First Day Back to Work

I don’t know that I have felt this rested in some time. And that comes as quite a surprise given the fact that this is my first day back after vacation. More over, I did land until 6pm last evening so it’s not like a I had a day to recover either. More often than not I would be feeling under slept and slightly depressed for returning to work after several days of fun. This is nothing short of a minor miracle! I rose to my feet at 5:00am wide eyed and bushy tailed after waking several times after 4:00am. Forcing myself to sleep last evening before 9:00pm did a world of good. What’s funny, I had to pause for just a moment to get in-sync with my routine again even though I pretty much kept it in tact while visiting Glenn. Soon I was back in my groove pounding out sit-ups, push-ups, walking Ykraps, and meditating. Because of my extra early rise time I was able to move at a more leisurely pace than even normal. That felt extra good! I was ready for work about fifteen minutes early which provided me an opportunity to play guitar for a pretty good stretch prior to leaving. I had to remember to grab my laptop so I wouldn’t be PC-less once at the office. While talking with Mindy, she reported feeling a little rough. She had been battling the onset of a cold even at the outset of our journey. Having the general aches and pains associated with skiing didn’t help, let alone her big tumble. Once at work, it didn’t take long to get acclimated to the hustle and bustle that makes up the personality of our center. Soon I was back in the groove there too. And like most days, the morning went incredibly quick. Before I knew it, it was time for a run. The temperature hovered somewhere around 40 degrees under overcast skies. I dressed in two winter layers which served me well for warmth and comfort. The 5 mile run was no big deal. Back in the office the afternoon went even faster than the morning. I was very busy dealing with several issues at one time. That’s OK though. Given the option, I will choose overwhelmed every time. 5pm came around quickly. I made it out of the office at around 5:10pm. As soon as I made it to my vehicle I phoned Mindy to secure our evening plans. I told her that I could come directly from work and head home early or, go home first and complete all of my tasks then come over later. She thought coming over early would be better and so did I. That way the kids and I could hang out for a while. I was at Mindy’s by 5:30pm. The kids were just finishing their dinner, and both seemed happy to see me. Too, it appeared that Jacob liked the souvenirs Mindy got him at Multnomah Falls. He had on his new raccoon hat and was wearing his Indian costume along with winging a hatchet. He loves to role play. While I played with both kids, Mindy made me a salad, and then warmed herself some chicken and dumplings that her mother sent home. After dinner we played right up until bath time. And while Mindy bathed the children I was put to work replacing burnt out light bulbs in her garage. Three of the four were not working. Seems simple enough – right? Well, it would’ve been if the bulbs weren’t stuck in the socket. A turn either way confirmed that while the bulb itself turned, the metal socket didn’t. The first caused the breaker to trip as the glass globe broke away intact. A quick romp to the basement to reset the breaker and I was back at it. The next bulb netted similar results except this time the glass bulb blew up just after turning bright blue and pretty much right in my face. Woah! I informed Mindy of the unfortunate circumstances but she was not empathetic. Instead she insisted that I find a way to get them fixed or I’d be on her shit list for weeks to come. Kidding!! I told her if she had some needle nose pliers and flash light that I should be able to fix both of the ceiling fixtures. As it turned out, she didn’t have the needle nose but did have some metal snips that I thought might suffice. They did. I was able to bite into the stuck metal sockets and eventually pull both to freedom. Of course I had the power off as I proceeded. I couldn’t help but notice just how cheap and chincy the light sockets were that were installed by the builder. And given the price she paid for this house that was nothing short of ridiculous. Before I put new bulbs in a coated the threads with WD-40, a trick I learned from my dad. It worked swimmingly! Soon Mindy had light in her garage again. After earning my hero’s badge for the evening I insisted on a full body massage, but Mindy scoffed at the idea. Sorry – once again, kidding! Had I asked, despite her not feeling well, I am certain she would’ve. She is always very accommodating and loving. I helped her finish bedding the children, which never is as simple as you might think. There’s the before bed movie, story reading, tucking in, and last minute potty runs. All of this was done by 7:45pm and Mindy and I spent some time snuggling on the couch, but only until 8:00pm. I had to head home and deal with household matters. At home I walked Ykraps who was gracious enough to hold himself in check until I arrived. My next task was to wash my lunch containers, ready coffee, and run the dishwasher. I finished everything by 8:40pm and sat down in front of my PC to download the pictures from or recent trip. That took over an hour and pushed my bedtime to 10pm. After brushing my teeth I jumped in bed where I read for about 15 minutes before falling asleep.