I went to the American Consulate this morning. Jesus, they’ve got some serious security down there. You could understand it if we were in the Middle East, but in the sleepy Dutch capital? Seems a bit much to me.
On the way there, I was stunned to see a fast collision between a van and a cycling running a red light. The cyclist was bounced up the bonnet of the van, the impact smashing its windscreen in the process.
The van braked hard, the force of which threw the cyclist off, slamming him down hard into the road. I thought he was dead as I rushed over to him, but he was still conscious, suffering from a lot of pain.
I, myself, had a close call last week in San Francisco. I’d already decided not to run any more red lights, but what I witnessed today was the ultimate disincentive. I have a lot to live for, and I don’t intend to die in such a stupid fashion, involuntarily. I have a few things to do yet before I decide to return to base.
[Time passes]
Tomorrow will see me down at the lock-up, sorting through my crap and packing it into boxes that I obtained from AA Verhuizers. They’re the ones who are going to handle the shipping of all of my stuff to San Francisco.