Mad props to whoever can tell me what movie the above image is from. I think it's pretty obscure (I could be wrong) but it's one of my faves.
I woke up to check the weather, and temps had crashed into the mid 10's. I can't even believe that Monday's ride home was 75 degrees! That's a huge disparity, and both were way outside our averages: Average high is 48; Average low is 30.
I Started with my wicking thermal base layer, then added my cargo pants. I double-layered my socks, Dug out the Thinsulate (tm) ski-gloves and used the inner, thick layer to my ski jacket. My tattered, knit balaclava covered my ears and face, while full, clear safety goggles kept the breeze and debris off of my eyeballs. It's not nearly cold enough for ski goggles yet, and the ones I have are tinted, which would be a bad thing in the morning.
So, I pedaled off into the brumal ambiance, well prepared for the temperature. My gear was perfect, if not just a little tiny bit on the warm side up top for my short commute. I didn't sweat, but I definitely didn't need to warm into my commute, either.
I found it ridiculous that Johnson County Transit sent a 40' bus out for my route this morning. Usually, we pack it full, almost to capacity (about 50 people) but they should have known that riders would be sparse this morning. I shared a 40' bus that likely gets 5 MPG with one other person. That's it. The two of us could have gotten better fuel economy driving a pair of Chevy Suburbans downtown by ourselves. Oh well, at least I'm not directly paying for the fuel, and I'm still saving wear and tear on my car, having fun on my bike and avoiding the parking fare.
Since I was riding to the bus, I had to navigate the bizarre phenomenon of rush-hour at 6:00 AM. Usually, I see one or two cars on my way to the bus stop. Riding on Quivira this morning really was just like riding it at 5:00 PM. There were cars everywhere, bullying each other around, trying to get into or out of parking lots, and all that jazz. It doesn't help that my bus stop is at the most popular shopping maul in Johnson County, and to get to my bus stop, I have to ride past a Sam's Club, Circuit City, Best Buy, and Toys 'R' Us. The traffic choppers above completely eschewed the highways, instead providing airborne coverage of parking at Black Friday shopping hot-spots.
Consume. Obey. Conform. Submit to authority.
Random Tunage:
GMS - Shrek
Ben Folds Five - Brick
Friday, November 23, 2007
Black Friday 2007: Doom, despair!
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6 comments:
They Live (obey)
I'm getting ready to head out as well to go see my dad. At least it has warmed up to 19!
HOLY SNIKEE'S!!!!,,,yesterday we had snow flurries here in TEXAS and people went nuts!,Noah,just to let you know,your winter riding has inspired me to go out and buy a mountain/all terrain bike,and ride during these cold months,i can't wait to cut thru some trails going to work!keep up the great work,love the blog.!!!!!
I'am working..!!!!!...yuk.!!!!!!!!!!!!
"brumal ambiance" ... had to look that one up - nice little phrase!
It's a movie with Rowdy Roddy Piper, "They Live".
They live. We sleep. I was inspired enough to trawl the tubes for a chance to gain visage of said moment of cinema. Laws broken, movies watched, and a guaranteed purchase if I find it on DVD for sale somewhere. Never let anyone say piracy eats into sales. It just steals rental fees and sales of *dumb* movies. ;)
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