Track of My Tears

Just like I am programmed to be, I was up at 5:30am. Immediately, I could hear a steady rain beating against the house. Before even thinking about my run, my thoughts turned to Mindy asking me if it was supposed to rain last night just before bed. I told her I wasn’t sure. She then put something, laundry related I think, out on the deck. Oops! Next, of course, I thought about my run and how much I loathe heading out the door in it. Downstairs, I started my exercise routine then checked the temperature. It was 54 degrees – pretty warm, really. This was a curl day, by the way. It was still raining as I headed out with Ykraps. I grabbed the purple dog walking umbrella off the porch but struggled to get it opened. Thankfully, I eventually got it. Our walk was brisk and to the point. I didn’t want there to be any lollygagging this AM. I got a little wet but not too bad. I poured some coffee and then took to the PC. I checked the radar to see what I might be up against. More importantly, I wanted to see if lightning might be a worry. It wasn’t. Much to my liking, there was a fair sized break in the clouds nearing town but with loads more rain to follow. I didn’t panic or rush, but did hold out hope that my run would benefit from the approaching cloud break. I delivered Mindy’s coffee and also let her know that it was raining. I then asked about the laundry she placed on the deck. She wasn’t concerned. Good! Back downstairs I played on the PC reading the Daily OM, a few emails, and the headlines. I’ve been encourage by the bullish market of late. Perhaps there is hope. But I’m also smart enough to know that the bottom could drop out once more. Still, it’s nice to see some positive upward movement followed by good financial news. My heart goes out to those needing/planning to retire this year or last. I did a very brief meditation and stretch before donning my running attire. I wore a thin wicking shirt and lighter jacket hoping to sync up with the moderate temperature. I had to keep in mind how humid it was too. Lucky for me, the rain had stopped completely. And except for a little sprinkle towards the run’s end, it stayed dry for the duration. Mindy had my eggs ready upon reentry. Mindy left with the wee ones around 7:25am. I had the house all to myself. Yippee! I didn’t leave for work until 8:15am. I used my extra time to download recent photos and surf the net. By the time that I departed the rain was coming down again and at a fairly decent clip. It was on and off for the duration of my relatively short drive – seven miles. It stopped long enough for me to make it into the building. I got busy right away diving into a couple problematic issues. Those issues kept me busy all morning long. Normally, we would’ve had a staff meeting but my boss canceled today’s. He canceled the meeting but not our team lunch. We left early, around 11:20am, for PF Changs, a popular and nearby Chinese Bistro. We all four ordered one of their lunch bowls. I had the pepper steak over brown rice. The bowl comes with soup. I chose hot & sour. It was very rich and spicy. Great price - great food. The afternoon moved by at a decent clip. Mindy phoned. She was dropping the boys at Kelly’s on her way home after working a little late and picking everyone up at Grandma Sharon’s. Per usual, Lindsey flooded our cell phones with frantic calls in an attempt to track Mindy down. Get a life! This was a Mindy Wednesday and because it was raining there wouldn’t be any golf. That meant a dinner date for the two of us. Mindy didn’t want to dine at any of our regular venues (Barley’s, The Vaq, Big Fat, or CBC). Instead, she suggested the Fish Market in Grandview. Sounded good to me. We’ve heard good things about their happy hour specials. I left work at 5:05pm in order to take full advantage of our alone time. I arrived home even before 5:30pm. I walked Ykraps while Mindy tended to a few chores. Laundry I think. It was still raining steadily when we arrived at the Fish Market. I recommended we sit at the bar. Mindy agreed. We spotted two familiar faces from Barley’s sitting across from us, however we don’t know their names but see them there often. It took a few minutes, but they finally waited on us. I ordered a CBC IPA and Mindy ordered a glass of Shiraz. After sipping our drinks we ordered a slew of ‘small plate’ appetizers: buffalo shrimp, wings, calamari, and a bowl of lobster bisque. The prices were damn good. I eventually ordered another IPA and a second plate of the buffalo shrimp. Mindy ate most of the bisque. All of that good stuff and our tab was only $38 before tip. Not bad at all considering the venue. We arrived home before 7:30pm. I fooled around on the PC Mindy did some laundry. The kids (Jacob and Bella) returned at 7:30pm sharp. I gave Jimaken a copy of Jacob’s soccer schedule before he left. I forgot that Jimaken was taking Jacob home to spend the night. After all, this was his spring break. Rocky & Landon got home around 7:45pm. Rocky must’ve hugged and kissed his mother goodbye ten times – always does. Landon was disinterested and seemed happy to be back with us. After a quick snack and chat, we ushered the kids upstairs to ready for bed. We didn’t get them tucked in until about 8:10pm. I quickly changed into my own pajamas then headed back downstairs to watch American Idol. We missed the first two performers. We hoped we hadn’t missed Adam. Turns out, we didn’t. This was Motown week. I wasn’t too impressed with most performances, but did like Adam’s rendition of Smokey Robinson’s, “Track of my Tears”. After Idol, Mindy and I headed straight to bed.