Today is the day of very cold legs.

It was raining this morning.  And windy.  A cold front got here today.  I had to go to a 10am meeting and walk about 500 feet outside.  The rain came up — fuck sideways – and the puddles appeared everywhere.  The end of the fucking world if you’re a napkin or a witch.  Water everywhere.

I got to my meeting and had to run to the bathroom to sop up some of the water from my pants with paper towels because I was leaving puddles everywhere.  I had to stop to make the meeting; because I didn’t want my boss’ boss to come in and see; and because I was killing trees like there was no tomorrow.

Post meeting, I wanted my pants to dry on my person because, you know, sitting around the office in your underwear is a little weird.  But it didn’t work, and I got really cold (plus the modem in my office climate control unit is busted, but that’s another story).  So I took off my pants for them to dry on the room-temperate air coming out of my “heater” unit.

Currently, I am sitting in my underwear and undershirt and socks freezing, with my door locked and a Post-It that says, “I’m here — Pants are drying.”  It should probably say, “If you come in here, don’t make fun of my blue underwear.”  Or, maybe funnier, “Come in and get an eyeful of –!”

Of course the sky is clear now, with low and lovely clouds.

But it’s also getting very cold, and I get to have coffee with a good buddy tonight outside, at our adopted clubhouse — the trolley stop on University Parkway.

Thanking the Hanes gods for longjohns.

jackfrost0109
I got drenched earlier this week riding my bike to work in all that rain. I mean like hanging my clothes to dry drenched. It was awesome.  My new fenders kept most of the slosh and slush and sludge off of me and off of my drivetrain.

But I was still looking forward to the sunny, clear and cold weather of yesterday and today. I had on very warm winter cycling gloves, a puffy vest, scarf, flannel or sweater and LONGJOHNS. Yes, longjohns. Rather than getting home with pink and chapped and stingy legs, I get home toasty and warm and happy and full of fuzzies because they are new.  And my hips smell like ink from the dye.

Of course I also sit in my office with very warm legs, which is very strange.  Especially if you’re a hairy man like me.  And you know you’re not supposed to wear anything under longjohns, right?  When your underwear touches your socks, it feels like you’re (to quote Ned Flanders) “wearin nothin at all!”  I’m not exactly into that, uh, ahem, lack of support.  It’s very odd.

Totally worth it to be able to cycle through a winter which is certainly colder than some places, but not quite New England or Upper Midwest either.

Rider status indicates that there are still in fact some cyclists in Baltimore who are, uh, brave/crazy enough to ride through the winter.  I’m not alone, and I don’t want to be.  Even when it’s raining and 35 degrees, there were folks out.

Possible fun joint ride Sunday.  If you’re in Baltimore, comment here and come!