getting warmer.

Here:

I just got back from a bike ride around my new neighborhood, my first of the — should I say it? — spring.

Yeah, let’s go ahead and call it spring. I think it’s going to snow on us one more time, but yesterday and today are enough to make me forget about skiing.

Almost.

Mrs. Crappy decided she needed a day off on Friday, so she kidnapped me and drove us to Morgantown. We had a fabulous lunch at Black Bear Burritos:

…and spent the rest of the day putzing around town.

This morning’s bike ride was nice as well. It’s in the mid-60s right now, and actually humid — an odd sensation because our house has been so dry all winter — and I was able to work up a pretty good lather on a relatively short ride. Mrs. Crappy is trying to get back on the horse too — she’s an actual runner, and once she really gets going again, she’s going to start dragging me back to 5Ks.

There:

I imagine it was even warmer in Hampton yesterday, in both the literal and figurative senses. I’m just now listening to the soundboard recordings of last night’s show that Phish is giving away so generously, and it sounds like they didn’t exactly need any time to get warmed up once they hit the stage.

I can’t really explain how important this is to me without sounding like a complete fool — let’s just say listening to this band make its comeback will have the same ability to rejuvenate Uncle Crappy as the first skiing day of the winter — or that first bike ride of the spring.

So:

I had kind of a shitty week, capped off Thursday night by having to say goodbye to my best friend in the newsroom, who was leaving after accepting our buyout offer. I’ve known her and worked with her for nearly as long as I’ve lived and worked in Pittsburgh, and going in on Monday knowing she won’t be showing up might be more difficult than it was saying goodbye to her Thursday night.

Running away for a few hours — on a gorgeous day — on Friday helped. Following Phish’s setlist on Twitter Friday night — and listening to the show today — helped.

Walking back into the house — our house — sweaty and with my legs shaking after a ride — that helps too.