(no subject)

I biked in to school, thinking it would be really fun to be riding through one of the year's early snows! Sadly, it seems to have all come and gone (apart from the stuff remaining on the ground) before I got on the road.

I wore my winter coat, and was notably too warm still. Especially in the arms, which sweated. I'm not sure, but I worry that that's bad for a down coat. Maybe tomorrow I'll try the ski jacket (or perhaps it's a wannabe ski jacket since it's not a super-heavy coat?) I found at the thrift store this past weekend.

Anyway, this is the first time I've biked through thin layers of snow on the ground and all seemed well! Sadly, my pogies have not yet arrived from Alaska; I'm hoping they get here soon. Even in gloves, a couple fingers get cold in this weather. With pogies, I shouldn't have to wear gloves at all, so I can operate zippers on my clothing a bit more easily while riding. It was hard unzipping the neck of my coat with big bulky gloves on!

I have a ton of stuff to say about the conference, as well as my birthday yet! Hopefully I'll get to that tomorrow.

(no subject)

I'm conflicted on the "don't shop on Thanksgiving Day!!!" thing that's been going around for a long time.

It would be nice if people didn't have to work on days that are important to them. And I realize that Thanksgiving is a federal, secular holiday. But there are some people out there who don't have very strong feelings about it one way or another, whether because they're immigrants from a culture that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving (like Canada?) or for some other reason.
There are also people whose economic situation is such that working Thanksgiving is a benefit. Sometimes there's extra holiday pay, which can make a huge difference. Other times, it's just not losing a day's worth of very much needed income.
I agree that a system that puts people in a position where the loss of a day's worth of wages is a hardship has major faults. But I don't see many people attacking the larger structure around Thanksgiving and the way that our capitalist economy prioritizes money over most everything else. I just see people saying that we shouldn't support places that are open on Thanksgiving.

I appreciate the sentiment. But like so many things, it's just not that simple.

(no subject)

From Alaska with love....





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I'm excited about trying these out on my commute tomorrow! It's hard to tell just from putting them on and putting my hands into them how warm they're going to be. In fact, they seem kind of chilly. But I know the heat is originally going to come from my hands, so they'll be cold until they warm up. I'll let you know!