The day was bright and chilly when I left the house and I wound up
needing both my sweater and gloves when I set off. It was another
friendly morning on the trail and most of the passing commuters said
"hi" or "good morning". After I passed under Pacific Boulevard, I saw
Bike-to-Work-Day guy heading my way, slow down, and wait for me to
approach. He said that, if I didn't mind, he'd like to ride with me for a
bit. I didn't mind at all.
I apologized and told him that I
couldn't remember his name and I'd been calling him Bike-to-Work-Day
guy. He reintroduced himself and said that he'd been referring to me as
"Flower Girl". Heh. We chatted about our families and bikes and commutes
as we rode into a dense fog just past Loudoun County Parkway -- I'm so
glad I brought my headlight this morning! -- until he turned around at
Smiths Switch to head back towards Reston.
How fun! Definitely not an experience you can get with a car commute.
I am laughing at the situation because I've done this more than once... coming up with some sort of nickname for a person I've met but cannot remember their name (of course, I'm horrible with names anyway - so it doesn't help my cause at all). This is definitely one of those experiences one wouldn't have in a car!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I am terrible terrible with names. I lost your emails and I can't even remember your real name! I call you "Colorado Bike Blogger Chick" to Scott. ~facepalm~
DeleteLOL... that's great. I do the same thing... "You know, Virginia/D.C. bike blogger." It's not that I don't know who you are, but sometimes names just aren't my strong point. :O) At least I can just look at a post reply and say, "Oh, yes... that's it!"
DeleteI also have names for my regulars. There is Hoppy Guy, a runner with a distinct hop in his gait caused (I'm guessing) by a bum knee. There's Overdressed Man, an Asian middle aged man who seems to wear at least one too mant layers for the weather. There's the Breakfast Club, a triad of women runners that I only see in the morning. And there's Grafxnerd Clone, a cyclists that reminds me of a local bike commuter/graphics person I know.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to know their real names. It would be like seeing a radio personality.
I love hearing the nicknames that other folks have for the strangers they regularly encounter. When I used to jog, I'd pass two older gents who'd stand off to the side of the trail smoking. One of them always said, "You make me feel bad with your jogging every day." He, of course, became You Make Me Feel Bad Guy. Okay, so my nicknames aren't all that clever...
DeleteThis is all making me laugh today... I don't know why, but I find it so amusing that we all do this!
Delete