Marching In Place

To think that a Friday morning could ever feel so anticlimactic had never even as much as crossed my mind. But missing half a work day Monday and then all of Tuesday probably lent itself to these icky feelings. After a quick round of exercise, Ykraps and I were out the door. The morning continued to exhibit very spring-like weather conditions – a carry over from the nicest day of the year. And despite a forecast of showers and cooling temps, the sun was beginning to shine giving rise to the thought of driving my BM’er. But in the end I didn’t because I thought it foolish to flirt with an 80% chance of rain showers. I was ready for work a little early leaving plenty of time to play guitar and tinker around the house prior to departure. I arrived to work in my ceremonial black tee-shirt and jeans to help usher in the weekend. All and all, the day wasn’t as hectic as it could’ve been and certainly not as crazy as some Friday’s, but still, it started a little dicey! As noon time approached, the rains moved in and often with the punch of a summer storm. There were occasions when the rain was blowing sideways. Good thing I didn’t scoff at the forecast and drive the BM’er. As you know, I don’t like to get her wet. I pushed my run out until about 1pm and as luck would have it, the rains subsided, at least for the initial mile or two. On my return loop it did pick back up and eventually enough to thoroughly drench me. But no worries. A little rain only serves to keep me cool and my attention diverted. Things began to calm through the afternoon. And by 4pm, the typical rush and deluge were non-existent except for a few stubborn stragglers. By now the thought of a weekend was feeling once again rather sweet. I had to scramble a little to firm weekend plans to spend time with my grand daughter, Kaileigh. Also, Mindy and I were planning to hit Barley’s tonight and as far as we knew, My daughter Ashley was going to watch Jacob and Bella. Even in spite of being on spring break, Mindy had a stressful day of her own. Most of it was brought about by squeezing too much into one day and the inevitable balancing act of trying to run multiple errands on a tight, tight time schedule. But most notably, Mindy was dropping her two obnoxious dogs at the Humane Society after a hair appointment. And to hear her describe it, a drive with these two dogs is never pretty! She garnered the assistance of a close friend who in turn had a stray of her own needing turned in. They made an event of it. While Mindy finished her doggie go-bye-bye duties, I headed over to Saturday’s to get a haircut myself. I hadn’t been sheared since pre- Portland – about 6 weeks. The wait was thirty minutes, so instead of waiting impatiently in the store, I drove over to Lowes. There, I picked up some lawn fertilizer and looked at a few other items of interest. Soon it had been 25 minutes so I headed back to Saturday’s where they were just about ready for me. My haircut is simple thus it only took ten minutes from beginning to end, and that included a shampoo. I was home by 6pm and happy to be there. Soon after arriving home Mindy called to confirm the deed had been done. She had finally washed her hands of the dogs that haunted her ability to show and ultimately sell her beautiful home. Unfortunately she also reported that my daughter Ashley had left her a VM indicating her inability to watch the kids tonight. We somewhat anticipated this so Mindy had a back-up plan. While talking with Mindy, Shelly, Kaileigh’s step-mother-to-be, returned my call where we firmed plans for me to pick her up tomorrow around 1pm. My plan was to sneak in some guitar, reading, and a nap before heading off to Barley’s, along with updating Thursday’s blog entry. All that I did before the clock struck 7:20pm. Mindy called back just then to let me know her agenda. She’d be meeting me at Barley’s somewhere close to 8:30pm I readied rather quickly and was at Barley’s by 8:10pm. To my chagrin, no Bob & Mary Ann, though. Courtney and Jeremy were the first two familiar faces I saw. I pulled up a stool right next to them. They were in good spirits and Courtney looked really good, especially after her recent medical ordeal. At the other end of the bar were Steve & Mark. My buddy Bill Gray showed up sometime around 8:30pm and just before Mindy. Mindy arrived around 8:45pm. I called Bob on his cell. I was quite sure that he said he’d be stopping down after finishing up dinner with the neighbors, but he never did show. We ordered some food. Bill had tuna. Mindy had a Cuban and cheesy fries. I had Gates of Hell wings. Over the course of the evening I had three beers – all IPA’s. Mindy and I stayed somewhat longer than usual. We got back to my house around 11:30pm. Mindy stayed at my house until almost 1:00am as best as I can recall. After she departed I took a couple of Advil and headed to bed.

This Place Smells Like a Zoo!

Do you think I put this hanging geranium in the right spot? The excitement was killing me. I couldn’t wait to jump out of bed and get going with my routine and ultimately to work. Ugh – what? No, that’s not true. I pulled myself from my bed a few minutes after 5:30am. I felt a little tired, but nothing too unusual. I had forgotten to make my coffee the night before so I spent the first two minutes downstairs doing that. Again, no big deal. The morning’s calisthenics went well and I was walking the streets with Ykraps by 5:55am. The weather was ideal and the sky crystal clear. All indications were that we would have an absolutely gorgeous spring day. The forecast called for plenty of sunshine and temps approaching 70 degrees. I did my usual thing; meditation, email, packed my lunch, made & ate my breakfast. I was in the shower by 7:05am. I spent an inordinate amount of time in the shower and grooming, which is a bit unusual, but it’s not everyday that I get to stand and stare at my good looks. :) Before leaving for work I took several sunrise pictures and even played some guitar to help foster a great day. Work, as expected, was out of control busy. Our monthly metrics are going to reveal perhaps our busiest month ever. I did mange to talk with Mindy a couple of times only briefly. She and her kids were going to take complete advantage of the fabulous weather and head to the Columbus Zoo. Out of nowhere, Mindy invited my daughter Lindsey and Lil' Rocky too. I knew that would make Lindsey happy. Come 12:40pm I left the confines of my office and took to the gym. I was more than excited about the run in front of me. We had ourselves an absolutely beautiful. day brewing outdoors. It was 66 degrees when I left the office and the sky was pretty much cloudless. This was my first run of the year in shorts and a thin long sleeve wicking tee. Upon my return to the office things hadn't settled down much at all. We were still really busy with no end in sight - a good problem to have. As 5:00pm approached, I readied for my departure. I called Mindy just before leaving and she indicated that they were all still at the zoo having a wonderful time. I was happy to learn that it turned out so nicely. The last time her and I were there was for the Zoo Wild Lights and that was a complete and total disaster! We likened that experience to jamming a stick in an eye. Things were much different today, though, Most notably, the weather. She picked an absolutely gorgeous day to venture out. I arrived home around 5:30pm and went through my normal evening home routine. I had a feeling that I might get a visitor and I did sometime around 6:15pm. Mindy showed up with her two kids and Burger King, but only for them. I forgave her! :) She wanted to visit after an exciting afternoon. The kids seemed happy to see me and wanted to play in my backyard after they ate their fast food. The weather was still very pleasant even as the sun set. I always remember the first day of spring when it seems all of the neighbors are seen out milling around their yards in unison. Today was that day. All the "bugs' were out! Mindy and the kids left sometime around 7:15-7:30pm and returned to my relaxing evening toiling at home. I finished the laundry I had started as well as a few other run of mill chores like watering the plants. After blogging for about an hour I practiced guitar for more than an hour, reviewing all sorts of not so popular chords. It was very rewarding. I think I talked to Mindy on the phone for about half an hour before going to bed, too. After we hung up I read for about fifteen minutes or long enough to get really sleepy. Good night slackers everywhere!

Too Many Monday's

I didn't look or feel too good when I got up this morning. I tell you what, some of the folks I work with are real stiffs! I was up just ahead of 5:30am like many days in the recent past. Today would much resemble a Monday. In fact, my second Monday of the week. Blah! I had that weekend hangover all over again. This is yet another reason why I do not like to stay home from work, ill or not. I feel so gloomy when I do. I get lazy and unmotivated, and that goes against everything I believe in. However, my emotions aside, the quality and quantity of rest garnered over the past two days did me a world of good. I knocked out my routine and was ready for the shower by 7:10am. When 7:30am rolled around I was sitting restfully on the arm of my reading chair strumming away at my guitar. I really needed the extra few minutes to get in the proper frame of mind for a return to the grind. If memory serves me, I spoke with Mindy for several minutes prior to arriving at work. She would be heading to the doctor today, and having my daughter Lindsey child sit while she'd be gone. Work started a little rough and I took a few ribbings for being off work the past 1.5 days. After all, I give everyone else shit for calling off. The activity got intense rather fast and before I knew it, I was knee deep in alligators. I often have to ask myself after being a out a few days if it's really like this everyday. The answer is almost assuredly yes. The scary thing is while on the merry-go-round. we often don't realize how stressful it gets until we're away for a while. Only then do we see the chaos. I spoke to Mindy a couple of times via email but the pace of work was so feverish I kept any personal business to an absolute minimum. I did learn mid-morning that not only would Lindsey be watching Mindy kids but my GD, Kaileigh would be going over too. She loves me and really seems to like Mindy. Subsequently, I called her daddy to make arrangements to pick Kaileigh up this weekend. I haven't had her over in about 6 weeks. I miss her. That raised my spirits! Off for my run some time around 1pm (late). The sky couldn't decide if it wanted to be cloudy or clear. It was about 55 degrees though, much warmer than its been, so I was more than thrilled. I was done and back at my office by 2:05pm. I had a couple of afternoon meetings to attend so I made quick work of my lunch. The afternoon flew by, but when don't they? Rarely! Come 5:10pm I was heading out the door. The evening was shaping up nicer than the entire day. The sky was clearing and allowing the evening sun to warm the air. Mindy and I arrived at my home at almost the exact same time. This, after all, was a Mindy Wednesday. The plan tonight was to load some wings into the oven then go for yet another run together. We followed through. This time we went almost 50% (best guess) further than we did on Sunday morning. I was proud of Mindy's determination. Hope fully she'll keep at it. When we returned we finished baking the wings and Mindy cut some celery stalks as an accompaniment. By the time the wings were ready to serve they ended up being some of the best ever - no kidding! We both thought so. Immediately after cleaning up our dinner dishes we prepped the hot tub and did some tubbing for about half an hour. The weather was simply ideal for such fun. The temperature was mild and the stars were shining brightly - no moon though. Today was the first full solar eclipse in several years. unfortunately, it wasn't visible from the US. You would have had to be in South America or Africa to enjoy its mystique. After tubbing we retreated to the family room floor for some pure relaxation until 9:29pm, when we tuned into American Idol just in time to see who got nixed. It was Lisa. Mindy guessed correctly. Good call! Off with the tele. After some further snuggling Mindy up and readied to leave. I blogged. secured the home, filled my water bowl, ugh - I mean glass, and went to bed.

Piss Aaron, They Always Caught Him Pissing in the Hall

Where the heart is ... I woke a tad bit ahead of 5:30am thinking that I’d be heading to work just as any other Tuesday. I still felt a little woozy but not nearly as bad as I felt mid-day Monday. And drudging through my morning exercise routine was tough to say the least. Much of the zip and zing normally found in my get-along was no where to be found. I expected that, though. I walked Ykraps, drank some coffee, and completed a good meditation. After meditating I decided that there was little reason to push myself right back to work when I wasn’t close to 100%. There’s was no question that I could’ve worked, but then again, when couldn’t I? I decided that an extra day of rest would be as good for my psyche as it would be for whatever the hell was ailing me. At 6:45AM I left my boss a VM and sent my peers an email letting them know that I wouldn't be in. Soon after, I readied for a run before the sun had fully risen. As I’ve indicate many times past, I can run when I’m ill. After all, it’s just 32 minutes. Worst case is I stop, drop, and puke. I completed the run without any problem. However, once I was back and cooled off, I could tell I was in a weaker than usual physical state. I immediately took a luxurious nap while curling up with my latest book, The Self-Aware Universe. In fact, I took about four or five of those throughout the day. I didn't want to return to work on Wednesday feeling under slept. On the other hand, if I went in feeling over slept, I would consider my day-off a success. I never did shake that nauseous feeling. It hung with me through the day but continued to fade. I talked with Mindy a number of times since she was home on spring break. Last Sunday we had made plans to have dinner together at her home tonight. I decided to keep the date. After laying around virtually all day long, I'd need a shower and an escape to get me back on track. I left for Mindy's around 3:45pm and had her pineapple OJ and lemon poppy-seed muffins in tow. Once at her place I took immediately to playing with the kids who showed signs of missing me. That always warms my heart! Jacob was still getting over his latest bout of strep and seemed to be doing one heck of a lot better than he was the day prior. Mindy stayed busy making dinner. We were having pork chops, green bean casserole, salad, and sauerkraut, or so I thought. For dessert Mindy had sliced a quart or two of strawberries. We sat down for dinner sometime around 5:15pm. Everything was fabulous, especially the sauerkraut. NOT! Mindy forgot to cook the kraut. In the end it was no big deal save for the craving. I ended up more than full on everything else. After dinner we played some duck, duck, goose Jimmy style. The kids don't care for it so much but I love it. When I'm 'it' I run and hide. They rarely can find me! The evening was quickly winding down and Mindy saw to it that the kids were bathed in ready for bed a bit earlier than usual. I think that they were both in bed by 7:30pm Once they were down we retired to the sofa just as we normally do. We tuned into the 'singing' round of American Idol which I had never seen before. We saw all ten of the contestants sing. Surprisingly, only two or three were any good at all. I was disappointed and expected so much more. After Idol, we stayed tuned to Fox and caught a favorite of ours, House. That two hours of television was more than I typically see in a month except for football season. I left Mindy's just after 10 and headed for home. I needed to be rested and ready come 5:30am. After a day and one half at home, I was feeling a bit lethargic. I've never been a good 'sick day' taker. As usual, once at home I grabbed some water and my book and went directly to bed, and did not pass go!

BAM - Streptococcal Bacteria - Dum Dum

I woke this Monday within five minutes of my self-prescribed rise time of 5:30am. I felt surprisingly well despite not falling sleep until well past 11:00pm. Of course that doesn't account for the two hour nap I took from 8:30-10:30pm on Mindy's sofa. Come to think of it, that's probably why I felt so good. Time to get going! I pushed away the meltdown of a Monday by zipping through my exercise routine in a matter of minutes. Before the clock had a chance to reach 6:00am I had already returned from walking Ykraps and was sucking down the day's first cup of coffee. By the time I finished meditating (6:20am) the sun had already risen foretelling the promise of a sunny spring day. A look ahead at the week's forecast revealed improvement each day culminating in a Thursday near 70 with plenty of sunshine. That lifted my spirits! I happily went about the rest of my morning making my lunch, then my breakfast. I was in the shower by 7:l0am and ready to go by 7:30 sharp wearing the same pieces of cloth I wore the evening prior, save for a fresh pair of boxers. After a few minutes of guitar, I was out the door. I talked with Mindy for the last mile or so of my trip to work. She was home on spring break, but seemingly getting little rest. She reported that Jacob woke ill and that she'd likely be taking him to the doctor instead of pre-school like she had originally planned. It sounded as though her 'first day' plans were already being bagged, but what's a mother to do? I opened my office door at 7:59am and immediately began routine #2 - my work place morning rituals. My life's a conglomeration of rituals. How about yours? I suppose that when we seek to simplify chaos we often do so by ritualizing. The reasons are good. It takes the guess work, hence the stress, out of having so many little things to do. With rituals we can do them while on auto-pilot, and most definitely without expending much brain power. They are habits. I often don't remember even driving to work - I just do it. Have you ever found yourself locked out of the network after fat fingering your password? And have tried to force yourself to remember your username and password? You can't. Only when you revert to 'start over fresh' mode does it pour out of your fingers almost automatically. That's because it's housed in a different sector of your mind, and so are our rituals. Where was I? The morning was beginning to take shape, but things really weren't that busy yet. I chatted with my peers, grabbed a cup of coffee, and began going through the weekends email (about 100 or so). Just before 10:00am I got a bit of dizzy spell and tried to shake it off. I rose to my feet thinking that might help but it didn't. Instead, I felt a little worse. I had a 10:00am meeting scheduled with my boss, but suddenly I didn't feel energetic enough to make it his way. I sent him a quick Instant message informing him how I felt ill and that I would be stepping outside to get some fresh air. I sincerely hoped that would be the trick to snap me out of this sudden funk. It didn't. I retuned to my office where I closed my door, plopped my feet up on the desk, and closed my eyes. After almost an hour I thought that I felt better so I got up and opened my door to join the conscious. As I stood the dizziness retuned along with a turning stomach. I did not feel good at all, and nothing sounded good short of my own bed. After a quick note to my boss and a nod to my lead engineer, I left for home wondering how in the world I was going to drive 7 miles without losing it along the way. I felt like shit! I called Mindy as I jumped in my car to let her know I was going home ill. I didn't even have the energy to talk. I felt so damn nauseous. Somehow I made it home nauseated and all. Once there, I made a beeline straight for my bed. I was feeling sick! Unfortunately, that sudden expense of energy only worsened the effect. I was certain that I was going to earl. In one heap I threw myself and a pillow to the floor only a few body crawls away from the toilet should I need to throw-up. There I laid and ultimately fell asleep for about an hour. Waking cold, I threw myself onto the bed but without any covers. I just didn't have the energy to cover-up. I woke again cold, but this time mustered the energy to cover myself with my comfortable bedding. There I slept like a rock until 2:15pm when I woke in huff worrying about the successful completion of my lunchtime run. I jumped to my feet to check my status. I felt OK- sorta. Without much thinking I dressed for a run and quickly hit the streets before I could talk myself out of it. There was absolutely NO way I was going to skip my run - No way! I didn't care if I threw up ten times. I was going to get my run in. The bright sunshine and mild temps were just about perfect for running. There was a cool breeze blowing stiffly from the east that did nothing but help keep me composed. Once the endorphins were flowing I felt pretty damn good. I also knew from experience that this apparent recovery would be short lived after returning and winding down. But at that moment, I didn't really care. What was important was that I kept my streak alive. You don't keep a nine year streak without running sick a few times - trust me! I was well pleased with myself when I finished but needed some nutrition. I chomped on some nuts, sliced turkey, and Muenster cheese - a bit heavy for my still sensitive tummy, but good. I saw too, that I had a message from Mindy, so I decided to return her call to let her know that I was indeed alive. She indicated that she was just pulling into my subdivision after being at the doctor's with Jacob. She had a prescription for me written by her brother. Jacob, as it turned out, has strep and good money said that I probably had it too. And come to think of it, I did have my hand in his mouth yesterday trying to yank that loose front tooth of his. Mindy pulled up and brought the script to my door while her children remained stowed in their car seats. I was just beginning to feel woozy again as the endorphin high was subsiding. I could see Jacob was not in the mood for fooling around. Mindy reported that he had just gotten a shot in the ass for her wanting a quicker response to the meds. I went to the car to see the kids. I offered candy to cheer Jacob up but nothing worked. He was sick - like me! Bella however wasn't. To the contrary! She seems to have one heck of an immune system. You see, in Guatemala ...! :) I offered her some suckers and she accepted. I gave her the rest of the bag to take home. Despite being sick, this was still a Mindy Monday so before she pulled away we firmed plans for her return sometime after 5pm. I went back inside where I took yet another rather lengthy nap. I woke sometime around 5:15pm and took Ykraps for his evening walk. I could see in his eyes that he didn't quite understand why I was home much of the afternoon but failed to take him out (dog logic!) Mindy arrived shortly after 5:30pm ready for some peace and quiet. I wasn't in the best of spirits but at the same time it was good to have her here with me. After some brief conversation we shared a bag of popcorn. I was hungry but didn't feel up to cooking. After the Orville Redenbacher, I coaxed her into napping with me upstairs. We laid in bed for over two hours watching cooking shows of one kind or another. All of them were good, but none better than Emeril Lagasse's show. He's got one heck of a good thing going. Very cult like. Sick or not, he demonstrated some incredibly tempting recipes. Mindy up and left around 9pm for wanting to get home to her own sick son, Jacob. After she left I had a bowl of cereal, did some reading, and went to bed - again!

Happy Anniversary!

It's an original Bella! Perhaps someday people will feverishly go after my vast collection of her youthful art. Mindy making the next day's coffee. A continuation of my experiementation of low light/no flash digital photography. It dawned on me sometime during the day that this was the date of my illfated marriage to Kelly. This would've been our 24th wedding anniversary. We married this date in 1982. It also marks the 28th anniversary of my move to Florida - Easter Sunday, 3/26/1978. I'll never forget that day. Despite my mom begging me not to go, and my girlfriend crying for me to stay, I left to fulfill a dream. Their love proved no match against my burning desire to live in Florida. Both experiences unquestionably changed me forever! By the time I woke Sunday morning the clock had already lapped the 8:00am mark, so I was in a bit of a hurry to get up and get going. Mindy, on the other hand, was determined to grab more sleep, which for me was just fine. She's rarely afforded the opportunity to sleep as late as she wants. She deserves such a break. What I do each morning I could probably do with my eyes closed, and certainly with little thought. I pee'd, brushed my teeth, and wandered down stairs where I would make coffee, exercise then walk Ykraps. Mindy had mentioned me waking her at 9am but I already knew as I headed downstairs that I'd likely not wake her. After finishing my stuff, having some coffee and journaling for a spell, I decided I should get going with my run. At about 9:20am I went upstairs to grab some socks as most of my other running gear was already downstairs in the dryer. Mindy asked why I didn't wake her at 9am, and I told her that I wanted her to sleep. She requested a kiss and some coffee in bed. I went about finalizing my running attire then made her the coffee and took it back up. I don't really like the idea of coffee upstairs because I don't want to risk spilling it on the bed or on the white carpet but she is a responsible adult.. The sun was shining brightly against a rather chilly morning (it was somewhere around 38 degrees). I ran with tunes and enjoyed the diversion. When I returned, Mindy was up and dressed in her running gear as promised. We had discussed her doing upwards of one mile upon my return. I found her an extra layer & a hat to help ward off the chilly northerly breeze. This would be Mindy's first run with me. I had no idea what to expect. We set out towards the east andI allowed Mindy to set the pace. We ran rather slowly as expected and probably went about 1/3 mile. I remember the first few times I ran and the way my muscles felt after. It's a bit overwhelming. We walked the last couple hundred yards home. Not bad for the first time out. The last thing I wanted to do was push her too hard. Upon our return I got busy making our breakfast. We had bacon, lemon poppy seed muffins, and scrambled eggs. They were delicious. We finished eating some where around 11:30 and by the time I was done cleaning up, it was darn near noon. Despite the lower than normal air temps, the sunshine was very warm because of its spring arc. We discussed what we should do and opted for some yard work. We spent the next 2 hours raking fallen weeping willow branches, trimming hedges along the pond, and gathering dead foliage from last years growing season. To cap our outdoor adventure we took a hike back through the natural preserve directly behind my lot and around the pond. Mindy hadn't seen it before. While at the pond's edge we came upon a snapping turtle who seemed to be enjoying the spring sunshine. We moved along as our goal was to make it over to the waterfall, which was at the southeastern edge of the pond. Getting there meant we had to navigate through the thick and budding brush. But it was much easier now than it will be once everything's in bloom. Once we arrived at the falls we happened upon a goose nesting right at its edge (stupid goose). I had half a mind to kick it in but the kinder, gentler me took over. It only began to hiss but never did. I think it realized I wasn't there to takeover its spot or harm its nest. We hiked back along the pond's edge only veering off to get back to my yard. It was almost 2pm and Mindy had to be getting ready for the baby shower she had planned to attend. While Mindy showered, I journaled. When she finished I helped her load the car then wished her well as she pulled away. I had thought about going tanning but decided against it. Instead I did a whole lot of nothing for the next 1.5 hours. At 4:15pm I took a shower and readied for dinner. I left the house for Mindy's mom's at 4:50pm. Dinner was scheduled a half hour late than usual because of that baby shower. I was the last to arrive at Gloria's and felt a little uncomfortable being that one, yet I was still on time. I got there right at 5:00pm. Soon after I arrived, Mindy's ex arrived with the kids. I hadn't met him before so this was a first. He seemed very nice and if nothing else very polite. I could sense (and is it any wonder) his nervousness. Probably not so much meeting me, but having all of Mindy's family's eyes peering onto him after what they've been through. I've been on that end of things. It's not fun! We sat down for dinner soon after Jim departed. Tonight's menu included sloppy joe's, macaroni salad, scalloped potatoes, and baked beans. For dessert we had brownies, nut bread, and peach Jell-O. Mindy's mother makes her Jell-O with Sprite. Everything was incredibly good! After visiting for a while Mindy dressed her kids in their pajamas and not more than fifteen minutes later we were heading out the door. Bella asked to ride with me. Jacob, as usual, backed out and rode instead with his mother. Bella cried all the way home wanting her mommy. She was tired and had demonstrated this all evening. Once at Mindy's house she was fine since she realized that we won! The race home that is. She has a very competitive spirit even at age three. It didn't take long to get the kids ready for bed. They seemed a little more eager than usual. They were asleep by 8:15pm. Mindy and I sat on the sofa and cuddled. We both fell asleep for about the next two hours. I woke at 10:30pm and left for home. Once home I secured the house, grabbed some water and my book, and went to bed. I fell asleep somewhere near 11:30pm

Hello ... Has Anyone Seen My Spring Warmth?

Mindy relaxing in jammies after arriving at my home. Not many pics at CBC as Mindy's battery was dying. Friday night turned into Saturday morning rather abruptly. I slept for well over 9 hours and darn near 10. I noticed a hint of snow about the lawn at a glance but proceeded with my morning routine and gave no further attention to weather. After my sit-ups, push-ups, and curls I took Ykraps on our Saturday morning casual stroll. By now there was little if any snow remaining on the ground, and it appeared in the western sky that blue skies were coming, but in a fleeting moment they were gone, overtaken by low fast moving clouds out of the east. All of this happened in less than two or three minutes. By the time Ykraps and I were back at home, there was in affect, no snow remaining. After pouring some coffee I sat down to read/write email. Mindy had already sent me one. She went on about how beautiful the snow was covering everything in a fluffy blanket. A check of the time sent revealed that it was only 20 minutes prior. Conditions like at her home were not to be found here. She lives about 5 miles west another 2 miles north. Strange how such a distance can make such a difference. I coffee'd, emailed, then talked on the phone until about 10:15am. At that point I had to begin getting ready for my run. Mindy had planned to be at my house around 12 noon as this was her 'kid-less' weekend. Before running I put away two loads of laundry ~ whites and colors. I ran the dishwasher as I hit the door for my Saturday run. The run went well as I took my usual 4 mile route through the subdivision. It went surprisingly fast too. In fact, it was on of those runs where I escape into myself so much that I loose track of where I am at, only to snap out of it and realize I've got 2 miles, then three behind me already. I love it when that happens. There have been a couple of occasions over the years when I have literally snapped out of it just as I am coming down the home stretch. That's awesome! My daughters: For the better part of the last eight years, my daughters success, or lack of it, has weighed heavily on my mind. I tossed this around while running today. For whatever reason; poor parenting, bad genes, or simply chance, all three of my girls seem to lack a core sense of direction, self-esteem, and drive. This not only eats at me, it drives me frickin' crazy! And of late, I've been wallowing in self pity over it. It just dawned on me that given my understanding of the universe - its abundant nature, giving way, and overall responsiveness- that perhaps I am somehow generating this ongoing crisis. Perhaps what is needed is a new, different outlook or approach. My outlook, especially of late, has been more like asking why my kids aren't more like a maintenance free - high mileage shiny new car. When maybe I need to think of them more like a 16 year old boy thinks of his first old car given to him by his father. He sees nothing but upside potential and works on it day in and day out molding it into his dream car. Other, older kids/adults may look at it and frown, but the fact remains, the kid is proud of what he's made of his old beater. The moral to the story, of course, isn't so much to compare my children to broken down cars but instead to look at the upside and work with what I've got. It's easy to complain and whine, and while still another to work hard wiht what you have. God knows I've always liked a challenge and boy (or should I say girl) do I have three! When I returned, I continued blogging and put the finishing touches on my weekend chores. Mindy called to let me know her plans had been stalled due to her ex's lackadaisical follow through. No worries, I would just go about my errands and hook up with her later. Around noon I hit the shower and finalized my grocery list. I had thought about heading to the Lenox Staples but decided that I could get everything I needed at Wal-Mart and save myself a trip in the meantime. Once at Wal-Mart, and before gathering groceries, I found some new candles, a new color printer cartridge, a vase for my upstairs hallway alcove, some CD-R's and multi-colored jewel cases, as well as some new head phones for my MP-3 player. I need to revert back to the over the head style as the ear buds tend to fallout while I am running unless I have on my winter headband and with the temperatures moderating it renders the headband unrealistic. I spent about 1.5 hours at Wal-Mart, groceries included. I was departing the grips of Wal-Mart at about 2pm. I hadn't eaten all day so I broke with tradition and strayed over to Burger King for a double bacon cheeseburger combo. I hadn't had one of those in eons. It was yummy!!!! I was home by 2:20pm putting my bi-weekly haul in its proper places. Some time around 3pm Mindy finally arrived to share the rest of the weekend with me. By now I was feeling a little tired and like I needed a nap, which is pretty muhc par for the course. I often take a nap on Saturday afternoons. The only problem was that while my body was tired my mind was not. I had a sugar buzz, not only from the high-carb burger and fries, but also from the high octane orange soda that I washed it down with. I'm not used to that. We laid together in bed for the better part of 2 hours, but never fully fell asleep. Back downstairs I finished updating Friday's blog and even added some pics. At 6:15pm it was time to hit the shower in preparation for our night out. We had a 7:30pm dinner reservation at Cameron Mitchell's, Columbus Brewing Company where we'd be meeting up with Mindy's friends, Dave and Amy. Before showering again, I took Ykraps on his evening walk. To gain a little efficiency, I walked him in my backyard, which he seems to likes every now and then. We were ready to go sometime around 6:55pm, and left the house at around 7:00pm. We arrived at CBC a little early and after giving the girl at the desk our names we found a couple of comfy stools at the corner of the bar. I ordered a Columbus Pale Ale and Mindy ordered a Cabernet, I think. By 7:35pm our table was ready so we gathered our drinks and things and moved along. Mindy's friends were not yet there. Finally, around 7:45pm they arrived and Mindy flagged them down all the while talking to her children on her cell phone. I hadn't met them before but had heard a great deal about them. Dave is an attorney and has a private practice of his own. His wife, Amy, does some marketing part-time (can't remember for whom). They were both very nice, yet very different from most of my friends. We had a really nice time talking through dinner about all sorts of stuff. Most of the stories centered around their children as well as Mindy's, as one might expect. They have two young ones too. After a great meal, a couple of Columbus Pale Ales, and some interesting dialogue we left for home. It was 9:45pm. Before heading to my house we took a planned detour by Mindy's to let her dogs out. While Mindy let them out and tended to a couple of minor household tasks, I had another beer - fittingly, a Columbus Pale Ale. We left her home around 10:30pm and were at mine by 10:40pm. Mindy asked for a fire and I obliged. By the time it was roaring it was time for Mad TV. We tuned in. Of late it's been funnier than Saturday Night Live. Mindy fell asleep not long after we joined in, and I wasn't far behind. We woke around 1am and headed upstairs for bed.

Hooked On A Feeling

I woke feeling about as rested as one could possibly hope for, and that was after not falling asleep in my own bed until almost 11pm. That nap on Mindy's sofa must have done some real good. I was up with an active mind around 5:30am. It was Friday so my approach to everything was in good spirits. It's no wonder, though, I was born on a Firkin Friday, so that explains a lot. Those children born on a Friday are said to be both loving and giving. Yeah, that'd be me! Monday's child is fair of face Tuesday's child is full of grace Wednesday's child is full of woe Thursday's child has far to go Friday's child is loving and giving Saturday's child works for its living And a child that's born on the Sabbath day Is fair and wise and good and gay. author unknown After drudging through my morning calisthenics I hit the streets with Ykraps in tow. I took care not to rush the dog this particular day, something I admittedly do too often. He appreciates those days when I don't and I leave the pace up to him. The trouble with it is, being an exhibitionist, he often likes to venture as far as the retractable leash allows (16') and into anyone's yard that happens to be outside or peering out a window. He thinks little of leaving a pile of dung for their viewing pleasure. You have to wonder what he might possibly be thinking. Could he, in fact, be thinking that they're taking pleasure in seeing his trophy? One will never no for sure. Anyway he seems to like Friday's too, and it shows. Back home we unleashed and made a dash for the coffee pot. I won! The coffee was heavenly. After some meditation and email I got busy wit the lunch and breakfast routine. Today being Friday was a tuna fish day. And, no, I wasn't celebrating 'lent'. If I were I would've decorated a tree with all the dryer lint I accumulated over the years which I never throw out because as I see it, I paid for it. never would I deny myself meat if I so craved it. By my measure, Friday is the best day to go out and order a steak because they must have plenty of good cuts left in fridge, thanks to the Lent'ers. Moving on, I was in the shower by 7:10am. And because it was a Friday, I spent very little time grooming. I wore my old stale blue jeans and my old UUNET tie-die t-shirt. Even though this was a Firkin Friday, I figured once again that I'd very likely pass on Barley's later tonight. I just feel too tired and enjoy the peaceful quiet time alone at home. Like often, I forced myself to take just a minute or two to play some guitar before leaving for work. It was beneficial and fun. I didn't speak to Mindy this morning because this being the first unofficial day of spring break, she was sleeping in a little and wouldn't be leaving for school until I would already be fast at work. Incidentally, I know that I said that Mindy had a late day yesterday but I was mistaken - it was today!!!! Work started eerily slow, especially for a Friday. In due time, though, things picked up like expected. We were cookin'! But in spite of the deluge, we managed to stay on top of things for the better part of the day. I left for my run around 1:00pm. The escape was timely, although the weather was less than desirable given the time of year. It was cloudy, cool, and breezy. Like usual, I got my 5 miles in with little fanfare. My disposition was much improved after the workout. I returned to my desk with visions of a restful weekend dancing in my head. The remainder of the after, while busy, never got too out of hand like the last couple of Friday's. Soon it was time to leave work and its issues behind for 63+ hours. I called Mindy as I pulled away from the building. My first stop was NAPA on route 16, just west of Sawmill to pick-up that illusive spark plug for my weed eater (NGK-CMR7A). They had em' and they were $3.79 a piece. I bought two because they were so frickin' hard to find! :) Even though I had ventured far off my usual trek home, I still made it there before 6:00pm. It was 5:59pm. Ykraps and I made the most of our walk around the neighborhood and even the sun seemed to play a part in the doming of weekend by revealing itself just before it began its slow descent in the western sky. Upon our return home I slowly began my normal weekend chores of laundry and vacuuming. I was simply excited to be alone with myself in a peaceful home with out a deadline of any sort. I do miss my friends at Barley's but I know when I need my space and that time is now! As I finished my chores I cracked a beer and threw in my Elegant Universe DVD that I hadn't finished viewing. I eat that stuff up. The majority of this two DVD set is about the mysterious String Theory that many physicists believe ties general physics( Newton & Einstein's stuff) together with quantum physics, which till now have existed in disparate camps. Cool stuff! As the evening wound down I had another beer, drinking only two across the entire evening. Come 10:30pm and after a quick call to Mindy, I went to bed as I was overwhelmed with sleepiness.

Just Another Day

Thursday, the fifth day of the week, and for many, the last productive day of their work week. To still my bosses heart, I'm the exception. :) He's not a reader though so there's no reason for me to be sucking up! I was up at 5:30am today, as usual. The morning sky was chilly yet clear, and again the tell tale signs of spring were in abundance. I followed through with my morning routine and then readied for work as one might expect.. There was nothing unusual about this day. I was ready for work by 7:30am sharp, so I spent a few extra minutes strumming my guitar. I arrived at work on time and got 'wright' to it. There was no cell phone dialogue with Mindy this morning for it being a planned 'late day'. As I understood it, this was the last day of classes for her students before spring break and it sounded as though she'd have an easy day in kind. My day was not easy and the recent fast paced only continued, but that's what I expected too, so it's not like I was overwhelmed. I just worked hard all day. I left for my run at my planned time, however. That hasn't been occurring of late. It was nice to be on schedule! It was sunny before I headed out for my run, but it clouded up as if on queue when I hit the door. The wind kicked up as well making what at first appeared to be a spring like afternoon into more of a late winter's day. What was really laughable was that the sky cleared as soon as I was done and back in my office. Did the weather Gods get the last laugh at my expense today? Hmmm? The afternoon was brisk and short. I left shortly after 5pm for having a strong desire to get home on time since this was a guitar lesson night. As usual, I didn't feel as though I had completed my assigned task which was to write a song or two. The two weeks just seems to fly by before I know it. At home I rushed through my chores and was completely done by 5:40pm leaving a plenty of warm-up time before Josh's expected arrival. A quick check of VM revealed a message that he'd be 5-10 minutes late due to an accident on I-70 west. I used the time constructively. When Josh finally arrived we got right to it. And while I hadn't written my song on paper, I had practiced the chords in the key of 'G' and had an extended set of riffs which I demonstrated to his satisfaction. In his eyes he was proud of my accomplishment. I must admit, however, I felt a little like a small child receiving praise from his school teacher for getting all of my spelling words correct! The lesson wrapped up shortly after 7pm. I continued playing though for about ten minutes. Not long after I readied for Mindy's. She was busy entertaining my daughter Lindsey and son, Rocky. She had ordered Joseppi's pizzas too. For whatever reason, that sounded awfully good. I hoped there was some left for me! I arrived earlier than expected, around 7:40pm. The children were playing hard and loudly as evidence by their sweaty exteriors. After greeting everyone, I found my way to the leftover pizza, which Mindy had lovingly stowed in the warming drawer. After about 45 minutes Lindsey wanted to head home. Because Lindsey still is without a car, Mindy offered to take them home if I'd stay and get Jacoby and Bella in their jammies. I agreed. In Mindy's absence the kids were fairly well behaved and only Bella took advantage of me by being a slippery escape artist as I tried to get her jammies on. But in reality it was only trying because I was so tired. My only goal was to have them ready for bed and settled before Mindy returned. I was successful and upon Mindy's return she had only to tuck them in. As soon as she came upstairs I retired downstairs to the couch where I collapsed in exhaustion. I fell asleep for about an hour to find the house dark and Mindy in her bed. After rising I gave her a hug good bye and headed for home. She let me out so she could lock the door. As a parting gift, she gave me a bag of Orville Redenbacher popcorn she had popped earlier in the evening that the kids never ate. I ate it on my way home. I love popcorn. My thoughts on the drive home were of the day ahead. Tomorrow is Friday and the weekend practically upon us! That was reassuring. At home I grabbed my book and water and went directly to bed. After about two pages of reading I was where I wanted to be - asleep!

The Day After the First Full Day of Spring

I was up before the clock even got a chance to strike 5:30am. Nothing like a good night’s sleep! I felt very good and very rested. By witness of my window, I saw that we finally got a little of the snow the forecasters had predicted, although the accumulation was nothing more than about ½” – not the 4-6” anticipated. But no worries here. Give me sunshine and 80 - PLEASE! After completing my morning calisthenics I leashed up Ykraps and dressed for a walk in the frigid outdoors. I thought only for a moment about throwing on my snow boots (that I have yet to stow), but quite frankly the amount of snow was nothing more than a slippery inconvenience and hardly warranting boots. But it was cold. It was only 19 degrees out the door! I rushed Ykraps along a little because I wanted to escape the cold and hurry back for some coffee. Successfully back, I poured a cup of coffee that went down fast. After coffee I sat down to meditate. I really needed a good one today - lots of things still eating at me. Ten minutes later I was up preparing my food for work. I decided to forego my usual salad and by doing so cut about 8 minutes off my food prep time. Despite not having a salad, I would still have plenty to eat - nuts, turkey, cheese, lettuce, as well as my fruit combo. I made my breakfast too -scrambled eggs, strawberries, pineapple, and cantaloupe. I ate this while surfing the net learning the latest with the Minnesota Vikings free-agency singings. I hit the shower shortly after 7am and was ready by 7:25am leaving plenty of time to toil with my guitar. I left the house at 7:37am. I arrived to work at 7:55am. We had a staff meeting at 9am that came around in the blink of an eye given the amount of activity when I hit the door. I couldn’t loose sight of the fact that I had a 11:20am dental appointment that required me to leave no later than 11:10am. I had to make last minute arrangements with my peer to cover a regularly scheduled customer meeting in my stead. I left the office at 11:04am. I made it to Dr March’s practice with a minute to spare - enough time to pee before hand. They whisked me off as soon as I hit the door. Faith was my hygienist, and she was very warm, gentle, and friendly. Just a cleaning today with no x-rays. They wanted to shoot some but I refused. I felt as though they could see right through me! For good measure I had them polish the back edge of a couple of my veneers that feel a tad sharp by witness of my curious tongue. It always goes there. They did it and it seemed to do the trick. Next appointment set up for September 22nd. That left a slightly empty feeling. I felt as though I missed my summer! On my way back to work I made two quick stops. First, I stopped right next door at my bank to cash a $20 rebate check I had left sitting around for over a month. It's from a purchase I made in Portland last November. My next stop was Strader’s in an attempt to replace that illusive spark plug for my Toro trimmer. Even though they were certain they could, they couldn’t. Once again, they were stumped. He looked through every manual he had. He did finally call NAPA for me and they do have it! I would have to stop there another time. I needed to get back to work. Back at work, I barely walked in my office and the things got busy in a hurry! I had really wanted to run but had a couple of issues to resolve. Consequently, I didn’t escape for my run until after 2pm. But today’s run was a good one, and it was about 5 degrees warmer than the day before. It was 33 degrees and sunny. I retuned to my office once again around 3pm to a very busy center. I worked steadily right up until 5:20pm. This was a Mindy Wednesday, so I called her as I was leaving for home. As it turned out, she would be at my home several minutes before me, so she offered to start our dinner - chicken wings. That sounded good! I arrived home no later than about 6pm. As planned, Mindy was preparing the chicken wings and cleaning up some of my morning mess – bless her heart. Almost in one motion, I threw my sweat soaked running clothes in the dryer as I entered through the garage (this is part of my ritual). After a quick hug and kiss I leashed up Ykraps and headed out or our evening walk. Our walk went quick as he tended to his business with little fooling around. Back at home I went about finishing some of my chores while at the same time chatting wiht Mindy. We discussed some matters relative to Ashley; the possibility of baby sitting Friday night and her spring quarter. I let all of this impact my mood for the better part of the evening. Kids!! While I played with some recent photos, Mindy jumped in her car and headed off to look at that duplex I had spotted the evening prior in The Glen. She was gone no longer than about 30 minutes. It’s only eight minutes away she reported. Upon her return I got the distinct impression that she’d have signed a lease today if her house would sell. All things in their due time. The wings were ready when she returned so we sat down and enjoyed some of my best ever. They were a tad crispier for Mindy erring on the hot side of 425 degrees. I noted that for the next time. After dinner we built a fire and laid in its midst for the next hour. At 9pm we turned on the tele and watched the American Idol elimination round. My little dude got the axe. I felt bad for him. He’s only 16 and will certainly move forward beyond this, I mean he was in the top eleven! We turned the television off after the show. I can’t remember the last time I watched anything on that television. Mindy left right around 10pm. Immediately following her exit I retired to my guitar for a short practice session, secured my house, grabbed my book and water, and then went to bed. I fell asleep at about 10:30pm.

First Full Day of Spring &Taxes

I find it ironic, especially given our extremely mild winter, that Tuesday being the first full day of spring wasn’t expected to look like spring at all. Instead of a hint of warmth, budding spring flowers, birds singing, and greening grass, we had a significant snow storm in the forecast. The weather experts had originally said it would hit during the wee hours of the morning but at 5:30am (my rise time) it hadn’t. Mindy’s hope for a snow day had been dashed. I went about my morning with a smug, I told you so attitude. I really didn’t think it would hit, my prediction was that it would move south of us. I completed my morning routine like any other work day. I was ready for work a little early and had plenty of time to play before laving the house. And incidentally, the weather forecasters weren’t throwing in the towel with their prediction just yet. They still insisted that we would be during the day with 4- 6 inches by 7pm. OK! Work began just like most days the past couple of weeks. We were flipping busy! Sometime mid-morning I received an email from my princess advising how beautiful the snow was and how she wanted to go out and play in it (???). A look out the fifth floor window revealed nothing but a few flurries flying around and certainly no accumulation. Perhaps my prediction was coming to pass. Had I manifested this? Hmmm? Come 12:40pm I took to the gym for my run. The weather was still not an issue, but it was a little cold and windy. It was only in the upper 20’s. My afternoon went about like the morning. It was busy. I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record – sorry! Mindy and I talked mid afternoon and confirmed that we’d both stay home addressing various tasks. My plan was to finish my taxes. I didn’t end up leaving the office until after 6pm and didn’t get home until 6:30pm. I took a minor detour on the way to satisfy my curiosity with a new building going up in Mill Run that is replacing the old Chili’s. To my dismay, it’s a CVS. I consider that a blight to the area even though they are typically very attractive buildings. I just think we have enough of these in our neighborhoods already. Rather than turn around, I decided to take the back way home through Mill Run, The Glen, and ultimately Old Dublin Rd. While passing through the Glen, I happened upon a nice looking duplex for rent that I thought Mindy might be interested in checking out. I gave her the info since we were already chatting on the phone. Finally at home, I wasted little time fooling round and immediately after walking Ykraps, prepping coffee, and washing my lunch containers, I sat down to my taxes. I finished up my taxes sometime just after 8pm. This is the first year I used Turbo Tax Online. I came to the conclusion that it’s far superior to H&R Block Online for the same cost. I liked it, and found it to be much more user friendly! Too, my fears of having to pay this year were laid to rest, thus giving rise to a positive state-of-mind for the remainder of the evening. I felt as though a 50lb rock had lifted off my shoulders. I spent the rest of the evening updating my blog, reading, and playing guitar. The evening went way too fast though, but that’s how it goes.

Ahhh... The First Day of Spring!

This is a fitting photo that optimizes what spring is all about - a time for growth anew. The picture is of "baby' Singleton, the 20 week old daughter of Carmen and Mike, who I've known for 5+ plus years. Until she explained, I assumed she was sporting a picture of a coming storm on radar- in fact, that's probably true! Ahh... the first day of spring! I rolled out of bed at 5:30am after a rather restful night's sleep. It wouldn't be officially spring until 1:26pm EST but I was ready to celebrate anyhow. Sure, it was only a paltry 27 degrees, but come 1:30pm I was certain that it would rise to somewhere close to 75 or 80. After all, it's spring! For the occasion I would wear green and blue ( i don't think so). By 6:15am I had already completed my round of exercises, a walk with Ykraps, some coffee, and meditation. I was ahead of schedule. I slowed considerably after that point, why I am not sure I just did. Still, I was ready for work by 7:25am and had my usual ten minutes to play, and today I would use it largely to play guitar. As soon as I hit the door to my office the activity was fast and furious. I can see now that it's just not gonna let up. I worked like a dog right up to my lunch run, which I managed to escape for by 12:30pm. The sky by now had become slightly over cast but still I could see the sun through the thin clouds. As I finished the final mile I turned towards the sun to take a peak of the equinox that was about to unfold. Fittingly, I noticed that the sun was almost directly overhead in the southern sky signifying an almost equal balance of daylight and darkness. Sadly, though, the temperature didn't soar and the great pumpkin never appeared. I was left gazing hopelessly for something that would never come. The fact that I was basking in the light of the equinox did send some shivers down my spine. The idea that I am in tune with the universe seemed so fitting. The afternoon brought nothing but more work related fun. We were slammed up until my time to go. I left the office somewhere near 5:10pm and headed not home but instead to Office Max with every intention of buying the materials necessary to organize my growing guitar knowledge base. I needed a binder and protective sheets to store all of my chord sheets, scales, and songs so that I could reference them easily. The stop was as success. I would now be a better guitar player for having organized my stuff. Once home I half expected Mindy to already be present but she wasn't. After all, it was a Mindy Monday. I was able to make quick of my chores and even escape for a walk with Ykraps. But by the time we returned Mindy was just pulling up. We exchanged hello's and Mindy finally gave me my 6 month anniversary card. It was nice even though it was late! We looked at the weekends pictures then returned to the kitchen where I made the two of us some chicken broth with cheddar cheese along with some chunks of cantaloupe. After our dinner we decided to hot tub and then build a roaring fire. The hot tub was better than splendid and the fire was everything we'd hoped for. We both really know how to relax when given the opportunity. We laid in front of the fire for darn near 1.5 hours. Mindy departed somewhere near 10pm. After she pulled away I did some blogging, had some popcorn, did some reading, and went to bed. I don't think I fell asleep, however, until well after 11pm.

Good Night Moon & Goodbye Winter (last full day)

Both pics above as well as yesterday's were an experimentation with no-flash photography Slowly, I am learning how to make adjustments to my camera's versatile settings. You see, the way it works at Mindy’s house is a little different than mine. At my house I get up when I want to get up. It’s as simple as that. At Mindy’s you get up when the kids press you into getting up. Your state of restfulness has nothing to do with it. Well at least the sunshine part of the equation was in order. We woke again Sunday morning to a gloriously bright sunrise. One would have been mistaken, however if they simply judged the book by its cover. A check of the air temperature revealed that winter was still firmly in charge. It was only 24 degrees. Mindy had already prepped the morning’s coffee and threw her tasty breakfast casserole in the oven while I attempted but failed to sneak a few extra winks. I jumped to my feet sometime around 7:30am, brushed my teeth, then headed downstairs for some coffee. I thought for a moment about pushing hard to get my run in before eating anything as usual but opted instead to wait. By the time I had snapped a few pics and had drank two cups of coffee the breakfast casserole was ready and I knew that Mindy would prefer to have a breakfast buddy over the age of five. I enjoyed but tempered my appetite all the while knowing I had yet to run. Before settling down to my plate I whipped out a set of sit-ups, push-ups and curls – all of which are very doable at Mindy’s or anywhere else for that matter, save for the availability of dumbbells. When done I sat at the table and enjoyed Mindy’s scrumptious casserole along with some fruit and orange juice. Before caving to a second helping I rose from the table to declare my readiness to run. I went to Mindy’s bedroom to dawn my running costume and perhaps to save the world from a meteorite said to be heading directly towards a major metropolitan area (kidding - that’s superman). Before hading out the door I had Mindy check the temperature, which was still below freezing – a balmy 28 degrees. But I was dressed for the cold and excited about running through the luxurious Heritage Lakes Golf Club. The homes, the lushness, the tranquility are all top notch! The run itself is a bit longer than my usual weekend route. It’s estimated to be some where around six miles judging solely by the amount of time it generally takes. Oh what a joyful run! The sites were just beautiful. There wasn’t a soul on the course leaving wide open vistas, still ponds, and nothing but nature in front of me. This is the life, I remember thinking. How I can arrange life so that I might spend the next fifty years living like this? One would have an entirely different outlook on life with a jaded view like this each day. I need to check the prices of homes in such a setting. Upon my return to Mindy’s home I found everyone busy doing something constructive. I found my way to more casserole and coffee. Mindy was busy building the internet, her and Al Gore. Oh! No. Sorry. She was surfing the internet, not building it. For the next hour we sat around like most families probably do on Sunday mornings. Jacob came in and asked me to wiggle his loose front tooth that we’re all dying to pull. I even coaxed him into allowing me to use pliers on it. I didn’t have the guts to yank it out. I remember what that felt like. You see, my dad pulled several of my baby teeth with pliers before they were even loose simply for getting an Algebra problem wrong when I was in kindergarten. Ahhh – that’s not true either! I was in 9th grade. No, that’s not true either. My baby teeth were gone by then. Honestly, we all remember the tentativeness we felt even when the tooth remained in place by the tinniest piece of flesh. We never did get it out and moved on to other things. By 11am I left for home. I had agreed to meet Mindy sometime around 1pm at her mother’s where I would pick her up and take her apartment hunting. After arriving at home I walked Ykraps, played some guitar, and read a little bit. I even stole a short nap. At a little after noon I flew upstairs to ready for our afternoon date. Long story short, I was at Mindy’s mom’s by 1:10pm. In route I called Ashley back who had attempted to reach me twice while I showered. She informed me that she had apparently failed one of her three winter quarter classes. Tisk, tisk, tisk. What’s a father to do? To say I struggle with this would be a serious understatement. What kills me is that she had no idea that her grade was even in jeopardy. Isn’t that almost like saying I had no idea I didn’t have any money in the bank? Hmmm? She claims she was carrying a ‘B’ into the final. College isn’t hard. Instead, it’s about preparation and setting oneself up to be successful. Success breads success. Blah, blah, blah. I think I’ll be sick! After exchanging some pleasantries with Mindy’s mother and the kids, Mindy and I were off on our way to Grove-tucky. Once in the car I unloaded my recent conversation with Ashley. I was hurt, sad, and mad all at the same time. I just don’t’ know what else I can do. We arrived at our planned destination in short order. I hadn’t been apartment shopping since my days in Florida & California (circa 1980 – ouch!). Mindy wants it all, of course - three rooms, basement, attached garage, eat-in kitchen, etc… The two floor plans we looked at were cute but somewhat less than she really wants/needs. Needs? Hmmm? What does someone really need? Nah- another time! We left there and moseyed over to Pinnacle, a new M/I homes sub-division surrounding a new elite golf course. The part we saw was not impressive. Before heading back we stopped at Wal-Mart and Home Depot for me. Mindy, though, bought more than me at each venue. Almost home and before exiting 270 at Georgesville Rd., I asked if we could make one more stop at Lowes to try to find the illusive spark plug my weed trimmer takes. Secretly I prayed that she wouldn’t want to come in so that she wouldn’t shop more, but she did. Once again, they couldn’t find my spark plug or its equivalent. I am miffed! How could this be? It’s a frikin’ 2003 Toro weed eater for God’s sake. Unbelievable! This time, however, the gentlemen at least tipped me off to a mower repair shop in Grovetucky that might carry the plug. We’ll see! We made it back to Mindy’s mothers by 3:40pm. We were gone a bit longer than we had intended to be. Even still, we were the only one’s there despite the promise of 15 for dinner, everyone included. It wasn’t long, however. Soon, all of Mindy’s family trickled in. Even one of Mindy’s handsome high school boy friend’s stopped by for a visit. His name was Steve. And honestly, while he was very pleasant and very nice, he didn’t seem quite her type given her highnesses elite social status. :) By 4:30pm everyone was present and the house was full. It was time for dinner. Tonight we were having one of my favorites, lasagna! To complement the lasagna, there was salad, garlic bread, and a few other miscellaneous sides. For dessert, Gloria made Flan cake and her famous Chocolate pie. I opted for the chocolate pie. As usual, the meal was very satisfying and no one left hungry. We gathered up the kids and headed out sometime around 7pm. Bella rode with me and Jacob with his mother. We headed back to Mindy's. Mindy had planned ahead and dressed her children in their pajamas while still at her mom's. That made bedtime that much easier tis night at home. They were both fast asleep by 8pm, right on cue! I hung out with Mindy alone for about an hour and left before 9:10pm. Once home I walked Ykraps, batoned down the hatches and headed to bed with book in tow. I was out no later than 10:15pm.

Has Anyone Seen My BM'er?

I wouldn’t have been surprised had I slept well beyond my usual weekend rise time but I initially woke up around 5am. I felt completely rested but also knew that I had no intentions of staying awake. So, I turned on the television thinking I could watch some educational programming on the Learning or Discovery Channel. It had been so long since I had watched any television from my bedroom that I have forgotten the line-up. But after a little surfing I found the Discovery Channel. At first I had the volume so low that I couldn’t tell what the program was about. After raising the volume I quickly realized that what I was watching was nothing more than trash television or as it’s often called, an infomercial. Not was this an infomercial, but I couldn’t believe how low they’ve stooped. This program was about the ‘red meat’ that’s clogging our lower bowels and this self-anointed doctor had developed a miracle pill you could take to cleanse your colon of this ‘poisonous toxins’. They actually had people calling in giving testimonials to how their small children had bowel movements bigger than theirs and how bloated they were, but after taking this doctor’s magic potion for 30 days, their own bowel movements were restored to normal. Perhaps what I found most alarming about this programming was that I was watching. I came to my senses, turned off the television, and forced myself back to sleep. I discovered something alright while watching the Discovery Channel. They all will bow to the mighty dollar regardless of content and without any regard to integrity. I have lost a little respect now for what was one of my favorite channels. I didn’t wake again until about 7:20am. By now I was completely rested and ready to rise and take on the new day. I felt good and was excited about the prospect of the apparent sunny day. I turned on the coffee then went through my ritualistic routine. After my exercises I leashed up Ykraps, dawned my winter jacket, and took to the streets of Scioto Woods. Even though it was quite cool the clear blue skies and singing birds were another indication that spring was practically upon us. That alone was a comforting feeling. Once back at home I poured that first cup of coffee with much anticipation. I would spend the next hour relaxing quietly and relishing the fact that it was the weekend. At 9:21am I rose from my rest, adorned my running attire, and took once gain to the streets of Scioto Woods. It felt really good to run with some of my favorite tunes. The run itself was almost effortless yet still very gratifying. After shedding my sweaty running clothes I checked my VM’s and saw that Mindy had called. I put some bacon on the stove and went about drafting my Friday journal entry. As my breakfast finished cooking I called Mindy to firm our afternoon plans and to see what else might be up on Echo Park. Mindy was fine and already well into her own weekend routine. She reported concern over the fact that her son Jacob had woke her once gain at 6:30am to begin his day. He goes to bed typically at 8pm and falls right asleep. I advised, whether she was seeking it or not, that it’s probably an indication that he no longer needs 12 hrs sleep. Besides, he really looks forward to days at home with his momma. Anyway, we firmed plans for me to be there no later than 1:15pm as discussed the day before. Mindy had a baby shower to attend and I would be watching the kids. After ending the call I finished my breakfast and toiled around the house for a short while then returned to my PC where finished and published Friday’s blog entry. By now it was approaching 11:15am. Realistically, I had little time to get involved in anything significant before needing to shower and dress for Mindy’s, especially given that I had a stop to make on the way. I spent the next half hour playing guitar, reading, and napping. It felt wonderful! At noon I took to the shower, dressed, and packed my bag as if I’d be gone until Sunday. I knew, however, that I’d need to return later to walk Ykraps. In tow I had my camera (of course), a bottle of wine, a bottle of champagne, my running clothes, pajamas, and book. I left the house at 12:40pm destined for Kroger and then Mindy’s. At Kroger I bought Mindy some roses and a card to commemorate our 6 month anniversary which was technically Friday – St Jimmy’s Day (hence the champagne). While there I couldn’t resist the temptation of fresh strawberries too. I arrived at Mindy’s only 1 minute later than planned. The kids were both happy to see me and Mindy seemed so too. I hadn’t seen Mindy since Wednesday evening. Mindy left for her the baby shower somewhere around 1:45pm. Bella held onto me tightly all while crying for her mommy as Mindy pulled away. And that’s when the fun began! All the while Bella was demonstrating her insecurities of being without her mother, Jacob was persistent in his request for my undivided attention. One things for sure, between the two of them, something had to give. Finally, after about a half hour, Bella stopped fussing over her mother, but Jacob never did stop asking for my time. At Bella’s request I put on the Madagascar DVD I went and fetched the race track Jacob had asked me to play with. He really wanted to set it up downstairs, but that wouldn’t work given that I needed to keep an eye towards Bella too. We played with the race track upstairs and it was fun. I hadn’t played with such a toy in quite a long time. After the movie, Bella even joined in the fun. Next we played a combo version of hide & seek and beat the baby sitter for the next hour plus. Jacob burst into tears when he couldn’t find Bella and I and insisted I give him his mother’s cell number once we revealed ourselves. He was not a happy minion! I thought it best to leave him to his pouting for about 15 minutes knowing his personality as I do. I then proceeded to start playing with his tub full of cars knowing that he wouldn’t be able to resist joining fun for too long. Minutes after I started he found his way to my side where he corrected all the ‘mistakes” I had made in placing the cars in their own social classes. J It wasn’t long before we caught a glimpse of Mindy’s minivan barreling around the corner. Both children were ecstatic that she was home and greeted her in the garage. I was relieved too! That was a long 4 plus hours! We began making our dinner almost immediately. Mindy had picked up everything for homemade tacos, and she had also stopped at El Vaquero and picked-up some chips, salsa, and guacamole. We were eating Mexican tonight! After dinner Mindy readied her tired children for bed. The benefits of playing wildly and allowing no naps looked to be paying benefits. They were both asleep before 8pm, and soundly too. I had already poured Mindy a glass of wine and myself a beer before Mindy came back downstairs from bedding her children. When she finally returned we threw in the Phantom of the Opera DVD she had borrowed from a friend. I hadn’t ever seen the old or new version and honestly hadn’t a clue what the story was about beyond the obvious. I was surprised to learn that it was a love story. The setting was cool and the story OK, but I could’ve done without all the singing. I’ve never liked that type of movie. It was long too. It lasted about 2.5 hours. Sometime during the movie we uncorked a bottle of Champagne and toasted our six months together. We made quick work of the entire bottle thanks in part to the large wine goblets. We added an additional flare by dipping strawberries into the champagne giving the already tasty and sweet fruit a slightly fizzy bite. That was cool! By now, I was too much to resist. Mindy wanted me! But who wouldn’t???

Antidisestablishmentarianism - St Jimmy's Day

Go ahead and be green with envy! There's nothing like waking after a fulfilling night's sleep to the realization that it's Friday. No other work day arouses my self-made endorphins like this one. And after two days of drudgery, I am happy to be back in black! I went about my morning routine as usual but what was different about this morning was that I had an abundance of energy. Could it be - would it be that the old, new Jimmy was back? It was. I was feeling very good about things. Even the weather wouldn't detour my push for internal peace. Those that know me best have heard me ramble on incessantly about this time of year anyhow. This time of year always causes angst within me. It typically has everything to do with the weather. I am a sunny and 80 kinda guy. Without it, I can only survive for so long and that seems to be about four months. What's unique about this round of angst is that it seemed to be more about the weather inside rather than outside. The CGDD (Cold, Gray, Damp and Dreary) was haunting my innards. Be gone with you, I say! We have hills to climb, rivers to swim, and music to make. Anyway ... on with my morning. As I was saying, I did my exercises like usual then walked Ykraps on his routine path. And yes, he pee'd on his favorite rock! All's right in his world when he's allowed to urinate on the rock that haunts him, even in his sleep. The very one that despite leaving his scent the day prior always somehow ends up smelling like another dog upon his return. This troubles him deeply for he doesn't understand that other dogs look to this same sacred rock as their own personal pee rock. Please, I hope the neighbors forget about planting flowers around the rock this spring/summer. It's pointless. It's almost as pointless as the neighbor who year after year sows grass seed under his sprawling oak trees to never see his efforts bear fruit. But enough about Ykraps. On our return we both were cold enough that the only thing on our minds was coffee. Mine was dressed up with all the fixings: caramel, whipped cream, and cinnamon. Ykraps just had me add it black and in his water bowl. He didn't like coffee at first but you take away any dogs water for long enough and even used toilet water tastes good. I was ready for work by 7:40 - a little later than usual. No guitar time. But I was in rear form and ready for a Friday. I was in my usual Friday uniform; my comfy old blue jeans, a new black tee-shirt, and my shiny black shoes. Off to work I was. I spoke to Mindy for a short stint while in route. I arrived on time and was caught up in the midst of trouble as soon as I got settled, which is often the case on Friday's. Anyone remember last Friday when I worked 12 long arduous hours? This was all OK because I was expecting it and we're only disappointed when our expectations aren't met. I've realigned my own expectations that Friday's will be a challenging day at work and since I am the great leader that I am, I can handle it! Handle it I did. But not without the help of some of my finest engineers. We kicked ass and took names all day long. One on top of another. There was none of this one right after another. That would have been too easy. Bring it on! Because of our busy-ness, I once again didn't make it to the gym for a run until 2:20pm. This was late by any measure. Still, this only allowed the abundant sunshine to warm the chilly late winter air a few more degrees. My run was refreshing and stimulating. At runs end I was feeling a bit celebratory. After all, it was almost 3:30pm. Just an hour or two from the weekend! Wahoo - Can I hear a great big ol' Yahoo-hell yeah! I spent the final hour and one half driving hard. It never did slow down. Just after 5pm I turned over the heavy issues remaining to my peer, called another at home who would be carrying the on-call torch to make him abreast of the goings on and that was it. The Weekend was upon me. My first stop would be DJ's Carry-out in Hilliard known for carrying some of the finest brews in the country. I bought two six packs. I bought two different IPA's (my latest fave). I bought Mad Hatter and Mo-Jo's. Both are rather hoppy! On the way home I talked with Princess who would be spending the evening hanging at home with kids and friends. Me, I had no intentions of spending my Friday evening with no one other than ME! Once at home I immediately walked Ykraps where he pooped like a grown man. I mean I couldn't believe what came out of that boy. Must have been the coffee???? Back at home it was nearly 6:30pm. I went about completing a few easy chores like washing my running clothes and putting away another load. By 7:00pm I deemed it beer time. Time to do nothing but cater to my whims. That is all I did all evening long. If I wanted to play a few riffs on my guitar I did. When I wanted to listen to my new David Gilmour CD, I did. When it came time that I found my beer glass empty I poured myself another. It was really quite gratifying. Soon hunger came upon me, and to satisfy this one most basic need I constructed an old favorite of mine, tortilla pizza. Tonight's version was simple. I made them with Kroger pizza sauce which by the way is better than Ragu's pizza sauce, Mexican cheese, pepperoni, and hot pepper rings. They turned out perfectly! While eating, my uncle - my mom's brother, Chuck called. He wanted to talk about my little brother Tommy's relationship troubles, all of which I have been aware of for quite some time but out of respect for his privacy wasn't sharing them with other family members. It was obvious he knew it all, and perhaps with an added element of embellishment that often happens when stories get passed around. One thing I knew for certain since I know Tommy best, is that he'll be fine. He's got things in there proper perspective for where he's at right now. No longer is he in denial which is the first step in resolving any problems. And please, don't misinterpret. Tommy's not having any personal dependency issues. With that I'll move on. After my conversation with an animated uncle Chuck I called Tommy just to make sure he knew that his troubles were now family fodder. He said he was aware they all knew now, but thanked me just the same. I did validate some of the issues were embellished as I had assumed. After talking with Tom I called Mindy back, who had beeped in earlier. I do not like call waiting and usually don' do it, but did tonight. After talking with Mindy for a spell, I cracked another beer, put in my Elegant Universe DVD, popped some popcorn and watched! I love exploring our very existence. It's one of the few things that really grips me and holds my attention. Somewhere around 11:30pm I threw in the paper towel and headed to bed. I thoroughly enjoyed my evening alone with my favorite person in the entire world - me!

My Day Will Come

Sure, he go the pimple, but in doing so he unfortunately lost his way. I entered the realm of the conscious around 5:30am. The promise of a new day gave me hope for a better attitude and sweeter overall disposition. On queue I tucked my toes under the sofa and stroked out 55 sit-ups, then dropped to the floor where I ripped off 50 push-ups. Before moving on, I cranked through my 40 daily curls with 25lbs in each hand. Each set came easier than the day before but still not as easy and effortless as I know they often can be. As I age, I recognize that life is fleeting and how time is indeed precious. I can ill afford being a fretter and wasting the precious moments because in the end it will all seem pointless. With saying that, I promised myself that today would be a the dawn of yet another new 'Jimmy'. No longer would I stew over the fact that I'm not tall enough to play center in the NBA, or rich enough to buy a couple of vacation homes about the mountains and sea. And lastly I wouldn't again pout over not being in the movies. With this new perspective I would be happy with my lot in life for I have created all of it myself. Because time slipped away from me at work yesterday afternoon I never got around to finishing my lunch and eating my tuna salad. This, in turn, made prepping my lunch for today go much quicker. After eating my eggs and fruit I was eager to shower away Wednesday's dead skin cells. After showering and dawning a set of clothing I was ready for the new work day. Off to work I went. The day was busy as have each of them this week. We've attained a new high in activity which has both positive and negative consequences. I liken it to a 'bull rush' in the NFL. You had better be awake, nimble, and thick skinned. If not, you'll be bulled under by the pressure or the work itself. Run time couldn't come soon enough. Unfortunately, though, this week has ushered in a new trend. I haven't been getting to the gym until 1:30pm or later, and by the time I change, stretch, run, and shower it's 2:45pm. The benefit of getting there closer to midday is that it breaks up the day like lunch is supposed to. But, on the other hand, a late run means that the day is all but done upon my return. From there it's simply a dash to the finish line. When I returned from this afternoon's run I had a message waiting from Princess telling me to take a couple of days/nights to myself to do some 'Jimmy' stuff. That lifted my spirits as I felt that was something I really needed. I smiled both outwardly and inwardly thinking that she would be as relieved as me for not having to tolerate my insolent behavior for a couple of days. As the day wound down I took my time for not having to be any where at any particular time. Any feeling of pressure or a deadline would truly be self-imposed and unnecessary. The excitement of an evening or two to do 'whatever' energized me. Before pulling away from work, I sat in the parking lot for 15 minutes as I tried once and for all to figure out the clock settings on my 'new' Pioneer car stereo. The instructions in the manual were not correct. Unfortunately, I was left with no recourse other than my own intelligence to figure it out. Well, there in lies the problem. That should explain why it's been off for so long. :) I soon figured it out, then carefully repeated the step because as I often do, I forgot almost instantly what buttons I pushed to make it happen. Does that happen to you too? I was home and mulling over the few routine tasks I needed to complete before 6:00pm.They were done in short order. Next I moved on to other, less routine but necessary tasks like paying some bills and starting my taxes. I also went about replacing a few burnt out light bulbs around my home. I had set out to replace two burnt out spot lights in my back yard landscape too, but just as I began I decided that perhaps I wouldn't replace them after all. Instead I would allow for the softer glow from the colored spots uplighting my trees and forego the bright white spots that are solely there to illuminate my shed for security purposes - not for ambiance. Funny thing ... I let that bother me, but in the end I didn't even want them replaced. Hmmm? As the evening wore on I maintained a very casual approach to everything I did. In its entirety I enjoyed myself immensely. I played, ate, accomplished tasks, both routine and otherwise, but most of all I relaxed without feeling any pressure what so ever. Nice! At 10:00pm I retreated to my bed with my new book in hand. After making it through less than five pages I was ready to fall asleep.

What's Eating Gilbert 'Jimmy' Grape?

Holy Smoke! Once again I woke in the middle of the night unable to sleep. It must have been in the neighborhood of 3am. I felt as though I had an 80lb boulder resting on my back and a sick, yet dull feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wasn’t physically ill, though. Instead, I was feeling stressed, unfriendly, and unlikable. So not to waste the time, I chose to finish my book, The Field, which I started almost 4 weeks ago. That was only about 15 minutes worth of reading, though. Soon after I finished, I fell back asleep. I woke again at 5:45am feeling physically rested, yet I was mentally and emotionally drained, mentally and emotionally drained, mentally and emotionally drained, mentally and emotionally drained, mentally and emotionally drained. Yeah – uh-huh. I barely had the where with all to complete my exercise routine and other morning stuff, but somehow managed to muster the inner fortitude. Sometimes you just have to operate on pure desire and not rely on energy from the moment. Believe, morning meditation was equally a challenge. Again, though, I did everything I would do feeling otherwise. By 7:30am I was ready for work. But before I left I played some guitar. I needed that! I decided to leave my phone off for the day, not wanting distractions or to spread my funk to those I care most about. I reminded myself as I entered work to watch my interaction with others so not to allow my internal strife to ooze out onto others. I had yet another team meeting to hold at 9am too, so being chipper was at a premium. Once in my office I felt a great deal better – perhaps providing an escape of sorts. Still, the heaviness of my mood wore on. The meeting went surprisingly well as did the remainder of the morning. I made it a point to leave for my run on schedule as I had an afternoon chalked full of meetings on my calendar. As you might guess, I had little burn for my run but found strength in my streak to sustain me through till its end. As a pick-me-up the sun was out and shining brilliantly, although the temperature was barely 40 degrees. I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath, or take in a full breath of oxygen in exchange for an equal amount of carbon dioxide, which is an imperative! What was eating Gilbert ‘Jimmy’ Grape? The two afternoon meetings I attended literally ate the rest of my day save for the 30 minutes before I left for home. Just before leaving I took a deep breath, turned on my phone, then called the Princess. I had several pending messages. One, I forgot I had committed to leaving a package for the Kidney Foundation. I forgot too! Mindy answered somewhat reluctantly. We talked only briefly and to make arrangements to get together at my home within about a half an hour. I then left for home. Pulling into my drive I could see that Mindy was already there. Once inside, I greeted Mindy. She was already working diligently at cleaning up my mess and had a few candles burning giving off a stress relieving light and scent. I leashed up Ykraps to head out for a walk right-away. He needs and expects it. Upon my return I encountered neighbor Carl out front. He had some questions regarding digital photography. More directly related to storing on digital media – CD’s. He wanted to know how many one might be able to store on a CD. He reported only being able to get two on a floppy disc. J I told him that it really depends on the file size and the more specifically the mega pixel size of the camera. I later learned that he’s scanning old 35 mm film pics and interested in storing them as keep sakes. I’m not sure that he fully grasped what we spoke about. He’s a bit older and a photo enthusiast who often heads out for the weekend with his camping gear and camera. That sounds peaceful – and fun!!!! Hmmm?????????? Perhaps this was a hint form the universe????? I knew that Mindy would wonder what in the world happened to me. I finally pulled away and went back inside. Mindy had seen me out there gabbing away with Carl so she went about her own business for a spell. We settled back into the kitchen where we talked about my attitude slide that first became apparent to her, and me for that matter, shortly after dinner at her home the evening prior. Here, I won’t give all the details but will say that we talked through it. It was comforting. We shared a bout 8-10 giant strawberries but that was about the extent of our sharing of food. That’s somewhat unusual for the two of us. I then proceeded to build a fire where we simply laid and relaxed for another hour. Mindy stayed until 10pm, which is later than usual. We needed the time together alone though. When she left I quickly added my Sunday blog entry– the only one completely done at the time. When through I grabbed my brand new book, The Self-Aware Universe, by Amit Goswami and headed to bed. I was crashing fast!