My helmet was totaled. Aside from the
cracks, the walls they are part of are now noticeably thinner than they
were. I got ten years out of the thing, and when I got into a bad spot
it crumpled on cue. It was a Giro. I'm going to buy another one of
their helmets if I can find one that fits as well as that one did. Good
insurance. As Xion Host told me, "helmet is your friend."
I had minor damage to my shin and
knuckles. I bit my lip and got minor strawberrys on my cheek and
chin. Probably I can thank the helmet that wasn't worse, because the
bulk of it
mostly kept my face off the ground.
My keys dug into my leg and out through
my pants. The keys came through okay. All of them still work. Even the
fob is fine. I'd take some of them off the ring except for the fact I
use every one of them on a regular basis.
I'm not sure how I managed to skin my elbow without ripping my jacket
or shirt, but that does seem to be what happened. Aside from those,
I've got a sore shoulder. Nothing too dramatic, but it makes carrying
my
bike up and down stairs a hassle.
My back tire went flat. At the scene I
didn't notice this, and I got to the train station okay. When I got off
in Mountain View it wouldn't carry me any more. At that point I didn't
care. I was a bit wobbly, and walking home was a calming
experience.
The seat, headlight, and derailure all
suffered minor cosmetic damage. I think of that kind of thing as
"baptism." It gives my bike that aura of being a real part of my life.
I remember getting up after the
accident. I was a bit foggy for a couple of seconds. I vaguely remember
being surrounded by my fellow riders, but once they realized I was okay
they vaporized. I did a quick check to make sure that my parts worked,
picked up the loose pieces and headed for the sidewalk as fast as I
could get there. I thought for a bit and figured it was time
for me to go home. I moved very gingerly the whole way. Waiting for the
next train, I talked to somebody that told me bicyclists get tripped by
those train tracks all the time.
Looking back now, I don't remember
another time since the 1980s that I've gotten that dinged. When I
totaled my car a couple of years ago I didn't even get bruised by the
seat belt. The evening before this event I'd been at a talk about the
Israeli bombing of Gaza just after Christmas. In the slide show that
went with the talk there were many pictures of seriously hurt and dead
people
and other animals. This was nothing compared to that, despite being a
big event for me.
You know that old saying "courage is
getting back on a bike after you fall off"? I'm sure I've got that much
courage. The problem is that I don't have another "the revolution will
not be motorized" sticker. That only happened once, many years ago now.
The daily democracy sticker is also rare nowadays. I clipped that out
of a Nader 2000 sticker. I'm going to miss riding with those feathers
on my cap.
