Perfect Timing

Here we go again. Short days, chilly temps, and a clear conspiracy by the weather gods. After wimping out on yesterday's training ride, I was ready to get back in the groove this morning as I pulled on the arm-warmers. I even took a couple of minutes to clamp the bell back onto my handlebars since I'd removed it for last weekend's race. I'd noticed that the sky looked cloudy, but of course it was dark so it was hard to say for sure. I opened the basement door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. A light mist was falling. I stood there for a full minute considering my options as the feathery droplets slowly grew larger. Another minute and the mist had turned to rain. I unlocked the door and retreated. I clearly remembered the "10% chance of rain" that had been predicted for today, so I went upstairs and fired up the computer to check the radar. Well, the bottom line was that the rain had been perfectly timed to coincide ONLY with my riding time. I drove the car over to Starbucks and settled in with a cup of coffee and cranberry scone, watching the light rain as it continued unabated. By the time I got back to the house it was time to decide whether to ride the bike to work or give in and take the car. The rain promptly stopped just in time for me to hop on the bike and make the commute to work, splashing through the puddles of water the whole way. With an upcoming conference in D.C. that will have me off the bike from Sunday through Wednesday, I'd been hoping to make a nice deposit in the mileage bank this week. Oh well, such is life...

Things seem to be stacking up pretty tightly lately. A little neighborhood Halloween porch party at the house tomorrow night (feel free to stop by!), a capital outlay request to submit by the end of the week, a videoconference to coordinate, lobbying reports to submit, an analysis of the 3-year rolling average of Tulane's position relative to the AAU membership criteria, a memorandum of understanding to, well, "move along," a trip to DC on Sunday, and probably a few things I've conveniently forgotten.