Wearing Black

I was all about my sleep, not rolling out of bed until the very last minute. Meanwhile, as I fumbled with my toothbrush, I could hear my Blackberry alarm blaring downstairs. It’s set to a very obnoxious tone, and it doesn’t stop alarming until it’s physically acknowledged.

After choking down some pills I whipped out my 55-50-40. My shoulder didn’t ache but it did feel stiff. Ykraps and I enjoyed our morning walk. It was mostly clear and also a little chilly. Coffee was just what the doctor ordered. It tasted so good all dressed up. I noted the fact that Mindy would be on spring break all week thus wouldn’t need to be woken. That meant I could slow down my routine a bit more since I wasn’t being counted upon to get Jacob to the bus stop.

I took full advantage. I went about my PC time, meditation, and run prep at a snails pace. I didn’t leave for a run until 6:45am. Oops! I forgot that Mindy asked me to wake her up just before leaving for my run. I thought that I heard her up and stirring, though. My run went very well. I happened upon ol’ Jim Richards in the dark looking over his broken mailbox just around the third or fourth bend. Looks like the mailbox bandit has struck again. Punks!

It brought a smile to my face hearing all the birds singing just before sun rise. Temperature aside, we had all the signs of spring. In addition to the birds, the daffodils & crocus are up about 3-4 inches, although not yet in bloom. We haven’t had but one really warm day thus far. Looking ahead ten days it doesn’t look like we’ll get one either. Crap!!! But I’ve digressed.

Back at home Mindy & the kids were busy in the kitchen. Mindy asked why I forgot about waking her. I did it purely to annoy. And apparently I was successful. My eggs were served in Ykraps’ dog food bowl. J I didn’t realize until later that those eggs were simply the scraps. I ate my breakfast while Mindy & the kids continued edging in on my usually quiet time/space. I found that somewhat troubling. I am a creature of habit. I headed up for a shower at 7:45am.

While putting the finishing touches on my hair, I heard what sounded like a school bus out front of the house. Then I heard Mindy wishing Jacob well. I guess Mindy didn’t get him out of the house in time. It was just after 8:00am. I was sure Mindy knew that Jacob needed to head out at 7:55am. I wasn’t too far behind Jacob. I left for work at 8:10am.

The work day was busy, but nothing I didn’t expect. It was, after all, Monday. I didn’t take much of a break at all. However, I did call Gentiles to see if they carried Avery’s Maharaja. They did. I was surprised when he said it sold for about $7. And compared to what I have been paying for Double IPA’s, that would be steal. That made my day. I knew then that I’d be stopping there on the way home. I worked straight through the afternoon leaving for home at 5pm.

Mindy let me know early afternoon that she had talked with a tax attorney friend and he would look over the letter she received and advise moving forward. Her hope is to resolve the issue quickly. Mine too. I made my way towards Grandview via Riverside Dr. I arrived at Gentiles by 5:21pm. I spotted some single 22 oz bottles of the Maharaja but no six packs. Was it possible that we mis-communicated- me and the guy on the phone? I mentally reviewed our conversation, and come to think of it, I never asked how it was bottled. I went to the counter to ask. He said that they only had it in the single 22oz bottles. They’re $6.99 each! Ouch! It’s good but not that good.

Disappointed, I drove to the Boulevard Carry-Out since I was close by and bought another six pack of HopSlam. It’s very yummy too! The same fellow was working as the time before. He let me know that due to the well-documented hop shortage, Bell’s supposedly announced that they won’t be making it much longer. Sigh.

I left for home happy with my fetch. I was behind a slow Cadillac driving south on Grandview Ave. I suspected her a drunk given the extra slow speed. It was St Patrick’s Day, after all – a holiday that I largely ignore. I was home by 6:05pm. Mindy & the children had just returned from walking Ykraps. I was half expecting a home cooked meal but that wasn’t the case. But truth be told, I really wasn’t that hungry. I was, however, stressed - stressed over Mindy’s whole tax thing and work matters, too. I just needed to be left alone. Mindy & the kids had leftovers sprawled out on the island for the taking. I opted for a couple quick hot dogs. I didn’t feel much at all like a social animal. I was happy to spend an evening reading and/or on the PC. But Mindy doesn’t always understand that. She prodded me several times over the next couple of hours. I was largely unresponsive. I did my best to remain still.

We both helped ready the kids for bed. I coached Jacob through a shower while Mindy gave Bella a bath. While play fighting with Jacob my stiff shoulder got in an awkward position and then popped. It made me wince, almost like when the most recent injury occurred. I immediately reached for it and shook it around cautiously. As I walked away clutching at it any and all pain subsided. Minutes later I was totally pain free and loose. I gathered that something in there had been out of place all along and my little tiff with Jacob helped get it back into place. Hmmm?

I tucked in the kids around 8pm and then I went back downstairs to read while Mindy played on her laptop. I dosed just briefly once or twice. Mindy headed to bed around 9:30pm. I went to the familyroom where I tuned into a Family Guy episode, and later an episode of My Name is Earl. I headed up to bed around 10:20pm. I was tired.