Sunday, February 03, 2008

Super Sunday

























I slept really well and got up for keeps at 6:50am. I needed to be up by 7am anyway to remain comfortably on task. This, being the first Sunday of the month, it was our family breakfast day. I prepped coffee and then exercised. Meanwhile, I was taken back by the incredible view of Venus and Jupiter out the family room window with a sliver of a crescent moon just to their immediate right. Awesome!

By the time I finished exercise and headed out the door with Ykraps the sky had brightened to the degree that the stars were no longer visible. I readied and left for a run by 7:50am but not before delivering coffee to Mindy’s bedside. And just as you might guess, she reported feeling 100 times better than yesterday morning. :)

I wore a medium-weight running shirt and listened to NPR for the duration of my run. I listened to an interesting piece that contrasted the religious upbringing of Obama and Clinton. And during the final mile, I listened to three intelligent youths (19-21 years old) share their thoughts about what was important to them in the coming presidential election. I was home by 8:25am and moved quickly towards a shower. Mindy was all but completely ready. We were collectively ready to hit the door by 8:45am.

We left at 8:50am. We took I-70W and got off at Hilliard-Rome Rd S. Brother Bob and family were just pulling in. Dad was already there. We didn’t see Tommy’s vehicle anywhere. We didn’t remind him, but then again, no one reminds us. :) It’s been a small group the prior two times with Bob’s family missing them both. But today there were eleven of us.

Breakfast was extra tasty. Bob Evans just knows how to do it. Our waitress, Ying, a young Asian woman, was most delightful. Among other things, she shared some of her guitar hero antics with us. We were there for just over an hour. Our after plans included some Sunday shopping and taking Jacob for a hair cut. We headed towards Wal-Mart first, where Mindy returned her 2nd knee brace in as many weeks. They’re all too big. Next, we drove to Target to get Jacob’s new shoes.

I helped Jacob select some tennis shoes and then some casual slip-ons much like my own. We looked at a few other things as well, but bought nothing else. Mindy stood in the checkout line while Jacob and I made a beeline for Sports Clips right next door. The wait was 20 minutes or more. I figured we might stand a better chance of getting in at Great Clips just down the way. We waited for Mindy then drove down there. They quoted us a 20 minute wait as well. We accepted but left to browse the Bed, Bath & Beyond next door for a few.

Fifteen minutes later, Jacob and I headed back to Great Clips. They called after only another minute. We briefly discussed the cut and off Laura went sheering Jacob’s tender scalp.

I read an article in a rack magazine about healthy marriages written by Dr. Phil. Interesting spin. Mindy & Bella joined us just as they were finishing up. In the 2.5 years I have known Mindy, this is the first decent haircut Jacob’s had. He actually looked great (short back & sides, - #2 guard – a little longer on top). We left Great Clips and finally headed for home.

At home, the kids played Wii while I went to the basement to work on some organization. What a mess. I had no idea where to begin. It’s a very daunting task. I decided to let go of any grandiose expectations and simply begin sifting through the many boxes full of stuff trying to weed out the trash. I was able to successfully weed out two large boxes. But there’s so much more to be gone through. Next phase will be weeding out old bill boxes for shredding.

After about 1.5 hours in the basement I returned upstairs to work on the water valve in the kids shower. It drips continuously unless you give the handle a good pop after each use. I’ve had a spare valve on hand for almost a year that was originally intended for Gloria’s. I’ve replaced this valve twice past. The process is really quite simple but there are a few small nuances that can not be overlooked lest you’ll have big troubles on your hands. The first time I did the job, I dropped the ever important cotter pin down the wall cavity! I had no choice but to return to Lowes to steal another. :) I wasn’t about to pay another $25 for a $.05 part. That was about ten years ago.

Today it was going fairly well save for the lack of total recall, but I managed. I had it all but ready to test in less than ten minutes. Once I was convinced I had done it correctly I turned the water supply back on in the basement. It worked well save for the hot & cold being reversed. Crap. That meant I had the valve in upside down. Not a huge ordeal, but that meant I had to repeat the process all over again. So, I took it apart in a matter of minutes only to forget which end was up when I pulled the valve. Sure enough, after redoing it and then testing, it was still reversed. I reviewed the direction looking for a clue. No such markings. Hmm? I took it apart once again only this time I paid careful attention to the valve markings. Success. What made it troubling was the numerous trips up & down the stairs back and forth from the basement to turn the water on & off. I made the job much tougher than it really needed to be. However, the good news was that the water valve works as good as new!

After putting my tools away I retreated upstairs for a much desired nap. There I snuggled with my pillow all the while tuning into the Super Bowl pregame on Fox, and then the FBR golf tournament on CBS all from the same city – Phoenix. Mindy asked if I was up for Barley’s. We had loosely discussed dining there in lieu of cooking dinner. There we could watch the Super Bowl. She came up mid-nap. I was interested in going but not until 6pm or just before kick-off. In fact, I planned the rest of my nap around that concept.

About 5:45pm I got up and quickly groomed. I was thinking all along that we’d be leaving for Barley’s in a matter of minutes. Imagine my surprise when Mindy opened the bedroom door once more to tell me that dinner was ready. Hmmm? She said she couldn’t wait and really didn’t have an interest in watching the Super Bowl at Barley’s. Just as well. I was happy to stay home in my comfy clothes.

We had Bubba burgers smothered in cheese and onions. They’re always tasty! After dinner and clean-up we prepared ourselves for Super Bowl viewing. I got a fire going and the kids got out the floor comforter. By 6:25pm we were all set for the game.

The game was a close, low-scoring affair. The Patriots lead at half but by the slimmest of margins – 7-3. The halftime show featured Tom Petty. I thought the performance was weak. The second half was very exciting with the Giants sacking and harassing Tom Brady like he hasn’t been all year long. The Patriots took the lead with just about three minutes to go all but sealing the fate of the Giants. I, like most others, figured the Giants done. But that wasn’t the case. They put together what might be on of the most memorable Super Bowl drives of all time. The drive included 3rd down heroics, spectacular scrambling, fantastic catches, and near misses. Bottom line, the Giants scored the go ahead touchdown leaving the Patriots 35 seconds to perform a miracle of their own and from their 11 yard line. Giants won 17-14. Great game.

Mindy and I were both rooting for the Giants. After the post game we watched a special episode of House from bed. I was asleep before it was half over.

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