tales from the front

2:55pm

i'm leaving 315 Bay st. after meeting up with 50 to hand him a job going north that's got more than an hour left. I'm headed to 235 Mo, to grab a job going to the heights along with two others i have on board. One of the jobs is due at 1600 Webster at 3:33pm. I cut up Grant st, hang a soft left onto southbound columbus, and i'm off. Columbus gets quick once you get over the hump. I made the green going thru broadway, and split the lane to get out in front of the pack. As i'm approaching the 3-way intersection of Columbus/Montgomery/Washington, i still have the green and continue thru with the right of way. As i'm about 10-12 yards out from the intersection, red pickup makes an illegal right hand turn from southbound montgomery onto washington - directly in my path. I realize that collision is the only way this scenario is going to play out... i lock up the brakes and skid into his passenger door, using my entire left side (bike and body) to take the brunt. I didn't fall, but i stopped fast and it felt like it. SO i proceed to get the guy to stop - he did - and pull over - he did. I lean my bike up against the grill on his bumper and approach the window. It's an 80 year old chinese guy, and he can't understand what i'm saying. oh, and right around when i was directing jerkface to pull over, meatball blasted the intersection behind me, laughing and pointing and seriously loving it.

/rant
When that guy (meatball) cracked his skull on five separate occasions during work over teh course of the first year he lived here, i was there for him every time. Everytime he passed out wasted on Bart and woke up in Pittsburgh/Bay Point or Fremont with no ride home, i was the first one he'd call, even though i didn't have a car. I've bailed out meatball more times than i can remember, and he hates me for reasons unknown to me...i think onetime he said he hated me because of my relationship with my ex gf. This is the same guy who, after he was kicked out of the house we lived in for being a constant asshole, called my ex to talk shit and lie about me (how i have STD's...WTF?! who would make up tha stuff?!) and convince her of all of these reasons why she and i are broken up....the thing is, she already knew everything he was trying to "expose" about me....and she remains one of my closest friends to this day. This is the same guy who once caused our roommate's friend to storm out of the house in hysterics, sobbing and in tears because he proceeded to tell her that "it's all the Jews fault".... Same guy who is outwardly racist - in the midst of one of our "lively discourses" he screamed at me about how white men are the devil and consciously keep everyone "down"....but he's white himself. This is the same guy who, when confronted and humiliated in public by someone he owed $150 to (call him Frank), decided to focus his rage on ME by screaming about how i conspired with "Frank" about where he was....meatball's debt to Frank - who did him a solid favor by giving him a bike frame when he crashed his own - had nothing to do with me. The fact that that person called him out in front of a dozen people at the statue had nothing to do with me. Anyone who wants to, can find meatball anytime of the day between the hours of 8am to 5:30pm: at the statue drinking sparks with a spliff. This is the same roommate that will break your shit and not pay you back for it. This is the same roommate that will just come into your room without asking and look for stuff. This is the same roommate that will be happy to smoke all of your ganja but never share any of his own. This is the same roommate who will leave angry little notes everywhere. Bottom of the barrel, scumbag bike messenger who doesn't accept responsibility for anything or any shit situation he creats. He hates anyone that's got anything nice in their life, because he's convinced himself that he's lower than anyone else. The world is out to get him, and he loves to play the victim. On two separate occasions that i know of in Chicago, he instigated a fist-fight, got popped in the nose, and immediately called the cops. it's weak-ass pussy-shit. it must be tough doing 15 tags a day, all of which are between 111 pine and 265 mo. I must admit i am much better off without that character in my life.
/end rant

Anyways, back to the wreck at hand. A big huge security officer came running out of 655 Mo, yelling "I'm a cyclist, i saw it happen," etc. etc. and he starts jotting down info, and says he's going to flag down an officer. I continue to ask the driver about insurance or ID, and i'm getting nowhere because "he doesn't speak english". At this point, i'm almost convinced that i'm not going to get anywhere, and consider venting by introducing my u-lock to his headlights and taking off....but by then the security guard had flagged down a DPT meter maid, who came over and checked it out. He he some radioing back and forht, and tells me that the only way to get PD over here quick is by saying ssomeones injured... although i had never said if i was hurt. EMTs and cops come, and i copy down all of the guys info. Thank fucking god/allah/buddha/krishna this guy has a current policy with State Farm!

EMT checks me out, they confirm that, yes, i'm okay. Cops come, i show them what's wrong /broken on my bike, and they attempt to get a translator. Cop realizes i'm trying to get back to work, and lets me go after getting all my information.

Another positive interaction with SF's Finest, one rattled skull and no broken bones....makes for another day on the lines. The weather was freakin' amazing too!