Hi folks! My semester at college started this week, so I'm commuting again. I'm trying new routes. I was taking a 5.7-mile route which included the Greenway, one of NYC's best bike routes. Instead, I'm taking a direct route using streets. A direct route is only 4.3 miles. But it's a bit crazy. Traffic is insane. I have a rearview mirror on my glasses and use it a lot. I'm driving like a motorcyclist, taking any lane, even the middle lane, moving over for no one. This works partly because I'm moving faster than traffic. I'm making an effort to be more careful than before around trucks and buses after learning hearing all the stories of them injuring and killing cyclists.

Yesterday I realized I'm riding in weather I previously considered nasty, but it seems fine to me now. It's cold and windy and damp and grey. But I still enjoy being outside and moving rather than inside and still, breathing bad air.