Tommy Boy

Tic-Tac-Toe Interacial relationships amongst gords. Are they OK? After nearly two years, I decided on Sunday to end the insanity and set my bedroom clock to at least the correct hour. Since the “fallback” I have been operating with the clock about 3.33 hours fast. In the middle of the night it takes some doing to calculate the actual time. When I finally made the needed adjustment I thought I set it to be about 18 minutes fast. But when I got up Monday morning and found my way downstairs, I realized that it was about 28 minutes fast. Subsequently, I was up at exercising by 5:15am. At least now a mid-sleep glance will assure me of the nearest hour. I went to bed on Sunday night still not knowing the fate of the Vikings game. Last I knew they were trailing 6-3 with about 9 minutes remaining. I was hopeful that they’d score a late TD to seal the win. After completing my exercises and a walk with Ykraps I sat at the PC with coffee in hand to check on the outcome. They lost 9-3. Slackers! Well, if nothing else, the weather’s looking up. The sky’s clear and the sun’s expected to shine at least a little throughout the day. Plus, we’re expecting a warming trend over the next three or four days into the weekend. I had plenty of time to meditate and read the Daily OM before preparing lunch and breakfast. I took my time with food prep, too. We sat to eat before 7am rolled around. Time-wise, I was sitting pretty! Soon Mindy and the kids were out the door on their way to the sitter’s and school. I was in the shower. I left for work at 7:40am sharp after a little guitar picking. I almost forgot my laptop, which would have dampened an otherwise pleasant morning. I arrived at work just before 8am. Work was pleasant. No one was too quick to blast me for the Vikings blow up in large part because most of their teams lost as well. I stayed busy up until I left for a run. My run went extremely well. The weather was nice and my body loose and limber. When I returned to the office I made quick work of my packed lunch. I was awfully hungry. Mindy had alerted me earlier in the day that she would be going shopping and to dinner with her mother after school. At first I forgot about this being a kidless evening and instead assumed they’d be going along. I wondered why she’d sign up for such punishment. I later learned that Jim had the kids and that Mindy and her mom would be shopping in peace and quiet. Good for her. She deserves the time out. She asked if I wanted to meet then for dinner. I declined. Instead, I told Mindy that I would most likely stop by my dad’s for a visit and to check on Sheila. I headed straight to my dad’s after work. When I pulled up I saw that Tommy was there as was another mystery visitor. Once inside I saw that was Melissa, Charles wife. We all visited for about an hour catching up on all the babies and all the kids. What goes into the strange category is Charles’ new part-time gig. He’s caring for a 99 year old man, who Melissa reports is the richest man in Newark. Apparently Charles dresses him and gets him to appointments. So, I guess you could say that Charles is servicing a 99 year old man. J Melissa said the guy still drives himself about town. That’s scary! I left when Melissa did. I needed to get home and walk Ykraps. I called Mindy to check in. She was just about to leave Minelli’s after eating dinner there. She asked if I wanted her to bring me a pizza home. How could I refuse? I accepted. She also asked if Tommy was coming over. I called his cell, and as it turned out, he was just leaving dad’s. He accepted an invite over for conversation and pizza. Tommy arrived while I was out walking Ykraps. Jim M. showed up with the kids just after 7pm. He didn’t stay long - just long enough to drop the kids and say hello. Mindy arrived minutes later with the pizza in tow. For the most part, Tommy and I shared the pizza. The kids and Mindy had already eaten. Mindy got the kids ready for bed while Tommy and I ate pizza. She called me up for the read and tuck around 7:40pm. The kids fell asleep quickly. We spent the next hour or more talking with Tommy about his pending divorce, the kids, his relationship with Heather, and the soon to arrive baby. One can easily see that Tommy’s stressed. But then again who wouldn’t be given his circumstances. There are very few quick fixes for his dilemma. If he’s not careful he’ll find himself working on his second and third divorce at the same time. Yikes!!! I wish him well and am here for him regardless. Tommy left sometime around 9pm. Mindy and I stayed up only for a short time after his departure. I think we were in bed by 9:30pm.