Ride In 10/31

And so we retreat once again to a simpler time, the past of a few hours ago, where everything seems brighter, metaphorically, as it's much brighter now on account of the sun. It's still cold though, and not in a metaphorical sense, but in a meteorological one. I type this post while wearing mittens, or at least hypothetical mittens, which is coincidentally the name of a cat I don't yet own, as it is quite cold in my office. That's what I get for working at a meat locker, or at least a figurative one.
I'm not sure if I went overboard with the overdressing this morning. I was reacquainted with my winter clothes, which consist primarily of an Under Armor ColdGear long sleeve shirt and a fleece (not Golden) from Target, worn underneath my trademarked (not really) yellow jacket and above my shorts and tights and near my wool winter gloves and wool cap or sort of near my smartwool socks. I didn't wear shoe covers on my bike shoes and I didn't wear earmuffs, sunglasses, or a Mariachi costume for I do not work as a Mariachi performer and my Halloween costume is, what else, that of a "zombie jogger." I might have overdone a bit with the heavy clothes, but not so much so that the ride was unenjoyable. I think that riding a bicycle while too cold is worse than riding a bicycle while too warm and both are worse than riding a bicycle while dressed as a member of a Mariachi band because I don't have enough braze-ons for a maracas holder and everyone knows that maracas are best deployed while driving anyway.
Some days you just feel like riding behind people, even when they're riding slower than you'd prefer. There's nothing wrong with that, provided you don't ride within 6 inches of them. Commuting by bicycle is a social activity, even when it's no one's objective to actual be social. My fellow yellow-jacketed commuter rode a slightly different way through the Capitol grounds and ended up riding behind me a little, though it wasn't ever really my intention to pass him.
Street light down at 12 and Pennsylvania Avenue. Probably caused by the bike lane.
I think I've decided that using hand signals to indicate to other bicyclists that you're coming to a stop and that they should be likewise is quite silly. We're not a trail. We're on a city street and there are stop lights that indicate as much. Furthermore, if I'm paying enough attention to see your needless hand signal, I'm probably paying enough attention to see your deceleration. Commuting by bicycle is a social activity, even when you'd prefer it not to be.
Nothing cuts down your average pathlete like a gentle slope. More fake Cat 6 races end this way than other other.
Caution tape still down near the White House. Yes we can!
Fair number of bicyclists out on the road this morning, undeterred by the low temperatures. Bunching even, especially near the awesome new public fountain in the middle of the 15th street cycletrack leaf depository lane homage to the Trevi fountain. Dip your tire in the water and it's a sure sign that you'll ride through DC again. It's not like it's a real problem; it only inconveniences bicyclists. When I arrived, there was a police van pulling alongside it. Maybe they were going to arrest the water? Just don't taze it.
If I remember anything about the Ideal Gas Law, and I'm fairly certain I'm not sure I do, lower temperatures affect the air pressure in your bike's tires. It might have behooved me to inflate them prior to leaving this morning. I felt sluggish.
Oh yeah, I also wrapped a water bottle cage in duct tape and I transported my stainless steel coffee mug therein without scratching it. I enjoy drinking coffee while riding into work because I enjoy drinking coffee in most any circumstance. It also makes me feel like a "regular" commuter.
I didn't actually mean to ride past a guy on Massachusetts, but he pulled over when I rode behind him (maybe to allow a lady with a German Shepherd to get by, but she seemed to have no interest in doing so) and I rode by and he immediately proceeded to mark me as we both rode uphill. I didn't mind this, per se, but I didn't want to give the impression that I was deliberately trying to pass him or race him or anything. But that's no real way to give this impression, so I just rode along. I don't know what happened to him since by the time I got to Wisconsin he wasn't there. Anyway, if you're the guy on the orange DuraAce Mongoose, I wasn't trying to be a jerk.