today, i was flipped off by a cyclist.

Twice a day I have to exit from the right lane of an interstate highway to the left lane of a state highway.  The speed limit goes from 60 to 50 and after a tight turn you go under the interstate highway and get about 100 feet to merge before you WILL SMACK INTO A CONCRETE WALL!  I witness people having tremendous trouble with this everyday.  Some people risk their rear-end by stopping all together until traffic is clear on the state hwy.  The people doing 60 do not appreciate this.  I don't like having to make the decision between getting rear-ended, merging blindly into 50mph traffic and a CONCRETE WALL!  I assume that in these situations it's every woman for themselves.  So, if I see an opening I take it!  There is no law saying that you have to merge slowly (the opposite advice was given in Drivers Ed. in fact).  Today, in this treacherous traffic situation, I was behind a van going 40 and in front of a line of cars that wanted to merge too.  Seeing that there was a sizable break in the 50mph traffic, I whipped around the van, to the right lane and accelerated to 50 so as not to impede traffic for the mergers behind me.  Apparently, however, when I flew like a bat out of hell from behind a van I scared the bejeezles out of a cyclist on the right shoulder.  I have a feeling he didn't see me (nor did I him) before I came around the van.  He admittedly scared me too, but I immediately saw that he was well into the shoulder and well, I'm sure I felt a touch less vulnerable inside my metal machine.  Sorry dude, but a girl's gotta merge.  So, he flipped me off.  And it was me and only me.   I know because he stood the hell up on his bicycle and leaned forward to do it.  I don't think he simply wanted to show everyone his boo boo.  And you know what?  I felt really bad for about a half an hour until I realized that he's wasn't flipping me off.  He was flipping the city off (I just happened to be their representative today) for not giving him a safe and accessible lane to get him where he needs to go.  And you know what bicycle dude?  I flip the city off for that too!  In fact, I'm flipping the city and myself off right now, on your behalf.  You're welcome.