Jrickards - It sounds like you need some fenders! Check out Ortleib Back Roller Classics for some nice waterproof panniers. If you shop around on-line, they really aren't that much more expensive than lesser brands and are totally waterproof and well-designed.

Cool morning here with a nice tailwind, so I made great time riding to work. I also rode one of my faster bikes with a light load. The wind has been right out of the north for the past few days, so I have tailwinds in the morning and headwinds in the afternoon, which made for a slow ride home yesterday. Hopefully the winds will die down some by the time I leave this afternoon.

My wife wants me to meet her downtown for dinner after work tomorrow, which would make it difficult for me to commute both ways unless I want to ride home late at night since we are going to a concert after dinner. So I'm going to take the opportunity to have some work done on one of my bikes. My plan is to ride to work on my touring bike, take it by the bike shop during lunch and leave it there, walk back to my office and then catch a ride home with my wife. The only part I still need to figure out is how to pick up my touring bike later, but I can probably do that the next time we have a rainy day.