we would pitch our tents. As a result I bought food, a small barbecue grill, charcoal, ice and packed the entire car with more stuff than we ever would need. Our poor Subaru was completely overpacked for three people on an overnight. Of course in all the packing - I NEGLECTED TO PACK THE CAMERA!!!!!! Sooooo, I picked up a disposable at the campsite and as soon as I get those developed I'll add them here. However, I don't know when that will be.
Suffice it to say, we had a great time. We rode paddle boats, we hiked, the boys got to shoot bb guns (they got they marksman badges), archery (again, their archery badge), and we went to a great cermony at night. Then of course, I found out that the batteries in all my flashlights were low because someone had been playing with them (hmmm, wonder who) and so we stumbled back to our campsite. After a great bonfire with s'mores and little cocktail weinies roasted on a stick (yum!), we play the boys favorite card game (UNO!) and fell asleep.
The next morning we had breakfast and the boys started the day by climbing this;
James made it all the way to the top (by the way that is 40 foot of tower) and William made it about 30 feet. The last 10 feet the hand holds were just too far out of his reach. We then went to the archery and bb gun ranges again, hiked some more and loaded all our stuff in our car for the ride home.
On Sunday we attended the birthday party for one of the boys in their cub scout den and it was at one of their favorite places - Larkfield Lanes! What a great way to start our first weekend of Manhood!
Well, we have more coming up. I won't be riding for a while since I can't really do it while the boys are at home alone. But the biggest reason is - MY BIKE STILL ISN'T FIXED! I KEEP CALLING BUT I GET NO RESPONSE. If I don't hear anything by Wednesday I'm calling a supervisor but until then I'll be patient. Till then, its being manly that is our calling!
Stay well and I hope to see you on the road someday!
Back in 1976 things were bad. Granted, I was only thirteen and although we were celebrating the bicentennial of the United States, we were facing inflation, a depression, oil crisis, a president had just stepped down to avoid being impeached, and there was disco!
C'mon, Let's Do the Bump and Hustle - Disco Construction (1976)
Now, it wasn't all bad but you have to admit, its a good thing that the polyester leisure suit died a suitable "natural" death. Another thing that happened was that my father got stationed to Ansbach, Germany.
Yet something else happened that year that was a standout in cinematic history. The movie Network was directed by Sidney Lumet and starred Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch (as Harold Beale), Robert Duvall, Ned Beatty, Kathy Cronkite (daughter of Walter), Conchata Ferrell (you may know her as Bertha on "Two and a Half Men") and a score of others. However, it gave us the battle cry "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" But to get the full effect, you need to see this scene;
To understand where this scene fits you have to watch the entire movie (its good, really) but it seems like we're in a position now where we need another Howard Beale to step forward these days, at least I know I do.
You see, I'm extremely frustrated right now. Normally I ride between 3,000 and 5,000 miles a year on my bike, much of it commuting. But a lot of my riding is done either raising money for cancer charities, particularly Sunrise Day Camp (http://www.sunrisedaycamp.org/). However, that effort has been curtailed as of July 11, 2010.
For those of you who have followed my blog (and I beg you to pass it on to others, I need a readership!) you know that I was in the middle of a great Century ride with the Huntington Bicycle Club's Gold Coast Ride. I was minutes away from finishing a fifty mile ride in three hours and that would put me on a pace to finish the hundred miles in six hours. However, about a mile and a half from the rest stop as I was riding past a line of parked cars a woman opened her car door right in front of me (yes, I was "doored") resulting in a lot of injuries, most notably this one (WARNING - ITS A BIT GRAPHIC - IF YOU WANT TO SKIP IT, SCROLL DOWN NOW);
Ouch!
That was taken three days after the accident when I had to change the bandage. Now its been three weeks and the stitches are out (although there were some complications which I won't go into here) and its healind well, although I will have a killer scar and a I guess a good story.
My frustration is borne from the handling I have been receiving from Chubb Insurance company. Its been three weeks now and they still haven't told me if I can get my bike fixed. Its been sitting at Adams Cyclery (http://www.adamscyclery.com/) and Chuck and Darren have been great. They looked at it top to bottom and front to back and they told me what needed to be replaced. Yes, there were things that were scratched up but we agreed that those were just cosmetic and I would only seek to replace the components that were really damaged, like the shifters;
and my shoes;
I loved these shoes - now they're trashed!
All in all, between the damage to the bike ($1400) and to my clothing ($400) there is at least $1800 worth of damage. And yet despite the fact that I gave them all the information they asked for (police report, name and telephone number of a witness, itemized estimate from Adams), the insurance company is still having a difficulty establishing the distribution of blame. In other words, they are still trying to determine how much of the accident was my fault and how much was their clients. Now if there are any of you out there that are reading this and work for an insurance company or know someone who does, can you help me out here? Is this standard operating procedure? Is there something I should be doing? Should I move on to getting a lawyer? Honestly, I just want to get back on my bicycle and ride but its awfully hard to do that when its hanging from a hook at Adams Cyclery.
I've only been riding once since the accident and that was with the kids on my mountain bike - I like it and all but its a bit too heavy to do a 50 mile charity ride up hill. So as the days go by I'm getting more and more in the frame of mind of Howard Beale - I'm getting mad as hell and I don't want to take it any more. I've been benched way too long. My body and mind are ready to ride but Black Betty is still in the shop. So my faithful readers, e-mail me and let me know what you think I ought to do. If you have insurance company connections, pass this on to them and ask them to contact me, I sure would like to have an idea of how to get back on the road.
Okay, so its not that "classic" movie starring Richard Pryor and that other actor named Gene but I did feel like I was in a metaphorical prison this week. My beloved steed "Black Betty" is still in the shop/hospital and I've been unable to ride for various reasons.
For those of you who have been following my posts (and again, why are there only two of you signed up?) you would know that a week ago I suffered the worst bike crash of my cycling career. Now granted, its nothing compared to what Lance suffered last Sunday;
It was probably the roughest day he ever had in the tour but at least he had a doctor there to take care of him and mechanics to give him a new bike on the spot. I have to say, it did make me a bit sad that he lost eleven minutes and pretty much his chances at another yellow jersey. Like him or hate him (although I don't think he deserves the vilification that he's been getting) he is/was an amazing bike racer. I was hoping for the sake of us "older" riders everywhere that he could have at least made the podium again on what would definitely be his last tour ever (or will it?)
Unfortunately, I didn't have my team doctor or my support crew with me (they were probably still in pajamas in Northport) so when I had my crash my race/ride was pretty much over. Oh yes, the team doctor wanted me to inform you that the gash to my arm is three inches long, not two inches (we measured it) as originally reported.
Also, my crash was not as bad as some of the ones that have occured this year, including the infamous "dog incident";
But, back to my stir craziness. I haven't ridden my bike in a week now. I could ride my second best bike, "Black Pearl" but my arm is still a bit stiff. Sometimes when I twitch my arm the wrong way it hurts like $&##@* and sometimes it feels like my stitches are being pulled out (although when I look they're fine). It actually ended up getting a bit infected so I had to go back to the doctor and have it taken care of (that hurt) and she gave me some antibiotics. Apparently they should have done that in the hospital and they didn't. In my morphine addled state I thought they might have just given it to me in my IV - what did I know? Anyway, it got infected and now it still is a bit swollen up but the swelling is going down a bit every day.
The main thing is the damage to Betty. I got the estimate from Adams Cyclery (check them out, the link is on the right) and its going to cost just under $1400 to repair her (not to mention the $279 to replace my shoes). The shifters were completely trashed, the saddle is toast and the wheels are going to need to be replaced, especially the back one. The rear wheels sustained a lot of damage and won't even turn evenly anymore because the rim was bent. Now you have to understand, my frame of mind at the time of the wreck was that if my bike was still rideable and I wasn't too hurt I would've gotten the insurance information and kept riding. I had just ridden 50 miles (some of it fairly hilly) in just under three hours and I was on pace for a six hour century so I wanted to finish. However, when I retrieved my bike out of the glass-strewn street I found that the rear wheel wasn't turning so well and it was then that I noticed the blood on my arm wasn't just road rash, it was a really large gash that was gushing blood. It was then that I figured out I wouldn't be finishing the ride that day.
Anyway, I digress (what else is new?). Betty is out of commission for a while until I can get the money to fix her. I don't really have the money right now to pay for it so I'm hoping we can get this resolved soon. I've contacted the insurance company and hopefully they'll be able to get back to me soon. So this week I'll be on Pearl as soon as I can get back on the bike. I'm hoping for Tuesday, weather permitting. Rest assured I will let you know about the ride as soon as it happens.
For now, I'll leave you with some scenes from the movie starring that other Gene;
So we've all heard the saying, "If you want to make God laugh, make plans". Well today was the annual Gold Coast Ride sponsored by the Huntington Bicycle Club. This would be the fourth time that I rode the Gold Coast and the fourth time I would attempt the Century (i.e., 100 mile) ride. Let's recap how the last three have gone;
2007 - I was just getting back into shape from my ankle surgery and I thought I was up to speed and I ambitiously set out to do the 100 miles. I ended up only doing 85 miles as I "bonked" (lost energy and fuel) and limped home. I met another rider named John who was in the same shape and we made the last miles together. I vowed I would prepare for next year by riding more, getting a good night's sleep the night before and fueling up properly.
2008 - I got a better night's sleep and although I had made plans to ride with my friend Steve (after finding out John wouldn't be doing the , our lines of communication got crossed and I ended up going off on my own as he wasn't up to the 100 and wasn't ready to leave at 6:30 in the morning. I hooked up with another guy and rode well. I ended with a time of 6 and a half hours. I vowed to be in better shape for the next year.
2009 - Steve and I made plans to ride. We started out well together but Steve (who had warned me this might be the case) had to drop out after fifteen miles. He turned back and I continued on by myself. I ended up pairing up with another rider at the second rest stop and we rode the next 80 miles together. Because of the time I lost riding Steve's pace (after all, when you ride with someone, its not good form to leave them far behind) I ended up finishing the Century in 7 hours. I figured next year I would just ride alone and do all the preparation I needed to do.
2010 - This year! I hydrated for days beforehand. I ate the right foods. I lost five(ish) pounds. I trained. I cleaned my bike! I synched my iPod to make it a great play list for riding! I got a great night's sleep and woke up at 5:30 am so I could be there to sign in at 6:30. I got everything together and I started riding at 7:00 in the morning. My plan (do you hear the ominous music playing?) was to ride solo and finish the Century in 6 hours! The ride started out great. I passed three people on the way to the second rest stop (but not racing) and I was the first one to stop there. Lou (Bruno) said I was the first rider he'd seen even go by so I thought, "Great, I'm really doing well, I just have to try to catch anyone in front of me".
I really got my groove going in the next 28 miles. Although the course went up some pretty good hills I kept spinning at a pretty fast cadence and never really got myself too over exerted. When I got to Sea Cliff I was averaging about 17.6 mph and I knew that once I got over the short steep climbs there it was just a quick ride into Roslyn where I could rest up and rehydrate at Bryant Park.
Well, coming into Sea Cliff I started running into all kinds of riders that didn't seem that strong but they were ahead of me! It was then that I realized they were probably riding the 55 mile route and it was more direct from Greenlawn to Roslyn than the 7o or 100 mile routes. It didn't matter, I passed them up too! There was one guy I caught up to on the big steep hills in Sea Cliff and I dropped him pretty easily. I was feeling great as I found myself on Bryant Avenue and only a mile and a half from the park which meant rehydration, a bathroom break and FOOD!
AND HERE IS WHERE GOD LAUGHED!
I was that close to the park and as I was traveling down the road at 21 mph I noticed that where the shoulder would normally be was a line of parked cars at meters. Now, I consider myself a somewhat defensive rider so I was looking down the line to see if I could see anyone in the cars. The road itself was a two lane road and since the cars took up the entire space I was about a third of the way into the lane so that traffic could still pass me. So here I am doing a pretty nice clip, my legs feel great, I don't feel tired, I'm having a great ride and it's only 9:58 - which means I'll reach the half way mark at 10:00 - three hours from when I started. I was on pace to do the Century in six hours!
Then, as I neared the rear wheel of a Mercedes parked on the side the door swung open and - BAM! The next thing I knew I was sliding across the road amidst shards of glass and my bike and I were skidding. I felt a sharp pain in my right elbow and shoulder. I got up as quickly as I could, not wanting to be run over by cars behind me. What had happened was that although I tried to swerve out of the way in the nanosecond of time I had, I had managed to clip the window of the driver's door with my forearm and because (fortunately) the door didn't have a frame around the window I shattered the window.
Now one of the things that I recently read is an article in Bicycling Magazine that listed things you should do if you have an accident while riding. One of the things it mentioned was flushing out any wounds with the contents of your water bottle to make sure no foreign debris was in the wound - which I proceeded to do. Around me I could hear people shouting to call 911 and other asking me if I was okay. I seemed to be except for the huge two inch gash in my arm that was bleeding pretty profusely onto the sidewalk.
There is a lovely woman who has a business on Bryan Avenue and if ever an angel on earth existed it would be her. Her name is Dina and she owns Dina's Hair Salon at 20 Bryant Avenue. She was just coming into work when she saw my accident and she came across the street and she was a savior. She went across the street to her shop and got a towel and some hydrogen peroxide and cleaned out anything that my water didn't do. She told me to come over to her shop and get out of the heat but I just wanted to get my bike in a safe place because I could hear the following sound approaching;
So I quickly got myself across the street and into her shop. As I turned around an EMT was coming across the street and telling me I had to come back across. I explained that I had to take care of my bicycle, as mangled as it was. It was then that Dina said I could keep it in her shop, that she would keep it safe and I could come back and get it later or tomorrow. With a sigh of relief I followed Pierce the EMT across the street.
He explained that although I could move my head he was going to put a neck brace on me and they were going to put me on a back board into the ambulance (which you can see a picture of in the photo below);
After getting my vital information they strapped me down, put me in the ambulance and then proceeded to lash me into the gurney to make sure that my head wouldn't move around. All during this they were impressed with how lucid I was. I met an officer that was only introduced to me as "Dancing Bear" who apparently has a great affinity for salsa, merengue and other latin dances (this came about as I told them I teach dance) and he told me he once dance with Jorge Posada's wife - the things you learn in an ambulance. And for my very first ride in an ambulance, I have to say it was pretty fun - all things considered.
And then we were off to the Northshore LIJ emergency room. I finally got in and everyone there was so helpful and wonderful (apparently it was a slow day so I didn't have to wait long). My nurse Lauren was great and even though I'm older than twelve she kept calling me "Sweetie" - have to admit it was a little freaky but she had a great bedside manner.
Oh, I had enough presence of mind to call Amy and let her know what was going on before I rinsed out my wound and then again when the ambulance was getting ready to leave so I could tell her where they were taking me. It was after they moved me into the operating room that she and the kids arrived. I was very apologetic for making them ruin their day as the plan was to go to the Universalist Fellowship Church in Huntington (which I passed during my ride) and then have a relaxing day - AND AGAIN GOD LAUGHED.
Amy was wonderful and I kept apologizing for ruining their day - I just felt so stupid about the whole thing. I did find out that they would have to give me a tetanus shot and then they whisked me away to do some X Rays to make certain there was nothing broken and no debris in the wound where they couldn't see it. When they brought me back I got to meet my doctor - Dr. Musi. He was young, fun and hip and very helpful. Again, after hearing my story of hitting a car door at 20+ mph everyone was amazed that I hadn't broken anything and that I wasn't more injured. I guess I can attribute it to all my years of dance and stage combat - I know how to roll when I hit the floor!
After a while the resident who would be stitching me up came in to introduce himself - Dr. Laurence Denbusky. He assured us he would have me together in no time but then when he showed us the size of the needle he was going to need to inject to get the pain killer in I have to say I was a bit taken aback. The idea of an inch and half needle going sideways under your gaping wound is just not my idea of fun. And then Lauren, with her amazing bedside manner asked me if I wanted something in my IV to help me. So along with having my first ambulance ride I had my first experience with morphine. Now that was a freaky experience but I didn't feel the needle go in and isn't that the point?
Amy stood by my bed and held my hand as Dr. Denbusky and Dr. Musi working in tandem stitched me up. It took three internal stitches to close the muscular tissue back together and ten external stitches to close up the skin but it looks like I'll get to keep the arm! Only kidding, all in all it was not too bad and I'll have a great conversation piece.
Amy was great during all of this. She got the kids packed up, packed the snack bag, the camera, books, and all in record time. However, the only thing both of us forgot to mention was to bring clothes. You see, my cycling clothes were bloody and had a few holes, my cycling shoes were ripped and aren't the most conducive to walking about. Again, Lauren came to the rescue and said that they had some scrubs they could give me to wear out of the hospital. Of course, I was excited thinking I was going to get some cool Northshore LIJ scrubs but they turned out to be disposable ones. Anyway, after all the dismissal information they gave me some blue disposable scrubs (darn) and we were released. First order of business, get the bike!
So we found our way back to Bryant Avenue (thanks to some EMT's and their GPS) and there was a note on the door of Dina's shop to call her home number. I called and her husband gave me her cell phone number which I called. She was on her way home but told me she would be there in 25 minutes. While we were waiting we went across the street to Diane's Bakery (also on Bryant Avenue, lovely decor and the people were so nice) who informed us that the lady who hit me had been in (she's a regular customer) after the accident and she was visibly upset about it. Well, not as upset as I was. Anyway Dina opened up her shop and gave me my bicycle and she was so generous and so giving, very maternal. She gave me a hug as I left and told me she would keep me in her thoughts - again, an angel on earth!
Then on the way home we decided to drop the bike off at Adams Cyclery to have them professionally go over the bike and see what is going to need to be replaced and repaired. Darren took one look and said that the shifters (250 - 300 dollars) would have to be replaced and he'll give the rest of it - especially the frame - a thorough going over. I guess that is something that we'll have to look into in case I have to make an insurance claim. I've never really had an accident before so I don't know how this works.
Then it was back home and my family has been so wonderful. We do something every night before dinner that we call our "Gratefuls" and it seems that universally our gratefuls this night were that nothing more disastrous happened to daddy. I can only say to that - Amen.
So stay well my friends and I will be seeing you on the road soon - even if its on the old Frankenbike for a while.
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After getting my vital information they strapped me down, put me in the ambulance and then proceeded to lash me into the gurney to make sure that my head wouldn't move around. All during this they were impressed with how lucid I was. I met an officer that was only introduced to me as "Dancing Bear" who apparently has a great affinity for salsa, merengue and other latin dances (this came about as I told them I teach dance) and he told me he once dance with Jorge Posada's wife - the things you learn in an ambulance. And for my very first ride in an ambulance, I have to say it was pretty fun - all things considered.