More Snow Overnight

As planned, I was out of bed around 530am. And just as the weather prognosticators promised, it snowed overnight. Looked like 2-3" to my eyes. After calisthenics I learned that it was cold, too, only 18 degrees. Stopped playing on the PC by 610am to ensure enough time for a good meditation and thorough stretch. Between meditation and a stretch, I delivered Mindy's coffee. I woke Jacob for school, too. It was 620am and he still wasn't up. I think I startled him.

After a good stretch, I dressed warmly for a run and was out the door near 630am. Even with getting out on time I found myself pushed for minutes on Monday. I made the decision to trim my run to three miles for the rest of the week (through training) to give me 8-10 minutes of extra prep time ( I needed to be on the road by 755am). The snow was light and fluffy. The biggest problem was the ice underneath, remnants for the past weekends wintry mix. As such, I ran with caution.

Back home near 7am, I quickly shoveled the drive and cleared Mindy's car, but nowhere near as thoroughly as I might've had I not been on a tight schedule. After shoveling, I headed inside to leash up the pug. Fresh out of bed, she was reluctant to go out so soon but I insisted. Once we were out she was fine. Took her a while, however, to find the appropriate spot. Back home by 720am, Mindy had my breakfast all but ready. I decided to shower before eating. Wanted it out of the way. Said goodbye before heading up.

My shower and ready was fast. Was downstairs again by 740am. By then, of course, Mindy was long gone. Enjoyed my breakfast then threw together a light snack. Took the time to pour a to-go cup of coffee, which is extremely rare for me these days. No matter. I ended up leaving it on the island counter when I walked out at 755am. :) Started the Accord at 745am. Brrrr! Bella and I walked out together at 755am, she to the bus stop, me to my car and off to class.

Traffic through Arlington was slo-o-ow going. Actually, though, it was OK until I got to Waltham. After that it was pretty much bumper to bumper the rest of the way in. Ugh!! Arrived at class just ahead of 830am. Started working on our lab assignment right away even though my partner wasn't yet in. Got through four or five steps before she arrived. She jumped in right away. What eventually became a theme, there wasn't really enough time to complete the labs in class. And really, there wasn't time for many questions about the lecture either. That kind of pissed me off given that we spent thousands on the class. I learn best through interaction, which means my questions get answered. More than once during the week the instructor cut me off mid-question, redirecting the focus back to himself and the lecture.

To get caught up on the labs, I spent most of my lunch working on them. Didn't bother leaving the building. We worked on IP subnetting most of the afternoon. I ended up sticking around for an hour after class to get more one on one help. The extra time helped considerably. It was already down to 20 degrees when I left for home which was somewhere close to 530pm. Mindy wasn't too pleased that I was just leaving. She was about ready to leave the house to run Bella to gymnastics. She made pork roast for dinner. It was delicious. When she returned, we discussed Bella's pick-up and then Jacob's basketball logistics. I offered to take Jacob to and from basketball if she picked up Bella. That way, I figured, I could take my course material with me and instead of coming back home I would simply stay put and study for 90 minutes while Jacob practiced. Mindy agreed. It was a non-zero sum game. A win-win.

Jacob and I left for basketball near 740pm. By then, Mindy had already left to get Bella. Once inside the school, I Jacob and I went our separate ways, he into the gym and me to a long table in the commons area. There I spent the next 90 minutes reviewing everything we went over in the class the two previous days. The invested time proved very beneficial. And as one might guess, the time went fast. It was 925pm in a hurry. I headed out ahead of the end of practice so the car would be warm by the time Jacob rejoined me. By then it was only 13 degrees - really cold!

At home, Mindy and the kids were off to bed almost as soon as we were in the door. I stayed up until 1015pm enjoying bowl of Cap'n Crunch. Yum!