Tom & Barrack

Like a lot of days this summer, I wasn't out of bed until 540am. So badly, I wanted to cave and grab perhaps another hour of sleep. In the end, I wouldn't allow it and rolled out of bed, brushed my teeth, and then headed downstairs. I failed to prep coffee the night before so that was first on my agenda.

Once the coffee was underway, I took a gander at the stars from the deck. It was beautiful outside. Time to get moving, Next up, I did 50 sit-ups. Just for a change of pace, I did them very slowly, taking the time to exhale broadly with each crunch. It felt really good. While the coffee finished brewing I whipped out 40 curls. By the time exercise was completed and the coffee ready, I felt wide awake. It was only 555am as I poured my coffee. I decided to take a few minutes to myself before heading up to wake Mindy.

After 5 minutes on the PC I poured Mindy's coffee then delivered it bedside. Predictably, she asked that I turn up the temp and wake Jacob. I did both. Turned the ceiling fan off on my way out too. Back downstairs I checked final score of the season's first football game. Cowboys won 24-17. Hmm? That's why they actually play the game. Talk is cheap. The weather forecast was calling for sunny skies and a high around 91. Supposed to be like that again on Friday but then cooling off by about 20 degrees and a chance of rain for Saturday and Sunday. It's that time of the year.

Meditation and stretching were next. Both went well. It was after 640am when I glanced at the clock as I finished my stretch. Running behind. I was so far behind that Mindy was downstairs after her shower before I left for my run. She said she knew I was still home since the front door was still locked. As I quickly dressed for a run, I wished her well and told her to have a nice day at school. She almost certainly be gone by the time I returned home.

After my warm-up lap I happened upon Jacob and others waiting at their bus stop across the street. Shirtless, I broke into the "too sexy for my shirt' song as I passed by. I ran the full 4.1 miles not worrying about the time. As expected, Mindy was long gone by the time I got back home. Bella was already taking care of the dog and shared that her momma walked her. Cool! I enjoyed some cheesy scrambled eggs then emptied the dehumidifier ahead of my shower.

Was pretty much back on track after a shower. It was still before 8am as I threw together my lunch. Bella and I headed out right at 805am.

The bus was late, once again not showing up until about 820am. This time Mrs. Vanorder told us that this will be the new arrival time since she was given another stop in the pick-up route ahead of ours. Years past both Chrissy and I would've complained and asked for a change (earlier pick-up). But now neither of us care too much, just as long as she's there by 830am.

I walked Eiknarf out front long enough for her to pee again. Inside I tidied up the kitchen then enjoyed another cup of coffee before heading to work. I didn't leave the house until 840am. I wore my shiny new sun glasses, which I got for $20. I like 'em! Arrived at the office near 9am and wasted little time getting down to business. I had an aggressive to-do list. More than anything, I wanted to get the most grueling, most boring piece of my monthly report completed. But there was more beyond that. I wanted to finish that work I took on for a peer. I also planned to join an 11am conference call.

I was able to complete everything on my to-do list and still managed to escape for lunch. I drove to the Home Depot to look for a scrapper attachment for my oscillating tool. Turned out, they didn't have the one I wanted. I was mildly disappointed. I really need that for more tile replacement. I looked at a couple other things too, but bought nothing. I checked my blackberry once back in my car. That was a mistake. I must've had about five emails from people wanting/needing my help. I'd been gone just over 30 minutes. I headed back to the office in a huff.

My afternoon went well despite all the competition for my time. I was able to take care of everyone, including the things I wanted/needed to get done. I left the office for home around 520pm. Instead of calling Mindy, I decided to call my friend Tom C. Hadn't talked with Tom in several months. He answered right away, but was still at work. Told me he was still with Time Warner but changed jobs. Asked if I would be home soon. Yes. Said he'd simply stop by on his drive home. His new office is within a mile of our house. Sure.

I called Mindy after talking with Tom. Mindy was just leaving the house to take Bella to gymnastics. I shared that Tom would almost certainly be at our place once she was back. She seemed excited to see Tom. She also shared that she made chili for dinner and hoped he would stay and eat with us. Tom showed up shortly after I got home. While chatting, I proceeded to take care of my routine chores, like rinsing my lunch containers and prepping the following day's coffee.

Tom shared his new role as a field engineer for TW Business Class. He's provided a vehicle and is responsible for a three state area. Said he really likes it so far. Works with a handful of guys that I know well, or did. Mindy got home about 20 minutes later and after a quick greeting, she whipped up three bowls of chili. Tom insisted he wasn't going to eat with us at first, but changed his mind after Mindy insisted. The chili was good, but not her best. Seemed to be missing the usual kick and spices. She made corn bread too. I had just the one bowl, though could've eaten more, keeping in mind my desire to drop about 8 lbs before ski season.

The three of us chatted through dinner with Tom inviting Mindy & I to join he and his family for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant (Giuseppi's Ritrovo) in Bexley in late September to celebrate his 50th birthday. Mindy put it on our calendar. After dinner, Mindy suggested that she would go after Bella leaving me to hang with Tom for a while. Before she left, Jimaken dropped off Oreo, the kids bunny. We agreed to keep it for a few days while Jimaken heads out of town for a weekend end marathon. Jimaken had his friend Steve (Pez) with him too.

While Mindy was away getting Bella, Tom and I continued catching up. Tom shared that his grandfather recently passed away. He was 94 years old. Makayla, Lillian and Emily stopped over to see if Bella was home. When they learned that she wasn't home, but her bunny was, they decided to stick around to play with it until she got home. Amused with the three, Tom quizzed them on their political knowledge, asking them first who they planned to vote for. Their responses were interesting, essentially a product of their parents views. This I could tell not necessarily from their answer but their explained reasoning. All three were pro-Romney.

Tom went on to quiz the girls about their knowledge of our government as well as some US geography. They did surprisingly well with the government stuff but poor with state capitals. Mindy and Bella were back around 750pm. Tom hung out for maybe another ten minutes. Agreed to hook up again soon and possibly for some golf.

It was time to watch the DNC. We tuned in to the live feed on PBS for a few minutes but then watched Bill Clinton's speech that I DVR'd the night before. As expected, it was riveting. He's perhaps one of the best orators of our time. Unfortunately, the DVR cut-off before his speech was finished, but we caught 90% of it. My plan all along was to stay up and watch Obama's nomination acceptance speech live. Mindy and the kids headed to bed. Mindy asked that I DVR it. I did.

Obama didn't come on stage until almost 1030pm and after a somewhat over the top speech by Joe Biden. Obama seemed at ease, genuine, and sincere. About what I expected. Not a lot of fluff, which I liked. He's another really good speaker. As much as I enjoyed his speech, I actually fell asleep before it was over. I woke around 1130pm, secured the house then headed for bed.