Smellin' like Beer & Cheese

I slept later than intended, not waking until almost 545a. When I did finally wake, I felt like I needed at least another hour of sleep. That wasn't to be, however. I coaxed myself out of bed and into the bathroom where I brushed my teeth and gathered my running clothes before heading downstairs to start my Friday. I glanced out back into a dark, cloud filled sky. I had no idea the temperature, although I expected it to be below freezing. By the time my push-ups were in the bag it was already pushing 6a. I hurried through PC time, checking the weather and a few headlines. I didn't dwell on any one thing. It was 26 degrees. Burr! After push-ups and coffee I leashed up Frankie. We walked out front and down about two blocks and back. Through it all, she only managed to pee. It was 615p. I didn't want to skip any part of my routine. I did a quick meditation and a full stretch. Doing so left me behind considerably but I already decided that I wasn't going to worry about it. Not having bus stop duty left me a 15 minute pad anyway. It was 640a when I delivered the pug and coffee to Mindy who was still in the shower. My shoulder was bothering me some but I didn't take any Advil - hadn't since last weekend's skiing. I dressed warmly for my run and headed out the door around 645-650a. Through the clouds, I could detect a brightening sky (daybreak). Any thought of trimming a mile off my run was quickly nixed. I ran the full 4.1 miles. Again, the chilly temps actually felt pretty good. I wasn't the slightest bit uncomfortable. During my run I thought myself angry thinking about work. Back at home, I noticed that Mindy took care of starting the Honda. It had to be near her departure time. Inside, Mindy had scrambled eggs waiting at my place at the table. She had already eaten and also shared that Frankie already had a batch too. When she asked how my run went I raged on about work, effectively letting out all the anger that built up during my run. It even made me laugh. I so wanted to win the $300 million Mega Millions! Mindy left near 730a, and I soon headed off to the shower. I shaved with my electric razor ahead of the shower. I was ready and back downstairs by 7:50a. I quickly packed a light snack consisting of cheese, nuts, banana, and fruit. I packed my iTouch, my Dec 2010 winning lottery ticket, as well as checks from brother Glenn and Tom S. that I planned to deposit sometime during the day. Still waiting on brother Tommy's check. Walked Frankie briefly again out front. She didn't go, but at least I gave her the opportunity. I started the Trooper while out then too. It was 810a when I left the house. I stopped at the Convenient store at the corner to cash in my $7 winning lottery ticket. With the proceeds, I bought five Mega Millions tickets and pocketed the remaining $2. I told the cashier that I would bring her a million dollars if I won the whole thing. She thanked me but gave me a look of doubt. Probably heard that a hundred times past. Heading towards work, I wondered if my bank's drive-thru might be open at that hour. I decided to check. It wasn't that far out of my way, anyhow. Sure enough, it was open. I deposited both checks before work. Cool. Felt like I accomplished something. I arrived at the office just after 830a. The sun was fighting with the clouds for air time, but it was still quite chilly. For a Friday, it actually wasn't too bad. Some of the changes we've implemented are making a difference. I kept busy all day long but never let the day overrun me. That can happen if I'm not careful. My boss was working from home. He and I chatted a couple of times. Having taken care of my errands before coming into work, I didn't bother leaving for lunch. Instead, I closed my door for about 50 minutes and did some writing. During the afternoon, the guy that organized the lottery pool distributed our numbers. Must of had 300 sets of numbers. I talked with Mindy sometime after 3p. I encouraged her to stop and buy at least one lottery ticket too. We both want to retire early. Why not throw a couple of bucks and these huge jackpots. You never know, and why NOT us? Mindy was expecting the kids home around 4p but hadn't yet heard from Jimaken. She and the kids would most likely be heading back to her school for their annual spring carnival. Said I'd have some alone time. Yeah!!! She wondered if I wanted to do Barley's with the kids when they got home. I didn't think so. Told her that I would most likely stop at Whole Foods on the way home for some Southern Tier XXIPA. Mindy added that Chrissy invited us over to watch the Buckeye basketball sweet sixteen match-up against Kentucky. That wouldn't start until almost 10p. I left work 30 minutes early at 5p. Felt good to get out a few minutes early. Like I planned, I headed across the river and through Arlington towards Whole Foods. Grabbed a cart and quickly found the XXIPA as well as a four pack of the Chocolate Stout from Brooklyn's Brewery that Mindy loves so much. I wandered over to the deli counter and asked what brews they had on tap and available for growlers. Thought they might have CBC's March Hop Odyssey. They didn't. However, they did have Founder's Centennial IPA. I thought about it, but opted for nothing. While at the deli counter, I bought some cheese: a wedge of smoked gruyere and smoked cheddar. Spent $40 on beer and cheese. Yikes! Headed home arriving around 545p. No Mindy, of course. She left a note attached to the drippy faucet advising of their whereabouts. I was happy to have a couple hours of alone time. I cut up some of my new cheese, grabbed the garlic pita chips and some beef sticks and water and headed to my PC where I spent the next couple hours updating my blog with text and pictures through Thursday. I listened to iTunes music, too. Sometime around 8p, I could take the dull shoulder pain no more and took 4 Advil. It didn't take long for it to kick in like magic! Mindy & the kids didn't get home until 830p or slightly after. Makayla was with them. Apparently Emily & Evan were along, too, but she already dropped them at home. They all won cakes at the carnival. We gathered some beers and headed down to the neighbors. Frankie went too. She was excited. Unbeknownst to me, Mindy had already called Kenny and asked that he order some pizzas. She dropped $30 on their island counter to help cover the cost. I wasn't that hungry having eaten lots of cheese and pita chips. Josh was over to watch the game as well. We had nearly an hour before tip-off. That time flew by. We enjoyed some pizza and beer just prior. The XXIPA was going down easy. I had two of those in tow along with a rocket of Hoppin' Frog's Mean Manalishi IIPA. The Buckeye's took an early 7 point lead, but that quickly vanished. It was nip and tuck throughout the entire first half. Tied at the half, 30-30. The lead changed hands five or six times in the 2nd half. Bottom line, though, the Buckeyes lost 62-60, effectively ending their dream season three games shorter than hoped. Caught up in the frenzy, I was naturally a little disappointed, but not distraught. I can't afford to live vicariously through a bunch of teenagers. :) Had to be near midnight. We headed home just two doors down.