Driving / Biking etiquette

Yesterday something highly unpleasant happened to me as I was biking back from Prospect Park along 9th street. I was in the bike lane and approaching 8th avenue, which had a green light. As I approached, I let one car in the oncoming traffic turn left and then I wasn't going to let the next one turn because I had the right of way. If I was in a car I would definitely have had the right of way. and as a pedestrian, no doubt, the turning cars have to wait for ppl to cross the street on the green light. Anyways, this fucking bitch in a white van rushed it, making me slam on my breaks and flip over the front of my bike into the street. This was undignified, and when I got up I was full of rage. And the driver, an overweight Latina, says to me, "Don't you watch where you're going?" I thought I would explode with wrath. I walked up to her at her car window, "You could have killed me, I had the right of way, you have to yield, it was a green light!" And she stupidly says, "Exactly, it's a green light so I can go," as if she never completed drivers training at all. We argued like this for a bit and she kept asking, "Are you serious? Are you serious?" The argument quickly deteriorated into me screaming, "Fuck you, fuck you! You stupid fucking bitch!" at the top of my lungs. She looked surprised, and I felt no fear. I understood then how people get into fist fights or shoot each other over traffic altercations. But our fight was cut short as she sped off and yells out the window, "Fuck you, dyke!"

How did she even know I'm a dyke? I was wearing a helmet so she couldn't see my hair, and my jeans were tight, I wasn't dressed manly at all! Whatever. Maybe I should have got her license plate number and reported it to someone official (as if anyone would really care). Thank god I didn't break or sprain anything, I just got the skin scraped off my elbow and hand, a bruise on my shin, and a bruise on my hip.

Michelle spent the night last night. She is moving back in on the 26th. In the meantime, I continue to work on my own happiness: fish oil, probiotics, exercise, acupuncture, orthotics on the way, castor oil compresses... chronic pain management.