Rain Rain Rain

I woke to rain and the expectation of much more to come. I wasn't troubled in the least, however, as my plan all along was to spend this day and the next studying for the CCENT certification test which I scheduled for Monday. Had plenty of time to enjoy coffee and play ahead of a run. Didn't plan to dig into the books until noon or so. I needed some time for me, too.

Along with the rain, the temperature was really warm - at the time almost 60 degrees - and an expected afternoon high near 65. I headed out for a run near 10am in a light rain that varied in intensity more than once during the three mile run. I didn't get soaked but wet enough that I put my running shoes on a heat vent upon my return. I did my best to avoid the many puddles along my running trail, most of which were formed not so much by the falling rain, but instead by the sudden snow meltage.

Mindy was up shortly after my return. Her plans were to get her hair colored (highlighted) purple and then go to Jacob's basketball game and possibly even some more Xmas shopping. That worked for me. I figured the more alone time the better my studying would go - no distractions. Periodically, the it rained mid-summer hard to where the water poured off the roof like a waterfall. A glance out the back door revealed major ponding in the low spots and a stream running across the stone patio I built for Mindy near the creek's edge.

Long after Mindy left and during a break from studying, I slipped into my snow boots and headed out to the backyard where I unclogged the drain that should've been carrying water under the patio. It was clogged with leaves. I also retrieved a large purple plastic pail that Bella had down near the water, once about a foot above the water level. As it was, it was about to float off in the swell of water.

I studied all afternoon. And just as one might expect, time flew by. It was 430pm in a hurry. I only got about half as far as I hoped I might. Good thing I still had all day Sunday to study too. And actually, I studied on and off again Saturday up until the time Mindy & I left for dinner at CBC. Speaking of Mindy, she was home from her hair appointment and Jacob's game around 545pm. BY then I had showered and returned to the books. And even though I'd gotten through only about half the material, I felt really good about what I managed to glean from it.

Mindy took a shower soon after she got home. I guess it's not a good idea to shower (wash) your hair before coloring. Instead, they recommend waiting until after. Hmmmm? We left for CBC near 7pm. By then the day's heavy rains had all but subsided. Figured we'd gotten a couple inches easy.

Not too big a crowd at CBC at all. Lots of seating available both at the bar as well as the restaurant. We took our two favorite stools along the west side of the bar. Vince & Emily were working the bar. Vince started pouring a Bodhi right away. I suggested he pass that one off to Mindy and then pour me an Orthodox's from Actual Brewing Co. Mindy was hungry and asked for bread. Vince let us know that our first two beers were on our friends John & Carolyn who were in an hour or so earlier, but left for the casino before we arrived. Cool. Thanks guys!

Mindy stayed busy passing out gift bags to all of our CBC peeps. By the end of the night, I think she passed out ten of them. Vince or Emily, can't recall which, brought us some risotto balls. And then a little bit later, some of their bread. It wasn't baked all the way, or hadn't risen properly. Not sure exactly what was wrong with it, but it still tasted good. We didn't complain.

Mindy eventually ordered dinner, the nightly special, which consisted of Mahi, sticky rice and veggies. I thought I might order something too, but never did. I wasn't that hungry or ready when Mindy placed her order. I did have a few bites of Mindy's rice. Through dinner and drinks, we passively watched most of the Buckeye basketball game against Notre Dame. We held a slim lead for most of the first half, but managed to squander the lead mid way through the 2nd half due to some very poor shooting, which for whatever the reason, is what happens almost every time I watch them. In fact, with under two minutes to play, we trailed by 8 points. All but over. I briefly turned my attention elsewhere and stopped watching. Next thing I know, with 40 seconds left to play, we were within 2 points. Apparently we managed to quick steals and converted both to points. Another 20 seconds or so passed and we managed to take the lead. Bam! Just like that they won. Reminded me of a Bob Knight coached Indiana team that had a reputation for pulling out games like that.

Still battling a cough and cold, Mindy was fading. We left for home around 930pm, but not before having a growler filled with Bodhi. We left a decent tip for our CBC friends. Mindy didn't want to stay up too late. She headed to bed while I stayed. I eventually turned on the TV to watch SNL but made it through only the opening monologue before getting sleepy and heading up to bed.