To a T

Thursday morning was quite a bit different than the last ten or so days. For starters the morning sky was crystal clear. Wahoo! However, those same clear skies ushered in much cooler than usual temperatures. It was a bone chilling 36 degrees when I hit the streets with Ykraps. And that same lovely sky was only accentuated by a beautiful waxing moon ¾ moon. I followed my typical morning routine to a ‘T’. Before heading out for my run I went upstairs to get a running jacket. I chose a thick fleece that typically doesn’t come out until winter. I wore my running gloves too. I can’t stand having cold fingers. I was comfortable throughout my run. As if on queue, heavy fog set in just as daybreak arrived and my run concluded. And probably helped along by the fog, the temperature warmed quickly. Mindy had eggs ready at my usual setting. It wasn’t long before she was off to work leaving me and the kids to our usual morning antics. I was eager to get to work and finish out my shortened work week. We waited at the bus stop in the varying fog. Soon the kids were off to school. I headed for work after wiping the dew away from the Trooper’s windows. I was surprised how foggy it was once out on the roads. I-270 was almost at a standstill with visibility almost nil. Traffic crawled along slowly but methodically all the way into Hilliard. By far, the area immediately surrounding my office building was the foggiest yet. Visibility was reduced to tens of feet. And for the first 30 minutes or so, one could see next to nothing glancing out the any office window. Eventually sunshine overcame the thick fog and a sunny morning prevailed. And boy was it nice to see sunshine. Come lunch time I left the office destined for Target to pick-up a new CD player for Bella’s bedroom – her 3rd one in as many years. Don’t ask. If nothing else, they’re relatively inexpensive. I got one for $23. While in Target I ventured by the Halloween costumes still toying with the idea of wearing one to Bella’s party this coming Sunday. I was surprised to find Xmas decorations out in abundance one aisle over. I guess it happens about this time every year. One late summer day you’re in Target or Wal-Mart and find yourself thinking how it wont’ be long before Halloween decorations/costumes will be filling these aisles, then before you know it, they hit you with all this early Xmas stuff. Because it was out, I took a cursory glance at the Xmas lights to see if there was any new technology this season. There wasn’t anything new, but LED lights are definitely becoming more prevalent. I bought nothing else beyond the CD player and then headed back to the office. We had a mildly busy afternoon. I spent about an hour chatting with my boss. Then, about 5pm he came by again and told me to get out of there. Cool! I called Mindy to let her know that I was on my way home. She mentioned my dad being over after helping her out by getting the kids off the bus. They were supposed to go to Noah’s after school but he was sporting a 103 degree fever. Yikes! Along my short drive home I phoned John Vidosh, who left me a voicemail a couple days earlier. We chatted at length catching up on each other’s goings on since last we spoke – early summer, I think. Before hanging up, we agreed to have the wives organize an outing of sorts sometime soon. Inside, I greeted dad who looked better than I expected, although I could tell immediately that he’d lost more weight. After a little chit-chat I headed out with Ykraps. He’s always ready to go once I’m home and in the door. The sunny skies that dominated the area for most of the day were all but gone. It’s almost as if the clouds moved in on queue with me leaving the office. With the cloud cover it felt much cooler. Dad didn’t stay too much longer. Jimaken came to get the kids for dinner night, and Chrissy came over briefly to borrow a birthday card. At 6:30pm Mindy and I headed to Barley’s, our first mid-week visit in quite some time. Janet was working bar. It wasn’t too busy. Because I didn’t have to work, I enjoyed three beers in total. Mindy ordered some wings. I ordered a brisket quesadilla. We shared some sauerkraut balls, too. We left Barley’s just before 815pm. Jimaken called to let us know that he and the kids were on their way home. I believe they went to Blue Jacket night at the zoo. They got home just before 9pm. Mindy was quick to ready the children for bed given that it was a school night. Bella was a little extra pumped up, and rightfully so, since Friday would be her birthday. We tucked the children into bed just after 9pm. I tuned into the Thursday night college football game, although I can’t readily recall who was playing. Mindy asked me to join her in bed even though it was only 9:30pm. I obliged her all the while agreeing that I would get up and head back downstairs after she started to dose off. I laid there with Mindy for about 15 minutes. I headed back downstairs before 10pm where I popped some popcorn and poured myself a Jack & Coke. I only managed to finish about half my drink before sliding off to sleep.