Gilr, You Got Me Singin' Tonight ...

Slept late. It was almost 550am by the time I made it downstairs. Yikes! It was completely cloudy and remained that way for at least the next hour. I slipped into my exercise shoes then did calisthenics. The temperature was in the mid 60s. Nothing big in the headlines. Enjoyed coffee fairly quickly then moved on to meditation and stretching. By the time I finished and was ready to run I had gotten myself back on track relative to the clock.

I wore shorts and a short sleeved wicking shirt. That proved ideal given that there was little if any sunshine to warm things up. I ran the full 4.1 mile track. The run went by quickly and I was back at home around 725am. I didn't need to pack a lunch, having everything I needed still the fridge at work. All I had to do was cook some eggs. I made a spinach and cheese omelet, though I didn't stir the eggs until they were in the pan.

The omelet was good, and one I enjoyed along with fresh fruit. I headed up for a shower around 740am. I sat Mindy's coffee on her night stand. And after a quick hug I headed off to the shower. It didn't take me long.  I was done and ready to go before 8am. Mindy joined me downstairs for a few minutes before I needed to depart. I briefly toyed with the idea of driving the BM'er but didn't. I drove the Accord. The sky was already showing signs of clearing with the thickest clouds now well to the east.

And by the time I parked at work it was partly sunny. I passed my boss as I walked into the building. He was either leaving or running out to his car. It took a few minutes to get my laptop fired up. While waiting, I constructed a to-do list comprised of work and personal matter I hoped to complete that day.

Like Thursday, I didn't plan to spend much if any time on reporting. Instead,  I spent most of the morning following up on a couple problems. Chris from Germain Honda called me mid morning. Said he needed me to bring in a copy of our Pilot's registration. I reminded him that I had already done so. I then asked about their complementary car wash. Said it's no longer available but that I could bring it by and have them wash it. Also talked about the 'check fuel cap' indicator message. Said it shouldn't happen again. Honestly, though, I got the impression that he didn't know what he was talking about.

I skipped a formal lunch break, but did take a little time solely for myself midafternoon. During that time I ate my packed lunch and did some writing. We had a staff meeting at 3pm. For some reason it wasn't on my calendar and only knew about when my boss walked by and asked if I was planning to join them. Ah, sure. :) The meeting was brief, probably no more than 30 minutes. Before I could feel ready for a weekend, I had a couple loose ends needing tied up. I took care of those then started thinking towards the weekend.

One of the last things I did was follow-up on my dead laptop battery. I'll need to order a new one next week. I left for home around 545pm. Called Mindy on my drive home after programming her name and number into the handsfree bluetooth feature in the Accord.

Mindy was home. The kids, however, were not. They were already gone with Jimaken after we agreed to a night trade that he requested. They'd be back on Saturday afternoon. Mindy and the kids played on the slip n' slide out back again until it ripped at the seam. Darn! We planned a trip to Barley's but didn't plan to leave until near 7pm. Mindy texted a bunch of our peeps just to let them know we'd be there.

Originally, we thought we'd have the kids. If we did, we were gonna take 'em to the fountain park to watch ET.

We left for Barley's real close to 7pm. We took the Pilot. We also took an empty jug so I could bring home some of that yummy new Belgian IPA. There weren't many spots left in the main lot but we got one of the few that remained. Mindy put my camera and phone in her purse. I kept my blackberry at my side.

Katy & April were tending bar. I ordered a Galaxy Belgian IPA. Mindy ordered a Pint of Joe. I gave our empty jug to April who stowed it behind the bar for safe keeping.  The twins, Kurt and Kent were there sitting a few stools down. Aside from them, not a lot of regulars in. We were expecting Ben & Ryan. They responded to Mindy's text message. Said they'd be joining us. They showed up around 730pm. Hadn't seen them since the first week or so of June before they left for Puerto Rico and we left for Myrtle Beach.

They shared some Puerto Rico stories. Had lots of positive opinions. Stayed close to San Juan. Enjoyed the island, the crystal clear water, and the culture. Tongue and cheek, we contrasted their trip with ours to Myrtle Beach. I was on my third beer when brother Tommy showed up somewhat surprisingly. He was sporting a crew cut. Probably the first time I've ever seen him with hair that short. Looks good - fitting. It was about the 7th inning of the Reds game. They had been leading 2-0 for the entire game but suddenly let the Cardinals even it up and then take the lead. Bummer.

A few other regulars showed up later, including Rick C. and Calvin. But all in all, the late crowd (10pm) was pretty sparse. Tommy and I got to singing a handful of tunes. Mindy begged me to stop insisting was singing off key. I didn't care. We were having fun.  A few patrons even applauded our duets. Ben bought some fine aged scotch and shared it with the rest of us. It was OK. Ben, Ryan and Mindy all ate dinner. I ate nothing more than a few pieces of Mindy's pita and hummus and a couple pieces of celery and cucumbers.

As the Reds game was winding down, they managed to retake the lead at 4-3. The Cardinals weren't done. In the top of the ninth they scored two times to take a 5-4. I figured the Reds were toast. Bottom of the ninth the Reds Brandon Phillips cracked a two run walk-off homer. Reds won in dramatic fashion 6-5. I asked Mindy to text Bob, and told her what to write. He's a big Indians fan.

I had an absolute blast hanging with Ben, Ryan, Tommy and others. I asked April to put their tabs on mine. And just before we left I had her fill my jug with Belgian IPA. I was a little taken back with our tab. Yikes! But what the heck. We had a lot of fun. Mindy drove us home. I'm guessing it was approaching 11pm.

I'd been thinking about Steve Sines, the former singer of the Muffs/Money who passed away last week. There was a memorial planned for Saturday in Wadsworth. As a personal tribute, I played the Muffs loud once we got home. Mindy wasn't too impressed and asked me to turn it down and come to bed. I drank four beers through the night but also hadn't eaten much. I had quite the happy buzz.