Holy crap is this coat sharp looking. I wish I had $600 to blow on something like that.
Actually, it's probably best I don't. I like my wife not divorcing me.
Current beer-scale: 4.2
10/28/10
10/27/10
Someone's always crazier
So I thought I was insane for riding yesterday. Through a downpour, with people freaking out about 50 mph wind gusts. I made it alright, but saw something even crazier on the way home yesterday.
Yeah, that's someone in the lake swimming like it's not the end of October. I admire his dedication, but have to question his sanity. At least he had a wetsuit on. The best part was, I was worried about getting blown off the path into the lake if a strong gust hit me at the wrong time. And here was this guy, quietly plowing his way through out into the lake. Madness.
And no, my clothes were not dry as I was taking this picture. Brrrrrrr.
Current beer-scale: 3.1
Yeah, that's someone in the lake swimming like it's not the end of October. I admire his dedication, but have to question his sanity. At least he had a wetsuit on. The best part was, I was worried about getting blown off the path into the lake if a strong gust hit me at the wrong time. And here was this guy, quietly plowing his way through out into the lake. Madness.
And no, my clothes were not dry as I was taking this picture. Brrrrrrr.
Current beer-scale: 3.1
10/26/10
even by my standards
that was dumb.
Walking the dog was an adventure this morning. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph, high wind advisory and a tornado warning in the area, amidst a driving rain. Of course she didn't want to stay out too long, and of course I could not be persuaded to take the train when we were done.
The ride ended up not being too terrible. The rain died down until I was getting close to the bike path, and the wind only threatened to blow me off the bike once. It was worth it though, b/c by now the sun is out and even though the wind is still howling through the alleys between buildings it seems pleasant enough for an afternoon ride home.
I just hope my clothes a dry by 5 PM.
Current beer-scale: 4.9
Walking the dog was an adventure this morning. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph, high wind advisory and a tornado warning in the area, amidst a driving rain. Of course she didn't want to stay out too long, and of course I could not be persuaded to take the train when we were done.
She didn't even want to look as I got ready this morning.
The ride ended up not being too terrible. The rain died down until I was getting close to the bike path, and the wind only threatened to blow me off the bike once. It was worth it though, b/c by now the sun is out and even though the wind is still howling through the alleys between buildings it seems pleasant enough for an afternoon ride home.
I just hope my clothes a dry by 5 PM.
Good job, old chap!
Current beer-scale: 4.9
10/25/10
Adding to my list of things I never thought I would do but end up doing anyway, I spent my Sunday morning puking in an airplane lavatory.
A S. Carolina sunset Saturday evening
Overall I would call it a positive experience. And it wasn't the whole flight, just after we landed and were taxing to the gate. Tricky timing, getting up and getting to the door without getting told to sit back down. Which wouldn't have happened without me puking on someone. Let's just say when you're flying at 6:00 AM after a wedding the night before, listen to your wife when she tells you to take it easy. Do NOT, for any reasons, spend the four-hour reception drinking whiskey and top it off with a few beers in the hotel lobby at the end of the night.
Completing the stereotype, I did feel much better after jamming myself up against the walls to launch what little was in my stomach at the airplane toilet. Thankfully I hadn't eaten that much anyway. Plus, since I held it down until after a remarkably bumpy landing, I could go straight from the bathroom to the line to get the hell off the plane after just sitting down on the toilet until we finally arrived at the gate. Too bad leaving that early meant we were home in time to watch the Bears/Redskins game, which had me feeling nauseous all over again.
All in all a great end to a great weekend. Good fun with some of my oldest friends; never in a million years when I met my freshman roommate for the first time did I ever think 15 years later I'd be standing up in his wedding. Remarkable where a life can lead sometimes. Which was not what I was thinking while vomiting in an airplane the next day.
Current beer-scale: 0.9
A S. Carolina sunset Saturday eveningOverall I would call it a positive experience. And it wasn't the whole flight, just after we landed and were taxing to the gate. Tricky timing, getting up and getting to the door without getting told to sit back down. Which wouldn't have happened without me puking on someone. Let's just say when you're flying at 6:00 AM after a wedding the night before, listen to your wife when she tells you to take it easy. Do NOT, for any reasons, spend the four-hour reception drinking whiskey and top it off with a few beers in the hotel lobby at the end of the night.
Completing the stereotype, I did feel much better after jamming myself up against the walls to launch what little was in my stomach at the airplane toilet. Thankfully I hadn't eaten that much anyway. Plus, since I held it down until after a remarkably bumpy landing, I could go straight from the bathroom to the line to get the hell off the plane after just sitting down on the toilet until we finally arrived at the gate. Too bad leaving that early meant we were home in time to watch the Bears/Redskins game, which had me feeling nauseous all over again.
All in all a great end to a great weekend. Good fun with some of my oldest friends; never in a million years when I met my freshman roommate for the first time did I ever think 15 years later I'd be standing up in his wedding. Remarkable where a life can lead sometimes. Which was not what I was thinking while vomiting in an airplane the next day.
Current beer-scale: 0.9
10/21/10
A long-standing tradition
With a flight to catch tonight after work, the bike had to stay at home this morning. But rather than sleep in and take the train, I got up a hour early as the wife was getting ready and walked to work. That way I could walk with her to the train, and then leisurely walk to my office 5 miles away. Picture time!
Meandering down Lincoln, I caught sight of the Hancock building (the one w/the spires). It's a handy visual reference since my office is basically an extra block south and across the street. This was at Armitage & Lincoln, maybe about 3.5 miles away. I had over an hour to get to work at this point.
I thought about cutting over to see the outside of LPZ and take some slightly more interesting pictures, maybe of the wolves or farm in the zoo, but nuts to the zoo. Here's the sun breaking through the trees behind the Historical Society building instead.
The wife texted me to say she had forgotten her lunch around then, so I modified my route to head directly to her building to drop off the pequods slice I had brought for myself. Yeah, I'm just that kind of awesome. But heading to walk down inner-LSD gave me more time in the sun anyway. I was actually moving faster on foot than some of the traffic thanks to a bunch of construction. And people ask why I ride my bike.
I always wondered why people who live over there even bother to wait for the buses that come down that way. Why not just walk to where ever you're working, as long as it's not complete shit out.
Anyway, here's the Hancock again, much closer up. I still had over half-an-hour before I had to get to work at this point, so I had time to drop off my lunch and go get a crappy cup of 7-11 coffee before heading into the office. If you're in Chicago, avoid the 7-11 on Chicago & Dearborn like the plague. Seriously, that place is awful.
I'll be on a flight in less than 10 hours, and I'm starting to get antsy for some drinks. Good times.
Current beer-scale: 9.0
Meandering down Lincoln, I caught sight of the Hancock building (the one w/the spires). It's a handy visual reference since my office is basically an extra block south and across the street. This was at Armitage & Lincoln, maybe about 3.5 miles away. I had over an hour to get to work at this point.
I thought about cutting over to see the outside of LPZ and take some slightly more interesting pictures, maybe of the wolves or farm in the zoo, but nuts to the zoo. Here's the sun breaking through the trees behind the Historical Society building instead.
The wife texted me to say she had forgotten her lunch around then, so I modified my route to head directly to her building to drop off the pequods slice I had brought for myself. Yeah, I'm just that kind of awesome. But heading to walk down inner-LSD gave me more time in the sun anyway. I was actually moving faster on foot than some of the traffic thanks to a bunch of construction. And people ask why I ride my bike.
I always wondered why people who live over there even bother to wait for the buses that come down that way. Why not just walk to where ever you're working, as long as it's not complete shit out.
Anyway, here's the Hancock again, much closer up. I still had over half-an-hour before I had to get to work at this point, so I had time to drop off my lunch and go get a crappy cup of 7-11 coffee before heading into the office. If you're in Chicago, avoid the 7-11 on Chicago & Dearborn like the plague. Seriously, that place is awful.
I'll be on a flight in less than 10 hours, and I'm starting to get antsy for some drinks. Good times.
Current beer-scale: 9.0
10/19/10
After a nipple-freezing ride in just t-shirts and arm sleeves yesterday, it was time to bring out the big guns. Namely, the long sleeve wool big guns.
I picked this up on ebay over the summer for a ridiculous fraction of what other sites might charge for it. But after just one ride, even if I had paid more it would have been worth it. It's only in the 40's in the morning now and going to get a lot colder, but this jersey is the start of some great layering. I've been looking for something non-technical to wear in colder weather and wool fits the bill.
Of course with the bike polo references and old-school wool craftsmanship it's cut to hipster standards and slightly snug on my less than svelte frame. The wooden buttons seem a bit over the top as well, but those are my only real issues with the jersey. It's warm, not too itchy, and feels like it will be a great base layer later in the year. Now, if only that kind of weather would hold off just a little longer.
Current beer-scale: 8.1
I picked this up on ebay over the summer for a ridiculous fraction of what other sites might charge for it. But after just one ride, even if I had paid more it would have been worth it. It's only in the 40's in the morning now and going to get a lot colder, but this jersey is the start of some great layering. I've been looking for something non-technical to wear in colder weather and wool fits the bill.
Of course with the bike polo references and old-school wool craftsmanship it's cut to hipster standards and slightly snug on my less than svelte frame. The wooden buttons seem a bit over the top as well, but those are my only real issues with the jersey. It's warm, not too itchy, and feels like it will be a great base layer later in the year. Now, if only that kind of weather would hold off just a little longer.
Current beer-scale: 8.1
10/18/10
10/12/10
10/11/10
learning experience
I saw a great looking bernese mountain dog on the way to work this morning. Unfortunately, I saw her while she was wandering across the lakefront path with people coming at her from both directions. I managed to slow down and stay out of the way, but that was with barely avoiding getting rear-ended by the chick behind me.
Whether she owned her or not I don't know, but the woman walking the dog was all the way down the beach at the water politely calling for her dog who was about to get creamed by someone. I had enough room to turn and call her a fucking moron, but that wasn't quite enough for how mad I was at the situation. Of course it's still uber-nice for the middle of October and all the speed freaks are back out, if a dog got in the way of their morning time trial I would wager that's all she wrote for the dog. It pissed me off.
Even worse, I still feel bad about it. That dog was just doing her own thing, happy and oblivious to what she was doing. Just b/c I managed to avoid hitting her doesn't mean she was safe with all those other bikers and runners out. What I should have done was come to full stop and shoo'd the dog back to the beach, that way I'd know she was alright. That would have given me an excuse to give the lady walking her a larger, louder, more profanity-laced piece of my mind too, which I think would have made me feel much better. Not everyone should be allowed to own a dog, and if you're letting it walk across a busy street or path, you're in that group.
Current beer-scale: 8.1, shit-ily high for a Monday AM
Whether she owned her or not I don't know, but the woman walking the dog was all the way down the beach at the water politely calling for her dog who was about to get creamed by someone. I had enough room to turn and call her a fucking moron, but that wasn't quite enough for how mad I was at the situation. Of course it's still uber-nice for the middle of October and all the speed freaks are back out, if a dog got in the way of their morning time trial I would wager that's all she wrote for the dog. It pissed me off.
Even worse, I still feel bad about it. That dog was just doing her own thing, happy and oblivious to what she was doing. Just b/c I managed to avoid hitting her doesn't mean she was safe with all those other bikers and runners out. What I should have done was come to full stop and shoo'd the dog back to the beach, that way I'd know she was alright. That would have given me an excuse to give the lady walking her a larger, louder, more profanity-laced piece of my mind too, which I think would have made me feel much better. Not everyone should be allowed to own a dog, and if you're letting it walk across a busy street or path, you're in that group.
Current beer-scale: 8.1, shit-ily high for a Monday AM
10/8/10
what happened to fall?
80 degrees on the way home and four times the assholes out. Good times
Current beer-scale: 7.2
Current beer-scale: 7.2
10/5/10
Totally glorious out, which is nice b/c I've frozen my balls off the last two mornings riding into work.
On an unrelated note, I got dropped like an absolute sack of crap yesterday on my way home. It was completely ridiculous. I stuck with the guy from the Drake to the North Ave bridge but after that, he was gone. The dropping I can handle, but I was exhausted by yesterday afternoon and I don't know what happened. Took the dog for a decently long walk and called it a night. And as it stands now that's all that's on the docket for tonight.
Current beer-scale: 5.2
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