How do you commute to work??

[angus]

Lately by car, but about 8 months per year I bicycle unless it's raining or I have to carry something big with me.  I voted for bike.

[angus]

How to people commute by bicycle? At work, one needs to be clean and tidy, not smelling like bleu cheese.

We're not trying to win the Tour de France; urban utility cycling isn't a particularly intense athletic activity.

LOL.  Seriously, dude.

I guess if I lived in a warm, moist climate, like obebo and memphis do, then I'd probably bring a change of clothing in my back pack.  Even here there are some days when I arrive and I have to unzip, untuck, and wipe a little moisture from my sack and torso before settling comfortably in.

[angus]

And here I thought you were such a big fan of the Ancien Régime. 

[angus]

he bikes 6 miles back and forth to work every day, including the winter.  in f'ing Ithaca.

That's impressive.

[angus]

But many Thai men and women do cycle every day.  I think Al is on to something about living healthy.  I probably don't.  I never eat breakfast, but when I do eat I eat fairly healthy food.  I imagine that I exercise enough and I go to bed at a decent hour.  Nevertheless, I drink far too much alcohol so if it's warm then I sweat when I cycle, and my sweat always smells like booze.  I find that if I give the undercarriage a swipe or two with a dry towel immediately after arriving, there is no lingering odor problem.  It probably also helps that I shower daily.

I cycled to work today, in fact.  No pit stains.  No sticky underwear.  No foul odors.

I think I do have a skidmark on my whites, but I get that whether or not I cycle to work.  I should learn a better wiping technique.

[angus]

Christ buddy, you should wear dark plaid boxers if you have that problem.  

No way.  I tried on a pair of boxer shorts once.  Tried to walk around in them.  I kept racking myself with every step.  Slap.  Slap.  Slap.  It's so painful.  How can you stand that?  Also, it feels strange.  Normal underwear for me, thanks.  Jockey shorts.  White and tight.

As for the bidet, I have used them.  Got nothing against it, but tissue is fine for me as well, and it's more portable.  It's also generally what's on offer in most of the world, so it is advisable to familiarize oneself with its use.  Skidmarks are probably due more to my impatience than anything else.

Anyway, bicycling to work is great.  It's free, it's healthy, and there's really no odor problem.  On really hot days, it can get sticky, but that's just part of the charm.

[angus]

Today I got called an asshole, a c**nt-hole (yes, you read that right), and had the finger lifted in my direction.  I drove the car, and I don't live in a particularly big city.  Man, drivers are aggressive.

Back to the bicycle tomorrow.  For sure.  This road rage is for the birds.

[angus]

Cycled again today.  I actually got up to 27mph according to the speedometer.  No serious odor problems as far as I can tell.  Even my pits are fairly dry.

It has been an unusually mild winter.  Today, for example, it was 29F by around 8:15 and the high temperature will be around 44.  And most of the snow and ice has already melted.  Most years it's difficult to ride till around April, but this year we could ride even in January, at least on some days.

My nose was very cold by the time I got to the office, though.  I'm very impressed with the guy that cycles every day during winter in Ithaca.

[angus]

We perspired quite a bit today.  There were record-high temperatures of about 81 degrees!  Can you imagine that?  Winter not yet over officially for a week and we broke 80!  My son and left around 10AM when it was in the upper 50s, so I put him in a long-sleeve shirt, but by around 2 pm I had him topless.  He was so excited.  Everyone we came to got to hear him exclaim, "I'm riding my bicycle topless!"  I guess I never let him run around shirtless much.  We rode a total of 18.4 miles, according to my odometer.  We stopped for lunch, of course, then stopped in a local art gallery and I made him identify the surrealists, impressionists, expressionists, and cubists.  Couldn't pass up the chance for edification and erudition, and it was cool inside.  I guess we stayed there about two hours.  Still, 18.4 miles, even with a long break, is an impressive feat for a seven-year-old, I think.  He's exhausted, and I have to admit that I am as well.  And moist.

Summer's come early, boys!  Enjoy it.