Play Ball!

Happy 8th Birthday Jacob!

I woke around 5:25 feeling better than I had all week. That was a good sign. My rump still ached but the edge, I could tell, was gone. I quickly processed my exercise routine and dashed out the door with Ykrap in tow. It was another lovely morning although still a little chilly. The forecast, however, called for temps near 70.

Back at home I enjoyed my coffee while exploring the internet and reading some email. Bob Imber emailed the evening before asking about my availability for golf after work. As much as I wanted to, my time was spoken for. Tonight was Jacob’s first baseball practice, and I certainly didn’t want to beg out of that.

I delivered Mindy’s coffee around 6:10am and then returned downstairs to meditate and then prep for a run. I considered a pre run hot tub but didn’t. I figured it certainly couldn’t hurt. I also took some extra time stretching focusing lots of attention on my right ass cheek. I felt pretty good out the door not quite sure what to expect. It still hurt, but the edge, like earlier, was taken off. No more than a half mile into my run I felt good enough to think/dwell on other things beyond the immediate pain. That was a good sign!

I finished my run in much better spirits feeling as though I was on the rebound. That carried over into my family interaction as well. This was not just a normal day. This was Jacob’s 8th birthday! Mindy made cinnamon rolls and prepared them with a lit candle as we sang the happy birthday song. I snapped a couple of pictures. We gifted him yet again with a webkinz – the hottest new thing for young kids. His is a lizard looking thing. He seemed most pleased.

After the mini-b-day celebration Mindy & Bella departed for school. I headed off to the shower while Jacob took to the basement to play with his new Lego set. At 7:50am Jacob and I reconvened in the kitchen where we put the finishing touches on our preparedness and then dashed out the door for the bus stop.

I arrived at work at 8:25am. This was staff meeting day. Our meeting went until 12:30pm. Too, we were having a potluck. My peers & I supplied about 10 lbs of cold cuts. After a quick bite to eat, I hopped in the Trooper and ran over to the Dublin Wal-Mart to check out their car batteries. Locating the correct battery for my BM’r has proven thus far elusive. They didn’t have one for it. First off, it must be vented meaning that it has a port on the side to vent battery gases out of the stowage area. This is typical with most trunk mount batteries. Even though there’s a Diehard in there now, Sears claims they don’t carry one for it any longer.

Back at work I enjoyed a giant brownie as I toiled through the remainder of my day. I left for home around 5:30pm. Jimaken had already picked up the kids by the time I arrived home. The house was freakishly quiet and there was no sign of Mindy. I checked the garage. Her car was there. I went about my routine of walking Ykraps and reloading the coffee. I assumed her out frolicking with neighbors or perhaps even napping. Turns out, she was napping.

I woke Mindy around 6:15pm. We’d be hooking up with Jimaken and the kids at St Brendan’s ball fields, where Jacob’s first baseball practice was being held. It was a lovely evening for baseball practice – not to hot not to cool. We left the house just after 6:30pm.


We were early for practice and beat Jimaken by about ten minutes. I introduced Mindy to Rob B., Jacob’s coach. He used to work for me at Time Warner. We casually watched another team practice while awaiting our team’s diamond time. Jacob arrived just before 7pm. Soon his team took the field. We weren’t sure how long they’d be at it, but I thought Rob said that it would be a short one. That wasn’t the case. They went for1.5 hours practicing catching, throwing, running bases, fielding, and hitting. It was very entertaining from my perspective. I was proud of Jacob’s progress. He’s a natural athlete. Mindy got chilly as the sun set and took to the Trooper, her & Bella.

Just after 8:30pm practice ended and we all headed home. Mindy got Bella a bath. I got Jacob a shower. They weren’t in bed until almost 9:30pm. Mindy wasn’t too pleased. We went to bed a short time later after watching American Idol’s elimination round.

Brake Dancing

Tuesday started off much like Monday, same kind of weather, same pain. Both, however, were expected to be marginally better. The day’s high was expected to make it into the 60’s, and I certainly expected my ass to feel significantly better. I hung all of my hope on yesterday’s 2.5 mile marker. After exercise, Ykraps and I set out on our walk. I was still noticeably hobbled, and it hurt to take a step forward with my right leg. I was smart enough today to suck down three Advil along with my daily vitamin. After coffee, internet, and meditation I focuses significant attention on stretching my butt muscles. I thought about asking Mindy to massage my rump, but who wants to be woken at 6:00am, handed a cup coffee, and asked to rub someone’s ass? I thought better of it. At the moment of truth, I netted the same results as Monday. I was once again in severe pain at first stride. It seemed obvious to me that the connective tissue between my buttocks and leg was severely pulled. Still, I banked on the pain subsiding at or before the 2.5 mile marker. In the back of my mind I worried if something more damning was wrong, but at the same time holding hope that it would heal very soon. Lucky for me, about one mile in the severe pain released and I was able to focus attention on other less pressing matters as I trotted along. My gait was still altered and my pace somewhat slowed but I was easily able to finish without the crippling pain. I was encouraged! Mindy had our eggs on the island upon my return. I shared the good news about my slow but steady recovery. If I were correct, tomorrow would be even easier. Mindy & Bella bolted around 7:25am. Jacob & I did our usual thing leaving the house at 7:55am. Even though it was sunny and warming, it was still quite chilly at the bus stop. My guess was around 40 degrees. I arrived to work near 8:20am. The day breezed by. I purposely skipped a lunch hoping instead to leave early to get a start on my brakes at Eric’s house. He left at his usual 4pm. I didn’t get out of the office until 4:45pm. It was slow going driving through old Hilliard at rush hour. Always is. I arrived at Eric’s around 5:10pm. We wasted little time tearing into the brakes. He allowed me to do most of the labor while providing tools and guidance. Once the wheels were off we had a much better idea of the work ahead. Looked very simple. It only took a few minutes to break the bolts free holding the calipers and ultimately the brake pads in place. The pads were getting low, but they certainly weren’t entirely spent, and there were no signs of uneven wearing save for one back pad looking more worn than the front. Certainly nothing that looked to be causing the grinding I could hear with each stop. We finished by 6pm and took the Trooper on a test run. Unfortunately, the grinding sound remained. That meant only one thing. It was the rear brakes, not the front. We drove to the Cemetery Rd. Auto Zone where I bought their last pair of ceramic rear pads. It took the fellow a while to find them on their shelf, but thankfully he did. Back to Eric’s! Tearing off the rear wheels and brakes went even faster than the front, easier because I knew the drill. Eric spotted the culprit to my problem right away. It wasn’t so obvious to me. The rotors were corroding close to their edges causing uneven wear on the pads. The grinding I could hear was the pad scraping against the corroded area on the rotors. Eric felt strongly that I needed new rear rotors, too, lest I’d find myself in the same boat a month from now. Crap! Back to Auto Zone. This time, however, we had to visit the brand new Hilliard Rome Rd Auto Zone to get the rotors. The old Hilliard store was out-of-stock. So now I had $160 worth of parts into the job, but still a far cry cheaper than what any shop would’ve charged me. Plus, I felt strongly that I wouldn’t be getting the same quality parts & care. Back at Eric’s I held out hope that the old rotors would come off with little trouble and we’d finish up the job. We did. The rest went without incident. By 7:45pm I had new brakes all the way around and new rotors on the back. A test drive proved that my stopping power was significantly improved, and the grinding sound abated. I helped Eric tidy up his garage before heading towards home. I phoned Mindy to let her know that I was on my way. She was pretty much already up to speed, however, since I called about every hour to keep her posted of my progress. In the door, Mindy was putting the finishing touches on household chores, and the kids were already in their beds. Bella heard me come in and asked that I come up and tuck her in. I did, of course. Mindy and I got in the hot tub as part of the “ass” therapy. It was a lovely evening for it, to be sure. Before calling it a night I got a butt massage too. It seemed to make all the difference.

Pain in the Ass

I probably woke up at or before 5:30am, and one thing’s for certain, my ass was still sore! I was hobbled as I walked down the stairs but OK through exercise. It only hurt when I walked. By the time I finished exercising and headed out with Ykraps, I knew that I was in for some trouble. I couldn’t walk without a painfully obvious limp.

All other aspects of my morning went on as normal. Sitting down presented no problems at all. Again, it was only while up & about. Eventually, after completing the rest of my morning agenda, I was ready to do my run. I stretched carefully and felt confident that I had my buttocks as limber as possible. But as soon as I pushed off I felt it knotting up. I wasn’t 50 feet away before it began squawking at me. I was running but with a horrible limp in my gait. I slowed my pace a little too, but nothing made the excruciating pain go away.

There were moments when the possibility of ending my streak entered my mind. I worried that at any moment I might drop to my knees in so much pain that I could no longer go on. But I kept pressing on. With each and every step came another belt of pain. I tried massaging my ass while I ran but that did little good. Like a blessing from within, about 2.5 miles into my run the pain seemed to rescind. If nothing else, I had a numb sort of feeling come over the entire pained area, yet it was still tight as a drum. All of the sudden the ability to think of something other than my sore ass just happened. Here I was thinking of other things, which meant that the pain was tolerable. For this I was grateful, yet still cautious.

I completed the entire 4.1 miles. I was never more happy to be done. Once back inside I told Mindy, who was up making our eggs, that I was in severe pain. I was soaked with sweat, too. Because I had to adjust my gait, I was using muscles I wouldn’t normally use for a run. I was exhausted. And just like the three mornings prior, I could hardly walk.

The day went on, however. Mindy & Bella soon left, and Jacob and I carried on as usual.
I was showered and ready by 7:50am. I spent the final few minutes pulling all of my work gear together. The day promised to be sunny but the day’s high temperature wouldn’t break the 40’s. There was hope, however. Looking forward, each day the temperature is supposed to climb, and by Thursday we’re expecting to be back into the 70’s.

We met the Shultz’s at the bus stop. There we chatted quite a bit after the kids were boarded and gone. I walked Pat down to the bridge to point out the beaver damage. I left for work soon after.

I arrived at work around 8:30am. It didn’t feel so much like a Monday, probably because of my on-call weekend. I got settled in quickly and worked hard all day long. Around lunch time I asked a friend if he’d mind picking me up at the auto repair shop on Tuesday or Wednesday morning. When I told him my reason, he suggested that he & I replace my brakes at his place. He said the job was really easy and besides, who couldn’t use the money. He agreed to come out and look at my brakes right there in the lot.

After inspecting the best we could without removing the tires, he felt confident that we could do the work in a jiffy. I went back inside and immediately called for part quotes. Turns out, for front brake pads, which is all he thought that we’d need, I could get them for as little as $23. Or, if I so chose, I could get ceramic OEM for $38. That sounded good to me. I committed to picking them up on my way home from work.

My day ended around 5:40pm. As planned, I stopped at Auto Zone to pick-up my front brake pads. That went without a hitch! We made tentative plans to do the work after work on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Mindy and I had made arrangements to have Olivia after work. Mindy picked Olivia up at Ashley’s on her way home from school. In addition, I had agreed to pick-up a pepperoni pizza at Minelli’s for dinner. Bella was insistent on it. Of course, I was happy to hold up my end of the bargain.

Like’s often the case, Olivia was napping when I called Mindy while in route home. But she was up when I got there. Up, but still groggy and very cuddly. She changes so much when we only get to see her every two weeks or so. She was so cute laying her head on Mindy’s shoulder. She wanted nothing to do with me, but I understood. She was still very tired. She never quite warmed to me through the entire evening, although she did play with me some. Without question, she’s a momma’s girl.

After dinner and a little play time, Mindy took Olivia upstairs to get a bath. Bella, meanwhile, was excited to bathe with her. I got some really cute pictures. Ashley returned to retrieve her little princess during tubby time. I happened to be photographing Olivia just as Ashley entered the bathroom. It did my heart good to see Olivia’s eyes light up the instant that she spotted her momma behind me. It was very touching. And she looked so cute in her fresh jammies.

Ashley was kind enough to stick around for about another 30 minutes so we could visit more with her & Olivia. We played in the family room, where Olivia demonstrated her dancing prowess. It was very cute. Soon, Ashley and Olivia had to leave. Must’ve been around 7:45pm. Soon we tucked in our own kids and then went for an extra early bedtime ourselves.

My Aching Buttocks

I garnered another quality night’s sleep, not waking until 8:15am Sunday morning. Unfortunately, my buttocks was still killing me. This I realized as soon as my feet hit the floor. The kids were up but off playing semi-quietly while Mindy remained in bed. Eventually, they joined me downstairs and participated in my exercise routine by counting off each rep from each set. Bella was encouraged enough to retrieve her own weight set from the basement to complete some curls. Kaileigh taught the others how to do a proper push-up. It was entertaining for sure. I thought one or more of them would join me on my walk with Ykraps, but the weather being what it was, dampened their spirits. It was a raw, wet, and breezy morning. Mixed in with the light rain were a few scattered flurries just as predicted. So much for a warm spring day for Jacob’s b-day party. After enjoying two cups of coffee I readied for the run. The kids got a kick out of watchin’ Mindy massage my aching buttocks. But I figured I needed all the help I could get to help loosen it up before a run. I felt pretty good right out the door but unfortunately it stiffened not a hundred yards from the house. And not only was it stiff, it was hurting fiercely too. I hobbled along for my entire run. I ended up taking the Trabue route which proved to be somewhat of a blessing, at least along certain parts. Wherever there was soft wet grass it cushioned the impact making the pain less acute. The change of scenery helped divert my attention some as well. I complained to Mindy upon my return about how much pain I had to endure. And the longer I stood around the more it ached. By noon I was miserable. We had oodles of party prep to complete before 2pm, so it wasn’t like I could slack off the rest of the day. Mindy had a number of things for me to do, including vacuuming the upstairs. I also helped with decorations and prepping coolers. By1:30pm I could take no more and escaped upstairs to take a brief nap and to rest my aching buttocks. It was making me sick. I took a couple Advil before jumping into bed. The nap worked wonders. I felt tremendously better afterwards. By then several party guest had arrived. I joined it in progress. The next couple of hours were spent entertaining our guests young and old. Mindy said later that we had nearly forty people over, but my guesstimate was closer to 30. Still, there were quite a few. Mindy did a nice job of keeping the party moving according to schedule, and even though the weather put a damper on the outdoor activities, she improvised nicely. Most party guests left around 4:30pm, and by 5:30pm everyone was gone, including the grand kids. Shellie was nice enough to pick-up Kai & Rocky. After everyone was gone we loaded into the Trooper and drove off to The Rusty Bucket where we were meeting several of Mindy’s family members for dinner to celebrate with Camilla, who’s heading back to Denmark Monday morning after a six week visit. Her visit’s been a lot of fun for everyone, but none more than nephew Joe, who absolutely adores her. We were the last to arrive, but not too late. They had just finished appetizers. I wasn’t all that hungry but ordered a beer an entrée anyway. It was good. And because we were celebrating Jacob’s b-day today, he got a free dessert. Bella got one too. Mindy & I picked up the check. We were back home around 7:30pm and began to unwind and tidy up the house after the day’s events. It wasn’t too messy but a far cry from how sparkling clean it was before the event. But that’s to be expected, right? I was anxious to check out the pictures I’d taken through the day. There were about 100 of them. I was a little disappointed with the quality but still got a handful of beauties. On occasion I will change a setting for a particular shot and forget to change it back causing extra grain or poor lighting from that point forward. Exhausted after a long party day, Mindy and I headed to bed extremely early – around 9:30pm.

Xmas Vacation and Grand Kids

Over the last six or seven months, I have noticed a significant change with my sleep pattern. No longer do I spring from bed at 7am on a Saturday morning. Instead, I find myself sleeping until 8-8:30am, and that’s after going to bed earlier than ever before. I am not sure what the culprit, but imagine clues to the puzzle can be found by analyzing my lifestyle changes. There’s little question that being married and having a family leads to a more sedentary life style, but I suspect there’s even more to it than that given the frantic pace in which I move about and exercise. So what else has changed in the last seven months? Almost to the day, I changed my running routine in mid to late August at the beginning of the school year. Where I used to run at lunch time (12:45pm) I now run at 6:30am. That change alone impacted my eating patterns, and now I suspect it has something to do with my sleep pattern changes as well. I was up at 8:30am after convincing myself that the extra sleep was far more important than getting an early start. Fact is, I could’ve slept even longer, but since I was on-call I figured I’d better get up. I struggled to walk, my buttocks still aching from an apparent muscle pull. Lucky for me, it didn’t inhibit my calisthenics to any great degree. But walking Ykraps was painful. I couldn’t walk without a limp. I was genuinely worried about the day’s run. Back at home I enjoyed coffee while getting engaged in work related matters. I was very busy. In fact, I was so busy that I mentioned to Mindy the possibility of going into the office. After an hour or two I finally found enough time to squeeze in a run. And believe me, it was painful. I didn’t get 100 yards down the road before my butt cheek seized up like a knot. I completed my entire run with a limp. Afterwards, but before going back in the house, I walked to the backyard to inspect a maple tree growing along the water line. I noticed the trunk and roots growing along the water were bright orange. On closer inspection, it looked as if a beaver was eating away at the bark. I was saddened deeply. This tree is beautiful! My best estimate is that it’s 25 years of age, having lived here for 14 years and remembering how big it was back then. I wondered if it could survive. Not good! Back inside and back to work. That was how I spent the lion’s share of my day. During the afternoon Mindy headed out for the grocery store leaving me at home with the children. They were well behaved and stayed occupied with this and that. I did my best to help Mindy with cleaning the house. I vacuumed, did a little laundry, and made the kids lunch. She was admittedly stressed with seemingly so much to do prior to Jacob’s b-day party Sunday afternoon. After Mindy was back from the grocery I helped even more all the while balancing work related matters. Mindy agreed to fetch Lil’ Rocky around 5pm while I dealt with work issues. Shellie brought Kaileigh around the same time. We were also expecting to watch Olivia, but last minute Ashley reported her still having a fever and changed her plans. I was eager to have the grand kids over. Mindy & I both are very pleased that they now ask to come to our home. That must mean they enjoy themselves. Around dinner time Mindy informed me that she called my dad to let him know that the g-kids would be over in case he wanted to pop in. Our dinner was pretty much kiddie fare – macaroni & cheese and hot dogs. I had chili dogs. Around 8pm, and after dinner was behind us, we put in a DVD, Christmas Vacation. Not long after it started my dad showed up. I was surprised that he came, but equally delighted. He got the kids all riled up during the movie but they definitely had fun. He left after the movie was history – somewhere near 9:15pm. All the kids slept in Bella’s room with Rocky, Kai, & Bella sleeping on the air mattress. Jacob slept in Bella’s bed. Usually when the kids sleep in the same room everything but sleep gets done. Tonight was an exception. They were out quickly. The key seemed to be allowing them to stay up later. Note to self. Mindy & I weren’t up much longer. We were in bed by 10:30pm.

Sore Buttocks

Friday was here again, and no one was as delighted as me. Out of bed my right ass cheeked ached as much or even worse than the day before. But after exercise, walking Ykraps, and simply moving about it seemed to loosen some. Without question, an injury from Wednesday’s plumbing and yard work. It was quite warm when I walked Ykraps - close to 60 degrees. The day’s high was expected to make it into the low 70’s. But as nice as that sounded, much cooler, wet weather was just around the corner. The bottoms expected to drop out overnight Friday. I simply tried to appreciate the warmth while it was here and not allow myself to fret over the weekend forecast. Coffee, internet, and meditation went on as usual. Before long I was heading out the door for my run. I needed only a double shirt and long running pants, but even that combo was a little too warm. I definitely could’ve done without the long pants. At about the three mile marker my right ass cheek tightened something fierce. I ran the entire last mile all the while wincing in pain. I shrugged it off hoping it would pass quickly. It didn’t. Mindy had our breakfast ready. That was a good thing. Mindy & Bella departed leaving Jacob and I alone to carry out the remainder of our Friday prep. We headed to the bus stop at 7:55am. Again, it was very warm, now in the low 60’s. The sky was clouded over, however. Perhaps a foreshadowing of what’s to come. Jacob was off to school and I was off to work. I arrived just after 8:15am. The day was incredibly busy, just like most Friday’s. I was prepared for it. I worked straight through barely taking a break of any sort. But because it was so busy the day absolutely flew by, and before I realized it was darn near time to head for home. I left knowing that I’d be on-call thus wasn’t as celebrative as I usually am come 5:30pm on a Friday. Still, I was happy the weekend was upon us. Somewhere between leaving work and arriving home we were made aware that Olivia had a seizure and was being taken to Children’s hospital. I was very concerned but also keenly aware that small children have femoral seizures, especially when their fever spikes suddenly. That was the report here. Ashley had one when she was a baby. Still, the symptoms are very scary. I arrived home around 5:40pm. Mindy & the kids were waiting with baited breath. We had family dinner plans at Barley’s. Even though Bella was staunchly against it Thursday, she was looking forward to it now. I spent my entire day limping with my sore buttocks and worried that it would hamper me all evening long. I was blue about a couple other unrelated issues too, but knew that I had to forget about them. In somewhat of a surprise, daughter Lindsey showed up at our door with both boys. It seems Lil’ Rocky wanted to stop over for a visit. Come 7:15pm or so, the family piled into the Trooper destined for Barley’s. As we pulled into the lot I heard my brakes making a grinding sound. I’ll have to address that pronto! Inside the place was pretty full. We chose a bar side table over a booth. I ordered an IPA and Mindy ordered wine. The kids both had sodas. Mindy and the kids ordered food too. I abstained. Jacob couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into some Gates of Hell wings. When they arrived, I could tell that they were extra hot. He stopped after four citing a mouth of flames. Meanwhile, Bella ordered only a plate of fries, but her curiosity got the best of her when she sampled a jalapeño meant as garnishment. She screamed for mercy. We supplied water. I was proud of Jacob when he went back in for more after giving his taste buds a short rest. I ate only one of Jacob’s wings, but ate plenty of Bella’s fries dipped in an extra side of Gates of Hell sauce. We stayed until 9:30pm. Mindy drove home after I had three beers – no Double IPA’s though. I checked in with work. Things were quiet. At home the kids were quickly into bed. We weren’t far behind. We were in bed ready to sleep even before 10:15pm. It wasn’t much different than a work night.

Out of Sink

I got up right as Mindy’s alarm fired. Still not sure why she had her alarm set so early. At any rate, I was up on time and downstairs by 5:34am. My body ached something fierce, most likely from the yard work coupled with the plumbing. Generally speaking, plumbing doesn’t cause body aches, but try cramming your entire body into a cabinet and then do some plumbing. I suspect that your body would ache, too. I battled through my aches and pains and finished my exercise routine. I felt considerably better afterwards. Ykraps and I headed out for our walk. The sky was still clear. I suspected something else. However, it was somewhat cooler than yesterday. This I noticed right away. We were back for coffee & internet by 5:55am. I delivered Mindy’s coffee at 6:10am. After a quick hug I headed back downstairs to meditate before my run. By 6:30am I was headed out the door on my run. I was stiff but nothing that wouldn’t loosen in short order. I was back at home for breakfast by 7:10am. It was awfully nice to have running water in the kitchen again. It just makes life that much easier. After Mindy & Bella left for school and the sitter I headed off to the shower. We were at the bus stop at our usual time – 7:55am. Pat & Alanna were walking towards the stop just as we arrived. I proudly shared my plumbing prowess with Pat. He seemed a little surprised that I completed my work with no trips to Lowe’s! I headed off to work and arrived around 8:20am. I hardly seemed like a Thursday after having Wednesday off. That’s two weeks in a row considering last week’s sick days. Work was tough, but I managed. At lunch I drove to Lowe’s hoping to find screen trim in oak to better match my cabinets. They only had pine at Home Depot, and after staining it, it sticks out like a sore thumb against the oak. Without question, I’ll notice it more than anyone else. But still… They had the trim in oak. I bought an 8’ piece although needing only 12 inches. Also, I bought some clear silicone caulk to attach the finished piece. I returned to work after about 50 minutes. The afternoon was challenging. I was there and busy until almost 5:45pm. Mindy made a home cooked dinner – thick pork chops on the grill. I was looking forward to getting home for a grilled meal. I walked Ykraps while Mindy put the finishing touches on our dinner. Along with the thick pork chops, we had cheesy mashed potatoes, crescent rolls, and peas. Everything was fabulous. Clean-up was never more fun. We were both appreciative to have our sink back. It wasn’t long before the kids were showered and bathed and in their jammies. After they were tucked into bed Mindy and I tuned in to American Idol elimination night. The Aussie dude got the shove. I was surprised, and think that lots of other folks were too. Oh well. He should have little trouble getting a really good gig. Mindy & I headed off to bed around 9:30pm.

Did Someone Call a Plumber?

I woke a couple times naturally around my usual wake time only to realize/remember that I was off work. What a good feeling! And because I wouldn’t be going to work I tried sleeping as late as I could. However, with Mindy turning on the bathroom lights and starting the shower, there was little hope of undisturbed sleep. Consequently, I got up and moving around 6:30am. Mindy made the coffee.

While Mindy finished readying herself for work I completed my exercise regiment and took Ykraps on his morning walk. It was still warm but completely clouded over. It bothered me little after enjoying four gorgeous days in a row, and a day’s worth of indoor plumbing to complete. I sat at the PC enjoying my morning coffee and surfing the internet. I was motivated to do little else. I figured I’d hold off on my run until Jacob was off to school. That gave me a little over an hour to hang out.

Mindy & Bella left at their usual time. Bella was very excited about spending the day with Maw-maw. As usual, Jacob played in his room until bus stop time. I spent more time on the PC. We hung at the bus stop for a few short minutes before it pulled up to whisk the children off to school. Pat & I chatted briefly before I headed back home to do my run and eventually start my plumbing exercise.

Meanwhile, the threatening skies had so far held off. Around 8:15 I dressed and left for a run. As luck would have it, about a mile in, it began to rain. It never did rain too hard, however. I was thankful for that. I was home after my run before 9:00am. I decided to shower and relax before starting my plumbing work. It was almost 10am when I finally got started.

Thinking the entire project through, I decided to mount the sink drain baskets first. This I had never done before, so it frightened me the most. In the end, it was very simple – both the normal drain basket as well as the one made for mounting the garbage disposal. Next, I started on the faucet. I got the new faucet mounted in about 20 minutes. It didn’t take too long at all. Step four involved hanging the garbage disposal from the bracket. That was a snap. So far so good. About that same time my dad phoned to check to see if I still wanted his help. Absolutely! I was just beginning the drain system.

It was just about 11am, and I remembered our Wednesday staff meeting. I told my boss that I’d dial in from home. I was on the conference call for a little over an hour and a quarter. I felt terrible leaving my dad hanging while I attended the meeting but it was necessary. Finally, around 12:20pm we got started. The sink was not only deeper than the original, but also because of the 60/40 split, the drains were in a different location. That meant the drain feeds and trap would have to be reconfigured. I wasn’t sure if I’d need to make a Home Depot run or not. But lucky for me, I was able to move this and cut that, making use of all the old stuff. I was able to complete the project without needing any new parts. Dad proved to be a big help with a few little, but important tips. Finally, the true test was about to commence. While testing for drips I learned that I had the supply lines crossed. No biggie. I resolved that pronto. We had one drip. I snugged the culprit and we were totally dry. The next test was to fill the sinks and then allow them to drain with full pressure. Both sides passed the test. Aside from a little clean-up the job I’d been fearing for up to 6 weeks was done! In completing it myself, I saved $500. All totaled, tearing out the counter tops and redoing the plumbing, I probably had a total of 4 hours labor in it. Not bad!

Dad left not long after the last test. I spent the next hour cleaning up my mess and then doing some caulking and trimming. It was only 2pm, and by then the sun had come out and the temperature soared into the 70’s. Our cloudy, rainy day was no more. I ran the dishwasher and then dressed for some unexpected yard work. I decided to edge the front flower beds – a job I really didn’t expect to get to for another week and one half. It was perfect outdoors. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. By the time Jacob got off the bus and Mind got home, I had most of the front flower beds edged. Like Sunday, I used the edgings to fill in some low spots. In addition, the edgings with healthy turf were used to patch some brown spots in the lawn. I was going to call it a day, but decided to finish all the front beds. I spent another half hour closing out the job. During that same time window, Jimaken showed up to pick-up the kids.

Mindy & I opted to stay home rather than make a food run. I wasn’t all that hungry after eating some of my Ding-Ho leftovers just a couple hours earlier. We spent our time on the deck and inside talking. The kids returned home near 7pm. Mindy let them play outside for a short while before calling them in for jammies. After the kids were tucked into bed I spent the next hour updating my blog. I was getting very tired. I told Mindy that I was heading to bed at 9:15pm. She joined me less than two minutes later. But I was so sleepy that I was nearly already asleep.

30 Days, 20 inches, 75 degrees

What a difference a month makes. On March 8th we were battling the blizzard of ’08 and pummeled with 20 inches of snow. Today we're expecting clear skies and temperatures approaching 75.

Almost habit, I was up before 5:30am. By the time I found my way down the stairs it was only 5:23am. I took an anti-inflammatory and vitamin (back to my usual morning meds) before starting my exercise routine. In addition, I grabbed my Blackberry from the cabinet to arrest the alarm once 5:30 hit. It sounded about half way through my sit-ups. I nipped it quickly. The rest of my exercise routine was in the bag by 5:40am. Soon, Ykraps and I were out the door. Once again it was a lovely spring morning. Numerous stars and warm temps were the big story.

After our walk, but before heading back inside, I placed our garbage can at the curb for pick-up. I realized as I went for coffee that I failed to push the go button. Ever since we removed the counter tops Sunday, the coffee maker clock hasn’t been set. To this point I hadn’t yet corrected it. Note to self! I did my PC playtime while waiting on coffee to brew. At 6:05am the coffee was ready. I enjoyed mine at the PC even though I had already done my thing there earlier.

I delivered Mindy’s coffee and woke her up near 6:10am. Back downstairs I did my morning meditation before taking off on my run. It was 50 degrees. I still wore long running pants and two light weight wicking shirts. Truth is, I was a tad chilly for the first half mile or so but quickly warmed once my juices got flowing. By the halfway point it was daylight. The rest of my run went well. I was back and ready for breakfast by 7:05am.

Both kids were up and mauling over their breakfast options. They both decided on Toaster Strudel’s but of different flavors. Mindy made the two of us scrambled eggs covered in cheese, and a side of fruit. I poured a second cup of coffee to go along with my food, something I normally do. Mindy & Bella soon left. Jacob headed for his room to play his Play Station 2. I headed for a shower. I was downstairs ready to go by 7:49am. I got distracted by one thing or another and before I knew it, Jacob was racing down the stairs to leave for the bus stop. But it’s not like we were late. It was only 7:54am.

Pat & Alanna were a minute or two behind us. After the bus swept the kids away, I took Pat to the house to show off our new counter tops. He offered a couple ideas for securing the dishwasher. By 8:15am I was on my way to work. As I pulled up I realized that this was sorta like a Friday since I had Wednesday scheduled off as a personal day. I scheduled the day off to tend to the kitchen plumbing. Work went well. Around 1pm I left for a rare lunch and headed to Home Depot where I bought a handful of little things to aid with tomorrow’s project. Plumbing wise, I had everything that I knew I needed, knew being the operative word. I took my time and ended up being gone just under an hour. The afternoon went by moderately fast. I left for home at 5:35pm.

I called Mindy, who was out shopping for Jacob’s birthday present and party supplies. He was with her. Bella was at dance. Mindy asked if I wanted a Chipotle. At first I declined but in a weak moment rescinded the decline and said yes. I was out walking Ykraps when they finally pulled in the subdivision. It was a lovely spring evening – somewhere near 70 degrees and sunny. We ate our Chipotle’s pretty fast. With no kitchen drains or faucet attached, it’s making life a bit chaotic if nothing else. Even before Mindy left to fetch Bella, I found my way to the recliner for a nap. I was already tired from stress, but the Chipotle burrito simply put me over the edge. I slept for a good hour, I’d guess. That’s rare for an evening nap. I could’ve slept longer, too, but the kids were being loud, especially Bella. I got up and went to the PC where I blogged. I spent the next 3 hours writing and then posting the past three days. Mindy headed for bed around 9:45pm. Since I didn’t have to work, I was determined to stay up and finish the task at hand all the while enjoying a HopSlam.

I headed to bed at 11pm. My body still ached from the all the yard work Sunday.

Rock Tops

I woke at what I thought was right on time. For the last hour or so I carefully kept an eye on the clock in an attempt to rise right at 5:30am. Our bedroom clock is one hour and thirty seven minutes fast – don’t ask. I thought my timing was perfect. The clock, I thought, said 7:07am when I sprang from bed to begin my day.
Imagine, then, how I must’ve felt when I glanced at the stove clock to find that it was already 5:50am. How that happened I still don’t know. Either the clock had been reset by Mindy, or perhaps even more realistic, my eyes deceived me. After all, my naked eye sight leaves something to be desired.

Other than the initial shock, sleeping 20 minutes late isn’t a big deal, especially since I build so much elbow room into my routine. I took my last dose of Tamiflu this AM. For that I was pleased. It’s expensive but highly effective at eradicating flu symptoms if caught in time. Thanks Craig! Ykraps and I were back from our lovely morning walk by 6:15am. I mentioned lovely. It was once again clear and warm -around 50 degrees. The day’s expected high was 70 degrees. Yahoo!

I woke Mindy with coffee around 6:20am. I moved swiftly through PC, coffee, & meditation. I left for my run somewhere close to 6:45am – several minutes later than usual. This was April 7, the day I projected as my return to running in daylight. Turns out, while this may be technically correct, it’s still darker than I expected at 6:30am. However, by 6:50am, for all intents and purposes, it’s daylight.

I was back from my run by 7:20am. Mindy made the best of half a kitchen and still made our eggs. I used one of the small counter top pieces as a table top placed strategically on the island cabinets. The most difficult thing to come to grips with was the absence of a kitchen sink and running water. We had to use the bathroom for rinsing. I already had my laptop up and running and logged into work. Even before heading off to the shower I had a good pulse on the work day. I showered and walked Jacob to the bus stop at our usual time. It was absolutely lovely.

At the bus stop I visited with Pat for about ten minutes after the bus left. I hadn’t seen him since their return from Arizona – nice tan! I headed back home at 8:15am. I was worried that the counter top folks wouldn’t show up. I hadn’t talked to them for about ten days. They never returned my call Friday afternoon. Still, I had a firm install appointment for AM Monday, April 7. I expected them to hold up there end just as I had done mine.

I busily worked for the next hour. Around 9:15am the door bell rang. It was Rock Tops here to serve. They came in to assess the work area and found everything as needed save for removing all the top drawers from the cabinets. I obliged as they got right to it. They worked steadily for the next two plus hours getting my granite in. While they worked, so did I. We stayed out of each others way for the most part. I asked questions only when I felt completely necessary. By 11:45am they were done. There were only a couple surprises. First, there was a large 3/8” gap where they purposefully shimmed one piece to make it level with the all rest of the surfaces. I was flabbergasted that they would do that. He said a small piece of trim would cover the gap nicely, but that would be my responsibility. I knew that it would and understood that things often need shimmed, but this seemed overkill, and besides, it was fine with the laminate tops. Still, I didn’t question his answers right then. Too, I quickly identified a couple scratches on the island that I wanted addressed. He said they’d send a “punch-out” guy out to rectify any problems.

Understanding of that, I wished them well and allowed them on their way. Over all, the tops looked fantastic! It makes a world of difference. Mindy called just as I packed up to leave for work. I shared the news that they had just left and were done. She sounded somewhat relieved.

I made it to work by 12:20pm, and got busy right away. The afternoon passed like any other work day. By late afternoon it felt like I had been there all day. Fact is, while I had worked all day, I had been in the office for only 5 hours.

Mindy made arrangements for my dad to greet Jacob at the bus stop after school. I learned on my way home that all of that went as planned. Mindy had her bi-weekly Monday staff meeting. She asked that I pick-up pizzas on my way home. We had loosely planned for such a meal over the weekend knowing that we wouldn’t have full use of our kitchen again until Wednesday when I planned to install the new kitchen faucet.

I ordered two pizzas – an extra-large pepperoni and a medium cheese. They were ready a few minutes after my arrival – perfect! And just like always, I snuck a piece on my drive home. We all sat at the kitchen table to enjoy pizza, dad included. This might be a record. This, the third time I’ve seen him in only two days.

After our dinner he pointed out two more flaws in our granite tops – another scratch and a small chip. I appreciated the knowledge. I didn’t fret too much, though, figuring that I’d simply have them addressed it when they come back out.

Dad left around 8pm. Mindy & I got the kids ready for bed soon after he departed. Tired, both of us went to bed at 9pm.

Taking Off My Top

I wouldn’t quite describe my night’s sleep as blissful, but then again I felt ten times better than I did Saturday. I woke at 6:45am just as I had planned. I was up early to make the 9:00am family breakfast at Bob Evans. By the looks of it, it was going to be another fabulous day weatherwise. That made each phase of the early morning that much easier.

By 7:05am I had taken my flu meds, exercised, and walked Ykraps. Planning backwards from our scheduled departure time, I figured I could relax and enjoy coffee until 7:50am. I took Mindy her coffee at 7:45am. Just before darting out the door for my run, I attempted to reach Tommy, who asked that we give him a wake-up call when we saw him Friday night.

My run went well. It was lovely, and I could’ve comfortably worn shorts but didn’t. And as a change of pace, I ran along Trabue & Hague. The spring birds were singing in full chorus as bright sunshine dappled the morning vistas. Signs of spring’s awakening were everywhere - trees budding, flowers blooming, and lawns thickening & greening. It was a great morning to be alive!

I returned from my run at 8:25am. Meanwhile, I could hear Mindy’s blow dryer running upstairs. I waited a few minutes before heading up to shower so not to crowd the bathroom. It didn’t take me too long at all once I headed up. I was showered and ready in a little over ten minutes. In fact, I was ready even before Mindy. Somehow I ended up outside with my camera and locked out of the house. I must’ve exited through the garage. Anyhow, I spent those last few minutes taking a couple spring time pictures waiting for Mindy to come out. We left for Bob Evans at 8:55am. We’re relatively close so it didn’t take long. We were there at 9:01am.

Standing there by the entrance was my dad, and it looked like he was on his cell phone – an unusual position to see him in. He mentioned Bobby & April forgetting that it was “first Sunday”. Looked like it would be just the three of us. We were seated immediately, unlike those Sunday’s when there are ten of us. We were seated in a booth.

I ordered the same thing I had last time – two eggs, bacon, hash browns, & two pancakes. We talked about a number of things including kids, Pete Simsic’s health, Char’s visit to Oregon, and Connie’s wedding. Dad reported not speaking with Margie in many, many months. As I understand it, she’s made it clear that she doesn’t want to be friendly. Too bad! Mindy & I each asked dad for a favor. I asked for his help later in the afternoon removing my counter tops to make way for our granite on Monday. Mindy asked if he would get Jacob off the bus Monday after school. He agreed to do both.

We weren’t there long. We were on our way home by 10:05am. I was excited about the prospect of getting yard chores started – my first of the year. Relatively speaking, I would be getting a late start. Most years past, I have already had two or three weekend days of yard work in the bag. Before heading home, we stopped at the power wash car wash on Wilson Rd. I planned ahead and put my car wash bucket in the Trooper before we left the house. Hey, so that’s how I got locked out!

Mindy watched while I washed the Trooper – its first bath in maybe six months. More than anything the wheels were extremely grimey. After fifteen minutes of spraying & scrubbing she was about as clean as I could get her. We drove home where I put on the finishing touches. I shami’d her off and armor–all’d the tires.

I wasted little time moving to phase II. I changed into yard grubbies and grabbed the shed keys. It was time to get busy. I grabbed gloves, rake, and tarp and started out front. I spent a good 1.5 hours cleaning & removing dead yard debris from the flower beds. I filled the tarp so full that I could hardly pull it. I almost always use my spring yard refuse elsewhere in the yard. This time I relocated a lot of it to a spot down by the water that’s eroded away with the help of raccoons digging for critters. The rest I dumped into the shrubbery along the pond. Over the years it’s helped to rebuild what naturally erodes during heavy rain storms. I moved to the back next.

Out back I had more spent yard debris to rake up. I cut down the ornamental grasses and raked the gathered leaves from around the deck. That always fills a tarp or two. I drug those loads to the compost pile out back to help build up the lip along the drainage stream that feeds the pond. Next, I trimmed the honey suckle bush that hugs the green ash mid-way back in the yard. That was a big hack job given that I only trimmed it once or twice last season. It really needs it three or four times. All the yard work, if viewed on the whole, causes me angst. I get this overwhelming feeling of hopelessness, much like spending time in the basement trying to organize. But if I take it one step at a time I find much greater enjoyment in it. Let’s just say that I am getting better at it.

I ended up getting more done than I though possible. I even got both mowers out and started. The Toro started on the first pull, believe it or not. The tractor started quick too. I was most pleased. There’s so much more to do, however. It’s like a six to eight week project getting the yard from winter’s wrath to spring’s final plantings. In between there’s lots of grueling but fruitful labor. I strive to be largely in maintenance mode by Memorial Day weekend.

It was 4pm and time for Mindy & the kids, who were back from a weekend with daddy, to head to Maw-maws. I already made arrangements to stay back and remove the counter tops. I decided not to phone dad until I was completely ready for the lift off. Largely because of all the prep work I had done, it didn’t take long. I had the plumbing disconnected and the last counter top ready to lift off in less than 30 minutes. Dad arrived 15 minutes after my call. We lifted off the sink and counter first. That went smoothly – just as expected. Next, we carried out the island top. I placed them on the deck for the time being.

Dad didn’t stay too long. After he departed I spent almost an hour removing the liquid nails used to secure the tops to the cabinets. Later, I started fooling around with the dishwasher, which I realized wasn’t very stable. More poor workmanship by M/I (my builder) that has been masked for 14 years. Not able to leave well enough alone, I fooled with its stability until I caused the water line to develop a small leak. GREAT! That’s me, though. I had no choice but to tinker with that. Mindy & the kids were home now. I asked for Mindy’s assistance. Thankfully, I hadn’t kinked the copper hose- just loosened it, I think. After redoing the connection the leak stopped. Crisis avoided!

We were set. The laminate tops were off and cabinets ready to receive their shiny new granite. By then I was starving. Mindy, thankfully, brought home some dinner leftovers. I ate that in a hurry, and then had her pour me a Barley’s Pale Ale. We went up to bed around 10pm, but not before taking a much needed shower. I was filthy from all the yard work.

Hung Over & Hanging On

The Beaver's back!

I must have woken near 7:30am only to realize how poorly I was feeling. I went back to sleep a few times trying to thwart any potential hangover. But my efforts were fruitless. I felt terrible. Yet as bad as I felt, I couldn’t sleep. I decided to get out of bed just before 8:30am and head downstairs. I knew right away that I wasn’t ready for prime time. I quickly found the sofa where I went in & out of sleep a handful of times. When I finally got vertical it was 10:45am. Geesh!

I felt better for the extra sleep but by no means 100%. Mindy was up as well and I shared my condition with her. While the coffee brewed I managed to muster the energy to walk Ykraps. He’d been patient long enough. It was already 11am and the weather was looking promising. The clouds from Friday were parting over head and it got clearer with each passing minute.

Back at home I moved slowly from one thing to the next, being careful not to launch myself into full hangover mode. I had coffee and some toast with cream cheese. Even though it was sunny, the air was still chilly. Mindy & I spent some time on the deck soaking in the sunshine. Luckily, we had very little planned. We discussed two errands. One, to visit Value City Furniture to check out their plasma TV stands, and the other to visit Lowe’s to purchase our new kitchen faucet. That was it. Anything else would be considered add-ons. I headed out for my run near noon. By then I felt considerably better.

After my run I felt even better. Still, we took our time getting going, and I even tried napping. We left the house around 3pm. By then the weather was gorgeous – about 60 and sunny. I was still a little bummed that I let the lion’s share of the day go by without taking advantage of the lovely weather and completing some yard work. But there is always tomorrow. Mindy phoned Bob & Mary Ann to test their interest in hooking up for dinner. Turned out, Bob was feeling similar to me – poorly - go figure! They later called back and begged out.

We stopped at the Value City furniture located in Great Western. What a throw back! It’s located in the old grocery store at the center’s south end. There were a bunch of good ol’ boys working the floor. They approached us right away. I was mentally prepared for it and toyed with the fella some. We asked a question or two about a couple of the stands we liked. As we browsed the store Mindy snagged her shirt on a tack protruding from a cheap recliner. I alerted the salesman to the flaw. He seemed unfazed. He let us know that the two plasma stands we liked were out of stock until the end of April at the earliest.

We left Great Western destined for Lowe’s. Mindy asked that I make a quick stop home on our way so she could deal with some feminine issues. We arrived at Lowe’s about 20 minutes later. I already knew that I wanted to get some fertilizer and indoor flood light bulbs too. We shopped Lowe’s for about 45 minutes. We got everything we wanted – the faucet, fertilizer, and bulbs. We even got some ant spray.

We left Lowe’s hungry. Our first choice for food was the new Ding-Ho located on Phillipi Rd just north of the old Red Lobster. We weren’t sure that it was opened yet but decided to give it a go. The signage out front said opening soon but the lot was packed. We pulled in and wandered on in. They were open for business. Mindy gave our name and then we waited. Mindy ran across a friend from church dining. We chatted with her for a short time. Soon, we were called and seated. We ordered what we usually order, or at least I did. Not only was I hungry, I was thirsty too. An ice cold, fully leaded, Coke sounded terrific. By the time we ate our dinner appetizers we were both pretty full,but still had our main entrées to eat. Once they arrived, we managed to eat some of them. We always leave Ding-Ho with leftovers.

With full bellies & leftovers, we headed for home. Mindy had her heart set on hot tubbing, so soon after arriving home we readied the tub and got in for about 20 minutes. Back inside we watched a batch of make-over episodes. It’s amazing how transformed some of these people looked. A nip here and a tuck there… We headed for an early bed- time after TV. No wildness tonight!

Get To the Pointe

Fearing that I might over sleep, I kept a watchful eye on the clock as the last couple hours of sleep time passed. It got to where it made no sense to lie there, so I got up and started my morning early. It was only 5:20am. By the time I choked down my flu meds (I skipped the cough syrup) and began exercising it was 5:25am. I proceeded with my Blackberry at my side in hopes of quickly intercepting the alarm.

I felt completely energized as I went through the morning’s paces. Instead of feeling beaten down I’d be returning to work feeling renewed. And looking ahead, the weekend was supposed to be gorgeous. I had plenty of time to play after waking so early. Most of my extra time was spent playing on the internet, but I left for my run a little early, too.

It was about 50 degrees so I wore a lighter jacket. Unfortunately, it was raining, but there wasn’t a thing I could do about it, so run in the rain I did. I peeled out of my wet running clothes immediately upon my return. Jacob was up but noticeably unhappy about returning to school. He complained of still not feeling well. Mindy helped him out of his funk by reviewing his spelling words. Bella remained in bed until the last minute. We were most worried about her. Her symptoms were far worse than mine or Jacob’s.

Bella got up on her own while Mindy was in the bathroom. She was in good enough spirits to hide from her momma. Very cute. They left with no trouble leaving me & Jacob alone. We hadn’t been through this fire drill in a couple of weeks. Because of the light but steady rain, I drove Jacob to the bus stop. He waited there in the Trooper until the bus pulled up.

I arrived to work feeling very good, although with guarded my optimism. I wasn’t sure how long I could or would hold up. In the meantime, it rained all day long. In fact, on more than one occasion, it was blowing darn near sideways. I stayed fairly busy, just like any Friday. Fortunately, I maintained that high level of energy all day long.

Around 4 pm Mindy sent me a picture of Bella via her cell phone of her crashed out in the minivan. Mindy had to make another trip to CVS to get more liquid Tamiflu for the kids. They (the pharmacy) shorted her a bottle for each, and one must take ten doses.

By the time I left work to head for home it was 5:35pm. Mindy and the kids were gone when I arrived. I knew the kids would be gone. It was a daddy weekend. And Mindy, I assumed, was at the grocery. However, later, I remembered that she was going to the funeral home to pay respects to friend’s mother. I took care of Ykraps and then played on the PC. I never quite made it to the recliner for the nap I wanted, at least not until Mindy got home. Around 6:55pm I finally found my way to the recliner where I might’ve slept for 5 minutes. Even still, I woke feeling incredibly good and ready to go.

Mindy was tooling around in the kitchen, but can’t recall what exactly she was doing. Nonetheless, she took the hint that I was ready to go. She went and readied herself. We left for Barley’s near 7:30pm. We hit a wall of rain on our drive there. After last weekend and then being sick, we both needed a night out with friends.
I was elated to find Barley’s Centennial IPA back on the tower after about a five or six month absence. I ordered one of those. Too, I told Mindy that I thought the Imber’s would be absent, but they were there. We hadn’t seen them in about three weeks. Meanwhile, we already knew the Jump’s were there dining in the back. Steve Won was there too. The rest of the regulars were either missing or arriving later.

Through the evening, we were privileged to share our favorite pub once again with Joe & Camilla. Later, Rene and a bunch of her peeps showed up as did Rick & brother Tommy. Rebecca, freshly back from the Dominican Republic, gifted me a Dominican cigar, however, not sure when/if I’ll smoke it.

I never did order a meal, and ended up drinking 5 beers – an almost certain hangover. I did sneak a bite or two of Mindy’s sandwich. I don’t think she realized it. :)
We had a lot of fun and ended up agreeing to a stop at the Pointe Tavern on our way home. Mindy, of course, was driving. I was looking forward to seeing ol’ Katy, who tends bar there. The Pointe is a frequent after work hang-out for Barley employees. They were all meeting us there.

Somehow or another, we arrived well after others. It’s just a mile or so down the road. It was pretty full, but our Barley’s peeps had a spot secured for all of us. I think it’s fair to say, Bob & I were both feelin’ no pain even before the Pointe. Soon there were shots flowing, and almost without thinking I did one then another. They were the fruity ones, too. The beer there leaves something to be desired but it was tolerable. Besides, we didn’t go for the beer. Instead, we went more for the camaraderie. We had a good time hootin’ & hollering. And it was awfully good to see Katy.

Sadly, I don’t remember too much about going home. I do, however, remember Mindy urging me up to bed after jumping on the internet to check the Reds final score.

Flu Tu

Already certain that I wasn’t going to work, I slept until 7:15am. Like any other morning, I brushed my teeth and grabbed my running clothes off the hook in the closet before heading down the stairs to start my day. Aside from making coffee, I took my meds – Tamiflu, Ibuprofen, & Delsym. I skipped my vitamin and scripted anti-inflammatory. I felt considerably better than I did Wednesday morning. It wasn’t even close. In turn, my exercise routine went far easier too. That was an especially good sign.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t as forgiving. It was cloudy and threatening rain. Ykraps and I took our walk towards the east. The one silver lining was the temperature. It was already near 50. We ran into fireman Mike leaving for his part-time job. We talked for a couple minutes.

Back at home I poured some coffee and then took to the PC. Those nasty flu symptoms came in waves, but they were never too strong and left almost as soon as they arrived. Bella was up early and looked pretty good compared to the day before. She didn’t seem to have a fever either. That was good news. Jacob remained in his bed. I left Mindy sleep since she didn’t get a good night’s sleep the evening before. I dressed and left for a run sometime around 9am. My run went so much easier today, although my hamstrings and hips still ached a little. However, with my expectations in check, I didn’t expect to feel perfect.

Everyone was up when I returned. Mindy’s phone rang a number of times. She was a chatty woman. She had a doctor’s appointment scheduled around noon related to her planned May surgery. She readied for that. Both kids were far better today as well. We knew simply by their fighting energy. They argued and fought quite a bit. Mindy left for her appointment, and the kids stayed with me. We spent a lot of time on the couch napping and watching TV. The thing about the flu, even nicely medicated, it takes away your energy. I was napping three and four times a day.

We watched a cool show on TLC about bricks and then one about concrete. Both were very educational. For example, did you know that the latest concretes allow light to pass through and it’s comparatively stronger than its older counterparts. Learn something new every day. I was pleased to see that Jacob was as fascinated with the program as I was.

Eventually tiring of TV, I made my way to the PC to fool around with pictures – go figure! Mindy got back from her doctor’s appointment some time after 2pm. She shared how she was poked and prodded and in all sorts of unique places by the doctor and his assistants. Even another nosey patient got in on the action. I didn’t really care to hear the gory details. I asked that she save them for the dinner table. J Speaking of dinner, Mindy asked what we wanted. We eventually agreed to have home cooked burgers. Mindy really wanted Greek, but I didn’t feel like going out. No one did.

Around 4:30pm Mindy got to cooking. I, in turn, took to napping after doing some reading. I walked Ykraps before settling down for dinner. I thought about waiting until afterwards, but let’s face it, that would’ve driven me nuts. Our burgers were delicious. They were served with a side of green peas. Bella, sitting right beside me, coughed repeatedly and on her burger. Honestly, it grossed me out. I had my eyes on her leftovers prior to that.

Clean up went quickly. After dinner, Jacob and I wrestled some. Mindy already told him that he was heading back to school tomorrow. He didn’t want to, but that was tough. All of us were going back to our routines tomorrow. Bella was still having coughing fits. She was hit the hardest – not getting the flu medicine in her fast enough to see the same results that Jacob and I recognized.

The kids and Mindy watched a DVD of some sort. If memory serves, I think it was Mulan II. Until then, I didn’t realize that there was such a thing. As bed time approached, we both worked to get the kids bathed and ready for bed. I saw Jacob through a shower, and Mindy dealt with Bella. We had them in bed by 8pm but they didn’t go immediately asleep. Jacob stayed up and watched the Buckeye NIT championship game from his bed. Bella just coughed from bed.

I watched the Buckeye game too. In fact, it’s the only OSU basketball game that I’ve watched all year. We won! Eager for a good night’s sleep, I headed for bed even before Mindy. I was in bed by 9:30pm.

Family Sick Day

I planned to keep my schedule as close to normal as possible even though I knew that the likelihood of going into work was minimal. To that end, I was up at 5:50am even though I would’ve preferred a longer bout of sleep. I could tell that the Tamiflu was working, but still felt achy and still had that cough. If I had a fever, it was minimal. I took the full compliment of flu meds before getting my exercises underway. It would’ve been really easy to push them aside but figured that as long as I could do them I should.

My lower back ached as I completed my sit-ups, and for the first time in as long as I can remember they took my wind away. If nothing else, I took longer breaks between sets. My push-ups might’ve been the toughest. My shoulder and elbow joints were stiff and ached to the core, but somehow I made it through a set of fifty. Lastly, I completed forty dumb bell curls. They were the easiest of the three sets.

I felt much like a zombie as Ykraps and I walked the neighborhood. I took note of the star filled pre-dawn sky. It looked like a lovely day on the horizon. Back at home I made a cup of coffee more out of habit than anything else. I didn’t crave it like usual. But I suppose that was to be expected given my condition.

Those that know me best would expect to learn that I still set out on my run. I left with my head in a fog around 6:50am. It was a difficult run from the standpoint, my muscles weren’t at all limber. Instead, they were stiff and unresponsive. My legs felt like two-by-fours. Plus, I lacked my usual energy store. And I wasn’t at all surprised when my upper respiratory tract began to pain me as well. I did my best to stay in the moment and dismiss the mild discomfort. In the end, it was an excruciatingly long run, but I finished.

I know from experience that for a good thirty minutes after finishing a run I lack any signs of ongoing illness, whether it’s a cold, hangover, or even the flu. Today was no different. I spent the next 20 minutes logging onto my work laptop, and then sent a message to my boss, peers, and team alerting them that I would be out today and most likely tomorrow with the flu. Calling off has never been easy for me. I suck at it. I feel so dirty! I got over quickly, however. I knew my body needed the rest, and the truth is, I was looking forward to a couple days of unproductive downtime.

I was in no hurry to wake the family either. No one had to be anywhere. Instead, I kept to myself. I did spend a little time logged into work reviewing a few emails and even sent a response to a couple.

Mindy & Bella were up somewhere close to 9:00am. Mindy was up at least twice in the night with the kids – Jacob both times, I think. He wanted to be sure his momma knew he was way too sick to return to school. I spent an hour or so on my home PC writing in my blog. I felt good having run and having the “triple play” of flu meds running through my system. But come about 10am I got to feeling woozy again. I craved nothing but the sofa. I found my path there quickly.

I slept for a good hour or two. In the meantime, the kids were up and the sun was shining brightly. It was deceptively beautiful. Mindy commented that it looked warm. I informed her that it was only 41 degrees. We both got a chuckle out of Bella, who requested we go boating. She was dead serious. Mindy sent her to me for an answer. Rather than say no, I told her that if it got to 80 we’d go. J

After yet another nap on the sofa, this time with Bella, we got up and spent some time on the deck and in the sunshine. Turns out, it got a little warmer than expected. It made it into the low 50’s. The sunshine was warm but the air cool. I even took my guitar out like it was summer time. Everyone came out – the kids and Mindy. That eventually led to some light backyard activity. I pushed Bella on the tree swing and even threw the baseball with Jacob. He needs the practice given that we’re signed up for coach-pitch baseball this spring. His catching and throwing are far behind his hitting. But I have no doubt that he’ll pick it up quickly. He’s naturally athletic.

I went in after being outdoors for almost an hour. While were outside, Mindy took a shower. I didn’t take one all day. Thankfully, that only happens once or twice a year! I noticed a post-it note upright on Mindy’s laptop screen that had daughter Courtney & Chad’s names scrawled on it. That piqued my interest to say the least, especially given my recent concerns for her well-being. Mindy also had a video loop running of a SWAT bust. My heart sunk, immediately linking the two incidents. I took liberties with her laptop and replayed the video a few times. There was nothing there to prove or disprove my hunch. I thought about seeking out Mindy while she showered but decided to leave her in peace.

She came downstairs around 4pm after her shower. After a few minutes passed I asked if there was anything that she needed to share with me. There was. Seems both Courtney & Chad got themselves arrested on Tuesday for separate misdemeanor offenses. It’s another dagger in my heart to be sure. I wish there were something I could readily do. But short of prayer and positive thinking, there’s little I can do to change their current path. Mindy and I talked about it a little bit before Jimaken came by to visit the kids.

Any other Wednesday this would’ve been a Mindy Wednesday, and he would’ve taken the kids to dinner. But since we were all sick, he decided to simply visit them at our MASH unit. To make Jimaken more comfortable, I left him alone in the family room with the kids and Mindy while I went to my PC. He must’ve stayed for about an hour. In the meantime, Mindy was in the kitchen slowly starting our dinner – leftovers. I found it somewhat comical listening to their interactions.

Around 600pm I left with Ykraps for his evening walk. It was a nice spring evening that brought out many of the neighbors. I noted Jimaken driving by as we walked back towards the house from the west. I waved but don’t thik he acknowledged me. There are those folks that don’t have the same peripheral vision that I have. I could tell that I needed another dose of flu meds. I was beginning to feel the virus’s ugly effects return. I chose to put that on hold until after dinner. We had steak, tacos, and cream of chicken over rice available to choose from. Jacob and I chose tacos, Mindy - a taco salad. Bella had frozen pizza. I later learned that Jacob had the cream of chicken, too. No one had the leftover steak. Maybe tomorrow. After dinner the kids had mini-popsicles. Even sick, they’re little eating machines.

Mindy made sure that Jacob got a shower since he hadn’t had one since Monday night. Usually that’s my chore but because I was ill she gave me a break. God bless her! The kids and I played some Wii after they were in their jammies. Mindy made sure that they were in bed by 8:30pm. Mindy & I tuned into Family Guy until American Idol at 9:00pm. It was elimination night. Craving some popcorn, I popped a bag. We headed to bed around 10:15pm. I convinced Mindy to turn on the bedroom TV as a sleep aide since I felt wide awake. After all, I slept for 3 or 4 hours during the day.

April Flu's Day

The latest trend of waking prior to 5:30am continued again this morning. It’s morphed into some what of a cat & mouse game between me and my Blackberry alarm. I make it downstairs, let’s say around 5:25am and take my meds and start my exercise. Meanwhile, I’ve got the Blackberry at my side waiting to acknowledge the alarm that sounds promptly at 5:30am. You can’t acknowledge it early. Most mornings it’s tucked neatly in a cabinet resting in the key basket. There, it’s only audible from close proximity. But honestly, as I write this, I am not even sure why I have the alarm set. I don’t use it for waking.

I was hopeful that the day would be clear. I already knew that it was going to be much cooler as the day went along. And once again, it was cloudy. After exercise Ykraps and I set out on our walk. It was a nice morning for a walk. The temperature hovered near 53 degrees.

Mindy was knowingly staying home from school again today, but now with both kids. Jacob developed the same dry cough and flu symptoms that Bella has. Brother Craig foresaw this and mentioned as much to Mindy when she took Bella in on Monday afternoon. Anyway, Mindy asked that I wake her just before my run so that she could tend to my lunch.

I went about my quiet time with little reason to hurry. I had plenty of time. After PC and meditation, I dressed for my run then delivered Mindy’s coffee. I hit the streets a few minutes early. Because it was warm, I didn’t bother with ear covers or gloves. If anything, I was still a bit overdressed. My run went well. It was fairly bright by the time I finished, even with the thick cloud cover.

Mindy was up when I got back. She had my lunch packed but hadn’t yet started our eggs. But that was OK. I was more than happy to make breakfast, and got started on it right away. I made a cheese & turkey omelet. I sliced off a third for Mindy. Jacob remained in bed the whole time. Bella, even while sick, was up early with the two of us. I showered and then dressed for work. I was all ready to go come 8:00am. I left for work minutes later.

I arrived to work around 8:20am. We were very busy, and staffing was somewhat pinched. Almost as soon as I arrived at the office I developed a slight twinge in my throat. And given that that was the tell-tale sign of the flu as it relates to Jacob & Bella, it got my immediate attention. I didn’t feel bad at all, however, so I simply shrugged it off and went about my morning like any other. I fetched my pitcher of ice water and also a cup of coffee. Back at my desk the dry cough continued. Uh-oh! It wasn’t bad, and it even subsided for several minutes at a time, but it would eventually return. Around 10:30am I sent Mindy and email indicating as much.

As the morning wore on the cough continued. Yet beyond the cough I felt pretty good. I convinced myself that it was little more than coincidence. I would be fine. The work day progressed. I worked through lunch, eating my packed food from my desk around 2pm. Every now and then I would get a light headed feeling but it would always pass. I attended a late afternoon meeting where my dry cough seemed to intensify. I must’ve talked with Mindy around 4:30pm. I told her of my symptoms. She insisted on having a Tamiflu prescription called in for me too. I didn’t stop her. She also mentioned that we were having grilled steak for dinner. This pleased me much. However, the warmer temperatures from earlier in the day were slowly but surely dropping. While we topped out near 60 earlier in the day, it was already in the 40’s come 5:00pm. I worked until 5:35pm. I arrived home near 6:00pm. The house was in good order and the kids reported that Mindy had already walked Ykraps. Again, this pleased me much. By then, there was little doubt in my mind that I had the flu, too. With each passing hour I continued to slide. My usually minor aches were amplified and the cough only worsened. Still, I wasn’t off my feet sick.

Mindy talked of me missing Wednesday’s work, but I would have nothing to do with it. After cleaning up dinner, Mindy volunteered to go fetch my prescription along with Jacob’s. Tamiflu is a newer flu med that if taken within the first 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, it significantly reduces the ongoing effects of flu. The way I see it, I have to feel good. That sounded like a good deal.

Mindy was gone for just over 15 minutes. I expected her to be gone longer. As soon as she returned she headed upstairs to give Bella a bath. Jacob didn’t need a shower. He was full of energy and Mindy intimated that he would be going back to school come Wednesday morning. As soon as he caught wind of that noise, his dry cough got worse. :)

I spent the evening hours updating my blog. Around 8:30pm, after tucking in the kids, Mindy & I tuned into American Idol. Meanwhile, my condition seemed to worsen by the minute. As I stretched out on the sofa I got the chills and felt a little feverish. I decided it was time to launch a full assault on the flu. Like the kids, I took Tamiflu, Delsym, and Ibuprofen – something I would never have done prior to meeting Mindy. I just never understood or believed in doubling and even tripling up on meds. But hey, I have to admit, I began feeling considerably better within 20 minutes. Wow!

After Idol (ended at 9pm) Mindy & I watched two episodes of Family Guy on TBS. Needless to say, it was entertaining - mindless humor. We headed up to bed just after 10pm.