this is unacceptable

Looking at this weather forecast makes me want to curl into a ball. This is not cool, Weather. I don't mind a rainy/snowy day here or there (bike or not) but this is a little silly. I should know better; I live in New England.

I rode my bike in the rain this morning, which was lots of fun! I rode in some spandex shorts, an Underarmor shirt and a waterproof windbreaker. It was only semi-raining so it was pleasant. I did not see any of my usual suspects today, though, I did see a potential new one. Unless Orange Bag Guy and Blue Flag Spandex Guy are one and the same. I doubt that. Blue Flag Spandex Guy is very speedy. It's pretty infrequent that someone cruises right by me, but this guy nearly knocks me over with the wind he creates every time he goes past me on Beacon. Oh! I did see Lumberjack Guy this morning. He is my favorite regular bike commuter. I think it's the flannel. Or maybe it's the beard. Anyway ...

The ride home was slightly less fun, to be honest. I felt terrible ("like a pile of steaming trash" to quote myself). I am afraid that I am coming down with something. I was riding in my sick misery and in the middle of intersection where Commonwealth and Beacon do a little switcheroo at Kenmore, my chain decided it would be fun to hop off the hub while I was moving in traffic at considerable speed. I love when my chain plays this game with me. Thankfully, I was prepared for battle. I had the immediate reaction of taking my feet off the pedals and coasting to safety while looking like a damn fool. (If you keep pedaling, it will just wrap the chain around the hub even worse and quite possibly make you flip over if the rear wheel gets stopped.) I hopped off my bike and put that chain right back on and desperately tried to rejoin traffic from my sad little sidewalk island.

A mile or so after the chain interlude, I noticed my air in my front tire was a bit low. I decided to stop at a gas station to fill 'er up. Yeah, I know, I should carry my pump with me at all times, but I didn't today by accident. Of course, after tearing apart the contents of my bag, I only had two quarters. I did have an impressive amount of dimes floating around in that thing, though. I contemplated just going home and giving up, but I decided I would test the kindness of strangers. Dear BC girl at the gas station, thank you for your kindness and your quarter.

After coming home, I decided that I most likely have a slooooooow leak in my tube somewhere. I am convinced, but it is difficult to prove since the tire is still pretty inflated. I also consulted my roommate Matt, but the data was inconclusive. Will post disastrous results later.


Ride on!



And yes, I use Celsius.