Bitter Cold & HopSlam ... does it get any better?

I was up at 5:20am. First and foremost I was eager to find out just how cold it was. Oh my! According to Weatherbug, it was a biting -13 degrees. In my 49+ years of living, I can recall only two days colder. The coldest day ever recorded in Columbus was Jan 19th 1994 when the mercury dipped down to -22. The other I can’t readily recall the exact date but figure I must’ve been about 12 years of age. I remember it being near -20 then, too. I did my exercises and then bundled up for my walk with Ykraps. It was cold but not nearly as harrowing as anticipated. The cold must’ve nipped Ykraps’ feet. He was limping a little as he trounced through the fluffy snow looking for places to pee and pooh. I did my best to lead him to areas where the snow had either been shoveled or beat down by others before him. Thankfully, he took care of his business fully. That hasn’t always been the case under such snowy conditions. Any worry I might’ve held about doing my run in such extreme cold was quickly cast aside after walking Ykraps. I knew I could manage it. I had lots of time to myself since nobody else had to be up. School was canceled for everyone. I took advantage of the situation by spending more time on the PC & meditating. I didn’t dress for my run until 6:45am. The only modification to yesterday’s running attire was the addition of another wicking shirt underneath my thick winter model. I figured that would help ward off the cold air I felt against my upper body yesterday when it was 14 degrees warmer. The complete package included: tennis shoes, ankle-hi wicking running socks, two pair of running tights, two wicking shirts, a hi-tech running jacket, fleece ear muffs, a fleece toboggan, a fleece neck gaiter, and fleece running gloves. I was set. As always, I stretched aggressively from the stoop. I felt a few minor air leaks around my ankles, that’s it. A minute or two later I dashed off into the arctic cold. I kept a nice steady pace, not unlike any other day. I guess the only difference was me paying closer attention to it. I was very cozy and comfortable. Less than a quarter mile into my run I had to pull the gaiter away from my mouth – too warm. As the mileage mounted, thick frost formed around the rim of my gaiter. In addition, I could see and feel ice forming on my eye lashes. Those that don’t really know, think that the arctic cold air will burn your lungs. But that’s nothing more than a worn out myth. I completed my run without any problems whatsoever. The only real concern would’ve been if I stopped for some reason. I didn’t, of course. Finding the experience unique, I fetched my waterproof camera and headed back outdoors to get a picture of my frosty face. I took two pictures. After my run I got busy making my breakfast. I decided to make fried eggs. It was already 7:30am. I could hear the kids stirring upstairs. I paid them no mind. After eating my eggs I pulled together a lunch and snack then headed up for a shower. Mindy was already up and tending to Landon. The other kids must’ve been watching on. I took my shower in peace. I was ready to head out by 8:15am. I started the Trooper and left it run a good fifteen minutes before leaving the house. It started right up but the crank was noticeably slower and more laborious. Gas prices were back up to $1.94. I found that aggravating given that oil prices are near their four year low. I consider the price hike gauging due to the cold snap. The sun was bright and shiny by the time I arrived at work. The walk from my car to the building was actually quite nice. It was still brutally cold but the sunshine was warm and uplifting. I chose to drink in both the cold air and the sunshine all at once. Nice! During morning coffee we decided to take Ken (a peer) to lunch at Chipotle for his 47th birthday. He loves Chipotle! The morning went by quickly. Meanwhile, we had another fairly quiet day, although there were a few stink bombs floating around out there. We left for lunch early by my standards, but since Ken usually leaves for home around noon we headed out at 11:30am. My boss drove. Per usual, Chipotle was bustling with activity. Always a crowd. I had a barbacoa burrito with black beans, diced tomato and onions, cheese, sour cream, and rice. We shared two bags of their famous chips and washed it all down with lemonade. I ate only half of my burrito. I wrapped what was left to take home. The afternoon seemed to move at a snails pace. But that had more to do with taking such an early lunch. Just as I often do on Friday afternoon’s, I checked Barley’s webpage to see what was on tap. I was very excited to find that they had Bell’s HopSlam on tap. Bell’s brews this hopped up IPA for only a six week window each winter. I want my share! J To that end, I emailed Bob Imber to make sure he knew about it. I also asked if he felt up to meeting for one after work. His reply came an hour or so later. I think he assumed that Mindy & I both were going. He was working. Mary Ann, on the other hand, was skiing Mad River on her day off. He said they might stop up later. Speaking of later, I talked with Mindy around 4pm and told her about the HopSlam, and my intentions to stop in for some. She was fine with that and asked if I would bring home Barley’s carryout. Sure. She then asked if I wanted her to pursue a babysitter instead so that both of us could go. Sure, why not. She phoned back to let me know that Kara was available and would be over around 7pm. Suddenly, because of the HopSlam, we had a date planned. I arrived home just before 6pm. At one point, Mindy said there were eight kids at the house. Ouch! Better her than me. Jacob’s friend Noah was the only visitor still there when I arrived home. His dad was waiting in his minivan when I pulled up. He must’ve been on the phone. He was inside when I returned from walking Ykraps. He didn’t stay long. It was already 6:15pm. Mindy got the kids in their pjs and readied herself for our impromptu date. While she readied, I published Thursday’s blog entry. Kara showed up ten minutes early. Her & Bella played Mario Kart while waiting for Mindy and the others to come down. She’s more chatty now that she’s been over three or four times. Mindy and I left the house around 7:15pm, but not before putting Landon to bed. He was acting really tired and it made little sense to place the burden of putting him to bed on Kara. Besides, he was showing signs of a cold. Barley’s was as packed as I’ve ever seen the parking lot. We had no choice but to park in the ancillary lot just to its north. Inside, however, (at least at the bar) told a different story. The bar was only half attended. Must’ve been a big dinner crowd. We spotted Steve Won straight up and joined him barside. Christa and Rebecca were already there too. We haven’t seen Rebecca in weeks. We left messages for both Rene and brother Tommy. We joked about calling Tom Clark, too, but didn’t. Of course, he’s in Florida. Not only did they have HopSlam on tap, but they also had a new Double IPA by Founder’s called Double Trouble. Bob emailed that it was top notch too. But there was no question what I wanted. I wanted a HopSlam. Because it’s so strong (10%) it’s served in a sniffer. Steve advised that the going price is $7 a glass. Ouch! Still, I wanted my HopSlam. It was absolutely terrific! I don’t know that beer can get any better for my money. There a few others that come close but I think I like this one the best. By the way, Mindy ordered a Pint of Joe. Bob & Mary Ann arrived about fifteen minutes later. Mary Ann shared a little about her day on the slopes. Later, Bob and Carol stopped in and over to see us. Dan was there as well, and Diedra was our server. We used the evening at Barley’s to plan the details surrounding our ski trip slated for next weekend. Among other things, we had to determine who was driving and what we’d be taking for food, beer, & liquor. Sounds like our goal is to be on the road by 10am. It’s a five hour drive so we should get there before 4pm – ski time. Through the evening, I had two HopSlams and one of those Double Trouble’s. For dinner I had the Cuban topped with bacon and a side of Gates of Hell sauce for dipping my fries. It was fantastic. Mindy had a brisket sandwich of some sort. After those three big beers I was feeling no pain. We left for home right at 10pm. That was a fun 2.5 hours. We talked with Kara for a while, who shared how the babysitting went. Sounds like the kids were good but did challenge her a bit. We paid her well and soon she was off. I sipped a CBC Pale Ale before heading up to bed but never finished it. I took three Advil before hand just to help prevent a headache tomorrow morning.