Italians are poor, but they're happy.

I ride my bike down a big hill to get home at night.  The speed limit for cars is 40 mph, so I put my bike in my highest (yes, highest, right?  hardest?) gear and pedal as quickly as possible to keep out of people's way, and because it's more fun to go fast.  I try to check behind me and if there is a car on my ass, I'll pull over and let them by.  Most of the time I am very good about this.  And this particular time, I was, this moving van was not on my ass, but I got way over out of his way at the bottom of the hill and he flipped me off!  He didn't even look at me, I didn't slow him down (I know because I passed him again!) but he just didn't like me because I was on a bike and wanted to flip me off.  I was so pissed and tired from work that I started crying.  Crying on a bike at night, super safe.  

BUT TODAY it was windy and there were more people on the road, so I didn't go quite as fast as I usually do.  There was a truck a little closer behind me than the bird-flipping moving van, but I didn't pull over because there was too much traffic.  At the bottom of the hill in the exact same spot I got flipped off, the truck pulled up next to me and rolled down his window.  I could hear him yelling at me and didn't want to look, but I did.  I was ready to flip him the bird right back, but (thank god) I stopped and he yelled "You were nearly doing 40!"  I laughed and waved at him and said thanks.  And then I laughed and laughed the rest of the way home.  40!  I was going the speed limit when the moving van flipped me off.  PLUS I felt like Dave in Breaking Away I wanted to sing in Italian and wave at neighbors.  Instead I just smiled really big at everyone I passed.