Thursday, 17 January 2013
With a sunny day in January, overnight sales in our Amazon storefront, and receipt of a check from Nova Creative, today was perfect for taking the bike for my errands. And the bonus was the relative warmth today—fifteen degrees warmer than yesterday.
This is what commuting means for a work-from-home business. Take the opportunity to perform errands by bike. Where possible, group the errands so the ride can take you along the most efficient path that also provides something more than just a tour through the neighborhood.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 40 (end) to 44°F at 15:05 to 16:33
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 10 variable
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, tights, light jacket, full-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16
Time: 01:28 for 15.61 miles
Heart rate: not available
Bikeway users: 1 cyclists, 8 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Playback of the ride
Showing posts with label 3 layers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 3 layers. Show all posts
17 January 2013
17 February 2012
Missed bike-commute day 2012.02 and maybe the last for a while
Friday, 17 February 2012
Today is the second day this year that has good weather to commute by bike. It might be the last opportunity I have to commute to work at Kodak/Dayton.
Near the beginning of February, Kodak announced a 16% reduction in its Dayton division. This followed the long-expected filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection that occurred in January. Within a week of the layoff announcement, eight colleagues in the technical writing area were released from their contracts. The billings for their contracted services had not been paid for at least 60 days, and our department manager had continued to bill their services to a purchase order that he had written and his management chain had approved sometime before the filing for bankruptcy. Though another purchase order was opened after the filing date, its approval was in question, and the contracted workers had to leave...
Now comes the turn for direct employees to ease pressures on the bottom line. Each employee will be told on Monday, 20 February if the layoff includes her or him.
As a matter of pragmatism, I've been preparing myself for no longer working at Kodak. The layoff affects one employee in every six, and at least the first-line managers are also subject to the cut. My boss joked about the possibility of finding out first-thing Monday morning that he is being laid off and then in turn needing to tell 3 to 6 of his reports that they are laid off too. So I plan to drive to work Monday, expecting to carry home the personal articles in my cube and in my locker in the company gym.
That left today as perhaps my last day to commute to work at Kodak.
At home I was suiting up at 7:20 as the fingers of rosy dawn spread across the sky. Then the zipper to my skinsuit stuck. I pulled it down, then up: still stuck. With a couple repeats, the zipper pulled through the hitch. But as the zipper reached the neck, the whole thing split open, with the zipper housing stuck at my adam's apple. I don't know why I didn't just decide to cover the gaping front with another layer, with duct tape even. But instead I fixated on replacing the skinsuit with another and spent several minutes trying to squeeze my head through the neck opening, then slip the top off my shoulders, and then pull the skinsuit down to my hips and off my legs.
Too much time. I realized that leaving even by 7:40 would leave too little time for working through the day. (Why would I care about this, if I really am to be laid off on Monday? Either a sign of optimism or of duty. So what are they gonna do? Fire me?) So I finished getting down to skin, took a long shower that included a leg shave, and headed out the door to perhaps my last full day of work at Kodak.
The mood of ennui, of pointlessness, of fatality pervades the Dayton offices. The ship runs rudderless, the General Manager has stated that all products are under scrutiny, and that some will continue. We work without motive, though the need for continuing work is clear, if the company is to succeed. Until the workforce is culled, product lines cut, and management reorganized, no work seems to have real meaning. But decision has been lacking for a month, and no one looks forward to whatever the result may be. Resignation rules in the wheelhouse, where the Captain and his First Mate should be. Instead, they are holding yet another press conference to utter platitudes: "Business as usual!" and "It is what it is!"
But I do look forward, in a few weeks, to a different destination for my commute. In the meantime, I'll update here for my progress in finding a refreshed bike-commute to a new workplace.
See my resumé.
News Flash! Loop Detectors Sense Your Bike
Ride conditions-for planning
Temperature: 27 to 33°F at 06:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, quilted tights, light jacket, quilted full-finger gloves
Bike: Trek 850 27x30-48x12 hybrid
Time: no time for 11.95 miles
Heart rate: no data HR
Bikeway users: no data
Today is the second day this year that has good weather to commute by bike. It might be the last opportunity I have to commute to work at Kodak/Dayton.
Near the beginning of February, Kodak announced a 16% reduction in its Dayton division. This followed the long-expected filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection that occurred in January. Within a week of the layoff announcement, eight colleagues in the technical writing area were released from their contracts. The billings for their contracted services had not been paid for at least 60 days, and our department manager had continued to bill their services to a purchase order that he had written and his management chain had approved sometime before the filing for bankruptcy. Though another purchase order was opened after the filing date, its approval was in question, and the contracted workers had to leave...
precipitously... When management became aware of the issues with the purchase orders, the decision came down to end the contracted work that same day.
...and with a built-in cliff-hanger. Because a new purchase order awaited approval, the contracted workers were told that they could be called back at any time, but they should feel free to take another job, if one comes available.
Now comes the turn for direct employees to ease pressures on the bottom line. Each employee will be told on Monday, 20 February if the layoff includes her or him.
As a matter of pragmatism, I've been preparing myself for no longer working at Kodak. The layoff affects one employee in every six, and at least the first-line managers are also subject to the cut. My boss joked about the possibility of finding out first-thing Monday morning that he is being laid off and then in turn needing to tell 3 to 6 of his reports that they are laid off too. So I plan to drive to work Monday, expecting to carry home the personal articles in my cube and in my locker in the company gym.
That left today as perhaps my last day to commute to work at Kodak.
At home I was suiting up at 7:20 as the fingers of rosy dawn spread across the sky. Then the zipper to my skinsuit stuck. I pulled it down, then up: still stuck. With a couple repeats, the zipper pulled through the hitch. But as the zipper reached the neck, the whole thing split open, with the zipper housing stuck at my adam's apple. I don't know why I didn't just decide to cover the gaping front with another layer, with duct tape even. But instead I fixated on replacing the skinsuit with another and spent several minutes trying to squeeze my head through the neck opening, then slip the top off my shoulders, and then pull the skinsuit down to my hips and off my legs.
Too much time. I realized that leaving even by 7:40 would leave too little time for working through the day. (Why would I care about this, if I really am to be laid off on Monday? Either a sign of optimism or of duty. So what are they gonna do? Fire me?) So I finished getting down to skin, took a long shower that included a leg shave, and headed out the door to perhaps my last full day of work at Kodak.
The mood of ennui, of pointlessness, of fatality pervades the Dayton offices. The ship runs rudderless, the General Manager has stated that all products are under scrutiny, and that some will continue. We work without motive, though the need for continuing work is clear, if the company is to succeed. Until the workforce is culled, product lines cut, and management reorganized, no work seems to have real meaning. But decision has been lacking for a month, and no one looks forward to whatever the result may be. Resignation rules in the wheelhouse, where the Captain and his First Mate should be. Instead, they are holding yet another press conference to utter platitudes: "Business as usual!" and "It is what it is!"
But I do look forward, in a few weeks, to a different destination for my commute. In the meantime, I'll update here for my progress in finding a refreshed bike-commute to a new workplace.
See my resumé.
News Flash! Loop Detectors Sense Your Bike
Ride conditions-for planning
Temperature: 27 to 33°F at 06:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, quilted tights, light jacket, quilted full-finger gloves
Bike: Trek 850 27x30-48x12 hybrid
Time: no time for 11.95 miles
Heart rate: no data HR
Bikeway users: no data
15 February 2012
Commute home, first day 2012
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
A heavy overcast rolled in through the afternoon, and light rain was moving into Cincinnati. Forecasting from the radar animations, I thought Rain may miss the Dayton area even perhaps through the evening and night. No matter the weather, though; I need to leave work exactly at the final moment to be home before sunset.
So I headed from my cube at 5:30, changed in the locker room, and was on my bike by 5:40. I had misjudged the radar indications though. I felt isolated drops throughout the ride. Starting with a drop on the face about every tenth mile, and ending with a few every minute. The road stayed dry through the entire route, and I made it home still dry.
When I brought my bike up the porch steps, twilight had overtaken daylight. I welcome the rain that may come tonight and tomorrow, and the day or two without a bike-commute. The day's length will grow a few precious minutes before I commute by bike again..
Ride conditions
Temperature: 47°F at 17:05
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, tights, light jacket, full-finger gloves
Bike: Trek 850 27x30-48x12 hybrid
Time: 00:45:07 for 11.89 miles
Heart rate: 137 bpm HRave, 151 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 3 pedestrians
Playback of the ride
A heavy overcast rolled in through the afternoon, and light rain was moving into Cincinnati. Forecasting from the radar animations, I thought Rain may miss the Dayton area even perhaps through the evening and night. No matter the weather, though; I need to leave work exactly at the final moment to be home before sunset.
So I headed from my cube at 5:30, changed in the locker room, and was on my bike by 5:40. I had misjudged the radar indications though. I felt isolated drops throughout the ride. Starting with a drop on the face about every tenth mile, and ending with a few every minute. The road stayed dry through the entire route, and I made it home still dry.
When I brought my bike up the porch steps, twilight had overtaken daylight. I welcome the rain that may come tonight and tomorrow, and the day or two without a bike-commute. The day's length will grow a few precious minutes before I commute by bike again..
Ride conditions
Temperature: 47°F at 17:05
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, tights, light jacket, full-finger gloves
Bike: Trek 850 27x30-48x12 hybrid
Time: 00:45:07 for 11.89 miles
Heart rate: 137 bpm HRave, 151 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 3 pedestrians
Playback of the ride
First commute day for 2012
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
The weekend's snows have passed, leaving only a thin layer that dissipated by evening yesterday. The weather is supposed to clear today and then bring in rain tonight. I decided to make use of the full day of daylight, which is one that stretches to nearly eleven hours and leaves me plenty of time for a commute before and after a work day of 8.5 hours.
Early in the season, as I return to commuting by bike, I expect each way to take up to an hour. So I prepared my departure in anticipation of sunrise at 7:30, and I left as soon as it was well lit, by 7:20.
The bikeway was clean for the most part. Some light mud remained on the path underneath I-75; muddy tractor tracks documented some recent work removing trees near the firemen's training station; very light frost clung to the bridges west and south of Eastwood Park. Otherwise, the way was free of fallen branches and broken glass. This year's light touch of Winter has been easy on the bikeway, which allowed me to begin bike-commuting almost a month earlier than any year that I've kept records.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 34 to 35°F at 07:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, quilted tights, Gore-tex jacket, ankle socks, quilted gloves
Bike: Trek 850
Time: 00:49:39 for 11.86 miles
Heart rate: 142 bpm HRave, 159 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist, 1 pedestrian
Playback of the ride
The weekend's snows have passed, leaving only a thin layer that dissipated by evening yesterday. The weather is supposed to clear today and then bring in rain tonight. I decided to make use of the full day of daylight, which is one that stretches to nearly eleven hours and leaves me plenty of time for a commute before and after a work day of 8.5 hours.
Early in the season, as I return to commuting by bike, I expect each way to take up to an hour. So I prepared my departure in anticipation of sunrise at 7:30, and I left as soon as it was well lit, by 7:20.
The bikeway was clean for the most part. Some light mud remained on the path underneath I-75; muddy tractor tracks documented some recent work removing trees near the firemen's training station; very light frost clung to the bridges west and south of Eastwood Park. Otherwise, the way was free of fallen branches and broken glass. This year's light touch of Winter has been easy on the bikeway, which allowed me to begin bike-commuting almost a month earlier than any year that I've kept records.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 34 to 35°F at 07:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, quilted tights, Gore-tex jacket, ankle socks, quilted gloves
Bike: Trek 850
Time: 00:49:39 for 11.86 miles
Heart rate: 142 bpm HRave, 159 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist, 1 pedestrian
Playback of the ride
25 October 2011
Bike-commute day 95—to work
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Going to work today is the second half of my commuting day, since I drove to work yesterday with my bike in the van and then rode home. This part of the year always has an alternation of drive-bike-bike-drive since the daylight is so short. And tonight, during the drive, I'll stop at Cardinal Fitness to get in a bit of weight training. The leg routine is due tonight.
Today was the first time I broke out the quilted tights. Since my breath was visible when I took Howard out, I thought that a heavier layer would be good, even with the temperatures above freezing. At some midpoint of the ride, I decided that I was overdressed. I had begun to heat up, even though my effort was not too great. I've got to learn once again when the added layers are necessary, when they're too much.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 34 to 41°F at 07:40
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the south
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, quilted tights, Gore-tex jacket, ankle socks, full-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:44:15 for 11.94 miles
Heart rate: 138 bpm HRave, 153 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist, 6 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Playback of the ride
Going to work today is the second half of my commuting day, since I drove to work yesterday with my bike in the van and then rode home. This part of the year always has an alternation of drive-bike-bike-drive since the daylight is so short. And tonight, during the drive, I'll stop at Cardinal Fitness to get in a bit of weight training. The leg routine is due tonight.
Today was the first time I broke out the quilted tights. Since my breath was visible when I took Howard out, I thought that a heavier layer would be good, even with the temperatures above freezing. At some midpoint of the ride, I decided that I was overdressed. I had begun to heat up, even though my effort was not too great. I've got to learn once again when the added layers are necessary, when they're too much.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 34 to 41°F at 07:40
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the south
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, quilted tights, Gore-tex jacket, ankle socks, full-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:44:15 for 11.94 miles
Heart rate: 138 bpm HRave, 153 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist, 6 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Playback of the ride
14 April 2011
Bike-commute day 15—to work
Time for the Spring tune-up
I rode the least likely bike for good times today, so I can bring it to Kettering Bike Shop for a minor tune-up. I've been planning a biking trip for Easter weekend: drive to Mammoth Cave KY and do some road biking on Good Friday, take the Grand Avenue tour and meet some members of the Bowling Green Bicycle Adventures for riding the Sal Hollow Trail on Saturday, and take the Introduction to Caving and perhaps some road biking on Easter Sunday, then drive back to Dayton late that day. And this bike, meant for stump-jumping and challenging trails, needs some alignment of its shifting. The small sprocket in front doesn't keep the chain well, and sometimes an energetic shift will throw the chain off the big sprocket. In the cassette cogs, there is a lot of sloppy action when the chain is forced to cross from the inner cogs to the outer front sprocket.
I've tried adjusting the shift movement myself in years past, but it is a frustrating chore if you have neither patience nor practice. The better alternative is to have a reliable bike shop do this for you. Typically the cost is under $35. You can find several websites that guide you in adjusting the shifters and brakes—almost too many offer their advice. Here are some sites for adjusting the shifters, and each has a connecting link to information for adjusting brakes.
The sloppy shifting comes from a couple sources. The most common source is the gradual stretch that shift cables naturally go through for the first few months of use. This stretching is recognized by bike shops, who encourage you to return for a tightening a month or so after receiving new cables. Another source of sloppy shifting comes near the end of a cable's useful life, when the metal breaks down, becomes brittle, or frays at friction points. In addition to the cable, the mechanical assemblies that hold the cable to a shifter, derailleur, or brake can loosen or fail. Your bike mechanic will notice and repair the developing failures of cables or attachments, but the cost of materials may increase the basic price for a cable tune-up.
Because commuting by bike from March through October can total almost 3000 miles, I usually take each bike in for a tune-up once a year.
Housekeeping notes
Temperature: 37 to 43°F at 07:10, 51 to 56°F at 09:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: 3-layer top, 2-layer bottom; ankle socks. Goretex full-finger gloves.
Bike: Mongoose MGX D40
Time: 0:56:00 (approx.) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist, 2 pedestrians, 1 dog
08:16—departing from home.
08:29—passing the zig-zag down to the Mad River Bikeway.
08:41—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
08:56—passing the trestle remains at Linden.
09:12—arriving at work.
I've tried adjusting the shift movement myself in years past, but it is a frustrating chore if you have neither patience nor practice. The better alternative is to have a reliable bike shop do this for you. Typically the cost is under $35. You can find several websites that guide you in adjusting the shifters and brakes—almost too many offer their advice. Here are some sites for adjusting the shifters, and each has a connecting link to information for adjusting brakes.
The sloppy shifting comes from a couple sources. The most common source is the gradual stretch that shift cables naturally go through for the first few months of use. This stretching is recognized by bike shops, who encourage you to return for a tightening a month or so after receiving new cables. Another source of sloppy shifting comes near the end of a cable's useful life, when the metal breaks down, becomes brittle, or frays at friction points. In addition to the cable, the mechanical assemblies that hold the cable to a shifter, derailleur, or brake can loosen or fail. Your bike mechanic will notice and repair the developing failures of cables or attachments, but the cost of materials may increase the basic price for a cable tune-up.
Because commuting by bike from March through October can total almost 3000 miles, I usually take each bike in for a tune-up once a year.
Housekeeping notes
- Creekside Trail had small amounts of broken glass at several locations between Fairpark Avenue and Airway Road.
- Creekside Trail had a fallen tree across the path about 0.4 mile north of the trestle ruins.
- Iron Horse Trail had broken glass about 0.1 mile north of the pedestrian access at Arcadia Avenue.
- Iron Horse Trail had broken glass at the bridge as the bikeway joins Spaulding Road.
Temperature: 37 to 43°F at 07:10, 51 to 56°F at 09:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: 3-layer top, 2-layer bottom; ankle socks. Goretex full-finger gloves.
Bike: Mongoose MGX D40
Time: 0:56:00 (approx.) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist, 2 pedestrians, 1 dog
08:16—departing from home.
08:29—passing the zig-zag down to the Mad River Bikeway.
08:41—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
08:56—passing the trestle remains at Linden.
09:12—arriving at work.
06 April 2011
Bike-commute day 12—to work with Wagner
Somewhere before checkpoint 2, Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde took hold of my rhythm, and it carried me through to halfway between checkpoint 3 and the end of my commute. My mind's eye pictured the score for the famous Sehnsucht (longing) theme,
...and my mind's ear heard the Act 2 "Prelude" repeatedly. But my memory carries the conducting of Daniel Barenboim and the voices of Siegfried Jerusalem (Tristan) and Waltraud Meier (Isolde)—from the better recording I own of the opera. I also have the Bayreuth performance under Herbert von Karajan, with Ramon Vinay (Tristan) and Martha Mödl (Isolde); but this is a poorly produced document of a live performance that lacks much presence. On the other hand, Meier and Jerusalem through truly believable sparks between each other.
The private concert ended when I saw Pat again with his two dogs, before I crossed Woodbine. I stopped to tell him my nickname for him here: Double-Dog-Jason.
Temperature: 43 to 45°F at 07:20, 48 to 49°F at 09:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 15 mph from the south
Clothing: Top with 3 layers (Lycra longsleeve undershirt, skinsuit, arm warmers, Lycra-wool jacket); Bottom with 2 layers (skinsuit, Lycra tights); ankle socks. Full-finger Gore-tex gloves. (A bit too warm; unzipped top layer before checkpoint 2, unzipped middle layer after checkpoint 2.)
Bike: Lotus fixed-gear
Time: 0:51:00 (approx.) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 2 pedestrians, 2 dogs
08:12—departing from home.
08:27—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
08:37—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
08:49—passing the trestle remains at Linden.
09:03—arriving at work.
...and my mind's ear heard the Act 2 "Prelude" repeatedly. But my memory carries the conducting of Daniel Barenboim and the voices of Siegfried Jerusalem (Tristan) and Waltraud Meier (Isolde)—from the better recording I own of the opera. I also have the Bayreuth performance under Herbert von Karajan, with Ramon Vinay (Tristan) and Martha Mödl (Isolde); but this is a poorly produced document of a live performance that lacks much presence. On the other hand, Meier and Jerusalem through truly believable sparks between each other.
The private concert ended when I saw Pat again with his two dogs, before I crossed Woodbine. I stopped to tell him my nickname for him here: Double-Dog-Jason.
Temperature: 43 to 45°F at 07:20, 48 to 49°F at 09:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 15 mph from the south
Clothing: Top with 3 layers (Lycra longsleeve undershirt, skinsuit, arm warmers, Lycra-wool jacket); Bottom with 2 layers (skinsuit, Lycra tights); ankle socks. Full-finger Gore-tex gloves. (A bit too warm; unzipped top layer before checkpoint 2, unzipped middle layer after checkpoint 2.)
Bike: Lotus fixed-gear
Time: 0:51:00 (approx.) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 2 pedestrians, 2 dogs
08:12—departing from home.
08:27—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
08:37—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
08:49—passing the trestle remains at Linden.
09:03—arriving at work.
05 April 2011
Bike-commute day 11—Linh's restau and home
Tonight's ride home was a bit weird. I decided in the locker room to dress with only two layers, and I packed all four layers that I had worn this morning. Yeah, I knew that it was cooler than 50°F; yeah, I even asked Hunter Everett if he had been outside and whether I should add at least the Lycra tights.
But I found myself walking to the Lotus and thinking Well, it's not really cold, but it sure is cool. By the time the whipping winds took hold of my ride at the north edge of Research Park, I told myself I can stop anywhere, pull out a layer, and add it to my kit. I stopped at the Grismer store at Woodman, ripped off my shoes, pulled out the Lycra, pulled on the tights, tugged the crotch up, and then pulled the wool-Lycra jacket out, and put it on.
The wind and chill changed my mind about going to the gym, and determined my commute would include a nice, hot dinner at Linh's. So 15 minutes into my commute, I was seated and enjoying two goi cuon, and anticipating a steaming bowl of Hu Thieu ga saté (Chicken-shrimp noodle soup). Dayton marketing guru and political activist David Esrati came in with his family and knew that I was stopping at the best restau in Dayton on my way home from work.
Fully satisfied, I resumed my commute and arrived home after a leisurely ride.
Temperature: 46 to 50°F at 17:35, 46 to 48°F at 19:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: 10 to 20 mph
Clothing: Top 2 layers (Lycra longlseeve undershirt, skinsuit); ankle socks.; open-finger gloves. Then top 3 layers and bottom 2 layers.
Time: 0:xx:xx (no timepiece) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 0 cyclists, 11 pedestrians, 5 dogs
17:55—depart from work.
—trestle remains at Linden.
dinner at Linh's
—west gate to Eastwood Park
—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
19:45—arrive home.
But I found myself walking to the Lotus and thinking Well, it's not really cold, but it sure is cool. By the time the whipping winds took hold of my ride at the north edge of Research Park, I told myself I can stop anywhere, pull out a layer, and add it to my kit. I stopped at the Grismer store at Woodman, ripped off my shoes, pulled out the Lycra, pulled on the tights, tugged the crotch up, and then pulled the wool-Lycra jacket out, and put it on.
The wind and chill changed my mind about going to the gym, and determined my commute would include a nice, hot dinner at Linh's. So 15 minutes into my commute, I was seated and enjoying two goi cuon, and anticipating a steaming bowl of Hu Thieu ga saté (Chicken-shrimp noodle soup). Dayton marketing guru and political activist David Esrati came in with his family and knew that I was stopping at the best restau in Dayton on my way home from work.
Fully satisfied, I resumed my commute and arrived home after a leisurely ride.
Temperature: 46 to 50°F at 17:35, 46 to 48°F at 19:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: 10 to 20 mph
Clothing: Top 2 layers (Lycra longlseeve undershirt, skinsuit); ankle socks.; open-finger gloves. Then top 3 layers and bottom 2 layers.
Time: 0:xx:xx (no timepiece) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 0 cyclists, 11 pedestrians, 5 dogs
17:55—depart from work.
—trestle remains at Linden.
dinner at Linh's
—west gate to Eastwood Park
—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
19:45—arrive home.
25 March 2011
Bike commute day 8, heading home
I kept a running checklist on my assertions made in this morning's entry. Indeed, it is about 20 minutes where the pain of the work completes a change to enjoyment and easier exertion for the same result.
Housekeeping
The three glass sites were cleaned up, but now small glass pieces were littering the bikeway in the copse north of the Multi-Service building.
Temperature: 37 to 40°F at 19:35
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Top 3 layers; Bottom 2 layers (quilted tights); ankle socks; quilted gloves. Almost warm; light sweating.
Time: 0:49:00 (approx.) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 12 pedestrians, 1 dog, about 9 deer
18:58—depart from work.
19:11—trestle remains at Linden.
19:22—west gate to Eastwood Park.
19:33—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
19:47—arrive home.
Housekeeping
The three glass sites were cleaned up, but now small glass pieces were littering the bikeway in the copse north of the Multi-Service building.
Temperature: 37 to 40°F at 19:35
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Top 3 layers; Bottom 2 layers (quilted tights); ankle socks; quilted gloves. Almost warm; light sweating.
Time: 0:49:00 (approx.) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 12 pedestrians, 1 dog, about 9 deer
18:58—depart from work.
19:11—trestle remains at Linden.
19:22—west gate to Eastwood Park.
19:33—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
19:47—arrive home.
07 March 2011
Bike commute day 2, to work
Temperatures: 25°F at 07:55, 27°F at 09:10
Clothing: Top with 3 layers (longsleeve poly-spandex Reebok shirt, skinsuit, closely-woven wool-acrylic cycling jacket); Bottom with 2 layers (skinsuit, quilted tights); ankle socks; old Descente quilted gloves. (Cool, but comfortable body; fingers cold.)
Time: 0:56:xx for 12.5 miles (The times given are about 20 minutes off, as given on my bike computer.)
07:54—departing from home. Only thing notable was the pedestrians I had to pass at the crossing of Salem to Longfellow School. I typically cross the street as normal traffic, then zig-zag onto the sidewalk for about 25 feet, to turn left onto the sidewalk that reaches the dead-ended Superior Avenue on the northwest side of the school. Clearly the group of about 7 was a set of parents herding their children to school, and though I said twice, "On your left, please," I startled at least one child as I passed from street to sidewalk. Reminder: start out earlier to avoid similar approaches to pedestrians trying to get to school by 8:00 a.m.
As I crossed the Monument Avenue bridge, I could tell I would need again the East Monument Street route, as the Miami River was flowing fast and almost obliterating the low dam. I took the gravel path under the YMCA, sidewalk to the Main Street-Monument intersection, crossed and went into Riverscape Park, and saw that once again the river was 3 feet above the bikeway.
08:08—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway. The bikeway was flooded as far as the Webster Street bridge, so I rode south on Webster to Monument Avenue. About a quarter mile after Findlay Avenue, I slodged over the grass to the above-river bikeway.
08:22—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park. Run-off from the hills above the transition at Smithville and Springfield flowed again across the bikeway. It wasn't all frozen today, but enough was to be a bit slippery as I walked over the area. As I prepared to cross Smithville, a bundled-up cyclist came up the street toward Springfield Avenue. "So I am not the only cold commuter," I thought. Then a courteous driver waved me through the pass at Airway. No deer were grazing at the DPL fairways.
08:36—passing the trestle remains at Linden. Another courteous driver waved me through the pass at Woodbine—I hope this indicates a trend for 2011. It was notably colder in the half mile between Woodman and Founders, due to the natural, undeveloped areas south of the bikeway there.
08:50—arriving at work. I had plenty of energy to spare. It's time to take the exertion level up a notch.
Clothing: Top with 3 layers (longsleeve poly-spandex Reebok shirt, skinsuit, closely-woven wool-acrylic cycling jacket); Bottom with 2 layers (skinsuit, quilted tights); ankle socks; old Descente quilted gloves. (Cool, but comfortable body; fingers cold.)
Time: 0:56:xx for 12.5 miles (The times given are about 20 minutes off, as given on my bike computer.)
07:54—departing from home. Only thing notable was the pedestrians I had to pass at the crossing of Salem to Longfellow School. I typically cross the street as normal traffic, then zig-zag onto the sidewalk for about 25 feet, to turn left onto the sidewalk that reaches the dead-ended Superior Avenue on the northwest side of the school. Clearly the group of about 7 was a set of parents herding their children to school, and though I said twice, "On your left, please," I startled at least one child as I passed from street to sidewalk. Reminder: start out earlier to avoid similar approaches to pedestrians trying to get to school by 8:00 a.m.
As I crossed the Monument Avenue bridge, I could tell I would need again the East Monument Street route, as the Miami River was flowing fast and almost obliterating the low dam. I took the gravel path under the YMCA, sidewalk to the Main Street-Monument intersection, crossed and went into Riverscape Park, and saw that once again the river was 3 feet above the bikeway.
08:08—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway. The bikeway was flooded as far as the Webster Street bridge, so I rode south on Webster to Monument Avenue. About a quarter mile after Findlay Avenue, I slodged over the grass to the above-river bikeway.
08:22—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park. Run-off from the hills above the transition at Smithville and Springfield flowed again across the bikeway. It wasn't all frozen today, but enough was to be a bit slippery as I walked over the area. As I prepared to cross Smithville, a bundled-up cyclist came up the street toward Springfield Avenue. "So I am not the only cold commuter," I thought. Then a courteous driver waved me through the pass at Airway. No deer were grazing at the DPL fairways.
08:36—passing the trestle remains at Linden. Another courteous driver waved me through the pass at Woodbine—I hope this indicates a trend for 2011. It was notably colder in the half mile between Woodman and Founders, due to the natural, undeveloped areas south of the bikeway there.
08:50—arriving at work. I had plenty of energy to spare. It's time to take the exertion level up a notch.
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