Overslept Commute

I prefer to leave home by 6am, although due to some glitch in the space-time continuum, ten minutes always disappears as I walk upstairs from the basement and the earliest I can ever leave is 6:10am. Today I woke up at 6:45- suddenly remembering my wife telling me she was planning on sleeping in after hosting the book club. In the past, that has never meant the alarm was changed. At any rate, I was faced with a dilemma: do I drive on such a nice day?

I chose to ride. I'd still be at my desk well before 9am. Actually, the main reason I like to leave earlier is that I wear regular cycling clothing and shower at work. I work in an office, and have endured moments of being called "Spandex Man" by an obnoxious coworker whose only connection with biking is having watched "American Flyers" once upon a time. He's also known to sing opera music when I've entered the building. I ended up putting a stop to this nonsense by earnestly asking him if he thought it was "leg warmer weather" or "tights weather" during some of my later fall commutes. Still, there are those that do not understand. There is no way I'd wear civilian clothing for a twenty mile commute. I also do not want my coworkers to question whether I am showering on company time. I want to set a good example- and, I guess I'm a little paranoid, but I also need to remember that the novelty of my commuting has probably worn off by now.

The next issue is that I noticed yesterday that the door knob to my shower room was missing. Someone had also stored a giant dry erase board in there. I inquired about the knob and was told one of the restroom doorknobs was broken, so maintenance "borrowed" one from the shower room. It is the sort of gesture that reminds me how little respect many employees have for these accommodations- that were specifically established by the CEO for serving needs of commuters. On the other hand, without a knob, I need my multitool to even open the door.

The ride in was beautiful. I left home by seven, and noticed far more bikes than normal. I also experience much more traffic along Minnehaha Parkway. In the mornings I always take the road. In the evening, traffic is usually backed up for blocks at many of the intersections, so it is actually faster to take the trail- especially considering there is no shoulder and no room to pass on the right. Along the river, I noticed a huge turtle in the same place as yesterday, prompting me to wonder if it were actually alive. The river seemed quite high and was spilling over the concrete apron along the banks. The barges that were empty yesterday were now full, sitting low in the water. It reminded me of a piece on public radio the other day commenting that barges displace water, raising the level of the river as they pass. I had a hard time wrapping my brain around that one, especially on a river as large as the Mississippi.

My arrival at the office was uneventful. 8:15 and it was still largely empty. It is Friday, after all.