Guess what?

...It's snowing again! Photo: taken out of the break room window where I work.

I just edited it and posted an update/comparison as of about 1:15PM

Missed THREE buses!

I didn't get to bed until a little after 1:00AM, and then my wife heard "burglars" (our cats playing with an empty "fridge pak" 12-can box) and decided the best way to wake me up would be to punch me in the kidney. In her defense, she was half asleep. I crumpled up the box and disposed of it, but It took my heart about 15 minutes to slow back down to anything resembling a normal rate after that. To think... I said I was going to sleep good last night. I really shouldn't make promises I can't keep.

Yesterday's ride had me good and well tuckered out. On top of waking up late, I also had a pretty slow ride in. I'm on the 7:15 bus, which is the absolute last bus out of town in the morning. It's 13 Fahrenheit right now, and I kept warm except for my toes. My thick wool socks are dirty, so the toes are frosty from wearing sport socks again. At least I didn't get cold feet this morning. Pun intended.

Thank goodness my base layer dried well last night. I washed it in the sink, rinsed it in the shower, and hung it up in our utility closet with the furnace and water heater. It's easily the warmest place in our apartment.

I'll be staying inside for lunch today. It looks like tonight I'll be swinging by JCCC for a little bit to hang out with my wife, but I'm going home right after that.

A few more errands...

Why not, right? We needed a new calendar, and it's my night to decide what's for dinner (which means I'm cooking), so I swung by Border's for the calendar and Hy-Vee for some Salmon and side dishes. It didn't add much distance to my trip. I velorouted the Johnson County part of my day. Click here to see it. Remember, there was also the 2.5 mile Lulu's run Downtown and a little bit of riding to and from the bus stops. I didn't map that out. My estimate of 17 miles for today was about right.

Recap:
Home to bus stop
Bus to work (no cycling)
Work to Lulu's
Lulu's to Work
Work to Bus
Bus to bus stop (no cycling)
Bus stop to bike shop
Bike shop to pet store
Pet store to coffee shop
Coffee shop to Book store
Book store to grocery store
Grocery store to home

Sheesh, that looks like those parts of the Bible where so-and-so begat so-and-so.

I am going to sleep really well tonight! w00t!

On a side note, my base layer reeks something fierce. Washed that stuff in the sink, and I hope it's all dry by morning, or I'm going to have a really cold commute tomorrow. There's no way I'm wearing a pre-moistened base layer when tomorrow's forecast is low double-digit temps and flurries!

Avert thine eyes, fellow cyclists...

Photo: The hideous countenance of THE SNOWFLAKE CYCLIST FROM HELL!!!

I got this shirt from the little start-up I worked for in the first half of '06. This is actually the first time I've worn it. It's representative of the snowflake computer cluster designs that the development team had come up with. Now that I'm cycling in cold weather, I might as well sport it. I'm mid-swig at Daily Dose in the photo. Good, warm coffee. I had to swing by the bike shop and the pet store before I came here. So far, I'm at about 5 and a half miles this evening. If I take my usual route home from the Dose, it'll be a notch over 11 miles for the night, and about 17 miles total today. I'm really starting to miss the smoothness and speed of the Outlook, and I was drooling over some of the cheaper road bikes at the bike shop this evening.

There were simply too many times on my way here where I really needed my wide, knobby tires, so I'm sticking with the Sorrento until warmer climates find Kansas City again.

Chilly lunch

Photo: Riding up Baltimore. Okay, I pulled onto the sidewalk to dig the camera out, I was not actually RIDING when I took it.

Temps finally hit double digits, and I got an insane craving for Lulu's Thai Noodles so I hopped on the bike. It's only about 2.5 miles round trip, but it was a chilly ride, especially barreling down Broadway at a good 30 MPH clip. I took Baltimore back north because construction on Broadway is brutal right now.

Mmm. Noodles. Lulu's comes highly recommended if you live or work downtown.

Missed TWO Buses...

Photo: Parked cold and alone amid a sea of vacant bus-rider cars. I have missed the bus I normally take, as well as the one after it. Visible are my helmet, ski goggles, and ginormous backpack.

It's a crisp 6 degrees Fahrenheit outside, with wind chill in the negative double digits. That's between -15 and -25 Celsius. I dressed pretty much the same as yesterday except using jeans as my outer layer for my legs, and thick wool socks instead of thick cotton sport socks like I normally wear.

Anyhow, I'm posting this from the bus that leaves Olathe at 7:00 AM. Unfortunately, between traffic and having to change into my work clothes, that means I won't be at my desk for another hour.

Holy moly! Arctic headwind!

Tonight was windy, seemingly all the way home into the wind. I'm not so sure how that happened, but the wind was evil, cold, and it carried salt and sandy road debris through the air right into my face. I eventually put my ski goggles on.

I had to swing by the grocery store on the way home, too. This is usually a bit of a challenge, because my commute usually has me pretty encumbered as is. The photo shows my makeshift way of getting spaghetti makings and a gallon of milk home while carrying about 30 pounds of work gear, computer equipment and clothes in my backpack.

Of course, I didn't consult my wife before leaving the store, so now I'm getting sent back out into the arctic blast.

G'night, folks!

Good morning!

Okay, nothing spectacular this morning, per-se, just another successful commute. This makes 12 days so far, out of 21 work days. This definitely isn't the ratio I was shooting for, but it'll get better. We're still in January!

It wasn't quite single digit temperatures this morning, but it was darn cold. I was comfortable the whole ride in, with my thermal base layer, a hoodie, and a windbreaker on top and thermal base layer, flannels, and Dickies work pants on bottom, which are a little thinner than my jeans. I did have to slow down a bit to keep from working up too much of a sweat. It's amazing, as I keep getting to the bus a little faster even when I feel like I'm holding back. I can't wait to get back on my Outlook. I'm kind of planning on building up a Cyclocross bike once my wife and I move. That thing should really get me cooking, and it will probably be my ride for the MS-150 bike tour whenever I finally get fit enough to ride the distance. My initial choice is the Redline Conquest with 105 components. It's a lot like the Trek X0 but more affordable. I'd love to go with the Ti frame Conquest, but I don't think that will happen.

The above photo is my bike parked across from the Town Pavilion and in front of a police van this morning. There were two other police cars nearby, so I'm not sure what the deal was.

Here's a bonus shot of the TransAmerica building (on top of the Town Pavilion)

Good grief, it's cold!

I've been out here and there over the weekend. The evil flu of death and plagues has finally started to loosen its grip on my pulmonary system. With parents back in town and no need to feed the pets, I should be back on my regularly scheduled bike commute this week.

I had a little problem yesterday where I lost my Mars 3.0 blinky when it fell off my bike while riding some rough icy off-road terrain. I finally found it today by following my ice tracks. I was worried I'd need to go buy another one.

Anyhow, forecast calls for about 12 degrees in the morning, so I'll have some moderately heavy gear on. I'm charging my batteries and washing all my clothes for the week so that everything is ready to go. I don't expect any setbacks.

I got published (again)

Photo: Cover of 2600 Magazine, Volume 23, Issue 4. My article is on page 32!

I am many things. I am a systems programmer. I am a system administrator. I am a tinkerer. Another thing I am is a technical writer. I've been an interview subject, adviser and proofreader for a few publications here and there. I also did a brief stint as an editor for a little on-line publication back in the late 90s.

When it comes to my writing though, getting published in print is a satisfying act of validation. This is the fourth article I've gotten printed. For non-geeks, this is kind of dry. 2600 is a magazine geared towards geeks and so-called hackers, so this article probably doesn't even look like English to many of you.

2600 doesn't care what the author does with the article once it's hit news stands, so I pushed it out to my website for all to see, because not everyone wants or can get 2600 magazine.

Here's a link to the article

I'm out the rest of the week.

I may do some recreational riding, but my commute is done this week. My parents are leaving town today, and I promised them I'd take care of Rowdy (the dog in the photo) for them. He's an old man with hip problems. He's actually a Chow / Golden Retriever mix. He acts like a puppy, has the bark of a Chow, and the loyalty of a Golden. With the weather like it is, though, he can't stand being outside all night, and someone has to feed him.

The problem is, my parents live 20 miles away from me, 50 miles from my job, 15 miles from my wife's job, and there's no bus service to help me bridge the gap. With that, I'll be spending a bit less time in the saddle this week.

Everything I need, right here...

Okay... It would be nice to have my partner in crime (wife) with me, and maybe some friends. Hmm... I got to BWW about 40 minutes ahead of plan. The sidewalks are fun with powdery snow that's been partially ruined by icy footprints. Santa Fe is another road you don't travel by bike after dark unless you have some serious illumination or a death wish.

So, here I sit, with my MacBook, my new bad-ass Logitech Revolution VX mouse (showing its glowy battery meter), a good beer (Killian's irish red), my bike helmet, and inevitably, a pile of thermonuclear wings that are guaranteed to sting soo good from end to end.

Sounds like it's going to be a meager turn-out of just a few car friends of mine. A teenage kid dared me to jump the steps (3 foot drop, about 5 steps, pretty steep) as I pulled up to BWW. I told him it was too steep (plus I had a $1500 laptop with me ut I wouldn't advertise it to the public). He said he wouldn't have done it either. Kids.

So, here I sit. Content and alone for a few more minutes. I'm looking forward to the ride home. After the beer passes through my system, of course.

It's good to be back

Photo: The Death Star II, as dubbed by one of my fellow commuters, nears completion, with cranes busily piecing together the structures surrounding the new Sprint Center arena.

This is the first time since Friday evening that I've been able to ride. I froze my little leggies off this morning, because I thought it was close enough to freezing to get away with just my jeans. BZZT! WRONG! I should have played it safe and tossed the thermal base layer on. Fortunately, my core stayed warm without getting really hot and sweaty. The last thing I need to do is provoke the demons of illness, death, and plagues again.

I'm still on for Wings tonight. I figure a batch of Blazin' wings with some spicy garlic wings to "take the edge off" should help decimate any remaining shard of unwanted parasitic life forms in my body.

Anyhow, it's good to be back on the bike again. Yesterday was a drag without it.

Buffalo Wild Wings tomorrow night

Just in case anyone wants to come hang out with some friends of mine. Well, me too...

I'm going to be at Buffalo Wild Wings at Santa-Fe and Mur-Len in Olathe tomorrow night (Tuesday, Jan 23) at about 7:30PM. If you want to meet up, e-mail me and I'll give you my cell # so you can find me. It's likely that me and my crew will be in the bar area since it's open seating and now that there's no smoking in the entire place. My e-mail is focushacks at gmail dot com, and yes, there might be a few Focus drivers present. I'll probably be sporting the Sorrento, though.

I'm feeling a lot better today. I haven't coughed in at least an hour, and my ears and sinuses are totally clear. Hopefully taking today off will give me the boost I need to make it through the rest of the week on my bike.

Driving tomorrow to be on the safe side

So, a bit of a recap of the illness.

Monday at 11:00PM: Stood in line with my wife so she could get the new World of Whorecraft expansion pack. Wore nothing but a hoodie and jeans for warmth. Bad idea.

Tuesday: Woke up with a bit of a sinus headache and runny nose.

Wednesday: Really bad sinus headache, slept in, drove to work

Thursday: Still kind of sick.

Friday: Feeling worse, acquired a cough in the middle of the day, started feeling really bad friday night.

Saturday: Slept almost all day, 101.2 degree fever, lungs feeling raw hating life.

Sunday: Woke up extremely sweaty which is usually a good sign, but still had a low-grade fever. Still some coughing, lungs feeling a little better, really sore ribs.

So, I'm going to play it safe tomorrow. I won't drive in, I'll just drive to the bus stop where my wife works. Besides, I need to make it home in time to watch 24 tomorrow.

Evil Death Bug!

Well, I started to notice a funny taste in my mouth yesterday evening while riding to the bus. It was that "medicine" taste, that's the sure sign that some kind of infection is coming, and it's in for the long haul.

I won't be pedaling at all this weekend. My head cold has tried its damnedest to become full-on bronchitis, and it's almost there. Ugh.

I can't shake this!

I've basically been sick all week. This NEVER happens, I just don't get sick, or if I do, it's only for a day. I'm not really all that sick, but I feel run down, hazy, my sinuses are flowing fountains of mucous, and I've had a mild headache for the past 4 days.

I still rode in, though. It was about 20 degrees when I left, but otherwise there was nothing worth mentioning on my way to work. I have the PHP User Group meeting tomorrow, I think I'm going to ride my bike there. It's at The Daily Dose, so it's not a trip I haven't made quite a few times already. I'll make sure to get plenty of sleep this weekend, and I probably won't use the bike at all on Sunday.

It looks like we have more snow headed in this weekend, so I'll probably be stuck on the Sorrento for a while. I've been wiping it down every night, but it needs a thorough cleaning and lube this weekend.

I probably won't post again today unless I get a great photo or something bizarre happens on my way home. I plan on taking my plain old route home, no JCCC or anything fancy tonight.

Got some coffee, rode in some snow

I've been taking the bus to JCCC where my wife works, pretty much every night she works. It's a bit further from home, but I get to see her for a bit, grab some supper for the both of us, and then I usually go to Daily Dose to chill for a bit.

Also, I have been playing with VeloRoutes (link in sidebar). It rocks, and tracks your elevation, and a bunch of other stuff assuming the data is there. It's based on Google Maps so it has to be awesome. I have mapped out all my routes in case you have been keeping an eye on my Commute Log.

JCCC to Daily Dose is 3.6 miles the way I go. I went to Daily Dose and back to JCCC for a total of 7.2 miles tonight. In the snowy sidewalk, nonetheless. I'm still too chicken to ride on Quivira. Traffic is really fast.


When I go straight home from the Dose, I take 127th street across. The new viaduct isn't in Google Maps yet, for a total of 5.7 miles.


My normal morning commute, and my evening commute when I'm not going to JCCC is about 2.8 miles

When I go straight home from JCCC it's 6.8 miles. There's a shorter route, but it's treacherous and poorly lit.

In short, I love veloroutes.org. :)

Saw another commuter over lunch.

I didn't have my camera on me. I had to go to the bank, then grabbed some quick grub. I bumped into another bike commuter; He rides downtown from Westport. We talked a little but I had to get back to work. I'm glad the weather is starting to warm back up a bit, I'll probably go hang out at the coffee shop once I get off the bus.

How I stay warm

It's a question I get quite often in some form or another, from co-workers, friends, and others that I meet. It's usually phrased "I'd bet you freeze to death on that thing!" or "Don't you get cold?"

Truth be known, I usually get quite roasty, because I have a tendency to overdress a little. When it's below freezing, I start with a medium-weight thermal base layer. I prefer the less expensive "Champion" brand, but you might see other brands such as Nike or UnderArmor. These are basically "long john" style thermal undergarments, but made of a softer moisture-wicking material with a tighter weave than the "waffle" style of cheaper thermals.

On top of that, I just wear jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, usually with a loose t-shirt underneath, more for looks than for warmth. I'm a bit on the heavy side, and don't feel like riding the bus with only a skin-tight long-sleeve shirt covering my enlarged torso.

I finish the package with a flannel balaclava (ninja mask!) and thin gloves that might as well be work gloves like the Mechanix brand gloves you see at the hardware store. The ones I have now are 180*S brand and feature a valve that lets me breathe hot air into the back of the hand to warm the fingertips, but before this pair of gloves, I used a pair of ryno work gloves. Both pair have neoprene and nylon backs, terrycloth thumbs (for wiping your brow or your nose) and lightly-padded leather palms.

When the temperature gets closer to 0 degrees Fahrenheit, I usually wear a heavier coat, add ski goggles to keep my eyes from freezing over and wear flannel pants between my base layer and the jeans. So far, the coldest temperature I've ridden in was -1F earlier this week, although we had some temperatures close to that back toward the end of 2006.

As far as this morning's ride in, it was a nice morning, about 30F, I made it to my destination swiftly and I'm still riding the snow bike until the roads clear up a bit. I still have a bit of a head cold, but it will pass. It hasn't gotten bad, it's just lingering a bit. Didn't take any photos this morning, I just wanted to get to the bus and I was on a roll.