By the time I was downstairs making coffee I was wide awake and ready for the day. It was cloudy and still below freezing. The temperature was 28 degrees. Wasn’t expected to remain that cold, though. We were expecting a high in the low 40s as we cycle back towards 50 by Monday.
While enjoying coffee, I wrote most of Friday’s blog entry. And around 905am I readied for a run. Mindy & Eiknarf were still upstairs sleeping when I headed out the door. As I headed off to run I realized the need to try and clear the driveway of any remaining snow and ice (mostly ice). I ran three miles, once again taking advantage of the narrow path of untouched snow along the curb. Meanwhile, my right knee was feeling a little odd, perhaps a tad swollen, after Saturday’s skiing. It’s the same feeling I experienced last weekend. It didn’t hurt.
I waved to Kenny, who was presumably heading off to work as I was heading out the door. I ran the three miles without issue being careful not to slip on any of the ice when off the preferred track. At the run’s conclusion, I happened upon Mindy out front walking the pug. I stayed out with the two of them until Eiknarf was done.
Saturday evening we talked about the possibility of doing brunch at Milestone 229 this morning. We also talked about heading to ASBCO so Mindy could look for the matching pants to her new ski jacket. Supposed to be purple. I don’t think she’s liking being in all black. I offered to buy the pants to serve as a gift for one or more of the Mindy holidays fast approaching (Valentines Day, anniversary, birthday). UgH! And while we’re there, I thought I might look at rockered powder skis, too.
The brunch thing never came up, but we did talk about visiting ASBCO. Mindy called niece Lindy and made arrangements for her to come over that afternoon to cut my hair and texture hers. I’m thinking she said around 4pm. I headed to the shower around 11am. Mindy came up for a shower soon after. It took a little while for both of us to get ready.
Mindy wanted to grocery shop, too, but figured to do that after we got back. She didn’t ask if I wanted to go along. Before we headed out, I decided to take my ski boots just in case I made the impulsive leap and bought new skis. We agreed to stop at the Arlington ASBCO first, though I tend to like the Powell store a little better. For one, they typically have more inventory on hand. Took about 15-20 minutes to make our way to ASBCO winding through lovely Upper Arlington
The lot was fairly packed, but most cars were at the wildly popular Japanese restaurant nearby/next door. By then, the temperature was above freezing. Lots of puddles forming in the parking lot. I purposely left my ski boots in the back of the Pilot when we headed in.
While Mindy looked at the ski pants I browsed skis on my own, which is just how I like to do it. A sales associate, Kayla, eventually hooked up with Mindy to help her with the ski pants. A couple pair of high tech skis caught my eye while I browsed. I eventually made my way over to Mindy & Kayla by the women’s ski pants where Mindy wanted my opinion on the two shades of purple ski pants they said they ordered to specifically match her jacket. Her jacket, while black, has a very thin purple stripe running through it as well as a purple lining in the hood. It was my opinion that neither matched the far more visible lining in the hood. Add to it, neither seemed rugged enough or worthy of the elements they’ll almost certainly face. Kayla went on about some numeric scale they use to rate how weatherproof ski jackets and pants are. I almost asked for clarification, but stopped when I realized that Mindy wasn’t too interested in either pair anyway.
Kayla started to walk away while we continued to browse but then turned around and asked if I had questions about the skis she must’ve seen me looking at. I almost said no, but then decided to inquire about the new rockered skis made for both deep snow and powder, but also do well on groomers. We talked for a few minutes about my ideal ski given what I have now before she tried pointing me to the new Rossi R3 they’ve been pushing hard in all their advertisements. It’s a wide rockered ski, tip & tail that rates middle of the road. They had it on sale for $689 with bindings and poles. Mindy gave a nasty face at the color – basically lime green on black. Color, though, wasn’t my first concern.
I took Kayla over to the Volkl’s where we looked at, and then discussed the 2012 Mantra & Gotama. The Mantra is a tad wider at the tip and waist than the Rossi R3, and also seemed like a much more advanced ski. While there, I joked about buying the really wide Volkl’s they had exclusively for deep western powder, and then what my peeps would say if I showed up at MRM with them. They actually look ridiculous, as wide as some snowboards. Who wants to ski? Too funny!
The Volkl’s were some of the more expensive skis and the price didn’t include bindings, either. The Mantra’s and Gotama’s were both on sale for $699. Just before we were ready to leave I asked Kayla if she could do better. Instead of an emphatic no, she said she thought she could, but would have to check and see what kind of deal she could give me. I asked for her ‘best’ price. Took her a few minutes. And while she was off doing that Mindy and I looked at other stuff. Kayla finally returned sharing that they would give me the 2012 170 Mantra’s for $699 but that would also include throwing in top tier bindings - the Salomom Z12s at no additional cost. Sounded like a good deal, but anyone that knows me, knows I can’t make a purchase that impulsively. Kayla added that the deal was only good until closing that day (Sunday), and that this was the last pair of 170s in inventory. I smiled and thanked her for the effort but shared that I couldn’t buy that impulsively. Said I would go to lunch and think about it.
Actually, though, I had been researching wider rockered skis for the last week or two after talking with a buddy at work who swears by the new technology and how well they perform in both powder and piste. While at lunch, I planned to Google the Mantra hoping to once again pour over the reviews and then look for the best internet pricing available for comparison's sake.
We ended up at Wendy’s for lunch all the way up at Bethel
Carried in my boots and found Kayla to finalize the deal. Said she’d have them ready Wednesday the 25th. Awesome! Hoping to get ‘em out at least once before heading west. There longer than my AC30s but the rocker technology makes them ski shorter. As a side, they have the same color scheme as my AC30s so they’ll match my boots perfectly.
We arrived home around 2pm. Mindy planned on leaving for the grocery store right after we got home. I, in turn, planned to clear the driveway of any remaining ice and snow. I helped Mindy load the recycling into the back of Pilot just before she left. Said she’d be making a stop at Target too and asked that I brown the meat for chili. I can do that!
As soon as Mindy pulled away I shoveled loose most of the hard packed ice from the driveway using my handy dandy square shovel. Got all but a few scant spots broken loose then shoveled it clear using the regular snow shovel. That took about 20-30 minutes. Next, I headed in to brown the beef and sausage for chili. I also tuned into NFL championship game coverage, the first game being the Patriots and Ravens.
Jacob & Bella were home near 3pm. Waved to Jimaken as he drove off. A few minutes later Lindsey, the boys and Olivia showed up as previously arranged. Lindsey asked to do laundry and planned to stick around for dinner. She started a load of laundry then asked if I would watch the boys while she went tanning. I didn’t mind. Jacob and Rocky soon headed out to play with neighbors while Landon and Olivia stayed inside to play with Bella. Not too much later, Mindy got home from the grocery. I helped carry in the haul.
Lindy showed up to cut my hair and texturize Mindy’s around 4pm. Lindsey asked if she would cut her hair too. Lindy agreed. I told Lindy that my last cut was one of the best hair cuts I’ve had in the last couple years, do in part to her leaving it a bit longer on top thus manageable from day one. She wanted to do mine first.
Took a bit longer than going to the shop, but I am sure they’re under pressure to crank ‘em out there. I enjoy the process and find it very relaxing. I’m thinking that it took about 15-20 minutes. She did a nice job. Can’t recall if Mindy or Lindsey went next. Neither of those two took that long at all. Lindsey only had the dead ends cut off even after I asked that she cut off a few more inches. It would look better. However, because she always wears her hair up, it’s hard to tell just how long her hair is. Believe me, it’s long, and well past the middle of her back. I swept the floor clear of everybody’s clippings. We had a lot of activity going on with the hair cuts and all the wee ones. Makayla and Evan were over too. Mindy took care of paying Lindy for the haircuts. Thanks dear. Thanks Lindy!
Mindy invited Kenny & Chrissy over for chili. Chrissy accepted but Kenny declined. Planned to go horizontal on the sofa. Couldn’t blame him for that. He doesn’t get to do that enough.
Meanwhile, the finish to the Ravens/Patriots game was a classic. The Ravens missed an easy 32 yard field goal that would have sent the game to overtime. Felt bad for the kicker, though I picked the Patriots to win.
I’m guessing that it was near 6pm when we finally ate dinner. As usual, Mindy made sure all the kids were fed first. Lindy seemed to be enjoying herself and stuck around for dinner, too. Olivia’s taken a real liking to her. I’m not surprised. Mindy made a garden salad and sweet cornbread too. The chili was awesome. I managed clean-up. We used paper bowls so it wasn’t that bad. However, I still had to wash all the utensils and accessories.
Lindy pealed off for home I’m guessing around 715pm, or shortly after Lindsey left to take Olivia home. We kept the boys since Lindsey planned on coming back to work on her resume with Mindy’s help. Chrissy headed home about the same time and asked that we send Makayla home at 8pm. She and Bella were upstairs playing quietly. Mindy got a call from Jimaken at some point advising that one of the kids, he assumed Bella, was running up a bill on his credit card using an app from their Kindle Fire. A little investigation proved the hunch to be correct. It was Bella playing what she thought was a free app game. Turns out, the app itself was free, but the outfits for the models cost money. Crooked!
The second championship game (NFC) was finally underway. Surprisingly, the 49ers were ahead and their defense was playing lights out. I picked the Giants to win and they ultimately did in OT. The 49ers punt returner botched or fumbled two punts that the Giants turned into 10 points – clearly the difference in the game. I have heard rumors that Jim Harbaugh is a sore loser and arrogant. He showed what appeared to be a total lack of class after the game by not shaking hands with the Giants coach.
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