The Final Cut

Up at 920am (thanks to the end of Day Light Savings Time) I was feeling much better than expected. I am sure that had something to do with the two Advil Mindy had provided me earlier that morning. After exercising, walking Sparky, and having some coffee, I was feeling like, well, ½ a million dollars. My plan today was simple. After running, I would spend my day cutting grass and winterizing my yard, as well as making room in my garage for both cars and mowers. And by the way, I was able to run in shorts! I began my yard chores shortly after 11am. It took me almost three hours to cut the grass because I had to rake all of the fallen walnuts from the western edge of my yard and along pond. This was a banner year for walnuts. By comparison, I had three to four times the number I had last season. I need to bitch a little… last year I bought myself a new gas powered weed eater, a Toro. My first “cheap” gas powered weed eater lasted 15 plus years. This time I didn’t want to skimp so I bought a good one, or so I thought. This is only the second season for the new one, and already I have had a number of problems with it. What's worse, it doubles as a gas powered edger so if it's broke I am out two important yard grooming tools. I was having trouble starting it so I pulled the spark plug to clean it. After cleaning it and gingerly trying to reinsert it, it seemed to strip the engine housing. GREAT!!!!!! Piece of shit! There, I feel much better. Back to my yard work. I also had to thin the English Ivy that grows vigorously in many of my flower beds. If it isn’t thinned, it has a tendency to mold over in the late winter early spring, which then requires severe pruning to nurture it back to health, the aesthetics aside. In addition, I trimmed all of my deciduous and evergreen shrubs so they maintain a much tidier appearance over the winter and have a fresh start come spring. I managed to accomplish that with little fanfare. By 4pm I had finished the lawn, trimmed the shrubs, thinned the ivy, raked the walnuts, removed the remnants of my dead annuals, and prepped my garage for two car parking. As I sat back and looked at my accomplishments I realized that I should have cut my lawn a notch or two shorter. Had I done so, I might have been able to dub that the Final Cut! As it stands now, I’ll have to cut at least one more time. No big deal though. At 430pm I retired to the inside of my home to shower and enjoy a small snack. I had some chunks of cheese and lots of water. I made arrangements to visit Mindy around 730pm. I stopped at Walmart on my way to see if they had any pumpkins left. Mindy needed some for her class project on Monday and Kroger was all out. I was certain they’d have some. They didn’t. I tried! I hung out at Mindy's for a while but was home in bed sometime around 11pm. Weekend over...

Run Shoes Running...

It's not like I got a ton of sleep last night, but all things considered I woke Saturday morning around 730am feeling pretty good. I had a pretty busy day planned, so as usual, staying on task was paramount. After following through with several routine tasks I was able to kick around for a couple of hours before setting out for the day. While I didn't have specific times, I had loose plans to spend the afternoon with Mindy, have a visit with Ashley, and go out pubbing with brother Glenn. The weather was superb so I decided to drive the BM'er even though it was a little cool. My first stop took me to Tuttle Mall. I hadn't been there in an awfully long time, probably a few months. I wanted to look at coffee makers and pick up some new running shoes. My current coffee maker works pretty well but it's starting to look a little nasty, and my running shoes are way over done! I have logged approximately 760 miles on those puppies. Most "running experts" recommend changing running shoes after 400 miles. I found a new Cuisinart Coffee maker that I really like but in the end I didn't buy it. I guess I realized I really didn't need one. I did need new running shoes, however, and I found the perfect pair at Finish Line. More often than not, I buy black running shoes to get me through the winter and white for spring and summer. This time was no exception. Comfort is king - not marketing hype! After browsing Macy's and leaving the Mall, I headed over to the World Market to pick up some Pumpkin Ale. While there I picked up a bottle of Shiraz (mostly for Mindy) and some Belle's Pale Ale, too. It's considered by many to be some of the finest Pale Ale in the country. I had one last stop to make before heading home. That was the Walmart Super Center. I had to pick up some veggies and Halloween candy. I also needed gas in the BM'er so I gassed up at their fuel station. Gas was only $1.95 a gallon! Sadly, that was a deal!!! Once back home, I had about forty-five minutes before Mindy and her kids had planned to arrive. Ashley and her boyfriend, Steven showed up first. Ashley's main purpose for visiting was to get signed up for winter quarter classes online. I helped her out. It wasn't long before Mindy arrived with Jacob and Bella. We had planned to carve pumpkins, feed/shoot the ducks, and have some pizza. Mindy and Ashley had never met.. The introduction went well. Mindy's children were a little tentative but who could blame them. This was their first visit to my home. It wasn't long before they were settled and having fun. To break the ice we went out to feed the ducks. These ducks, however, are so well fed, they didn't want anything to do with the bread Mindy had brought. I guess they only eat Wonder bread after learning how it builds strong bones and bills! The kids weren't too happy about that, but you can't force a duck to eat! Back inside we began the process of carving pumpkins. It wasn't long before the kids were off playing with toys and watching Shreck on DVD and Mindy and I were left carving pumpkins. Some things never change. The same pumpkin carving mistakes I made as a child have apparently stuck with me into adulthood. I continue to remove the parts that are supposed to stay and leave the opposites. Lucky for me, the kids couldn't care less. Mindy tried to make me feel better by telling me that I had a design that was rated "difficult" or "challenging". Oh, OK. Well, hell, now I feel better!!! :) After the carving fiasco it was time to move on to something that I have become very good at - SEX! Kidding!!!!! No, ordering Minelli's pizza!!! I ordered two. One extra large pepperoni and extra cheese, and one large cheese pizza. It didn't take long either. Minelli's is less than a half mile from my door. I was back with piping hot pizzas in ten minutes. The pizza was yummy! After eating pizza we went out to feed the ducks, but once gain, they weren't hungry. Now it was time to have a little fun with em'. We took the BB gun. I figured I would teach Jacob how to shoot it. He was very excited about the opportunity. They must have sensed what was developing because they all flew away. We weren't to be detoured however. We resorted to throwing walnuts into the pond and making them into targets. Jacob enjoyed it immensely. Probably more of a surprise was Mindy. She had a strange look in her eye when she asked if she could shoot it.. Let's just say that Jacob and I couldn't get it out of her hands there after. She should’ve been named "Bonnie". After playing cops and robbers it was nearing time for Mindy and the kids to head home. They left sometime around 500pm. We had a really nice time hanging out. I spent the next hour cleaning up my house. I had purposely ignored vacuuming earlier since I knew I would have a house full. That was a good move on my behalf! Glenn called around 630pm to nail down plans to go to Barleys Ale House #1 in the Arena District. (not my normal Barleys). I picked him up around 730pm. Once in the arena district, we found a parking spot within half a stone's throw from the door. Believe me, that doesn't always happen! We bellied up to the bar and order a few beers and appetizers. Their food was OK but it wasn't Barley's Smokehouse quality! There definitely was a difference. We left there around 1045pm then headed to my Barleys (I know, how pathetic is that?). I knew it wouldn't be crowded. It never is on a Saturday evenng. As it turned out, there were only a handful of patrons inside. Two of the patrons were my friends, Thad and Monica. I introduced Glenn to my friends and enjoyed another beer. We didn't stay long, however. We were out of there by 1145pm. Glenn asked me to drop him off at my Dad's home, which I did. I in turn called Mindy and asked if she wanted some company. Lucky for me, she did. We hung out together until just before dawn. Song of the Day: Run Shoes Running, The Kings Run Shoes Running(Diamond-Zero) This marathon is over now I am withdrawing You say there is no future but I feel one dawning I gave too much of me when you were the strong one My new girl has shown me you were the wrong one Run Shoes Running Real fast I fell in love and real fast I'm leaving Your black book is this thick so you are not needing So dry your crying eyes you are affecting You want to stop my exit and then neglect me

As if I needed an excuse to enjoy my Friday even more!

Asleep at 1030pm the night prior left me feeling completely rested at morning's first call. It was just before 600am when I jumped out of bed to begin enjoying my vacation day Friday. I was determined to have a fantastic day. But to remain on task and to be where I planned to be I had little time to waste. I exercised, walked Ykraps, sipped some coffee, meditated and ran 4 miles all before the sun came up. Speaking of which, I was surprised at how late the darkness held on. It wasn't fully daybreak untiI somewhere around 730am. I was back from my run at 715am. I had an hour and fifteen minutes to shower, dress, and pack the days provisions for hiking, but that was more than enough time. By my guesstimation, I would have plenty of time to relax before taking off on our trip. Mindy was planning to be at my house sometime around 8am and we were planning to hit the road at 830am sharp. After my shower I bagged some nuts (peanuts and almonds), some bite size chunks of Swiss cheese, and several candy bars. I also packed a couple of bottles of water and even filled a two liter bottle with extra water in case anyone got real thirsty! Mindy was about 15 minutes behind her planned arrival time but that was cool with me. It just gave me a little more time to get everything together without rushing. I hate to feel rushed! After taking a few pics of the beautiful Friday sunrise we were ready to hit the road. We were out the door at 834am - only four minutes behind schedule. Our first stop was Picktown to pick up brother Tommy. To my amazement, traffic wasn't that bad at all. We arrived at Tom's house at 900am, and he was ready and waiting. Miracles can and do happen! We were back on the road to Old Man's Cave by 905am. We had 55 minutes to make our prearranged meeting of10am sharp. We took the rather new Lancaster bypass, which is now opened all the way to just west of Logan. That cuts several minutes off the old drive. We arrived at the park at 1001am - only 1 minute late. Pretty good al things considered. Glenn was already there and walking about the parking lot. Most of us had to pee so we took care of that task right-a-way. I think we were all excited about the day ahead. We began our journey under a slightly overcast sky, and a cool morning temperature somewhere in the low 40's. It was perfect hiking weather. We spent the first hour and one half hiking around the main cave and the lower falls and taking in almost all of the lower trails. The views were spectacular! The trees and leaves, the sandstone walls, and the native plant life were all very pleasing to the eye. It was more beautiful than I had remembered it being. Cedar Falls was the next logical destination. Many folks leave the park by car and drive, but it's only a 2.5 miles hike and all of us being healthy adults chose to hike it.. We were not disappointed either. The trail was just beautiful. The walk provided an abundant number of photo ops. Some scenery was just too unbelievable. I wondered all day why I hadn't been coming here more often. Our plan all along called for us being back by 230pm so that we could be back in town by 4pm. Our trek was timed almost perfectly. We were back to our vehicle and on the road by 240pm. We dropped Tommy off at his place somewhere around 330pm and arrived back at my house at about 410pm. Mindy and I shared a little snack then she was off to fetch her children and niece and to ready herself for an evening with me. And since it was Friday, Barleys was in our future. Mindy showed up sometime between 730 and 8pm and it wasn't too long before we were on our way to Barleys. I can't think of a better place to cap off an already splendid day. We were short many of the Barley regulars but the bar was still pretty full. In fact, we had to stand for a short while until a couple of bar stools opened up. Still, many of my friendly acquaintances were there. The night's Firkin special was Hobgoblin, a seasonal concoction that's a blend of their house Pale Ale along with a dash of nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon. It was tasty! Mindy opted for a glass of Shiraz, which was no big surprise. She's not much of a beer person. Don't tell anyone though! What would they think of me!!! We were both hungry for something hearty, after all we had burned a number of calories while on our Hocking Hills hike. We both ordered a Barley burger and fries. Not only are their burgers big, but they're out of this world delicious too - trust me! All totaled, I had three beers, two firkins and a Scottish Ale. Mindy had two glasses of wine. We left Barleys around 1030pm, and I think it's safe to say, we were relaxed, happy, and full! Once back at my house, we kicked around the idea of hot tubbing and building a fire. We built a fire then decided not to hot tub. I had an exceptionally fun day and night. I spent quality time with two of my brothers, the woman I love, nature, and Barleys. Does it get any better?

When Thursday's Friday...

Oh yeah! Show me where your momma lives. That string of sunny days I had hoped for was extended today. That's two in a row! I woke up to a sky full of stars. In kind, there were clouds departing in the eastern sky. But it was still awfully chilly. It was somewhere near 36 degrees! I had fallen off to sleep some time around 11pm the night prior and woke around 545am. That's just short of my usual 7 hrs, and it's one half hour short of my body's required 7.25 hrs. I was tempted to drive the BM'er today but the temperature was only 37 degrees about the time I left for work, so I opted not. I had a mission to accomplish upon my arrival to work. I would be requesting tomorrow off of work. So, once at work and logged on to the network, that was the first thing that I checked. None of my peers were scheduled off. That was good news! I had a one on one already scheduled with my boss so I waited till then to make my last minute request. I was all but certain that he'd oblige. He did! I was excited at the thought of having Friday off. The plan would be to spend the day hiking in Hocking Hills with brother Glenn and Mindy. We had already tentatively planned our trip. We had planned to meet in one of the parks at 10am sharp - Glenn coming from my mom's home and us from Columbus. The work day went that much faster now that I knew my Thursday was essentially my Friday. I mean, ykraps, everyone knows how much I like Friday's! As the work day came to an end, my energy level only increased. I was looking fondly on my three day weekend and the trip to Hocking Hills to boot! As soon as I could get out of the office, I did. I was out the door by 510pm and on my way home to have my guitar lesson with Josh. On my way home I phoned brother Tom to ask if he'd care to join us on our Hocking Hills hike tomorrow. It took Tom little time to say yes. I was happy to have him joining us. I was home by 525pm, plenty of time to complete my evening chores before Josh's arrival. Before he showed up, I took Ykarps for his walk and warmed my guitars strings with a little practice. Josh arrived a bit early, about 550pm. I had failed to send him a list of songs as we had discussed at the end of our last lesson some two weeks ago. Yikes!!! Not to worry, he said. He had a song in mind that he thought I might like anyhow. I did, however, remember to print off the guitar tabs for Cold Play's, Green Eyes just before leaving work, so we could work on that one too. We spent the first twenty or so minutes playing Green Eyes. The next twenty mnutes were spent playing Hotel California by the Eagles. To play the melody, I had to learn two new chords, but they were familiar fingerings and not that tough (F#7 & E7). I really enjoyed this particular lesson and was encouraged by my progress. After Josh's departure I continued practicing a little, up until about 645pm. From then on I did email, began some laundry, and finally spent the time necessary to catch up on my blog. I had three days written but just hadn't published or added pics. I wrapped up around 9pm and then proceeded to make myself a drink and some nachos and cheese. I topped off the nachos with my famous salsa and some sour cream. They were yummy!. I called Mindy sometime around 930pm and we talked for about an hour. We finalized our plans for Old Man's Cave then wished one another a good night's sleep. I was asleep at 1030pm, the earliest I've been to sleep in a couple of weeks!

YKRAPS

The October morning sky observed from my deck... Silly as it may seem, before the name change, Sparky saw himself as something of a lesser dog After the name change (Ykraps) he sees himself as a much larger, more intimidating force to reckoned with. It could be, it might be, it is! It looks like a sunny morning is in the offing! The forecast is a bit sketchy, but perhaps we’ll begin a string of sunny autumn days. I hope so. I am always in a better mood when the sun’s shining. And besides, I need to cut my grass. But before I do, I need it to be dry for few days in a row so I don’t leave tractor tire trenches in the squishy lawn. I could see stars on my morning stroll with Sparky. That was encouraging! BTW, moving forward I’ve decided to give Sparky a more intimidating moniker, one that sends a jolt of fear down the spines of my webpage readers as well as any bystanders we encounter on our walks. His new “code” name is Ykraps pronounced i- craps, and crap he does – a lot! No longer will he or I feel wimpy when asked what his name is. Now we can stand tall and proud. Ykraps, u crap, we all crap! To fully appreciate the autumn beauty, one must stand back and view the horizon like I do from my 5th floor office window. It is absolutely magnificent! The horizon is a cornucopia of color. There are reds, oranges, yellows and purples galore blending still with some hardy greens. It won’ be long before we're at peak, if we’re not already. Work was busy but we still enjoyed a themed potluck – “tailgate”. This meant I didn’t have to spend ten minutes packing my lunch this morning. After my run I didn’t deny myself much of anything either. I ate two cheese burgers, nachos with cheese and meat sauce, and several big cookies. I was bloated! I haven’t ingested so much sugar in I don’t know how long. By the end of the day I was not very happy with my eating. I got caught up in a couple of difficult escalations that kept me at the office until well after 5pm. Mindy was planning to meet me at my home around 6pm. I gave her a call only to learn that she was just about to my house. Once home, Mindy had to witness me going through my boring, yet pleasing to the eye, evening routine. Plus, we walked Ykraps together. I noticed since I began calling Ykraps by his new tag, he’s got a much longer, higher gate! He's a proud boy! Mindy was hungry. I was not. I was still full from our tailgate potluck. I made Mindy some dinner. I warmed up her leftover honey chipotle wings and sauerkraut balls from Monday evening, and fed her one of my famous triple chocolate caramel brownies. I think she was content! After she ate we played some Euchre. It was a hard fought match but she’ll get better, I’m certain! (forgive me princess!!!)

60 shopping days till Christmas

It’s October 25th and in two short months it’ll be Christmas! And believe me, time will fly by! Pumpkins today, turkey tomorrow, then the snow... Before the haircut..... After... It’s October 25th and in two short months it’ll be Christmas! And believe me, time will fly by! Pumpkins today, turkey tomorrow, then the snow... Where’s the sun gone? Most of October has been a series of sunny days followed by a series of cloudy ones. Right now we’re in a cloudy phase, and today is the third cloudy and cool day in a row. I woke this morning only a few minutes later than my desired 530am rise time. I completed my exercises then took to the extremely dangerous Columbus streets with my ferocious security dog, Sparky. There were strangers and rather scary looking people lurking around every turn and behind every bush. In a world run amuck with crime and perversion, we were on full alert. NOT!!! After walking Sparky I returned home for my usual coffee, meditation, lunch prep, and breakfast. I dressed really snappy for the work day ahead after giving myself a “jean day’ on Monday. Work was extremely busy once again. Even still, from the very outset, my plan was to escape the confines of the office sometime around 1130am for my run, leaving just enough time to run and get a haircut before a recurring 130pm meeting that I have each Tuesday. Goal met! I recall sharing the drama from my last haircut and would like to share today’s too. Alisha was busy so I had the choice of waiting fifteen minutes or allowing another unfamiliar face to take a whack at my hair. Given that I was a man on budgeted time, the answer was quite simple. I mean, shit, how hard can my hair cut be? Short back and sides then blended on the top! I elected to go for the new girl. She was friendly and went right to work. After using the clippers (guard #3) on the back and sides, she lead me to the washing bowl where she proceeded to shampoo my hair. She told me she was using her own special shampoo that she actually paid for with her own money (tip tactic???). Funny, it smelt a bit like flea shampoo that I would use on Sparky. To top it off, It induced a strange tingle along with a cooling, mentholly feeling. Imagine pouring a bottle of Scope on your head and you’ll get the idea. She lead me back to hair cutting chair and finished the job in about five minutes. She shared with me how she’s one of the few that always ensures the side burns are trimmed evenly. I appreciated that because more often than not, I find them off a little once home and primping in the mirror. I tipped her well, as I always do the girls at Saturday’s. You know, I want them to fuss over me when I walk in the door! As the afternoon proceeded back at the office, I couldn’t get past that smell of Hartz Flea Control shampoo. It consumed me! I couldn’t wait to get home and re-wash my hair. Strangely enough, I even found myself scratching my ears with my foot??? Mindy and I had made plans to hook up at her house around 7pm. But before then I wanted to go home, relax, complete some chores, and practice guitar before heading over. Too, I wanted to re-WASH my hair! I completed all I felt compelled to do and was out the door a little behind schedule at 650pm. On my way, I had to stop at Walmart to pick up meat for a team potluck at work Wednesday. I would be picking up 4 dozen burgers and 4 dozen brats. I also needed to get gas, and I was excited to see that the Walmart price was a low $2.09, the cheapest that I’ve seen it in at least a month or more. By the time I had done all of that, it was 730pm. I arrived at Mindy’s at around 735pm. I played with Bella and Jacob for a couple of minutes before they where whisked off to bed then hung out with Mindy. We were both hungry so she made us each a salad. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying each others company and talking about a number of different things.

Wing Night!

The morning air was cool and the sky was gloomy. It was a classic Monday, the day I struggle with learning to love. In truth, though, I love every thing about life and cherish each day that I wake able to breath, eat, run, and smile. I have my health, a great job, a lovely girl friend, a few good friends, and a family that simply loves me! What could possibly be wrong with Mondays? I think it's the realization that my time to be free of the inaccurate labels that define me through the week comes to an end along with the freedom to do as I please. But I am determined to love Monday's, only differently than I do a Friday. I will learn to embrace Monday's as the day that enables me to think fondly of yet another coming Friday!!! :) I had an extra swagger in my step this day because my beloved Vikings managed to come away with a win against their arch rival, the Green Bay Packers yesterday in dramatic fashion - a 56 yard field goal as time expired! I would quietly relish this victory. The work day promised to be busy due in large part to the hurricane. My mid day run was invigorating but a bit of a challenge. There was an extremely gusty bone chilling breeze blowing from the north that mimicked a wintery day that foreshadowed the cold to surely come. I was out of the office right on time. Mindy would be coming over tonight as she does almost every Monday, so I wanted to get home and get my routine chores out of the way. I did. She arrived just as I was finishing up. We were both hungry and were set on going out for some food. I gave her the choice of Eastern Bay (Chinese) or Barleys. She chose Barleys. That was a good choice. There we had wings and sauerkraut balls. She had honey chipotle wings and I had my usual, gates of hell. They were yummy! We were back at my house by 730pm or so. We chatted about a number of things. Mindy left sometime around 830pm. After her departure I did a little blogging and kicked back a little. I even caught a little bit of the Monday Night Football game. I was asleep by 1030pm.

Stranger in my bed…

Mindy spent the night last night. No cause for concern, however, because we slept on seperate sides of the bed. And besides, I asked my parents and they said it was OK. We slept pretty late all things considered. I think we initially got up around 830am, but Mindy went back to sleep for another half hour or so. She had a small headache (me, I think!) While she continued sleeping, I went about my morning routine of exercising, walking Sparky, and making coffee. Upon completion, I went back upstairs to see if she wanted to get up. She did. After making her some coffee and chatting for a while, I readied myself for my morning run. The plan was for Mindy to make breakfast while I ran. She was planning to make a dish that I’d never had before. I wasn’t quite sure what it was but did know that it contained potatoes and sausage. I was out the door for my run around 1015am or there about, but I wasn’t paying too close of attention to the clock. My run went well and although the sky was gray and temperature chilly, I was very comfortable. By the time I returned from my run our breakfast was all but ready. It smelt fabulous and I was extra hungry! Hey, you go run five miles and tell me if you wouldn’t be ready to devour some food! BTW: God bless Mindy! She also cleaned up the significant mess we made last evening. Her breakfast recipe was a concoction of potatoes, onions, eggs, and sausage, all to be consumed in burrito shells. In addition, she prepped some tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream as toppings. I got out my extra hot homemade salsa, too! Yummy! Everything was fantastic! They turned out like Chipotle’s breakfast burritos. I had two!!! By the time we were finished eating and socializing, it was just about time for NFL football. Talk about a casual Sunday! Mindy had committed to being home around 2pm. She left shortly before then. Without question, we had a nice relaxing time together. I spent the rest of the afternoon playing guitar, reading, and napping all while watching football. At around 330pm I got up and took a shower and headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things for Lindsey. She had called me a couple of times on Saturday asking if I’d be kind enough to do so. Further, she told me that she’d be at Kelly’s (my ex). So after picking up a few things for her, I headed over to Kelly’s. Lucky for me, Ashley was home too. I haven’t seen or talked with her in a couple of weeks. Lindsey, Lil’ Rocky, and Ashley all came out to greet me. It was nice to see them. Lil’ Rocky greeted me in his normal fashion, with a tear. Well, come to think of it, it wasn’t just a tear. Instead, it was an out right cold blooded scream!!! He simply doesn’t like me. Now come on. Look at me. How could you not like this face??? J After prodding him for some attention it became obvious he wasn’t in the mood for some Jimmy time. Believe me, I tried. He was so upset that it brought Kelly from inside the house (see pic). She pleaded with me to stop teasing him. My thought is that if I don’t get past the screaming I’ll never be able to break through the wall! But admittedly, he was pretty upset. I didn’t stay all too long. I was there no more than 20 minutes. Once back home (now about 530pm) I took Sparky on his walk and did some more reading. In addition, I picked up the house a little more and readied for the following work day. I talked with Mindy some time around 630pm. She invited me over to her home. I accepted. I finished reading a little more of Angela’s Ashes. So far it’s a very gripping story but it is equally depressing. I am not sure that I want to read such a tale. We’ll see. I arrived at Mindy’s around 730-ish. We spent a couple of hours relaxing and even took a nap. I left for home around 11pm. I was tired!

Boo!

If my memory serves me, I didn’t rise until nearly 745am Saturday morning. And just as promised, the sky was gray and it was raining. Too, the temperature was hovering somewhere around 45 degrees, which wasn’t as chilly as I had expected. I was just a little groggy for having had a few beers at Barleys the night prior. Nothing I wouldn’t shake off after a walk with Sparky and a couple of cups of coffee, though. After several cups of coffee and spending an hour or so updating my webpage, I was off on my morning run. Unfortunately, I failed to turn the dryer on in an effort to dry out my running attire from the day before. They weren’t that wet, but they were certainly a little damp to the touch. However, rather than dirty another set, I toughed it out and went with the damp stuff. I would have them sweaty and wet in a matter of minutes anyhow! Gross? After completing my run I became fixated on the day ahead. I had a handful of things I wanted to accomplish but none more pressing than getting my boat winterized at Paul’s Marine and then placing it in winter storage. It’s almost ridiculous how often it’s cold and rainy when I take my boat to be winterized. Today was no exception. Before dragging the boat all the way up north I wanted to ensure that it would start, given that I've had a few probelms getting it to start the last few times out. So, I took my garden hose and water muff with me to my dad’s to pick up the boat. It was now drizzling pretty steadily. Despite the inclement weather, I was able to get the boat attached and started just fine. Just before heading out I decided to wrap on the door to see if dad had any interest in joining me. To my surprise, he was excited about the opportunity to go along. He had apparently tried going up there a week or so ago to look at some boating accessories only to find it closed! Bummer! It’s about a 25 mile drive. I was excited to have someone to talk with for the lengthy trip on such an otherwise gloomy day. We made it up there in what seemed like no time at all. Because I had left my house early, giving myself time to run into any unexpected difficulties, yet having none, we were there an hour early. We were there at noon and my appointment wasn’t until 1pm. It wasn’t that big of a deal, though. We simply gave the keys to the gentleman behind the desk and began looking around at new boats and boating accessories while waiting. Of course it was a Buckeye Saturday and that meant football! Lucky for me, they had a couple of televisions available for customers to view the game, so I took full advantage. In addition, I gave Mindy a call to see how her day was progressing. She was at school lesson planning for the week ahead (good Mindy), and she was planning to be over at my house sometime around 5pm. This was her free day, so she had several hours available to do whatever floated her boat. I encouraged her to do something extra special and just for her. She was torn between shopping (go figure), or going hiking at Darby/Metro park. Given that the weather was still pretty crappy, I was sure that she’d opt for the shopping. I later learned that she did the hiking thing! Cool!! She must have prayed really hard too, because the sky miraculously began to clear sometime around 130-200pm, and by 300pm it was actually sunny! That was totally unexpected! I was sure that Tommy was going to appreciate this too! After winterizing the boat, dad and I stopped at Walmart on 23N to pick up a few things. I wanted to look at Halloween costumes and he wanted to pick up something to drink (soda) for later tonight at Tommy’s party. I ended up buying a costume, pumpkins, Mike’s Hard Lime-aid, and some candles. After leaving Walmart we headed directly for the boat storage facility, Lee’s RV’s on Scioto Darby Rd. I stored the boat there when I owned it previously, some seven or eight years ago. They have made some significant improvements to the overall facility and they’ve also increased the price. :) Still, it makes good sense to keep it stowed away, safe and sound in a secure facility. After dropping the boat and completing the associated paper we were on our way to lunch. We decided on El Vaquero, a local authentic Mexican favorite! Today was even better than I expected too. Not only did they have new flat panel televisions tuned to the Buckeye game, but they had a new extra hot salsa to go along with their outstanding chips. Their new chunky salsa was much like my own homemade stuff, although theirs had a bit more cilantro. I liked that. If you’ve never been there but you like Mexican, you’ve got to try this place. We were out of there by about 330pm or so. I had only to drop my dad at home and I would be officially done with my running around for the day. That felt great! As I said earlier, Mindy was planning to be at my house by 5pm and I still had a number of incidental tasks yet to complete, like walking Sparky, vacuuming, making brownies, and taking a shower. I managed to get everything done as planned. Mindy was a little behind and called to tell me so. She didn’t arrived until about 530pm. I had thought that we’d leave for Tommy’s party sometime around 630pm but by the time we were in costumes and done prepping everything, it was 700pm. No worries. As usual, it was like packing for a small trip: cooler, side dishes, camera, gym bag full of costume paraphernalia, and other miscellaneous items. We arrived at Tommy’s sometime around 730pm. To our surprise, we were still early compared to others, and aside from brother Glenn, no other family members had shown yet. I introduced Mindy to Tommy, as Glenn had already met her. We made ourselves comfortable by the fire and helped ourselves to some food, which there was plenty of. It wasn’t long before there were about 50 people there. About half of them were friends of Kayman and Kelsie as one might expect. It wasn’t long before my dad and Sheila arrived along with brother Shawn and his children. About that same time karaoke was getting fired up, and there was no shortage of participants. I must say, Tommy and Shellie had a beautiful set up and the crystal clear autumn sky lent itself to a really good time. It was just a great setting for a Halloween party. Poor Mindy had to be freezing in her “Evil Pixie” costume. Thank God for the bonfire. It was exceptionally hot, and as long as we hovered close by, she was fine. Later into the evening, however, she went for her coat. It was like being outside in a swim suit in 45 degree temps! While we were having fun, Mindy and I wanted to share some time together alone, so we left Tommy’s fairly early - around 10pm. By the time we were back at my house and settled in, it was 1130pm. We built a fire, hot tubbed, and talked for an hour or two before falling asleep. It was a long but fun day!

Nothin' Matters but the Weekend...

Woken from my beauty sleep sometime just before 6am, I really had to pee. Too, I had to get a move on. After all, it was Friday morning, and I love Friday’s! The day's weather certainly was not going to serve as a mood aid today though. Instead, It would just have to be. After my exercises, Sparky and I took to the streets of Scioto Woods. We both pee’d and pooped along our usual stroll! Kidding- well, only for him, I actually did!!! J No – I’m kidding again! He did all the pooping and peeing. I just watched! If today's weather was any indication of the weekend ahead, it's going to be a drab weekend weatherwise, because this morning was cool, gray, damp, and dreary. According to the AOL weatherbug forecast, it’ll be like this well into next week. Yuck! Despite the gloomy weather, I felt pretty good. I am so thankful for a healthy body and a positive outlook. Upon returning from our walk Sparky and I enjoyed a big cup of coffee. Sparky likes his with Milkbone. Me, I prefer half & half. I sent Mindy a good morning email as I typically do. Then I moved on to my morning meditation. It was admittedly a little difficult to get to that peaceful place but I did. Afterwards I calmly proceeded to pack my lunch and make my breakfast before showering and dressing for a Friday of work. I would be lying if I said I was feeling like a billion dollars though. I was just a little off center, but not too far off. It’s funny how much better I feel when I slip into a pair of jeans (jean day Friday) and a black tee, that alone helps me feel GREAT! Just before leaving the house for work I grabbed cuz Elizabeth’s email address and number so I could contact her regarding travel arrangements for next month. I haven’t heard if she’s going to join me in Oregon or not, but I am expecting that she will. Too, I grabbed my grocery list so that I can go immediately following work if I so desire. The drive to work was incredibly slow. One of the slower drives on record. Traffic was backed up on Wilson Rd headed north for about ¼ mile. Yuck-again!!! This was a Friday and we are expecting yet another hurricane to slam into Mexico and the US over the weekend. This is getting old. First and foremost, it's tragic for the towns that it hits, but it also reeks havoc on us as a business. We've got it down to a science this year, however. How could we not? The office seemed even quieter and less populated than most Friday's. And despite the impending storm, things were under control and very manageable. Yippee!!! Even more surprising is that it held that way up until my mid-day run. And even though the conditions were raw, I was well prepared. I had packed my comfortable cold weather running gear. The rain and chilly temps did little to thwart my efforts. In fact, a lite rain always makes the run very enjoyable once the internal furnace heats up! My turn around point is Hilliard Davidson High School. Today their lot was empty. That turned my thoughts to Mindy, the school teacher. She's off work today for what they deem as "COTA" day. Lucky her! I think that means they have to go out and ride a COTA bus somewhere that day - an unusual way of giving back to society, don't you think?? Returning back to the office, I had only 3.5 hours until the weekend would officially begin, and I love the weekend! I put closure to several issues needing my attention and readied for next week. I was able to get out of the office at a respectable 515pm. My first stop was the grocery store - Walmart Super Center. The grocery was moderately populated but not too bad. I got everything on my list and then some. I even looked for a halloween costume to wear to Tommy's party Saturday night but didn't see anything too interesting or worth buying. I was heading home from the grocery by about 645pm - late for me. In the recent past I've been able to pull of a similar feat by 6pm, but then I was hurrying and everyone knows how much I hate to feel rushed! I talked with Mindy on my way home. I hadn't talked with her all day. She doesn't like that too much! :) But for me it makes me want her more. We discussed our weekend plans, and then I got cracking on putting my groceries away. Can anyone say........Barleys? I popped in my contacts, brushed my teeth, primped, and was out the door. Out the door and on my way to my little haven. On my way out I gave cousin Elizabeth a call. I got her VM. She must have been out dancing or playing tennis. That, or out breaking men's hearts. Barleys was fun, and there was a fairly big Friday night crowd - about normal though. Bob & Mary Ann shared stories of their camping trip to Lake Hope from last weekend. They had beautiful weather and from the sounds of it, a wonderful time. I'll have to check out Lake Hope someday soon. I chatted briefly with Josh, my guitar teacher while enjoying a few brews and some of Barleys famous sauerkraut balls. They are delicious - better than my own. I was out of Barleys by 1030pm. It's funny how two short hours can mean so much to someone, but it serves as a happy transition to my weekend. That' probably why I like it so much! To use an IT term, it's the gateway to my personal space. Song of the Day: Switchin' To Glide, The Kings Nothing matters but the weekend From a Tuesday point of view Like a kettle in the kitchen I feel the steam begin to brew Switchin' to Glide Energy can be directed I'm turning it up I'm turning it down Even love can be affected Harmony's the sweetest sound Switching to Glide.. Balancing in my head..inside of me... taking the glide path instead. Everybody gets the no-no Hear it ringing in they ears Lots of ways that you can go GO!Look around NO disappears

Slips, Trips, an Falls

Crash!! That’s the sound the warm weather made when it fell off the shelf. Just like that, the weather machine went to shit. It’s definitely Autumn. The dark Thursday morning sky was overcast and cold, but even still you could see a slight glow from the October moon lurking behind the still thin cloud cover. Couple that with temps predicted to be no higher than about 50 degrees and you have yourself a real autumn like day. This was NOT to be a BM’er day. Work was fairly mild for a Thursday. Perhaps our busy season is behind us. Verdict’s still out on that though. I got out for my mid day run on schedule, but I was a little tentative heading into it. That’s because the air temp was only 47 degrees under thin clouds and there was a stiff cool breeze blowing out of the east. I only had thin running shorts and a dri-fit long sleeve running shirt to combat the chill. As it turned out, that was enough. Once I hit the ½ mile mark, I was cooking! I generate my own heat! BTW - Where has summer gone? We’ve lost 40 degrees just like that! I was looking forward to a relaxing evening at home catching up on some household chores, some reading, and perhaps a roaring fire coupled with some mellow tunes. I left the office with that very plan in mind sometime around 505pm. By 520pm I was home and following through with my usual routine. Blah, blah, blah – I know! By 600pm I had already completed all the usual stuff and had begun my laundry. I slung myself into my reading chair and opened Angela’s Ashes, by Frank McCourt. This is a book a friend from College gave me at our last happy hour get-together. I barely got through the first 5 or 6 pages before I drifted off into an evening slumber. I napped for about 15 minutes. I was awoken by my ringing phone coming from the other room. By the time I got to it, the call had dropped. That was OK, though. I needed to get up & on my weekend chores so I could be free of house work over the “real” weekend. My plan was to complete my vacuuming, laundry, and watering of flowers tonight, something that generally gets done over the course of the weekend. After completing everything (I still had to fold & put away drying laundry), I built a fire and tuned into “Soundscapes” on digital cable radio. Now that’s what I call relaxing!! Mindy called sometime around 7pm and asked what I was up to and if I cared to have her company. That was fine! She had parent teacher conferences all afternoon and evening and had expected to be at school until about 9pm. It seems that she breezed through them by 745 or so. She must have given them the 5 minute version. Math – good, social studies – ummmm…OK, English – outstanding, music - crappy – bye-bye now! Next! I think she showed up around 820pm. We talked about a number of things, mostly about “Jim” issues :) She left around 1020pm. I spent the next hour or so updating my blog then went to bed. I was tired.

Disco Inferno...Chicken

Is this incredible or what? We have yet another beautiful day in store. Today is supposed to hit almost 80 degrees. The moon was about as bright and beautiful in the early morning hours as it could possibly be. Despite the cool morning air, I knew in an instant that I’d be driving the BM’er today. I woke feeling completely rested as I logged another good night’s sleep. Sparky and I completed our morning walk under the blanket of a million stars and an incredibly bright moon. Upon my return the coffee that I had readied smelled absolutely delicious! I couldn’t wait to take my first sip! At work the day progressed at a good clip. There was enough going on that I hardly had time to drift. I made it out for my run only a minute or two behind my usual schedule. By then it was nearly 75 degrees, so my run was summer like. After my run I did a set of curls in the fitness center, something I generally do in the morning at home. But because of some recent shoulder pain, I have backed off the morning weight routine to allow the swelling and pain to subside a little. Three days of no lifting was getting to me though. The afternoon in the office went quickly too. Before I knew it, it was time to go home. Tonight I had plans to have dinner with Mindy and her children, Jacob and Isabella. She was planning to make Inferno chicken, an I love spicy food! I was home by 525pm and had told Mindy that I’d be over by 630pm. I didn’t have that much that I needed to do prior to leaving so I didn’t feel rushed. That’s a good thing because as I am sure that I have I told you in the past just how much I hate to feel rushed? J After tending to Sparky, my lunch dishes, and a few other miscellaneous tasks, I was ready to go. I still had 15 minutes to kill, so I played a little guitar. I chose to take Roberts Road in route to Mindy’s so that I could stop at Kroger and pick up some flowers for Mindy and something special for the kids. I picked up some white roses, which are reported to be a favorite of hers, and some candy for the children. Every kid loves candy! I was in her drive just before 630pm. I am pretty good at meeting deadlines – self inflicted or not. For some reason I felt a little nervous. I suppose it was due to the planned interaction with the whole family - Mindy, Jacob, and Bella. That’s a lot of pressure! But the ice was broken quickly with the help of my digital camera. Kids just love to have their picture taken and hers are no exception. In fact, they love it! They especially love the instantaneous results that a digital camera offers as evidence by there insistence on viewing every photo immediately after snapping it! That’s was OK by me though. It kept everyone entertained while Mindy finished making dinner. It wasn’t long before everything was ready and we were at the dinner table together. The kids were set to enjoy macaroni and cheese while we would enjoy Inferno chicken. Some things never change. I wish that I had invented macaroni and cheese. My kids went through tons of that stuff, and I know that Lindsey still does to this day. Everything was fantastic, but what else would you expect me to say, Mindy reads this too!!! J Seriously, though, it was really good! And it was nice to have a home cooked meal on a “school night”. Her children were extremely finicky eaters, especially Jacob. He asked incessantly if he could either have something else or if he could reduce the number of required bites to be considered in good standing and officially done. I had to chuckle! Again, some things never change. In the end, everyone met their food consumption goals and earned the right to eat some of the candy that I had brought - even me!!! Mindy then spent the next hour or so readying her children for bed, which is always quite an undertaking in and of itself to say the least. Just because we want children to be tired and ready for bed doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll go willingly. To the contrary! And Mindy’s children are no exception. They worked her like a fiddle. “Mommy, I want you”; “mommy, I need you…now”; “mommy, I’ve got to go potty”. Back and forth and room to room, Mindy spent more than few minutes tending to each of their needs/demands. She might have sighed a time or two but all in all she did a great job of making them feel important while suppressing perhaps her own need and desire for rest. After about 20 minutes of that she finally got a reprieve. All in all it looked like an exhaustive routine. Gosh, I feel so spoiled. After all, Sparky never asks to be tucked in and does very little whining about this or that! Once things settled down, we spent the next couple of hours talking about a number of different things. I hung out until just before midnight. I would be banking on the full night’s sleep I had gotten over the past to nights to tie me over through morning. Once home I made quick work of getting into bed and falling asleep! Good night!