$290 Oil Change

I was up well before 5:30am. And by “well before” I mean about five minutes early. You may say that five minutes isn’t much, but at the day’s outset, five minutes can be a huge advantage. Anyway, I wasted little time getting my routine underway. My calisthenics went fine, but I didn’t feel completely on top of my game. For the first time in a long while, it was down right chilly outdoors. It was only 35 degrees. In fact, frost was predicted for low lying areas in the surrounding central Ohio region. I didn’t see any frost, but noticed many neighbors weren’t taking chances. Many flowering trees, plants, & shrubs were draped in sheets. At quick glance, they looked like monks standing quietly in their yards. Back home I readied coffee then took to the PC for a few minutes. I wasn’t there long. The leisure time, as it often does, evaporated quickly. I delivered Mindy’s coffee soon after. She didn’t budge. She was out like a light. I figured she was either too tired or bitter about something, although that would be unlike her. I dropped it off and ran for safety. J I spent much of my meditation time massaging my upper leg. I was determined to run quasi pain-free. I dressed quite warmly for my run with a heavy running shirt and thick fleece along with ear & hand covers – the first time I’ve worn those in a few weeks. My guess is that this will be the last go round with covers ‘til fall. We’ll see. I do know that warm weather makes its return on Wednesday and the ten day forecast looks good. As I darted out the door I felt that all to common ache in my ass and hamstring, but it was mild by comparison. I wasn’t halfway through my run when I had to shed the gloves. They were just too warm despite the late spring chill. I knew that out the door but was more than happy to err in favor of being too warm rather than too cold. My run finished nicely. Mindy had my eggs ready upon my return but didn’t stick around too long. Her and Bella were gone in a jiffy. I was out of the shower and ready to go by 7:44am. I did my best to tidy the kitchen some before leaving the house. Can’t recall if Pat & Alanna were at the bus stop. I don’t think that they were. After Jacob was gone I returned to the house to launch the Trooper. I arrived at work by 8:25am. Work was busy, of course. The day moved swiftly. Unlike the day before, I made sure not to skip lunch. I desperately wanted to get the oil changed in the Trooper and possibly stop at Home Depot. And then, if time permitted, stop and get gas for the mowers. I had one of my five gallon containers in tow. I finally had an opportunity to use the $10 Hilliard shopping card I bought from a direct report. To get the stated discount ($5 off), I had to go to the Hilliard Jiffy Lube. I’d never been to that one so I had to Google it. Turns out, it might be closer than the Bethel Rd shop that I often frequent. I left the office at 1:05pm. Unlike the Bethel Rd shop, this one looks like an old converted gas station, and the amenities not nearly as nice. But getting the oil changed at Jiffy Lube isn’t as much about the amenities as it is the convenience and speed. It took only about ten minutes soup to nuts. As usual, they tried the up sale.. Only now, the have a large flat panel monitor at the car’s side displaying all the recommended maintenance for your specific vehicle. If I would’ve allowed, they would’ve soaked me for over $200 bucks! No thanks, just an oil change, please! Thinking that enough, I turned to head back into the waiting area when he asked which type of oil change I would like. Their offerings were many. I could’ve spent upwards of $90 on having the oil changed alone. Geesh - Are you kidding me? Oh, and I declined the air filter replacement too. I can pop that out as easy as he can. I stopped at Home Depot on my way back to the office. I decided to forego getting mower gas until the trip home. I didn’t want the fumes to accumulate in the Trooper all afternoon. At Home Depot I browsed patio stones and then specialty bolts. I needed one for our pond side bench. I realized, however, that I didn’t know the specific size so after looking over their selection I decided a wiser move would be to pull an existing bolt and bring it along for matching purposes. I left empty handed. I was back to work in just about an hour. The afternoon went on as usual. I left right at 5:30pm. I don’t believe I called home first. At home Mindy was contending with Olivia, who is always on the move and needs a constant eye. It can be a bit overwhelming. I took Ykraps on his walk after greeting everyone. I had half baked plans to cut the grass after a quick dinner but found myself on empty. I had zero energy. Come to think of it, I haven’t had much energy after the weekend’s yard work. Ashley arrived around 6:30pm and that’s when we ate. We visited until 7:35pm or so when Ash & Olivia headed for home. The kids were in bed in a jiffy. Mindy & I watched American Idol from 8-9pm. We headed to bed almost immediately after. Mindy, as she often does, decided to hold a pillow conference, only this time the topic was a laundry list of the many things I haven’t been doing quite right. I quietly listened to them all biting my tongue for much of the time. After she was through I retorted to a degree, although I would’ve much preferred sleep. We ended up in one of our rare disagreements to put it mildly. Already feeling awash with worry about work, and then not feeling well, I was now agitated and couldn’t sleep. I got out of bed and returned downstairs to write in my blog. That always makes me sleepy. It worked. I wrote for about 45 minutes. It was 11pm or so when I headed back up for bed.