journal features

that was a lot of rain

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Toronto, 2013.06.11

The weather forecast (when theweathernetwork.com wasn't down, which was quite a while) yesterday said 1mm rain in the morning <5mm rain in the afternoon, and 1mm rain in the evening. Instead, it was raining and blowing so hard I thought I might have to stop somewhere as I cycled home.

At some point, a loose end of the draw-string on the water-proof wrap that I put on my pannier somehow came loose, then blew into the rear dérailleur, where it was severed between the gears and the chain. But not before it did something to the dérailleur, which now constantly drops the chain. This cut my speed in half, and I wound up in the driving rain for an hour.

Whew.

rand()m quote

One day you will take a fork in the road, and you're going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go. If you go one way, you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and get good assignments. Or you can go the other way and you can do something [...] for yourself. If you decide to do something, you may not get promoted and get good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won't have to compromise yourself. To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That's when you have to make a decision. To be or to do.

—John Boyd, US Air Force