I put my clean, dry chain back on my bike last night. Then I painstakingly lubricated each link with Triflow. Then I tightened up the brakes until I had a firm grip halfway through the travel of the brake lever. I’d let it get kind of sloppy over time. I’m still thinking of getting new brake pads.

I love the look of the bike when it’s clean. The chain is silver, the rims are shiny, it looks like it’s brand new. And I know that after one trip downtown, it will be covered with road grit again.

When I finished with the bike, it was after 10:00 pm, and the garage was wicked cold. The skies have cleared this week, and the temperature has plummeted. If I wanted to ride in today, I would have had to get the seat bag back on, pick out a change of clothes, and put together what I needed to shower at work. All for the pleasure of riding in when it was predicted to be 24 degrees in the morning.

I decided to wait for warmer weather.

This morning dawned fuzzy and white–a good hard frost covered everything. As I waited for my windshield to defrost, I congratulated myself on my decision. At least the bike is ready, whenever the weather decides to cooperate.

Today the girl and the wife brought Girl Scout cookie orders into the office. I sent the email out letting people know their orders were available at the front desk. It was like watching a herd of hyenas descending on a wounded wildebeest. Man, people are serious about their cookies.

The wife had brought along extra cookies, because she usually ends up selling a few boxes over and above the preorders. It’s a good thing she did, too, because people were pulling me to the side with anguished looks on their faces: “The signup sheet was gone before I could place my order!” or “God, I wish I had ordered more Thin Mints!” Upon being told there were in fact extra cookies, they rushed forward, crumpled bills in hand, and a thin sheen of sweat on their brows. We actually ran out of a few kinds, and I’ll need to bring some in tomorrow.

The girl looked very professional, in her Girl Scout vest. She was wearing a nice outfit under it, and a pair of green earrings that matched her vest and brought out her eyes. She did a good job filling orders and making change, too. Several of my coworkers commented on how much she’s changed over the last year. She’s really grown, and when she wants to be, she can be quite charming. Just usually not with us.