Do Unto Others

Wow, a lot has happened in the world over the past week. Japan. Gadhafi. Sadness & yuck. The earth is a hurting place.

All things considered, things aren't too bad here in Omaha. In fact, Spring is only days away, some local group rides are already taking advantage of extended daylight and the recent warm weather has prompted Bryan Redemske to spontaneously tweet that he's shaving his legs once more.

Blood on the tracks: I did not bring my A-game with the razor today. Eesh.

So with all of this local wholesome goodness, I was surprised to receive a grouchy-toned email today from everybody's good buddy, Shim. He was ornery. Pesky even. I wondered why he was acting out. Perhaps three days of traveling-- of being away from his wife & children, of subsisting on a steady diet of cheeseburgers, of sleeping in hotels infested with bed-bugs, and of missing his bicycle -- had something to do with him lashing out at me today.

When someone's hurting, I make it a task to find something to cheer them up. Like it says in the good Lord's book, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

Resolved, I looked for an opportunity to put a smile back on old grumpy's face. I found it at the bike rack at work. In the very spot that Shim normally locks his bicycle, somebody's bike was already there, and it was in dire need of chain maintenance. I mean, check out the rust on that thing:

Fortunately, I had an oil can in my locker. I fetched it immediately.

Now before anyone (I mean you, Munson) says anything about the inappropriate use of 3-in-One on a bicycle chain, I want to draw your attention back to the picture above, especially those orange hues. That's some serious oxidation going on there. At this point, even a snot-rocket to that chain would have even been a lubrication improvement.

So anyway -- Munson -- when I apply chain lube, I don't hold back. In this case, I doused that thing liberally with half the can. It just soaked it up like sponge. I put on a second coat. Then a third. I didn't quit until a puddle formed beneath the bicycle. Now take a look at that:

Keep in mind that I have no idea who owns that bike, but by-golly, that chain sure looks much happier now. And because the bike is parked in Shim's normal spot, I bet he'll gets all the credit.

There you go, Shim, a good deed done in your name. Cheer up, buddy. Go ahead, you know you want to smile.

Happy Friday, everyone.