Sub Zero Calamity - Jan 5 - 11

Monday, Jan 5 – Return to the office

Much colder Monday. Only 25 degrees at wake time. Snow storm on its way and temperatures continuing to drop into the single digits. Ran 4 miles after Mindy and the kids left for school. Was nice to be back to our normal schedule along with my quiet mornings. The pug and I enjoyed eggs for breakfast too. Yum!

Worked from the main office, arriving there just before 10am, though I’d been working from home since roughly 7am. Fairly quiet return to work. It didn’t hurt that I spent about an hour the evening from home sorting/filtering email catching up on what  took place during my one week absence. Already planning my next vacation. In fact, we’ve had it planned since October, I think. I sent a note to my peer asking if he’d be able to cover me. Said he could, but also asked that I cover him for a couple weeks prior. Sure. Felt good to have that taken care of.

At lunch time I made a run to Lowes. However, for the life of me, I can’t readily recall for what. At the office until almost 5pm. By the time I left for home it was in the lower teens – Brrrr! Still calling for 3-5” of snow overnight. Spent about an hour that evening monkeying with the rubbing basement door. Ugh!

Tuesday, Jan 6 – Puzzling Calamity Day

Cold and snowy. I woke sometime after midnight and noted that it hadn’t yet begun to snow. However, when I woke again near 4am I noticed that it was snowing. Sometime around 530am, Mindy got an alert via smart phone sharing that school was canceled. And by the time I was out of bed, which I am guessing was about 615am, we were blanketed in 3 or 4” of fresh fluffy snow. Still coming down, too. Not only that, but it was really cold too – only 18 degrees and continuing to drop.

I went through my usual work morning ritual – exercise, internet, coffee, etc. I figured I’d wait to run until it was daylight.

Headed out for a run near 8am. Ran just three miles, navigating mostly in tire ruts. Thankfully the snow was so light and fluffy that it provided little if any resistance. Fun! Still snowing quite heavily during my run. At home, I opted to shovel the drive and walks before heading inside. About halfway through, Mindy came out and helped. Thanks dear. Not too many wives/women are out shoveling snow. All totaled, we spent about 30 minutes shoveling. Mindy shared that my breakfast was waiting in the microwave.

Walked Eiknarf before eating breakfast. She struggled but found her way through the belly-deep snow. By then the snow had tapered to mere flurries. At some point one of my work peers agreed to cancel our on-site meeting and instead offered that we join remotely. Fine with me. It made little sense to attempt a cross town drive in the inclement weather.

Near noon, Rocky phoned asking if he could come over and play. Landon apparently didn’t want to come. Lindsey, by the way, called off to stay at home with the boys. I stayed busy with work while the kids (boys) played outside. I’ll bet that Jacob and Rocky were out there for 3-4 hours.

As the afternoon turned into early evening I went to the basement determined to pull the bathroom door out and do a rehang. To do so meant I’d have to remove the nails and shims. The jam was already looking like it was 20 years old. Still, I knew leaving it there would only mean trouble down the road. I decided to plow forward. To remove it, I carefully chiseled away at all the shims, effectively splintering all of them. Once I had all the nails exposed, I carefully pried it away from the framing.

When Mindy hollered down that dinner was ready, she was angry when I shared that I wasn’t hungry. She insisted I join them for dinner anyway. Yes dear! Probably needed the break. As it was, I was frustrated with the damn door thing. Can’t seem to make any real progress. After dinner I sent Kenny a text asking if he could come over and help me rehang it some time that week. He quickly replied that he would but just not that night. I was good with that. Needed to buy more shims and thicker, longer nails (10d – 3”).

Agreed to deliver and pick-up Bella from gymnastics saving Mindy a trip. My plan was to stop at Lowes in between the drop and pick-up and get those items. Mindy was appreciative. After dropping Bella, I called David to nail down whether or not he and Anita would be coming in for a weekend visit. We talked for a while, David sharing that they wouldn’t be able to make it.

Inside Lowes for about 30 minutes. Opted to take my time since I didn’t need to be back at the gym until 9pm. Hung at Lowes getting nails and shims until 820pm. Talked with Levon and Kelly upon my early arrival. Levon shared that we were in arrears for Bella’s gymnastics fees. Oh! Agreed to share the sheet with Mindy. Bella and I were home by 915pm.

Wednesday, Jan 7 – Work Across Town – Date Night @ Barley’s

Cold morning. Only 10 degrees at PC time. Kids and Mindy back to school. Expecting brutally cold temps during the overnight. Depending on where you got your forecast, the low was forecasted to hit as low as -11 before windchill. Ran 4 miles.

The plan was to work across town. Joined a call from home, however, first. Headed across town near 1045am. Stayed busy all afternoon choosing not to leave or take a lunch. Stuck around until 5pm or after. On the drive home, Mindy shared that school was already canceled for the following day due to extreme cold for she and the kids. We also agreed to have our date night at Barley’s. Kids were already gone.

Called my mom on the drive home. Talked for a while. She gave me an earful for not calling on Xmas. Huh-um, uh, I did call and talk to her on Xmas and reminded her as much. Also reminded her that she’s the one that declined the invitation to come stay with us and see the entire family together. Talked until I pulled in the driveway.

Inside, I had a package from David resting at my PC. I already knew what it was, a 22oz. bottle (rocket) of Blind Squirrel’s Wee Heavy brewed at their Beech Mtn brewpub.. Thanks David. Looking forward to giving it a try.  Mindy and I left for Barley’s near 610pm. Been a few weeks since we were last in – Sunday before Xmas I think.

Enjoyed a new beer – product from their new brew master – Cloistered Shadow. Had one of those and then a Double Dog Dare IPA. Enjoyed K.C. wings too. They were prepared perfectly. At the same time, Mindy had a Barley burger with greens. Hung at Barley’s until after 8pm. By the time we left the kids were home and calling wondering where in the heck we were.

Lindsey texted asking about watching the boys on Thursday since school was canceled. We hemmed and hawed about whether to have her bring them that night or on her way at 645am. Eventually settled on her bringing them in the early AM since I’d be up for work then anyway. That would prevent her from making an extra drive in the bitter cold too. Already it was approaching zero.

At home we enjoyed our toasty new gas logs while watching a little TV. The kids were very excited about the prospect of a 2^nd calamity day in the same school week. Jacob said he could handle every other day school. J I’ll bet! I fell asleep from the sofa near 9pm.

Thursday, January 8^th  -8 degrees with -21 windchill

Whenever it’s that cold, I find myself much looking forward to the challenge. To that end, I was up and out of bed around 625am and waiting for the boys to arrive at 645am. Once the boys showed up they predictably were eager to head right back to bed in the guest room. I opted to get a little more sleep too.

My boss, by the way, encouraged all of us to simply work from home on Thursday due to the extreme cold. Sweet! I headed out for a run around 830am. It was still reading -8 degrees according to Weather.com along with a gusting wind making it feel more like -21. I dressed wisely in layers and was comfortable throughout the entire run. The only time I felt a pinch of cold was the initial blast of cold wind in my face when running back towards the west. Otherwise, I was cozy. Not too cold and not too warm. Ran just three miles.

At home, I’d briefly forgotten that Bella had a sleepover hosting three friend from the island: Makayla, Lillian and Emily. With the boys, that meant we had a house full of kids – seven to be exact! Mindy was an excellent teacher making a griddle full of pancakes. The kids were well-behaved but got a little antsy when Mindy refused to allow them to go out and play due to the subzero temps. She also gave Bella an earful for sleeping with her bedroom window cracked. J

Mindy made sauerkraut and polish sausage for dinner, something we haven’t had for a really long time and one of my favorite dishes. The boys weren’t interested in dining with us. Lindsey picked them up around 530pm. By then it was in the positive single digits temperature-wise.

Mindy took Bella to gymnastics. I did the pick-up. I had to laugh when Bella asked if we could stop at Dairy Queen on the drive home. Not this time.

Friday, January 9 – Kidless weekend – the first since before Xmas.

Chilly morning but far warmer than it was the morning prior. Supposed to get really cold during the overnight again – predicting -4.

Rehung door by myself. Took my time. Used a slightly different technique/approach, one I picked up via YouTube.

CBC – Enjoyed a Stone Gratitude IPA, one brewed just for Columbus after they snubbed us and opted to move their east coast brewing operations to NC. Later enjoyed a Wangbar IPA from Hoof Hearted. – Yum!!!

Happy Birthday Jamie Young! 32?

Mindy enjoyed a salmon dinner. I ordered spinach artichoke dip.

Used Xmas gift money to cover our tab – most of it.

Cold drive home. Already down to 3 degrees. Home by 830pm.

Mindy worked on her jigsaw puzzle while I enjoyed a Jack & Coke by the gas log fire. Tuned into Big Bang reruns. Took just a couple sips before falling quickly asleep.

Saturday, January 10 – First MRM day

Slept in until 8am or so. Very cold, -2 officially.

Enjoyed coffee and internet until about 9am. Headed out for a run shortly thereafter. Bundled warmly and was quite cozy from the outset. I did, however, forget to add the winter shorts after my base layer. As a result my man parts got a tad colder than they otherwise would’ve.

Hoped to ski. Mindy was up about the time I returned from my run. I asked if she was still game for skiing. She said she was. We weren’t in any hurry, however. Instead, we took our dear old time. It was noon before we were out the door. It was cold, but also gorgeous. By then it was around 10 degrees under brilliant blue skies.  Arrived at MRM shortly before 1pm.

We were really sure what to expect crowd-wise. Turned out, we guessed correctly. Despite nice conditions the larger crowds chose to stay home apparently due to the ‘extreme’ cold temps. Good for us. AS a result, we got a premo parking space. Geared up and on the lift by 115pm. Nice having the new RFI technology embedded in our membership card, relieving us from having to go to the window or desk to get a daily lift ticket. Now, you proceed directly to the lift where they scan your pockets with a gizmo that displays your name and likeness.

We hooked up with the Cubra’s after a run or two. We skied for most of the afternoon with the two of them. Greeted and talked to their kids some too. The two boys, Cameron and Trevor, have grown quite a bit since we last saw them. My work peeps weren’t there, nor were the Imber’s.

The snow was nice, though perhaps a little over skied a couple of hours into our first visit. Skied until 330pm before taking a break. Inside, Bob C. found us a tall table by the bar. I was eager to checkout the many microbrews they have on tap. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one, but I sent the GM an email last season recommending that they vastly expand their beer selection from the tired Anheuser and Miller products. He listened. Not only that, but they expanded the food selection in the loft, too, adding wings, subs etc to the pizza and popcorn from the recent past. Like everything they’ve done, including moving ski-check to just beneath the loft area.

I enjoyed two IPAs – a Sierra Nevada IIIPA and then another, though can’t recall what it was. Mindy enjoyed a Bailey’s and coffee while Bob & Tina shared a Jack & Coke. Mindy went to the cafeteria looking for their yummy chicken and dumplings. Didn’t have it so she went with the next best option, chili.

Cubra’s stuck around until 5-530pm even though they stated that they planned to leave around 430pm. They had been there since 10am if I recall correctly. Mindy and I weren’t sure how long we would stay, but after a few more runs we decided to bag it too. Left by 6pm.

Agreed to order a pizza from Minelli’s and pick it up on our drive home. Waited till we got on 270 to place the order. Had to wait a few minutes once we arrived, which is good (ensures it’s hot and fresh).

Left most of our gear in the Pilot since we were 50/50 on a return trip to MRM on Sunday. My gut, however, told me that Mindy wouldn’t go. Before enjoying any pizza, I walked the pug. She wasn’t too eager to walk in the cold but by comparison, it was much warmer than the past few days. By then it was around 18 degrees.

Mindy made quick work of the large, extra crispy, double pep pizza. Just a couple slices remained when we finished. I pulled my leftover Jack & Coke from the fridge to sip. The ice had long since melted but it was still quite good. Fell asleep on the sofa by 8pm. Slept for at least an hour. When I woke, Mindy had already gone off to bed. I stayed up a while longer watching the end of the Carolina/Seattle game. Seahawks were too good for the Panthers. Started to watch SNL but it was a rerun. Opted for bed near 1140pm.

Sunday, January 11 – Back to MRM - Brief Warming Trend

I slept good and was up around 815am. It was cloudy but much, much warmer than it’s been over the last week. Already around 20 degrees and headed into the low 30s by later afternoon. The weather forecast was calling for mixed precipitation later that evening thanks to a warm, wet system from the gulf of Mexico pumping up our way into the cold.

I let Mindy sleep for quite a while before delivering the coffee she requested when I initially slipped out of bed. In no real hurry, I didn’t head out on a run near 10am. Pretty sure that Mindy was up by the time I was back from a three mile run. Because of the warmer temps, I skipped the base layer and extra fleece. I was comfy throughout.

At home I walked the pug then whipped up grits and an omelet. I made enough grits to last through the work week should I desire them. Asked Mindy about skiing. She was adamantly against it. I was torn, knowing that I could use the day to make some progress on the basement, something I haven’t done since before the Xmas holiday. But I also felt the desire to use our MRM membership having gone just once this season (the kids zero). In the end, I decided to go ski by myself.

I sent Bob I. a text just before I left. He didn’t’ respond until I was parked in the lot. J I’m guessing we got there about the same time. As I suspected, the place was packed, and as a result, it was very difficult to find a parking spot. I was fortunate and got a recently vacated spot in the 2^nd row but way down by the rental equipment building. Met up with the Cubra’s and Bob I. in line at the deuce. Lines were crazy long for all the lifts, perhaps the biggest crowd I’ve seen there in a couple of years. The temps hovered around freezing – much warmer than the day before. But the groomed slopes were a bit over skied thus making it somewhat difficult to hold and edge, at least without fear. I skied cautiously all afternoon.

It must’ve been around 330pm when I headed into the lodge for a break. The lift lines were so long and I didn’t feel it worth the wait. Right away, I spotted Chris Edwards and fiancée Tammy. Bob C. was supposed to be in there too, but not immediately in my sights. Haven’t talked with Chris since the Monday after our Oregon ski trip last spring. A lot has changed for him: divorce, new job, a wedding date. Talked with the two of them for almost an hour while enjoying a .craft beer – this time a Ophelia from Breckenridge Brewing. It was very good, though later learned that it was only 5%.

I saw Bob I. only briefly in the lodge. He spent most of his time with his buddy Judd, the dentist. Headed back our for more skiing around 430pm. Got a text from Mindy checking on my status. Let her know that I was still skiing. Wasn’t sure of my departure time. Did a couple of runs before it started to spit ice and sleet. Ugh! Worse yet, the crowd was still an issue, too, especially after several ski club busses arrived. Opted to bag it.

While degearing, got a text from Bob I. sharing that he was doing the same. Listened to the analysis of the Packers/Cowboys game on the drive home. Apparently the Cowboys felt they were robbed by a bad call. Meanwhile, the Broncos/Colts were just underway. Arrived home near 540pm.

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It wasn’t too much longer before dinner was ready – homemade cheeseburgers, salad, and macaroni. All really good stuff. Last divisional playoff game was close for most of the way. Kept expecting the Broncos to take control but they never did. Peyton Manning just didn’t seem to have it. They lost. Is it a new era – the Andrew Luck era? We’ll see.

After dinner I took a quick shower. Felt great, not only the shower but also simply getting out of the warm but clingy ski garb. Relaxed on the sofa with a fire roaring. Getting our money’s worth from the new gas logs, that’s for sure. Headed for bed even before 930pm. Mindy and the kids were hopeful that school would be canceled due to the ice and snow expected overnight.