Old Man Winter, on the march

Halloween past, Autumn has definitely given up the ghost, and Winter is well on its way. I'm near the end of my biking season, just because it gets too sloppy and crazy as Winter comes on the scene. Yesterday I had 30 mph wind gusts hitting me on the ride down and back, which makes for a challenging ride (given that my top biking speed is about 12 mph!)

I have the boys the next two weekends, because of Exene's running obsession err, hobby. I'm fine with that, and the boys are fine with that; they love "Daddy Weekends." B2 always hugs me lots when he first sees me again, says "I love you, Daddy! I missed you!" which is always touching. When they found out they had a cluster of Daddy Days, they were stoked.

Exene is actually going out of town next weekend, on a trip with one of her "gal pals" as she puts it. Running another race. I told her I'd be fine with watching the boys, so long as I get equivalent "comp time" at some point. Not that I have any travel plans, but I just always have to be sure for reciprocity, where Exene is concerned.

Anyway, as biking season nears an end for me, it'll mean taking the CTA, which is fine, but it'll be an added expense I have to factor into my already-packed budget. That was the nice thing about the biking -- free transportation (and I worked my exercise into my commute). As Winter kicks into gear, it'll mean X expense, moneywise, and me having to block out more time for exercise. Ah, well. Not complaining, just aware of the options ahead of me.

Of course, I never actually complain about the weather; it simply is. And since Fall/Winter is prime Writing Season for me, I welcome it, honestly. If I lived in Hawaii, I'd never get a damned thing written, would just drink rum and walk the beach, collecting shells, or hike around the volcanoes and in the jungles. But living in Chicago, the bad weather is an incentive to create, honestly. And so, I will.

Olive Park, right near Navy Pier.