but, in true chicago form, sunday was 81 degrees and yesterday was about 40 (high)...soo, here i am again, lamenting the cold and daydreaming about sunnier days.
being a bike commuter, you stay pretty in tune with the weather. even if you're like me, and decide to NOT look up the weather for the next day, you're going to KNOW the weather in no time whether you like it or not. so, i live by the nature of...well....mother nature...and pretty much just do what i can to get through it. sometimes i take it on like a challenge with excitement; yeah, you know that CRAZY downpour thunderstorm the other night, when the streets were flooding, and cars couldn't even drive down michigan avenue because it was like an f'ing RIVER?! yeah, i was riding home during that ;-) ha! i love it...i smile through those things like a kid eating candy. it's such a high.
so, being that i am continually in touch with the lovely weather of chicago (mother nature, i am kissing your ass right now, please be nice to us!), i realized some funny things about how i notice weather changes.
first realization: during the winter, i forget that my bike lock cord is actually FLEXIBLE. it's not until that first day of defrosting that i find myself haphazardly swinging my lock around wondering why it is so damn FLOPPY! oh right, it's not an ice cube right now.
second realization: did my head miraculously get smaller overnight? oh no, my helmet is just basically falling off because i am no longer wearing a huge ass HAT under my helmet (probably the hottest look any bike commuter can master)
third realization: my headphones suck...yeah, you know those pretty white ones you get with every single apple purchase? well, somehow, as the weather warms, i start to constantly be picking them up and putting them back in my ears, mid ride...and why is that? again, the hat trick. without a hat, it becomes glaringly obvious that these ear phones do not stay in your ears FOR SHIT. damn you apple. you pull me in with the free stuff, and i just can't say no.
four: to my surprise, i am not actually "allergic to morning". as the weather warms, the runny nose and watery eyes miraculously disappear. wow, i totally forgot that the piercing freezing wind beating me all the way to work was actually the cause for that...!
and five: why is it becoming so hard to find things to ride in to work? oh right, because i don't have to cover every square centimeter of my body in order to arrive safely without loosing any toes or fingers! what a concept! so, although i drop about 5 lbs on each ride, i suddenly begin struggling with the idea of skirts that are too short or too flowing or tshirts that flap in the wind and give that PERFECT shot of my oh so enormous breasts ;-)
so, the weather is indeed changing. my bike has told me so. and i have had some moments of pure bliss on my bike lately as I smile my way through the city without a bone chilling, clenched body, barely breathing mentality...but, instead, a fresh deep breath of wonderful lake air!
BUT, i have not yet given in. my helmet is still riding loose...because i KNOW i'll be adding that hat again at least one more time. and my lobster claw gloves have not yet moved to the bottom of the pile. i am PREPARED...my bike lock will yet again get stuck in a tight coil, my music will blare in my ears unaffected, my runny nose and watery eyes will return, and i will not yet give chicago a view of my sun deprived body while rushing past them in a blur...
mother nature loves to throw in that last snow...say mid april...and i'll be riding...no matter what
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