Blogging late April

Weekly highlights: April 20 - 26

The week promised lots of rain and much cooler temperatures, a letdown after such nice weather over the past 10 days. But it is spring so expecting anything less would be unwise.

Ordered basement carpeting from America’s Flooring, right around the corner from our home. Not only were they offering a high quality product but also at a great price and weren’t padding the total square footage to make an extra buck. Told us that they’d most likely be ready to schedule install in 5 days

Mindy developed a cold early in the week. At first she thought it was allergies, but I could tell otherwise.

Tough work week with a couple late nights. Presented a monthly and quarterly service review meetings, too.

Monday, April 20 

Woke extremely tired and didn’t want to get out of bed. Near 640am by the time I finally got up. By then the kids were just about to head out for the bus stop. Not only was I tired, but also achy and sore from the weekend’s yard work.

As a result of feeling tired and achy, I didn’t get out the door for a run until 830am or so. Trimmed my mileage to just three. Rained through most of the run, but was light.

Worked from Hilliard office, arriving around 1010am. At lunch time I made a run to Home Depot and Lowes to get all the supplies for installing the basement kitchen sink (mounting, plumbing, and drain). Sadly, I couldn’t get everything I needed at Home Depot. They were out of the 1.5” PVC trap kits. Fella said the contractors building the apartment project directly across the street were buying out lots of their inventory. I had to get the trap kit from Lowes.

Agreed to have leftovers for dinner, more chicken and noodle casserole.

Tuesday:

Come Tuesday morning I was feeling a lot better. The weather was a lot nicer than Monday too, A little cool, but sunny. I ran 4 miles, leaving the house again closer to 830am. Originally I planned to work across town, but our 1pm meeting was canceled due to numerous vacations so I ended up working at home. Felt good.

Spent my day completing both the monthly and quarterly service reviews as well as assisting a peer with some complex reporting. My boss got a hold of me late in the day asking if I could help further with a high profile deadline. Sure. That amounted to me working until about 930pm. As a result, Mindy ran Bella to and from gymnastics.

As for dinner, Mindy cooked a pork roast in the crock pot. Delicious.

Wednesday:

Rainy and raw on Wednesday, the high temperature barely reaching 50 degrees. For the first time in a while, I was up on a work day ahead of Mindy, and I headed out on a run before she was even done getting ready for school. Ran 4 miles.

1030am monthly presentation across town. Arrived with plenty of time to spare, somewhere close to 930am. Presentation went well. Around 1pm I made a run to Home Depot. I hoped to find a special board I needed to make the garage entry door repairs. Sadly, they were out of stock. Not giving up hope, before heading back to the office I popped in Lowes which is a few miles up the road, and part of the  Easton mall shopping area. They had the specialty board – a ½”X2.5” poplar scant. I also picked up brick molding kit.

Spent the afternoon helping a peer complete a project. Didn’t feel well for most of the day. At times I thought I might even earl. Never did, though. Happy when the end of the day came. With both Mindy and I feeling under the weather, we agreed to bag date night and simply relax at home.

Enjoyed leftovers for dinner. I had a pork roast wrap. Mindy enjoyed chicken noodle casserole.

Thursday:

Woke to widely scattered frost and 27 degrees, easily the coldest it’s been in several weeks. It was mostly sunny, so it warmed things quickly, though it never got above 48 degrees. I ran 4 miles in what turned out to be a lovely run.

I would usually work in Hilliard on Thursday’s, but we had our quarterly presentation scheduled across town for 2pm. As a result, I worked from home the first part of the day. Spent almost an hour on the phone straightening out our cell phone bill. It’s been messed up ever since we added Bella to the plan.

Left for Easton near noon. Worked for an hour or so before heading up to the large conference room where the presentation was being held. I knew my boss was coming in so I waited for him in the lobby.

All in all, the meeting went well. I felt a huge sense of relief having it behind me. Must've been around 330pm when I packed up and headed for home. And because it was still relatively early, I gambled and took 670west. Heavy traffic at the 670/70 merge but otherwise a quick drive home.  Talked with Mindy along the drive home. She was on the road for home too. Asked if I would drop and pick-up Bella from gymnastics since she was still battling a cold. Sure.

Despite feeling under the weather, she still whipped up dinner – chicken breast over rice. It was good. Left for gymnastics around 545pm, which any other day would be plenty early enough. However, the 70west on ramp was closed due to an over turned semi so we had to take the back way (Wilson, Fisher to Phillipi). At rush hour that is always a pain, especially once near the casino. Dropped Bella 10 minutes late.

Getting back was a lot better. Bought a new Kindle book this week, Power Foods for the Brain by Dr. Neal Barnhardt. Spent the next 75 minutes reading. Left to fetch Bella at 740pm. The 70west on ramp was opened and traffic nonexistent. As a result, I arrived at the gym with 10 minutes to spare. Been quite a while since I was inside. Watched Bella and team practice for a while.

Our drive home was quick. Because she was under the weather, Mindy was already off to bed. I did some more reading.

Friday:

Friday was sunny and in the upper 50s, but after Thursday’s chilly temps, it actually felt warm midafternoon. Unfortunately, the weekend forecast, and more specifically Saturday, looked horrible. Expecting heavy rain and temps below 50. I guess a silver lining would be forcing me to get more work done in the basement.

The recorded morning low was a chilly 25 degrees. But by time I left for my run (815am) it had already warmed above freezing and the sun left me feeling so much warmer than it really was. Like most Friday’s, I ran just three miles.

After a rather hectic work week, Friday was extremely laid back. I was able to get some of my time back. After my run I worked for about an hour and then headed to the basement to get started on the sink install. I wisely cut in the water valves first, figuring it far easier without the sink in the way. Aside from a very minor drip on the cold side, it went flawlessly. One extra crank and the drip stopped.

Next, I cut the 1.5” drain stub coming through the wall and installed the threaded nipple. Next, I cracked open the Delta faucet and installed it in the sink before dropping it into the counter top. That installed rather easily. Finally time to drop in the sink but only after running plumber’s putty around the perimeter. You may recall, I installed the clips on the sink a week or so prior. Tightening the clips was a trick. Not only were the screws hard to reach, but they turned stiffly too. What I really needed was a longer phillips screwdriver.

While installing the trap I determined that I needed to extend the straight piece of the trap into the stub out nipple. Crap. I needed another 4” or so. I had no choice but to make an unplanned Home Depot/Lowes run. I opted for Lowes where I struggled to find the extension but ultimately did. While there, I picked up a trim ring for the 1.5” stub out to give it a more finished look. I also picked up an 8” inch phillips.

I had to cut the extension to size and also the tail drain, but all that went quick. Done by 11am. I went back to work for a while revisiting the job after an hour or so. Much to my dismay, there was a drip or two of water coming from the trap. Crap! It was already as snug as it could possibly be, but I went ahead and reinstalled it. Took only a couple minutes. I tested by letting the water run for a while and then filled the sink about half way before allowing it to drain. No leaks.

Around 330pm I headed out to cut the lawn. Because I edged and whacked last week, I opted to skip that step this week. Did 85% of the mowing with the tractor. As a result, it took no more than 45 minutes for all the mowing. Mindy and the kids were home at their usual times. It was a Jimaken weekend. Mindy and I didn’t have firm plans for anything, but with her being sick, I wasn’t sure we’d be doing much. That morning she said she felt awful. I was a little surprised then when Mindy said she felt better and wanted to go out.

After the kids left we agreed to pay a visit to CBC. I hadn’t been there for about a month. I was showered and ready to head out around 545pm. Mindy must’ve sent a text to Vince because she knew he was working. For the past couple days Mindy and Ashley had been going back and forth about the wedding shower. Ashley’s bff, Brittany K. has been blowing her off of late, and has made no such effort to organize one. In fact, Ashley shared that she was out as the maid of honor. Mindy agreed to step in and organize a wedding shower, but until Friday Ashley was unsure whether or not she wanted to have one. Oh boy! That, apparently all got worked out Friday afternoon/evening. Ashley gave Mindy the green light.  Mindy planned to have it at CBC and would work out the details with Jenn that evening.

The lot was full. Had no choice but to find a meter across the street. Happened upon Aubree and Matt on our way in. Word was Aubree decided not to take the engineering job with Ford in Detroit and instead accepted an offer with Net Jets locally. She sounded much more at peace with the decision. And Matt seemed happy too. After all, he was going to have to quit his CBC chef gig in the move.

Few stools were available at the bar so I stood while Mindy sat.  A kind gentleman offered me the stool next to Mindy. Few IPAs on tap. I opted for a White Rajah and so did Mindy. Soon ordered risotto balls too. Mindy chatted with Jenn at length, working out the details for Ashley’s wedding shower.

The bar remained busy for a solid two hours. The crowd sustained as long as I’ve ever seen it. All totaled, I drank 3 White Rajah’s. Mindy had just the one. I think Mindy’s cold spoiled her appetite and drinking palette.  I wasn’t that hungry but was looking forward to some wings. Mindy ordered bread and a salad. Wings were tasty! Thinking we left for home  around 830-9pm. As we neared the Hague Ave exit, Mindy mentioned that we should’ve visited Sideswipe Brewing’s taproom. I offered that we still could. I was surprised when she agreed, especially given that she wasn’t feeling 100%. Agreed to pop in for one.

Like the week before, we were the only customers, though the owner of Thurn’s eats stopped in with his son about half way through our brief visit. I was slow with my lone IPA. Enjoyed talking with Craig and the Thurn’s. I graduated H.S. with his cousin, Amy. Headed home around 945pm. We headed for bed around 10pm but watched a little TV – the Bruce Jenner interview. I fell asleep.

Saturday:

As advertised, the weather took a dive. The temperature dropped and it rained hard for most of the day. I don’t think it made it out of the 40’s. Lucky for me, the rain held off long enough for me to get my run in under cloudy but dry skies. Thinking it was near 845am when I headed out the door. Mindy was still in bed sleeping.

I was a tired and cranky for the day’s entirety. I’m sure it has as much to do with the four beers I consumed Friday evening as much as anything else. I checked the basement p-trap again and once again it was dripping from the same place – right at the transition from the trap to the wall tail. I took a few minutes to redo the connections then ran water and filled the sink to let it stress the drain. No leaks at the time but this same pattern occurred the two previous times too.

Mindy made me an egg sandwich shortly before we left to go sofa shopping. It wasn’t until we exited 270 onto Tuttle that I suggested we should’ve stopped by the carpet store to pick-up our sample to ensure the two go well together. Mindy offered that we go back. Meh!

More often than not, Mindy and I shopping for something significant, like furniture, is a challenge. Going in, we agreed that we wanted a sectional-type sofa design and we also loosely agreed that loose back cushions were out. Right away we found one we liked both in design and material. Soon we were joined by a sales associate whose name I can’t immediately recall.

I quickly offered that we had size requirements/limitations that the set we were sitting on and liked did not meet. Not only was it too long in one direction, but we soon learned that it was too tall to meet the 29” wide basement door opening criteria, too. The sales lady soon offered that we should measure minus sofa legs given that they’re removable for the purpose of delivery. She also suggested we go loose back cushions to which I promptly refused. Under her breath, Mindy snapped at me for being so sharp. J

I reluctantly followed Mindy as the sales lady pointed her to a few options that she thought might work. The two she showed us were covered in what I’ll deem as hideous material and color which made it hard for me to become amenable. Once again, Mindy gave a disapproving glare at my reticence.

Not convinced the structure we were looking at would fit the 29” door opening restriction, I asked the sales lady if she had a measuring tape.  Sure did. I measured and found it to be just under 28” high. The cushions rose about 4” higher than the back support but would crush down easily enough. We looked at a few more options before going back to the first one that met the size criteria. I eventually warmed to the possibility once the sales lady showed us the custom configurable options that would meet dimensional requirements as well as pointing out that we could have it covered in any material we liked. She also pointed out that a new sale started on Sunday and that it would save us a couple hundred dollars.

It was just before 2pm, the time that America’s Flooring closes on Saturdays. I called Ed to see if he would be willing to stick around  a few extra minutes or long enough for us to swing by and pick-up a sample of our carpet. He agreed.

Poured rain most of the drive towards home and the carpet store. Ed was just about to leave when we showed up. The only color sample he had was a 6”X 6” square. That would do. We took it home along with the sofa material sample and looked them over in direct sunlight and then in the basement where they’d live together. Despite the small samples, we liked the combo.

Mindy suggested we continue our shopping and head back out to look for a kitchen table. After snacking on some Triscuits, I was sorely in need of a nap so I went horizontal on the sofa for about 90 minutes. I might’ve slept for 30 minutes. The rest of the time I spent relaxing watching an ESPN story about a 1960s transgender tennis player, Renee’. Interesting. Surprised I hadn’t heard of her prior.

Around 4pm, Mindy and I headed back out destined for the Kitchen Table store up near Easton. Mindy also wanted to check Ashley Furniture after nephew Joe shared that he saw a table there that had the industrial look Mindy was hoping for.

As the name suggests, the Kitchen Table store is all about tables and has plenty of options. We found two we liked, one in clearance, which was our favorite of the two, and another on the regular floor. The clearance table was more expensive but also of higher quality. Both were high counter tables with four chairs and in a dark wood finish. The clearance also includes a leaf. Neither had the industrial look Mindy was hoping for, but she said she could live with the clearance table.

We left for Ashley furniture which we Googled and found was just a mile or less down the road in Easton proper. Largely disappointed with their offerings. They had just a few tables and none anywhere near the quality or design we were looking for.