Curing the Conan

Tickets to Todd & Mannheim

I was up and downstairs by 545am. Once again I woke feeling about as rested as I could. It rained more during the overnight and was still sprinkling a little. After calisthenics I checked the weather. It was 62 degrees and humid. Looked like another jacketless run.

I played around online until 615am when I broke away to meditate and stretch. Both went very well. I was on my feet and preparing for my run by 630am. It was just after 635am when I headed out the door. It was sprinkling still but it wasn’t enough to put much of a damper on my run. I chose to ignore it. I ran the full 4.1 miles and got a little wet but again, not enough to change any part of my routine. I was simply glad that it was fairly warm and that there wasn’t any lightning.

Back at the house, Mindy was wearing one of my Hawaiian shirts. Said it was Hawaiian shirt day at school. I headed out with Eiknarf a few seconds later where she quickly took care of business. Mindy left moments after out return. She had my cheesy scrambled eggs waiting in the microwave. I watched while Bella dished up Eiknarf’s. She made quite a mess in so doing. I didn’t say anything about it, though I almost did. In the end, I more appreciate that she takes the responsibility.

I was done eating and ready to head upstairs at 740am. It was raining steadily. Bella shared that her daddy called sharing that he planned on meeting her at school for the walkathon. I was back downstairs after a shower by 802am. Bella was downstairs too. We chatted while I finished packing my lunch. At 810am she headed out the door for the bus stop. The dog & I were a minute or so behind her. On my way out the door, I pulled my umbrella out of the hall closet. It was raining enough that an umbrella was a necessity. I saw that Bella dug hers from her book bag. I consider it a minor miracle, not only that she still has her umbrella, but that it is also still in good shape. It served her on this morning.

For all intent and purposes, the bus was on time. Eiknarf and I shuffled on back towards home. That same old beater white car was pulled up and stopped on the bridge with someone inside. This was like the third day in a row. Neither Kenny nor I felt good about its presence. I decided to casually walk Eiknarf close enough to get a glimpse and the license plate number. It looks like an old cop car though the make and model labels have been removed. The car left as Eiknarf and I headed back to the house. Inside, I quickly went to my PC and documented the license plate number along with a description of the car.

I enjoyed about a half cup of coffee before heading off to work. It was near 840am when I left the house. It was still raining and continued for the duration of my short commute. Once at work, I didn’t bother pulling my umbrella from the trunk since I parked in the nearest lot. I might’ve gotten a little wet walking in, but not enough to make a difference.

I already had my to-do list scrawled out. Did it before I left the office Wednesday. I had an 11am conference call on my calendar, but it got canceled near 10am. That left me clear to take the last class I needed to complete that 5 part series of online courses. I wrapped up the class around 1130pm and then the test a half hour later. I passed all five exams. Yeah! Noon came and went. Near 1230pm I decided to take a lunch and go get a haircut. I probably should’ve asked Lindy to cut it last Sunday when she was over but thought I might go another week or so. But it was looking more unmanageable by the day. Starting to look like Conan!

Arrived at the Mill Run Saturday’s around 1245pm. Noticed that the Quizzno’s that was next door had since been replaced by a new gyro shop. I may have to try it sometime soon. Inside, there were two folks having their hair cut but nobody else waiting. The manager, who I learned has been there for 23 years took me back right away for a haircut. We chatted about the new gyro shop, her tenure, and what if anything they plan to do with the large vacant store fronts there in Mill Run. I suggested a new Giant Eagle. But she quickly shared that they’ve already got a new slated for Britton and Cemetery Rd intersection. Hmm? That was news to me. Didn’t take long at all for her to cut my hair.

I left Saturday’s and ventured over to Lowe’s if for no other reason than to browse. Immediately in the door I remembered wanting to check their floor tile section to see if for some strange reason they might have a match to ours. I doubted it though since the manufacturer apparently doesn’t even make it anymore. Not only did I not find our specific tile, but I didn’t see any 8”x8’ floor tiles. I browsed for a good 25-30 minutes. I find it very relaxing.

Headed back to the office near 130pm where I enjoyed my packed lunch all the while digging back into work. Stayed busy on a number of items leading up to our 415pm staff call. Our call lasted about 30 minutes, and no surprises.

I left for home real close to 5pm. I called Mindy as I pulled out of the lot. I half expected her to shared that she was already on her way to drop Bella at gymnastics, but instead she was at home taking care of some routine chores. She reminded me that it was still a little early for that. True! Shared that we’d be having leftovers for dinner. I was OK with that. Thought I might eat the rest of the taco meat that’s now about a week old. Mindy & Bella were getting to leave for gymnastics by the time I got home. I suggested that Jacob should go with her and then stop at Wal-Mart on their way home to buy Evan a new pair of fishing pliers. He shared that his mother said pretty much the same thing just before I got home. 

As they were all leaving the house, I was taking care of my regular chores – putting my lunch containers in the dishwasher and prepping the following morning’s coffee. I’d have an hour or so all to myself. Just before leaving, Mindy confirmed that I would go after Bella. Said she was looking forward to getting home and changed into her PJs and then having a beer.

While they were gone, I fooled around online eventually deciding to go ahead and buy Todd Rundgren tickets for the upcoming Cleveland show. Booked a hotel room just two or three miles away. We hope to make a weekend of it taking in a couple Cleveland brew pubs and possibly even the nearby art museum. While at it, I bought tickets to the Columbus Mannheim Steamroller concert coming Saturday Dec 22nd. What a great way to kick off the Xmas holiday weekend!

Mindy & Jacob got home near 640pm. Jacob headed off to Evans right away presumably to give him the new pliers. I didn’t mention it, but enjoyed a burrito with the leftover taco meat while they were away. Around 650pm I headed to the family room while Mindy played on her laptop. Thought I might take a quick nap before heading off to get Bella. Mindy kept talking though, which pretty much put the kiboshes on any chance of a nap.

At 710pm I upped and left to get Bella. Happily, traffic was light through the 270 construction zone. Arrived at the Gotta Flip Twisters early. I headed in to watch the rest of practice I stood for a while until a seat freed. I got to see Bella do her trampoline routine again. Gets better every time. Good routine, good form. Great job, Bella!

It was spitting rain again as we headed to the car and ultimately for home. Bella asked if I would put the stereo on 97.9. It’s a kids right of passage to listen to 97.9 WNCI. She seems to know most of the songs. Makes me laugh. Not sure where she gets her fix. We NEVER listen to the radio station at home. Must be at Makayla’s.
It was 745-750pm by the time we got back home. Having changed into comfy lounging clothes even before going after Bella, I was eager to plop down in the recliner and do some reading. Mindy had other ideas. She soon joined and plopped down on my lap. Said she just wanted to spend a little time together. We talked for about 25 minutes or until it was time for Thursday Night Football on the NFL network. There was a college game on too – Stanford / Washington – but I was more interested in the NFL game – Browns / Ravens.

Browns played OK, but quickly fell behind 6-0 then 9-0. It was no surprise that the Ravens were the better team. Mindy and the kids headed off to bed near 9pm. I stayed up watching the game until halftime, or just after 10pm.