First: I know *AHEM* some people like to ride in the rain, but you need to be a really, really sick puppy to like this. Headwinds o'doom, and somehow ice, snow, and rain all at the same time.
This morning, Leg 1 was just chilly. Nothing wrong there. Leg 2, however, brought with it a deluge of rain. 38-degree rain. I was not amused.
The obdurate precipitation continued all day with every kind of wintry-mix element you can imagine. I got out a bit late, and in an "oh crap!" moment realized that the L bus was already several minutes ahead of me when I saw the B pull up. Fortunately, the L bus has a fixed route and schedule. Regardless, it was pretty far into its route, and I had to give it 100% to race it to Union Station. My race was won, but at the sacrifice of every bit of comfort I hold dear. I hadn't the time to don my gloves or balaclava, nor even zip my windbreaker. I arrived to the station soaked, chilly, wind-torn, worn out and with raw lungs from more than a mile of all-out pedal-mashing.
I actually fell asleep on the bus. That never happens. I took it easy for the ride home, and used the pedestrian bridge route.
So, today wasn't miserable, exactly. It just wasn't ideal.
Next: I wrote a little diddy on CommuteByBike about Guaranteed Ride Home programs. For those of us in Kansas City (and surrounding areas), I suggest signing up for MARC's GRH. Even though the cases where I'd be forced to use it are a few and far between, it's nice knowing I have the option if something bad crops up.
Random Tunage:
God Lives Underwater - From Your Mouth
The Postal Service - District Sleeps Alone Tonight
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Miscellaneous schtuph.
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4 comments:
Ugh! I hate riding in the rain. Why? Because it means when I get home I'm going to have to clean and lube the bike in question if I want to keep it from rusting.. Typically I don't mind a little quality time with the bike; however, when I also need to cook myself dinner, take a shower, pack the panniers for the next day and get in eight hours of sleep the though of an hour or two on the garage floor becomes a little nettlesome.
I missed it! I was watching the weather outside all day, and was (not quite acutely) disappointed that the rain stopped by the time I got out in it. There were random snow flakes here and there, and some small rocks borne on the wind, but other than that, it was just cold and dry.
I will admit to a preference for *warm* rain vs. cold, but either way, if I'm prepared (read: not on my Torelli), I'm loving life!
Sorry to hear about your struggle home. Those days are no fun. My morning wasn't that bad, but there were indications that I should have stayed in bed.
Nettlesome. Obdurate. Great words.
If you haven't figured it out yet, I absolutely love obscure words. Nettlesome was definitely +1 in my book, too.
I went through a rampant phase of dictionary and thesaurus reading (yes, it sounds kind of masochistic) and in the process picked up a lot of really nifty replacements for everyday words. Throwing them in adds a bit of flavor. Even though I'm only writing this stuff for myself, there are people who apparently read it. I figure if I'm writing every freaking day and people are reading it regularly, I might as well make it worthwhile and somewhat interesting to read, even if it requires a trip to Google on occasion.
Exercise for the body + exercise for the mind = The Happy. If a trip to Google it takes, then a trip to Google it takes!
Language has always fascinated me. It's probably one of the reasons I'm a Tolkien fan-boy. Etymology is a too rarely explored interest of mine as well.
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