As the title suggests, today I assisted with bus evacuation drills at another school. I explained regular bus rules, emergency exits and safety equipment, what to do if I'm incapacitated (they got a kick out of my demonstration of throwing my radio microphone out the window- THUD), and how to evacuate. The other buses had two classes, but I only had one class of 40 students to talk to. One chaperone was very nice and came by with a 1 minute warning, which was just at the point I was about done. I yelled "fire!" and they all promptly got off. I had the last girl checking seats as she came up and she grabbed the first aid kit. The counts from the guy at the door and the one at the site 100 feet away were matching. Yay, we got everybody except your poor dead bus driver. Have a good day!
Another awesome part of today is that I will be filling in for an elementary route before my high school. More money is good.
And lastly, this weekend brought gifts! T got lots of clothes from a friend of hers, and we went through them last night. I get snow pants! Also a few cute and warm sweaters, and several shirts, some even long-sleeved. I really thought a white one with tiny flowers all over was cute, until we found matching pants- they are a pajama or long underwear set. I can't guarantee the shirt won't be worn a lot as a regular shirt- I thought it was adorable. Several items are labeled maternity, but other than two sleeveless shirts with darts below the empire waistline (just below bust), I wouldn't have been able to tell. T says they just get to charge lots of extra money when it says "maternity" on it. A load through the wash just to be sure, and I'll have pictures soon!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Friday Eve!
Today dawned foggy and cold, but not raining. I rode my bike :)
My clothing: helmet, white beanie, thin long-sleeve AE t-shirt, orange sweater, windbreaker, both kid gloves- stripes over the pink, thin socks, stirrup leggings, thick socks, corduroy pants, sneakers. Oh and my scarf.
I ended up being overdressed. My fingers were sort of chilly, but not numb or hurting. My torso got warm, and like always the windbreaker ended up unzipped. I ended up removing it completely, and the wind chilled my arms only a little. This actually made my hands feel warmer, maybe because I had something to distract my brain from them. My legs were fine, but after I stopped my thighs felt cold and tingly. Feet were awesome, but my sneakers felt confining. I ended up loosening my scarf a lot as my body got hot, but it worked very well when starting out just to keep my chin warm.
I had trouble for the first time with my glasses fogging up. I'm not sure if it's the warmth of my watering eyes making heat near the lenses, or just general temperature shifts that I can't feel. I was careful to breathe downward like usual- which is normal for me anyway. The lenses fogged from the top down, so that's why I thought maybe moisture on my eyelashes, being closer to the lenses and at the top, might have caused it. Much worse and I'll have to figure out a solution, but today they were only bad near the end of the trip.
I saw three deer with great big comical round ears in a yard during my afternoon run. I pointed at them, but my brain-to-tongue connection failed me and I didn't say anything. One girl who was paying attention was happy I pointed them out. The kids on the bus have gotten much less antagonistic now that I'm a regular face, I think. The girls get wildly goofy-giggly, and I can see myself having to remind them to calm down a little as a regular thing. There is a boy that sits up front who liked video games, and he constantly hums various Mario tunes in the afternoons. I happen to like them so I don't mind at all, and sometimes he gets them stuck in my head.
We went grocery shopping at Wal-mart. After this morning, I'm sure I need something better for gloves, and with snow threatening, I definitely want something to be able to play in it. Snowmen, of course! So for around $8 I now have a pair of Faded Glory gloves with 80 grams Thinsulate (70 is for moderate activity or cold conditions, 100 for light activity or very cold conditions). Brown, with some blue stitching. They'll match my bike bag! When I get it made... The gloves are very soft inside without squeezing my fingers like some I tried on. The fingers are slightly too short, but I'm very used to that in gloves and they are maneuverable (in the fat-fingered glove kind of way) enough that I don't notice too much.
Wow and it's later than I thought it was. Tomorrow is Friday, but I don't want to be too sleepy just yet. I have a choice of hot oatmeal or english muffins, or cold cereal for breakfast. I'm thinking oatmeal, yummy.
Goodnight everyone!!
My clothing: helmet, white beanie, thin long-sleeve AE t-shirt, orange sweater, windbreaker, both kid gloves- stripes over the pink, thin socks, stirrup leggings, thick socks, corduroy pants, sneakers. Oh and my scarf.
I ended up being overdressed. My fingers were sort of chilly, but not numb or hurting. My torso got warm, and like always the windbreaker ended up unzipped. I ended up removing it completely, and the wind chilled my arms only a little. This actually made my hands feel warmer, maybe because I had something to distract my brain from them. My legs were fine, but after I stopped my thighs felt cold and tingly. Feet were awesome, but my sneakers felt confining. I ended up loosening my scarf a lot as my body got hot, but it worked very well when starting out just to keep my chin warm.
I had trouble for the first time with my glasses fogging up. I'm not sure if it's the warmth of my watering eyes making heat near the lenses, or just general temperature shifts that I can't feel. I was careful to breathe downward like usual- which is normal for me anyway. The lenses fogged from the top down, so that's why I thought maybe moisture on my eyelashes, being closer to the lenses and at the top, might have caused it. Much worse and I'll have to figure out a solution, but today they were only bad near the end of the trip.
I saw three deer with great big comical round ears in a yard during my afternoon run. I pointed at them, but my brain-to-tongue connection failed me and I didn't say anything. One girl who was paying attention was happy I pointed them out. The kids on the bus have gotten much less antagonistic now that I'm a regular face, I think. The girls get wildly goofy-giggly, and I can see myself having to remind them to calm down a little as a regular thing. There is a boy that sits up front who liked video games, and he constantly hums various Mario tunes in the afternoons. I happen to like them so I don't mind at all, and sometimes he gets them stuck in my head.
We went grocery shopping at Wal-mart. After this morning, I'm sure I need something better for gloves, and with snow threatening, I definitely want something to be able to play in it. Snowmen, of course! So for around $8 I now have a pair of Faded Glory gloves with 80 grams Thinsulate (70 is for moderate activity or cold conditions, 100 for light activity or very cold conditions). Brown, with some blue stitching. They'll match my bike bag! When I get it made... The gloves are very soft inside without squeezing my fingers like some I tried on. The fingers are slightly too short, but I'm very used to that in gloves and they are maneuverable (in the fat-fingered glove kind of way) enough that I don't notice too much.
Wow and it's later than I thought it was. Tomorrow is Friday, but I don't want to be too sleepy just yet. I have a choice of hot oatmeal or english muffins, or cold cereal for breakfast. I'm thinking oatmeal, yummy.
Goodnight everyone!!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
And Today's Too
Well, today is the first day I had to admit defeat and drive the car. Oh I probably could have suffered the commute by bike this morning, but that's just what it would have been: suffering.
I used The Weather Channel for my zip code, like I do all the time, and it called for rain most of the day today. Not surprising at all, but I did ride to work with a few stray sprinkles yesterday, and I know I'm not prepared for cold rain. Actually, Jamie was incredibly sweet and understanding yesterday. Instead of just reminding me that I have a car available to use or offering to drive me, he offered to strap the bike rack to the car and drive me and my (still nameless, people!) bike to work, so I could still ride home. My husband is really awesome. I remember thinking it a little odd that B would choose to tackle the bridge and ride his bike to work when we offered him rides. Now I get it. It's just plain fun. Maybe not always in a "whee, yahoo" sort of way, but riding my bike always makes me feel better, even if I had to fight up the bunny hill with a headwind.
So, the promise of rain sort of freaked me out. I have my nylon windbreaker, but was it waterproof? Where on earth is my big fluffy jacket that declares itself "all-weather?" I think it is currently under the camper mattress acting as padding, but oh well. T promptly solved my windbreaker worries in typical simple fashion- she happens to have waterproofing spray. Brilliant! Simply wash your garment, spray this stuff on and throw it in the dryer to set the spray (and of course dry). The spray is Granger's G-Line Waterproofing, and T had it for when she tried snowboarding once. My windbreaker this morning doesn't feel any different, but I felt better about the me vs. rain match-up.
I got up this morning, changed, put on a baseball hat (to keep glasses mostly free from falling water), stuffed my pink gloves down inside the rubber ones I've acquired from cleaning my bus, put an extra pair of pants, socks, and my water shoes into a garbage bag with my other stuff, and set off.
And promptly turned around.
I should have had a long sleeve layer under my windbreaker. I should have another layer of pants, or at least something to keep them dry. I should probably have shoe protection against the water, and definitely more/better socks. My hands were already cold and starting to hurt a little. Cold sprinkles hit my face. I was already later than I'd like to have been. So I decided this was stupid. Just because I had the spirit and wish to commute in the cold rain, and eventually snow, didn't mean I was actually ready and prepared to do so yet.
I drove, feeling very much too close to the ground because both my bicycle and a school bus sit higher, and resenting the heater which of course was barely warm in the 3 miles it took to get to work. Then I had to figure out where to park! If I wasn't generally unhappy about the whole thing, I'd have laughed. The temperature was only 37 F (only, as in- I know it will get much colder, and I've already ridden in this temperature, why is a little water such a drastic variation?).
...Winter is going to kick my butt.
I used The Weather Channel for my zip code, like I do all the time, and it called for rain most of the day today. Not surprising at all, but I did ride to work with a few stray sprinkles yesterday, and I know I'm not prepared for cold rain. Actually, Jamie was incredibly sweet and understanding yesterday. Instead of just reminding me that I have a car available to use or offering to drive me, he offered to strap the bike rack to the car and drive me and my (still nameless, people!) bike to work, so I could still ride home. My husband is really awesome. I remember thinking it a little odd that B would choose to tackle the bridge and ride his bike to work when we offered him rides. Now I get it. It's just plain fun. Maybe not always in a "whee, yahoo" sort of way, but riding my bike always makes me feel better, even if I had to fight up the bunny hill with a headwind.
So, the promise of rain sort of freaked me out. I have my nylon windbreaker, but was it waterproof? Where on earth is my big fluffy jacket that declares itself "all-weather?" I think it is currently under the camper mattress acting as padding, but oh well. T promptly solved my windbreaker worries in typical simple fashion- she happens to have waterproofing spray. Brilliant! Simply wash your garment, spray this stuff on and throw it in the dryer to set the spray (and of course dry). The spray is Granger's G-Line Waterproofing, and T had it for when she tried snowboarding once. My windbreaker this morning doesn't feel any different, but I felt better about the me vs. rain match-up.
I got up this morning, changed, put on a baseball hat (to keep glasses mostly free from falling water), stuffed my pink gloves down inside the rubber ones I've acquired from cleaning my bus, put an extra pair of pants, socks, and my water shoes into a garbage bag with my other stuff, and set off.
And promptly turned around.
I should have had a long sleeve layer under my windbreaker. I should have another layer of pants, or at least something to keep them dry. I should probably have shoe protection against the water, and definitely more/better socks. My hands were already cold and starting to hurt a little. Cold sprinkles hit my face. I was already later than I'd like to have been. So I decided this was stupid. Just because I had the spirit and wish to commute in the cold rain, and eventually snow, didn't mean I was actually ready and prepared to do so yet.
I drove, feeling very much too close to the ground because both my bicycle and a school bus sit higher, and resenting the heater which of course was barely warm in the 3 miles it took to get to work. Then I had to figure out where to park! If I wasn't generally unhappy about the whole thing, I'd have laughed. The temperature was only 37 F (only, as in- I know it will get much colder, and I've already ridden in this temperature, why is a little water such a drastic variation?).
...Winter is going to kick my butt.
Tuesday's Post
Currently the internet here is broken, so I’m writing this with the intent to transfer it to blogger at some later point. Oh well. If I hadn’t told you, you’d never know. Obviously, if you're reading this: fixed!
Today the weather seems to have gotten me. We’ve had gray skies all weekend, and today was no different. It is gray, and windy, and cold. I came home and Jamie was awake, so we took a blazing hot shower. Hot water and cuddles didn’t really help, though they were nice. I asked Jamie to make me breakfast. We had yummy egg sandwiches. I was still bleh, so I reheated my chai tea latte (latte means with milk, I guess). I’ll tell anyone who will listen that it’s my favorite drink- it smells and tastes like Christmas in a cup. But it didn’t help either. So I went out to the chilly trailer and finally put all the clean clothes away. I had been meaning to reorganize so I could reach things better instead of having to crawl over the bench seats to get dressed.
The wind on the way to work was strong and gusty. I felt like I fought the whole way. I was trying to hurry too, because it was after 2:30, when I normally like to leave the house. I passed all the kids getting out of school and waved at crossing guards, who delayed a crossing a few seconds so I could pedal past. One young boy on a little yellow BMX bike was going down the sidewalk and we were next to each other for a minute. He asked if I wanted to race. I laughed and said I’d love to, but I’d spent the last 3 miles fighting this wind and I was tired. That’s not quite true. Home to work is 2.9 miles according to Google and I wasn’t quite there. But I kept up with him a bit until he slowed for a friend. I arrived at work a teeny bit worried that I’d step off the bike and fall, my legs were so tired. (But I didn’t walk up the hill!) But by the time I reached the door to dismount, I was fine. My mood had been forcibly worked off, I think.
I’m happy to say I also now have an inside parking spot. I wheel my bike into the hallway and then through the door immediately left leading to the garage/shop. Then I sort of manhandle my bike behind that door with its front wheel skewed. It’s a tight fit, but completely out of the way, in a space were dripping won’t matter if it rains. No more sitting outside collecting lot dust, yay!
For the first time on my bike, my hands got cold (with my gloves, I mean). I was wearing my pink kid gloves. I wonder if, being solid color, they are somehow thinner than my multi-color striped gloves? The stripes did fine both to and from work this afternoon, which I don’t think was any warmer than the trip home this morning. I didn’t wear a hat, but the first trip in the dark this morning had my ears unhappy about it. I’ve also noticed my sneakers starting to show their age. My right shoe now has a small hole where the fabric is separating on the outside of the crease where the toe bends. My gorgeous white shoes from Uncle Jimmy are still pristine- I’m afraid to wear them and make them dirty…
Jamie just received his birthday presents today from his dad. My father in-law has an awesome sense of humor. Jamie’s gift arrived in this bag:
He got a T-shirt that said he loves animals, but he’d pound the hell out of a beaver. It’s hilarious, but I honestly don’t know if Jamie will ever wear it, hehe. However, I’m definitely inclined to wear mine on particularly bad days:
People say I have a bad attitude…
Should have removed the sticker. Oh well. It’s one step worse than the black shirt I have with green letters that says “People say I have a bad attitude. Those people are stupid.” I love it.
And since I’m feeling better, I’ll share a picture from the end of last week. The clouds actually were gorgeous before they expanded to blot out the warm light with their gloomy grayness. The weatherguesser says we may see the sun on Friday. It seems so far away…!
Also, Questionable Content is awesome! Jamie made sure I saw this one, of course.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Yay October!
The end of this week was pretty cool.
Friday, I was asked to do a field trip to take a football team to another school nearby for an away game. I got there on time, but the coach had me go around the back of the school so the players could load their gear easier. It took forever. People apparently do not know how to pack into spaces. I helped load some things like Gatorade buckets. The players said I was awesome at that point. As they started to get sort of blank stared about how to fit things, I directed smaller items under seats, had bags of pads stacked higher, and asked a couple players to hold their smaller bags of pads in their laps in order to set the Gatorade in their seats next to them. I have undercarriage storage, but for some reason the coaches declined those. Finally we left the school, and I knew I would be late for my afternoon run.
The coaches were impressed with the way I swung through the parking lot. Really I was not taking any undue risks near the parked cars, but I'm sure it looks more impressive from a passenger position when the mirrors aren't showing them exactly what I can see from the driver's seat. I squeezed through the corner with no issues and the gate which was not all the way open without a problem. I don't think many drivers here actually do the field trip emergency script, because while I was using the PA system to go through emergency exits and such, the players were still making the occasional positive comment and at one point a coach acted the game show model or steward, pointing to the exits for me as I called them out. After that, however, the coaches demanded silence from the players. I get the impression that they can frequently get out of hand and test the patience of the adults. I hope I helped keep the mood light by ending the little speech with a comment along the lines of, " now the coaches have asked for silence, so save your energy for the butt-kicking you're about to do on the field."
Anyway, we got there fine, and I got to see a new part of town called the Foothills. I did end up calling over the radio to say I would be late, but as they took more time to unload, I asked if any other buses could get my students. I believe bossman hopped in a bus to get them. Frankly, I'm not sorry I didn't take them home, with their bad attitudes. I'd rather take enthusiastic and appreciative football teams to games every day.
Jamie fixed my kick stand for me. We don't have an allen key or hex-thingy big enough, so he used a flat-headed screw driver to tighten the bolt for it. He also tightened my handlebars. They decided to scare me while I was launching from a stop sign by falling down to a lower angle. I was turning left in front of a car, and while I had plenty of room, the surprise caused me to suddenly fear that the car would be on me sooner than I thought and I had the fear for a split second when that bar moved that whatever had just happened would make me wreck in front of it. I didn't, of course, and figured out which piece had moved pretty quickly. I yanked it back up once I was straightened out.
The wind! It is awful when I leave the house for my afternoon runs lately. I think I need to add 10 minutes, although it may only be five that I need, so that I don't feel like I have to fight so hard against it. I very nearly got off the bike and walked on Friday. The reason I didn't was due mostly to pride. I was able to ride up the hill to the bus shop to my surprise the first day of my commute, and I know I can do it. I also had a woman getting in her car at the base of the hill who smiled at me when I waved at her like I wave at everyone I see. I didn't want her to see me get off the bike. So I didn't.
The seasons are definitely changing here. I don't really see any bright oranges or scarlets on any trees, but there are lots of yellow leaves starting to fill the curbsides.
It was a clear pretty morning.
And I saw geese abandoning us for the south!
The day ended really great as well. Still windy, but not quite such a opposing force as earlier. I made it home slightly early for not having my afternoon route, to find that the car wasn't there. I texted Jamie and asked where he was, and he replied Aftershock, with the guys from work. Today was their last day on the cabling contract for the air base. I found out that Aftershock was the restaurant and bar at the bowling alley, so I asked if he would like me to ride over and drive him home. He said yes, and I said yay!
So I rode over to the bowling alley, which is very close to work, but on a different road. Reading about railroad tracks on several different forums and blogs, I was very careful to cross them directly perpendicular, and the car right behind me didn't seem to mind at all when I had to zig across the lane. Perhaps because I checked behind and signaled pretty early to let her know what was going on. Drivers here are generally very polite to me. Maybe it's the streamers.
I got a free rootbeer from Jamie's coworker, listened to some cool music while we talked, and then Jamie and I went to dinner at a mexican place after some goodbyes. A quick stop back tot he house, and they we promptly turned back around to get Jamie some video games, since he was seriously missing some Playstation action and all his games were old. He traded them in and got Infamous and UFC. UFC is a fighting game based on the actual Ultimate Fighting Champion televised sport, and Infamous is about a guy that has electric powers and uses them for all sorts of cool things. That one is fun to watch. Once we got home I ate some icecream while watching some UFC and then we went to bed. It was a great day for me.
Happy Friday! (now Saturday)
Friday, I was asked to do a field trip to take a football team to another school nearby for an away game. I got there on time, but the coach had me go around the back of the school so the players could load their gear easier. It took forever. People apparently do not know how to pack into spaces. I helped load some things like Gatorade buckets. The players said I was awesome at that point. As they started to get sort of blank stared about how to fit things, I directed smaller items under seats, had bags of pads stacked higher, and asked a couple players to hold their smaller bags of pads in their laps in order to set the Gatorade in their seats next to them. I have undercarriage storage, but for some reason the coaches declined those. Finally we left the school, and I knew I would be late for my afternoon run.
The coaches were impressed with the way I swung through the parking lot. Really I was not taking any undue risks near the parked cars, but I'm sure it looks more impressive from a passenger position when the mirrors aren't showing them exactly what I can see from the driver's seat. I squeezed through the corner with no issues and the gate which was not all the way open without a problem. I don't think many drivers here actually do the field trip emergency script, because while I was using the PA system to go through emergency exits and such, the players were still making the occasional positive comment and at one point a coach acted the game show model or steward, pointing to the exits for me as I called them out. After that, however, the coaches demanded silence from the players. I get the impression that they can frequently get out of hand and test the patience of the adults. I hope I helped keep the mood light by ending the little speech with a comment along the lines of, " now the coaches have asked for silence, so save your energy for the butt-kicking you're about to do on the field."
Anyway, we got there fine, and I got to see a new part of town called the Foothills. I did end up calling over the radio to say I would be late, but as they took more time to unload, I asked if any other buses could get my students. I believe bossman hopped in a bus to get them. Frankly, I'm not sorry I didn't take them home, with their bad attitudes. I'd rather take enthusiastic and appreciative football teams to games every day.
Jamie fixed my kick stand for me. We don't have an allen key or hex-thingy big enough, so he used a flat-headed screw driver to tighten the bolt for it. He also tightened my handlebars. They decided to scare me while I was launching from a stop sign by falling down to a lower angle. I was turning left in front of a car, and while I had plenty of room, the surprise caused me to suddenly fear that the car would be on me sooner than I thought and I had the fear for a split second when that bar moved that whatever had just happened would make me wreck in front of it. I didn't, of course, and figured out which piece had moved pretty quickly. I yanked it back up once I was straightened out.
The wind! It is awful when I leave the house for my afternoon runs lately. I think I need to add 10 minutes, although it may only be five that I need, so that I don't feel like I have to fight so hard against it. I very nearly got off the bike and walked on Friday. The reason I didn't was due mostly to pride. I was able to ride up the hill to the bus shop to my surprise the first day of my commute, and I know I can do it. I also had a woman getting in her car at the base of the hill who smiled at me when I waved at her like I wave at everyone I see. I didn't want her to see me get off the bike. So I didn't.
The seasons are definitely changing here. I don't really see any bright oranges or scarlets on any trees, but there are lots of yellow leaves starting to fill the curbsides.
It was a clear pretty morning.
And I saw geese abandoning us for the south!
I love Halloween, and the residents here decided not to wait until October first to display their holiday spirit. First Halloween house! I especially like the orange skeleton crawling from the grave and the angelic one sitting under the window.
The day ended really great as well. Still windy, but not quite such a opposing force as earlier. I made it home slightly early for not having my afternoon route, to find that the car wasn't there. I texted Jamie and asked where he was, and he replied Aftershock, with the guys from work. Today was their last day on the cabling contract for the air base. I found out that Aftershock was the restaurant and bar at the bowling alley, so I asked if he would like me to ride over and drive him home. He said yes, and I said yay!
So I rode over to the bowling alley, which is very close to work, but on a different road. Reading about railroad tracks on several different forums and blogs, I was very careful to cross them directly perpendicular, and the car right behind me didn't seem to mind at all when I had to zig across the lane. Perhaps because I checked behind and signaled pretty early to let her know what was going on. Drivers here are generally very polite to me. Maybe it's the streamers.
I got a free rootbeer from Jamie's coworker, listened to some cool music while we talked, and then Jamie and I went to dinner at a mexican place after some goodbyes. A quick stop back tot he house, and they we promptly turned back around to get Jamie some video games, since he was seriously missing some Playstation action and all his games were old. He traded them in and got Infamous and UFC. UFC is a fighting game based on the actual Ultimate Fighting Champion televised sport, and Infamous is about a guy that has electric powers and uses them for all sorts of cool things. That one is fun to watch. Once we got home I ate some icecream while watching some UFC and then we went to bed. It was a great day for me.
Happy Friday! (now Saturday)
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