SpokEasy

SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

Popcorn!

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I want popcorn! But why? Preparing it means an oily pot to clean up; and don\’t get me started about the hulls sticking between my teeth. I\’m watching a YouTube about the destruction of Pompeii in 79 AD. It\’s a favorite subject of mine; but why does watching a video make me want popcorn? It\’s many and many a year since I last went to the movies! And did I even buy that snack then? This food isn\’t bad as an off-bike snack. Oil-popped, it has about 55 calories per cup; and just over 6 grams of carbs. Air-popped, the count is 31 calories per cup. Of course, that\’s without the addition of butter and other caloric toppings. Sort of like with potatoes … hey, that\’s an idea. Popcorn with cheese and chives! Popcorn wouldn\’t make good ride food, I\’m quite sure. It isn\’t sustaining enough for hours of pedaling; and I\’d have to cram my Camel-Bak full of it. Then what would I do for water? These weird cravings hit now and then, and I don\’t know why. If anything, they seem worst when I\’m not hungry! So what\’s up? Am I thirsty? Do I need to get up and get moving? Would green tea help? At the moment, I think I\’ll let hot chocolate go; I don\’t want to overshoot my carb count. Or am I tired? I was up too late last night, I admit. Having two weeks off from work is spoiling me rotten. I can sleep until 8 am if I want to! Whatever brought on this craving, I have to knock off other stuff and go wash the dishes. Thanks to my laziness in that matter, I have to leave laundry for tomorrow!

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Post Christmas

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Here we are, post Christmas. When I was a kid, that lasted quite a while. We never put up our Christmas Tree until after supper on December 23. Then, we put on the lights; and installed the angel on top. After breakfast the next morning, we hung all the ornaments. As we kids got older, it became difficult to find room for all of them! Then the Tree stayed up until January 6. After supper that evening, we\’d take it down. Santa had always \”forgotten\” a treat under the Tree; so Christmas didn\’t quite end until then. This holiday season — in fact, all of 2020 — has been weird, and not only for me. It\’s been strange for everyone, all over the world. COVID-19. There\’s been some wild, crazy weather in the USA the last couple of days, including tornadoes. On Christmas Day I usually get together with the folks who lived nearby while I was growing up; this year I decided to skip it. I sure missed seeing them, but why take unnecessary chances with that virus? Yesterday the chill factor was still in the 30s. Between that and my wardrobe problems, I decided to \”ride\” indoors again. I blew my diet big time, and I do mean BIG. Now I\’ve got to bring my palate back to heel. This morning I took a ride to Walmart, despite the cold weather. At least the wind was calm. I got some peppermint bark on sale; and wouldn\’t you know, I forgot to get Xmas cards for next year. The most important post Christmas item! Walmart wasn\’t crowded at all; in fact, it was rather empty. I was in and out rather quickly. In the store, I began to feel a bit hungry. I\’m proud of myself for having resisted the donut case!

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Chill Factor

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We\’ve got the chill factor today! All right, not as cold as in the above pic; but certainly cold enough for me. Yesterday it was warm for December; it reached 71 degrees, and it was overcast all day. The forecast was for rain and T-storms overnight; and strong wind (wind advisory!), with dropping temperatures today. This morning, at 7:15, it was 53 degrees. Strong wind of 23 mph. It was still overcast; and I hoped any further rain would wait until at least noon. I had errands to run! By 10 am the temperature had dropped several degrees; and as of noon, the wind is still going strong. There\’s even a gale warning out for small craft, and the sky is still overcast. But by evening it should be clear again; and it looks like I might get to go for a ride tomorrow! Not in the park, though. On Christmas morn, the youngsters with their new bikes are likely to be out in force at 6 am; I\’ve seen that in the past. I know they\’re excited, and eager to try out their \”wheels\”; but let\’s face it, that can make things perilous for other riders. You never know when a child might suddenly swerve out in front of you! On second thought, I just checked the forecast. The chill factor tomorrow will still be in the 30s. Along with our usual high humidity, that will make it bone-numbing out there. I might have to be content with a spin in the trainer.

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Christmas Eve Eve

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Here it is, Christmas Eve Eve; and a gloomy, gray day. Not that it\’s especially cold. In fact, it\’s warm for December; about 71 degrees. That, however, will soon change. Rain and T-storms are expected tonight; and tomorrow the wind will get much stronger. The temperature will drop into the mid-40s. Knowing the forecast, I rode a few extra miles this morning. It looks like I won\’t want to ride outdoors tomorrow! Time to set up the trainer again. Gee, aren\’t I a wimp? As to rain, it started earlier than I expected. About half past noon I walked over to the drug store. When I came out, it had already rained a little. I was glad I had my umbrella with me; and I\’m glad I used it during the walk home. With still a block to go, the rain began again. The slightest amount of rain elicits groans from me for the time being; even if I\’m not cycling. Who knows how long the neighborhood road construction will take; and in the meantime, there\’s mud, Mud, and MUD. It can take several days for it to dry out; and that\’s only if we don\’t get any more precipitation. This afternoon I can stay indoors. There\’s nothing I absolutely have to buy now, so I don\’t need to go to the stores; and for \”sport\” I plan to concoct another garbage soup. What else is there to do on Christmas Eve Eve? I could do some sweeping, for once. I\’m terrible about keeping up with housework; and if I tried to keep up with the dust, I\’d do nothing else! It\’s a matter of priorities: nutrition and blogging matter more than a clean apartment to me. Baking cookies? No; I don\’t have the ingredients. Sorry, Santa.

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Railroaded Again

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This morning I got railroaded again, you could say. I rode the hybrid to Whole Foods. As I was leaving home to go to the store, I heard a train\’s horn. It sounded very close, and I figured I wouldn\’t be able to cross the tracks to the bike path. So I took a different route to the store. On the way back home, I decided to take the longer route; and that meant I had to cross the railroad tracks to reach the bike path. That was a bad move! I was almost to the crossing when a freight train entered it. The locomotives were hardly well across when another freight train came along, going in the opposite direction. Two trains at once! Talk about getting railroaded; and railroaded again! It\’s lucky it wasn\’t too chilly, because it took at least 10 minutes for both trains to get past. While I waited, I lost most of the heat I had generated by riding. Less than halfway home on the bike path, I saw that the first train had stopped. I knew that it was blocking both of the crossings between me and home. I had to turn around and ride back to a crossing that I could use. What a nuisance! Some days there seem to be more trains than others. Or maybe I simply timed my trip to the store badly, and this was the result. Then again, there are days when everything seems to go wrong. I\’m glad there wasn\’t a train blocking the crossing yesterday evening. I would have been chawing my fingernails clean back to my elbows with impatience. Yes, I know; trains are vital for the transport of goods. But that doesn\’t mean that I have to like them.

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IT WORKED!

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It worked! I had my fingers crossed much of yesterday afternoon. Late morning, the forecast predicted partly cloudy skies by evening. I was much worried that my view of the Great Culmination would be spoiled. But I got lucky. The forecast changed to mostly clear. I set out about 5 pm, before it was fully dark; and did some easy-ish riding for two miles or so. Then I turned back, because there were too many trees at my turnaround point. I stopped at a spot that\’s about 1.5 miles from home; and got out my compass. I found SW; and waited. Before long, I saw what looked like a star, with a small and fainter star very close to it. I figured that had to be it! This wasn\’t as big or as bright as I had thought it would be. I forgot that I wasn\’t looking for Venus! I\’m glad it was farther from the horizon that I expected. There were wispy clouds there, and they were gradually climbing up the sky. I watched for a good 20 minutes; then decided to head back home. It was something of a nail-biter because there were so many people out there. Most or all of them without any reflective material, and no lights. Many of them in the bike path; and some of them SITTING there! I know they wanted it dark so they could sky-watch; but come on, people! I guess they aren\’t up there on the levee enough to know that it\’s a bike path; not a picnic ground. So if things aren\’t looking so rosy, try crossing your fingers. This time, at least, it worked.

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Crossing My Fingers

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I\’m crossing my fingers, big time. The forecast predicts partly cloudy skies by this evening. That doesn\’t bode well for astronomical viewing. All I can do is hope for the best. I took the hybrid to the shop this morning, hauling the trailer along. All the guys in the shop needed to do was adjust the rear brake a little; and they said the trailer probably didn\’t have anything to do with it. So I got a bit of luck there. Since I had the trailer, I made a stop at the drug store and got a rather big (size-wise) load: I stocked up on Diet Coke; got a gallon jug of water; and a pack of bathroom tissue. It wasn\’t many items, but paper goods can be very bulky. Now that the hybrid is A-OK, I can go for a ride ? I think I\’ll wait a bit; I don\’t have to hurry. The wind isn\’t bad; and the temperature is close to 60 degrees. I\’m glad it\’s no colder; but it\’s still chilly enough for leg warmers. Those things can be a problem; and of course there\’s my sniffly nose. Crossing my fingers doesn\’t help with that; in fact, NOTHING does! It looks like the weather will be OK for riding tomorrow, too. I\’m tempted to head for Walmart; but if I go there, I\’d better go very early. The place is probably a madhouse now, with everybody trying to get Christmas shopping finished! On second thought, Boxing Day might be better. It will be crazy then, too; but I might be able to get cut-rate greeting cards to keep for next year. On-sale candy I\’d better skip; pre-diabetes doesn\’t take holidays, more\’s the pity. Well — I\’d better get ready to ride!

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Incentive

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I need some incentive; a goal to work towards. It might help me to get out and on the bicycle these cold mornings! It\’s more than seven years since I last did a century ride. My major motivation then was just to see whether I could do it. Is it time I worked up to another 100-miler? I would like to be able to complete a century in under eight hours; and that means I need to get faster! Unfortunately my attempts at improving my pace have a way of falling short. Am I not awake enough at 5:15 am for putting in speed work? Sometimes it seems like it. At the same time, riding before I have to go to work is the best way for me to be sure I do get to ride! Maybe I\’m too much of a sissy to make the longer efforts I need to ride at higher speeds. I\’ve never quite gotten over the concern that I\’ll push myself too hard and too often; that doesn\’t do anyone good. Am I overdoing this concern? For some months now I feel tired in general. Could it be the diet? I tend to get to bed later than I should; and that\’s no help. Add to that the cold weather. I feel sluggish when it\’s cold. An organized century ride is off the tables, but a self-supported century is possible; I know, because I did it four times! But do I have the incentive I need to train up for one? When do I want to tackle such a ride? Next April? I need a \”window\” when the cold weather is over; but it\’s not yet 80 degrees at 5 am. I must think about that one!

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Enforced Rest

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I\’m having an enforced rest. No, it isn\’t because of an injury. Not to me, anyhow; but both of my bicycles are laid up. The road bike is still in the shop for its tune-up. Then this morning, I hitched the trailer to the hybrid for a trip to the salvage store. As a result, the hybrid is now crippled! Again. What it is about the trailer that pulls the bicycle\’s rear brakes out of line? I never had this problem until the last few months — since the hybrid had a tune up. What happened there? I don\’t think that overloading is the trouble. This morning\’s load was about 25-30 pounds, I\’d guess; well below the 50-pound limit. At any rate, the hybrid\’s rear brakes are now rubbing the tire; and it makes no sense to try to ride the bike. I called the bike shop, and told them about it. They said I can bring the hybrid in on Monday morning, and they\’ll try to have a look at it. I plan to take the trailer, too. It might help them to figure out what the problem is if that trailer is hitched to the bike. I hope it\’s something that they can remedy quickly and easily. If I don\’t have a bicycle handy, it might be much harder to go out Monday evening to see the Great Conjunction! The forecast shows a good chance of rain tomorrow, with temperatures in the 50s. Lousy weather will help make my enforced rest a little more bearable; I won\’t miss riding quite as much if I don\’t feel like going out in the rain, anyhow. But for now, a lot of lunges, squats, and so on are in order!

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