After a Closer Look ...

I rolled out of bed near 535am and was soon downstairs engaged in sit-ups. I stepped out on the deck to get a feel for the morning's temp. It was fairly mild and again cloudy. I whipped out push-ups then poured a cup of coffee. My timing was right in sync with the coffee maker. I enjoyed coffee at the PC for a solid 20 minutes, checking the Reds final score from the night before (they won 3-0) and then the forecast. Expecting mostly sunny skies and temps in the 80s.
This was a big day for Mindy. She was heading back to the Stefanie Spielman breast center to have more extensive testing done on her breasts. As I understood it, they planned a 2nd mammogram, x-rays, and possibly even an ultra sound. If nothing else, the good news was that she would go home knowing the results, good or bad. She's obviously been stressing over the whole ordeal since receiving word via mail about 10 days prior. I was concerned too but tried not to express it outwardly.

I finished my indoor routine then left for a run somewhere near 640am. I opted to go shirtless with the temperature around 65 degrees. I was a smidge cool at the outset but that abated quickly. I was quite comfortable for 91+% of the 4.1 mile run. Back at home near 720am, I walked the length of the front lawn before heading back inside, using that as my cool down and a chance to peer down the length of the pond. No geese! Actually, they've been gone for about two weeks now and the lawn is recovering nicely wherever they would routinely feed. Their departure coincided nicely with the recent rains. They don't leave until the youngest of their gaggle can fly. If nothing else. they're a very family oriented bunch.

Inside the house I quickly got busy making my breakfast and packing my lunch. Eiknarf didn't join me downstairs until I was just about to head off to the shower. I opted to make her wait. I took Mindy coffee then showered.
I was back downstairs near 805am. Mindy joined me after confirming that I would have a little time to spend with her before I needed to leave for work. We walked Eiknarf together. By then it was warm and sunny, a really pretty late summer morning. Said she was nervous about her appointment but also happy to get it out of the way. Thinks it's a big reason why she hasn't been able to get to sleep for the last couple of weeks.

Back at the house I served Eiknarf the eggs that had been waiting since I made mine earlier. I wished Mindy well and promised to answer my phone no matter what I was doing to learn the results of her extensive exam. Gloria was coming over around 930am to stay with the kids since the appointment was expected to last for a couple of hours. I left for work around 835am. My mind not entirely focused on the task at hand, I mistakenly headed north on Wilson Rd, much like I would any other work day. The problem was, this was a New Albany work day and I meant to take 670. I opted to stay the course and take 270 around. It's a lot longer and takes a bit longer but it's usually an easier - think mindless - drive.

As I neared Westerville there was a bank of fog moving in from the NE over the area. Changed the look of the day in a hurry. By the time I got to work it was again sunny. Yeah! I arrived just after 9am. It seemed like an easy start. I already knew that our 10am meeting had been pushed out to 1030am. I ended up experiencing network login problems, my token beign denied no matter what I did. I must've tried 20 times before giving up and contacting our helpdesk. And the trouble with that was I was remote and didn't have access to the intranet so I didn't have their number. Luckily I was able to ping a friend online who eventually found the number so I could call.

Suddenly I was thrust into a crunch for time. Most of the steps the helpdesk wanted me to take required intranet access. I reiterated numerous times that it wasn't possible. Eventually they convinced me that they'd have to open a ticket and have someone call me. Great! In the meantime, I was being pinged left and right via my blackberry. Through some creative use of the blackberry and a very helpful help desk person, I was able to reinstall my token client and gain access to the intranet. All that took until 1033am. I was able to join the weekly call just 3 minutes late. The experience was nerve racking.

The call went reasonably well. Because of unforeseen circumstances the customer postponed our monthly service review meeting. We agreed to do it the following week. I used the time to catch up on other things and then to ping Mindy about her appointment. It was after 11am in a hurry. She got back with me around noon. All procedures/testing was completed, but still no word on the results. She pinged me again via text around 1240pm. Shared that it was an ordeal but that the tests came back good. Nothing to worry about. She was relieved and so was I.
In lieu of taking a lunch break, I decided to stay at the office and get caught up on several to-do's. I ate the carrots, cheese, and yogurt I packed while working. Mindy called me once she was out of the appointment and headed for home. Explained how dysfunctional the appointment was. I could hear relief in her voice. Agreed to call later on my way home.

The rest of the work day moved along swiftly. Before I knew it, it was after 5pm and time to go home. I headed for home around 515pm taking 270W. I called Mindy once I was safely merged into traffic. She shared how she and nephew Joe went for beers after lunch with her mom and the kids at Minelli's. We talked until Rt 23 when she needed to let me go to deal with Jacob and Jimaken leaving for soccer practice. She called me again as I neared Roberts Rd. I arrived home around 545pm. It was just Mindy, Bella and I. Mindy was smiling ear to ear, again relieved to have the breast cancer scare behind her. For dinner we were having leftovers. I ordered leftover roast and risotto. Bella had a hot dog and Mindy had a hot Italian brat.

This was a gymnastics night. Mindy figured to be taking Bella and planned to pic-up Jacob from soccer practice immediately after. There was a parent meeting at the DCW to review/discuss the upcoming gymnastics meets. It sounded like I would have at least an hour all to myself. In marriage and family, I think all of us look forward to those small chunks of time.

After dinner clean-up, I played on the PC for a few minutes but then found my way to the sofa. I went horizontal even before Mindy and Bella departed. It wasn't long before I was out. I didn't wake again until she was back with Jacob, which wasn't for another hour. Even then I continued resting on the sofa catching a few glimpses of the Science Channel programming whirling in the background. I vaguely remember hearing Mindy leave to fetch Bella even though that task is usually reserved for me. I kept telling myself to get up and moving but each time I would fall right back asleep. I guess I hadn't realized just how tired I was. I slept on and off until 10pm. By then everyone else was off to bed. The bedroom light was out. Mindy and I made small talk but I was quickly right back asleep.