I need a new backpack (September 4, 2008)

Current mood: sore

Wednesday's bike ride into the city was less successful than others of late. Yes I got there and back in one piece, but I underestimated the heat of the day. It was unseasonably hot, close to 90, on my return trip. I had no heat problems at all for my trip in, when it was in the high 70s.

I was not short of water; in fact, I had tanked up before I left Downtown, and stopped several times on the way home to get a drink. Probably the biggest problem was my luggage. First, I had my laptop PC slung over my shoulder. Second, I had a backpack containing maybe five pounds of notebooks and binders.

I don't think it was the weight so much as the fact that the backpack pressed solidly against my back, making it impossible to lose any body heat through my back. As a result, I was so soaked, I needed my wife's help in getting my shirts off before climbing in the shower. I was not overheated. The first thing I did upon arriving home was take my temperature. Absolutely normal.

Separately, the PC bumped against my left leg the entire return trip. After 10,000 such bumps, I got a really sore leg.

Moral of the story: I need to figure out a better way to carry a bunch of stuff with me whenever I need to bike into town and back.