Dear So and So

[Kristi]

Dear Co-Workers -

Yes I ride a bike. And yes I do it for fun. I also hike and camp and fish. I know you're all a little less active than me, but this doesn't make me weird or crazy. It makes me healthy and fun!

According to all of you I only do this cause I'm from Oregon. Here's some news - being from Oregon doesn't make you a healthnut, a tree-hugger, or a hippie.

I do these things cause they're fun and good for you. You should pay attention and take some pointers.

[Dianyla]

Here's some news - being from Oregon doesn't make you a healthnut, a tree-hugger, or a hippie.

Heh, too funny!

[RolliePollie]

Dear Vicious Dogs,

OK, thank you very much...I've had enough now. I get the idea. I completely understand your instinctual urge to chase. And the barking...yes, I know, this is how you communicate. You all have lovely sharp teeth. And the growling and frothing at the mouth are all very impressive. You all run very fast. I do recognize that it must take a lot of self esteem to feel confident in displaying such aggression towards a perfect stranger. But ENOUGH ALREADY! You're scaring me away from my favorite cycling routes. You're raising my blood pressure to near stroke levels. You're wearing out my heart...not to mention my legs. I'm losing my voice from all the screaming.

If you wanted to terrify me, you've certainly succeeded. If you think it's funny, well, it's not. Three terrifying dog encounters in two days is plenty. Soon I'll come to be known as the crazy screaming cyclist. Or perhaps as the crazy screaming cyclist who packs heat. So please, go home and enjoy the dog days of summer. And LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!

Sincerely,
An animal lover who is currently not in love with dogs

[lph]

Dear Male Riding Buddy,

look, I adore you. No, not like that, but you're funny, smart, very kind and you know an enormous amount about biking that you're willing to pass on. We share the same drive and the same reasons for biking, to keep from falling over dead before our time.

But you also have a big, big mouth, and say the stupidest things about women sometimes. So it shouldn't really come as a huge surprise when I suddenly stop finding it funny and snap back.

So why the (insert expletive) are YOU acting all sensitive and hurt?? Yes, I did misunderstand you and over-react, but I apologized sincerely and immediately. And I came to talk to you and ask you out for a ride. That was four days ago, and you're still moping around being strange.

Just get over it, for crying out loud. I'm supposed to be doing these complicated relationship things with my dh, not you. My head is spinning, and all I want to do is go out and have a blast on our bikes without all this fuss.

[sulis]

Dear Guy in Truck:

Look, I know it wasn't intentional. But the fact is that you still hit my car, causing extensive damage. You were apologetic and admitted fault (which didn't matter because it was clearly your fault anyway) but still I was ok with you not getting a citation because people make mistakes. But now I need you to fess up when it matters. This has gone on long enough. Your truck is fine, my car is the one that needs to be repaired. I'm the one being inconvenienced here - no car, dealing with repairs, and having to front money for the repairs because you are not co-operating. Enough is enough - Please do the right thing and respond to your insurance company and mine...like yesterday!!!!

[DirtDiva]

Dear Daylight,

I'd like just a little more of you. A half hour or so more would be fine. Just enough so I can take full advantage of being home at four o'clock while I'm only doing casual work and get a good couple of hours out riding before dinner. Both bikes are frowning at me and I don't like it.

Yours,

Little Miss Impatient.

[crazycanuck]

Me too...Summer when are you coming to Perth???

Please come back soon..I'm tired of riding in the dark on my weekday rides..

C

[lph]

Dear Powers that Be,

Thank you for lightening up on me. Thanks for the sun in the morning. Thanks for giving me that little break at work I needed, and for smoothing out those social wrinkles that were bugging me.

I did notice, and I do appreciate it

[crazybikinchic]

Dear Intimidating, Pain in the *** Instructor,

Why are you so intimidating? Why are you such a pain? Do you not understand that people make mistakes that would not happen if YOU bothered to be up-to-date on your software? Better yet, do you not realize that some things are subjective because you and I might (and do) hear differently? I get it, you are old and do not remember what it is like to be a student taking 14 hours and working at the same time. Maybe you are just plain bitter. Just leave me alone!!! Let me pass, and I will be out of your hair in 6 weeks.

Yours truely,

Very frustrated student.

P.S. I would not be so stinking upset if this were not a stupid support class that is giving me more grief than my physics intense class.

[trickytiger]

I get it. I really do. See, I have these goals to accomplish: gaining admission to PT school, keeping afloat financially, publishing my work from my former life as a scientist, on top of taking pre-requisite classes AND working. Yes, it's a lot, and it's true that some days I wake up at 2am and freak out. So Fate, can you cut me a little slack? I'm busting my butt every single day and trying not to worry about what happens next, but it's that second part that gives me trouble. I'm not used to risk, and it's not comfortable. Help!

[Starfish]

Dear Drivers on that certain 50 mile stretch of highway:

Why, why, why can't you at least get up to the speed limit and stay there? Why can't you, when conditions allow, even dare to go just a bit faster, since the posted limits are so very conservative on that stretch? If you don't want to at least go the limit, why, oh why, can't you at least use the slow vehicle turnouts to get the h*** out of the way so that people who want to do the limit actually can? That is a law, too, you know. (And, staters, why oh why can't you enforce THAT law?) And, on the few areas where there are actually two lanes, why can't you actually use the right lane to dawdle along? Why can't you obey the signs telling you to keep right except to pass? (Again, staters, why can't you enforce THAT posted law?). Why must you simply flank the other slower-than-legal, holding-up-others drivers and create a defacto barricade to keep normal, good-driving-record, safe drivers from going about their business enjoying their drives and getting the heck down the road? Oh, and by the way, why is it that it is so often you slower-than-legal drivers who are wandering all over your lanes, and even crossing both white and yellow lines? (Oh, and staters, again, where are you for these displays of either absent-minded or plain cr@ppy driving?).

Grrrrrrrr.

[IFjane]

Dear Ex-husband,

Not that I did not already know, but you are now certified as a complete and utter a**!!! Twenty-seven year old daughter needs a stock certificate overnighted to her. Instead of just doing it, you go to the bank & get said stock certificate out of YOUR safe deposit box, drive to MY office & leave it on my desk with a note to OVERNIGHT it to her myself because you have to go to Charlottesville and DON'T HAVE TIME????? Like there is no place between here and Charlottesville to overnight a letter? And I have time to, when??? I'm working until 8:30 tonight, you jerk. Why not call and ASK?

What a piece of work you are.....

[sgtiger]

IFjane, what a pain! I would think in the same time that it took to take it to you that he could have taken it to the postal office/store instead and sent it himself. Has he always had control issues? Whatever, you're definitely better off without someone like that!

[Trek420]

Dear Real Estate G*ds,

Thank you for the recent effort lowering interest rates and such. Nice jesture but that doesn't help me.

That helps people with cash in hand to buy up homes at current fire sale prices. They don't necessarily need your help.

Right now I need you to help my neighbors stuck with ARM's, and therefore me too. Sure, I don't believe for a moment that they did not know what they were getting into. Tell anyone "your cost is $______ for the first year" and I hope the next question is "what is it the next year?". And you're going to say "It was all there in the 20,000 page document you signed".

My Dad taught me that the 30 year fixed what I should have, and I do. But if they don't sell, or sell but at blowout prices I'm trouble. We all are.

Sure nobody forced my neigbor to do a beeeyoooteeful job on her home, go buy another and now have two mortgages one rising monthly. But she did and if you don't make ARM holding banks help their customers nobody wins. When the bank takes possesion they still have to sell ... in this market.

Please fix this before I'm done with my remodel.

[IFjane]

IFjane, what a pain! I would think in the same time that it took to take it to you that he could have taken it to the postal office/store instead and sent it himself. Has he always had control issues? Whatever, you're definitely better off without someone like that!

sgtiger - Exactly! He passed I-don't-know-how-many places to send it (including his own office) before he got to me. For the record, we don't have the ability to FedEx or overnight anything from my office - so I left work, drove to the P.O. and stood in line to send it.

Yes, he has always had control issues, which is why I finally left. I AM much better off without him!