Week Twenty-Six - Day One: Weekend at MEC

BIKE: Mike
TIME THERE: 27 min.
TIME BACK: 28 min.
WEATHER: overcast, -8C, 6 km/hr wind there; overcast, -8C, 4 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: fleece pants, t-shirt, fleece jacket, double gloves, balaclava
NOTES:

Over the weekend, I made a trip to MEC to buy some replacement brakes, synthetic lube (the natural lube I've been using so far isn't so great for cold weather, as I just discovered), and a cleaning brush. I also picked up a flexible rear fender that attaches to the bike rack because my original rear fender has been M.I.A. ever since I switched to my studded tires, which are too wide for my original fenders. I would have tried to buy a chain, too, because apparently my chain has stretched with use and could use replacing before it takes out my whole drive train in its death spiral, but I had to leave the store quickly because my daughter was being a pain in the ass. Like, breaking away from me the moment she could and disappearing down different aisles, forcing me to chase her, and when I caught her she would fly into a throw-herself-on-the-floor-screaming tantrum. It was . . . unpleasant. Especially when my hands were full. It was a damn good thing there's a Bernard Callebaut chocolate store across the street, because after that shopping experience I needed a little pick-me-up.

Today the ride was just fine. I wore running shoes instead of my honkin' winter boots for the first time in ages, and it's amazing how much lighter and colder I felt! It made me think of the impending warm weather, and slowly but surely moving from cold-weather riding clothes like fleece pants and winter boots and balaclavas to more spring/summer clothes like yoga pants and sweatshirts and - dare I dream?? - even riding in just a t-shirt. Oh, warm weather, you cannot come soon enough!! Sure, I'm not looking forward to the slushy, messy, slippery rides that will come as the temperature rises, but I desperately look forward to the sun on my skin and putting the studded tires in storage and being able to ride on side streets again.

In the meantime, I'm going to zone out by watching some mindless TV show online (I'm too cheap and superior to actually pay for TV). It cured what ailed me on Friday when I wrote about feeling kind of depressed. I just watched a couple episodes of - don't judge me - The Millionaire Matchmaker - and suddenly my life looked a whole lot brighter. I figured if these supposedly successful people were as ridiculously flawed as they appeared on this show, I must not be doing so badly. And that, my friends, made me feel a whole lot better.