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.