Last Ride of 2006

It was with a fair amount of poignancy coupled with a wee dram of trepidation when I hit the road for the last 2-wheeled reverie of 2006. I changed a brake pad this morning (I couldn't get one off--it's been on for so long and I'm afraid it's freaking fused!), so I was kinda nervous about heading into the wet, drabby outdoors half-cocked.

As soon as I got to the Lake, I could tell that it was gonna be a Helluva fight heading South. The wind was of a curious nature: seemingly invisible, no real palpable indication of the gusts, but still a crushing, unrelenting force that stole my morale after about 10 miles of heading into it. Between the headwind and being unmercifully spackled by trail-grit, I decided to turn around right by Soldier Field. From the looks of the crowd, the Bears must've been playing. I know nothing about sports, though, so I could be fulla shit. However, I am kind of amped about the trajectory of both the Bears and the Saints for playoff time. This now ends SportsTalk.

I knew the winds were brutal when I could hammer away in my 13 tooth cog almost effortlessly. Spooky. In fact, I'm not certain if I've ever ridden on the flats that quickly on the XO-1. I think the people heading the opposite direction were getting kicks out of seeing my shit-eating grin while I zoomed by at about 30 mph (estimate).

So, if my bike looked like it had leprosy before, it looks like Nature herself is trying to reclaim it today. After 1.5 hours of riding in these nasty-assed conditions, the bike is completely en-gritted. There's more brown filth than pearl tusk poking through. Gross. And I hate to say it, but the bike was already pretty filthy after a ride I took last week (before my vacation), so today just added to the unfortunate mix. I TRY to be fastidious and stay on top of cleaning/maintenance, but while in the throes of the Holidays, I've been profoundly lazy.

Projections for 2007? Well, I keep hearing that Winter is going to continue to be mild, so I plan on staying outdoors and riding. Retiring the trainer is sounding good. I also see myself getting back into fighting shape and finally realizing my dream of pulling a boat with my teeth as I cross the English Channel. Pray for me.

Some random smatterings

Since I wallowed in mad excess over the last week, I felt I really needed to do some two-wheeled penance...as well as break in the new Winter Biking Duds. I rode a brisk 18-miler before work yesterday morning; after showering, I hopped back on and rode the 3 miles to work. The new clothes are seeming to work really well. I did the same routine this morning, and get this: now I AM STARVING (go figger)! I didn't have any lunch at work, and I have nothing to speak of in the house; unfortunately, often the most expedient remedy for this scenario is to choose crap delivery food. We shall see...

Also, over the holiday, I took "Yes, I Can"--Sammy Davis Jr.'s autobiography--with me on the plane so I could pass the time with some easy readin'. Well, it turns out that I'm totally gripped by this read, and in the past I coulda given a fiddler's fart about the man. It's been a pretty engrossing yarn. Also, I was given what looks to be 2 pretty interesting books for Christmas: "The Kite Runner" (an personal account of Russian invasion-era Afghanistan) and "Tesla: Man Out of Time" (needs no explanation). Now that I have been cable-free for well over a year and a half, one of my chief pleasures is to crawl into bed and groove on a great book. These two look like they won't disappoint.

And lastly, I hit the wall at work today. I am working in an environment that I have absolutely NO expertise in, and I can't help but wonder if I somehow managed to sell my new employers a fake bill of goods. This is that part of me that considers my whole "Graphic/Web Designer" a sham. But I imagine anyone can have doubts re: their vocation from time to time. But anyway, I was working on what ostensibly was a real simple page update; I did a few manuevers, and then: SMACK!!!! The page wouldn't come up! I saw it locally (on my machine) and everything looked fine, but then when I tried to see it in a browser, I got jack. Rather than sit and ponder the imponderable, I rode home in the lovely Friday evening traffic.

But I did manage to change my AAA batteries in my headlight last night!

Devilishly gluttonous escapades in the Big Easy

I got back last night, but I was remarkably hungover. Not from booze, mind you, but from simply ingesting TOO MUCH FOOD. Since Friday evening (December 22), I have been on an unholy warpath that has included eating a savage amount of goodness every day since.

It began when my mom picked me up Friday evening; she had the brilliant idea of grabbing Hillbilly BBQ since Armstrong Airport is so close. It didn't disappoint. It was a perfectly rendered plate of uber-smoky brisket, pulled pork, baked beans, and a corn salad. I used to hit this place at least once a week when I worked in the area. Afterward I went to mom's house, basked in familial adoration for a few, then hit the town with my friend--ultimately ending with my crashing at his place. Leading to the next morning's satisfying repast....

With the influx of Hispanic workers in New Orleans, relentlessly working on post-Katrina rebuiding, there has been a mini-boom of real Mexican restaurants. Truly, there never had been any authentic Mexican joints until now. Thanks to this New Orleans food (and more!) message board, I had heard that a decent taqueria had opened not far from my mom's place. Todd decided that we should hit there for lunch and he could drop me off at my mom's afterwards. Well, the place was definitely good, but I have had far better in Chicago. I had a shrimp burrito, and I'll be dipped in shit if I caught an iota of shrimp in there! At the same time, it made me feel so good that REAL Mexican food is arriving in New Orleans. And I can never gauge a restaurant accurately when it's only been opened for a handful of weeks.

My mom threw an open house party shindig later that (Saturday) evening. She cooked a shitload of chili and threw together a load of other tasty accoutrements that pleased the masses. However, I was still full from the Taqeria expedition, so I opted to drink wine and beer rather than gorge myself further. Good plan. ;) After my friends and I went out that night, I AGAIN stayed at Todd's house. And this lead to yet another food-related casualty...

Christmas Eve morning, Todd made some grits, amped up a bit by Zatarain's Crab Boil, and then he put some shrimp in the mix. He also made some beautiful omelettes. All this was wonderfully complemented with some Cool Brew iced coffee with some soy milk. This tied me over until we had to go BACK to the airport to drop some friends off...

Todd and his fiance decided we needed to hit the (SOME TYPICAL ASIAN BUFFET NAME) where they offer an all-you-can-eat sushi/Chinese/king crab claw/every morsel under the sun onslaught. I'm not much for buffets, but I gotta admit: some of the sushi WAS really good. The sashimi was slight and hardly worth considering, but the roll of the day and the baked mussels both kicked a little ass. All of this, coupled with a glass of wine and 2 Abita Restoration Ales at Mom's made for a killer deep sleep.

Well, the next day was Christmas, and after noshing on a bit of leftover party junk food and opening presents (I got some pretty cool cold-weather gear, but Santa didn't hear my plea for a Technomic stem or a Brooks saddle), we headed to the North Shore to reconnoiter with the portion of the family who could make it down South for the holidays.

On to the food: My grandmother made fried turkey, a pork loin roast, mashed potatoes, dirty rice, scored some Cajun Country brown n' serve rolls...and provided more that I am definitely forgetting. On top of that, she also brought some gloriously badass boudin for me from Cajun country. Goddamn, was that awesome! Also, before I ate Christmas lunch, I tried a bit of my aunt's gumbo. She faked the roux by using a jar of instaRoux, but having not had any in such a while, it was satisfying. I made a plate of leftovers that I brought over to Todd's place where he was hosting a get-together for folks who had nowhere else to go. My 2 plates of glory were quite a smash.

And get this: BETWEEN family lunch and Todd's party, I was obligated to go to yet another dinner! But I BARELY ate a thing and just drank some Pinot Noir.

Needless to say, I crashed at Todd's again Christmas night. The next day, he and I headed out a little before noon; I wanted to buy him lunch for his and his fiancee's hospitality, but every place I was thinking of (Casamento's, Domilese's) was closed for the Holidays!!! Guy's Po-Boys wait was waaay too long, too. He ended up dropping me off at mom's sans yet another fattening bomb of satisfaction. Mom and I were heading to her place in the Bywater so I could gather the sorely-neglected husk of my MB-3....because her neighbor wanted to buy it!! On the way back from the Bywater, we stopped at Deanie's on Annunciation, where I had an oyster po-boy and she had what appeared to be a pretty uninspired Chef Salad. But I paid for it all and felt like a kinda good son.

We cleaned the bike together, using her sweet power sander with fine sandpaper to remove the accumulated surface rust, and double-teaming the requisite grit and funk with sponges and soapy water; then the neighbor ambled over and took the baby from me! At least it's going to someone who'll ride it and appreciate it.

Afterwards, I got dropped off at the A&P, bought a good bottle of wine for Todd and his fiance, met up with Todd and his dog outside, and we eventually made our way over to our Rock Star friend's place. We sat around around drinking and shooting the shit until we collectively decided we needed some unapologetically unwholesome bar food. We ended up at Le Bon Temps where we quickly scarfed down some gravy-laden cheese fries.

I was feeling like wet, warm garbage the next day when I had to fly back to Chicago.

All this brings it around to now--where I'm so strung out by excess that I am thinking about taking a bath in iceberg lettuce! However, I wouldn't have changed a thing during my visit. Except that I would demand a rideable bike in order to become Mommy-free for transportation!

...the HELL did time go?

New job...new routine...getting adjusted to a little different of scheme. The gig isn't too bad, though. Everyone's been cool, the scene's not as "cubey" as most of these unholy office spaces are, and there's even bike parking INSIDE, downstairs (today I parked next to a too-new Bianchi Eros and a fendered Cruiser). The DOWNSIDE, however--and this may sound like an odd bitch--is that the office is too close, and I miss the old 10 mile ride to Downtown! I'm sure I'll learn to adjust, though, and manage to fit a lengthy ride before work and the slight commute into a proper morning regimen.

Also, I've been gearing up to head to New Orleans on Friday for the holidays. I've been manically trying to find/set up "sitters" for my cats, as well as do loads of laundry so I'm not completely resplendent in scumbag gear when I arrive home. Between these tasks, coupled with band practice and doing "Special Christmas Time" with my friends, I've had precious little chance to write. When I used to have the 10-mile each way ride, I could think about topics, mull over my lot, and have ample time in which to ruminate. This week has felt like I've been in fast-forward.

One thing I'm really excited about, other than a five-day orgy of eating New Orleans-style, is getting my bikes in order down there. I have the MB-3 and an IF Deluxe that I need to do something with. I want to send one to Chicago to build up for Winter; however, I kinda feel I'd prefer a totally expendable bike for Winter/commuting so I'm not totally obsessing over the paint job and the like. The XO-1 (current bike) already looks like it has leprosy, so it may be too late for that buddy. :( At the same time. the IF is also pretty weathered, and the MB-3 is very RIDDEN, so who knows how the winds may blow.

I also want to take a lot of pictures when I'm there and totally dick it up and play tourist. That's something I never took a shitload of advantage of in all the years I lived there. I understand the streetcar is finally running on an amended route!

Stellar and uneventful weekend

Yesterday Weather.Com frightened the bejeezus out of me: it claimed the city was under seige by 30+ mph winds. At the same time, the outside temperature was almost in the mid-50's again, and I was gonna be damned if a lil' breeze was gonna keep me down.

I am LOVING this mild winter (however, the zeal is pretty much tempered by the fact that this has been one of the warmest years on record, and I am certain that this unseasonable warmth is part and parcel of climactic crisis) and have chosen to get out on the bike, to some degree, every day that it's nice out. It was pretty apparent I overdressed yesterday, with persipiration a-flyin' after about 3 miles. But the battering ram forces of the Southern winds weren't helping either! Yet, perhaps because the wind was more head-on (as opposed to a constant crosswind), I found them pretty bearable! And maybe, by taking Friday off the bike (except for a few errands), this let my legs knit and heal up a bit. In any event, yesterday's ride was AMAZING. And when it came to head North, the tailwind got me from Navy Pier to my door (approximately 10 miles) in a little over 20 minutes!

However, I was still trying to keep up my Cyclist Acknowledgement Campaign (CAC) yesterday. I got a wee smattering of reciprocation, but too many others basically rolled their eyes when I gleefully extended a "howarya?" And some dude on a recumbent TOTALLY brushed me off when I hailed him with a friendly salutation. I'm not proud of this, but I ended up flipping him off (behind his back...cowardly...). Yeah, I was pissed. Too much of the Punk Rock still flittering inside, I guess.

But the rest of Saturday was really blissfully uneventful. I ordered some kickass Chinese food and ended up finding tons of Husker Du live shows on YouTube. Between stuffing face and singing along to "I Apologize", I managed to catch a little bit of Saturday Night Live. Christ. Have they just stopped TRYING?

I was looking to have a mellow evening so I could get up in time to do the Tour de Temples, but was strangely low-ebb tired when I got at up this morning, and I ended up blowing the ride off. Sucks too--I have really been meaning to get more involved in the cycling scene ("scene" = more than just me) in Chicago and meet more bikie folks (the Brit and I have vastly different schedules now and rarely get chances to ride together)--so needless to say, I was pretty disappointed in myself.

So, I also had to talk myself in to rding at all today. But--the CLINCHER, actually--was that, again, it was in the '50's AND there was the rare, nigh-eerie condition of NO WIND!!!!! Yet, I was burned out riding the Lakefront, so I opted to head over to the North Branch Trail. Having not seen it since before it got cold, I was really curious to see what condition the trail would be in. Well, it was a GREAT ride. I would've kicked my own ass if I had passed up riding today. All the foliage was stripped away along the trail, making the jaunt almost an entirely new experience. And having no wind was just uncanny. When I stopped to turn around, it was rather bizarre to really hear nothing--no wind, no rustling of leaves--making every far off sound fairly audible. When I had to let a quick fart loose, I couldn't help but wonder if a cyclist a half mile away might hear it!

And I think all the rice I had during my Chinese blowout last night amply fueled my 2-wheeled freakout.

So all in all, I got in 35 miles and had a phenomenal day. Although I did miss an opportunity to go to some German festival kinda gizmo Downtown, as well as seeing the Drake Hotel's Christmas tree. My friend called me about 15 minutes after I had left to go riding; he just figured I was still on the Tour de Temples ride (I told him I was doing it) and he and his wife left for the fest fun. Such is life. I still think I got the better deal.

Not much today

There wasn't a lot going on today. Initially, I figured I was going to ride to my ex-employer's office to pick up a paycheck. However, I didn't hear back from anyone there regarding my coming in, so I was kind of in a holding pattern/limbo for the duration of the day.

I ended up just doing a little working out (HATE doing it, but I desperately want to lose the weight gained after I quit smoking), and then rode over to the grocery store to indulge in my povery diet. I really was hankering for a burrito, but even $4.50 was too rich for my blood; I went for an On-Cor enchilda platter (2 bucks), fired it up in the oven then served it slathered with a good amount of this badass Mexican habanero sauce. It STILL sucked.

Finally I was able to get in touch with ex-work, and they're mailing the check. I should get it tomorrow, or maybe Monday. I hope earlier than later, because I want to kinda indulge myself in this last weekend of joblessness. Or at the very least, get a burrito.

Days of thunder (just without all the thunder and a Helluva lot more wind)

I almost talked myself out of riding today. It was gloomy and overcast for the bulk of the day, and these conditions often rob me of any motivation and inspiration. Then, after a quick light shower, the sky opened up and I read that it was 54 degrees outside! I thought I'd be a real asshole if I passed up a ride.

I was in a pretty good mood, despite my head leaking phlegm and the mean-assed WSW winds. An almost mid-50's day in Chicago during December is almost unheard of, I wager. I had a goofy grin on my face and was met with a few happy looks by the folks traveling in the other direction. South of the aquarium, I saw a young woman changing a flat on her Eddy Mercyx; I asked if she needed a hand and told me all was well. Damn, I'm gallant.

I rode to the large-ish overpass that's around 45th Street. I nodded a friendly acknowledgement to a pack of "serious" cyclists as I sat on the overpass stretching. Not an IOTA of reciprocation in my greetings. Douchebags. Then a nice guy rode by and asked ME if I needed any asistance. That was cool, and inspired me to keep up the "hail fellow, well met" approach to others as I rode on.

When I was blowing my nose and adjusting my seatpost height at Ohio Beach, another pack of "Serious" riders went by. I gave the aforementioned "hello nod" to them. Anything? Fuck no. They weren't really racing--it appeared from the pannier bulk and backpacks that they were leaving work--but were certainly keeping up a good clip. Spying their taillights from a half-mile away, these boys became my quarry.

After about 2 miles I was on their tail and definitely didn't feel like I was pushing it too hard. I contemplated passing, didn't want to get embroiled in some bruised ego cat and mouse horseshit, but then decided WHAT THE HELL. One guy was in the oncoming traffic lane, and I was behind him yipping "on your left!" After the second time, he said something to me (couldn't make it out) and I rode on by. I succumbed to crazy head-phlegm nastiness several miles later, and then they ended up passing me. I extended a verbal "howarya doin'?" and, of course, was met with JACK SHIT. I stuck behind them, staying several bike lengths back (didn't want to be accused of sucking their precious wind) and matched pace until the end of the trail.

Grr. I don't know why these attitudes get me so torqued up, but they do.

Feeding frenzy

After today's nice long 35+ mile long ride, I got home and was ultimately consumed by a mad hunger. I had NOTHING. I jetted over to the Greek joint by me ("Les Arabes sur le pont", sez the Brit--never mind the religious/ethnic inaccuracy) and ordered the feared COMBO TO GO--a platter served with lamb, gyro meat, fries, onions (along with other mediterranean relish) and a platter-rendered slab of pita bread. Following a copious application of Sambal Oelek over the goods, I dug into this sumbitch.

Next thing I knew, I was staring at at an almost-empty container. Goddamn! It's next to never that I can take down this entire plate. I guess I really WAS hungry!

I was really hoping that I'd have a few lamb medallions to snack on tomorrow, though. This was to be the last blast of decadence before I receive my next job's paycheck.

This may not resonate with many others, but when you are unemployed, is it weird to think every day feels like Saturday????????

The dwindling light of joblessness

I am no "go-getter." I have yet to "take the bull by the horns." I visualize "up and at'em' as "up & atom." Needless to say, I can be quite a load. So it comes as a major surprise to me that....

I GOT A NEW JOB.

The interview went well, and I actually did some research re: the company and managed to craft some brilliantly thought-out followup questions. And it also turns out that the Senior Web Designer I will be working in tandem with also played in bands; but after marrying her guitarist and having a son, she gave the Rock up for the quizzical allure of Technology. It takes all kinds.

In any event, it seems like a cool place. And I saw quite a few bikes parked in front of the enormoplex (not as bad as it sounds) that comprises Ravenswood's "Industrial District", and that was heartening. Yet, I want to see if I can bring my bike inside. I get fidgety and tweaky if I can't see tangible proof of my bike's existence.

If there is any down side, it's that the new gig isn't far enough away!! 3 miles each way seems like child's play at this point. I'm gonna have to get up and get some miles in even BEFORE I make my ride to work!

So I begin life anew come Monday. Until then, I will be whittling the time away, revelling in the unseasonably badass warmth that has miraculously ensconsed Chicago, grabbing miles on the old bike, and attempting to perfect my unholy hunt n' peck typing method.

And figuring out a way to tell my landlord why my December check bounced. :( Why do banks insist on holding on to a check for so long.....?

P.S. When do you know when your rear hub is wonky? Even though it's only been a few weeks of riding in the icy slurry, I am wondering if my rear hub may have taken a few blows. It has been assailed by the icy BS for several weeks. It's EASILY been years since it's been serviced, so I'm thinking it may be time to take the sucker apart. It's an older 8-speed Ringle (SupaBubbaDubbaHubba or some shit)hub--so if anyone has any tips on how to smooth this bugger out, it'd be wondrously appreciated.

Cherish every mile outside

Last year I wimped out and bought a Minoura Mag trainer off of eBay so I could continue pedaling to some degree. I completely had to psyche myself into doing so--riding inside sucks and is profoundly BORING. I can't believe that the Winter has thus far been mild enough to keep riding outside. At the same time, I recall that the last time I lived in the cold it took me a year for my body to get shocked into frigid acclimation. So maybe I am just a wee bit tougher than I was last year. I recall that when it dipped into the mid to lower '40s (RARE occurrence) in New Orleans, it would pain me to no end and I'd feel barely up to riding through such awful weather. Nowadays it feels positively sultry!

For the last 7 or so years, I have been riding around 5-7000 miles a year. I used to commemorate every 1000th mile by stopping and kissing the ground where I was riding. But that's when I was slavishly devoted to my cylocomputer. Last year--my first Winter in ages--bit heavily into the number. Now, however, I am so singlemindedly Hellbent on riding through the cold and pretty much insist that I arrive at a similar mileage. I get so inspired and galvanized when I read others' blogs, gleaning such gory, wondrous details of Winter riding. Again, I have to thank all y'all out there that inspire me to keep my fat ass hot, tight & outtasight.

And due to my Alien-like caustic sweat, I can't afford to keep riding inside. I have this patch in my computer room's floor that look like it was scratched away by some inappropriate jungle animal.

Hooky while unemployed

Okay. I don't have the BEST work ethic...especially when it comes to dealing with industries And pursuits I am not overly passionate about. This whole Web/Graphic design thing I managed to parlay a career into was of peripheral interest to me in the mid-'90's. However, it turned out to pay pretty well, and since I got used to eating and other luxuries, I thought I would stick with it. The thing is, if it's nice out and I feel the itch, I will unapologetically play hooky from a gig so I can get some sweet miles and outdoor fun in. And being in Illinois, it's a moral imperative that I take great advantage of gorgeous Winter days.

I got to get some miles in over the weekend. First was a meetup with the Brit and then I squeezed in 30 miles yesterday. All at a relaxed, ruminative pace. Today I woke up at 4 AM (probably due to latent stress from the morning's interview) and was in a stupor for most of the day, completely on the fence on whether or not to ride today. It was nice initially, but over the course of my indecision, outside took a nasty turn. It became overcast, and there were several sprinkle smatterings. The Brit was out down the trail, so I thought I'd meet up with him. But he wasn't digging the outdoors either, so I ended up spying him about a mile North of Navy Pier. We just turned around and grooved on the strong (yet eerily invisible) tailwind.

POSTSCRIPT: My beautiful steel bike is sending me angry thoughts today; it's covered by grit, winter road-spackle and a general patina of neglect. :( If there's any failing in my cycling world, it's my poor bike cleaning regimen. And my caustic sweat threatens the surface of every bike I own. They all share similar surface rust lesions. I have seriously considered getting an Aluminum-framed bike for the winter. I was going to ship a mountain bike up here during Christmas, but then I considered my general lack of cleaning/maintenance, and realized I could have a sad, rusty husk come next April.

A groovy, unemployed Saturday

I had to pass on an invite to a downtown, barhopping freakout last night. With my newfound unemployment came a almost unheard-of reckoning of money. I live mad simply, but with no concrete supply of funds in the forecast, I had to pass on the fun. I left Phil's house (he's an old New Orleans friend and my first married acquaintance), went home and downloaded King Kong on bittorrent, and ended up eating half an On-Cor enchilada platter that I bought for the dirt cheap price of 2 bucks at Jewel. I felt like a real deviant scumbag motherfucker.

At least the weather was killer when I woke up. Out of my bedroom window I spied copious sunshine, and this fueled my morning activities. The Brit had called me before I woke up, saying that he was getting his "new and improved" bike out of the shop, and wanted to get some miles in today. He had been off the bike for about 5 weeks now, and was getting itchy! I gulped down 4 cups of my atom-splitting coffee in record time, took care of some peripheral bidness, then suited up and hit the road. The Brit was hanging at Navy Pier, and my goal was to get there before he split.

The route was a bit slower than usual. The wind was so Goddamned brutal; it was screaming from a direction that never relented while I headed Southward, unless I rode along side a bigass high-rise. Along with the gusts, the last stretch of the Lakefront Path was iced over by Lake Michigan's waters, making the trek pretty impassable. I had to ride through a stretch of downtown in order to doubleback to the Lakefront and ultimately Navy Pier. When I got to NP, I called the Brit, and he had just left! He was actually right North of the bend where I jumped off to bike through the city.

We were going to attempt a Tour de Pubs, but just opted to stop at Johhny O'Hagan's for a couple of pints. Soccer (or football in BritSpeak) was playing, the Thompson Twins were..err...ROCKING...and the Brit was blissed. After a couple, we hopped back to the Lake (a la Guided By Voices) and headed home.

Phil and his wife wanted to go to dinner with us tonight--a curious challenge was to find kickass food starting at $14 an entree--but I again had to decline. I have more of that delectible On-Cor gustatory delight waiting for me in the fridge. I hear these foods just get better with age. Like dementia.

The long and short of this spiel is: BEING BROKE SUCKS.

Yet, oddly enough, despite what's often shoved down one's throat, it's possible to be happy and upbeat thru times of zero-cash.

And what's perhaps the best thing: the Bridgestone still runs, my legs can still do circles, and my cats find food in the dishes daily. I'm easy to keep happy. ;)

That'll teach me to blog at work

I may not be chronicling any commuting adventures for a while--I got laid off today!!! I was given the excuse that one of our main clients pulled out, the one whom I was ostensibly hired to deal with, so my services were no longer needed after today. In the freelance world, I am used to being given ample heads-up before a gig ends; this abrupt termination smacks of horseshit. Just in time for the holidays, no less. I was feeling some pretty palpable creep-vibes around there, though, so I have to figure the fit wasn't really there. The guy who hired me is super-cool, affable, and implored me to stay in touch--maybe to perform clandestine, outlaw design duties, flying well under the radar of "the Man."

Such is life. The only reason I dug this job was that it was a pretty low-impact, mindless, sometimes-engaging gig that I could easily ride to. Now the bar has been raised, and I can find myself being pissed if I can't find a way to wedge in a ride to work. Until I get a new regular gig, I imagine I'll be pressing nose to grindstone in order to locate work, while interspersing this job hunt with some nice, mellow outdoor rides. I am really hoping to retire the indoor trainer!

Since it was more-than-implied I should gather all my work shit (I left shirts, pants, iPod, shoes and other assorted items at the office so I didn't have to carry them all each day), I had to wedge in all these items into my wee lil' bag. I ended up wearing a longsleeve cotton shirt over two existing layers, and this BARELY freed up enough room in the bag. Since this sack was strained to the limit, the thing fit around me so awkwardly that it made my back and neck really start hurting after a while. It felt like glorious emancipation when I finally got home and took that swollen bastard off.

Miles today: 17
Wind: 20+ from the NW
Temp: 14 degrees (at least when I was out innit)

Good sense be damned

I figured that I was going to take today off from riding due to the strong winds and below zero (with wind chill) temperatures. Then I started thinking of the alternatives--walking to the train, waiting outside for an interminable amount of time for the train, walking from the train several blocks to work--and figured I'd steel myself against the adversarial conditions and just go for the bike ride. Yeah, it was chilly, and the Lake was turbulent, resembling a mighty sea, waves crashing over the shore, rendering certain stretches of the path to impassable, glass-like slipperiness.

I am writing this on the sly at work. I'm gonna wrap it up because my loud, telltale keystroking may arouse suspicion. I'll post more when I arrive home tonight.

OK..I admit it...the cold took its toll

I had a pretty uneventful ride to work this morning--temperatures were relatively mild (mid-30's), and the wind was more favorable than not--but I DID manage to get that weird syndrome with my left hand index finger. It might go numb, or begin to ache terribly before doing so; needless to say, I start to freak a little. But I can manage shake it off and have some sensation return before I start entertaining thoughts of amputation. The long and short of it is: my gloves BLOW. They're Polarpaws of unknown (so probably dubious) origin, and their reviews I have spied online have been pretty unfavorable. Sigh.

This evening, however, the "favorable winds" of the morn had become a blustery gale and had picked up considerably, packing colder temperatures along with its scalpel-gusts. I took Clark home, avoiding nature's full fury along the Lake. I still managed to get totally beset by cold and wind, my head becoming a phlegm fountain (how can I MAKE so much??), ultimately limping my pathetic butt back home, proverbial tail between my proverbial legs. A little Chinese food leftover palliative helped thaw and warm them cockles, though. ;)

I think I am taking tomorrow off from riding, though. It appears winds are supposed to be even stronger and the temperatures are going to be in the mid-teens (the high). If I become more properly armed with cold weather gear then I shouldn't have any issues riding in that kind of weather. But even though I have had spells of minor discomfort, I am loving the Hell out of riding in the Winter.

Winter Commute #1

The temperature was a brisk 15 degrees when I had to cut or run this morning--admittedly, my Sunday cold weather bikexperience had left me a bit trepidatious about riding--but the lighter winds convinced me to get out there and pedal my fat ass to work.

Some sage Blogger once stated "There's no bad weather for riding, just bad gear." Well, the last couple of days' riding has amply demonstrated that I need to get with the program. Actually, what I have isn't too bad, but the omniwindage that dominates Chicago's streets and paths just cleaves through my paltry defenses, leaving me with not much above a 40 minute threshold. Luckliy, 40-45 minutes is also coincidentally the length of my commute. So if I just had decent windbreaking gear for my legs and feet, I could keep on keepin' on. My Southern relatives are taking pity on me and will probably donate some goods for the cause come Christmas. But I need them NOW!! TOMORROW! YESTERDAY!!!!

I didn't feel like facing the ice patches and salty slurry that litter the Lakefront Path during the Winter. These conditions threaten my feeble attempts at stability, especially when I can't see 'em coming. So, with it being about dark, I decided I wasn't confident enough tackling the trail half-witted and nearly blind(And I'm still riding on skinny tires). I took Wells to Clark, and was crazy-blessed with a tailwind that thoroughly billowed my sails and got me home in 40 minutes.

I also saw several other cyclists out there, both in the morning and in the afternoon, which was totally heartening to see. I think this so-called "cycling" business is so crazy...it might just work!

My first Winter Ride

I have chomping at the bit to do a below freezing ride. I totally lucked into some decent cold weather gear and I decided to put it to the test today. I wore my Blackbottom tights, a long-sleeve wicking base layer--on top of which was a cotton/long john type heavy shirt--as well as a windbreaking vest. I had 2 types of socks-- Cannondale so-called "thermals" as well as normal cotton socks. I have some Fox Polarpaws and threw those on as well. I somehow have a nifty wicking balaclava that fits over my enormous melonhead, too.

It was a wee bit chilly when I finally navigated my out of my ice-strewn alley, but found myself feeling pretty comfortable by the time I made it to the Lakefront Trail.

I didn't ride at all outside last Winter; I opted to give my new trainer a workout rather than gird myself for chilly riding. So I have never experienced riding over salty, slushy, icy roads on skinny Pasela Tourguards. Once I mellowed out and realized that the joy of being outside on a bike during Winter was better than just sucking up to velocity, then things went smoothly. It was amazing riding through gorgeous snowscapes and thinking how incongruous it was that I was wearing shorts just last week!

Luckily, I brought two pairs of gloves (the other ones are these badass heavy duty rock-climbing gloves) because after 30 minutes of riding, my left index finger felt like it was succumbing to frostbite. I shook it out a bit and threw another glove on my left hand. It was definitely awkward, but the finger, along with the rest of the hand, began warming up immediately. Then I decided to head back, because I figured I was approaching my cold weather threshold.

The wind was obnoxious and slamming from the West, an annoying "omnidirectional headwind" that clawed its way into any opening in my clothes' defenses. This was the chief agent of pain throughout the ride. I decided that I can definitely handle the cold, but in order to continue riding with wind of this nature, I still need to up the ante in my cold weather gear. As well as adding bigger, wider tires!! I definitely think I am going to have a bike shipped from New Orleans so I can have a dedicated Winter steed.

But the neatest thing of all was that the perspiration (that I didn't even feel!) from my head was wicked to the balaclava's surface and became this enormous block of ice by the time I got home! Wow. I was definitely in pain when I arrived home, and the prssing urge to pee that I had been suppressing for half an hour certainly didn't help. In any event, I wasn't deterred by the Wintery conditions and now vow to keep on' ridin' on throughout the season. See y'all out there!!