Walking Away Unscathed

So it appears that we’ll sneak out of January with not a single day’s high temperature dipping below the freezing mark of 32 degrees. That must be a record. But because I watch little television, and virtually no news programming, I’m not certain if they’re making much ado of this or not. Regardless, I am! Moreover, that means that the entire winter has yet to net a single day under the freezing mark. I did hear that we’re tracking to be the second warmest January on record. The record was in 1880 something. We haven’t spent 24 hours in the freezer since December 21st, which now seems like eons ago. I’ve already raved about all the green lawns and the dozen or so that could use a haircut in January, but now we’ve got swimming pools opening up, garden centers selling their annuals, and outdoor concerts kicking in to high gear! The average high temperature for the month of January will be about is 47.4 degrees (assuming the predicted high for today is reached – 38 degrees). And we’ll have had 15 days hit 50 degrees or higher, while having only 7 below 40 degrees. Again, that must be a record. The normal average high temperature for January is 36 degrees. I’m thinking I’ll get my tomatoes in early this year. J Well that’s much better! I woke Tuesday morning feeling much better than I did Monday morning but still could feel myself slipping in an out of a slight tired funk. I fell asleep before 11:00pm the night prior and woke at 5:40am. Not the preferred amount of sleep but not bad either. Although I think that I need about 7.33 hours to feel completely rested. Of course that’s a bit problematic in that by decisively having a rise time of 5:30am I would have to be asleep by 10:10pm each night. And while that used to happen with regularity, it doesn’t happen much anymore. My morning routine started routinely. Go figure! But just as I was readying to head up for my shower at approximately 7:05am, my dad knocked at the door. He hasn’t paid me one of his famous morning visits in quite some time. In lieu of hurrying him out and going about getting a shower, I decided to spend a few quality minutes catching up with his recent antics. We talked about a number of things including whether he’d be willing to watch my house and Ykraps while Mindy and I are in Oregon. He agreed to do so as long as he’s home. It sounds like he’s planning a trip to visit his brother (my uncle) in Ft Myers, Florida, but the date is yet to be determined. He promised to close the loop fast so that other arrangements could be made if necessary. Too, he shred that both Sheila and Aunt Margie are considering career changes involving working for Nationwide Insurance as Customer Claims Reps. While this might prove a good move for them, cousin Connie might forever regret it!! J Dad left sometime around 7:40am, and I picked up right where I left off with my morning routine. I was about ready to depart for work around 8:06am. I arrived to work at 8:25am. My work day went about like any other normal work day. Nothing major but nothing too boring either. I left for my run sometime around 12:15pm. It has been quite a while since I last got to the gym that early. I listened to WOSU FM on my MP3 player today. The music was moving and invigorating. I finished my run, showered, and was back in my office by 1:35pm. Today’s lunch included tuna fish. I always look forward to my tuna fish days! The afternoon was busier than the morning hours. I lost track of time and could hardly believe it when I looked at the clock and saw that it was time to head home. I had a fairly aggressive evening agenda as usual. It seems I am always trying to squeeze too much into too little of time. My first stop was JC Penney’s to check out some bedding that I had seen online over the weekend. You know, my bed project is completed so now I need new bedding! What I went to look at was not in stock. I did, however, see another that would suffice, especially given the price. I was out of there by 5:25pm and home by 5:40pm. I quickly went about my routine stuff and was done by 6:10pm. I still intended to pay bills and get my bedroom back in order, so I went right to work. I finished both sometime around 7:25pm or so. Next I phoned Mindy to let her know that I wouldn’t be there at 7:00pm as originally thought, and she ripped me a new one! (not really). I told her I’d be there with 30 or 40 minutes. I spent the next handful of minutes trying to relax a little. Next, I placed a call to Courtney Jump, a friend of ours from Barleys who I had learned earlier in the day had had a heart attack last Wednesday. She was still in the hospital but would likely be going home tomorrow. She’s young, seemingly fit, and very active. You just never know. And as I understand it, they have no real explanation for the cause. Every possible test under the sun has revealed nothing. She seemed in good spirits. I am glad I called her. I arrived at Mindy’s just before 8:00pm. The kids had just gone to bed and were beckoning my presence as soon as I entered. I am not so used to that, and I’m honored that they want to see me. But… who wouldn’t? J After some hugs and kisses I was back downstairs with Mindy. She made us ham salad sandwiches and put in a Charlotte Church CD (opera). I guess she’s somewhat of a prodigy given that she did her first opera at twelve years of age. Mindy also rounded up the Tchaikovsky CD that held his Violin Concerto in D- major that I had been hoping to find. This is the one that was originally deemed unplayable and eaten alive by the music critics of its time. They commented, “the violin is no longer being played but beaten black and blue.” I took to a pillow on the family room floor where I enjoyed the music and went into a relaxing trance. Mindy joined me. After about ten minutes relaxing, Mindy and I took to the PC to look at some more bedding. It just amazes me how ugly most bedding ensembles are. 99 out of every 100 are just nasty, and the prices vary wildly. It’s not uncommon to see one for $99 dollars and the next for $500, but then there are some much more. Who would spend a $1000 or more for a complete comforter set including comforter, shams, skirt, draperies, pillows, sheets, etc.? Not me!!! After an exhaustive search we went and laid in her bed for a while where we both fell asleep. I woke at 10:30pm and left for home. Once at home I woofed down a bowl of knock off Cocoa Puffs, read about two full pages of my book, and then fell asleep.

Just Another Monday

At the risk of sounding repetitive, I am sharing another Monday morning saga. I woke about three or four times through the night feeling all but completely slept. To my dismay, when the time to truly get up came around I didn’t want to. In fact, I felt dog tired. I toyed with the idea of calling in ill, but in the end I didn’t. Rarely, if ever, do I. I made my way downstairs and went about my exercises all while shrugging off the sleepiness as much as I could. Instead of waking up, I continued feeling tired and almost on the verge of throwing up. Oh Joy! I didn’t, though. I battled through the ill feelings thinking what a waste it would be to take a sick day when I am feeling ill. I’d sooner prefer to take a day when it’s sunny, warm, and I feel like a million bucks. It didn’t help matters that my shoulders and back were still feeling the affects from the weight lifting strain. I may have to rethink my routine a little. I readied for work after meditating, packing my lunch, and making my breakfast. I dressed comfortably in jeans in an effort to feel better. It worked to some degree. The weather today was expected to reach the low to mid 50’s with a mixed bag of sunshine and clouds. I didn’t drive the BM’er but gave it a moments thought. Once at work I quickly acclimated myself to the task at hand. I continued battling the sleepies all morning long. Despite feeling less than stellar I kept very busy working hard up till 12:45pm when I finally broke free for my afternoon run. I dressed in two light layers which proved to be very comfortable for the day’s weather. After my run I returned to my office for some much needed nutrition. I had to hurry though because I had a call with a customer at 2pm. It lasted almost 1.25 hours. It was well after 3:15pm when I finally finished my food. The rest of the afternoon when pretty darn quick. I left the office some time around 5:15pm. This was a Monday which meant it was a Mindy Monday. She would be over sometime around 6:00pm. She didn’t work today since she was up all night with a sick kid, Jacob. He managed to throw up all over her bed – twice! EWH!!! Show up at 6:00pm she did. We spent some time chatting then decided on something to eat. Tonight we made cream of chicken over rice. It’s easy, quick, and satisfying. After dinner we did some hot tubbing – both of us were sore. Before she left for home, Mindy watched me apply the finishing touches to my nightstand. Nine days later I have finished my bedroom painting project- again! After Mindy left I spent a little time reading but found my way to the blissful land of sleep rather quickly.

Hanging Around and Hungover

Sunday morning came around fairly fast. But despite the late night antics, I woke feeling damn good. It just proves my theory on drinking bottled beer versus Barley’s draft. Honestly, I didn’t feel I even had a buzz when I went too sleep, and I’m quite sure that I had drank about six beers over the course of the entire evening (6:00pm – 12:30am). That’s about 1 per hour. I was up and milling around by 8:00am. After whipping out my exercises, Ykraps and I were outside doing our walk thing. It was very windy and it had rained sometime through the night. Even still, the temperature was again well above normal. It was going to be another nice warm winter day. Returning home I made a cup of coffee then took to downloading the night prior’s pictures. Mindy continued sleeping. I even had time to meditate, and relax. Come 9:45am I readied for a run and went to let Mindy know that I’d be back in a half hour or so. She continued sleeping. Just before leaving the house I remembered to change the battery in my MP3 player so that I could enjoy tunes. The temperature at run time was almost 50 degrees and the sun was breaking through the overcast skies periodically. What a nice run! It seemed like a cakewalk compared to the day before since I didn’t have to push a jogging stroller! Upon returning, I went into breakfast making mode. Some time around 10:40am or so I could Mindy stirring around upstairs. It sounded as if she was waking up- finally! She ended up downstairs needing coffee only moments later. In fact so quietly that it even startled me. She had a number of questions that indicated her lack of recollection of Saturday evening’s events. Crap – I could’ve taken full advantage of her!!! J I continued making breakfast: bacon, scrambled eggs, and French toast. It was ready by 11:30am. We enjoyed the food and conversation till almost 1:00pm. Around 1:00pm I took to more painting on my bed project. I have been at it for seven days now. I knew that if I spent an entire afternoon that I might be able to get the bed completely finished leaving only a final coat for the night stand. I worked hard for about half an hour. I spent the next hour napping with Mindy before she had to ready to leave. She left some time around 2:00pm for her mothers where her children were being dropped by their father. I would be joining her there at the usual 4:15pm for dinner, but until then, I would keep painting. Paint I did, right up until 3:35pm. After cleaning my brush and other miscellaneous gear, it was 3:45pm. I had little time to waste if I was to be at Mindy’s mother’s by 4:15pm. Showered and ready by 4:05pm I grabbed a DVD and was out the door. I happily arrived at Mindy’s mother’s right on time. I don’t want to be late, thinking about how much trouble her mother goes through making dinner for such a large group. Everyone was there accept for her nephew, younger brother, and brother-in-law (both fireman). They were on duty today. We had Ham, Au Gratin potatoes, broccoli, and an assortment of other dishes. For dessert we have cup cakes, fruit salad, and banana nut bread. Yummy! Come 7:00pm, Mindy was beat. I think that it's fair to say that the effects of the night prior were catching up with her. I took Bella with me. We were stopping at my house to walk Ykraps before heading on to Mindy’s. Bella and I made quick work of Ykraps' walk due in part to being attacked by Duke, the neighbor’s mean little dog. He’s relentless when it comes to Ykraps. He simply does not like him peeing on his turf. I think that he scared Bella too because he seemingly came out of know where barking profusely. He’s only about 10 inches high, however. After securing Ykraps back at the house, we were on to Mindy’s. We quickly put the kids to bed and found our way to the couch by 8:00pm sharp. We threw in the DVD, Red Eye, which I bought the week prior, but had yet to see. Mindy, I learned, doesn’t care for these thriller type movies but she humored me just the same. This flick is directed by Wes Craven of Scream & Nightmare on Elm Street fame. Cool movie! It ended around 9:30pm. After a little snuggling I head for home after another event filled weekend.

A Very Busy Day Indeed

For such a little thing, she certainly takes up an awful lot of space! Kaileigh spent the night and slept in my bed. I gave her the choice of sleeping in her own room or sleeping with me. She chose to sleep with me. And she was out like a light when we got home from Mindy’s so she was like carrying a “sack of potatoes”. I plopped her down on the bed and instinctually sprawled out in the center of my bed. This I knew would be problematic, but didn’t have the heart or energy to jostle her about. I tried to sleep on the very edge of the bed so not to crush one of her limbs only to wake uncomfortably a number of times through the night. At one point I got up, moved my water and body to the other side of the bed thinking there’d be more room on that side. Nope – she was taking up the entire bed pretty much. I slept, just not super soundly. I woke around 7:50am as I recall and was careful not to wake Kaileigh. I hoped to get through my exercises and walk Ykraps while she remained sleeping. I did. One might argue that I shouldn’t have walked Ykraps with her sleeping alone in the house, but I did. I mean, heck, I never let my home leave my field of vision. Besides, Ykraps had to be walked! I returned to the smell of freshly brewed vanilla coffee. I kicked up the flavor even further by using some Toffee Nut creamer that I bought at Kroger. For my money it might be the best flavored creamer available. I had left my bedroom door cracked so I could hear Kaileigh if she stirred. I didn’t want her to wake frightened given that she was asleep when we arrived at my house and that my room looks different under construction (painting project). Ykraps took advantage of the opportunity to visit my room. Not only did he go right for the bathroom trash can and its contents but he for some reason went a bit berserk amongst my bed frame and night stand paint project set-up. I heard some clanging so I went up stair so t investigate only to discover that he’d been on top of my night stand as evidenced by the claws marks scratched into the new paint job. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what in God’s name he might have been trying to do, but he is an animal. Door closed! Back downstairs I continued journaling and downloading pictures until I heard Kaileigh milling around upstairs. She was ready to get up and wanted to watch cartoons. I tuned her into the Disney Channel at her request then finished my PC related stuff. I gave Kaileigh the choice of breakfast before run or vice-versa. She chose the prior. We made pancakes. I worried just a tad that I might have a tummy ache running full of food, but hey. It’s my GD! After a fulfilling batch of flapjacks we dressed for a run. The temperature was warm and the skies sunny – something Kaileigh’s not accustom to when running with me. Because I run pushing a jogging stroller so seldom, I forgot just how grueling it is. It’s so grueling that a quarter mile into the run I was in a cold sweat. Kaileigh mentioned that if I’m tired I should slow down, and once I’m rested I should speed up. Thanks for the tip, Kaileigh! Finally we made it back home. And not long after, Mindy, Lindsey, and lil’ Rocky showed up. Mindy had lovingly agreed to take Lindsey to get her hair done this afternoon while I stayed home with Kaileigh and Rocky. If successful, this would be the first time I have ever had Lil’ Rocky without his mother at arms length. After acclimating Rocky with the surroundings, Mindy and Lindsey departed. Sure, Rocky cried for his mommy for about two minutes, but Kaileigh did masterful job of attention diversion. Soon he was playing with toys, although he kept asking for his momma – at least for the next half hour. We did a number of cool things while they were gone. We played on he deck, brushed Sparky, and played guitar and sang. After about two hours or so, they were back. Lindsey’s hair cut and highlights looked good. And more importantly, she seemed happy. Mindy captured pictures of the event for blog purposes. It looked as if she had upwards of 12 inches cut off (her hair was almost to her ass). After some snacking and organization, we rounded up everyone and headed towards Lindsey’s. Kaileigh asked permission to go there in lieu of home. Her daddy obliged. After dropping all three at Lindsey’s, Mindy and I headed onto Darby Batelle Park for some hiking. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. By now it was in the upper 50’s with clear blue skies. We spent the next 2 hours walking the trails along Big Darby Creek. Very lovely. Great idea, Mindy!!! We left Darby Batelle Park around 5:15pm or so. We planned a quick stop at Mindy’s place so that she could pick-up a few things before our night out. Instead of taking a familiar route, we took a road less traveled. We headed north on Amitty Rd. I was excited to go that route because I recalled it leading to a favorite swimming hole of ours as foolish youths – Beach Bridge. It had been probably 30 years since I had last been there last (Wow – that’s scary). Much has changed. However, it’s not yet been urbanized. Finally, when I was thinking I was mistaken on its locale, we came to Beach Rd (hence Beach Bridge). The old scary steel bridge that once straddled Darby Creek has been replaced by a state-of-the-art cable bridge (see pics). It is beautiful and certainly not something you’d expect to see out in the boonie’s. The sun was just setting as we left Beach Bridge. Our goal now was to find a convenient cut across back towards Mindy’s. We ultimately found one but were both admittedly gambling since neither one of us had traversed Amitty Rd this far north before. As it turned out, we weren’t too far fro her place at all. Probably about 4 miles. We spent about half of an hour at Mindy’s where I had a Columbus Pale Ale and Mindy a glass of wine while she gathered a few last minute things. After our drinks we were on our way back to my place. We made contact with brother Tommy to check his status as we were expecting him to join us at the Grandview Café tonight. After calling him, it was re-confirmed. He’d be arriving at my house sometime around 7:30pm. Back at my house, Mindy took another shower. I did not. After readying for a night out we took to he computer to the pics from our afternoon at Darby Park. They turned out nicely. Another beer later Tommy arrived. We warmed some left over pizza, made a fresh salad, then woofed it all down. Come 9:00pm, i was getting tired and dealing with a chronic case of the yawns. Despite my sleepiness, we left for the Grandview Cafe. We met a number of Mindy's teacher friends at the Grandview Cafe. In kind, I had invited a number of friends from work. Too, I failed to mention that Shuckin' Bubba, a local cover band, was playing tonight. They're a lot of fun and they typically attract a lot 30-something young women. Aside from Tommy, Bill Gray, a friend and coworker, showed up with a couple of his friends, but for the most part, tonight was a night out with Mindy’s peeps. The crowd continued to thicken through the night. In fact, it got too darn crowded to walk. One look at Mindy and it was easy to see that she was having a terrific time with her friends. We stayed until about 1230am. Mindy had had it. Too, I think it’s fair to say that she had one too many glasses of wine. :) On our way home she fell asleep and was pretty much toast for the night! I’m not certain but I’m quite sure that she threw-up. I did make sure that she took her medicine as well as some Advil and Tagament in hopes that she’d feel decent come morning. I was tired too so instead of raising more raucous, I went to sleep.

Bella's Adoption Day - Mozart's 250th B-Day

Happy Adoption Day Bella and Happy Birthday Wolfgang! I got up this morning at 5:30am feeling refreshed and ready for just about anything. It’s amazing how good one can feel after a solid eight hours of sleep. For whatever reason, I seem to need it more these days. It might have something to do with the elimination of my evening power naps. That’s largely been replaced with Mindy time. I still sneak one in every now and then but certainly not every night like in the past. The beauty of expressing myself in this journal often reveals things even to me! I hadn'tgiven that much thought till now. Not only was I rested, but I was feeling chipper too! But how could I not? After all, it's Friday, I am well rested, I work for a thriving entity, I have a beautiful girlfriend, and my granddaughter is spending Friday night with me. I went methodically about my morning routine. I exercised, walked Ykraps, coffee'd, meditated, cooked, and packed my lunch. As usual, I spent extra time on "me" things leaving little time to frolic in the bathroom getting ready for work, but that's OK. I've seen myself a time or two. No reason to spend additional precious minutes staring at my handsome face in the mirror. Instead, I think I'll go show it to the world! :) By 7:35am I was headed out the door on my way to work. Mindy called just a I backed out of the drive. We talked most of the way to work, which typically works out pretty well since we're both driving at the same time. We had the pleasure of another fabulous sunrise this morning. This time it was unabated. I reaffirmed the need to bring my camera to work. I need to have the balls to pull off over to the burm along 270 at the Scioto Darby Rd. overpass and take some pics of the sun rising over downtown. I arrived to work at 7:55am The morning in the office was slow in comparison to many Friday's, but there was definitely no complaining. Often we're so far behind before we even begin. I took advantage and got caught up on several fronts. Before I knew it, it was run time. The temperature was hovering around 42 degrees with brilliant sunshine. This would be yet another banner running day. Funny thing, I worried (if worry's the right word) whether or not I'd have the opportunity to run in shorts in January. To eliminate the worry, I completed the task on Jan 01 & 02 unknowing that I could have ran every single day in shorts. It's been balmy! I couldn't enjoy the accompaniment of music because my battery gave out before I even started. Troubling? Yes, but we must all overcome obstacles large and small. I did! After my run I hung in the gym long enough to complete a full round of dumbbells despite my aching shoulders and back. After a warm shower I returned to my office where I woofed down my packed lunch. Today was tuna day! The afternoon went fast. I took care of several work related tasks and buttoned down weekend plans including confirming my Granddaughter's whereabouts so that I could pick her up right after work. I also confirmed plans for Mindy and I to hook up with Lindsey tomorrow. Mindy is going to take Lindsey to get her haircut at Saturday's. I'll be watching Lil' Rocky along with GD Kaileigh. Lastly, I prepared a grocery list. I left he office at 4:55pm hoping to get a headstart on the Friday evening rush hour traffic. I would be traversing the back roads of Hilliard to get to Kaileigh's grandmother's home in west Hilliard. I met no obstructions. Good move! I was there by 5:23pm. Kaileigh and I headed directly to Wal-Mart where I would be purchasing my bi-weekly groceries. We were on somewhat of a tight schedule, as we were expected to be showing at Mindy's for Bella's Adoption Day celebration early evening. And as many of you know, I don't do well with deadlines looming and tasks stacked tightly against those very deadlines. I repeated to myself many times, relax, nothing breaks or no one dies if I am not there at some given time. Too, I hadn't even committed to a specific time. We were efficient in our shopping but still took our time. One thing I didn't account for was the Kaileigh element. She definitely added to the amount of time it took to shop. She had many things she wanted to look at and conned me into buying her this over priced "Kate and Ashley" outfit. It was cute and she wanted it. What's a grandpa to do? Buy it, of course! I did hold fir firm on the boots, however. Once we were in the grocery section, she insisted we go back and get some boots. She tried her hand at bartering, but I held firm. No boots! We grabbed our groceries and headed to the checkout sometime around 6:25pm. I'd say we were in there for an hour. By the time we were home and unloaded, it was 6:41pm. We called Mindy to confirm final arrangements. Mindy and her children were anxiously awaiting our arrival. The plan also called for me to pick-up pizzas on the way. They were hungry! I felt a little stressed but repeated to myself that there was no sense in stressing, hurrying, worrying. I took my time. I had several small tasks yet to complete: putting groceries away, walking Ykraps, wrapping Bella's gift, changing Kaileigh's clothes, ordering pizzas, and gathering cameras. We left for Minelli's at 7:10pm. I had told Mindy that we'd be there sometime between 7:41 and 8:00pm. It appeared we'd be on the early side of that. Cool! Stress level declining! Minelli's had a crowd and the wait for our pizzas was about 5 minutes. No biggie! Be forewarned! There's a bar in the Minelli's strip mall. you don't want to get out of your car staring at your feet. You just might get ran over by someone less that sober! It almost happened to Kaileigh and I. Kaileigh held the two pizzas on her lap on the last leg of our journey. She enjoyed the warmth, at least at first. We arrived to Mindy's at 7:40pmish. By then, Kaileigh's legs were too warm from holding the hot pizzas! We arrived to a rambunctious affair. Mindy's kids were excited to see Kaileigh and she was happy to see them. Mindy's mother, Gloria was there too. As the kids played noisily, we readied the pizza for chowing. Everyone was hungry! After some salad and pizza, Mindy corralled the children around the table where we sang Happy Adoption Day to Bella! It's probably a good time to share some thoughts on that. Mindy made the conscious decision a while ago to be out front with the whole adoption thing with Bella. Wisely, now, the event is embraced and celebrated rather than quieted. We all had fun. Mindy made it fun for all three kids by having fun gifts for all. It was a good lesson in what works for kids. She bought some inexpensive gifts like wall walkers, Barbie's, and recorders. The kids loved them and played with them for over an hour solid. And just I didn't feel left out, Mindy bought me a toy too! I got a disco ball that doubles as an FM radio. Coo! It's for 5 and ups! I think I'm there. As the night grew older, Mindy left to take her mother home. I stayed back with the kids while Madagascar whirled in the DVD player on the big screen. We all relaxed for a spell while she was gone. When she returned home it was almost 10:00pm. Way late for Mindy's kids to be up. Despite the late hour, they were still full of energy. They played for another 15 or 20 minutes before Mindy put them to bed. Kaileigh and I helped get them tucked in and then left ourselves. Mindy threw us out! We were home by 10:40pm. Kaileigh fell asleep on the ride. She was out cold. I carried her in and eventually to my bed. It was lights out before 11:00pm. No Barley's tonight!

Who...Me?

The clock tics, but I can’t hear it. Nope, I’m still sleeping, and besides…it’s digital! I fell out of bed at about 5:40am without a care in the world. Well, no cares beyond my daughter Ashley, Lindsey, Courtney, my grandchildren, my job, my bills, my lawn, my girl friend, my future, my savings and retirement, my parents, my home décor, my dog, my brothers, my aching shoulder, the hapless Vikings, and the break up of Pink Floyd. But aside from those few things, I’m good! Yeah. With my toes tucked under the sofa, I was grunting out 55 sit-ups in no time flat. Next I pushed through 50 push-ups and then a set of 40 curls. Ykraps and I were sauntering about the subdivision soon there after. The stars were sharp and nimble this morning. I don’t recall seeing a moon, perhaps it’s hiding only to rear itself fully refreshed and new another day soon. Like always, coffee hit my lips soon after my return to the warmth of home. Today I made the last of my Starbuck’s Espresso blend. It was strong! Tomorrow I will open the bag of Starbuck’s Christmas blend that Mindy got me for Xmas. I didn’t finish my first cup of coffee, meditation, and email until almost 6:45am - about 15 minutes later than usual. That meant I needed to be crisp in executing my daily culinary practices. I did pretty well. I finished woofing down my breakfast by 7:10am, and headed to the shower. It was good to be able to floss and brush with reckless abandon once again. With my old new crown I felt whole. :) I was ready for the final phase of my morning routine by 7:35am. After rounding up my work bound bounty, I was out the door by 7:45am. I chatted with Mindy along the drive to work. She pointed out the beautiful sunrise unfolding just over downtown. Clouds were covering all but the eastern horizon so the rising sun gave off some magnificent pink & orange hues. I arrived and parked at 7:59am. The morning went fast. Some time during mid-morning I placed a call to my grand daughter, Kaileigh, to ask if she wanted to spend Friday night with me. She was very excited about the opportunity. Probably not as happy about it as me, however. I made arrangements to pick her up right after work. She’s such a wonderful child! It wasn’t until 12:40pm did I make it to the gym for my run. Better late than never, though! I tuned into WOSU 87.9 on the FM dial for yet another change of pace. I am admittedly addicted to the classics! While running I enjoyed a rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “unplayable” violin concerto in D major. Awesome! After my run I showered and quickly returned to my office to enjoy an afternoon of hard, but fulfilling work. I worked diligently up till 5:10pm when I called it a day. Given that my office is right on 270, I could see that traffic was at a complete stand still – a parking lot if you will. To avoid the troublesome traffic, I thought that I’d be crafty and take an alternative route home. I decided to take Old Dublin Rd (runs along the west edge of the river). That proved smart until I reached the s-curve at Scioto Darby road. Something ahead had traffic backed there about ¼ mile and Columbus police officers were forcing cars head south (me) to turn around and head north. Great! The cop acted disgusted with me like I should’ve known he was forcing traffic to the north – what a jerk! He also implied I should get off the cell phone by giving me hand motions. Sorry – just do the job we’ve paid you to do. Let me decide when and when not to talk on the phone! I made it home by 5:38pm – plenty of time to complete a few chores before Josh would be arriving for my guitar lesson. At 6:00pm sharp, Josh arrived ready to teach. We spent almost the entire lesson reviewing musical theory learning bout such things as intervals, scales, majors, minors, and diminshed’s. Some of this I already knew but it was still good review. If one has a firm grasp of musical theory, they can easily play along with others. We wrapped up at 7:00pm as usual. After Josh departed I woofed down a burrito then immediately took to applying the first coat of paint onto my night stand. I finished around 8:00pm, cleaned my brush, and tinkered around the house for a spell. At 8:30pm I headed up to bed where I grabbed my book and read from bed. I read until about 9:15pm or so. I was asleep before 9:30pm. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Marching To the Throne to Take My Crown

We're a month removed from Xmas. By now it's little more than a faded memory. What was all the hurry, stress, and worry for? It all seems so pointless now. I crawled out of bed at 5:40am today. I played hide and seek with the clock for about the last hour in an attempt to maximize my total sleep number, I like saying sleep number. It’s the new “buzz” word in sleep. Per the usual, I pee’d, brushed my teeth, then flew downstairs. I was excited for today was the day I’d get my permanent crown back, at least as long as everything went as planned. My exercises and walk with Ykraps were completed and in the bag before 6:05am. I was happily sipping coffee just moments later. After my morning meditation and email to Mindy I went about making my breakfast. I had no need to pack my lunch today because we were having our monthly potluck later this afternoon. This month’s theme was a chili cook-off. Because there were already at least ten people bringing chilli, I made my double thick, chocolate fudge brownies, topped with milk chocolate frosting, powered cocoa, and toffee bits. To die for! The extra time I gained by not packing my lunch was spent surfing the net, albeit on constructive matters, of course! By 7:45am I was out the door to work. Once at work I settled into my usual morning routine. It seemed no sooner than I got there and organized, it was time to head off for my dental appointment. I left at 9:40am as planned. It takes 16 minutes on average to get there from the time I close my office door. Today was average. I pulled into a parking spot at exactly 9:56am! I took my camera hoping Dr March would agree to take pic of my smile minus my permanent or temporary crown. It turned out (see pic) he was more than happy to oblige. After all, what better advertisement than to display his ortho prowess. My situation was somewhat unique in that my crown had broke off because the under lying sub-structure broke. In an effort to save an otherwise perfectly good crown he planned to insert a porcelain post into a newly drilled 1/3” deep hole in my tooth (almost all below the gum line) and then re-glue the crown to that. But in order to accommodate such a procedure, he had to send my crown back to the lab where it was originally made and have them retro fit the post and alter the interior of the crown. It seemed almost an impossible feat to me, but as he said, it can’t hurt to try. Worst case is we’ll need a new crown ($1000 -1500). His first objective was to remove the temporary crown and post. Usually those things practically fall right off and often one has to return to the dentist to have them re-glued before the permanent crown is even ready. In this case, he couldn’t budge it. It was on there pretty damn good! After drilling and pulling, it finally broke apart exposing the temporary post in the recently drilled hole. That was tough for him to remove, too. In fact, at one point he had a set of dental pliers clamped on the post and both feet, one on each arm of the dental chair using his weight as leverage to pull it off. If it wasn’t for the personal restraint system he employs, I might have flown right out of my seat. It finally gave way and out it came – lucky for me. :) pardon the embelishment! Next goal, after a bit of clean-up, was to test the new porcelain post. As luck would have it, it wouldn't go in all the way, and if it didn’t go in all the way, the entire operation would be a failure. Dr March toiled with the post for about 20+ minutes trying to determine what was prohibiting it from sliding easily into the hole he had drilled ten days prior. After x-rays to reveal no visible obstructions, he was about to throw in the towel thinking we’d need to do a whole new crown, which made little sense to me, but then again, I’m not a dentist. My thinking was, if it was the post that won't set right, what’s a new crown going to do? The post will always have to seat correctly for any crown – this or another, right? So, I convinced him of such and he tried it again exept this time giving me a mirror so I could see the dilemma unfolding befor my eyes. Low and behold, after toying around, it miraculously began to fit up snuggly as designed. And after he sanded an ever so little amount off the girth, it snugged right up to the natural tooth cleanly. And then, snapping the original crown onto the post, without glue of course, it looked perfect again. Presto!!! Glue her down Danno! My smile is back! I left Dr March's office with an appointment for Ashley to return for our semi-annual exams the week of her spring break. Using Dr March means spending a little more since he's not a participant in Aetna's web of controlled densitry, but sometimes good help is worth it! I returned to work by 11:30am. I went right to the gym in lieu of of my office. I prepped for a run in rather chilly temps, at least compared to the many mild days we've had lately. Still, the temperature was above freezing. The run went well. Soon I was back in the gym lifting weights then in the shower. Back in the office it was time to dig into some chilli! There were ten entries, and plenty of sides. I tried three different chilli's. All were very good - each probably better than my standard recipe. In addition to the chilli, I had some corn bread,chips, and one of my famous brownies. I was stuffed! I voted for number 6 as my favorite. Turns out, it didn't win; Number 2 did. The afternoon expired quickly. Soon I was headed home on what was a Mindy Wednesday. I was home by 5:36pm. I wnet into action quickly. I walkedYkraps, made coffee for Thursday, but didn't wash lunch containers. I didn't have any. Mindy didn't arrive until about 6:15pm. That gave me time to smoothly transition from my work role to the role of boyfriend extraordinare. I do so much better under those circumstances. Call it a quirk or whatever you'd like, but one things for sure, it works! I can't explain the rationale, but I can tell you that I've lived with myslef for 46+ years and have come to know myself rather well. Mindy and i looked at some pics and discussed our travel itinerary. next we made a salad and sliced some sour dough dough bread she brought. It was yummy. To complement the light dinner, we enjoyed the leftover brownies I brought home form the work potluck. After our food settled we found our waty to the hot tub. It felt extra great tonight given our achy selves. Once back inside we laid by a roaring fire for about 45 minutes. Mindy left soon after. I had thought about doing some more painting but thought better of it in the end. Instead, I prepped for a somewhat early bed time. After reading and a good night phone call, I was putting my head on my pillow sometime around 10:30pm. Good night!

Free Day

I was careful not to over sleep again today. I wouldn’t want to develop an unattractive pattern of laziness. With that in mind, I rose this morning at 5:35am and after addressing a few personal things, I was choking down my daily multi-vitamin by 5:40am. Several sit-ups and push-ups later, I was out the door with Ykraps in tow. Our morning walk was uneventful and even cut a little short. I just didn’t see any reason to do the full monte’ today. Still, he managed to evacuate himself liberally about the neighborhood landscape. His DNA will live long after his mass of life is gone. Each bush, tree, and sign post will have a little of his influence onboard. The morning coffee after the walk, as I have spoke of before, is one of the most anticipated moments of my day. Is it like that for any of you? I simply can’t wait to have that first cup in my hands with all the fixins’. Today was no different. The day’s flavor was Chocolate Silk with half and half, whipped cream, caramel topping, and a sprinkle or two of cinnamon. Very good! And just like always, I dimmed the lights, lit a candle, and went about my morning meditation. I was able to fully relax and forget about life’s little issues. Soon I found myself having more coffee and writing my honey a good morning email. I had little time to spare playing on the computer though, so I went directly to the kitchen where I went about making my lunch and breakfast like a man with a plan. After breakfast, a shower, and grooming, I was ready for a days work. But before I left I ripped off a few licks on the guitar which always puts my head in the right place before my morning drive. I arrived at work with plenty of time to spare. I was having a team meeting this morning so my first priority was making sure everything was a go. It was. The meeting was both fun and successful. I love listening to what my team members have to say and always am amazed with how they perceive things often differently than I. Before my run I gave brother Tommy a call to see how he was doing and to confirm what Glenn had communicated about his reported trip to Portland the same time that Mindy and I were considering. It turned out that he was close to pulling the trigger on his trip for President’s Day weekend, just like us. I told him to send me his itinerary once he had it. He was determined to fly with American through Houston or Dallas because he has an American airlines voucher that was given to him as a courtesy gift after a lengthy delay on his trip to the Caribbean last summer. Seldom is American the cheapest flight, and certainly never the shortest given the guarantee of flying through Texas. Soon it was lunchtime, time for a run. The temperature was in the low 40’s but a couple of people warned me that there was a cold stiff wind blowing out of the southwest. There was. To combat the cold, I threw on the extra layer I’ve been habitually carrying all winter. The run went well and I didn’t over heat. Although, with my back against the wind, I was beginning to roast. The afternoon went quick. Before I knew it I was wrapping up and heading home. I managed my way out of the office by 5:10pm. I stopped at Kroger to pick-up some frosting for brownies which I committed to making for our monthly potluck at work Wednesday. Even with the stop, I was home by 5:36pm. I immediately kicked into chore mode and worked to whip them out prior to the clock striking 6:00pm. I had in my grasp a free night and didn't want to waste a minute! My plan was simple: do some painting, reading, and guitar all before 10:00pm. If I were successful, I would be in bed before 10:00pm. By 6:15pm I was set and painting. And except for a very short break, I worked till 8:30pm when I decided it best to call it a night relative to painting. For the next half hour I talked with Mindy and played guitar. I didn't quite meet my 10:00pm drop dead goal but retired to my reading chair at 10:30pm with the sole intention of using reading as a vehicle to launch me into a relaxing slumber. It worked!

The PNW's Feeling Super

I woke a number of times through the night exhausted but feeling lucky that there were still several hours left before needing to rise. The last time I remember looking at the clock it was around 4:30am and I remember thinking, "oh good, I have another full hour to sleep", so I happily closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep. But sadly, I didn’t wake again until 6:20am. What’s worse, I felt even sleepier!. Not just tired, but DOG tired! I gave serious consideration to calling my boss and taking a personal day. But that, of course, is not my nature. Instead, I sucked it up and got busy with my exercises thinking that I’d snap out of my funk in short order. However, during and after exercising I continued feeling fatigued, so once again I gave a moment’s consideration to staying home and resting. But once again, I opted not. After walking Ykraps and sucking down a couple of cups of coffee I began to snap out of it. And by the time I had packed my lunch and eaten my breakfast, I was feeling at least well enough to go about my work day. I knew because of my late get-up time that I would be late for work, so there was no sense in hurrying. There was nothing hurrying would do other than get me frustrated. And besides, anyone that knows me, knows that I hate to be rushed! When it was all said and done, I had an uplifting morning and still made it to work by 830am. Not too bad. At work the day began kind of slow but eventually picked up just as most Monday’s do. I was still dealing with a foggy head, however, but that would simply have to be tolerated and worked through. Come lunch time/run time the only remnants were stiff legs and a slightly achy back. But I ran through it, of course. And because it was a Monday, and I hadn’t done it since Friday, it was a lifting day. I should probably note that my aching back was primarily my shoulders which ached, I’m sure, from the increased weight I’m lifting. But, if I intend on looking a bit more carved, more weight or more reps are necessary. So lift I did. Surprisingly, I was no worse for the wear. The increased weight went much easier than expected. I am already adjusting. The butterflies are the most painful. There I increased the weight 33% with the same amount of reps. The afternoon blew by. I could hardly believe that the day was over. It was 5:00pm before I knew it. This was a Mindy Monday so I gave Princess a call to see what was up. It turns out, she was still at school. This was a class night for her. She projected her arrival to be 6:00pm-ish. Cool! That left me plenty of time to complete my nightly chores before her arrival. I had everything done by 5:52pm and still no Mindy. I took advantage and spent the next 15 minutes updating my blog and downloading weekend pictures. Mindy arrived just as I finished downloading the weekend entries. She was more than anxious to see the many pictures we took Saturday night during our symphony date. They turned out very nice. To satisfy our nightly hunger, we made hot wings. And my hot wings are some of the best. An hour and twenty minutes later, we were eating wings and celery with a blue cheese/ranch combo dip. We spent the remainder of our Monday evening together talking, and Mindy even through in a back run to curtail my whinny ways. She has become very familiar with the location of “my knots”. When she finished I felt like a new man! At 9:10pm Mindy headed home, and I made a beeline for my painting project. There I spent the next hour applying a second coat to roughly ¼ of the bed. It was just about 10:20pm and I was getting sleepy. I rinsed my brush, grabbed my book and collapsed onto my bed. And after reading about three pages I drifted off to sleep.

A Busy Weekend Ends

I woke at a respectable 800am feeling much better than I did the morning prior. Saturday night’s late eating drinking left me with nothing but perhaps a little gas. I felt great, otherwise! After brushing my teeth I went right for the coffee pot. However, I wasn’t sure that Mindy had taken the time to prep coffee the night before, but thankfully she had. As I sipped the morning’s first cup, Bella, Mindy’s three year old daughter, summoned me to the lower level play room to watch Sesame Street. Comfortably, we sat and watched a show about what to do in the event of a fire. I remember thinking how well thought out it was. They had catchy songs and phrases for what to do, like, get low and go! They made seemingly scary looking firemen extra warm and friendly probably due to many children hiding form them in burin homes. Then they gave a tour of the fire house and all the gear. It was really cute! Firemen are heroes to many small children. Soon Mindy beckoned as breakfast was ready. We enjoyed more of that breakfast casserole that I’ve come to love. There was little time to waste, however, Mindy needed to be getting ready for church. To help out a little, I agreed to get Bella dressed while Mindy showered and dressed. And that’s no small undertaking as she likes to take her time and play all the while getting dressed! At the same time, I completed my exercises. As it turned out, Mindy ended up leaving for church a little late, but better late than never! I headed home where I immediately crafted a pot of coffee then readied for a run. I launched out the door around 1125am. It was a bit chillier than most recent days but still unseasonably warm for January. It was right about 31 degrees. And the days high was going forecasted to be around 42. My run went well. While running I remember thinking just lucky I am to have so many blessings in my life. After my run I took a few minutes to cool off then went into action with repainting my four poster bed frame. That’s right! I just completed it two weeks ago and I am already redoing it. I just couldn’t get used to the color. As I mentioned before, the tan color I used took on a green hue, especially in incandescent lighting, and I don’t’ care for green at all. I have always had a very difficult time picking light browns. What made it even worse was that I bought the new black book case, which I love, and I already have a natural pine armoire’. Having the tan bed added a third color, and that’s before considering the color of the curtains and comforter. Too busy! I was determined to go with black! Black never goes out of style, but sometimes it just seems like a crutch and lacks creativity. Nonetheless, black it would be. That way I would allow myself greater latitude with complementary colors. Having been through this fire drill only weeks before, I knew exactly what had to be done to set the room up for painting and sleeping simultaneously. Within 15 minutes I was set to begin painting. I applied the first coat to the entire bed frame. Because the black paint is so thick, I had no choice but to thin it for easier application into the rather narrow crevices that are abundant on the bed frame. I finished up around 315pm after about 2.5 hours of painting. It was time to ready for dinner at Mindy’s mother’s. After cleaning up my painting mess, I grabbed a quick shower then jumped into some comfy clothes. Soon I was ready to go. I made sure that I had my two new movies to tow so that Mindy and I could enjoy one or the other at her home later in the evening. I arrived at Mindy’s mom’s around 410pm, five minutes ahead of schedule. Aside from Mindy and her kids, I was the only one there. I later learned that it would be only us and Mindy’s older sister’s family tonight. Both of her brother’s wouldn’t be joining us. Too bad, because we had a most excellent baked chicken dinner, along with some slow cooked green beans and potatoes, as well as a number of other sides. For dessert we had strawberry flan cake. It was delicious too! Mindy’s son Jacob had been testing her patience all day. One of her finest qualities is her ability to constructively manage her kids behavior. Today she was being put to the test. Nothing she did was working. The long and short, Mindy was ready to head home earlier than normal. We gathered up her normal Sunday bounty, loaded her car, and headed home. Once at Mindy’s, we quickly prepared the children for bed. Meanwhile, Jacob continued testing his mother. By 8pm we had each of them in bed and we were ready to relax and enjoy a movie on the big screen. We threw in The Forty Year Old Virgin. The movie runs a surprisingly long 2 hrs and 15 minutes and id filled with lots of sophomoric humor, which I love. Lots of hilarious twists and turns sprinkled with lots of real life situations. After the movie we snuggled for about an hour, and then I readied and headed for home. At home I walked Ykraps who had been waiting patiently since our last walk at 1030am. Immediately following, I went right for my bed where I did just enough reading to still my mind before falling asleep. We had yet another fun, action packed weekend that flew by in the blink of an eye. The highlights were a trip to Barley’s, the Columbus Symphony, dinner at CBC, and a family Sunday dinner at Mindy’s mother’s house. The Super Bowl is set: Seattle vs. Pittsburgh. I am predicting a Seattle victory, 27-13. Go Vikings!

Symphony, Salmon, and Sex

OK, I admit it. The symphony and the salmon really happened, but the sex, well, hey, it fit and sounded good. What’s new? Certainly not waking Saturday morning with a slight, dull headache. Unfortunately, that’s become more the norm. I might want to consider not so much the quantity of beer I drink on Friday night’s but instead, perhaps the type. Inevitably, I seem to wake each Saturday morning feeling a little less than stellar after no more than three Barley drafts. Comparatively, if I drink bottled beer I feel great. My suspicion is the alcohol content which I believe is twice as much in Barley’s routine ale’s like Pale and IPA, and upwards of three times as much in some of their specialty brews like Robert Burns, Jack Frost, and Winter Warmer. I took two Advil around 730am and went back to sleep till almost 9am. I woke then feeling pretty good. Still, it’s all I can do to avoid feeling panicky waking so late. As you know, I like to have my run done by 900am. To do this comfortably requires me to get out of bed no later than 700am. Mindy had been up since 730am with her kids. She had her famous breakfast casserole baking the oven; I could smell it! After brushing my teeth and peeing I went for some coffee. Lucky for me, I had accomplished all or most of my personal household chores the night prior so there was no need to stress over what I needed to accomplish today short of getting in a run. After some coffee and breakfast casserole I gathered my belongings and headed home. I must have been somewhere around 1015am. Once home I decided ot treat what was left of the morning like I had just rolled out of bed. Instead of rushing around and heading out the door with Ykraps, I relaxed and did my normal exercise routine. Soon Ykraps and I were out the door on what was shaping up as a sunny/partly sunny day. I neglected the fact that the morning hours were waning and continued to act as if I’d just got up. That kept me settled inside. I wasted little time after walking Ykraps. After some mediation I readied for a run. I continued listening to downloaded music on my MP3 player while running. I was back home just before 12 noon. All’s OK with my world once my run is in the bag. I had nothing too stressful or challenging planned for the afternoon. Instead, I would do some shopping and grab some lunch out, hoping to be back home in time for a restful nap, some reading, and guitar – not necessarily in that order. My first stop was Saturday’s to get a hair cut. I hadn’t had one since the second week of December (learned that via my blog). My hair had managed to get pretty long in 40 days. Lucky for me, because I hate to wait, they got me right in, and I got the shorter version of my normal haircut. Next stop was Max and Erma’s for lunch. But it’s not that I crave Max and Erma’s so much. Instead, I have two gift certificates (one is probably three years old) that I really need to use. I sat at the bar and ordered a lemonade. The Buckeye basketball game was playing so I enjoyed the tail end of that while eating. I had a bowl or Tortilla soup and a Gourmet burger with fries. It was all very good. I couldn’t finish so I got a to-go box for the leftovers. My next stop was Old Navy where I hoped to find another fleece full-zip jacket to use for running. Sadly, the zipper broke on my otherwise fine existing jacket. I love Old Navy but the only thing is, they don’t keep the same styles for more than one year. You’d be hard pressed to find a repeat of something you liked from the same season a year prior. And as I figured, they didn’t have anything close. I surmise the zipper broke from repeated daily trips inside the dryer. I wash it only once a week but throw it in the dryer every night to ensure dry gear for the following day. Eventually such toil takes its toll on zippers (previous experience). I guess I should learn two lessons for this experience. One, if I find something I really like at Old Navy, buy two! Secondly, avoid the everyday dryer routine if possible. Of course, I can find comparable gear at a sports store such as Dick’s but the price will be upwards of three to four times what Old Navy charges. Next stop was Westpointe video. I had been looking for The 40 Year Old Virgin for a couple of weeks in the widescreen – unrated version. They didn’t disappoint. They had it. Not too many people no about this place but they have the best prices everyday on DVD’s anywhere. All their DVD’s are $14.95 unless it’s a special edition or collection. I also bought Red Eye, a Wes Craven thriller. Next stop, Wal-Mart. I needed to grab about six grocery items to tie me over till next weekend’s regular grocery shopping spree. Too, I wanted to grab some light test fishing line to fix my Magic Worm and a couple of inexpensive picture frames. I was successful on all counts. It was now almost 315pm. I gave Mindy a call on my way home to see how her day was going. She had just finished getting her haircut and was heading to pick-up her son from a birthday party. We would be getting back together at her house around 6pm in preparation for our symphony date. She had a number things remaining to do. I simply had to get home, put away the day’s haul, and take an afternoon nap! After putting away groceries and some laundry, framing my pics, and fixing my Magic Worm, I headed upstairs for some reading and a nap. I read bout ten pages or so before feeling helplessly sleepy and ultimately drifting off to sleep. I slept for about 1.5 hours. I was out cold! Nothing like a lengthy power nap on a Saturday afternoon! After waking, I wandered down stairs to collect my thoughts and stack the rest of my evening. To aid in this quest, I picked up my guitar and played. At 510pm I tied up Ykraps and took him on yet another walk. Back home I quickly showered and readied for our symphony date. I packed my bag for overnight still unsure if I would be sleeping at Mindy’s, but wanted to be prepared just the same. I left for her place at 555pm. I really needed gas so I stopped along the way. I should’ve gassed up earlier but didn’t. Now I had to pay the price of smelly gas hands! I arrived at Mindy’s around 615pm. She was till getting ready. The children greeted me. I helped get Jacob fed. Soon Mindy came down, and she looked take my breath away stunning in her new dress that we bought the week prior. She had a new $25 sun tan and a haircut that only accentuated her existing beauty. Within minutes, Ashley and Stephen arrived. Ashley was babysitting for us tonight. After getting everyone acclimated, Mindy and I were out the door, probably around 645pm. Our first stop was back at my house so that I could take an anti-inflammatory since my shoulder was aching a little. While there we decided to have a drink – Mindy a glass of wine, me a raspberry vodka and club soda. Finally, we were on our way to the symphony! We arrived with relatively little time to spare after parking in the attached garage. The Ohio Theatre was even more beautiful than I remember it being. Our seats were in row “S” right of center. All in all, pretty good seats. The Columbus Symphony Orchestra played three of Mozart’s symphonies – 39, 40, & 41. They took an intermission after the first. During the intermission we took a quick tour of the venue taking in all the ornate detail the theatre houses. After finding our seats, the orchestra finished by playing the 40th & 41st of Mozart’s symphonies. Without a doubt, my favorite was symphony #40. Mindy enjoyed #41 most. The performance lasted collectively about 1 and three quarter hours. By the end, both Mindy and I were starving! After a short wait exiting the parking garage, we headed directly to the Columbus Brewing Company, a Cameron Mitchell restaurant in the brewery district. We arrived just after 10pm, but they were still serving, thankfully. I ordered a Columbus Pale Ale and Mindy a Cabernet. Together we shared some roasted calamari. As entrée’s we both ordered the salmon broiled and served over a bed of garlic mashed potatoes. I had mine with sautéed vegetables, and Mindy had hers with asparagus. Everything was tasty as always. After dinner, I had one more C.P.A. It’s delicious in a bottle; it’s even better on tap! As our dinner settled, both of us were getting sleepy. We could take no more fun. We headed directly back to Mindy’s house. Ashley and Stephen were sitting like mannequins on the couch watching television. What, does she think that I was born yesterday? J Anyways, after Mindy paid Ashley a handsome ransom for watching kids they up & bailed. We then retired for the night.

Healing

Fascinating! I woke a number of times through the night feeling completely rested and well slept. Regardless, I forced myself to fall back sleep nonetheless. But what often times happens happened. I fell back sleep and then didn’t want to get up when it was time. I rolled out of bed at 550am. I went through my usual morning routine with little variation – probably none. Ykraps and I were out the door walking by 602am sharp. I remember glancing at the clock on my Time Warner Cable box just as I finished my curls. The morning air was warm once gain. It was in the mid 40’s. We took our time enjoying the spring like weather and we managed to pee I think on everything imaginable! Ykraps even peed on the one piece of trash blowing down the street. It’s funny how he instinctually wants to urinate on such items but he always does. We were back at home by 611am ready for some coffee. It was delicious! Ykraps went his way, I went mine. I did my morning meditation and then proceeded to prepare both my lunch and breakfast. I finished food prep around 700am sharp and then spent the next 10 minutes woofing down my fruit and eggs. After the eggs were gone I found my way to the shower and completed my daily grooming cycle. I made my way downstairs for final prep before leaving at 732am. Before jumping in the Trooper I played the guitar for about three minutes. It was a very rewarding three minutes too. I arrived at the office 2 minutes early. Cool! The day began slowly but picked up steam quickly. Before I knew it, the day was fast furious, like most other days this week. Come 1230pm I headed to the gym for my Friday afternoon run. It was 55 degrees when I checked before heading down. It would be a very comfortable run. To mix things up a bit, I switched my MP3 player back to the downloaded music mode in lieu of listening to WOSU 87.9 like I have for the past ten days or so. It was good to hear some ROCK! There was an extremely firm breeze blowing in form the southwest trying to add a level of difficulty to the run. I just ignored it. After a hot shower I returned to work ready to tackle the day’s remaining issues and then prepare for a fun weekend and more importantly, a night at Barley’s. I managed to leave the office sometime around 510pm and made it home before 530pm. Rather than rush around like a wild man I calmed myself and took extra care not to get too worked up over the evenings chores (something I often do). Because Mindy was hoping I would spend Friday at her home and possibly even Saturday, getting a jump start on weekend household chores was paramount. So, after walking Ykraps, I systematically began to address most of my weekend chores. I vacuumed the house top to bottom, began three loads of laundry, loaded the dishwasher, caught up my blog, and watered house plants. I finished most of this before 725pm and spent the next half hour relaxing quietly alone. Mindy arrived sometime around 745pm. She had a glass of wine, and I finished a pale Ale that I had opened at he completion of my chores. Soon we were out the door on our way to Barley’s. We arrived around 830pm. The bar was a bit more crowded than most Friday’s although they’re always busy/full when we arrive. Bob and Mary Ann were already present and enjoying a beer. I was surprised that Bob’s facial lacerations were almost completely healed after only five days. In fact, I was almost certain he’d have two black eyes and a few lingering scabs. He attributed his quick healing to a constant dose of Neosporin and a few other creams intended for bodily abrasions. As much as I love Barley’s wings, I had had any of my own since the holidays (I did sneak a couple of Kari’s two weeks ago). Longer, I am sure than I have gone without wings in an awfully long time. Tonight I made sure to put that to rest. Mindy ordered a brisket quesadilla and cheesie fries, and I ordered some Gates of Hell wings. To wash down the food, I had two IPA’s and a Robert Burns Scottish Export. Mindy, I think, had only one glass of wine – maybe two. Over the course of the evening we interacted with Thad and Monica, Courtney and Jeremy, Rick, and of course, Bob and M.A. Thad and Monica didn’t stay long as they were headed to the Thirsty Ear to catch a nephew’s band. They invited us but in the end I was too tired for an extended evening out. We cleared Barley’s sometime around 11pm and headed back to my house to pick-up Mindy’s car. We hung at my house for about half and hour – long enough for me to walk Ykraps and grab my overnight stuff. Mindy needed to get home to relieve her babysitter, and Mindy needed me to stay at her home with the children while she gave Amy a ride home. We must have got back to her place just before midnight. Soon, Mindy was out the door with Amy. Relaxed on the sofa watching Jack Ass, an MTV staple, I fell asleep. Next thing I knew, I was being awakened by Mindy to come to bed. It was after 100am.

Spring's Done Sprung ... My Grass is Green

Rolled out of bed at exactly 530am to begin my Thursday well rested for getting to sleep the night prior earlier than I have in quite some time. After peeing and brushing my teeth, I was down the stairs with my feet tucked warmly under the front edge of the sofa grinding out my daily sit-ups. My push-ups were next, along with a set of curls to warm the ol’ arm muscles. Soon, Ykraps and I were out the door taking our morning walk together. This year will mark his ninth b-day which is in August. The world must seem very small to Ykraps. Scioto Woods, Apple Veterinarian, and inside my house are pretty much the extent of his wanderings. The poor fella hasn’t even experienced the pleasure of a bitch's (female dog) company. A shower later I was ready to hit the road on what promised to be another spring- like January day. Once at work the pace was feverish. We were busy. In fact, we were so busy that my day literally flew by. It was lunch time before I could bat an eye. It was 52 degrees under blue skies when I ran – simply lovely! Breezy, but still lovely! My afternoon was frantic too. But once gain, that’s how I prefer work to be. I was immersed in work issues right up until about 525pm. Finally, a braking point came and I hit the door on what would be a rare Mindy Thursday. We were planning to meet at my home tonight like we do on most Wednesdays. I made it home right before 6pm and immediately began my evening chores. I managed to walk Ykraps and begin cleaning my lunch containers about the time Mindy arrived. She entered quietly enough that I didn’t hear her. Here eventual presence in the kitchen scared the begesies out of me! So much so that I almost dropped the coffee pot. We quickly decided to make tacos, a treat I used to make at lest once every other week but haven’t for several months. Tacos are yet another dish that I have perfected over the years. They’re simply unbeatable! After our Mexican binge we decided some snuggle time was in order since we hadn’t had any since Sunday night. Ultimately, we fell asleep. Mindy woke and left sometime just before 10pm. I spent the next half hour or so playing guitar then reading a little. It out me in such a relaxing state that I transitioned peacefully to my sleepy state. YES!

Happy 22nd Birthday Lindsey Lou

Well, well, well, we finally tripped, fumbled, and stumbled back into a winter wonderland. We woke with around an inch of snow and icy roads Wednesday morning. Individually, I woke at my usual 530am again today, but for some reason that didn’t equate to enough time to accomplish my morning routine with the leisurely approach I like. But don’t get me wrong, I still took my time doing what I needed to do. However, I was later than usual leaving the house. As mentioned it was snowing when I got up. And when Ykraps and I went for our morning stroll, the brisk winter wind blowing out of the west was almost unbearable. There were times when visibility was down to 20 or 30 feet, but that was spotty and the temperature was well above official “blizzard” conditions. Too, I must admit that I enjoyed having the return of snow and cold. But don’t misinterpret my desire. I was well aware that we’re expecting sunny skies and temps in the low 50’s again tomorrow, which means we wouldn’t have to tolerate living in an ice box for more than one measly day. Anyone can appreciate winter in small doses. Today is daughter Lindsey’s 22nd B-day. Lindsey is my middle daughter. If memory serves me, she was born on a similar, very frigid, snowy day on this date in 1984 around 11AM. She was born with her umbilical chord wrapped loosely around her neck, so when she first appeared, she was dark blue. At first I thought that she was the postman’s kid. J She got her looks from me, but sadly got her mother’s personality. Anyway, my intention was to arrange a birthday celebration with Lindsey and her young son, Rocky for sometime later this evening. Work was very busy yielding little time to deal with pesky personal issues. My lunch time run was interesting as I had the opportunity to run against a strong head wind and periods of snow flurries, which always elevates the mood. Wednesday afternoon was a lifting day as well. I was strong and can already tell that I’m getting accustom to the heavier weight. I can see it in my muscle tone too! As planned, I contacted Lindsey and made arrangements to have her over tonight for a birthday celebration. Equally, I invited Mindy and kids to join in also. Mindy went as far as to volunteer to pick Lindsey up, freeing me to take care of picking up the cake and test driving this car I saw a week ago. Cool! I left work right at 500pm and headed directly to Britton Farms to test drive this 1987 Honda Accord. It has 220, 000 miles but it’s automatic and appears to be clean inside. It might just be the perfect car for Lindsey at this point in her life. The owner was in his garage waiting my arrival. His name escapes me but he was very warm and friendly. We went together on a drive that took us around Hilliard. The car’s engine ran really well for 220K. In fact it purred! It is a little rusty and does loose power steering fluid quickly. I would get that fixed right away. I left thinking that it might be a good deal, but would think about it overnight and then contact my insurance company tomorrow to see about insuring such a car. Before heading home I stopped at Kroger to get a cake, as well as a few other items I needed. I made it home right at 6pm. Mindy was expecting to be there with Lindsey sometime after 6pm. I quickly unloaded my bounty and then proceeded to walk Ykraps. Before I could make it back home, Mindy, Lindsey, and kids arrived. With in seconds, we had a house full of noise and happy rambunctious children running around having fun. Their fun was my misery, however. I always worry about my house and my things getting damaged, or worse yet, a kid getting hurt. My house is not child proofed by any means. My adult toys are out on full display – guitar, saxophone, weights, etc. And kids by nature always wan to play with my stuff instead of “kid stuff”. This, coupled with the baggage of a strained relationship with Lindsey over the years left me feeling melancholy, agitated, and distant. Unfortunately, this was overtly obvious to Mindy and Lindsey. Although, Lindsey always thinks that something is wrong even when there isn’t. Exposed was my personal dysfunction. At the time, I didn’t feel able to simply dismiss it. Despite my internal tension, we proceeded to light Lindsey’s candles and sing her a happy birthday tune. Afterwards we gave her a few gifts and cut the cake. At the same time the children continued their romp around the house which continued to grate on my nerves. By 730pm Mindy felt compelled to head home sensing my discomfort. She was gone by 745pm. I then took Lindsey and Lil’ Rocky home. Lindsey again thanked me for the little party as I dropped her at home. I was back home by 830pm feeling a bit of relief and certainly one heck of a lot better, although I knew that Mindy probably wasn’t feeling like a princess and that bothered me some. I spent the next 1.5 hours playing guitar and reading; something I haven’t spent enough time doing of late. Reading reconnects me with my spiritual self, and it always relaxes me and puts my mind at ease. Come 10pm, I felt relaxed and ready for bed.

Bob Eats Ohio Powder

Skiing IS a contact sport. Friend Bob sent this picture apparently taken soon after his skiing accident Sunday evening. Frightening! Not to split hairs but I didn’t quite wake at my normal time of 530am this morning. Instead, I woke at 550am, a good twenty minutes later than desired. Not only did the clouds return this morning but rain too. And judging by the forecast, we were gonna get plenty of it all day long. I went about my usual routine of exercise and such, wasting little time on any one particular area. For the most part, I recaptured the twenty minutes without too hurried of a pace. I left for work around 745am and arrived right before 8am. Bravo! The morning went well and passed quickly. I managed to escape for my run at my new run time of 1230pm. I like running 15 minutes later. It makes the afternoon go that much faster. Again, today I listened to WOSU 89.7 FM Classical radio on my MP3 player. It’s a nice change-up listening to symphonies, sonatas, and concertos instead of rock n’ roll. I like how they share a little about the composers life before each piece, giving the listener perhaps a glimpse into the life and times and the motivation behind the music. Fascinating! The run went well. And I know I’m living right because the heavy rain ended 5 minutes before my run and picked-up again once I made it back inside. Cool! The afternoon went pretty quickly too. Before I knew it, it was 500pm and time to go. I had an aggressive agenda for the evening which included a stop at the grocery, home, and ultimately Mindy’s. I told Mindy that I’d likely be there around 7pm allowing myself enough time to address some personal needs without rushing. At home I walked Ykraps, washed my lunch containers, blogged, then groomed for an evening out. I left the house at 605pm. I did all of that in 35 minutes. My first stop was Wal-mart to fetch some fruits and vegetables along with a couple greeting cards, one for Mindy and one for Lindsey. Before leaving Wal-Mart I had the where with all to call Minelli’s and order a pizza to take to Mindy’s for our dinner. It was now looking like my 7pm arrival time was a bit too zealous. Sure enough, upon leaving Wal-Mart I encountered a traffic snarl at the intersection of Renner and Rome-Hilliard (what a shocker). I simply needed to get over the over pass where Minelli’s sits ticked quietly beside the Marathon station. Unfortunately, that was about a ten minute ordeal. I was almost struck twice by over zealous drivers likely as frustrated as I trying to get somewhere faster than the traffic would allow. I disappointingly flipped-off a driver for their arrogant driving that almost caused an accident between the two of us. Thankfully, the traffic jam broke up just the other side of the over pass. At Minelli’s my pizza was just coming out of the oven. I guess it was either wait in traffic or wait in the pizza shop. After picking up the pie I headed to Mindy’s with little additional fanfare. Admittedly, I was still a little tense form the traffic and from hurrying, which I absolutely hate to do. You see, I get up about as early as one could expect (530am) I work hard. And I go out of my way to avoid being lazy. So, when time becomes of essence and no matter what I do I remain pressed for time, I get so frustrated – loss of control. Yuck!! At Mindy’s I arrived around 720pm. Truth be told, I wasn’t in the most loving of moods, but I was hungry, however, and probably more than I realized. We pretty much devoured the entire pizza. Because of my late arrival, it was already time for Mindy’s kids to go to bed. I helped make that happen as I often do. That act itself makes me tired too! Once we had gotten them to bed we laid on Mindy’s big comfy sofa for about an hour before rose to head home. Once home I made quick work of a few minor chores then found my way to my personal stack of pillows and went to sleep.

Crowning Achievement

You should know by now that me waking at 530am is just as natural as it is for a ursidae to egest in the weald (Sometimes the meaning gets lost in the words we choose. Surely, we should be careful not to lose or alienate with our dialect). So, just as sure as the bear shits in the woods, I rolled out of bed promptly at 530am. I volunteered to work this MLK Day more for selfish reasons than any other, although I know that our engineers appreciate a manager being in on holidays especially when the workload is borderline normal. I feel like I just came back from vacation and certainly don’t feel like I need a holiday so soon. I like to get back into the 5-day work week thing so I don’t become to lethargic. Having said that, come next month when President’s Day rolls around, I will probably be ready for some time off so I’ll couple this banked holiday with that one and have a nice, extra-long weekend. I went about my morning routine like any other work day. I exercised, walked Ykraps, meditated, coffee’d, emailed, and made my breakfast and lunch. I left the house for the office sometime around 745am. Unfortunately, I forgot my badge, so I had know way into the building at work. Normally I’d simply walk around to the front desk and get a temp badge, but with today being a holiday the only folks working are our engineers in the 24X7 centers. I placed a call into our phone queue hoping an engineer would answer. They did, but just as they did, one of my guys went walking by and let me in. Cool! Another thing about forgetting one’s badge is that once you walk out of our secure center the door locks and you can’t get back in until someone enters or leaves. And it’s real easy to forget when going to the restroom or to get coffee. Case and point, I did it with the first hour. Crap! As it turned out, I had a dental appointment slated for 1040AM with Dr March to continue work on my loose crown. I planned to make a pit stop at home to get my badge after my appointment. I made it to my appointment about 5 minutes early. They were ready for me, so I didn’t have to wait at all. Thankfully, there was no need to numb me since I already had a root canal in the tooth in question. Instead, he started drilling away, making a 4mm deep hole to insert a post in the tooth’s sub structure. After several different molds and about 40 minutes worth of work, he inserted a temporary post and then made a temporary to hold me over until he can get my original one back with the new porcelain post attached. The temporary crown is certainly not a thing of perfection but it does look OK and provides the proper utility one would expect. I was out of there by 1130am. After a brief stop at home to get my badge, I was on my way back to the office. While at home, I gave a moments thought to switching vehicles and driving the BM’er the rest of the day, but I didn’t. Once back at work I went straight to the gym and dressed for my run. I was superbly beautiful, and in turn was a great run. I was back to my office by 100pm ready for anything the afternoon could throw my way. Things were fairly slow for a Monday afternoon but it was a holiday which always reduces the workload a little. But come 300pm, things got a little hairy up till 500pm. I managed through it and managed to button everything up and get out of the office by 510PM. This was a Mindy Monday so I gave her a call to see where she was and if she was on her way. Turns out she was just leaving her house but stopping briefly at Swan Cleaner. Because she’s my princess, she offered to pick-up my dry cleaning I’d dropped there the week prior. Cool - saves me a trip. Once home I immediately attacked my routine tasks. I always figure I am a happier man once all those things are put to rest. While walking Ykraps, Mindy came strolling along walking her invisible dog. We finished the walk together. Of course Ykraps didn’t take too kindly to sharing his walk with another dog, invisible or not. Once back, Mindy expressed her hunger. I had already given thought to what we might have. I didn’t’ feel like going out tonight. Instead, I whipped up skinless, boneless chicken breast sautéed with red, green, and gold peppers along with onions, cream of chicken over rice, and a salad (Mindy made the salad). It was very yummy! After dinner we got in the hot tub. Mindy was especially stiff from the skiing the day before. It felt great! After that we sat in the family room and played a game of euchre’. Whether it was the fear of losing or plain simply tiredness, Mindy asked that we deem it a draw and stop before either of us reached ten points. I suppose she figured hell’d freeze over before she got to ten! A tie it was. She left around 9pm. I spent the next 1.5 hours updating my blog and downloading pictures from our ski trip. Before going to bed I practiced a little guitar. I thought about reading some but decided to get some extra sleep instead.

Mindy "Franz Klammer" Manken Goes Skiing

I woke at 715am feeling like I could use a little more sleep, but I fought off the desire for more pillow time in order to get a good start on our proposed ski trip. The slopes we learned opened at 9am, and our personal plan was to be there around 10am. After a few minutes snuggling, I jumped to my feet, pee’d, brushed my teeth, and headed downstairs to begin my exercise routine. Soon I was done and out the door with Ykraps. It was a beautiful clear morning albeit cold. The birds were singing like springtime. Back at home I made myself a cup of coffee. It was delicious! Before readying for my run I spent the next ten minutes downloading and viewing photos from the Wexner Center. They turned out OK. Again, we had a tight schedule so my usual leisurely pace was not going to work if we were to remain on task. I got up and got dressed for running quickly. I could hear Mindy singing in the shower all the while I was downloading photos. It seems she thought that I was already running. Nope! I heard the whole song. Before hitting the door Mindy and I agreed on what we’d have for breakfast, knowing that a full belly would be important. I hit the road at 810am. My run was a good one. I was back by 845am and our bacon and scrambled eggs were ready to be devoured. I really appreciate coming home from a run and having a hot breakfast waiting – who wouldn’t? Before getting a shower, I threw together a care packages for the slopes (candy bars and nuts). By 940am we were out the door on our way to Mad River Mountain. It was reported to be only a 45 minute drive from Columbus. As it turned out, it wasn’t much more. Nice drive too. Thanks Honda! Rt 33 North used to be a single lane each way through no man’s land. Thanks to Honda we now have a pristine four lane highway cutting a path northwest through Ohio with beautiful vistas and speedy access to venues such as Mad River. We unloaded and readied into our ski gear right there at the car. Good signage lead us right to the ticket window. After purchasing our lift tickets and rental pass we were all set to grab our gear. Turns out, that was easy too. It’s self serve for the boots after showing your pass. We next grabbed our skis and poles. By 1050, we were ready to hit it. Mindy would be doing the prearranged lesson. Unfortunately, they had just began one at 1030 and the next wasn’t until 1230. We had essentially 1.5 hours to kill. I asked the instructor if she could simply join in. He said no but gave me some things to work with her on. I did. I really hated to be the one giving her direction worrying that I might taint or worse yet, help develop some bad habit right out of the shoot, which is the whole reason for a professional lesson in the first place. Bob called while we were playing around (we were planning on meeting up) but I let it ring through for not wanting to detour the learning. I began teaching Mindy the finer art of pegging, ski skating, and stopping. She did pretty damn good too. We had a couple tense moments when she hit her first slight incline and could go nowhere despite all her effort to peg forward. Looking back it was quite comical. Being a definite intermediate skier myself, I must say that the tow bar and conveyer belt system they have for beginners is not easy to learn on. Hell, I almost fell on both. The conveyer belt’s cool but requires serious pegging to get up a very small hill to mount the belt, and then much like an escalator at the mall, it’s a herky jerky thrust as soon as your skis grab hold. All in all, I taught her to stop and get up after falling. All good stuff for what the bigger hills are sure to deliver as she progresses. Come 1140 we went for something to drink before her lesson was to begin. There we met up with Bob for a brief moment while getting in our gear. Mindy went on down to her lesson. I went on to the lift to do some real skiing. I found Bob immediately. And while he was there with other friends, it worked out well because each of his buddies had their young sons with them. Bob and I went on for about 1.5 hours as ski buddies. I busted my ass on the first run. Not to make excuses, 'cause I was definitely a slacker, but the top 3 or 4 inches was loose, icy man made snow and my skis got caught up in it on a cut that I wasn’t mentally ready for. I fell moderately hard but was OK. I didn’t fall again until much later. The hills are OK. And as reported, better that Clear Fork and Snow Trails. But still, there disappointingly short. As much time on the lift as skiing, which is always the knock on Ohio skiing. Plenty of fun to be had though. Come 200PM I skied over to the beginner area to find Mindy. She was just wrapping up. She reported doing as good as anyone in her class and certainly better than most. She attributed that at least in part to the private lessons I gave her prior to the group lesson. Before resuming our quest for the hills we grabbed something to drink in the lodge. I had a Sam Adams, Mindy had ice water. While relaxing, we took notice that Indy was losing rather handily to the Steelers. Too bad! At this point I wasn’t sure where Mindy’s head was at. I wasn’t sure if she was brave enough to try the “real hills” After all, it’s a huge step going from the meager bunny slope to the mountain. She hadn’t even ridden a lift before. But she was game and ready. We decided to do the triple chair for a number of reasons. Most notably because I felt it provided the easiest access to the green slopes. She did good getting in line, moving forward, and mounting the chair. All seemingly easy tasks unless you’ve never done it before. The dismounts are not the best and Mindy paid the price I think each time. But regroup and upright she did quickly. She was about to embark on her very first hill. She was doing extremely well. I was impressed and all smiles! She fell twice, I think, on her first run. But still, not bad. She still needs to learn how to turn. We repeated that hill three times, however taking a slightly different route each run. She said one more, so I asked if she wanted to try the quad and the blue hill. She was game. I prodded her to ski to the edge of the hill and to follow my lead traversing the hill rather than down hilling it. Secretly, I thought that there was no way she’d commit herself to the seemingly daunting task, but she did. Sure, she fell a few times but kept getting back up. Before she knew it, she was home free – free at last, free at last! We threw in the towel at approximately 430PM. The turn-in is an easy process too. We were in our car heading home by 445PM. Our destination was Mindy’s mother’s for Sunday dinner, and we were both extremely hungry. We arrived shortly after 530PM. Happily, she was having lasagna, one of my favorites! All of Mindy’s siblings were there with their significant other’s along with Mindy’s children who had been there since their father dropped them off around 130PM. We enjoyed our dinner and visit with the family. Always exciting news and stories when you have twelve people gathered around the dinner table. Soon it was 700pm and time to head out. We buckled the children into the Trooper and headed to my home where Mindy’s vehicle was parked. A little reorganization of our gear and we were both on our way. Mindy and kids home, me walking Ykraps. He needed to go badly! After addressing Ykraps needs, I too headed to Mindy’s. her kids really wanted to spend some time with me and me with them. I ended up falling asleep there waking around 1230am and heading home. I was tired but still felt really good. It was a great day and a wonderful weekend!

Art, Shoes, and Dresses

I woke shortly after 8AM feeling rested and like I had gotten a good night’s sleep. After all, I was pretty good the night prior having drank only three beers, eaten plenty of food, and was in bed well before midnight. Combined, that makes for a happy Saturday awakening! The weather today was slated to be chillier than the last four or five. In fact, there was even a chance that we’d get some snow, albeit just an inch. Looking further ahead, the temps are expected to be well above 40 after Sunday into the foreseeable future. We’ve got to be flirting with a record warmth January. I’ll check on that and get back to you! I made a pot of Vanilla coffee which I hadn’t had since pre-Xmas break. While it brewed I knocked out an exercise routine, a full set of dumb bells, and took Ykraps on his morning walk. I had a number of small tasks I hoped to complete today before and perhaps even after Mindy arrived for our weekend together. She was planning on being here between 1030-11am. Most notably, I wanted to get my interior and exterior Xmas wreaths taken down. I played and drank coffee up until 10am when I decided to hit the road for my Saturday morning run. It was brisk but not too chilly. It was right at 32 degrees. However, there was a cold ass wind out of the Northwest that made it feel colder in that direction. Yesterday’s high temperature was 62 degrees. We had more sunshine than originally expected which drove the temps up higher too. After my run I went right to work on the tasks I needed to complete to feel accomplished for the weekend. I took down the wreaths, drug the Xmas tree back to the yard debris pile, and watered all of my house plants. Mindy arrived sometime around 1130am. I was just finishing up some other minor tasks. After laying around for a few, I took a shower in preparation for our afternoon out. We were headed to the Wexner Center to see Part Object Part Sculpture, an exhibition that looks to be cutting edge cool! We left for the Wexner around 1240pm and parked at 107pm. I have the parking pass to validate that. J This was my first visit to the Wexner Center and the first time I had ever seen the north & south oval in person. The exhibit was interesting, and like many, no photography permitted. Mindy was nervous about me having the camera, even more so because I put it in her purse. J There was an exhibit usher at every turn watching patrons closely. While I was confident that I could out smart them and get a few pics, the idea made Mindy nervous so I decided not to. I did, however, get several pics of the venue itself outside the main exhibit. If you get a chance, do see this show. It was wonderful! It was now somewhere between 230-300pm. We were both rabidly hungry. Up to that point, neither one of us had eaten anything all day, and that’s way out of character for both of us. We decided to stop at Barley’s for lunch. Their burgers might be the best in town for our money! As expected, there were few patrons. I knew that Diane would be workings she has been working Saturday afternoons for as long as I’ve been a routine customer. Last minute we opted for two Cuban’s in lieu of burgers. We combined that with Mindy’s own creation, cheesie fries, with a side of gates of hell wing sauce for dipping. There were only two other patrons at the bar where we decided to eat. What must have felt like a dream to Mindy, one of the two other patrons was an ex-beau of hers. His first name was Jim, too (just like me and just like her ex-hubby). Turns out, he knows my dad. He owns/runs a company that my father worked at for about five or so years. We hung at Barley’s for about an hour. Our next stop was Front Runner in Arlington where Mindy had been planning to shop for a new pair of athletic shoes. I like Front Runner. It’s staffed by many local marathon runners and they are very helpful in helping you determine the best type of shoe for your particular foot design. The draw back is that they don’t have the breadth of product or monster selection like a Finishline typically does, although it’s improved over the years. Once there, they were very crowded but quick to free up somebody to help Mindy. Apparently Mindy is a pronater, thus they recommended a shoe with lots of stability. I couldn’t help but observe they had fitted her with a shoe that was much to small. Her toes were smashing up against the wall of the shoe. I pointed it out the sales woman who agreed and increased the size. Sadly, this girl had lost my respect for not catching the most basic of foot characteristics, SIZE! After trying on several different shoes, Mindy did end up liking the shoe that the young woman had recommended. We didn’t buy, however, because I thought that we just might be able to get a cheaper price at Finishline. So, off we were to Tuttle Mall to shop and compare. At Tuttle, we moseyed around Macy’s looking at a few different things but buying nothing before finding our way to Finishline. Once we were there Mindy looked at some others but ultimately asked of the had the Asics she’d come to love at Front Runner. They didn’t have them. We left buying nothing but knowing where they were should she decide to get them. After leaving there we headed back to Macy’s where we looked at comforter sets and a number of things for me. I bought nothing. We then ventured to the woman’s department where Mindy shopped for a dress to wear to the Symphony next Saturday night. After trying on three, we found one that we both liked. Of course any guy should know that a woman can’t buy a new dress and not get shoes to match, so we spent the next half hour looking for a new pair of shoes. Unfortunately, the best match we found were not available in Mindy’s miniature size. We left Tuttle around 7PM exhausted from a day on our feet. We had one more stop to make before heading back to my house to get in the hot tub. We stopped at her home to let her dogs out and pick-up her ski gear for a day on the slopes tomorrow. Finally, at 840PM we back at my house and ready to kick back. After a drink we got in the hot tub and it felt absolutely grand! Afterwards we sat by the fire and played a game of euchre. What I’ll tell you is that her game is beginning to come around enough to where I’m almost considering her a formidable opponent. Around 11pm we headed to bed knowing that we’d need somewhat of an early start the following morning.