Things I have learned thus far in pursuit of the triathlon:

1) Sunglasses, while biking, are not a luxury that people wear to look cool. Rather, they are a necessity that people wear to enable them to see. To ride without such equipment would be as much (if not more) of a safety hazard as riding without a helmet. Try riding in the east direction as the sun rises. Nobody likes a blind bicyclist.

2) Busses are kinder than taxis. Busses will intentionally work with cyclists to ensure the safety of both parties involved, while taxis don't give two shakes what happens to the cyclist. I have always had a somewhat bitter taste towards Chicago busses due to the fact that even if THEY hit someone, it is the other person's fault... however, this recent discovery in their interaction with cyclists may have earned them a few points.

3) Well, I don't know what I learned from this, but I figured the occurence is noteworthy: At bike training last Saturday, the Iron Horse and I were climbing a 'hill' (really more of a mild incline that seemed hill-ish after four years in a flat region..). It is well known amongst the cycling community that mountain bikes are an inefficient choice in road-racing. Something about the tires gripping the road and slowing you down... yadda yadda yadda. So, I feverishly pedaled (please remember for the sake of an accurate mental picture that my pedaling as of the dooring shenanigan is very lopsided... as pedaling with a mangled knee simply hurts. So I really just use my good (better?) leg) up said incline, with what I thought was impressive speed and diligence. Two real cyclists pass me with their smooth and skinny tires. As the first passed by she said "Not bad... for a mountain bike." I am still split on deciding what she meant-- my initial reaction was "Really?! Thanks!" (and that is what I said...), but upon analyzing it, I can definitely see her intending to be somewhat snob-ish in a very middle school-esque manner. I don't know. For as much as we say that people don't care what you do and it doesn't matter what other people think, and as much as we minimize all these 'silent' social attitudes and everything... I still see them more often than not. They don't seem to disappear when you get out of high school or college or anything. People are weird-- perhaps that is the lesson learned. Haha, or perhaps I could learn that I over analyze everything.