Heavy Rain & Quite Warm

Day two of class, I was up and downstairs just ahead of 530a. Without glancing outdoors, I could tell that it was raining. That was apparent by the pounding against the family room skylights. I slipped into my exercise tennies then whipped out my sit-ups and later my push-ups. In between the two, I checked the weather forecast as well as the headlines. It was a balmy 53 degrees with an expected high of near 60. I saw that the 49ers won the MNF game 27-6. Not much scoring after I fell asleep. I enjoyed coffee ahead of taking Frankie out for a walk. When we finally headed out the rain had all but stopped. Our backyard was a swampy mess with more water collected along the flower beds than I've ever seen before. The upper backyard was a puddle, too. We walked to the middle backyard where Frankie took care of her business. Like I often do, I encouraged her back to the house merely by mentioning the word 'treat'. Works almost every time. It was already 608a. Where had the first 35 minutes gone? I spent another ten minutes meditating then another five stretching. I headed up to our room with Frankie and coffee a minute or two later. Mindy was just moving towards a shower. I dressed in light winter attire minus the gloves and ear covers. It was sprinkling but also with a gusty breeze blowing oddly enough from the SE. The clouds were moving fast from the same direction. I ran the full 4.1 miles without anything significant to mention. That's a good thing. Back from my run around 710-715a, Mindy and the kids were downstairs and in the kitchen. Mindy made scrambled eggs topped with cheese. Bella was on the sofa pouting. Jacob was eager to share that she was scared of the wind, worried we might have a tornado. She had tears in her eyes. I knew the fear was real despite what we said to try and calm her. She's been overly worried about such things ever since the September tornado ordeal. She even went as far to point our one of the ash trees in the middle back yard. She was worried that it might blow over as it swayed in the breeze. In reality, however, the breeze wasn't blowing anymore than 8 mph. Hardly enough to blow even the weakest of trees over. All kidding aside, the last thing I wanted to do was invalidate her fears. Instead, I simply reassured her that we'd be OK and that the likelihood of a late November tornado while possible were remote. She seemed comforted by my words of reassurance but remained clingy. Mindy asked the kids to bus home with Noah again. Not sure why. She left the house around 730a. I headed off to the shower around 733a. I was back downstairs preparing my lunch less than 20 minutes later. The kids made their way downstairs a few minutes later. By then my lunch was completely prepared and stowed. We headed out to the bus stop a few minutes later. Bella wore her heavier fall jacket despite me advising against it. Oddly enough, I think it made her feel safer, although I don't know. Kenny was at the bus stop with the girls. I asked how the Monday hunt went. Said he shot and hit a deer but that he only wounded it and it got away. Apparently his hunting mates were going back today to try and track it while Kenny takes care of some business matters. He said he'd be heading back out on Wednesday. For the time being, it looked like the skies were gonna clear up, at least part way. To lighten things up, we shared that we saw a buck in our own back yard the night before during dinner. Jacob spotted it while preparing to take Frankie out and pointed it out to the rest of us. After the bus picked up the kids, I walked Frankie a little while longer out front. She pooped and peed again. Good girl! I let for class around 820a. Not much different than a typical work day. It started to rain again during my drive north towards New Horizons. I'm pretty sure I was the first one into the classroom again. At any rate, I organized myself by sitting out my snacks, water bottle and course material then headed for the restroom. Steve, the instructor, picked up where we left off Monday shortly after 9a. We first did a little review and then a case study. I tried my best to stay interested/focused. I poked around on the internet a little but managed to stay engaged through morning break. During break, I got a cup of coffee, something I rarely do mid-morning these days. As promised, the material began to make a little more sense. Not sure if that was because of the material itself or if I was just getting used to it. Probably a combination of both. Steve was very punctual with our breaks. Lunch began at 1155a. Asked that we be back by 110p. Cool! Just before heading out for lunch, I stopped by the reception desk and once again asked for my course receipt. I'll need that to get my money back via tuition assistance. Despite the fact that it was raining fairly heavily, I headed out and ventured down the road to the Dublin Wal-Mart, just like I did the day before. This time, however, I bought nothing. Instead, I browsed the Xmas decorations and toys looking, gathering ideas for the Gkids. I was gonna buy a string of battery powered Xmas lights that changed colors for Jacob's bedroom, but the only clerk in the Xmas department said she wasn't trained on running the register. She was kind about it. Said she'd help if she could. I thought better of walking all the way across the store to the main registers especially given that I was parked just outside the garden section, which also doubles as the Xmas shop come autumn. I'd been gone about 40 minutes. I headed on back to New Horizons. Steve asked us to complete some sample test questions which we planned to discuss after lunch. I spent my time doing them once back in the classroom. Like all the questions before, the answers were not immediately available in the text. Instead, one had to deduce the answer, and if that's not tough enough, then had to choose the one that some nebulous body deemed the most right, as there are often three correct answers. I have never liked that type of testing. Who says one answer is more right than the other? I mean, if it's not taken directly from the material then it's subjective and based solely on opinion. But it is what it is. We breezed through the remainder of the material just like the day before. We covered lots of stuff. Just like the day before, we finished up just ahead of 345p, but then did a brief review session, which I stayed for. It lasted until 4p or so. Just before heading out Steve reviewed Wednesday's agenda. Said we'd have quiet time until 10a and then 2 hours of review/discussion. Then, any time after 12 noon we'd be welcome to take the certification test, which normally costs $160 by itself, but was included in the tuition for me. He encouraged us to study through the evening if at all possible. Not wanting to risk failure, or having to eat my tuition costs, I was determined to study and pass the test on my first crack Wednesday. I called Mindy on my drive home. She was at Targhetto picking up some odds and ends. I arrived home before she and the kids, and had the dish washer unloaded, coffee prepped, and Frankie walked before they arrived home. It was still raining, by the way. There were no immediate dinner plans discussed, and Mindy needed to run Bella to gymnastics at 550p. I started studying right away while also snacking on pita chips. Jacob opted to ride along with Mindy. Mindy and Jacob were gone for about 20 minutes. I figured they must've stopped for food. After studying for about 45 minutes, I warmed some leftover turkey to have as my dinner. I was just finishing my turkey when Mindy & Jacob returned. They stopped at Taco Bell. Said they got some extra tacos should I want them. Nope! Mindy wasn't home long before she needed to head off to fetch Bella. After a 30 minute break, I decided it time to start studying again. I was getting a little antsy worrying about the test and all the material I needed to study in preparation. And once Mindy & the kids were back home again, it was next to impossible for me to focus with the incessant noise. Truth is, it was driving me up a wall. At some point near 8p, I gave up and took my study materials up to our bedroom where I could at least have some quiet. Mindy wasn't too pleased with my storming off, but I had to do what I had to do. The bedroom doesn't offer the most hospitable conditions for study, but for the time being it was the quietest place in the house. I made do. I studied until 915p. My then my mind was mush. I tucked the kids into bed then headed back downstairs where I wanted nothing more than to veg for a while. I did just that on the sofa while watching the NatGeo channel, something about asteroids/comets. I started drifting off to sleep by 945p. At 1030p I secured the downstairs and headed up to bed still a little worried about this stupid test on Wednesday.

New On the Horizon

I woke just ahead of 530a, and all things considered feeling pretty good. Even though I wasn't returning to work until Thursday, I needed to be in a class by 9a. Not only that, but I really didn't sleep that well, either. After a 5 day break, I had to be a bit more deliberate in all of my actions. I did my sit-ups and push-ups, but sandwiched a little PC time in between. It was cold, only 25 degrees. I headed out with Frankie around 555a. She seemed more interested in wandering around than she did in going potty. She finally took a dump out under the tree house but never did pee. We headed back inside just after 6a. After treating Frankie, I started meditation. I was battling father time so I stopped at 620a and moved to stretching. I could hear Mindy stirring upstairs even before stretching was complete. For whatever the reason, I haven't been good about stretching on my non-work days and even worse about meditation. I might choose to focus more of my attention in that area moving forward. We'll see. I delivered the pug and coffee upstairs at 630a. Mindy was already in the shower but acknowledged my presence with a wet greeting and kiss. I hurried back downstairs where I dressed and left for my run. It was nice to don fresh running clothes. They (and I) smelt terrific! I was about five minutes behind schedule, but nothing I needed to worry about or trim the run for. I ran the full 4.1 mile trail. The dark sky afforded me another opportunity to see our Xmas light display, nothing special, but still nice. The lawn and cars were coated in thick frost. Mindy had the Honda keys setting on the table just inside the door, which she alerted me to as soon as I made my grand reentrance. I was looking forward to having fried eggs, having not eaten any since last Tuesday. They were delicious, and so was the fresh fruit. Both kids were at the breakfast table, but having something other than eggs. Bella had cinnamon toast and Jacob cereal. Mindy reminded the kids to bus home with Noah in pretty much what's become a Monday ritual. Mindy left around 730a. A few minutes later I headed up for a shower. I was back downstairs several minutes later throwing together some healthy snacks that would serve as my lunch. It was 757a before we knew it, and time to head out for the bus. Bella had me get her ear covers and toboggan down from the hall closet. We met Chrissy and the girls at the bus stop. As expected, Kenny was already off hunting, this the first day of gun season. For what it's worth, the kids noted that their original bus was finally back in service. I reminded Bella to put the hat and ear covers in her book bag once at school to hopefully prevent their loss. It was expected to warm to near 50 by later afternoon. Once the kids were on the bus I walked Frankie a little more out front. She only peed. Inside, I did a quick inventory of my gear, making sure I had everything I might need for class, including directions to their facility. I left the house at 825a. Cold aside, it was a lovely morning drive - sunny, blue skies. I found the New Horizons location with no trouble. I was early, so I sat in my Trooper for a few extra minutes listening to ESPN radio. I headed in around 845a. Given that this was my first visit to their facility, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The place was larger than I guessed, numerous classrooms and testing rooms. I was immediately advised that the ITIL v3 classroom was in room #110. I was one of the first in the room and quickly organized myself in the back row. I then ventured out to the common area (break room) and eventually the restroom. Others slowly trickled in. All totaled, there were ten of us in the classroom, but as we later learned, another ten or so joining remotely via a virtual classroom. Steve, the instructor, burst into the room around 905a and quickly got things underway. Right away, I noticed his booming tone, and his deliberate approach to including the remote students, definitely a good social tactic. As expected, he passed out additional course material then reviewed our agenda. I wasn't sure if we were gonna do a lame introduction or not. I was hoping not. I hate that. He did all the talking, and we did all the listening. About 30 minutes into the class he asked each of us to share where we worked and why we were in the ITIL training. No biggie. All that was taken care of by 10a. I won't bore you with the details of the training, but will share that the material is incredibly dry. I tried starting the program via our internal online training website but found it difficult to follow, and horrendously boring and dry. Many of my peers reached a similar conclusion. We took a break around 1030a then broke for an hour lunch just before noon. I decided to visit Wal-Mart and Best Buy, just a mile or so south. At Wal-Mart I bought Bella & Jacob new night lights. One of Bella's stopped working just last night. I found two really cool night lights. The one I picked for Bella was supposed to project a princess and castle onto the ceiling. Jacob's was supposed to project patterns of different colored lights. Both were LED technology. Cool! I also picked up a small 18" pink Xmas tree for Bella's room. I just knew it would make her happy. Next, I headed to Best Buy, essentially right next door. There I bought the Jim Carey's Grinch DVD for Olivia. Back to New Horizons. I was gone only 50 minutes total. I was one of the first back in the classroom. I checked work email and interacted some with my peers via blackberry. Things appeared busy at the office. That, however, was fully expected. The afternoon portion of class went incredibly fast. We covered a lot of material at break neck speed, and none of it very intuitive and all very process driven. Ugh!!!! However, a bright spot was that class was unexpectedly over by 340p, which seemed like mid-afternoon to me. What a win! I called Mindy around 4pm to let her know that I was already on my way home. Mindy had just gotten home herself, but hadn't yet picked up the kids from Dena's. However, she left to get them soon after I arrived home. Mindy & the kids were back home in a jiffy. Mindy shared that my dad was coming over for dinner, and we were having homemade chicken pot pie. Mindy already had it reheating in the oven. Both kids seemed to like their new night lights, which I gave them as soon as they got home. I tried Bella's out in the downstairs guest bathroom. Worked even better than I expected. Tried out Jacob's next. Initially, any way, Bella whined that she liked Jacob's better. She was in a pouty mood. Before dinner was ready and just ahead of my dad's arrival, I installed Bella's night light in her room and placed her pink Xmas tree on her dresser. I also replaced a burnt out bulb in her flower topped floor lamp. I started studying my course material before diner and my dad's arrival. I'm guessing that Mindy had dinner ready by 545p. This was Mindy's first crack at making the chicken pot pie. Turned out great. Like a lot of recipes, she immediately shared a couple things she'll do differently next time. I had two medium helpings and washed them both down with water. During clean-up, dad shared pieces, parts of his conversation with mom he had Friday at our place. We knew about the carpal tunnel procedures she had scheduled, but the part about more spinal column issues was news to us. Apparently more bone density issues (osteoporosis) only this time in her upper vertebrae, which apparently is inhibiting her ability to hold her head upright. Think he said she's seeking a second opinion from another quack before deciding her next steps. Dad then shared a little about Uncle Kenny having all his old 8mm home movies transferred to DVD at Chic's Camera shop on Gay St. Dad served as Kenny's middleman since he's already nesting in Florida for the winter! I excused myself from the kitchen right after dinner clean-up to return to studying. Meanwhile, Dad, Jacob, and Mindy played Apples to Apples. Dad left after their brief game. I'm guessing that it was close to 730p when he left. Mindy and he talked about him watching the kids Wednesday morning covering their 2nd late start this school year. I studied until 800pm or so and then updated my blog current. I had several days already written and ready, but hadn't published a one since last Wednesday. Afterwards, I joined Mindy and the kids in the family room where we tuned in to MNF, 49ers vs. Cardinals. The 49ers took the early lead, and looked pretty good doing it. Troy Smith & Ted Ginn (former Buckeyes) both looked sharp. The kids went to bed around 9pm. I tucked them both in, but Jacob followed me back downstairs. Mindy didn't let him stay up but another five minutes. Mindy headed to bed with 7 minutes to go in the first half. I stayed downstairs until halftime, though I fell asleep at some point just before the half. I woke and headed to bed around 1010p. I was tired.

Lights Up Vikings Win Tree Decorated

I woke Sunday just ahead of 730a feeling darn near perfect. I brushed my teeth then quietly attempted to slip downstairs without waking Mindy. But like she often does, Mindy insisted on a hug before I headed off. Downstairs I started a pot of coffee, a mixture of both Foldgers and Starbucks. Because it was Sunday I didn't plan any sit-ups or push-ups. Instead, I went right to the PC until the coffee was ready. I was surprised to read that Notre Dame beat USC. They were tied last I saw. I checked to see if the AP and USA polls were updated. They weren't. Coffee was ready by 740a. I made a cup then headed right back to the PC. I didn't bother opening Frankie's pen until I heard her stirring a few minutes later. After allowing her a little time to wake up, she and I headed out. It was cold and sunny, only 20 degrees. The ground was covered in thick frost. We walked all the way out to the tree house, her new favorite place to go potty. Finally, after about ten minutes, she did both. We headed back indoors where I presented her with a treat before heading back to my PC. Mindy woke around 9a. We chatted briefly as I stretched and prepared to run. It was almost 10q when I finally headed out, about a half hour later than is typical for a Sunday. Mindy said she'd most likely be in the shower when I returned. It was still cold - about 30 degrees but sunny. I glanced at the roof as I dashed off to check for frost. I thought I might put up the large multi-colored LED lights I bought last year if the temperature warmed above freezing and the roof was free of any ice/frost. I ran three miles, just like I usually do on Sunday's. It was an easy, comfortable run. Mindy planned another mid-day Xmas shopping trip. We discussed a few gift options for the Gkids. Among them, a Buckeye jersey for Olivia as well as the Grinch movie. Ashley called us a little earlier to share that both were good gift ideas. Mindy said she might be gone for a while. Somehow I'd find a way to manage being alone. :) Before doing anything, I made a turkey and swiss sandwich on dark rye. It was quite good. Now almost noon, I checked the temperature. It was already 37 degrees and warm enough to head up on the roof, especially given the brilliant sunshine. The only problem is that the roof on the front of the house (north facing) gets next to no direct sun this time of year. I gathered the lights and clips necessary for the job. I used my aluminum extension ladder to mount the roof from the rear deck. I wore running clothes, my old running gloves and a toboggan. I headed up cautiously checking for any remaining ice/frost. It was safe. With each passing year I have to ask myself what the hell I'm doing up there on the roof, and not because I've forgotten why I was up there, but instead questioning my sanity. The first order of business was to install all the clips. I used more than I have in the past in hopes of eliminating any sag. Why not? I have plenty of clips. That went well, but still a bit harrowing, crawling out to the edge to install each clip. The gable requires that I slide out almost like I am riding a horse and then I have to lean far to each side to install the clips along its edge. Yikes! With the clips finished, it was time to actually install the lights. And yes, I tested them ahead of time from the ground. The install went well. Before descending the roof I cleared any leaves from the downspouts. I really need to redesign the rear gutter run that's in excess of 35' long. Water puddles on the end opposite the downspout. I need to install another downspout at the opposite end.

Once on the ground I drug the ladder around to the side where I planned to power up the lights. I used my new white tie-wraps to strap the extension cord behind/beside the downspout leading up to the strands of lights. That went OK, but is always easier said than done. While in the same vicinity, I disconnected the front hose caddy from the bib and rolled it back by the shed. I also topped off the hot tub and then removed the rear hose caddy, but left the hose on the deck that I use each week for topping off the hot tub. I still needed to power up the lights and then install the timer. That went well, too. Cool! I left the lights on while I unlocked the shed and stowed the hose caddies neatly, but not before draining them the best I could without using my air compressor. I finished up around 2pm or just after, then headed back inside. I went to my PC to check the Vikings score. It was tied 7-7 at the half. I let some Xmas music whirl on the PC at the same time. I noticed that Sarah Mclachlan's, Wintersong was missing from my iTunes collection. I guessed it in my Trooper and overlooked when I downloaded my entire collection last winter. Yep, sure was. While retrieving it, Mindy pulled up. She asked for help carrying in her Xmas haul. I helped. She immediately noticed the extension cord running across the porch signaling her to look up for Xmas lights. I knew it would make her happy. She was thrilled that I put them up despite not really wanting to. The kids arrived home with Jimaken around 3p. I saw that the Vikings pulled ahead of the Redskins 17-10, and then a little later 17-13.There was still plenty of time left, about 7 minutes. I decided not to check the score again. At some point Jacob yelled out that the Vikings had lost, apparently seeking a reaction from me. I didn't give one. Honestly, I more than expected them to lose. Turns out, however, that he was joking. I checked the score around 415p. They held on and won 17-13, giving Leslie Frazier a victory in his first game as interim coach. Good for Leslie, a disciple of Tony Dungy. Mindy was busy in the kitchen making a giant turkey pot pie with TG leftovers. Said it would be Monday's dinner, not Sunday's. In fact, we were supposed to head down to Kenny & Chrissy's for dinner. What time, however, I wasn't sure. We walked down around 530p. I was surprised that no one was there, at least not readily apparent. Turns out, Chrissy and the kids were upstairs listening to big Jake play his trombone. Her entire family, however, was already gone and the kitchen completely cleaned up. I was confused. Thought she was hosting a family TG dinner. Apparently we missed the larger gathering, but Chrissy was more than willing to get the food back out solely on our account. Mindy indicated that that was the plan all along. Chrissy got out the Honey Baked ham, Honey Baked turkey, and stuffing. I made a small plate of both meats, and washed both down with a Diet Dr Pepper, a rare drink for me, but one I was craving. Kenny, meanwhile, was nowhere to be found. Chrissy later mentioned that he was off to their storage container. for what, though, she never said. After finishing my plate of meat, I settled into their comfy leather sofa to take in the rest of the afternoon NFL game, Bears vs. Eagles. Kenny got home a few minutes later. I walked both pugs separately. I walked Frankie out front making our way down the street and across from our home where I snapped a few pictures of our house decked out in Xmas lights. I walked Woodie out back. Once I was back inside, Mindy gathered the kids for home. It was just after 730p and a school night. Where had our long 5-day weekend gone? Went really fast. We walked home heading out the front door so everyone could see our house in all its holiday glory. Hark the Herald Angels Sing ...! At home, Mindy and the kids started decorating the Xmas tree while I worked on my blog. Trust me, it's best that way. For some reason, Bella got upset over some aspect of the decorating and stomped off to her room. By then I was about done and in the family room where the tree was almost fully decorated. Jacob asked for my help putting batteries in our Christmas Vacation RV ornament. Very cute. It even has about 5 or 6 lines from cousin Eddie that are activated at the press of a small button. While I tuned the TV to NBC for Sunday night football, Mindy was in the basement looking for the Xmas tree top, our silver star. I eventually joined in the search. At some point I suggested that it might be in with our old 9' artificial tree. As soon as I uttered those words I could see a light bulb go on in Mindy's mind. Yep, that's where it was. We headed up where I placed it strategically on the tree's top, which took some doing.

We took a few pictures of our tree fully decorated without flash. I like the silhouetted look of the kids against the bright LED tree. After pictures Mindy sent the kids to bed. I soon followed for the nightly tuck in. I returned to the family room to watch the first half of the football game. The Colts were struggling, Peyton Manning throwing 2 interceptions in the first half alone. We headed to bed around 1030p.

Seven in-a-row 37-7

It was Michigan Saturday. I woke around 740a and quietly slipped out of bed and ultimately downstairs. It was cloudy but promised to turn sunny later. Frankie made no overtures to be set free. I left her in her pen temporarily while starting coffee and then did 55 sit-ups and 55 push-ups. Like most other days, I spent some time on the PC ahead of my run. In fact, I spent at least an hour online downloading recent photos and poking around for more gift ideas. I freed Frankie and took her outside somewhere between then and when I decided it time to run. Near 930a, I dressed warmly and headed out for a run. It was 30 degrees. The sky told two stories. Overhead and immediately to our west, the sky was completely blue. To the east, and near the sun's current position, there were thick dark clouds. Two different mind sets. I ran 3 miles like I do now most every Saturday and Sunday. Saw lots of folks heading off in their Buckeye attire. Many have commented this past week how it doesn't feel much like Michigan weekend, due mostly to the new after TG game date. However ,reflecting back though, we played the game on the Saturday after TG the first year of Jim Tressel's tenure as coach, the game when Belasari was benched for DUI and the then unknown Craig Krenzel was elevated to starter. That year's entire schedule was modified due to the events of 9/11. I was back from my run after 10a. Mindy still wasn't up, or at least not downstairs. It wasn't long, however, before I heard her stirring. As I recall, she was up numerous times during the night. Sometime near 11a I took a shower. For the first time in a long time, I wore my red #29 Buckeye jersey, the one Lindsey had signed by Pepe Pearson. It was near 1130a. Where had the morning gone? I tuned into the Buckeye pregame hype. Mindy was busy updating thr Xmas list and addressing more Xmas cards for mailing. I pulled out the leftover Barley's smoked turkey for snacking. I was gonna make a sandwich but ended up snacking on meat only. The game kicked off at 12noon. The Buckeyes wore new NIKE designed uniforms that were designed as a tribute to the 1942 national championship team. They featured stripeless red helmets and jerseys, along with solid gray pants and red shoes. Cool. As with a lot of Buckeye games this year and last, we looked sluggish early on. On the other hand, Michigan looked poised to take the early lead, but couldn't take advantage of two long drives in the first quarter. I find it hard to believe that a program as prominent and reputable as Michigan can't find a half way decent field goal kicker. The Buckeyes scored first making it 3-0, and then 10-0. Honestly, though, it was more about Michigan's mistakes and misfortune than about the Buckeyes dominance. We were very opportunistic. Michigan answered our TD with one of their own making it close at 10-7. The Buckeyes, however, returned the ensuing kick-off for a TD that fired up the team and 105,000 Buckeye faithful in the stands. It wasn't close after that. The Buckeyes, of course, won 37-7, once again demonstrating their dominance over the rivalry, winning their seventh in a row, a feat I would never have dreamed possible having suffered through the Bruce/Cooper era (7-14-1 vs. Michigan). As usual, coach Tressel was a gracious winner deferring all the praise to his outgoing seniors. After the game, Mindy and I elected to go Xmas shopping. We planned stops at Best Buy, Kohls, and possibly Justice. We headed to Best Buy first, planning to work our way back towards home. We spent about 45 minutes in Best Buy, our main purpose picking out Jacob's new LCD TV. We got what we considered a really good deal, a 32" Samsung LCD 720p for $327. While there, we also looked at washer/dryers, cameras, and blu-rays. I was eager to see in person, the new Canon PS d95. I was disappointed that the display model wouldn't power up, missing the battery. A young salesman promised to find a battery and get it working. We went to look at other items while waiting. When we returned, the camera was still not operable and the salesman nowhere to be found. I wasn't impressed with its small physical size and its almost toy like appearance. It's classified as a high-end premium compact. We left Best Buy and headed to World Market and then the Macy's furniture store which are effectively next door. We bought some new purple throw pillows at World Market along with a six-pack of Bell's Christmas Ale, and advent calendars for the kids and Gkids. We just browsed at Macy's Furniture, weren't planning to buy anything, although sometime soon we'd like to update/redecorate our livingroom. We left Macy's and headed across the street to Front Room Furnishings where we quickly browsed their offerings. From there we headed west on Tuttle to Wilcox to Hayden Run working our way towards Avery Rd and then south to the Hilliard Kohls. It was nearly dark as we headed west on Hayden Run, where we encountered a green Jeep Cherokee stopped in the middle of the road apparently and empty without the flashers going. Certainly a danger to others. Mindy phoned the Hilliard police to report the abandoned car. At Kohls, we picked up Buckeye jerseys for both Landon and Rocky getting them for more than 50% off. Mindy picked up a new pair of shoes for herself. I was worried that there was more shopping ahead, after all, Mindy mentioned Justice and Target too. I was hungry and tired. Lucky for me, Mindy was hungry as well and wanted to go for dinner. We had no venue in mind. I suggested a Minelli's pizza. She agreed and called and placed our pick-up order. Turns out, they were offering a 4 item extra-large for $14.99 - a $4 savings. Perfect! We had to wait maybe 7-10 minutes for our pie to come out of the oven. It took only five minutes to get there from Kohls. At home, we carried in our Xmas haul then Mindy took Frankie out. I ate one small piece of pizza, choosing to wait for Mindy before digging in fully. I also opened a Bell's Christmas Ale. Good, not overbearing but festive. We both agreed that the pizza was the perfect call. So damn good. We did some serious damage eating about 2/3's of it. It was near 730p. Mindy called the neighbors and invited ourselves down. She took Frankie while I carried three beers, two for me, one for her. She said we'd only be staying for a short while, which sounded good to me. I was looking forward to an uneventful evening. Chrissy's mom was staying the night ahead of Sunday's family TG celebration dinner. Her niece Hailey was staying too. Chrissy's mom & Jake were sitting at a fold-up table covered in what looked like 500-1000 jig-saw puzzle pieces. The first 3-D jig-saw puzzle I've ever seen. I helped Jake for a while but tired of it quickly. I really don't like jig-saw puzzles at all. The challenge apparently inspired Mindy. After 15-20 minutes, she found her way to the table where I know she sat for a good two hours working on the puzzle along with others. While they puzzled, I watched part of the USC/Notre dame football game. I might even have dosed a time or two. Now near 1030p, I upped and asked Mindy if she was ready to head home. Chrissy joked that I always stay later than Mindy. I offered that Mindy could stay behind, but I was heading home. I was sleepy. Mindy would have nothing of it and readied for home. We headed home where we put Frankie to bed then headed there ourselves. Mindy wanted some snuggle time. At some point, I'm guessing near 1145p, I turned on the bedroom TV hoping to catch the final score of the USC/Notre Dame game. Instead, I caught part of SNL. At some point, however, Mindy snagged the remote while I was snoozing and turned the TV off.

TG 2 - Brought to you by Barley's

It was the Friday after TG. I was up at my usual 715a. I woke once during the night to bright moon light streaming in through the aptly named half moon window. The rain had obviously ended giving way to clear skies. What wasn't readily apparent was whether the rain changed over to snow before the clearing. I didn't know the answer until I was out of bed and brushing my teeth. Nope, no snow. Looked cold, however. Frost covered the lawn. Downstairs, I started coffee then glanced out the back door. There were a few patches of ice on the deck but otherwise it looked dry. I whipped out my sit-ups and push-ups then played on the PC. Mindy and the kids weren't up for a while. I enjoyed the quiet time. Frankie and I headed out around 830a. It was cold. And like the morning before, there was standing water, only frozen, along the edge of the deckside flower beds. Frankie did a lot of sniffing around but took her time bearing fruit. Finally, in the leaf pile underneath the treehouse, she took a dump. Unfortunately, I left the shovel behind on the deck. I carefully picked up the crap with my bare hands using other leaves like a glove and tossed the crap deep into the woods behind our lot. And just to make sure I didn't get any on me, I licked my hands. Nope, clean! :) Mindy and the kids were soon awake. I didn't prepare and leave for my run until just before 10a. It was still quite cold, about 27 degrees. I wore typical winter running attire. I ran the full 4.1 miles enjoying the repetitive scenery along the way. Mindy was off to the shower soon after my return. She talked about running a few errands. One included looking at pre-lit artificial trees at Home Depot. However, because we planned to have the family over for a 2nd TG dinner mid-afternoon, she didn't have all day long to shop. But then again, the food was already cooked. All we needed to do was reheat it. My dad called sometime late morning/early afternoon to let us know that he'd be attending the holiday meal later in the afternoon. We put the smoked turkey in the oven around 1230-1p or just before Mindy left, and then put the taters and stuffing in our double warming trays. We used a small crock pot for the gravy and planned to nuke the green beans in a casserole dish. The kids declined the opportunity to go with Mindy. Bella was off to Makayla's instead. Jacob, I think, was off to play with Evan. I melted the reserved caramel and then some baking chocolate to top the cheesecake. That went well. While Mindy was out, I put the festive green and red florescent bulbs in the coach, porch, and post light fixtures. It was cold. My hands numbed quickly, their first elongated exposure to winter-type chill. I also put a new florescent spot in the porch side flower bed uplight to further accentuate the large metallic ornaments Mindy hung from the weeping mulberry tree. I was outside maybe 25 minutes total. Inside, I checked the food. Still there. :) Time to get a shower. Mindy returned after being gone no more than an hour. Said she made a quick stop at the Lincoln Village Giant Eagle, but that they had a very poor beer selection, unlike most other local G.E's. I had asked her to pick-up some IPA. She also shared that she bought a pre-lit tree with LED lights. The LED bulbs should last a lot longer than the incandescent type. The afternoon went fast. Soon, It was after 2pm. Our guests would be over anytime. Lindsey, Ashley and the grand kids arrived around 240p. As usual, Olivia entered ready to spread her joy. It was nice to see the kids and the daughters. My dad, Tommy and Wally weren't too far behind. Wally was his usual shy self. The neighbors joined us too. We had a house full in a hurry - 17 to be exact. Shrinks the house quickly! To facilitate all that eating, we brought up the portable table and folding chairs. However, still short on seating, Mindy talked me into using the dining room chairs, which have never before been used for actual dining. In doing so, I discovered that Frankie had chewed on one of the hand carved chair legs. Dammit! I asked that only adults sit in those chairs. The food was ready around 330-345p. I carved the bird while Mindy and Chrissy got the ball rolling for all the kids. The smoked turkey was juicy and delicious. On the other hand, the sides were just OK. Left a bit to be desired, really. But that was OK. After all, it's about the people/family. And we definitely had a fun time. I was anxious for dessert, and more specifically, to try my new cheesecake. But there were two other options as well, a black cherry and pumpkin pie. Turns out, the black-cherry pie was really a raspberry pie, at least according to Mindy. The cheesecake was delicious. I thought of a couple things I will do differently the next time. I do that a lot with my recipes. Ash and Olivia left for home first. Said they needed to meet Stephen's father at Roosters. And while Ashley brought Lindsey and the boys, we'd be the lucky ones taking them home. After dinner, Mindy & I managed most of the clean-up, although Kenny & Chrissy helped too. And then, with the help of the neighbors, Mindy put up the new tree. We watched football through the evening. Turns out numbers 1, 2 & 3 were all playing on this Friday after TG. Auburn (#2) won after trailing for most of the game. Tommy & Wally left next. Before Tommy left, we talked briefly about a potential ski trip to Vail. He expressed interest. We've yet to ask Glenn but plan to. I love Oregon, but don't want to limit myself to a single venue when, after all, we live in a country with some of the world's best/nicest ski resorts all within a few hours by air. I'm guessing it was near 730-8p when Mindy & Chrissy took Lindsey and the boys home while Kenny and I drank beer and watched more football. I was out with one of the pugs a bit earlier and thought I saw neighbor Pat Schultz out deep frying a turkey. That was confirmed when he and Lisa sent a text along with a picture of the beast. It looked more like a deep fried bull dog to my eyes. In fact, we had the kids believing that it was a bull dog. Mindy called Pat & Lisa inviting them over. A few beers later, Pat & daughter Alena came over. Lisa stayed home, apparently not feeling too well after eating too much bull dog. :) Sometime during the day's raucous one of our island cabinet doors broke. Actually, one of the screws broke away from the hinge. We ended up removing the door for the time being. I planned to attempt a fix on Saturday. Jimaken & Jacob returned from the Blue Jackets game around 10p. They lost to Detroit 2-1. Because it was a Jimaken weekend, he picked up Bella and headed back out. We hung out with our neighbors, Pat, Alena, Kenny & Chrissy until 1030-11p best guess. Honestly, I lost track of the time. We had a good time, to be sure. Through the evening, I did a number on our Xmas ale inventory. I joked about drinking 12 of them, but honestly, it was more like 11.5.:) We did a little clean-up after our company left then headed for bed. The late college football game, Oregon vs. Arizona ended up a blowout.

Turkey Day 2010

Up at 730am, I thought I might wake feeling hungover but thankfully didn't. Downstairs I started a pot of Starbucks then turned my attention to exercise. I cranked out 55 sit-ups then 55 push-ups. Frankie, meanwhile, was sound asleep in her pen albeit with the door wide open. For the first time ever, I left her sleeping on the sofa the night before. She must've headed to her pen on her own, exhibiting Ykraps like behavior. Good girl! While waiting on the coffee the finish its brewing cycle, I took to my PC checking the headlines, weather, and the prices of a few potential Xmas gifts. I enjoyed coffee then took Frankie out. It could tell that it rained hard through the overnight, but was reduced to only sprinkles as we headed out. It was seasonably warm, about 43 degrees. The backyard was swampy just like it is after a heavy summer rain. I could see standing water where the grass has thinned. Frankie eventually took care of business. We headed back inside where I enjoyed more coffee and quiet time. That quiet time didn't last. Mindy was up around 800a. I didn't waste too much time before heading out on my run. I'm thinking I left around 830-845a. I wanted to get back and then to Barleys by 930a to pick-up our Friday feast. I ran the full 4.1 miles. A couple folks wished me well, and one woman even cheered me on for having the foresight to run before heavy holiday eating. Ah, yeah, right! I wished her well and moved on. I was home by 915a. By then both kids were up. I asked both Jacob & Bella if they wanted to ride along with me to pick-up the turkey & possibly even stop at Tim Horton's, although I wasn't really sure if they'd be open. Both declined, but said that they still wanted donuts. Bella was especially insistent on me stopping. I brushed my teeth then headed out, still dressed in my sweaty running attire. I took the Honda. Mindy headed up for a shower as I headed out the door. I arrived at Barley's around 945a. I was the only customer there, but that wasn't too surprising given the early hour. Both Dan's were in as was Scott, the brew master. They fetched my TG feast right away. They also asked if I wanted to stick around for a beer. No, not this early. Said I looked like I just crawled out of bed. I shared that I had been up for a few hours, but had just completed a 4 mile run. I went on to share a morsel or two about my streak in a nonboastful manner. Big Dan helped me carry the feast to the Honda. I felt good about the deal, $85 for a 15lb smoked turkey, 2 qts mashed spuds, 2 qts stuffing, 2 qts green beans, 1 qt gravy, and a jug of Xmas ale. I gave 'em a nominal tip, too. I left Barley's heading directly across the street to Tim Horton's, which happily I could see was open for business. I picked out a dozen donuts and then another ten Timbits, a favorite of Bella's. Homeward. I called my mom on my drive back home. She sounded good and was making TG dinner for Tommy & Charles. Shared a little about her carpal tunnel procedure, which is scheduled in two installments over the next few weeks. I bid her farewell as I pulled into the drive. Bella was at the door in a hurry to assist, but really hoping for donuts. I carried them in last. Temporarily anyway, I was a hero. :) Mindy was still in the shower. I wasn't home 5 minutes when Jimaken arrived to pick-up the kids. They'd be spending TG day with Jimaken's family, but joining us at Gloria's late afternoon/early evening. They hung out for a while waiting on Mindy to come down after her shower. Soon after they departed, I started making my cheesecake. I was anxious to try out my newest creation - a brownie, caramel cheesecake. While mixing up the brownie batter the Macy's TG day parade whirled in the background. I paused a few times to catch a few defining moments. One particular singer caught my attention with his raspy, bluesy voice. I never did hear who it was. Dang it! Then, a few minutes later, Joan Rivers was introduced as some sort of dignitary leading in Santa. She looked frightening - little Miss Botox! I snapped a photo. And then, just as I try to do every year, I caught Santa's arrival. I'm most interested to observe how his image has morphed over the years. Very modern looking Santa these days. Back to the cheesecake. The cheesecake was essentially a three step process: the brownie crust (bottom layer), the caramel center layer, and lastly, the cheese cake layer (top). Easily the most tedious part was unraveling an entire bag of individually wrapped caramels for melting. I asked Mindy for help, but then decided to retask her with other things. First, I wanted her to call Barley's to ask for reheating instructions, something I forgot to request when I picked up the food a bit earlier. I also asked her to phone the neighbors to see if by chance I left my fleece jacket there the night before. Turns out I had. Mindy walked down to get it. She brought home my umbrella too. The cheesecake baked for about 45 minutes. And I don't mind saying that it looked really good. I forgot to mention that we managed to squeeze the TG feast into the fridge after thinking we might have to borrow the neighbor's garage fridge. I spent the middle afternoon relaxing and writing in my blog ahead of taking a shower. Mindy requested we leave for her mother's around 230p. I was showered and ready by 2p, leaving myself 30 minutes for more writing. Mindy gathered most of our take alongs in a clothes basket. Our contribution to the family feast was a fruit tray, wine, and six-pack of beer, which was a mix of Xmas ales (Gloria's favorite!). It was raining when we left the house. I failed to mention that they were forecasting heavy rain for the duration of the day, and possibly changing to snow through the over night as the temperature was expected to drop well below freezing. We arrived at Gloria's around 250p. Mindy's younger brother was already there with his family. Others had yet to arrive. We visited, snacked, and watched football for the next hour or so as the others slowly trickled in. C & J wouldn't be joining since they decided to spend their TG in sunny Florida. And the word from them was that it was 83 and sunny down there. Sounds very nice, but I'd sooner be snow skiing. I was surprised to learn that Pat & Mel, C & J's friends, would be joining us despite C & J not being there. But then again, they've spent many a TG with the Thompson clan. I enjoyed two beers through the afternoon. They hit the spot, and certainly took the edge off. Not sure the exact time we finally sat to eat, but I am guessing around 5-530p. It was a traditional TG feast: turkey, stuffing, spuds, gravy, corn pudding. I ate only one helping but then picked from the stuffing bowl after finishing dinner plate. I excused myself from the dinner table as others had done before me. That's a good strategy to help stop the binging. Get up and walk away! As is tradition, several family members went on a walk after the meal even in though it was pouring rain. They were gone for a good 20-30 minutes. The rest of us looked at all the store adds that accompanied the TG day edition of the Columbus Dispatch. The walkers returned wet. Apparently the rain really picked up during their stroll. Another tradition is spending the lion's share of the holiday in the lower level (TG and Xmas). We gathered there for fun and conversation just before and during dessert. Dessert consisted of three options: pumpkin pie, lemon cheesecake, and Boston Cream cake. We watched the finish of the Dallas/New Orleans game, too. Exciting finish! Dallas lost. I'm guessing it was near 8p when we gathered our things for home. It was still raining at a good clip. We said our goodbyes and headed off a few minutes later. At home, we all changed into our jammies and got comfy on the sofa. I poured myself a Jack & Coke, the last of my summer stash, to enjoy while watching TV. Can't recall what we watched. We didn't stay up that late though. Everyone was tired, Frankie included.

Tangled Up

It was Wednesday, the first of eight straight days away from the office. I was out of bed around 715a. Before I could slip away, Mindy insisted on a hug and that I deliver coffee bedside. Mindful of Bella and Kaileigh sleeping in the guest room, I tip-toed down the hall & closed their bedroom door to minimize any chance of waking them while carrying out my routine. I started a pot of coffee then my calisthenics. It was partly clear but cold. Only 27 degrees. I finished my sit-ups and push-ups then poured a cup of coffee. I freed Frankie from her pen then sipped a cup of coffee while playing on the internet. I took Frankie out just before 8am. She did a lot of sniffing but no joy. We were out there for a while too. We headed back inside where I quickly delivered Mindy's coffee. It wasn't too long before Mindy joined me downstairs. Then, not long after Mindy, the girls got up and came downstairs. Mindy asked the girls to keep it down until Jacob was awake. Jacob was the last to wake. The girls spent their early morning putting on a dog show and 'training' Frankie. Cute! We planned to see a movie, which one we weren't entirely sure. Our choices were Tangled, Harry Potter, and Megaminds. Our kids had already seen Megaminds (Kaileigh's choice) with Jimaken so that one was quickly ruled out. Bella really wanted to see Tangled. I joked that we could each see separate movies. Mindy didn't like the sound of that, but I was only kidding. Mindy didn't plan to go anyway. Instead, she planned to take her Honda in for a oil change and then make a stop at the flower factory. We settled on Tangled, a Disney movie based on the story of Rapunzel. I can't say I was thrilled about the choice, but it wasn't about me. Jacob determined early on that he was gonna skip the movie. Having settled on a movie, I readied and left for my run. By the time I headed out, it was 30 degrees and sunny. Because of the chill, it was back to hand and ear covers along with my light winter attire. I ran the full 4.1 mile track enjoying it much. I was back home around 10a best guess. The kids were out playing in the tree house. I asked if anyone had taken Frankie out again. Yes, but Mindy reported that Frankie pooped in the house after her cries to be taken out went unanswered. Bella took her out earlier but for something less than a minute (classic). Most of Frankie's accidents can be traced back to just after a Bella walk. :) I headed for a shower planning to leave for the movie around 1115a. We wanted to hit the 1155a show. Again, Jacob opted not to join us. It would be just me, Bella, and Kaileigh. We left near 1115a just as I planned winding our way through Arlington to the Lennox theatre. I wasn't sure what to expect crowd-wise. It was early, so I hoped there wouldn't be too big a crowd. There wasn't a crowd at all. The lot only about half full. The human ticket line was about 3 or 4 customers deep. We opted to do that versus using the automated ticket kiosk. Because it was the early show, the tickets were only $5 each. Not bad. We stood in line for popcorn and soda next. There wasn't much of a line there either. We wanted a large popcorn and two sodas. That was a whopping $18! I had a bottled water for myself in my jacket pocket. The girls wanted butter on their popcorn, which is taken care of at the self-serve station. We headed into the theatre with 20+ minutes to go before show time. There was only three other folks in the theatre, a father and two small kids. We sat in the same row, which was about half way up with a large aisle just in front of us. We ate most of the popcorn even before the previews started. I'll bet there weren't another 12 people in the theatre once the movie started. Fine with me. I wasn't expecting to enjoy the movie too much, after all, I figured myself a little too jaded for a Disney animated movie about Rapunzel. But in true Disney fashion, they made the movie with adults and children in mind. I actually enjoyed the story and the animation. The movie ran for about 100 minutes. The girls left for the bathroom once. I worried that perhaps I should've went with even though they insisted not. Turns out, they found their way back just fine and were only gone for two or three minutes. All three of us hit the bathroom on the way out. I checked my phone. Mindy sent a text sharing that Jacob went ice skating with the neighbors, and she was at the Honda dealership. The girls immediately requested that we got skating too. Nope, we had our fun. Even after that huge bag of popcorn, the girls wanted to go somewhere for lunch. I suggested the Rusty Bucket where nephew Joe works. We headed there. The girls were just OK with the choice. But once we got there and discovered that Joe wasn't working we opted for another venue. Where, we weren't yet sure. Somewhat surprising, Kaileigh was totally against fast food, but couldn't offer up a good restaurant close by. We drove around Grandview for a while without a plan. I rolled my eyes when they both lobbied for a return to the Rusty Bucket. No. I suggested we head to Minelli's close to our home. Kaileigh shared that she knows people that work there and didn't want to go. Said she'd be too embarrassed. What? Yep, said she'd be embarrassed to be there with me. :) We eventually settled on the new Grandview BW3's. Like the movie theatre, we were one of just a few customers scattered about the place. The girls both wanted selections from the kids menu. I wasn't planning to eat too much. After all, Mindy promised the kids that we'd be doing dinner at Barley's. I ended up ordering 12 hot wings and water. While waiting on our food, the girls asked if they could go play video games. Bella offered that she had money of her own. She shook her wallet so I could hear the change (quarters). Sure, OK. Said they didn't need my help. The girls were back before our food arrived, and I'm guessing it wasn't even ten minutes. As we talked, Bella shared that she spent a whopping $15 on the games. I about choked on my wings! What? Surely you're mistaken. Do you mean $3? Nope, three 5 dollar bills. Yikes! What a complete waste of money. I went to the machine to see if there were still pending credits, and sure enough, there were. They had 10 game credits remaining. I even used one of them playing PacMan, something I've played maybe five times in my entire life. Never was much of a video game head. I went back to the table and advised the girls that they still had credits. They asked if they could go play more. Yes. Before heading that way, Bella asked if she was grounded for spending all of her money. No. However, I did reiterate that she had wasted her money. It was spitting snow when we left BW3's, now near 230p. It was only 33 degrees, cloudy, and windy. Seemed appropriate for the season. We arrived home about 10 minutes later. Mindy was home and napping on the sofa with Frankie. Jacob was still off with the neighbors. Bella and Kaileigh continued their dog training game. Poor Frankie. :) Jacob arrived home around 330p. Shelly came to fetch Kaileigh around 4-430p. By then, Mindy was again busy decorating for Xmas, only this time working on the leaning shelves. I spent most of the afternoon/evening writing in my blog and playing on the computer. We readied for dinner sometime after 6p even though I was still full from the 12 BW3 wings I ate earlier. It was pouring rain as we headed off for Barley's. Driving proved incredibly difficult due to the rain and whatever the Honda dealership put on our windshield. I guessed it hot wax from their drive-thru carwash. I couldn't see the white lines between lanes at all. It was a very harrowing experience. Under the few scattered street lights it was a bit easier to see. Barley's was moderately crowded, fairly typical for a TG eve. We grabbed two, 2-person barside tables. I ordered a Centennial. Mindy went with water, and the kids soda pop. I couldn't talk myself into eating again. I passed on a menu while the others ordered entrees. Jacob went with Gates of Hell wings, Bella, a corn dog and fries, and Mindy a California burger. Her burger looked to be topped with bacon and avocado. I had a second Centennial. We didn't stay too long. Not much past 730p. But I'd be back in the morning to pick-up Friday's Thanksgiving feast. Mindy used a couple Barley hand wipes to try and clean her windshield before driving off. It worked only marginally. She drove home. Still fairly early, we called the neighbors to see what they were up to. We invited ourselves down. I took a couple beers and what remained of a Xmas ale growler. It was still raining. I took my umbrella. We visited with the neighbors for an hour or so before Kapil and Pabina came over. We hadn't seen Pabina for many months, ever since she left for Boston. Missed her during her brief Labor Day visit. Talked a little bit about her dental schooling and how we now have other friends in the Boston area. Pabina will be there for 2 years. At some point, I walked back home to get another beer for myself and another glass of wine for Mindy. I had a warm buzz. We might've stayed another hour or so, and Mindy the kids headed for home 15-20 minutes ahead of me. I took a couple Advil before heading to bed.

Jesus Loves Me ... and the others too

Pics: Getting it on for Xmas.

UH-oh. I over slept, and did so big time! It was 608a when I woke and glanced at the clock (actually read 938a). I quickly brushed my teeth and grabbed my running clothes then headed down stairs. Coffee was already brewed. I reminded myself not to fret. I completed my calisthenics like any other morning. I checked the weather and headlines too. Frankie was already sitting up in her pen and wanting out. I opened the door while I sipped my first cup of coffee. She and I headed out for our walk in the back yard at 630a. It took a while, but she did both pee and poop. Already 640a when we got back inside, I decided to skip meditation. I still went ahead and did a stretch. Before heading off on my run, I delivered the pug and coffee to Mindy. She said she knew I overslept. I asked why she didn't wake me. She didn't have a real good answer that I recall. It was fairly warm again - about 55 degrees under mostly cloudy skies. I dressed accordingly. I trimmed a mile off my usual weekday run reducing it to just 3 miles in an effort to regain lost time. That worked out well relative to the clock. Almost like normal, I was back around 720a. Mindy had my eggs ready. Bella once again had cinnamon toast. Mindy left at her usual time. As far as I knew, there were no out of the ordinary plans for after work, although it was a Bella gymnastics night. I headed for the shower at 730a. I found myself showered, dressed, and downstairs & throwing together a lunch at 750a. I packed cheese, a banana, and veggies (baby carrots & cauliflower). The kids and I headed out at 757a. I was slow getting out the door, probably closer to 8a. Kenny was already out with the girls. We chatted briefly. The bus showed up on time. Frankie and I walked out front before heading back inside. No joy. I made a to-go cup of coffee then sent myself an email at work detailing my cheesecake ingredients. I planned to stop at Kroger on the way home. I left for work near 820a. I arrived at work just after 830a and parked out front. Both my boss and peer were scheduled off. It figured to be a challenging day because of that. As expected, my morning proved to be extremely busy driven mostly by numerous escalation requests. I did my best to keep up. I barely caught a glimpse of the day's weather, but eventually did see a little sunshine. Instead of going somewhere for lunch, I closed my office door, listened to music, and wrote. It was quite relaxing. I was interrupted a couple of times, but didn't mind. The afternoon slowed down compared to the AM, but picked up again just after 2pm. Mindy called just after 3p, or when she left school. We talked for a while. I shared a little about my day, but probably more about the day before when I felt run ragged. I went as far as sharing my feeble attempt at arranging a last minute trip out west to ski. I had the dates picked(Dec 9 - 12), a relatively cheap flight, and an email all ready to send off to brother Glenn measuring his ability to get time off to ski. But just before hitting send I remembered that Mindy had our Xmas party planned for that weekend. Damn! I was frustrated. Mindy grew silent on the other end of our conversation. She obviously wasn't pleased. Before ending our call, I shared my intentions to stop at Kroger on the way home. Mindy shared that she would be taking Bella to gymnastics and that Shelly would be dropping GD Kaileigh off around 830p. I worked hard until 520p when I packed up for home. I remembered to set my out of office and take my laptop home. I plan to take it with me to class after the TG break. Kroger wasn't nearly as crowded as I expected, but then again, it was only Tuesday, and not Wednesday. I was fairly quick. I wisely sent the list to my Gmail account so I could pull it up on my Droid. Voila - a grocery list at my finger tips. In addition to the food items, I picked up a dozen roses for Mindy. I thought about buying some Jack Daniels but didn't. We have oodles of beer - both jug and bottles still at home. Even with my Kroger stop, I still managed to get home by 545p. Mindy was still home. Hadn't left to take Bella to gymnastics. Jacob and Bella were eating leftover Dewey's Pizza. Jacob gave me a single bite of his buffalo chicken pizza. Good, but more than one bite tends to make me ill. Jacob opted to go along with Mindy to drop Bella leaving me home alone. I appreciated the alone time however minimal. I snacked on pita chips, hummus and cheese while they were gone. They were back home in no time. Once they were back home, Mindy started decorating for Xmas. The manger scene was the first decoration up aside from the lit wreath that's been up outside for 10 days. We literally go from Halloween to TG to Xmas in the blink of an eye. Jacob and Mindy left to fetch Bella just before 7p. Once again, they weren't gone long at all. They were home by 715p. The Buckeye basketball game was set to start around 730p. The only problem was that it was only viewable on ESPN3, a network Time Warner doesn't carry. We listened via the stereo 97.1 FM. While listening to basketball, we watched college football - Miami, Ohio versus Temple. Boring game. The Basketball Buckeyes struggled a bit but still won by 19. It was hard at times to listen. Mindy, meanwhile, was still busy decorating for Xmas. Shelly dropped Kaileigh off at 830p sharp. Jacob acted unthrilled to have Kaileigh over. Bella, on the other hand, was totally giddy. She and Kaileigh played loudly in the familyroom for at least an hour. At times a little too rowdy. Jacob headed upstairs to get away. :) Finally, around 930p, Mindy made the girls get into the their PJs. They headed to bed shortly after, but talked almost non-stop for at least the next 30 minutes. Mindy was ready for bed before 10p. I was determined to stay up late and enjoy the first night of my holiday reprieve. I was engrossed in a Science Channel show about volcanoes. Mindy wasn't thrilled that I was staying up. I was sipping my second Xmas ale when she headed to bed. The girls drew silent sometime after 1015p. I fell asleep on the sofa sometime around 1045p. I woke around midnight and headed to bed.

Bye-bye Brad

I was up extra early, 515a to be exact. I felt fully rested so didn’t bother trying to sneak in a few extra minutes of sleep. Still well ahead of the auto-on program on the coffee maker, I hit the go button as I passed by in route to doing my sit-ups. After sit-ups and before push-ups, I sat down at my PC for about five minutes. I checked the final score of the Eagles/Giants game. Eagles won but did fall behind briefly in the 3rd quarter. After push-ups, I poured some coffee and went back to my PC for another 20 minutes (much longer than I really wanted). I headed outside with Frankie around 550a. She took her time but took care of business. We were back in the house ahead of 6a. Meditation and stretching went well. I took Mindy coffee and the pug at 620a. I was out the door for my run by 625a. The weather was unseasonably warm, cloudy and 57 degrees. I didn’t need a jacket or hand and ear covers. Nice! I ran the full 4.1 miles. Because of the cloud cover, I remained shrouded in darkness far longer than otherwise. The sky began to clear as my run concluded. It was pretty windy too. There was no need to start/warm Mindy’s car. Plenty warm. Both kids were in the kitchen, but Jacob already on his way up. Bella had just come down. She had toast for breakfast. Mindy and I both had fried eggs. Mindy reminded the kids to bus home with Noah, a routine they’re very familiar with. Mindy reminded me of our tentative dinner plans with the Jump’s at Dewey’s Pizza – 630p. I left the dishwasher door open so I wouldn’t forget to run it before leaving for work. I headed up for a shower. I was back downstairs packing a light lunch by 745a. I packed only some cheese, a banana, and fruit medley. The kids came down around 755a. We headed out minutes later. I reminded Bella that it was warm enough that she wouldn’t need her heavy coat. Too cute! Jacob asked his mom like ten times if he could wear shorts. Sorry, NO. If he were smarter, he wouldn’t have asked.  We met Chrissy and the girls at the bus stop. The pugs wrestled ferociously. I walked Frankie out front before heading back inside. She took full advantage. I made a to-go cup of coffee in one of my insulated Vikings stadium cups. Lord, just get me through the next two work days! Work was exciting and busy. I expected as much. I had a lot I wanted to accomplish in just two short days before being out of the office until Dec 2nd (5 day holiday weekend and then 3 days of class). I made it a point to take a lunch break and head to Home Depot where I picked up 4 holiday colored florescent bulbs for our coach, porch, and post light fixtures. I picked up some cable ties and a couple other household items too. I took a peak at dryers too. I am starting to hate our Maytag squeaker! I was gone for about an hour. It felt good to get away for a while. Sometime during the day, Lindsey phoned. I can’t recall if it was before or after my lunch trip. She wanted to know if we’d keep the boys from now through TG weekend. I said no. We’ll leave it at that. News flash on ESPN’s website. Vikings fired coach Childress. Gave defensive coordinator, Leslie Frazier the interim coach moniker. On once hand, I feel bad for Brad Childress, but they sorely needed a change. Reading back four or five years in my blog you’ll see that I thought more highly of our defensive coordinator than I did about our head coach. That was back in the days of Mike Tomlin, the current Steelers coach who has already won a super bowl, by the way. Brad will be a rich man. The Vikings have to pay him $6.6 million. Wow! Now that’s a severance package The afternoon went by quickly. I ate the leftover chicken breast that I put in the fridge last Thursday. It was still tasty. At some point, Mindy sent a text sharing that we were a definite go for 630p at Dewey’s. My afternoon got a little overwhelming. Amongst everything else, I had to finalize plans for my training class for next week. I didn’t get that resolved until just after 5pm. I was feeling a little under the gun, and I absolutely hate that feeling. What I needed most was some free time to decompress. Suddenly, the thought of hurrying home only to bolt out again for dinner seemed more like a chore than a pleasure. I was feeling quite tense. I arrived home at 548p. I gathered the mail before heading in. Mindy greeted me with her usual smile. I asked if I could skip the pizza thing. She wasn’t pleased but ultimately agreed that I could stay home. I was certain she was going to insist that I go. I was very relieved to stay home and relax. After taking a few minutes to prep Tuesday’s coffee, I played on the internet then heated a bowl of leftover chicken & noodles. They were delicious. Mindy and the kids were back around 740p. Bella said they had fun and that the pizza was good. Jacob concurred. In fact, said the pizza was better than it was the first time we visited Dewey’s last spring. I enjoyed my solitude however brief. I needed to decompress. I spent the evening writing in my blog and then tuning into the MNF game with the kids and Mindy. The kids were guided towards bed around 9p. Jacob was still bouncing off the walls. And according to Bella, a byproduct of three glasses of soda pop at Dewey’s. Bella was much looking forward to having GD Kaileigh spend the night Tuesday. Mindy texted Shelly earlier. By bedtime, though, we hadn’t heard back. Mindy stayed up until 920-930p. She asked me to head to bed then, too. I wasn’t ready and stayed up watching more of the game. I love the way my mind feels as I drift off quietly from the sofa, my mind almost like mush. I watched the game through halftime but then fell asleep until 1107p. I headed up to bed after tucking Frankie in. But once in bed, I couldn’t fall asleep. I laid there mostly thinking about a couple work matters. I wasn’t falling asleep anytime soon.

Last of the Leaves? Hardly

Vikings uniform of the future?

It was Sunday morning. I slept in until 740am. Before I could slip away, Mindy wanted a hug and then asked me to bring coffee. It was a foggy start to an otherwise partly sunny day with a morning temperature of 37 degrees. Because it was Sunday, I skipped calisthenics. Think of it as my day of rest, sort of. I started coffee then glanced in on Frankie. She showed no sign of wanting up or out. I left her alone and headed to the PC where among other things, I checked on all the late college football scores. Later, while sipping coffee, I checked the local FOX website to see if they planned on airing the Vikings game at 1pm. Appeared not. Frankie started whining a few minutes later. I took that as an indication that she wanted out. She did. I let her frolic about before finally taking her out for a walk around the yard. Can't remember if I took Mindy coffee before or after taking care of Frankie. She was up a little later, I'm guessing by 830am. Said she and the kids were gonna go to church for the first time in a long, long while. I played on the PC for an hour or more doing all sorts of stuff. When Mindy headed to the shower I headed out for my run. It was almost 40 degrees at run time. I wore two wicking shirts in lieu of a pullover fleece. Still wore ear covers and gloves though. I was comfortable throughout the three mile run. Mindy and the kids were gone when I returned. It was warming up quickly. I made myself a turkey and cheese sandwich then attacked a couple to-do's. Most notably, I removed the front of the dryer again to address the "squealing wheel", the same one we thought we fixed a couple weeks ago. It was squeaking so loud on Saturday that I asked Mindy not to do anymore drying while we were home. This time I used some thicker white grease as well as another dose of WD-40. I took the back off and did the other, hard to reach wheel too, although the squeaking was coming from the other. I vacuumed out all the lint that's amassed inside the dryer cavity over the years too. Before sliding the dryer back into position, I cleaned the tile, wall, and woodwork really well. During an extended test run it didn't squeak even once. It was already approaching noon. I was expecting Mindy and the kids anytime. Honestly, I wasn't that motivated, but the weather was absolutely superb. I just had to get out in the yard and work on the last of the fallen tree leaves in the back yard as well as trimming back a few more shrubs. Unfortunately, I'll need to get out yet again, though, to pick-up or blow away the last of the honeysuckle leaves once they finally fall. They're only about half empty now. Kenny, I noticed, was out with his Billy Goat sucking up the last of his leaves and also cutting down his tall ornamental grasses. I like to leave the ornamental grasses up all winter long allowing their puffy plumes to flow in the winter breeze. I blew our leaves into an area about 10'X 20' and then raked them onto a tarp. I used the electric hedge trimmers on the large honeysuckle growing up and around one of our specimen ash trees. The kids, meanwhile, were out playing in and around the tree house after their return from church. I cut back some old dead honeysuckle close to the tree house. Some of it as wide as 6 inches in diameter. The kids used it to build a fort. In fact, it was boys against girls. The girls got to use the tree house as their base. I was a little worried when I saw the girls hauling rocks bigger than softballs up the ladder and then hearing them say they were bombs for the inevitable attack from the boys. I decided I better spell out what they can and can't do. They promised they that they wouldn't be dropping the large rocks on the boys. :) I headed inside around 2pm or slightly after. Mindy came out just before that and asked if I planned to put up the Xmas lights. I didn't, and don't have any immediate plans to this year. That could change, but for now, it's a no. I checked the Vikings score. They were up 3-0 a few minutes before the half but quickly went behind 10-3 at halftime after Favre threw an ill-advised interception. Sound familiar? Ugh! I headed for a shower. I didn't smell too good. After my shower I laundered my smelly running clothes. Mindy was off again, this time to Target. At the time, we had no formal dinner plans after thinking earlier that we might meet the Jumps at Barley's. Mindy said they planned to meet family members there. We didn't want to intrude. I was happy to stay home, watch football, and enjoy leftovers. That remained our plan through the late afternoon and early evening. As 6pm approached, the neighbors called and asked Mindy down. Upon her return she shared that they were going after BW3 wings and that she ordered some for us, or at least for the kids. We walked down to their place after Mindy warmed a bowl of chicken & noodles for herself. I poured us both a beer - me a Barley's Xmas ale and Mindy a Russian. Sticking out like a very sore thumb was Chrissy's new bright red Xmas tree over by the TV. She was seeking input. Kenny had a grin on his face. Looks like a hooker tree to me. The new red tree was the focal point of the evening's banter. I rode with Kenny to pick-up the BW3 wings. It was closing in on 7pm. We were gone about 20 minutes. Sounded like Kapil and Eesha were coming over too. They showed up shortly after we returned with the wings. Mindy didn't eat any. I ate about 6 or 7 of the boneless variety. While eating wings, we watched the finish of the Colts/Patriots game. The Colts trailed by as much as 17 with 7 or 8 minutes left but were down by only 3 at 31-28 and had the ball and were driving with about 30 seconds left. Looked like another of Peyton Manning's fantastic finishes in the offing. It wasn't to be, however. Instead, he threw an interception ending any hope of another improbable comeback. Fun to watch as a passive fan. We left the neighbors for home around 755pm. Mindy insisted that the kids get showers before bed. We tuned into SNF on NBC come 830pm. It promised to be a good one - Eagles/Giants. I tucked the kids into bed around 9pm. A few minutes later Mindy headed up. I stayed up until halftime. The Eagles led 13-3 at the half.

Jump Ball

I was up at 720am and felt pretty good. Mindy woke before I could sneak away and asked for a hug. After a quick hug I headed downstairs to get my day started. The first thing I did was prep a pot of Starbucks. After getting the coffee started, I whipped out my sit-ups and push-ups. Meanwhile, outside, it was foggy and looking a lot like Friday. Mindy was up early – around 830a. Jimaken was coming to pick-up the kids and taking them to see a movie. We expected him around 930a. He showed up just as I was heading out the door for my run, which was just after 930a. While I ran, Mindy headed for a shower. I ran only 3 miles, but it was a good run just the same. By the time I was back Mindy, of course, was already out of the shower. She and I planned to make a trip to the Market District in Arlington to buy some party food and then stop at Barley’s to get three growlers filled with beer. We left the house around 11am. Quick drive to the Market District. The place was even more crowded than it was the last time we were in. TG shoppers, no doubt. We stocked up on hummus, pita chips, shrimp, and a few other miscellaneous items. We looked at beer but didn’t get any. As we exited, Mindy headed back in to buy some Frostie rootbeer after seeing the bottle display at the exit. I pulled the car around. From there we wound our way through Arlington towards Grandview and Barley’s. Along the way, I phoned ex Kelly to make sure she knew our position relative to Lindsey’s ordeal. We talked through the entire drive. I shared that we weren't prepared to make that commitment right now, especially while feeling as though we had a gun to our head. I also shared most of the information Big Rocky’s mother shared with me the night before. She called me out of the blue, which I agreed was odd. As you might expect, none of the information could be considered flattering. Road crews were working on Rt 33 between Grandview Ave and 5th Ave. Hard to navigate but we managed. Barley’s was almost empty. Our friend Monica was tending bar. Haven’t seen Monica for quite a while. She only works weekend days. We decided to have some food and a beer rather than filling our jugs and splitting. I ordered a Centennial while Mindy tried a Troeg’s Mad Elf holiday ale– a whopping 12% abv. We ordered some KC wings and sauerkraut balls to share. A couple other customers came in while we were there, including Calvin. We didn’t stay long. We needed to meet the kids at home. In fact, they phoned while we were settling up. I told them to go on inside the house. Jimaken has access. We arrived home about ten minutes later. I tuned to college football while the kids headed out to play. Mindy, meanwhile, started prepping food for our Buckeye game get together. She laid out a nice spread of cheese, hummus, crackers, pita chips and then her homemade chicken & noodles. Two early Big Ten games of interest were underway, Michigan versus Wisconsin, and then Michigan State versus Purdue. I wanted Michigan and Purdue to win, which had they, along with a Buckeyes win later, would've put us in the driver’s seat for another outright Big Ten championship. Both games looked promising for awhile but in the end both enemy teams won. :( The Jumps showed up sometime around kick-off (330p). They had only landed a few hours prior, sometime around 1230p, and had spent time at their Grandview house only long enough to grab a bite to eat. We watched an exciting but tense first half of the Buckeye game while also enjoying some of the snacks Mindy laid out. The Jump’s showed us the details surrounding the house they’re buying in the Boston area. Very, very nice! Over 4K sq ft, finely appointed, 6 bedrooms, Victorian era styling, 5 acres of land, and only minutes from a popular ski resort. Not sure one could ask for more. The neighbors came over during halftime. Bob I. showed up about the same time too. Bob brought a cooler full of beers. I sampled a few different varieties. I didn’t care too much for the Jester, a farmhouse brewer. The Buckeyes let a handful of scoring opportunities slip through their fingers – literally. They missed out on a few would-be touchdowns or bombs. They also fell behind 17-10. It wasn’t looking too good for a while. But then again, the Buckeyes have all but owned the Hawkeyes over the last decade. I can’t recall the time when the Jump’s departed, but they had to leave for a wedding reception. Unless I’m mistaken, the game was still underway. I’m guessing mid 3rd quarter. The Buckeyes pulled close with a field goal making it 17-13. Then, our defense held forcing a punt to give us the ball back with only a couple minutes to play in the game. One of our most reliable receivers let a would-be touchdown slip right through his arms on a 2nd down play. On the same drive, we ended up needing to convert a 4th down and 12 to keep any hope of winning alive. We converted, and a couple plays later scored the go ahead touchdown. We held the Hawkeyes with seconds to go and sealed the win guaranteeing ourselves an opportunity to at least share the Big Ten title for the 6th time in a row with a win over Michigan next Saturday. We celebrated! After the game we drank more beer and ate more food. At some point (it was dark) we took Bob I. out to see the tree house. The kids wanted to show off some of their more daring escapades, none that I had previously seen. Most notably, leaping from the tree house into a pile of leaves, something we did as kids from our fort on Valleyview Dr. Bella was the only one of the two who did it. Jacob chickened out. I was surprised that Bella wanted to do it. She was scared, and even crying before leaping, worried about getting hurt. I tried talking her out of it, but the peer pressure from the other kids, namely Jacob, proved too strong. Success! Quite humorous really. Jacob cited the inability to squeeze under the lower rope as his excuse for not jumping. It’s an 8’ leap. I warned both that a freak injury could ruin their entire ski season. Something they needed to consider. We hung out for another half hour or so before Bob I. headed for home. Just prior, Mary Ann called and talked with Mindy. She was just leaving work and battling a cold. She wasn’t going to make it. :( It seems we see Mary Ann only a handful of times each year anymore. Mindy sent home some chicken & noodles for her. Another knock on the back door. It was neighbor Jake decked out in hip waders and a bright yellow jacket. Apparently Kenny made Jake put it on and get in the pond to fetch the expensive football the kids tossed in earlier. After our guests departed, we watched a little more football before Mindy and the kids headed to bed. I stayed up watching more on my own. Common occurrence. Not sure the time when I finally headed for bed.