Today is one of those days I use to mark the seasons: the first day I absolutely, positively had to have lights on for my commute.

I depart from the house, ideally, at 0715, with and expected arrival at 0745. Official sunrise was at 0734 today. Sunset is not until 1823 local time, and I finish work at 1700, so I should make it home without needing the lights, though I often run a red blinkie at the rear just for extra conspicuity.

Lighting options have greatly increased lately, mainly due to the rise of white LEDs. These are great lights for being seen, but don't yet throw enough light for really good seeing at night. My commute is well-lit, but I want to try some night-riding of trails this year.

I'm using a simple 3-LED blinking white light at the front, and I have a set of good used incandescent lights which should be usable for trail riding. I'm experimenting with them now: the battery is depleted, so I need to hook up a new one. Fortunately, I have a serious 12V sealed lead-acid unit that I managed to get for free. Unfortunately, it's about 15 pounds, and big. If I can find a way to securely mount it, it should work for my needs. And provide some weight training in the bargain.

Played indoor soccer yesterday, as the lunchtime intramural season started up. My neck is still hurting 24 hours later. We lost 7-2.