Rain and 60

I was up a few minutes early and downstairs by 531am. I knowingly didn’t prep coffee the night before, so before doing anything else, I had to get that going. In the meantime, I could hear rain pounding against the roof and skylights. I glanced out back revealing that the rain had already eaten all the weekend’s snow. L  In fact, a little earlier there was a bit of lightning and thunder. But that was somewhere near 4am.

I breezed through sit-ups and push-ups then took to my PC armed with a cup of coffee. I was a little surprised to see that it was a whopping 48 degrees. Thankfully, it looked like the heavy stuff was already past us, and the forecast claimed that we would have breaks of sunshine with temps in the 50’s during the afternoon. Once again, we were on a winter roller coaster ride. As it was, there weren’t any major temperature fluctuations predicted for the coming week, but the weekend ahead looks like it may be cold enough to ski. We’re keeping our fingers crossed. We plan to celebrate Bella’s adoption day on the mountain.

I ended up spending way too much time online, not breaking away until almost 610am. I guess you could say that I was enjoying myself way too much. I went ahead and poured Mindy’s coffee and headed up to wake her. It was almost 620am by the time I was back downstairs for meditation and stretching. I didn’t spend a whole lot of time on meditation but even a little bit of time is better than none. Even though it was brief, it was rewarding. I can say the same for the stretching. It was incredible. 

Because it was so warm, I had to modify my winter attire. I opted to wear lighter running tights and a thin wicking shirt with the same pullover fleece.  I wore hand covers but only a ball cap on my head. It was spitting rain when I headed out the door. And by run’s end, it was enough to wet me from head to toe, but by no means was I drenched. I ran the full 4.1 miles and the time went by relatively fast.

Back at the house, Mindy asked if it was cold enough to warm her car. I informed her that it was near 50. She called off the warming. I still needed to walk the dog, however, so I gave the door bell a few rings. That didn’t work so I resorted to door knocking. That gets her every time. Can’t help herself. She took care of business much easier than she might’ve had there been snow on the ground. I suppose she picks up the required scent much easier.

I wished I had asked Mindy to make fried eggs as opposed to a scrambled omelet but I forgot. She had my eggs waiting in the microwave when I got back. It wasn’t long before she was out the door for work. And I’m pretty sure she asked the kids to bus home to Noah’s.

Running a little late, I wasn’t off to the shower until 740am. I opted to lube up my new haircut versus trying to blow dry it on day one. I wore black Dockers and an older purple button-up dress shirt. I wasn’t downstairs until just after 8am. I moved swiftly to put together a lunch. Thankfully, Mindy already had a salad for the ready. All I had to do was throw together some fruit, cheese and a banana. The kids and I headed out to the bus stop at 810am. The kids liked the idea of wearing just their fleece jackets. And while there were clouds directly overhead, the sky was nothing but blue directly to the west. It looked like a banner spring day in the offing. In fact, it sounded like one, too. Birds were singing and scurrying all about. Quite a contrast to last Friday’s wintry blast.

Kenny was out with the girls. Chatted about the crazy weather. And I also shared that I bought a new pair of skis. The bus arrived on time, and Eiknarf gave Mrs. Vanorder an earful just as she does every other morning.  Soon the kids were on their way to school and me and Eiknarf on our way back to the house.

I enjoyed a second cup of coffee while downloading Sunday afternoon’s photos. Time flew by. Always does when I get involved with my photo collection. I left for work near 830am. It was a lovely drive into the office. And by the time I arrived the sun was out in full force. Crazy beautiful. You wouldn’t guess that it was mid/late January.

I spent my day working on several things, some proactive and some reactive. In the end it was a good balance of both, which suits me just fine. Lindsey texted during the day asking about an oil change. I couldn’t/didn’t respond until late in the day. Too busy.  Didn’t hear a peep from Mindy. Ate my lunch at my desk. Didn’t consider heading anywhere. I did peer out the window from afar and saw that it was clouded over again. I checked the temperature a time or two. It was 59 degrees at one point. No doubt, couple with the earlier rain, a big blow to MRMs snow pack. Can’t say enough about what those folks have done to make the mountain ski-ready this year. Constant work!

It was just after 530p when I left the office for home. I called Mindy but Bella answered. She shared that she wasn’t having the best of afternoons, but couldn’t really say why. I did my best to cheer her up. Mindy now on the phone, she shared how crazy her afternoon was, including Lindsey waiting at our house when she got home needing money for her oil change and gas. Said she had to call my dad to get the kids off the bus after Dena called to report a really sick kid at home. Agreed to have chili leftovers for dinner.

Arrived home ahead of 6pm. Bella was doing math home work and needed someone to check her work. She seemed sad. I looked it over so Mindy could continue making our dinner, which we now agreed on chili dogs. Bella was going on and on about sucking at all of her school work. She made some mistakes on her math to which I tried to offer some help. She was being overtly fussy and whiney about it. Having fought similar battles with Jacob and even Lindsey way back in the day, I figured it was better to put the books down for a few minutes or until her mood improved. Bella liked that idea. But I explained clearly that we’d have to get back on it right after dinner because this was a gymnastics night too. She understood.

I had two chili dogs, and Mindy did as well. They were really good.. Both kids simply had a bowl of chili. Mindy warmed the leftover cornbread as well. I was gonna pass on corn bread but ended up eating just one piece.

While I managed clean-up, Mindy worked with Bella on correcting her math homework. She seemed to be in a far better place. Makayla was there for most of it.  Maybe that had a positive impact. As soon as her homework was completed, Mindy sent her up to change for gymnastics. And because Mindy was feeling a bit overwhelmed, I agreed to do both the drop and pick-up. That made Mindy happy.

Bella and I left the house at 650pm. We arrived still a minute or two early. As soon as

Bella was safely inside, I headed for home. We didn’t do a whole lot other than stretch out in the family room. I even dosed off for a few minutes. The time went fast. Soon it was 815pm and time to go after Bella. I got there right on time.

Like my last visit, the practice was far more populated than it was through most of the fall quarter. Bella gathered her things and we headed for home. Said she had a great practice and was the first one to finish her entire routine.  She was noticeable proud of herself, and went as far as to tell me just how natural gymnastics come to her and how it makes her feel right at home. She continued by contrasting that against her scholastic performance, citing that she doesn’t get it and my never get good at it. I listened but then shared how I can tell that she loves gymnastics. I went on to share that she would succeed scholastically too, because she’s a winner. Just takes a winning attitude and effort. She listened but expressed some doubt. J

We arrived home a few minutes later. She was quick to share how well gymnastics went with her momma. After some family chatter, Mindy sent her to ready for bed. It was already nearing 9pm. We were watching the American Idol program we DVR’d Sunday night that originally ran after the NFC championship game. At 9pm, after Idol, we tuned into American Pickers at Jacob’s request. I was surprised he wanted to watch it. It was entertaining.

Mindy and the kids were in bed by 930pm. I stayed up playing around online and watching a little more of the American Pickers. I headed to bed at 1015pm.

A Late Xmas present to Myself

I was up once again just ahead of 8am. I felt decent, but definitely could’ve slept longer. However, the thought of sleeping past 8am has never resonated with me. Seems like a huge waste of valuable time.

By the time I was downstairs making coffee I was wide awake and ready for the day. It was cloudy and still below freezing. The temperature was 28 degrees. Wasn’t expected to remain that cold, though.  We were expecting a high in the low 40s as we cycle back towards 50 by Monday. 

While enjoying coffee, I wrote most of Friday’s blog entry. And around 905am I readied for a run. Mindy & Eiknarf were still upstairs sleeping when I headed out the door. As I headed off to run I realized the need to try and clear the driveway of any remaining snow and ice (mostly ice). I ran three miles, once again taking advantage of the narrow path of untouched snow along the curb. Meanwhile, my right knee was feeling a little odd, perhaps a tad swollen, after Saturday’s skiing. It’s the same feeling I experienced last weekend. It didn’t hurt.

I waved to Kenny, who was presumably heading off to work as I was heading out the door. I ran the three miles without issue being careful not to slip on any of the ice when off the preferred track.  At the run’s conclusion, I happened upon Mindy out front walking the pug. I stayed out with the two of them until Eiknarf was done.

Saturday evening we talked about the possibility of doing brunch at Milestone 229 this morning. We also talked about heading to ASBCO so Mindy could look for the matching pants to her new ski jacket. Supposed to be purple. I don’t think she’s liking being in all black. I offered to buy the pants to serve as a gift for one or more of the Mindy holidays fast approaching (Valentines Day, anniversary, birthday). UgH!  And while we’re there, I thought I might look at rockered powder skis, too. 

The brunch thing never came up, but we did talk about visiting ASBCO. Mindy called niece Lindy and made arrangements for her to come over that afternoon to cut my hair and texture hers. I’m thinking she said around 4pm. I headed to the shower around 11am. Mindy came up for a shower soon after. It took a little while for both of us to get ready.

Mindy wanted to grocery shop, too, but figured to do that after we got back. She didn’t ask if I wanted to go along. Before we headed out, I decided to take my ski boots just in case I made the impulsive leap and bought new skis. We agreed to stop at the Arlington ASBCO first, though I tend to like the Powell store a little better. For one, they typically have more inventory on hand. Took about 15-20 minutes to make our way to ASBCO winding through lovely Upper Arlington.

The lot was fairly packed, but most cars were at the wildly popular Japanese restaurant nearby/next door. By then, the temperature was above freezing. Lots of puddles forming in the parking lot. I purposely left my ski boots in the back of the Pilot when we headed in.

While Mindy looked at the ski pants I browsed skis on my own, which is just how I like to do it. A sales associate, Kayla, eventually hooked up with Mindy to help her with the ski pants. A couple pair of high tech skis caught my eye while I browsed. I eventually made my way over to Mindy & Kayla by the women’s ski pants where Mindy wanted my opinion on the two shades of purple ski pants they said they ordered to specifically match her jacket. Her jacket, while black, has a very thin purple stripe running through it as well as a purple lining in the hood. It was my opinion that neither matched the far more visible lining in the hood. Add to it, neither seemed rugged enough or worthy of the elements they’ll almost certainly face. Kayla went on about some numeric scale they use to rate how weatherproof ski jackets and pants are. I almost asked for clarification, but stopped when I realized that Mindy wasn’t too interested in either pair anyway.

Kayla started to walk away while we continued to browse but then turned around and asked if I had questions about the skis she must’ve seen me looking at. I almost said no, but then decided to inquire about the new rockered skis made for both deep snow and powder, but also do well on groomers. We talked for a few minutes about my ideal ski given what I have now before she tried pointing me to the new Rossi R3 they’ve been pushing hard in all their advertisements. It’s a wide rockered ski, tip & tail that rates middle of the road. They had it on sale for $689 with bindings and poles. Mindy gave a nasty face at the color – basically lime green on black. Color, though, wasn’t my first concern.

I took Kayla over to the Volkl’s where we looked at, and then discussed the 2012 Mantra & Gotama. The Mantra is a tad wider at the tip and waist than the Rossi R3, and also seemed like a much more advanced ski. While there, I joked about buying the really wide Volkl’s they had exclusively for deep western powder, and then what my peeps would say if I showed up at MRM with them. They actually look ridiculous, as wide as some snowboards. Who wants to ski? Too funny!

The Volkl’s were some of the more expensive skis and the price didn’t include bindings, either. The Mantra’s and Gotama’s were both on sale for $699. Just before we were ready to leave I asked Kayla if she could do better. Instead of an emphatic no, she said she thought she could, but would have to check and see what kind of deal she could give me.  I asked for her ‘best’ price. Took her a few minutes. And while she was off doing that Mindy and I looked at other stuff. Kayla finally returned sharing that they would give me the 2012 170 Mantra’s for $699 but that would also include throwing in top tier bindings - the Salomom Z12s at no additional cost. Sounded like a good deal, but anyone that knows me, knows I can’t make a purchase that impulsively. Kayla added that the deal was only good until closing that day (Sunday), and that this was the last pair of 170s in inventory. I smiled and thanked her for the effort but shared that I couldn’t buy that impulsively. Said I would go to lunch and think about it.

Actually, though, I had been researching wider rockered skis for the last week or two after talking with a buddy at work who swears by the new technology and how well they perform in both powder and piste. While at lunch, I planned to Google the Mantra hoping to once again pour over the reviews and then look for the best internet pricing available for comparison's sake.

We ended up at Wendy’s for lunch all the way up at Bethel and Sawmill.  Our first choice was Chile Verde but it’s closed on Sunday’s. While enjoying my burger I read a few ski reviews. One rated the Mantras tops in their class, while another close. In turn, the best price I could find anywhere for the 2012 was $699 without bindings. Mindy asked me a couple times if I was going to go back and buy ‘em. Yes. Let’s go back and get ‘em! We finished up our lunch and headed back to ASBCO. From my perspective, if the skis I wanted were gone – oh well. Nothing lost or gained.

Carried in my boots and found Kayla to finalize the deal. Said she’d have them ready Wednesday the 25^th. Awesome! Hoping to get ‘em out at least once before heading west. There longer than my AC30s but the rocker technology makes them ski shorter. As a side, they have the same color scheme as my AC30s so they’ll match my boots perfectly.

We arrived home around 2pm. Mindy planned on leaving for the grocery store right after we got home. I, in turn, planned to clear the driveway of any remaining ice and snow. I helped Mindy load the recycling into the back of Pilot just before she left. Said she’d be making a stop at Target too and asked that I brown the meat for chili. I can do that!

As soon as Mindy pulled away I shoveled loose most of the hard packed ice from the driveway using my handy dandy square shovel. Got all but a few scant spots broken loose then shoveled it clear using the regular snow shovel. That took about 20-30 minutes. Next, I headed in to brown the beef and sausage for chili. I also tuned into NFL championship game coverage, the first game being the Patriots and Ravens.

Jacob & Bella were home near 3pm. Waved to Jimaken as he drove off. A few minutes later Lindsey, the boys and Olivia showed up as previously arranged. Lindsey asked to do laundry and planned to stick around for dinner. She started a load of laundry then asked if I would watch the boys while she went tanning. I didn’t mind. Jacob and Rocky soon headed out to play with neighbors while Landon and Olivia stayed inside to play with Bella. Not too much later, Mindy got home from the grocery. I helped carry in the haul.

Lindy showed up to cut my hair and texturize Mindy’s around 4pm. Lindsey asked if she would cut her hair too. Lindy agreed. I told Lindy that my last cut was one of the best hair cuts I’ve had in the last couple years, do in part to her leaving it a bit longer on top thus manageable from day one. She wanted to do mine first.

Took a bit longer than going to the shop, but I am sure they’re under pressure to crank ‘em out there. I enjoy the process and find it very relaxing. I’m thinking that it took about 15-20 minutes. She did a nice job. Can’t recall if Mindy or Lindsey went next. Neither of those two took that long at all. Lindsey only had the dead ends cut off even after I asked that she cut off a few more inches. It would look better. However, because she always wears her hair up, it’s hard to tell just how long her hair is. Believe me, it’s long, and well past the middle of her back. I swept the floor clear of everybody’s clippings. We had a lot of activity going on with the hair cuts and all the wee ones. Makayla and Evan were over too. Mindy took care of paying Lindy for the haircuts. Thanks dear. Thanks Lindy!

Mindy invited Kenny & Chrissy over for chili. Chrissy accepted but Kenny declined. Planned to go horizontal on the sofa. Couldn’t blame him for that. He doesn’t get to do that enough.

Meanwhile, the finish to the Ravens/Patriots game was a classic. The Ravens missed an easy 32 yard field goal that would have sent the game to overtime. Felt bad for the kicker, though I picked the Patriots to win.

I’m guessing that it was near 6pm when we finally ate dinner. As usual, Mindy made sure all the kids were fed first. Lindy seemed to be enjoying herself and stuck around for dinner, too. Olivia’s taken a real liking to her. I’m not surprised.  Mindy made a garden salad and sweet cornbread too. The chili was awesome. I managed clean-up. We used paper bowls so it wasn’t that bad. However, I still had to wash all the utensils and accessories.

Lindy pealed off for home I’m guessing around 715pm, or shortly after Lindsey left to take Olivia home. We kept the boys since Lindsey planned on coming back to work on her resume with Mindy’s help.  Chrissy headed home about the same time and asked that we send Makayla home at 8pm. She and Bella were upstairs playing quietly. Mindy got a call from Jimaken at some point advising that one of the kids, he assumed Bella, was running up a bill on his credit card using an app from their Kindle Fire. A little investigation proved the hunch to be correct. It was Bella playing what she thought was a free app game. Turns out, the app itself was free, but the outfits for the models cost money. Crooked!

The second championship game (NFC) was finally underway. Surprisingly, the 49ers were ahead and their defense was playing lights out. I picked the Giants to win and they ultimately did in OT. The 49ers punt returner botched or fumbled two punts that the Giants turned into 10 points – clearly the difference in the game. I have heard rumors that Jim Harbaugh is a sore loser and arrogant. He showed what appeared to be a total lack of class after the game by not shaking hands with the Giants coach.

The game wasn’t over until 1040pm. By then, Mindy and the kids had long since headed to bed, though Bella was up romping around well past 10pm. I’m quite sure she told me she was jumping on her bed. That kid! I headed up to bed as soon as the game was over. Mindy woke to ask who won. Judging by her response I learned she was pulling for the

As Good as it Gets

I was smart enough to choke down three Ibuprofen just before hopping in bed the night before, which left me only a little sleepy come 745am Saturday morning. But sleepy I can deal with; a headache and hangover is something else. I pulled myself from bed, and after brushing my teeth I headed downstairs to start some coffee and my day.

There was a fresh coating of snow on the ground but no more than another inch since Mindy shoveled and swept away what was there near 6pm the night before. I fooled around online for about an hour before readying for a run. It was cloudy and 24 degrees while I sipped coffee. And according to MRM’s website, they got 5 inches of powdery snow over night. Wasn’t sure if that was marketing or fact. The forecast for Bellefontaine was calling for temps in the 20’s all day. In other words, an excellent ski day and perhaps in the best conditions so far this season.

I left for my run around 845am wearing full winter gear as well as sun glasses. I ran just three miles like most other Saturday’s. I felt good throughout, doing my best to run in the soft, untrampled snow pack within 3 or 4 feet of the curb the entire way. I was back home around 920am, and still no sign of Mindy. So much for an early start.

After topping off my coffee cup, I decided to start gathering/organizing our ski gear. Mindy was up by 930-945am. While she enjoyed some coffee I made us both some peanut butter toast. We didn’t walk Eiknarf until after 10am. After finishing my peanut butter toast, I made two sandwiches to take skiing. I cut up some cheese and summer sausage, too. Eiknarf was crying for some peanut butter. She can smell it a mile a way. I rubbed a bunch of it on her muzzle. She couldn’t stop licking her face. She kept licking the floor, too, I assumed because she could smell the peanut butter but wasn’t sure where it was coming from. Too funny.

Mindy had very little to do to get ready for our ski day. I packed all the food and drink in two coolers, one with food and soft drinks, the other with a growler of IPA. I also topped off  our flasks, hers with Goldschlager, mine with a new batch of lemon nip. I headed up for a shower around 1030am. Mindy was skipping a shower just as she often does on ski days. Instead, she’ll take one when she gets home.

The Pilot was coated in ice and snow. I headed out to thaw and warm it near 1040am. And rather than turn it around for loading, I figured it just as easy to load it while it sat thawing. Mindy carried out our ski bags and then called the neighbors to see if they were heading up. Yep, soon.  We saw Lillian, Emily & Evan while we finished loading the Pilot. The O’Connell’s were heading up too. Nice!

Mindy was yacking on the phone with Bella’s teacher before and as we left the house apparently discussing Bella’s inability to stay on track and focus. It’s quite likely that  Bella is either ADD or ADHD. Mindy recently completed a widely recognized worksheet evaluation, and apparently Bella has all the tell-tale signs. Mindy was still on the phone as we pulled into Thornton’s to fill-up. We had only about a ¼ tank. I didn’t want to worry about gas. We filled up for $3.19 per gallon. It was near 1120am by the time we actually hit the road.

Mindy called brother Craig for some medical advice pertaining to Bella. The call lasted until we were merging onto route 33 west. Halfway up route 33 Mindy talked with Jimaken and then Bella. Jacob was at his friend, Josh’s place working on their catapult project.

Once west of Marysville, there was a significant difference in the amount of snow on the ground. Hard to believe really. Looked like the five inches MRM bragged about was a reality. That pleased me much. We pulled in the jam packed lot at 1201pm. Confident that we could find an up close spot, we did the drive around thing for about 5-10 minutes. After a lot of back and forth, we finally found a spot in the 7th row against a snow bank, but right between the lodge and gift shop. A fairly decent spot, really.

By the time we geared up, got our lift tickets, hit the potty, and were on our first ride up Fur Star it was darn near 1230pm. The snow was as nice as it looked. Surprisingly powdery soft, but also pretty quick, about as good as it ever gets at MRM. We kept a loose eye out for ski peeps but didn’t see any of them. Not sure what they were doing. Perhaps they took a ski trip out of town. Once again, Mindy & I got chair 50, I think on our 3^rd ride up. We skied the treed run a few times. It was a blast and some of the best virgin snow to be found on the mountain.

We didn’t ski that long before we decided to take a break. I’m thinking it was 2pm. Both of us were super hungry having eaten only some peanut butter toast a few hours earlier and the lines were crazy long. I went to the Pilot for our cooler while Mindy went to scout for a table, which she’s yet to fail at doing even on the most crowded days. Sure enough, she was able to rustle up one of the smaller round tables close to the bar. After degearing, I headed to the bar for a single beer. I figured I would save the jug of Centennial for later if some of our peeps arrived.

A ‘large’ Sam Adams set me back $8.25. Yikes! Probably should’ve gotten a pitcher. Mindy & I shared it. The lodge was crowded. We ended up sharing our small table with a couple and their 13 year old son. Actually, they were more like friends with benefits. I can’t readily recall their names, but remember them instead for what they do professionally. She is an attorney in Cincinnati doing real estate stuff. He distributes reptiles and snakes, supplying several of the most well known pet shops. Said it has been a passion and hobby since he was a boy. Now it’s his livelihood. I asked his son if he would follow in his father’s foot steps. He responded favorably.  They were an interesting couple. We enjoyed the opportunity to share about 30 minutes with them. He’s a big Bengals fan, by the way.

Headed out near 3pm. Ran into the neighbors just gearing up near ski check. Kenny said that Jake and Makayla were both in a snow board lesson until 330pm. We skied with Kenny, Chrissy while Mike O. took Emily, Evan and Lillian with him.  Skied with the neighbors until it was time for them to retrieve their kids.  Mindy and I headed off to do some runs on our own, once again doing the trees and then several runs on the face. The snow was great. We took yet another break sooner than we might’ve otherwise just so we could synch up with the neighbors who we knew were inside the lodge with a table. Mindy wanted a grilled hot dog from the outdoor grill. I headed to get that while she went after chili or chicken and dumplings for me. We planned to meet in the lodge.

Sure enough, the neighbors were sharing the long table near the stage with another family. Pamode was there to play, but there was a snowboard company there using the stage, so he couldn’t perform. He was a little frustrated that he couldn’t play. Not sure whose screw up that was. Mindy learned that he’s also a ski instructor there. Offered to help her further her technique for free. Wink-wink.

Meanwhile, I wasn’t feeling like drinking any more beer, especially since we planned on leaving around 7pm and heading to CBC for dinner. Instead, I drank water and a Fresca with my MRM chili. We didn’t stay in too long. I’m thinking it was 5pm when we headed back out. The lights were on but it wasn’t quite yet dark, but we probably should’ve gone for our clear goggles. They day was moving by quickly. We did a few runs battling the long lines at every lift when Mindy asked if it made more sense for us to leave closer to 6pm versus 7pm. I agreed. Just about that same time we spotted Darwin on the balcony of the lodge with his son, Lane. Darwin had actually texted earlier sharing that he was in the house.

We didn’t see him again until dark, or somewhere close to 6pm, and about the same time that the crowd began to disperse. That meant the lift lines were no longer an issue. The three of us skied together for a little more than an hour bombing down run after run. As Mindy pointed out, some of the best skiing of the season by far. The snow firmed a little but it still had that fluffy give with little to no ice anywhere but the initial descent from the lift area. Darwin shared that he was able to match our flights for the trip out to Oregon. Going back the same day too, but not sure he’s on the same flight.

After about the 10^th run together Mindy & I declared it a night. We still wanted to do dinner at CBC. Darwin, meanwhile, was heading into the lodge. Figured he’d hook up with the rest of the neighbors. I took both sets of skies while Mindy headed into the lodge to get our cooler. And then after degearing and warming the Pilot, I pulled up at the foot of the lodge to pick her up. The timing was dead on. She was just coming out. Mindy opted to remain in her ski gear for the drive home. It was about 730p when we left the lot.

The drive home went really fast. The cloud cover must’ve been really low because the Honda plant and the city lights over Marysville were bouncing off the clouds giving an eerie amber glow to the eastern sky. Very cool effect. Mindy wanted to shower before heading to CBC. Thank goodness! J I offered that she could head straight inside to shower while I unloaded our ski gear and then walked the dog. We figured we could accomplish everything we needed to do and still get to CBC by 9pm. We arrived home near 810p and did just that. Mindy headed in to shower and I unloaded our gear. The driveway was crazy slippery, and too slippery to pull the Pilot up without sliding. I parked at the curb, instead.

After carrying in all the ski gear I shoveled some of the snow, at least what would readily come up, which wasn’t a whole lot. I then threw down some kitty litter and salt.

After getting all of our geared stowed I headed off on a walk with the dog. I chose to walk her out back. She took her dear old time and unsurprisingly, liked the area under the tree house best. She only peed, however.

Inside, I headed upstairs to get ready for our date at CBC. Mindy was just about finished with her ready. Good timing. We were heading out the door by 840pm. We drove the Pilot, in part so we could pull it in the drive when we got home. Figured the salt would’ve done its job by then.

Arrived at CBC ahead of 9pm. Yeah! The lot was almost full. I dropped Mindy at the door and then went to park. I met her inside at the bar, where there were 4 or 5 empty stools all in a row. Mindy already had a sample of a new winter stout (different than the batch they put out a couple weeks back). I tried it, too. Both of us liked it enough to order pints. This batch is less intense and has a hint of coffee flavor. Mindy ordered some bread before we were ready to place food orders. Jamie and Vince explained the reason for the late crowd. Said it was restaurant week. And speaking of restaurant week, they handed us their $20 three course meal offering menu.

We eventually ordered entrees, Mindy going with the restaurant week special, fried risotto, salad, and steak, and me going a more high brow dish - buffalo wings. J Mindy let me try the deep fired risotto. Wow, it was absolutely delicious. Reminded me of pasta salvi. Where’s that been my whole life?

I enjoyed another beer with my meal, a Bohdi. The bar area cleared out significantly after 10pm. And at some point the host walked over to chat. I took the opportunity to ask the price of their new long-sleeved CBC t- shirts. Returned a minute later sharing that they’re $20. I asked for a large.

Earlier in the evening while we were still skiing, we got a call from Lindsey sharing that she was scheduled to have a  root canal in Worthington at 730pm. She was worried about her condition after and if she would even be able to drive. Said her mother refused to help out, whether taking her or even just watching the boys. Such a loving relationship. 

Now, I’ve never heard of getting a root canal on date night, but hey, whatever works. We tried calling/texting Lindsey numerous times through dinner but all of our calls and texts errored. And since it was happening on both our phones we figured it either the area, though we had full bars, or an outage of some sort. I guessed it an outage.We never could get through to learn her fate.

Since I picked up Friday night’s tab, Mindy agreed to get this one. Turned out, though, our bill was ridiculously small given our orders. They refused to charge Mindy for her steak after she shared that it was a little overdone.  They didn’t’ charge us for the t-shirt either citing me wearing it as free advertising. Cool!  I will wear it proud.

Mindy started fading and fast. Said she was getting super sleepy. I’m guessing it was near 11pm when Mindy drove us home. She wasn’t kidding about being tired, she was off to bed straight away. Also shared that here stomach was hurting. With her all but asleep, I opted to bounce out of bed and head downstairs to try to and catch Saturday Night Live.  I poured myself a Bohdi and headed to the family room. I saw the opening monologue but not much more. I fell quickly to sleep.

Don't Worry Be Happy

I was up a few minutes early for a change. That was nice, especially given that the recent trend has been more towards sleeping in a few extra minutes. Immediately downstairs I slipped into my exercise shoes, looked out back, then hit the start button on the coffee maker in route to the living room for sit-ups.

Had both sit-ups and push-ups behind me before 540am. Made some coffee then headed to the PC. The first thing I did was check the weather. It was clear and cold - only 9 degrees. It wasn't supposed to get that cold overnight but the sky wasn't suppose to clear, either. I'm guessing that had a lot to do with it. The weekend forecast looked favorable for Saturday skiing. Wasn't expected to get out of the upper 20s and with a chance of a little more snow later too. Warming up again on Sunday though and then even more so heading into the following work week. Pretty much following the same up and down pattern we've experienced all winter long.

Next up was meditation, and I got perhaps the earliest start in the last few weeks. That went well. It was 610am and time to wake Mindy in a hurry. I headed up with coffee. Predictably, she asked that I bump up the heat. but I already had. Back downstairs to stretch.

Stretching was great. I finished near 625am and quickly changed into my running clothes in hopes of getting out the door on time, if not a couple minutes early. Because it was in the single digits, I donned an extra upper layer, adding a second, thin wicking shirt. That was wise. I was comfy and cozy from jump. After a quick stretch of the hammies from the front stoop, I was off to the races.

I ran the full 4.1 miles staying near the road's edge for most of it, where about an inch of fresh snow made for a soft track. Very nice! There was enough snow on the ground that I planned to shovel when I got back home. I started Mindy's Pilot, shoveled the drive, then walked the dog. By the time all that was done, Mindy was already heading out the door for school.  As she hopped into the warmed Pilot, she shared that my eggs were ready in the microwave.

The kids were already done with their breakfasts and upstairs playing Xbox. I woofed down my eggs then rushed off to the shower. It was Friday so I wore blue jeans and my black cashmere sweater. It is very comfortable. Wasn't downstairs until 803am, but that was plenty enough time to throw together a quick lunch. Mindy had already prepped my salad the night before. The kids, the dog and I headed out at 810am. I reminded the kids to bundle warmly, and they both did. Bella carried out Makayla's winter coat, the one she left at our place the evening before, when she tore out the house for home without it. Not sure what she was thinking.

Kenny was at the bus stop with his girls. Confirmed ski plans for Saturday. Jacob & Bella, however, wouldn't be joining us, this being a Jimaken weekend.  The bus was a couple minutes late. Jacob was fooling around standing in the middle of the street with his eyes closed. Not the smartest trick he's ever pulled. On queue, Eiknarf barked at Mrs Vanorder. She prompts her to most mornings. It was cold, Kenny an I headed our separate ways as soon as the bus pulled away.

Before heading off to work, I took care of a couple nagging tasks online. One, I renewed the boat registration, and two, I renewed Eiknarf's dog license. It took me a while to figure out how to edit her profile to reflect that she'd been spayed thus receiving the discounted license fee. Felt good to get those two things out of the way. I packed my iTouch and left for the office. The Accord had been warming for almost 20 minutes.

Arrived at the office between 845-850am. Parked up close. Walked in with the guy  that tore his Achilles tendon. He has to use a cart to wheel his bum leg around. Long healing process. Won't have surgery, as I understand it, for some time yet.

I hoped it would be a quiet day escalation-wise so I could focus on knocking out a couple important tasks. One, I wanted to draft my 2011 performance review, and two, I wanted to prepare my 4th quarter presentation slides. And if I still had time, I wanted to draft a recap of a technical timeline for an important project coming up.

As  I hoped, there were no urgent emergencies for me to contend with at least at the day's beginning.  I took full advantage by jumping straight into drafting my 2011 performance recap. Took most of the morning to draft. Saved it and then set it aside.  Talked with a peer for 30 minutes or so midday. Decided to take lunch around 115pm. Initially, I thought I'd be making two stops, one at Giant Eagle and then another to ASBCO. But as I exited the lot I all but scrapped the ASBCO stop and simply headed to the Dublin Wal-Mart instead of Giant Eagle where I needed only to pick-up some Crystal Light for making lemon nip.

I was back at the office by 145pm. Spent time finalizing my quarterly slides then did some editing to my performance review. This marks the first year in many (like 20) that I wasn't responsible for writing performance reviews for direct reports. And that, friends, is a wonderful feeling.

Before leaving the office for the day, I checked MRM's website. Claimed making almost a foot of snow the last couple nights and still calling for 4" of real stuff Friday night. That was uplifting. Called Mindy on my drive home. The kids had already left with their dad. I asked that she throw down some kitty litter on my side of the drive so I wouldn't slip back down. She agreed. I called Tommy next. Talked about our fast approaching Oregon trip and invited him to ski with us on Saturday. Still hasn't gotten out even once this season. Said Sunday would be his only shot, but when I shared that the weather forecast for Sunday wasn't looking good, and that we wouldn't be going, he opted for neither. Before ending our conversation, I shared that we would almost certainly be heading to CBC that night. He offered that he just might join us, but couldn't fully commit for business concerns.

Mindy had the drive cleared when I arrived home. It was snowing heavy, icy snow. Not sure why it was so icy, because the temperature was around 24 degrees. She walked Eiknarf next. When she finally came back inside we briefly discussed evening plans. She reminded me that her school holiday gathering was planned for Barley's. Oops! I had forgotten all about it, and for some reason thought we talked about going to CBC. I figured I'd better send brother Tommy a text indicating as much.

Mindy headed up to ready for a night out while I edited and published my Thursday blog. I headed up to freshen up about 10 minutes later, or just as Mindy was finishing up. All I needed to do was brush my teeth and brush my hair. Hey, when you're as fresh and good lookin' as me, it just doesn't take much. :)

We left for Barley's around 650pm. I let Mindy out near the door and then went and parked. I found a spot around back. Rare for us to park there.  I headed inside behind another couple whom I didn't know but for some reason speculated that it might very well be Mindy's new principal and husband. Later learned that it indeed was. Funny how that works out. Intuition, I suppose. Meanwhile, Mindy was already camped out near the bar with a few peeps. I went to the bar and ordered a Centennial from lovely Katy. I then found Kurt, Kent, and Tom the Mary Kay guy chatting at a table near the bar. I holed with them while Mindy hung with a bunch of girls, who I assumed were teacher pals from school, none of which looked familiar. But soon a couple familiar faces showed, Keri Anne and another whose name currently escapes me - Rene's buddy.

After a few minutes passed, Mindy introduced me to the gang, including her stand-in principal, Jan and her husband. Later A couple more familiar teacher faces showed, Carol, Jennifer & Shelly. Carol was in with her new beau, Paul I believe. Carol's an attractive athletic 47 year old woman who's been searching for true love ever since I've known Mindy. I guess I could say the same for Jennifer, but she's much younger.  I talked with our friends Jack & Leslie for a while, too. They are a lot of fun, and very interesting, especially Jack.

Later, Grandpa Tom and Steve showed up and joined in the fun. And then at some point I joined a booth full of Mindy's school peeps where we talked running. The group included her principal, Jan. Jan runs now, too, as does her friend Betsy. They both are closer to my age or perhaps even a bit older. We had fun, and some point broke into song, which is never rare for a night at Barley's. Later, our conversation turned to some life experience stuff. I was amused at the confessions from the whole flock of teachers. I like them even more now. :)

Most of the teacher friends peeled off near 10pm or so. Mindy & stuck around with Jack, Leslie, Grandpa Tom and Steve. I know for sure that I had four beers, and maybe even a fifth. Lost track. However, I know I had one Centennial, two White Rajah, and one Bells Hop Slam. That's right. It's out again. Bell's brews and releases a batch each January. It's out until the end of February or so, but then  that's it. This year's batch wasn't so good. Seemed to be missing that heavy piney bouquet I love so much.

Barley's was prepping to close when we left. Somehow Mindy roped me into picking up the check. It was just over a $100, too. Apparently she bought more food for their gathering than I guessed. She drove home. It was still before midnight but that's about all I can say with any certainty.

I was getting really hungry. I'd eaten just a couple bites of food all night. I woofed down some of the leftover pizza and then made a pepperoni and cheese wrap just before heading up to bed. Mindy was all but asleep when I joined her already in bed. Eiknarf was already in bed, too. She loves sleeping with her people.

Homemade Pizza & Snow for the Weekend

I was up on time and eager to get after my day.  I felt great after almost 7.5 hours of excellent sleep. I didn’t prep coffee the night before so I had to deal with that first thing. Didn’t take long, however, and once that was underway, I moved on to sit-ups.

I settled down in front of my PC with coffee near 550am. It was 25 degrees and cloudy. Expecting a bit of snow later in the day, perhaps even an inch of accumulation during the overnight. And that's not all. There was another small snow storm predicted to hit late Friday afternoon/evening. In total, MRM was expecting up to 5” inches of natural stuff to go along with whatever they make. That should make Saturday a banner ski day. That served as a mood elevator. Looking ahead, like I often do, the ten day forecast has us rocketing up near 50 again next week with overnight lows remaining just above freezing. We’ve spent no more than two or three days in a row in the freezer this winter. It’s not uncommon to go two three weeks without every coming out.

I briefly checked Timberline’s website. They were still in the middle of that huge snow storm that’s expected to dump more than 100” of new snow by Friday. As of Wednesday evening, they had already received 50+” in the past 72 hours. Nice!

Darwin sent an email sharing that he bought his Oregon airline ticket. Not sure what he paid. I am assuming he matched our flight itinerary, though.

At 605am I headed to the family room for meditation. That went well, but I didn’t allow the amount of time I would’ve preferred - only ten. 20 minutes is ideal. At 615am I had to break away to wake Mindy. She asked that I crank up the heat after I delivered her coffee, but I had already done so before heading up.

Downstairs to stretch around 620am. That went really well again too. My shoulders, neck, and back have been sterling so far this year. And once again, by scheduling push-ups every other day as opposed to daily has made the biggest difference. Wish I would’ve done that a long time ago. I was slow to dress for my run. I didn’t get out the door until 637a. I was dressed in the usual winter uniform, including ear and hand covers.  As a result, I was comfy, cozy and warm.

I ran the full 4.1 miles and felt good doing it. During my run I contemplated the presentation I’d be giving to a customer at 9am. I was a little stressed about it, but not overtly so. It is what it is. I was also thinking about Lindsey’s car and what we’ll ultimately do about that. Honestly, it’s like a ticking time bomb. But on a more positive note, Mindy and I have noticed a huge improvement in Lindsey’s behavior patterns both as a daughter and as a parent. She’s made great strides.  I am genuinely proud of what she’s accomplished for herself in a relatively short amount of time.

I was back at the house around 720am. I walked in to fetch the leash and Mindy’s keys. And while I did that, Mindy hollered for Bella to bring the pug.  She was waiting by the door by the time I had the Pilot started and was back at the doorway. To mix things up a bit, we walked across the street, and probably our least traveled path. Ykraps and I would take that route after work most evenings. And speaking of Ykraps, the 14^th marked the two year anniversary of his passing.

Our walk was brief but fruitful. We were back at the house just in time to bid Mindy farewell. My eggs were waiting in the microwave. Bella asked me to warm her peanut butter toast. Apparently she left it sit too long before digging in. I warmed it twice, or about 17 seconds in total. Bella said that it was a little too hot. I was off to the shower by 738am.

I dressed nicely wearing older dress slacks and an old but nice black, sheep’s wool sweater. It’s the kind one must wear a t-shirt under or be forever itchy.  I was downstairs somewhat late – 803a. I quickly threw together a lunch consisting of a salad of spring mix, tomatoes, baby carrots, and cauliflower as well as a fruit medley, banana, and chunks of cheese. I was ready to go about the same time that the kids were.

We headed to the bus stop at 810am like usual. Chrissy was out with the Makayla for the first time in a couple weeks. Said Lillian was staying home ill. Said she warned her that staying home from school would likely mean no skiing come the weekend.  Somehow I doubted that would stick.

The bus arrived near 815am like clock work. Soon Eiknarf and I were headed back home. I took care of a few last minute items, including enjoying a 2^nd cup of coffee, before taking off to work. I didn’t need to be downtown until 9am. It’s only a 15 minute drive. I stuck around the house until 835am.

It was an easy drive downtown taking 670. Traffic was a little heavy on

Neil Ave

by Nationwide arena but otherwise fine.  I arrived at the customer’s location with 5 minutes to spare. Arrived in tandem with a peer. We walked in together and were quickly in the scheduled conference room setting up.

The presentation went well. The one person I was told would ask lots of tough questions was in attendance for the first time in three meetings. I was a tad nervous but well prepared. We did fine. The meeting lasted about an hour. I was on my way out of the parking garage by 1015am and headed to the main office.

Arrived around 1030am. Had a lot on my plate, including two important calls/meetings and then several reporting related tasks to complete. I felt a little overwhelmed a couple of times, but instead of dwelling on it, I focused more energy on the doing  part. That always helps. When I left the house I thought that I might head to the Tuttle Mall Macy’s with my special shopping pass, but never did. Instead, I plowed straight through my day trying to get on top of my workload.

It started snowing some time earlier in the afternoon and looked to be sticking by late afternoon, although there really wasn’t that much on the ground come 530pm. I called Mindy on my drive home. The roads were starting to get slick, especially the roads less traveled.  Mindy was busy making homemade pizzas. Said Bella, Makayla, and Landon were helping. Jacob & Rocky were outside having an airsoft battle. The original plan called for Mindy to take Lindsey shopping for shoes at Kohl’s after dinner, but that was before the inclement weather hit. Mindy wasn’t so sure she wanted to be heading out in the weather. She wanted my opinion of the roads once I arrived home.

Our street was by far the most treacherous of all that I traveled. And my car slid back about 3 or 4 feet when I pulled in the drive. Once it came to a stop, I rocked it hard to make sure it would stay put. It did. Someone, Jacob or Mindy, I assumed, had shoveled the drive recently. But there really wasn’t that much accumulation. The first layer, however, was very icy.

I headed inside where Mindy and the wee ones were still busy preparing and baking the pizzas. Rocky & Jacob were just coming inside about the time I did. Jacob sent Rocky back out to the tree house area to get his jar of ammo. About ten minutes later dinner was served. There were three different pizza types. The biggest was a pepperoni, and then there were two smaller, one with pepperoni, tomatoes, and hot pepper rings, and the other with pesto, mushrooms, and chicken. Yuck! Not me. That one was for Jacob and Mindy. By the way, Lindsey wasn’t present. What I didn’t realize is that she was at a school conference regarding Landon.

Rocky & Landon both complained about the taste. Didn’t like the homemade pizza. Mindy commented that Landon filled up on pepperoni while they were in the make line. J I enjoyed some of the first two pies. They were both very good – different. Mindy made a fresh garden salad too. That really hit the spot. Mindy shared that she was making chocolate chip cookies after dinner in part to motivate the kids to finish their pizza. Rocky only ate about half of one slice. He’s a very finicky eater. Said he was full. Then you’re too full for chocolate chip cookies? He quickly recanted citing his dislike for the pizza. Insisted on having something else like cereal. We eventually settled on a banana. 

He wore us down with negotiations for more than one chocolate chip cookie. He can be relentless. Lindsey showed up while the cookies were in the oven, and just as I was wrapping up the clean-up. Said she didn’t want any pizza. She was eager to head to Kohl’s with Mindy. They left around 7pm best guess. Bella went with too – an all girls thing.

The boys stayed back with me but were no trouble whatsoever. They all three played in Jacob’s room, I assumed playing Xbox. They did so without any fussing. While they played Xbox, I updated my blog and went through my mail. I’m guessing it was near 745pm when Jacob & Rocky came back downstairs, Rocky asking for another chocolate chip cookie. I let him have one more. Jacob shared that Landon had fallen asleep on his bed. That’s Landon. He’s frequently out by 730pm. And according to Lindsey, he’s a very early riser.

The girls arrived home shortly after 8pm while the two boys ( Jacob/Rocky) and I were settling in to watch Idol auditions. However, by then even Rocky was sleeping. Lindsey moaned about having to wake them up. Said they're typically very difficult to get up and moving. Looked like Mindy bought her two pairs of shoes. Lucky for her, the boys woke fairly easily and Lindsey soon had them ready for departure just ahead of 815pm, though she headed out to warm her car first.

I wasn’t real excited about watching Idol again, but the whole family was gathered to watch, so watch I did. Come 845pm I took Bella’s lead and plopped down on the familyroom floor with a chair pillow and fell quickly asleep. I slept downstairs until 10pm when Mindy and the kids were heading up for bed. They had been watching some strange new show on after Idol. I was still half asleep as we made our way to bed. Good night moon!

Celebrating Lindsey

Happy 28th Lindsey

I slept soundly not waking even once, at least from what I can remember, until it was time to get up.  I was soon downstairs to the sounds of the coffee maker going through its brewing cycle. I glanced out back at the frozen tundra then completed calisthenics. Both sit-ups and push-ups were done by 545am.

It seemed that there would be no chance of this Wednesday becoming a rainy one like 90% of them have been since summer. Not only was it currently below freezing, but it was expected to stay that way throughout the entire day. In fact, the day’s high wasn’t expected to top 30 degrees. That suited me just fine.

I played around online until just after 6am when I headed to the familyroom for meditation. That went well. Near 615am I woke Mindy and delivered her morning coffee. Don’t think she said anything about cranking up the heat. Hmm?

Back downstairs for stretching by 620am. That went well, too. I dressed warmly in full winter running attire not getting out the door until 641am. I ran the full 4.1 miles without issue. Was actually a pretty easy run. I started Mindy’s Pilot and walked the pug after my return. Wasn’t back in the house until it was time for Mindy to leave for school. She asked the kids to bus to Noah’s after school in light of a meeting she needed to be part of after work. Jacob complained.

Enjoyed my eggs and then was off to the shower by 740am. And since I’d be spending my day at a customer’s site, I dressed up a bit wearing black dress slacks, a black t-shirt, and my new purple cashmere sweater. I looked handsome. Just ask me!

After grooming, I packed a lunch consisting of a salad, fruit, cheese and a banana. The kids and I headed out at 810am. Started the Accord while also managing Eiknarf from her leash. Met Kenny at the bus stop. Said he’d be spending the day at his shop putting down a new tile floor. Bus arrived right on time – 815am. After the bus pulled away, me & Eiknarf walked back home where I spent another 5-10 minutes before heading off to work. Before leaving, I made sure I had my badge, laptop mouse, and power cord. Don’t want to make that mistake ever again.

It was a cold, but mostly sunny, commute across 670 to I-270 north. Made great time arriving after just 22 minutes. No real traffic snarls whatsoever. I wish I could say the same for my work day, but I can’t. It was a tough day from the outset. I was extremely busy from the moment I sat down dealing with numerous customer escalations.

Amongst all that, I had to join three scheduled calls between 10am and 1pm. I was busy!

Come 130pm I needed a break, so I decided to take a lunch and head to both Target and Macy’s. I stopped in Target first, where I picked up a birthday card for Lindsey. I was there for only about ten minutes. My next stop was Macy’s Easton. There, I checked out dress shoes. I could use a pair of black ones and I have a 25% savings pass that starts on the 19^th (Thursday), but figured I could scout the selection early. Turns out, though, they didn’t have any that jumped out at me. While there, I looked at a couple wool jackets too, but not seriously.

It was 215pm when I was in the Accord and headed back to the customer’s campus. Immediately in the door, I went for my packed lunch. I’d just gotten settled when two of their managers approached for updates on an extremely hot issue. That issue consumed my time and energy pretty much for the rest of the day. Even had to get my boss involved, which is rare. I talked with Mindy around 510pm advising that I might be leaving late again. We had plans for dinner at Barley’s celebrating Lindsey’s birthday. Mindy was understanding and suggested that I simply meet them there if it got too late.

Turns out, I wasn’t able to get out of the customer’s office until 545pm. I called Mindy once I was on the road and arranged to meet at Barley’s just as we had outlined a bit earlier. Lindsey and the boys were already at the house waiting. This marked the first time that I took 270 south to 670 for the trip home. Turned out to be good move. I made it to Barley’s in record time. I was there in 20 minutes, which was far sooner than I expected, and a few minutes ahead of Mindy and company.

I ordered a beer from the bar, a Centennial, but not before sampling their latest new offering, Roggen-Cascade – a rye beer brewed with Cascade hops. It was OK, but I opted for a pint of my old stand-by instead.

Mindy and the kids arrived before I could enjoy more than a sip or two. Mindy arranged for all of us to be seated in a booth near the bar. Blonde Sarah was out server. Both Mindy and I got our beers from the bar. Mindy was having the Russian nitro. Unless I’m mistaken, all four kids ordered Dr Pepper. Mindy ordered two baskets of fries as appetizers, one plain, while the other smothered in brisket and cheese for all of us to enjoy while we perused the menu.

I opted to try their special, a chicken gyro. Mindy ordered a Barley burger; Jacob ordered a brisket sandwich; Bella, Rocky, and Landon each ordered the mini cheeseburger. Lastly, Lindsey ordered naked boneless wings. I stuck with just the one beer. The chicken gyro was just OK. Not a whole lot of flavor. Still hungry after I finished, I ate the last of Mindy’s burger.

We skipped dessert since we had a b-day cake for Lindsey waiting at home. I paid the dinner tab with Mindy agreeing to pay our two beer bar tab. She returned sharing that Janet simply transferred it to our table. She tipped her $5 anyway. After the kids got gumballs, we headed for home. Jacob and Rocky opted to ride with me.

We wasted no time setting up Lindsey’s chocolate birthday cake with candles and then singing the happy birthday song. Still hungry, I had a piece of the birthday cake, which for me is rare. Mindy made arrangements to take Lindsey shopping to Kohl’s Thursday evening after work and school to get the new shoes she wants. That would be her birthday present. She and the boys didn’t stay long after cake. I’m guessing they were gone by 750pm.

After Lindsey left I changed into my PJs. Mindy did the same about 15 minutes later. Now 8pm, we tuned into night #1 of American Idol season 11. This being the drawn out audition phase, the program went until 10pm. We watched it all as a family. The auditions were taped in Savannah, Georgia. It was good entertainment, but not sure that I’m willing to invest myself in the entire season. We’ll see.

We pretty much headed to bed as a family as soon as Idol was history. I started getting really tired around 940pm. I was more than ready to get some sleep.

Sun of a ...

I was up right on time. In fact, I even rolled out of bed a few minutes early. Once downstairs, I glanced out back to put an eye towards the weather. It was wet and obviously above freezing. Next, I grabbed my exercise shoes then hit the go button on the coffee maker on my way into the livingroom for sit-ups. Knocked those out in a hurry.

While waiting on the coffee to finish its brew cycle, I organized some recent mail/bills. Headed to the PC with coffee in hand near 545am. There I checked the weather, headlines, and read the Daily OM. It was warm alright – a spring-like 48 degrees. We were currently in between two cycles of rain. I studied the local radar carefully to try and time my run so to avoid the heavy stuff that was coming in the 2nd cycle. I was fortunate. It didn’t look like the heavy stuff would hit until 8am or after, but it looked to be packing lightning and thunder – red on the radar.

They were forecasting a high of 55 degrees with strong winds and heavy rain. Supposed to be below freezing again Wednesday through Friday with a slight chance of snow.  In other words, more back and forth. It is what it is. The adjusted high for Saturday at MRM was now predicted to only reach 33 degrees – definitely cold enough to ski. I sent a note to a few ski peeps sharing the good news.

I headed to the family room for meditation at 6am, or slightly after. That went exceptionally well. Near 615a when I finished, I hustled upstairs to wake Mindy with a cup of coffee in hand. Back downstairs to stretch and ready for a run. Stretching went well, too. Because it was so warm, but also sprinkling, I was a little torn while choosing my layers. In the end, I opted for a thin, long-sleeved wicking shirt, my pullover fleece, and a toboggan but without the benefit of ear covers underneath. I didn’t wear hand covers, either.

I headed out the door a minute or two before 630am and ran the full 4.1 miles. It was trash day, though I didn’t see or hear any sign of the truck until near the run's end. I stayed fairly comfortable with my selected attire. I did well. Before heading inside, I drug our empty trash can back to its resting place.

Inside, I waited for the pug. And while I managed to avoid the heavy rain, I was still fairly wet, both from rain and sweat. I walked Eiknarf heading towards the O’Connell’s house. She took care of business fairly quickly.

Back at home, Mindy was eating some yogurt and offered me a bite. She had my eggs ready, too. She left for work after reminding the kids to bus home with Noah.  I was off to the shower shortly after finishing my eggs.

I wore a pair of well-seasoned black Dockers and a button-up dress shirt. I looked and felt terrific. I was downstairs throwing together a lunch by 757am. I packed some cheese, banana, yogurt, and a salad that I threw together quickly. The kids joined me downstairs at 805am. They asked how they might dress for the weather. I suggested hoodies. The sky was your typical winter gray directly overhead, but to the northwest the sky was darn near black. Looked scary, much like a summer time thunderstorm rolling in.

Kenny was at the bus stop with the girls and both pugs. We talked about the crazy up and down weather forecast. The bus arrived a couple minutes early. I headed back to the house for another cup of coffee. I didn’t bother thawing the Accord given that it was so warm.

I left the house for work around 825am. It had just started to rain fairly hard as I walked out to the car. I thought about turning around and grabbing my umbrella but didn't. Screw it! Gas prices, I noticed, were back down to the $3.25 range after spiking last Thursday & Friday to about $3.60. I was getting low and figured to be filling up before Wednesday’s New Albany drive, but didn’t want to do it right then. I still had about a 1/3 tank.

It rained hard during my drive in, but slowed a little by the time I arrived. That’s good because I had to park in the far lot. All the up-close spots were taken, I ‘m sure, by those trying to avoid getting drenched. Smelt like spring rain.

The morning was fairly busy. I got involved in a couple escalations I needed to stay involved in through resolution. My plan was to spend my day studying the monthly report I’d be presenting on Thursday AM ,but that never happened. In addition to managing a couple escalations, I helped a peer with a problem. That ended up consuming more time than I imagined it might.

As the afternoon waned, it was looking like I might get out of the office on time and perhaps even a few minutes early. However, just before 5pm, we experienced a major issue requiring my attention and intervention. I ended up at the office until things calmed, and unfortunately, that wasn’t until after 630pm. Things like this seem to have a knack for occurring on date night. I talked with Mindy just after 5pm warning that I might be late. Even though it was date night, we decided not to do dinner out. Instead, we planned to stay home and relax. Part of the reason, we planned dinner out on Wednesday with Lindsey and the boys in celebration of her 28^th b-day.  I called Mindy again just before I left the office.

Arrived home near 7pm. Everything Mindy had to move for the carpet cleaners on Monday was put back in its place. She also had dinner on the stove. It looked like Smoked sausage, and smelt terrific. It was just she and I. Again, this was date night. The kids were with their dad. Didn’t expect them home until 8pm. Mindy was proud of her creative sausage concoction, and it was incredibly delicious. A fairly simple dish, too - smoked sausage, can of Ro-Tel tomatoes, and fresh spinach sautéed on the stove.  She served it with chicken rice. We both had two helpings. Yum-yum!

Meanwhile, the evening was flying by, helped along, no doubt, by my late arrival home. Didn’t finish clean-up until 740pm. Before the kids got home, I spent a little time editing and updating recent blog entries. The kids were home near 8pm as planned. While the kids readied for bed, I returned to my PC for more blog work. I poured a pint of Bohdi to enjoy at the same time. And boy was it good! Got caught up through Monday, including the addition of a few more pics. It was after 9pm when I finished my play.

By then it was time to tuck in the kids. Jacob was hosting Eiknarf for the night. Mindy headed to bed soon after the kids. And like I generally do, I headed back downstairs to catch a little TV. I tuned to one of the knowledge channels watching The Universe, and an episode all about our sun. Most I already knew but had forgotten. Still, fascinating stuff!

93 million miles from Earth

1 million miles closer or further, we’d either bake or freeze

5,000 miles thick plasma

The sun rotates, but different sections at different speeds thus creating thousands upon thousands of magnetic poles.

At its center, takes 35 days to rotate one full revolution. Closer to the poles, 25 days. Probably would be more accurate to use the term 'Earth days', but they didn't.

Return to Rain

I woke a few times during the night trying to find that elusive sweet spot. And then, sometime around 2am, I actually got up and headed in to check on Jacob. I called his name a couple of times to which he only moaned and groaned and rolled over. At the time, I viewed that as evidence enough that he was OK. I headed back to bed feeling a bit more at ease. I later learned that Mindy did the same thing around midnight. I checked him again when I got up for good at 545am. I felt justified in sleeping late due to the kids and Mindy having the day off. I wouldn’t need to see the kids onto to the bus.

I was downstairs engaged in calisthenics a few minutes later, and by 555am I had both sit-ups and push-ups behind me.  I poured some coffee then retreated to my PC where I read some headlines and checked the weather. It was still pretty chilly, only 23 degrees. However, the forecast was calling for a high of 42 with along with a chance of rain by mid day. Unfortunately, the 3.5 day cold snap wasn’t built to last. The 10 day forecast shows a lot of up and down, but more importantly in the mid 40’s for the weekend which would pretty much put a damper on more skiing.

Read a few sports related headlines then headed off to meditate near 610am. Completely unconcerned for the time, I had a very good meditation. I wasn’t finished until 630am. Stretching, of course, was next, and that went well also, but I could definitely feel the effects of two full days of skiing.

It was darn near 7am by the time I was heading out the door for my run. And given the freezing temps, I was dressed in full winter running attire. I ran the full 4.1 miles and witnessed a beautiful firey orange sunrise.

Back at home the house remained quiet. Everybody else remained asleep in bed. And since I wasn’t sure how late they’d sleep, I headed up to get Eiknarf so I could take her on a walk. As soon as we were back, I made my own breakfast frying the last two eggs in the fridge. Mindy planned on going to grocery store sometime during the day. It occurred to me that I hadn’t eaten fried eggs in quite a while. It was darn near 8am when I finally headed up for a shower.

Sometime during my ready Mindy got up and headed downstairs. She was at her computer when I reemerged showered and dressed. We compared notes on Jacob’s status, her sharing that she got up and checked on him around midnight. While we were talking, Jacob woke up and came downstairs. Said he was feeling a whole lot better, and asked his mom if she would take him to MRM after he got back from hanging out with his dad. We suggested that if he wanted to board/ski with the others that he simply call his dad and tell him. Either that, or see if he could pick them up after skiing. I thought he might change his mind after a good night’s sleep. And honestly, that’s what I was hoping he’d do. I want him to get lots of reps on his new board.

Mindy reminded me about the carpets being cleaned. Expecting them to arrive around noon. She planned to move as many things (chairs, plants, etc) as she could before their arrival. We chatted another five minutes or so while the Accord thawed. I left for work around 830am.

Clouds started moving in even during my run, and by the time I arrived at work there was a distinct diagonal line of separation between the clear and the clouds. Looked like the northern burbs were still drenched in sun while the south and west were socked in by cloud cover. 

It was a relatively slow day, with plenty of time to take care of the many lingering tasks I wanted/needed to accomplish. Didn’t hear from Mindy all morning long. I’m thinking that I called her around 130pm. By then the carpet guy had already been there and gone. The kids, she confirmed, both went to MRM with the neighbors. She was headed to the grocery. Kenny said they’d be home sooner rather than later if it started to rain, which it started to do around 3-330pm.

My day went pretty fast. I left the office for home around 515pm. I called Mindy again on my drive home. She was home from the grocery and busy cutting up fruit. I let her go and then called my mom. Hadn’t talked with her for a week or so. Mom said she was in bed watching TV, not feeling too well. Shared that her knee replacement surgeon suggested that her ongoing pain and swelling may be attributed to her legs being 1mm off in length. No kidding, said he wants her to come in so he can STRETCH it out. Where did this bozo get his medical license, Wal-Mart?  Despite her not feeling well, seemed to be in pretty good spirits. Went on to say she plans to live to 97. I think she just threw that number out there. Wasn’t tied to any specific event that I’m aware of.  Bid her farewell when I pulled in the drive at home.

Mindy was still busy in the kitchen cutting up fruit. Said the Downey carpet cleaning guy emphasized that the carpet will stand taller, firmer if we stay off it until it’s completely dry. Suggested 6 hours, but I know all too well that it’s more like 24 hours. Mindy said she was impressed with his work. Kind of hard to tell, though, without any bright ,natural lighting.

Once she was finished cutting up fruit, we reheated some of last week’s chicken & noodles. Still good. Kenny texted that they were leaving MRM just after 6pm. Trying to avoid trampling the damp carpets, I vowed an evening away from my PC. At one point I resorted to playing on Bella’s Kindle Fire but found it too difficult to browse and gave up. Mindy was using her laptop from the kitchen table like she always does. The kids laptop was available for use had I really needed/wanted online. I opted not.

I did head upstairs to change into more comfy lounging attire. Before Bella got home, we decided to keep her home from gymnastics. Didn’t seem like a good idea – ski all day then got to gymnastics till 830pm. The kids were home by 7pm. We guided them through the garage to stow their ski gear then Mindy had them toss their ski attire and bags to her in the basement where she took a quick inventory to make sure they didn’t lose any crucial gear. They didn’t. Kids said they had a blast despite the all day drizzle.

Mindy had them ready for bed over the next half hour or so and then Jacob did 90 minutes of reading. While Jacob read, Bella played on the computer, although she was researching an author that wrote the book she’s been reading. I tuned the TV to a basketball game but watched only passively until Mindy suggested we watch this MLK DVD she brought home from school. Apparently she and the kids watched part of it earlier. It was in cartoon form and was fairly well done, wrapping a story about kids from the current going back in time and bringing MLK forward.  I fell asleep through part but still caught the gist of it. After the movie, the kids had a snack and then headed to bed. And just like most other work nights, Mindy headed up to read shortly after the kids were tucked into bed. I stayed up watching a Morgan Freeman, Through the Worm Hole rerun. I fell asleep on the sofa waking near 1030 pm and then heading for bed.