See Ken See

Much like I have for the past 10 days or so, I struggled to want to get out of bed come 530-6am. Still having to remind myself that I moved my standard wake time to 6am. Still waking from 515-530am and feeling like i am cheating. Waking at 530am was a deeply embedded habit to be sure.

Was out of bed for good ahead of Mindy, but not by a whole lot. Thinking it was near 610am when I finally drug myself up and out and headed downstairs. Quickly completed calisthenics including 50 push-ups which have a way of snapping me out of most sleepy funks. Once calisthenics were out of the way I headed upstairs with coffee. It was raining pretty hard. Could hear it pounding against the sky lights. Already 630am. I hustled through coffee and internet time, and was doing my meditation and stretch while Jacob sat patiently waiting on the steps for the sound of his approaching school bus. Didn't utter even a word until he was on his way out the door.

I left for my run somewhere near 7am. I headed up to say goodbye to Mindy knowing that she'd be gone by the time I was back from my run. It was raining steadily, which for me, the first such occurrence of 2014. It was relatively warm though - still in the low 40s. It wasn't going to last. In fact, there was a snow storm coming and they were calling for 3-5" locally - more just to our north. On top of that, they said it would fall into the single digits overnight.

Complete my run in the rain, though it was reduced to a light rain shortly after I started. Barely noticed it. The only real problem it presented was puddle avoidance. Ran the full 4.1 miles. Once again, it took a lot out of me. Finished huffing and puffing. Immediately in the door Bella quizzed me about my first run in the rain this calendar year. Made me smile that she even thought of it in those terms. But then again, she's definitely a kid very in tune with nature.

I walked the pug then enjoyed the eggs Mindy left in the microwave while Bella tended to the pugs needs. Felt good to have my run done early. Was off to the shower a couple minutes after Bella was out the door. All ready to go by 835am though I opted to take my time. Approaching 9am when I finally left the house. Arrived across town near 920am, and it was another 10 minutes before I was set-up and logged on. Once again, our standing 10am call got canceled due to no pressing concerns from the customers end.

Despite a canceled weekly call, I asked if we could spend some time reviewing some things. He offered up that he was free right then. Perfect! We discussed a couple concerns of mine for the next 15-20 minutes. I could tell the topic was as important to him as it was for me. Once we went our separate ways, another 20 minutes didn't pass before he stopped by my cube and asked if we could meet again at 2pm. Heck yeah!

I thought about taking a lunch break but really didn't have any specific errands needing run so I decided to simply stay put and get a bunch of work done. Come 2pm, I met with a few folks from the customer's NOC. Spent about 90 minutes together. Time well spent. Even before that meeting my boss had asked me to revise a presentation we prepared almost a year prior. After the meeting I dusted it off and made the necessary tweaks and changes. Worked until 5pm or so. Made arrangements to meet Mindy at Riverside hospital instead of driving home. After visiting with Ken we planned to have a quick dinner at Barley's. By the way, Mindy shared that it was cold and snowing.

It was a fast drive around 270 to 315 south. Arrived at the hospital by 520pm. Waited in the lot for about 10-15 minutes before Mindy showed up. Ken was out when we showed up in his room but woke briefly. More than once I pulled the sheet back down over his legs. I joked that he was trying to show me his junk. He actually responded telling me not to feel special. Said he's showing it to everyone. :) That had Mindy and I both in stitches. He also made mention that Jeff Garren was up earlier that day and then said a few things about work, more specifically referencing a customer that he's responsible for. I passed along a message from one of his direct reports who asked that I share it. Looked a lot better than the day before. Definitely on the mend but still a long way to go.

A nurse walked in and shared that Ken's wife, Lori was in earlier but left so he could get some uninterrupted rest. The way she said it made me feel a little awkward, as if we weren't welcome. We hung for a just a couple more minutes. Said goodbye to Ken and left. Mindy followed me to Barley's. Had to be about 630-635pm when we parked. Fast, easy drive.

Daniel was tending bar. Janet's still out on leave after giving birth to their son a month or so ago. We sat at one of the two community tables briefly but then moved to the bar once there were two stools available. Sat next to Calvin and Walt, Mindy sharing stories and photos from our Utah ski trip and then telling them about our next one that is fast approaching.

I drank a Barley's pale ale while Mindy enjoyed a Deschutes Black Butte porter. She ordered a sampler platter that came with wings, sauerkraut balls, riblets, hummus and pita. We shared it. Having eaten only nuts and a banana through the day, I was super hungry. Still, the sampler plate proved plenty for the two of us to share. We both ordered a 2nd beer, me a Bitter Dan IPA, and Mindy another Black Butte. We left for home around 8pm. This time I followed her.

Got home around 815pm. As expected, the kids were already home from dinner with Jimaken. After getting into my PJs I went ahead and booked a hotel room for the night before we fly home from Portland/Vancouver, this time choosing the Hilton at Esther Short park over the Red Lion. The price difference was insignificant this time whereas two weeks prior when we first looked the Red Lion was half the cost of the Hilton. I quietly slipped off to bed before Mindy and the kids around 910pm. Tuned the TV to Big Bang but watched very little before drifting quickly off to sleep.