Internal Dialogue

Last weekend I went to see The Dark Knight with a couple of friends. It was really very good. I’m always a bit hesitant when it comes to hyped movies like this, but this one really deserved it. I didn’t give it a 10 though – it wasn’t perfect. Besides, there is only one movie that I ever gave that grade on IMDB.

After seeing the movie we decided to go for a drink, but we stayed longer than anticipated. I usually don’t do things that belong under the generally understood definition of ‘going out’, but this time things were a little different. I really enjoyed myself and we had a lot of fun; although it was a little hot inside on the dance floor. Luckily the weather was very nice and we could go outside to cool off every now and then.

On the way back I noticed that the public lighting in Utrecht is actually pretty decent. Since I’m nightblind I almost never ride my bike when it’s dark, simply because I know it will be too dark for me. There’s only one route I’ve learned to travel safely during the night: from Bilthoven’s train station to my parents house. And that’s only because the first part is really well lit and I know the second part by heart. And it’s still pretty scary because I expect I won’t be able to see things like unknown obstacles or other road users as well as others.

Though, I’m wondering if I’m limiting myself by not at least trying? Sure, I’ve noticed that I don’t see things as well as m friends do at night, but like I said: the route seemed pretty well lit. Thinking about it rationally, I could probably pull it off, but only if the road was completely empty. Because the only thing I can’t predict is other people. It’s a little under 4 kilometers from the city center to my apartment, and that’s significantly more than the one route I’m able to travel by night. And even on that short route I often encounter people that don’t have their lights on; which for me is really annoying. I can’t see them! Cars I can see and hear coming, but there are so many people without functioning lights on their bikes that sometimes it’s impossible for me to see them coming. And the same goes for unknown obstacles; there are probably a lot more of those in Utrecht than in Bilthoven. And honestly, not every part of the route is that well lit. The public lighting is just better than I expected, but I still doubt it’s enough for me to travel by.

No, I think it would be better if I don’t try it. At least, not alone. Perhaps I could try it sometime when someone else is riding beside me, but I suspect I’d still find it a bit scary.