We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Though I had a lovely time running the marathon in Dublin last weekend, the sad consequence was a minor injury to my right foot.  Small price to pay, of course, but it makes the issue of getting to and from class a little difficult. Luckily, living in Oxford means there's an easy solution: the trusty bicycle.

I was really excited when I got back from India and noticed that Boston had installed new bike lanes.  Oxford is streets ahead on this one.  Not only are bike lanes present and accounted for on almost every road, they are put to heavy use by cyclists making the appropriate turn signals, obeying traffic lights, and generally sharing the road in a safe and efficient manner.  With the cost of owning a car (and parking!) so extraordinarily high, the bicycle--specifically, the "sit up and beg" model, as used above by the Wicked Witch of the West--is the preferred mode of transportation here in the Thames Valley.

This produces some strange results.  At 6 pm it's not uncommon to see women in dress skirts and men in suits happily pedalling away alongside students in clubwear.  It's also not uncommon for a Yankee on wheels to have heart palpitations as she navigates down what feels like the wrong side of the road.  What's a girl to do?  In this case, it's to take a lesson from my Indian friends.  If I'm not sure whether someone knows I'm coming . . .

. . . they will once they've heard my bell.  Tingalingalingalingalingalingaling...