I think I've found it again, maybe a little. Part of the reason I've been feeling so messed up in the head for the last year? Endorphin withdrawal! (And grad school stress, but I can't do anything about that.) In part prompted by financial necessity (parking at work is expensive!), I've started parking at a grocery store about a mile and a half away and walking in. (They don't care. There's more than enough parking, and I do actually shop there, so it makes things a little more convenient!) And yesterday, I tried commuting in by bike.

I used the Iguana, because it has a rack and I don't like riding with a backpack. It's remarkably nice, given that it's old enough to vote. I can totally see why people turn these things into touring bikes, because it's pretty stable under load and reasonably smooth. It needs new grips and pedals (it has been a long time since I rode with platforms!), and the issue with a sliding seat post wasn't quite as fixed as I thought. I had to adjust it every 3-4 traffic lights...not good. Also slightly embarrassing. I'm sure I looked like a complete dork in my fancy shorts on an ancient mountain bike, but at least people are nicer to you if you're riding an ancient mountain bike than if you're on a road bike, even here.

I got a little bit lost...OK, I ended up in Marana...totally in the opposite direction from where I needed to be. Added an extra 7 miles to a 13-mile trip. So I rode about 20 miles before getting to work. I didn't get lost on the way home, and thanks to the mountain bike gearing, I actually made it up the giant hill without stopping, although did have to pull into a church parking lot later for water and breath-catching. I kept hitting green lights. The worst part was actually the road that my complex is on. No shoulder, no bike lane, one lane each direction. It wouldn't be a terrible road to commute on, except apparently everyone and their mother wants to use it at 7:20 in the morning. And it has a traffic circle on it!

I want to do this again, and maybe get my road bike out on a weekend, since I'm a little more comfortable with the streets now. I'd like to commute more often, but I think I might wait until sunrise no longer coincides with the time that everyone decides that they should to go to work...