Getting Around

As the weather has turned drearier and the days have become shorter, my bike-riding motivation has dwindled. Last week I didn't ride at all, which I can blame partially on the fact that I was house sitting in a different neighborhood. I rode only one day a week for the two weeks before that. I'm trying to make a point of riding on days when the weather is particularly bearable, but these are becoming fewer and farther between. I need to work on this. I can feel the lack of exercise slowly eating away at my energy level. Ugh. Vicious circle.

I have, at least, continued to get to work by public transit the vast majority of the time.

House sitting near MLK and Alberta last week afforded me the opportunity to try out some different commuting routes. I took the MAX home one day, not remembering how far Interstate is from MLK over there. It was about a 15 minute walk, which is certainly doable, but not always ideal. After that I took the 6 to and from work, which only takes 5 minutes longer than my commute from home in Kerns. In the past I had only taken the 6 north from inner SE or NE, and hadn't even realized that it went across the river to the heart of downtown. Good to know! I also got to explore the neighborhood a bit on foot. I bought some groceries (produce, fresh bagels, and Cafe Mam beans) at the Alberta Co-op and got coffee (in a completely compostable cup) at Extracto.

Tonight I took the 20 further east than I ever have to attend a GRE study group at the Midland Library on SE 122nd. I rarely go out to that area and think of it as being far away, but it was only a 20 minute bus ride. The 20 runs frequently enough, even in the evening, that it was quite easy and convenient to get there and back from my neighborhood.

The more I use Trimet the more impressed I am with how easy it is to get around, even outside of the downtown area. Now, if only I could count on the buses not passing my stops before their scheduled times, commuting would be very low stress for me most of the time!

Tomorrow I have a new challenge. I work at 4am, but the earliest Trimet could get me to work is after 5. The chances of my motivating myself to ride my bike to work in the rain at 3:30 am are slim. I was thinking about walking, but am not sure how wise it would be to go for a 45 minute walk by myself in the middle of the night. Robert expressed concern about the idea and offered to drop me off if I wake him up when it's time to go. I am still debating whether or not to take him up on it. I probably won't decide until morning.