Blow Dry

Not falling asleep until nearly 2am didn’t bode well for feeling rested come 530am. In addition, the little sleep I got wasn’t as deep and satisfying as I hoped it would be. Still, upon rolling out of bed, I felt much better than I thought I might.

From the master bath window, I could see that the streets were dry and no apparent snowfall as was predicted. After brushing my teeth I headed downstairs to start some coffee. I did another visual of the weather from the deck door. It wasn’t snowing.

I completed both sit-ups and push-ups. Coffee was ready to go by then. I poured a cup then headed to the PC for a little fun & relaxation. Checked the current temperature and forecast. It was 33 degrees. The forecast called for clearing skies and a high not more than 44 degrees, or just about the norm for the last day of November. I read the headlines associated with the big Buckeye win the night before. I didn’t spend too much time on line. I remained disciplined and moved on to meditation at 555am.

It was just after 605am when I delivered Mindy’s coffee. I wasn’t sure if she was staying home with Bella or not. Said she was but would be getting up around 7am to see that Jacob was up and ready. I headed back downstairs to stretch and then run.

Stretching went well. Near freezing, I opted to wear a thicker wicking shirt as well as a toboggan. I headed off on my run just ahead of 630am. I ran the full 4.1 miles spending most of those minutes considering my options relative to Lindsey’s car. I’d really like to move beyond these issues. I want to be a father of a mature child, helping out with the occasional problem or offering advice from time to time, but not an everyday problem solver.

The run was over quickly. Mindy was up and busy in the kitchen making breakfast. I stepped inside and asked for help corralling the pug. She had to carry her down the stairs. How pathetic is that? There were far more people out milling about than usual, and each drew the ire of Eiknarf. I had to give here leash a yank several times after she barked aggressively at anything that moved. Through it all, she finally took care of her business.

By the time we made our return, my breakfast was prepared and waiting. I poured some juice then enjoyed my eggs. Mindy fried an egg for Eiknarf too. But there was already one in the fridge from the day before. I fed her that one then put the new one in the fridge for Thursday. Jacob was up but already back in his room. Bella was still sleeping and staying home from school with Mindy.

I headed up for a shower just after 730am. I was ready quickly and back downstairs by 755am. Mindy was sitting at her computer and shared that Lindsey sent a text asking what she should do with all of her Wednesday scheduled appointments. Mindy and I both agreed that she should address the more pressing matter, which was squaring away her status with the county/city relative to food stamps. Now that she’s working they need to meet with her to reassess her needs. And as I understand it, if she doesn’t meet with them soon they’ll cut her off entirely. With my stomach still in a knot over Lindsey’s car quandary, I shared some of my recent thoughts on the matter seeking her input.  I also asked Mindy if she would see that Lindsey’s rent got paid sometime during the day. Mindy agreed to deliver the check. Of course, using the funds that we’re managing for Lindsey.

Time sort of got away from me as Mindy & I chatted about the car issue. Told her to mull over the options then enlighten me later with her thoughts. She reminded me that we bought the car in the price range we did seeing it as a temporary fix – not necessarily a long term solution. Good point. Jacob headed out to the bus stop by himself. He’s big enough, mature enough.  I have little worry with him being out there by himself. I still headed out at 815am to make sure he got on. When I headed out the bus had already picked him up and was out of sight.

I headed off to work at 817am. This was a customer site day, and I decided to take the safe route around I-270. It was an easy, fast drive around the northern loop. I arrived earlier than I have in the past several weeks. I was inside the building before 845am. Just walking down the steps from the cafeteria was someone that resembled neighbor Pat’s son, Max, though as luck would have it, I was having a blurry vision day - which I assumed from so little sleep -  so I wasn’t too sure. It was Max. We chatted briefly, me inquiring what he was doing there. Last I knew he was working at Chase. He shared that he’s now there on contract doing IT support. Excellent. He reports up through the same larger department that I support. I wished him well as we both headed to our respective offices.

The team that I support was incredibly busy with internal meetings and needed to cancel our weekly call. Not a problem. Things were quieter than normal from that point forward. As a result, I was able to complete a number of proactive to-dos. I figured to be formally presenting the October monthly results sometime during the day. Our regular meeting was set for TG day. Obviously that got canceled. They wanted to play it by ear. Said they’d come look for me later in the afternoon if that worked for me. It did. I was fine with that.

 I wanted to head to the Easton Target at lunch, but didn’t want to leave until I knew more about our potential meeting time. But 1pm came and went. I gave them until 125pm and then decided to head out. I was really hungry, too, but figured I’d eat once I got back. The Target is just down the road. It hadn’t occurred to me until earlier that AM that this is the same Target that Mary Ann works at. I thought I might pop in and say hello while picking up the new blow dryer we needed. Our existing blow dryer is falling apart. I thought I might pick-up one for Jacob, too, since he’s showering in the morning’s now and can’t be going outside with a wet head.

Target was far less crowded than it was last Friday. I fully expected a smaller crowd, but they weren’t busy at all. I perused their blow dryer selection quickly finding a low budget model perfect for Jacob. Picking a new one for Mindy & I was a bit trickier. I eventually settled for one that had all the attributes of our old model plus a retractable cord. Oh, and it was black. Perfect! The blow dryers are located just an aisle away from the actual pharmacy. I walked over to visit Mary Ann. To my surprise, the roll-up door was pulled down and a sign posted that they were at lunch from 130-2pm. OK. So much for that. I checked my phone. It was 140pm. I headed to the candy aisle to restock my chewing gum supply, both for home and work. That took just a couple minutes. Not needing anything else, I meandered across the back of the store passing electronic and toys finally cutting up to the front to pay for the few items in my clutches.

I was directed to an unoccupied checkout line by a young store associate. Processed me out of there quickly. Handed me an $8 off coupon good thru mid December with any $80 purchase. Good bet we’ll use that. A Christmas shopping season hasn’t gone by yet without us dropping $500-$1000 at Target. I headed back to work, but not before giving Mindy a call. She shared that she’d already stopped in and paid Lindsey’s rent. Said the day was going just fine. Bella seemed to be doing OK, but doing little more than just laying around. I arrived back at the office near 2pm. I went immediately to the fridge for my packed lunch and then headed to my cubical. Mindy packed me a salad of sorts, but one I could easily eat with my fingers – baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, & sliced tomatoes. It was good. One of the managers stopped in and asked me to stop by when finished so we could review the October numbers. I asked for 15-20 minutes.

Just after 230pm he and I headed to the directors office where the three of us did an informal review of my October PowerPoint. They were pleased with the results, but suggested a couple more tweaks to enhance its effectiveness. I was more than OK with the suggestions and agreed to make them for November’s results. One request was simply getting them the results before the 15^th of the following month. Made total since to me. I shared that only reason I did it during the last week of the month was because that was how it was done before my arrival.

The rest of the afternoon moved swiftly. No real urgent matters to deal with. To that end, I was able to get out of the office even before 5pm. I think it was 450pm when I headed for the door. I didn’t mention it earlier, but it was sunny and a Wednesday, which has been extremely rare since mid summer when I started this new gig. Not lost on me, I made sure to thank the universe. The drive home was pleasant and the sun set stunning. The drive west on I-270 provides breath taking views of the sunset this time of year. I called Mindy as I neared the

Roberts Rd

exit. Bella answered.  I asked how her ‘hooky’ day went. She simply handed the phone to Mindy, apparently not pleased with my question. Mindy reminded me that we were having roast beef for dinner. Said Lindsey stopped by to tap into her emergency fund to get Rocky new school shoes. I was home by 515pm.

I walked over to the bridge to check the dredging progress. Not a whole lot. Looks like they removed a lot of the old dredging pile and spread some more of the boulders, but that’s it. Still looks like a lot of work to be done. But then again, not sure where they plan to draw the line.

Mindy pointed out that she and Bella decorated the Xmas tree during that afternoon. Looks nice for a family tree. Missing, were most, if not all, of Jacob’s ornaments. She wanted to let him put ‘em on. He planned to do it after dinner.

Because Bella stayed home ill, she wouldn’t be going to gymnastics practice. She wasn’t permitted to play with friends either. Made sense to me.  Dinner was delicious. I had a helping and a half of beef. Only one of mashed potatoes and corn. Mindy planned to use the leftovers for beef & noodles on Thursday. Said my dad would be joining us after seeing the kids off the school bus. During dinner clean-up, Jacob put his ornaments on the Xmas tree.

Mindy talked about taking Jacob to Kohl’s for new shoes and a new winter jacket. I’m thinking it was around 630pm when they left. While they were gone, I edited then published blog entries for Monday & Tuesday all the while Bella played on her laptop. It was closing in on 7pm when I finished and plopped down on the sofa for a nap while enjoying some Xmas music streaming over the CATV. I fell asleep easily.  I woke briefly when Mindy & Jacob got back, but quickly drifted right back to sleep.  I woke again around 745pm to a knocking, pounding sound coming from the basement. All three of them were down there. Mindy said it was Jacob on the elliptical machine. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Tired and bothered by the noise, I quietly slipped off to our bedroom where I closed the door and turned on the TV watching back to back episodes of Family Guy. I fell asleep during the 2nd episode and didn’t wake again. Good night moon. Here’s to a good night’s sleep!

The Goat Resurfaces

I didn’t sleep too well. Again, lots of tossing and turning. No doubt this car thing has become my goat and causing me almost constant angst. My best sleep was probably the last hour. I was up and out of bed just ahead of 530am.

Outside, it was still raining. But I expected it to be, so it didn’t influence my mood in any way. Coffee already brewing, I whipped out 50 sit-ups. Coffee was ready when I was ready. Perfect!

Spent about 15 minutes online, including following up on the MNF results. New Orleans whipped the Giants. Weather was next. It was 53 degrees with rain expected to carry on through Wednesday, but with dropping temperatures and possibly even some snow over night. Checking the live radar, I noticed that we were under one of those spiraling storms that keeps coming around to hit us again and again. With December practically upon us, everybody in our house is praying for cold & snow. We’re ready to ski.

I played around online until 555am when I headed in to meditate for ten minutes. That went just OK. However, I recognize without it, I would’ve been overtly stressed.

I woke Mindy with coffee in hand around 605am. I returned to the family room to stretch. That went well. Ever since doing the scheduled Ibuprofen for a couple days last week, my shoulders have been much better. I dressed for a run next, and once again added hand coverage due to the chilly rain. I headed out near 622am. I ran the usual 4.1 miles and remained comfortable throughout. I could tell I was out earlier than the norm based on where I intersected a couple school buses and then another regular morning runner.

At the house, Mindy still wasn’t downstairs to prep breakfast. I asked for help with getting the dog leashed up. I was too wet to walk on the carpet. However, I did go for the leash across the tile flooring. Eiknarf and I walked our usual route to the west. One of the dredgers pulled up in his truck along side their heavy equipment as we passed. Looks like they’ll be back at it after taking Thurs – Monday off.

I didn’t specify how I preferred my eggs, but was hoping Mindy might make them omelet style again. She didn’t. They were fried. I was OK with that. I also noticed that she fried one for the dog too. Bella and Jacob both had warmed Krispy Kreme donuts. Mindy headed off to school around 730am. Before heading off the shower I received a text from Lindsey saying that the car was worse than the night before and now she was having trouble getting it to start. Can I scream? She followed that text with another asking that I please listen to her. I headed to the shower with her latest car dilemma in my crawl. As she also suggested, I took my phone with me just in case she called broken down. Can I scream?

I was showered and ready by 751am. I told the kids that we’d be doing the garage thing again. Outside, there was heavy sideways drizzle. It didn’t look at all pleasant. We waited in the garage for an extended period. 815am came and went. She didn’t show up until 821am. The kids ran to the bus while Eiknarf and I watched from the cover of the garage. I left for work minutes later.  I didn’t bother taking my umbrella. The rain seemed to get more intense through my short commute. Thankfully, though, it let up again when I pulled up in the lot and headed in to the building.

After getting situated, I spent a couple hours on another of the 12 online courses. Mindy called around 1130am to chat. She asked if I’d heard from Lindsey. Oh yeah! Shared the latest. We chatted for about 5 minutes. I wasn’t even five minutes later when she called back to tell me that Bella’s school called stating that she was ill, throwing up, and needed to go home. Mindy asked if I could leave work and get her. Yes. I sent my boss a note telling him that I would be finishing my work day from home then packed up and left.

Arrived at Bella’s school about 15-20 minutes after receiving Mindy’s call. It’s not far from work at all. They recognized me in the office without introduction and went for Bella while I signed her out. Bella didn’t look ill to me. On the way to the car she explained that she told her teacher that she threw up. Said she didn’t feel that well. OK. Let’s go home.

It was still raining as we made our way home. The same dredging guy was still sitting in his pick-up truck at the work site. No one else was there. To my eyes, he’d been there sitting since 7am. Not sure why. None of the dirt, rocks, or equipment had been touched.

Who knows?

Bella took to the sofa and TV while I logged onto my laptop from home. Again, she wasn’t acting like she was ill. I quizzed her about it again. Said she didn’t feel that great. I suggested that she lie down on the sofa instead of rolling around the floor playing with the pug. I headed in and got busy with work despite my boss sending me a note to refer any issues to his attention. As luck would have it, I worked hard for the rest of the afternoon. Got involved in all sorts of issues.

Checked on Bella several times. She fixed herself lunch at one point – a nacho cheese Lunchable.  I snacked on cut cheese and a slice or two of lunch meat. Not much else. I resisted all the junk food in our pantry. Took another break around 3pm and spent it looking for Bella’s DS again. Still no joy. 

At some point she asked if she could play around on the internet. Yep. A little later when I went to check on her she told me she was searching Google for my blog. Another time I saw her looking at IPads, something she seems to want pretty badly.

The rain continued all afternoon. Just before Jacob got home, Eiknarf scratched at the door. I insisted she take her out. After all, she was showing no ill effects bopping around the house. She complied with my request, but I had to ask her twice to walk the opposite direction of Emily and Evan who were out walking their Jack Russells.

Mindy called during her drive home sharing news of niece Lindy’s thyroid surgery. As I understood it, they were all but certain that the abnormal growth detected wasn’t going to be cancerous, but after removing part of it for a biopsy, they determined that it was in fact cancerous, so they went back in and remove the entire thyroid. Thankfully, the prognosis for a full recovery is good and with no reoccurrences. We’ll pray for the best of all possible outcomes. Mindy planned on running up to see her later. She asked that I stay home with Bella. She called back a few minutes later asking if I remembered to have the school office notify Jacob that he didn’t need to go to Noah’s. Nope. I Forgot. Mindy headed there to get him.

They got home around 430pm. Mindy wasn’t home but about 15 minutes before leaving again for the hospital. I kept busy working until 530pm and beyond. In fact, I tend to work more from home since I leave my laptop up and running the entire time. I reengaged several times throughout the evening. Mindy called on her way home from the hospital, which I’m guessing was around 645pm. She asked if I wanted her to pick-up anything.  I assumed she meant for dinner. Nope. I shared that I’d simply eat leftovers of some sort. Besides, while she was away, I snacked on pita chips. I wasn’t really hungry. Before Mindy arrived home, I read about papillary thyroid cancer. The survival rate is in the 90+% range, which is about as good as it gets. That’s reassuring.

When Mindy got home I joked that I wanted to be able to say that I had to eat leftovers for three straight days. Not sure what she made for herself and Jacob. I didn’t eat anything. I got sleepy around 730-8pm and took to the sofa watching back to back episodes of The Universe. Good stuff. The Buckeyes were playing Duke but not until 930pm. The game was being dubbed as the biggest game ever played in the Schott. As it was, I didn’t know if I’d be watching any of it.

I fell asleep watching the Science Channel. I didn’t wake up until right around 930pm about the same time that Mindy headed off to bed. Prior to heading to bed, Mindy prepared sub plans for her classroom after deciding it best to stay home Wednesday with Bella. The kids already in their bedrooms, Jacob was set to watch the Buckeye game on his own TV. Mindy said he had to turn the game off at 945pm, however.

I popped some popcorn and cracked open a can of Diet Coke with Splenda. Ahhh! Bella joined me briefly after getting a whiff. Said she got the OK from her mom. She didn’t stay downstairs for long, however, and insisted I head up and formally tuck her in. I obliged. I kept the TV tuned to the science channel programming even while the game whirled upstairs. Jacob gave me an early update from the railing. The Buckeyes were up early 11-0. I assured him that Duke would come storming back.

Now wide awake, I opted to go ahead and tune into the game from downstairs. When I joined, we still had the lead but by the slimmest of margins – just one point. It didn’t stay close for long, though. The Buckeyes pulled away again going on a tear where they couldn’t miss anything they put up. In that same span of time, Duke missed everything, including even the rim. Very uncharacteristic of them. They trailed by 19 at the half.

During halftime, I headed to my PC where I explored different price points of newer used cars. I even looked at the low end new models from Honda, Nissan, Ford, and Toyota. I am very frustrated with this Hyundai thing, but still unsure how we’ll ultimately proceed. I need to weigh all the options, including disconnecting myself from it entirely. Hey, I can only add that it is an option, though perhaps not a good one.

I heard the game resume but didn’t rejoin until there was about 9 minutes remaining. And even then, after seeing the Buckeyes were still up by 20 points, I didn’t stay affixed to the TV. Instead, I continued investigating the prices of late model used cars as opposed to new ones. Scary thought, I know. Still …

I rejoined the Buckeye game for the final few minutes. By then the outcome was no longer in doubt. The Buckeyes beat Duke easily and by 22 points. Don’t think anybody saw that coming – maybe the other way. Nice job Bucks!

It was 1130pm. I secured the home then headed for bed. Unfortunately, I wasn’t tired and couldn’t fall asleep. I tried, though, for about half and hour or more. Finally, some time after midnight, I got up and headed back downstairs to my computer where I did some writing in my blog. If that didn’t make me sleepy nothing would. I remember glancing at the clock and seeing that it was 137am. Oh dear. I still wasn’t that tired but decided I needed to give it another try anyway or else I’d pay dearly come 530am. I’m thinking I fell asleep around 2am.

Tranny Troubles at the Taco Bar

I woke around 520am after a night filled with lots of tossing and turning and little to no deep sleep. At that very moment, anyway, I didn't feel sleep deprived. Brushed my teeth then headed downstairs where I prepped some coffee after failing to do so the night before. I glanced out back seeing nothing but clouds and rain. I wasn't surprised. It rained most of the day Sunday and was forecasted to continue for the next few days.

Over the course of the next 10 minutes, I completed sit-ups and push-ups. I had to wait a minute or two for the coffee to finish brewing before taking a fresh cup to the PC where I checked the temperature and reviewed the over night headlines. I walked away from the computer around 550am to meditate. That went just so-so.

Near 605am I delivered coffee to Mindy's bedside. She shared that she hadn't slept well. I acknowledged her misfortune then shared that I hadn't either. I headed back downstairs to stretch and ultimately run.

The stretching felt terrific, but then again, when doesn't it? I double checked the temperature. It was 50 some degrees. I wore a thin long-sleeved wicking shirt & pullover fleece along with hand covers due to the rain. It wasn't a soaking rain, though. Instead, it was more a drizzly type rain - tiny drops but steady.

I ran the 4.1 miles easily feeling much more comfortable than I did on Sunday when I was beset with stiffness. Back at home around 7am, Mindy had apparently just gotten downstairs after her ready. From the home's entrance, I asked for the dog opting not to walk through the house with my wet attire. Mindy lovingly brought me the pug. I asked if she would be so kind to make my eggs omelet style but plain. She willingly agreed.

Eiknarf was quick to take care of business. We were back inside by 710am. Mindy had my eggs all but ready. I took control, flipping it over and then cutting it into two sections since she used three eggs. I took about 2/3s and left the rest in the pan. Bella stared at my egg still unsure what she wanted for breakfast. I asked if she wanted some eggs. She did. Mindy cut her a small section from what remained. She ended up pretty much wasting it, and then later made a Pop Tart.

Mindy left ahead of 730am, still not quite used to her old routine after leaving early the two weeks prior to take the boys to school. I put the finishing touches on my lunch (fruit & cheese) then headed up for a shower after reminding Bella to address teeth and hair.

I was quick with the ready and back downstairs by 750am. Once again, I got a call from Lindsey stressed out about her car. Said it was still acting up and she was damn near in tears. I told her to drive it to work. She went on and on about what she might do if it breaks down. If nothing else, her call got my blood flowing. Because it was raining, I declared it a wait in the garage morning. Both kids concurred. We waited patiently in the garage until the bus came barreling down the road surprisingly on time - about 815am.

After the kids were on the bus I did some last minute prep, including running the dishwasher, then headed off to work. Saw that gas was under $3 a gallon at Thornton's for the first time in over a year. That was a welcome sign. Arrived at work at 830 something, as early as I've arrived in a few weeks. It was 850am by the time I was logged onto my PC, had my lunch stowed, and fresh ice water in my pitcher.

Lindsey called at some point to let me know she took her car to Auto Zone and had then scan for problem codes. Said there were 4 and all related to the transmission. The gentleman who checked it told her that her transmission fluid level was extremely high. Said she should have some drained out. Not sure how that happened, but I had my ideas. Said it might cure the trouble but obviously couldn't guarantee it. Told her it was OK to drive, too. She asked if I would arrange for it to be looked at this week. All I committed to was perhaps.

After a quick scan of my email, I decided it a good day to start on a long series of required online technical training courses complete with exams at the end. My boss stopped by to chat about a problem he and I worked on over the holiday weekend. He didn't visit long. While thinking about it, I submitted an informal time off request for the week of our Oregon ski trip. He approved it quickly. I'm all but certain I'll be on-call on one end of the week. I'll need to trade out of that if possible.

I continued with the online training for a better part of the day. And aside from a few brief bathroom breaks, I stopped only a couple of times, once to join a recurring conference call and then to eat my lunch and chat with a peer.

My day went smoothly. I knocked out 3.5 of the 12 or so training modules I need to have completed by Jan 31st. Left for home close to 530pm. Mindy went grocery shopping after school then picked up the boys from after school care at Magdalene. Jacob and Bella were at Dena's. We'd be having leftovers for dinner - taco bar & Olive Garden. I was OK with that.

Arrived home just ahead of 6pm. Our dinner options were spread out across the island. Bella was quick to tell me that Rocky hurt his hand on a nail protruding from one of the kids wooden chairs in the basement. At first, Mindy thought he might need stitches but later determined that not to be the case. Just a band-aid. He wore the band-aid with honor. :) I opted for a burrito. It was good but also very filling. It was a gymnastics night for Bella. Mindy asked if  I was willing to take and pick-up. I agreed to do both. That made Mindy happy, who shared just how tired she was after a poor night of sleep.

After dinner clean-up, it wasn't long before it was time to shove off with Bella. We left near 650pm. I was back at home by 710pm. Mindy and I chatted mostly about our options relative to Lindsey's damn car. I called Westway body shop earlier that same day. They were more than agreeable to fixing the broken door handle. I also called Jiffy Lube to ask about a flush and fill of the transmission. Said it would be $99 coupled with a $38 oil change. I figured that a smart first option before taking it in to a repair shop, which  I can almost guarantee will result in a new or rebuilt transmission. I'm also convinced that the prior owner, Tom I. was keenly aware of these issues with the Hyundai. Lots of pieces are falling into place.

Lindsey showed up around 740pm to fetch the boys. She was once again all worked up and completely out of breath and wheezing. Honestly, just hearing it gets me angry and makes my chest hurt. I asked why she was so out of breath. She said it was because she ran up to the house in the rain. She has asthma and relies heavily on an inhaler. Dealing with asthma one thing, but the fact that she smokes drives me crazy.  Just another one of those self inflicted wounds.

She asked if I would see that it gets in the shop on Wednesday. Hold up! I shared the options I previously discussed with Mindy. I went on to share them with Lindsey. There are two issues. the broken door handle and then the far more harrowing transmission problem. I explained that she could take the car into Westway body shop on Wednesday – already made her an appointment – and have the door handle looked at. I then shared that she could take the car to Jiffy Lube, who would do a flush and fill and change the oil as a first step in addressing any transmission issues. However, the more we discussed the problem of having too much fluid, the sillier it sounded to pay someone to change the fluid when all we really want to accomplish is removing some of the fluid. I shared that I have the tool to suck it out through the dip stick, the same way Jiffy Lube said that they’d do it. I offered to do it right then as long as Mindy agreed to go after Bella. She did. Once Mindy pulled away, I pulled Lindsey’s car into the garage.

I located the same tool I used to inject transmission fluid into the Trooper. I had to reverse the hoses for a withdrawal rather than inject, but that wasn’t a problem at all. Actually, it works better that way anyhow. I slid the slender hose into the dip stick tube as far as it would go and carefully placed the larger, shorter hose into an oil pan and pulled the pump several times to start the flow of fluid. It went quick. Had about a pint out in a jiffy. Not quite sure how much to remove, I pulled it out and started the car and rechecked the fluid as defined in the manual. Still a bit too much. And I learned last spring that too much can be as bad or worse than not enough. In fact, I was told that running a little low is a far better option that over filling. I proceeded to pull out more until I had roughly a quart in the pan.

I waited for Mindy to get home to check it properly, which requires a hot engine and placing the car in neutral. I didn’t want to chance placing it in neutral without another person there in the car just in case. God forbid it jump into gear then smash into our cars. Then we’d really have a problem.

Mindy took longer fetching Bella than I hoped, but she finally returned and helped me out. Seems I pulled out a tad too much, but just to the bottom of the full zone. I decided to leave it as is and take it for a drive. As it has every other time, it performed as expected. No burnt rubber smells and no erratic shifting. It was dark and pouring rain, plus a cop had a car pulled over along Trabue.  I couldn’t drive it as hard as I would’ve liked. Still, I was satisfied with the performance, though the check engine light remained on.

Back home I shared the results with Mindy & Lindsey. Lindsey was ready to head home and still asked when we might take it in to be looked at. Confused, I asked for what. She also asked for gas money from her savings. Mindy gave her $20 but also told her to go buy some fuel treatment first. Mindy wasn’t too pleased with me when I shared that I didn’t want her buying fuel treatment at Circle K.

On a positive note, Lindsey shared that ever since I pulled the door panel off on Sunday,  the power door locks have been working – the driver’s door handle still inoperable, however. She and the boys headed for home.

It was almost 9pm. I tuned into MNF while Mindy and the kids headed off to bed. Tired myself, I watched very little of the game and headed for bed around 940pm.

Tossing & Turning

I was up around 745am after waking a time or two earlier. Right away I could see that it was raining gazing out the masterbath window. Gone was the lovely spring-like weather we enjoyed most of Wednesday through Saturday. I started a pot of coffee then took to the internet, first checking the outcome of the Stanford/Notre Dame. Stanford won. Never trailed. Checked weather next. It was 52 degrees with light but steady rain. Wasn’t expected to let up for the next few days, either. Though, they’re saying it will change to snow come Tuesday or Wednesday.

Enjoyed coffee until almost 930am. I casually dressed for a run and left around 940am. It was raining steadily and despite the warmer than normal temps, the rain made it feel much cooler.  I ran the usual 3 miles dealing with stiff leg muscles for the run’s entirety. Once again, I’m guessing myself slightly dehydrated, a combination of drinking beer four nights in a row and a lot less water consumption than normal. Last time it happened it was during my October vacation. (vacation/extended time off = more beer + less water = dehydration).

I was back at home just after 10am and quickly topped off my coffee cup then returned to my PC. Mindy was up shortly thereafter. It was nice having a quiet morning. She started some laundry and worked on a grocery list. I decided I’d better cook the rest of the sauerkraut ball ingredients I had setting in the fridge even though I didn’t plan to deep fry them right then. Mindy gave me a look since we already had a fridge full of leftovers from Saturday’s taco bar.

Lindsey and the boys would be coming over around 1pm to do laundry, and then sticking around through dinner. Before then, I planned to make a quick trip to Wal-Mart to get a new inner tube to fix the flat tire on Jacob's bike. However, I finished frying the sauerkraut ball concoction first.

Once the sauerkraut ball mixture was cooked and stowed in a bowl, I quickly readied for a trip to Wal-Mart. I didn’t bother with a shower choosing instead to stay in my running clothes. Also, I was running low on gas in the Accord, so I planned a fill-up along the way. Had to be nearing noon when I left for gas & Wal-Mart.

My fuel light on, I stopped for gas at DM Mart first. It took 16 gallons at $3.03 per. Last tank netted me only 21 mpg. On to Wal-Mart. I expected a bigger crowd, this the biggest shopping weekend of the year. I found an inner tube for $4.96 in a hurry. Mindy asked that I pick-up some chocolate milk too. I headed over to the grocery department next.  I was surprised that it was so expensive, almost $4 per gallon. I was able to walk up and checkout at the 10 items or less aisle. Cool! Somebody pinch me!

I headed home where I quickly handed the chocolate milk to Mindy then went back to the garage to fix Jacob’s bike tire with out passing ‘Go”. It was as easy as I remember it being when I was a kid. Had the new inner tube in and the tire remounted and inflated in less than 5-10 minutes.  Can’t recall if I got a shower before or after Lindsey and the boys arrived. Thinking it was just before.

At any rate, once they were there I wasted little time having Mindy move the Pilot to the curb so I could pull Lindsey’s Hyundai into the garage where I proceeded to tear off the driver’s side interior door panel. Having been to this rodeo with my Trooper at least ten times, I felt fairly confident with what I was doing. Knew where to look for all the hidden screws. Went well until I got to the removal of the inside door handle. The Trooper’s door handle came off with a simple twist. The Hyundai left me dumbfounded. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure it out. Plan ‘B’ called for me to try squeezing my hand in between the half removed door panel and the frame. I could feel the handle but couldn’t see or feel what might be broken or loose.

Mindy came out to check on me and offered to lend a hand. She held the door panel back and even tried reaching in with her smaller arm. Still no joy.  She offered to Google the car looking for help/instruction on its removal. Good idea dear! She returned a few minutes later with a plan to pivot the door panel 90 degrees at the door handle.

 The last thing I wanted was to snap something off making it worse. She later said those instructions were for a 2002 anyway. I must’ve fiddled with it for another 30 minutes before giving up and putting it all back together. I suggested we contact Westway body shop, where Mindy had the Pilot dent fixed, to see if they might do that type of work. Mindy thought that a good idea too. We plan to avoid Hatfield moving forward if we can help it.

The door went back together easy enough. Soon I was inside washing up and enjoying some of the Browns/Bengals game. Snacked throughout the afternoon while watching football. The Vikings, I saw, were getting beat by the Falcons. Becoming commonplace. Jimaken brought the kids home around 3pm. He hung out long enough to play some with Landon.

For dinner, Mindy reheated leftovers from our Saturday taco bar. And once again we had a house full of kids. Not only did we have ours, we had Rocky, Landon, Evan, Emily, Makayla, & Lillian. Chrissy stopped over too. Kenny was off hunting. Left around 9am and wouldn't be home until Tuesday.

Mindy, Bella and I spent a lot of time late afternoon and early evening searching the house for Bella's DS. It wasn't to be found anywhere. We even called Jimaken asking him to check his car and condo. Called back and said it wasn't in his car.

Lindsey finished up her laundry around 6pm and then left for home around 630pm. She wasn't gone but about 45 minutes when my phone rang. Yep, you guessed it. More car troubles. Said the check engine light was on again and the transmission wasn't shifting. She was in a total panic. Hard to listen to and talk with. I wanted to scream and was feeling sorry that I ever bought that piece of shit car. I told her to drive her car home.

She proceeded to text Mindy two or three times about the car, I guess hoping for a more favorable response. Mindy simply told her to drive home, put the kids to bed, and see how it was in the morning.

We tuned into SNF around 8pm, Steelers and the Chiefs. I wasn't that interested in the result, but it was fun to watch. Lots of penalties and big plays. Pittsburgh was ahead for most of the first half. Bella called her mawmaw around 830pm asking if she might've left her DS there. No such luck. The truth is, she has no idea where she deserted it. I helped her tear her room apart just to be sure. I searched in the Pilot too. Still no joy.

Mindy and the kids headed for bed around 940pm. I tucked Bella in then returned to the downstairs to watch the rest of the 1st half of football. I was starting to dose and headed up to bed at10pm. Mindy was reading or doing a puzzle. I put the game on and used it as a sleep aid. I fell asleep right away. Unfortunately, the sleep didn't stick. For some reason, I woke about 10-15 minutes later and was wide awake. And once my mind got to whirling, there was no stopping it. Dang it! After tossing and turning for about ten minutes, I popped up and headed downstairs where I watched the conclusion of the Steelers/Chiefs game. Steelers won, but not before the Chiefs made a game of it.

Before heading to bed, I spent another 10 minutes or so online. I headed back to bed around 1230am.

See you at the Taco Bar

After a late night Friday, I didn’t get out of bed Saturday morning until 745am. I could easily have slept a while longer but needed to be up in time to greet the boys. And besides, I didn’t want to let a lovely morning slip away from me either. I slipped out of the room with Mindy and Eiknarf still sleeping soundly.

It was a sunny start and expected to remain that way through most of the day. I started coffee then played on the internet. Coffee was ready in short order. Lindsey dropped the boys around 805am. Reminded me that she would be back just after 530pm.

The kids wanted to play Wii right out of the shoot. I agreed as long as they could keep the noise to a near whisper. I got it all set up then returned to the PC. I had to remind them to keep the noise down a couple times, and even threatened to turn it off if they couldn’t control their volume. I’m thinking it was near 9am when Mindy joined us downstairs.

It was near 930am when I dressed and left for a run. It was gorgeous, sunny and 50 degrees. Like most Saturday’s, I ran just three miles. During my run I deemed this the day to put up Xmas lights. It was expected to reach near 60 degrees under sunny skies. And as soon as Sunday, the weather was expected to turn ugly (rainy and cool).

I wasn’t home 5 minutes before I headed out to the garage to start on the lights. I wanted to be done before the OSU/Michigan game began at noon. Landon asked if he could help Sure. Why not? The first thing I did was wrap the new cool white LEDs around the wreath then mounted it to the face of the garage above the door and around the faux vent.

I set-up my heavy fiberglass extension ladder next to the aluminum extension ladder. It has a much higher reach. I then stretched out the two new sets of multi-colored C9 LEDs that I planned to install along the garage roof line. I took my time going up and down the ladder so to avoid an accident. Neighbor Carl stopped over to chat about the dredging work and his disappointment with the results. I shared that it may not be perfect, but aesthetically speaking, it looks so much better.  

Landon hung with me while I strung the lights along the garage roof. Next, I mounted the roof to do the gutter line and center gable with the 3 existing sets of C9 LEDs. By then, Landon bored of watching me. He and Rocky decided to skate board and rip stick. I headed up on the roof from the back deck taking the clips and light sets in an old shopping bag. I installed all the gutter clips first then started stringing the lights. The older I get the stupider the idea of crawling out to the edge of the roof seems. Gives my tummy the willies. I am very, very careful. Mindy left for Giant Eagle leaving the two boys out front playing on the skate boards.

Took another 20 minutes or so to get the lights strung across the upper tier. Now 1130am, I still needed to get power to the light set at the west end of the house. But having done this a time or two, I had a proven plan. I tie wrapped the remaining length of lights along the downspout to an extension cord I tie wrapped up its backside.

The final step was plugging the lights in to the dusk/dawn timer. They all worked. Yeah! Before heading inside I put red and green CFLs in three of the four coach light fixtures. Our post light fixture is now completely shot. Needs replaced.

My timing was impeccable. The OSU/Michigan game was just getting underway when I headed back inside with the boys. I needed a shower but planned to wait until Mindy was home and maybe even halftime. The Buckeyes took the opening kick-off and scored in a hurry with a long TD pass. Just like that, OSU was ahead 7-0. Michigan came storming back with a touchdown of their own and then a safety and a 2nd touchdown. Just like that the bad guys were ahead 16-7. By then, Mindy was home from Giant Eagle and busy whipping up all the fixins’ for our TG taco bar.

The Buckeyes showed more offense in the 2^nd quarter than perhaps they had all season long. They lead at halftime 24-23. I headed up for a shower. Jimaken brought Jacob and Bella home for the family taco event. Mindy agreed to take them back later that evening.

Michigan got the ball to start the 2^nd half and scored a touchdown regaining the lead. The Buckeyes trailed for the remainder of the game but kept it close and even had a chance to win it on the games final drive. But Braxton Miller over threw a wide opened receiver by about 3 feet with less than a minute to go. Like most, I took the loss to Michigan in stride. If we had to lose one, this was the year, when everything else is going bad for the program. We hadn’t lost to them since 2003. I remember that loss, too. I was on a plane to Portland flying in through Dallas. Didn’t learn our fate until I landed in Oregon.

As suggested, family guests began to arrive around 3pm. Dad, Tommy and Wally arrived about the same time. And then Ashley and Olivia weren’t far behind. I invited my mom, too, but she wasn’t coming. Her recent knee replacement reportedly causing her too much discomfort. Shelly dropped Kaileigh off around 320pm. Mindy offered Siena the opportunity to stay and play too, but she opted to go with her mommy. Shelly said Courtney would be picking up Kaileigh around 630pm when she got off work. Hmmm?

Mindy laid out a heap of snacks while the tacos and tortilla soup continued to simmer in crock-pots. We planned to eat around 4pm. All the neighbor kids were over so we invited them to eat with us. Chrissy & Kenny opted to forego dining with us and instead planned to eat their Olive Garden leftovers.

I cracked a beer somewhere close to 4pm. I opted for the CBC barley wine. Went down easy. Dinner was served just after 4pm. Mindy made sure all the kids were served first. Because the weather was so nice, most of the kids ate from the deck. In fact, they played outback for most of the afternoon coat-free.

Finished dinner and clean-up around 515pm. Mindy suggested we play the lottery game. She picked up $15 worth of lottery scratch-off tickets while at Giant Eagle earlier in the day. We used my Droid as the timer. Worked well. I took the first of the fifteen tickets by rolling doubles just as time expired. More than once during the first five tickets, Ashley lost the lottery ticket on the last roll of the dice just as the timer expired. We felt bad and tried giving it to her anyway. She wouldn’t take it. Deemed it charity.

I took Eiknarf on a walk after about five rounds. Lindsey pulled up while Ashley and I walked the pug. It was finally dark, so for the first time I was able to witness the fruits of my holiday labor. The lights looked awesome. I felt like Clark Griswold for a moment. Honey, Rusty, come look! Lindsey headed inside ahead of Ashley and I.

Lindsey joined our lottery game. And unless I’m mistaken, won the first round she played. But out of the 15 tickets, I won 5. You might say that I was on a roll! J Had a pretty good beer buzz going too. It was a lot of fun. Ashley and Olivia left first. She and ex-Kelly were supposed to be going shopping that night to buy Lindsey a Xmas tree. Lindsey didn't know anything about it.

Mindy left to shuttle Jacob & Bella back to their dad’s place around 7pm. Lindsey left soon after. Dad, Tommy and Wally left just after them, but not before Tommy wrote me a check to cover the cost of his winter ski trip airline ticket that I bought a week ago. Thanks Tommy!

The house was extremely quiet with just me by my lonesome. I took about ten minutes to mop the kitchen tile floor and tidy up everywhere else. The house looked good. I’m thinking it was near 8pm when Mindy got back. We hung out for a few minutes enjoying the quiet. Both of us were tired, so we didn’t plan to drive anywhere. Instead, we headed to the neighbors for a brief visit. We didn’t plan to stay too late, however, maybe an hour. I took what remained of our CBC barley wine growler. Mindy was drinking barley wine too.

During our walk to the neighbor’s I noticed that all of us put up our Xmas lights earlier that day. Teri & Mike were over at Kenny & Chrissy’s, too. Meanwhile, the Stanford/Notre Dame game was just kicking off. I was routing for Stanford. Mike was routing for God’s team. We hung out for about an hour, no longer. Both Mindy & I were getting sleepy. We headed for home around 915pm.  Even though I wasn’t on call, I checked in with work just like I had been doing all weekend. Everything was quiet. We were in bed before 10pm and rejoined the Stanford/Notre Dame game. Ended up falling asleep near halftime.

Not a Black Friday after all

It was Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. By design, I slept in until almost before 550am. With no one else to care for, wake, or see onto a bus, that left plenty of time to do everything I needed to do before leaving for work.

I started some coffee then whipped out sit-ups and push-ups. After exercise, I enjoyed coffee and internet but for just a few minutes before segueing into meditation. It was 630pm when I started a stretch. I was feeling really good afterwards and eager to get out for my run. It was 38 degrees and clear at 642am when I headed out the door. I wore gloves and a toboggan.

The sunrise was apparent on the horizon making for a gorgeous transition from dark to light. As expected, the roads were even more desolate than usual - a second holiday for many.

It was near 725 when I returned from the run. I fried two eggs for me and then one for Eiknarf. I was off to the shower by 740am. I delivered coffee to Mindy who slowly motivated out of bed all the while I showered and dressed. She was downstairs before 8am in anticipation of the boys arrival. And unless I am mistaken, the boys were there by 805am, or a full 25 minutes before we actually expected them. Immediately in the door, Lindsey shared that her driver's door handle was now broken. Jesus Christ! Are you kidding me? I asked for her keys and that she stay inside while I checked it out.  I didn't want her yapping in my ear while I looked at it.

Yep, sure enough. The door handled was broken. Impossible to open. Need to crawl across the seat to open the driver's door. Just lovely! I was determined to have a good day and cast aside the car troubles that she seems to think are mine. Lindsey left for work at 815am. Mindy got the boys situated while I made last minute preparations for work. I left at 825am.

Given that it was a holiday of sorts, I decided to risk it and take 670. It was a beautiful sunny morning and the traffic light. Just a smidge of congestion crossing through downtown. Good call. I made excellent time cutting across town arriving in New Albany just before 9am. Their parking lot was only about half as  full as it is on a regular work day. Pretty much what I expected. And it was a rare, sunny walk from the parking lot to the building, one that for the most part has been done on rainy days.  I took my time drinking in the cool, sunny morning air.

Inside, it took me a while to get situated and logged on. For one, there wasn't a LAN cable available in my office. Someone must've borrowed it. I had to request one from one of the managers. He had their PC guy bring me one. All in all things were pretty quiet. There were just a couple hot issues requiring my attention, and both of those were being handled nicely by the NOC engineers.

I talked with Mindy around 11am. Said things were going well at home with the boys. She was busy decorating for Xmas. Agreed to call her later that afternoon. Everything quiet on the work front, I decided to head to the Easton Target hoping to get a new light set for our outdoor wreath. There was something else I wanted to get too, but like often happens, I couldn't remember what it was as I was leaving the building. I was a tad concerned that traffic might be a nightmare and that there might be too big a crowd, but any worry was all for not. Traffic was more than manageable and the Target crowd was heavy but nothing close to ridiculous.

Inside Target I quickly found the perfect set of lights for the wreath, a set of 60 cool white C6 LEDs. I made my way to the checkout line only having to endure a quick moving line with two others ahead of me. Now about 130pm, I was hungry and eager to get back to work and eat my packed lunch.

The afternoon turned out being much busier than the first half of the day, and the last hour borderline chaotic. I didn't let it get to me, though, taking solace in knowing the weekend was just about upon us. I set my out of office then headed for home just after 5pm. I opted to take a never before pathway home after finding traffic backed up for about half a mile going the way I typically go.

I talked with Mindy briefly along my drive through the bowels of Gahanna. And while the path was unfamiliar, I knew about where I was. I ended up just north 670 and the airport and picked up 670 as if I were leaving the airport. It was a quick drive home from there.

Must've been about 540pm when I arrived home. It was only Mindy, Rocky & Landon. Rocky shared that Jacob and Bella had already left with Jimaken. The boys were playing nicely. Mindy had the Xmas tree up as well as most of the other home decorations. Rocky fell asleep in one of the livingroom chairs while Landon and Mindy set up the Xmas village on the leaning shelves. While they did that, I did a little writing for my blog.

Mindy asked my thoughts about our evening after Lindsey picked up the boys. Without hesitation I suggested Barley's. The neighbors called around 7pm to invite us down to dine with them. Mindy shared our plans to go out for a while, but kept open the possibility of stopping over later should they still be up and partying.

Lindsey showed up at 740pm. By then both kids were sound asleep. Rocky woke as soon as his momma walked in the door and was quickly ready to go. On the other hand, Landon was slow to wake and resisted all of Lindsey's overtures to up and depart.  Just as I was thinking we might need to carry him to the car,  he finally woke and rose to his feet and walked out on his own.

Lindsey and the boys weren't gone but about 5-10 minutes when Mindy and I headed off to Barley's. Judging by the parking lot, a much bigger crowd than either of us imagined. Several of the Friday regulars were in, including Steve W, Scott & Linda P, and of course Jim B. He's there every time we visit. Darwin showed up shortly after we arrived, too. Darwin shared how his boys recently broke their LCD TV screen. Wasn't sure whether to fix or replace. Based on limited knowledge, I guessed it much more cost effective to replace these days. He asked if Mindy and I would be up for trying ballroom dancing in Grandview. Mindy and I both shook our heads in agreement. Might be willing to give it a try. Who knows, might learn to love it, and then the kids can come to OUR recitals. :)

Didn't really keep track of the my beers, but believe I started with a Fortune Teller and then a Centennial. As for food, Mindy ordered a Carnivore sampler from which I snacked. Later, I ordered some sauerkraut balls. We stayed later than we have in quite some time. Tina showed up around 11pm to see her girlfriend Sarah. We spent a little time with her. Mindy invited Tina over on Saturday for our TG taco bar.

We left around 1130pm. Mindy drove. And just as we often do, we popped in on the neighbors, who were up and partying with neighbors, Mike & Terri. I took one beer and nursed it along during our brief visit. We didn't stay too awfully long. Both of us were tired. home and in bed by 1230am.

Giving Thanks for my New Deep Fryer

My body trained to be up for work, I woke sometime near 530am. Thank Goodness that wasn’t the case. I didn’t feel that great after perhaps one too many beers the night before. Instead I was able to seek out that sweet spot between my pillow and the mattress and sleep for another couple hours. I probably woke a few more times before finally getting up for good around 830am. I was still sleepy but it was TG day. Sleeping longer was not an option.

I heard Mindy up earlier choking down some Advil. I didn’t expect her up for good anytime soon. The way I see it, there’s a direct correlation between her counter top dancing and hangovers.

I started a pot of coffee while I continued to assess my well being. By the time I completed my sit-ups I had determined that I’d be fine. Once the coffee was ready I poured a cup and played around online for about 15 minutes. I turned on the Macy’s TG Day parade a little after 9am.

As recent as the night before, the weather forecast was calling for sunny skies. As it was, we were completely socked in under cloud cover with a temperature of 39 degrees. However, the forecast was still calling for clearing skies and referred to the cloud cover as fog. Uh, I don’t think so.

It was just before 10am when I headed out for a run. I ran just three miles, once again treating my day off much like a weekend. There were several couples out on morning walks, something I've come accustom to seeing on this particular holiday. I was back at home around 1030am. I grabbed my camera and headed out to snap some pictures of the dredging and bank work along the waterway.

Back inside, I charged the batteries for both of my cameras, and then figured I’d better get started on those sauerkraut balls if I were to stay on plan. The first thing I did was retrieve the new deep fryer that Mindy bought for me around last Xmas. It was still in the Macy’s bag. I unpacked it from the box, washed it well, then read the simple instructions.

I set up a mini-production line of sorts comprised of 4 bowls, two cookie sheets, and bakers rack. One bowl contained the cooled sauerkraut mixture that I concocted the day before while the remaining 3 bowls held either the egg and water mixture, the flour, and bread crumbs. I rolled the mixture into 46 balls and sat them on the 1^st cookie sheet. I sat the second cookie sheet at the end of the production line where it would hold the ready to be deep fried balls. I prepped all 46 before deep frying even one. I find that works a lot better.

Mindy was finally up just as I was rolling the last of the 46 balls into shape. She said she was feeling a whole lot better than she did earlier when she went for some Advil. Still felt a little queasy though, but said she had a fun time with the neighbors. While I continued the sauerkraut ball preparation, she sat at the kitchen table cutting up blocks of cheese to take to her mother’s feast.

I turned on the new deep fryer about 10 minutes prior to dipping the first batch into the hot oil.  About the same time, the Macy’s TG parade was wrapping up with its customary arrival of Santa. Somehow they’ve morphed Mrs Santa Claus into the picture. I’m sure it won’t be too many decades from now when the legend will be further altered to give her, Mrs Santa Claus, a much more prominent role in delivering Xmas.

Once the parade was over, I let some Xmas music (Sarah McLachlan & Mannheim) whirl from my PC. Systematically, I deep fried the 46 sauerkraut balls about five at a time. The new deep fryer cooks slower than my old Fry Pappy, but then again, I didn’t have the temperature control set on its highest setting either. My old Fry Pappy had only one temperature (on) whereas the new one has a variable temperature control. 

I left the balls on the cooling rack while I cleaned up the unavoidable mess created by the production process. Once clean-up was completed, I stowed the balls in a pyrex baking dish, covered it in foil, then placed it in the oven. Mindy suggested we turn the oven on low about 20 minutes before setting out for her mother’s. Made since to me. We’d then transport them in an insulated cover.

The balls now complete, I whipped up a tasty dip comprised of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, Texas Pete’s buffalo sauce, and creamy horseradish. Mindy and I taste tested the dip. It was delicious but also cleared the ol’ sinuses.

Mindy headed off to the shower. We were supposed to be at her mom’s near 2pm. Time was flying by. I called Lindsey & the boys who were having TG dinner at Rosemary’s. Also there were Ashley, Stephen and Olivia. Oh, and Kelly too.

I frosted the cheesecake with chocolate icing then sprinkled some Hershey’s chocolate chunks on top of that. I had some chocolate and toffee bits to add too, but because they’re almond based, I didn’t sprinkle them on. Instead, I stowed them in a plastic storage container that folks could add as they saw fit. That way those allergic to nuts can enjoy some cheesecake too.

Once again, I had a little kitchen clean-up to do. It was 115pm when I considered myself completely done. Before heading off to the shower, I organized four beers for the trip and placed them in the kitchen freezer to get them really cold. Among the four were two Great Lakes Xmas Ales leftover from last year. In fact, I still have about 8 more Xmas ales in the garage from the year before (Great Lakes, CBC, and Bell’s).

Of to the shower. Mindy mentioned that the folding handle on our blow dryer broke. Still blows hot air though. Actually, I was happy to hear that. I’ve never cared much for that particular blow dryer. I was showered and dressed still ahead of 2pm.

Back downstairs, I readied a cooler while Mindy packed a laundry basket with all the other ‘take withs’. Eiknarf was going too. I’m thinking that it was 2pm when we loaded up the Pilot and headed to Gloria’s. Eiknarf cried from the back seat through the entire drive.

Despite arriving 15 minutes after the stated start time, Craig & Jeff were the only others there before us. They brought all the meat (ham, smoked turkey, and roasted turkey). They were in the kitchen unpacking the honey baked ham shortly after we arrived. It was probably 30 minutes before any of the others showed. Over the next hour, most everyone else arrived. Missing was b-in-law Larry, who was on-duty at the firehouse. Todd was on duty too, but was able to get away long enough to pay a brief visit and have some of his mother’s prized stuffing. Also missing were Pat & Mel, family friends, who unless I’m mistaken, have been at every TG dinner celebration since I’ve been part of the family (2006 and counting). Never did hear why they weren’t in attendance.

Before dinner, I enjoyed a couple Xmas ales. Despite being a year old, they were as good as ever. Watched the end of the Packer/Lions game (Packers won), and then the beginning of the Cowboys/Dolphins.

Jimaken dropped off Bella and Jacob around 4pm. This would be their second TG dinner of the day. Jacob headed immediately to the basketball court out back while Bella came in with all of us. At some point before dinner I received a panicked call from Lindsey stating that her check engine light was on and that the car smelt like burning rubber. She was worried and wanted me to come look at it immediately. Really? Can’t I have just one day of peace? I could only shake me head in disbelief.

Ten minutes hadn't passed when she called again, this time sharing that the rpms were up around 3500. She was sure that the transmission was going out. Likely not, I insisted. 3500 rpms is normal. In the red is abnormal. She pleaded once again that I stop by to look at the car and reminded me that she can’t afford to miss or be late for work on Black Friday. I shared that we hadn’t yet enjoyed our TG dinner but once we did, I would stop by on the way home to look at the car. Truthfully, the whole idea left a rock in my stomach. I’ve already spent almost $4000 on this damn car. What now? I wanted to scream … or move! J

At some point I headed out to play some basketball with Jacob. He insisted we play one on one. We agreed to play to ten with each basket counting as one point. Though much improved over the last year, I crushed him 10-3. J Next, he wanted to play PIG. Why not? I beat him at PIG too. I was done. Wanted to head inside. Of course, my heading inside prompted Jacob to ask if I was afraid to lose. Hardly. Didn’t I just whip you in one on one and now PIG?

Soon we were called to dinner.  It occurred to me that we hadn’t been there for Sunday dinner in an awfully long time. In fact, I can’t recall the last time but I’m guessing it last spring. My assigned seat was at the far end by the screen door and under the ceiling fan. It was quite warm. I turned on the fan and slid open the storm door exposing the screen. Much better!

I’m thinking that there were 17 of us seated for dinner. I was careful not to over eat having only one plate full. I had a little of both types of turkey, stuffing, corn pudding, cooked carrots, green beans, and a roll. That’s it. At some point during dinner, Mindy espoused that she was there for the pumpkin pie. Then Bella quickly chimed in that she was there because she had to. Everybody at the table burst into laughter. It was as much her tone as it was the verbiage. Too funny!

We learned during dinner that there was a misunderstanding regarding the prep of the TG turkey. It seems Craig called Gloria to ask about TG dinner plans and whether she was planning to host. Gloria shared that she was willing to host but wasn’t really able to cook a turkey having dropped last year’s bird while pulling it from the oven. Craig apparently shared that he could take care of that to which Gloria agreed without any further confirmation.

What Gloria heard was that Craig was bringing the turkey, but what Craig apparently meant was that he would help get the bird cooked and out of the oven. I didn’t quite get when they finally realized the oversight, but got the idea that it was just in the last couple days. Craig fixed the dilemma by simply ordering honey baked ham and turkey. Voila! Thanks Craig!

After dinner, I headed to the lower level where I watched more football and took a brief, but much needed nap. Felt terrific. Still whirling in my head was Lindsey’s latest car troubles. In my mind, I would’ve far better off buying a new car for her. But as it was, I simply wanted to put it out of my mind for at least one day.

Mindy woke me a while later to share that we were starting the lottery ticket game. Sister-in-law Jodi brought 16 lottery tickets. She also brought a pair of dice and a timer. The rules of the game were simple. Set the timer to an agreed amount of time while everyone around the table takes a turn rolling the dice. The first person to roll doubles takes possession of the lottery ticket. They hold the ticket until the next person rolls doubles. Then, the person who has the ticket when the timer expires, gets to keep it.

As luck would have it, I rolled doubles (snake eyes) just as the timer expired on the first lottery ticket. It was mine for keeps. I set it aside to scratch off later. There were 16 tickets so 16 rounds. It was a lot of fun. We let all the kids play too. Without question, there were a handful (Missy, Ryan, and Josh) that rolled more than their fair share of doubles. Ryan ended up with 4 lottery tickets, or 25% of the bounty.

At the games conclusion we scratched off our tickets. Mine was a loser. In fact, most were losers. I think there were three winning tickets in all, a $1 & $2 winner, and then a $14 winner on one of Ryan’s four tickets. We’ll have to do that again.

We hung in the kitchen until about 7pm when Gloria suggested we go to the lower level for dessert. I was very much looking forward to some cheesecake. Mindy, on the other hand, was very much looking forward to some of her mom’s famous pumpkin pie. She boasts of it to everyone who’ll listen. J

There were at least three choices: Boston cream cake, cheese cake, and pumpkin pie. I topped my cheesecake with toffee bits. It was good, though I think I need to add at least twice as much vanilla and perhaps a bit more sugar the next go round. Note to self. It was 745pm when I suggested we ready to leave. By then, you have to know that Lindsey had texted both Mindy and I a couple of times wondering if we were still coming by.  I was still bewildered by the notion that her car was falling apart after driving it only two days. Geesh!

We said our goodbyes then hit the road for home around 8pm. Mindy gave Lindsey a heads up call forewarning our arrival. She shared that her neighbor said it was leaking transmission fluid or oil. Hearing that put my stomach was in knots. We arrived a few minutes later and parked so we could use the Pilot’s headlights to see the car. Lindsey and Rocky were waiting for us outside. Rocky was playing on his skateboard. Landon was apparently asleep inside. Lindsey immediately pointed out a large dried puddle of oil or some other automotive fluid in the parking spot she originally occupied. Said she moved it to see if the leak continued.

But if memory served, I distinctly remembered that dried puddle being there even the day I moved her furniture in. It wasn’t from the Hyundai. I looked and felt around underneath the car. Lighting was sketchy at best. There were no leasks readily apparent. I started the car and sure enough the check engine light was on. I turned it off. I told Mindy and Lindsey that I wanted to drive it home to see how it performed and where I could get a better look & see in the garage with a trouble light. I saw Lindsey go over and talk with and hug Mindy. Wasn’t sure what that was about. Lindsey then asked if I would at least make sure she got to work in the morning. Yes. Mindy then shared that she would keep the boys.

Mindy was off well in front of me while I drove the Hyundai home. She considerately had the Pilot parked on the street and the garage opened ready to receive the Hyundai. The funny thing is, we hadn’t even discussed it, but that’s exactly what I wanted.  

I pulled the Hyundai inside. By the way, the car drove fine from Lindsey’s place to home and the check engine light was never on. Hmmm? I threw the trouble light under the car and took a gander. Nothing. No relevant leaks. I then checked all the fluids: engine oil, transmission, antifreeze, brake, and power steering. All full. I ran the car for about five minutes. Perfect. Mindy suggested I take it for a drive on the freeway. Agreed. Jacob went with.

I drove it hard, lots of quick acceleration so the transmission would have to work. It performed great. I got it up to 75 mph a couple of times. All totaled, I think we drove just under 20 miles. Nothing unusual. Ran fine. Back at the house I checked for any unusual smells. Just a slight hint of coolant, but that’s it. Mindy and I both wondered if she might’ve driven it with the emergency brake engaged. I know it was engaged in her parking spot which is unnecessary. I called Lindsey to let her know what I found. I jokingly told her that the transmission fell out while driving it hard. She bit immediately telling me that she knew something was wrong. I couldn’t get a word in to tell her I was kidding for at least 30 seconds.

However, she eventually quieted down and I shared that the car performed well, no check engine light, no leaking, no transmission failures, no nothing. She was dumfounded. I called her back to let her know that we were bringing it back so she could go to work on her own come morning. At Mindy’s prompting, I suggested she go ahead and take the kids to Big Rocky’s tomorrow as originally planned. She all but cried stating that she had already called telling him that Mindy agreed to watch them. Mindy acquiesced and said she’d go ahead and keep them.

We let the kids stay home by themselves while we ran the Hyundai back to Lindsey. We weren't gone but five minutes. Lindsey was waiting for us outside. She couldn’t believe what I told her about the car. Said she’d bring the boys over around 815am. We headed for home.

At home, I suggested we knock at the door to see how the kids reacted. Mindy told them not to answer the door if someone knocked. Sure enough, Bella came running, but Mindy had me let us in via the key before she could get there. I heard Bella giving Jacob holy hell on her way back down the basement stairs. If it were a test she would’ve failed. She blamed Jacob for telling her to go see who it was.

Once settled in at home, I had to spend almost an hour taking care of a work related matter. It was already after 10pm when I finished. I could hardly believe it. Mindy rubbed the knot that’s been building in my back for the last couple of days. Now more than ever I am convinced that it’s has as much to do with stress as it does with anything physical.

It was a work night for me. Come 1027pm I declared it bed time. Good night moon!