Just like that

It's over. The weather has deteriorated enough that the Greenway Challenge has been postponed. No big deal, except that the new date is next weekend and I can't participate. D'oh! Sad... but I'll do it next year. And I discovered a new place to ride, albeit one that is far away, not that big, and full of motorcycles.

And perhaps worst of all, my streak of consecutive days riding to work has now been broken!

If I...

Hear another "Sex & the City" ringtone while I'm trying to work, I'm going to throw up.

Football?!? Or, how it is extremely difficult to travel to Gillette Stadium by any means other than by car

Yes, it's still August, but there are already professional football games going on. Tonight, the Eagles will play the Patriots at nearby Gillette Stadium. My sister's boyfriend has season tickets for the Pats and he has generously offered a few seats so we can go see this game. Apparently among true football fans the preseason games aren't so interesting so the tickets are usually given away or sold at a steep discount. The face value for our tickets is $117 or some such nonsense but we'll be dropping a mere $50 per. Seems crazy to me but the NFL is big business even when it's not the real season.

But that's not what is annoying.

How does one travel to Gillette Stadium? One drives, of course! Unless, that is, you have reservations about the whole scenario, be it the $40 parking fee, the traffic, the hassle, whatever. The other option is to take the train. The MBTA, in partnership with the Patriots, operates a special train on game days. Sports fans can travel from Providence or South Station in Boston right to the stadium. And by "right to the stadium" I mean "somewhere nearby, surely within a day's walk." Perhaps I'm complaining prematurely, we'll see. I've never been there.

That's not the annoying thing either.

The annoying thing is the list of restrictions on what one can travel with on this train, and subsequently carry into the stadium. My original plan was to ride my bike to the train station, lock up, jump on the train and be good to go. This would involve me carrying a messenger bag to stash my helmet and a jacket. Maybe a couple beers... but for consumption as road sodas, not to smuggle into the stadium (I'll surely drink a few $9 Bud Lights once there, don't want to withhold my money from Mr. Kraft). Problem is, carrying a bag like that into the stadium is prohibited! Blast! Thank you Department of Homeland Security! I feel safer already. Anyway, if I have nowhere other than on my head to carry my helmet, etc., it makes riding to the station more of a drag. Waaaaah. So, instead, I'll take the bus. While I still can. RIPTA is broke and going broker. It'll add some time to my trip and increase my walking mileage, but I'll manage. Somehow.

So it will be a public transportation adventure, involving uncertain scheduling, disorientation, alcohol, and rowdy sports fans. What could possibly go wrong?

Today's idiot

As I rounded the final corner of my ride in this morning, I saw that the parking lot shuttle bus was ahead of me and was stopping right in front of the doorway to the office. This is not unusual as the bus is, after all, a means for the lazy people who drive to work to avoid walking that last 100 yards or so from the parking lot to the building. It happens that the bus always stops in such a way as to completely block the ramp up on to the sidewalk. This means I have to dismount in the street or, as I usually do, hop the curb to finish my ride. No problem, although I do think it's rude for the bus driver to park in such an obstructive manner.

Today, I zoomed up behind the bus, hopped the curb, and dismounted. As this was happening, I noticed the bus driver dismounting from his fine steed. This is also not unusual as the driver is a fat man who frequently interrupts his work to buy coffee or dispose of the coffee he has already consumed. Today, the timing was such that I opened the office door just in front of the driver who, as I've already indicated, parked so as to rudely block the entrance. As I passed through the second door I just continued on, not bothering to hold the door. The fat bus driver was behind me by enough that I didn't think I was violating some law of etiquette by not waiting. Mr. Driver Man at this point says to me, "Thanks!", just dripping with sarcasm.

HA! Thanks to you, Fat Man, for parking your lazy person's ferry in the way of everyone else! How dare you imply I'm rude when you, in fact, have been recently even more rude! I will NOT hold the door for you until you learn to pull ahead one bus-length before dismounting for your coffee-and-pee break. STOP BLOCKING THE RAMP!

And this is just another small example of the indignities suffered while riding a bicycle for transportation.

i am in hell...

The cheating, lying Patriots beat San Diego (I believe it means "Whale's Vagina"... Anchorman, anyone?) 38-14 last night. That means I get to listen to my co-workers talk about what a great team "we" have, how deliberately and consistently violating the rules "doesn't make a difference," how "we're going all the way if everybody stays healthy." F that, I say. You people need to shut the hell up and get back in touch with, um, ethical behavior. I sure do hope the Eagles can win one tonight... that'll go a long way towards making me feel better.

It was 46 degrees for my ride in this morning. In the span of a week we've gone from hot, humid, sticky summer riding to brisk (i.e. COLD), eyes watering fall riding. Awesome!