Sunglasses & Alone Time

It was already Thursday. We were once again expecting better than average weather, but this was to be the end of it. Friday and beyond promised to bring back the gray & chill we’ve become so accustom to this autumn. But for the time being it was clear and warm. It was 60 degrees when I walked Ykraps. It hasn’t been that warm that early for weeks. I carried on with my usual routine. Before delivering Mindy’s morning coffee I choked down three Advil to continue with my plan to ward off any swelling and stiffness both in my shoulders, neck, and knee. I’ve been doing it since Monday and it’s helped significantly. It wasn’t long before I moved on to meditation and stretching, then readied for a run. Because of the warmer than usual temps, I wore just one wicking shirt, albeit a thick one. I was perfectly comfortable. Of course I passed on hand and ear covers. As I hoped, my run went well. My knee feels more comfortable every single day. That’s fantastic news. I’m still doing just three miles. I’ve been considering keeping my run at three miles but thus far remain undecided long term. I helped fry the eggs at breakfast. Mindy was busy preparing for perhaps her longest school day of the year. She figured to be at school from 8am until 9pm, doing parent conferences from 3-9pm. She didn’t seem motivated about it. In kind, we traded nights with Jimaken, so he would be getting the kids off the bus meaning that I’d have some alone time after work until 8pm. Mindy departed around 7:30am. After breakfast and a quick kitchen clean-up, I headed off for a shower. I probably could’ve driven the BM’er again today but didn’t. The weather, while nice in the early AM, threatened to turn for the worse later in the day. I didn’t want to deal with it. Work went well. It was a fairly tame day. My new prescription sun glasses were ready so I left the office to pick them up around 1245pm. I was surprised to find my gas gauge approaching empty. Not wanting to push the envelope, I stopped for gas at Sawmill and Bethel. Gas was $2.65 per gallon. Yikes! I arrived at Dr Julie’s office just after 1pm. Nancy remembered me and quickly fetched my glasses and had me give them a try with a hand held reading chart. Honestly, I could see out of them better than with my regular glasses. However, they’re not a transitional lens so they have a defined line for reading (a bifocal). That’s dizzying to say the least. Nancy recommended that I not drive with them right away – give myself time to adjust. And again, no charge. The entire expense covered by my two VSP plans. Cool! I wasn’t there but five minutes. I put on my news lenses and drove off. I was careful not to try and use the lower portion of the lens – the reading part. I must admit, JP was right. The reading portion comprises a very small sliver of the lens at the bottom. I suggested that may prove too small an area for effective reading but he insisted not. At a traffic light I experimented. Worked perfectly. I stopped at Strader’s on Riverside and Bethel Rd on my way back to work. I went directly to the mower repair department and requested two Toro recycler mower keys. He asked me the model number. What? You didn’t ask that when I called. He fetched me two keys and shared that the actual key is the same. The only difference is the handle portion. Who cares? I was happy to have two new keys ($5.76). Back to work. The afternoon slugged along. I had a customer conference call at 4pm that lasted until roughly 430pm. Not that long. Afterwards I headed down to my center to chat with the team for a while. Just before leaving the office I checked the Hilliard police report website to see if my new accident report was ready. It was. I printed a copy for my own records then emailed one to my insurance company. I left for home around 5:15pm. As expected, no one was home. Mindy was at school doing conferences and the kids off with Jimaken. I rinsed lunch containers, walked Ykraps, and played on the PC. Because I was so behind on my blog, I decided to dedicate most of my alone time to catching up. Most will agree, times flies when you’re busy on the computer. It was almost 8pm before I knew it. Just before the kids got home I received a call from MetLife, the other driver’s Insurer, wanting to discuss the particulars from last week’s car accident. She seemed somewhat unprofessional but I saw no harm in sharing the facts. However, I wondered as I was telling the story if my insurance company would want me to be doing that. She said she was going to do some research on roundabouts then asked if she could call me back again and get a formal statement of the events. I agreed. After I we hung up I Googled the number just to make sure she was legit. She was. The kids arrived home somewhere close to 8pm as expected. Both quickly readied for bed – Jacob took a shower. Bella and I studied her spelling words then watched TV from the sofa even though Mindy said only from their beds. Mindy got home around 915pm. By then, Bella was sound asleep on the sofa. She woke when I tried carrying her up asking for her momma. Both were in bed within minutes of Mindy’s arrival. Mindy returned downstairs and made herself some cereal. I started dosing on the sofa. We headed to bed just after 10pm.