Unnecessary Freezing

Some time around 3 am the indoor-outdoor thermometer next to my bed came alive. A brief but loud alarm sounded, followed by an electro-feminine voice announcing "the outdoor temperature is twenty-nine degrees Fahrenheit." I really need to figure out how to turn off that freeze alarm feature!

Anyway, it probably wasn't quite that cold when I got up to ride this morning, although if there's any significant difference between 29 and 34, I am completely unable to detect it. By the time I had piled on the necessary layers of clothing, my watch was irretrievably buried, but I think I arrived at the levee more or less on time. I was kind of relieved to find nobody there, because the north wind was still blowing pretty strongly and I was secretly nurturing thoughts of a city ride. So I climbed up to the levee bike path, turned away from the wind, and rode down to Audubon Park where the wind didn't have quite the upper hand. Along the way I could see that there was a thin sheet of ice on the water in the ditch. This is always kind of exciting for people down here where frozen water comes in big plastic bags and is mostly reserved for adult beverages. I couldn't help but think of a quote I ran across recently that described snow as "an unnecessary freezing of water."

It was still fairly dark when I headed downtown on a nearly deserted Prytania Street. Once I got to the Lee's Circle area traffic started getting heavier, so rather than do battle with the stoplights and suburban commuters, I headed back uptown on Magazine St., gazing longingly at the many coffee shops, and did a couple of laps around the park. By then my feet were starting to get cold and I figured an easy hour and a half on the bike would have to suffice today.

An hour later I was on my way to work with a long-sleeved base layer under my oxford cotton shirt, sweater and jacket, and a pair of knee-warmers clandestinely tucked under my slacks. Somehow I felt colder on the ride to work than I'd been earlier, but at least the office was good and warm this morning and we even had electricity!

I have so much on my to do list right now I really don't know quite where to start, which explains the morning blogging, I suppose. I did get a New Year's email from Realdo, who is all moved in over on the island of Mauritius. He tells me that he's joined the local club and they have 35 races this upcoming season on that one little island, which is pretty impressive. The roads are all hilly, and he has to do a lot of riding alone because of his schedule and because the group rides are in the afternoons.