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Oct. 22nd, 2013 03:02 pmI'm back to riding to school again this week, after a couple days off last week due to rain. I've got fenders of course now, but haven't had the chance to use them. Except yesterday when I biked through water on the pavement in front of a flume gushing from an open fireplug on 75th street. I'm assuming that it was part of some kind of city winterization process.
It's been quite cold here these last couple of days. I leave for school about 8:30, which seems to be nearly the coldest point of the day. Today, it was right around freezing at 32° Fahrenheit. Yesterday I was too cold in my thinner gloves, so today I wore ski gloves, along with a knitted balaclava with eye and mouth holes. In warmer weather, I put a bandanna between my head and my bike helmet, but the knit does that job just fine. I'm wondering if, with my ears covered by fabric, I could listen to podcasts of This American Life and Backstory on the way to school. It wasn't working earlier in the year due to wind noise.
Anyway, my clothing seems pretty adequate so far. I'm wearing my new leather, waterproof boots, jeans, and a flannel jacket over my t-shirt. Soon I'll be switching to a winter coat, but it's surprising how warm the vigorous exercise keeps you in the cold. I enjoy feeling a little more connected to the weather than I would taking my car. I get up in the morning and look at temperature and wind speed over breakfast to have a sense of what to expect. Biking home late in the dark is a strange experience. I feel very isolated at times, and even a little lonely. The darkness makes it seem much later than it really is, and I start feeling angst about where all my time went.
That will likely be worse on Mondays, as I'm likely going to move the study session I run for Introduction to Anthropology to after class rather than before. That will make it possible for more students to attend, but will have me finishing at 7:20, and probably on my bike around quarter to eight. I also still feel some self-doubt about how useful my study sessions are, though I've had positive comments from a few students. I wish I knew better that I was making a difference; it would make me feel better about investing time that's quite valuable to me.
Today I get to leave school at about 5 o' clock, which is my earliest day of the week except for Friday when I work at the archives and have no classes. I'm looking forward to having a little more time at home than usual, even though Tuesdays are also my night to do kitchen cleanup.
Lunch was nice today; Anna the archivest told me about a library staff pot-luck that was happening and invited me to come. There was roast beef and provalone to put on buns, some tasty soup, and a number of other things. Desserts included yummy pumpkin cupcakes, and some cute shortbread cookies shaped like fingers (with knuckles and all) and with slivers of some kind of nut as fingernails. Halloween is coming! While I was in the library, it was fun to see all the Edgar Allen Poe themed displays that are up for the Big Read event that's currently happening. I don't get in there enough lately. I'm playing with the idea of bringing my camera to photograph the displays on Friday when I don't have to bring school books.
Though I may end up bringing books and a laptop and things anyway, if the planned meeting with my panel happens, since I may end up just biking there directly after work. Oh well.
It's been quite cold here these last couple of days. I leave for school about 8:30, which seems to be nearly the coldest point of the day. Today, it was right around freezing at 32° Fahrenheit. Yesterday I was too cold in my thinner gloves, so today I wore ski gloves, along with a knitted balaclava with eye and mouth holes. In warmer weather, I put a bandanna between my head and my bike helmet, but the knit does that job just fine. I'm wondering if, with my ears covered by fabric, I could listen to podcasts of This American Life and Backstory on the way to school. It wasn't working earlier in the year due to wind noise.
Anyway, my clothing seems pretty adequate so far. I'm wearing my new leather, waterproof boots, jeans, and a flannel jacket over my t-shirt. Soon I'll be switching to a winter coat, but it's surprising how warm the vigorous exercise keeps you in the cold. I enjoy feeling a little more connected to the weather than I would taking my car. I get up in the morning and look at temperature and wind speed over breakfast to have a sense of what to expect. Biking home late in the dark is a strange experience. I feel very isolated at times, and even a little lonely. The darkness makes it seem much later than it really is, and I start feeling angst about where all my time went.
That will likely be worse on Mondays, as I'm likely going to move the study session I run for Introduction to Anthropology to after class rather than before. That will make it possible for more students to attend, but will have me finishing at 7:20, and probably on my bike around quarter to eight. I also still feel some self-doubt about how useful my study sessions are, though I've had positive comments from a few students. I wish I knew better that I was making a difference; it would make me feel better about investing time that's quite valuable to me.
Today I get to leave school at about 5 o' clock, which is my earliest day of the week except for Friday when I work at the archives and have no classes. I'm looking forward to having a little more time at home than usual, even though Tuesdays are also my night to do kitchen cleanup.
Lunch was nice today; Anna the archivest told me about a library staff pot-luck that was happening and invited me to come. There was roast beef and provalone to put on buns, some tasty soup, and a number of other things. Desserts included yummy pumpkin cupcakes, and some cute shortbread cookies shaped like fingers (with knuckles and all) and with slivers of some kind of nut as fingernails. Halloween is coming! While I was in the library, it was fun to see all the Edgar Allen Poe themed displays that are up for the Big Read event that's currently happening. I don't get in there enough lately. I'm playing with the idea of bringing my camera to photograph the displays on Friday when I don't have to bring school books.
Though I may end up bringing books and a laptop and things anyway, if the planned meeting with my panel happens, since I may end up just biking there directly after work. Oh well.
