rain

It's raining, which is sweet 'cause I just dropped a wad of cash on rain gear for my bike. I was going to buy new jeans, but rain gear trumped fashion. Such is life. So my lower half is pretty water resistant - I got neoprene booties for over my shoes, which, I have learned, keep your feet dry-er, not dry; and a stylish pair of water proof pants (you need to wear something under them, I also learned). My upper half needs some upgrading, but will do for now. A new actually water proof, water proof jacket, and a pair of gortex over mitts are in my future.

Biking is the way to go. It is a guaranteed hour and a half of exercise a day, and kicks the shit out of riding the dank fogged up bus full of damp coughing UBC students. Even in the rain the bike is better than the bus, fo sho. And I get the triumphant feeling of making it to the top of the bloody hill each day. Except that I keep getting passed on the way up by a guy on a unicycle! A unicycle! No fooling! And having a bike on campus rules when you have a class in Anso and then 10 minutes later a class in MacMillan. There is no other way. I'm sure at least one loyal bloggee can back me up on that one.

Biking in does have it's limitations, for sure. Being that I bike in full gear and arrive a sweaty mess (giant hill), I have to lug in a change of clothes for the day in addition to my 800lb organic chemistry text book (I have now attached panniers for text hauling, and on Fridays I attach my basket and truck in my compost bucket too). And I have to get there early enough to facilitate my Mr. Rogers wardrobe change before getting to class - that doesn't always happen, I do end up getting to class a dripping mess and trying to carry my backpack and two panniers and maybe a bike basket full of compost, and then have to climb over 20 immaculately dressed second year science students (what time DO they get up to do that?) to get to the one shitty seat in the centre of the row. But I digress. I've been working on this situation and I think I may be getting it down. First I commandeered a second locker in the staff section of the public changeroom at the pool. Ha! Lockers on campus are mint, my friends, and not only do I have two for FREE, but I have keys to the building still, so I stash stuff all over the place. Mwahahaha. Not like I don't deserve it after what I put into that place, and the help I continue to give ("umm, you may want to go down and check your filter tank, it doesn't sound right . . .", "you can tell that from HERE?"). In one locker I have all of the usual accoutrement's - deoderant, shampoo, lotion, towel, that kind of shiz. In the other I have a pair of pants, change of shoes, socks, and a sweater. I bring in new tops each day because they are the lightest. Then I change and hang up my dank bike gear in there. It is still wet and dank when I get back 8 hours later. I may take a third locker for text books.

Just how dire is my rain jacket situation (this paragraph seems out of place, but I like it like this, so shut up, okay?), you ask? Okay, the one I bike in I bought about 7 years ago. It's not waterproof anymore. And my goretex one for every day use? I got that in grade 7. I'm not kidding - my name and phone number are written on the inside with indelible marker. I recently tried treating them with waterproofing stuff, and I think it actually wrecked the old one a little. Then, I think nearly 20 years is pretty impressive for a rain jacket. You?