Fall

I rode to work this morning in the dark, accompanied by the familiar wet and cold of autumn. It's tougher to get out of bed in the morning, too. That happens when it's dark and chilly and I know I have to get on my bike and ride to work.

Fall must be here.

Though the official opening of the season is now a couple weeks behind us, and though it's already been dark during my morning commute ever since we got back from vacation, this morning is the first that's really felt like fall. I broke out the raincoat and the fleece gloves and even wore a hat under my helmet for the ride in. And just as I was dealing with the too-familiar dread of getting out in it first thing in the morning, I came around to the very familiar realization that it's not really as bad as it seems.

This change in seasons will bring about the obligatory re-ordering of life and all the re-commitment that goes with it, but this time it'll be a bit different. I'm committing to a training and fitness regimen for the fall and winter that will include a membership at the Y. I've never joined a gym before, so this will be some sort of experiment, but I've decided to engage in another training program for next year, and my winter training will rely less on actual road miles and more on a structured system including riding, spin classes, weights, maybe swimming, and most definitely a regular program of cross country and skate skiing.

In other big news, I drilled some holes into my house and shop yesterday, which allowed me to lead an actual cable from the router inside to my computer in my office, which means that at long last, for the first time since moving in, I've got reliable high-speed internet access in my office. This should change everything. And, to add to the excitement, when we make the move to re-do our bedroom and upstairs bathroom, we're going to include a small piece of money for renovations to the shop building. This way I can get a wall and some climate control without having to rig it all myself with second grade materials. Very exciting.

The lean-in to every new season causes this sort of shuffling and stocktaking in me, and I'm really excited about it this time around.