Getting Serious About This Biking Stuff
After work last night I went for another ride around Lake Monona. It was not so easy this time, partly because the wind was against me the whole way around the lake (I'm sure there's some very simple reason how that can be the case, despite the fact that I face every conceivable direction on the way around, but this explanation eludes me), partly because I assayed a difficult hill that I usually avoid (I get a nicer view across the lake from the far side that way), and partly because I was just plain tired yesterday, between having done the same thing several days ago and being short on sleep this week.
So I was pretty thoroughly exhausted last night. But, on a Friday night, that's not the worst thing in the world. I did have a little trouble sleeping in this morning because the cats kept bugging me, though.
I went off to the bike store ("the bike store", he says, as if there aren't half a dozen bike stores within a couple miles of my apartment) and spent $150 on biking gear. Last year I made the jump to wearing a helmet, and was glad I did since the pleasant young woman who helped me out today had had to make use of her own helmet recently and had the bruises, black eye and hint of stitches to show for it. Yikes! I also bought myself front and rear lights last year. Yes, for decades I've been biking without helmet or lights, often on major roads (like Route 9 in Newton, Massachusetts where I grew up). Dumb? Yeah, but I guess it was just last year that I stopped feeling quite so immortal. (And I'm not even 30 yet!)
Today I bought a hand pump (or a "frame pump" as she called it), some spare tubes for my tires (one of my goals is to be able to replace my flat tires on the fly, thus giving me a sense of security on the thing when I bike relatively far from home), and a frame to attach over my rear wheel, and a bag to hang off the frame.
I decided a few weeks ago that part of the drag of biking into work is that wearing my backpack is an impediment to cooling off. Plus, my backpack (which I've had for years and years) isn't waterproof. So I wanted to get something to attach to my bike. I'd envisioned getting one of those things which has two bags that hang over the frame and down on either side, but I decided instead to get a bag that hangs on just one side, and which converts into a fairly standard (albeit many-pocketed) shoulder bag for general use. Maybe I'll start using it in lieu of my backpack more generally! And I can always buy a second bag for the other side if it turns out to be too small at some point.
Putting on the frame was a little tricky, since it turns out that my bike lacks some standard holes to attach the frame under the bike's seat, so I had to go back and buy some clamps to do the same job. Also, despite the fact that I have all the stuff contained on the packing list, it seems like there should be two more nuts in the set to attach my rear reflector. But I'm sure I can overcome that problem.
And boy, the cats were fascinated by all this weird stuff I brought into the apartment!
So maybe this week I'll see about biking into work. If I feel up to it tomorrow, maybe I'll do a trial run.
I guess next year's step will be to buy some of those goofy spandex clothes.
Oh, and last night I picked up a John Hyatt album (Perfectly Good Guitar, because I wanted "Buffalo River Home") and a BoDeans album.
It looks like I might not meet my goal of finishing two more books before our book discussion on Thursday. Well, I'll see what I can do. But I also have to meet an APA deadline next Saturday. I'm not gonna kill myself for any of this stuff.
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