Friday morning stuff

I’m having coffee and Wifi at Panera and somebody’s cell phone went off at a nearby table and I was suddenly reminded of how annoying other people’s cell phones are.

At first, I thought it was just that the guy was so lame as to use the default ringtone that came with the phone. Then I remembered how much more irritating custom ringtones can be.

So it comes down to not wanting to hear someone else’s phone ring. Period.

In fact, I usually start swearing when my cell phone rings – not because I hate the sound of it, but because it invariably interrupts what I’m doing. And I hate interruptions.

We’re having a rare taste of winter here this morning. The temperature is 36 and it’s spitting a snow-rain mix. The locals are freaking out and calling the radio stations to report “snow!!!” So? It takes a paralyzing ice storm to get me worried.

We’ve been blessed with unseasonably warm weather this winter. Our house is all-electric and our heating costs are down considerably compared with previous winters. And, no, it’s not global warming, man-caused or otherwise. It’s just weather.

Daytona Beach Bike week is a month away and I’m starting to think about going. As I’ve said before, I don’t really care for the whole Bike Week scene and the Neanderthal biker trash it attracts, but it’s a good excuse for the first long ride of the season and a chance to enjoy tropical sunshine and an ocean view. When I think of Bike Week, I think of sitting on a bench at Flagler Beach with an ice cream cone, gazing out at the Atlantic Ocean.

The last time I went – I think it was three years ago – the weather turned cold and I spent two extremely uncomfortably frigid nights in my tent before I gave up and fled for home. So there has to be a very specific forecast to lure me back – the promise of mild and dry weather all along my route and overnight lows in the 50s. I’ve ridden enough miles in miserable weather and camped enough in wretched conditions to realize that I don’t have anything to prove to myself. I know I can ride long distances in cold rain and sub-freezing temperatures. I just choose not to do it anymore. So there.