Weather news…fatalities hit home…

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/weather/bal-md.digout08feb08,0,5015339.story

Near the bottom of the first page, ‘As residents began to dig out from what the National Weather Service finally declared officially was a blizzard, according to Baltimore- Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport observations, it became clear that the storm carried more serious consequences than a temporary loss of mobility or power over the weekend.

According to Prince George’s County fire spokesman Mark Brady, paramedics found a man in cardiac arrest in a car Saturday in Greenbelt. The man, Thomas Michael Jones, 55, was a cabdriver who had lost power in his home early Saturday, according to his sister, Karen Beuchel of Elkridge. She speculated that he might have attempted to keep warm in his car. The state medical examiner’s office said it had yet to perform an autopsy. Two men in their 20s also were found dead in a car in Bladensburg early Sunday, according to Sgt. Tracy Stone, in what police said were “initial indications” of carbon monoxide poisoning. An investigation is continuing.

A spokeswoman for Union Memorial Hospital reported an “unusually high number of snowblower-related injuries” Sunday afternoon. Debra Schindler said the hospital’s emergency department reported eight injuries in a three-hour period. She said many of the injuries involved hands.”

It should have been Michael Thomas Jones … and it’s bike related ’cause he was in the car I sold him when I went car-free, at a sisterly price.  Cars kill, even when they’re standing still.

Wish it were colder

Welp, I did ask it to stay relatively warm  I was granted rain instead of snow Friday before dawn.   HEre’s the thing about heart attack heavy snow with temps in the 20’s:  when cars or plows pack it down, it’s wetter … it melts… then turns back into ice.   Of course, it’s inconsistent depending on how many cars went over it… and toss in 30+ mph winds and even studded tyres slide out from under you.  (Note to self:  lean forward.)

It was on 150, since Washington looked too heinous for words (Joel & Tony said it got better – that further out of town it was plowed!), so there was some traffic, including a very nice lady heading home from the night shift at Solo who gave me a ride the rest of the way in.  KIA vans are rather roomy- the Gazelle went in standing up.  (I just couldn’t argue that I wasn’t having any trouble…)

DIdn’t go down again, though I was nervous and rode with the back of the pack – serisouly intrepid folks.  (And Joel and Tony rode all the way out and back… I bummed a ride back, too, tho’ the roads were pretty peachy, but I really did want to get to the bike coop.)

Then got some weird news that turned bad… seems my eldest brother back in Maryland is a (probably weather-related) fatality.  Somebody listening to the police scanner heard his address and called my little brother (on his honeymoon in Puerto Rico) about it… he called sis in Bal’mur, who called me so I could call him but he didn’t answer and he *always* calls me on Saturdays ( and most otehr days, too)… a little more electronic detective work (you’re not actually *going* anywhere in Maryland today) and the bad news.

bus day

I’ve definitely ridden in worse — in hindsight I might have ridden, but since ya can’t plow a forecast, I’d probably make the same decision with the same forecasts. I did ask the weather to be nice and it didn’t start snowing ’til today and it never got cold enough for things to get hard… and I asked for niceness so that roads might be sort of almost navigable tomorrow for the Illini Chill.

I went out for the little loop and “decided” that they were scary enough so I’d wimp out tomorrow – plan to get on the bike and ride ’til I felt wimpy – , but then Tony & Joel had emailed out that they’re riding out studlessly.  (Yes, they’re willing to fall.)   So, same plan, but I’ll leave earlier than they are.

When I was on the swim team, I would leap into the water first and try not to get lapped in the warmup.  I knew I couldn’t keep up – but I would swim peppily *while* I was still ahead and shoot for finishing the warmup with the crowd.  So, I’m trained… if I know they’re behind me, I shall be full of spit and vinegar     (Okay, now I”ll see if I can get a speedometer on the silly gazelle so I can get a real time and distance measure…)

bike lanes ;)

From cycle-licious – These ideas for improving laws in D.C. would work most places… http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=4640

Our news coverage is getting a bit better – the TV coverage of the bike lane meetings had a positive spin.  Yes, the WCIA ones were still 100% autocentric, with bicyclists some other facet of the culture than any viewer, so that yes, the taxpayers were paying for these (as if they weren’t paying for roads, and as if cycling didn’t save taxpayers more than the output?)

WAND does its darndest to make it controversial with “some residents aren’t seeing eye-to-eye” in the lead-in… and oh, gosh, for Mike Lodes bicycling is more than just a pastime !!!!! From a resident:  “If you want to ride a bike, ride it on a side street… It’s taking away parking…”    Of course, State and Randolph *are* side streets (Neil and Prospect are more arterial), but hey, who cares about facts when you’re arguing?  I bet some of his best friends ride bikes … we’ve still got lots of edjumicatin’ to do so people realize their concept of cycling’s role in our culture is changing and shoudl be changing faster

On the otehr hand, WILL described the meeting as something like a chance to “show off” the plans.  And, fortunately, Mishuano got good words in about the benefits.

No snow at all yesterday – so I was roaring down bone-dry roads with the studs smackin’ loudly.  Today I road the Xtra and boy, the skies were much more threatening but they haven’t put anything out.  Got in a lunch lap (had to chase down my patience).

Had more miles in January than ever, ever before – not by a ton of miles, but it’s significant given the weather differences between this year and that one.  Significantly ahead of the 10,000 mile year, which had an even punier February (236 miles), but that was the year of 930 miles in December and that’s a little hard to duplicate.

Illini Chill coming up this Saturdya — tryin’ to nudge the weather to be reasonable.

Found a penny today

… nope, no dollar bills.  Still, the BYOBag-nickels-and- run-over-money jar has about $11.00 (since I buy a lottery ticket from the machine every second or third dollar, the $8 the last one won went in there).

So yesterday I did claim my lane approaching the rr tracks… and the car behind me went *way* over to the other side to pass, together at the tracks.  Hmm…

Got to 500 2010 miles today   Ahead of last year, but this year’s weather is on ly bad, not consistently execrable.  My “take the bus” threshold comes easier this year, what with practice of that social skill.

Glass 3/4 full

My mother once confided that one of her goals in parenting was to rear children without her inferiority complex.  She succeeded with a vengeance in me   So while today had a mix of People Expressing Opinions about me, I’m afraid the good is resonating more deeply.  Even the “Hi, Sue!’s” along the way home were better than average   (Note to self:  to whom much is given, much is expected.  No basking )

Then the store trip:  L to County Market or R to equidistant Schnuck’s, which reminds me of Ukrops of Vifrginia except that Schnucks sells beer?  I go left and ponder a letter to the manager explaining why:  not to include that I enjoy supporting the Blighted Philo Road Business District… but they hire Visibly IMperfect People (hopefully not exploitatively).   And, I’d add, now they carry Abbey Ale, albeit warm.

I arrive and espy, dropped amidst the cold ones, a solitary six of Abbey – just sort of dropped there.  Yea, prob’ly somebody decided cold Regular Fat Tire was better than warm Abbey, but now the Abbey was chilled.  Just for me

And then:  Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.  How long since I heardt *that?*  Oh, yea, they have a good pick for satellite radio.  (When Paul SImon’s American Tune came on one day … welp, I just didn’t go in so I could sing along in the parking lot, tho’ perhaps singing along in the grocery store should be a Thing To Do. Especially if it’s Muzak )

They have to do a price check, which has been true since the first one I bought -  cheaper than Schnuck’s

Oh, and there was a dollar in the road on the way home.

Now, we still have to plan the revolution.  The Evil Ones have 2MCH PWR.  We’ve got the songs and the karma on our side, though.

Chunky, chunky

30 degrees riding home at 10:30 lastnight — 13 this morning.  Yes, there was a lot of rock-hard slush.  The brain is a funny thing.  I’ll ride all over the place and even get off and walk to avoid an icy patch through campus when there isn’t anybody there, because there is a way… but cruising up Country Fair I’m just riding right over plain old ice, thank you, just pedaling away.  If I don’t *think* there’s something easier, then it doesn’t seem hard. (Okay.  I was nervous riding on the thick, frozen-hard slush. But only nervous.)

Mostly, cars give more room, etc. when it’s dukey — but they have a propensity for passing me *exactly* when I’m crossing the railraod tracks on Country Fair.  I guess next to me is better than right behind me… maybe… but I may get disgustingly assertive about my lane position thereabouts.

Reminded myself that 13 degrees was a lot colder than 28 and hopped on the trainer for warm-up 6 minutes– and then promptly rode out with the outer jacket. Took two minutes for the wind to work through and inform me, but I didn’t want to turn around.  (Might have been different if I had a working speedo and the miles would “count” ) So, for once I actually followed that maxim about “if you’re warmwhen you start, you’ve overdressed,” and no, I didn’t get chilled.  Will have a “rode morethan the temperature” day today

’tis milder :)

Yes.  I”m a weenie.  Weather channel is talking about the winter storm from last year and I looked back at the blog to see if that was the day we got the freezing rain / rain combo whose memory inspired me to ride the bus yesterday (but take a ride afterward ’cause the roads were clear).  Good grief, it was crappy almost every day in January!  “Snow is not ice” and I was riding the Dahon in snow.

It was also a little sadness-inducing.  Stupid governmnet was bailing out the car industry (that big poster saying “you won’t drive our shitty cars  – so we’ll take your money anyway”) … but it felt like it was worth it to be angry, especially with Inauguration Day.  Now, the country is *officially* bought and sold to big business and the “tea party” folks since nobody’s telling them what to be mad at haven’t figured out that big business is not a good government runner.

Okay, I *did* go out in the snow and do two laps at lunchtime And there was a little bit of snow on the ground tonight.

Oh, the spin of things…

“Merchants speak out against proposed bike lanes” – the News Gazette *not* at its finest with this one.

“Plans to put bike lanes along Main Street in downtown Urbana are opposed by Urbana merchants.”

Yes, it’s opposed by some of them.  It’s opposed by all of the ones quoted in the article, and the quotes state that all the merchants are opposed.  That’s a complete, simple, boldfaced lie — but two different quotes state it.  More objective people at that same meeting heard several merchants lauding the bike lanes.  However, truth is obviously not a priority for the News Gazette on this issue.

Of course, holding one’s hands over one ears and reciting “everybody agrees with us, everybody agrees with us” is a pretty common political tactic.  It was painfully acute at the meeting abotu the Washington & Race street bike lanes, where the one lady was stridently exclaiming that just a few people were pushing this idea that *nobody* else wanted — except that she was outnumbered by, oh, about four to one.  I”m sure in her mind *all* her cohort had such busy lives and we were the entire cohort of jobless, lifeless bums… but there are an awful lot of people in the “nobody” category.

The folks who speak out against the bike lanes have been consistently unconvincing, I’m glad to say. F’rinstance, the News-Gazoo article states taht for the merchants, diagonal parking is a priority.  Clearly they think bicycle lanes are in the way.  However, Bill Gray stated that for a host of other reasons, diagonal parking simply doesn’t make sense for Main Street.  (For starters:  there is enough parking; the problem is that people don’t know where free parking is.)

I suppose the merchants envision “North Prospect II” in downtown Urbana… but while I can’t bring myself to lie like they do and say “to a one,”  I can tell you that any decent survey of Urbana residents would disclose strong preferences for a Main Street atmosphere, not a Concrete Jungle.

Flurrrries – Chill Training :)

Trip in was uneventful, especially since I left 45 minutes early.  It’s a 9:00 arrival day but the increase in traffic is significant over that hour, and at some random point Conditions Will Deteriorate.  Winds 18 mph which will pick up later and blow me home, tho’ I leave the option open to catch the bus, though that hoisting issue is a disincentive. Two laps around campus, climbing the hill robustly and thinking of the Illini Chill, the registration for which I just put in “outgoing mail,” and hoping I’ll have the endurance to go all the way and into whatever winds are around.