Weather: 52F/79F sunny
Mileage: 36
October mileage: 181
Year to date: 2351
After feeling like crap yesterday I feel asleep in the chair upstairs at 9.00. I woke up sometime later and went to bed and didn't wake up until 5.00, thereby getting a full night's sleep. This morning was a struggle. I was up early enough to ride but just wasnt' feeling. I pondered all those folks who commute 100%, every day for months and months. I seem to be a person who can ride 4 days a week but there is always that "except" day. If I didn't ride this morning it would mean 3 days on the bike this week, but I just didn't feel peppy. I showered and picked some clothes out, and at the last minute I threw the bike stuff on. I just did it. I decided to take the Blueridge for a change of pace (3rd bike this week for my ADD self). Once packed and on the road I had an easy, flowing trip to school, albeit the shortest commute that I rarely take.
This afternoon, even with a week of work tiredness, I headed west. Yet again we have 79F and sunny, which is about the most amazing weather possible. This morning I needed wool tights, long-fingered gloves and a jacket, but this afternoon shorts and a T like usual. I took Hill to Northwestern Pkwy, meandered through Portland and into downtown. On Market just west of the 8th street overpass I felt a presence to my right, even though I was in the rightest lane. A gentleman on a motorized scooter was in the bike lane and he asked for my attention. I took out the earbud to find him asking me if he, the scooter, was allowed in the bike lane. He was nice about it, but we were on a busy street and it just struck me as odd for some reason, like I, on the bike, was the rule-giver. I told him I didn't think so, but that I hadn't seen anything of a rule to that. I should've stated that scooters are certainly faster than bikes and probably should remain in the motorized lane. I wasn't in the bike lane, FWIW.
From downtown I fought the incredibly foul smells by the Fisher meatpacking plant- horrible, burning flesh-, and proceeded to Mellwood, Indian Hills and home from there. Every time I go by the Fisher plant I want to become a vegeterian, but I lapse shortly thereafter. Today I rode hard and got my average above 15mph for most of the ride, which I'm proud of. All the signs and lights certainly break your rhythm, although I guess they provide resting time too. In all I did a flat 30m in the afternoon, giving me 36m for the day. Not bad after feeling like crap yesterday.
- 2 wars- both mired and one in potential danger of serious losses
- worst economic situation since the Great Depression
- 25% approval rating
- totally lost reputation throughout the world
- energy policy- behind closed doors energy policy- providing most expensive fuel prices in history
On that note, happy weekend and peace to all beings, even Bush.
1 comment:
My wife is vegan and I live close enough to the Swift plant that I can smell it when the wind is right. I should probably want to be a vegetarian because of that, but a good burger is just too tempting sometimes.
And I'm pretty sure that a motorized vehicle is not allowed in a bike lane. Apparently not everyone can deduce that though. I've encountered some white trash guy on the Beargrass Creek greenway/bike path/whatever who rides a moped before and he was far from cordial about having to share the path with me for the second that it took for him to whiz past me. I don't know where he was headed, but I like to assume it was to get somewhere that he could drink shitty beer from a can, which everyone knows should never be delayed.
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