Bill Murray

I was awake and downstairs a few minutes ahead of 530am. My body clock is as attuned to my schedule as it’s ever been. I breezed through my sit-ups then logged on my PC to check the weather and review a few of the morning's headlines. It was warmer than it’s been in over a week. It was 29 degrees. I completed my push-ups at 547am and then poured my first cup of coffee before returning for more PC time. This time I read the Daily OM and a few more headlines. I also checked the snow pack on Mt Hood – just getting myself mentally ready. It's beginning to mount! Come 610am I delivered Mindy’s coffee. Like most morning’s she requested I kick up the heat. Back downstairs, I moved directly to meditation and stretching. The meditation was about as good as it’s been in weeks. The stretching felt good too. I’ve added yet another brief but effective neck stretch which seems to help further curb the chronic spasms. When I dressed for my run I felt about as good as one could feel. Givne the warmth, I backed down to just two upper layers for the run. That was perfect. Outside, there was an unexpected ½” of new snow, and some stray flurries still coming down. The new snow provided an ideal cushion for my run. I can’t imagine that we’ve had more than 10-12’ inches of snow so far this winter. And if you back out the 4” or 5” dump we got the first week of January, we’ve really had very little accumulation. However, unless I’m mistaken, our biggest snow falls are most often in late winter once the weather patterns begin to shift and we get cold arctic air coupled with gulf stream moisture. We’ll see what happens as we move deeper into February. My run went well. I moved from running mode to shoveling mode in an instant. It didn’t take long. While shoveling, Mindy came out and started the Honda. I was inside for breakfast by 725am. Mindy had my eggs waiting in the microwave. My muffins and juice were already waiting at the table. Mindy left a couple minutes later. Bella and I chatted through the remainder of our breakfasts. Meanwhile, Jacob was already off to his room. Bella was in and out of the master bath while I showered and dressed. That seems to be her new thing. We were all three downstairs preparing to head out for the bus by 7:53am. Kenny walked Makayla out. He said he was staying home to meet with the IRS dude. Also shared that Jake was grounded for a school related transgression. I wished him luck with the IRS dude and headed back home to do some final preparations. Work was about on par with Monday, a far cry calmer than last week. For that I was grateful. However, I still managed to keep myself busy all day long. By choice, I worked straight through without a formal lunch break. However, I still took the time to eat my packed veggies along with a can of tuna. I missed a call from Mindy mid-afternoon. I called her back just before 5pm. Jimaken had just arrived to pick-up the kids. We, in turn, planned to dine at Barley’s after she nixed my El Vaquero request. With everything caught up, I left work at 515pm. Hitting every light just right, I was home by 530pm. Mindy was busy on her laptop. I put away my work things and headed upstairs to brush my teeth. I was ready to go in less than five minutes. Mindy said the kids would be home at 8pm. During our short drive to Barley’s I shared the gist of an article I read earlier about small dog – large dog discipline, and how most owners fail to properly discipline/train small dogs. I found the article insightful and helpful should we decide to get another dog later. As you might expect, the kids, especially Jacob, have been pushing for one right away. Barley’s was about as crowded as I expected it to be. The bar stools were something less than half occupied. Calvin was sitting there at the end. We cozied up next to him. I ordered a Centennial. Mindy ordered tea with honey after sampling a Southern Tier Raspberry Porter. I already knew I’d be having a second, and that would be a Double Trouble IIPA. We chatted with Calvin for the duration. Actually, Mindy did most of the interacting. We eventually ordered food. Mindy ordered a ‘bunless’ sandwich, while I ordered Gates of Hell wings well done. Once my wings arrived, I found myself not that hungry. I ate just five. They just weren’t hitting the spot. I didn’t want to force them down. The beer, on the other hand, went down easy. As suggested earlier, I followed up my IPA with the Double Trouble. It was excellent. I asked for a box to take the five remaining wings home for Jacob. I knew he’d appreciate it. I picked up the check. We left for home. Mindy drove. We arrived at or near 730pm – well ahead of the kids return. Mindy dashed upstairs to get changed. I went to my PC to check email and dare I say, add a little more album art to my music collection. My next task will be to add my entire CD collection into iTunes. That’ll almost certainly push my entire collection well above 32gig. I’ll then have to rethink my strategy for adding music on to my iTouch. While working on the PC, I stripped myself of my slacks and sat there in my mock turtle neck and boxers. The kids arrived home just before 8pm. Jacob’s first question was what the heck I was doing in just my boxers. I had no good answer – just getting’ comfy. Mindy wasted no time asking the kids to get ready for bed. She wanted them both in bed at a reasonable time. Bella asked that I pop popcorn, but that defied my Mindy’s orders for PJ’s and bed. Bella sulked. I asked Mindy for a bye, given that we hadn’t shared pop corn for many days. She agreed. Bella joined me for a bag. Unfortunately, it cooked a about five seconds too long. Bella complained. While sharing the popcorn, she and I watched a History Channel program about the ‘ring of fire’ in the Pacific Ocean. Very cool show. Mindy urged Bella to bed around 840pm. I fell asleep about the same time. Mindy asked me to tuck in both kids at 845pm. After waking from my mini-nap, I did as I was asked. I knew heading up that I wouldn’t be coming back down. Slipping off to bed sounded all so good. After tucking in the kids I did just that. Good night moon!