2Xmas Ale Vacation

Just as I have all week, I woke again around 4am then struggled to get meaningful sleep afterwards. I wasn’t tired, either, though. I finally gave up and got up for keeps at 520am. Figured an early start was good for what ails me.

Manually started the coffee then whipped out morning calisthenics. I went to the PC with coffee in hand at 540am. We’re on the front end of a warming trend but it was still cold that morning, somewhere close to freezing. I spent quite a bit of time online but when I walked away at 605 it was for good. I delivered Mindy’s coffee then headed to the family room for meditation and stretching. Both went well. I felt no crunch for time. I dressed and left for a run just after 630am.

The sky was clear and the full moon hovered just above the rooftops to the NW, beautiful! I kept my eyes fixed on a pairing of stars in the SE sky even as dawn gave way to the sunrise. By the three mile mark, the dimmer of the two was no longer visible. I later learned that what I was seeing was Venus and Saturn. Saturn being the weaker of the two. I ran the full 4.1 miles and felt terrific throughout. It was trash day. I pulled our can back to its resting place before heading back inside.

Inside, I waited patiently for the pug. She finally came down and we headed out. We weren’t gone long. She took care of her business fast. I volunteered to start/warm the Pilot. First time all season. Before Mindy left for school, she asked about our Xmas party. It’s not my preference to host one but if it meant that much to her then she should go ahead and do it. She wants to have it this coming weekend. Seems a little early for a Xmas party, but she didn’t want it to interfere with MRM’s opening day, which is the following weekend, though it’s not looking too promising.

She left for school around 730am. She made me cheesy scrambled eggs, and a whole lot of them. I wasn’t sure that I could eat it all, but did. I enjoyed a little fresh fruit too. Headed off to the shower near 740am. Was ready and downstairs by 8am. I asked Bella to take the pug as we headed out for the bus so I could start and warm the Accord. Met Kenny & Makayla at the bus stop.

The bus was there around 815am. Like we often do , the pug and I walked out front for a couple minutes before heading back inside. I tied up a few loose ends then made sure I had everything I’d need to work remote. I stopped for gas and a Powerball ticket (jackpot $580 million) at the Circle K. The Accord took 15.5 gallons at $3.43 per. Got 21.1 mpg last tank. Not very impressive.

Drove across town making pretty darn good time until I got to the 270N entrance ramp off 670. First time that’s ever happened. Turns out, there was a fresh fender bender just up ahead. The traffic loosened up after just a couple minutes of slow going. Parked at 859am. It was a chilly but lovely walk inside. I was very happy to find the money clip for my wallet still setting on my desk that I use only once a week. I found it on the office floor last week and without checking, figured it was somebody else’s. It wasn’t until I got to Swan Cleaners last Friday evening that I realized it was my own. Not sure how it slid out of my wallet, but I do have a hole in the wallet pocket of the jeans I wore that day. Of course, the cash stayed put. Only the clip slipped out.

I was logged on and settled by 915am. We had our usual 10am call, though there were no urgent issues to review/discuss. Mid-morning, Mike O. sent me a text asking if I wanted to move the AC line in the basement the following day at noon. I sent a yes text back quickly. I needed to make plans to work from home. Should be able to start framing once that’s done.

Kept busy all morning, working on proactive stuff mostly. At 1pm I left for lunch and went to the Kohl’s a mile or so up the road simply to check out girls ski jackets and pants. The idea being to see if they might have attire suitable for Bella, since her stuff needs replaced this year, too.
It was well attended, body’s in almost every aisle I attempted to walk through. I absolutely hate that feeling! After some friendly guidance, I found the girls winter wear. Their selection was somewhat limited to 3 or 4 color combos, pricey, and made somewhat cheaply. And Despite steep markdowns, I’m betting we can get much better stuff for about the same money at Aspen Ski & Board after figuring in our discount. I looked at some running stuff on my way out. I bought nothing.

I’d been gone only for 25-30 minutes. I headed back to the office anyway. Like most Wednesdays, I grabbed my lunch in route to my office. I ate my food while digging back into work. Had a systems issue arise. We agreed to have a 3pm call to discuss and hopefully resolve it. Meeting went well and like I hoped, we developed a work around requiring no changes on our end.

Stayed busy until about 510pm. Head for the parking lot soon after. It was already just about dark. Waited until I was safely merged onto 270 before calling Mindy. She shared that we were having a special dinner. I guessed tacos and was apparently wrong. But I only guessed tacos because that’s what she talked about making the night before. Told me that Courtney had her baby sometime during the day. Lindsey apparently sent her a text indicating as much. We didn’t talk long. Mindy said she needed to get off the phone and focus on dinner.

Arrived home around 550pm. Noticed Bella’s bike parked in the middle of our front yard. That’s odd. Inside, I asked about it. Said she’d get it later. No, Mindy insisted she bring it in right then. She rolled her eyes and headed out to address the problem. There was no denying that we were having some sort of fish for dinner. I could smell it immediately in the door. She asked if I wanted sea bass, salmon, or both. Sea bass. Yum!

While grabbing something out of the fridge in preparation for dinner, I noticed a couple Southern Tier 2Xmas ales in the fridge. She picked up some of that at Whole Foods too. Dinner was excellent. The sea bass was top notch. She made sea scallops, too. Turned out pretty good. There were only a enough for each of us to have two.

Bella & Mindy suggested we would watch a movie together after dinner and clean-up. Jacob reminded us that the Buckeyes were playing Duke (basketball). Wasn’t sure what time the game started though. I wasn’t too concerned about watching. Finished dinner and clean-up by 645pm. Mindy & Bella decided that we should watch Xmas Vacation, a can’t miss family favorite. Sounded good to me.

Jacob eventually joined us for the movie, too. Great movie. Hard to believe that it’s 23 years old now. In fact, it oozes late 80’s (hairstyles, clothes, etc.). We laughed as though it was our first time seeing it. Mindy & I each sipped a 2Xmas ale through the movie. I like it.

After the movie, I turned the TV to NBC to catch the Xmas tree lighting celebration from Rockefeller Center. Once that was over Mindy and the kids were quickly off to bed. At the time I was wide awake and certainly didn’t feel ready for bed. I opted to hang downstairs a while longer. It wasn’t even 15 minutes before the sleepies hit me hard. Turns out, that was about the same time Bella crept downstairs for yet another bedtime snack even after Mindy insisted she be in bed asleep by 9pm. I headed off to bed with Bella still sheepishly snacking in the kitchen.