Chilly, Wet Trick or Treat

I was up Wednesday near 545am to more rain, wind, and chilly temps. Not complaining, though. Instead, just documenting the experience. As it was, we were far better off than our counterparts in the NE who were dealing with flooding, power outages, and lost homes. I did my calisthenics which included windmills, sit-ups, & push-ups.

Enjoyed coffee at the PC. Not surprising, virtually every Yahoo headline had something to do with Sandy. The current weather was light rain and 39 degrees. Expected the rain to subside prior to trick-or-treat. Any talk of postponing the event was pooh-poohed by the city.

Woke Mindy at 605am – right on schedule. Jacob was already up too. I did meditation and stretch then headed out for a run. I wasn’t looking forward to the drippy, chilly weather, but wasn’t going to let it stand in the way of my larger goals. I got late enough that I encountered Jacob and his peers at the bus stop. Jacob was flirting with two high school girls walking by on their way to the more distant HS bus stop.
I ran the full 4.1 miles, once again my legs feeling somewhat loose and alive. It’s nice when my attention is immediately elsewhere heading out for my run. Mindy was just about to depart when I got back from my run. Shared that Lindsey called wanting/needing my help with her car. Apparently broken down on/off Sawmill close to work. I had no bandwidth or time to deal with it and largely ignored the issue. I had to get busy on a report detailing Sandy impact, which I did from home even before eating my breakfast.

Off to the shower near 745am and downstairs again around 805a, or just minutes before bus stop time. Bella, the dog and I headed out near 810am. There we met Chrissy and Makayla. Once Makayla saw that Bella had gloves on she wanted hers and sent her mom in the house after a pair. She returned with justy one. I couldn’t help but laugh. Surprisingly, she took it. Chrissy commented about me wearing jeans, too. Explained that I was working remote and that my customer’s dress code is far more lenient that ours. The bus was along near 820am, and once the kids were scooped up I headed back home with the pug.

At the house, I enjoyed more coffee and sent that report I created earlier. My boss wanted it in hand prior to 9am. Once all that was taken care of I left for work. It was near 845am, and I needed gas. I stopped at the Circle K where gas was $3.37 per gallon. Drippy drive into the office, arrived near 915am.

We had our usual 10am call. That went well. As you might expect, a lot of discussion about the hurricane’s impact. Stayed busy all day helping with Hurricane Sandy issues. What a mess! At the same time, Lindsey was blowing up my phone with texts about her car. I genuinely feel sorry for her. She has no back-up plan whatsoever. Wants me to fix the problem – of course. I chose to largely ignore the many texts for most of the day, but come late afternoon I drafted a small response, mostly pointing out where she could save money and better prepare for such events. I mean, it’s not like no one saw this coming. Her car was proven unreliable almost from jump. Frankly, I’m surprised that it lasted this long. More immediate, she did have arrangements made for the kids and a ride home from work. Also had the car at the AAA repair shop just down the street from her office.

Talked with Mindy late afternoon. She shared that she paid to have her car towed to the shop. Told her that it threw a rod and needs a new engine. Nice! Mindy reminded me that it was trick-or-teat and that her mother was coming over to hang out through the event. I shared that I would end up working late since I had to have a report out around 7pm. Didn’t make sense to leave, rush home, and log back on again. I stayed at my customer’s location until 650pm.

Earlier, the weather forecasters thought that the rain would be gone by trick-or-treat, but it was still raining when I headed out in the dark to my car. Given the late hour, I decided to try 670 for the commute home. Good move. Pretty much wide opened. Called Mindy. The kids were off trick-or-treating and she and her mom were busy passing out candy. Said it was only a light drizzle there. It was pouring out east.

Passing the Circle K again on the way home, I remembered to stop in and by a Powerball ticket. The jackpot was $110 million! Once again, I forgot to bring our $4 winner in for redemption. Arrived home by 720pm. I was a little frazzled from the long work day, but Lindsey’s car situation was eating at me too. We didn’t talk much about it in front of Gloria. Mindy quickly dished me up a bowl of chicken tortilla soup. Not a lot of trick-or-treaters, maybe 5 groups after I got home. The house, meanwhile, looked a bit like it was under siege – hot chocolate cups on the table, leaves all about the floor, and otherwise a little messy. Kids were in and out. They both had friends over to trick-or-treat.

I offered Gloria my last piece of chocolate pie, in part to get her feedback. After all, it’s her recipe, and she’s been making them for several years. She said she’d take it home and have it on Thursday for lunch. I began to settle/calm as the evening wore on. The kids were back at the house just before 8pm. They all dumped their booty on the floor. I hadn’t planned on eating any candy, but once I got started I kept going. I’ll bet I ate 5 or 6 junior sized bars of one sort or another. No biggie! I suggested the kids should weigh their loot. Jacob and his friend did. Jacob said his weighed about 3lbs. His friend, Josh’s weighed a whopping 7lbs!

Mindy agreed to run Alana, Josh, and her mom home. They left the house around 830pm. While she was gone, not only did I change into my PJs, but also tidied up the kitchen a bit more. Mindy and the kids were back just after 9pm. Another 10 minutes didn’t pass before Bella began crying from her room that her stomach hurt horribly. Her cry was different – a genuine painful one. I could tell she was serious. Mindy went to her aid and gave her comforted and some Tums. It stopped the crying but apparently not the pain. Late, when Mindy and I headed to bed, Bella was in with us, and so was Eiknarf. We were in bed by 10pm.

The First Snow Fell

I slept as long as I possibly could without putting on due pressure on my schedule. I finally rolled out of bed around 545am. I was sleepy/groggy through brushing my teeth and sit-ups. It was snowing lightly but it wasn’t sticking to anything but the deck furniture and cars. The lawn, drive and walk were snow free. I finished my usual Tuesday exercise regimen then headed to the PC with coffee. I spent just a couple minutes checking the weather before heading upstairs to wake Mindy. Before forgetting, I took our trash can to the curb. Looked like many skipped putting it out. I checked their online link. Nothing about canceled service.

It was 35 degrees with gusting wind, sleet, rain and snow. You take your pick. Looking at the radar, it was snowing heavy to our south and east in West Virginia, just as they predicted it would. The forecast called for rain mixed with snow but no accumulation.
Spent a little more time on the computer then did meditation and stretching. Jacob came down in light soccer sweats dressed for school. I suggested that he dress warmer. Without any back talk, he headed right back upstairs and changed into jeans. I later told him that what I really meant was that he would need/want a heavier jacket. He said he planned to wear a hoodie underneath. I dressed warmly for my run wearing a winter weight wicking shirt, jacket, gloves and ear covers.

The run was actually very fun in all the winter elements (wind, sleet, snow, and cold). The snowfall picked up towards the 4.1 mile run’s end. In fact, it was sticking to me and the ground. I happened upon the trash truck making his rounds. At home I was surprised to find Mindy already gone. Bella was waiting at the front door with the dog leash and a towel. She was very excited that it was snowing. She immediately celled her momma to let her know that I was back from my run safely.

The snow fall intensified during the dog walk and immediately. It looked like a full blown winter storm at times. I hollered for Bella to come look and also snapped few pics. Very cool! By the time I was done eating my eggs, we had almost an inch of snow on the lawn. My work day plans were to head to New Albany to work from a customer’s location – they’d have me twice this week. I’d be conducting a training session at 1pm. I decided not to rush my prep. I figured I would let the weather settle down a little before leaving for work.

I was still showered and ready by 8am and spent the time before the bus stop packing my lunch. Bella suggested we wait for the bus from the garage. By then it was back to a combo or sleet, ice, rain and snow. Eiknarf wanted no part of the weather. She actually hid under the kitchen table when I shook her leash. 

I took my camera and got a couple shots of Bella making snowballs in October. Eventually Chrissy and Makayla walked down and joined us in the garage. The bus didn’t show up until 825am. Once Bella was on the bus I enjoyed another cup of coffee and poked around online for another 10-15 minutes before finally heading out. By then the weather had improved. There was a gap in the precipitation. I headed off to work taking 670 east.

I arrived around 915am, and as soon as I parked my boss celled sharing that he needed some Hurricane Sandy impact info STAT. I told that I had just arrived and needed to get settled but would send what I could as soon as possible. I was working out of an entirely different building on the customer’s campus. That meant I didn’t have a specific office to set up in. My plan was to find my peer, Alicia and see where she thought I might be able to get situated. I found her without any problems. She suggested I take the office next to hers. Sure. I was set up and logged on by 945am.
My first order of business was taking care of my boss. Spent about 30 minutes getting the Sandy impacts to him. Spent the rest of my morning working in a quarterly report for another customer. Most of my effort was spent cleaning up data for a reporting tool. As it was, it was generating errors and therefore unfit for my report. Yikes!

The morning went pretty fast. Alicia invited me to come have lunch with her and a few other work peeps that were also working onsite. They were meeting in the cafeteria. I declined. Instead, I wanted to stay focused on the data clean-up project until our 1pm training session.

Albeit difficult to stop right in the middle of some serious progress, I set aside what I was doing right at 1240pm and headed up to the assigned conference room allowing myself 15-20 minutes to get set-up for the training. The training was similar to what we/I did last Thursday morning except with another group of employees. Like the presentation the week before, the session went well - a success. We finished up around 230pm, and I headed back to my make-shift office continuing the data clean-up effort.

I walked to a common area where I could have a little privacy and called Mindy. She shared that Bella wanted to skip gymnastics and instead go to dinner with her dad and Jacob. Mindy wanted my opinion. My thoughts were that it was a mistake to miss gymnastics, but Mindy ultimately decided to let her skip anyway. She suggested making beef & noodles with the leftover roast, now about a week old. Sounded fine with me.

I wrapped up work around 5pm then headed for home taking 270. It was an uneventful drive, traffic not an issue at all. Arrived home around 545pm. The house was quiet and clean. The kitchen smelt of beef & noodles. I'm guessing it was close to 6pm when Mindy and I sat at the table for a quiet, relaxing dinner. After dinner Mindy ran to Target, but for what exactly, I can't recall. I suggested she take a few extra minutes and return the 4 pair of jeans she bought for Jacob at Kohl's that didn't fit. Reluctant at first to commit to making a 2nd stop, she ultimately decided that it made sense. After all, they're right across the street from one another. She bought him 4 pair of 29X32s but they were apparently too big around his skinny waist.

While Mindy was away, I did some reading. She was gone for about an hour. She and the kids were back pretty much at the same time. The rest of our evening was uneventful - a little TV and sofa time. As usual, Mindy headed to bed early, somewhere close to 9pm. I stayed up a little later than the others, joining her somewhere close to 10pm.

Storm Surge & Pumpkin Goo

Too quickly it was Monday and time to return to work. Where did the weekend go? It flew by. I was up and downstairs near 530am. I glanced outside to see if there was any snow. Nope, but it was windy, rainy, and cold.

I proceeded through calisthenics, completing sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups over the next 15 minutes. Headed to the PC with coffee at 550am. The big story, of course, was the weather and Hurricane Sandy. Forecasters calling for its arrival on shore Monday evening, making perhaps an even bigger deal than they did with Katrina. Some were calling it the storm of the century. IN addition to the hurricane warnings, they expected it to merge with an early winter storm, ultimately producing blizzard conditions in the Appalachian regions, even calling for a chance of snow her in Ohio.

I woke Mindy at her usual time of 605am. Played around online until almost 615 but then broke away for meditation and stretching. Both went well. Dressed and left for a run around 631am – early these days. It was raining and windy. Lucky for me, the rainfall was light. With the wind whipping to around 20 mph, it felt like winter.
I ran the full 4.1 miles. My legs felt great, about as good as I could reasonably expect. Mindy had my eggs ready by the time I was back from my run and walking of the pug. Eiknarf was as fast as she’s ever been. Wasn’t at all interested in hanging out in the inclement weather. Made me chuckle.

Inside, I woofed down my breakfast – eggs and fruit then quickly dashed off for a shower. It was still in front of 8am when I returned to the kitchen dressed and ready to pack my lunch. Bella and I headed out at 810am. I took Bella’s umbrella. She was wearing her brand new winter jacket and had the hood up. I ended up sharing the umbrella with Chrissy while we waited for the bus in the drizzle. Bus showed up around 820am.

Hurried back home with Eiknarf but still gave her a few minutes to pee again. She took full advantage. It wasn’t too much longer before I set out for work. I had an aggressive to-do list scrawled out in a hurry and was hunkered down attacking said list by 905am. Lots of communication about the coming hurricane. In addition, I had three ‘internal team’ calls to join, one for each of the accounts I support. That ate up an awful lot of my day.

I ate at my desk somewhere close to 2pm. The day flew by. By day’s end the stories were already starting about Hurricane Sandy’s wrath on the NE. Left for home sometime close to 530pm. Called Mindy. She invited my dad for dinner. We were having stuffed pork chops. I called my mom on my drive home too. She answered in a voice that sounded as though she was in severe pain. Said it was her back. Couldn’t hardly even walk. Made no mention of her knee, though later shared that it is doing markedly well. Interestingly enough, the pain voice diminished as we talked. I think she was on pain killers as some of the stuff she talked about didn’t make a lot of sense. Namely, she talked about having the dryer repairman out to check why her lights dim. She talked about not being able to afford a new dryer or new furnace. What? Lastly, she shared that if my dad and she were together, his recent passion for the casino’s would be a big problem. 

Dad walked up the drive while I was sitting in the Accord still talking with mom. I don’t think he noticed me there. It was raining and windy.
I headed inside a few minutes later and greeted everyone. Mindy and I both were excited that neither kid needed to be anywhere. Soccer season is officially over, and Bella has gymnastics on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s. Pointed out Jacob’s straight A’s performance to dad. When Jacob joined us at the dinner table a few minutes later, Dad was quick to congratulate him. Makayla was over and planned to have dinner and carve pumpkins with us later.

Dad shared a couple notable items: one, he’s going to Florida for nine days, leaving New Year’s Eve with U.K. Two, he’s been back on his iPad. Used it to view Bella’s gymnastics event via Facebook. Dinner was served near 6pm – stuffed pork chops, cooked carrots, salad, rolls. I was a little disappointed that the stuffed chops were store bought. I could tell right away. For one, the stuffing wasn’t anything Mindy would make, way too fine a texture. The chops were tough, too. But perhaps most important, the taste was off. I didn’t like mine at all, but also didn’t want to hurt Mindy’s feelings. I ate more than half of mine despite not caring for it. Both kids had leftover chicken casserole. Neither wanted chops.

There were an awful lot of dishes to hand wash. I was tied up with kitchen duty for a good 30 minutes. I became upset with Mindy when she served up dessert , my chocolate pie, just a couple minutes after I started washing dishes. They were enjoying dessert while I was slaving away. Felt unappreciated. I planned to share my displeasure later, as I am certain the act was unintended.

Once the dishes were completed and the kitchen in ship-shape, I sat down to enjoy a piece of pie too. It was really good. The overnight in the fridge was key. Note to self, chocolate pie needs several hours in the fridge to be at its best.
No sooner had we finished dessert when Bella and Makayla carried pumpkins to the table for carving. Jacob wanted no part of the pumpkin carving. Dad left soon after they got started. Mindy let the girls cut the top off their gourds. Watching their technique, I was certain that one of them was going to hurt themselves.

As only Bella can do, she managed to make a big mess with the guts, smearing it like slime all over the skin of her pumpkin. She was playing with it like play-doh too. I guess I understand her curiosity, but she was making quite the mess. Of course, neither of the girls wanted a plain jack-o-lantern face. No! Instead, they chose stenciled faces from a collection that Mindy brought home. These carvings required lot of work. And just a couple minutes into the process, both girls bored of the tedious process, turning over the details to both of us. Heck no! They wanted only to play in the goo!

I did about 10 minutes of dot-to-dotting the pattern then gave it up. Mindy, having finally completed Bella’s dotting, started work on Kayla’s. I headed to the sofa for a nap. I was ferociously sleepy. I’ll bet I slept for a solid 30 minutes or perhaps even longer. I was woken by Bella dropping/tossing the TV remote in my lap, or more accurately stated, my balls! Hurt like the dickens! I yelped to beat all get out. Not how I wanted to be waken. Apparently she wanted me to put the MNF game on the TV. I read her the riot act, which I know frightened her. My groin hurt for an hour.
I hadn’t been in a good mood since the dessert fiasco, but it was made even worse with the remote in the balls incident. Add to it, I was ridiculously sleepy. Jake came down to get Makayla around 9pm. Mindy and the girls had just finished the carvings. I was bent on them getting the kitchen back in order before heading off to bed. As it was, there was pumpkin smegma on the chair cushions and floor. I didn’t want to have to deal with any of it. Add to that, Bella had many of her play things strewn about the family room. Before she headed upstairs I made her come pick-up all her things. She did so promptly but with a little unsavory verbiage thrown in.

By 930pm Mindy and the kids were off to bed. That coincided with me getting a 2nd wind of sorts. I stayed up for at least another hour or more watching the MNF game, but also bouncing back and forth to the weather channel with many live Hurricane Sandy reports. Storm surge was the word of the day. As one might expect, lots of sensationalizing, but by all accounts, record storm surge in the New York, New Jersey area. Expected subways to be flooded as well as many neighborhoods. Some places reporting surge above the first floor of homes. They were calling for up to 2’ of snow in the West Virginia mountains.

I finally headed for bed around 11pm. By then the wind was howling, whistling outside against the houses and trees.

The Great Ones

I woke a few times during the night crowded in the bed by Eiknarf who at times was tangled around my feet. That always causes me strife. I pushed her aside more than once but somehow she found her way back. I was up for good just ahead of 8am. Mindy didn’t budge as I brushed my teeth and gathered my running clothes.

Downstairs I started some coffee then popped my head out the back door. It was raining ever so lightly, windy and chilly. I enjoyed coffee at the PC for quite a while before heading out for a run. I slipped out near 930am. It was chilly and really windy, blowing from the north. I managed to stay dry throughout the run. Mindy was up when I got back and asked how the run went. Brisk and windy!

She was torn and asked my opinion on how she should prioritize her day, grocery or report cards first. I suggested the grocery, but in the end, it didn’t matter much to me. I didn’t much of anything planned for the day aside from catching some NFL action and possibly making a chocolate pie. Mindy showered and left for the grocery store I’m guessing around noon. I was napping comfortably in the family room when she left.
I woke a couple times but each time found my way right back asleep. I woke about the time that she and the kids were carrying in the groceries. They all got home at the same time. I continued napping and watching football. With nothing planned and the weather being what it was, I figured a lazy afternoon was exactly what I needed. Mindy and the kids ran off to Target & Old Navy around 230-3pm. Among other things, Mindy wanted to get jeans for Jacob. She suggested that I make the pie while she was away so not to be competing for the kitchen later when she’d be preparing dinner. Good point!

As soon as they were gone I got busy making the chocolate pie. Haven’t made one for 2 or 3 years. Gloria gifted us many of her family favorite recipes a few Xmas’s ago. That’s the recipe I used. It’s a messy process, and one that requires the blender then boiling the concoction. I was about 3/4s through the process when I remembered I needed to make the pie dough separately. Supposed to pour the cooled filling into an already baked pie shell. Clean-up took just as long as the make. Seemed to work out pretty well. Still, I need to work on my pie shell beautification and then I probably should’ve let the chocolate filling cool longer than I did.

By the time that Mindy sand the kids got back home I had the pie cooling in the fridge and the kitchen cleaner than it was when they left. I headed right back to the family room chair with my book to read, nap, and watch football. Mindy made two casseroles for dinner, tuna casserole for her and I, and a chicken casserole for the kids. I’m thinking that we are dinner around 545pm. The casserole was good, a dish that Mindy hasn’t made before, at least not while with me. The kids liked their chicken casserole too.

While I dealt with kitchen duty, Mindy and Bella walked down to Chrissy’s. Bella was very eager to play with Makayla. Jacob, on the other hand, headed to his room to read and practice saxophone. By the way, we’re very proud of Jacob, this his first grading period ever getting actual letter grades. He got straight A’s – two A’s and two A+’s.
Mindy was down at the neighbors for a very short visit. Bella stayed until 730pm. The day went incredibly fast, as did the entire weekend. Mindy dispatched both kids to the shower over the next hour or so. We tuned the TV to the SNF game – Broncos/Saints. I fell asleep early on but saw enough to one again be thoroughly impressed with Peyton Manning. For my money, he is the best quarterback I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some good ones (Unitas, Namath, Tarkenton, Elway, Kelley, Favre, Marino, etc).

We headed for bed a little after pm. I turned the bedroom TV to the SNF game. Mindy wasn’t too keen on the notion but didn’t complain too much provided I turned the volume way low. More than anything, I needed it for a sleep aide after getting my 2nd wind. I wasn’t even that tired when I finally shut it down for the night. I’m thinking it was right after the Bronco went ahead 31-7. Peyton was having an incredible game.

Flipping Past Mad River - Pizza & Fire

I was up around 735am feeling no worse for the wear. I quietly brushed my teeth and gathered up my running clothes before heading downstairs to prep some coffee. Mindy said something about rising early and getting a jump on the day ahead but I didn’t recall her specifying any particular time.

I started coffee then played on the internet. I spent a considerable chunk of that time (an hour or more) updating my blog. 2 hours went by seemingly in the blink of an eye. Mindy was still in bed when I finally slipped out the door for my run. The plan was to leave for Bellfountaine around 11am. I left for my run around 945am. I ran the usual 3 mile weekend trail in a light rain.

Bella was home by the time I got back and Mindy was just finishing up her shower. I asked Mindy if she would mind making me an egg, bacon and cheese sandwich before we left. Said she would, but she had to finish making Bella competition ready first. I was showered in a jiffy. I opted for casual clean running clothes. I wanted to maximize comfort knowing I’d be sitting in a gym for most of the afternoon.
I was ready to go before Mindy finished with Bella. I opted to make the breakfast sandwiches, and asked Mindy & Bella if they wanted one. Mindy did, but Bella didn’t. I made mine using the thick homemade French toast as the bread. It turned out awesome. Offered Mindy the same but she opted for wheat toast.

Mindy had Bella eat something, even if it was eggs. She needed the fuel for her meet. Not sure what she settled on. Mindy packed a cooler full of healthy snacks that included: carrots, celery, cheese, and craisins. She also packed water and Gatorade. We left the house around 11am. Bella was testy out the door. Turns out, she was concerned that she was going to be late. We did our level best to assure her otherwise. In fact, we figured to arrive early – not late. She wasn’t so sure.
Mindy & I made a big deal out of driving by Mad River Mt, which is only about five miles from the Bellfountain HS gym. Bella wasn’t as amused as we were. The Mt. opens six weeks from last Friday. Wahoo! Arrived at the gym at 1205pm, or 25 minutes early. Everything looked familiar after making the very same trek a year or so ago.

Bella ran into her former DCW team members who embraced her immediately in the door. That was sweet. We exchanged pleasantries with them and the coaches. We certainly didn’t want there to be any hard feelings. We sat right behind the parents of Kelly, Bella’s gymnastics coach. Bella was called for her first event after about 20 minutes of sitting around. She was noticeably nervous despite us advising her not to be. And when Bella is nervous she’s prone to errors. Last year she left out pieces of her routine.

She did good, this her first time as 10 year old novice, and doing a difficult exercise that included a cartwheel into two back handsprings. She was very methodical, but pulled it off. We could see the relief in her eyes to have it behind her. I think she placed 5th.

Her next exercise was double-mini, and only about a 30 minute time gap between. She’s only recently added a front flip to her repertoire. She had numerous warm-up tries, and then two that counted. I thought she did good. She placed 8th and wasn’t happy. We were very proud of her despite the placement. We had a 75 minute wait before her next event. Mindy and Bella disappeared for a while, but when they got back, I headed to the cafeteria to read and relax. I read about 10 pages from my book.

Headed back into the gym at 325pm. Bella was warming up for her trampoline event. Perfect! It was 345pm by the time she finished the event. We had to wait at least another 30-45 minutes for the awards ceremony. It was somewhat painful. I think she placed 4th. We didn’t get out of the gym until just after 430pm. Yikes!
Mindy phoned Jimaken to let him know that we were bringing Bella by his place. They didn’t plan on going anywhere. Would be there watching the Buckeye game. We were about an hour behind where we thought we’d be. We showed up at Jimaken’s place right at 530pm. And by the time we headed inside his condo, the Buckeye game had just kicked off. Sadly, the frightening Halloween decorations Jimaken put up the day before were already down. Apparently Bella was horrified and screamed bloody murder at the site of it.

We watched one defensive series at Jimaken’s but then headed for home. Mindy and I agreed to stop at the Giant Eagle at Sawmill & Bethel for some beer before heading home. And while we tinkered with a couple options, we resigned ourselves to simply hunkering down at home watching football, having fire, eating pizza, and drinking beer.

I was more than pleased to find some White Rajah at Giant Eagle. While perusing more of the broad beer selection, I happened upon an old Time Warner friend and coworker, Greg H.. Haven’t seen or talked with Greg in maybe 15 years. Wow! He was there with his wife Tammy. We talked kids and family. I also introduced to Mindy. We chatted for about 5-10 minutes.

We bought three 6-packs and a rocket of beer. Last second, we went for some dog food too. Eiknarf’s supply was getting precariously low. From the Giant Eagle parking lot, Mindy ordered a Minelli’s pizza for pick-up – extra-large, double cheese, double pepperoni.

We stopped at the Circle K just before Minelli’s where I headed inside and bought one Powerball ticket for Saturday night’s drawing. The jackpot was setting at $100 million. We won $4 on Wednesday’s drawing but I left the winner at the house. I just know that I’m gonna win one of these big jackpots soon. I can feel it in my bones!
Mindy headed inside Minelli’s to get our pie. We arrived home around 6pm. We worked quickly to get settled and organized. It was another 10 minutes before we dug into the pizza. Mmmm, good! I put two White and two Fat Head’s in the freezer as soon as we were inside the house. As soon as I had my fill of the pizza, I cracked a White Rajah. By then it was halftime and tied 7-7.

Near 7pm Mindy, Eiknarf and I headed down to the neighbors. Haven’t hung out with Kenny for several weeks. I took two beers, one freshly poured and another in a bottle. Mindy took wine. We walked in after a cursory knock at the back door. Sitting there watching the game was Mike O. and Scotty, one of Kenny’s employees. Kenny was off picking up Jake after a school band thing. Chrissy was in Dayton at Makayla’s soccer tournament for the weekend. We watched the rest of the game with them. Kenny got home with about 10 minutes remaining in the game.

It was an exciting finish. The Buckeyes scored a flurry of points in the 3rd quarter to put Penn St away, but Penn St kept fighting back but was too far behind to rally. We won 35-23. Mindy and I headed home immediately after the game and reignited the fire then tuned to the Notre Dame /Oklahoma football game. I drank a total of four beers through the evening. I watched the Notre Dame game almost to completion. We headed up to bed around 1115pm and then caught the first half of SNL. Funny.

Finally Firkin' Friday

Up Friday at 545am, I was sleepier than I should’ve been. As a consequence, exercises were tough getting through. However, somehow I managed through it. As predicted, the sky was overcast. Gone was the lovely weather we enjoyed over the past few days.
I had a couple minutes to play around online before heading upstairs to wake Mindy. Back downstairs I enjoyed a more coffee and PC time before ultimately deciding to sofa surf for a while longer. It must’ve been about 620am when I stretched out on the sofa. When I heard Mindy come downstairs about 40 minutes later, I let her know that I didn’t need for her to cook eggs for me. With the new found time, she opted to leave a little early for school. . I don’t think I ever I fell soundly asleep but did manage to get enough rest that when I popped up for good around 730am I felt rested. I planned to do my run right after seeing Bella on the school bus.

I enjoyed more coffee and paid a few bills online ahead of 8am. Checked the day’s forecast. It was near 60 degrees when I got up but dropping quickly. There was some rain moving in too, but nothing to worry about. Bella and I headed out to the bus stop around 810am. It was Eiknarf’s first opportunity to relieve herself. The bus was on time. Eiknarf and I walked out front for a while longer.

Inside, I quickly readied for a run then headed out the door around 840am. Opted to cut my run to just three miles. Felt good throughout. No pain and no overt stiffness. Back home around 915am I checked my Blackberry then headed up for a shower. I opted to skip frying eggs.

After a shower, I took the time to throw together a lunch. Left for the office near 945am. I was in the office, settled in, and logged on to my laptop by 1005am. The hallway was painfully quiet. Not too many folks actually in the office. I worked straight through but did eat my packed lunch at my desk. Brought my iTouch, and listened to some tunes on & off. Joined two work related calls and listened to a recorded replay of another.

Accomplished more than I thought I might. Didn’t get out of the office for home until just before 530pm. By day’s end, it was raining steadily. It was much chillier than it was earlier, too. By the time that I arrived home, Jacob & Bella had already left with their daddy. It was his weekend. However, Bella would be coming home Saturday morning, right after Jacob’s soccer game so we could head to her first gymnastics meet of the season in Bellfountaine.

Mindy had the house tidied up nicely by the time I arrived home. Ahhh, tranquility. We briefly discussed our evening plans and settled on visiting Barley’s. We didn’t leave until 7pm, however. That left about an hour to relax. During that hour I wrote for my blog. While I did that, Mindy made herself all pretty for an evening out. It took me no more than 3 or 4 minutes to do the same. Hey, when you’ve got I, you’ve got it! 

Talked with my mom before we headed out, too. Said she was home and doing good. Had to be near 715pm when we arrived at Barley’s. Lucked out and got a parking spot close – recently vacated. Moderate crowd at the bar. A few familiar faces – Steve W. & Rick C. I ordered a Red Molly. I’m not sure what Mindy went with, but perhaps even wine.

Talked with Steve & Rick at length. Somehow our conversation turned to the coming election. Soon we were discussing our politics, which is something I rarely do in public. Our opinions differed broadly, but we maintained more than once that it was OK to think differently. All in good fun! Soon another regular came over to join us, Al, a guy that’s been coming in for years, but someone we’ve come to know better over the last year or so. And then not too much later, Ryan (Ben & Ryan) stopped in. Said Ben was doing something with his late grandfather’s estate and wouldn’t be joining us. She & Mindy yucked it up for the duration of the evening.

I drank four beers in total, and each one different. I had the Red Molly, Centennial, ZIPA, and a Pale Ale. Mindy, of course, was driving. We never did order any dinner, though Mindy wisely ordered a basket of fries around 9pm. I ended up eating most of those. I’m thinking that we stuck around Barley’s until 10-1030pm. Mindy shared that she was incredibly tired and was much looking forward to our bed. I stayed up perhaps 10 minutes longer, enjoying a snack and then quickly checking email. But we were in bed before 11pm.

ReLeaf Management

I was up just after 530am feeling rested and ready for whatever the day might offer. It was a no push-up morning, without the question the most grueling calisthenics in my repertoire. I was happy about that. I finished sit-ups, windmills and curls. The sky was clear and the temperature fairly mild. Had about 15 minutes to enjoy coffee before heading upstairs to wake Mindy. The day's high was expected to touch 80 with nothing but sunshine. Unfortunately, that would be the end of it. Beginning later that evening, it was expected to cloud over, cool off and rain for the next several days.

My thoughts turned toward the thick blanket of fallen leaves out front around the two street maples. This past week was the big 'come down'. I thought how I might come home mid-day to for leaf management. Otherwise, it could be another week or more before the weather presents another opportunity.

Woke Mindy around 610am. I was astonished with how much warmer it was in our bedroom that it was downstairs. Had to be at least ten degrees warmer. I went to the register vent and noticed heat blowing. Crap! Several windows were opened. Most importantly, the window in the dining room nearest the thermostat was wide open allowing the cool air in. It only registered 66 in there while it had to be in the mid 70s in our room. Mindy reminded me that she didn't bump up the heat and that she has no idea how to change/alter the program. Good point. I simply tuned off the heat.

Downstairs I did a thorough meditation and stretch then readied and left for a run. Left the house near 730am. It was only in the mid 50s, I wore a thin wicking shirt and jacket. Was comfortable throughout after letting the zipper down about midway. My legs felt good through the entire 4.1 mile run. That made me happy. During my run I contemplated my quarterly presentation as well as the early meeting I was hosting at a customer location. I was fairly comfortable with all I'd be covering. That helps ward off the willies.

Mindy was just starting my eggs by the time I got back home. I quickly headed out with the pug on a morning stroll. Mindy made and egg for herself, too. The first such time in awhile, at least that I've witnessed. She briefly touched on the evening ahead, which included only Bella getting to and from gymnastics. She left for school near 730am. I wasn't too far behind, heading up the shower. I needed to leave by 8am. Mindy made arrangements for Bella to go to Makayla's so I could leave early.

In a hurry, I was showered and dressed by 745am. I shaved close for one of the few times in the last several years. Around 750am Bella asked if she could head down then. Sure, why not? I planned to leave at 755am. And when I did, I drove by Chrissy's just to make sure that Bella actually got it. She did. I headed off to work. It was a gorgeous morning and turned out being an easy commute across town. Traffic slowed down on 670 just before 315N exit but loosened up quickly.

My meeting didn't begin until 9am, but I needed to get logged on and then prepared. I arrived by 815am, and because I was so early, I got one of the up close temp parking spots. I found the conference room quickly too, and was logged on and set-up just after 830am. My peer, the account manager, walked by and popped in. She's the one that requested I do this meeting. We talked for a while. A few minutes later my boss celled. Said he was in the lot and attending my meeting. I went to greet him in the lobby and guide him back.

The meeting convened about 5 minutes late, or real lose to 905am. Many of the folks were unfamiliar to me, but I'd talked with several of them via phone. Nice to put a name with a face. The meeting went well, with me leading them through an escalation process and then the use of one of our online tools.

The quarterly review meeting was immediately across the hall in another conference room. One meeting to the next. This was a much larger audience, and a host of their execs. My piece was about 50-60 minutes in. I walked up front to present. I think I did a good job. As often happens, my data inspired new questions and ultimately more to-dos. I didn't fully commit to the new ask, knowing that my time is very precious. I wrote everything down so I could discuss it with my boss later. The presentation ended just after 1130am. After a little light banter, I headed out and for home.

My plan was to stop at home for an hour or so to manage leaf fall. It was absolutely beautiful, and easily the warmest it's been in a long time. According to the Accord, it was 82 degrees. Was home near noon and quickly upstairs, out of my work clothes, and into my running attire. I grabbed a rake, tarp, and blower then headed out front. Checked my Blackberry before getting started. Nothing needing my immediate attention. I've learned that blowing the leaves into the street along the curb is by far the most efficient means of collecting the leaves. Most of the leaf fall was either on the sidewalk or the strip of grass between the sidewalk and curb. I blew those in the front lawn too. Didn't take more than 10-15 minutes to blow the leaves into the street. Once they were in the street I carefully blew the few that strayed out back along the curb. I then set the blower aside and used the take a tarp to collect all the leaves. Took no more than 30 minutes start to finish. I was pleased with my work. The tarp was heavy and full. Dragging it to the compost pile is no easy task. Doing so forced me into a big sweat. I folded the tarp then stowed my tools and headed inside. I toweled off twice. Man, was I sweating. I sliced some cheese and put it in a baggie then headed upstairs to get back into my work clothes. It was 1245pm when I headed back to the main office.

Arrived near 1pm. Got busy right away. I ate my packed food near 2pm. My veggies and fruit medley were warm, having traveled in my backpack all morning without the benefit of the fridge. The afternoon went fast. I didn't have any calls scheduled until our weekly team call at 415pm. The call lasted no more than 10 minutes. I left the office for home around 505pm. I was eager to get home, have dinner, and watch the Vikings on TV for the first time all season.

I called Mindy during my drive home. She said we were having grilled chicken over rice. Asked that I grill the chicken while she ran Bella to gymnastics. She and Bella were still at the house when I got home but quickly out the door. It was a lovely evening, still well into the 70s. Mindy didn't even notice the work I did removing the heavy leaf fall. tisk, tisk.

Jacob, by the way, was off somewhere playing with friends. Near 545pm, I grabbed my camera then headed outside to take photos and grill the chicken. I must've taken about 15 shots from the deck, marveling at the many flowers still in bloom contrasted against those that are withering away. The chicken grilled up real nice. It was ready by the time Mindy was back at home.

I topped my boneless chicken breast, as did Mindy, with peach mango salsa. Yum, yum. Dinner was a success. Mindy asked somewhat sheepishly if I still planned to fetch Bella. She wanted to work on report cards. Yes. After clean-up, I went after Bella. Arrived at the gym at 728pm. As usual, there wasn't anywhere to sit. I stood until practice ended.

Bella asked if we could stop somewhere for food on the way home. No, your mom made dinner - chicken. I did tune the car stereo to WNCI for her listening pleasure. We were home by 745pm. I quickly changed into my PJs then poured a Russian Imperial Stout to enjoy from the outset of the Vikings/Bucs game. The actual kickoff wasn't until 830pm. Lots of pregame hype and banter. Can't recall the last time I watched a regular season Vikings game on TV. Been a while.

Like so many times past, the Vikings played poorly from jump and quickly were behind 3-0, 10-0, 13-0. The only bright spot was Adrian Peterson running for 6 or 7 yards every time he touched the ball. Our new quarterback, Christian Ponder looked confused and even lost at times. I think he started 0-5. Midway through the 2nd quarter we started to turn the momentum, scored a touchdown and were right back in the game. After the touchdown and a stop, we had the ball and were driving again, but then AP fumbled during an otherwise remarkable run. The Buc capitalized, scoring a TD making it 20-7. The Vikings scored a field goal right before the half to make it 20-10.

Mindy called it a day at the half and headed for bed. With little hope of a major turnaround, I decided to bag it and head to bed too, which may very well be a first - leaving a Viking TV game for bed. Getting a good night's rest was simply a higher priority. I headed to be with little to no angst. Bella asked that Eiknarf not sleep with her. She suggested, just as I had earlier, that she sleep in her pen. But knowing that she'd whine all night, we opted to slip her into Jacob's room. I heard Jacob try and coax up onto his bed once or twice, but then heard Bella telling Jacob no. He took her right to Bella's room - Eiknarf's preferred sleeping venue. Bella came to us complaining, but then caved and let the pug sleep with her. We may very well need to address the concern another time soon. Good night!

Bad Luck or Poor Execution?

I slept OK, but was hampered with the bedroom climate, which was a tad warm & sticky. In hindsight, we probably should’ve turned on the A/C. The downstairs, however, was quite pleasant. I quickly breezed through calisthenics then headed to my PC with coffee near 550am. It was gorgeous outside. Mostly clear and 64 degrees. Expecting sunshine and temps approaching 80 later in the day.

Played around online until 605am when I delivered Mindy’s coffee. She asked me to turn off the ceiling fan. I was surprised given that it was still a little warm in our room. I spent a little more time online, but no more than 10 minutes. I headed to the family room for meditation and stretching by 615am. I did back stretches with an old bath towel, once again relieving the tension (knot) that’s almost ever present in my left neck/shoulder blade region. It was a close to 635am when I slipped out the door for my run. I ran 4.1 miles and felt comfortable throughout. My legs felt pretty darn good, too.

Back at the house sometime close to 715am, I was a little surprised to be greeted by Eiknarf at the door. She was more than ready for her walk. Bella shared that she chewed a Barbie overnight. By the time we returned from our walk, Mindy was waiting at the foot of the drive for my return. She wanted a hug. Bella came out in a bit of a panic reminding Mindy that it was picture retake day. Mindy headed back inside to help Bella look a bit nicer than usual. She ended up with way too much product in her hair – looked greasy. She told me that Mindy insisted she wear her glasses too. By then, Mindy had already hurried off to work. I told Bella to use her own judgment. If she didn’t feel comfortable having her school photo with glasses to take them off. She was worried about defying her mother’s wishes. I insisted that it would be OK and left it at that.

Mindy made cheesy scrambled eggs. They were a welcome change and also delicious. Had plenty of fresh fruit for breakfast, too. Off to the shower by 735am. I was a customer site work day. I kept that in mind as I picked my attire but didn’t defer much from what I might wear any other day. They’re very casual there, and certainly more so than all of us. Their execs often wear jeans. I was ready before 755am. I spent the next ten minutes prepping my lunch and cleaning up the kitchen. The dishwasher was full of clean dishes since the evening before. That meant all of the breakfast dishes rested on the counter. I planned to address that before leaving for work but after seeing Bella on the bus. We headed out at 810am. I asked Bella to take the dog so I could squeegee the windows of the Accord.

We hung with Chrissy & Makayla at the bus stop for about 5 minutes. The bus was close to being on time. Like most other days, I allowed Eiknarf time to sniff and pee again before we headed back inside. Inside, I poured another cup of coffee but then got crackin’ on kitchen clean-up. I unloaded the dishwasher then put the new dirty dishes in. I also hand washed the crock-pot crock as well as a wine glass. The kitchen looked dazzling when I finally left for work around 840am.

I took 670 and happily didn’t run into any traffic snarls. Gas, I noticed, was down to $3.12 per gallon at the Circle K. Made excellent time. I arrived near 9am. However, took a little while – another 20 minutes -to get situated and logged in. We had our usual 10am call. That went well, just as I expected it would.

Sometimes my offsite are the best ever. They give me a chance to catch up on several miscellaneous non priority type tasks and issues. That was pretty much the case on Wednesday. At 1pm I headed out for lunch, my plan being to return those unneeded 2”X10” joist hangers to Home Depot. I planned to pick-up some 3” decking screws too. It was gorgeous – about 75 and sunny. NO problem returning the joist hangers. I picked out the decking screws I wanted then looked at some Xmas lights, if for no other reason, to check out the new technology. I also looked at brush on Rustoleum paints since I’m considering painting our rusted steel basement window frames. I like the ideas of being able to open the window and let air flow in. Replacing them with glass block would inhibit our ability to do that very thing, though they are available with a very small vent window. I didn’t buy the paint but am satisfied that they have the right stuff should that be what I choose to do.

I’d been about 40 minutes. I headed back to the office. Per the usual, my convenient parking spot was taken. I had to park much further away from the path to the building. No biggie. It was a lovely afternoon for a walk. I was back in my office by 150pm. I checked my personal cell phone. Had two new texts, one form Bob I. taking me to some link on Facebook. I couldn’t get the link to connect. I got busy at the same time and simply set my Droid aside. I got back to it about an hour later only to discover that my battery was completely drained. Wouldn’t even power up. That’s happened maybe only one other time. I’m guessing trying to open that link had something to do with it, but can’t be sure.

The afternoon went by fast. It was 5pm in a hurry. The plan was to meet Mindy & Bella at Jacob’s last regular season soccer game at Spindler field. They wanted to start the game at 545pm to beat the setting sun. I plugged my phone into the car charger once in the Accord. I had to drive for 10 minutes before it was charged enough to use. Called Mindy as I passed Sawmill Rd and talked for just a couple minutes. She and my dad were already at Jacob’s game. Bella, turns out, opted to stay at Chrissy’s house with Makayla. I tried calling my mom’s cell phone to check in on her status. Haven’t talked with her since the Wednesday prior. Got Ronald instead. He shared that he just dropped mom off at the knee rehab center. Shared that she was taken to the emergency room by ambulance earlier in the day when her incision ripped open and bled profusely. They couldn’t stop it at the rehab center. He went on to share that they had to put a couple staples in it. Apparently the glue they used didn’t hold.

As bad as that sounded, he said she’s otherwise doing really well, and far better than the last time. Said she isn’t in nearly as much pain, and rehab exercises going well. Should be able to come home Thursday or Friday. He was willing to rattle off the phone number to her room but I was driving and promised to call back later to get the number.
I arrived at the soccer field just a minute or two before the game began. Mindy already had a chair set up for me. I set the one I carried on the ground in front of me. She also brought me a Gatorade and trail bar. Thanks dear. Dad asked if I’d heard or seen mom. I shared what I had only recently learned from talking with Ronald. Mindy asked dad to share his recent casino story with me.

Dad went to the new casino I believe on Monday with his pals, Pete & Vicki. He won $380. He headed out somewhere Wednesday morning to buy a new tractor battery. That set him back $100. Said he figured why not stop in the casino for a few and see if he could win some of that $100 back. Sure enough, he won another $500! He might be the luckiest person I know playing those daggone slots.

Jacob’s game was back and forth for most of the first half. I think it was 1-0 at the half. And even as nice as the weather was, once the sun started to set it got a little cool. Both Mindy & I went to our cars for jackets. Grove City scored a 2nd goal and lead 2-0 for most of the 2nd half. Our kids just can’t seem to pass the ball from one player to another. Always kick it into an opposing player. Finally, with about 5 minutes to go, Hilliard scored on a free kick. Suddenly, they were battling the clock, needing to score another goal before the final whistle. No such luck. They lost 2-0. Just before the game ended, Mindy spotted a familiar face down the sideline. I had no idea who it was. She talked to the women at length. It was the former West High school cheer leading coach. Said she married the West High band instructor at the time and is living happily ever after.

Said farewell to dad. Agreed to meet Mindy at home. Mindy was in front of me by one car. However, she & Jacob turned into the Hilliard Wal-Mart. She called via cell to explain. Jacob needed index cards. I was home for a good 15-20 minutes alone. I that time I prepped Thursday’s coffee, rinsed and stowed my lunch containers in the dishwasher, and changed into my PJs. Ate some snacks too (nuts and cheese sticks). Mindy & Jacob were home around 740pm. Those two opted to have a bowl of cereal for dinner. Mindy called Chrissy to have her send Bella home. Chrissy shared that they had just ordered spaghetti dinners from Sparano’s. Ordered one for Bella, too. I ended up having some cereal, too, but dry. I wasn’t that hungry.

Around 830pm Mindy dispatched Jacob to the shower. I was just hunkering down to do some reading. Mindy had other ideas. She wanted to spend some time with me. We talked for a few minutes with her sitting on my lap. She left me to read after about five minutes. Mindy was soon off to bed. And unless I’m mistaken, I am thinking it was near 840pm. She asked that I make sure that Bella gets ready and in bed around 9pm.
Bella was home shortly thereafter. I can’t recall if she went for a shower. She wasn’t too surprised to learn that her momma was already in bed. I turned the TV to the Science Channel watching Through the Worm Hole. Interesting episode about our knowledge of the universe and if their might be a definitive limit to what we can understand. Interesting notion. I watched for maybe 15 minutes before falling asleep on the sofa. I got up and headed to be somewhere close to 10pm. Secured the home and glanced skyward – about 2/3s of a waxing moon.

Pulsars, Quasars & Blazars (a watch, TV, & basketball team)

I didn’t sleep well at all. I woke about an hour after first going to sleep worrying/thinking about work. It must’ve been near midnight when I slipped out of bed and headed downstairs to my computer hoping to alter my focus and surf myself sleepy. Worked like a charm. After about 20-25 minutes my mind was settled and I headed back to bed. I had strange dreams and woke several times during the night. I got up for keeps at 540am.

I didn’t feel under slept. After sit-ups I was wide awake. It was during windmills and curls that I noticed a number of distant lightning flashes. Just minutes earlier there were oodles of stars hanging overhead. I checked the weather radar as soon as I sat at the PC with coffee. Sure enough, there were a couple small storms moving in, one just about upon us and yet another about an hour out. Soon the lightning was accompanied by rumbles of thunder. I heard the pitter patter of light rain at some point too.

I woke Mindy around 605am. Said she slept so much better. Said she saw the lightning too. The second storm cell looked like it might skirt us to the north, though the yellow concentrated area was expanding and collapsing. I proceeded with my routine as normal. Completed meditation and a stretch between 615 and 630am. And by the time that I dressed for my run the rain had stopped and the lightning and thunder seemed to be five miles or so to our north. I went ahead and did my run. It was quite warm – 64 degrees. I skipped wearing a jacket.

There were three or four flashes of lightning and muted thunder during the first couple miles. Just as I began to relax and stopped worrying about worsening conditions, lightning bolts struck ahead of me, that, of course, was followed by a clap of thunder and then significant rain. I was suddenly very nervous. I picked up my pace and then at the three mile/four mile decision point I didn’t waste any time mulling over my decision. Screw this! I cut off towards home curtailing my run to just three miles. I ran that last mile faster than I have any other mile in a year or more. 

I knew when I left the house that it was close, but I also could see that it was small and believed it might miss us. Sure enough, a couple minutes after getting home the sky to west cleared again. It was fine as I walked the pug, bumpy only during my run time. That happens a few times each year, and every now and again I’ll get a cluster of days like that. But more often than not it’s nothing more than heavy rain during the run.

Bella shared that she woke from the storm and was worried about me. Mindy had my eggs ready and waiting. They were fresh from the pan again, not needing microwaved. We had oodles of fresh fruit for the first time in a while: pineapple, strawberries, black berries, which I don’t eat, raspberries, sliced oranges, and watermelon. I ate quite a bit and also packed a small container for my lunch. Mindy left at 730am. Bella and I carried on with the rest of our ready. Once again, I was showered and downstairs ahead of 755am. I spent most of my time packing my lunch and tidying up the kitchen. Bella headed out a couple minutes early. I met she and Makayla at the bus stop.

I could see & hear Trena talking to her subcontractor along the side of her house (pour bus stop is in her driveway). She walked around where we wait for the bus. She asked how long before our bus arrived. She needed her contractor to move so she could back out the drive. We moved out of the way. Before she left for work she shared that she was having a new gas line install in her home and that they’d be tearing up that part of her front yard. Didn’t want me to be alarmed. I appreciated the heads up. The reason, she said, was to facilitate a new tankless water heater. Said they told her she needed it. Sounds bogus to me, but hey.

The bus arrived on time and Eiknarf and I headed back home. It was already shaping up to be a lovely day now that that rain was out of the way. Chrissy shared that Kenny & Mike were planning to pour the concrete for their new basketball court. I left for work near 830am.

I was reminded that I needed to change my login password at start-up. I took care of it right then, or at least I tried. There were technical difficulties that required I contact the HD. That ended up eating an unexpected hour of my morning, but at least the problem was taken care of. I kept busy all morning and once again didn’t bother taking a lunch break. I forgot to bring those 2”X10” joist hangers that I planned to return to Home Depot. I need to get some more 3” decking screws, but figured I’d take care of both tasks same visit. Besides, I didn’t plan to use them that evening.
The day went fast yet I accomplished most items on my to-do list. I was feeling better about work and things in general. That’s the way it usually goes. Once I get to Tuesday and back in the swing of things, my outlook turns more towards the positive.
Mindy called at some point to remind me about Jacob’s concert. The plan called for me to head home a little early so I could run Bella to gymnastics practice. Jacob needed to be at the school by 550pm. Per the plan, I wouldn’t get to see the concert. Called Mindy when I left work at 5pm. She shared that her mom canceled – not feeling too well. It was 513pm. Mindy was fretting over my arrival to get Bella. She opted to leave her at home since I was only minutes away.

I found it odd then when I was sitting at the light at Trabue and Wilson and saw Mindy and Jacob sitting at the same light although in the turn right lane. I guessed they turned around thinking they might take another route to the school. Given the hour, there is no easy path back to Hilliard.

Bella was lounging on the sofa when I got home. It was 525pm. I asked what time she generally leaves for practice. 535pm. With ten short minutes, I took care of all my after work chores, including rinsing lunch containers, starting the dishwasher, and prepping Wednesday’s coffee. I even had time to empty the dehumidifier into the fountain that was otherwise running low on water. We left the house right at 535pm.
Given all the construction and the fact that it was rush hour, I didn’t even consider taking 270. Instead, we took Fisher to Phillipi to Georgesville and by the new casino. That worked out well. Bella pestered me endlessly to change the stereo from XM ESPN to WNCI. After a blurb I wanted to hear about the NFL I met her request. We arrived at Twisted Sister gymnastics at 550pm. I headed back home, this time taking 270N. That leg is rarely if ever that congested.

I was excited about having 90 minutes or so to myself, though I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d do. Thought I might make something to eat then relax and read. After making myself a burrito using leftover pot roast, I spent some time on my PC watching YouTube videos on installing glass block basement windows. Considering replacing our existing windows with glass block ahead of the finishing project. I also started a to-do list of tasks that need or should be completed prior to framing. The list is growing. I just realized while writing this that the city did indeed pick-up the carpet remnants we sat at the curb Monday night.

As it often does, the time went fast. Mindy and the kids were home around 740pm. Looked like she brought home Wendy’s but only for the kids. Glad she didn’t bring me anything. I was still fine from the burrito. She asked that I join them in the kitchen, so I pulled myself away from my PC and sat at the kitchen table with the family. Jacob said his concert went bad. Mindy said otherwise, was amazed at how well they did, especially given their relatively short time in school this year. I heard Jacob rehearsing Sunday night. He’s definitely getting it.

Jacob was soon off to his room. Bella was still busy eating her chicken nuggets. I hid a few from her betting she wouldn’t notice. She did, however, and was convinced that I ate them. We gave them back a few minutes later. After Mindy dispatched Bella to the shower, I turned the TV to the Soundscape Music channel and then did some reading. As often happens, reading turned into dosing, but this time I fought it off. Around 8pm I changed the channel to History Channel and watched The Universe watching an hour’s worth of programming about pulsars, quasars, & blazars. Cool stuff!

As interesting as it was, I was getting sleepy, and because I was somewhat short slept the night before, I declared it my bedtime right at 9pm and headed up to bed. Bella, as she often does, panicked a little knowing I was going to bed in front of her. She likes to go to bed with me still up and downstairs. It’s a safe thing.

I didn’t fall right asleep. It was warm & humid in our room. Perhaps the one downside to the memory foam is that it makes the bed warmer. I read a few reviews that shared that sentiment. They’re right. Mindy joined me in bed before I was able to fall asleep. I’m pretty sure, however, that I was asleep before 930pm.

Return to Work Blues

As Hoped, I slept really well. I woke near 5am but didn’t get out of bed until 525am. I’m giving early credit to our new memory foam mattress topper for the restful sleep. I was downstairs still just ahead of 530am. After slipping into my exercise shoes, I hit the go button on the coffee maker as I made my way to the livingroom where I always do sit-ups. %0 sit-ups later I headed to the family room where I completed windmills and push-ups. I did a few back stretches with a rolled towel too. For some reason it almost instantly relieves the tension and knot in my left shoulder and neck.
Coming down the stairs, I noticed that Carl had his recycling can at the curb. As soon as calisthenics were behind me, I went to the garage and wheeled ours out, too. Unlike the city trash collection, I guess the recycling program is bent on keeping the same day even after a holiday.

Head to my PC with coffee at ahead of 550am. Among other things, I checked the SNF score as well as the weather forecast. The Steelers beat the Bengals. Bummer! The weather forecast called for sunny skies and temps in the 70’s. In fact, it’s supposed to be in the mid/upper 70s all week and with plenty of sunshine too. Of course the bottom’s expected to drop out on Saturday when we’ll struggle to hit 50. We still haven’t hit or dipped below freezing.

I took Mindy coffee around 605am. She apparently didn’t sleep as well as I. Said she couldn’t quiet her mind. As rested as I was, I had a fairly bad case of the return to work blues. But then again, it’s rare that I don’t after several days off. I played around online a few more minutes but had a hard stop at 615am for a stretch and meditation. Both went really well, and it was just what I needed to get my mind in a positive place.
It was somewhere close to 50 degrees when I dressed and left on my run. I wore a thin long sleeved wicking shirt and my light jacket. I was perfectly comfortable. It appeared that only half of the residents realized that it was our recycling day. Like me, I’m guessing that many figured it moved after Columbus Day holiday.
I ran the full 4.1 mile trail for the first time since Friday, the 12th. Thankfully, my legs felt about as good as they have for a couple weeks. I was back home near 705am. I went for the dogs leash then sat at the bottom of the stairs shaking it so Eiknarf would hear it. She came calling seconds later. Our walk was brief but efficient. She took care of her business in a hurry.

Sat for my eggs that were fresh out of the frying pan. Before she left, Mindy shared that she would stopping at the grocery store on her way home from school. She left for school just ahead of 730am. I was off to the shower right behind her.
I was shaved, showered, and ready before 750am. I had plenty of time to throw together my lunch and tidy up the kitchen ahead of the bus stop. Bella and I headed a minute or two early. Met Chrissy and Makayla at the bus stop. We chatted briefly about the weekend’s doings before the bus showed up. The bus was there a couple minutes ahead of schedule. Eiknarf and I headed back home, me letting her walk out front of the house for another minute or two.

Left for work just after 830am. I was fairly low on fuel and the price lower than it’s been in several weeks. I stopped at Thornton’s on my way to work, not wanting to risk the price going up during the day. I paid $3.27 and the Accord took about 14 gallons. I got about 30 mpg last tank. 300 miles of the last tank was our Cleveland trip.
Arrived at work around 850am and was quickly in my office and online. My boss stopped in to chat briefly around 915am. I saw him only one other time in passing for the rest of the day. As is usually the case, I spent the first hour rolling through hundreds of email that came in during my week off. I didn’t peak at email via my Blackberry even once while out. I responded to a couple of the most critical emails within the first hour. I still felt incredibly blue and maybe even a tad overwhelmed with everything I needed to accomplish during the work week. In truth, it’s no more than any other work week, but after being out for nine days it always feels/seems like a shock.

I plowed straight through the work day taking a couple forced breaks to stretch my back and then go after my packed food. I got a lot accomplished. I left for home around 515pm. By then the sunny skies that I observed out the window all day had faded to gray. Figures! It was warm, though. Felt like mid70s.

Called Mindy. She was only recently home from the grocery and was preparing a fruit tray when I got home. She put a beef roast in the crock pot before leaving for school that morning. The kitchen smelt like pot roast. Yum! To help out a little, I microwaved the Bob Evan’s mashed potatoes. Jacob was at soccer practice. I think Jimaken took him. Before dinner, I headed to the basement to carry up the carpet remnants that I pulled up, rolled and duct tapped last week. Bulk pick-up was scheduled to pick them up Tuesday morning.

Dinner was served around 550pm – salad, mashed potatoes, and roast. It was just the three of us. The roast was good but tougher than we expected. I’m guessing the cut was inaccurately marked. Sometime after dinner Jimaken texted or called sharing that he was at his parents’ house in Hilliard and was willing to bring Jacob home from soccer practice just around the corner. Mindy was very appreciative. While I managed clean-up, she got started on quarter one grade cards. Ambitiously, she hoped to get about 3/4s of them completed.

After finishing up in the kitchen I headed upstairs and changed into my comfy lounging clothes and brushed my teeth. Downstairs, I gathered my book and headed to the family room chair where I read and napped ahead of the MNF game and 3rd presidential debate. I remember laying the book on my stomach after reading 5 or 6 pages then drifted off to sleep. I woke to Jacob making all sorts of noises at the dinner table. It was almost time for MNF. I must’ve slept for about an hour. Hmm?

The game started at 830pm – Lions and Bears – oh my! We watched football until 9pm, when the debate began. In fact, I used the PIP feature minimizing the MNF game in the lower left corner of the TV through the entire debate. The 3rd debate was supposed to focus on foreign policy, but anyone who’s seen a debate knows that the candidates always find a way to stray off topic and hit on their strengths and their opponents perceived weaknesses.

I liked the way Obama carried himself. He doesn’t have the same, fast sharp delivery that Mittens has. I think that sometimes works against him. Not as much verbal sparring as last debate, but there were a few funny moments. In particular, I enjoyed Obama’s retort to Mitten’s smaller navy assessment. One can’t help but see right through both agenda’s. Both made it a point to highlight concerns and fears about the other while championing their own cause/agenda. Nothing said in the debate swayed my thinking. The debated ended on time – 1030pm. Mindy headed to bed immediately after. I switched back to a full screen view of the MNF game. I watched until about 11pm and then headed up to bed.

No Orionid

I jumped out of bed somewhere close to 8am, this my last day of autumn vacation. Directly out of bed I was already feeling the blues.

I should mention that I woke earlier,very near 4am, and headed downstairs and out on the deck to observe the Orionid meteor shower. If visible, I planned to wake Bella so she could see them too. She went to bed the night before very interested in seeing it.

It was cold, so I wrapped up in the blanket hanging on the back of the sofa. I stared starward, still a little buzzed, for about 5 minutes. The sky was clear but could only see stars directly overhead. Watching, watching, watching. Sadly, I didn’t see any meteors this time, though I’ve seen the Orionid before. I headed back upstairs to bed.
I read a few headlines while waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. Amongst them was a recap of the Buckeye game and the health of Braxton Miller, our quarterback. I was surprised to read that he was released from the hospital with no symptoms. Hmm?
I enjoyed coffee for about 30-45 minutes before preparing some for Mindy. She asked that I deliver some when I first rolled out of bed. Turned out, she was already on her way down the stairs when I finished pouring it for her. Mindy joined me in the livingroom where we chatted for a while. We talked a little about Olivia’s birthday party and then about our day. She reminded me that Lindsey was coming over to do laundry near noon. Mindy planned a trip to the grocery.

I’m not certain of the exact time I left for a run, but know that it wasn’t any earlier than 930am. It was sunny but still pretty cool. In fact, it was chilly enough that I wanted to wear hand covers. It was 40 degrees just before I headed out. I ran the usual 3 miles. About a ½ mile into my run I happened up neighbor Teresa was running about 100 yards out front of me. As usual, I didn’t try and catch up.
I happened upon Bella walking Eiknarf as I approached home. We walked back to the house together. Mindy was noncommittal on whether or not she was going to go grocery shopping. She’s never cared much for the grocery shopping experience unless, of course, she’s going with me. 

She laid out steaks for grilling later. We had several in the basement freezer. Mindy planned to spend a lot of time that afternoon working in Bella’s room with her help. The goal being to clear clutter, and purge clothes that no longer fit. Bella wasn’t at all pleased to learn that she had to help. She wanted to go out and play.
While those two got started on that, I headed to the basement to install 2”X10” braces between the last floor joist and the band joist to have something to nail the top plate to. I measured in four places and a good thing I did. The distance varied from 13 1/8” to 14 ½”. I went to the garage to make the cuts then headed back to the basement for the install. I was nervous then pissed. The new 2”X10”’ braces were a tad too tight to fit in the space – a waste of $7. Really a waste of $15 because I bought 5 2”X10” joist hangers, too.

I ended up using a 2”X4” which accomplished the same thing. Not sure why I didn’t think of that initially. And I just so happened to have 5 2”X4” joist hangers left over from my garage shelf project some 4 or 5 years ago. I knew they’d come in handy someday. I still have the gas pipe and kitchen drain pipe interference issue to deal with before framing. Not entirely sure what I’m going to do. I’m inclined to pay to have them moved and make both problems a nonissue. All totaled, I was in the basement for no more than an hour.

After putting all my stuff away and cleaning up my sawdust mess, I asked Mindy if I could use her Kohl’s card. By then Lindsey and the boys were over. The house was a bit of a wreck and the kids constantly in and out. I was going bonkers. I thought I’d run to Kohl’s, look at and possibly buy one of those memory foam mattress toppers. We’ve talked about getting one for more than a year now after sleeping soundly on them both in Oregon and then most recently in Cleveland. It’s just what the doctor ordered for me.

Being the frugal guy that I am, I thought we should buy and try the less expensive version, a 1 ½” thick model that was on sale for $55.00 (regular price of $129). They run as much as $300 on sale for those that are as thick as 4” and come with a cover. Mindy seemed to agree with my thinking. I didn’t bother taking a shower and was still in my running clothes when I left.

I don’t think I’ve been to Kohl’s since last new Year’s eve. I’ve never been a big fan of their clothes, though certain things it just makes sense to buy there, like jeans and running socks – same brands and always on sale. I was happy to see that they had one of the 1 ½” memory foam toppers in a king size remaining. I snatched it up, but then looked at the more expensive models, too. My comparison shopping furthered my inclination to go with the one I had. I addition to being on sale for $55, I had a 20% off coupon too (Mindy’s on their frequent buyer mailing list). I opted to pick-up a package of ¾ running socks that were on sale, too.

With my coupon, I got both for about $50, including tax. What a deal! Not only that, they slipped me $10 of Kohl’s cash too. Is it Christmas, or what?  Now about 2pm, I tuned my XM radio to NFL radio where I caught lots of updates, including a live feed of the Vikings Cardinal game from Minny. I got to listen in to the Vikings go ahead touchdown, a lead, as it turns out, that they would never relinquish.

Mindy and Bella were still working on Bella’s room when I got back home. After unrolling our new memory foam mattress topper to let it air out (something they recommend), I headed back downstairs where I did some reading from the recliner avoiding the noisy and busy family room where Lindsey was working on her laundry. I read and napped until 330-4pm. Mindy finally came downstairs and said she was heading back up to take a much needed shower. Not used to her looking like she just crawled out of bed so late in the afternoon.

While Mindy was in the shower, Joe-Joe stopped over. At the time I was watching SNL’s presidential debate snippets on Hulu. Funny stuff! Jacob and I chatted with Joe until Mindy came downstairs. While we sat chatting, Mindy texted Joe asking him to stop by. We laughed. Once Mindy was done upstairs, I headed up for a shower of my own. I was hoping it would help melt away the end of vacation blues. For some reason, I was really fretting my return to work.

A shower felt grand, and it did help some with the attitude. After my shower, I took the time to install our memory foam topper under our existing mattress pad. I laid on the finished product with the bed still made just to get a feel for the change. Subtle, but enough to make a difference. I was much looking forward to a full night’s rest in it later.

Joe was gone by the time I was out of the shower and back downstairs, and Lindsey was just finishing up her laundry. I assumed that she and the boys were staying for dinner, but not long after she finished her last load she corralled the boys for home. I didn’t bother asking them to stay. I really needed some peace and quiet.
I’m guessing that it was near 5pm when I checked the Vikings final. They won 21-14. That made me happy. Mindy was pleased too. However, looking at the stats, one would think that they lost. Very dismal quarterback stats. On a positive note, Adrian Peterson had a banner day. They were beat soundly in almost every statistical category save for sacks and the final score. Some will say stats are for losers.
While Mindy was busy in the kitchen putting together the sides for dinner, I took a brief nap in the family room. Near 550pm I headed to the deck to grill the steaks. Grilling was a challenge since I had four steaks of varying thicknesses. I did my best to cook all four to perfection. Both kids came for dinner shortly after my ‘dad’ whistle out the back door. Well, come to think of it, I’m pretty sure Mindy had to call Chrissy to get Bella home.

Bella was pouty and complained about her steak citing it being too fatty. In reality, it was very lean. I had the thickest, a T-bone we’ve had since my mother’s weekend visit back in July. It was a prime T-bone from the Market District. I wasn’t too impressed. It was tough to cut and chew. We ended up with about 1.5 steaks leftover for another day. Along with steak, Mindy made fresh garden salads, green beans, and some prepackaged noodle concoction. All in all, a super Sunday family dinner.
During clean-up, Mindy opted to run to the nearby Circle K and pick-up a jug of white and chocolate milk to tie us over until she groceried after school on Monday. I suggested she cash in my $10 winning lottery ticket that Shelly gifted me on my birthday. Iasked her to buy one Powerball ticket and use the rest for the milk. Before heading out, she sat out a frozen keylime pie for dessert. We each had a slice when she got back home.

After dinner, clean-up, and dessert, it was close to 8pm. Ahead of SNF I snuggled up in the family room chair and did some more reading – Subliminal, Mlodinow. Good stuff! Come 835pm I sat the book aside and took in the football game between the Bengals and Steelers. Even before halftime we all headed for bed, though Mindy agreed to watching more of the game from our bedroom. I was eager to give the memory foam topper a whirl. Ahh, very soft. We watched rest of the first half then turned the TV off and went to sleep.

Living Livy

I slept until about 800am then quietly slipped out of the room and headed downstairs to prep some coffee and play on the internet. It was still drippy and cool, about 46 degrees. The forecast, however, called for improving conditions throughout the day. It looked like the rain would be moving out quickly.

I spent an hour or more enjoying coffee and updating my blog. 9am came and went. 10am came and went. Finally, sometime near1030am I slipped out for my run. I ran three miles. During my run the sky cleared more and more. Even had a little sunshine before I was back at home.

Mindy was busy prepping all of Olivia’s birthday gifts. There were many. She wrapped most then stuffed them into gift bags. She prepped the gifts from Kaileigh, too. Mindy showered and readied for the party first. I’m thinking that she headed up around 1130am. In fact, she was still up getting ready when the Buckeye game kicked off. Later, she shared that she heard me bitching at the TV when the Buckeyes gave up an 83 yard touchdown on the first offensive play. It didn’t get any better either.
I headed up for a shower around 1215pm. Mindy was still in process, but all but through. While I showered, she made sure the girls and Jacob were ready. I’m thinking that it was 1250pm when we left the house for Ashley’s.

We showed up just a few minutes after 1pm. Olivia was excited to see us, and probably more excited to see all of her gifts. Already there were Kelly, Lindsey and the boys, Al (Kelly’s dad). He apparently had Rosemary drop him off earlier so he could watch the Buckeye game with Stephen. There were others, too, including Stephen’s little sister and her kids as well as some of his friends.

I took a seat right away next to Al, who was watching the game. Mindy offered help to Ashley, but she seemed to have things under control. Olivia took me out back to show me her new trampoline. She was very excited about that. There was a whole lot of cigarette smoking going on out back and then out front. Within the next 10-15 minutes Rosemary showed up to join Al. She tends to act a bit cool to both Mindy and I whenever Kelly’s around. She’s been trained well.  On the other hand, Al is as pleasant as ever.

Courtney showed up a little later. She gave Mindy perhaps the coolest reception of all. Her greeting amounted to little more than “hey’. Too bad! Of course Courtney is about 7 months pregnant. Imagine then how disappointed I was to see her out front with the others puffing on a cigarette. She’s definitely her mother’s daughter. Made me sick to my stomach. Total disregard for herself and more importantly, the wellbeing of that baby. I bit my tongue, choosing to keep my opinions to myself. The day was about Olivia. Ashley whipped up some appetizers. I enjoyed a few stalks of celery and then a few meatballs. I washed it all down with water. By midway through the 3rd quarter of the Buckeye game, most of us had written them off. We couldn’t do a darn thing, and it appeared that we were going to lose to Purdue for the 2nd year in a row.

Sometime during the 4th quarter Ashley organized cake, song, and presents. Mindy helped out by slicing up the cake. After all the kids had their fill, we cleared the table so Olivia could open presents. The entire table top was covered in gifts. She cleaned up, and probably got enough clothes to carry her through winter. She got plenty of fun stuff too.

Courtney’s baby daddy stopped by briefly for a visit. I don’t know him too well having only met him one other time. He’s an articulate fella, but everybody says he’s a little shady. I try not to judge based on another’s opinion but wisely keep my eyes and ears opened. He was dressed ruggedly and wearing a fluorescent vest. Said he was on his way to work – does road construction. Shared that he’ll be getting laid off come Dec 1, when road construction stops for the winter. Also learned that Stephen got laid off just the week prior. Poor Ashley.

The party was wrapping up, and many were departing. The Buckeyes, meanwhile appeared cooked, especially after Braxton Miller went down with what appeared to be a serious injury. The back-up came in and promptly through an interception down at our own end of the field. We trailed by 8 before the interception and there were only a couple minutes remaining.

Somehow or another we held them from scoring after the turnover. We got the ball back with 48 seconds, drove down for a touchdown, went for a 2 point conversion and made it. Suddenly, a game we had no business being in, was tied. The whole house was hollering at the TV. In fact, Rosemary, of all people, was screaming louder than anyone. I was taken back. Never heard her yell at a football game – ever. Now, I have heard her yell at Al a time or two. 

Miraculously, the Buckeyes scored a touchdown in OT and then held Purdue out of the endzone for the unexpected victory. That ranks right up there with three past Buckeye games that come to mind: Illinois -when Keith Byars ran out of his shoe – we came back from something like 24-3. Minnesota Golden Gophers were beating us 31-6 at halftime circa 1990. We came back and won. Lastly, LSU game – John Coopers first season. We were down something like 21-3 with 5 minutes left. Me and my buddy left the game.

The mood in the house was suddenly elevated. Earlier, I heard Stephen giving Ashley crap for scheduling the party during the OSU game. Afterwards, I heard him say he would schedule next year’s party during the OSU game too.  Stephen lives and dies with the Buckeyes success.

We left for home around 430pm. Mindy planned on dropping me and the kids at home and then heading off to one of her students’ homes who was hosting a Halloween party. She also sent a text to Lindsey asking if she would come over around 6pm to watch our kids so we could go to dinner. Mindy expected to be back from the party around 630pm.

Since it was on the way, Mindy took Kaileigh home. While she was away, I napped and watched more football. The kids spent most of that time outside playing. Lindsey and the boys showed up just before 6pm. By then I felt pretty well rested and spent several minutes writing for my blog.

Mindy got home around 635pm. Even though that was her stated ETA, I was a little surprised given that she didn’t leave the house until 5pm. Mindy headed upstairs to change and freshen up. It didn’t take her long. I freshened up a little, too, brushing my teeth and hair. Mindy asked if I wanted to take an empty growler. Nah, don’t plan on drinking beer on Sunday as I prepare for my return to work. 
We left for CBC still before 7pm. Mindy left Lindsey $25 so she could order the kids pizza. They were very excited about that, and even more excited that Lindsey agreed to get Poppa John’s. Arrived at CBC ten minutes later. The lot was near capacity and the bar area packed – standing room only. But just as often happens, a couple let us know that they’d be leaving very soon. Offered their bar stools. Thank you!

I ordered a Bodhi. Mindy ordered wine. Not long after our arrival the bar area thinned considerably. Kate and Emily were tending bar. No Kevin and no Vince. We struck up a conversation with two guys sitting next to us. Both were at the OSU game. Said they had a blast and stayed for the entire thing, unlike a lot of other fans. Turns out, they’re from Cleveland and were in town not only for the game, but also for a concert at the LC pavilion. Can’t recall who. We talked about our weekend last in Cleveland. They’re both beer fans too, and concurred with our thumbs up for the Brew Kettle. One of the two said he frequents there once a week. Shared a couple others too, Fat Head’s & Willoughby’s. They didn’t stay more than 30-40 more minutes. They left for their concert.

As fate would have it, two of the three folks that bellied up in the spot the Clevelander’s vacated were school teachers. Mindy talked with them at length. I participated on and off. Emily came by asking if we wanted food. I ordered risotto balls. At some point, I noticed that the gentleman sitting next to me wearing a skull beanie had a Multnomah county library book in tow. I casually asked if he lived in or around Portland. He did. Said he lives NW Portland.

Talked with him at length. He’s not a skier but is a hiker. Says he’s been up Council Crest numerous times, the very park overlooking the city where we were married. He was very much a beer fan, and talked extensively about all the small batch breweries popping up in Portland. Mindy kept bringing up McMenamin’s no matter what area of town or surrounding suburb we talked about. One could tell he wasn’t too hip to their beers.

Said he was an IPA fan, so I bought him a flight of CBC beers. The gentleman sitting the other side of him is a local artist. Mindy met him a couple weeks prior when she stopped in on her way from school on a Friday to fill a growler. Had a baby with him then. Apparently some of his work is being displayed by the city.

Mindy and I ordered dinner. She ordered salmon. I ordered wings. After three glasses of wine, Mindy was feeling no pain. She got up and walked over to talk with the Portland guy as well as the artist. She tried her darndest to invite the Portland guy for a home cooked dinner in the coming work week. He respectfully declined for his busy schedule.  I had to nudge her more than once to come eat her meal. It was getting cold, sitting for upwards of 10 minutes. By the time she finally sat to eat, my wings were all but gone.

I had three beers in total, but drank ice water for the last hour or so. There wasn’t any way Mindy could drive. We stuck around CBC until almost 1030pm. By then Lindsey & Bella had called multiple times. I had no idea, but apparently Mindy told Lindsey that she thought we’d be home around 9pm. Mindy picked up the check.
Lindsey and Landon headed for home shortly after we arrived. Jacob asked Rocky to spend the night. Bella, who had been reading about the Orionid meteor shower, asked if we could watch it. Heck yes! I was excited that she was so into it. Without thinking, we headed out on the deck, Bella, Mindy & I. Seeing no meteors, I double checked the start time. I returned apologizing that it wasn’t expected to begin until 1am EDT. The site I was on cited PDT. I offered to wake her middle of the night. She agreed.
Mindy and I headed to bed, me pouring and taking the last of my Centennial along with me. We tuned into SNL but I didn’t see too much. Good night moon and meteors!