Afternoon Appointment

[emptysea]

"No. No, I can not."

That is my simple, sometimes terse, reply to the oft-stated assumption, "You own your own business; you can take off whenever you want to." The reality is that I have family, clients, staff, who count on me to be at work. Besides, I like what I do. Insurance is not a glamorous profession, but I get to help people with my knowledge and guidance. Not bad.

Running my own show, while not allowing me to just disappear, does allow me a little flexibility in my schedule. The forecast for Februaury 1 in Chicago was for mostly sunny skies with a high temperature of 45F. It rained the night before so the roads were a bit icy in the morning, but when I saw that the forecast was coming to fruition, the streets were drying out, and my immediate obligations to work were minimal, I made the executive decision to tell my staff "You guys keep working hard, I'm going for a ride. See ya." Well, actually I told them that I had an appointment at 2:00 and that I wouldn't make it back to the office by 5:00. I figured that was better than explaining that I have to ride in February in order to get to 24 consecutive riding months, that the weekend forecast looks bad for riding, that I'm going to be out of town the following weekend, blah, blah.

Got home, geared up, and on the bike by 2:30 (which, by the way, is the perfect time for a dental appointment). I rode a loop which I have described here many times--along the Skokie Lagoons, east to the Lake, north on Sheridan Rd. to IL176, west to St. Mary's Rd., and then back south toward home.

All the curvy sections of road, of which there are few, are shaded or low-lying and were still wet when I rode them. Slowly. I stopped at a few places to look out at Lake Michigan which is a different kind of beautiful in the winter months.

The return trip was not especially fun since the Monday evening rush hour had begun, but it was still better than being at work. Got home 62 miles later, 24 riding months completed, and with a core body temp slightly below 98.6. My "appointment" was very productive and, as it turned out, I had a real work appointment for dinner, so was able to punctuate the day with a martini and a prime rib sandwich. Not bad.

Sometimes, you just have to get a grip on your workday.


What a difference 7 months make.

LSD Group Ride, June 2015


February 1, 2016


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[Pterodactyl_imp]

Very good story, MTC. And I especially like photos 4 and 5. Well done.

Cheers, and here's to many more impromptu appointments.

[MikeOxbig_imp]

Very cool MTC. I too am in the insurance industry (commercial E&S specializing in construction, environmental and products liability) and have really flexible hours with the ability to work remotely anywhere and anytime. If you were local we would surely go riding together during business hours and pass it off as "business networking" or "client outting."

[quietguy_imp]

Beautiful photos, MTC... That first shot is great.

[the Ferret]

Nice! And way to sneak in that Feb ride!

Great pics. I like pics 1 and 4 best. I like how the grip, bar end and RLET frame the top of the unusual shot angle (going to try and shoot a few pics from that angle thanks for the idea) and on number 4 love the juxtaposition between the naked bike and the frozen "waterfall."

[Cormanus]

MTC, a charming report as always with some excellent pictures. From where I'm sitting as I write, that frozen waterfall is unimaginable.

By the way, fang you for reviving that ancient dental joke.

[redbirds_imp]

Glad the weather allowed for a ride, love the comparison photos.

[Ron in MO_imp]

Congrats on extending your monthly riding record! Hard to believe that as far North as Chicago is that you continue to get lucky with your weather.

I also wanted to commend you on your picture taking while riding skills! Great pics!

[emptysea]

Ron - I am not certain that I would describe as "lucky" the weather last year, when I did my February ride in 18F temps. However the roads were dry and the sun was out, so perhaps luck is in the eye of the beholder.

24 months is all that I can verify for certain. I actually believe that I rode once/month, every month, since May, 2012, but I cannot find any documentation that I rode in January, 2014 or January or February, 2013. If only I could be as diligent as The Ferret on matters such as these, but I am working on it.

Got my mobile photography skills from watching The Ferret at work documenting his rides.

[the Ferret]

The student becomes the teacher.

58 degrees here now. Headed out in a couple mins to meet my brother for lunch and I am going to try and duplicate the composition of that first shot Sea. That's a dandy angle.