Bulk Pick-Up

I woke around 3a and couldn’t get back to sleep until 4 or so, and when I finally did that sleep wasn’t fulfilling until maybe the last half hour. When I woke it was 540a. Once again, I overslept. I don’t feel tired when I wake, and I don’t feel unusually stressed either. Just that I’m stuck in this unusual pattern of waking in the middle of the night. It’s like my body clock is out of synch. I shook off the cob webs and carried on with my typical morning routine. I completed my sit-ups with the company of Frankie, who was allowed free run of the downstairs again during the night. No accidents. Good girl! I checked the weather. It was cloudy and 27 degrees, back below freezing but at least ten degrees warmer than the average morning temp this winter. I did my push-ups then took Frankie outback. This time Frankie pooped but didn’t pee. I wasn’t too alarmed with that, although I planned to inform Mindy so that she or the kids could take her out again while I was off running. Back inside I poured some coffee then sat at the PC long enough to check a few headlines while I enjoyed my coffee. I drank it fast before turning my attention to meditation and then stretching. Meditation went better than the day before but still a very busy mind. I didn’t have the usual amount of time to dedicate, either. Stretching went well, however. Felt terrific. It was already after 630a when I finished. I made Mindy a cup of coffee then Frankie and I took it upstairs just ahead of my run. I remembered to tell Mindy that Frankie didn’t pee. I dressed for a run and headed out the door just after 640a. I ran the 4.1 mile track with little trouble. The roads were almost dry after Tuesday’s above freezing temps. This was trash day, but so far there was no sign of him. That’s unusual. Typically starts his rounds just as I am starting my run. Our bulk pick-up stuff was still at the curb too. I carried it out the night before – nine big boxes and a couple smaller stragglers. I became distracted in thought and took off my running shoes immediately inside the door before realizing I hadn’t yet started Mindy’s Honda. Not a big deal, Mindy went ahead and took care of it so I could sit down to eat. It was already 725a. Mindy reminded me and the kids that Chrissy was expecting the kids around 810a. Good thing she said something. I had forgotten all about this being a late start day. Mindy left for work. I was off to the shower around 735a. It didn’t take me long. I was back downstairs just after 750a. However, I didn’t need to hurry since this was a late start day. I took my time prepping my lunch: a salad, fruit, and cheese. I was ready by 8a. Jacob hollered down asking what time they needed to head down to Chrissy’s. No sooner than 810a, I reminded him. I used the extra time to organize our ski gear for this coming weekend. For starters, I placed the ski keeps on all of our skis so they’ll stow a little easier in the Thule. In addition, I personal base ski clothes, along with my best running attire in the washer so they’ll all be fresh. I planned to pack all of my ski & running clothes later that night. To that end, I plan to run in my back-up stuff Thursday & Friday mornings. By the time I walked the kids down to Chrissy’s and got back home the wash cycle was over, so I was able to put the load in the dryer before leaving for work. However, to make that happen, I had to fold a load of jeans lying in wait. I left for work around 820a arriving about 15 minutes later. Once again, I got the last parking spot up front save for handicapped parking. Honestly, though, I don’t really mind the longer walk from the main lot, but it sure is convenient. All day long, I was much busier with routine work related matters than I have since the holiday break. Part of that, I am sure, was just me getting back in the groove. The Kidney Foundation phoned mid-day to remind me about tomorrow’s pick-up. But I already had it on the radar screen as well as my work calendar. I did send Mindy a reminder text while I was thinking about it even though I reminded her as recent as Wednesday morning. I didn’t bother taking a formal lunch break, but did take some time in my office for personal matters. The afternoon moved at its usual quick pace. I left for home around 520p. I listened to local sports talk radio on the drive home. They were heaping praise on OSU men’s basketball coach Thad Matta for his recruiting prowess as well as coaching skills. This, one day after slaying Purdue in the big ten match-up that was supposed to be our toughest test yet. Wasn’t close. We won by something like 24 points to remain undefeated. I arrived home near 540p. Mindy was on the phone but also busy making dinner, inferno chicken. The kids were outside playing in the snow with the neighbors. Getting lots of mileage out of their new sleds. Mindy called them in for dinner a couple minutes later. Mindy and I chatted while she put the finishing touches on dinner. Shared some of the details from the call she just hung up from with her sister, Jodi. I checked my email before dinner. My mom sent one sharing that her surgery was a go after all. Real quick, I sent a response back asking some questions I hope she either considered or asked her doctor. I was a little surprised when she called me a couple minutes later. She must’ve been on her PC and read my response right away. Basically said concerns were addressed. We talked only briefly. It didn’t don on me at the time to ask when it was scheduled for. As I type this, however, I think it was today. Yikes! Mindy put two pieces of inferno chicken on my plate but I ate only one along with a healthy serving of rice, and then a few of the fresh veggies. Bella ate more than we expected. Mindy kidded her about where it was all going. While I started managing dinner clean-up, Mindy started packing for our weekend trip. We want to have everything ready to go by Thursday evening. Once I was done with clean-up, and Mindy through packing, I headed up to take care of my own gear. Mindy & I don’t do well when we’re both working in the same area but with separate agendas. I spent about 15 minutes packing ski & running clothes. I was finished by 715p. Mindy and Jacob talked about playing Apples to Apples while I went to work on my blog. Bella was busy doing her nightly reading, a book that had lots of Spanish words. After finishing her reading, Bella was interested in playing Apples to Apples, too, especially since she had nothing else to do given that she’s banned from anything with a screen. They asked me to play a few minutes later. I asked for about eight minutes, or enough time to finish what I was doing in my blog. It was somewhere between 730-8p when I joined the others at the kitchen table. They were already well into their game when I sat down to play. Didn’t matter. I was all in. Bella won the first game, only needing one more card. We opted for a second game. Jacob nearly got himself sent to his room for the rest of the evening after making a derogatory comment about one of us. It’s become almost routine for him to take such jabs. I know he’s just trying to be funny, but … We stopped play around 815p when Mindy sent both kids upstairs to get showers and in their PJs. Mindy and I turned our attention to American Idol, for another two hour audition show, this time from Milwaukee, WI. After their showers, the kids were back downstairs. Jacob sat with me on the sofa. But Bella, because she’s grounded from screens, wasn’t permitted to join us. She sat at the kitchen table with her back to the TV having a snack. A.I. didn’t disappoint. They did a good job of showing a mix of failures and successes, along with a few absolutely hilarious auditions. Mindy declared 915p bedtime, but I think she ended up letting Jacob watch until the end. At some point Bella moved from the table to the island. We later learned why. She could see the TV through the reflection in the bay window. She’s definitely an opportunist. We headed for bed soon after Idol. I’m thinking we were all in bed by 1015p.