Friday was my first day of bike commuting to work this year. Everything went splendidly. The money I saved on gas immediately was spent on fueling the engine that runs the bike. There was only one jerk encounter with someone who buzzed us. But most drivers seem to be more patient and understanding of people riding bikes and wearing back packs. Getting prepared for the bike commute is a little bit of an inconvenience (I try to bring my clothes a day early to work) but I should get into the swing of things. My goal this summer is to commute 3 to 4 days for every 10 days of work. It really depends on how things go if I am riding alone. If other drivers harass me a lot (this happens more often for a lone cyclist because a driver thinks he/she can get away with vehicular assault if there are no witnesses), then I'll have to cut back on my bike commutes. And I'll drive my car instead, increase demand for gas, thus raising the price, making other cars wait longer at red lights, and decreasing air quality. Sounds like a win-win if I'm not harassed on the bike. Too bad some people don't agree with me (and yes, I hate those people).