Level Headed...Most of the Time

Now...I've been known, on RARE occasion (quiet, Mom), to get a bit riled up about things. I mean, most people do. However, I think that I am pretty level headed, most of the time.

There is one thing, however, that I cannot stay level headed about. I just cannot manage to keep my temper under control when people do something to intentionally injure or attempt to injure someone else - particularly when the person/people that they are trying to hurt are cyclists. Case in point - this giant JACK ASS in Australia. For those of you uninterested in clicking the link to the page, allow me to quote a few sections of the article from the Cycling News website...

"Sydney's cycling community was rattled when over 50 riders in a popular training group became victims of a hit-and-run crash this morning. The group included Australian Beijing Olympic Games hopeful Ben Kersten, former Olympian Michelle Ferris and Kate Nichols, one of the Australian Institute of Sport riders injured in the 2005 training accident that claimed the life of Amy Gillett.

While traveling south - the opposite direction to the morning's city-bound traffic - on Southern Cross Drive, Mascot at 6:30 AM a grey sedan approached the bunch and demonstrated erratic behavior as it passed. Once ahead of the group the sedan pulled in front of it and braked hard, forcing the group to slam into the vehicle travelling at over 50 km/h."

WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES THIS? I have a few theories:

#1 - the person is INSANE. They are clinical homicidal psychotics and this is just their way of achieving their goal to become a mass murderer in one split-second action.

#2 - the person is STUPID. Duh...was that a big, giant, enormous group of cyclists on the side of the road??? Maybe I should slam on my brakes to be sure.

#3 - the person is so SELF-CENTERED as to be unable to wait for two seconds. I mean, really...how hard is it to slow down (after all, we're only asking you to drop 15 mph to the speed limit that you are already exceeding anyway! :) ) and pass safely? Nope...can't do it..."YOU are in MY way." (How dare I?!?!?!)

#4 - the person is MISERABLY DEPRESSED. I honestly think that most of the time, when jerks yell at us, or drive too close on purpose, or otherwise take a risk with our lives, it's because they are sad about their own lives. They see a group of people out on the road on their bikes and become insanely jealous. Jealous that we actually look GOOD in spandex. Jealous that we are healthy. Jealous that we are enjoying our lives while they work too hard for nothing. Just plain jealous. It makes me sad...but it will inevitably make me more sad when one of my friends or I get run down by one of these morons.

I pray that they catch this guy. Whoever he is, he is a dangerous person. He belongs behind bars for a VERY long time.

I also pray that the next time I come across one of these miserable people, he or she thinks about one thing before passing too close, honking too loud, or yelling some obscenity. Is it worth it? If you hit me...is it worth what the rest of your life is going to be like? You think you're miserable now...just think about what it would be like to live with the knowledge that you hurt or killed someone for no reason other than you fit one of the aforementioned categories.