There are many laws of nature, many of which have imposing sounding names, like "Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle." You wonder how a guy like Heisenberg got to be such a great scientist if he were so wishy washy. Well I've come up with a law of nature myself, which I call the "Principle of Constant Aggravation." This is a theory I've developed over many years of observing the human condition. Simply stated, for every action that improves a situation there is an equal an opposite effect that makes it worse. Sort of a situational ying and yang.
A good example is toll booths. When traffic is light, you would expect to breeze through the toll booths, barely slowing down to 20MPH as you fling your quarter at the machine. Not so. This good effect is counteracted by the the fact that they've closed most of the toll booths, and you still have to wait behind some yoyo in the exact change lane that's just dropped the entire contents of his change purse on the floor.
This principle applies to bicycling as well. You're riding down the bike path, and for some unknown reason, it's relatively empty. So you put it on cruise control and anticipate a pleasant ride home. This lack of traffic is the key for all the roller blader pairs to fan out and obstruct the entire path. This can actually be done by a single blader who can cut a wide enough swath to block the path in both directions. Winter is a great time to ride the path, since by then the thundering hordes have mostly taken to indoor sports. Life is good for several weeks in late fall, when the first snowfall hits, and leaves a crust of ice in its wake that makes the path impassible until ground hog day.
They decide to repave your favorite road, which has come to be known as "pothole alley." This is a good thing. Of course, in so doing they first tear up all the remaining asphalt leaving a surface so gnarly you have to make periodic visits to you dentist to replace the fillings knocked out thereon. The usual time it takes for the completion of the project is about six months, after which you can enjoy the sweet new pavement for about two weeks, when frost heaves set in and the whole cycle repeats itself. And so it goes...
ERRATUM
I have to confess last month's "Little Jack's Corner" contained a heinous slur against my dear wife Susan, that turns out to be groundless. Having done my usual amount of research for the column, i.e., zero, I alleged that the "Passing of the Plaid" ended while Susan was president. This is totally untrue. Susan zealously guarded the treasured relic under her desk at work for the entire period she was president and turned it over to her successor, Ken Hablow, after which it was never seen again. The investigation continues.
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