Goodbye to the Month of ME

I was up on time on what was yet another crappy morning weather-wise. What’s more, the weekend forecast wasn’t any better, in fact even worse, at least on Saturday. For the time being it was raining and 54 degrees. Saturday wasn't expected to escape the 40s with clouds, wind and rain. Not an ideal beginning to October, but I suppose in synch with what we’ve been experiencing here in late September.

I enjoyed coffee and internet ahead of meditation, stretching and running. Somewhere in between, I woke Mindy. I’m guessing it was near 615am. Weighing on my mind was the fact that I needed to give Lindsey a ride to work as well as deliver b-day snacks to Bella’s classroom, all this before getting myself to work. I expected Lindsey to find a way to our house ahead of the ride to work so I could at least carry out my normal morning duties without harm.

As usual, I headed out for my run around 630am. I completed the 4.1 miles in damp & dreary conditions. I suppose the nicest thing I can say about the weather was that the wind wasn’t blowing. Back at home I toweled off in the laundry room where I was met with a strong urine-type stench which I tracked to Jacob’s soccer cleats. I told him about it as I sat down at the table for breakfast. Of course he responded with a smart alecky retort.

His timing couldn’t have been worse. I just wasn’t in the mood. For the next couple minutes our morning was filled with dysfunction. I’ll say two things. One, there’s no doubt that I could have handled the whole smelly shoe problem much better. Two, had I responded to my father as he did me, I would’ve been knocked into tomorrow.

The tension eased as Jacob headed up to his room and Mindy headed off to work. Before heading up for a shower I loaded three trays of cupcakes into a Macy’s bag for easier transporting.

I was done with my shower and downstairs by 750a. Lindsey was soon at our door while I was putting the finishing touches on my packed lunch. Because Eiknarf hadn’t yet been walked Lindsey volunteered to do it to save all of us a little time. Bella headed out for the bus stop first (rare). I stopped Jacob just before heading out the door and told him that neither of us handled the shoe thing as well as we should’ve but that there would definitely be some level of discipline coming his way for his not so wise response. Told him Mindy & I would discuss later.

According to Lindsey, Eiknarf took care of her business on their walk. Left her inside as we headed to the bus stop. Lindsey came along too. We met Kenny and the girl there. I joked that Lindsey was going back to elementary school to try over again. After the kids boarded the bus I shared the Jacob shoe encounter with Kenny. A minute or two later,  Lindsey & I headed off to work.

We made really good time around I-270 to

Sawmill Rd

and then east on Snouffer to Cane. Her office is in the Farmer’s building. It was something close to 840am – early for her, but late for me. I still needed to drop Bella’s b-day cupcakes at her school. I made good time getting there too. Arrived around 850am. Jacob & Bella’s bus was one of the early ones. In fact, Jacob was out front of the school with his peeps. The principal was out there too. She allowed me to park in the bus lane as long as I hurried in with the baked goods. I was in the office and back out in less than a minute. Off to work. I didn’t see Bella anywhere.

Arrived on the 6^th floor right at 9am. I would never have guessed I’d make it in that early. My workday was a real stressor from the outset. For starters, I was summoned to an impromptu meeting in one of the posh conference rooms just down the hall. Not good news. Add to that, there was more going on than I could possibly handle. It was crazy all morning long.

I wanted/needed to make a Target run at lunchtime to pick-up a few small items for Bella’s b-day gift bag. I left for Target near 1pm. It was raw and raining on & off, by most accounts an ugly last day of September.

I found a handful of items that would work perfectly in her gift bag. I felt good about them all. Back at the office around 2pm, I jumped right back into the flames. To help ease the stress, I let some Pink Floyd whirl in the background. That helped immensely.

Mindy called as she was leaving school. We missed each other’s calls earlier in the day. We talked about the morning’s shoe incident and came to an agreement on how we should proceed. We agreed to talk more once I got home. She and I had plans to enjoy an evening at Barley’s while the kids spent the night with their dad. It would be our only opportunity for down time for the entire weekend with a 10am soccer game, Bella’s skating party and sleepover on Saturday, and then a family birthday party on Sunday.

Work was crazy until my departure at 545pm. Thought the weekend would never come. As it was, though, I felt conflicted because there were still hot issues dangling out there.

I called Mindy from the Accord. She was at Kohl’s on a planned shopping spree. Figured to be gone for a while but home in time to go to Barley’s. I arrived home around 610pm. It was nice having more than an hour of alone time to unwind after a tumultuous work week. I used the time to listen to some more Pink Floyd and update my blog. It was a near religious experience.

Mindy must’ve gotten home around 720pm. By then I was in pretty good spirits. Almost immediately and without asking, Mindy headed upstairs to change for an evening out. I’m thinking we left for Barley’s around 740pm. We drove the Accord.

During our drive Mindy asked if I’d heard back from my mom about her coming up this weekend. She sent an email Thursday, I think, asking about it. I responded being sure to share that we were having a 10 girl slumber party on Saturday night. Didn’t want her to be surprised. I never got a response.  Mindy was going to call her as we drove but got side tracked.

Good crowd at Barley’s. Not a lot of regulars, but our peeps Ben & Ryan were there. Haven’t hung with then since pre NYC. It was good to see them. Drank a couple Centennials and a White Rajah. Spent some time chatting with Thad & Monica, too.

Somewhat out of character, Mindy didn’t eat a thing all evening long and drank wine, beer, and even did a couple shots (buttery nipples) with Ryan and Ryan’s sister-in-law. She had quite a buzz going when we left for home. We bought Little Bob and his wife Carol a beer in commemoration of Bob’s retirement from the Columbus Public Library.

We arrived home around 11pm. I worried that Mindy would wake Saturday feeling as though she’d been run over by a truck. Good night September, the month of me.

Relax, Don't Do it, When You Want to Go to It

Since I knew I'd be skipping calisthenics, I allowed myself a few extra minutes of precious sleep. I didn't get up until 535am. And what do you know, I could see a few stars overhead. But realize, too, it was by no means clear. Instead, just a rare break amongst almost constant cloud cover.

Skipping sit-ups and push-ups felt unusual, almost sinful. But I know it's better for me and my back/neck in the long run. Before the coffee was ready I checked email and weather. It was cloudy and 54 degrees. Expected a high of 69 with partial clearing skies a possibility. Geesh, you know it's getting bad when they start forecasting a chance of sun! :)

Finally, the coffee alarm sounded. I headed to the kitchen and poured myself a cup the usual way, with caramel vanilla creamer, whipped cream, cinnamon and caramel syrup. Yum-yum! Back at my PC I read almost all the Yahoo headlines, including the depressing news about the almost certain double recession. Ugh!

Come 605am I peeled myself away for meditation. I took another knock-off Aleeve too. Meditation went extremely well. I felt so much better afterwards. It's certainly not magic or a silver bullet,  but it's been an invaluable exercise of the mind for me for the last 6 or 7 years. Near 620am I made and delivered Mindy's coffee. She was most appreciative. After a hug and a smooch I turned off the ceiling fan then headed back downstairs to stretch and prep for a run.

Stretching went well, and was just what the doctor ordered. I was a bit more deliberate and slow working through my usual routine. Come time to run, I slid into a fresh short sleeved wicking shirt (the prior day's was still a tad damp) and then my pullover fleece. I was out the door at 633am.

Once again socked in by cloud cover, I simply shrugged it off and went about my run. Starting to see it more as the norm rather than the exception. I ran the same old 4.1 mile track. But it really never gets old. It's as much a mental thing as it is physical. Sometimes I don't physically see it, if that makes sense. Instead, I see my thoughts. On this run I sorted through several things weighing heavily on my mind. That's just how I roll! I was done before I knew it.

Checked my over seeding for any potential early germinators. There were none. Toweled off, at least partially, with my fleece. I ran up one heck of a sweat. Inside, I toweled off again only this time with a beach towel. Mindy had eggs fryin' on the stove. As soon as Bella came down I quizzed her about the b-day. How many days? Two, well, three officially. She's psyched!

Jacob walked Eiknarf while I enjoyed my eggs, but lucky for her I remembered to save some. Enjoyed fruit too: pineapple, strawberries and giant raspberries. Washed it all down with a tall glass of OJ. Mindy left for school at 730am. There were no special instruction for the kids, I don't believe.

I slid my leftover eggs into Eiknarf's bowl and then headed off for a shower. I dressed in a new pair of black dress slack and an burnt red button up. I looked good, but probably not as good as I look in black or pink. ;) I was downstairs at 755am. The kids played in their rooms until 805am. We headed out together at 810am.

Met Chrissy at the bus stop. Shared that she missed class the night before for having a flat tire when she pulled out of the parking garage. Called AAA. The bus arrived at 815am - right on time. Eiknarf and I walked back home. She didn't do any more business, having recently taking care of both on a walk with Jacob.

I made double sure I had everything I needed for a remote work day then headed off. Once again, I opted for the safe route taking I-270N all the way around. Took 25 minutes exactly and the trip was 25 miles too, so a mile a minute. I needed to be on our weekly staff call at 9am. I hurried to my make shift desk to get  situated. I used my blackberry and bluetooth headset to join the call. My PC takes way too long to boot up, especially when connecting to a foreign network.

Joined just as it was getting started. No Earth shattering info. Let's see, we talked about next Wednesday's symposium agenda, and  I can't recall what else. Just before the call ended,  I chimed in with an escalation update on an issue our team's been pursuing for a couple weeks now.

I prepared for a couple more meetings and joined another conference call ahead of my 1pm monthly presentation. I felt well prepared for that, this my third go around. Even still, I headed to the conference room ten minutes early to get set up. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Had technical difficulties with the conference phone. Had to wait for the customer to get that under control. Had many join via bridge. Only one other person live. They were all chasing down urgent issues. That's the nature of our work. Plus, that's how we want it be - my monthly review being the least of their concerns.

The monthly review lasted about 45 minutes. I was back at my desk ahead of 2pm. Spent most of the afternoon working that same technical issue. Complex.  One of the TAC managers stopped by to ask if his team is coming by much for my help on my on-site day. Honestly, no, not a lot, but some. We both agreed that they should be utilizing my presence more.

I stuck around until about 520pm, or about 20 minutes later than I hoped. It takes a bit longer to get home than it does to get in. I talked with Mindy at some point during my commute. Can't recall what we discussed. Oh, wait, she and Bella were off to Target. Jacob was at soccer practice. I'd be home alone for a little while. She asked if I needed anything from Target. Nope!

Arrived home near 6pm. Sure enough, nobody home but us elves. I unloaded my stuff, including my lunch dishes, and then prepped Thursday's coffee.  Even got my Wednesday blog entry posted before Mindy and Bella got home. I'm thinking it was near 630pm when they finally showed up. By then I was relaxed and at a good place after a very busy day of work and then a little time by my lonesome. It should've been the perfect night.

I'm thinking it was near 745pm when Jacob got home from soccer practice. By then, I was in my relaxation pose, flat on my back with my feet/legs elevated on the Queen Anne chair from the living room floor.  I was awake but asleep - crazy relaxed. I heard the family going about their business but participated only as a witness.  Jacob was hungry. I remember hearing him bitch about at his momma immediately in the door after she asked him to walk Eiknarf, who'd been recently scratching at the door. She reminded him of his resolute to take care of his chores without talking back. She offered that his dinner would be ready upon his return - sloppy joes. From my relaxed perch, it was all kind of humorous, really.

I rose from my meditative slumber around 815-830pm and went to the family room where I tuned into Thursday night college football, which was Southern Florida vs. Pitt. It was very close and back and forth, at least while I watched. I called it a night around 1030 pm. By then, Mindy and the kids had been in bed for at least an hour.

Pretty in Pink

I knew my bedroom clock was running 3+ hours fast, but only figured the ‘plus’ to be about 5 minutes. It turned being about 12 minutes. As a consequence, I was up and downstairs by 520am. I wouldn’t exactly call it clear, but there were a few stars visible, something not so easy to come by through most of September.

I’ve consciously opted not to do push-ups or sit-ups for the next several days after coming to realization that my strengthening exercises may not be helping my achy neck, back and shoulders. I may shelve them for as much as two weeks and then measure the results.

Without exercises to do, I had plenty more free time. I didn’t abuse it, though. I decided I’d use the time for a more thorough meditation, much like the old days. I ended up spending a solid 20 minutes in meditation. That worked well. I felt more centered, at peace, and relaxed afterwards. I delivered coffee to Mindy next. She sounded much better than she did the two morning’s prior.

Back downstairs I readied for my run. It was in the low 50’s so I wore my fleece over top a short sleeved wicking shirt. And I’m happy to report that I could detect daybreak on the horizon, something that’s also been elusive over the last month. I ran the full 4.1 miles and felt good with where my head was at. The run was fulfilling. Returned home feeling great. I took a few minutes to cool down out front while also checking out my freshly planted grass seed. It hasn’t germinated yet, but I didn’t expect it too so soon either. One thing’s for sure, if I was a grass seed, I’d be digging this weather. J

Inside, Mindy was busy at the stove and island making lunches and breakfast. Looked like scrambled eggs were on the menu. My eggs were soon ready. Unless I’m mistaken, Mindy ate only some yogurt. Could it be that she’d done something to the eggs? They were good. Jacob coaxed Eiknarf out for a walk while I ate my eggs. She was hiding just under the edge of the table hoping to get eggs first and foremost. I promised to save her some.

Mindy left at 730am after clarifying that it was a Bella gymnastics night. Wasn’t sure what we’d be having for dinner. As promised, I saved eggs for Eiknarf. There were some leftover in the skillet too. I gave her both. Soon I was off to the shower.

I wore old black Dockers and a pink polo. I like the look. Only real men can pull of pink. Downstairs by 755, I finished packing my lunch. Mindy had already made me a salad, so all I had to do was gather some fruit and cut some cheese. Went fast!

The kids and I headed out at 810am. And while it was blue and sunny overhead, clouds were already looming to our immediate west. Yeah, bummer! As soon as the kids were on the bus Eiknarf and I headed back home. And yes, she took a dump.

I was heading into the office on a Wednesday for one of the few times since late July. I changed my off-site work day to Thursday to facilitate month-end results review. I was settled into my office by 845am. The day got busy in a hurry. Had a whole lot of reactive stuff going on. Things seemed to be clicking, however, and most were resolved surprisingly fast. Fantastic!

I made it a point to leave for lunch and drove to Lowe’s. I was looking for some sort of garage wall mount for Jacob’s new snowboard. I perused all their offerings not real happy with any of them. For one, our garage wall space is at a premium and almost nonexistent. I quickly realized, I’m gonna have to think this one through a little better. The basement may very well be the answer.

Back at the office by 2pm, I got sucked into another round of reactive issues. I did my very best trying to help. For probably the first time in my new role, I could sense some serious tension between myself and a peer. The reactive work kept me busy all afternoon long. I got a call from Ashley late afternoon updating me on her OSU dental appointment. Sounds like several more visits lined up before her root canal and crown are completed. She also shared how her recent supervisory interview went. Sounds excited about it.

I didn’t talk with Mindy all afternoon. Thought I’d call on my way home. I left the office at 540pm. I called home as soon as I was safely on the road. Bella answered. We talked for a minute or two before she shared that she had Jim on the other line. Took me a second to figure out what she meant – Jim, her daddy. I didn’t really need anything, but asked her to have her momma call me back.

I was home around 6pm. By then it was raining again. Oh dear! Mindy was busy finishing up dinner – sloppy Joe’s. I was thinking either chicken enchiladas or tacos. I guess I was wrong. While waiting on dinner I did my usual chores.

I topped my sloppy joe with a pile of cheese, mustard, and red onion. The sloppy joe’s were good but awfully sweet. You might even call it a Gloriaism. It occurred to me then to ask what type if meat I was eating. Mindy asked that I guess. I knew then there must be turkey in it. Yep, 50-50. I enjoyed another garden salad too. I was full after one sloppy joe. Jacob headed out with his airsoft stuff looking for Evan while Bella readied for gymnastics. After dinner clean-up, I went to my PC to play.

Mindy and I agreed that she’d do the drop and I’d do the pick-up. Mindy & Bella left around 645pm. While they were away I updated my blog. Had about four days to post. I edited and posted some pics to boot.

While Bella was at gymnastics and Jacob off playing with his friends, Mindy and I hung quietly at home. Like the evening before, I took a siesta on the family room floor lying flat on my back with my legs propped up on the coffee table. Felt great. Fell asleep for at least 20-30 minutes.

Mindy woke me at 815pm. Time to fetch Bella. Took a minute to wake-up. Headed out a couple minutes later. Took the Accord. Arrived at 825pm. I headed inside to watch Bella do her thing. Grandma Sharon’s daughter Shelly was the instructor. Bella says she’s mean.  She’s always pleasant to me. Hmmm?

Bella and I headed home. I jokingly told her no Wendy’s! She didn’t want it anyway. Told me what she needed was a good night of sleep. That was very grown-up (9) of her.

It was 9pm in the blink of an eye. I spent a little more time on the PC while Mindy headed off to bed. She asked that I come up soon. I was loosely following the two baseball games with meaning on the last night of the regular season. I stayed up until 945pm. Joined Mindy in bed. Good night moonless sky.

Rain Sun Rain

I overslept a little and wasn’t downstairs until 542am. So I’m guessing I was up somewhere near 537am. Not too bad. I could see that it rained again overnight but wasn’t at the time. I was hopeful that it would remain that way at least through my run. I was still a little tired after getting about 2 hours less sleep than I’m used to. You may recall, I was up late tending to a work related matter.

I completed calisthenics with my back and shoulders feeling considerably better after taking two doses of Target brand Aleeve the day and night before. I checked headlines and weather. A good chance of rain throughout the day with the high reaching the mid 60’s. At the time it was 56 degrees. I planned on wearing a fleece pullover atop my shirt.

Just ahead of meditation I sent a status update concerning last night’s work issue. After meditation I woke Mindy with coffee. That was near 615am. She asked that I shut off the ceiling fan as I exited the room. I headed back downstairs where I did a thorough stretch before leaving on a run. It was trash day. Jacob placed our can at the curb the evening before. It was near capacity, which is unusual for us these days.

I ran the full 4.1 miles. It was about 15 degrees cooler than it was on Monday. Felt good though. Our can was emptied by the time I made it back to the house. I drug it around to its usual resting place then went to the deck door seeking entrance. As luck would have it, neither Mindy or Jacob was around to open the door. I might’ve waited about three minutes before giving up and walking around to the front.

Jacob was at the breakfast table by the time I was back inside and Mindy just coming out of the restroom. Bella was still upstairs. When she finally made an appearance I quizzed her on the b-day count down. How many days? FOUR! During breakfast, Mindy reminded us of the day’s after-work/school agenda. Jim was taking Jacob to soccer early, but we’d need to meet them there at the Gahanna soccer field before 630pm. I planned to leave work a little early. Traffic across town is never fun that time of day. Weren’t sure what we’d do about dinner.

Mindy left at her usual time and the kids and I carried on with our routine too. After Jacob walked Eiknarf I fed her some leftover eggs. I also reminded Bella to fill her food bowl. I headed to the shower at 735am.

I dressed in black head-to-toe. Felt good. Was having a horrible hair day, though. Not a lot I could do about it. I moved on. Before heading out to the bus stop, I logged off my laptop and packed it for work. The kids and I headed out at 810am.

We met Chrissy and the girls at the bus stop. Chrissy said that Woody hasn’t been himself and wasn’t eating well, either ever since Molly’s passing. I wondered if it wasn’t more them than him. In a poor attempt at cheering her up, I suggested that at least they could get grass to grow around the base of the deck now. Molly used that area as her personal urinal, and she was one of those dogs with grass killin’ pee.  Chrissy didn’t seem amused. We talked Tuesday evening soccer games, too, ours in Gahanna, theirs in Canal Winchester.

The bus arrived on time. With the kids aboard the bus, Eiknarf and I headed for home, but not before she took a dump out front. Glad I had a bag in tow. To avoid walking across the wet grass in my dress shoes, I left the bag on the front porch, just like I did the morning before. But now with two poop sacks setting there, I knew I needed to properly dispose of them both quickly. So on my way out to the Accord, I walked both bags to the trash can.

I pulled out of the drive near 825am and arrived at the office about 15 minutes later. It didn’t take me that long to get logged on and set for my day. I finished my proactive month end reports first. Glad I did, too. The rest of my day was a reactive versus proactive nightmare. Did find the time to change this week’s customer-site work day from Wednesday to Thursday, however.

Mindy called after school to check on my ability to leave work around 5pm so we could get to Jacob’s soccer game in Gahanna. Seemed doable. I told her I’d try to leave by 510pm. And as things turned out, I was able to leave even earlier. I left at 455pm. It was fairly cool when I exited the building with a mix of sun and clouds. My car said it was 61 degrees.

Called Mindy while in route home. Jacob and Jimaken were just leaving the house for the soccer game. Arrived home around 510pm. Mindy and Bella were getting ready when I got home. I changed out of my work clothes into something comfy, and namely jeans, a t-shirt, and sweatshirt. I planned to wear my casual fleece jacket too. We were all set to go even before 530pm.

Of course it started spitting rain again as we backed out the driveway. It wasn’t a pretty evening. We jumped on eastound 70/670 despite knowing we’d almost certainly run into killer traffic. Aside from doing the I-270 thing, it’s about the only way that made any sense – pretty much a straight line there. Traffic was slow through downtown and then again once on 670 all the way into Gahanna, but at least it kept moving. We were fortunate. I could tell, one little miscue and this route would be a mess.

The soccer field was in east Gahanna, meaning we had to cross town once in town. The park was really nice though, but only one soccer field that I could see. There was a sign up, visible as we pulled in, advising that the fields were closed. Oh no! Despite the signage, both teams were out warming up, and the refs were there, too. Looked like a soccer game was happening after all.

Surprisingly, there were blue skies directly overhead but really dark clouds moving in from the WSW. Looked like heavy rain was a certainty. The only question was how long until it would hit. When the game started, Mindy & Bella set up camp chairs along the sideline. I finished reading about some Pilot features I wasn’t fully aware of prior, like the telescoping steering wheel. Promised Mindy to be out in a minute.

They had my chair set-up and waiting for me. I joined them a few minutes into the game. Like the other two games I’ve attended (they had played three) the game was played mostly at our defensive end, meaning we couldn’t get the ball down to our offensive end to save our lives. Our little goalie was good, but it was just a matter of time given all the scoring chances they were getting. It was 2-0 at the half. Jacob had two decent shots on goal but both narrowly missed going in.

And once again, our kids were getting frustrated with one another and giving each other the dickens. That’s when I knew our goose was cooked. It never did rain. Still not sure how the threatening skies skipped over us.  In the end, Jacob’s team lost 3-0 dropping their overall record to 0-4.

Jacob always waits for his dad, and since Jim’s the coach, he’s always the last one there. By the time the game ended it was pretty much dark. Jacob had his head down as he walked towards the car. Mindy knew what was coming and so did I. And so it began.

Not one positive thing came out of his mouth during our drive home. And once again he blamed everybody else but himself and his dad. Even referred to his team as they, which bothered me. He also picked on Bella profusely. It started raining once we got just east of downtown. Jacob wanted to stop for McDonalds. Mindy threatened not stopping to get him to stop. I’m thinking we were in Grandview by then. J It was getting really hard to take.

We went through the McDonald’s drive-thru at Wilson & I-70, the first time I’d been there in 10 years, I’ll bet. I think Courtney worked there when it first opened. We got food only for the kids. Both Mindy & I planned to have some chicken & noodle leftovers. Sounded good given the rain and chill.

I’ll admit, Jacob was a lot more tolerable once he had some food in his belly, pleasant even. Mindy sent them both for showers as soon as they were done eating. After finishing my noodles and then tidying up the kitchen, I laid flat on my back on the family room floor. I eventually rolled over onto my belly completely face down and fell asleep. Not entirely sure how long I slept but I’m guessing for only about 10 minutes.

Mindy declared it time for bed around 930p. She was really surprised when I agreed and joined her heading up. I think she’d forgotten that I was up late working the night before. I was exhausted. Pitter-patter, pitter-patter. Are we in Oregon?

Playin' Cowboys & Indians

I was up on time and just a tick before the coffee maker kicked into gear. And I know I sound like a broken record when I say this, but it was raining again. Early on, at least, it was raining only lightly. The good news was that it was quite warm and almost 70 degrees.

I completed sit-ups and push-ups then spent time on the internet. Saw that the Colts lost their hard fought battle against the Steelers. Woke Mindy near 615am with coffee. Asked if she was going to work. She was coughing all night. She was even though she sounded bad – croupy even.

I completed meditation and a stretch ahead of my run. I wore long running pants but with a short sleeved wicking shirt. Thankfully, the rain was reduced to a mere spit during most of my run. It would pour buckets later. I ran the full 4.1 miles without cause for concern. In the back of my mind I was a tad worried about possible lightning at every turn. It was forecasted but never materialized.

Back at the house, Mindy shared that she placed a beach towel by the door. I walked right past it on my way to fill the front porch watering pail. While thinking about it, I wanted to water both flower pots still in full bloom on the front porch. I toweled off after taking care of the flowers. Thanks dear.

As soon as Bella was downstairs I started the birthday/birthday party count down. She’s very excited about this one (#9) in particular. Six days and counting! Mindy reminded Bella that she put the bday party invitations for her school mates in her book bag and to give them to her teacher. Apparently her teacher was willing to discretely stuff them into the proper homework folders to help avoid certain kids from feeling left out.

Jacob walked Eiknarf during egg time. She always looks sad and confused when Jacob comes a calling with the leash about then. But I made sure to save some for her. She was happy about that. Mindy left at her usual time after reminding Bella repeatedly to bus home with Noah. Jacob wouldn’t be there to remind her. He had a Beacon Ambassadors meeting planned for after school. He would have the pleasure of attending the school board meeting which was being hosted at his school. As I understood it, a lot of fun activities planned too.

The kids and I were ready for the bus stop at 805am. I waited as long as possible due to the moderate but steady rainfall. I headed out with my umbrella. Bella took cover under it too. Jacob did as well initially, but he must’ve gotten uncomfortable with the closeness. Once the neighbors headed out he left himself out in the rain. What a goof ball! Kenny was out with the girls for what seems like the first time this school year, at least while I’ve been on bus duty.

Kenny had the day off and said he hoped to continue power washing if the weather cooperated. It was raining at the time but expected it to stop sometime soon. Kids were on the bus by 815am. Eiknarf and I walked back towards home where she took a dump in the rain. Lucky for me, I had a plastic grocery bag in tow.

I gathered all my gear, secured the home, then headed off to work at 825am. Rained through the entire commute as well as the walk into the building. It was raining hard, too. Deployed my umbrella for the walk from the car to the building.

Dealt with the remnants of an on-call weekend issue first thing in the AM.  My day got a little dicey as the morning progressed. All of the sudden I was feeling overwhelmed with issues needing my urgent attention.  Happily, I was able to get most of them under control quickly leaving me the time to focus my energy on a couple other areas of concern.

I started another Home Depot list but wasn’t planning to head there that afternoon, or for that matter, leave for lunch at all. For one, I had a 1pm conference I needed to join, which only netted me more to-dos.   

After eating my packed lunch my outlook was much improved. Funny how that works. Food is king! Stayed real busy all afternoon - one of my busiest days in recent weeks.

I didn’t talk with Mindy until I was headed home. That was sometime after 530pm. She was busy making burgers for dinner. She wasn’t grilling them, though. I know because I asked. Mindy sounded bad/ill still.

 Jacob wasn’t home. He was at school doing the Beacon Ambassador thing. It would be a busy shuttle night. Jacob needed picked up at school near 8pm and Bella would need a ride to and from gymnastics.

I wasn’t at home long before dinner was on the table – burgers and tater tots. Dinner wasn’t fancy, but very tasty. Mindy and I worked out the shuttle plans. She’d take Bella and then retrieve Jacob. I’d pick-up Bella.

After dinner and clean-up, I took a nap on the living room floor, at first laying flat on my back but then flipping completely over and onto my belly. That actually felt so much better this time. Jacob called around 725pm to alert Mindy that he was finished and ready to be picked up. I woke about the same time he called.

While Mindy headed out after him, I did some work on my blog. They were home before 8pm. I talked with Mindy while Jacob played in his room. I left to fetch Bella at 818pm. It didn’t take long at all. Arrived at DCW at 825pm. Hadn’t seen grandma Sharon in a long time. Gave her a hug. Headed back to gym to catch a few minutes of Bella doing her thing on the trampoline.  

We headed for home by 830pm. As I guessed she might, Bella asked if we could stop at Wendy’s on the drive home. I agreed, but reminded her that she didn’t even finish her dinner earlier. She gave me some excuse about not wanting to be too full for gymnastics. J We stopped at the drive-thru and got her some chicken nuggets and fries.

Jacob was in the shower while Bella ate her snack. Jacob had pizza for dinner at school. I tuned the TV to MNF – Washington vs. Dallas already in progress. It was something like 3-0. Can’t recall who was ahead. Mindy and the kids weren’t up much longer. Mindy cited feeling under the weather and headed for bed shortly after 9pm. She asked that I make sure the kids were in bed by 915pm. They both did a good job of heading up to bed when the time came without being asked.

It had to be just after 930pm when my eyes started getting heavy. Out of the blue my blackberry rang (figures!) I ended up getting pulled into a work related matter until almost midnight. I was really sleepy by the time I headed to bed. I am a creature of habit. Up past 1030pm and I am really draggin’. There were stars visible overhead at the time, but the forecast called for cloudy skies again overnight with a chance of rain, of course.

Come Back Ol' Yeller'

I woke a few times early but decided to go back to sleep. But when the pugs started raising a little hell I took that as my queue to get up and out of bed and head downstairs. I wasn’t that sure of the time given that my bedroom clock was still flashing from Saturday night’s power outage. However, before closing my eyes the night before I took notice of the flashing time. Seems to me that it was about 3 hours fast. That being the case, it was just ahead of 8am.

While tip toeing out of the room after brushing my teeth, Mindy asked that I bring her some coffee in a little while. Yes dear. I peeked down the hallway and noticed both pugs with their faces pressed against the doggy gate. I decided to free them both to avoid any more loud, obnoxious barking. Bella woke briefly saying that neither of them slept all night. I’m guessing that an exaggeration of sorts.

They were both excited, growling and wrestling the entire time I prepped coffee. I figured I’d take one out at a time otherwise they’d never tend to their business. I opted to take Woody first, since he’s more prone to accidents.

Eiknarf looked put out as he and I headed out the deck door. I walked him all about the back yard but he didn’t do a thing aside from sniff. I eventually took him around front and by his front yard and then back again. Still no joy. Finally, he peed on the fire hydrant near Pat’s cul-de-sac. He never did poop.

I took Woody inside then leashed up Eiknarf. Unlike Woody, she did both within two minutes of being outdoors. We quickly headed back inside. In hindsight, I probably should’ve walked her longer giving her a break. Back in the house I poured a cup of coffee then checked in with work. The one problem I followed all day Saturday seemed to be resolved. That was good news!

Sometime after 830am, I delivered coffee to Mindy’s bedside then headed back downstairs. The sky, meanwhile, was partly cloudy with plenty of blue scattered about. I fooled around on the computer for another 30 minutes or so before heading out on my run.

It had to be close to 60 degrees, so I didn’t bother wearing my fleece but did wear a long sleeved wicking shirt. I left the house around 930am and ran three miles. During that time the sky cleared to mostly sunny. It was nice and warm by the time I was back at home. I went for more coffee and then checked in on work again. Mindy was up a few minutes later. She quickly started on a grocery list and then headed up for a shower.

Chrissy called while Mindy showered. I expressed sorrow for their losing Molly the night before. I knew it had to hit Kenny hard. She said he planned to bury her outback by their shed later that morning, or as soon as the kids were home. I offered to help him dig.

While Mindy loaded the recycling in the Honda Pilot, I was busy carrying all the stain tools back to the basement. And since she had the overhead door open, I moved the bag of fertilizer out to the drive way so I wouldn’t have to open again a few minutes later when I was ready to fertilize. Mindy said she expected to be gone about an hour. While she headed off to the grocery I got busy fertilizing the lawn. Took no more than 15 minutes. I was careful not to lay down too much new fertilizer on or near the areas I just over seeded the day before. I had starter fertilizer in with the seed/dirt/peat mixture.

As soon as I finished fertilizing the yard I grabbed my shovel and headed over to help Kenny who I saw was out by the shed. Sure enough, he was back there digging by himself. He already had a good start. And just like the earth surrounding the nearby treehouse, it was hard rocky clay. In other words, tough sledding! I went for my spud bar. Kenny’s pretty amazing with a shovel. It made me sore watching the guy dig. No wonder his back aches! I made him take breaks and let me loosen up some of the earth with my spud bar. Heck, that took everything I had.

After about 45 minutes I spotted Ashley & Olivia walking out back. Once Olivia spotted us by the shed she came running with open arms. Did my heart some good. I took a break to head and inside and take care of Ashley. I owed her a check. They didn’t stay long, but long enough for Olivia to head out for a push on the tree swing.

After they left I walked back to the hole. By then Kenny was already done and must’ve been inside taking a break.  I headed back home where I continued my yard work, including reinstalling the rope lighting on the deck pergola. That took a little while. Mindy was soon back from the grocery. While out, she picked up some flowers for Molly’s grave and a condolences card for Kenny. The kids came running to let us know the funeral was about to get underway.

Until then, Kenny had Molly in the back of his Jeep, which he drove to the back of his yard out by the shed. By the time Mindy & I got back there Molly was already laid in the hole wrapped in an OSU Buckeye blanket. Kenny’s ex-wife was there too. That was nice. She told a couple stories about how close Kenny and Molly were.

The kids tossed the flowers over the blanket. I asked permission to snap a couple photos. Bella, Makayla and Emily asked if they could pull the blanket back and take a peek. Kenny agreed. Mindy and I walked back up to the house where I finished reinstalling the rope lights.

I had a couple more chores I wanted to get to, including trimming the ivy away from the base of all my burning bushes. It didn’t take too long since I did the same thing in spring. But it had grown surprisingly fast and thick again. I also took several minutes to pull up any spent flowers in the two front flower beds. Funny, one of the two beds hosting petunias was completely spent while the others still looked decent.

One of my final chores for the day was stowing the fountain pump, light, sensor, and shells. I headed inside around 230p-3pm calling my work outside all but done. I still needed to secure the shed and water the new grass seed but figured I’d do that later and possibly after dinner.

Call me ridiculous. I don’t care, but I purposefully avoided TV and any NFL scores. I didn’t want to know how the Vikings were fairing, good or bad. Figured I’d check later in the evening. After a shower and checking in with work I thought I might take a nap. I snuggled up on the sofa and fell asleep but only for a little bit. I got up just before Jacob left with his dad for the Blue Jackets 1st preseason home hockey game.

I also snacked on Stacy’s naked pita chips ahead of dinner, which was going to be chicken & noodles again. Mindy added more fresh noodles and had it on the stove for a couple hours cooking. She called my dad and asked if he was up for some. Offered to drive them over. She was feeling ill, likely a cold, otherwise I’m sure she would’ve invited him over for dinner.

My on-call weekend ended up being fairly uneventful. For that I was grateful, but to be fair, the weekend wasn’t over yet, either.  I spent the hour or so before dinner updating Friday’s blog entry and then went back and added some pictures to a few entries from the past week.

It was just Bella, Mindy & I for dinner. Bella commented about how peaceful it was. Mindy and I both had 1.5 helpings of the yummy chicken & noodles. First Sunday in a while that we didn’t make plans to cookout with the neighbors. Bella shared that they went to the House of Japan for dinner. Oh! That is one of Kenny’s favorite places. He deserved it big time.

I managed clean-up while Mindy ordered Bella’s birthday gifts, American Girl doll accessories. She later filled out invitations for her skating/overnight party coming up next weekend. Oh boy! Sounds like a boys night out to me. Mindy shared how busy our weekend would be - almost like not having one.

She and I walked Eiknarf together on what turned out to be an awfully nice evening, about 70 degrees under partly sunny skies.  The lovely weather wasn’t expected to last, however. Supposed to rain for the next couple of days and starting late Sunday evening.

It must’ve been about 730pm when Mindy asked me if the Vikings’ played that day. Yes. She asked if I knew if they’d won or lost. No. She must’ve checked right then. She shared that they lost. Crap! They lost in OT, and once again after leading 20-0 at halftime. Gonna be a long season. I decided to read the box score. I did my best to let it go after that. Football is all expectations based. If you’re not expecting much then you won’t be disappointed if they don’t do well. And after the last two seasons, I just don’t have it in me to get so emotionally involved only to be let down again.

Jacob returned from the hockey game just about then. He and Bella headed out to play with the neighbors for the last 30 minutes of daylight. Mindy and I walked down to check out Kenny’s deck after he spent the late afternoon power washing. Looks good, though he didn’t get finished.

As the evening wound down, I tuned the TV to the SNF game featuring the Steelers vs. Colts. Mindy had both kids get showers. I decided to make some popcorn. Bella and Eiknarf joined me for some. Without Peyton Manning leading the Colts, they’re just not the same team. They got behind quickly, and Mindy and the kids peeled off to bed.

I checked in with work and then spent about 10 minutes on my PC. By the time I rejoined the game it was halftime and the Colts were ahead 13-10. I might’ve watched for maybe another 5-10 minutes after the half. Tired, I secured the home and headed up to bed. By then, heavy clouds were moving in but the rain still had yet to begin.

We Got the Power

I tossed and turned quite a bit during my last hour of sleep finally waking for good near 8am, which in my world is sleeping late. The blackberry rang around 1am, but by the time I heard it and grabbed it the call had already dropped. I fumbled with it in the dark trying to enter my password three times before setting it aside in disgust.

After starting coffee I logged onto my laptop and then checked the message on my blackberry. I followed up on the issue right out of the shoot. Seemed to already be at least somewhat under control. Before enjoying any coffee I completed both sit-ups and push-ups. After exercise I felt more awake and alert. The coffee didn’t hurt either.

Mindy was up shortly before 9am. Already, Lindsey was calling leaving messages on our phones. Not sure why. Mindy had already agreed to take her to fill out an application for a new apartment sometime between 9am and 2pm. And I believe Mindy texted her the night before saying it would be closer to 11am or noon. Not sure why the early AM calls.

Mindy and I enjoyed some coffee while the kids continued to sleep. We figured they’d both sleep late given that they both were up past 11pm. Mindy finally talked and texted with Lindsey. Shared that I would pick her and the boys up near Ashley’s place around 11am. They would be taking the bus. Before any of that I still needed to run and make sure work was taken care of.

I’m thinking that it was near 930am when I finally left for a run. It was cloudy and chilly. I wore my fleece. The run was easy, but then again, that’s what I expected. I felt a lot better about my day when my run was complete. That’s often the case. Feel a greater sense of accomplishment and have a more positive outlook on whatever else the day might hold.

While I was running, Mindy was in the shower. The plan was simple. I’d go fetch Lindsey and the boys, and once we were back Mindy would run Lindsey to the apartment complex in question while I hung out at home with all the kids. It had to be near 1045am when I left to fetch Lindsey.

I parked in the Massey’s Pizza parking lot at Binns & Sullivant. I think I said it was a KFC before. Oops! The store manager came out to ask if he could help me. I guess in that neighborhood having a car parked in the lot sitting, waiting seemed a bit unusual or suspicious. Right on queue, the COTA bus pulled up and dropped the boys and Lindsey. The boys were both donning Buckeye jerseys – cute. This time the boys got off first with Lindsey right behind. They loaded in the Pilot and off we went.

The kids wanted to know if they could play Wii. I wasn’t sure. Mindy and Lindsey left soon after we got back. By then everybody was up and about. Bella slept the latest, not waking until I was gone. Rocky and Jacob were outback playing football the entire time that Mindy & Lindsey were gone, which ended up being something less than 90 minutes. They stopped at Kroger too.  I spent most of that time dealing with a couple work related matters, both of which were under control just before Mindy got back home.

While they were gone the sky brightened considerably. The threat of rain apparently gone, I was eager to get as much yard work done as possible, at least until work beckoned again. Mindy was fine with me heading out. I didn’t waste a minute either. I got started on the lawn immediately, doing all the backyard push mowing first. The sun busted out by the time I was around the front. Felt good. The temperature meanwhile couldn’t have been much above 60 degrees.

The grass now cut, I took the time to put the deck back together moving all the chairs back where they belong and then reattached the hose caddy and hose. And then after talking it over with Mindy, I decided to stow the fountain for the season since it was already apart and dry. She took the light and transformer inside to wash off the algae. She also agreed to soak all the shells in bleach water while I continued my yard work.

I check in via blackberry at least every hour. I was pleasantly surprised with how quiet it remained. The way I saw it, any yard work I got done this weekend would be considered a bonus. Counting on accomplishing a lot on an on-call weekend is typically a recipe for disaster.

Still only about 130-200pm, I decided to get started on my lawn restoration work. I started out front fixing the area that’s been bothering me the most, the same area I resodded last fall, and the same are that WOW destroyed when they repaired their damaged cable while I was in NYC. I rake away the dead patches then topped the same area with a mix of topsoil and peat that I had standing ready in my wheel barrow. Mindy came outside to chat briefly Said she needed a break from Lindsey and the boys. By the way, they were staying for dinner.

I made quick work of the restoration out front eventually working my way around back to the side yard that I’ve been nursing along for the past few years. I spent much more time back there preparing several bare spots for new seed.

 I failed to mention that Jacob left around noon to go to the Buckeye game with his daddy. The game started at 330pm. Can’t remember who, but somebody hollered out as the game was about to begin. I kept working, however, feeling it more important to get my chores done.

After watering in the restoration work I thought about spreading fertilizer about the entire yard, but didn’t have the energy or desire. Instead, I decided to be happy with all I had accomplished, get a shower, and perhaps even enjoy the 2^nd half of the Buckeye game.

A shower felt terrific. It was probably 5-530pm by the time I was out of the shower. I then poured myself a White Rajah, which was absolutely delicious. Asked Mindy to give it a try. And surprisingly, she liked it too. In fact, so much so, that she kept taking sips. It’s very hoppy but has a heavy grape fruit flavor too. Im quite pleased with it. I didn’t plan to drink another until we were back from dropping Lindsey and the boys, and that wouldn't be until after dinner, which was served around 6pm.

Mindy made chicken & noodles along with mashed potatoes. They were delicious. The kids loved them too. It’s one of Rocky’s favorites. Lindsey shared that she should know by Tuesday if she gets the apartment. I pray that she does, and also that her new job works out well.

The game wasn’t quite over when we rounded up everyone to take them home. Mindy and I agreed that we’d all go. Bella wasn’t too thrilled about it, but we didn’t really ask her opinion or give her the choice. We all loaded into the Pilot and headed east. The Buckeye game ended shortly after we set out. We listened to its conclusion during our drive out 670.

I’m thinking it was near 7pm when we dropped Lindsey and the boys. Like me, Mindy was impressed with the looks of the facility. It is a very attractive place and seemingly secure. Lindsey complained of being near ready to vomit since we left the house. Said she got sick playing with the kids on the tree swing. She’s always been like that, and me too. And sure enough, she threw up as soon as she got out of the car. Ewh!

We’d just started for home when Jacob rang Mindy’s cell sharing that he and his daddy were at the house. He was supposed to call before they left the game. Mindy shared that we’d be home in 10-15 minutes. It’s a quick drive. We were there in 10 minutes. Jacob and Jimaken were out back throwing the football. Jimaken left soon after we got home.

With the evening ahead of us, Mindy suggested that the three of us play spoons as a family. It was a lot of fun. It seems while teaching the two kids the object of the game she forgot to share perhaps the most important piece, which was to grab a spoon once you get four of a kind or also if someone else grabs a spoon. That was too funny.

Eventually both kids picked up the concept. We must’ve played about 4 or 5 rounds before the power suddenly went out. Out of nowhere Bella leaped out of her chair and ran to the back door completely freaking out. She started to dart outside, why I don’t know, but she was crying profusely and rambling about how frightened she was that the power was out. Holy smoke!

We all panicked a little when she left the back door open because we were watching the neighbors pug, Woody, who had already ran out two times earlier. And he’s a pain in the ass to catch. By the way, we were watching Woody while Kenny & Chrissy spent some time at a family cabin out in the woods doing some four wheeling and what not.

Mindy rustled up some candles, enough that we could continue playing spoons. Bella finally calmed once we had about ten different candles illuminating the downstairs. We got a fire going in the fireplace too. That was Jacob’s idea. Mindy was able to source AEPs website from her Droid and was eventually able to check the status of our power outage. Said to be impacting approximately 1900 customers. No ETA.

Mindy and Bella headed upstairs to get into their PJs while Jacob and I hung by the fire enjoying the quiet night. And by the way, there were plenty of stars out for the 2^nd night in a row. Wahoo!

I took advantage of the candlelight to further experiment with low-light photography adjusting both the aperture and shutter speed to get just the right effect. While Mindy and Bella were upstairs the power came back on. I’m guessing it was off for a little more than an hour.

Once the power restored we tuned the TV to the Saturday night college football game between WVU and LSU. LSU was well ahead. Jacob peeled off to bed around 10pm while Bella, Mindy and I remained up and downstairs. Mindy’s phone rang sometime around 10pm. I figured it Chrissy checking on Woody. Sure enough, it was, but she wasn’t necessarily calling to check on Woody. Instead, I heard Mindy gasp, and then express sorrow. Uh-oh! Turns out, they took their black lab, Molly, with them to the cabin. While they were out four-wheeling, she had a heart attack and was struggling to breath and walk when they returned. She was 11 years old, which is about the expected life span of a healthy lab. Kenny eventually found a vet that would see her. They could do nothing for her. They agreed to have her euthanized. They were packing up and coming home. Not quite the getaway weekend they had hoped for.

After another half hour or so, Mindy headed for bed. I eventually dosed off from the sofa only to be woken by the pugs, namely Woody going aggressively after TV dogs, something he does all the time at home. Startled me to no end. It must’ve been around 11pm when I headed up to bed with both pugs tailing behind. I stowed them in with Bella, who was happy to host them both. Good night starry sky!

King in a Bottle

It was Friday and once again I was up on time and perhaps even a couple minutes early. I already knew it was raining after hearing the familiar pitter-patter of rain drops slapping against the roof and skylights. It's getting old. I heard the coffee maker kick into gear shortly after I started sit-ups. It wasn't long before both sit-ups and push-ups were done and coffee was ready.

I spent a good 15 minutes on the PC enjoying coffee. I checked the weather forecast. It was currently 55 degrees with rain, but a diminishing chance as the day moved along. I heard the rumble of distant thunder near 6am. I was happy to see that the weekend forecast wasn't as bleak as originally thought. Now there saying partly cloudy with only a slight chance of rain both days. Just a couple days ago it looked like a washout through next Tuesday. Supposed to reach into the 70's, too.

I did meditation then took Mindy coffee. It was about a quarter after 6am. Shared that it was raining again. Downstairs, I did a stretch then dressed for a run. I wore a long sleeved wicking shirt along with my pullover fleece. Happily, out the door the rain was reduced to just an occasional sprinkle. Aided along by the cloud cover, it remained dark through nearly three miles of running.Had it been clear, I'm sure the sky would've brightened around the 2 mile mark.

Our morning routine would be slightly altered due to a reading intervention breakfast that I planned to attend with Bella at her school. It started at 815am so we'd need to leave the house by 8am. That meant I'd have to hustle through breakfast and a shower. So would they. Mindy left at her usual time of 730am. I rushed off to a shower after reminding both kids that they needed to be brushed and ready by the time I got back downstairs.

It felt good to dress in  jeans. I was downstairs and ready by 750am. I hurried through gathering everything I'd need for the day, including logging off and packing up my laptop. We backed out the drive at 757am. The entire time Jacob expressing disdain for having to leave for school early. Said he'd much rather have taken the bus. I gave Chrissy a courtesy call just before we left to let her know that we wouldn't be at the bus stop.

Traffic wasn't a factor. We arrived at the school by 810am. Jacob was still grumbling even as we made our way inside. He insisted we didn't need to, but I still stopped by the office to announce myself and share my reason for being there. Not really sure where the event was being staged, they sent us to Mrs. Sobo's room. Bella lead the way. We ended up walking around the entire school. Should've gone the other direction.

When we arrived at Mrs. Sobo's room but it was dark and locked. I glanced at my Droid. No problem. We were still a couple minutes early. Odd, however, that no other parents or students around, that is  aside from the latch-key kids who were just down the way in the gymnasium playing ball games. We waited patiently outside the door. I had a feeling that we had the date wrong. In fact, I even asked both Bella and Mindy if they were sure it was today. I could've sworn I heard Mindy & Bella mention Thursday when they talked about it a week or so ago.

Jacob, meanwhile, was showing his frustration by uttering unpleasantries aimed towards Bella. I could tell that Bella was feeling bad. I gave her a hug and told her it didn't matter if we had the date wrong. I offered that I would head back to the office and ask more questions. Told them both they could stay or follow. They followed closely behind with Jacob badgering Bella the entire way.

In the office again, I asked if they knew more about the program. Nope. But when I shared that there were supposed to be donuts at this kick-off meeting they had a sudden epiphany. Oh, that. That was yesterday! Jacob and Bella were just outside the office door. I could hear Jacob give Bella an 'I told you so'.

Me and the office staff laughed about it. They said it wouldn't be a problem to leave the kids out in the hallway while I scooted off to work. As it was, they were there about 15-20 minutes earlier than they needed to be. I gave Bella another reassuring hug and said goodbye to both before heading off to work.

I arrived at the office at about the usual time - 835am. As it is almost every Friday, the lot was far less populated than it is Monday through Thursday. And my floor, the 6th, was far less active than it is most other days. Again, a common trend I've noticed. That actually made me happy. Typically translates into a much calmer, easier,  low-key day.

And just as I hoped it might, the morning progressed gracefully. I had one urgent matter that took some time and focus but I didn't mind. That's what I do. Got it under control in a hurry.  Come 1pm I left the building for lunch. I drove to the Wal-Mart just up the road to look at airsoft pistols. I thought I might buy Bella one for her 9th birthday. The kids, girls included, love having airsoft battles out back in the tree house and woods. I found an inexpensive pistol and bought it. I should've picked up another jar of ammo too but didn't. I did get her a pair of safety glasses as well. I looked at some other items too but bought nothing else.

I was gone about 45 minutes, long enough to feel the escape that a lunch break is supposed to afford. The weather, meanwhile, was still gloomy - cloudy and cool. In fact, I wished I had worn the fleece jacket that I left back in my office.

The afternoon was even calmer than the first half my day. I let some David Gilmour whirl while I toiled. I was looking forward to the weekend, but the fact that I was on-call damped my joy to some extent. Aside from one of my peers just around the corner, the place was barren come 330pm. But I kept busy, sticking around until after just 530pm.

Mindy called twice within five minutes around 5pm. The first time to check on my status and then to remind me that Bella was going to a skating event. She also wanted to know if I still planned to stop by ASBCO to pick-up our ski gear before dinner at Barley's. Yes. The second call sounded more desperate. It seems Bella told yet another stupid lie, this time about the results of her walk with Eiknarf. Did she poop and/or pee. Why lie about that? Well, she did and Mindy was pissed. Instead of finding poop in the Kroger bag tossed in the trash, she found only the remains of Bella's apple. Mindy wanted my opinion on what the punishment should be. I only shared that we could decide once I got home. I needed to wrap up my day. I did share that she should be allowed to go to the skating event. In my mind, she'd already had a traumatic day starting with the reading intervention debacle.

Perhaps if Mindy had caught me earlier in the day, I would've put the kibosh on the skating event. We've got to find a way to stop the silly lies. It's a real problem for Bella.

I arrived home at 555pm. The house was unusually quiet. Mindy quickly shared that both kids left with the O'Connell's for the skating event. Jacob apparently decided to go last minute. Because ASBCO closes at 7pm, we didn't waste a lot of time getting ready to leave. While Mindy changed and primped, I got my laptop set-up for a weekend of on-call.

On our way out the door at 615pm, Mindy shared a funny story about neighbor Jake, funny for us, that is. He and his band mates from the middle school were set to march with the Davidson high school band at the night's football game. Only problem was, Jake left his trombone at school. According to Mindy, Kenny was ready to kill him. I could visualize Kenny's frustration. :)

We arrived at ASBCO near 630pm. It took a while for the guy working the counter to organize all of our stuff. He originally found only the paper work for our three pair of skis, but we also wanted to pick-up Jacob's new snowboard package. Eric was there, too, so if it needed vouched for, no problem. We got a big laugh when a little head peeked over the boot bench. It was Avery. The same little girl that was there last Friday when we dropped off our gear. She was in again with her daddy. She and Mindy interacted for a while. She asked of Bella's whereabouts, and then had Mindy try on a few pair of ski sunglasses and stuff. She's very articulate and cute.

While waiting on our gear (must be a ploy) I tried on another ski jacket, and one that actually caught my eye the week before. I avoided trying it on then because of the hefty price tag dangling in my face - $398. Yikes. As things like this often go, this jacket fit perhaps better than any other I've tried on. Even Mindy thought so. And because it was a cool evening, I already had on the fleece jacket I wear under my ski jacket. It fit perfectly.

Aside from a good fit, it comes with a cool marketing gimmick, free lift tickets all over the USA & Canada. Mindy chimed in that if I liked it, she was willing to buy it for me for Xmas. Eric verified that it was 20%, like everything else in the store. One thing is for sure, I'd never buy it for myself. Can't spend that kind of money on a jacket.  I also picked up a thin, light weight ski bag that'll come in handy when I want to throw my skis in the Accord preventing the edges from scuffing up the leather interior. Mindy said she'd get both. Thanks dear! While she settled up, I carried all of our gear to the car.

With an SUV full of pricey ski gear, we made sure to camouflage it with blankets. We headed towards Barley's winding our way through Upper Arlington and south on Tremont. And since we were in the vicinity, I suggested we stop at Gentiles where I could see if they had any Two Brothers Hop Juice in stock, and if not, would they, could they order it. They'll do that for you. Along our drive I asked what the total outlay was for the jacket and ski bag. I guessed near $400, but Mindy said only $300. I had her check the receipt, which she had in her purse. Hmmm? The jacket rang up as $309 and then they took another 20% of that. But the price tag on the jacket clearly said $398. Oh well, I guess the ski gods were smiling on us.

We pulled in Gentiles after taking one wrong turn in the winding Arlington neighborhoods. No biggie. Immediately in the door I noticed White Rajah now available in bottles, and 12 oz variety at that. They were selling singles for $1.99. One of the sales associates advised that they it in six-packs too, but had only one left in the cooler. Until recently, it was only available on tap. I went after it.

At the same time, I asked if they had any Two Brothers. He didn't think they did but offered to take my contact info and he would try and order it. Basically, if one of their distributors sells it, they'll get it. Mindy and I headed back to the cooler where we perused their other IPA's. I grabbed the lone six-pack of White Rajah along with a six-pack of Hop Wallop. Both are fairly pricey but well worth the money. Almost grabbed a four pack of the new Mad Hatter Imperial IPA, but didn't. It was $15.99 for the four. Yikes! That's more per bottle than even Bell's Hop Slam.

Mindy asked if I still planned to have my Barley jug filled with Centennial. Yes, I did. We headed on to Barley's continuing our trek through the Grandview neighborhood. We were fortunate, and got a parking spot second from the door. The lot was otherwise chalked full. Someone most of just recently left. We headed inside. On the patio was a couple peeps that Mindy always stops and chats with. Charlene I believe is one of them. She's a school teacher, too. Said she saw me earlier in the day at Wal-Mart. Wanted to know if that was really me. Yes, it was me! I headed inside to pee while Mindy continued the conversation.

Inside I bellied up next to Steve W., banker Dan, and the twins. Not too many familiars in, though. I ordered a Centennial while Mindy ordered wine. More than happy to stand, I gave Mindy the lone stool currently available. It does my back and shoulders good to stand. Mindy ordered food fairly quickly.  I held off as usual, citing the need to finish my first beer. Again though, I come to Barley's on Friday's to drink beer first and foremost. Eating is always secondary.

Jim B. was there when we got there. Funny, we were just talking about him when we passed Fineline Graphics Printing on Goodale Blvd. Mindy talked with him for a while. Said he was drunk. He headed out the door a bit wobbly a little later. I went in pursuit offering to drive him home. He refused. I wasn't willing to push the issue fearing he could get agitated and aggressive.

I ordered my 2nd beer from the guest draught menu - a Mach 10 Imperial IPA made by Bear Republic. I really like their Mach 5. But honestly, the Mach 10 was nothing special - drinkable but not memorable. I wouldn't order another. After beer #2 I decided I'd better eat. After all, I was getting really hungry. I ordered the 'heart attack on the bun' (Cuban with bacon). When my food arrived I took the stool to Steve's right. Mindy was to his left talking with others. According to Mindy, a guy named Charlie, a tall handsome 30 something, who we see there fairly regularly apparently asked her if he could hit on her.  He's definitely a player.

I eventually ordered my 3rd and final beer, a Centennial - I know, rare for me to keep it to 3. Just before we left for home Grandpa Tom and Steve showed up. Always good to see those two. Little Rick stopped by for a brief chat before he left, too. Left his cell phone as he departed. I took it to him.

I picked up the tab and we left for home around 940pm. We figured the kids would be home from their skating adventure about the same time. Mindy called neighbor Teri shortly after we arrived home. They were on Wilson Rd and almost home.  We planned to hang out with all the neighbors and have another beer.

Mindy & I walked down to Chrissy and Kenny's. They were inside, just the two of them, enjoying their alone time. We chatted for a while before agreeing to walk down to Mike & Teri's where all our kids now were. They had other friends over as well as a fire going. Wanted to know if we had any marshmallows for roasting. Mindy ran home to see if we did. I enjoyed just the one beer being mindful of my desire to wake Saturday morning feeling well. We hung out at the fire for about 30 minutes. We all headed home around 11pm, kids included, despite their wanting to stay and play.

The kids and I had a snack before heading to bed, the chicken tenders we brought home from Barleys.