Two weeks?
Feb. 16th, 2015 10:17 amYeah, thanks to the ongoing Snowpocalypse, I've way behind on LJ. Still reading, still have about a dozen half-written entries, but just haven't had the time or energy to post. For those not up on things in the Boston area, this piece pretty much sums it up, and it was written before the most recent storm, which added enough to make this the second snowiest winter in Boston history so far. Unlike the other record-setting winters, this has all happened in less than a month (7.5 feet of snow since January 23). Public transit, already hamstrung thanks to over twenty years of bad political leadership, has been awful, to the point where I, as someone who only uses the bus, am actually better off then folks in a position to take trains (a rarity). This is the first Monday in a month during which work wasn't cancelled for snow, and that's only because it's a holiday;
And walking? Forget it.
I know I've ranted about this before, but walking is fucking vital to my physical and emotional health. On almost any given weekday, I'll walk anywhere from 6-12 miles going back and forth to the office. The only reasons I don't walk at least the complete route one-way are A) an injury of some sort; B) rain; C) extreme cold (even without the snow, I'll pass on being outside right now, with the -16 windchill), and D) when there's so much fucking snow piled up, there are no viable sidewalks anywhere and every street is basically a mix of slush and ice. The first three reasons are both rare and generally short-lived. D, on the other hand, has been going on for well over three weeks now, and will continue for at least another week, probably two or three or even more.
I've gained at least ten pounds in the last month (starting with Arisia, where I just tend to eat poorly). With the exception of last Friday -- where, thanks to a bus that decided to not run its full route, and another that showed late, I ended up walking three dangerous miles -- I haven't had a day with a significant walk in ages. Aside from my exercise, walking's the best time for me to gather my thoughts, make plans for the day, and also listen to podcasts (I've never been able to work and podcast at the same time, alas).
Going to a gym isn't really an option, since getting to any of the reasonable ones isn't really viable unless things clear up (and the ones I could take a bus to are in towards the city and pricey as fuck), in which case, I could, you know, take a walk. Shoveling snow has taken its place to a certain extent, but between the sheer pain of doing it (on top of everything else, I took a fall last week), and the fact that there's literally no place to put the snow, it's less and less viable.
Like so many of the most frustrating things in life, of course, it's something that's hard to find a target at which to point the anger; I'm literally railing against the weather, and while there are a few specific things that could have been changed (see the stuff about the T above), for the most part, it's a natural fucking disaster, and it's just something I know I have to deal with.
This too shall pass (although not without consequences; the entire region's taking a huge economic hit that it won't get out for months if not longer, and the temperatures ensure high heating bills over the next few months). But in the meantime, I'm behind on everything, and will probably remain so for at least a month.
(Oh, and if you're the sort of person who wants Boston-area folks to stop complaining, go read that first link and then kindly fuck off. Thanks!)
And walking? Forget it.
I know I've ranted about this before, but walking is fucking vital to my physical and emotional health. On almost any given weekday, I'll walk anywhere from 6-12 miles going back and forth to the office. The only reasons I don't walk at least the complete route one-way are A) an injury of some sort; B) rain; C) extreme cold (even without the snow, I'll pass on being outside right now, with the -16 windchill), and D) when there's so much fucking snow piled up, there are no viable sidewalks anywhere and every street is basically a mix of slush and ice. The first three reasons are both rare and generally short-lived. D, on the other hand, has been going on for well over three weeks now, and will continue for at least another week, probably two or three or even more.
I've gained at least ten pounds in the last month (starting with Arisia, where I just tend to eat poorly). With the exception of last Friday -- where, thanks to a bus that decided to not run its full route, and another that showed late, I ended up walking three dangerous miles -- I haven't had a day with a significant walk in ages. Aside from my exercise, walking's the best time for me to gather my thoughts, make plans for the day, and also listen to podcasts (I've never been able to work and podcast at the same time, alas).
Going to a gym isn't really an option, since getting to any of the reasonable ones isn't really viable unless things clear up (and the ones I could take a bus to are in towards the city and pricey as fuck), in which case, I could, you know, take a walk. Shoveling snow has taken its place to a certain extent, but between the sheer pain of doing it (on top of everything else, I took a fall last week), and the fact that there's literally no place to put the snow, it's less and less viable.
Like so many of the most frustrating things in life, of course, it's something that's hard to find a target at which to point the anger; I'm literally railing against the weather, and while there are a few specific things that could have been changed (see the stuff about the T above), for the most part, it's a natural fucking disaster, and it's just something I know I have to deal with.
This too shall pass (although not without consequences; the entire region's taking a huge economic hit that it won't get out for months if not longer, and the temperatures ensure high heating bills over the next few months). But in the meantime, I'm behind on everything, and will probably remain so for at least a month.
(Oh, and if you're the sort of person who wants Boston-area folks to stop complaining, go read that first link and then kindly fuck off. Thanks!)