This story may sound a bit familiar. It involves me waking up in the middle of the night, my daughter crying, me groggily making my way to her room to check on her, and smelling the problem before I actually saw it. Once again, my daughter threw up overnight on an early Friday morning, just as she did exactly two weeks ago. Once again, I missed work to take care of her.
I spent three hours, between midnight and 3 am, cleaning my daughter's crib and linens and bathing her then putting her to bed, all to start the process all over again when she continued to throw up forty minutes later. It was a rough night during which I had to exercise all my willpower not to puke myself at the disgusting task of cleaning up after my daughter. My God - honestly, fellow parents, hear me out - how the hell do we do what we do? Why the hell did we willingly take this on???
So another commuting day missed. Believe me, I would rather have been out there on the roads today than stuck at home taking care of a stomach-flu-riddled toddler. Sigh!! The things I do for love!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Week Twenty-Two - Day Four: Silliness
BIKE: Mike
TIME THERE: 31 min.
TIME BACK: 32 min.
WEATHER: a few clouds, -17C, 7 km/hr wind there; clear, -12C, 7 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: long johns, fleece pants, turtleneck, fleece mid-layer jacket, lobster gloves, balaclava (not a baklava, as I often mistakenly call it)
NOTES:
TIME THERE: 31 min.
TIME BACK: 32 min.
WEATHER: a few clouds, -17C, 7 km/hr wind there; clear, -12C, 7 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: long johns, fleece pants, turtleneck, fleece mid-layer jacket, lobster gloves, balaclava (not a baklava, as I often mistakenly call it)
NOTES:
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Week Twenty-Two - Day Three: Bad Ride, Good Ride
BIKE: Mike
TIME THERE: 33 min.
TIME BACK: 32 min.
WEATHER: cloudy, -21C, 7 km/hr wind there; clear, -11C, 6 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: long johns, fleece pants, turtleneck, fleece jacket, lobster gloves, balaclava
NOTES:
There are not enough swear words in the English language to describe my morning today. It was just one of those frustrating series of events that, if each event were taken individually they would be inconsequential, but as a whole put me in a terrible mood. My daughter woke up early so I didn't get a full night's rest, then she put up a great fight when I was trying to change her and get her dressed. When we got out to the car, I vigorously scraped down the windows in vain as I realized that there was a second layer of frost on the inside of the car. The whole time, my daughter was screaming her head off. I drove her to daycare through deep snow that threw my car around as she continued to scream from the back seat, and it was around this point that I uttered, "oh my God, I already hate today".
The ride to work felt slow and long. It was hampered by the chain coming loose from the freewheel, which could only be remedied by me awkwardly pedaling along with a chain that would only catch at every second rotation while playing around with the gear shifters until everything clinked back into place. My hands were cold. My eyelashes froze together. My stomach growled the whole way. My key almost broke off in the frozen U-lock when I finally got to work. Throughout the entire shitty ride I thought repeatedly to myself, "It is too fucking cold for this."
Luckily, by the time I got to school, things started looking up. I had a hot, yummy breakfast, and when I checked my client schedule I saw that all the clients I was going to see today were ones I genuinely enjoyed working with. It's so nice to work where it doesn't really feel like work. By the time I changed into my work clothes, wiped the sweat and condensation off my face, and did my hair and makeup, I was back to my usual dancing-in-the-hallways self.
After work, the ride home was fantastic! It felt easier and faster than the ride to work (though it was only shorter by one measly minute). I was warm and happy, biking into the sunset with the sun on my face. I didn't get stuck in traffic for long at all, or stuck start-and-stopping behind a bus. It felt so good to be out in sun, breathing that fresh air. It's amazing how different that afternoon ride was from my morning ride! But, I have to say, it's a whole lot better to end the day on a high note than to have my shitty ride be the one home.
Here's to staying on the bright side!
TIME THERE: 33 min.
TIME BACK: 32 min.
WEATHER: cloudy, -21C, 7 km/hr wind there; clear, -11C, 6 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: long johns, fleece pants, turtleneck, fleece jacket, lobster gloves, balaclava
NOTES:
There are not enough swear words in the English language to describe my morning today. It was just one of those frustrating series of events that, if each event were taken individually they would be inconsequential, but as a whole put me in a terrible mood. My daughter woke up early so I didn't get a full night's rest, then she put up a great fight when I was trying to change her and get her dressed. When we got out to the car, I vigorously scraped down the windows in vain as I realized that there was a second layer of frost on the inside of the car. The whole time, my daughter was screaming her head off. I drove her to daycare through deep snow that threw my car around as she continued to scream from the back seat, and it was around this point that I uttered, "oh my God, I already hate today".
The ride to work felt slow and long. It was hampered by the chain coming loose from the freewheel, which could only be remedied by me awkwardly pedaling along with a chain that would only catch at every second rotation while playing around with the gear shifters until everything clinked back into place. My hands were cold. My eyelashes froze together. My stomach growled the whole way. My key almost broke off in the frozen U-lock when I finally got to work. Throughout the entire shitty ride I thought repeatedly to myself, "It is too fucking cold for this."
Luckily, by the time I got to school, things started looking up. I had a hot, yummy breakfast, and when I checked my client schedule I saw that all the clients I was going to see today were ones I genuinely enjoyed working with. It's so nice to work where it doesn't really feel like work. By the time I changed into my work clothes, wiped the sweat and condensation off my face, and did my hair and makeup, I was back to my usual dancing-in-the-hallways self.
After work, the ride home was fantastic! It felt easier and faster than the ride to work (though it was only shorter by one measly minute). I was warm and happy, biking into the sunset with the sun on my face. I didn't get stuck in traffic for long at all, or stuck start-and-stopping behind a bus. It felt so good to be out in sun, breathing that fresh air. It's amazing how different that afternoon ride was from my morning ride! But, I have to say, it's a whole lot better to end the day on a high note than to have my shitty ride be the one home.
Here's to staying on the bright side!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Week Twenty-Two - Day Two: Winter Cyclists UNITE!
BIKE: Mike
TIME THERE: 33 min.
TIME BACK: 32 min.
WEATHER: overcast, -16C, 7km/hr wind there; clear, -15C, 6 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: fleece pants, turtleneck, fleece mid-layer top, safety vest, lobster gloves, balaclava
NOTES:
On the way home from work today, a passing cyclist heading south across the High Level Bridge gave me a nod. It made my day! I'm not sure if this is someone who might know me from this blog, or just a friendly fellow winter biker - but either way, I felt the fellow-biker love, and it was awesome!
So I decided to pay it forward. As I continued along my journey, heading west along Stony Plain Road into the west end of the city, I saw another winter biker on the other side of the road heading east. He looked over at me - perhaps surprised to see another biker that far west, given that (as I've mentioned before) running into other cyclists gets more rare the farther west I am. There weren't any cars immediately around me, so I felt brave enough to take a hand of my handlebars and give the passing cyclist a wave. He nodded in acknowledgment. Woo hoo! Winter cyclists UNITE!
I feel like there are an increasing number of cyclists out, certainly more than there were in December. Now that January has abandoned the balmy -2C weather we were getting at the beginning of the month and the temperatures have dipped below normal into the -15C range, I expected there might be a corresponding drop in bike-commuters. Yet that doesn't seem to be the case! It's nice to see my fellow bikers out and owning the roads. It's nice to be one of them. Best of all, it's nice to give each other recognition. To all the other winter bikers out there, if I ever run across you and give you the ol' nod, know that encompassed in that casual nod is all of this: I admire you for what you're doing, I thank you for lessening your impact on the environment that we share, and you're awesome because just by doing what you're doing you're inspiring me and others to trade the car keys for the bike. I salute you!!
TIME THERE: 33 min.
TIME BACK: 32 min.
WEATHER: overcast, -16C, 7km/hr wind there; clear, -15C, 6 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: fleece pants, turtleneck, fleece mid-layer top, safety vest, lobster gloves, balaclava
NOTES:
On the way home from work today, a passing cyclist heading south across the High Level Bridge gave me a nod. It made my day! I'm not sure if this is someone who might know me from this blog, or just a friendly fellow winter biker - but either way, I felt the fellow-biker love, and it was awesome!
So I decided to pay it forward. As I continued along my journey, heading west along Stony Plain Road into the west end of the city, I saw another winter biker on the other side of the road heading east. He looked over at me - perhaps surprised to see another biker that far west, given that (as I've mentioned before) running into other cyclists gets more rare the farther west I am. There weren't any cars immediately around me, so I felt brave enough to take a hand of my handlebars and give the passing cyclist a wave. He nodded in acknowledgment. Woo hoo! Winter cyclists UNITE!
I feel like there are an increasing number of cyclists out, certainly more than there were in December. Now that January has abandoned the balmy -2C weather we were getting at the beginning of the month and the temperatures have dipped below normal into the -15C range, I expected there might be a corresponding drop in bike-commuters. Yet that doesn't seem to be the case! It's nice to see my fellow bikers out and owning the roads. It's nice to be one of them. Best of all, it's nice to give each other recognition. To all the other winter bikers out there, if I ever run across you and give you the ol' nod, know that encompassed in that casual nod is all of this: I admire you for what you're doing, I thank you for lessening your impact on the environment that we share, and you're awesome because just by doing what you're doing you're inspiring me and others to trade the car keys for the bike. I salute you!!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Week Twenty-Two - Day One: Safety First
BIKE: Mike
TIME THERE: 30 min.
TIME BACK: 39 min. (including a stop at MEC for a new safety jacket)
WEATHER: overcast, -14C, 9 km/hr wind there; overcast, -13C, 7 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: fleece pants, turtleneck, fleece mid-layer jacket, lobster gloves, balaclava
NOTES:
A couple of weekends ago, I was in my living room when I noticed flashing lights from the main road that's a half-block from my house. Curious as to what happened, I peeled back the curtains and saw several police cruisers and a fire truck right where my little residential street met the busy road. The major road was blocked off and traffic was being redirected down my street and others. "Huh," I thought to myself, "must have been some kind of a crash."
A couple of days later, as I was reading the paper, I found the byline explaining what happened that night. A young, sober driver in a small car had been driving along at the posted speed limit, hit a patch of ice, lost control of his car, and got t-boned by an oncoming truck. The 20-year-old driver of the car died. Tied to a light post at the intersection now, there are balloons and a hand-drawn poster detailing the horrific grief felt by those who loved him. The balloons have wilted and popped in the frigid air and now hang limp and lifeless.
I bike past this roadside memorial every day and am reminded of how lucky I am. I've been biking all winter, through freezing temperatures and darkness and slush, snow, and ice; I've been biking on sidewalks and roadways and anywhere I think I might be able to get some traction; I've feared for my life on those slippery days when I bike alongside speeding cars. But I'm still here. I know that all it would take is a driver to misjudge his distance from me and allow his side mirror to graze my handlebars for me to end up under his wheels. I know that all it would take is my tire catching the edge of a pothole or a parallel crack in the road at the wrong angle and I could crash into a passing car. It would just take one person's momentary inattention and my daughter would be left without a Mom, my brothers would lose their only sister and my parents their only daughter. The professional designation I've been working towards for the past ten years would remain unattained. I would leave behind debt, fond memories, and heartache.
Of course I'm being melodramatic, but it's thoughts like these that remind me of the importance of caution. I can't account for every driver on the road, but I can do everything I can to play safe with my winter cycling. Today, on the way home from work, I stopped off a MEC and picked up a reflective safety jacket that I can slip over anything I'm wearing. Regardless of whether I'm wearing my fleece mid-layer or my waterproof shell or even just a t-shirt, I'll be more visible. I also try to follow the sage advice: be where people expect you to be. If drivers expect me to be on the road, I'll try to stick to the road as much as I can. If I'm expected to bike with traffic rather than against it, that's exactly what I'll do. And if I happen to have to get up on the sidewalk for whatever reason, I will be sure to ride with that much more caution, looking out for people who might not expect to have to look out for me.
The precautions required for safe cycling in the winter slow my ride down considerably. I would rather take an extra ten minutes each way of my commute, though, if it means getting home to see my daughter every night. That's the important thing.
TIME THERE: 30 min.
TIME BACK: 39 min. (including a stop at MEC for a new safety jacket)
WEATHER: overcast, -14C, 9 km/hr wind there; overcast, -13C, 7 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: fleece pants, turtleneck, fleece mid-layer jacket, lobster gloves, balaclava
NOTES:
A couple of weekends ago, I was in my living room when I noticed flashing lights from the main road that's a half-block from my house. Curious as to what happened, I peeled back the curtains and saw several police cruisers and a fire truck right where my little residential street met the busy road. The major road was blocked off and traffic was being redirected down my street and others. "Huh," I thought to myself, "must have been some kind of a crash."
A couple of days later, as I was reading the paper, I found the byline explaining what happened that night. A young, sober driver in a small car had been driving along at the posted speed limit, hit a patch of ice, lost control of his car, and got t-boned by an oncoming truck. The 20-year-old driver of the car died. Tied to a light post at the intersection now, there are balloons and a hand-drawn poster detailing the horrific grief felt by those who loved him. The balloons have wilted and popped in the frigid air and now hang limp and lifeless.
I bike past this roadside memorial every day and am reminded of how lucky I am. I've been biking all winter, through freezing temperatures and darkness and slush, snow, and ice; I've been biking on sidewalks and roadways and anywhere I think I might be able to get some traction; I've feared for my life on those slippery days when I bike alongside speeding cars. But I'm still here. I know that all it would take is a driver to misjudge his distance from me and allow his side mirror to graze my handlebars for me to end up under his wheels. I know that all it would take is my tire catching the edge of a pothole or a parallel crack in the road at the wrong angle and I could crash into a passing car. It would just take one person's momentary inattention and my daughter would be left without a Mom, my brothers would lose their only sister and my parents their only daughter. The professional designation I've been working towards for the past ten years would remain unattained. I would leave behind debt, fond memories, and heartache.
Of course I'm being melodramatic, but it's thoughts like these that remind me of the importance of caution. I can't account for every driver on the road, but I can do everything I can to play safe with my winter cycling. Today, on the way home from work, I stopped off a MEC and picked up a reflective safety jacket that I can slip over anything I'm wearing. Regardless of whether I'm wearing my fleece mid-layer or my waterproof shell or even just a t-shirt, I'll be more visible. I also try to follow the sage advice: be where people expect you to be. If drivers expect me to be on the road, I'll try to stick to the road as much as I can. If I'm expected to bike with traffic rather than against it, that's exactly what I'll do. And if I happen to have to get up on the sidewalk for whatever reason, I will be sure to ride with that much more caution, looking out for people who might not expect to have to look out for me.
The precautions required for safe cycling in the winter slow my ride down considerably. I would rather take an extra ten minutes each way of my commute, though, if it means getting home to see my daughter every night. That's the important thing.
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