Super Volcanoes

I was up on time and quick to get downstairs to get my day underway. Like always, it started with putting on my dog walking shoes and then whipping out a set of 55 sit-ups. Next, I checked the temperature. It was a bone chilling 48 degrees – the coolest morning of the season, I think. After 50 push-ups I headed out the door with Ykraps. It was again very cloudy and cool, a stark contrast to our weather from two short weeks ago when we were enjoying sunshine and warm temps. As chilly as it felt this morning, it’s expected to get even colder tonight – 35-40 degrees as a low. Yikes! Coffee was just what I needed. While at my PC, I checked the day’s forecast a little more in depth wondering if Wednesday golf would be in the cards. According to the weather gods, we were still expecting clearing and sunshine later in the day but with highs only in the 50’s. That works for me. Unfortunately, I also saw that Friday’s forecast wasn’t looking any better – still expecting rain. I woke Mindy with coffee at 6:10am and was soon ready to meditate and stretch before heading out for a run. All of that went well. Once again, I wore two long sleeved wicking shirts to combat the autumn chill. Missing was that stiff gusty breeze we had to contend with for passed two days. If nothing else, the chilly air served as a smack in the face. Honestly, though it felt refreshing. Once again, my knee gave me no trouble at all. I was very happy about that. By the same token, I know I am not completely out of the woods. Mindy had fried eggs awaiting my return. Detecting a strange but unfamiliar smell, I asked how they were prepared, or more specifically if she used olive oil. She admitted using vegetable oil and has been for some time. I wasn’t at all pleased. I have done my best to eliminate it from my diet and have been using olive oil for several years now. And perhaps even more telling, she knows it. I wasn’t too pleased. It’s as if she’s purposefully trying to kill me. I felt so strongly about it that I offered to cook my own eggs for now on if that’s what it takes. I meant it too. My long term health is that important to me. Mindy left for school after doing Bella’s hair. Bella and I talked for while after Mindy departed, but not for long. I needed to get in the shower. The kids and I were at the bus stop at the usual 7:55am. The bus was there by 8:00am. I left for work a few minutes later forgetting to pack my golf clubs. I didn’t realize my error until I arrived at work and was walking into the building. Crap! It wasn’t that big of deal, though. If the weather improved enough for golf I could simply make a brief stop at home to fetch my clubs on the way given that we’d most likely be playing at Phoenix. That’s not too far out of my way. The other option was to head home around lunch time and get them. Work went well. We had a staff meeting that lasted until 1230pm, a customer meeting from 1to 1:30pm, and a Leadership meeting from 2 to3pm. As you might guess, the day flew by. During one of those meetings I sent an email to my golf buddies measuring their interest in golf after work. The weather was decent enough, although currently cloudy and in the mid 50s. Tom Clark was the only one who wanted or could get away, but only if we golfed at Raymond. Hmmm? Raymond would work perfectly for me since I forgot my clubs. It’s right across the street from my house. We agreed to meet there near 445pm. To do so, I left work at 415pm instead of 430pm. I called Mindy and let her know my intentions. She was at home, so I would see her while fetching my clubs. I made the stop at home brief. Mindy walked Ykraps affording me the opportunity to go have fun without worry. She and the kids were going costume shopping for Bella’s coming b-day party. Typically, the kids would be with Jimaken on Wednesday but we swapped nights this week. He’s taking them on Thursday instead. I was at Raymond even before 445pm, but no indication of Tom. Wait for it. Wait for it. At 445pm on the nose I phoned Tom to see where the heck he was. A father/son combo had just tee’d off and I hoped to get off next before the rest of the after work crowd arrived. Tom wasn’t exact when citing his location but said he was close. But considering he lives not three miles up the road, he was simply over stating the obvious. I got the impression he was just then leaving his house. He does that all the time. He suggested I pay for the both of us and wait at the tee box. At first I didn’t want to risk it, because if a crowd arrived before him I was ready to bag it completely. But it was only $13 a piece. What the hell. I paid for the two of us and waited on the #1 tee box. He arrived just as another twosome neared the tee box. We tee’d off directly. I hit a solid drive right down the middle and about 260 yards out. My second shot was solid but still 10 yards short of the green. I chipped up within birdie range – about 10’ out. I missed the birdie but got my par. I was pleased. Tom had a bogey. I was just off the back of the green in two on hole #2. I chipped on and two putted for a bogey. As our round of nine holes went on, Tom started playing uncommonly well. He par’d five of the final six holes. I was quite impressed. To do it, he made a number of long putts on some difficult greens. Meanwhile, I was playing my usual bogey golf. I had only one errant (really bad) swing on the nine, but that was off the tee on the #8 par 3, which I recovered nicely by putting my second shot on and within 12’. Tom shot a 41 and me a 44. By the time we finished the sky was almost completely clear, but the sun was setting fast. It was much cooler too. We agreed that if the father/son tandem in front of us headed off the course, we were gonna try and play holes 10 thru 13 which would bring us back close to the clubhouse. Just as we hoped, they left after nine so we proceeded with our plan to play on. I bogeyed 10 and par’d #11. Eleven is par 5. I narrowly missed being on the green in two and putting for an eagle. Instead, I ended up in the sand and had to chip on and two putted. Number 12 is a difficult par 4 dog-leg right with water and trees to the immediate right and a stream crossing the fairway about 70 yards in front of the green. I struggled a little and ended up with a double-bogey. It was practically dark as we putted on #12 but we still moved on to play #13 – a 200 yard par 3. Might as well, we had to walk by it to get back to the clubhouse anyway. I hit my #4 hybrid but fat and ended up tee box side of the stream guarding the green. I put my second shot on and putted in for a par. We called it a night. It was 723pm and too dark to play anymore golf. There was an incredibly beautiful sun set. It was a gorgeous autumn evening. I headed home arriving just after 730pm. By the looks of it, Mindy and the kids had arrived home just ahead of me. They were trying on their new costumes. I was hungry after a long work day and then 13 holes of golf all on foot. I was a little bummed to find nothing quick and satisfying for dinner. The kids and Mindy ate at Steak & Shake. I snacked on chunk cheese and pepperoni, and then a few dill pickle flavored potato chips. I was careful not to binge. It was getting late. Mindy coaxed the kids upstairs to ready for bed. While they readied for bed, I tuned the TV to the History Channel HD to watch a program about the volcanic history of Yellowstone and the probability that it might erupt again in the future. It’s one of the few remaining active super volcanoes in the entire world. They predict that millions would die from the direct and indirect fallout. I hadn’t ever before considered many of the ill effects that would in all likelihood follow from such an eruption. Weather, climate, food sources, water sources, air travel, and air quality would all be severely impacted. Jacob watched quite a bit of the show with me, but Mindy called him up to bed just before 9pm. She went to bed not long after getting the kids settled. I stayed up watching the program in its entirety. http://www.mahalo.com/yellowstone-supervolcano Yellowstone Supervolcano Below Yellowstone National Park is a subterranean chamber of molten rock and gases that make it one of the largest active volcanoes in the world. It is known as the "Yellowstone Caldera" and it was first discovered in 1871. The Yellowstone volcano has erupted three times in history, with each eruption being spaced by roughly 660,000 years. Fast Facts * The Yellowstone supervolcano has erupted 3 times in Earth's history * Last eruption occurred around 640,000 years ago * The last eruption released 8,000 more times ash and lava than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens * A 7.5 earthquake killed 28 people in Yellowstone in 1959 * In late 2008 and early 2009 a series of earthquakes hit Yellowstone Time * Volcanologists with the U.S. Geological Survey believe that supervolcanoes are likely to give decades of warning before erupting In late December of 2008, Yellowstone experienced over 250 earthquakes that ranged from being barely detectable to a 3.9 magnitude that rattled the park on Saturday, December 27, 2008. Utah geophysics professor Robert Smith said the activity was "certainly not normal," and the quakes were significant because they could have been caused by hypothermal activity related to the supervolcano. The park is a geologically active site and the December 2008 earthquakes mark the most intense activity the area as seen in years.

What's in the Stars for You?

I was a bit more careful with my time calculations. I was up right at 5:30am. I felt extra groggy getting started, perhaps because I woke directly from a heavily dreamy state. It didn’t take long for me to come around, though. I checked the temperature after sit-ups. It was only 50 degrees. But before heading out with Ykraps I whipped out my 50 push-ups. I wore a jacket to combat the chill. It felt even cooler than 50 due in part to a stiff, gusty breeze. Gusts to 40 mph were forecasted. I didn’t bother waking Mindy, who was taking a sick day. I hoped she still planned on getting the kids up and ready. That typically takes place while I’m out on my morning run. I had plenty of time to relax, meditate, and stretch before my run. I felt really good, too. However, I worried about my knee, and how it might hold up during the run. Dressing for my run, I wore long running pants and two wicking shirts in lieu of a jacket. That worked well – not too warm and not too cold. To my surprise, I didn’t have a bit of trouble with my knee, at least beyond psychological. A mile or so into it, I was successfully able to cast it out of my mind and focus on other things. I did the full four miles. Mindy was up with the kids when I got back, but after preparing eggs for Bella and I she headed back to bed. I took it from there, but that’s how the morning typically unfolds anyhow. After finishing breakfast I headed up for my shower. Mindy asked me to stop back up to see her after getting the kids on the bus and before leaving for work. I agreed. The kids were on the bus and I was back at home by 8:03am. As requested, I stopped up to say goodbye to Mindy. She asked me to reconsider staying home one more time. I couldn’t do it. No offense, but if I am gonna take a ‘sanity-sick day’ it’s gonna be a day when I can stay home alone and accomplish a goal of sorts. I advised Mindy that she needed to do just that herself – spend a day alone. I left for the office at 8:10am. The workday was busy from go. At some point during the day while chatting with my boss, I reminded him that I had three vacation day requests still pending, and that one of them was for this coming Friday. He’s typically pretty lax on reviewing such requests in a timely fashion. He apologized and agreed to review and approve. Cool. My Friday vacation was approved! I am hoping to golf, but the forecast doesn’t look good. Rain’s predicted. I didn’t bother taking a lunch, but did take a few minutes to draft an email to ex-Kelly to discuss some Lindsey related matters. I tried calling her first (twice to be exact) but she wasn’t taking my calls, or calling me back. When I spoke with Mindy during my drive home I expressed my desire to cut the lawn. Almost on queue, it started to sprinkle (dammit!), although Mindy claimed it wasn’t doing so at home. She said that it wouldn’t present a problem if I wanted to cut the grass immediately and then eat dinner later. She was making stuffed peppers and the longer they cook the better. Plus, Jacob would be at soccer practice with his daddy until after 730pm. Cool! As soon as I got home, and after walking Ykraps, I headed out to mow the lawn. I changed into sweat pants, long-sleeved t-shirt, and a fleece. It was getting cooler by the minute and the wind was still gusting. No sign of summer whatsoever. I decided to skip whacking and edging. I’d feel good if I could simply get the mowin’ and blowin’ done. The walnut trees out back dropped a mother load of nuts this year making for tough sledding along the pond. Given the slope, it’s tough enough to cut when it’s clean and dry. I worked up one heck of sweat mowing back there despite the autumn chill. Just as I was finishing up the push mowing, neighbor Becky came over with a pumpkin beer in hand – a gift for mowing part of their property that she missed. Can’t recall the brewer but it’s one I hadn’t seen before. Everybody’s brewing pumpkin beer these days. She mentioned that David just got back form the Great American brew fest in Denver. Much like me, David’s a real beer connoisseur. Always has a different brand/style in his hand. I thanked Becky for the beer and continued on with the mowing dragging out the tractor for the easy part. After the mowing I blew off the front drive, walks, and lawn. And because the grass was so thick and long there were lots of clippings to blow and disperse. By the time I was finished, addressing my hunger was first and foremost on my mind. It was 7:15pm. Because I didn’t whack and edge, I wasn’t covered in grass clippings, which meant I didn’t need to shower before dinner. And that sweat I worked up while push mowing had already evaporated. Get in my belly! Mindy plated up some stuffed peppers and mashed potatoes for all three of us. They were delicious. I ate two stuffed peppers. Jacob and Jimaken got home around 7:40pm – just as we were cleaning up our dinner dishes. Feeling generous, we packaged up a stuffed pepper for Jimaken to take home. I can’t recall if Jacob ate one or not. Thanks to the mowing, it was already 8pm by the time the kitchen was cleaned up after dinner. Mindy mentioned feeling considerably better after her ‘hooky’ day. She headed upstairs to get the kids bathed and ready for bed. I changed into my PJs and then spent 30 minutes updating my blog. At 8:30pm I headed to the sofa and tuned into the History Channel HD to watch my new favorite show, The Universe. Tuesday’s episode took me through an in-depth look at the creation and life of stars, the Milky Way, and other galaxies - where they were and where they’re going. It was very cool. One small tidbit – there are about 400 billion stars in our galaxy, the Milk Way, alone. And, there are millions, if not billions of other galaxies out there beyond us. Mindy & I were both perplexed at the conclusions scientist were able to draw about stars, not to mention the origin of our universe, simply from studying various star clusters. Mindy had enough and headed for bed after The Universe. I stayed up to watch the succeeding program – a scientific account of the San Andreas Fault. I found it equally fascinating, but eventually became overcome with a case of the sleepies. Plus, Mindy came to the balcony and called me to bed. I joined her five minutes later.

The Playboy Channel

The new work week began at 5:15am. Somehow I got confused when glancing towards the clock and interpreted 730am (Jimmy-time) to be 530am. That happens on occasion. I didn’t catch the error until I had completed my sit-ups and was checking the temperature online. It was 57 degrees, by the way. Because I was up 15 minutes early, I was able to enjoy my alone time at a pace more leisurely than normal. I spent most of it reading stories about the Vikings impressive, last second victory. That alone added an extra bounce to my step. I shared my mistake with Mindy when I woke her with coffee at the usual time. I broke away from the PC at 6:10am and started meditation and stretching. By doing so, my meditation was much more beneficial and relaxing. I left for a run around 6:35am. I wore my new loose running pants and thick, long-sleeved wicking shirt to combat the slight chill. I was perfectly comfortable. As my run progressed my right knee began to bother me. It felt strange, almost like a catch, or perhaps some minor swelling. It didn’t hurt per se, but it did impact my stride significantly. But I wasn’t shocked. I’ve been having trouble with it for the past couple of weeks, but surprisingly, not so much when I am running but instead only when I am walking. Fear came over me, thinking that this might be the ‘thing’ that threatens my long standing streak, which currently stands at 12 years and 7 months 18 days. Although I hated doing it, I decided not to push it and cut my run back to just three miles. I told myself on the return I would do that as long as necessary to help preserve my streak, much like I did when I pulled the muscle in my ass. Now that was painful! I shared my fear and situation with Mindy when I got back home. Mindy listened but then unknowingly patronized me by saying that my life would simply have to take another course. I am sure she meant it to sound encouraging, but to my ears it wasn’t something I wanted to hear. As Eric Moore from the Godz says, “Gotta Keep a Runnin’”. :) Mindy had my eggs ready. She, Bella and I enjoyed a few minutes together having breakfast. As always, Jacob had already eaten and was off to his room to watch the Playboy channel. Mindy soon departed, and I headed off for a shower. The kids and I headed out for the bus stop at 7:55am. The morning was pleasant – sunny and about 60, although quite breezy. I was off to work by 8:10am. My work day started smoothly and remained that way pretty much throughout. I worked straight through not even taking a break to eat anything beyond my morning snack – mixed nuts. I talked with Mindy after she’d left school. She let me know that she made arrangements to take Tuesday off school. More than anything, she needed a ‘down day’, and asked if I would do the same. I didn’t think so. I left for home around 5:30pm. Not long after arriving home I readied Ykraps for his evening walk. I couldn’t help but notice how long, thick our grass was getting. I really needed to cut it over the weekend but didn’t have the opportunity. By far, this was the longest stretch of days I’ve gone all season without doing the deed – 8 days and counting. I was too tired and uninspired to start then. I shrugged it off. Inside, Mindy had dinner at the table – grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup. It was good but needed some spicing up. Her version of grilled cheese is just that, two slices of bread with a slice of cheese between. At a minimum, I wanted protein (meat) and mayonnaise on mine too. I went to add some sliced turkey but found it to be outdated – a month outdated at that. Taking no chances, I threw it out. We had more, but it was frozen – another Mindy-ism. She freezes everything, including buns. UGH! After dinner the kids headed outside to play with friends but returned home minutes later after encountering rejection at the trampoline. Before MNF, I did some writing and surfing. Bella and Mindy did some reading. Lately, I’ve been encouraging Bella to bring home readable books rather than her favorite “I Spy”. Let’s just say her desire to read isn’t nearly as voracious as Jacob’s. We watched all the pre-MNF hype before kick-off. Mindy deflated Jacob when proclaimed bedtime at 830pm, or the same time as kick-off. But I argued his case and won him an additional 15-30 minutes. He was pleased. The game matched the Cowboys and Carolina Panthers from the new, impressive Cowboy stadium. Mindy sent Jacob to bed after the first quarter ended. She headed up herself around 9:30pm claiming exhaustion. I stayed up a while longer until I fell asleep.

Good Friends, Brett Favre, and Golf

I was up by 715am after a more than restful night’s sleep. Because it was Sunday, I didn’t plan to do any sit-ups or push-ups, this being my scheduled day to rest. It was raining outside and fairly hard, too. By the looks of the weather there wouldn’t be any golf come 1pm. After walking Ykraps I checked the forecast more in-depth. Turns out, they were still calling for an end to the rain mid-morning then partly sunny skies and temps near 75. I told myself that if it cleared by 10am I would do the golf outing. If not, I would bag it for something else. I spent the next hour reading headlines covering Saturday’s college football results. Mindy was up around 9am. We sat quietly in the kitchen sipping coffee and talking. Mindy planned on attending church with the kids, the first such visit in a number of weeks/months. It would figure that the kids weren’t yet up. It seems that they always sleep-in when there’s somewhere to be. Sometime near 9:30am the sky started to show signs of clearing. I left for a run a few minutes later. It was noticeably cooler than the last several mornings. It wasn’t but 57 degrees. And by the time my 3 mile run was completed the sky was much clearer. Looked like we’d be golfing after all. Mindy and the kids were still at home, but practically on their way out the door whe n I returned. They left around 1015am. I logged on Willow Run’s webpage and then called the course to make sure playing conditions were decent. The club pro told me that they were open and in good shape despite nearly 2 inches of rain. I called Tom Clark around 10:25am to confirm our plans then headed up for a shower. He agreed to drive. I decided to wear my contact lenses for the first time since Mexico. They went in easy and felt comfortable. However, I planned to take my glasses just in case I needed to rip the contacts out later. With 30 minutes to spare, I cleaned my golf clubs then ate a hot dog. Tom showed up a few minutes early. We loaded up my clubs then left for golf. As we often do, Tom & I got into a debate during our 30 mile drive, this time over college athletes leaving school early for the pros. I’m convinced that he takes the opposite position from me just because. He can be such a contrarian. My position is this. Colleges have the responsibility to teach these athletically gifted kids how to be well-rounded productive citizens, not just good athletes. That’s far more important than simply winning football games. Tom doesn’t subscribe to that. I am also of the opinion that when they take a 4-year scholarship it should be thought of as a binding agreement. Again, he sees it far different than I. In his world, there would seemingly be no ethics – only what’s best for me right this minute. Of course, I also realize that there is no right or wrong here. Thanks in no small part to our engaging debate, we arrived at Willow Run (Rt 161 & Rt 310 in Pataskala) quickly. I ran into one of the Weese brother immediately. He wished me a happy belated 50th birthday. I couldn’t remember which one he was. Yikes! I hate that. I then introduced Tom to John Vereb and Joe Dooley, my two good buddies. John & Joey run the outing so after a brief chat we left them alone. We weren’t sure if we’d be golfing with them or not. We partook in some of the food and drink. I had soda and water. Tom enjoyed a beer. John & Joey sought me out around 1250pm and let me know that they worked it out so that all four of us could golf together. Cool! We’d be teeing off on hole number 10. It was a shot gun start, meaning there were groups teeing off from each hole. Good thing. There were about 132 players, or 33 teams of four. Playing in a scramble one can never get a good measure of their own game, but that’s not the intent either. None of us played particularly well. We ended up shooting par, or one over. I can’t readily recall. My biggest problem throughout, were my second shots. I couldn’t buy a good one. Despite the poor score, we had fun. I don’t get to see John and Joey that much these days. Like me, both of them turn fifty in the next couple of weeks. We’ve always marveled about how close in age all of us were. We finished just before 6pm. Tom didn’t want to hang out for too long. It was his 47th birthday and he was looking forward to moving on and out. I understood, and I don’t like hanging out afterwards that much either. Again, I don’t like to mix golf and drinking. I called Mindy once we were on the road. She was at home alone seemingly enjoying some quiet time. I called back a few minutes later after Tom & I agreed to make a brief stop at Barley’s thinking she might want to meet us there. However, she was expecting Jimaken to bring the kids home around 7pm. She declined but offered that I could still go. We did just that. We arrived at Barley’s around 6:35pm. The place/bar was sparsely populated – about what I expected for a Sunday. I purposefully avoided catching any football scores while at the golf course earlier, although I heard folks talking about the Browns getting pounded. More specifically, I didn’t want to hear about the Vikings results until I was ready. I considered myself ready now. Tom & I bellied up to the bar and ordered beers, me an IPA and Tom one of their new Wedding Ales. Playing on the screen in front of us were the Bengals and Steelers. With just under 5 minutes to go, the Bengals trailed 15-10. During the final minutes the Vikings score finally crawled across the bottom of the screen. We won 27-24! Not only did we win, but it was in dramatic last second fashion, too, a 32 yard TD pass from Brett Favre with 2 seconds left. Meanwhile, the Bengals Steelers game was getting interesting. Somehow the Bengals got the ball back with a couple minutes remaining and were driving towards the winning TD. But you just knew they would somehow self-destruct. After all, isn’t that what the Bengals and Browns always do? Not today, though. The Bengals scored a TD upsetting the Steelers. The crowd in Cincy went crazy! All totaled, Tom & I hung out for about an hour and fifteen, long enough for him to eat a burger and drink two beers, and me to drink 2.5 IPAs. Monica topped me off - gratis. I arrived home around 8pm. I checked with Mindy. She had already walked Ykraps saving me the trip. I shared a little about my day golfing and the Vikings big victory. I was extremely eager to see the highlights. Mindy had the kids bathed and ready for bed over the next 15-20 minutes. I tuned into the Sunday Night football game – Phoenix vs. Indianapolis. We headed to bed at halftime. Mindy offered to turn on the game from bed but I didn’t care that much since I was already dosing from the sofa. Good night.

Splitting our Steaks

Mindy thought I was crazy when I rolled out of bed at 645am, but I was having trouble sleeping, so staying in bed wasn’t buying me anything. And in reality, it wasn’t but 15 minutes earlier than I typically get up on a Saturday. Downstairs I started coffee then began my exercise routine. It was a very dreary morning with thick cloud cover and light rain. I took Ykraps on his walk a short bit later. During our walk I got sleepy again. I knew then that I was going to lie back down once we were back home. We were back by 7:10am. I went to the sofa and snuggled up with a fist full of pillows and the purple throw. I was out pretty quickly. I might’ve woken two or three times but only briefly. Each time I dosed back off. I didn’t wake for good until Mindy got up somewhere near 9am when I heard her pouring coffee. I felt really good and rested. Looking outside was somewhat depressing - the rain, the clouds. The kids eventually upped and asked me to put Bolt, the DVD in. Mindy would be leaving for yoga around 1115am. I needed to be back from my run by then. I headed out for a run around 10:15am. It rained the entire time but only lightly. Mindy had a beach towel waiting by the front door for my soggy return. The kids were gathered in the family room still watching Bolt with neighbors Jake and Makayla. I could muster only a sigh when Mindy left me with a houseful of kids while she headed out for yoga. She figured to be home around 1pm. Bella and Makayla went to the basement to play and I hardly heard a peep from them again. Jacob and Jake were both inside and out. They weren’t difficult either. They tried getting me to come out and play football but there was no way I was heading out in the rain. I stayed in working on my blog. I taught myself how to embed mini-photo albums into my blog, a new, more efficient way to share pics. While doing this and that, I kept a watchful eye on the Michigan Indiana game, and a good game it was. Jacob & Jake played football out in the rain all afternoon. They kept after me as well, but I wouldn’t budge. Not me. I was bent on having a lazy, relaxing football afternoon. Just as I was starting to drift off for another nap, Mindy returned home. While I watched football, Mindy made an apple pie from scratch. She even made her own pie crust. We planned to grill steaks later and have her pie for dessert. Meanwhile, Michigan was very fortunate. They trailed late in the game but rallied in the waning seconds to beat Indiana, the team we play next Saturday night. It was just after 3pm. The Buckeye kick-off was just 30 minutes away. Those 30 minutes went fast. It was game time! Buckeyes got the opening kick-off after Illinois deferred. It started raining soon after kick-off. OSU stadium is no more than a few miles due east of our house, but even still it was raining significantly harder at the stadium than it was at home. There were waterfalls pouring out of the stands and down onto the playing field. I’m still not sure how the heavy stuff missed us. Regardless, the heavy rain changed the game plan dramatically. The Buckeyes kept running the ball straight up the gut. More surprising than the fact that they were running the ball was that they were wildly successful doing it, ripping off 12-13 yards a pop. The Buckeyes won 30-0, our second shut out in a row. Yet as good as we played, there was plenty of room for improvement. And I don’t think anyone would argue that. After the game I walked Ykraps. Tom Clark sent me text message indicating that he was at Barley’s after work. I invited him over. He accepted. And since we planned to grill steaks for dinner, we would share with Tom. Tom arrived about 30 minutes later. He reminded me that Sunday was his birthday. That’s right! I invited him to join me at the Weese memorial golf outing. I lit the grill a few minutes after Tom arrived. And yes, it was still raining. It was dark while I grilled the steaks. And just like the last time I grilled those estra-thick Rib Eyes, and even though they were crispy brown on the outside, they were still dark red in the center. I took them back out for couple more minutes on the grill. This time they turned out perfectly. Moral to the story - under cooked steak is far better than over cooked. You can always throw them back on. We split two giant steaks into three, and then Mindy gave some of hers to Bella. Jacob doesn’t care for steak. He ate something else. Mindy made garden salads too. We enjoyed the steaks and then had a piece of Mindy’s delicious apple pie for dessert. Right after dinner we tuned the TV to the Penn State Iowa game that was just kicking off. Penn State looked dominate early on but couldn’t convert that dominance into points. Consequently, the game remained close throughout. Probably around 9:00pm the neighbors came over, Kenny, Chrissy, Jake and Makayla. We watched the rest of the game together. Tom left after the third quarter and Chrissy & Makayla fell asleep in front of the fireplace. Kenny carried Makayla home. Chrissy had to get up and walk.  Oh yeah, Iowa came from behind and won. We headed for bed soon after the company departed.

Remembering Cliff

I was up just after 530am doing my exercises and preparing for another Friday. Once again, it was cloudy and reasonably warm, about 63 degrees. This made the 6th cloudy day in a row, although we did get a slight reprieve late last Wednesday afternoon. As sunny as the first three weeks of September were, this last one has been the polar opposite. After walking Ykraps I woke Mindy with a cup of steaming hot coffee. She was most appreciative. Then, after a little playtime on the PC, I split ten minutes between meditation and stretching. At 6:40am I headed out the door for my morning run. Because it was so cloudy, it was stayed pretty dark for the first three miles. Only during the last mile did the sky finally brighten. Upon my return, Mindy had breakfast ready like usual. She was out the door for work by 7:30am, and I was off to the shower. Bella was at my bedroom door around 7:50am attempting to rush me along. Both kids are very good about being punctual. More often than not, they’re at the bus stop a minute or two ahead of me. Friday was no different. Kenny & I had loosely discussed the possibility of golfing on Saturday morning before the Buckeye game, but with Mindy’s yoga class and a 70% chance of rain, we nixed that idea. And besides, I already had plans to golf Sunday in the Weese memorial golf outing, although that’s a scramble. Off to work. Friday was a very busy day. I was the lone manager in the office for the better part of the day making for some really tough sledding. Thankfully, I survived. I really wanted to slip away for lunch but never did – couldn’t. One thing lead to another and soon the day was all but over. I talked with Mindy around 4:30pm. She was already on her way to the grocery store and left the kids with Kenny. At the time I thought that I might escape work at 5pm, but that never materialized. I finally wrapped up my work day and week and left for home just before 530pm. The house was quiet. I could see the kids out back playing football with Kenny. I quickly unloaded my work gear and leashed up Ykraps and headed out for his evening walk. I was happy to have the work week behind me and the weekend ahead. I was working on the PC when Mindy got home from the grocery. I expected her to be gone longer. She shared that her Wal-Mart experience went smoother than usual thanks in part to no lines at the check-out – a rarity indeed. While carrying in groceries, we discussed dinner plans, which I already knew included a trip to Barley’s with the kids. We planned to head out around 7pm. We haven’t been there for two weeks, or since my b-day party. I had the itch! We readied and left as planned just before 7pm. Judging by the parking lot, there didn’t appear to be much of a crowd, but sometimes that’s misleading – both ways. This night, however, it was telling. The bar was only about half occupied. Because we had the kids along, we asked for a table. It was some time before I actually sat down. Instead, I chatted with Scott & Steve and had Beth pour me my first beer, a Southern Tier, PumKing. It came highly recommended from trusted, seasoned beer drinkers. I was surprised to see it served in a sniffer, meaning high alcohol content. The taste was deceptive and fruity. It tastes like a combination of bazooka bubblegum and pumpkin pie. My buds warmed to it but I also knew I wouldn’t order a second. Instead, I’d order a Centennial next. However, before there would be any more beer, we had to order our dinner. Before heading to our table, Calvin, another Barley’s regular, informed Mindy that our pal Cliff passed away suddenly last week. As I understand it, he dropped dead from a brain aneurism while entering his house. And just like that he was gone. Cliff was a very intriguing character – a professor of veterinary medicine at OSU, who took frequent trips to Rwanda, Africa in an effort to help educate the locals on growing crops. He had many other outside interests as well. Mindy & I both found him fascinating. The world lost a good one. Very sobering news. Apparently a wake was held at Barley’s in his honor last week. Finally seated at our table, Justin stopped by to take our food orders. Mindy ordered pork chops. I ordered Gate of Hell wings, and so did Jacob. Bella ordered a kids Barley cheeseburger. Jacob also ordered a basket of onion straws. It took about 20 minutes for our food to arrive. By then the kids were growing impatient. The wait was worth it. The food was terrific, or at least mine was. And despite Mindy warning me against ordering the wings extra-well done, they were delicious. Somewhere mid-food, I ordered that second beer, a Centennial IPA. Mindy asked that I pick-up the check. I did, and also tipped our server well. We left for home by 9pm intending to pay a visit to the neighbors once there. Mindy gave them a call as soon as we got in the door. They welcomed us down despite Chrissy having a rather invasive out-patient procedure hours earlier. We hung out with the neighbors long enough for me to drink the two Sam Adams I brought from home. While there, we watched America’s Funniest Home Videos ‘Best Ever’ show from Disney World. Very entertaining. We headed for home around 11pm and headed directly to bed.

I Spy ...

I was up just a little after 530am ready to get my day rockin’ and rollin’. Like the past few days, it was cloudy but warm. The pavement looked wet too, but it wasn’t raining at the present time. I completed my daily exercise regimen then headed out with Ykraps. Ykraps talked the entire time, although I couldn’t quite make out was he was saying. I got the impression he might be telling me where to go. But I don’t know. It was all gibberish. :) I enjoyed some coffee while playing around on my PC. Come 6:10am I delivered Mindy’s coffee and woke her for work. At her request, I turned off the ceiling fan on my way back downstairs. I picked up right where I left off reading the Daily OM and a few scattered headlines. At 6:22am I stopped playing and moved on to meditation and stretching. I was disappointed that my stiff neck was back. Before and after meditation I did some stretches that focused primarily on the neck muscles. That helped quite a bit. I soon found myself a few minutes behind schedule. It was already 6:40am. I got dressed somewhat hurriedly for my run. Once again, because it was 67 degrees, I skipped wearing a shirt. It was quite comfortable. And an excellent run it was. I felt terrific. I am so blessed to be able to do what I do. Back at the house, my eggs were ready with a side of OJ. Mindy, Bella and I enjoyed our breakfast together. However, Mindy wasn’t with us for long. After doing Bella’s hair she was out the door. Bella and I shared our usual morning banter before I headed up for shower. I was dressed and ready by 7:50am. The kids were already making their way out the door as I headed down the steps. They’re always eager to get out to the bus stop. At Jacob’s request, I took the football. He passed more with Kenny since I had Ykraps on a leash. The bus was there and gone by 8:01am. I headed back inside for some last minute prep. I loaded and started the dishwasher then split. Work was busy from jump. Amongst other things, we were going through our bi-annual UL ISO9000 audit. They came to visit me in my office just as I was thinking about escaping for lunch. Lovely! The auditor & I spent about 25 minutes together. I wouldn’t use pleasant to describe the experience. Afterwards, he spent time with a couple of my engineers too. By the time that was over with it was too late to take a meaningful lunch. I decided to skip it. My PC locked up mid-afternoon. Other than that, it was a good afternoon. I talked with Mindy soon after she arrived home from school. She was busy reviewing the kids school work/homework and preparing for dinner. She asked if I had a preference. She let me know that Jacob suggested Barley’s. No. We already have plans to dine there on Friday with the kids. We agreed that it would be a surprise. I was busy for the remainder of the day. I didn’t get out of the office until 5:35pm. It was nearly 6pm when I arrived home. Immediately, Mindy let me know that Jacob would be taking in a Blue Jackets preseason game with his father. I asked if I needed to walk Ykraps. I did. He & I headed out the door not five minutes after arriving home. I was patient, but also very hungry. I couldn’t wait to get back home. We were having baked chicken and cream of chicken over rice. Another one of my favorites. Everyone was sitting at the table when I got back home. I kidded them about not waiting for me. Mindy was quick to retort that she hadn’t yet started eating. But the kids quickly chimed in that she had in fact taken at least one bite already. Before I could sit down, I opened the one piece of mail I received and then answered a knock at the front door. It was Jimaken. The mail was from Nationwide Irrigation offering a s$50 winterization special. Sounds like a deal. Finally, I sat to eat. Meanwhile, Jimaken and Jacob headed off for the hockey game. Bella shared a bit about her day, including the new “I Spy” book she brought home from the school library. She said the library has millions of them. Wow! :) She also expressed that she was bored, obviously melancholy after seeing Jacob leaving for the hockey game. We asked what she wanted to do, and she said, ‘go bowling’! We offered that, but only Wii bowling. That didn’t float. Mindy offered to watch a movie with her. That piqued her interest. I did the dinner clean-up and dishes. That took about 20 minutes. While Mindy & Bella got busy with the latest Veggie Tales movie I got busy on my PC. I finished writing Wednesday’s blog entry and then published the last two days. All of that took longer than expected. The movie was over when I finished. After the movie Bella came to hang out with me. It was only 8:45pm. Mindy spoke of being extremely tired and begged off for an early bedtime. Bella & I stayed up and did an ‘I Spy’ page. I tucked her in shortly after. Back downstairs I tuned into the Thursday Night ESPN college football game. Jacob got home from hockey around 9pm. Bella came down to see Jacob. I heard Mindy get up to tuck Jacob in. And I think she re-tucked Bella, too. I fell asleep during the football game but woke in time to see the final two minutes. Number 4, Mississippi lost. I headed to bed shortly thereafter.

Late Start

I woke around 5am and remembered that it was ‘late start’ day. In kind, I granted myself permission to sleep a little late. I didn’t get up again until 6:05am. Admittedly, that was later than I had in mind. I was thinking more like 545am. Hey, I guess one could say that I was getting a late start too. After sit-ups and push-ups I checked the temperature. It was 70 degrees. I then took Mindy her morning coffee to help keep her timeline on track. It was already 6:15am. I could see that she was up starting her shower while I was out walking Ykraps, who was once again very, very slow taking care of his business. As I talked about yesterday, he’s getting older, but surprisingly, he’s looking healthier than ever, and he hasn’t had a seizure in months. It was 645am by the time I was back from walking Ykraps. I needed to get moving if I were to run before Mindy needed to leave. I did my stretching but skipped meditation. And this time because of the warm temps, I didn’t bother wearing a shirt from go. It was 6:55am when I set out for my run. The late start meant that more of my run was in full daylight this first full day of autumn. I was home just after 7:30am. Mindy was just getting ready to bolt. Both Jacob & Bella remained in bed. Mindy saw no reason to wake them given the ‘late start’. Made sense to me too. She left a brief note on the counter for their reading pleasure. Jacob got up shortly after Mindy left. By then, I was already working away. Jacob has become fairly self-sufficient relative to making his breakfast and readying for school. That makes life a little easier for all of us. After woofing down his waffles he was off to his room to watch TV. Bella got up sometime after 8am. She wasn’t too happy to discover her mother already gone. She went on about how her momma promised to tell her goodbye. I showed her the note Mindy left, but quickly realized that she couldn’t read all of it. I read it with her, but adlibbed some too. I told her that momma would see her in a couple of days. She wasn’t too pleased. J She got over it quickly and asked if she could play Mario Kart. Why not? Yes. While she played video games I headed off for a shower. I was back downstairs by 830am and back on my laptop. I took a break around 9am to prepare for Wednesday golf even though the weather forecast looked iffy. I would be prepared regardless. The kids and I headed for the bus stop just before 10am. Right on queue, the bus pulled up and the kids were on their way. I chatted only briefly with Kenny before heading back inside. Before leaving for work, I created a wedding rehearsal photo album online and sent it to Mindy. I would’ve copied other interested family members but didn’t have their email addresses. I’d get them and do it later, I surmised. I arrived at work by 1030am. It was practically time for our weekly staff meeting. That meeting lasted until 12:30pm or so. As it turned out, we didn’t have long before we needed to be in another meeting with our Team Leads at 2pm. The day was flying by. That second meeting lasted until just after 3pm. In a response to an email I sent earlier to my golf buddies, only Bob Imber was interested in playing. We went back and forth a couple of times about the venue but ultimately settled on Phoenix, and both agreed to try and be there by 5pm. With that in mind, I left the office at 430pm sharp. With daylight waning, it’s important to get there quickly. Traffic was much softer than last week. I made it to Phoenix by 5:00pm. I was surprised to see that Bob was already there, had a cart, and already paid our green fees. I gave him the cash to cover my share short $1. We were teeing off the back. I started out decent but bogeyed the first hole after narrowly missing the green with my second shot, chipping on and two putting. Hole # 2 is a 500 yard par 5. I was just off the green in three even after a short (read crappy) drive. I holed out with my PW for a birdie! Wahoo! I played pretty solid save for one hole - a fairly straight forward par four. Problem started with an errant drive into the nearby heather and then I duffed a 6-iron. One thing lead to another for an 8. I narrowly missed two more birdie putts on both par 3s - one from about 12’ & the second from about 5-6’ after hitting the flag stick on one bounce with my initial shot. As a matter of fact, for a brief second I thought I might net my first hole-in-one. That wasn’t to be, and neither was the birdie. I par’d both. The closing hole is that tough one over the pond, but Bob & I both bogeyed after hitting nice drives and decent approach shots. As we drove into the clubhouse the course looked damn near empty. What the heck, we decided to drive over to tee box #1 and get at least one more hole in. We knew if we played holes 1 thru 3 we’d end up pretty much right where we were. Long story short, Bob eagled hole #1. Awesome golf, Bob! It was 7:20pm when we finished our 12th hole. We chatted only briefly then parted ways. I was home by 7:35pm. Mindy was dining out at the Big Fat with school friends, and she was having Jimaken drop the kids off to her there. I asked that she NOT bring me home a gyro. There were plenty of leftovers already for me to choose from, including last night’s pizza. I arrived home and quickly took care of some small chores. Afterwards, I woofed down some pizza while at the same time getting started on Julie & Katie’s wedding album. There were around 240 pictures to upload, and it was estimated to take about 40 minutes. Mindy & the kids arrived home before 8pm. While got the kids ready for bed I mixed up a Jack & Coke then did some reading with network sitcom TV playing in the background. I couldn’t find anything of interest to watch. Mindy headed to bed around 9:45pm. I stayed up but quickly got cozy enough on the sofa that I fell asleep. I woke around 11pm and headed up for bed.

Goodbye Summer & Hello Autumn

I was up at my usual time of 5:30am. A cursory glance out the window revealed more clouds. And after completing my sit-ups and push-ups I took a quick look at the temperature to learn that it was quite warm – 67 degrees. I did my usual stuff including walking Ykraps. He’s taking much longer these days to finish his business. Not sure if his sense of smell is deteriorating or what, but he’s definitely slower. In addition, he’s making this strange ‘cooing’ sound as he walks and sniffs. It almost sounds like a muffled voice off in the distance. It took me a while to figure out that it was coming from him. He is getting old – 12 years last month. Back at the house I sipped coffee in front of my PC for a short bit before taking Mindy hers. I asked if she planned to stay home. She did not. She was going to work. Alrighty! I returned downstairs to carry on with my agenda. I moved to meditation and stretching pretty quickly. I dressed in a sleeveless wicking shirt for my run, but even that proved a bit too warm after a couple miles into it. I ripped it off while maintaining my stride. I felt much better with it off. It occurred to me then that the days of running shirtless are definitely numbered. Without a doubt, chillier weather is just around the corner. Even though it warm now, hints of autumn are all around. In fact, many trees, ash & locust primarily, are already dropping their foliage in mass. And some varieties of maple trees are already turning colors. I was back at home by 7:15am. Mindy, Bella and I sat together eating our breakfast for a short time before Mindy had to leave. She did Bella’s hair then split. I finished my breakfast and eventually headed up for a shower. The kids and I headed to the bus stop at 7:55am. Ykraps went along too. I noticed Kenny’s eye looking a whole lot better. Soon after the kids were on the bus I turned my attention to heading into work. The morning went smoothly and before I knew it, it was 1pm. I was fully committed to taking a lunch, so I left for the nearby Best Buy & Wal-Mart around 1:15pm. At Best Buy I checked out Wii accessories and games as potential Xmas gifts for the kids. I also scoped out TVs & printers. At Wal-Mart (next door) I picked up a 5-quart jug of synthetic motor oil for the Trooper. It’s been burning oil for the last year or so. I headed back to the office around 2:30pm. The rest of the afternoon went quickly. Mindy phoned on her way home. Among other things, she shared that she didn’t feel like cooking dinner, playing the sinus infection card one last time. We agreed to have Minelli’s pizza. She also reminded me that Jacob wouldn’t be home for dinner. Instead, Jimaken would be taking him to Tuesday soccer practice. As a concession for me agreeing to fetch a pizza, Mindy agreed to walk Ykraps. Lastly, she reminded me about tomorrow’s ‘late start’. All of Hilliard schools will start their day 2 hours later than normal meaning that I won’t be getting the kids onto the bus until 10am. Glad she reminded me. Just before leaving, I sent my boss and team an email informing them that I’d be working from home on Wednesday until 1030am. ***News Flash *** Autumn officially arrived at 5:18pm. Good bye summer ’09. You were quick and cool. I left for home somewhere after 5:35pm. By the time that I arrived home Jacob was already off to soccer practice with his daddy. Mindy & I agreed to order a large 4-item pizza since we had a coupon reducing the price to $11.99 (a $3.90 savings - Wahoo!). I left to fetch the pizza ten minutes later. At the same time, Mindy walked down to discuss ‘late start’ with Chrissy. I was willing to keep her kids tomorrow morning too if necessary. The pizza was ready five minutes after my arrival. And for the first time in as long as I can remember, I didn’t eat a piece on the drive home. Mindy & Bella were apparently still down at Chrissy’s when I got home with the pie. I started woofing down pizza right away. I didn’t want to wait. Once Mindy gets to talking, she can be at it for an hour. She came home about five minutes later, and Bella after another five minutes. We enjoyed pizza time and talked about our days. Mindy shared that she phoned my dad and said he seemed much better today. That was good news. After pizza I went to my PC to catch up on blogging. I stayed busy until almost 8:30pm. By then Jacob was home from soccer and the kids were ready for bed. I tucked them in around 8:45pm then went back downstairs to do some reading. Mindy & I headed to bed together for the first time in several nights.

That day each September when the weather turns...

I slept well, but woke in a semi-dreamy state a couple of times before 530am. I quickly shook off sleep and was downstairs and fully engaged in exercise by 5:40am. Afterwards, I checked the temperature and was surprised to see that it was a warm 67 degrees. I could see out the window that we were socked in with clouds, however. During my walk with Ykraps it began to drizzle. I checked the forecast and radar as soon as I got back home worried that my run might be a wet one. Thankfully, there wasn’t much in the way of a storm so the prospects for a dry run still looked good. Before settling in, I delivered Mindy’s coffee. She still sounded bad, so I suggested she stay home, but she quickly responded saying that she was heading in to work. However, a minute or two she came downstairs said she was staying home. She went to her PC to try and schedule a substitute, but apparently the time-window had passed to do so online meaning that it would now require an actual phone call to her principal. She decided against it, citing it being too big a hassle and headed back upstairs to ready for work. OK! I continued on with my routine eventually making my way to the family room for meditation and stretching. The stretching was especially beneficial. I dressed for a run in shorts and a sleeveless wicking shirt. After more stretching from the front stoop I was off and running. It was spitting rain for the duration of my run, but never hard enough to really matter. Instead, just a minor inconvenience. I was home between 715-720am. Mindy had cheeseless scrambled eggs on the table. I thought about sprinkling cheese over the top but in the end simply decided to go with the flow. Bella and I had our usual morning banter. Jacob was already up in his room doing the morning TV thing. Mindy left around 730am but came back in a minute later to hand me a $20 bill to put in Bella’s lunch account. I placed it in a baggie with a post-it note stating its purpose hoping that Mrs. Valentine would see it and take care of it. Bella insisted she would. Off to the shower. We walked to the bus even as light rain continued to pound the area. I grabbed the purple beater ‘dog-walkin’ umbrella from the front porch to help shield my fancy hairdo from the rain. I shielded Bella’s do too. Jacob, on the other hand, didn’t seem overly concerned about his getting a little damp. Kenny was sporting a couple nice gashes on his face from a little mishap on Lake Erie Saturday. Seems he jumped off the back of the boat for a swim in 6ft waves but hit the bottom of the boat when he resurfaced. OUCH!!!! And speaking of boats…. I left the house for work after enjoying a little quiet time reading Glenn’s blog. Looks like he finally bought himself that kayak after eyeballing one all summer long. Good for him! I considered stopping to refuel the Trooper but had enough gas for another couple trips to and from work. My bet was that fuel prices would drop during the course of the day anyhow. I hoped my hunch would be correct. Work went along smoothly for a Monday. After getting settled, I placed a call to my ophthalmologist to order those prescription sunglasses we spoke about two weeks ago. I was originally tentative about it, but found myself wishing I had them several times of late. Plus, the fact that I have two vision plans should reduce the cost significantly. JP remembered me being in, and still had the folder with the details. He verified that I wanted the ‘trifocal’ transitional lens type then promised to work up the final out-of-pocket costs and call me back. The day moved forward. Around 1pm I decided it important to slip out of the office for a formal lunch break. I drove to the Mill Run Home Depot and Target. At Home Depot I once again checked out hot water tanks. I really need to get on that project. It’s been on my list of to-dos for several years. I also checked out aluminum extension ladders again. I’ve looked at them several times. I bought nothing. I drove next door to the Target. I found myself in the men’s department looking at running attire. I ended up buying a cool t-shirt for ½ price and then some new running pants that don’t gather around the ankle like all my others. Next, I searched out rechargeable AAA batteries. We need some for Bella’s digital camera. Lastly, I picked up two containers of gum for the office. I was back at work by 2:10pm. The afternoon was fairly busy but not overwhelming. I could see I had a VM. I guessed it JP from my ophthalmologist’s office. It was. To my surprise, he said that my out-of-pocket cost would be a whopping … zero! And these are some cool looking Oakley’s. Now that’s a bargain. Later, when talking to Mindy, I suggested we have chicken & noodles for dinner using Sunday’s leftover rotisserie chicken. She agreed, and it was a good day for it. I left for home around 5:35pm. I stopped at Thornton’s on my drive home, too. Gas was about $2.38 per gallon. The Trooper took 18+. Mindy was busy making the chicken & noodles. We had a house full of kids too. For starters, we had Noah, Jacob’s school friend as well as Emily & Evan. I walked Ykraps alone. Once dinner was ready, Mindy sent Emily & Evan home. Noah was staying for dinner. His dad was slated to pick him up around 7:30pm. The chicken & noodles were absolutely delicious. Everybody loved them. I had two helpings plus. During clean-up, Mindy called my dad whom she had already spoken with earlier and knew he wasn’t doing well. This time she offered to deliver some chicken and noodles. He accepted the offer but asked that she simply hand them over at the door. He apparently expressed embarrassment for how unkempt his house is since he’s been ill. She wasn’t gone long. She was back within ten minutes. She said he looked really bad and spoke of being down about 25 lbs. She called brother Bobby to gauge his take on dad’s health since she heard he spent most of the day with him after dad found himself north of Columbus lost and without his wallet. Yikes! That doesn’t sound good at all. She ended up leaving a VM for Bobby. Bobby called back quickly and explained the whole ordeal. Apparently dad was scheduled for an appointment at St Ann’s hospital in Westerville where he was asked to fast for the 12 hours prior. Instead of 12 hours of fasting, he hadn’t eaten for 30. Anyway, he missed his exit and was low on fuel & up around route 36/37 off I-71. When he went to refuel he discovered that his wallet was missing. I can only imagine how that might’ve felt. He eventually phoned Bob who gave his credit card number so that Dad could get gas. He then stopped at dad’s, picked up his wallet, and drove up to meet him. He ended up going to his doctor’s appointment with him and then took him to lunch after. He said he didn’t eat much but what he did eat changed him in a hurry. He was much more himself after. He was now able to drive himself home when earlier he thought that he might not be able to. All told, it was a frightening tale. I couldn’t help but think that the symptoms sounded a whole lot like those of dementia. I didn’t say anything to Mindy. Not long after that conversation, Lindsey called asking our willingness to watch the boys on Monday evenings this quarter. I told her that I would talk it over with Mindy and call her back. I didn’t say when. It was now 745pm. Mindy wasn’t feeling so swift and in kind, decided to let the kids skip a bath. She spent a good hour on the sofa grading school papers. At the same time, I spent a good half hour completing an assignment related to an online course I signed up for. Time for MNF. I tuned the TV to football and the entire family watched on. Mindy put the kids to bed around 845pm. I went up for the tuck-in shortly after. Mindy headed to bed around 9:15pm. I stayed downstairs watching the game but drifting in and out of sleep. That felt incredible!

Purple Rein

I slept soundly once again, and was up for good just before 8am. Unfortunately, the sky was overcast and the threat of rain was hanging over our heads for the first time in a while. I started some coffee then leashed up Ykraps for our morning walk. This was supposed to be my day of rest - free from calisthenics. Once outdoors, rain didn’t seem as eminent as I once thought. There were plenty of breaks in the thin cloud cover. I sipped coffee in front of the PC. For the first time in a long while I read brother Glenn’s blog. Also, while thinking about it, I checked the FOX Sunday TV listings to see if the Vikings game would be televised locally. I wasn’t too surprised to see that it wouldn’t. Just as well. We’ve got a busy afternoon planned with Jacob‘s soccer pictures and then a soccer game. I heard Mindy stirring well before 9am. She was up & downstairs a short time later. While enjoying coffee, I called Mindy over to watch a photo album of the wedding photos. Between the rehearsal and wedding I took about 400 photos. And amongst them were a number of really good ones. My plan is to post the album on my Picasa account so everyone can view them via invite. I headed out for a run between 9 – 10am. I ran just three miles, a break I commonly give myself on Sunday’s, but not always. After returning home I played guitar, did some reading, and did some general tinkering. I didn’t do much of anything productive. Bella asked if she could visit her maw-maw while we did the soccer thing with Jacob. To that end, Mindy arranged for her mother to pick-up Bella at our place before leaving for the grocery. I was snuggled up in the over-sized family room chair doing some reading when Gloria came in. I entertained her while waiting on Mindy & Bella to descend from upstairs. It seemed like a long wait. J But honestly, they weren’t too long. Soon, she & Bella left, as did Mindy. Suddenly, I was all alone, or so it seemed. Jacob was home but outside playing with friends. It wasn’t long before I headed outside too, to cut the lawn. I went right to the shed for my push mower having whacked and edged the day before. Just to add variation, I cut in reverse order (back first) from my usual routine. Jacob, Evan, and Emily asked if I would give them a tractor ride. But by the time I got to the tractor it had started to drizzle. By then my focus was solely on getting finished. I beat the rain, and even had time to blow off the drive and walk. The kids, meanwhile, were no where in sight. Must’ve gone inside to play. I saw that Mindy was home as I was putting everything away. She brought me home a double-cheeseburger from Burger King, my second in two days. No wonder I am gaining weight! It was already 1:15pm. We needed to leave for soccer pictures by 2pm. I headed up for a shower and turned on the bedroom TV hoping to catch an early Viking score. Imagine my surprise when I found the game being televised despite the listings calling for a different game. Cool! Unfortunately, the Lions, who had lost 18 straight games, were just kicking a field goal to go ahead 3-0. Not a good start. By the time I was out of the shower the Lion’s had the ball again. The Vikings so far looked flat and unprepared. Yuck! They were down 10-0 by the time I finished getting ready. You might think I’d be a tad nervous. No. Wait. How about really nervous? I joined the game on the big screen downstairs. I asked Mindy if I could simply meet her at the soccer field at 330pm – in time for Jacob’s actual game. I mean, hey, the Vikings were on, and it was raining. Who wants to stand out in the rain waiting for pictures to be taken? She lovingly agreed and soon left with Jacob. While nervously observing the Viking game, I decided it a good time to get the whole chicken Mindy bought seasoned and on the rotisserie to allow it time to slow cook while we’re off at soccer. It took a little while considering I had to clean it, dry it, season then mount it on the rotisserie shaft. Without thinking, I placed it on the shaft without using the rotisserie forks, which left it dangling in place even while the rotisserie motor spun. To make matters worse, it started raining steadily. I remember thinking, why me? It didn’t take but a minute to figure out my mistake, but I had to call Mindy to find the forks, and while I had her, I double checked on the soccer game. In spite of the rain, it was still a go. The chicken weighed upwards of 7-8lbs. It was a little big for the grill’s rotisserie. About 4lbs would’ve been ideal. Live and learn. The Vikings finally got their act together over the next hour or so. In fact, by the time I had to leave for soccer they had erased the entire ten point deficit by scoring 17 unanswered points. They were leading 17-10. I felt much better about life. J Just before leaving, I checked on the chicken. It was doing OK, but the onion slices I stuffed inside had fallen out, and the limbs (wings and legs) were dragging against the griddle with each passing turn. I really need to find some stainless steel wire to tie up the limbs. In route to the Hilliard soccer fields I stopped at the bank for some cash. I ended up taking Hilliard Rome road to Roberts then north on Alton-Darby going by Mindy’s old subdivision. I decided to make a quick detour through to see her old house. I was surprised to see the cop’s house on the corner up for sale. He always has one of the finest petunia displays in the area. This year was no exception. Seeing the for-sale sign had me wondering if he might be divorcing or possibly over-extended. Anyway, Mindy’s old place looked about the same, but with a slight upgrade to the landscaping. However, the lawn still looked as if it was starving for nutrients. Hard to believe that it’s been over three years. Onto soccer. I arrived a few minutes before 330pm, the stated start time. However, it looked like the game was already underway when I pulled up. I walked out carrying two camping chairs. Jimaken was already there, too, by the way. I greeted everyone and then turned my attention to the game. Jacob’s team, the Destroyers, I think, looked over matched. The opposing team actually had some tough little players. Must’ve been about 5-1 at the half. During the break, I headed to the Trooper to check the NFL scores. I was happy to hear that the Vikings were ahead 27-10 in the 4th quarter. Wahoo! I shared the good news with anyone interested. The Bengals were ahead of the Packers, too. That one surprised me. The game ended around 4:20pm. Mindy asked Jacob who he wanted to ride with. He selected Mindy. They’d also be stopping by Gloria’s place to fetch Bella. I hurried home listening to ESPN radio the entire way catching up on all of the day’s NFL action. Before doing anything else I checked the chicken. Somehow, one of the rotisserie forks slipped off leaving the chicken in one spot. About one third of the bird was charred black, but lucky for me only skin deep. I took the necessary steps to get it back on track. Just after Mindy got home I checked it again. This time about a quarter of the chicken fell off the carcass once again leaving the rest stationary. I expended a great deal of energy cooking this damn bird. The oven would’ve been far easier, but then again, I wouldn’t have learned how to efficiently use the rotisserie. We invited Courtney for dinner, and she showed up around 545pm. Originally, we had suggested she bring Olivia, but apparently that caused all sorts of drama at Kelly’s house. She wisely skipped the stop and instead came alone. I questioned Courtney about her summer quarter grades. Seems she hasn’t yet resolved the incomplete given to her by one of her prof’s., although she swears it’s his error – lack of organization. I believe it, but worry about her lack of follow-through. I asked a number of other tough questions, too, essentially making her personal business mine. We seemed to work through it. Dinner went smoothly save for Mindy not feeling well. Her sinus infection was wearing her down fast. She wasn’t in the mood to do much at all. In fact, she was uncharacteristically short with me and the kids. Courtney didn’t stay too late. I’ll bet she was gone by 7:15pm. After she left I finished kitchen clean-up while Mindy got the kids bathed and ready for bed. I knew that Mindy was determined to be in bed extra early herself. After the kids were tucked in, Mindy apologized for being curt earlier. She watched a little of the Sunday Night football game with me but soon headed up to bed around 9pm. I watched football until I fell asleep. Not sure of the time when I headed up for bed.

My First Big Fat Gay Wedding

I woke feeling rested and refreshed somewhere near 7:30am. I quietly slipped out of bed and headed downstairs to begin my Saturday. After starting some coffee, it wasn’t long before my toes were tucked firmly under the front edge of the Queen Anne recliner belting out 55 sit-ups. Before doing my 50 push-ups, I checked the temperature. It was only 56 degrees. After push-ups I grabbed my fleece and leashed up Ykraps. It was a glorious morning for a walk. The sun was shining against a cool crisp azul sky. Our walk was at a more leisurely pace than usual. After all, it was Saturday. Back at home just after 8am, I poured a cup of coffee then sat down in front of the PC. I enjoyed more than an hour of alone time while the others either slept or watched TV in their rooms. I eventually made my way out into the backyard to survey the lawn, and more pointedly, to check the progress of my strategic lawn overseeding initiative. Some areas are coming along more nicely than others, but that’s to be expected. Mindy was finally up and joined me outside. She quickly took to her patio and bench where she asked me to join her. I did but only briefly and while standing. My mind was racing. I was contemplating my run and what I might be able to accomplish before leaving for the wedding. I asked how she might feel about me simply meeting her at the wedding around 4:30pm in lieu of going up at 2pm. That way, I surmised, I could get the grass cut and watch the Buckeye game. I offered that Jacob could stay home with me too. She agreed at first, but shortly thereafter expressed a stronger desire for me to go along with them. I conceded. Just before 10am I left for my run, for which I ventured out along Trabue & Hague. It was a lovely run, too, with very little traffic to contend with. I was back home after 35-40 minutes. I was hungry and ate half of a leftover hamburger from Thursday night’s dinner. It was satisfying but not totally filling. The Buckeye game was slated to kickoff around noon. There was still a good hour to go. I decided to be proactive and get a jump on my weekend yard chores all the while knowing that I wouldn’t get the bulk of any cutting done. However, I thought that if I could get the whacking and edging done today, I might be able to mow Sunday before soccer. It took me no more than 25 minutes to whack and edge. Glad I did it. I was covered in bits of grass and as a consequence, very itchy. I headed for the shower directly. Shower time correlated with the opening kickoff. I wasn’t in the shower long. I was fortunate enough to see the Buckeyes first touchdown, a fine pass over the middle from Pryor to Sanzenbacher. We all were hungry. I suggested a stop at Burger King in route to Craig’s place. Everyone liked the sound of that. Mindy thought we should leave a little earlier because of the stop, but I disagreed. It would cost us no more than 5 minutes in the drive-thru. We watched the entire first half from home. Meanwhile, Mindy had everything loaded in the Honda, including our dress clothes and cooler, while Jacob and I watched the waning minutes of the first half. We left just as the first half expired. I didn’t elaborate earlier, but because there would be only Budweiser products at the reception, Craig graciously accepted my idea to bring my own cooler of beer. Also, because we were heading up so early so that Bella could get her hair done, we all wore casual comfy clothes for the drive up. Our ceremony attire was packed. The drive went smoothly, as did the stop at Burger King. At Mindy’s suggestion, we waited to eat until we got to Craig’s just after 2pm. The third quarter was well underway when we arrived. Bella headed up to get her hair done straight up. Jacob & I ate and watched the Buckeye game with brother-in-law (uncle) Larry. Time went fast. The Buckeyes cruised to a 38-0 win past over-hyped Toledo. Soon, many other family members began to arrive. Meanwhile, I kept a watchful eye on the Florida Tennessee game. I brought both cameras but didn’t plan to take any photos until the reception out of respect for the professional photographer, who arrived sometime near 4pm. However, while they were busy shooting various family photos, I was encouraged to get some shots too. Hey, you don’t have to ask me twice! In addition to numerous photos, I shot a video clip of brother Craig rehearsing his wedding song, a Carrie Underwood tune. He did a good job. Sometime just after 4pm Mindy sent sister Jody down with my change of clothes. Apparently wedding time was drawing near. I took to the guest bath to change like Superman. I didn’t take long. I emerged a minute or two later in full costume, complete with mask and cape! J Incidentally, the weather was cooperating fully. It was sunny, clear and near 80. About the only drawback was the sunshine shining directly in the eyes of the audience looking west over the pond onto the gazebo, which is where the actual wedding would take place. If memory serves, Craig opened the ceremony with his Carrie Underwood song. He did well, but honestly, not as good as he sounded during rehearsal. Not sure, but I’m guessing he was a tinge nervous. I would’ve been. The procession of participants was next. I managed a photo of them all, including Bella as a flower girl and Jacob as ring bearer. The procession path ventured the small arching bridge over the pond and to the nearby gazebo. I worried that Jacob might trip and drop the rings into the water. However, I later learned that he didn’t have the ‘real’ rings. Somebody was thinking! The ceremony proceeded as planned. It was quick, efficient, yet touching. Many got a little choked up as the vows were read. I was touched. This was my first gay wedding, though honestly, I didn’t give it that much thought at the time. Jessie, the minister presiding over the ceremony, pronounced them wife & wife. I just realized as I am recounting and writing that I left the bag of throwing rice in the car. Damn! The wedding party proceeded to the reception tent just to the north about 100 yards, and then formally invited all their guests to come join in the fun. The couple took greetings and hugs at the tent’s entrance. I snapped numerous photos. The next hour or two was spent greeting, eating, and drinking. It was fun! The wedding dinner was catered by Spaghetti Warehouse – lasagna. It was delicious! During dinner there were several speeches made honoring both Katie & Julie. All were quite good – touching. Once dinner was over the DJ slowly raised the tempo. And just as the sun was setting he got it cranked up. By the way, I got a few photos of an absolutely gorgeous sunset. Awesome!!! The dance floor filled up fast with a mix of friends and family. Generally it takes a few minutes to get everyone going, but not here. Mindy danced. I danced. The kids danced, although Bella, being the drama queen that she is, started crying for the loudness. I swooped her up and danced with her in my arms for a while. In doing so, I worked up quite a sweat. Fun was being had by all, or so it seemed. But as much as fun as we were having it was getting late and the kids were getting tired. As 10pm neared we gathered our gear and prepared to depart. We did our best to bid everyone farewell, including Camilla, who we most likely wouldn’t see again for who knows how long. She’s scheduled to fly home to Denmark Monday evening. Mindy drove home, though either of us could’ve. She hadn’t drunk anything since dinner – about three hours earlier. I couldn’t say the same. The drive went quickly. The kids were very tired by the time we arrived at home. Like the night before, Mindy got the kids ready for bed. I popped some popcorn. From the railing, Bella asked if she could have some. I invited her down. She and I shared 2 bags. Mindy headed off to bed while Bella and I remained awake watching TV. I can’t recall what we were watching. Bella wasn’t far behind her mother. It couldn’t have been ten minutes later that she headed up. I stayed up for a while longer, eventually heading to my PC to download wedding photos. Between my two cameras, I took about 240 on Saturday alone. It wasn’t too much longer before I started dosing off from the comfort of the sofa.

Under the Big Top

Wahoo, already Friday again! I was up at my usual time exercising and getting my day underway. It was another beautiful morning with clear skies and oodles of stars scattered about overhead. Moreover, the day promised to be top notch with sunshine and a high of 80. Perfect! I did my usual sit-ups, push-ups, walking of Ykraps, meditation, stretching and running. I was back home by 7:15am. Mindy and the kids were up and eating breakfast. Actually, Jacob was already done and in his room watching TV. Before Mindy left for school we discussed the evening’s wedding rehearsal plans. She reminded me that I needed to leave work early (around 4:15pm) if I were to make it home in time to head to brother Craig’s for the 530pm rehearsal. The other option was for me to meet them there later. I would try to leave early. I got the kids on the bus at the usual time – 8:01am. I wished Kenny & family a safe trip up to Cleveland to see the Buckeyes on Saturday. I left for work at 8:10am. The work day wasn’t too bad at all, although I stayed busy most of the day on a single time consuming issue. I didn’t have any errands needing run. Mid afternoon I tried contacting the optician at my ophthalmologist’s office to start the process for ordering my prescription sunglasses, but he wasn’t in. I’d try again on Monday. I stayed busy all day, and also made sure leaving early was acceptable to my boss. It was. I planned to depart at 4:20pm. Like most Friday’s the afternoon got really busy, but even still, I was able to get away at my preplanned departure time of 4:20pm. Mindy was just getting back from walking Ykraps as I pulled up at home. Without wasting much time I hurried upstairs to get changed into clothes more suited for dinner out (business casual). Mindy got the kids squared away while I primped. Jacob was a bit retaliatory, but ultimately complied with the dress code. He quipped that ‘fancy’ restaurant dining isn’t for him. We left for Craig’s at roughly 5pm determined to take I-270 north to Sawmill, then north to Hyatts Rd. I worried that I-270 might be extremely slow given the hour, but it wasn’t. For the most part, it was smooth sailing. We arrived at Craig’s just after 5:30pm, the requested arrival time. You could see the top of the large circus-like tent even from a quarter-mile away. I was impressed with the job (work) the nieces and nephews had done getting the place ready for Saturday’s wedding. For sure, nephew Joe was in his element. I like that. It wasn’t long before Joe offered me a beer. I walked around the grounds sipping beer and snapping pictures for a good while before the actual rehearsal started. I offered my help in any way needed but otherwise stayed out of everyone’s way. Mindy and I weren’t part of the official wedding party, but Jacob and Bella were. Once the rehearsal began I went into photo shoot mode capturing some interesting shots of just about everyone and everything. All totaled, I took over one hundred-thirty shots. The rehearsal wrapped up around 7:30pm. Dinner reservations were for 8pm at Vitorri’s in Powell on Sawmill Pkwy. We left Craig’s around 7:40pm. There must’ve been about 20 of us at the rehearsal dinner, just under half being Katie’s family members. We had a private room just off to the right from the main entrance and bar area. It was set up nicely in a “U” shaped config to accommodate the group. Our server was Annie, I believe, whom I thought did a remarkable job keeping everyone happy, hydrated, and full. Meanwhile, Camilla of Denmark was an absolute hoot, mixing it up with various family members and friends. She was digging the wine and feeling no pain! There was a special, abbreviated menu available for all of us to choose from. Many of us chose lasagna. Bella, however, chose one of their wood-fired pizzas, but that should come as no surprise. She gets pizza almost anywhere we go. Jacob surprised me by choosing fettuccini with alfredo sauce. Unfortunately, the kids didn’t care much for their entrees. Bella thought the pizza was bland, and Jacoby scoffed at his fettuccini. Both were sad, and vividly expressed their disappointment. I did my best to squelch it by offering to stop at Wendy’s on our way home. That brought them back to smiles. The meal was good. We were most appreciative of the dinner and the company. Thanks Craig & Jeff! The kids were tired, and it was after 9:30pm. We left for home. The drive home went quickly. We stopped at the Wendy’s on Roberts Rd just off I-270. By then, Jacob said he was no longer hungry, and only wanted to get home and go to bed. However, Bella still was, and ordered a chicken nuggets kids meal. We arrived home around 10pm. Mindy and the kids were in bed within 20 minutes. Mindy was still suffering from a sinus infection. I stayed up sipping a rum, Fresca, and grapefruit juice while also watching the Boise State, Fresno State football game. I fell asleep on the sofa. I can’t recall what time it was when I upped for bed.

Joe & Camilla for Dinner

I slept really well and woke Thursday morning feeling totally refreshed. I was happy to see a clear sky and countless stars overhead when I glanced out the back window. After calisthenics I checked the temperature. It was only 54 degrees. I grabbed my fleece jacket on my way out the door with Ykraps. We both enjoyed the walk, and Ykraps again took his good old time doing his business. It was 5:55am when we got back inside and I poured my first cup of coffee. I enjoyed a few minutes on the PC before & after heading up to wake Mindy. It was time to meditate and stretch in a hurry. That went well. The stretching was incredibly helpful with my latest stiff neck issue. I dressed for a run wearing a thick, long-sleeved wicking shirt to help combat the chilly temps (54 degrees). Like always, I stretched the hammies from the front stoop before taking off. It was another lovely September morning run. Just gorgeous! I finished my run near 7:15am. As expected, Mindy and Bella were in the kitchen. Jacob was already done with his breakfast and was upstairs in his room. Bella showed me her toe – still causing her some pain. Mindy helped her with her socks then left for school. I headed up for a shower. The four of us (Ykraps included) headed out to the bus stop at 7:55am. The bus pulled up at 8:00am. Getting on the bus went a bit smoother for Bella & her ailing toe. After the kids were safely on the bus, I chatted with Kenny about his Wednesday golf outing/scramble at Riviera C.C. Said his team won. He also shared a little about this coming Saturday’s trip up to Cleveland Browns stadium to see the Buckeyes play Toledo. Sounds like it’ll be fun. Off to work. Work went well. Around 1:10pm I left the office and drove towards the Hilliard Kroger to buy Mindy some roses and a card to commemorate the 4 year anniversary of the day we met – September 17, 2005. Afterwards, I drove home, placed them in a vase, and left them on the island with along with a card. Before heading back to the office, I relaxed for 20 minutes or so reading a few more pages from Jim Tressel’s, Winner’s Manual. I like the way he thinks - holistically. I headed back to the office after my brief getaway. It was already 2:30pm. The rest of the afternoon went quickly. Last I knew, we were expecting nephew Joe and Camilla for dinner, for which Mindy planned to grill burgers. I talked with Mindy sometime after 4pm. She thanked me for the flowers but also asked if I would stop at CVS on my trip home to pick-up a prescription (antibiotics). Apparently, she’s developed a sinus infection. I agreed to do so. I left work just after 530pm and stopped at CVS as promised. I went through the drive-thru, which didn’t take much time at all. I took the back way home, cutting through Mill Run and the Glen. I was home by 6pm. Mindy walked Ykraps along with me before starting the grill. She received a call from Joe confirming their plans to join us for dinner. It wasn’t too long before our guests were amongst us. While the burgers grilled, we snacked from the crackers and cheese, veggie and fruit trays. Dinner was ready near 6:30pm. I didn’t realize until then that Camilla doesn’t eat meat. Mindy apparently knew. She ate only veggies and fruit. The burgers were heavily seasoned and especially good. I could have eaten more than one. I think we had green beans too. After dinner we sat on the deck as the sun set. It was quite lovely. With darkness setting in, we lit the Tiki torches and citronella candles as much for atmosphere as anything else (mosquitoes). Joe sipped a couple of beers. I made rum, Fresca, and grape fruit drinks for Camilla and I. We didn’t stay out their too late, however. Camilla expressed being over tired after getting up at 830am and working on the wedding preparations all day in the sunshine. Just as well, both Mindy & I had to be at work early Friday. Joe & Camilla left before 8:30pm. After they departed, I tucked in the kids then tuned into the Thursday night college football game on ESPN – Miami, Fla vs. Georgia Tech. It was an exciting game to watch, although I didn’t see much of it. Mindy headed up to bed before 930pm, and I eventually fell asleep on the sofa after enjoying some popcorn.

Broken Toe

I was up on time after a pleasant and fulfilling night’s sleep. And probably the best sleep I’ve had in quite a while. I did my sit-ups and push-ups before walking Ykraps. I glanced out the window and towards the sky only to be disappointed to seeing clouds. I really wanted to get a view of the slivery crescent moon and Venus with my binoculars. Thinking my plans were dashed, we headed out without binoculars. I noticed immediately that the roads were wet. It must’ve rained, albeit lightly, overnight. I was very happy to see the thin clouds moving away leaving a clear view of the moon and Venus. I could peer at them after all, but I’d have to wait until we returned home. Their beauty most likely lost on Ykraps, I still didn’t chance it. I pointed them out to him, too, just in case. :) After our walk, I fetched the binoculars and headed out onto the deck peering eastward towards the moon and Venus. I stared longingly at both for a good five minutes. Very cool! Back inside, it was already near 6:00am. Mindy asked to be up that early. I promptly poured her coffee and headed upstairs. I was surprised that she got right up. I headed back downstairs to do my thing. I played on the PC until 6:15am and then moved on to meditation and stretching. Before my run, I did a set of curls. I headed out for my run around 6:38am. By the time I set out on my run the sky was completely clear making way for yet another brilliantly sunny day with temperatures expected to reach the mid 70’s. Like most, the run went quickly and without incident. I was inside the house by 7:20am. I asked Bella how her toe was doing. “Not good”, she decried. Said she couldn’t walk. Uh-oh! Meanwhile, Mindy seemed stressed about her own day. I only asked that she get Bella up and walking before departing knowing full well that if she couldn’t do it, there’d be no chance of me getting her on the bus. At the same time, Bella was pleading to stay home. But Mindy insisted otherwise and helped her with her socks and tennis shoes, which I strongly recommended for their ability to pad her little toe. It was a dramatic five minutes but Mindy managed to get her on her feet and walking, albeit with tears. And only as a mother can do, Mindy gave her the ‘be brave’ speech before heading out the door. Before heading up for my shower, I asked Bella to continue walking around to keep her toe loose. She agreed. Cool. Off to the shower. I was a couple minutes from being completely ready to go when Bella walked in the bathroom to tell me that her foot still hurt. Looking down I noticed that her shoes were off. When I asked why, she said, “Because we’re supposed to take our shoes off before going upstairs.” UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Thankfully, she managed to get her shoe back on with little trouble. Her & Jacob headed out the door for the bus stop at 7:53am. I wasn’t quite ready and was a couple minutes behind. By the time that I got out there Bella was already in tears and walking towards me. Said that Jacob was being mean and threatening to harm her foot. Initially incensed with his apparent indiscretion, I barked at him. But Jacob recalled a much different version of the story, one that had Bella kicking him first. What? Well, knowing how that can work, I wasn’t too quick to badger Jacob much more, but did ask that he treat her with kindness, especially given her toe issue. Bella didn’t deny being aggressive, either. When the bus pulled up Bella limped aboard. I was relieved to get them off to school, but was still worried how she might act once at school. I later learned that Mindy emailed her teacher just to give her a heads up. That was smart and would help tremendously. I loaded my golf clubs into the Trooper since it was Wednesday and then drove off to work. As I exited the subdivision I decided to take a detour towards Westgate Park and the two addresses daughter Courtney is looking to rent. A couple weeks ago, I asked that she give me a heads up and time to look at any new place she might find. She did that on Monday night. I looked at both addresses (both duplexes). Neither is perfect, but both are eons better than where she is currently. I would put my stamp of approval on both. That detour left me about 15 minutes late for work, but it was worth it. The work day was busy from go. I had a team meeting at 10 and a staff meeting at 11am. Our staff meeting went long, or until 1:20pm. The final three hours were very busy. I sent an email to the Bob’s and Tom Clark asking about golf. Only Bob B replied. He and I made arrangements to meet at Phoenix. I left the office at 430pm sharp. I ran into a total stoppage on I-70 east just east of the West Broad St exit. I did my level best to remain patient. I might’ve moved a half mile after about 15 minutes. It wasn’t looking good. But lucky for me, the far right lane – the one leading to I-71S – started moving. I had a smooth, clear shot all the way to the exit ramp. Cool! Meanwhile, the other three lanes remained at a stand still. Yikes! I arrived at Phoenix by 5:05pm. Bob Bolyard was already there. Said Bob Imber wouldn’t be making it. That was fine. He and I went inside to pay and get our cart expecting to be teeing off the back nine, just as Katy had indicated when I called earlier. However, Bill advised that the back was busy with a league. Instead, he said we’d be teeing off the front nine. OK- fine! Geesh, dude! Bob and I headed up to hole #1 – a 490 yard par 5. My drive was subpar, straight, but extremely short. I hit well behind the ball. It must’ve went about 175 yards. Not to be detoured, I hit my second shot (Rescue wood) on the screws leaving myself out about 90 yards. I then hit my 3rd shot on the green and within 12’. Two putt – par. :) I bogeyed the next two holes after missing relatively easy par putts. That’s me, though. Hole #4 should be a rather easy slight dogleg right over a heather field par 4. But I hit an errant tee shot into the heather and only 100 yards from the tee box. Crap! I found my ball buried somewhat deep in the heather. I tried to hit a 3-wood out, which back fired badly, sending it right back into the heather. I should’ve known better. I decided to go ahead and take my medicine and lay out now hitting shot four. Long story short, I took an eight. Bad! Hole #5 is a par 3. I hit my 6-iron left and out-of-bounds. I took a 6. Good grief! Bogeyed 6 & tripled 7. Not good. Hole #8 is another 500 yard par 5. I hit my first nice drive of the evening about 260 yards and in the middle of the fairway. I waited for the green to clear before my second shot hoping to reach from about 230 yards away with my 3-wood. To do so I had to clear some serious bunkers. I hit the shot on the nose and landed just left of the green in the rough. I was pleased. I hit my third shot within 9’ and was putting for birdie. I got it, too! Wahoo! Hole #9 is a par 4. I hit another decent drive just off the fairway to the left, but on the side of a small hill leaving myself a 9-iron away but with a significant uphill lie. Not sure how I did it, but I shanked it left. Typically an uphill lie produces a natural draw or hook. I had to take a lost ball because it went into the nearby thick heather. So, instead of being on in two, I was hitting shot four onto the green from 10 yards. I left myself a 30’ putt. Crap. I left that putt within tap-in distance and took a 6. Some good, some bad. That’s my game. As we headed to the parking lot I realized the old dude playing in front of us was Dick Fagan, our old neighbor. I drove up to say hello. We chatted briefly before heading home. It was 7:13pm. I tried ringing Mindy but got no answer. I was home by 7:30pm. No one home. I quickly rinsed my lunch dishes, prepped tomorrow’s coffee, and took out the trash. I set the old non-working DVD player in its box on top of the garbage container thinking someone might want to screw with fixing it. Mindy arrived home five minutes later. She brought home a gyro from the Big Fat after having dinner there with Rene. The kids got home not five minutes later. Bella seemed to be getting around much better. I was just digging into my gyro. It was delicious. I was really hungry. Mindy got the kids showered while I took to the sofa. She spent a lot of time upstairs with them while I fell asleep on the couch.