Cassnni - a billion miles away!

I knew this day was coming. I didn’t wake early, but not late, either. Instead, I was up right on time. Like always, I glanced skyward out they back door. Partly cloudy. I slipped into my exercise shoes then headed to the living room where I did my sit-ups. I played on the internet for a few minutes ahead of push-ups, then made my first cup of coffee. It was roughly 550a. After enjoying coffee, I freed Frankie and headed out back so she could relieve herself. It was still quite breezy and chilly, the wind coming out of the north. Frankie took her time going potty. I was getting a little antsy. We were back inside by 605a. At that point I moved immediately to meditation. Meditation went well but briefer than desired – only about 12 minutes. Stretching was next. That went well too. I took Mindy her coffee around 625a. I left Frankie with her too. She had just left bed and was busy remaking it. Downstairs, I dressed in my light winter running attire heading out the door just after 630a. It was above freezing but still felt chilly with that chilly breeze. I ran the full 4.1 miles without any drama. By the time the run was over the sky was almost completely clear. I retrieved Mindy’s keys and started the Honda before settling in. Mindy made fried eggs. Jacob was just finishing his breakfast when Bella and I sat to eat. Mindy reminded me about the parent/teacher conferences we needed to be at, the first starting at 4p and the second at 430p. My dad agreed to get the kids off the bus. I’d have to leave work earlier than I remembered. Mindy left for school not feeling too well. Sounds like she has a head cold. I headed for the shower sometime near 730a. I’ve been using the kids 3-1 shampoo lately. It leaves my hair soft and manageable. I like it a lot. Of course, like a lot of things, continued use might bring about different/unwanted results. For now, though, it’s a nice change. I was downstairs and ready by 749a. I spent the next five minutes packing a lunch – pretty much the same as the two prior days. The kids came down on queue, or at 755a and we headed for the bus stop a couple minutes later. Jacob was picking on his sister along the way and also once we were settled. I had to threaten bodily harm to get him to stop. I really wish he wouldn’t do that. Chrissy was out with the girls. Like most days, we chatted briefly after the kids boarded their bus. I walked Frankie out front for a couple minutes, but she spent most of the time barking at another dog and his person, who were quietly walking across the street. We headed inside where I penned her up for the day and packed all of my stuff into my backpack. It was a Rachel day, and one we sorely needed. It’s been three weeks since her last visit. I really needed gas. I stopped at Thornton’s and filled the tank. Prices were down slightly from their recent highs, but still expensive. Think I paid $2.79 per gallon. I arrived at work around 835a. Early on, I spotted a scheduling conflict in my calendar. I had to ask for a meeting to be rescheduled to accommodate the parent teacher conferences for late afternoon. That went well. Hey, things come up. I spent a lot of time on new work schedules again. I actually like doing it, but would prefer it under different circumstances. The day was moving along a pretty good clip. It was after 1p in a hurry. I ate my lunch around that time, but only the nuts, banana, and cheese. I wasn't any hungrier. Lindsey called, I’m guessing around 2pm, to discuss her situation. I couldn’t give her the answer she was looking for right away, but promised to get back with her after talking with Mindy later. I needed to leave for parent/teacher conferences at 345p. I built what was left of my day around that deadline, which came up surprisingly fast. I left at 345p on the nose. I called ex Kelly during the short drive to the kids school. She was unaware of Lindsey’s call. She was also unwilling to commit to the help I asked of her relative to the boys. Pretty much verbatim what I expected her to say. I know her well. I did my best to maintain my composure, not wanting our conversation to escalate into an argument. I did well. I pulled in the lot of the school at 357p. I wasn’t sure where Jacob’s classroom was, but in typical male fashion, I didn’t bother stopping in the office to ask either. Instead, I figured I could find it by walking around the large square. Each teacher has a name plaque beside their door, and while I couldn’t recall her name right then, I was sure I’d recognize it when I saw it. Turns out, it was down the last hall I turned (of course), but I happened upon Mindy which made the plaque game unnecessary. Jacob’s teacher is much younger than I expected. She couldn’t be but about 28 years of age. She seemed nice and gushed about Jacob. I was surprised that Mindy was so willing to share that he’s not necessarily that same way at home. All of Jacob’s teachers pretty much say the same thing. Best kid in the class, thoughtful, smart, caring, but also sensitive to criticism. Very disappointed in himself if he thinks he’s let you down. Needs to work on his hand writing. You think? We had a few minutes between conferences, so I shared Kelly’s stated position on the boys with Mindy. Before we could give it much thought, though, it was time to head in to see Bella’s teacher. As expected, Bella’s doing really well, and is well liked by her classmates and teacher. Her biggest issue was no surprise, staying focused. Bella’s teacher also shared that she needs to work on hand writing, but I can already see huge improvement from the beginning of the school year to now. In fact, her hand writing is already neater than Jacob’s. We finished the conferences just after 5p. We chatted on our way out to our cars. I could see the concern in Mindy’s eyes. She’s very disappointed in Kelly’s position regarding ongoing help caring for the boys post eviction. I am too, but can’t say I didn’t expect it. We agreed to discuss it more later. In the meantime, Mindy planned to call Lindsey back on her drive home after receiving a call just before we walked in a conference. We planned on having leftover pork roast for dinner. Once home, dad quickly made it clear that he wasn’t going to stay for dinner. I shared that I would likely make a Reuben. A few minutes after dad left, I shared that I was OK skipping dinner entirely after hearing Mindy grumble about having to make dinner. After all, I knew she wasn’t feeling well. I, in turn, would simply snack on pita chips and hummus. I headed to the computer with pita chips and hummus in hand. There I started to update my blog. Meanwhile, Mindy started making dinner after all, pork tacos. During a break from blogging, I asked if she left me enough pork for a Reuben, nope, used it all. I whined about it. Mindy apparently took my having pita chips and hummus as not wanting any of the leftover pork at all. I was bummed. I said I was gonna have a Reuben on Thursday.  Spilt milk. I returned to blogging and finished about 20-30 minutes later. By then, the pork tacos were ready, and they smelt terrific. I didn’t have a taco or burrito, but did put a little of the meat on some pita chips covered in cheese. It was good. I still got stuck managing clean-up. I didn’t say anything because, again, I knew that Mindy wasn’t feeling well. Around 730p I headed back to my PC where I played on the computer a while longer. I was poking around for some information relative to our grand boys dilemma. I think I found what we were looking for. I read it thoroughly and even called Mindy in to look it over briefly. Neither of us were up for diving in too deep right then, however. I headed to the familyroom after the incessant clanking of the bowls was over. I was about to scream! Apparently the kids were finally done eating Nutella out of coffee mugs or glass bowls. I tuned the TV to the Science Channel where I watched a program about Cassini, the unmanned space probe we sent to study Saturn and its moons. We launched it in 1997 and it took 7 years to get there. It’s still there gathering data. I think I’ve seen the program before, but it was still interesting. Sometimes our collective ingenuity blows me away. Mindy watched passively for about 20-30 minutes but headed to bed around 920p. I stayed up until 10p then headed directly to bed.