Friday, April 13, 2012

Thoughts for a sunny Friday

I bet you thought this was going to be one of those blogs that never gets past the initial post, right? Well, joke's on you, Mom. This isn't tee-ball and I'm not 4 year-old quitter Adam anymore. Second posting, what?!

It was one of those mornings when you've got to choose between being a little too warm and a little too chilly. Opted for a little too warm, and equipped my yellow windbreaker for +5 to visibility. Once at work, I got into a conversation with a coworker concerning the weekend forecast: after an "unseasonably cool" week it'll be in the 80s by Sunday. He was considerably more jazzed about this than I. Anything much above the 70s has me feeling a tad uncomfortable unless I'm at the beach/pool. YOU GUYS DO YOU BELIEVE I'M FROM A COLD CLIMATE YET. You're shocked to learn that the temperature is a frequent topic of conversation around a typical office, I know. But it got me thinking about what I have to look forward to in Quito, where the mountainous surroundings lead to average highs in the mid-to-high 60s year round. It'll be the most pleasant, people.

Oh look, Reuters published an article just for me.  Sounds nice. A few weeks ago, I discussed the potential for bicycling in Quito with a classmate who just happens to have grown up there. His response was the very definition of cautious optimism- I could probably do it OK but I'd better watch out seriously or I'd find myself sued for damages when someone rams me from behind and I crack their windshield on account of being launched onto it. So I'll probably have to feel it out as far as trying to actually get places by bike, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't psyched about the Sunday "Ciclopaseo" rides. As far as how to actually get a bike to Ecuador, suggestions include "buy a piece of crap there" or "get a folding bike and bring it." This reminds me of one of those "Life is Full of Important Choices" t-shirts from the 90s. Did you have one? Me neither. Maybe I'll have an alternative transportation-themed one made.

Listen, I don't mean to turn this into a cycling blog. Truly, there are lots of other people who can do that tons better than I can. Still, it's become pretty important to me ever since I've actually lived in a place where you don't really need a car to get around. This is not possible outside a VERY small corridor of southern Maine, the part that sort of blends in with the rest of The Seacoast (TM) and even then it's dicey. My hometown is not located within this " Seacoast Smugness Swath," and so using a bike as primary transport feels like a trait I just found out that I was missing. Thus, a lot of my rantings will likely be shouted from the saddle.

I should probably get a nicer saddle.

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