Give Me A Break, Already.
Yesterday was a good day.
The sky was clear, the winds weren't bad, the roads were dry, and the air was crisp. It was a perfect fall day for riding. Really, it was the kind of day that makes you glad to be riding a bike.
I felt like a cyclist. I did things automatically for the first time in months. Actions just clicked. I didn't miss a clip-in or have to remind myself to loosen up. Simple stuff that I was fumbling with excessively after the layoff. It all came naturally. Amazing what a good day will do for you.
As soon as I got in my car, I noticed a smattering of raindrops on the windshield. Hmmm. It continued all the way home- just enough to be annoying but not so much that the wipers could do anything more than smear them across the glass.
I started making burgers to throw on the grill, because the wife told me I had to. When I tried to preheat it, the temperature stayed below 100. It started to rain harder. The kids were hungry and whining. The wife was hangry. The tank was near empty, so I swapped it out with the giant one from the RV, but still had no heat. I tapped the regulator, and the flame shot up momentarily before dropping back to next to nothing. It rained harder. And colder. I cycled the gas and controls a few times, hoping the pressure would equalize and it would drop out of bypass. I'd wait a slow count of ten. Then twenty. Then thirty. No luck. I got wetter and colder. I checked for leaks, which wasn't that hard considering everything was wet already. Nothing.
I jumped in my car and drove to the neighborhood True Value. This particular one is kinda nice because the employees are extremely helpful and knowledgeable, and there's all sorts of stuff on every aisle you'd never think was there. I didn't have time for any of that. I made a beeline for the grille section, grabbed a regulator off the shelf, paid, and was back home in a couple minutes so I could get wetter and colder replacing the defective unit.
The flame blazed tall and blue, and the temperature quickly rose to 500. I threw the burgers on the grille and sat dripping at my computer. I didn't bother to change because I was going to have to flip the burgers. I didn't bother to put on a rain jacket, because I was already soaked. I just sat there, dripped, and shivered.
The burgers were pretty good. I went to bed early, curling up under soft blankets until the shaking went away.
This morning, even though it was pitch black outside, I knew it was still raining. I could hear the steady drone on my roof when I woke up. I could hear the rattle on the vent covers and patter on the blue tarps that cover the piles of RV construction debris.
The bike is on my car. The kit is in my bag. I have a rain jacket, shoe covers, and fenders all ready to go. My list of excuses for not riding after work is pretty short, but the memory of shivering and working on that stupid grille in the rain is still pretty fresh. It may tip the balance if the workday doesn't go well.
Why can't I get a string of nice days to close out this riding season? C'mon. Throw me a bone.
The sky was clear, the winds weren't bad, the roads were dry, and the air was crisp. It was a perfect fall day for riding. Really, it was the kind of day that makes you glad to be riding a bike.
I felt like a cyclist. I did things automatically for the first time in months. Actions just clicked. I didn't miss a clip-in or have to remind myself to loosen up. Simple stuff that I was fumbling with excessively after the layoff. It all came naturally. Amazing what a good day will do for you.
As soon as I got in my car, I noticed a smattering of raindrops on the windshield. Hmmm. It continued all the way home- just enough to be annoying but not so much that the wipers could do anything more than smear them across the glass.
I started making burgers to throw on the grill, because the wife told me I had to. When I tried to preheat it, the temperature stayed below 100. It started to rain harder. The kids were hungry and whining. The wife was hangry. The tank was near empty, so I swapped it out with the giant one from the RV, but still had no heat. I tapped the regulator, and the flame shot up momentarily before dropping back to next to nothing. It rained harder. And colder. I cycled the gas and controls a few times, hoping the pressure would equalize and it would drop out of bypass. I'd wait a slow count of ten. Then twenty. Then thirty. No luck. I got wetter and colder. I checked for leaks, which wasn't that hard considering everything was wet already. Nothing.
I jumped in my car and drove to the neighborhood True Value. This particular one is kinda nice because the employees are extremely helpful and knowledgeable, and there's all sorts of stuff on every aisle you'd never think was there. I didn't have time for any of that. I made a beeline for the grille section, grabbed a regulator off the shelf, paid, and was back home in a couple minutes so I could get wetter and colder replacing the defective unit.
The flame blazed tall and blue, and the temperature quickly rose to 500. I threw the burgers on the grille and sat dripping at my computer. I didn't bother to change because I was going to have to flip the burgers. I didn't bother to put on a rain jacket, because I was already soaked. I just sat there, dripped, and shivered.
The burgers were pretty good. I went to bed early, curling up under soft blankets until the shaking went away.
This morning, even though it was pitch black outside, I knew it was still raining. I could hear the steady drone on my roof when I woke up. I could hear the rattle on the vent covers and patter on the blue tarps that cover the piles of RV construction debris.
The bike is on my car. The kit is in my bag. I have a rain jacket, shoe covers, and fenders all ready to go. My list of excuses for not riding after work is pretty short, but the memory of shivering and working on that stupid grille in the rain is still pretty fresh. It may tip the balance if the workday doesn't go well.
Why can't I get a string of nice days to close out this riding season? C'mon. Throw me a bone.
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