Cousin Eddie's in the House!

I was awake a little early and subsequently out of bed and downstairs well ahead of 530am. After a quick glance out the back door, I hit the go button on the coffee maker then headed to the living room where I completed 50 sit-ups.

It was raining again and the temperature a balmy 55 degrees. Certainly not the winter weather I'd been hoping for. I played around on the internet for a solid 20 minutes before heading to the family room for meditation. There I made a concerted effort to get back to the basics, desperately wanting to release all the angst and worry from every corner of my mind. It worked marginally at best.

I delivered Mindy's coffee around 610am. She asked how I was feeling. OK, I guess. Back downstairs I stretched then prepared for a run. Because it was so warm, I skipped hand and ear covers. Immediately out the door I was reminded that it was trash day by the presence of the neighbors cans already at the curb. I also heard the trash truck's unmistakable whine off in the distance. I quickly drug ours to the curb before heading off on my run.

I ran the full 4.1 miles in a light rain. Aside from getting a little wet,  it was a good run. Back at home, I pulled our empty trash can back to its resting place then headed inside where Mindy readied the pug and leash for our walk. She took care of business fairly quickly. Thanks Eiknarf.

Mindy made a plain omelet for me & Eiknarf. It was tasty. Enjoyed some fresh fruit (cantaloupe and strawberries) along with it. Mindy was off to school at her usual time. After finishing breakfast, I cut up Eiknarf's egg and mixed it with her dog food. As expected, she woofed it down quickly. I headed to the shower a couple minutes after 730am.

I'd be visiting another customer first thing that morning so I dressed accordingly. I even took the time to iron a dress shirt. I was downstairs ready to go by 753am. Bella assured me that she had already taken care of her hair and teeth. Good girl! The kids and I headed out at 810am. Makayla was at the bus stop again after missing the past two days for being ill. I teased her about wearing both a toboggan as well as a hood when it was so warm. More often than not, she's without either even when the weather calls for it.

Eiknarf took off after a pick-up truck pulling a construction trailer as far as her leash would allow. I think she was a little surprised when I gave her a quick yank. She rolled and flipped to a stop in an instant. Bella gave me this disapproving look and went to her aid. I assured Bella that I'd do it again if she's inclined to be so foolish. Bus arrived pretty much on time.

I quickly gathered my things and headed off to work, which again would start with a customer meeting downtown. Traffic wasn't a problem. I made good time, arriving in the Arena Grand parking garage by 845am. This time I knew to walk around to the building's main entrance where I could get in and out of the weather without a badge. I'd still need to get a visitor pass from the security desk, however.

Once again, I ran into yet another former co-worker whom I hadn't seen in as many as ten years. After chatting for a few minutes I teased him about his graying hair, otherwise he still looked pretty much the same. One of my current co-workers walked up during our conversation. He had the meeting room details. I followed him to the assigned conference room where we prepared for the monthly presentation. Soon, the customer entourage filled the room. Before the formal meeting got going there was a little holiday banter, most seemingly eager to get past the meeting and on with their holiday. My piece of the presentation was last, and was met without any questions. I later learned that the person most interested in my stuff, and therefore most likely to grill me, was not in the meeting. It was just after 10am when we wrapped up.

Our team had a lunch outing planned for the ShadowBox at 1115am. I asked my peer if he was going straight there or back to the office first. He wasn't that familiar with the Brewery District so he said he'd likely go back to the office and ride with someone else. I thought I might kill the hour Xmas shopping but ended up simply driving home for an hour and doing a little work. I was home by 1020am, but struggled to get my laptop fired up and logged onto the network. It literally took 30 minutes. In kind, I was able to do very little before it was time to head to the Shadow Box. Before leaving the house,  I grabbed a couple dollars worth of quarters just in case I needed to feed a parking meter.

Traffic on 70E was backed up just after Mound St. Seems like it's that way any time of day anymore. I wisely exited onto 71S and took the Greenlawn exit, pretty much avoiding the entire traffic jam. I was out front of the Shadow Box by 1140am. Finding a relatively close parking spot, however, proved to be a daunting experience. No meters, at least at first pass.  I then tried the parking lot right behind the place but it was full too. Already annoyed by the crappy weather and then the PC troubles I was having earlier, I was just about to throw in the towel and head back to the office when my boss celled asking of my whereabouts. Told him I was out front but struggling to park. Went on to advise that if I didn't find one soon that I was begging out and heading back to the office. Just as I was telling him that, a meter freed about a half block north of the venue. I soon joined the team already at their stage side table. There were only six of us. Apparently the others had customer commitments.

I recognized and said hello to a few of the actors from my birthday event. Of course, they didn't remember me. After all, they see so many faces. Rene was our server/actress. I already planned on keeping my drink soft, but let the others order first. They all went soft too. I ordered a Mt. Dew. We ordered our food as soon as the drinks arrived. I ordered a pepperoni sub.

The show started soon after our food arrived. It was funny, entertaining, but a watered down version of their night time shows. One thing about the performers that I can't help but feel little uneasy about is  the fake, over-the-top plastered on smiles they wear either when serving the audience or performing on stage. Sitting so close to the stage I noticed that many of the performers could use some serious dental work. From that I gathered the pay and benefits must be meager. The show consisted of two or three tunes and then three or four skits.  The show was over by 1pm and we quickly herded out. Our team reconvened briefly in the bar area but just long enough to inventory the troops. We headed to our parked cars and then back to the office.  

I'm thinking it was 130pm when I got back. I got involved in several things at one time which only made the time go by even faster. For one, I was playing around with a new reporting tool. That consumed the better part of my afternoon.  One of my customers called my desk phone near 5pm. That call kept me engaged and at the office until almost 7pm. But given that I had Friday off, I didn't mind the extra work. My boss was still there when I left for home. He reminded me that he'd be off until Wednesday.

I called Mindy on my drive home. She and Jacob were on their way home from CBC where they'd just finished having dinner. Bella opted to stay at the neighbors. Figured we'd get home about the same time. Mindy was bringing me two more jugs of Cousin Eddie as well as some food. They pulled in the drive just as I was entering through the garage.

It was already 730pm, and the way I saw it, beer time.  I poured a Cousin Eddie to enjoy along with the CBC quesadilla. Both were dynamite! I ended up drinking two pints of the good stuff. It was a school night for Mindy and the kids, so they were off to bed before 930pm. I stayed up until 1020pm, a pretty early bed time considering that I wasn't working on Friday, though I did commit to joining a 10am conference call that I expected to last about an hour.