on the ride out of town today, i was at a light when i looked back and saw another person on a bike behind me... it was a messenger, a girl. she said "hi", and then the light turned green and we were off. as we rode, i asked her about her job, and how she learned to ride in traffic. she was greasy and cute; with a nosering and a little engineer's cap instead of a helmet. she had been a messenger for about 7 months, and obviously loved her job. she told me that "it sounds silly, but you just feel, like, one with your bike, you know? you just learn to sort of move and groove." i asked her about the travis culley book, which apparently is like a bible to her and her ilk. as we got near the end of the strip, she told me that she had to turn off there because, (as she lowered her voice) "i drive to work. don't tell anyone." she turned off and i continued on my way... struggling up the hillclimb on liberty. as i was coming down the other side and getting into bloomfield, she pulled up even with me in her car. her passenger-side window was down, and she smiled and said "hey." i felt so cool; validated.