Just Win Baby

Despite another night of choppy sleep, I woke feeling rested right at 530a, just like I’ve trained myself to do over the last 20+ years. Gotta love the human mind. It’s capable of incredible things. I was downstairs engaged in morning calisthenics a few minutes later. My head felt much clearer than the day before, especially after blowing my sinuses clear of the overnight build up. I was a little slow moving through my normal routine, and I know in large part because I spent too much time playing on the PC. It’s been a few weeks since I last held myself to the tight time windows. Consequently, it was well past 6a when I finally freed Frankie and took her outback. The sky was crystal clear, more stars visible than I can remember at any time during the recent weeks. Frankie did a lot of sniffing but with no results. She finally peed after about 7 minutes. We headed back inside with me a little concerned that she might crap on the carpet. Meditation was next. I’d consider today’s results very poor. Couldn’t clear the chatter. Stretching went much better than meditation. Because Mindy still didn’t have to return to school until Wednesday, I didn’t bother waking her of taking her the pug. This was her last day of Christmas break. I dressed and left for a run just after 630a. It’s fair to say that I left in an agitated state. Just before I headed out the door the city trash truck came by an unloaded perhaps are largest haul in months, most of it the typical after Xmas stuff. I noticed the box of copper pipes I left out at the curb was still there. I guess I should’ve expected that given that my Trooper blocked its view from most passersby. I guessed they’d be gone sometime during the daylight hours. I ran the full 4.1 miles. It was pretty cold, but definitely bearable. I felt good throughout the entire run. I noticed numerous homes with their Xmas lights still aglow. Reminded me that I need to pull the plug on ours in the next day or so. Back at home, I returned the trash can to its resting place before heading inside. I wasn’t sure if Mindy would be up with the kids but she was. I think she had a frying pan preheating on the stove with olive oil, too, but I agreed to fry my own eggs. Bella hollered down that she wanted a fried egg as well. I made three, two for me, and one for her. It was 735 in a hurry. Again, I wasn’t used to constant time constraints. Quickly, I headed up for my shower while Mindy helped the kids continue their ready for school. Mindy planned to meet her friend Teri N. for breakfast at First Watch. I think she planned to shop too. Not sure what else she had planned. I was downstairs at 753a. I had already prepared a healthy lunch while waiting on our eggs to cook earlier. It felt good to be eating healthy again. I packed some tasty cheese, a garden salad, banana, and mixed fruit. I didn’t bother throwing together any nuts. I took the kids to the bus stop at the normal time. Bella was a little behind but we still had a few minutes before the bus’ arrival. Chrissy was out with her girls, this her first day back to the office after the long holiday weekend. Shared how much fun she and Kenny had a MRM on Monday and how much she was looking forward to skiing more often. After parting ways, I walked Frankie a while longer out front but she didn’t go. Back inside, I quickly gathered my gear to leave for work. The Trooper wasn’t nearly as frosted over as the day before. I said goodbye to Mindy then headed off to work. I parked out front and was in my office by 835a. As one might expect, the buzz of the day was all about the Buckeye bowl game, the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas, set for 830p Tuesday night. I wanted the Buckeyes to win, but openly shared that I expected them to lose - my opinion based on past performance against SEC teams, not to mention what the SEC did to the other Big Ten schools on New Year’s Day. I wasn’t alone in my thinking either. We also talked at length about the recent suspensions and how crazy this whole pro versus amateur status issue has become. Work was busy despite the bowl game chatter. I thought I might leave and take a lunch break but never did. Instead, I split my time between my office and the center. My boss asked me to join a customer call scheduled for 5p. Ugh! I reluctantly agreed after discussing the main reason for the call and reaching agreement on our position. The call went well, but lasted until 535p. No big deal, though. I left for home soon after the call ended. Even though it’s only the first week of January, and only two weeks into winter, I can already detect an increase in daylight at departure as we slowly progress towards the spring equinox. I made no calls on the way home. Instead, I listened to the bowl pregame on the radio. In fact, I listened to pregame most of the afternoon via my Droid X. Mindy phoned as I was pulling in the subdivision. I didn’t bother answering since I was driving. I noticed her car missing from the drive as I approached the house. Hmm? Well, it was a Tuesday, Bella’s gymnastics day, I guessed she might be running her there. This was a Rachel day. Tuesday’s our new cleaning day. Works better with her winter school schedule. I took care of my normal chores then snacked on some nuts while looking over mail and email. Mindy called again, but I was busy washing lunch dishes. This time, however, I returned her call as soon as my hands were dry. I was right. She was taking Bella to gymnastics but then taking Jacob to Target afterwards. Thought she’d be home around 710p. I asked about dinner. She boldly proclaimed that she was taking the day off. Can’t say that I cared much. Didn’t feel like having a full blown meal anyway, although I was a little hungry. It was only 615p. I had an hour or so to myself. I decided to use the time to read and relax, free my mind. I read for about 20 minutes until my eyes got heavy. I might’ve dosed off for 5-10 minutes. Once I woke, I did a brief meditation that went far better than the morning’s attempt. Mindy & the kids were home shortly after 7p. About that same time, I had a sudden urge for some Tostitos and salsa. I ate plenty with only salsa, but then topped another plateful with melted cheese and salsa. I guess that was my dinner. They were delicious. At 730p I tuned the TV to the Sugar Bowl pregame. As expected, a lot of hype surrounding the big game. More so-called pundits were picking Arkansas rather than the Bucks. Again, I wasn’t surprised. Mindy had the kids ready for bed, including showers just ahead of kick-off. In fact, Jacob made it to the sofa just seconds before the opening kick-off. Arkansas won the toss and elected to receive. Cool. I prefer to have the 2nd half kick-off anyway. All we needed to do was hold them on their initial drive and we did. Well, the truth is they really held themselves. : ) We got the ball and scored a TD after a Pryor scramble, fumble, and recovery. Buckeyes 7-0. Unfortunately, Arkansas scored other their next possession making it 7-7. The Buckeyes, however, seemed to have fate on their side through the entire first half. With only a minute to go, they lead 28-7. Arkansas did manage to get a field goal with seconds remaining making the halftime score 28-10. Nice, but I doubt anyone in the Buckeye nation was resting easily. Mindy and the kids went to bed at the half. Mindy let both kids watch more of the game from their rooms. I was surprised that Bella wanted to watch. We took the 2nd half kick-off and quickly marched to mid-field, but ultimately had to punt. Damn! We missed an opportunity to really put them away. You saw the game, so I won’t rehash all the details. However, if ever there was a game of two halves, this was it. While we couldn’t do anything wrong in the first half, conversely, we couldn’t get out of our own way in the 2nd. Snake bit, I guess. At one point late in the game, I reminded myself that the outcome really had little effect on my life so I should just sit back and enjoy the entertainment value, much like I did during several Vikings games this year. I’m still not sure how we won, but we did. All that matters. The Buckeyes found a way to rise above the adversity. The game wasn’t over until 1225a. I knew it would be well after 1a before I could fall asleep. I secured the home, tucked Frankie into bed then headed upstairs. Jacob’s TV was still going. I shut his down too. He was asleep. Mindy asked if we won. Yes, but I’m still not sure how we managed to pull it off when it seemed almost hopeless.