Re: Anyone ride through the 1st Ave tunnel by the UN?

Jeff Grippe

"Edward Dolan" <edolan@iw.net> wrote in message
news:JM2dnS7ApLu-dananZ2dnUVZ_j-dnZ2d@prairiewave.com...
>
> ALL TOP POSTERS ARE IDIOTS!
>

It's very interesting that you should say that again. I have joined a Yahoo
newsgroup where top posting is pretty much the way it is done. Everyone
seems to top post all the time. I don't think that they are all idiots but
you never can tell.

> Any progress being made on your various infirmities from your trike
> accident? Enough time has now passed so that you should be getting a fix
> on what your prospects are.

Well since you asked,

I have decided not to have back surgery for pain. I've talked to many people
that have had it and nobody has had just one. I don't want to start down a
road of surgery after surgery. All the people I've talked to (about 4) say
the same thing. The surgery works for a while and then the pain returns.

But I thought that I had to do something so last month I had a gastric
bypass. I expect that over the next year or so I'll take off the 100 or so
extra pounds that I'm carrying (I'm down over 20 already). My pain doc says
that every pound
I take off is like taking 3 off my back.

It is unclear if I will be able to cycle again and enjoy it. There are some
physical problems on my right side that make cycling unpleasent after a
while. When I think about trying to cycle again I'm going to need to find a
pedal system that lets me press with my heel instead of my toe. That will
allow me to avoid the unpleasent stuff.

So the future is still a bit unclear. The weight loss could have a major
effect on a lot of things and I've only just begun that.

>
> Wishing you the best as always,
>

Thank you sir for your good wishes and concern. As always, I too wish you
all the best.

Jeff

Jeff Grippe

"Edward Dolan" <edolan@iw.net> wrote in message
news:JM2dnS7ApLu-dananZ2dnUVZ_j-dnZ2d@prairiewave.com...
>
> ALL TOP POSTERS ARE IDIOTS!
>

It's very interesting that you should say that again. I have joined a Yahoo
newsgroup where top posting is pretty much the way it is done. Everyone
seems to top post all the time. I don't think that they are all idiots but
you never can tell.

> Any progress being made on your various infirmities from your trike
> accident? Enough time has now passed so that you should be getting a fix
> on what your prospects are.

Well since you asked,

I have decided not to have back surgery for pain. I've talked to many people
that have had it and nobody has had just one. I don't want to start down a
road of surgery after surgery. All the people I've talked to (about 4) say
the same thing. The surgery works for a while and then the pain returns.

But I thought that I had to do something so last month I had a gastric
bypass. I expect that over the next year or so I'll take off the 100 or so
extra pounds that I'm carrying (I'm down over 20 already). My pain doc says
that every pound
I take off is like taking 3 off my back.

It is unclear if I will be able to cycle again and enjoy it. There are some
physical problems on my right side that make cycling unpleasent after a
while. When I think about trying to cycle again I'm going to need to find a
pedal system that lets me press with my heel instead of my toe. That will
allow me to avoid the unpleasent stuff.

So the future is still a bit unclear. The weight loss could have a major
effect on a lot of things and I've only just begun that.

>
> Wishing you the best as always,
>

Thank you sir for your good wishes and concern. As always, I too wish you
all the best.

Jeff

Jeff Grippe

"Edward Dolan" <edolan@iw.net> wrote in message
news:JM2dnS7ApLu-dananZ2dnUVZ_j-dnZ2d@prairiewave.com...
>
> ALL TOP POSTERS ARE IDIOTS!
>

It's very interesting that you should say that again. I have joined a Yahoo
newsgroup where top posting is pretty much the way it is done. Everyone
seems to top post all the time. I don't think that they are all idiots but
you never can tell.

> Any progress being made on your various infirmities from your trike
> accident? Enough time has now passed so that you should be getting a fix
> on what your prospects are.

Well since you asked,

I have decided not to have back surgery for pain. I've talked to many people
that have had it and nobody has had just one. I don't want to start down a
road of surgery after surgery. All the people I've talked to (about 4) say
the same thing. The surgery works for a while and then the pain returns.

But I thought that I had to do something so last month I had a gastric
bypass. I expect that over the next year or so I'll take off the 100 or so
extra pounds that I'm carrying (I'm down over 20 already). My pain doc says
that every pound
I take off is like taking 3 off my back.

It is unclear if I will be able to cycle again and enjoy it. There are some
physical problems on my right side that make cycling unpleasent after a
while. When I think about trying to cycle again I'm going to need to find a
pedal system that lets me press with my heel instead of my toe. That will
allow me to avoid the unpleasent stuff.

So the future is still a bit unclear. The weight loss could have a major
effect on a lot of things and I've only just begun that.

>
> Wishing you the best as always,
>

Thank you sir for your good wishes and concern. As always, I too wish you
all the best.

Jeff

Bill Sornson

Jeff Grippe wrote:
> "Edward Dolan" <edolan@iw.net> wrote in message
> news:JM2dnS7ApLu-dananZ2dnUVZ_j-dnZ2d@prairiewave.com...
>>
>> ALL TOP POSTERS ARE IDIOTS!
>>
>
> It's very interesting that you should say that again. I have joined a
> Yahoo newsgroup where top posting is pretty much the way it is done.
> Everyone seems to top post all the time. I don't think that they are
> all idiots but you never can tell.

Is it truly a "newsgroup" like this (Usenet) or one of many "Yahoo! Groups"
like our local mountain biking list? Almost every member top-replies on
that, too, because it's e-mail based for most and even the online version
just puts the latest post at the top.

The reason top-posting is stupid on a /newsgroup/ is mainly because it's
"threaded", not individual messages.

Bill "if all else fails, ask Michael Press" S.

Bill Sornson

Jeff Grippe wrote:
> "Edward Dolan" <edolan@iw.net> wrote in message
> news:JM2dnS7ApLu-dananZ2dnUVZ_j-dnZ2d@prairiewave.com...
>>
>> ALL TOP POSTERS ARE IDIOTS!
>>
>
> It's very interesting that you should say that again. I have joined a
> Yahoo newsgroup where top posting is pretty much the way it is done.
> Everyone seems to top post all the time. I don't think that they are
> all idiots but you never can tell.

Is it truly a "newsgroup" like this (Usenet) or one of many "Yahoo! Groups"
like our local mountain biking list? Almost every member top-replies on
that, too, because it's e-mail based for most and even the online version
just puts the latest post at the top.

The reason top-posting is stupid on a /newsgroup/ is mainly because it's
"threaded", not individual messages.

Bill "if all else fails, ask Michael Press" S.

Bill Sornson

Jeff Grippe wrote:
> "Edward Dolan" <edolan@iw.net> wrote in message
> news:JM2dnS7ApLu-dananZ2dnUVZ_j-dnZ2d@prairiewave.com...
>>
>> ALL TOP POSTERS ARE IDIOTS!
>>
>
> It's very interesting that you should say that again. I have joined a
> Yahoo newsgroup where top posting is pretty much the way it is done.
> Everyone seems to top post all the time. I don't think that they are
> all idiots but you never can tell.

Is it truly a "newsgroup" like this (Usenet) or one of many "Yahoo! Groups"
like our local mountain biking list? Almost every member top-replies on
that, too, because it's e-mail based for most and even the online version
just puts the latest post at the top.

The reason top-posting is stupid on a /newsgroup/ is mainly because it's
"threaded", not individual messages.

Bill "if all else fails, ask Michael Press" S.

Prisoner at War

On Nov 9, 9:42 pm, Tom Sherman <sunsetss0...@REMOVETHISyahoo.com>
wrote:
>
>
> I have had cops (who should know better) tell me I should ride on the
> sidewalk.

LOL! Just goes to show that cops simply make shit up, as suits the
occasion. It's either part of their training, 'cause they do it so
well, or the job attracts natural bullshit artists.

Speaking of cops, what ever happened to them bicycle cops? Don't see
any anymore, 'cept at parades -- what do they do the rest of the time?

> --
> Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
> Tradition is the worst rational for action.

Prisoner at War

On Nov 9, 6:39 pm, "Gooserider" <Gooseri...@mouse-potato.com> wrote:
>
>
> Err, while it may be rare----it happens. I know because I was hit from
> behind. It's a legitimate concern.


Well, thankfully it's never happened to me, not one single time in
over two decades of riding in NYC and surrounding environs in all
manner of weather, all times of day and night, all sorts of traffic
conditions, all seasons of the year (including in snow!)...I realize
that it's possible, but I just didn't think it was so probable.

Getting hit from behind is the Number One newbie fear, and I always
alleviated it in them by saying how it's never happened to me, for all
the side-swipes (taps).

I wonder what the statistics are...I'd bet that "rear-enders" are
rather less likely....

Jeff Grippe

"Bill Sornson" <askme@ask.me> wrote in message
news:4735dba5$0$8627$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
> Jeff Grippe wrote:
>> "Edward Dolan" <edolan@iw.net> wrote in message
>> news:JM2dnS7ApLu-dananZ2dnUVZ_j-dnZ2d@prairiewave.com...
>>>
>>> ALL TOP POSTERS ARE IDIOTS!
>>>
>>
>> It's very interesting that you should say that again. I have joined a
>> Yahoo newsgroup where top posting is pretty much the way it is done.
>> Everyone seems to top post all the time. I don't think that they are
>> all idiots but you never can tell.
>
> Is it truly a "newsgroup" like this (Usenet) or one of many "Yahoo!
> Groups" like our local mountain biking list? Almost every member
> top-replies on that, too, because it's e-mail based for most and even the
> online version just puts the latest post at the top.
>
> The reason top-posting is stupid on a /newsgroup/ is mainly because it's
> "threaded", not individual messages.
>
> Bill "if all else fails, ask Michael Press" S.
>
Well, FWIW, I claim the to be the voice of someone who has been doing this
for a really long time. My experience with threaded conversations goes back
to the days of BBS's and modems. When I started on my first chat BBS the
best modem you could buy was 1200 baud. I actually go back to 110/300 baud
and acoustic couplers but I didn't use those for threaded conversations. As
a though experiment, however, top-posting would have been far superior on a
KSR-33.

Although the conversations were threaded, most regular readers already knew
what the previous messages were. Anyone who wanted to join the thread could
either start at the beginning or jump right in.

The rules that made sense back then (and still do to my way of thinking) is
that you would top post if your reply was a response to the entire message
that preceded it. OTOH, you would insert your text into the message if you
were responding point by point.

This message could just have easily been top-posted with no lack of clarity.
You could still follow the thread by reading what is below it or by reading
the previous message.

I would say that to top post a point by point rebuttal is not such a great
idea but otherwise, it works as well as bottom posting. My point has always
been that it isn't an all or nothing thing. Top posting isn't always evil
and bottom posting isn't always better.

Jeff

Jeff Grippe

"Edward Dolan" <edolan@iw.net> wrote in message

> Even though you can't cycle much anymore, that is no reason to desert
> ARBR. Hells Bells, half the folks here don't cycle anymore. The only thing
> we run are our mouths. You are as good at that as anyone else.
>

I won't abandon the group although almost the only one I talk to these days
is you.

> Cycling is not the be-all and end-all of life. We are actually designed
> for walking, not cycling. Try to get out and walk everyday for an hour or
> so, if you can do that safely there in White Plains.

The loss of cycling, while not everything, is huge. It has been a source of
pleasure for most of my adult life and I won't concede it easily. While I
have never been a big fan of walking, my residual injuries make it more
unpleasant then ever. Because of the foot drop on my right side and the
difficulty in picking up that foot, walking has become a real chore. I
frequently stumble and trip on my own foot.

I still have martial arts and this winter, I should get out and see how
cross country skiing is. On easy trails it is like winter hiking. You don't
have to pick up your leg all the way. It might be something I can still do
although given how short the season is (they don't make snow for it), it
can't really replace cycling.

Jeff

Bill Sornson

Says you.
<eg>

Jeff Grippe wrote:
> "Bill Sornson" <askme@ask.me> wrote in message
> news:4735dba5$0$8627$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
>> Jeff Grippe wrote:
>>> "Edward Dolan" <edolan@iw.net> wrote in message
>>> news:JM2dnS7ApLu-dananZ2dnUVZ_j-dnZ2d@prairiewave.com...
>>>>
>>>> ALL TOP POSTERS ARE IDIOTS!
>>>>
>>>
>>> It's very interesting that you should say that again. I have joined
>>> a Yahoo newsgroup where top posting is pretty much the way it is
>>> done. Everyone seems to top post all the time. I don't think that
>>> they are all idiots but you never can tell.
>>
>> Is it truly a "newsgroup" like this (Usenet) or one of many "Yahoo!
>> Groups" like our local mountain biking list? Almost every member
>> top-replies on that, too, because it's e-mail based for most and
>> even the online version just puts the latest post at the top.
>>
>> The reason top-posting is stupid on a /newsgroup/ is mainly because
>> it's "threaded", not individual messages.
>>
>> Bill "if all else fails, ask Michael Press" S.
>>
> Well, FWIW, I claim the to be the voice of someone who has been doing
> this for a really long time. My experience with threaded
> conversations goes back to the days of BBS's and modems. When I
> started on my first chat BBS the best modem you could buy was 1200
> baud. I actually go back to 110/300 baud and acoustic couplers but I
> didn't use those for threaded conversations. As a though experiment,
> however, top-posting would have been far superior on a KSR-33.
>
> Although the conversations were threaded, most regular readers
> already knew what the previous messages were. Anyone who wanted to
> join the thread could either start at the beginning or jump right in.
>
> The rules that made sense back then (and still do to my way of
> thinking) is that you would top post if your reply was a response to
> the entire message that preceded it. OTOH, you would insert your text
> into the message if you were responding point by point.
>
> This message could just have easily been top-posted with no lack of
> clarity. You could still follow the thread by reading what is below
> it or by reading the previous message.
>
> I would say that to top post a point by point rebuttal is not such a
> great idea but otherwise, it works as well as bottom posting. My
> point has always been that it isn't an all or nothing thing. Top
> posting isn't always evil and bottom posting isn't always better.
>
> Jeff

Jeff Grippe

"Edward Dolan" <edolan@iw.net> wrote in message
news:wZ-dnbc0Btb2kaTanZ2dnUVZ_uyinZ2d@prairiewave.com...
>
> Jeff, if you can't get out and walk easily I will admit you are in
> trouble. I think that is the one thing we humans have to do in order to
> maintain our health. Ever notice how those who are confined to a bed or a
> wheelchair never live very long?
>
> I think I would work on getting back the ability to walk above all else.
> Surely there is a physical therapy or a prosthetic device available that
> could help you.
>

I can walk. It is slow and unpleasant. I've already been through 18 months
of PT which brought me as far as I've come today. There is a prosthetic
device. I have one. It is a case of the cure being worse than the disease.
The device is a brace and the improvement is minimal. The brace picks up the
front of my foot but it doesn't make the nerves fire that won't fire. The
brace is only the slightest of improvements.

I can and do exercise using machines and I am able to get an adequate
workout. I wasn't talking about physical fitness, which I am able to
maintain but rather about recreation. Cycling has never been about fitness
for me. Fitness was always a side effect. Cycling is something I have loved
to do since the first time I got on a bike as an adult. Before getting
married I used to bike just about everywhere and I got out every weekend. I
met my wife on a bike and she loves it as much as I do. Before children the
two of us biked often. Even after our son was born, we would plan bike trips
when we could. For example:

http://groups.msn.com/grippesphotos/railtrail2005.msnw

This is a safe link ed. It is to my photos on MSN.

So the loss of cycling would be huge but I don't concede the fight by a long
shot.

Jeff

dgk

On Fri, 9 Nov 2007 16:44:35 -0600, "Edward Dolan" <edolan@iw.net>
wrote:

>
>"Steven M. O'Neill" <steveo@panix.com> wrote in message
>news:fh2co5$qru$1@reader1.panix.com...
>> Edward Dolan <edolan@iw.net> wrote:
>>>If you are riding in the lanes with motor vehicles in NYC it is just a
>>>matter of time until you are hit. Ride in the street yes, but stay out of
>>>the way of motor vehicles. In other words, get as far to the right as you
>>>can, even if it means you are right next to the curb. Elementary, my dear
>>>Watson!
>>
>> Have you tried riding a bike like this, or is this just some
>> theory that you cooked up from behind the windshield?
>>
>> The method you describe will result in a large number of near
>> sideswipes (or worse). If there's not enough room in a given
>> lane for a car to safely pass, the cyclist is much safer taking
>> the lane; drivers can see you better and are more likely to pass
>> in the adjacent lane when it's safe to do so.
>
>Yes, that is the theory all right among the cognoscenti cyclists who think
>they know everything. But it is false.
>
>If you are in danger of being sideswiped, then get off your bike and walk it
>on the sidewalk. The traffic in a major metro like NYC is ferocious and only
>an idiot would want to mix in with it. Frankly, I would only ride a bike
>there on a bike path - even in Brooklyn!
>


The only unpleasant part of my commute is the two miles from the 59th
Street Bridge down 2nd Avenue. Then I pick up the east side
bike/pedestrian path for the rest of the trip downtown.

Even 2nd Avenue is ok though for the most part. Folks in NYC are good
drivers. Aggressive maybe, but pretty aware of the road and people and
bikes.

Prisoner at War

On Nov 13, 5:12 am, "Jeff Grippe" <j...@door7.com> wrote:
>
>
> In other words, you don't really know. You are taking an educated guess
> based on evidence but lets face it, there could be two people with similar
> attitude and writing style no?



You know, people spend way too much time on usenet playing the
personae dramatis guessing game...fact is, every opinion has got its
"constituency," regardless of who actually states it in public ("I am
Spartacus!")....

Ed thinks he's very clever doing the "aha gotcha" routine when I've
already stated who I am -- not that it matters, of course. But like
the pedant with nothing of substance to say and therefore retreats to
pointing out typos and other such minutiae, Ed thinks conversations
best turn not on ideas, but personalities.

All the poorer him. Which explains why, for all his belly-aching,
it's just those "same old shit" I allegedly post which has him more
animated than a Viagra overdose....

I also wish you a good recovery, Jeff.

Let me know when you are ready for Chinese restaurant advice! ;-)