23 Games Over

Once the clock passed 530am I slept about as long as I could while still remaining on schedule. That equated to me rolling out of bed around 545am. For most of this week and last I've woken each morning with a strong desire for more sleep. It was Thursday and the outlook was sunny, both physically and metaphorically. I felt on top of things at home and work, and the weather was supposed to superb.

I started some coffee then completed sit-ups and curls. Coffee wasn't finished brewing so I went to the PC without a cup. It wasn't long before I heard the tell-tale gurgling sound coming from the coffee maker. It was ready and so I was I! I checked the Reds score from Wednesday night. They won again. Horray! The weather forecast called for mostly sunny skies and a high near 90. What's new? I read some Olympic coverage too.

I played around online until about 620am. That's when I headed to the family room for meditation and stretching. Both went well. It was well after 630am when I finished and dressed for a run, donning my new running shoes for the second day in a row. They felt almost like medicine the day before. That most likely means that my old pair were way overdue for replacement. I ran the full 4.1 miles and excellent.

It was 720am or so when I got back to the house. I turned the stove to medium-high then put some olive oil in the frying pan. While waiting for it to heat up I headed to the basement to empty the dehumidifier. Full again. I watered some of the deck pots with the proceeds. The piss ant guy was by again on Wednesday for the 3rd time. This time he sprayed in the basement, presumably around the foundation and floor joists. So far I'd seen only one piss ant in the house.

I enjoyed two eggs, setting another aside for the dog. Speaking of the dog, she joined me downstairs just as I was heading up for a shower. I postponed my own agenda and took her out for a walk. To reward her good behavior I topped off her food bowl with an egg. She loves her eggs! Took Mindy some coffee. Wasn't sure if she'd be getting up early or not. She was having a teacher shindig later that morning, the third such event since school ended. I believe Mindy said that she's heading back to school next week to prep her classroom for the new year. She won't have students until something like the 20th.

I was back downstairs by 815am. Mindy joined me. Asked if it was too warm to sit on the deck. Too warm for me, given that I didn't want to get all sticky before leaving for work. I sucked down a 2nd cup of coffee just before leaving the house. I left around 835am.

Arrived at work near 850am, and while my PC booted up I headed down to the 5th floor to talk with my old boss, who' s car I saw in the front lot. He works from home most days anymore. We chatted for a while. He was just about to have his laptop reimaged. I shared my nightmarish experience. Before heading back to my office, I stopped by another old co-workers office - Don R. We chatted for a while too.

Back to my office near 945am. I spent the lion's share of my day once again working on monthly reports. I felt somewhat ahead of the game as I was making excellent progress. I didn't bother taking a lunch break. Before I left the house, Mindy asked if I might come home for lunch and hang for a while with her school peeps. At the time I wasn't sure.

I kept busy all day. Received an email towards the end of the day sharing that I might need to travel for work again, just like last August. Oh boy! Only this time it won't be Manhattan. Instead, it'll be Tulsa, OK. Not exactly a vacation destination. I took the notice in stride. Besides, in no way is it a sure thing by any measure. I left for home around 520pm. I called Mindy, who was in route to drop Jacob at soccer practice. Said her shindig was a success. Said several pals showed, including Kerianne, her husband and their new baby, Grover. She also shared that Darwin stopped over with his three younger boys.

I was home for a good 10 minutes before Mindy and Bella got back. Before they got there I had already enjoyed some of the leftover food from the party. I had half a chicken salad sandwich along with some cheese. Once she was home we heated up some leftover subs. I had a 4" section of that too along with some chips. After our makeshift dinner we headed onto the deck to relax, though it was quite warm. I felt like I wanted to nap but didn't, at least not right then. Instead, while Mindy chatted on the phone, I got up to scrub the screen on the family room window that a bird shit all over a week or so ago. There was so much it almost looked like someone through a gallon of white paint on it. In addition, the spleen was out of the screen on the lower corner from the nearby deck trash can bashing against it repeatedly. I took care of both dilemmas. It had been bugging me for several days.

While Mindy and I hung on the deck, Bella was busy playing Wii Fit. She'd been at it for at least an hour, and according to Mindy, she's been doing it all week long. What she hasn't been doing is hanging with the neighbor girls. I was going to water the flowers, but instead, I fetched the touch-up paint that came with the deck furniture five years ago. It was in a nail polish-type bottle. I had it stashed in the garage in a zip-loc baggie. And for whatever the reason, a lot of the paint is chipping off the edge of the table this season. I wasn't sure it was still fluid but it was. Both Mindy & I took turns touching up various spots. I t doesn't look perfect by any means, but it looks better than bare aluminum.

It was about time for Mindy to go after Jacob at soccer camp, his last night. Next week it's back to practice two nights a week. I wasn't entirely sure she was going to go after him. Thought she might ask me. That's why I didn't go after the beer I was thinking about having. But once she shared that she was going after him, I'd lost the desire. I'd wait until Friday night - be the weekend warrior I'm so good at being.
While she was away I played around on the internet and enjoyed a slice of the chocolate frosted, chocolate chip cake she raved about that one of her teacher peeps brought. She was right. It was delicious. I almost went back for a 2nd piece. I saw that the Reds won yet again. Apparently they had a day game. Suddenly they're 23 games over .500.

While Bella continued playing the Wii, I snuggled up in the family room chair doing some reading. I read about five pages before starting to dose off. I heard Mindy and Jacob get home but was still half asleep. That was pretty much it for me for the night. I woke again around 9pm and noticed Mindy and the kids on the deck. Still tired, I motioned that I was heading to bed. Once I got into bed I was starting to get a 2nd wind. I tuned the TV to the Olympics even though I knew the outcome since the night's events were tape delayed from much earlier in the day. Mindy joined me a few minutes later and we watched several swimming and gymnastics events. The American put on a display in both, winning multiple gold medals. I don't think we fell asleep until sometime after 10pm.