Friday, October 06, 2006

It's Friday!

I woke several times through the night and spent the entire hour and one half from 200am until 330am mulling over a list of things that included; Lindsey, storm damage and a possible insurance claim, and work. None were bothering me too much but the simple fact that my mind was racing at that hour was enough to keep me awake. Finally, I remember surrendering to the moment and telling myself to simply relax. It must have worked. I fell back to sleep and didn’t wake again until 5:50am. The moon was positioned where it was shining directly in the aptly named half-moon window in our bedroom. It was as bright as it gets. Thinking back, both Bella & Jacob woke Mindy for attention through the night – Jacob was sick, and Bella misplaced her elephant. Come to think of it, that’s what woke me in the first place. Despite my slightly late start, I stayed off the accelerator and instead took my time. I was a bit discouraged, however, since I intended on running before work today so that I could meet an old co-worker for lunch ( Jay Pierce). While I was exercising I decided that I would still do the early run. While walking Ykraps I determined that it was plenty chilly out doors and that I might want to run in light winter attire. It was 41 degrees with a chilly breeze. So, today marked the dawning of the long running pants. I don’t think that I had worn those since last April. I took Mindy her first cup of coffee and said my goodbye. I knew I wouldn’t see her again until later that evening. Out the door into the chilly abyss. The run was invigorating and really got my juices flowing. I was back home at 7:45am. I made myself some eggs and then took a shower. It was already after 8:00am when I went up. Before leaving the house I took a few minutes to pay some early bills and to sort out a mistake I made with my auto insurance. I had mistakenly directed payment to my home owner’s policy instead of my auto policy. I worried that my policy would be in default. I called my agent on the drive into work. He assured me that they had already detected and corrected my mistake. I was relieved, especially given that I may need to file a claim for hail damage. I arrived at the office well before 9:00am. I was late but earlier than I expected to make it in. It was a Friday so I expected the pace to be furious. Lucky for us, it never got too bad, though. Before I knew it, it was just after 11am – time to head out for our lunch meeting. My peer Ken was coming along too. Before leaving, I gave Jay a quick call to confirm plans. I drove to the Olive Garden on Sawmill Rd. We arrived at 11:31am. As far as we could tell, Jay wasn’t there yet. Once inside that was confirmed. Minutes later Jay showed up, and with him was Ken Cannon, another former team member of mine. We asked for a table for four, but were corrected by Ken who said there was yet another former MCI employee coming, Rob Freitag. We were seated at our table while we awaited Rob’s arrival. Once Rob arrived we all placed our orders. Everyone else ordered soup and salad. I ordered chicken parmesan. Through lunch we chatted about work and the latest personal scoop. Ken’s now taking guitar lessons in Marysville. Jay’s still in the process of remodeling an old home he bought. Rob just turned in his 2 week notice. I hadn’t eaten at an Olive Garden in sometime. I was impressed, and completely happy with the service and my meal. We returned to the office by 1pm. I worked hard for the remainder of the afternoon. Many co-workers were planning on joining us at Barley’s this evening to wish one of our team members well as he embarks on a new opportunity. Although, I’m still holding out hope that he’ll change his mind. I generally don’t mix my personal and work life so liberally but made an exception for this occasion. I left work just after 5pm and it was a picture perfect evening weather-wise. I was home by 5:35pm. Mindy and I walked Ykraps together and then she went to take a shower. I played guitar for about the next 30 minutes. Come 6:50pm we were on our way to Barley’s. Tonight’s firkin was Hobgoblin, Barley’s answer to pumpkin ale. It’s essentially pale ale with seasonal spices. It was good. I visited with my usual peeps then moved over to the table that all of my co-workers grabbed. There were about 10 team members there along with their significant others. A couple of Mindy’s friends showed up, too – Aaron and Steven, and then a little later, Tara. Bob Imber’s brother Bill was visiting from Chicago. He’s a few years younger than Bob and looks exactly like Bob only with a full head of hair. He was a hoot (see pics). We left Barley’s somewhere close to 11pm – last call. When we got home Mindy wanted some loving but I think she fell asleep. Her loss!

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