Another ten-speed ride home from a body works class and I am reminded of various things from my childhood which have moved on. The first reminder was an intersection I would use, please save your gold star for now, to cross the street in legal and watchfully actual safety. For so many years signals were set at pre-determined intervals.

Often, it was the old thirty by thirty---varying in the case of the push button walk signals when deployed---even all night when at least one street went minutes approaching an hour between vehicles. Okay, or pedestrians pushing the "walk" button.

Now there are heat sensors etched in the asphalt and as to the walk signs, they often are quadrant specific: push the button, it gets you that sign and not the other side of the street or even the one over your shoulder.

Once rolling again I passed what used to be the proud Van Nuys Triple "A" building. It was only a handy nine tenths of a mile from me, but long ago they consolidated into the Northridge office, which is ten miles away or does an impressive imitation of this generic response to a distance query.

What's there now is, how shall we say, "one of those" medical assistant colleges. Probably not a name you've heard: if this one is advertised, it's on a public access cable channel which only covers three dwelling units.

Mentor wrote a piece about the sad aspects of U. S. hospitalization. It all makes me think to the classic rite of passage for medical interns: long hours, fatigue. This time of year I also think of the dreadful football practices of the initial part of the season some of us male wimps endured because of the Shanghaiing/bullying of obstreperous coaches anxious to fill the otherwise thin ranks of little high schools like Our Lady Of No Surrender. No water during practice!

It all ties in to "be tough". "You have to do it/this is how it's done."

Mom was a nurse and trained in a school run by nuns who were horrid. Down-putting and feeding the students "dog vomit on toast", the latter phrase and story I remember all during my childhood. But she remained faithful to the nurse's code---and The Church.

So many myths and legends, and here is a really turbulent election year trading on them, reminding me of hazards of the bike ride.

Back to safety; med personnel have enough to do.