Meteorological Winter's Demise

This according to our good friend Rick C. Though it may very well be, subzero temps and more snow on the way.

Not feeling too well, I slept about as long as I could stand without messing up my routine. I planned on working from home but at the time that was little consolation given the way I felt. I considered skipping calisthenics but decided that would be a sign of weakness. Once I got through the sit-ups, the rest came a little easier, including the 50 push-ups. The on-set cold symptoms haunting for most of the week finally seemed to be coming to roost. Can’t recall my last cold, but guessing it was more than a year ago.

After coffee and a little personal internet time, I got busy with work, firing up my laptop around 7am, or just after wishing Jacob a fabulous school day just before he walked out the door. Worked for the next hour or so stopping only to bid Mindy farewell and a lovely school day, and then seeing Bella out the door for the school bus around 8am.

I did a stretch and meditation once Bella was gone and then headed off on a run around 830am. Like most Fridays, I ran just 3 miles. Despite not feeling the best, it was still a nice and easy run. Very much digging the drive pavement.

At home again, I was super hungry. Rather than fry a few eggs, I decided to reheat Bella’s 229 cheeseburger leftover from the previous Sunday. It was more than delicious. Fairly low-key work day from home. I literally forced myself upstairs for a shower around 1145am for not wanting to sit around all day in my running clothes. Good choice. Felt much better afterwards.

Stayed busy through the afternoon mostly on proactive stuff. I even got in a couple hours of online training, too. The afternoon went especially fast. Jacob was home near 245pm and then Bella about an hour later. Jimaken and Molly showed up to pick-up the kids for the weekend somewhere between 430-5pm. Mindy still wasn’t home from school. She showed up while we waited for the kids to finish packing their stuff for the weekend. Said she stopped for a beer at Applebees with a teacher pal.

Once the kids were gone, we discussed the Oregon condo options. Made our choice and booked one. Come 6pm, I wasn’t feeling too well again, Felt a tad feverish. Wasn’t sure that I was up for any of the usual Friday night
Antics, though we loosely discussed going to Barley’s. I took a couple Advil while fooling around on my PC listening to Pandora. Once they kicked in I started feeling much better and ready for a little time out with friends.

We left for Barley’s around 640pm. The lot was full. Before heading to the back 40 to park, I let Mindy off at the door. Soon in the door, Mindy shared that Darwin sent a text sharing that he and Connie were coming to Barley’s for dinner as well. Figured it a great opportunity to discuss our Oregon ski trip.

Opted for a Barley’s pale ale. Always a good change of pace as well as a good starter beer (it doesn’t wreck my palette). Darwin, Connie and the two older boys showed up probably 20-30 minutes after us. Lane seemed disappointed that Jacob wasn’t with us. Connie and the boys procured a booth while Darwin stood with me near the bar. He sounded a little disappointed that we booked our own condo for the Oregon trip. My thoughts are that 10-12 in one condo would be way too many.

Didn’t want to leave Connie hang on the booth with the boys. Suggested we join them. Darwin and I headed over to sit with his family while Mindy continued a conversation with someone at the bar. She joined us maybe 10 minutes later. It wasn’t too long before we ordered food. Mindy went with a burger. I went with a hummus & pita plate. For my 2nd beer, I enjoyed a powerful Hi-Res IIPA. Can’t recall the brewer. Mindy was having just the one. That determined, I eventually ordered a 3rd, a Bitter Dan IPA.

Still fairly early when we paid our tab and left for home. Couldn’t have been later than about 915pm. Mindy said she was feeling incredibly tired, and not 15 minutes after arriving home she was off to bed. I stayed up a while longer listening to some tunes, eating a homemade chicken & cheese burrito, and washing it down with a Southern Tier IPA that Jimaken left in the fridge. Yum! Emailed back and forth with brother Glenn, discussing lodging arrangements for

Filling Avoid

I woke initially just after 5am but vacillated between sleep and wake until 545am when I finally pulled myself from bed to begin my day. I felt alright but my mouth was ridiculously dry. Couldn't wait to get my teeth brushed. Downstairs I promptly kicked exercises into gear. Soon calisthenics were behind me and coffee on the horizon. Like most work days, I took Mindy some before enjoying any for myself.

She asked for a hug and that I crank up the heat, it's a mantra she repeats most mornings. Of course I obliged her requests. After all, a happy life is a happy ... husband. :) I carried on with the rest of my pre-run routine - stretching & meditating. Actually out the door for my run by 640am. It was cold, I believe close to 15 degrees. Saw that more subzero temps coming the following week - March!

Ran 4.1 miles. No problems. Despite feeling as though a cold might be coming on, I felt pretty good. But then again, running has a way of masking what ails ya during and then immediately after. As was the case on this occasion, it's an hour or so after the run when reality kicks in.

I realized during the run that it was daylight from the outset, albeit just barely at the outset. Still, the days are getting longer indeed. Reminded me that I need to research when daylight savings time kicks in. At the time I couldn't remember if it was early March or April. Mindy had the Pilot warming in the driveway at my return. She and Bella were swarming in the kitchen. I leashed up the pug them headed out the door, but not before giving Mindy a kiss and hug before she left for school.

Life without a snowpack is a dream for Eiknarf. She promptly took care of business without any trouble. Back at the house, Bella already had the dogs food bowl filled with chow and scrambled eggs. My cheesy scrambled eggs were waiting in the microwave. Finished my breakfast by 740am. I asked Bella if she felt comfortable seeing herself out of the house and onto the bus with me in the shower. Yep. She was a go. And since she's been waiting inside the house until the bus pulls up for the last month or so, I viewed it as low risk.

I heard the bus whiz by and Bella dash out while I was mid-shave. In turn, I was showered, dressed, and pretty much ready to leave for work by 810am. However, Instead of rushing off, I opted to enjoy another cup of coffee as well as little internet. Warmed the car and left the house at 830am.

Still getting used to the open work environment. But still, something about being at the office early morning and around peers is far more intrinsically rewarding than working from home, though without question, there are pros and cons to both. Spent the first hour of my day collaborating with a peer on a technical issue for my main customer. Felt good with our results. Was much looking forward to wrapping it up with the customer.

I had a dental appointment set up for noon to have the December root canal permanently filled (standard procedure). Was looking forward to getting that whole thing behind me. So not to have to brush my teeth at the office, I abstained from eating my packed banana and almonds. I wasn't really hungry anyway. I left for the dental appointment at 1140am.

I called Dr March's office once in route. I saw that I missed two calls from their office the day before, most likely wanting to confirm the appointment. Colleen answered. Let her know that I was on my way. Easy drive. Showed up 5 minutes early. Lora soon came out to get me. As we often do, Lora and I chatted about life, family and kids. She's a neat young woman. I get the impression that she married up (into money) with her second marriage, which seems to be working out swimmingly. I shared a little about our most recent ski trip. I am amazed with how many parents share that they can't go anywhere for extended vacations due to their kids traveling sports leagues, be it baseball, soccer, or hockey. That just isn't healthy, and to my ears, the tail wagging the dog. Flippantly, I told her that they should simply pull the kids out of the sport for the week. Call me selfish, but in the end I think it's a win-win.

Anyway, Dr March soon joined us. And like he does most visits, we chatted about the Buckeyes (he's a loyal alum). Before getting started, I congratulated him for being correct with his assessment of which tooth was my pain culprit. All along, he thought it was my left face incisor, but was quick to share that he might be wrong, which is why it took so long to bare out. He looked back in documented records showing that I first complained of the pain in April '13. Wow!

Didn't take him long to remove the temporary plug and medicated cotton and fill the canal permanently. For the last two months my tongue has been swimming around the backside of that tooth catching the sharp edge of the drilled tunnel. Felt great to have it smoothly filled. On my way back to the office by 1230pm. Made no additional stops. Back in my cube by 1245pm.

Near 1pm I went to the adjoining kitchen area and fetched my salad, cheese and fruit from the fancy new fridge. Enjoyed my lunch from my desk. Spent the afternoon taking care of several proactive tasks. Wrapped up my work day in the office near 510pm. By then there weren't too many others still behind. I spent 10-15 minutes talking to a former direct report of mine about ski trips. Good talk.

Called Mindy in route to home. She shared that Bella wouldn't be going to gymnastics after all. Apparently there was a local power outage in that area so they didn't have heat. I didn't imagine Bella would be too upset. Leftovers were on the dinner menu. Mindy asked what my preference was, chicken & noodle casserole or shredded barbeque chicken sandwich. I chose casserole. She was microwaving our plates when I arrived home.

Felt good to sit down at the dinner table with the family to a relaxing dinner. Shortly after dinner and during my clean-up Mindy & Jacob bolted for Dick's. Jacob had $50 worth of Dick's gift cards burning a hole in his pocket. Said she was stopping at Target on her way home too, to pick-up a few culinary staples like bananas.

The two of them were gone for about an hour. While they were away, Bella played in her room and then made herself a plate of cheesy nachos. While she did that I played on my computer and then did some reading via my Kindle. I'm guessing it was near 8pm when Mindy & Jacob got back. They all settled in the family room to watch the first American Idol elimination night. After waking from a reading nap I quietly slipped upstairs for an early bedtime though I turned on the bedroom TV and tuned into CBS's Thursday night comedy line-up. By then, The Miller's was on, but near the tail end.

Mindy joined me as soon as Idol was over, which was 9pm. Got a bit of second wind while laying in bed. Funny how that works. 15 minutes prior I barely had then energy to pull myself from the recliner and to walk up the stairs. Watched Robin Williams new sitcom, The Crazy One's too, and then 2.5 Men afterwards. Both were quite funny.

I think it was near 1030pm when Mindy finally rolled over and fell asleep. I was still wide awake, so I slipped out of bed and headed back downstairs. I read and sent a couple emails and then read for another hour while eating some plain Cheerios as a snack. Sleep just wasn't in the cards, at least for the time being. I think it was near midnight when I finally started to dose while reading. I quietly put down my Kindle, turned off the downstairs lights, and head up to bed.

This Is My Habit

I slept as late as I could without messing up my plan to run before seeing Bella onto the school bus. That equated to me rolling out of bed near 615am. Instead of taking a shower, Mindy was downstairs in the kitchen/living room folding laundry. When quizzed about it, she said she figured she would work her routine backwards so to allow me to sleep a little longer. That was nice!

I felt crappy, almost as if a cold was trying to pierce my veil of health. Despite feeling uneasy, I moved forward with calisthenics, which included sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups. Actually felt much better once my exercise was behind me. I spent maybe 10-15 minutes fooling around online before meditation and a stretch. It was after 7am by the time I was ready to head out the door for my run. I went upstairs to say goodbye to Mindy and to share that Bella should be prepared to get on the bus and that I'd likely be back just before time for her to leave.

Once into my run, I felt it best to trim a mile off the usual 4.1 mile trail to ensure that I was home in time to see Bella off to school. Of course, Mindy was gone by the time that I was home. I was gone only 28 minutes. By then it was near 740am. I leashed up the pug and headed out for our walk. The endorphins were rushing through my body and brain. For the time being, I felt great and was very glad I decided not to delay my run.

There were eggs waiting my return too, and Bella took ownership of filling the pugs bowls with food, water and her eggs. As soon as Bella was out the door for the bus, I headed up for a shower. It didn't take me long, maybe 15 minutes to shower and ready. I planned on working across town at my customer's campus. Got an email from one of their managers sharing that he had no issues for our standing 10am call and wanted to cancel. Great! That meant I could take my foot off the accelerator.

I took care of the few things from home before heading out around 9am including finally unplugging the Xmas wreath still adorning the apex of our garage. Damn things been up now for more than 3 months! I'll take it and the Xmas lights down the next mild and dry weekend day.

Arrived across town around 930pm. During the long drive the ill feeling returned. In fact, sleep sounded awfully good. That wouldn't be in the cards, however. Despite feeling crappy, I dug into the day's work doing my best to focus on the task at hand instead of my not feeling so well. Lucky for me, it was another fairly calm day. Got to spend time on proactive tasks, which is always nice.

I was a little out of sorts, in that I left my personal cell phone in the Accord parked far away from the building. I also misplaced my wireless mouse, but luckily was able to find a spare wired mouse to borrow until I remember where i left it. I guessed that i left it at the same customer's campus but at another building on Tuesday.

Come lunch time, I went to my car not only to get my personal cell phone, but also to drive to the other building and check and see if I did in fact leave my wireless mouse in Tuesday's cube. Had 10 texts awaiting my response. I should mention that daughter Lindsey was scheduled to have her gall bladder removed sometime that afternoon. I asked Kelly, who took her to the hospital, to keep us informed of the progress.
Found my mouse, too, Right where I left it. That's the second time I've done that in the last year. Kelly sent a text sharing that Lindsey's procedure was delayed. Finally took her to surgery around 2pm. Said she'd send another update once she was out. The procedure as I understood it, was laparoscopic and outpatient. She'd be heading home that evening.

Per her request, I sent Mindy the textual updates regarding Lindsey. I tried calling Mindy on my drive home, which was somewhere near 5pm. I went to VM. I knew she had a meeting of some sort and then planned to stop at the grocery store for a few things on her way home. I was home before Jimaken got there to pick-up the kids. Thinking that was near 530pm.

Still feeling rundown, I opted to go horizontal on the sofa with a blankie. Ahh. Felt terrific. Not sure the time when Mindy got home, but I'm pretty sure that it was somewhere between 545-6pm. After a brief nap I felt well enough to rise to my feet. Mindy badly wanted to dine at CBC. At the time I wasn't sure if I was up for an evening out. I asked for a few minutes to see if I felt any better. Sure enough, after that brief nap and freshening up, I felt good enough to go out.

It was shortly after 6pm when we left the house. We drove the Accord, and it was a simple drive. By then the rush hour traffic on 70E was all but nonexistent. Took the Front St exit. We parked in the ancillary lot across the street. Pretty sure it belongs to Kroger. Don't think that we've been in CBC for about 2.5 weeks. While there, we planned to nail down the particulars for Mindy's halfway to 90 party for which we've reserved the CBC patio.

Greeted Vince and Kate soon in the door. Said they've missed us. Also wished us a happy anniversary. Surprised they remembered. Talked with GM Jen too. Chatted about Mindy's party. Unfortunately, no Bodhi, but they did have White Rajah on tap. Wow, that's rare. However, we passed on the White Raja in favor of the Jackie O's IIPA. Can't recall the name but it was 130 IBUs. It was good, but not Bodhi good.

As he always does, Vince brought us fresh bread and then some risotto balls. Perfect! We sat the corner of the bar closest to the door. Not my favorite spot but it would do. We took a couple selfies toasting our beers with my new camera. Nice to have flash back!

Time moved swiftly, in part because we got there so late. Mindy mulled over the menu eventually opting to share an order of wings. I asked that she order them extra crispy and with extra sauce. They came perfectly prepared. The beer, for whatever reason, left me feeling great. Took away all of my symptoms. In kind, I ordered a 2nd but offered to share it with Mindy. IN reality, I think I drank 2/3s of it.

The wings were good. We ate all but one. Mindy asked for a to-go box so she could take it home for Jacob. Our bill was as small as it's been in a long while. I made sure to tip Vince and Kate well. We didn't leave until about 750pm. It was 807pm when we pulled in the drive. At first we didn't think the kids were yet home, but they were.

As I predicted, Jacob shunned the one wing we brought him home. My job, as we had agreed over dinner, was to go ahead and purchase our airline tickets to Oregon for spring break week provided the prices hadn't increased since earlier that morning. They hadn't. Considering that it's spring break week, I felt the price a super good deal. While I was busy buying the airline tickets, Mindy was busy looking for her phone. She searched high and low. I tried calling, and Jacob tired calling it, but to no avail. I suggested Mindy call CBC and ask them if they saw or found it. She did. They didn't have it or see it.

She and Jacob left to drive back down there to see if she might've dropped it in the parking lot. I, of course, was more nervous about it than she was. I predicted she would find it on the grassy hill walking up to the lot from CBC. That's where she quickly pulled her hand from her coat pocket to hold mine. Perhaps ten minutes after they left I got a text from Mindy sharing that she found her phone. I asked if it was on the grassy hill. Yep! Emergency averted. They were back home 10 minutes later.

I continued playing around online and then reading from my Kindle while Mindy and the kids tuned into American Idol. Just can't find the desire to sit through all of that anymore. Mindy called out for me to join them more than once. I popped in a time or two but quickly headed back to my favorite recliner to read. Stayed up reading until at least 10pm. Headed up to bed about the same time as Mindy.

We ended up watching some Science Channel TV for a while and didn't get to sleep until after 11pm.

Gassing Up

I planned to work from home for the first couple hours of the day before heading across town to spend the rest of my work day with a customer. To that end, I slept in until almost 6am. After completing Tuesday calisthenics I delivered Mindy’s coffee. By then it was already 620am. I played around online until almost 7am when I finally logged onto my work laptop.

Juggled work and play for the next hour or so, or until Bella was safely out the door for school. Headed out for a run around 815am. It was a chilly 19 degrees, but considering how cold it’s been for most of the winter, it didn’t feel that cold. Ran the full 4.1 miles without issue once again appreciating the dry pavement. Back home ahead of 9am, I put away all of the clean dishes still resting in the drying strainer while also pre-heating the frying pan for my eggs.

Made eggs for the pug and I. Did a little work too. Got an escalation from a customer needing my help. I dug head long into the issue at hand eating my breakfast in between tasks. Didn’t get to a point where I could break away for shower until maybe 10am. And by the time I was showered, dressed and ready to leave the house, it was near 11am. I had to stop for a fill-up at the Circle K on my way to the freeway. Took 15.5 gallons after 307 miles. That equates to 19.8 miles per gallon last tank full. Certainly not ideal mileage but considering all the warming the engine this winter, it’s wasn’t shocking.

Arrived across town near 1130am. Found a parking spot in the middle lot. I was happy about that for not having to take the long ¼ mile walk from the deep lot. Because my peer wasn’t working at the customer’s location, I took her work station, which is much more conducive for my work purposes.

Spent time interacting with the customer and more time on that escalation ahead of our scheduled 1pm meeting. The time went fast, however. 1pm in a heartbeat. The meeting was attended by nearly half the usual suspects. Missing were some from both parties – us and the customer. Lasted about 50 minutes.

Spent the remainder of the afternoon catching up on more loose ends from my week out. I think it was near 445pm when I left for home. Called Mindy once safely merged onto 270. We talked for a handful of minutes. Confirmed that Bella was indeed attending gymnastics that night. Mindy shared how exhausted she felt. I arrived home near 520pm.

Mindy was busy with dinner. Made a chicken and noodle casserole. Smelt delicious. Handed me the mail, In it was a thank you card from brother Tommy along with a check covering Utah expenses I paid in advance. Glad to get it so soon. The casserole was exceptional. A little out of the ordinary to get to eat dinner together before taking Bella to gymnastics. She, Mindy & Jacob headed out immediately after finishing their dinner. And while they were away, I took care of kitchen clean-up.

I finished up the kitchen around 615pm. I’d just settled down in front of my PC when Mindy and Jacob returned. Around 630pm I did a little reading from my Kindle. In so doing I was overcome with incredible sleepiness. I might’ve stole a 5 or 10 minute nap. Near 7pm Mindy came to me to share that she was ditching off to bed. Said she was completely exhausted. It was my job to pick-up Bella, so I didn’t mind.

715pm came around fast. It was a challenge to find the motivation to head out into the cold but I did. It was a quick and easy drive around 270 to Georgesville Rd. exit and to the gymnastics studio. The kids were just finishing up once I walked inside. Bella was very excited. Shared that she badly wants to participate in the April gymnastics event in Rio Grande Ohio, a venue we’ve been to two other times. I told her I saw no reason why we could go. That made her happy.

New Winter Running Socks

I was up around 130am unable to easily return to sleep. Lots of stuff was running through my mind and most of it negative. Rather than lie there indefinitely, I got up and headed downstairs to my PC. I fooled around online for nearly an hour before I felt as though I might be able to fall back asleep. Was probably closer to 3am when I finally fell asleep.

I woke again around 510am and of course feeling sleepier than ever. From then on I played cat and mouse with the clock until finally rolling out of bed for good near 545am. Downstairs, the coffee was prepped but hadn’t started brewing. I must’ve done something wrong in the set-up process. I hit the go button before digging into to daily calisthenics. Hadn’t done any of the more rigorous exercises including sit-ups and push-ups while in Utah. It was time to reintroduce. Whipped out 50 of each as well as 40 windmills – 20 each arm, half forward, half backward.

Near 6am by the time I poured coffee. I then spent the next 20-25 minutes fooling around online before heading upstairs with coffee for Mindy. Before heading upstairs I caught myself trying to find a reason to slow down and not get moving. But I knew in my heart of hearts that what I needed most was to get moving and ultimately out the door for my run.

Once Mindy was awake, I headed back downstairs for a little more PC and coffee time ahead of a stretch and eventually a run. I didn’t meditate like I usually would. The week of vacation threw me out of my usual rhythm. Jacob was downstairs for breakfast as I dressed for my run. It was a chilly 20 something degrees.

I headed out before him but passed many of his bus mates already waiting at the bus stop. His bus was barreling down the road as I completed my warm-up lap. By the time I made it around and onto the larger portion of my run, the bus was gone and out of site.

Ran the full 4.1 miles far easier than any of my 3 mile runs went in Utah. Here at home it’s pretty much flat and near sea level. That makes all the difference. It was nice to run on dry pavement and concrete for a change. Mindy hadn’t left the house by my return. We wished each other a happy return to work, me confirming my plans to work from the main office all day.

It was 70am. Faced with a decision, I decided to eat my breakfast but then wait and shower after Bella was safely on the bus. She waited from inside the house. Once the bus came barreling down the street she rushed out doors to the bus stop which is only one house down.

Once Bella was gone I was off to the shower and ready to go 20 minutes later. I played on my PC until almost 830 when I headed out to warm the Accord which I hadn’t driven for 10 days. Started fine. Was reminded that I was at least somewhat low on fuel – about a ¼ tank. But that was more than enough to get me to and from work.

Arrived at the office near 855am. My goal was to get there before 9am. I was pleased. My boss’s cube
Is right next to mine in the new set-up. We chatted briefly about my return from vacation. Some folks placed a large teddy bear with an old work t-shirt in my work chair. Cute! I tossed it aside and did my best to get busy with work. Took some time to get acclimated, not only for being gone on vacation but also for the new work space which I’d only spent one other day in prior.

Went through email making sure all the tasks that were left dangling prior to my departure were addressed, or at a minimum, that I was up to speed on their new status. I also thanked those who covered for me during my one week absence. I thought about reminding my boss of my next week’s vacation which is coming up in just 4 short weeks, but decided to wait. He’s aware, though, or should be. He approved it back in January.

I opted to take a real lunch break and headed to Tuttle Mall near 110pm. More than anything, I wanted to look at luggage. More specifically, their High Sierra offerings. Saw David & Anita each have one of their large rolling duffles and they seem really sturdy and durable. I found them on Amazon too, but also saw that Macy’s carries them. Figured I would see them there and kick the tires.

Sure enough, Macy’s has almost their full line, along with several others. I must’ve spent a good 20-30 minutes checking out their offerings. They had the one I found on Amazon marked 50% off list price, but even with that big of a sale, Amazon’s price was significantly less. No sales tax with Amazon, either. After the hell I went through with my old broken suitcase over vacation, I need to make sure and get something new before the next trip.

Before leaving Macy’s I bought a 6-pack of long sports socks. I’ve worn the heel of all three pair that I bought last winter at Kohls. Macy’s had many options, but only one style/model made of synthetics and wicking. They were made by Ralph Lauren. I wasn’t really excited about having a logo on my winter running socks but needed new ones in a hurry. I bought those and got them for a decent price.

I told myself that I would throw away each of the old worn out pairs in the next day or so. That’s not something I am very good about. Instead, the opposite. I have old worn out socks from more than 10 years ago. In fact, I could use a thorough closet purging – shirts, pants, socks, etc.

Back to the office. Mindy sent a text sharing that niece Lindy was coming over that afternoon to cut Jacob’s hair. Needing one too, I responding asking how long she was planning to stick around. After all, Mindy wouldn’t be home until after 5pm due mostly to a staff meeting. Mindy must’ve contacted her, because a little while later she responded that Lindy would cut my hair too. I figured to be home near 5pm.

My work afternoon was a breeze. Got my email cleaned up and back on top of all my pending priorities. I left the office for home around 445pm. Immediately out the door I couldn’t help but notice how high the sun is at quitting time, a sure sign that spring is right around the corner.

Everybody was home by the time that I got there, including Lindy, who was just getting started trimming Bella’s hair when I walked in. Jacob’s cut was apparently already completed and he was off playing with Evan. Just a year ago it was fight to get Jacob to get a haircut. Now he’s asking for them.

Lindy was ready for me in short order. We used a #2 guard. She was quick, confident and efficient. I like that. She did a good job. I vacuumed up the hair clippings from the tile floor hen flipped Lindy $20 for the haircut. Mindy covered the kids cuts. I asked Lindy to stay for dinner but she couldn’t. Had to grocery shop or something like that. After she left and before dinner, I rushed upstairs for a quick shower to rinse away the itchy clippings.

Was back downstairs 5-7 minutes later. By then dinner was ready. Mindy cooked boneless chicken in the crockpot all day, effectively making pulled chicken. She added barbeque sauce and we had barbequed chicken sandwiches. It was really good, too.

Nobody needed to be anywhere. Instead, we enjoyed a quiet evening at home. After kitchen clean-up, I enjoyed a little time on my PC viewing ski vacation photos and then did some reading from my Kindle. We headed to bed early – just after 9pm.

Oxygen @ Sea Level / Fighting a Virus

Happy Anniversary Dear - 7 Years

I was up and out of bed near 7am while the rest of the household remained asleep. Felt good to be in my own home, having coffee, and playing on the internet in complete silence. Even Eiknarf was still asleep upstairs with Mindy. I wasn't any hurry to do anything. Save for my run, I had absolutely nothing planned. I spent the first couples hours kicking back, sipping coffee, and reviewing vacation photos. Headed out for a run mid morning. Most of my regular running stuff was packed away in my suitcase, so I ran in back-up gear. Just before heading out, I took Mindy a cup of coffee and wished her happy wedding anniversary - officially our 7th.

And after 7 daily runs in high altitude with a steep incline, my run at home was comparably simple. After my run and before heading back in the house, I took the time to shovel away the once large pile of snow that was sitting in front of my Accord for the past 2-3 weeks. I also used a square garden shovel to break-up the hard packed sno/ice on the passenger side of the Pilot just off the driveway. After a series of very mild days preceding our return home, it was very, very slick - dangerous even.

Before heading back in the house, I unpacked our skis that until then were resting on the garage floor still in the ski duffles. Mindy and the kids were and milling about. Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon unpacking Utah and putting everything away. Truth be told, I wasn't motivated to do much.

Sometime mid afternoon Mindy and the kids headed off somewhere. While they were away, I fiddled with my GoPro videos. And never being satisfied with the video quality playback, I opted to visit the GoPro site to do a little research. Learned that many players, including those often embedded in photo software such as my version of Elements weren't designed to playback HD video. The net result would often be choppy, non-HS quality playback - the very symptoms I was experiencing. Until then, I thought something might be wrong with my camera. GoPro suggested downloading VLC player and even pointed to their website where it could be downloaded for free.

Eager to give it a try, I headed there promptly. Got the player downloaded and was amazed at the eye popping HD quality. However, there was a problem, and big problem. Seems that along with the VLC player was some adware/malware. From that point forward I couldn't web surf without getting pop-up add after pop-up on most websites. My heart sunk. ( As vigilant as I've always been, here I had apparently downloaded a virus. I was pissed, especially since I followed the advice of the GoPro folks.

I quickly went into PC repair mode. Fairly quickly, I found two pieces of adware/malware and was able to remove and delete them from the hard drive. I thought i had it whipped until 10 minutes or so later more pop-ups appeared. I then accessed my Norton anti-virus software and ran a few deep scans which netted zero results. I was pissed. In Task Manager I could see yet another new program installed along with the VLC player. It was called something like PursuePoint. No matter what I tried, I couldn't remove it. Wouldn't allow it. Said I needed to close the program it was running in first. I closed everything several times but still no joy.

Now frustrated and heartbroken, I suddenly felt like I was fighting the clock. It was 430pm and I knew that Mindy wanted to go to dinner at 229. I badly wanted to resolve my PC issue before all else. Sad to say, but my lifestyle requires access to my PC, not to mention the thousands upon thousands of files I have that are irreplaceable. I was sick to my stomach. I guess on a positive note, all of my critical files are double backed up, first to an exterior HD and then also burned to DVDs on a monthly basis. Still, the thought of losing my hard drive made me sick.

I toiled with the possibility of allowing Norton access to my machine remotely to try and remove the malware. They charge $100 for the service but there's no guarantee. Stress! Mindy and the kids were home near 5pm. I remained focused on removing the virus. And I explained my dilemma to Mindy. I suppose she understood, at least on the surface, but she also seemed largely unfazed. I, on the other hand, was a complete basket case. I'll admit it.

I tried running a few more scans though unsuccessfully. Soon Mindy let me know that it was time to leave for dinner. Unfortunately, I was still wound up like a watch. I could focus on nothing more than my damn PC problem. Rather than push back, I went ahead and freshened up for dinner out. I think it was near 6pm when we left in the Pilot. I was largely silent both on the drive there and then once inside. In fact, for all intents and purposes, I was your run-of-the-mill asshole.

All I could think about was losing my data and having to fork out a couple K for a new machine and then painstaking hours spent migrating data files. Ugh!!!!!!!!! And buried beneath it all, I was extremely disappointed in myself for allowing it to happen in the first place. My selfish demise rolled over to Mindy, who was eager to celebrate our 7th anniversary with dinner at 229. She enjoyed a glass of wine while I could drink only water. Beer or liquor was not in the cards in my world. The kids were largely silent too. I think they were concerned that I might explode. :)

The way I felt inside, dinner was the last place I needed/wanted to be. In retrospect, I should've begged for another hour, or better yet, asked for a reschedule for Monday evening. Definitely wasn't anyone's fault but my own, but no matter the blame, I just could bring myself out of the funk. Adding to my mini dram was the thought of returning to work and the need to focus all of my energy on that - not my personal PC issues. At that moment and time life sucked eggs!

Mindy ordered a steak, Jacob his favorite chicken sandwich, and Bella one of their yummy cheeseburgers. I ordered only wings, and even that was a stretch because hungry I was not. Oh, almost forgot. Mindy ordered pork belly appetizer, the one she loves. The chunk I got was nearly 100% fat. Figures. When asked by our waitress, I told her as much. She started to interrupt me by saying that pork bellies are all fat. However, having had them there before I knew otherwise. Literally, it was all fat. Later, one of the managers came by to share that he was removing them from our bill. While he was there, I asked if there was a way to turn of the AC that was blowing on both Bella and I. Hell, it felt almost as if a window was opened. Said they couldn't control the airflow - poor design, but did have a good solution. He placed rectangular shaped dinner plates over the airflow grates effectively blocking the cool air from rising up and blowing on me.

Mindy was noticeably sad. Made a couple brief comments that I was ruining our anniversary dinner. Certainly not my intent, but I must admit, I wasn't a quality date to be sure. Mindy paid the tab and soon we were on our way back home. Another largely silent drive. I couldn't wait to get back home and take another swing at my PC problem. Getting away for an hour or so did provide enough of a gap that I could put together some semblance of a game plan. I planned to run one more full security scan, search for a possible deinstall program, and lastly contact Norton and pay-up. Certainly forking over $100 would be worth it if they could make the problem go away.

The security scan found yet another piece of malware that came onboard with the video player, but also one that I had already deactivated. It didn't find the one that up to that point I couldn't stop or remove. I guess it's because it looks like a viable application. Anyway, just before I hit the purchase button for Norton virus removal, I went back to my programs X86 folder. This time when left clicking on the malicious icon, I found a deinstall application link. How did I ever overlook that earlier? Who knows? Couldn't hurt. I gave it a whirl. Worked!!! Bam! Shaz Zam!

To be sure, I ran a full scan and then rebooted. It didn't come back. I was elated - on cloud nine. Wasn't 100% sure it was fixed but was about 90%. I went and found Mindy who was still sulking after a spoiled anniversary dinner and apologized, fully owning up to my heinous behavior. I wasn't trying to justify it, per se, but did try and explain why I was so fixated on my PC instead of focusing on our special day. She forgave me, at least I think.

She headed to bed around 9pm. I stayed up just a little while longer.

Back to B21

Like every other morning, David and I were first up, but joining us before sunrise was Tommy. That was a bit of surprise. While enjoyed coffee and stretched, David was hell bent on viewing his GoPro videos on his iPad. To accomplish the task required setting up the wireless capability since he didn’t have the proper cables. I knew from setting up mine a year or so prior that it would be no small feat. I watched him struggle with it for an hour or so.

Mindy sent me a text asking what the incessant beeping sound was. It was David messing with the programming features on his GoPro. Beep, beep, beep … I didn’t head out on a run until perhaps 8am. There wasn’t any reason to rush. We had nothing planned until our departure, which wasn’t scheduled until 330pm.

Decided to mix it up a little and ran up town first, just like I did on day one. Glanced in a few of the numerous uptown art galleries as I ran by. Lots and lots of cool, eye catching artwork in Park City. The run back to the house was the easy part – all downhill.

After a little snacking I started packing for home. I got our skis packed up for starters. I then moved on to my clothes and electronics. Mindy and I both were pretty much done packing by 1030am. All we needed to do was get showers and then pack any of those last minute items. Opted to do a load of laundry, washing most of our worn ski gear and then my running clothes, which would make our return home that much easier. Of course waiting on that to be done prevented us from being able to finalize packing and also loading the minivan. No worries.

I checked the minivan rental agreement which for some reason had us returning the minivan by 1pm even though we didn’t pick it up the Saturday prior until almost 245pm. Odd? Anyway, I suggested after finalizing our packing we take a walk uptown. We made tentative plans to leave for the airport by 1215pm. David & Anita headed uptown before the rest of us. They were fully packed earlier than most others. Glenn, Tommy, Mindy and I left for an uptown walk near 1115am.

Nice sunny bluebird day once again. This one was forecasted. We popped in a couple souvenir shops where Mindy bought me yet another Park City t-shirt. I joked that I was going to milk that necklace for all it’s worth.  I offered to buy both Tom & Glenn a t-shirt or ballcap too. Neither seemed to want either. Hmmm? We popped in a local ski shop as well. Glenn offered that he really liked the Rossi skis on display. The store attendant, who was busy helping another customer, quickly chimed in that that pair of skis really doesn’t exist – just a display model. Glenn laughed it off. Figures!

Before walking out, he spotted ski pants and jacket that he liked – 686 – Dickies. I like the rugged look too. He photo’d the tags, presumably to further investigate once home. He could use new technology skis as well as new ski gear (coat, pants, etc).
Quickly approaching 12noon. We slowly made our way back towards the house stopping a few times to get a photo or two. Back at the house, Anita had all the leftover snack food boxed up. David received confirmation from the property manage that it was more than OK to leave the fridge foods in it. Somebody (I’m guessin the cleaning folks) were going to “clean up”. 

We scoured our suite one more time for any left behind items then loaded the minivan. Shared hugs and goodbyes around the room then Mindy, Tommy and I set out for the airport. Told Glenn there was a strong chance we’d see him again in March (spring break) in Portland. Not sure when we’d see David &Anita again, but I’m guessing sooner rather than later. Dating back to last June I think we’ve seen one or both every month.

We hit the road near 1215pm just as we had planned. Very easy drive back to the airport. The only
stresser was the need to stop and fill-up the gas tank within ten miles of the airport. However, David was all over that. He apparently asked the Thrifty associates where he might find a gas station meeting that criteria when picking up his rental. Told me it was the Redwood exit.

Along I-80 west back to the airport, I spotted what appeared to be a moose nesting/resting not too far off the freeway in the desert like brush. I could stop even if I wanted to. The others didn’t see it. For some reason, I figured the Redwood exit was the first town before the airport exit, but next thing you know, we seeing signs for the airport exit in ½ mile and still no Redwood. We’d used maybe 2/3s a tank of gas, but if we took it back as it was it would cost me $90. But just but just before the airport exit there was another exit at Redwood Ave. Ahh. OK. And just down the road were two or three filling stations. We filled up at the Shell.

Getting back to the freeway from the northbound side of Redwood seemed unachievable. Preventing such a maneuver was a median that seemed to never end no matter which way we turned. Yikes! I had my eye on the clock too. It was 105pm once we exited for the actual airport. I asked both Mindy &Tommy to keep their eyes keenly pealed for the proper path to the rental car return. Turns out it was fairly cut and dry. Got back to the Thrifty return area by 110pm, which was pretty much the same place where we picked up the minivan a week earlier.

I’m pretty sure it was the same girl checking us out that was now checking us in. She only glanced at the fuel gauge and documented the mileage. She didn’t ask for the receipt showing that we gassed up within the 10 mile range supposedly documented in the rental agreement. She said nothing about the extra 10 minutes either, not to mention the ding in the driver’s side door that I noticed a day or two into our trip. I didn’t inspect the vehicle like they ask you too, and besides, it was parked in a dark parking garage where small dings and such wouldn’t normally pop out at you.

The final rental bill was actually about $6 cheaper than the online quote when I reserved it. Sweet! I felt good having that behind us. The next challenge was now before us, getting all of our gear to the Southwest passenger check-in counter. The broken handle on my suitcase was a big pain in the rear. Made it very difficult to transport all of my gear. It was hard on both Mindy and I. I had to stop twice to rest my left arm.

We made it, finally! Check-in was a snap. Unlike Columbus, we had to drag our bags down to another spot for a security scan, but were free to walk away after doing so. Tommy and I both got to go through the easy TSA screening process. But once again, they stopped Mindy for a more thorough check. This time I think, they swabbed her hands for any gun powder residue. All clear!

By the time we were settled and sitting at our departure gate it was 150pm. Called Ashley during our hour long wait before boarding. We talked about Lindsey’s pending surgery and the fact that she agreed to keep the boys for three days and that Kelly was seeing Lindsey through the surgical process, which was certainly a much brighter picture than the one my mom painted on Facebook and via phone call earlier in the week. Ashley also said that the rumor of Lindsey being evicted wasn’t true either. Hearing that definitely left Mindy & I feeling a little better about things. I sent David a text sharing the details regarding the fuel stop on Redwood Ave. We boarded the plane I’m guessing around 3pm.

The flight from SLC to Las Vegas was a fast and beautiful flight. Got to see Lake Meade, Hoover Dam, Ogden, Utah, which is gorgeous country ( red canyons). And because it was a completely clear day, we could see all of Vegas too. Sweet!! I quipped that we might not see palm trees again for a really long time. We grabbed lunch at the same Burger King in the C concourse that we’ve eaten at least two other times.

It was time to board our flight for home in a hurry. No sooner had we arrived at the gate and Mindy put some cash into the nearby slot machines that they began boarding. I had to go back after her. Good thing I did. She said she could hear the boarding announcement from the noisy slots.

In line for boarding, I overheard a group of guys talking about their ski week in Lake Tahoe. As they walked by to board before us, I asked how it was. Synchronously, they all shared that it was terrible –
very poor conditions. Too warm and sloppy. Said it was 60 degrees almost every day. We quickly shared our original plans to ski Tahoe that week as well, but changed our plans with 3 weeks to go. Applauded our call. Said they absolutely love P.C. As much as I hate to admit it, it was good to hear that, and not for their misfortune, but instead for our foresight to change.

We were boarding group B, and three of us got to sit together once gain. And like the three prior legs, Mindy gave me the window seat sharing that I would get far more enjoyment out of than she ever would. It’s true. I can look out the window almost endlessly. This time I logged onto the SW airlines flight tracker free of charge. Sweet app! Could see our altitude, air speed, and location. North Central Arizona was spectacular. Canyons as far as the eye could see. And without any aid, I spotted Grand Canyon National Park, though by then the sun had sunk so much that it was a dusky, muted view. I was a little surprised at how close the snowpack was to the northern rim – seemingly within a mile or two.

From that point on it was dark for the rest of the flight home. I spent the next 2.5+ hours reading via my Kindle. I might’ve taken a couple quick 5 minute naps, too. Our flight was scheduled to land in CMH at 1155pm ET. However, we actually landed 30 minutes early. Must’ve had a serious tailwind. As much as I hated our coveted ski vacation to come to an end, it felt good to be on our home turf and with cold, thick, Columbus air which is rich in oxygen. 

Baggage claim was a snap. We knew better than to follow the signs to ground transportation which have you going up and down arduous escalators. Instead, we exited directly from baggage claim and crossed the street for Blue Lot pick-up. I suppose they point travels that way so to avoid any potential pedestrian/car accidents.

The first Blue Lot shuttle was just pulling away as we walked up. Figures! We waited patiently for the next, which wasn’t more than a few minutes. It was chilly, though. The warm weather the kids went on and on about over the phone the last few days was apparently gone! Finally at the Pilot near 1220am. It was right where we left it. Said goodbye to brother Tommy, who was parked in the same lot, same row. 20 minutes later we backed in the driveway.

Jimaken was out of town for business, so only Molly was there with the kids. She’s just so darn sweet and very cute. Looked drained and tired. I’m guessing the week was a bit of an eye opener for her. Still, we chatted for a spell then I helped carry her gear to her car before she left. We actually offered the opportunity to spend the night but she declined. Said she was eager to go home and sleep in her own bed. We could definitely relate. Felt good to be home and the house smelt terrific – sweet even. Woke both kids to share that we were home. Both were sound asleep and barely acknowledged our presence.

Did little unpacking before heading up to bed. I, however, took the time to fire up my PC and get online to scan/check email. In bed by 2am. Felt good to be between the sheets of our own bed with my own pillows.

Diamonds & Snowflakes

 

Woke groggy sometime near 615am. Despite a cloudy forecast it was mostly clear. Enjoyed coffee, internet and half of a banana ahead of a stretch and run. I woke Mindy asking how long and what temp the breakfast casserole needed to bake. I was out the door around 7am. David & Anita were the only others up and in the primary living area. I left coffee at Mindy’s bedside.

I ran north (downhill) and into the Olympic park area taking my phone so I could get a few pics of the Olympic banner Mindy liked. My run back to the house had me huffing and puffing just like every other day that week. Needless to say my heart and lungs got one heck of a work out.

By my return most others were up either enjoying breakfast or preparing for our last ski day. I hit the shower before enjoying the breakfast casserole. It was yummy. I topped off our flasks. Filling Mindy’s with Gold Schlager and my own with George Bailey (Capn’ Morgan’s and Bailey’s). Despite a cloudy forecast, it looked like yet another bluebird ski day was in the offing. Hooray!

We opted to switch things up a little and asked Anita to drop us at the Town lift and then meet us at the same spot for lunch later that afternoon. That worked out quite nicely. We planned to start our ski day at the south end of the park where David, Glenn and I left off on Monday. The Town lift is a long slow ride but worth it.

We exited Town lift then headed over to McConkey’s to the upper ridge and then down Sunrise which is aptly named for being drenched in morning sunshine. The snow was groomed and soft – ideal really. The run was fast and exhilarating. David and I both had our GoPro’s in tow and running. We spent an hour or so on that end of the park and then made our way to the far north end over to Thaynes. Our plan was to ski that area for a couple hours before ultimately heading back to the Town lift area to meet Anita for lunch. Figured that to be around 1pm.

We had a very enjoyable time at the park’s northern most extremities, doing many of our favorite runs and then throwing in some incredible tree skiing in untracked powder. Mindy and I skied together for most of that time loving every minute of it.

Stayed bluebird all morning and early afternoon. Made our way back towards the Town lift near 1pm just as we had planned. David phoned Anita asking her to meet us at the Bridge restaurant for lunch. The final run down to the Bridge took its toll on Tommy. He was whipped. I loved it! I think his legs were aching and possibly even on fire.

All the others were already seated at the Bridge by the time Tommy and I got there. Anita was already there, too. We sat on the sunny patio enjoying an IPA and some appetizers. Not wanting to overload on food, I ate just one slice of a chicken quesadilla. I was amped for our last 2 hours of Utah skiing. After our brief lunch break, Tommy declared his skiing done. Made arrangements for Anita to come pick him up at the Bridge after first walking back to the house to get the minivan.

Skied hard and fast for the next 90 minutes or so. Mindy was gassed around 3pm, but I pushed her to finish out the day on a high note. She was proud of herself for skiing a slightly moguled black diamond with me earlier that day. Around 230-3pm, the blue skies gave way to thin cloud cover. Near 330pm we congregated atop the mid-mountain area and planned our ski back to the main Park City center where we would call it a day and meet Anita. To get there we took Homerun, which at that time of day gets really busy as everyone else is making their way back, too.

I could see the exhaustion in Mindy’s eyes as we took the PayDay run back to the center. We skied hard 5 of the last 6 days. No question, we’d earned some hot tub time! Great timing. Arrived at the base area at 4pm where David turned in his rentals. By the time we got back to the house, Tommy was already out of the hot tub and in street clothes. The rest of us quickly got out of our ski clothes and into our swim suits and then made a dash for the healing hot tub. 

David made reservations for the Deer Valley seafood buffet for 630pm. It was supposed to be top notch. But Mindy & I opted out and planned a date night of sorts in town, much like we might do at home on a Friday evening. All the others were in for the seafood buffet.

My plan all along was to have Mindy show me the diamond necklace that she coveted while we were up town shopping and possibly dining. We tentatively talked about eating at the popular No Name Saloon. We headed out a few minutes after the others departed for Deer Valley. Like other nights uptown, it took some doing to find a parking spot.

First on our agenda was picking up some souvenir gifts for David & Anita, who have so giving to us and our kids. After picking up a couple cool items, Mindy lead me to the Woodbury jewelry shop where she saw that snowflake diamond necklace. It was pretty but also expensive. Jo0rdan, I think, was the salesman’s name. He was most gracious and allowed her to try it on. Very chatty, too. We also met Dan, the onsite jewelry maker. We left without a purchase.

We shopped a few more boutique stores, eventually buying a t-shirt for myself as well as another gift or two for Anita. As we made our way back, I suggested we stop in the Woodbury jewelry store again and asked for a discount. I let Mindy do the talking. Her tactic was to ask if they ever put their items on sale. “Good question, but no, we don’t”. She asked to look at the necklace again. Both he and Dan smiled big.

While looking at it again, I spotted one near it in the secured case that I liked a whole lot more. Not only was this one more ornate, but also had a decent sized amethyst in the center. To my eyes, it was stunning! Mindy seemed to like it as much or more, too. The price was comparable to the other (actually slightly less) but far more appealing. I told Mindy happy anniversary/happy birthday. “Wrap it up Jordan”!

We spent another 20 minutes finalizing our purchase. Before we left they cleaned all the fine jewelry we wore in which included my wedding band and three or four of Mindy’s rings. Great customer service. Mindy was elated and on cloud nine. We popped in a couple more shops and then headed back to the House. Neither of us were that hungry for dinner after snacking so much earlier that afternoon. Of course we beat the others home from their seafood buffet, so during the time before they got back, Mindy put their gifts together in a presentable fashion.

I’m guessing they were home 20-25 minutes after us. They shared that the buffet was incredible. Top notch, just as it was billed. Shortly after everyone was settled, Mindy presented David and Anita with
gifts. They seemed to like/enjoy them. Like every other evening in Utah, we were off to bed fairly early and somewhere close to 9pm. We weren’t skiing the following day but instead departing for home. Mindy and I watched a little bit of TV from our bedroom before falling asleep.

Canyons Impress & Sketti Fulfills

 

Up near 6am to a partly cloudy morning. Felt like a champ. Like each day prior, enjoyed David’s company along with coffee and a banana before a stretch and then heading off on a run. We were both looking forward to a return to the slopes.

I employed pretty much the same running strategy as the three days prior, running downhill to the north but mixing it up a little at the far north end of the trail. Once again, the uphill return left me huffing and puffing for oxygen. Stopped briefly to catch my wind but then continued on to the finish. There’s no quit in me! No sir!

Off to the shower once back at the house. The temp was expected to be much cooler than the prior ski days. The high in town was expected to top out near 32, which meant the slopes would be even colder – and probably the teens at the top. We dressed accordingly.

Anita drove us to the Canyons, which was maybe 3 or 4 miles to the north of our place and real close to the Smith’s grocery. The Canyons is said to be the largest ski resort in North America. One heck of a ski village, too. All the major hotel operators have a presence. Looks very ritzy.

We arrived around 915am. The lift ticket line was long and somewhat inefficient. We wondered if there might’ve been a better way of getting our lift tickets. Oh well. We endured the wait. Took at least 30 minutes to get our lift tickets and then get on the Gondola, which was another first for Mindy and I.

Met some interesting folks on the ride up. Shared that we would see some gorgeous homes scattered through the park most of which range from $10-15 million. The Gondola ride provided stunning vistas of a deep gorge below. Nice! Once off the gondola, we waited another 10 minutes or so for the others (Tommy, David, and Glenn). By 950am we were on yet another lift headed higher up the mountain.

Great skiing. And while most of the runs were groomed, the snow was amazing. Lots of untouched powder off to the sides. Best guess about 4”, so it was fun to ski in without fear of losing ones skis. We skied for 3+ hours nonstop. And during the first hour, the skies unexpectedly cleared giving us our third bluebird day that week. That made a great ski day even better.

Part of the Canyons ski park winds through a mountain subdivision with several stunning homes nestles in amongst the ski runs. Wow! We took a break in a lodge a shortly after 1pm high atop one of the mountain peaks. There I bought some food and drink. Holy smoke. A cheese burger and fries was $20! Bottomline, I spent $55 on two sandwiches with fries and two Gatorades.

We enjoyed our food from an outdoor table. Glenn was on the lone objector to the outdoor table. He was cold, especially his toes. Needed to warm up. Tommy & Mindy professed being cold, too. David and I were eager to get back out on the mountain. Nearing 2pm, we opted to ski on. David and I headed out skiing really hard doing some moguled double blues and then taking a couple of run shoots through fresh powder. Those made my heart bounce, but that’s what I’d been dreaming of all season long. What a thrill!

We skied hard for the next 2 hours until day’s end. We never did hook-up with Tommy, Mindy & Glenn, though we went back by that lodge around 3pm to find them already gone. We had a blast. Of the three parks, Canyons was my fave. David gave his vote to Deer Valley. Either way, love them both.

Met the others at the parks center at 4pm. All were present save for Glenn. Mindy shared that she and he found some really cool, long runs along the upper ridge that Glenn went to do once more on his own. That’s Glenn! While waiting for Glenn, I popped in the first gift shop I could find. Nothing that suited my fancy. In and out in a hurry. Didn’t want to miss Glenn walking by. Found him.

Mindy and I asked the others how they felt about spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. All agreed that sounded good. She and I wanted to run into town together and get the stuff once we were out of our ski gear back at the house. Must’ve been near 5pm when we headed back to the north to the Smith’s to get the spaghetti ingredients. As for any other grocs, we didn’t need anything else. In fact, it was looking like we’d be leaving lots of food behind come Saturday. While there, we picked up some fresh sushi for David. He loves the stuff.

Mindy and I agreed that once back at the house, we were going to get in the hot tub before starting the spaghetti. I poured 1.5 beers into a tumbler before getting in. That would pretty much serve as my beer consumption for the day’s entirety. Mindy wasn’t in long. Maybe 10 minutes. The rest of us were in at least 30 minutes. Once again, Glenn was king. He was in the hot tub for at least an hour – maybe longer.

I could tell that Mindy wasn’t feeling well when I headed back inside. She looked flushed. Even still, she finished making the spaghetti & meatballs and garlic bread. A little mix up with David. Earlier that week, he bought a 2lb roll of sausage. Half was for more breakfast casserole. Offered the rest for spaghetti and meatballs. He and I both like sausage in our sketti. All the while making the spaghetti, Mindy was prepping spaghetti, she was also working o Friday’s casserole. She used the pound of sausage David fried up for the casserole. So come time for David to add sausage to his spaghetti and meatballs, there wasn’t any cooked sausage left. Awkward!

Not to be defeated, David fried up the remaining pound. I waited and had some sausage on mine, too.
Dinner left my tummy heavy and full, just as we planned. After clean-up, most of us settled around the TV to catch American Idol’s top 13 night. During the episode, I dosed off a time or two. David and Anita were off to bed really early. I’m guessing that it was somewhere close to 8pm. Mindy and I headed to bed near 9-930pm again. Tommy was in bed early again, too.

Rub & A Whirl and then River Horse

Since we didn’t need to be on the slopes by 9am, everybody slept in a little later than normal. I wasn’t up until 7am. And once I was up, I was surprised to find that David wasn’t up yet either. It wasn’t long, though. He was up while I was prepping the coffee.

We hung out casually for the next hour or so before I completed a stretch and a run. Early on anyway, there was a mix of sun and clouds despite a looming snow storm that was forecasted to start late morning. I left on my run around 815am pretty much following the same path as the day before. And just like each preceding day, I was totally gassed on my run back up hill. In fact, so much so that I had to briefly stop to catch my breath a couple times.

After a quick breakfast, Mindy and I decided to get in the hot tub. Our massages weren’t scheduled until 11am and noon. We had plenty of time to kill. We enjoyed a couple mimosas from the hot tub. David soon joined us. We had a nice time. Before we got out, it started to snow really hard. Beautiful fluffy snow, too! Gorgeous! Out of the hot tub by 930am.

And since we were getting a massage in short order, I opted to skip an early shower. AS for any run stink and sweat, that was swept away thanks to the hot tub.  The massages were scheduled at Massage Envy in Park City over by the Smith’s and the liquor store. David, Anita & Mindy, and I were scheduled for 11am. Tommy and Glenn were set up for noon. They opted to ride with and tool around while waiting on their appointments.

Took us a few turns in the big outdoor shopping center to find the Massage Envy location. David gave me more than earful since I was the driver.  We still found it with plenty of time to spare. After some initial paperwork, we were all off to our respective massages. Both David & Anita had a male masseuse. Mindy & I had females. The girl that did mine – Emily – was very young. I guessed a little wet behind the ears even.

Still, Emily did a nice job and made sure to focus on the areas we discussed, which were my hamstrings, feet, and shoulder blades. She massaged my entire body minus my face and special parts. Very soothing, relaxing and fun. I remember thinking that Mindy and I will have to do that more often at home.
I tipped Emily $20. We paid her with the gift certificate we received last September from David and Anita.

Glenn & Tommy were next. When they headed back for their massages, the four of us headed next door or so down to a cool little café for lunch and a beer. Can’t recall the name of the place, but Mindy and I shared a chicken pot pie. The girl working the counter was interesting to talk with. Reminded me of friend and neighbor, Lisa Schultz.

The hour went fast. Glenn and Tommy were soon back with us and very satisfied with their massages. They got the same two guys that David and Anita had. Sounds like they got much deeper massages than I. Before heading back to the house, we dropped the girls at the Michael’s Crafts store while the four of us headed to the liquor store and Smith’s. Glenn needed more Jack Daniels.  Mindy & Anita wanted some girl time. Spent maybe 30 minutes apart from us.
Back to the condo. It snowed on and off for the rest of the afternoon, but certainly nowhere near the amounts forecasted, at least not in the city itself. We hung out casually during the afternoon. Mindy even slipped in about an hour’s nap. We had dinner reservations at 5-530pm at the highly rated River Horse restaurant in Old Park City.

We watched TV, talked, and snacked all afternoon long. Dinner time came around fast. David and Anita headed up town earlier than the rest of us. Think they left around 345pm. I hoped the dress code was casual since I brought only jeans. Given it’s a ski town, I guessed it would be (it was). We left for dinner around 440pm. Found decent parking accommodations this time around. Heck, it was midweek and we likely were well ahead of the main dinner crowd. Found David & Anita without even trying. Perfect timing!

Nice place. They were just opening their doors when we showed up – first patrons to be seated. Still getting things squared away for what I am sure they hoped was a busy night. Very pricey menu, which we knew going in. Didn’t mind, although I wasn’t eager to get the entire check again either. Established early on that we wanted four checks – me &Mindy, David & Anita, Tommy, then Glenn. We ordered drinks and appetizers. Tommy & Mindy opted to share a bottle of vino. Tommy allowed Mindy to choose.

I opted for Jack & Coke. No use paying a premium price for 3.2 beer.  As for appetizers, we enjoyed bread, bacon wrapped shrimp, lamb on crackers, and then something else. All of it was good – tasty. For my dinner entrée’, I went with the special, filet and lobster tail. Tommy followed suit. Mindy went with Halibut. Can’t recall what the others ordered. Everybody was more than pleased with their meals. Tommy & I swapped dinner bills since the bottle of vino he bought for he and Mindy ended up on my bill. No worries.

After dinner, the girls opted to stay downtown while us guys headed back to the house. They’d come home in the Nissan. We took the minivan. Back at the house, Tommy was agreeable to me drinking some of his Jack D. I didn’t want to switch to beer after two Jack & Cokes with dinner. I had two more at home. The girls stayed out shopping/talking for another hour or so. First ski trip since 2008 that there was another girl along. I’m sure that both appreciated having the other to interact with. And besides, Mindy loves Anita. Says she’s good for her soul.

Us guys yucked it up back at the house. Good call taking a day off from skiing to heal, enjoy the town, a massage, and a good dinner. Watched a little of American Idol and then the Olympics. Still off to bed shortly after 9pm. Watched the weather forecast before bed. Calling for more snow on and off both Thursday & Friday. Also said that the Canyons got 3-4” of fresh snow, but Park City was said to have gotten 10” of fresh powder. Wow! Didn’t snow more than an inch or two in town.

Deer Me!

Up near 615am, it was another bluebird start. Sweet! Enjoyed conversation with David while sipping coffee and woofing down a banana. Anita was the only other up before I left on my run. Think it was near 7am when I headed out the door.

I ran to the north (downhill) again, only this time a lot further along Park Ave past Olympic park then back. I opted for a winding tour of the road which I assumed leads to Deer Valley. Cut back towards the house and the connecting running trail once I spotted familiar terrain. Once again, I was gassed!

All were up having breakfast and coffee. Before having any food, I rushed off for a shower. I was ready to go in record time. We wanted to leave the house a little earlier than the two days before since we had to drive a little further to Deer Valley, though as it turned out, it wasn’t any more than maybe two miles. David and I loaded the skis to speed things up a bit. I think we left the house at 845am.

Deer Valley has an excellent reputation for first class groomed skiing. They also don’t allow borders and have a limit to the number of lift tickets they’ll sell on any given day. We had little to no wait at the ticket window. Soon off to the slopes. We asked one of the many friendly ski hosts for help navigating to the sunny slopes Glenn spotted from the ski park’s center. His thinking was to ski the sun soaked slopes early on for the softest snow. Good point!

We had to take two lifts to get to the area. Lost Glenn along the way. Eventually learned that he ducked off to use the john. We found some incredible groomed blue and double blue runs with ideal snow conditions. Eventually hooked up with Glenn again. Ultimately made our way to the two lifts/runs at the north end of the park (abut Park City) that were steep and really sun soaked. Stunning, amazing vistas, too!

We skied that area for an hour or more. Found lots of powder caches along the runs sides. We were having a ball. As much as fun as we were having, we didn’t want to spend our entire day on those slopes alone. We agreed to make our way back to the center and southern part of the park.

Again, we found some incredibly fun runs – part through the trees with powder and then some cool blue steeps with shelves and curves. Glenn & David raced down top to bottom a couple of times. After 4 hours of hard skiing, we opted for a break at one of the many fabulous ski lodges. Mindy and David came back with some very tasty food. Mindy got me a burger that was delicious. Apparently all of the food is prepared by gourmet chefs. Certainly no complaints here. We ate outside at a sun soaked table. It was warm in the Utah sunshine!

After one or two runs, brother Tommy called it a day and phoned Anita to come and get him while the rest of us skied on. We made our way to the middle park where we skied some double blues and blacks – all groomed, however. It was there that I took a spill, my very first of the entire ski season. I was a little discouraged afterwards but also grateful that it was an easy fall – no pain. Still, I simply don’t like to fall. My pride was at least temporarily damaged. Truth be told, I was getting a case of sloppy foot, too. After 3 days of hard skiing, my right leg, especially was feeling the fatigue. Not making excuses, but likely the reason I fell in the first place.

We skied a couple more double blues before all of us agreed to call it a day. It was close to 330pm and the only reason we would continue on was ego. Everybody admitted to feeling the fatigue. We had a blast at Deer Valley. Definitely worth a return. While waiting for Anita, Mindy and I headed in the gift shop. Mindy bought me a ballcap and pin.

Back at the house we all got in the hot tub. It was only Tuesday and Glenn had already made one hell of a dent in his quart of Jack. Once again, we dined at the house enjoying loads of snack type foods. Wednesday was our planned day off. Expecting a large snow storm of 5-10” of fresh powder arriving later in the day. From our vantage point, that would set us up nicely for our next ski day, which would be Thursday at the Canyon’s. We watched a little of American Idol from the livingroom but then to bed by 9pm. Mindy and I watched a little bit of the Olympics from bed, but I was out cold well before 930pm.

Washington & Lincoln offer up Bluebird Ski Day

Up at 6am. Clear skies and a setting moon over Park City ski resort. That was enough motivation to pull me from bed. David’s company, some coffee and a banana ahead of a stretch and run. Out the door near 645am again.

The ¾ moon was absolutely gorgeous setting behind the ski park mountains, At the same time, the sun was just making its ascent over the peak of the mountains just to the east. Again, beautiful, dappling the ski peaks in golden sunshine.

This time I wisely ran north first, my thinking being that I might adapt better by running the downhill leg first. Still, I underestimated the impact of the altitude and incline. By the time I made it back to the house I was sucking wind, dry mouthed, and completely exhausted. My run was only about three miles but all I could handle.

Looked like a bluebird day in the offing. Everybody was excited about that. Like the day before, I showered after my run and before eating breakfast. I think I had a scrambled egg. Can’t recall for certain. At any rate, I was full before we left for another day of skiing. Oh, barely touched my vodka and Mio mix the day before. Might’ve had two sips. Took it with me again on Monday. Topped off Mindy’s Gold Schlager too.

Anita dropped us at the same place as the day before. It was 9am sharp as we headed up the Eagle lift just for a change. The run just below the lift looked to be all powder. I couldn’t wait! It snowed about 4” the day before and a little more during the overnight.

Atop Eagle run, we soon learned that the run was closed for racing that day. Crap! Had to take another route down. At the same time, we learned that Anita was stranded at the base of the park. Apparently didn’t’ have a house key. Moreover, she didn’t have her cell phone with her either. David quickly devised a plan. I gave him my house key and he skied back to the base hoping to meet up with her. He said she would be a mess emotionally after the faux pas. Said he’d meet up with us again as soon as he could. We figured to ski several blue runs off the King Con lift.

Finally heard from David via text near 11am. Said he was going to hang with Anita until after lunch time. After two incidents in two days, her spirits were a little down. We all felt for her. We ended up skiing the north end of the park for most of the day – Thaynes, Motherlode, Silverlode lifts. Lots of fun runs, though my complaint still held true, not a lot of character to the runs.

Hooked up with David atop Thaynes area. Skies started to cloud up around 130-2pm. Took a brief warming break. Mindy and Tommy opted to stay in for an extended break. David, Glenn and I headed back out agreeing to head to the south end of the park, over by the Town lift. Heard from a ski park employee that there were lots of cool runs over that way.

Took us a while to figure out how to get over there but we did. And I must admit, the runs over there had much more character than those at the north end and center of the park. We found a treed gulley as well as several long runs with turns, shelves, and undulations. We took the run to the bottom of the Town lift into Old Park City where we took a brief beer and fries break at the outdoor patio which was drenched in sunshine. Awesome!

After 30 minutes or so, back to the slopes! Atop the McConkey’s, the wind was fierce and the views spectacular. Already nearing day’s end, David, Glenn and I skied hard and fast while also taking in a treed/gulley run we found from the lift ride up. Near 330pm, we opted to ski back to the resort center (bottom PayDay & Crescent) via Homerun, a long, mostly slow run. MY legs were tired by the run’s end. Anita was there to get us near 4pm.

Back at the house it was same as the day before. We all got in the hot tub, only this time I opted to enjoy a beer. By the way, my alcohol consumption for the entirely of the trip was low. For the most part, I wasn’t drinking beer during the ski day, and then just one or two during the evening back at the house.

As for Monday’s dinner, we enjoyed a wealth of snacks and then more home baked pizzas. By 9pm everybody was ready for bed.