If Daylight Saving Time Was All Year Long Would We Save Anytime At All?

pic: sunrise, and then leaving work Monday evening.

Waking was easy. But then again, isn’t it always the first couple days after the autumnal fallback? I was wide awake, teeth brushed, and downstairs by 525a. I glanced out the back door to find clear skies just ahead of starting my sit-ups. Also obvious, was the unmistakable glow of daybreak on the eastern horizon. Yet another benefit of the time change. I completed my sit-ups and push-ups over the course of the next ten minutes. Sandwiched in between was a little internet time where I checked the weather forecast and read a few headlines. Saw that the Cowboys were annihilated by the Packers 45-7. Yikes! Oh, and it was 28 degrees. I had coffee in hand by 545a. After five minutes of coffee and relaxation I prepared for meditation. Unfortunately, Frankie was already up and about and wanting/needing some attention. I spent a few minutes giving her some lovin’ before meditation. At approximately 610a I took Frankie out for her walk. She was slow to go, but eventually did. I tried to remain patient. Back inside, I did my stretch routine, but with perhaps a little more emphasis on stretching out my hamstrings. Felt great! I dressed for my run then took Mindy coffee and the pug. It was 630a. I felt good about being ahead of schedule. I was cozy in my regular winter running attire, complete with ear covers and gloves. I was impressed with the amount of daylight from the outset. In fact, it was full daybreak only a ½ mile or so into the run. I ran the entire 4.1 mile track and found myself back home before 710a. The time passed quickly. I gathered Mindy’s keys and started the Honda. Inside, my eggs were ready and waiting. Jacob was just finishing breakfast and on his way back to his room to watch TV. Bella, on the other hand, was just making her way downstairs for breakfast. She asked for eggs again. Mindy asked the kids to bus home with Noah, to which Bella cheered. She genuinely enjoys her time at Dena’s. Mindy soon left, and both Bella and I gave our egg remnants to Frankie. She was going berserk waiting. Off to the shower. I was ready and downstairs before 750a. I used that time to prep a light lunch. I was excited to try the imported Fontina cheese we bought last week from the Market District. The kids joined me downstairs a few minutes later. I had to encourage Bella to step on it. She was extra pokey getting her jacket and shoes. I asked for her help with Frankie while I started the Trooper. As is often the case, we beat Chrissy and the girls by about 5 minutes. The bus arrived on time, although it was a different bus (think accident Friday). Ms Vanorder didn’t seem to be in a good mood. I chatted briefly with Chrissy before heading home for the final prep. It took me a little longer than usual given that I had to power down my laptop after a weekend of on-call. It was a chilly but lovely morning for a drive into work. I saw gas prices were just below the $3 mark, no doubt a byproduct of the markets recent surge upward. I arrived at the office before 830a and was settled a few minutes later. There were a couple issues still lingering from my on-call that continued to haunt me all day long. Like I’ve shared before, the Monday after an on-call is always easier to adapt to because I haven’t fully decompressed from the prior work week. Not sure if that’s really a good thing, however. I made it a point to take a lunch break and head to the Tuttle Mall Macy’s. It was warming nicely – already in the 60’s and far too warm for the fleece jacket I wore. Incidentally, it’s supposed to be in the mid 60’s and sunny all week. I went to Macy’s in hopes of picking up a couple new pair of jeans. I tried on three pair and bought two. I also bought two new, light-weight, black cotton sweaters. I made a pass through the shoe department too, checking again for just the right pair of dress casual black loafers. I haven’t been able to find any I like for almost a year now. To my surprise, I found a pair of Bostonians much like the worn pair I had on. Too funny! They were on sale, too. Wahoo! I bought ‘em. Running, skiing attire aside, I haven’t bought myself any clothes (slacks or shirts) for a very long time – perhaps even a couple years. That’s in stark contrast to the Jim of old. Life is funny like that. I dress for comfort first these days. Back to the office. It was 130p by the time I was back at my desk. There I enjoyed my veggies and cheese. And by the way, that Fontina cheese was terrible. I wasn’t too pleased given that we paid $10 for it. It tasted like it had been frozen. I called Lindsey at some point to discuss her new living arrangement plans. She has none. Our conversation was frustrating and brief. I followed up the conversation by emailing her mother (Kelly) informing her of my call. She replied in short order providing some additional insight into their plans. Let’s just say the holidays are gonna be interesting, Clark! My late afternoon was pretty busy. I didn’t get out of the office until just after 530p. When I glance out the window I was surprised to find it already near dark. Winter is coming! I phoned Mindy along my drive home. She was busy with the kids and also with making dinner. I didn’t ask what we were having. I shared a little bit about my day, but ended the conversation so she could tend to matters at home. I was home near 6p. By then it was completely dark. Mindy was busy in the kitchen. When I asked what we were having she shared that it was chili. Great. For the first time in a couple of weeks, my stomach was already feeling a tad burny from the vegetables at lunch. Chili, as much as I like it, would almost certainly exacerbate those earlier symptoms. I didn’t complain too much, however. It smelt terrific. I had a medium size bowl and then a few scoops more, but didn’t over do it. It was very good, especially for throwing it together in a rather short amount of time. She made a small batch of corn bread too. Bella had two hot dogs in lieu of chili. Never eats it. We rehearsed some of Bella new spelling words during dinner: when, little, where, and who. I managed dinner clean-up while Mindy managed the kids. Clean-up took about 20 minutes. After getting the kitchen back in order, I retreated to the living room where I wrote in my blog. Growing tired, I decided to take a rare after dinner nap in the recliner. I woke myself snoring. Frankie sat on my lap chewing her rawhide for a while. The repetitive noise began to drive me up a wall. I asked her off my lap. In addition, I could hear our dryer squeaking loudly, something it started doing intermittently soon after we paid nearly $300 to have the heating coil replaced last spring. It typically stops after a few seconds, but now it’s constant and loud. I was beside myself with angst. I asked Mindy if she would remove the front panel again so I could inspect the belt and drum. She’s become an expert of sorts after having to reattach one of the drum’s beater bars almost weekly. Peeking in, I could see some wear on the belt, and it’ll definitely need replaced sometime soon, but I wasn’t convinced that it was the source of the god- awful noise. I asked Mindy to come turn it on while I peered underneath with a flashlight. It sounded like it was coming from a wheel/bearing that helps the drum rotate. I went to the garage to fetch my WD-40 and soaked the wheel pretty good. I was careful not to get too much overspray on the heating coil which was resting directly below. I then had Mindy hit the ‘go’ button again. Presto, the squealing stopped. Hooray! Could I be so fortunate? Only time will tell. The dryer ran quietly for the duration of the cycle. As we often do on Monday night’s, the whole family gathered on the sofa for MNF action – the Steelers vs Bengals. Mindy let the kids stay up watching until 9p. Jacob was being a pill during most of that time, trying his best to annoy me and Bella. His mother threatened him with bodily harm numerous times.  We tucked both kids into bed shortly after 9p. Jacob pulled me aside to ask if he could sneak back down for more football. Not tonight. I knew it wouldn’t end well had I given in. Mindy and I watched more of the game together - maybe another 30 minutes, or until 930p when she headed to bed. I stayed tuned in until halftime. It was looking like a Steelers blowout. They lead 20-7 at the half.