I thought I saw Karen pull out behind me as I rode through 79th. A pale blue single LED or HID light was visible for a moment, but the light vanished. Up Quivira to 75th, then over to Nieman, I saw the light behind me once again as I rode north. Karen shouted at me. I waited for her to get through the light. Next to her, four police cruisers were stopped with officers on weapons and using cars for cover. Karen spoke with the officers for a moment while waiting for the light. I guess someone broke in to steal cigarettes and the officers were clearing the building, concerned there was a second perp. Eeeh. I figure the felons would have tried activating the gas pumps to steal gas the way the price jumped overnight.
Sorry it's blurry. 3.639 for Regular 87 Octane. This is a 19 cent increase over yesterday. I don't know whether to grin or shudder. That's a lie. I'm still shuddering, but between the fuel crunch and cramped space on commuter buses, I realize I might start seeing more bike commuters.
I didn't get any other workbound photos. It started raining on us soon after we got on Merriam Lane.
On final approach to the coffee shop, I rode over a wet manhole cover and the bike went down. It's fine, but I dragged my leg across the blacktop and through the wonderful road grime containing all sorts of delectable contaminants. You can't see it, but there's about 3 square inches of epidermis missing around the scrapes. Fresh meat:
In praise of Tegaderm. I tried various "moist" wound dressings last time I had road rash. The Hydrocolloid dressings did work, but I had better luck with the breathable 3M Tegaderm than anything else.
Tegaderm is the exact same thing that many hospitals use to cover IV insertion points. It's sticky, but doesn't stick to the wound or to fresh skin. It seals in moisture while still allowing air to get to the skin. You can wear it for days and days at a time. If you're careful, it even lasts through a shower or two. The printed label on the bottom of the dressing is made of medical tape. It's for use in hospital situations so that the dressing's application date can be noted.
Peeling the backing off reveals a paper frame around a clear, sticky membrane.
The wound is centered in the frame...
Then the edges are firmly applied, taking care to smooth the wound dressing and avoid sharp creases and wrinkles.
Once the paper frame is removed, only the clear membrane remains. This allows the wound to heal quickly and without scabbing. Fresh, pink skin will probably start showing up under this bandage by tomorrow morning.
At coffee, John showed up along with JR and Lorin. John occasionally commutes by bike but usually by bus. John, Lorin, Karen, Chris, and at least one more rider are on-board for Monday's Bike Commuter Convoy. It sounds like it's almost certain that we'll get TV news coverage. So far, we have a convoy of six.
Random Tunage:
A-Ha - Take On Me
Nine Inch Nails - Hurt
Friday, May 09, 2008
A tale of rain and road rash
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4 comments:
You're spot on-gas prices are crazy right now. I had to fill up yesterday and I paid $3.70 for mid-grade. Unreal. Then I see on Fox News today that oil has gone over $125/barrell. Unbelievable.
Good tip on the road rash repair. Hope your leg feels better.
Hi Noah,
It is interesting that the makers of Tegaderm would use a bicyclist on the front picture of their product. Maybe bicycle crash roadrash injuries are more common than I realize. I would have thought roller bladers or skate boarders would be more likely to loose skin on any given day.
Anyway, best wishes to your wife getting well.
I thought the cycling stuff on the package was interesting last year when I first tried Tegaderm.
I took a second picture of the injury about 24 hours after I applied the Tegaderm and it's looking pretty good. My guess is it'll be healed almost completely by tomorrow morning. At least enough that it doesn't need to stay covered.
I'm not against saving the world of others using bikes, but I do kind of like being only one of a couple of bike riders.
It feels kind of revolutionary, you know.
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