Barley Night

I slept in until 540am. And by the time I brushed my teeth, gathered my running clothes, and found my way to the kitchen it was 545am. The coffee already completed its brew cycle. I whipped out calisthenics (sit-ups, windmill, and push-ups) then headed for coffee. Like a lot of morning's, the push-ups left me briefly winded.

I had to hand wash a spoon since all of them, soup and tea, were dirty and in the dishwasher. I planned to run the dishwasher just before leaving for work. All that for a cup of coffee. It was 605am. I went ahead and took Mindy coffee before any PC time. Downstairs again, it was finally time for a little relaxation and coffee of my own. I played around online for every bit of 30 minutes. It was colder than I expected - only 17 degrees with very light snow flurries. Wasn't expected to get much warmer all day long - low 20s.

Did a brief meditation and then a full stretch. Didn't leave for my run until almost 7am. I was running more behind than I certainly would've preferred. Said goodbye to Mindy who was still putting the finishing touches on her ready upstairs then headed out the door. Jacob's bus was already gone. It was cold and brisk but comfortable. For the sake of time, I decided to cut my run to only 3 miles. Got home just as Mindy was backing out the drive. My face was numb. She wiped my running nose with a tissue before planting a kiss.

Inside, Bella was eager to report that she had already walked and fed the pug. I was most thankful. Made sure to ask if she did both. Yes, at least according to Bella. Enjoyed my eggs and fruit. Gave Bella another conjoined berry. For some reason, Mindy left the tails on. Told Bella she'd be wise to rinse before eating, to which she quickly shared that they rinsed them Monday. Ahh!

It was only 745am. Figured I had enough to time to shower if I hurried. Was downstairs again by 804am. Bella was downstairs too, and busy organizing herself for departure. I even had enough time to throw together most of my lunch. Headed out for the bus at 810am. Met Kenny and Makayla at the bus stop. We joked about how long it's taking Trena to have her basement professionally finished. Has to be closing in on 6 months. The bus showed up on time.

It was cold! Eiknarf and I hurried back to the house.! I packed my backpack making sure to grab my mouse and power cord. Enjoyed a second cup of coffee while the Accord warmed. Also checked the status of my Amazon shipment. Expecting two new books and a HDMI cable for my GoPro to arrive any day. Left the house at 835am.

It was a quick drive across town and north up 270. Arrived somewhere close to 9am. Got settled in. We opted to cancel our weekly call since there were no real issues to discuss. Me and the manager talked about issues relative to he and I a little later face to face.

Had a number of things I wanted to accomplish, some in preparation for my vacation, while others simply to get off my plate. I made an aggressive list and one by one started knocking them out of the park. All along, my plan was to take lunch and run to Macy's and possibly even Dick's, but just before I was ready to head out I figured I should check my afternoon calendar for commitments (I.E. calls/mtgs). Crap. It was already 105pm and I had a 2pm call I needed to join. In addition, I needed to join a 3pm call as well. So much for my shopping spree. Instead, I used the next 50 minutes to enjoy my veggies and cheese while doing a little personal writing. Very enjoyable!

Over the next 2 hours I joined both calls then furthered my progress on my aggressive to-do list. Earlier that morning, Mindy told me that she wanted to stay in for date night and catch-up on some pre-vacation to-dos. She sent a text late afternoon saying she wanted to go to Barley's. I wasn't surprised, I more than expected it.

Left for home near 450pm. Called Mindy once I was safely barreling around 270. We didn't talk long. She had a school friend on the other line. I called my mom next. We talked for a while. Said her family doctor told he suspected she was 'doctor hopping' to get Percosets for her back pain. Wouldn't write a renewal. As the story goes, he called her back a little while later and had her return for a more thorough exam. Ended up giving her the prescription after some X-rays. We talked until I pulled into the driveway. Promised to call next week from Utah.

Inside, Mindy and I talked while also preparing for a evening at Barley's. Neither of us did much more than a quick brush-up. We left in the Accord near 545pm. There were intermittent snow flurries all day long, and they continued into the evening with little to no real accumulation. It was still really cold, too.

Per the usual, the lot was full. I dropped Mindy at the door then parked in the back 40. Standing room only at the bar, but one two seat bar table remained. We took it. Those tables are served by the bar tender, our pal Janet. While we awaited beers, a Centennial for me, a Bitter Dan for Mindy, Justin stopped by to say hello. And soon after we ordered food, me wings, Mindy a quesadilla, Sarah, a former server there, stopped by, sat down and chatted with us.

We both ordered a bowl of the soup-of-the-day, too - chicken & rice. It was really good. Noticed they had both Hop Slam & Maharajah on guest taps. Yum. We opted to share a Maharajah with our meal. We didn't stay too long. Janet brought us a box for our leftovers. I'm thinking we left around 720pm. Mindy picked up the tab. Cold walk to the car. The snow flurries appeared to have ended.

At home we quickly changed into our PJs. Placed our leftovers on the island counter. Mindy was certain the kids would tear 'em up. Nephew Joe called to chat with Mindy just before 8pm. Wanted to stop by and discuss the kids' routine for next week while we're in Utah. The kids got home a few minutes later. It didn't take long for them to go after the leftovers. Jacob didn't want the wings. Instead, he wanted the quesadilla.

Joe showed up a few minutes later. At the time I was playing on my PC but joined everyone else in the kitchen. The kids were excited to have Joe there. The conversation was light, funny even. Mindy went over all the stuff Joe would need to know, but also promised to document it in writing complete with emergency numbers, etc. I finally tapped the growler of Bodhi we picked up last Friday. Still fresh! Offered Joe one. He didn't bite. Not drinking alcohol for the entire month of February, something he did last year as well. His older sister recently referred to him as a drunk. I know it bothered him some. But really, he's just a college kid. Criminy! Perhaps too much looking over the fence?

Joe didn't stay longer than 30 minutes. I had to wonder if he left feeling a tad overwhelmed with the feat ahead (taking care of Jacobella). By then it was closing in on 9pm. I went to the sofa with my beer, which I also shared with Mindy. I tuned to the Science Channel. Bella, now grounded from screens for recent transgressions, asked me to DVR Idol. I didn't bother. Told her the episode would be far too stale by the time she's once again allowed to enjoy TV. Mindy peeled off for bed by 920pm while I stayed up (dosing from the sofa) until 10pm. Good night!