Advanced Prosthetics

I heard the irrigation system kick on but wasn’t done sleeping. I didn’t lie there long, however. I was up and downstairs by 5:40am. Unlike a month ago, it was still pitch black outside. A few minutes later I learned that the extreme darkness was aided by cloud cover. I did my exercises then headed outdoors with Ykraps. It was again very warm (low 70s) but not as sticky as Sunday morning. Also, it appeared to have rained lightly overnight. It wasn’t unexpected. I was back home by 6:05am and eager to sip some coffee. I was careful not to spend too much time on the PC, realizing that I need to rein in my morning routine a little since school will be starting in two weeks. When hitting on all cylinders, I’m off the PC by 6:20am. Lately, I’m fooling around until 6:30am. I spent another ten minutes meditating and then a few more stretching. I didn’t get out for my run until 6:50am. By then, the clouds gave way to a little sunshine. It was a very enjoyable run. I was covered in a sweaty glaze afterwards. That beach towel hanging up in the laundry room is getting a good workout of late. After my run I started food prep. I made a cheese omelet for breakfast and cut veggies for lunch. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any fresh fruit cut up other than a bowl of strawberries. I didn’t bother cutting up some myself. I did pack a container of the strawberries. I forgot to take Mindy coffee and didn’t bother waking her. She was up after my shower, however, so I invited to come down and enjoy a cup of coffee with me before I left for work. She agreed. Mindy was heading into school for the first time this summer to meet with her teacher pals. In her case, the carefree portion of her summer was officially over, albeit the official first day of school doesn’t arrive until August 25th. I left for work at 8:15am. I arrived at work a few minutes late. I was pretty busy for most of the day, and it only got busier as the day moved along. I didn’t bother taking a formal lunch break but did get up and walk around a few times just to get off my ass. I ate my packed veggies and fruit around 2pm. I was going to eat tuna but decided against it. I didn’t hear from Mindy until late afternoon. She was on her way to pick up the kids from Gloria, who watched them while Mindy went to school. She said her meeting went well and that we’d be having burgers for dinner. Sounded good to me. I let her know that Courtney was stopping by later that evening. I left work just after 5:40pm. I made a pit stop at the bank and didn’t get home until just after 6pm. Along my drive home, Courtney called asking if she could come over right then. Yes, I quickly replied. She went on to explain that she wanted to use our PC since her laptop was stolen. I wasn’t pleased. At home, Mindy shared that she had already walked Ykraps saving me the trouble. Thanks dear! Our burgers were ready in short order. Along with burgers, Mindy whipped up some Brussels sprouts and then tortured some tater-tots. My burger was delicious! Courtney arrived while we were eating. She didn’t even step in the kitchen/eating area to say hello. Instead, she went right for the PC to work on her school paper. Hmmm? Jacob pushed his burger aside asking for cereal instead. I ended up eating his, too, after offering it to Courtney first. She said she wasn’t hungry. Eating a second burger is not my typical behavior. I was overcome with sleepiness after woofing it down. It was so good. After helping with clean-up, but not finishing, I plopped down on the sofa for a brief rest. I woke after maybe 20 minutes and after hearing Courtney preparing to leave. Not so fast, I exclaimed. I wanted to talk with her first. I couldn’t believe what my eyes were showing me. There was Courtney in what amounted to nothing more than a nighty. I was shocked! I even asked if she had pants on. She did but they were like ‘Daisy Dukes’. Not at all amused, I probed into her thinking, and then asked about her laptop and eye glasses, which she volunteered had also come up missing – lost. She went on about how poorly she’s feeling to a point where I could take it no more. I excused myself to the upstairs. The only thing I can say is that I felt hurt, let down, and betrayed. All of the sudden the stories/excuses/actions aren’t adding up. Courtney departed while I was upstairs getting into my comfy clothes. I returned to find her gone. Mindy & I chatted about it briefly putting into perspective all that’s occurred since early July. Although we can’t be certain, we fear the worst – backslidden! I wasn’t in a pleasant mood for the duration of the evening. Trust me, kids will do this to you! I ate a piece of cheesecake and then another. It was so good. Inside, I was still trying to rationalize daughter Courtney’s tales. But no matter how positive I tried to be, none of it made any sense. I went in and took yet another brief nap on the sofa. I woke again around 9pm. I went to my PC where I read the latest on the Vikings training camp practice. It wasn’t long before Mindy got the kids organized for bed. She turned tuck-in duties over to me around 9:30pm. Afterwards, I turned on the TV to the Science Channel and watched a very interesting program about prosthetics and the huge technological advances they’re making. Absolutely incredible. Case and point, there’s a male double amputee in South Africa that’s pushing the world record running the 100 meter. Another example was a double amputee who also happens to be an MIT professor working on prosthetics advances. He climbs mountains better now than he did with his biological legs. At 10pm I was ready for bed. I couldn’t keep my eyes open even after those two brief naps. Good night moon!