Well if you can read these words, we survived the “Dire Emergency” snow storm yesterday, which was reported to me to make the roads pretty icy mid-day but it only really was just starting when I took the shuttle from downtown slip-sliding away, and by the time it was time to go home, really just the roads were wet. But what do I know, I live in the city, even if I do smell cow shit and silage sometimes from Preska’s down the road. I do like the smell of grass, even when when I’m not smoking it in the wilderness.
I have the windows and doors as tight as their going to be in my drafty old apartment, 🪟 and at least for now I’ll keep my heat at 50 degrees, taking full advantage of heated blanket and coffee ☕ with ginger, cinnamon and that delicious juice produced by the ladies 🐮 and the Teat Strippers in the morning. Might turn the heat up a few more degrees when it hits 5 degrees in early morning hours of Friday night, though I’ll probably ride in that day.
I decided though today I’ll be morbidly obese and take the CDTA bus that runs only every half hour these days and stops every six feet, 🚍 because you know Trump said no more express buses – it’s part of the grander plan to eliminate all bus service except that one trip per day from Arbor Hill to the Methadone Clinic in the Albany Pine Bush next to current city garbage dump. Between the transfer over to the shuttle 🚀 to suburbanite office building next to old garbage dump, it does give me a chance to get some exercise in before and after work as I step over the winos 🍷 asleep in Empire State Plaza. And get yelled 🗣️at by some obvious heroin addict of women, demanding I give her attention and shell her out money 💵 so she can board a bus to somewhere, I mean buy more needles and smack. 💉 But I need to get my steps in 👣 if I’m not riding my bike to work. Just leave me alone so I can listen to more of Edward Abbey’s The Fools Progress, while I’m monitored by the jack booted thugs 👮 for walking laps in Empire Plaza as they ignore the harassing winos.
I am prepping to ride in again on Thursday, 🚴 while I could not find the leak in the tube that I got while I was riding the snow-covered trail up at Camp Santoni back to Newcomb Lake, it doesn’t seem to be leaking now. Probably the fix-a-flat is doing it’s job now that I’m not changing the tire in the deep snow on the way to Newcomb Lake. Never made it back to the lake, but I don’t know if I would have been able to ride all the way back even with the snow. At any rate, the snow is still a bit too deep to use the bike path to get work, so it would be Corning’s Hill and Delmar Bypass if I were to ride in today, and I don’t love that option, it’s less scenic but at least it’s less likely to trash the wheels on my bike. Tomorrow though I’ll either do the bike path or the road, and maybe Friday too. Whatever.
Yesterday was just busy catching up on everything at work. 📎 📄 🖥️ With the holiday and extending it to spend time in Adirondacks, there was a lot to get caught up on, a lot of loose ends, etc. And then it was just the snow, we were short staffed for a good portion of day, as I encouraged people to not come in the office or leave early 🚘 so they could avoid the worse of the weather, though honestly the way it worked out with the weather, the best option would have been like I done, get in early and stay late as the worse time ont he roads were mid-day. Tried to stay off social media and news sites as much as possible, instead reading more of Color Theory For Dummies and also more of The Backyard Homestead Guide for Raising Farm Animals. Without the bike on the bus, I can pay more attention to the book, 📖 rather then keeping an eye on the bike, lest some ghetto criminal try to take it off the rack.
This morning was cranberry-apple 🍏 🟣 🥞 pancakes, with lots of shredded carrot and oatmeal put in the mix for good measure. Got to keep up on that fiber so I keep pooping 💩. And the beta-carrotine this time of year. 🥕 Added some lemon 🍋 juice to mix to make it extra tangy, as I bought a plastic bottle of lemon juice for the salmon 🐟 I got yesterday. I hate plastic but it does burn good. 🔥 Also cooking down some of that 15-bean soup which actually is 16 beans or maybe not as I added extra salt, cumin and of course pinto beans 🫘 to have for dinner when I get home. Last night was salmon 🐟 with spinach and broccoli 🥦. Good eating even though it’s been cold. And I did get a fair amount of steps in yesterday, 👣 despite not riding my bike to work in the Dire Emergency blizzard.
I am looking forward to Christmas 🤶 🎄 and heading out to the State Horse 🐴 Camp in Madison County assuming there isn’t too much snow ☃️ though who knows with the way this winter is going. Mid-month I might do a few overnights up at Rensselearville State Forest, and I’m undecided about what I’ll do January 1-4th which I have off. A lot is weather dependent, 🎇 New Years Camping is fun but ice, snow, and cold are always a real possibility this time of year.