Change Your Wheels

Some of you may remember that a few years ago that I tracked down a boy using the internet and only the phrase on his hat: "Change Your Fuel, Change The World."  Now, I often drive by a banner at the Gold's Gym that says "Change Your Body, Change Your Life."  And then there's Obama who just says "Change."

Alright already...I get it.  I need to change something.  I have been thinking for nearly a year that I'd like to start commuting on my bike.  Last year, I really wanted to, but it seemed unfeasible because I needed to take so much stuff (school clothes for after the gym, shower stuff, school bag, and lunch).  The entire back seat of my car was filled with my stuff every day.  I could have done this I guess:

I never did buy a trailer, as much as I kind of wanted one.  This year, I've stopped going to the gym (for better or worse) and started doing my running from home so I can get used to running in the cold.  So now, I shower at home, eat breakfast at home, and dress for school at home.  It is now more possible that I could use my bike to get to school.  

This will take some effort for me.  The last time I was commuting on my bike was in the hot New England summer of 2006.  At that time, I was commuting to BU for a math class.  Every morning, I'd ride over to the BU gym, work out, shower, and then ride the few blocks to class.  It really didn't matter what I was wearing as it wasn't my job, so things were a little easier.  My current job does not have showers on campus (or near campus for that matter), so I think my strategy would be to bike in my work clothes (I have two coworkers who do this and a bunch of my students do as well).  This presents a bit of a problem, as I tend to wear mostly dress pants, and I'd have to figure out how to keep them respectable in my backpack.  Or I could look like this guy:

I've been wanting to make my wardrobe a bit more casual for a while, but I'm a horrible shopper and can't really seem to find anything I like out there.  Either that, or I just need a cruiser of a bike.  But I know the road bike, skirt, and heels won't be pretty.  Before I commit to too much too soon, I'm going to try the commute this Wednesday and see how it goes.  I'll set everything up so that I have my school stuff and lunch already at school and Wednesday is my day to leave at 3:15, so I won't have to deal with the dark.  I'll just need to worry about getting there with my clothes in one piece.  We'll see how it goes and then I can start worrying about getting the bike commute compatible and my wardrobe as well.  And, in the meantime, I can chat with some of my favorite bike commuters about how they make it work.