No Mindy Tonight

I was up well ahead of 430am and felt about as good as I have all week. I rolled over and tried unsuccessfully to get a little more sleep. I went ahead and got up at 428am. I brushed my teeth and doused my eyes with drops. For the first time the entire trip, my eyes weren’t completely bloodshot.

I whipped out sit-ups and push-ups by 440am. Popped open an orange juice then did meditation and a stretch. I dressed for the fitness center then lubed my right thigh with ketoconyzole cream. I’ve got a crazy itchy spot going on there that occurs when it’s warm humid and irritated by shorts.

On my favorite treadmill by 501am, I cranked it up to 6.7 miles right out of the shoot. I watched CNN via the treadmill with no audio. The run went well. Finished in about 28.5 minutes. Felt great.

Back to the room and in the shower by 540am. Ready to go by 555am. Took a few minutes to hand wash a pair of running shorts, socks, and shirt in the bathroom sink. Because their made of wicking material I expected them to dry fairly quickly. I rolled them up in a bath towel to absorb any remaining loose water before hanging them to dry near the AC vent and over a lamp.

 I headed to the lobby near 605am. Once again I ordered a caramel macchiato latte and bought a sealed package of oatmeal to-go. Met Dave and Natalee in the lobby then dashed off to the subway.

Travel went smoothly. I really enjoy the morning commute, and it was a lovely morning to boot– sunny warm but low humidity. Arrived at the office to mild badgering. There again about 10 minutes early. Got busy right away. Didn’t bother prepping my oatmeal. Got too busy with work. In fact, I never did eat my oatmeal. Called us for breakfast before 8am. Word was we were having sausage and eggs. That was exciting news!

Sure enough, cheese omelets prepared banquet style and sausage patties. It wasn’t gourmet but still a welcome change. I was appreciative. Filled my coffee cup up again too. Stayed busy all morning long.

Like the day before, we made plans to lunch across the street at the waterfront. Chad joined the four of us this time. Instead of eating at the grill, we opted for the Chinese restaurant under the atrium. It was a bit pricey, especially for Chinese. Everything on the menu was ala’ carte. I wasn’t too concerned abut the price. I ordered sweet & sour chicken, brown rice, and wonton soup.  I drank only water.

The escape was great. The food was just decent. My bill was $19. I left a $3 tip. We were gone from the office for about 50 minutes. Walked back to more heckling. They’re fewer in numbers but seemingly growing more bitter.

Worked hard all afternoon – REALLY hard. They catered in some yummy cup cakes mid afternoon. I couldn’t resist them. Took one, all chocolate. Umm good!

As the day wound down, one of the sups came by my desk to talk about a mistake I made. Not a big deal, but I wasn’t too thrilled about it. I spent the end of my day taking care of some travel related logistics. We prepared to leave the office by 655pm. Beat the mass exodus.

Not to be disappointed, we were greeted warmly as we exited the building. Made it to the subway and home in record time. Walked in the hotel at 719p. Dave, Natalee and I agreed to meet in the lobby for dinner at 8pm.  It was raining. Got a text from Mindy that her flight was pushed out to 10pm. Bummer!

Unloaded my gear, rested, and then called Mindy, who was in the bar at the airport having some wine and making friends. Gave her my room number. After our call, I texted her one of my work peeps wife’s cell number and name. Paul suggested they chum around Manhattan on Saturday while we both work. Mindy was game. While in my room, there was a thunderstorm blowing through outside. Lots of rain and vicious lightning and thunder. Awesome audibles in the concrete canyon.

Brushed up just ahead of 8pm then headed to the lobby. We already had our destination arranged – O’Neil’s on

3^rd avenue

.  As we exited the hotel I could see that it was still raining. I begged for a couple minutes to run back to my room to get my umbrella while Dave and Natalee agreed to wait.

It was a relatively short walk to O’Neils- an Irish pub/restaurant. The restaurant portion was upstairs above the bar, although there’s a small bar up there, too. We were seated at a table under the 2^nd floor atrium. Nice! It was extra cool with the rain and lightning flashing.

Our server was a young red head who I pegged as Irish through and through. I asked for a beer list after first ordering a Jack & Coke. Saw they had Harpoon IPA on tap. I like that a lot, so I changed my order. I was much looking forward to a somewhat respectable IPA.

I ordered crab cakes served over a bed of spinach. Engaged the young server in conversation. I believe her name was Samantha. Said she was fresh off the boat from northern Ireland. Strong Irish accent. Had just graduated college in occupational therapy and moved to New York to search out her career. Said she loves the beaches on Long Island.

While having dinner I got a couple more texts from Mindy. The last said her flight was canceled. Wouldn’t get in now until Saturday evening. I decided to give her a call. She was bummed, but did say she made new friends. The airline cited force majeure – weather related. Basically, sorry about your luck. Flights were canceled into the NY area from allover. Offered to extend her stay into Monday, but that wouldn’t work for Mindy, since she needs to be at school Monday morning. I agreed to call her again once back at the hotel.

Dinner was delicious. The crab cakes probably the best I’ve had in recent memory. I had 2^nd beer, the first such doing on a work night since I arrived. Dave and Natalee had two as well.

We walked back to the hotel stopping first at the CVS just a couple blocks from our destination. I bought a bag of chocolate covered pretzels. We were back at the hotel near 10pm. After getting settled I took three Advil for preventative purposes only then gave Mindy another call. She was already back at home, or really down at Kenny & Chrissy’s to get Eiknarf. Said those two were spatting over Kenny’s desire to head to Lake Erie with his peeps over the weekend. Mindy was consoling Chrissy, who was still angry.

Mindy shared that she’s on stand-by for a 120pm flight in on Saturday but also has a secured seat on the 520pm flight. She plans to get to the airport early in hopes of making the earlier flight. And since I’ll be at work from 7am to 7pm, it’s not like we’d miss out on much time together. More than anything, she was sacrificing her free day in Manhattan, which in my mind is a priceless experience. Good night Thunder!