Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Bike Commute 2011- Day 36 - Omens, No Wait..

I was going to write about omens today, about how you can’t trust them.  Too often the ride starts out with my making some lights, with the ride being smooth and then ends up in the ash can.  Other times I get off late and forget things but it all turns out all right in the end.

I was going to write about that, but I decided not to.

See how things can change.

IN -
I got started late this morning.  I don’t’ know how I keep getting latter and latter, but somehow I do.  I didn’t leave the house until 4:08 this morning.

Just before I got to Carmel HS I realized something very strange.  I saw no cars, no cars at all in Mundelein.  None passed me, none went the other way, none crossed my path.  I did see two in the far distance heading toward the seminary, but otherwise nothing.  That was too weird.  It wasn’t like I was traveling so early that everyone was in bed.  It was too weird.

It was 75o, only 3o cooler than the day before and I was a bit nervous because the 78o day ended up kicking my butt in the afternoon.

To top that off, the humidity, driven by last night’s crazy storm was palpable.  It was a liquid sky.  The fog wasn’t anything you could see, but there were little droplets of water hanging in the air.  They were just hanging there.  As I rode along I rode into them an d I thought it was raining, or at least threatening.

It was very overcast and dark anyway, so in fear of a messy morning I rode as fast as I could trying to beat the rain.

I also went in the back door of my building.  This meant that I had to walk through to where I stow my bike, but it was worth not getting rained on.

I felt very lucky to beat the rain, but no, it didn’t rain.  It didn’t rain all day today.  Is that lucky?

When I got into work I opened my email to find  a bad problem that could hang over my for a while.  I buckled down and didn’t let up from my work all day.  I barked at anyone who came by to talk.  It was dark, but it didn’t rain.

HOME -
Good gawd, what a difference a few degrees and some humidity make.  It was 12o cooler in real temp (from 94o down to 82o) and 22o in heat index (107o down to 85o).  Today there was a 10 mph breeze, AT MY BACK!  Ah, it was delightful and uplifting.

I thought today about traffic on my blog.  How do I get you readers, how do I get you to participate, how do I get you to keep coming back?

I’ve asked questions.
I’ve blogged regularly and heavily.
I’ve tried ranting.
I’ve offered polls.
I’m one of the very few people that I know of currently journaling his daily commute.
I think I know what I need:

Suspense.  I don’t have it.
Suspense like this?

What’s here that would keep you driving on to the next post; that keeps you waiting for my next installment?
The trouble is, where is it, how can I get it?

It doesn’t seem like the simple suspense of , “will he make it home in one piece today” counts around here so…

I thought maybe I should do something really off the wall.  I tried to bite trees, to catch a leaf in my mouth as I rode by.  I thought maybe I could make it a different leaf each day and there could be suspense in wondering if I could catch a leaf that day.

I couldn’t get one leaf, and now in front of the computer, sobered up from the cool quick ride (did I mention that it only took me 43 minutes to get home (as opposed to yesterday’s 56) I realize how silly that was at all.

I need a bit of input from you the readers; what are your challenges to me?

How about a Joke a Day?  How many bike commuters does it take to change a light bulb?  Don't know yet, they haven't decided if the chemicals in florescent bulbs actually make them more earth friendly yet.


No?  How about a funny picture hen?  This looked to me like the kind of mole hill that Bugs Bunny might kick up if he thumbed a ride to Albuquerque with the Underminer.

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