Nanook rubs it

December 5, 2011December 5, 2011 ~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 26 Comments

Great googly-moogly! The thermometer has been pegged at the low teens all day long. I ventured out exactly twice, the first time to broom away the light snow that fell overnight, and the second time to collect a few bottles of antifreeze from the local grog shop in order to toast my fellow Zappatistas on this, the frigid second day of Zappadan 2011.

The temps are supposed to drop to minus-7 tonight. This would feel like a relaxing soak in a hot tub to my man Charles Pelkey, who reports that last night’s low in Laramie approached minus-30. The thud of engine blocks exploding and water mains bursting must keep folks up at night.

The downside about being stuck indoors on a slow cycling-news day is that one is tempted to look at the real news, and lately that is enough to set the stoutest young Eskimo boy to beating himself upside the head with a lead-filled snowshoe. Or perhaps depriving himself of his sight through the application to the eyes (via a vigorous circular motion) of the Deadly Yellow Snow, from right there where the huskies go.

I mean, can you imagine a world in which Newt Gingrich is the front-runner for the GOP nomination for president of the United States?

Hey … I think I just cheered myself up.

There goes the neighborhood

October 26, 2011October 26, 2011 ~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 13 Comments

First real snow of 2011-12 — We finally got our first real measurable snow of the season — just a few inches, but nice to see nonetheless. It'll tamp down the sand on the trails.

It can’t be 70-something and sunny all the time. Still, going from a record high of 78 to snow on the ground is something of a shock to the system.

Happily, the streets and sidewalks retained much of that heat, so I didn’t have to do any shoveling this morning — good news for the ol’ back, since I spent yesterday raking leaves from the huge maple tree that shades Chez Dog. Looks like a bumper crop, too. I’ve already filled six bags and we’re a long ways away from seeing the last leaf on the tree.

Sounds like the cops in Oakland were engaged in a little clean-up operation of their own last night. They went after the Occupy Oakland folks with everything from tear gas to flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, “City officials said they had been forced to clear the encampments because of sanitary and public safety concerns.” Uh huh. Right out of Steinbeck that is, as in “The Grapes of Wrath” and the less-well-known “In Dubious Battle.”

All the stories I’ve read make references to a schism in the Occupy crowd, with some insisting on a non-violent approach and others intent on challenging the cops to a fight. I’d love to know how much of the latter is legit and how much is the work of agents provocateurs. It’s an old trick, and one that keeps working, especially on the media. The Oakland Tribune‘s account of the evening’s festivities could have been written by the PD’s PR flack.

If you’re interested in following the Occupy movement online, bookmark Greg Mitchell’s OccupyUSA blog at The Nation. It’s one of my first stops every morning.

Ice, ice, baby

October 7, 2011 ~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 11 Comments

Thirty-seven degrees this morning. Snow on Pikes Peak. Wearing pants — in the house! I can feel my tan lines fading already.

Now commences the annual ritual of hunting down winter cycling kit. Long-fingered gloves, tuque, long-sleeved jerseys, arm, knee and leg warmers, tights, jacket, all that good shit. It’s around here somewhere, but I’ve been trying mighty hard not to think of it, reasoning that to imagine winter is to bring it on.

Today’s high is expected to reach only the 50s, and the NWS expects rain and snow tonight. Down with the pergola cover, out with the snow shovel, unplug and coil the garden hoses. Good thing I whipped up a big pot of vegetable beef soup last night. There’s a chuck roast in the ’fridge, free-range pork in the freezer and bottles of warming red wine nestled in the rack.

The U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross is coming to Fort Collins, but I won’t be there. I’ll be right here, chained to the desk, pushing pixels for The Man. At least I’ll be warm, well fed and wined to the eyeballs.

Winter and stupidity make a triumphant return

February 5, 2011February 5, 2011 ~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 20 Comments

Tonight's forecast calls for scattered snow with flurries of stupidity.

It’s been one of those weeks, an unholy convergence of deadlines for two magazines and consultation with a third, extra shifts in the VeloBarrel while management plays in the desert (Tour of Qatar), and some actual winter weather. Nothing like the folks back east or in New Mexico have been enduring, just a mild annoyance that makes outdoor cycling iffy.

I slipped out between chores this afternoon, but waited too long to get rolling — popcorn snow was peppering my cheeks within a few minutes and then it was a sort of half-assed sleety, slushy thing going on. I was prepared, kinda, sorta, jersey pockets stuffed with everything but full booties (just toe warmers), and stopped under a bridge to add a couple layers before forging ahead.

Alas, while most of me was OK with cycling cap, tuque, winter gloves, rain jacket, two long-sleeved jerseys and a long-sleeved polypro undershirt, neoprene knee warmers, wool socks and bibs, it was the lack of booties and fenders that did me in. I hate cold feet and a wet butt the way Caribou Barbie hates smart people. And I am not one of the smarties, because I have neoprene booties and three — three! — bikes with fenders.

So I slunk home through the icy puddles, muttering to myself. “Thank God I’m not a pro,” I thought. “I’d have to do this every day, times a thousand, and then take dope on top of it all, wondering which one of the boys on the bus would wind up being my Floyd Landis.”

Chile today, hot tamale

February 3, 2011February 3, 2011 ~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 11 Comments

Here’s something you don’t think about much — what happens if the natural gas goes away in the middle of a cold spell? Got a fireplace? Wood stove? Any objection to burning the furniture in the living room?

It’s not quite clear what caused the problem, but some 40,000 New Mexico Gas Co. customers apparently find themselves in this position this evening, reports the Albuquerque Journal. According to the Journal, crews have to shut down every single gas meter before gas can be returned to communities’ main lines, then return to each gas customer, purge air from the lines, test the lines, and relight the pilot lights before service can be restored. Ay, Chihuahua.

We used to fret about running out of gas from time to time in Weirdcliffe, because the propane guy hated driving up our wickedly steep road to fill the tank in evil weather, which is (duh) when you really want a full tank. But up there we had a wood stove, trees and the tools to bring the two together in fiery union. Down here in Bibleburg we have a couple of portable electric space heaters, three propane camp stoves and two cats. Oh, yeah, and a solar assist unit on the roof that mostly works only when the sun shines, which lately, eh, not so much.

Here’s hoping all my friends down thataway are staying warm this evening. As one noted: “We got some excitement down here.” Claro que si.