Having emergency rations at hand came in useful this morning.

I\’ve long kept a couple of GU-Gels in one of the pockets of my bicycle trunk. Sometimes I\’m too hungry after work to wait until I ride home to eat; and I might get hungry while out on a shopping trip.

This morning the weather was dreary; and there was a strong wind. I didn\’t feel like battling that wind on the road bike while atop the levee, so I put the panniers and trunk on the hybrid\’s rack; and went to the local park.

I rode around the park five times; and then headed for Whole Foods. As it turned out, I could have made a sixth round of the park. I got to the store with 15-20 minutes to spare; and while I waited for the store to open, I began to feel rather chilled.

I also began to feel hungry. Just great. I\’m about to shop for food; and I get hungry! Whether you\’re watching your diet or your budget — or both — the Number One Rule is: Don\’t go food shopping while you\’re hungry!

I decided that eating a GU-Gel was by far a lesser evil that skipping the GU; and then buying a pastry. With all the hummus I\’ve been eating, I spend more on food than I really need to; so why buy goodies from the bakery case? My prediabetes doesn\’t need it, anyway.

I worked from home today; and during lunch break I busied myself with prep work for Leapin\’ Leo. I varied it by using green onions instead of red; red bell pepper instead of orange; and I used a different kind of cheese.

It came out well enough, but it wouldn\’t be easy to carry as emergency rations!