Sinus Medication

I didn’t get up until 615am again today. But I didn’t over sleep either. Instead, I woke at 530am and made a conscious decision to go back to sleep until I felt more rested. Again, my sinuses were swollen and clogged. I don’t like feeling like that, but then again, who would? I breezed through my morning exercises then walked Ykraps. It was a cold morning too, by the way. There’s no doubt that it’s winter. Once back home, I coffee’d meditated, emailed Mindy, and then made my breakfast and packed my lunch. Judging by the clock, I would be running a little behind again today. As my daughter’s would say, Oh well! After readying myself with a shower and a fresh set of clothing, I was about ready to depart for the day. But before leaving, I spent a few minutes strumming my guitar. I have a lesson tomorrow night and don’t want to give my instructor the wrong impression. I play everyday but I lack the discipline to practice tge technical exercises he's given me to work on. I'm a slacker! Work was fine – busy, but fine. By 900am I had about had it with the sinus thing, so I decided to take another one of Mindy’s magic sinus pills (she gave me three). Within five minutes I could feel it working and it worked great. The trouble is that it made me feel wired, kinda like I’d taken speed or drank 20 cups of coffee along with smokin' a doobie. Wah-wah-wah-wah. Come run time, it was only 30 degrees. I had the proper running attire packed so that was no big deal. I was comfortable. I left work around 510pm. I was home by 535pm. This was a Mindy Wednesday, so I was looking forward to sharing time with her. Once she arrived, she began making salad while I finished my chores. Too, we warmed some leftover pizza from Saturday night. We spent the next hour or so discussing weekend plans and doing some snuggling. But in short order, it was time for Mindy to head home. After Mindy left, I spent the next few hours updating my blog and trying to upload pics. i was having technical difficulties and there are some new bugs on my webpage so I wasn’t able to get most of the pics I wanted to share uploaded. I’ll have to deal with that later. It was almost 1230am. I needed to get to bed!

Tuesday, November 29 - Seven Trees!!!

Wow! My sinuses are clogged again and I slept late. As for the late awakening, I didn’t go to be until about midnight but I think the sinus thing is the bigger culprit. I thought that this sinus issue was from cat allergies after spending a week in Oregon with brother Glenn and his two felines. However, after two days at home, they persist. And furthermore, it seems to be better one day, worse the next. Very strange??? I battled through the physical side effects and managed through my morning routine just fine. And despite waking 45 minutes late, I still spent the necessary time tending to my personal needs. After all, there is more to life than beating a clock! I managed to do everything i needed ot do by 750am and was out the door on my way to the office. The weather today promised to be less than steallar with dropping temps through the day. Once at the office I made it a point to finally work though the myriad of emails I had back logged from vacation ( I had 700). Sadly, only about 10% needs my undivided attnetion but finding them amongst the others is what makes it challenging. My days end I had that whittled down to 36. Whiel working I perused the internet looking for information o nnew digital cameras. I have a couple fo options and I don't want to make the wrong choice. The morning flew by and the next thing I knew it was after 1230pm. I was a little late for my run. Off I went to the gym. It was again pretty breezy but much, much chillier than the day prior. Remember, yesterday it was 67 degrees when I ran, today it was 37. Burr! Not a big deal. I been through much tougher runs. I did a little xmas list planning while running today. That's another great benefit of running. If gives me the opportunity to create and process good ideas. The challenge is remembering brilliant thoughts long enough to transpose them to paper or electronic media. The afternoon went by rather quickly. I left the office at around 510pm. It was dark! My first sto pwas the new Mill run Target. I had planned ot pick-up new Christmas tree decorations this year. It's been a couple of years since I changed my stuff. It's time! Otherwise it gets kinda boring. I found just what i was looking for. I got the idea while in Oregon visiting Glenn. And eventhough I tend ot be drawn to a singel color scheme, I am determined to go multi-color this year but all in the same 4 or 5 colors - lights, ornaments, and tinsel. We'll see how it turns out. Honestly, though, it's pretty hard to screw up a xmas tree. After my successful shopping spree, I headed home for a brief stop to walk Ykraps and tend to a few other nightly chores. Not long after i was off to Mindy's to hel pdecorate yet another one of her seven xmas trees. No shit- 7!!! This one is her"teacher tree". On it she places placards where bad kids have to put their nose when they're bad. :( Not really!!! Instead, it bares her collection of ornaments given to her by her many students over the years. That took entirely too long. I spent at least an hour putting the damn lights on the tree. It's one of those spiney ones so I wapped the lights strands around each individual branch thinking that it would net much prettier, creative results. Nope! Could just have easily threw them on from 6 feet away and you would not be able to tell. Lesson learned! After we were done with the tree and putting her children to bed, Mindy made tortilla pizzas. My sinuses started acting up again. I was tempted to take one of her magic pills but she warned against taking one at might before bed. They tend ot maek you jittery, and wide awake. I didn't. I departed for home around 1030pm.

Monday, November 28 - Back In The Saddle

Despite returning to work, I woke up feeling pretty damn good. Must mean that I got it all out of my system. I got up right at 530am EST. That’s scary. Plus, my bedroom clock is 2 hours and ten minutes fast (it was an hour and ten minutes but since the end of day lights savings time…). I breezed through my exercises and was out the door with Ykraps in no time at all. We were greeted by extremely warm temps, a crescent moon, and a few scattered stars amongst the wispy clouds. Upon my return I fell right back into my groove. Why shouldn’t I though? This is a scientifically engineered routine that is both efficient and effective! I coffee’d, meditated, and sent my princess a good morning email. And as I began making my lunch and breakfast I realized that I was out of some of my daily staples (lunch meat, cantaloupe, and pineapple). I made a mental not e to self to stop at Kroger on the way home tonight. I readied for work and was back downstairs by 725am – just enough time to pluck at my guitar for a while. By 735am I was out the door. I arrived at work on time and ready for whatever came my way. I had over 700 emails, but there were very few surprises and no major crises to deal with. That was good. The morning blew by as usual and before I knew it, I was down in the gym readying for my daily run. And just like the week I left, the wind was the feature element. We were getting gusts around 42 MPH, but it was 67 degrees. I’ll take that everyday given that it’s practically December. The afternoon went much like the morning- fast! I wrapped up my day and headed for the door sometime around 515pm. My first stop paws Kroger (following through on my mental note to self). This is Monday and Monday’s a Min-day’s. I can’t recall whether she called me or I called her, either way, she was already at my home waiting for me. We planned to have Sunday dinner leftovers (pork roast, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes). Everything was yummy. Mindy cooked while I walked Ykraps and a few other routine tasks. We spent the rest of our evening talking about family issues. She had to leave some time around 830pm. After her departure, I spent the next 3 hours downloading all of my vacation photos from my CF Flash cards. I took much longer since I don’t have my camera to use any longer. L In between downloads, I kept an eye on the Buckeye basketball score and the Monday Night Football score. I didn’t get to bed until almost midnight. I guess my body is still geared slightly towards PST. Song of the Day: Aerosmith, Back In The Saddle I'm back I'm back in the saddle again I'm back I'm back in the saddle again Ridin' into town alone By the light of the moon I'm looking for ole' Sukie Jones She crazy horse saloon Barkeep gimme a drink That's when she caught my eye She turned to give me a wink That'd make a grown man cry I'm back in the saddle again I'm back I'm back in the saddle again I'm back Umm...come easy, go easy Alright 'til the rising sun I'm calling all the shots tonight I'm like a loaded gun Peelin' off my boots and chaps I'm saddle sore Four bits gets you time in the racks I scream for more Fools' gold out of their mines The girls are soaking wet No tongue's drier than mine I'll come when I get back I'm back in the saddle again I'm back I'm back in the saddle again I'm riding, I'm loading up my pistol I'm riding, I really got a fistful I'm riding, I'm shining up my saddle I'm riding, this snake is gonna rattle I'm back in the saddle again I'm backI'm back in the saddle again I'm back Ridin' high Ridin' high Ridin' high already

Sunday, November 27 - Skol Vikings Skol

I woke Sunday morning with Mindy beside me. That was nice except for the fact that my head felt like it was filled with helium. My sinuses were completely out of whack! I was a snot head! In a motherly fashion, Mindy gave me one of her prescription sinus tablets. Being desperate for relief I took it. Minutes later my head was as clear as could be. But with any medication, there are always side effects. That's right. This stuff made me quite the sexual predator! Just call me Incubus!!!! Nah - just kidding! :) The stuff made me feel like I was in a cloud, but hey, I could breathe and breathe easily. Something I couldn't do 15 minutes earlier. We made some giant cinnamon rolls and coffee. We had a nice long conversation about who knows what. Mindy planned tot leave at 930am so she could make mid morning church services. She did. After her departure, I dressed for my run and took off for my first Columbus based run in ten days. And it was a good one. My head was still in a cloud and it was almost like I wasn't running but instead watching someone else do it for me. After my run, I began unpacking my luggage and started laundry. No big deal! I had several errands to run as well. I wanted to check out new digital cameras and stop at Home depot to look for a new spark plug for my weed wacker. My Vikings were playing the Browns today. The game wasn't televised which helped make the decision to head out at 1pm much easier. I was able to pick the game up on the radio, but just barely. The Browns don't get nearly the coverage the Bengal so in these parts. That would probably change if they could win a few games (sorry Bob!). I was done with my camera seeking adventure around 3pm. I still had plenty to do around the house and had made plans to visit Mindy and kids around 430pm. We were gonna have dinner and set up and decorate her Christmas tree. I followed the Vikings/Browns score via CBS. The Vikings ultimately embarrassed the Browns, 24-12. Wahoo!!! I left for Mindy's at 420pm. But because I was on Empty, I stopped for gas at the Shell on Rome Hilliard and Trabue first. The price was an excitingly low, $1.78. We haven't seen gas prices that low in a while! Mindy made pork roast and it was yummy. While Mindy cooked, I put the lights on her 10' artificial tree. But I didn't do it alone. Nope. I had two assistants, Jacob and Bella. They were a big help too!!! :) I left Mindy's around 11pm.

Satacation 2 , November 26 - Homeward

Satacation 2 – part #1: Portland It’s time to go home. My plane leaves PDX at 609am PST. I had a nice visit and did pretty much everything I had hoped. More than anything, it was just good to get away for a week. It’s nice to not think/worry about the same old - same old. We biked, hiked, skied, and shopped. We took in the museum, a few local pubs, and scanned the city streets. I had a fabulous time. ************************************************************************************ Satacation 2 - part #2: Columbus No sooner than I arrived here in Vancouver/Portland it’s already time to go home. I woke at 230am in order to exercise, meditate, run, and finalize my packing. Surprisingly, I woke feeling pretty rested having gone down at or around 10pm and NO beer! My run was probably about 3.5 miles (an abbreviated version of my usual Vancouver waterfront run). I was admittedly a little worried for my safety given the hour of day since 230am is about the time all the bars are closing down, and the waterfront is very dark. Everything went as planned. I was back at Glenn’s with plenty of time to spare and even had enough time to enjoy a cup of coffee and make myself and egg sandwich. I woke Glenn at 415am so that we could leave at 420am. My goal was to be at the airport by 440am. We had a good plan. We were at the airport at 443am. We said our goodbye’s and I was off. I made it through check-in and security with 40 minutes prior to boarding. The next thing I knew, I was taking off and leaving Portland behind once again. As we cleared the runway I could see the horizon just beginning to turn a light orange signaling daybreak. Soon my thoughts turned to reflections of my week’s vacation. I thought about just how remarkably fast the week went and everything we were able to do. We pubbed, mountain biked, skied, hiked, ate, and absorbed some culture at the museum. All in all, it was one of my best trips ever. The weather was superb! On the trip to Dallas we flew over Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado, New Mexico. Our country is one beautiful piece of land. It’s amazing how majestic and beautiful the scenery is. The mountains, bluffs, lakes, and rivers, they are all very pleasing to the eye. We landed in Dallas on time. I had to take a train to my departing gate. The weather in Dallas was very gray. My thoughts now turned to Mindy. I gave her a call and confirmed her plans for picking me up. I was really looking forward to seeing her. Before I knew it we were being prompted to prepare for landing in Columbus. It’s amazing how quickly you can be whisked all the way across the country. It’s also amazing just how fast the day goes when your flying from the west coast back east. I woke up at 230am PST and the next thing I know I’m in Columbus except that it’s 445pm EST. Mindy was at the airport waiting with open arms. I was very excited to see her. Fittingly, I took two photos of Mindy at the airport. As it turns out, those were the final two pictures ever to be taken with my Canon G2. Damn thing broke!! We had a great time Saturday night, needless to say.

Fracation, November 25 - Xmas Tree ... There are Malls Everywhere

Here Glenn conquers a poor defenseless noble fir at Windy Hill Tree Farm. Tonight it will stand in his living room adorned with lights. Fracation (Friday) was a rainy drippy raw November day. I slept in too. I didn’t get up until 730am. This is the type of weather that everyone fears they’ll be stuck in when moving/visiting this area. I had to suck it up and run in the wet stuff. Like I’ve stated before though, it’s really not that bad. Besides, the rain has a far greater impact on my mood than it does on my running. After my late run ( I didn’t get out till 9am today) we made another hearty breakfast. We didn’t have a plan heading into the day but our options were many. We opted to head to the country to cut a fresh Xmas tree. The place we visited two years ago ended up being shut down so we had to find another. We found another place, Windy Hill Tree Farm, within just a few miles of the old place. It was very organized and kinda fun despite the rainy wet weather. We got back around 1pm. I spent my time packing while Glenn prepped his tree for the house. Packing didn’t take as long as I though it might. It took only about 45 minutes. After a shower Glenn and I headed out to one of the local malls to take in the Xmas shopping crowds. I wanted to find a souvenir for Mindy. I found what I sought! The rain continued through the afternoon and early evening. I hope the rain subsides for my Saturday morning run only because I don’t want to have rain soaked clothes in my luggage tomorrow. My plane leaves around 6am so that means I’ll be up and running at about 2-230am. Now that’s early!! I don’t think that I’ll be drinking any beer tonight. Glenn and I were planning to attend the Vancouver tree lighting ceremony but Glenn got a call from work and had to rush in to address some sort of issue. I guess when you’re in the daily/weekly publication business you have to respond quickly or it could be too late. Just as well, it’s still raining fairly steadily. Incidentally, we’ve watched the tree lighting ceremony the two years prior and each time the weather has been an issue. Two years ago it rained heavily, last year we were socked in with dense fog and chilly temps.

TGacation, November 24 -Turkey Day in the Pac West

Macy's TG Day parade as viewed on Glenn's new Flat screen

This is the view from Columbia Shores looking up the Columbia River towards the airport nad ultimately, Mt Hood. TGacation Day ! Today began just as the others, sunny. It was quite apparent that that wasn’t going to last though. Once I hit the road for my personal turkey trot run, I could see the coming of the clouds. We watched just a little of the TG parades, and then tuned into football. It’s awfully nice to get football as early as 9am out here. After a hearty breakfast, it was time to begin prepping our TG dinner. We had a 16lb turkey and the items below: Cheesecake Mashed potatoes Pan gravy Green bean casserole Rolls Apple, walnut, sausage stuffing We ate around 6pm and went comatose shortly after. We also watched Finding Nemo.

Wedacation, November 23 - Hesse Family Jewels

Wedacation (formerly Wednesday) morning was another crystal clear morning. That makes five in a row! You can ask anyone out in these parts and they’ll tell you that this doesn’t ever happen. More often than not this is rainy season. I was up at 530am exercising, meditating, and having some coffee. Before taking off on my run, I did some writing. After a satisfying run I showered and readied for the day. As soon as Glenn got up (sometime around 9am) I asked if I could borrow his car so that I could go after some additional groceries we’d need for our TG cheesecake, as well as directions to the local music store to get some new guitar strings. I drove over the river into Oregon to the Safeway in Jantzen Beach. It’s only about a two mile drive. There I found all the ingredients I needed as well as some more local beers. After finishing up with the groceries, I drove back over the river into downtown Vancouver to find the local music store. It was easy to find, just a few hundred feet from the highway exit. After browsing around for a while, I bought some new guitar strings and a digital guitar tuner (just like the one I have at home) for Glenn to keep around the house. The entire reason for doing all this was to re-string one of his two guitars for a left-hander (me). In trying to do so, I snapped the high “E” string twice, hence the need for new strings! I was back at Glenn’s by 1030am. Once all the groceries were put away, Glenn made our breakfast. I restrung and tuned the guitar. Our plan for the day called for visiting the Portland Museum of Art as well as attending the after hours event they hold each Wednesday. Come 2pm, we left for downtown Portland. We were almost immediately greeted by traffic gridlock. To avoid as much of this as possible, we exited the freeway and took the back way into downtown. We arrived at the museum around 3pm. They were featuring the Hesse exhibit, which is a collection of artifacts left behind by the royal families of Europe, most of which were from the 16th – 18th centuries. The exhibit featured furniture, table settings, vases, guns, uniforms, and paintings. It really was a complete look behind the scenes. I enjoyed it! The museum closed its doors right at 5pm. We had half an hour before the after hours event began so we patronized an upscale downtown Portland pub called SouthPark. We were planning to meet up with a couple of Glenn’s friends for dinner so we avoided ordering any food. We were content with a beer. Come 550pm, we pulled anchor and headed back over to the museum for the after hours gala. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the band, but what I can tell you is that they were a country crossover type band. They sounded an awful lot like Dwight Yoakam. Glenn’s friends (Tom and Eric) showed up after we’d finished our first beer. We hung at the event until it was over. It only lasted two hours (730pm). Our next stop was Higgins, a downtown favorite of Portland movers and shakers. Needless to say, I don’t fit in that circle to well. On more than one occasion, I was asked to quiet down. Sad, we were just having a good time without harming anyone. After Higgins we moved on to another venue 23 floors high in the sky. Sorry, can’t recall the name. I do know a cool jazz band was playing. We were all feeling no pain. It was fun.

Tuacation, November 22 Ski and Sky - WOW!

I was up Tuacation morning at 500am PST. My goal was to be done with my run by 7am so that we could leave Glenn’s for skiing by 8am. I left for my run at 600am. The sky was just beginning to show a hint of dawn in the eastern sky, and the fog was hanging low over a majority of the river front. It was very beautiful. Back at Glenn’s we readied for our ski trip and were on the road at 755am. Our first stop was Subway for a breakfast sandwich. Note to self … their breakfast sandwiches are good too. The drive to Mt Hood went without incident and the views were definitely beautiful. The weather was predicted to be sunny and seasonably warm. It was. I haven’t seen a cloud in four days now! Go figure! The skiing was great and the scenery perhaps even better. I’ll let you decide…

Macation, November 21

Monday wasn’t a REAL Monday. Instead, it was a vacation Monday, and those barely count and shouldn’t be called Monday. In fact, I move that we think of another name for the second day of the week when there’s no work involved. Let’s call it Macation. And I’d be kidding you if I said I wasn’t just a little concerned that I might be stiff for my morning run. That Mountain bike ride really gave a work out to muscles I don’t normally use. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good. After exercise, coffee, run, breakfast, and play, Glenn and I set out for the day. Our first stop was Ester Short Starbucks. I had a venti Caramel Macchiato. I don’t recall what Glenn ordered. I do know that it was shame fully expensive. While enjoying our coffees, we took a walk around the park and ended up at the Vancouver Farmer’s Market. From there we headed by the theatre to see if there was a movie worth seeing. There was nothing that jumped out at us so we moved on. Next, we drove out to Vancouver Lake, which runs parallel to the Columbia River. What I would cal a pleasant surprise, we saw a Coyote foraging about. All totaled, we spent about an hour and a half taking in the sites of the waterfront. Once we’d had our fill, we headed to Jantzen Beach to do some shopping. Glenn wanted to buy a new 27 inch television and I wanted to buy a new memory card for my camera. We shopped Target, Copeland’s and Circuit City. Glenn found a good value on the television he desired and I found one heck of a deal on a 1 gig memory card. It was approaching 330pm. We headed back to Glenn’s place. We set up Glenn’s new television with little trouble. And because we’re on PST time, it was practically time to ready myself for Monday Night Football. The Minnesota Vikings were playing the Packers. We watched Xmas Vacation right up to the start of MNF. For our dining pleasure, Glenn made wings. They were very good. Long story short, the Vikings won. It’s their third straight victory and the second road win in a row, and both of those were outdoors. That’s big news for Viking fans. Final score: Vikings 20 – Packers 17. After the game we put in Fargo. I couldn’t stay awake and snuck off to bed around 10pm.

Sunacation, November 20 - Leif Erickson Trail & Blue Moon Cafe

I slept like a rock. I woke up at 705am PST (1005am EST). The sun was just beginning to poke above the horizon like a little turtle head. I did get up in the middle of the night and take some Advil. That was a smart move. I had a headache from the beer and martini the night prior. After some sit-ups and push-ups I readied for my run. I was excited about the run too. Vancouver has a fascinating waterfront along the Columbia River that is runner friendly. And with the morning sky being so clear, I was sure to get a glimpse of Mt Hood in all her glory. There was a light coating of frost on the ground and a quick check of the air temperature showed it to be 33 degrees. I bundled up in my normal winter running gear and wore my MP3 player. I was out the door at 745am for my first vacation run. I was juiced! The air in Glenn’s neighborhood has the distinct smell of seasoned firewood, and the smell is sweet & fruity, not the pungent, wet wood smell you often can detect back home. It’s very pleasant. Glenn’s home is about 1.5 miles or so from the waterfront and a straight shot at that. Before hitting the water front you pass through Ester Short Park which is a lovely park in the center of town with huge evergreens, lush green grass, beautiful landscaping and fountains, and a talking Glockenspiel. I love running through it. Once on the waterfront I was in awe of the breathtaking vistas. The vastness of the Columbia nestled in amongst some remaining fog was a photographers dream, Couple that with the steel bridges basking in the sun and you have another breath taking view. The waterfront, which is visited by many runners and walkers alike, is so picturesque. My guess is that it’s about 2.5 to 3 miles to the turnaround. I was back after about 45 minutes and ready for some coffee. Glenn didn’t get up until sometime around 900am. I spent the quiet time journaling. Once awake, Glenn offered to make a hearty home style breakfast. How could I refuse? I’m not too used to that. He made eggs, sausage, baked potatoes, and toast with cream cheese. We discussed the day’s activities and decided on a mountain bike ride in Forest Park on Leif Erickson trail. After a little prep, we loaded the bikes on the back of his Honda. I wisely opted to remain in my running gear as it would double nicely as bike riding attire. Having never mountain biked, I had little idea of what to expect aside from a sore ass and the realization that the muscles used for biking are different than the ones I use for running. Forest Park is located in the foothills northwest of downtown Portland. The trail is 11.22 miles long and winds though the forest, and the greater majority of the trail is up hill. For convenience sake, we dropped the bikes at the trails head and Glenn took the car down the hill a little to park. This was a very, very busy trail. Lots of runners and lots of mountain bikers were out and about taking in the surprisingly beautiful Portland weather. While waiting on Glenn to return I did some gazing into the forest, and I am glad I did. I spotted an owl (later learned it was a horned owl) about 100 feet away resting about 25 feet up on the trunk of a tree. It was huge and it was beautiful. And hey, just a week or so earlier, I had shared with Mindy that I’ve never seen an owl in the wild. No longer! I was so excited that I stopped strangers to point it out to them also. They all were amazed too. I was happy to share my joy. Soon, I was off on my first mountain bike ride ever. The first few miles were almost exclusively up hill, albeit gradual. We had originally talked about turning around at the 6 mile marker, where there’s a scenic overview. And it began getting a bit laborious after about 4 miles, so that sounded good. However, once we hit the 6 mile marker we agreed to continue on to the eight mile marker. To my surprise, Glenn was the one getting tuckered. I was doing great! Glenn reported having a hangover and a raw ass for wearing jeans. I wore my running tights and wicking clothes which left me very comfortable. Once we hit the 8 mile mark I suggested that we press on all the way to the top. We did. However, no longer was I being awed by the scenery. Instead, it became somewhat of a quest to reach the end. The last couple of miles were very taxing. I had to stop occasionally, have water and eat a power bar. By the time we reached the pinnacle, we were both exhausted. My best guess is that the ride out was 75% up hill. But that meant that the ride down would be the opposite. The thing I didn’t consider was my depleted energy level. I was spent. After resting for about ten minutes at the top we started back. Glenn looked a little piqued. On the return trip, every time I hit even the slightest uphill, my legs were cramping. I was out of energy, plain and simple. The water I had on board was like nectar – it was delicious. I took several breaks along the grueling trek back. Thankfully, once back to the 3 mile mark, it was downhill the rest of the way, and I coasted most of that. Once we reached the end my ass was sore! Glenn complained that he felt like shit. I was fine despite the sore ass. After loading the bikes, we headed into NW Portland for some dinner and beer. NW Portland is a trendy district with lots of refurbished Victorian style homes. It’s inhabited by a bunch of yuppie looking folks driving expensive cars. We ended up at the Blue Moon. It’s one of my favorites. They have a decent assortment of microbrews, a good selection of pub food, and a warm inviting circular fireplace table. Over the next hour and one half, I had a Pumpkin Ale, a Kris Kringle, along with a Gyro. Everything was good. We left the pub and headed back to Glenn’s some time around 6pm. On the way home I decided to give Mindy a call. She was just getting in bed. After all, it was a school night. We talked for a while – the whole drive home. She seemed to be doing well and shared her weekend stories. It sounded as if Mindy and her friends raised a little bit of hell Saturday night. Glenn wanted to patronize the Tip Top lounge before calling it a day. It’s only a few blocks from his home, so we drove over. There were only two other patrons there. We had one beer each and then headed home. I was tired, plus I had a sore throat. Once we were back at his place, we watched the movie “Old School”. Very funny. By 10pm, I was done! I went to bed.

Ladies and Gentleman Please Prepare Yourselves For Take Off...

I'm outta here! I just landed in Dallas Fort Worth. Thought I'd watch a DVD. To my surprise, thye have wireless connectivity. Too cool! My flight out of Columbus was nice - uneventful. I was able to see my house from high above. That certainly makes my little world seem so insignificant. Dad was right on time s usual and we left my house right on queue, 6:01am. We had to deal with 670 being closed between west columbus and downtown, but after a little diversion, we were back on track. Anyway, waiting in Dallas for my connection to depart to Portland. Tah tah I woke up early (410am) and felt even better than I anticipated. I was excited and ready to begin my journey. But before my journey would begin, I had to exercise, walk Ykraps, and go for a run. The early morning sky was crystal clear exposing millions of stars. And while the sky was beautiful, it was still really cold! By 445am I was out the door for a crisp morning run. There’s something really special about getting a run in before most people even dream of waking – no pun intended. While running, a very bright light in the western sky caught my casual eye. Without my glasses or contacts my vision is a little blurry—especially at 500am. The light kept getting brighter and my imagination was going wild. So much so that it sent shivers down my spine. With in a few seconds reality set in and I could see flashing red lights at its side. It was an airplane. More importantly though, below to the right, I caught the beauty of a shooting/falling star. Rare, but the second one I’ve seen in the past three months. I consider them gifts. Back from my run around 525am, I had a little more than an hour to shower, eat, and address any other last minute tasks prior to departure. After a quick shower and grooming session, I was over the stove making an egg and cheese sandwich—something to hold me over through the first leg of my flight. As I was woofing down my Jim McSamich My dad arrived. He arrived a little earlier than I thought he might, but come to think of it, he’s never late and often early. I am a lot like that too. Hmmm? We chatted as I made final preparations; shut down my PC, secured all the windows, and took one last walk-about through the house. We were out the door at 631am, only 1 minute off schedule. On our way, we happened upon an unexpected I-670 detour. It only slowed us down by about 8 minutes. We took Goodale Blvd. to High St, then Long St to Cleveland Ave, before picking I-670 back-up in front of Columbus State Community College. We were at the airport at 658am, a few minutes later than I had planned but still no problem. Plenty of padding in my preparations! We exchanged some pleasantries then I was off! Once in the airport it was easy to find my check-in line, I just walked to the longest, busiest line. It’s always that way when I travel. I’m not kidding. There wasn’t a line longer than three people at any other counter. Mine, however, was about 35 people deep. Still, not a big deal. Instead, just one of those “go figures”. I was done checking in, through security, and at my gate by 735am. I had about 50 minutes before take-off. Not bad! As I watched the sun come up I decided to give Mindy a call. She was just getting up, or just being nice. Maybe I shoulda let her sleep??? We chatted for just a couple of minutes before the boarding process began. ”Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard flight 2421 with direct service to Dallas and continuing service to Los Angeles”. After some preventative de-icing, we were off. Because the sky was so clear, I got a great view of my home from the air. Now that’ll rattle the ground and everything you think is so important! Life below seems so insignificant from 10000 ft. Our flight took us over Dayton then along the Ohio River. I could see Caesar Creek State Park and Cincinnati very clearly. From there we followed the river to the confluence with the Mississippi River. That was about the time I took a short nap. It wasn’t long before we were prepping for landing in Dallas. Dallas is a BIG city but not very impressive, having visited before. Their airport is very big in comparison to Port Columbus. Once in the terminal, I went right for my next gate which required taking the railway from concourse “C” to concourse “A”. I had an hour to kill so I pulled out my laptop and loaded a DVD, Christmas Vacation – a favorite movie of mine! I noticed while loading the DVD that I had wireless connectivity, which is something I didn’t expect, but decided to take advantage of. I was able to IM with a friend I saw on line (Vicki B.), publish a couple of paragraphs to my blog, and send an email to Mindy. That was cool! I thought about logging onto ESPN.com to catch OSU/Michigan updates, but didn’t really want to spoil the outcome given that Glenn was supposed to be recording the game for me. Before long it was time to board for Portland. It was a relatively long flight from Dallas too. About 3hour and 35 minutes. Hell, I can barely sit still for one hour, let alone almost four! To pass the time I slept, read, and gawked out the window. Then, after that was done, I did it again. Once again the views were spectacular. Having traveled much of the country as a young adult, I am familiar with many landmarks and terrains. I could see Denver and the Rockies coming up on my left from probably 100 miles out. Denver is one of my favorite cities. We ended up following the Rockies up through Wyoming and finally crossing over into Idaho. I had never seen Idaho before with such clarity. The weather was perfect for scenic viewing. Idaho was surprisingly beautiful, with lots of mountainous terrain and lush lakes. Suddenly off in the distance the Cascades came into view. That meant that we were closing in on my destination. I could see Mt Bachelor, The sister mountains, Adams, and then finally Mt Hood! They are so prominent in the sky and just so damn majestic! Again, the clear blue skies offered up a fabulous venue for a landing and viewing like never before. While Portland is known for its cloudy, rainy weather, especially this time of year, that wasn’t the case today. No sir! ABSOLUTELY beautiful!!!! Everyone should see this view some time in their life. The mountains, the Columbia River, and the city sky line all basking in the glory of the sunshine. After touching down I had such a wonderful feeling of euphoria. I was on vacation. A week in Washington/Oregon with Glenn represents rest, relaxation, fun, and action all rolled into one. To my dismay, Glenn wasn’t outside the gates waiting but then again, he often isn’t. Typically he’s hanging out in baggage claim. A quick walk there proved fruitless too. He was nowhere to be found. Not to worry, I thought, worst case is I’ll take a cab. After ten minutes, I decided to walk back up to the gate area just in case I missed him since I did sneak through rather quickly. That, coupled with the fact that we were about 5-10 minutes early. Still no Glenn. So, back to baggage claim I went. Just as I was contemplating my next move ( it had been ½ an hour now since landing), I noticed his Honda right outside baggage claim. A double take assured me that it was indeed him. So, I grabbed my two suitcases and my carry on and went outside to greet him. Within minutes, we were on our way to his place. I forgot to mention that while looking for Glenn, I had aVM come through on my Cell phone. Thinking that it might have been him I checked it without giving it much thought. It wasn’t, it was Dodie giving me the OSU score. So much for the element of surprise. The good news, of course is that they won. I could detect the excitement in her voice. And, as it turned out, Glenn told me that the game wasn’t broadcast in the local area. I doubted him at first. I mean, shit, who in their right mind wouldn’t show the Buckeye/Michigan game? J Although, they could care less out here. This is civil war country (Oregon/Oregon State & Washington/Washington State), and both games were being played today, and both on television, too. Back at Glenn’s I cracked a Jubilee Ale to kick off the holiday season. A quick look around, things are much like I left them a year ago. Some of the same stuff lying around (even my dad’s popcorn tin he bought on our TG trip last year). Our plans were to do somewhat of a Vancouver pub craw for the evening. We started out at a Tai restaurant right around the corner from Starbuck’s at Ester Short Park. They have small bar that Glenn wanted to visit. There we had one beer and caught some football scores. Next, we moved on to the sparkling new downtown Vancouver Hilton bar. It was handsomely appointed but like the Tai bar, the crowd was sparse. There we had one beer. After the Hilton, we moved on to the only Martini bar in town (no name - sorry). I ordered some martini with citrus associations. By now I was getting extremely sleepy. While it was only 8pm-ish here, my body knew it was really 11pm, and I had been up since 4am and had been on a plane for almost 8 hours—a recipe for jet lag! Glenn insisted that we head over to Salmon Creek, Vancouver’s lone downtown micro-brewery. There we ordered some dinner, and I had another beer, an IPA. It was good but I was yawning, had the hiccups, and was longing for the comfort of a pillow and mattress. You know the feeling. We finished up our beer and food and hit the door. I couldn’t wait to get back. Glenn did a drive by the Tip Top Lounge (real close to his house), but lucky for me it was so dead that even he didn’t feel like patronizing it tonight. Instead, we were finally headed to his place. No sooner did I get in the door I plopped my ass down in a recliner and fell asleep. I was exhausted! GOOD NIGHT Irene!!

Friday...

I hope this doesn't reflect poorly on me! And there's more to come... Friday began as so many others. It was gorgeous! I rose around 515am, and I felt rested and ready for a big day. Today was the final prep day for my Portland/Vancouver trip. I had to work, run, pack, shop (for a book), and play with Mindy. Not too big of a deal. I did the usual morning stuff. I exercised, walked Ykraps, coffee’d, meditated, made breakfast and packed my lunch. I had plenty of leisure time again this morning. I coulda/shoulda drove the BM’er to work, but it was awfully chilly. It was 18 degrees!!!! Work was good. Even if it weren’t, there was little that could’ve penetrated the wonderful, vacation mood that I was in. I had toyed with trying to run early to facilitate an early escape, but my presence was needed in the center so I didn’t run until my usual time. It was a good run too. It was an opportunity to review my to-do’s one last time without distraction. I take this shit too serious!!! J After a few bumps, the afternoon progressed smoothly, so much so that I was comfortable leaving at 3pm. It felt so good to leave work knowing I wouldn’t be back for 10 days. I headed directly to Barnes & Noble in hopes of finding the perfect new book. I didn’t have a title in mind but those that know my reading preferences should know it would have to be something that would foster outside of the box type thinking. And with little effort I found the perfect book, What the Bleep Do We Know. Next stop – home to finish packing. Once there the first thing I did was take Ykraps on a walk. He made the most of it, too. Now the time had come to get busy. For the next hour or so, I allowed stress to take over and spiral to the point where I was just short of insanity. I stopped myself, however, and refocused my attention and priorities accordingly. There was little reason to stress. I had plenty of time and few necessary things to do, all things considered. I made quick work of the task at hand and had everything pretty much done by the time that Mindy arrived around 615pm, which is far sooner than I had even imagined. Being the great lover and companion that she is, Mindy sensed the tension running through my veins and offered a back rub to help relax me. I graciously accepted, and I am glad that I did. What a difference it made. A half and hour later, I was a new man! Because I had accomplished everything I had planned, including even prepping some airplane snacks, I had a whole new view of the evening ahead. We both agreed that we should go to Barleys after all. So, at 730pm we took off for Barleys. I was excited because I knew they were tapping the Christmas Ale. And it was the first thing I ordered -Christmas Ale off the firkin. Mindy ordered a merlot. Too, we ordered some food. Mindy had honey chipotle wings, and I ordered gates of hell wings. To complement the wings, we shared an order of their famous sauerkraut balls. I thought that I’d have only one beer for fear of waking with a hangover, considering I had to get up at 430am to remain on track, But with several new brews on tap, I just couldn’t resist the temptation. I ordered a Winter Warmer. They only allow each patron to have one of those. They are very, very strong. Just about that time, Bob and Mary Ann showed up. I was very glad to see them given that I wouldn’t be n town next Friday night. They were at or hosting (can’t remember which) a chili cook off. And they smelt like chili too! We hung for about a half and hour then Mindy and I had to go. We left around 900pm. Back at my place, Mindy and I built a fire and then snuggled against its warmth. She had to be home by 11pm sharp if she were to remain in good standing with her babysitter. I spent the next half hour updating my blog and formatting my camera’s memory stick. I was in bed by 1135pm.

Burrrrr...eezy

Thursday was like a Thursday... Thursday will be remembered I’m sure for the first REAL artic blast! I woke Thursday morning to crystal clear skies but very cold temperatures. It was only 17 degrees when Ykraps and I were out on our morning prowl. I bundled for it though. I wore head and hand covers, or more commonly called a hat and gloves, something I haven’t always done on our early morning winter walks. This brings to mind a problem I have suffered with for a number of years, cracking finger tips. Each winter the cold, dry conditions cause my finger tips to crack at the point where my nails tuck behind a sliver of skin. And when they crack, some worse than others, it is extremely painful. Painful enough to wake me at night. I battle it all winter. Last winter was the first year that I ran with gloves almost everyday. In years past I would tough it out and only wear them when it was like 10 degrees or colder. No longer. Still, though, I wasn’t in the habit of wearing them when I would walk Ykraps in the early wee hours. Any strain of a finger or thumb would result in a crack that takes a week or more to heal. I am going to try to be more conscientious this winter and wear the gloves on my morning and evening walks too, in an effort to avoid the finger cracks. I have had a couple that have turned purple with a blood blister. OUCH! Those REALLY hurt. I could feel an elevated stress level with all I wanted to accomplish today both at work and at home. As is usually the case before an upcoming trip, I had many stops, tasks, and details I needed to accomplish before leaving on my trip. Most of those had to be done today. At this point, the stress level felt more like excitement, nothing too overwhelming. I know me though. I can go from excited to overwhelmed in the bat of an eye. With everything on my mind, I still managed to stay on task relative to work. Come 1215pm I was on my way to the gym for my daily run. I was excited to run in the artic air. I was prepared! With the addition of my fleece cap and gloves, I was pretty damn comfortable save for forgetting an extra layer for my upper extremities. I’ll remember that tomorrow! The temperature at run time was 24 degrees and the wind was gusting to 25mph. That translated into 8 degrees with wind chill. After my run I left the office to run a few errands. I got a haircut, grabbed some cash, and stopped at Macy’s to look for a new, larger suitcase. I have a nice set of luggage but it’s more for business travel, os I don't have a large upright. I sorely need one so I don’t have to always take two suitcases. I found one reasonably priced and of decent quality. And, because I love to shop, I took the opportunity to browse the Men’s department as well as the kitchen department. I ended up buying myself a new set of knives. I got them for half price, plus I used a 10% off coupon. WAHOO! They are extra sharp, smart looking (stainless steel blade and handles), and very functional. They’ll come in handy. While I have many knives, the only really sharp knives I have at the moment are some steak knives I received as a gift several years ago. I was gone from the office for only 1 extra hour. Not bad! Tuttle’s really close to work (less than a mile). Back at the office things were winding down for the day. I was certainly happy for that. We’ve been going at it hot and heavy for a couple of weeks now. I managed to get out the door at 515pm. I had a couple of stops to make before heading home, though. I needed a couple of things from the grocery for myself and daughter Lindsey. This was supposed to be guitar lesson night but I just had too much planned. I called Josh and left a VM around 4pm. I hope that he got it before traveling to my house. I wouldn't be there at are agreed time. By the time I finished at Walmart and dropped a few things off to Lindsey, it was almost 7pm. I could feel the stress coming on! Furthermore, my Dad called and asked if it was OK to stop by and review a few things he needed to be aware of to properly tend to Ykraps, my house, and hot tubbing. He would be stopping over within the hour. Once home I quickly walked Ykraps. He hadn’t been out in 13 hours. Next I put away the items I bought at Walmart. I was feeling stressed. One Pumpkin Ale later – no more stress! J While washing my new knives my Dad showed up. We spent the next hour or so reviewing my itinerary and all the stuff he needed to be aware of mentioned earlier. Too, I off’d my last piece of cheesecake on him. He enjoyed it. By the time he left, he knew where to find Ykraps’ food, how to operate the hot tub, where to find his leash and poop scoop, and knew what time he needed to be at my home early Saturday morning. Done deal! I spent the next two hours packing and organizing for my trip. I went to bed at 1045pm with plenty still to do but everything is well prepared and ready to stowed for take-off!!!

Stone Cold Crazy

There was a warm wind blowing this morning, and it’s been blowing hard for the past three days. I was up at exactly 530am after almost nine hours of sleep. I didn’t really need it but it felt good just the same. And too, I woke in a wonderful carry-over mood from the day prior. Some exercise, a walk with Ykraps, coffee, meditation, food, I was all set for a gung-ho Wednesday. Work was very structured with meetings scheduled one right after another. I had little if any idle time, which made for a speedy day. As always, I had my lunch run time reserved so making it to the gym on time was not an issue. Today’s run was a real taste of winter to come. The temperature had dropped form a morning high of 64 degrees to just above freezing (34 degrees). In addition, there were wind gusts directly out of the west up to 40mph. That made the temp feel like 19 cold ass degrees. Burrrrrrr! I really could have used gloves and ear covers. It’s not so much the bitter cold, but the fact that my body is not yet used to these lower temps given the warm autumn weather we’ve had. Come mid-January I am sure this would have seemed like a heat wave. In the back of my mid alI week has been my trip this coming Saturday morning. I haven’t got any significant packing completed, but I do have a solid list of items to pack and things to accomplish before hand. That, in and of itself makes a big difference. Still, I feel a little stressed over all that I’ll need to accomplish over the next couple of days. Anytime I think of something else I have to ask myself whether or not it’s worth adding to the list and then if it’s worth worrying about. Tonight was a Mindy night, so I will likely dub Thursday as my primary prep night. I look to check several things off the list tomorrow! I’d really, really like to relax Friday evening, and simply do my final checklist. Meanwhile, Mindy called on my way home from work and said that she would be meeting me at my home around 6pm. Once at home, I made rather quick work of my evening chores, and was all but done when Mindy arrived. Our first order of business was to define what if anything we would have for dinner. We decided on tortilla pizzas! Had I the energy, I would have made salads too, but I didn’t. Mindy enjoyed some of the red wine left from Monday evening and I settled for water. It took about ½ an hour to prep and bake the pizzas. They turned out to be as good as ever! Crossroad! Ok, do we have a Euchre rematch, snuggle, hot tub, or something else completely new? Mindy chose snuggle. First, though, we exchanged back rubs. I have had more back rubs in the past two months than I’ve had the last ten years! Mindy’s exceptional at finding and working out the knots. I’m OK at it, but not as good as her (at back rubs, that is J). Mindy left around 815pm. Ykraps and I bided her a fond farewell. I took the opportunity to update my blog accordingly. I’d like to be current upon my departure! In fact, if there was a way to be ahead of the game, I would. Impossible though because I can’t write about was hasn’t happened – or maybe I can???????????????? Song of the day: Stone Cold Crazy, Queen Sleeping very soundly on a Saturday morning I was dreaming I was Al Capone There's a rumour going round Gotta clear outa town I'm smelling like a dry fish bone Here come the law gonna break down the door Gonna carry me away once more Never never I never want it anymore Gotta get away from this stone cold floor Crazy stone cold crazy you know Rainy afternoon I gotta blow a typhoon And I'm playing on my slide trombone Anymore anymore cannot take it anymore Gotta get away from this stone cold floor Crazy stone cold crazy you know Walking down the street Shooting people that I meet With my rubber tommy water gun Here come the deputy He's gonna come and getta me Gotta get me up and run They got the sirens loose I ran right outa juice They're gonna put me in a cell If I can't go to heaven Will they let me go to hell? Crazy stone cold crazy you know

And the Rains Came...

I woke to the sound of rain splattering against my roof, windows, and walls. It wasn’t a down pour by any stretch, but raining it was. I rose at 515am which has seemingly become my bodies “preferred rise” time, at least on work days. Go figure! A review of my Blog is a quick indicator of how few gray mornings we’ve had of late. We can’t be too disappointed with that! November can often be one of our grayest months of the year. I whipped through my morning routine then slowed things down a little. After all, I have worked hard to make my time at home like an escape; peaceful, airy, and pleasurable. And this morning was a true pleasure. For some reason I just felt EXTRA great today! Work was busy as usual but still organized, structured, and consequently fun. We met the day’s targets and I felt damn good about it! About an hour or so before my lunch time run the rain was coming down in buckets,so it looked like I might be in for a soaking run. Not a big deal – just different, just wet! Come 1215pm, though, the rain had all but subsided, yet the winds were blowing strong again today. Reports stated that we were getting gusts of 40mph! Crap! Of all days to forget my ball cap, it would figure that it would be a rainy windy day. it happened. Not only does it keep the rain off my head but it also serves as aerodynamic device, very similar to the way a nose cone works on a car. Home for the day, home for day, jigitty jig. Finally home, I whipped out my normal, routine tasks in short order. By 545pm I was already in my flannel pajamas and comfortably affixed to my reading chair, just like the “old days”. I did some light reading, but before too long I was sleeping away! Nothing feels better than a “reading nap”. It didn’t last long but it was certainly refreshing. I measure the depth of sleep by the amount of drool present upon waking. :) After rising I was hungry so I warmed the second to last piece of lasagna (now ten days old). It was still as good as the day I made it, too. I returned to my reading chair and resumed reading and napping through the evening hours. Come 815pm I decided to go to bed. That’s right – to bed at 815pm. What a relaxing, lazy evening at home!

A Good Start to the Week

I popped out of bed right at 515am ready to tackle the world and the week. I was in a fantastic mood. And I’ll attribute the good mood to leaving on vacation in a few days, a Vikings victory on Sunday, a huge Buckeye win on Saturday, a long list of goals accomplished over the weekend, a hot girl friend, and I got laid. OK, you guess which one isn’t true! :) I whipped out my morning exercises like they were nothing. And surprisingly, my shoulders felt perfectly fine. That, after a weekend of raking leaves. Those anti-inflamatory’s are a miracle indeed. Outside the sky was perfectly clear and crisp,and the stars were out in all their glory. What a sight to relish first thing in the morning! All it did was make my good mood even better. As usual, I coffee’d, meditated, made breakfast and lunch in all of about 30 minutes. That left me plenty of “free time”. I chose to update some pictures on my blog. Glad I did. At 655am I readied myself for work and was out the door at 735 sharp. I did manage, before leaving, to sneak in a little guitar playing, too. At work I settled in and got right to work. I didn’t even get myself a cup of work coffee. Didn’t need it. I worked hard all morning. Before I knew it, it was running time. While running I noticed just how far the sun has moved to the south. Just seems like yesterday I had to strain my neck and practically look straight up to see the 1240pm sun. No longer. It’s setting at about a 55 degree angle. It was a windy run too. It must have been gusting at around 15-20 mph out of the south/southwest. No worries! My afternoon…blah, blah, blah. Soon it was time to head home. I left right at 5pm so I could stop and pick up a few things I needed to get me through the week, mostly vegetables, but I also needed to pick up some items for my trip. I’m sure I’ll need to make another run before weeks end, but that’s to be expected. I decided to go Krogering in part to save time. There’s a Kroger within 1.5 miles of my office and it’s kind of on the way home anyhow. Walmart, on the other hand, is a guaranteed battle with traffic and would have eaten at least another half hour out of my evening. And as they say, “everything’s going my way”. Turned out that everything I needed was “red tagged” And at a competitive price with Walmart anyway. I guess when you’re living right, you’re living right! I was home by 530pm. That’s efficiency! Mindy was headed over, so I wasted little time addressing my evening tasks. I had gotten everything done that needed done before she arrived. I even had time to slip into my pajamas! I was extra comfy!! Mindy showed up at 6pm with veggies in tow. She almost immediately began making us a salad. I began making wings! Wings are easy to prep, but they take a long time to cook (about and hour and ten minutes). Mindy insisted on a glass of red wine with dinner. Tonight we shared a B.V. 2000 Merlot. I was pretty good too. We topped off the wings and salad with some of my cheesecake. Still have on piece left for tomorrow. We spent the next hour just talking about stuff. I couldn’t help but notice Mindy’s sudden lack of interest in a Euchre match. Seems my last victory was just a little hard for her to take – again! She left around 855pm – later than usual for a Monday. I spent the next 35 minutes checking my vacation list and validating my travel itinerary. Off to bed at 930pm Shhhhh. Song of the day: Bob Marley, Red Wine Red, red wine Go to my head Makes me forget that I Still need her so Red, red wine It's up to you All I can do, I've done Memories won't go Memories won't go I'd have sworn That with time Thoughts of you Would leave my head I was wrong Now I find Just one thing makes me forget Red, red wine Stay close to me Don't let me be alone It's tearin' apart My blue, blue heart I'd have sworn That with time Thoughts of her Would leave my head I was wrong And I find Just one thing makes me forget Red, red wine Stay close to me Don't let me be alone It's tearin' apart My blue, blue heart

ReLeaf!

Alcohol avoidance and a good nights rest always makes for a better waking. Sunday morning was a byproduct of just that, but it did come around a little fast. The declining weather forecasted for the day was cause for concern. Not only were the temps suppose to dip 25 degrees, but we were expecting rain too, especially early almost eliminating my chances of finishing my yard work. Didn’t let it get me down too much though. What’s funny, after completing my extended workout routine (sit-ups, push-ups, and weights), I bundled up in my winter parka to take on the chilly morning while walking Ykraps. Once out the door I realized that the temperature wasn’t that cold at all. It was in the mid 40’s. I guess I over reacted. Too, the rain that went through over night must have been really light because the leaves that remained were still crisp and light, and blowing around. That meant, barring any more precipitation, I’d be able to finish my leaf removal task! YES!!! After a few cups of coffee I headed out for my Sunday morning run. I hit the door sometime around 950am ish. Not bad for getting up at 830am. MY run was very meditative and equally enjoyable. Once back home, I again gauged the lawn work ahead of me, then headed inside to make some eggs and sausage. They were yummy! By 1115am I was out back raking leaves. While raking my second tarp load, I had three surprise visitors. The ghost of Christmas past, present, and future? Nope, it was Mindy, Jacob, and Bella. They stopped by on their way from church to her ex’s grandfather’s “life celebration party”. It seems they had a few minutes to kill and thought they’d spend it with me. They only stayed for about 10 minutes. No sooner than they arrived, they were gone, and I was back at the leaves. I made rather quick work of the remaining leaves. Once I got back behind my shed they thinned to a thickness that would be better managed by the mulching blade of my mower. Call me lazy, but that’s what I did. The mulching blades on my Deere did a fabulous job of making quick work of the remaining blanket of leaves. The only bad thing was I ran out of gas with just a few swipes left and had to go buy more. Incidently, while I was at the job of leaf removal I decided to do one more complete cut of the lawn too. This time I wisely lowered the blades to 2.5 inches. This wiould definitely be the FINAL, final cut. By the time I finished the back it looked like a million dollars – almost like spring. Next, I moved on to the front yard and used both the tractor and the push mower. That only took about 20 minutes combined. The only remaining task was blowing all the clippings away. I did that in about 10 minutes. Presto – the lawn was now officially ready for winter, and I could now direct almost all of my attention to readying myself for my big trip! After a little relaxation and food, I headed over to my dad’s to nail down arrangements for Ykraps. I routinely offer my dad the opportunity to earn some extra cash by tending to Ykraps’ needs whenever I travel or am gone overnight. It’s much cheaper than the kennel, and I get someone to keep a close watch on my home, too. It’s a good deal for dad in that it gets him out walking twice a day, and he gets the fringe benefits that my hot tub affords. J He agreed to the task. I also confirmed his availability for airport shuttle service Saturday morning. I planned to have Mindy pick me up upon my return, though. That was another load off my mind. By 445pm I headed home to have some dinner, walk Ykraps – again, and to work on my pack list. While walking with Ykraps I took my camera because it looked like we were going to have a beautiful sunset. I got some cool pix! Once back home I enjoyed some leftover lasagna from last weekend (there’s still one big piece remaining), a salad, and some cheesecake. All very good! My compliments to the chef! After dinner I puttered around the house doing some minor miscellaneous things. Before I knew it, it was time for bed. I had a very enjoyable, productive weekend. Vikings pulled off a miracle victory today: 24 - 21 over the NY Giants!!!

Oh What A Beautiful Morning!

Saturday morning's are always a pleasure, but this Saturday, oh but this Saturday was even more. It was down right exquisite! The sun was already lighting up the morning sky when I cracked the first eye. I rolled out of bed only minutes later than my usual 730am(740am). I was excited for what the day held in store. After all, we had such a beautiful day forecasted. The temps were forecasted to be in the mid 60's under a clear blue sky, which would enable me to complete many, if not all, of the pre-TG vacation tasks that have been weighing heavily on my mind for days. These tasks included: raking leaves, final, final cut of the lawn, washing the BM'er, and digging up and transplanting some annuals for indoor potting. I was wise enough to take a couple of Advil before going to bed the night prior in an effort to ward off a headache from a night at Barleys. I whipped out my exercises, prepped coffee, and took my vitamin all withn about 15 minutes. Before I knew it, Ykraps and I were out the door for our Saturday morning prowl . And prowl we did. Not to be out done by any other pair, we pee'd on every bush, tree, and fire hydrant that we passed. For whatever reason, I got many strange looks from passer by'ers. Ykraps got none! And yes, we took the camera so we could capture the essense of this beautiful morning. Back at the house I quickly made myself a wonderful cup of coffee complete with all the fixins (whipped cream, caramel, and pumpkin pie spice). next, I fired off a good morning email to Mindy. I was careful not to rush myself into the day, although I really wanted to. I was excited not only with the freedom that Saturday morning brings, but also the superbly beautiful weather forecast. After about three cups of coffee I decided I should knock out my run. And as part of my Saturday morning run tradition, I ran with music in my ears. I was back from my run by 1015am. I took a quick walk about the yard to measure the level of effort that would be required to accomplish the task list I had scratched out earlier in the morning. Upon heading back in to the house, I made some sausage and scrambled eggs so that I'd have the energy necessary to work outdoors all day. By 11am I was ready to begin working away. I made the transplanting first priority. I did it first because I knew that if I began to run out of time, it would be the most likely task to get nixed. I was able to salvage and re-pot three regular and one hanging geranium. My next task was to put some decon (sorry animal lovers) in my hot tub cavity. It seems that mice like to nest in amongst the warm foam insulation, and I can't risk them enjoying themselves a little too much and eating through one of my hoses, or worse yet, some of the intricate electrical wiring. Next it was BM'er time! I pulled her out of the garage and gave her a thorough bath. And because the weather was so nice and predicted to remain so through the evening hours, I thought that I'd drive it tonight on my date with Mindy. Cool! Any BM'er days in November must be thought of as blessings! Once the car was done and put away, it was time to rake leaves, one of my least favorite chores. To make it much more enjoyable, I piped the Buckeye game to my outdoor Bose speakers. That made the raking at least marginally fun. The last couple of years I used my gas powered blower to round up the leaves almost exclusively, but by the time it's all said and done, it's not that much tougher to do it with a rake and tarp. I am fortunate enough to have a place to dump yard refuse too. Many of my neighbors have to use those unsightly brown bags. Me, I have a compost pile at the rear of my yard that's very convenient and earth friendly. I raked up until about 320pm. That netted about half the backyard, but more importantly, about 3/4 of the total leaf accumulation since the lion's share were in the top half which is where I started. Sadly, however, I'll have to rake into December even if I finish the rest of the backyard tomorrow. That's because the weeping willow tree never losses it's leaves until the first or second week of December. It takes a couple heavy December freezes/frosts to knock em' all out. I had made arrangements to be at Mindy's sometime around 5pm for our date, so come 330pm it was time to call in the cows. We were planning to go to her nephew's school play, Arsenic and Old Lace. Too, we were planning to have dinner before hand. In fact, we planned on Red Lobster. I was out the door at 430pm in route to Mindy's, and yes, I was in the BM'er. Along the way I stopped and picked up some flowers for my sweetie. Hey, a guy can never have enough points in the emotional bank account (EBA). I arrived at Mindy's right on queue with the Joseppi's Pizza dude. He quipped that I was delivering flowers and he was delivering pizza. Yeah, true, but I was leaving WITH the princess! The children didn't seem to warm to the idea of having a babysitter. In fact, Bella, Mindy's three year old daughter, was in the throws of a fit when I arrived. She did not want to let go of her mommy. Gut wrenching ... and noisy too! :) Mindy told Amy, the babysitter, that they'd be fine in a matter of minutes, once we were down the road. As the sun was setting on the horizon, we were of on our way! And not more than three minutes into our trip, Mindy called home to check and see if the kids were indeed settled. Almost as if she'd been through this fire drill before, they were! Because it was so nice, we took the back way (the country roads) to Red Lobster. And of course we had the top down. My rule is simple. If it's nice enough to drive the BM'er then the top must be down - period! Throw in the heated seats and the a toasty heater, and even the chilliest clear nights are pretty damn comfortable. We were on a fairly tight schedule. We had 1.5 hours to eat and get to Central Crossings High School. Red Lobster was mobbed - as usual. Rather than wait in a seemingly endless line, we opted for O' Charley's. The crowd there was much lighter. To my surprise, the service, food, and atmosphere were all very good. I had steak tips and Mindy had salmon. We were out of there by 640pm and on our way to the play. Once at the school, which was only a few miles from dinner, we met up with Mindy's sister and brother-in-law (Jody & Larry). We pulled in at almost the exact same time. We exchanged greetings then headed indoors to get seated for the play, Arsenic and Old Lace. Mindy's nephew, Joe had a feature role in the dark comedy. Everything about the play was outstanding. I was very impressed with the acting and found myself completely immersed in the hilarious plot.. The play was fairly long. It began at 7pm and didn't end until 940pm. By now the night had cooled considerably. Still, BM'er rules apply. We didn't hesitate for a minute. Top down!!! Mindy's a real trooper. She just cranked up the heater and turned on our seat warmers. We were more than fine! Once back at her place she paid her baby sitter and bidded her a fond farewell. The kids were asleep, so we were able to relax for awhile. I fell asleep but got up to leave at about 2am. Rain was forecasted for the overnight and I didn't want my BM'er to get rained on, especially after just giving her a bath. Same rule applied - top down on the drive home. Once home, I grabbed a quick bowl of cereal, made my bed ( forgot I had washed all my bedding earlier), and brushed my teeth. Good night! Song of the Day: Oh What A Beautiful Morning http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/ohwhata.htm Lyrics by OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II Music by RICHARD RODGERS There's a bright golden haze on the meadow, There's a bright golden haze on the meadow, The corn is as high as an elephant's eye, An' it looks like it's climbin' clear up to the sky. Oh, what a beautiful mornin', Oh, what a beautiful day. I got a beautiful feelin' Ev'rything's goin' my way. All the cattle are standin' like statues, All the cattle are standin' like statues, They don't turn their heads as they see me ride by, But a little brown mav'rick is winkin' her eye. Oh, what a beautiful mornin', Oh, what a beautiful day. I got a beautiful feelin' Ev'rything's goin' my way. All the sounds of the earth are like music, All the sounds of the earth are like music, The breeze is so busy it don't miss a tree, And a ol' weepin' willer is laughin' at me! Oh, what a beautiful mornin', Oh, what a beautiful day, I got a beautiful feelin' Ev'rything's goin' my way. Oh, what a beautiful day.

Sunrise Awesome. Me, Still a Little Off!

We had a coating of frost on the ground this morning but not a "killing" frost. Not a thing though, most annuals are long since gone, yet some strong one's are still hanging on. They're surviving most likely where the soil is warmed longer through the day and frost is last to nip at night. The temperature, according to Weather Bug, was 31.5 degrees this morning at 545am. I kicked through my exercises, my prowl, my meditation, and lunch and breakfast prep with little fanfare. This was Friday, so I had a little extra hitch in my get-along! I could still feel a slight bit of the creepy sleepies lingering inside, but I felt great on my drive in to work. The sun was shining and it was Friday, a Barleys Friday! My day was heated and busy all day long. What has been different of late is that the extra layers of organization that we've added to our daily game plan have made it much more tolerable. And those that know me well, know how much I appreciate process and structure over willy-nilly. Others finally seem to be getting the message too! I was about 20 minutes behind schedule relative to my run, but nothing to worry about.. I was in the gym prepping for my afternoon run at 1235pm. The weather was what I refer to as "tweener weather". The weather that is most difficult to dress for. On one hand you want to be warm enough, but on the other you don't want to over heat either. The sunshine was dominant and warm, but the air was cool and crisp. The temperature at run time was 48 degrees. I decided to run with a jacket. And when I wear a jacket in these conditions, I rely on the zipper sorta like an air vent. When running into a chilly wind, it is up and close to my chin. When running with the breeze at my back and the sun shining brightly, I unzip to allow the cool air to encircle my chest. It works very well. The afternoon went quickly. Come 3 o'clock, I was looking forward to the weekend and could feel those weekend butterflies! Not only was I looking forward to Barleys, but also to enjoying the beautiful weather that is forecasted for tomorrow. Too, let's not forget Mindy. I always enjoy spending time with her. Speaking of Mindy, I hadn't talked with her all day, so I gave her a call around 430pm to review/discuss our plans. We had talked about her meeting up with me at Barleys after she did a kid birthday party in Westerville with her son Jacob. That was still our plan. She would meet me sometime around 9pm. That sounded good. I usually get there around 8pm, so I would have an hour to be really BAD! :) We had another beautiful sunset., which reminds me, I have to remember to bring my camera to work so that I can catch one or two of these. Once at home I leisurely went about my normal Friday evening routine. I put in a load of laundry, walked Ykraps, rinsed my lunch containers and put them in the dishwasher, and sat down to relax. I updated Thursday on my blog then found my way to my reading chair for some spiritual reading, and possibly even more important, a nap. I woke up at 734pm and quickly readied myself for Barleys. A Friday evening nap is a wonderful transition into my weekend mode! I took my camera with me tonight which is something I have been wanting to do for a while. My first priority was to get some pics of the outside signage, and then , of course, some action shots inside with friends. For the first time in awhile I beat Bob and MA (Mary Ann), but there were still many familiar faces at the bar. I quietly enjoyed a Scottish Ale off the firkin. Bob and MA showed up about 4 ozs. into my first brew. The both seemed cheery and anxious for some food, fun, and beer! Not long after I had started on my second beer, a St Joan's Revenge off the tower, Mindy showed up, and she was lookin' rather fly. Mindy ordered a Shiraz. I apologized to Lee and let him know that I was working on converting Mindy. It's going to be some tough work, though. She responds to beer muich in the same way I respond to mushroom soup. I try to avoid it! We orded some food; wings, cheesey fries, sauerkraut balls, and a burger. You know, all the healthy stuff that heart attacks are made from. I have a rule, though. Friday night's aren't meant to be about following the rules. :) Come about 1100pm, Mndy and I headed for the hills, as did Bob and MA. I think we all had a bit of a buzz! Back at my house, Mindy and I finally got in the hot tub. It had been a few weeks since we last were in. It felt great. It was a perfect night and the stars we watching from above. It was very pleasant. After being thrown out of the hot tub for being loud and lewd, we found our way to the family room floor where we did a little snuggling before falling asleep. That's how my night ended!