No SOS from the IRS

That's right! Snowing like crazy in the Cascades!

Little wonder why I woke so tired. Didn't fall asleep until well after 11pm, and even then I didn't sleep too soundly. Very strange dreams as well. I finally coaxed myself from bed around 610am. By then Jacob was already up and in the shower. Downstairs I quickly peeked outside to check the weather. Completely cloudy sky and it looked like a sprinkle or two fell during the overnight. Warm - 63 degrees.

Completed exercises, which included 50 push-ups. And I am happy to report that so far there were no lingering effects from tossing the football so much the day before. Already 630am, I took Mindy a cup of coffee then poured one for myself. In the back of my mind I already knew that I wouldn't be running until after seeing Bella onto the school bus. Not enough time.

Mindy was downstairs a few minutes later and confirmed my plans to delay the run. More often than not, she doesn't make my breakfast when I don't run early. As a result, she left a little early for school. Bella and I headed out at 755am. Still cloudy and warm. Expected it to remain that way for most of the day, but with clearing skies coming later that evening and then warmer temps over the next few days.

Kenny was at the bus stop with Makayla. Said he's feeling a little better but now Chrissy wasn't feeling so well. The bus showed up around 805am. I headed back to the house and readied for a run. I had a 9am meeting on my calendar and didn't want to miss it. I left the house near 820am and ran the full 4.1 miles. Felt really good. No aches whatsoever. Back at the house by 855am. Fast run! Quickly grabbed the shed keys from their keeping spot then headed out back to stow the cornhole boards. Joined my 9am call with only seconds to spare. Perfect!

Relatively quick call. Lasted about 20 minutes. I was hungry, so rather than scurry off to the shower, I took a few minutes to fry the pug and I a few eggs. After a quick but nutritious breakfast, I was off to the shower by 940am. Was ready to leave for work by 10am. I was feeling quite stressed on a few fronts. One, I have a whole lot going on at work all of the sudden, and that alone is enough to stress me out. Two, I've got this '11 SS tax issue hanging over my head. And while I am confident that my filing was correct, that doesn't change the fact that I am being forced to prove it. Ugh! Lastly, I have the ash tree removal thing going on. They're supposed to show up Tuesday to do the work. It's just one of those things I want done and off the worry list.

Arrived at the office around 1015am. Crap! Forgot my badge. That rarely happens since it is always in the exact same place along with my keys. I guess that further proves that I am stressed. Too much whirling around in my brain. I double-checked my car then went to the front desk to request a temp badge. No questions. Cool!

Where to being. Sometimes when the list is long it's hard to dig in and focus on one thing. I forced myself to get busy on this comprehensive ops review I've been asked to put together. I worked on that for the first half hour without interruption. Had to stop temporarily and join our standing Monday call at 11am

With so much going on I opted to skip taking a formal lunch break. Made significant progress on the ops review, further than I anticipated, which is always good. During the afternoon I heard back from the college that is sponsoring the Cisco certification program I plan to take and complete yet this year. Had to navigate our tuition assistance website to complete all the proper forms and such too. That can be painful, if not simply time consuming.

Stayed focused on my to-do list until 510pm. Was in my car and headed for home by 520pm. Called Mindy soon after hitting the road. She shared that we were having steak for dinner and that neither kids needed to be anywhere. She asked if I minded grilling steaks. Not exactly what I want to think about or do after a long wok day, but I agreed. Something about the work switch makes it difficult for me to switch gears so quickly.

Arrived home by 545pm. Jacob was off playing with friends. Bella was inside watching crap TV. When Mindy offered to fire up the grill I let her know that I hadn't yet read the response we received on Friday from the IRS. The reason being, I didn't want it to ruin my weekend. I studied her eyes carefully for body language then asked if the news was bad. I decided to read it for myself after she gave me a not so pleasant gaze. As expected, they didn't agree with my response and were asking that I sign and agree to pay back almost $1000. Uh, no. This time the documentation included a number and a person I could speak with. I planned to call them but not until after dinner.

I headed out to grill the steaks near 6pm. Once again employing the grilling tips I learned from Yahoo Food! I have a little trouble getting our grill temperature down to the recommended range but was able to improvise. 12 minutes later the filets were grilled to near perfection. I think if can get the temp a little lower they'll turn out even better. Still, Mindy and the kids raved about the steak.

Mindy baked potatoes, prepped a garden salad, then nuked Brussels sprouts. Been a while since we've had those. They were delicious. In fact, everything was delicious. Jacob was in a rush to finish his dinner and head back outside to play football with neighborhoodies. Mindy & Bella planned to make an apple pie with fruit the kids picked at the apple orchard with their dad last weekend. I believe the variety they picked was Jonagold. I ate one for lunch. Very good - crisp and tart! They started the prep just as I finished cleaning up dinner.

While they toiled with the apple pie, I gathered my '11 tax documents then called the IRS number and agent listed in the most recent response. Frustrating is the word that comes quickly to mind. The number, while it lists an actual person to ask for, takes you through a maze of automated responses. It was 15 minutes before I figured out how to get in line to speak with a real person. I think you just have to wait out the menu options.

Once I got through, I was greeted by Rubi, who sounded as though she was from another country. Oh boy! I began to wonder if the whole thing might actually be a scam. She requested lots of very personal information to which I shared my apprehension. While somewhat understanding, she also shared that she couldn't help without it. I hemmed and hawed and finally agreed. After all, from the correspondence, they already had access to much of my information. She was more than a little curt at times, too. But I guess that's the position the IRS takes. Through our half hour conversation, it was clear to me that she did not have accurate information. Kept saying I provided incorrect numbers on my return. Of course I had my return right in front of me, which had the exact numbers. Duh!

At one point she put me on hold citing the need to research the issue more in depth and said that it might be up to an hour before she returned. She also threw in that she was off the clock in an hour as well, and if it went that long I'd have to call back another time. Nice! As it was, she returned about 5 minutes later sharing more inaccurate info, which angered me. Kept referring to 'my errant numbers and filing process'. I eventually was the one that shared what I thought was the actual hook-up, which was that I changed roles within the same company in '11 thus had two W2s because in reality, it was two separate operating companies. I even advised that I had a letter from our tax department sharing that this would be the case. She insisted that my company was incorrect and that no matter what else I said wouldn't matter.

Once I agreed to get back in touch with my internal folks for more clarity, she somewhat backed off. She even became almost pleasant assuring me that we'd get it straightened out even if that meant that they had to sort it out with my company. She also advised that despite the tone of the letter, we had at least 90 days to get this resolved. We terminated our call with me agreeing to contact my internal folks and then call back another day with the results of that conversation.

As soon as I was off the phone I eagerly logged onto my work email and found the letter corresponding to that year's SS tax issue and the need to file for a refund of an overage paid. The letter went as far as warning that the IRS may try to refute the filing but to cite this letter. I felt good having that letter in hand. Figured I would call back the following day and ask if they'd like for me to send, fax, or email a copy.

Now about 8pm, I was finally able to relax after a tumultuous day dealing with a host of major stressors. I still hadn't received a heads-up call promised by the tree guy. After changing into my comfy clothes and then pouring a glass of ice water, I plopped down in front of the TV to enjoy a little MNF Dolphins/Saints. At 830pm Frank called and shared his plans to be on site Tuesday morning around 9am to begin taking down the 6 ash trees. I thanked him for calling. Now I could really relax. Mindy came downstairs a few minutes later to share that she was going to bed early. Couldn't have been later than 845pm.

I watched football until I fell asleep. Didn't fight it. I think it was 7-3, Saints when I dosed off. I woke around 930p and turned off the TV and headed for bed. Best guess, it took about 10 minutes to fall asleep.

Celebrating Guatemala's Little Gift to Us

Slept in until 750am, and by the time I was downstairs prepping coffee is was just after 8am. The sky was partly clear with dappled sunshine all about the deck. It was pretty warm, too, 60 degrees. While the coffee brewed, I played around on the internet. Ten minutes later coffee was ready. While enjoying coffee I read news headlines, which included a recap of the Buckeyes victory over Wisconsin.

Mindy asked that I order Bella's new TV over the weekend, so I took care of that ahead of my run. I was a little disappointed that the price was $20 more than it was the weekend prior, though still $8 cheaper than it was last November when we bought the same model for our own bedroom. Her birthday will likely come and go before the TV arrives. If that's indeed the case, our plan 'b' is to wrap a photo of it. After the TV was ordered, I booked 5 nights at Holiday Valley for our annual family Xmas ski vacation. We got one of the last rooms available at the Inn. Wahoo!

Mindy was up and downstairs just as I was wrapping up the booking. Enjoyed a little coffee and chit-chat but then promptly dressed and left for a much needed run. Anytime I spend money in globs like that I need to run. It help's me process the parting ways with my cash. Like most Sunday's, I ran just three miles.

On my return home I poured a 2nd cup of coffee then spent more time playing around online. Mindy was busy decorating the kitchen/family room for Bella's family birthday celebration. She asked me to get the cornhole boards out again. Ugh - what a pain. I just put them away from last week's event. Mindy left to get Bella's cake around noon. She planned to pick-up a few other items as well, including ice. I thought I might stuff a few beers in the cooler this time.

Mindy asked that I vacuum the downstairs while she was away. Not only did I vacuum, but I Windexed the glass entry doors and TV too. Can't stand to see finger prints on glass. Mindy wasn't gone that long. And shortly after she returned, the kids arrived home from a weekend with their dad. I knew they were coming home early, but not that early. I was immediately perturbed by Jacob, who tossed his dirty soccer cleats down on the steps leaving cakes of dirt and mud behind after I had just finished vacuuming. I suggested he revacuum the steps while vacuuming his room just as his mother suggested. Bella was dispatched to her room to get it cleaned up too.

It couldn't have been but about 1230pm. Bella's party was supposed to start about 4pm. What to do? I was a little anxious, but why I am not 100% certain. However, anytime we're expecting a house full I get to feeling that way. The plan was to order Rotolo's pizza from Grandview, Bella's special request. That would be a welcome, having not ordered pizza from Rotolo's for several years.

The Vikings/Steelers game from London wasn't televised locally. Just as well, I didn't want to watch anyhow. In fact, I didn't feel like watching any pro football. It must've been around 230pm when I headed outside to play football with Jacob and Cody in the neighbors backyard. I was all-time quarterback. Jacob's got about a foot and a half on Cody. Not fair at all. To help even things I threw more than a few errant passes so Cody would have a chance to intercept. Jacob was a really good sport about it.

When we headed back inside Mawmaw was already at the house. I gave her a welcome to our home hug. By then Mindy had most of the birthday spread laid out. Just a few short minutes later Jimaken showed up with his new squeeze, Molly. We were anxious to meet her. Bella's had nothing but wonderful things to say about her. She's young, seemingly friendly, an attorney, and quite attractive. Mindy and I both extended a warm welcome into our lovely home. She brought Mindy a party gift, a autumn spice candle. Nice!

Not too much time passed before most others arrived, and soon we had a house full. Mindy reminded me to go after the pizzas just after 4pm. Brother-in-law Larry offered to ride along. During the ride, we talked about Lindey's ongoing battle with thyroid cancer and the prognosis after two surgeries. Can't seem to get test results and/or information back from the oncologist fast enough. Frustrating story but most likely with a happy ending. Like many doctor's, a patient is just that, a patient - a number. To the family, however, she is precious and no mountain will be left unclimbed.

The last of the five pizzas were coming out of the oven when we arrived. Had to wait a few minutes. Gave the girl at the counter a small tip, though many would argue unnecessary for a pick-up order. I gave her $5. Back at home the Rotolo's pizza was a big hit. Appears we ordered just about the perfect amount, too. Learned that the Vikings won their first game of the season beating the Steelers in London 34-27. Around 5pm Mindy pulled everyone together to sing happy birthday to Bella. We put her on display behind the birthday table (see pics).

A short while after enjoying cake, Bella opened her gifts. Received several gift cards to Justice, her favorite place to shop for fashion. She received a gag gift from her father, a box of German chocolates with a note stating from mawmaw. Somehow or another that piece got missed, tossed out with the wrapping paper. I wondered why when Bella opened it, Jimaken was sporting a sheepish grin. That took some cojones.

For whatever the reason, like a lot of our family parties, the weather turned cloudy. Still, it was pleasant enough that many congregated on the deck enjoying the warm outdoors. I bounced between inside and out, eventually accepting an invite from Jacob to toss the football. Funny thing has happened over the past couple of years. After not doing much of any catching and tossing of the football, my skills have all but diminished. Had a really hard time making routine catches where I always prided myself on catching anything near my hands. In fact, I taught Jacob the art of having "soft hands", a technique he cites repeatedly, and now back to me. :) After 30 minutes or so my soft hands came back, at least in part. And before we were done, he had me heaving throws the entire length of our make-shift football field. Truth be told, I was more than a little concerned that our fun might lead to shoulder pain during the coming week. We tossed the football until daylight was all but gone. By then all of our guests departed and Mindy was inside staring the clean-up process.

I headed upstairs and changed out of my sweaty clothes then plopped down on the sofa to watch some NFL highlights. Mindy asked for some help with clean-up. I washed all of the big party dishes by hand. Initially, I thought I might drink another beer or two (had two earlier) but ultimately decided against it. Instead, I drank ice water with lemon.

Tuned into the SNF game around 8pm - Patriots/Falcons. Mindy headed to bed fairly early. I joined her around 930pm after starting to dose from the family room. But like a lot of nights, I just couldn't fall asleep despite being physically tired. Mindy was having the same problem. I talked about getting up and heading back downstairs to watch more football but never did. She rubbed my head and then we cuddled for a while. Just before drifting off to sleep, I turned on the bedroom TV and watched the end of the SNF game. Exciting ending. Atlanta was 17 points down with 8 minutes left. With a chance for a tie, the game ended after Atlanta failed on 4th down from the Patriots 10 yard line. Final score 30-23.

Chasing Bubbles ... again

 

 

I woke early for a Saturday. Mindy didn't even budge when I rolled out of bed. I was up and downstairs before 7am. Stepped out back to get a feel for the weather. It was crystal clear and strangely enough, warmer outside than it was inside. It was really chilly in the house as the dining room window was left open all night. I started some coffee then headed to my PC where I played for quite awhile.

Readied and left for a run around 9am. Good run. Ran three miles. Expected to find Mindy up when I got back. Nope. Still sleeping. I poured another cup of coffee then headed back to my PC. Saw that I missed a call from Ashley just a few minutes prior. Called her back. She really wanted to talk with Mindy about school curriculum and grades. Said Olivia was moved to enrichment due to her advanced reading skills but still only netted 2's and 3's on her interim. Ashley was concerned. I was interested but could offer no value valid opinion. I took the phone and headed upstairs to see if Mindy might be awake. She was just waking up and agreed to talk with Ashley while I went for her coffee. She's so spoiled. I get the impression that she wants me all to herself.

While Mindy talked with Ashley, I took the pug on a walk. Now 10am. I was sure she'd have to go and she did. Was a little surprised that Mindy was still talking with Ashley when we got back.

Mindy was soon up and downstairs. We both topped off our coffee then headed out on the deck. The night before we talked about what we might do on Saturday afternoon. Our ideas included a visit to Yellow Springs or boating. At that point it was still up in the air. Mindy asked if I ordered Bella's new TV yet. No, but I had it in my Amazon shopping cart. Was a little discouraged that the price went up $20 since last weekend when I first looked.

I also shared what I learned from being on Holiday Valley's reservation site earlier that morning looking at lodging options for Xmas vacation. Pickin's already slim. Just the night before Mindy offered the possibility of going up the Sunday after Xmas and staying the entire week of New Year's in lieu of going up the morning after Xmas like we have the last three years. I think everybody likes going the day after Xmas but the rush home Xmas night to ready for an early morning departure is often tortuous. I threw out another option, which was to go the week of Xmas (Sunday before until Friday, Dec 27). There was much more availability that week and the prices cheaper too. We didn't make a final decision on the day's activities or our Xmas vacation ski trip.

While Mindy headed up for a shower, I puttered around the yard. I also went through the garage toys looking for the missing cornhole bag. No luck. We eventually made a decision regarding our day. Decided to hike Hayden Falls and then pay a visit to the Daily Growler. Haven't been to Hayden Falls for many years. Packed an empty Daily Growler growler then left the house near 1pm in the Pilot. Took the back way up Old Dublin Rd.. It's a nice drive now that they've repaved.

Didn't take more than 10 minutes to get there. Two or three other cars in the smallish lot. The last time we hiked Hayden Falls they were in the process of completing a boardwalk. I had no idea that would become the only legal means of getting back there. Signs now posted that it's against the law to stray from the boardwalk. We guess to help protect the park. Small but beautiful park - a gorge with 40-50' limestone cliffs each side leading back to the waterfall just east of Old Dublin Rd. There were two older couples bird watching near the falls, and then two strange women dressed in jeans and high heels modeling for photos on the rocks surrounding the falls. They were both a little scary looking. Yikes! We snapped a few photos then slowly walked the boardwalk trail back. With the lovely autumn weather - sunny 80 - there were a handful of boats out on Griggs.

Probably weren't there more than 20-25 minutes. Onto The Daily Growler located next to the Big Fat at Riverside and Fishinger. Noticed the art studio that sits between the two is closing. Hmmm? Wondered if one of two neighbors might be expanding. The Daily Growler had a small line. Had time to peruse their lengthy beer menu - 60 options to be exact. The first screen listed about 10 IPAs and a handful I've been hoping to try. Among them were the Stone's Gotterdammerung, Hoof Hearted South of Eleventh, & Fat Head's Hop Stalker. I ordered a flight of six 5oz samples. Mindy ordered a pint of the Southern Tier Warlock then walked next door to get a salad from the Big Fat (Daily Growler customer's are welcome to bring in food).

Of the six flight sample, five of them were IPAs. The only exception was a North Peak pumpkin ale. It was dry and flavorful - not at all sweet like so many others. The thing about IPAs, ones pallet is quickly wreaked by hops and it becomes hard to discern. But of all those I tried, the Fat Head's Hop Stalker was head and shoulders above the rest. On a different day I might have another opinion.

Now closing in on 3pm, Mindy asked if we could run some Bella party errands before heading home. Specifically, she wanted to stop at Sam's Club. We headed west to Sam's. I don't like going to Sam's so I offered to drop Mindy off then venture Dick's which is two store fronts north. She was OK with that. I wanted to look at volleyball nets at Dick's. Their offerings are slim. Had only two and both cheaply made but pricey - $69 and $129. Was out of there in less than 10 minutes. Drove back to Sam's where I waited for Mindy. I'm guessing my wait was 10 minutes. I was close but figured since Sam's doesn't bag your purchase, that Mindy might appreciate curb pick-up service. Don't you know, she gave me the dickens for pulling up close to the door. At the same time I struggled to unlock the back hatch no matter what buttons I pushed. Had her load her haul in through one of the side passenger doors. She continued ripping on me, but I just laughed it off.

Had to be close to 4pm when we got home. Mindy wasted little time putting away her Sam's Club stuff and then leaving for the grocery. While she was away I planned to watch football and nap. And that's exactly what I did. She was gone for about 90 minutes. I was napping when she got back, but pulled myself up from my slumber and helped carry in the grocs. While she put everything away, I walked the pug who was acting like she wanted to go out. Mindy had just finished putting away groceries and turned around and headed out yet again, this time to the Party Store next to Wal-Mart.

We were invited to the neighbors to watch the Buckeye football game, but I was feeling more and more like just hanging out at home. Mindy, I think, felt the same. We also had a last minute invite to go to a party with Ben & Ryan. The evening moved along pretty quickly. Soon it was time for the Buckeye game kickoff. The stadium looked electric with excitement. The Wisconsin game always generates lot of buzz, almost like a bowl game. It doesn't hurt that anymore it's routinely a night game.

The Buckeyes opened strong scoring a touchdown on their first possession after holding Wisconsin to a 3 and out. The game, however, wasn't going to be a blowout. Much to our dismay, Wisconsin scored on one of their next possessions after a long drive. As a Buckeye fan, there were a number of frustrating moments in the first half though we never relinquished our lead. In fact, we scored a touchdown with one second left in the first half to go up 24-14. That had to irk the Wisconsin fans.

Mindy & I never did have any dinner. That Greek salad from earlier seemed to be enough to tie us over. I got hungry in the 2nd half though and got out pita chip and hummus. I was drank a few Jack & Cokes too. Had four in all. The 2nd half was much like the first. The Buckeyes scored first but allowed Wisconsin to sneak back in. They pulled within a touchdown with a couple minutes to go - 31-24. We recovered an onsides kick but couldn't convert a 1st down. We held Wisconsin on 4 straight downs deep in their own end of the field to close out the game. Good to get that win.

After the game Mindy headed straight to bed. I was a few minutes behind, putting away my electronics and securing the home. Mindy agreed to watching a little TV from bed. I tuned to the season premier of SNL with Tina Fey and musical guests Arcade Fire. Started to dose 20 minutes into the show. Mindy turned the TV off with the remote still firmly planted in my hand.

Filler-up with Boron

 

I didn't get up until Mindy turned on the bathroom light and shower. It was somewhere close to 645am. I would be working from home and didn't plan to run until Bella was off to school. Downstairs, I stepped briefly out onto the deck to get a feel for the weather. Nice - about 54 degrees under a mostly clear sky. Whipped out calisthenics, including sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups.

About the time I was settling down in front of my work laptop Mindy was calling out to Bella to get up and moving. Mindy left 10-15 minutes early for school. I got a good start on my work day knocking out a weekly report I complete most Friday's. Bella and I headed out for the bus stop at 755am with me walking the pug across the street while Bella stood at the bus stop. The bus showed up around 8am. Eiknarf and I headed back home.

It was 830am before I finished a meditation and a stretch. I was out for my run a few minutes later. Very nice weather. Expecting a high near 80 with sunshine for the next couple days. Perhaps a little rain Sunday or Monday but then right back to gorgeous autumn like weather. Ran just three miles.

Home again by 910am. The first thing I did was drag our trash can back to its usual resting spot. Spent the remainder of the morning engaged in work. Near noon I took a break and drove to get mower gas, in all likelihood the last time I'll need to that this year. Took only 10 minutes. In prep for mowing later, I parked along the curb instead of pulling in the driveway. Worked for another hour or so before heading out to mow the lawn.

Breaking with my most recent pattern of starting with the tractor, I did the push mowing first. I lowered the blade a notch hoping to sync the two mower heights a little better. Didn't take long to push mow. A ton of walnuts down again. Potentially hazardous to one's health. Could easily roll an ankle stepping on one, especially when mowing the slope. I was extra careful. Finished all the mowing in record time - couldn't have been more than 45 minutes. I headed inside again to get back to work. Planned to complete trimming, edging and blowing later.

We made some changes to the time reporting system at work. What a pain! Spent most of my afternoon trying to figure it out. Even had a call with a couple of peers in an attempt to sort out the nuisances. The system locked up briefly. I took that as my queue to head back outside to complete the lawn chores. Spent maybe 20 minutes trimming, edging and blowing.

I was back at my desk when Jacob got home from school. Spent the rest of my day almost exclusively on administrative tasks. Soon Bella and Mindy were home. I stayed engaged with work until 530pm. By then the kids had already left with Jimaken for the weekend. I hadn't yet showered and was very much looking forward to one. I was still in stale running clothes and felt the usual itchiness that often accompanies mowing.

Shortly after the kids departed, Mindy ran to Giant Eagle, I believe to order Bella's birthday cake. We planned to visit CBC that evening, too. I showered while she was away. We didn't leave for CBC until 715pm, which is a little later than we usual get out of the house on a Friday, but hey.

Parked in the G.V. Kroger lot. Standing room only in the bar, but with a keen eye we were able to sniff out the first couple stools to become available. Kevin & Vince were tending bar. Out of the Creeper. :) Too bad. Not to worry though. They just put the Sohio Stout on tap. I had one of those while Mindy opted for a Bodhi. The bar remained slammed through about 915pm. The restaurant was packed too. We ordered some bread about the time I ordered a 2nd beer - this time a Bodhi. Mindy wanted dinner. She ordered the nightly special, a New York strip with cauliflower a 'gratin, & spicy glazed carrots. I wasn't hungry so I skipped an entree. Mindy joked that I would likely eat half of hers.

Mindy's steak was cooked to perfection medium rare pushed to rare. I tried a bite of everything, including the spicy glazed carrots. They were scrumptious. The bar cleared out in a hurry near 920pm. Was just us and a few others. I noticed a familiar women gazing our way a few times, and as we prepared to leave around 940pm I realized that it was a woman that frequently walks in our subdivision. Do I know you, I asked. Yes, she confirmed her identity. She was there with her husband. Her name is Francis. Her husbands, Mark. They live in a cul-de-sac just around the bend. Both are retired, she from the Columbus Police radio room and he an officer. When she shared the CPD radio room thing, I remembered David telling me that Debbie Lombard did that too. I asked if she happened to know her. Yep, best friends! Cool. We talked for a while, me eventually pulling Mindy over and introducing them. Asked that she tell Debbie I said hello. I haven't seen Debbie Lombard since junior high school.

Headed for home. I drove. It must've been near 10pm when we arrived. I was a little surprised when Mindy suggested we walk down to visit the neighbors. I lagged behind she and the pug, pouring myself a Centennial from the jug we bought last week. Chrissy was home with the two girls, Lillian and Makayla. Kenny, we learned, we off picking up Jake after the football game. Unusually quiet for a Friday night in the Gardner home . Chrissy shared how she and bff, Julie had a falling out the weekend prior at a party in honor of Julie's bday. As I understood it, neighbor Teri was there too and said some things that pissed off Julie to the point that she took it out on Chrissy. Yikes!

We hung out a little while longer, and a few minutes after Kenny & Jake got home. Kenny shared that he was experiencing cold-like symptoms and felt really tired. Don't think he was drinking anything either. We headed for home by 1040pm. Mindy pretty much headed straight to bed. Now really hungry, I stayed up and made some nachos and cheese. Joined Mindy in bed about 20 minutes later. She was playing some game on her phone. I turned on the TV to a college football game. Can't recall who was playing.

Hand in Hot Coffee

I wasn't up, out of bed, and downstairs until almost 605am. Ritualistically, I stepped out onto the deck to glance skyward. Yep, still there. :) Waxing half moon along with hundreds of brightly lit stars. Another gorgeous early autumn morning. Back inside for calisthenics. Done with sit-ups, windmills, curls by 615am. Headed upstairs to wake Mindy with coffee. She was out cold so I placed her hand in the hot coffee wondering if it might make her pee. Nope. No pee, but it did piss her off. Not sure what it is but I am getting this sneaking suspicion that she wants me all to herself.

Downstairs for a little coffee of my own along with some internet time. Played online for quite a while. Decided that I wasn't going to rush around. Instead, I planned to hold off on my run until the peanut was safely on the school bus. That gave me nearly 90 minutes to play, relax, meditate and stretch. Jacob left for school around 650am then Mindy around 730am. Bella and I headed out at 755am. Reminded her that we no longer needed to be out at 752am. The bus hasn't shown up before 8am for a while now.

Received a bitter email from someone essentially chastising me for asking a daughter to be accountable, responsible, pay her bills, etc. Imagine that? The nerve of me. :) Sometimes in life you know you're doing the right thing when a given faction responds negatively. Thanks for the encouraging email. Bazinga!

Headed out on a run near 830am. It was a glorious morning, by then about 53 degrees under crystal clear skies. I ran the full 4.1 miles feeling physically, psychologically fantastic. Had I not needed the Accord later that afternoon, I would've driven the BM'er. As it was, I planned a trip to ASBCO to pick-up our tuned skis at lunch. Instead of rushing immediately off to the shower, I fried a few eggs for the pug and I. We enjoyed what was left of our peaceful morning at home.

I showered and left for work around 940am arriving just before 10am. I was quickly settled and busy digging into my day. Had a couple meetings to join via conference call so I closed my door. One was training related. Stayed busy until I left for ASBCO at 110pm.

I got the sense right away that something was amiss. Eric brought out just one pair of our four sets of skis. I asked if there might be a problem. He looked concerned and went to question another employee. I knew something wasn't right. Turns out, they botched the ski boot repair work order. Hadn't completed the work, a case of one hand not aware of the other. Eric apologized profusely, sharing that he didn't realize the part was already in. Said they'd have to keep my boots and skis since they need to perform a release check on the skis after the sole plates are replaced on the boots. In addition to all that, they had Bella's skis mixed up with someone else's. I pointed out that the ones he brought out weren't ours.

Eric offered to have my skis and boots delivered to the house when done saving me the trip. No thanks. It happens. Besides, it's not like I was planning a ski trip this coming weekend. Now had I ....
I asked if the 20% sale currently underway included skis too. Said not, only apparel and accessories. Darn. I'm really liking the 2014 Line Francis Bacons.

Headed back to the office arriving near 2pm. Grabbed my cheese and carrots from the fridge just around the corner. Enjoyed my lunch while digging back into work. My buddy Chris stopped by to chat around 245pm. We talked skiing for a while. He's a bigger fanatic than I. Already booked his annual Mt. Bachelor ski trip. Had a one on one scheduled with my boss at 330pm. Walked over at 320pm hoping we might get an early start. The boss and I met for about an hour. I had quite a list of topics to discuss including my personal development goals for 2013. A little behind. Yikes!

Wrapped up my day near 510pm then headed for home. Called Mindy shortly after hitting the road. We were having pork roast for dinner. I helped prep it after she loaded it into the crock-pot before leaving for work earlier. I added lots and lots of garlic, salt, tenderizer, and rosemary before I left for work. Mindy shared that my dad was joining us for dinner. Haven't seen him since my birthday celebration. We were planning to eat until about 615pm since Mindy had to run Bella to gymnastics. We passed on our street, me pulling in, them pulling out.

With the little time I had before Mindy got back I put away her & Bella's freshly tuned skis then organized the associated paperwork. Dad arrived shortly thereafter. We chatted for a few minutes, me helping him figure out a problem he's been having when drafting/sending texts. Easy fix. He was drafting his text in the "to:" box. :)

Mindy was back home at 610pm and quickly dished up dinner. It was just the three of us since Jacob was at soccer practice. Dad gave us an update on his arthritis and the new treatment he'll be undergoing. Expensive, even after Medicare benefits. It'll cost him $220 per month, or $2650 per year. I recognize that's not as bad as it could be but it serves as an eye opener for what's to come. Sad that we must plan to spend a great deal of our retirement savings on medical expenses.

The pork roast was phenomenal - moist, tender, and really tasty, one of the best ever. Mindy served B.E. mashed taters too. The only thing that could've made it better was the addition of cooked carrots. I should've thrown some in before work. I love cooked carrots. Dad asked about our tree removal. I shared the no-show story and then that it was rescheduled for the coming Tuesday. Said he'd like to be on site to witness the work. That made Mindy smile because she suggested I call dad and let him know the date figuring that he would be entertained by the trees coming down. Mindy also suggested dad stick around until the kids arrived home from their events. I left to fetch Bella around 715pm. Dad was noncommittal as to whether or not he'd still be there upon my return.

I got to Gotta Flip by 725pm. It doesn't take long at that hour. Watched Bella do her double-mini routine. Somehow she slipped by me on the way out. Hid behind another kid. Much to Bella's dismay, we headed for home listening to Laugh USA for the entire drive. Well, actually, I gave in and put the XM on The Pulse a few blocks from home. Dad was still at the house. Jacob was home too, and Mindy busy making his dinner, a pork roast wrap.

Dad stuck around until just before 8pm. He mentioned the premier of the new Robin Williams sitcom. Got the impression that he was eager to get home and watch that as well as some other prime time TV. Good for him! We tuned into the season premier of Big Bang Theory - back to back episodes. There was also Thursday night NFL. We watched both episodes of Big Bang (very funny) and then Robin Williams' new sitcom. It was funny but I don't think I could watch it religiously.

Mindy was off to bed around 930pm. I stayed up enjoying some popcorn after she and Bella headed upstairs. However, the smell proved too over whelming and soon brought Bella back downstairs. I filled her large cup with popcorn then sent her on her way. She returned for more, sneaking up on me and my bowl. I snatched her sneaky little hand! :) Might've stayed downstairs until 1030pm before calling it a night and heading up to bed. Good night half moon!

Creeper

I got up again around 215am. This time I played on the internet then had a bowl of cereal, Cap'n Crunch with chocolate milk. And, man, it good! I was up until about 3am when I finally felt sleepy enough to return to bed. Nothing worse than lying in bed unable to sleep. Torturous!

I wasn't up again until almost 630am. By then, Mindy was already up and in the shower. Poured her own coffee. After brushing my teeth and gathering my running clothes, I was downstairs for calisthenics. It was Wednesday which meant it was a push-up day., so after checking out the stars and moon from the deck for a second, I headed to the living room where I did all of my exercises. Time for coffee. It had to be near 650am.

It was a late start day for the kids so I made arrangements to work from home for the first couple hours. Jacob needed to catch his bus at 9am, Bella at 10am. I planned to run before waking Bella, which meant getting out of the house by 815am. I played around online for an hour or so, saying farewell to Mindy near 730am. She said she wanted to do CBC for date night.

I did a thorough meditation and stretching after she departed and before my run. I also made sure that Jacob was awake. I headed out the door near 810am. It was beautiful, clear skies and about 50 degrees. I ran the full 4.1 miles without any problems. Jacob and most of his bus peers were just gathering at the bus stop when I arrived back home. Makayla was outside with the older kids already too. I shared that she was welcome to come down and wake Bella if she wanted.

Back at the house I leashed up the pug and took her on a walk. I also checked in on work. Our weekly 930am call was canceled by the customer. That took a little pressure off. After seeing Bella onto the bus around 10am, I fried eggs for the pug and I. Having a regular breakfast adds a bit of normalcy to the morning.

Off to the shower. Left the house for New Albany near 1030am. Took about 25 minutes to get across town. Rather quiet in what was left of the morning. Near 1pm I broke away for lunch holding true to my plan to visit Best Buy and shop for new PC speakers. Best Buy is less than a mile away from the customer's campus.

Glad I made the in-store visit. They had a live-audio display of the two models I was most interested in. Initially, I was a little disappointed in the appearance of the Klipsch 2.1 Promedia speaker set. They looked and felt cheap. However, when I hit the button to isolate just that set for comparison, I was somewhat impressed with the sound, especially the booming bass. Although, just like my current Altec Lansing speakers, the on/off volume is a knob on one of the satellite speakers and with every adjustment and turn crackling was prevalent. Not good!

Lucky for me, the Bose display was set-up right beside the Klipsch. They had three models on display, the Companion 2, 20 & 5. I listened to the 20 first, since it's the one I was looking at online. Instantly I was taken back by the sound. I couldn't believe the sound coming out of those two speakers (no bass module). I had to put my ears to all the others to make sure I wasn't being fooled.

I then tried the Companion 2 & 5. The "2" model is a cheaper, less expensive version of the "20". The sound was just OK, but a little 'tinny'. The "5" series was more spectacular than the "20" but also $399. Too much for me. I then compared the Bose 20 to the Klipsch a couple more times. It's important to share that the Bose 20 is $110 more than the Klipsh 2.1 system. And while I didn't want to spend $250 on PC speakers, I didn't want to by junk either. I want something that sounds great and will last. Bottomline, I was willing to spend more for quality. Not only do the Bose sound better, but they're built far better, too. And I really like the 'pod' concept for the on/off - volume control. I bought the Bose, but not before checking out a several pieces of technology including cameras, TVs, and accessories. What fun!

Back to work by 150pm. Spent the afternoon catching up on my ever growing list of to-dos. Completely immersed myself in that effort. As such, the afternoon blew by. The next time I checked out the time it was 440pm. Holy moly! I organized myself to leave for home by 450pm. It was a gorgeous walk to the car. Autumn is definitely in the air: sunny, dry, warm and cool at the same time. Leafs already falling too.

Gave Mindy a call once I was safely merged onto I-270. We chatted for a few minutes or until she needed to see the kids off with their dad. She promised to call back. In the meantime, I tried calling my mom. Haven't talked in about three or four weeks. Went to VM. I didn't leave one.

Made it home by 525pm. I was anxious to set up my new PC speakers. We both were anxious to ready and leave for CBC. I had enough time to unpack the new speakers but not nearly enough time to set them up. We left for CBC near 550pm.

Arrived around 6pm. Parked in the G.V. Kroger lot across the street. Vince & Kate working the bar. Creeper on tap! Been a while, It's like Bodhi on steroids - 10% abv. Mindy both had one of those. Vince soon brought us risotto balls. Yummy (see pic). Kate shared that it was boyfriend Zach's bday. Surprising him with a Hero3 camera. He'll love it. She shared how excited she is for him to open it. How cute!

We ordered food about the time my first beer went dry. I ordered a 2nd Creeper along with an order of wings. Mindy went with ice water and the buttermilk fried chicken, though she did sneak a couple more sips from my 2nd Creeper. Wings were good. I ate 5 or 6. That's all I could do. We boxed our leftovers for home and paid our check. Left the usual healthy tip. Noticed a former Barley server working CBC now - Beth. When I came out of the restroom, she was chatting it up with Mindy.

We headed for home around 735pm and Mindy drove. We weren't home even five minutes when the kids arrived. By then I was under my computer desk disconnecting my old broken speaker set and hooking up the new. The initial play of the new speakers wasn't good! High pitched shrill and distorted audio - missing certain frequency ranges. Uh-oh! initially worried that I might have a sound card problem. Rechecked the port on the back of my PC. Seems I used the wrong output port. Used the one specifically designed for a bass module. Corrected the mistake and the sound was as expected. Listened to several tunes while playing on the internet. While I played, Mindy and Bella headed upstairs to watch Big Bang reruns from bed. Jacob was off to his room to do homework.

I stayed downstairs until 9pm or so but then joined Mindy in bed. Bella was still there too. We watched a little TV together before Mindy dispatched Bella to her own room. I fell asleep by 10pm hoping for a full night's sleep, one without the need to get up and head downstairs.

Drive Me up a Tree

 

I was up and out of bed before 6am, which given that I planned to work from home didn't in any way throw off my routine. I exercised then enjoyed coffee and internet. Woke Mindy with coffee too. The tree guys were supposed to come but I didn't have a good feeling about them showing up having last talked with them three weeks prior.

In case they showed up early, I planned to run before sunrise. To that end, I hit the accelerator on my routine. Was out the door 745am. It was a bit chilly, but fitting for early autumn. Ran the full 4.1 miles. A couple frustrating work issues clouded my thoughts. Couldn't easily shake 'em. Had a call planned for later that afternoon in an attempt to sort most of it out.

Mindy was already gone when I got back home. The pug was waiting my return at the door. I leashed her up and took her on a walk. Back home by 735am. Enjoyed some eggs. Finished breakfast near 745am. By then it was too late to shower before the bus stop. Decided to put it off. Bella and I headed out at 752am. The bus showed up near 8am.

Back home to work and to wait for the tree guys. I wasn't holding my breath. Had a feeling they wouldn't show and shared as much with Mindy. 10am came around quickly. Called the tree guy but predictably straight to VM. Left a message sharing that I took the day off as agreed and was wondering what time they'd be showing up.

Kept busy with work and never did get a shower. Throughout the day I joined a couple calls and meetings. The work day quickly passed. The tree guys never showed and didn't call either. It's hard to find good help. Soon the kids and Mindy were home. Around 5pm the owner of the tree company called. Said there had to be a misunderstanding that Landon, the guy that gave me the estimate and set the date had us on the calendar for Oct 1. He went a little too far sharing that he talked with my wife. Mindy was right there so to humor him I asked if she had any dialogue with the tree guy. Nope! He apologized for the error and promised to call me Monday evening to confirm next Tuesday's appointment. OK.

Mindy ran Bella to gymnastics. My job would be the pick-up. I reheated some lasagna for dinner but that wasn't until I returned from picking up Bella from gymnastics. On our return home Jacob celled to ask if I was picking up fast food on the way home. Nope. As for Bella, she wanted lasagna too. I warmed us both some. Bella had two small pieces.

I spent my free time fooling around on my PC. My PC speakers have been acting up for more than a year now - intermittent issues related to the on/off/volume knob, which is the part that is most prone to failure on any PC speaker system, at least according to reviews. Finally fed up with the ongoing issue, I decided it was time to buy new. I've been poking around over the last year, but to that point hadn't felt satisfied with the quality/price point of any. By the end of the evening I had two on my radar - the Bose Companion 20 and the Klipsch 2.1 Promedia. Both have great reviews. Planned to stop in Best Buy the following day and check 'em out in person. I was hopeful they'd have them activated so I could compare the sound side by side. And even though I am a Bose fan, I also know that they tend to be overpriced and sometimes leaning solely on reputation rather than new innovation and quality. As such, I was leading towards the Klipsch system which is getting great reviews and happens to be $110 cheaper.

I was up until almost 1130pm again, which is something that's only recently started. Not sure why.

Marching on Monday

I like to get 7.5-8 hours of sleep each night. To that end, you might say that I was a little short slept come Monday morning after getting no more than 6 hours. At least for the present moment, I woke near 6am feeling no worse for the wear. Downstairs a few minutes later, I stepped out on the deck to drink in the morning air. As expected, it was cool & clear. Lots of stars overhead along with a waning half moon almost directly overhead.

I failed to prep coffee the night before, so I made that a priority ahead of exercise. Took just a couple minutes. Next up sit-ups. Did 50. Next up, windmills. Did 20 each arm - 10 forward, 10 backwards. Next and last, push-ups. Did 50. Always the toughest, most grueling. And always happy once they're behind me. Coffee was ready near 620am. Delivered Mindy a cup then headed downstairs to relax and play ahead of a run.

Spent less time than usual on the internet in part because I was up late and saw all the headlines. Stretched and meditated between 630-640am. Readied for a run next, or about the same time that Jacob was in the kitchen having breakfast. It was only about 45 degrees. I planned to wear long running pants, a long sleeved shirt as well as a jacket. This would mark the first such return to what I'll call early winter or cold weather attire.

Noticed our recycling can had already been emptied. Jacob and company were just boarding the bus when I headed out the door. I cut in front of the bus as I set out on my warm-up lap. Ran the full 4.1 miles and by the half way point I had to unzip my jacket a little to let some cool air in. Otherwise, I was comfortable throughout the entire run.

Mindy was gone by the time I made it back home. I expected that. Said our goodbyes just before I left. Bella was at the front door drawing faces in the dew on the glass. It was 735am. I quickly leashed up the pug and headed out for a walk. Back home by 742am. I nuked my eggs for 12 seconds then poured a glass of OJ. Ate breakfast over the next 5 minutes. Enjoyed some red fruit: watermelon and raspberries too.

Noticed a tub of veggies on the island. Thanks Mindy. I'd be working out o the Hilliard office for the first time in 10 days. Was much looking forward to it. Given the hour, I didn't plan to shower until after seeing Bella onto the school bus. We headed out at 752am, which is beginning to feel like that's too early. The bus didn't show up until 805am. We may move our head out time to 8am and see how that works.

I quickly threw together a few more items for my lunch then headed up for a shower. I scheduled a dental appointment for 130pm so I didn't figure to eat lunch until after that. Was showered and ready to head into work by 835am. It was supposed to be beautiful. Decided to drive the BM'er. If not then, when? Always feels good pulling away with the top down. Nice drive into the office. I wore a thin jacket since it was still only about 50 degrees.

Arrived at work near 850am. Once I was settled I walked over to see if my boss was in. Yep, fresh back from a week's vacation. I didn't want to unload all my problems on him, but needed to share a few things just the same. We talked about his vacation initially. I then shared a few hot items from my plate. Don't want him getting blindsided.

Spent the rest of the morning ahead of 1230pm on a weekly call and then addressing some hot issues. Left for my dental appointment near 1pm allowing myself 30 minutes to get there, though it rarely takes more than 15-20 to get there from the office. Brought my laptop and lunch along too and stowed them in the trunk per policy. Waited in the lobby less than 5 minutes before being ushered back.

They had an IT guy onsite to fix a networking issue. Couldn't view X-rays from the chair/room I was in. And given my complaint of extreme sensitivity, an X-ray was necessary. Dr March had to view my X-ray from another room. Said there was nothing obvious - no cavities, etc. Had to resort to the cold swab & cold air test. And while I know well where I feel the zing, I realize that the source can be somewhat removed from where it seems to manifest. My response to the cold swab test was normal on the few teeth in the area. The cold air test proved a bit better at narrowing it down. Dr March did a good job trying to pinpoint the actual spot. By testing and my reaction, he was certain he found the sensitive spot - a very minor dent -not a cavity - on the side of the left upper incisor.

Actually, I was a little skeptical but hey I let him do his thing. Took about 10 minutes to put this sealer stuff on it. Seemed to work well. He retested with cold air after. Sensation gone. Now about 2pm, I was soon on my way home. Yes, that's right. Figured instead of heading back to the office, I would instead head home and finish out my work day there. Doing so would be most comforting as well as solving the quandary created by Mindy having curriculum night at school. She planned to stick around as opposed to coming home and then turning around an hour later and heading right back. That would leave the kids home alone until I got home from the office. This way I would be there when they get off the bus.

Got home shortly after 2pm. Booted up my laptop then enjoyed my packed lunch of veggies and cheese. Jacob was home seemingly before I had much time to accomplish much of anything. Joined a brief call around 315pm then spent the rest of my work day digging into a technical problem I've been dealing with for a couple months now. It was after 5pm the next time I looked at the time. Where had the day gone? By then Bella was home from school, had finished her homework, and was out to play with friends. She tried to get me to agree to letting her play first and finish her homework later, but that just isn't how we fly. I asked what time she wanted to eat dinner. We agreed on 545pm.

Bella asked that I warm leftover Poppa John's pizza on the stone. Jacob was even easier. He asked for cold pizza. I made myself a bowl of leftover roast beef and potatoes. It was a week old but still pretty tasty. After dinner both kids headed back outside to play. I'm pretty sure that Mindy was home around 715pm. It was still daylight. That I know for sure.

Shortly after Mindy got home i retreated to the family room and tuned the TV to the Reds/Mets games, one of the few I've actually watched this entire baseball season. I fell asleep before the 1st inning was over. I woke again around 830pm and headed up to bed. Mindy was in bed but playing on her phone and watching TV. She had her nightstand light on too. I didn't mind. Laid on my stomach and fell right back asleep.

Brown Stain on my Psyche

It was somewhere close to 730am when I rolled out of bed and headed downstairs. A far better start weatherwise, the sky was clear and the sun already up over the rooftops. It was chilly though, only 51 degrees. Wasn't supposed to get much warmer than about 65 by midafternoon either.

Enjoyed coffee and internet for a little more than an hour before putting it aside and preparing for a run. Mindy was up just ahead of that and briefly stepped out on the deck where the chill soon swayed her back in. I took the pug on a walk so she could relieve herself even though she had some loose time already out back. Tends not to go as easily when left free, at least not in our own yard. I suppose that's because it lacks the scent of other dogs.

Headed off on my run around 930am and did the usual 3 miles. By the time I was back, Mindy was preparing Jacob another breakfast burrito all the while he complained about having to help her prepare for her school party. I wasn't too thrilled about the party either, and event she promised her 1st graders at the end of last school year if they did their summer reading. The result was a party at our house. I had talked about golfing but wasn't fully committed to the idea, and hadn't made any real plans with anyone else. Jacob, meanwhile, continued to needle Mindy about her party to the point where she took his cell phone for being so rude. Later, in private, she let me know that she didn't appreciate my comments about it either. She felt that perhaps Jacob felt that a free pass to share his opinion. Perhaps.

After my run I checked the NFL TV scheduled and a was a little surprised to find that the Vikings/Browns game would in fact be televised locally on CBS. Given the week the Browns had, trading away their top running back and then declaring their 3rd string QB as this weekend's starter, the game had all the makings of a trap game for the Vikings. And if any team is adept at making lowlife players look like all pro's it's the Vikings. Still, I figured to watch at least some of the game. Jacob was out back practicing soccer with the goal he bought with his own money a year or so ago. I headed out to help him practice serving as the goalie. I had to remind him not to kick it as hard as he can. Evan eventually crept over to play with us too. We spent maybe 30 minutes practicing before Jacob called it quits.

Because Mindy was busy prepping for her party, she asked if I would be so kind to take Jacob to his noon soccer practice. Sure, dear. Jacob and I left around 1140am. Fairly easy drive save for the usual back-up at Hilliard Rome Rd. Back home by 1210pm, Mindy reminded me that she wanted the cornhole boards set-up. As it was, they were stowed away in the shed. I headed out to fetch 'em and set 'em up. Still not sure what came of our missing purple bean bag. We've never left home with the boards. I guessed that Bella might've tossed one in the pond last go round.

Leading up the NFL kickoff, I was feeling a little nappy. Unfortunately, Mindy's party was set to start at 1pm, too. Taking a nap seemed out of the question, though I briefly toyed with sneaking away upstairs. I never did. The Viking game had just kicked off when the first party kid arrived. Mindy handled the door greetings. I was a little surprised that most of the kids didn't drive themselves. Instead, they were brought by their mothers. A couple of the mothers opted to stay. Thankfully, Mindy moved the party outdoors where the kids could play in the yard and in the tree house while I watched the Viking game inside. Like they have in each of their first three games, the Vikings scored a touchdown on their initial drive. Some purple fans I know were predicting a Viking blowout. Not me. I was worried. Sure enough, we allowed the Browns to score on their next possession and then later allowed then to take the lead. We were making their 3rd string QB look like Peyton Manning.

Thankfully, 2pm was fast approaching. I had to leave to go after Jacob at soccer practice. The diversion would do me well. I listened to ESPN radio on the drive to and fro. The game was soon tied at 14-14. However, by the time that Jacob and I were back at home it was near the half and the Vikings were behind 24-14. I guess I missed a lot of high drama - fake field goal and fake punt by the Browns, both of which were successful and lead to more points. Of course! The Vikings managed to recover a muffed punt on the Browns 26 yard line just before half but thanks to some poor coaching and poor execution they squandered the opportunity not scoring a single point. I have to say the Vikings look sloppy and slow in every facet of the game, like they're not prepared. Shame shame!

Mindy's party was set to run until 4pm. In all, there were only 5 kids that showed up, and as I shared earlier, two of the mothers stuck around for the duration. One of the girls, Grace, came inside to hang with me, Jacob and neighbor Jake who were watching the football game. The boys got a kick out of Grace's outlandish comments. Said she had a crush on Jacob. Grace also struggle with her pronouns, more often than not referring to Mindy as Jacob's daughter. What?

By 405pm all of the kids were gone. The Vikings game was just about over too. And somehow or another, they had managed to take a slim 27-24 lead with three minutes to go. Trust me, though. No one in the Vikings stadium was feeling secure with a 3 point lead and the ball in the opponents hands. We held them in check for one possession but after another 3 and out we punted again leaving them exceptional field possession. Long story short, we let them drive down the field and score the go ahead touchdown with only 51 seconds remaining. I guess the silver lining would be that at least we had a chance to get the ball one more time. But 51 seconds proved not enough time for the Vikings to drive for the winning score. Another loss. 0-3. bummer!

To relax, I walked away from the TV and headed to the livingroom where I picked up my latest book. I spent the rest of the evening reading, determined to finish the book if it all possible. Over the next 4 hours I read the last 70-80 pages covering the final three mystics: Anne Hutchinson, Baal Shem Tov, and finally Tagore. The only real break a took was about 30 minutes to enjoy some leftover lasagna. I read until about 830pm. By then Mindy had already headed for bed. Bella, however was still bouncing around the house. Twice she came downstairs confounded with questions about our solar system, the universe, and how it all works. She was very concerned what might happen if all the planets were aligned with the sun.

We used a basket of decorative balls Mindy & I keep on the leaning shelves to make a model of the solar system on the floor. I could tell that she didn't quite get the alignment even after she said she did. She headed back upstairs but returned again 5-10 minutes later to ask similar questions and to get out the decorative planets once again. :) I asked if it might help if we used Google to look at images of the universe. She agreed. She had lots of questions about what makes a planet a planet as opposed to a star. She also wanted to know what would happen if a black hole appeared in our solar system, but cautioned me to stop if it might scare her. :) I figured a lesson in understanding the basics in where we as Earthlings stand in the universe might be helpful. Showed her pics of the solar system, then the milky way, then the universe with many other galaxies. Actually, though, that was quite a bit for her young mind to grapple with. Still, I am impressed that she's so inquisitive about it. A thinker.

Mindy came partially down the stairs while we were looking at Google images of the universe and declared it Bella's bedtime. Actually, i was getting really tired too, so I was happy to head to bed. But like a lot of recent nights, once I hopped into bed I just couldn't sleep. Instead, I got a second wind that I just couldn't shake. After 30 minutes or so I slipped out of bed and headed back downstairs. I ended up watching the rest of the SNF game between the Steelers and Bears. Steelers lost. They're now 0-3 too, just like the hapless Vikings. And it just so happens that we play each other next Sunday in London. After the game, I headed for bed. I didn't fall immediately asleep but it didn't take that long either.

Waxing Moon & Eyebrows

Mindy & Bella dancing to Edward Sharpe

I slept at least somewhat late, not getting up and out of bed until 810am. It was cloudy, cool and still raining lightly. Looked like anything but summer, but then again I suppose that's only fitting given that Sunday would be the first day of autumn. I started coffee then played on the internet. While enjoying coffee I played on the internet then spent a little time updating my blog. It was after 9am in a hurry. Judging by the weather radar, it appeared to my eyes that it would be clearing around noon despite a dreary forecast calling for more rain throughout the day. In fact, the front that brought us all the rain during the overnight was just about to move out of the area. My prediction was supported by the fact that it was already sunny in Indianapolis.

Mindy and the kids were up before 10am. Not long after pouring her first cup of coffee, Mindy began making breakfast burritos, mostly for Jacob. At the same time, I was getting ready for a run. I offered each of them the opportunity to join me. I was a little surprised when Mindy agreed. Sadly, though, both kids rebuked any such notion. for some reason, both weren't in a compliant mood.

Mindy suggested that she might very well go on a run a little later. Hmm? I headed out and did my usual Saturday run of 3 miles. Was back at home around 11am. By then, the sky was brightening but still mostly cloudy. Mindy shared that Jacob only did a partial job on the simple chore we asked him to do, which was to rid the upper backyard of all the walnuts. Didn't care if he did it by hand or rake. We just wanted it done. At 13, he shows little enthusiasm for anything except soccer. Said he didn't know how to do it so he gave up. I offered to show him how, but he emphatically refused. We wouldn't stand for it and insisted he get out there and get busy. Frankly, getting a little tired of the way he back talks his mother.

It was almost time for the Buckeye game kickoff. Once he headed out to get busy for a 2nd time I decided to join him and give him a hand. I carried around the plastic rake but shared that ridding them by hand was probably easier and more fun. We tossed then frantically into the pond. He seemed to enjoy that part. Between the two of us it didn't take more than 10 minutes. Mindy was in the shower when we finished. She planned to take Jacob & Bella to see niece Lindey at Saturday's for haircuts and waxings. Jacob didn't want to do that either. Mindy's compromise was that she would wait until the game was over, which I supported.

In hindsight, it's probably wasn't fair to call the match-up a game. The team we played, Florida A&M University, is a Division 1-AA team, and hardly a formidable opponent for even the worst Division 1-A team. We were ahead 27-0 after the 1st quarter and 55-0 at halftime. We didn't throw even one pass in the 2nd half, choosing only to run straight up the middle. We won 76-0.

Shortly after the game ended, Mindy and the kids headed for Grove City to hook-up with Lindey. For the first 30 minutes after the departed, I played guitar and did a little reading. I had talked about making lasagna for dinner and told Mindy that I'd likely head to the Market District to get the ingredients. Decided to do just that. So after a shower I headed off to the M.D. in the BM'er. By then it was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon - abundant sunshine and temps in the low 70s.

Like most visits to M.D., I perused their beer selection 1st, picking up a rocket of Southern Tiers Warlock, a pumpkin Imperial Stout. Took my time picking up the lasagna ingredients: noodles, ground beef, sausage, sauce, ricotta cheese. As for the other necessary ingredients, we had those already at home. Picked up a few other items as well, including a loaf of fresh Italian bread and some cilantro jalapeño hummus. Spent something like $40. Headed for home.

Once at home I wasted little time getting started on dinner, but not before pouring myself a pint glass of the Warlock. Chopped fresh peppers and red onion, then fresh herbs from our window garden: oregano, parsley, and chives. Sauteed the veggies and herbs then browned the two meats. Boiled water for the noodles too. Mindy & the kids were home around 445pm. They weren't home long before the kids dashed out to play with friends. Mindy was home for about 30 minutes before making a Target run. I asked if she would pick-up some eye drops & cinnamon. While she was away I prepared the lasagna for baking. Came up two noodles short. The only reason I didn't make the entire box was because I always seem to waste 3 or 4 noodles. Admittedly, I didn't plan well. I went ahead and boiled a little more water for two more lasagna noodles. Tried microwaving them for speed but that didn't work at all. No worries. It didn't take but an extra ten minutes or so. Put the scrumptious looking lasagna in the over around 545pm.

Mindy enjoyed a little of the Warlock, too. Liked it a whole lot. Even suggested we go after more. And I might've done that had we not an entire growler of Centennial in the fridge. Apparently she'd forgotten. The lasagna baked for about 45 minutes, the last 10 with the foil pulled back. We didn't bother making a salad. We did, however, make homemade garlic cheesy bread with the loaf of fresh Italian bread from the M.D. Both the bread and lasagna were delicious. Even Bella said so. Said my lasagna was restaurant quality and even better than Maw-maws. I've always had a knack for making scrumptious lasagna.

We barely made a dent in the tray. Lots of leftovers. Jacob didn't have any lasagna. Instead, he ate breakfast burrito. Pasta isn't one of his faves. It did most of the big clean-up all the while I cooked, so the after dinner clean-up went rather quickly. The kitchen was back to normal near 730pm. I poured a glass of Centennial then sought out some college football. The pickings were slim. Not too many big games this week. Instead, lots of major mismatches.

Jacob sent a text to Mindy asking if he could stay out and play until 11pm like he night before. Uhh, no! Mindy initially gave him a curfew of 930pm but compromised by telling him that if he played in our own back yard he could stay out until 10pm. He bought into that.

All the neighbor parents were apparently off to a party in Johnstown. Keeping an eye on all the kids was Chrissy's sister, who was staying all night at the Gardner home. Mindy wasn't up that late at all, I'm guessing that she was off to bed even before 10pm. Me, I stayed up a while longer, and then even later after heading back downstairs unable to fall asleep in bed. I tuned into SNL and was soon joined by none other than the original later nighter, Bella. She watched SNL with me. Figured that no hard.

Wouldn't you know, it was one of the raunchiest episodes I can ever recall, referring to his penis numerous times. After about the third time I casually flipped the channel back to football. Seconds later Bella upped and said she was heading to her own room. Over the rail and just before heading into her room, she asked what channel she might find SNL on her TV. Uhh, probably not on your TV. Need a cable box. It was a lie but a defensible lie. Too tired to debate. I headed up to bed a few minutes later.

Growler Exchange

I woke a few times earlier but ended up sleeping in until after 630am. In fact, I didn't get out of bed until Mindy was in the shower. I noticed that she prepared her own coffee. It was sitting on the dresser near the shower. I brushed my teeth, gathered my running clothes, then headed downstairs. Mindy cracked open the shower door asking for a quick smooch before I could slip out.

Downstairs, I checked out the weather from the deck. It was clear, sunny and warm. I did exercises next, whipping out sit-ups, windmills and push-ups. Was settled in front of my laptop with coffee by 7am. Jacob had just recently headed out the door to catch the bus.

I checked the forecast. Still calling for a high of 85 with mostly sunny skies early on but a chance of storms later. We could actually use a good soaking rain. Just don't want it to stick around for a week. As for work, my early focus was on knocking out a report I compile every Friday. I was still working on that when Mindy left for school around 730am. By then Bella was up and downstairs. We chatted a little as she prepared for her school day.

Bella and I headed out at our usual time of 752am. We took the pug, who up to that point hadn't yet been outside. We were the first at the bus stop, but the others were just a minute or two behind us. Big Jake came to the bus stop with Chrissy. She was taking him to see the doctor later that morning after his eczema started flaring up. Told her about Mindy's new cream that might be of some help.

After the bus swooped up the kids I headed across the street with the pug. It was a glorious morning, and the last work day of summer as autumn arrives on Sunday. And it's almost as if the weather gods were in tune with the seasonal switch. Rain and a high of 70 set for Saturday, and then upper 60s and sunny on Sunday.

Back home with the pug near 815am. I all but finished the report I was working on then headed out for a run. Like many work from home Friday's, I ran only 3 miles. Was back at home by 910am. It was trash day. Our can was emptied early on. Our side of the street is always one of the first to be taken care of. I drug our can back to its resting place before heading in.

Much like the day before, I didn't have any scheduled calls or meeting and was hopeful that it would remain like that for the entire day. I've needed a couple low key work days. The work day cooperated. AS such, I was able to take care of a couple lingering to-dos that always seem to get cast aside as more pressing matters arise. Yippie!

Near 1130am I headed out to mow the lawn. Took something less than an hour start to finish. There were so many walnuts down in the back that it sounded similar to a machine gun as I ran over them. In hindsight, I probably should've raked them aside before mowing over them. Back inside before 1230pm. I checked on work and things were quiet. I had a couple errands that I very much wanted to run, so I rushed off to the shower. At 1pm I loaded up our snow skis and my ski boots and headed off to ASBCO.

Dropped off our skis for their annual tune-up. Through September it's only $10. What a deal! A couple weeks back when I picked up Jacob's new board, I asked about getting new sole plates for my ski boots. They were in so I left my ski boots this time too. Eric shared that since they were altering my boots that they should really do a release check with my bindings on both pair of skis. OK. I was in and out of there in 10-15 minutes.

My next stop was Saturday's where I got a quick haircut. Same girls working there for 15-20 years. I joked with the manager that her hair color and cut are different every time I come in. She agreed. After my cut I ran across the street to Lowes where I picked up a couple colorful hardy mums for the front stoop. I wouldn't want to miss out on having some fall color out front.

Finally home again by 230pm. I was quickly settled and back at work. It didn't seem like too long at all before Jacob & Bella arrived home from school. We talked the night before about the possibility of going to the Hilliard Davidson football game Friday night with the kids. They both asked about it after school Said we'd decide for sure once Mindy was home. Speaking of Mindy, she was home around 430pm. While I wrapped up my work day she headed out back on the deck. By then it was a hot, dry, sunny late afternoon. Around 515pm I wrapped up my work day then headed out on the deck to water the plants, which were looking more than a little thirsty. Mindy was down at the neighbors talking with Kenny. She shouted out and then walked back home while I was watering. She shared that Kenny informed her that a lot of rain was moving our way and that going to the football game sounded like a bad idea. She offered to take over he watering chore so I could walk over and chat with Kenny. But I was happy to do the watering. Relaxes me, especially after work.

While I watered, several boys, including our Jacob, played football in neighbor Trena's backyard with Kenny. Sounded like they were having fun. By the time I finished watering the once sunny skies turned cloudy almost in an instant. Figured there must be some substance to Kenny's calling for imminent rain. Both kids were pressing Mindy for an answer about the football game. I headed inside to check the radar. Sure enough, I significant line of storms were about to roll through and the forecast was calling for the rain to last through Saturday afternoon. The front stretched all the way from New York to Texas and was moving east - northeast. Sorry, no football game. Jacob promptly asked if we could then do Barley's for dinner. Have we raised them right or what?

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. To unwind and help let go of work, I snuggled up in one of the living room recliners and did some reading. It was just what the doctor ordered. I read for about 45 minutes. And the next time Mindy asked what we were going to do, I was ready to commit. I agreed to do Barley's for dinner. Bella wasn't too pleased with the decision but her vote was vetoed. We were going. We freshened up and left the house near 730pm. We took an older Barley's growler hoping not only to bring one home full of Centennial, but also to trade it in for one of their brand new ones.

The lot was packed but we were fortunate enough to get a parking spot real close to the door that had to just come free. There was a wait for tables so we ordered drinks from the bar, me the Epic pumpkin porter and Mindy a Red Molly. The kids both ordered Dr Pepper. It was about a 15 minute wait for a table. Justin was our server and offered us seating at the new tall community tables or a booth. We opted for the community tables. Before we headed over. Mindy had already worked out the growler exchange with Sarah at the bar.

Mindy ordered a plate of smothered fries as an appetizer at the kids request. And in usual Mindy fashion, she got up and headed off to talk with someone just before the fries arrived. I wisely dished a few onto her plate before the kids and I devoured them all. In fact, I had to push Bella's fork away from Mindy's plate. Mindy thanked us for saving her some. As a rule, I typically don't order food until I've downed my first beer. This evening was no exception. We all put or dinner orders in soon after I finished my 1st beer. Mindy and I ordered burgers, though two different versions. I ordered a bowl of the chicken and sausage soup too. Yum! Jacob went with his regular only with onion straws in lieu of fries. Bella enjoyed the smothered fries so much that she ordered them as her meal. I ordered a Centennial for my 2nd and final beer.

Mindy wasn't going to have a 2nd but eventually did. Neither she nor I could finish our burgers. I boxed up more than half of mine. Since we had two tabs, one at the table and another at the bar, we agreed to take one or the other. Mindy took the table tab and I took the bar. I think I came out ahead on that deal. We left for home at 925pm. It rained for most of our stay at Barley's though it was reduced to a light sprinkle by the time we left for home.

The kids and Mindy suggested we walk down and visit the neighbors once we arrived home. I followed behind, grabbing two White Rajah's from the garage beer fridge. I opted to keep the fresh growler of Barley's Centennial whole for Saturday. Started to rain again at a pretty good clip almost as soon as we stepped upon the neighbors deck. Teri was outside chatting it up with Ivan. I headed in so not to get wet.

Greeted Kenny & Mike. Haven't talked much with either for a couple weeks. Chrissy was there too, but being fairly quiet. I'd just cracked my 2nd White Rajah when Kenny & Mike left to go pick-up Jake from the Davidson football game. He's in the marching band, so he's there rain or shine. Mindy suggested we head home shortly thereafter. It was 1015pm. Both kids asked if they could stay and play with the others until 11pm. Frankly, I was more than a little surprised that Mindy agreed. At home, she headed straight to bed while I stayed up finishing my beer and waiting for the kids.

As agreed, both kids were home just before 11pm. And just before I headed off to bed it began to rain really hard. I was happy for the rain. The lawn and flowers needed a good soaking.