The beast rides again!

The following morning I nearly lost the beast! I ran over a stick when riding to work. I heard the stick break, then my pedal wouldn't work and the bike lurched to one side. Uh oh! I had to make some hasty maneuvers to get my feet out of the pedals. My derailer was completely destroyed. Parts of it were strewn over the road along with pieces of stick. The rest of it was jammed into the cassette, which prevented the pedal from moving. I was already late for work and now had about a mile and a half to walk in the rain. I called Patrick for advice to see if there was a way I wasn't seeing as to how to make the pedal turn so the bike could be coasted to work. (not sure how he would ascertain this over the phone either) He said that he was not able to pick me up after work and would bring me another bike. When he arrived with tools, we realized that in addition to the derailer explosion, the frame of the bike was very bent where the derailer attaches. Patrick said that the beast might be done for. Oh, the adventures we've taken! How could the beast be destroyed by a stupid stick. It was a sad morning! I was nearly in tears by lunch, not helped by ambush with several serious problems from the weekend when I finally did get into the office. After 2 trips to the bike store to bend the dropout back into position, Patrick says that the beast is ready for more commuting in the rain tomorrow.