I’ve been sick again, for the last week and a half. I had a cold, but it developed into an upper respiratory infection. I haven’t even been commuting by bicycle, while I’m sick. I have done so in the past and I basically decided it’s not worth it. It’s just not enjoyable, and I end up thinking, “Why am I doing this?” So I’m not doing that. The timing couldn’t have been worse — last week was my busiest week of the entire semester, and I was sick the whole time. Ugh.

For now, I’m getting to/from/around campus by bus, walking, and rides from my wife. It’s times like this when I’m glad I have some alternatives to riding.

Next week is finals, and then I have a few weeks off before winter semester begins. I’m looking forward to a break, and I hope I’ll be well enough to do some riding by then. I am thinking that I would really like to do some wandering rides — take my time and just enjoy myself, nothing too intense. It sounds relaxing.

Well, I’m finally feeling somewhat better. Today, I went to class today for the first time since last Friday. Actually I only missed a couple of classes, though, because we had an ice storm Tuesday/Wednesday that cancelled some of my classes. The National Weather Service was predicting a “catastrophic” storm. It turned out not to be catastrophic, but there was quite a bit of ice and some VERY strong winds, followed by a little bit of snow.

Today was odd because this morning it was only 10°F but it was bright and sunny with a beautiful blue sky. In many places the sunlight sparkled as it shone through the ice on the tree branches.

I have to admit, my morning “commute” has not been pleasant since I started school. Of course, the weather has been harsh. But that’s only part of the problem.

Before I started school, I could arrive at work, spread out my gloves and clothes and such and let them dry throughout the day. And I could sit in my cubicle and cool off while I worked, without anyone bothering me.

Now that I’m a student, I go immediately into a crowded lecture hall and sit with people on either side of me. My gloves and such get shoved in my backpack. Some of my clothes never get a chance to dry, most days. It’s kind of disgusting, frankly. On days when it’s cold enough that I have to wear an extra layer of pants, I have to remove them by the bike rack and throw them in the milk crate on the bike. It’s awkward to say the least.

It doesn’t help that I always seem to be in a hurry in the morning. I really should get up a little earlier, and then I wouldn’t have to stress about it so much. But I’m horrible at waking up any earlier than necessary.

Today was worse than usual, because I still have lingering signs of illness and I had a couple of major coughing fits riding to class at 10°F. No fun.

I don’t really intend to change anything, except maybe trying to get a slightly earlier start. I’ve thought about taking the bus sometimes, but the only one that goes near my house takes longer than riding, and it doesn’t really go very close to where I need to go. I really wish I lived closer to campus so I could come and go easier. As it is, once I’m there I have to stay there until I’m done for the day, and I have some awkward gaps in my schedule.

So, I’m still adjusting. I’m still enjoying school, but I’m not thrilled with how riding to and from campus is working. Actually, it’s the TO part that’s the problem. Riding home at the end of the day is almost always enjoyable.

It was a beautiful weekend — highs in the upper 30s, even over 40 on Sunday, and roads clear enough that I could have taken the Bianchi out for a nice long ride. Which is exactly what I intended to do. Instead, I spent basically the entire weekend in bed, sick.  Blah.

I’m still sick, but less so. I moved my blog over to my “new” host. Let me know if you notice any issues. I already have some other projects hosted on this server, and it’s been very reliable, so this should be a vast improvement. For the curious, it’s a managed Linux VPS. The hosting company keeps things up-to-date, does backups, and does some basic maintenance. I still have a VPS with root access. I find it to be the sweet spot of not having to worry about it constantly, but still having complete control over the system.