NO WAY!

I gotta have one.

I just re-read my post and I could see how my post made it seem like messengering wasn't a job or at least wasn't a respectable job. No disrespect was intended. Rather what I meant was I had to assure my friends that I was still a faceless, non-descript member of the corporate world.

paging egglplant jeff...

:lol: I thought that's what you meant.

since last order, my brother, dad and 2 co-workers have started bike commuting, they might be in for shirts.

They look mighty fine to me. Though I'm sure they are even more attractive adorning the svelte figures of a daily bike commuter as opposed to tacked to a grey fabric bulletin board with push pins.

In the meantime, it would have been nice to have them for my commute today in Boston as it was the kind of grey overcast day that makes bright orange and yellow stand out and proclaim, "I am here!"

My lime and orange HHCMF shirts appear to reflect enough light that when I'm entering my apartment and the lights are off, the light from the hallway reflects onto the walls in my apt. and makes me think I left my blinkie on.

The grey fabric bulletin board shows the mark of a true commuter: cheap, and resourceful

The block with the Hostess factory on my route is popular with hookers and their clients.

gotta watch those parking lots. i've had some of my closest calls going through them, because they're fun. i'd start to relax subconsciously, thinking 'ahhhhh . . . no traffic.' you could easily be more responsible than me though.

you got that part right! :D congrats and welcome.


yesterday was a very neat day. if i weren't car-free right now for reasons outside my control (something more than the choke is wrong with the car, and i'm too lazy to do anything about finding out what), i would have driven, but i'm glad i didn't. having the big ring back is making such a difference to the fun: it feels like i'm actually riding a bike, as opposed to just waving my feet in circles for some other reason. an 18-wheel trucker surprised me and made me laugh by seeing me coming towards his onramp about the same time that i saw him and being stopped behind the zebra line by the time i got there. i had a bit of a double-take moment when i realised he wasn't where i'd expected he'd be, and i think he was laughing too. i'm getting fond of truckers. they seem to have more friendliness and humour than most of the drivers out there. and yeah, yet another vote for the acid-green hhcmf coat. i think he saw me from 500 metres away.

intended to take it easy just because a couple of unbroken weeks in a row is a lot for feeble me. and i truly expected that i'd take the bus home at least part of the way. la la; didn't do it. counter-intuitive but so long as i'm not mashing really hard, the higher resistance from the bigger ring actually seems to be a bit easier on me than the frantic spinning. it's absolutely and completely more fun. it was full dark by the time i came home, and so nice. clear and cool. i know there are times coming at me when the dark will just seem all-encompassing and much worse than it needs to be. but this wasn't one of those times.

Temp in the low 60s this morning - that won't last much longer. Bright and sunny. Smooth riding. Feeling a lazy Monday morning.. Did 7.55mi in 0:30:05. Better than no exercise at all. :)

Low 60Fs with a mild headwind, but a nice commute this morning. A commuter in his work clothes entered the MUP in front of me. I stayed behind him and we caught up to another commuter, also wearing work clothes. (I.E., Dress slacks, button-down shirt...)

The first commuter was wearing a winter coat. :eek: The second commuter kept putting his hands into his pockets for a few seconds as he was riding. Strange. It's not cold at all. Maybe they're new to the area. :)

Started out as a comfortable commute this morning. Nice temps, low traffic, I was on track to get in early. Then I hit a big rock. A big sharp teeth-rattling rock. My front tire lasted about five feet and gave out. I was only a few blocks from work so I just walked it in and I'll change the tire over lunch. Can someone bring me a spare tube and floor pump?

Overcast, mid sixties, slight drizzle here and there.
It was a perfect day to test out my my new taillight (Cateye TL-1000). Nice and bright. I think the cars could see me just fine :D

(On the thread of smells on your commute: I pass by a BBQ Resturant. If you're a vegan, it's digusting, if you're a meat eater (me), it's great) :)

45F this morning. Made it over half-way to work before the rain started at 6am, just like the forecast predicted. Good thing it was only rain (& this time I packed a rain jacket). I'm just glad elephants don't fly. :)

In the cage today. :(

36F this morning. Broke out the Triflex tights and had to rustle up a beanie so my ears wouldn't snap off. First truly cold ride of the season. Why did winter have to come back so soon ? Windproof gloves are just a tad light as my fingers were a bit cold and numb. Either that or I'm just not in winter metabolism mode yet.

Breathing in cold air really seems to slow you down for some reason. Now I remember why I rode with a neck gaiter pulled up. More for pre warming the air than for it's insulating value.

I've come to the conclusion that the second headlight [3LED niterider] in strobe mode really makes a difference. I've been running it for about a week now and noticed that people on side streets will wait even if I'm nearly a full block away. It probably won't make an idiot less of an idiot, but has a nice effect on the sane ones.

-1C this morning (that's 30ishF) first frosty one since March or April. I also forgot how much slower we get when it's colder. Took all of last week off to recharge the batteries (and it rained most of the time anyway). Felt a little better today,

38 F this morning. First morning of leg warmers. Froze the toes a little. Need warmer socks and gloves.

Pulled the Wonder Twins to daycare this morning in their Chariot. Not a single complaint: no "stop poking me!"; no "I can't see!" (meaning that someone's helmet has slipped down); no "give me back my Thomas!" (meaning that my daughter has snatched her brother's beloved train). Nope, just contented chatting and the occasional "garbage truck!" or "tractor!"

Passing through Midtown we overtook a twenty-something young woman on a Cannondale that looked to be as old as she. Stylishly dressed for the fall in a wool skirt and boots, but alas she had no helmet to complete her ensemble.

The only bad part of the ride was when I (stupidly) decided to avoid a busy intersection by cutting through a parking lot. A middle aged woman in a crappy Suzuki Sidekick was racing through the entry lane, probably going 25 or 30. I locked up the brakes and actually got turned a little sideways but kept it upright. I gave her the WTF look and actually only mouthed the F part, which took a lot of restraint on my part since I had the kids with me. And then, she has the nerve to roll down the window and yell, "Hey! You got a problem?"

"Yes, as matter of fact I do have a problem with you driving 25 miles an hour in a parking lot."

(And then I nearly started laughing when I heard my 2 and a half year old Greek chorus repeat "parking lot!")

Now, I should know better than to go through parking lots, especially when I'm pulling the Chariot. And now I really know. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

ride in...
 

Another beautiful 76F light breeze ride in!
My new Armadillo tires are doing nice.
I need more light when I come in to work pre-0600.

Already looking forward to the ride home...

Great! Commuted to kindergarten w/ Thing1. I've been working on him to get him more confident riding in the street (it's flatter, smoother, much easier for somebody riding a little bike that is about a third of his body weight, and he can roll through intersections where he has the right of way, which I won't let him do when crossing the street from sidewalk to sidewalk), but he prefers the sidewalk lately, so I followed him in a 24" gear, roughly 2.5 mph. We parked our bikes together in the rack, went in w/ his stuff, and then off I went to come into work. When I got up to speed (or past say 5 mph), I could hear this annoying squeaky/raspy sound, something binding/scraping both wheels, so that bugged me the rest of the way into work. I might poke around at them before I take a lunchtime ride (since I have a roadtrip for work and won't be biking again until I go home Wednesday).

http://home.comcast.net/~adrian_spidle/sep18.jpg

First day of sub 40F temps in a while. No biggie. Overdressed as usual and had to remove a shirt and jacket.
It seems that I dress the same at 38F as 48F.
Different year + weigh less + new gear = toss the old what to wear at what temps list.

it just keeps getting better.
i had a friend's car as she was out of town so i wimped out and drove a couple days last week, but did 30 miles yesterday (that's quite a ride for me :o ) and today was great. it was mid-60's and very little wind, which is always nice) and i think i may have broken my best time to work. sometime this week (c'mon bikeman- ship the rest of my parts...) i will have a BRAND NEW bike. ooooh. i cannot wait to take her out. i have a feeling that my commute will get a lot easier and more fun with a brand spankin' new ride.

First day back after a week of "vacation" (Topsail Island = good; in-laws = bad). The commute was beautiful today--perfect weather and no one tried to kill me.

Weird thing--while I was on vacay my boss called to tell me they're "offshoring" (outsourcing to India) 5 jobs from my dept. and we all need to apply to keep our jobs. Made for a VERY quiet day here today and a strange vacation.