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.

Adjusting to the Working Life

I think I overdid the cycling last week and my right knee has been bothering me since the weekend. I decided I better give it a rest until it feels better, so I haven't ridden my bike at all this week. It's definitely feeling better than it did on Monday, but I think I need to give it at least another day to recover before I start riding again.

My plan has been to take the bus to work every day, but in order to do so I need to leave the house 20 minutes earlier than when I ride my bike. I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping and as a result have really struggled with getting up in the morning. Even once I've had coffee it's been taking me a long time to be able to think clearly and get organized.

Monday I got off to a late start and Robert gave me a ride to work. After work we went to the gym, which is near my office, together, so I caught a ride home with him, too.

Tuesday I barely caught my bus and was so tired that I left some things I needed at home. After checking in with my boss I had to walk back to the bus stop, catch a bus back home and then another back to work, which took an hour! Later in the day they sent me back to the east side for a drug screening (required for all new employees). I took the 20 to MLK and then took the 6 north. By the time I got back to work after the screening I'd been gone for two hours. Having my bike would have saved me a lot of time! After work I had a meeting and then had to figure out how to get home with no money left for bus fare. I was too tired to walk all the way home, but as I was walking by the MAX tracks remembered that I was in the free rail zone (formerly fareless sqaure). I hopped on the blue line and took it to Lloyd Center. I was only about a mile from home, but was too exhausted to walk all the way, so Robert picked me up halfway.

This morning I missed the 12 and Robert took me to work again. I at least took the bus home after work.

Every day I get home from work thinking that I'm going to go to sleep early, but it never seems to happen. I've been in bed by 11 most nights, sometimes earlier, but I haven't fallen asleep before midnight, and usually not until after one. I don't think my transportation track record is going to improve until I start getting more rest and my knee heals.

Now that I've gotten pretty comfortable riding my bike, I much prefer it to commuting by bus (as long as I don't have much to carry). I hope I can start riding again soon.

Food has been another struggle since I started working full time. It's been tough to adjust to not having lots of free time for things like grocery shopping, planning meals, and cooking. For about the first week at my job I was eating out a lot. Robert bought groceries the other night, including a bunch of Higher Taste Breakfast Buzzitos, which I became obsessed with while I was in school. They're pricey, but cheaper than buying a meal at a restaurant, and they're pretty healthy and quite filling, not to mention locally made. Upon my request, he also bought a bunch of fresh fruit. I've been taking some to work with me every day for an afternoon snack. It really helps to keep me from feeling the need to buy food while I'm out.

I've been too tired to cook after work most days, which is really frustrating. Tonight I made smoothies, last night I ate a couple veggie dogs at the Kerns picnic, and Monday I ate leftover fish from the night before. I may end up having cereal for dinner tomorrow, because I think I've eaten just about all the quick and easy to prepare food in the house.