The Dickensian Element.

The title of this post was inspired by a tweet by @dkazor. For those who don't know, it's a newspaper in-joke from The Wire. An aside. It was this show that made sure Don and I eliminated "Marlow" from the short list of possible names for Dexter. I was thinking Marlow, inspired by the character in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. After becoming acquainted with the character Marlo Stanfield in this HBO series... there is no way I could ever name my child after a sociopathic drug dealer.

Now, naming my child after a sociopathic serial killer? That's okay!

FYI. Dexter the baby is not named after Dexter the TV show. Don and I haven't even watched it, though we hear it's good. I've liked the name for years, mostly because I think Dexter Gordon the legendary jazz saxophonist is the bomb. We sort of discussed it as a joke years before the show ever came out.

Sarah: It would be so cute to have a little kid who wore sweater vests and was really smart. With the whimsy of a child but the wisdom of an old man.

Don: For sure. Poindexter!

Sarah: Is that a white people thing I don't know about?

Don: It means "nerd."

Sarah: Hahaha!

I can't guarantee you that's exactly how it happened, but you get the gist of it.

And it's Latin for "right." Awesome, no?

OKAY. Back to the Dickensian Element. I rode my bike to physio today. I don't think it's going to be something I'm doing again so long as this level of snow persists. Now, I'm not an experienced winter rider so every time I go out it's a learning experience. Taking the bike out in the snow is really fine sometimes and not at other times. I feel as though riding to the LRT station is absolutely non-problematic. Today's ride, however, took three times as long both going and coming back.

There is a bike path from my neighbourhood all the way to the physio place and it's plowed so I figured the biking wouldn't be an issue. Honestly, it's not even the weather that was bad. The temperature was about -16/3 degrees. And I wasn't even cold, particularly with the pedaling. I've got a good hat, mitts, scarf, and puffy parka. Yes, the parka has now made its debut.

It's the inconsistency that drove me crazy. So you're pedaling along for several minutes or blocks and then there's just this one little bumpy patch. Bumpy to the point where my butt got bounced several inches off my saddle. And I wasn't going fast. Bumpy to the point where at several points my wheel lodged into a low point and I could have flipped over the handlebars. Bumpy to the point where if I wasn't clenching my jaw so tight I surely could have bitten off a portion of my tongue with the whole shaken Miss Sarah syndrome that was happening! I know complaining about it doesn't encourage people to go and try this, which is counterproductive to my whole blog manifesto. I'm just being honest.




I think this is why a lot of people opt for mountain bikes in the winter. The bumps need to be conquered. They are oh-so-annoying!

Graders have been through our neighbourhood so the road is quite flat. But there are now gigantic piles of snow on either side of the road, essentially narrowing the entire thing substantially. I was riding on the sidewalk most of the time. But then you get the inconsistent conditions. I'm not precisely sure how to win with this. I think the answer is having a bike that can plow over all the inconsistencies?

There was one point where the graters had piled the snow so high, right in the middle of a cross walk. I had to pick up the Dahon and throw it up on top of the pile, climb up myself, then climb back down the other side. This sounds made up. I assure you it was real. I would have taken pictures but I was already running so late I just kept on trucking.




Good news is that I got a great work out today. Other good news is that I learned a lot. I think that particular trip to the physiotherapist will have to be made via motor vehicle in the future. I'll save my bike endeavors for the other excursions north and east of my place where I know the sidewalks are shoveled by lovely people or the streets are not busy and I can ride on the road without having a lineup of angries (angry people) behind me.

Another great thing is my new faux fur animal hat. This hobo was talking to me about it when I was unlocking the Dahon. He insists that it's a bobcat. Other people have told me coyote but I think it's a little more cat than dog. A lynx perhaps?




Here is a super cute photo of Dexter trying it on the other night.




And since we're talking about winter. These are the little boots my mom bought for him.




Winter in Edmonton is all about being prepared. And learning as we go!