Yesterday I had to get my bike fixed.

I was taking the kids to school and daycare and somewhere near the school, I hit some glass and poof there goes the tire. So having dropped the two off at their destinations, I walked the bike to City Bikes, using the flat tire as an excuse to get new brake pads. I used my being dressed in work attire to excuse myself from doing it myself.

While my bike was being repaired, I wandered into Idle Times Books. Back before I had children, one of my great joys was to wander through used bookstores unattached to time. Yesterday I spent a long time on the second floor of Idle Times, digging through the Sociology, Philosophy, History, and "Left of Center" sections. I picked up a few books, and now I'm reminded of a certain bad habit of mine, which is that if allowed time to browse in bookstores I inevitably purchase books at a faster pace than I can read them. As bad habits go, it's sort of innocuous, but it does lead to stacks of unread books and a guilty conscience.

The neighborhood is pleasant during the workday. I'd love to have one day off a week to enjoy it: to sit in Tryst, a place I never would go into before the smoking ban, and read a book or maybe take a slow look through Crooked Beat. Instead, I had to pick my bike up and get in to work by noon.

Still, half a day out is better than none.