Glenn @ Glen Helen

I needed to be at the airport to pick-up Glenn by 9am. So to that end, I got up somewhere near 630am. Downstairs I started coffee then completed both sit-ups and push-ups. Both were out of the way by 7am. I spent more time online than perhaps I should've, and consequently didn't leave for a run near 740am. I ran only three miles on what was another cloudy start. The temperature was about 45 degrees.

Back home by 815am, I was quickly off to the shower. I took Mindy some coffee. She planned to be up and showered by the time I got back from the airport. I'm thinking I was ready to leave for the airport by 840am, but not before checking on the status of Glenn's flight. Learned that it was delayed by 12 minutes. I had some more coffee and played around on the internet. In fact, Mindy was downstairs and showered even before I departed.

It was a quick drive to the airport. Any worry of a morning traffic snarl proved unfounded. Arrived just ahead of 9am. Instead of going directly to the terminal, I went for the cell phone lot. Having not been there before, I ended up waiting in the nearby McDonald's lot instead, but only briefly. There, I toiled with my smart phone looking for an updated status of Glenn's flight. After downloading the free American Airlines app I learned that his flight landed at 913am, or 13 minutes late. At 923am I tried his cell, but it went straight to VM. I waited another 5 minutes but then decided to make a pass by passenger pick-up just outside baggage claim. My cell rang as I drove by, but it wasn't Glenn. Instead, it was the XM Radio folks. No joy.

This time I headed to the real cell lot. I waited there another 5-10 minutes before trying Glenn's cell again. Now after 930am, I decided to drive by passenger pick-up once more. My cell phone rang again as I passed through, only this time it was actually Glenn, who shared that he had just walked out of baggage claim. Good timing. I pulled alongside the curb where we quickly loaded his bags in the trunk. He asked for a quick picture then we headed off for home.

It was a quick drive home too, but already near 10am. Dad and Tommy were already there, as our plans called for a trip to Der Dutchman for breakfast before heading further west to Yellow Springs and Glen Helen. We chatted briefly while enjoying a little more coffee.  We didn't leave the house until just about 1030am. Dad drove separately since he wouldn't be joining us in Yellow Springs. Glenn and Tommy rode with him.

We took I-70W to the route 142 north exit into Plain City driving just west of Darby Creek. Jacob was in the back seat giving his mom and Bella grief the entire drive. Arrived at Der Dutchman near 11am. Given the hour, we were given a choice between breakfast & lunch. Everybody had their heart set on breakfast. Our server warned that we had just a few minutes before they would be changing over the buffet. We hustled along to get out fill of the breakfast food. She told us we could enjoy both for an additional fee, but everybody quickly filled on the breakfast food. I was careful not to overdo it, though I did get a 2nd helping of hash browns and bacon.

Glenn and the others were disappointed that the Long John's were gone and expressed this to our server. Being a real sweetie, she went for two more from the bakery. We shared them just before heading out. I picked up the check.

As she often does, Mindy stopped in the bakery to get a dozen donuts as well as some of their homemade noodles. It had to be near 1145am when we headed out. We said our goodbyes to dad who was heading back home. We honked again at the I70E interchange and route 142. Dad headed east. We headed west.

Just as we had hoped, after 2.5 days of clouds and rain the skies were clearing directly to our west. A few minutes later it was sunny and gorgeous. Took about 25 minutes to get into Yellow Springs opting to take route 68 into town.

It was sunny when we pulled into the Cory St parking lot in Yellow Springs, which is right next to the local firehouse and with direct access to the Glen Helen preserve. Parking was free. With the sunshine, the temperature was ideal. We hiked eastward and down along the familiar old stream snapping lots of photos along the way.

We stopped briefly at the oak tree exhibit and then made out way to the preserve’s namesake spring. Spent a few minutes there before meandering over to the waterfall, bridge, and cave. Both kids exhibited eagerness to explore/hike. That did our hearts some good. After all, it was only a couple years ago when Bella would freak out in the woods. This time she went off on her own a few times, but never too far out of our site.

I was eager to find the raptor center nestled somewhere nearby in the fabric of the forest. I followed my senses which lead me right to it. After checking out a few of the screech owls on hand, I went for the others who were still hanging out down by the Little Miami.

We spent a good half hour at the raptor center – a refuge for several once injured birds of prey. Amongst their inventory were the aforementioned screech owls, barred owls, horned owls, barn owls, a bald eagle, and a host of hawks. Very cool, especially the creepy/spooky looking barn owl.

After leaving the raptor center we made our way back towards town, but with a handful of stops along the way. I’m guessing it near 230-300pm when we exited the preserve and made out way over to the Old Trail Tavern, a Yellow Springs fave of ours. It was built in 1827 and said to be haunted. Still some of the original construction. We were seated and served by Melissa, who we recognized from many of our past visits. Said we looked familiar too.

All the adults ordered beers, Tommy & I Avery IPAs, Glenn and Mindy each ordered stouts, though of a different make. Jacob ordered water and Bella Mt. Dew. I was still fairly full from the Der Dutchman breakfast. Mindy placed an order for three appetizers, including smothered fries, regular fries for Bella, and then some yummy deep fried green beans with wasabi sauce.

I ate a few of the deep fried green beans and then a couple smothered fries but that’s it. I stuck with the one beer, too, since I was driving. The others each had a 2^nd beer. Mindy shared that she had a great buzz by the time we settled the check and headed out to walk/shop.

Stopped in the nearby shop with the cut glass bowls outside. Mindy picked out a couple cut glass purple coasters for purchase. Funny thing is, I was just showing them to her when she showed me the two she already had in hand. I quickly bored of the store and headed out to walk along the main street, which is never boring. Half the fun is the people watching.

Mindy hoped to replace her organic peace sign t-shirt that Frankie’s chewed. She didn’t find one. We headed out of Yellow Springs north on route 68 towards I70E around 4pm. We promised the kids, especially Bella, a stop at Young’s Dairy for some ice cream. We’ve been by a few times but hadn’t ever stopped. We all headed in for some ice cream.

Most of us got ice cream cones as big as our heads. I had something like fudge chocolate chunk. Young’s Dairy is a huge operation complete with a humongous pumpkin patch, petting zoo, corn maze, etc. We hung out by the pumpkin wagon and petting zoo for a while eating our ice cream. It was closing in on 5pm when we finished up and headed for home.

Tommy, Glenn and Mindy all dosed off during our drive home. Both kids read from the rear seat. I was fighting a case of the sleepies for a brief stretch but snapped out of it as we neared Hilliard and finally home.

The plan was to pay a visit to Barleys but not before a nap. Glenn headed up to the guest room, Tommy to the sofa, and Mindy to our room. The kids headed out to play after first walking the pug. I downloaded pictures and played on the internet. I was very happy to see the stock market had a banner day. Initially, I thought I’d nap too but never did. Instead, I used the time to bring my blog current.

Around 705pm I headed up to wake Mindy. I woke Tommy & Glenn a few minutes later. Tommy was snoring like a chain saw from the sofa. And Glenn was sleeping so deeply that I startled him. Both kids opted to hang at the neighbors and skip a trip to Barley’s. At first it was only Bella, but Jacob convinced his mother that he would be too bored being the only kid there with us. Mindy called Chrissy to see if it was OK with her if Jacob hung out at their house. Yep.

We left for Barley’s around 740pm. Tommy opted to drive separately so he could head home from there. Mindy rode with him. Glenn rode with me. Glenn and I arrived first, and immediately ran into Bob & Mary Ann hanging out on the patio. We hung outside for the first 5-10 minutes before heading in to get beers. Mindy and Tommy were 5-10 minutes behind us. Bob & Mary Ann shared that they had unwittingly sent off a care package for Glenn a day or two prior. Worried that it might get snatched off his porch before his return, Glenn promised to phone a friend to intercept it.

Finally inside, I ordered one of the new Fortune Teller Imperial Porters. Glenn went with a Sam Adams Double Pumpkin. Mindy opted not to drink anymore after having two beers earlier. She’d serve as out DD. Tommy had the same as me – the Fortune Teller.

Spent some time talking with Doug, Jamie, and Jamie’s lovely daughter, Stephanie ( I think that's her name). Also hung with Steve Wonn, grandpa Tom & Steve, Lil Bob and Carol. Calvin was in, too. Hadn’t seen him for a while.

We hung at Barley’s with all our peeps until 11pm or so. I drank three beers. Glenn picked up the Barley tab. Thanks Glenn!

We walked to the neighbors to fetch our kids once at home. I took a beer. We could hear Bella’s loud voice still playing outside. Her voice lead us around front of Chrissy & Kenny’s place. That’s where the kids were playing, out front. In the garage were Kenny, neighbor Mike and Ivan. Chrissy was already in bed asleep. Ivan was toasted - wobblin’ and bobblin’. Chattier than ever too.

As the story goes, he came over to take Kenny out for boss’ day. Appears Ivan was the one that got buzzed. Kenny apparently called Ivan a cab even before we got there. Slipped him a $50 to pay the cabbie once home. The cab pulled up a short time later and Kenny walked Ivan out and loaded him into the front seat. Funny to us, Ivan immediately started honking the cabbies horn. Made him get out and in the back seat. Wise move! Not exactly sure why, but all of the sudden the cabbie refused to take him. Made him get out. Said he was too drunk. What? Really? Wasn’t that the purpose? Ivan staggered back to the garage. Kenny tried reasoning with the cabbie but to no avail.

While Kenny phoned the cab company to complain, Ivan leaned against a table and ladder Kenny had resting between his normal parking spot and Chrissy’s SUV. Yep. Ivan fell back knocking both the ladder and table into the rear driver’s door of Chrissy’s SUV. We quickly helped Ivan up and Mindy pulled the stuff away from Chrissy’s car. Oops! Two significant dents and an ugly scuff. Chrissy would not be pleased.

Around midnight we gathered our kids and headed for home. I joked about having another beer just before bed. Mindy quickly reminded me of my tendency to have one beer too many. This time I was only kidding, but she made a good point.

Cockadoodledoo - White Rajah and Roosters too!

Mindy was up sometime near 630am and made far less noise and with less light than she might've otherwise had I not been still sleeping around the corner. I rolled out of bed around 710am or about the same time the kids were woken.

I headed downstairs where I promptly whipped out 50 sit-ups. I didn't plan to do any push-ups, sticking closely to my new exercise plan. It was raining and perhaps a little harder than it was the evening before. It wasn't long before Mindy was out the door and off to work. Before leaving, she confirmed that I'd be home to intercept the kids from the school bus while she stopped and picked up the boys at Magdalene's after school care.

The kids and I headed to the bus stop at 810am. Thankfully, the bus was along in short order. Didn't hang out much if at all. Walked Eiknarf out front in the drizzly rain just before heading in to ready for my run. I had another quick cup of coffee and then did a little writing before ultimately dressing and leaving for a run. I'm thinking it was close to 9am when I headed out.

I ran the full 4.1 mile track. It rained through the entire run. Back at home I got out of my wet running clothes and hung out for a while longer still playing catch-up with my blog. I'm thinking it was near 1030am when I headed for a shower. My plan was to make a trip to Gentiles and possibly Giant Eagle to get the couple things Glenn asked we have on hand for his stay. I also thought I'd go to Roosters for lunch, having not eaten there for 12 or more years.

It was still before noon and raining when I headed out the door. I thought about calling Gentiles first to ask if they might had some White Rajah in, but nixed the call and headed there on a whim. It's not far. I arrived no more than 10 minutes later. I looked along the window wall first where they often have new beers and bombers. I didn't see any White Rajah, but did see a Hoppin' Frog triple IPA. Thought about buying it but it was $16! No way. I headed back to the refrigerated cases where I perused all their offerings. No White Rajah. :( Empty handed, I turned to exit when I happened upon several cases of beer stacked in the aisle. Much to my surprise, at least three were White Rajah. Nearby was an employee.  I asked if they were yet for sale. Said they were and that they had just come in. In fact, the distributor was still in the parking lot bringing in more inventory.

I asked if I could buy an entire case. Sure, but he didn't know the price. Didn't even have the distributors invoice yet. I carried a case to the counter while he went out to get the invoice. Was something like $43. Cool! You have to know I was smiling ear to ear as I left. The one thing they didn't have was any pumpkin ale, one of the items on Glenn's list. I decided to try the Giant Eagle at the corner of Grandview and 5th Ave. Surely they'd have some.

Not a mile or so down the road at Giant Eagle, I picked up some cilantro jalapeño & roasted red pepper hummus, half & half, and then a couple six packs of beer. The only pumpkin ale they had left was the Dog Fish Head, Punk. I hear it's good. I picked up some Yeungling Black & Tan too.

After leaving Giant Eagle, I headed to Roosters on West Broad St. As expected, the lot was full and the place crowded. It was raining steadily, too. I parked at a distance protecting my car as best I could. Took one of the few empty seats at the bar where I ordered a coke and ten wings - donkey. The wings were big and tasty, just as I remember them being. I ate all ten. By the time I was done, the place had cleared out considerably. It was still raining when I headed for home. I'm thinking it was near 1pm.

I had no plans for the rest of the afternoon. I did little more than play guitar and then on the computer. A nap was sounding awfully good, and I was sure that I would take one. But as the afternoon wore on it became apparent that wasn't going to happen. Instead of a nap I did more writing. Before I knew it, it was time for the kids to be getting off the bus.

Mindy called sometime near 4pm to let me know that she stopped at Applebees with work friends for a drink. She still planned to pick-up Rocky & Landon on her way home.

I'm thinking it was near 5pm when Mindy and the boys got home. Jacob & Bella soon left with Jimaken for Thursday dinner, something that hasn't happened in a long, long time due to soccer practice. We were left with Rocky & Landon. Earlier in the day we had kicked around the idea of going to Barley's but that no longer seemed rationale given that I had eaten wings earlier and Mindy had been to Applebees. We opted to get the boys McDonald's instead.

It might've been around 730pm when Mindy received a text from Lindsey sharing that she didn't have a ride home from work and wanted us to come get her. The other option was her waiting there until 845pm for a co-worker to get off, who apparently agreed to give her a ride. But that would mean we'd be taking she and the boys home around 10pm. For a few minutes I thought I might blow a gasket.

Choosing the lesser of two evils, Mindy agreed to go get her from work. I would then take them home once back at our place. Mindy was gone about 25-30 minutes. Once they were back, I didn't waste much time preparing for phase two - the journey home. I'm thinking it was between 8-30pm when I dropped them at the YWCA.

Once back at home, I cracked open a White Rajah. Mindy, the kids and I sat in the living room chatting/playing as a family. Occasionally the conversation turned serious as to how we might best continue to help Lindsey and the boys without enabling.  Two things need to happen in a hurry. One, she needs to find housing, and two, she needs to get a car.

For the first time all week, Mindy and I headed to bed together. It couldn't have been much later than 10pm.

Cleaning my Junk Drawer

It's true. I told Mindy that I would get up with the kids while she slept in. Unfortunately, that idea didn't work out so well. It was Mindy who woke first around 730am and leaped out of bed to get the kids up and ready for school.

But because Mindy wasn't going to work, it's not like we were crushed for time. The kids had 40 minutes to ready, which for them is plenty of time. Sit-ups were easy. Push-ups, however, were difficult. My shoulders were stiff no doubt from all the heavy lifting the night before.

Bella has the same cold symptoms as Mindy, although her cough's much worse. We hung out until 810am. The kids puttered around as they always do before bus time. We walked to the bus stop in the rain but eventually made our way back to the garage to take refuge from the rain. Chrissy and her girls came along too. Mindy came out to chat briefly while Jacob remained out in the rain. Mindy walked out to the driveway in her robe to holler for him. I encouraged her to wait until the bus pulled up, which would almost certainly embarrass him to no end.

When the bus pulled up, the kids darted off. I headed back inside. It was a very gloomy start the day. For one, it was pouring rain. Two, I had no real agenda. And lastly, I felt out of sorts sharing my alone time with Mindy who was home ill. Shortly after coming in from the bus stop Mindy headed back to bed. I sat at my PC for another 30 minutes before heading upstairs to get my running clothes.

Eiknarf followed and wouldn't come out from under the bed. I left her there while I dressed for a run in the kitchen. It was raining at a good clip when I set out on my run. I took my time running the entire 4.1 mile track in the rain. I was soaked by the time I made it back home. I failed to mention that the bulk pick-up truck took away all of our tossings just before school bus time. Regular trash pick-up was by too.

I'm thinking that Mindy slept until 11am or so. During that time I had done little more than write in my blog. Mindy headed for a shower around noon. I headed up for one soon after. I had a bad case of the blues being off work with nothing to do. I ended up doing some reading and napping through most of the early afternoon. I played a little guitar too.

Lindsey texted Mindy mid afternoon asking if she or I would be willing to pick her up from work and then take her and the boys home. This, after already agreeing to pick up the boys from after school care.  I did not respond well to the request. In fact, I was angry about it. Suddenly seems like I am her personal chauffer. About the same time my dad phoned. I didn't answer immediately. He didn't leave a VM.

It must've been around 230pm when Bella's teacher, Mrs. Anderson called Mindy to report Bella being  ill. Mindy agreed to go after her. Before leaving the house she said she was gonna take Bella straight to see Dr. Craig before coming home.

While Mindy was gone I put away two baskets of my own clean clothes and then organized my 'junk' drawer in the masterbath, a task that's long overdue. Most of the receipts and papers were junk - old news if you will. I did find an old $50 Lowes gift card. Before assuming it completely tapped out, I decided to check its value online. Good thing I didn't simply trash it. Still has $15.50 on it. Cool!

That reminds me. Mindy found 3 Barley's gift cards worth $70 in total up in the cupboard on Sunday. Says all have since expired. We plan to ask if we can still redeem. Another reason merchants love gift cards. Many never get redeemed.

I called dad checking to see what he needed earlier. Said he made arrangements to join us for breakfast on Friday morning at Der Dutchman after all. Moved his rehab appointment to the afternoon.

Mindy was back with Bella and a few prescriptions sometime after 4pm. By then, Jacob was home from school, too. It was pouring rain. I left to get the boys from Magdalene near 5pm. It was raining so hard that water was puddling in the streets. At Magdalene, I wasn't sure where the after school care took place. I tried the front and side entrances to the main school building but both were locked. I checked the preschool and the middle school directly across the street. No joy! Meanwhile, it was raining even harder. I called Mindy since she picked the kids up the night before. She said they were outside walking when she arrived, so she had no idea which building to find them in.

I rechecked the main school, ringing the doorbell just below the sign. Finally, someone came to the door and let me in. She lead me to the lower level cafeteria where I found the boys playing quietly. We headed to the Pilot doing our best to remain somewhat dry. Rained heavily for the duration of our drive home. Started to let up once we neared the house.

Inside, Mindy already had dinner in the oven. It had been there for most of the afternoon. We were having pork chops, baked potatoes, and green beans. I'm thinking we ate around 6pm. Rocky and Landon ate well. Both love baked potatoes. It makes Mindy and I happy to see them eat so well.

After kitchen clean-up, Mindy had cookies for the kids to decorate and then eat. How fun! :) Lindsey found a ride to our place from work. I agreed to give her a ride home. In the meantime, Mindy gave Landon a bath and then saw to it that Rocky got a shower. Mindy made Lindsey a dinner plate as soon as she arrived.

I left to drop them at the YWCA around 740pm. It didn't take long to get out east. It's all freeway. Just before I left the house, I told Mindy that I was stopping at Barley's on my way home. I needed some fun and a cold beer. After all, this is my vacation. I arrived there near 8pm. Decent crowd for a Wednesday evening. I ordered the new Fortune Teller, Imperial Porter. It was good. Ended up drinking two.

Sat next to a couple guys, one who looked somewhat familiar. Turns out, he used to work for VZ, but hasn't for the last 18+ months. The other guy works for AT&T. Both graduated from Ready. Talked the evening away. Around 930pm, Darwin came in. Always arrives late. Finally figured out why.  Being Mr. mom, it's his job to get the kids ready and into bed every night. We hung out until just after 10pm. Mindy called while I was there asking for an ETA. I was just getting ready to depart.

Arrived home around 1030pm. Bella was jumping for joy as I made my way upstairs to tuck her in. She always makes me feel special. Jacob was already sound asleep. Mindy, Bella and I chatted for a few minutes before I tucked Bella into bed. Afterwards, and at Mindy's prompting, I headed back to our room to tuck Mindy in. I then headed back downstairs where I enjoyed the last of my jug of Galaxy 500 while watching Comedy Channel. Finished my beer and fell asleep. Didn't wake until 3am, when I poured a glass of water and headed up to bed. Still raining.

Relying on the Unreliable

Same story, only this time Mindy was much kinder with the bathroom lighting. She didn't have the brightest lights on. I woke sometime near the end of her shower and by the time I rolled out of bed she was dressed and doing make-up. I peed, brushed my teeth, and headed downstairs to exercise.

I did sit-ups and while doing so, could hear Mindy interacting with the kids. They were just waking. Although rain was predicted, the sky was only partly cloudy, with enough clear areas to give one hope of a better day than predicted. I enjoyed coffee and internet through breakfast with Mindy and the kids. It was time for Mindy to head out in short order.

Mindy asked if I'd be home when the kids got off the bus. Yes. I didn't have a solid plan but thought I might carry all the stuff I sorted for pick-up to the garage for easy hauling come night fall. After that my plan was by the seat of my pants.

I walked the kids to the bus stop at 810am. Met Chrissy and the girls. Chrissy kindly offered to take Bella to the pumpkin patch after school with her kids since she knew we had to be at Jacob's soccer game by 6pm. I told her that would make Bella very happy. We also committed to picking up the boys at Magdalene latch-key after they were all but abandoned there by the baby-daddy the past two days.

Home with Eiknarf, I enjoyed another cup of coffee before setting out on a run. It must've been about 845am when I headed off. As for the weather, there was still a chance of rain but not that strong. Unfortunately, they were calling for as much as 3 inches on Wednesday. Yikes! At run time it was 50 degrees and mostly cloudy. Being in vacation mode, I ran just three miles again. Felt good.

Once back at the house, I immediately started lugging stuff up the stairs from the basement to the garage. I worked up quite a sweat doing so. Must've been about 10-12 trips. Courtney's old waterbed frame was by far the most awkward piece to maneuver up and out. I carried up a couple more boxes than I scheduled but left the rest for another day. I don't want to piss-off the city. Figured I could easily schedule another bulk pick-up for the following Wednesday.

Done by 10am, I enjoyed another cup of coffee before heading off to the shower. By then I had a plan, which included a trip to Old Navy for new underwear and then a trip to Lowes or Home Depot to get the stuff to permanently fix the fallen undermount sink as well as new caulk for the masterbath shower.

Freshly showered, I left the house sometime after 11am. I opted to stop at Old Navy first. I headed to the one on Hilliard-Rome Rd near Target.  I was last there a couple days before our Myrtle Beach vacation. I was buying new underwear then too. They were on sale today for 40% off the regular price.  I bought five pair. Next to Express for Men, Old Navy had my favorite boxers. I picked up a new pair of long wicking pants too. I use them for running, skiing and casual lounging. Great invention!

By the way, Hilliard-Rome Rd is all torn up north of Wal-Mart all the way up to Target. Hopefully it'll be done before Xmas shopping season, but honestly I don't see how that's even possible. If not, it's an area to completely avoid. Leaving their lot, I wasn't entirely sure which Lowes/Home Depot I would visit. I figured I'd venture just down the road to the I-70 interchange and then get on 270 north or south. I opted for south. Thought I'd hit the Home Depot on West Broad and Grenner Rd. Mileage-wise, it was the closest and easiest to get to, or so I thought.

I exited 270 at the West Broad St exit. To get to Home Depot one has to merge hard left to get to Grenner Rd. Only trouble was, the Grenner Rd intersection was closed. However, just ahead, there's another less obvious turn that takes you behind the first couple businesses and empties out at Home Depot behind the Olde Trail Inn. But that was in the process of being repaved too. Found a road closed sign there too but other cars were taking that turn, so I followed the others.

Lo and behold, once we got around to Grenner Rd it was completely blocked off. What the ... ? I could see no obvious way to get over to Home Depot short of taking Georgesville to Old Sullivant and then north on Grenner. Screw that!  I got back on West Broad and quickly jumped back on 270S where I  headed to the Georgesville Rd Lowes.

At Lowes I picked up three types of caulk - liquid nails made especially for granite, a GE crystal clear to seal the joint between the sink and granite as well as certain parts of our brass plated shower stall. I also bought some white silicone for the main shower floor and tile. I bought top of the line in all three applications spending $20 in caulk alone. To make the sink repair, I also picked up four - 1"x2"X4' pine boards and then one - 1"x3"x4' board. The boards would serve as permanent jack posts for the undermount sink. This is the best alternative I could come up with without risking damaging the granite.  Most important, I was at peace with my choice. I headed for home eager to get started on these two long-nagging projects.

I cleared out the cabinet under the sink and then got my power miter saw down from the garage storage shelf. I took some rough measurements then headed back to the garage to make some cuts leaving the jack posts about a half inch too long on purpose. Next, I relaxed the temporary post a little that's been supporting the sagging side of the sink for over a month now. I cleaned the underside of the granite and then the stainless steel sink with mineral spirits to aid the adhesion. After letting it set a few minutes, I cleaned it with and old diaper and scraper. That worked well.

Before applying the liquid nails, I placed a 1"x2" x 16" board against the sink's edge and the underside of the granite. I then took two crudely cut 1"x2" x28" posts and put them into position to hold up the horizontally piece. As I said earlier,  I cut them a little long on purpose. I took one out at a time to cut a little off. I wanted it to be an extra tight fit, so I took no more than an 1/8" off at a time. I must've made about six cuts to get it right. Ended up being 27 5/8" long.  I had to hammer fairly hard to get them perfectly vertical and plumb - an extra tight fit.

I then took it apart so I could apply a liberal amount of liquid nails from up top between the granite and sink base. I went back with a 2nd application not wanting to skimp on adhesive. Back under the sink. I put the boards back in place just like I had them earlier. Went fairly smoothly. Even though the opposite side hadn't broken away, I wasn't about to give it a chance. I went ahead and built two jack posts for the other side too. The only difference being that I wasn't using adhesive.

I planned to allow the liquid nails time to dry and then caulk the joint between the sink and granite from atop with the GE crystal clear caulk.

I cleaned up everything that wouldn't be used in the shower recaulk job and then headed upstairs. The first order of business was cutting away the old caulk. That took some doing. I took the time to get it all off. I cleaned the area with mineral spirits then did a 2nd and 3rd turn. Spent about an hour stripping away and preparing the area for new. Putting down a fresh bead was the easy part. I used the crystal clear silicone for the thin joints along the brass frame. Looks good. I finished  just after Mindy and the kids got home. Mindy had Landon & Rocky with her too.

While I cleaned up after my work, Mindy did homework with Rocky & Bella. Jimaken came after Jacob pretty quickly. He had a soccer game nearby at the Westmoor Jr High fields. The same fields where I played for the Valleyview Vikings, and the same field where my running began way back in 1982. I was looking forward to going back and checking it out.  We all piled in the Pilot and headed that way around 545pm.

We parked near the concrete shelter house where the Vikings were just organizing for their football practice. These days, their uniforms look much like the NFL Vikings. Nice! I talked to a few of the kids as we made our way to the soccer field, which was at the south end of the complex.

 We were playing the Columbus Latino team again, after playing them as recent as last Tuesday on our home field. Mindy, Landon, Rocky and I cast our three chairs along the sidelines as the action began. The boys quickly bored of the game, so  I engaged them in a little rough housing in an effort to keep them occupied but also to keep us warm. It was otherwise chilly and breezy.

We had fun save for the trash talking both of the boys do almost by habit, especially Rocky. Landon seems to pick it up from him. They were relentless. Jacob's team took the lead but the Latinos eventually tied it up well into the 2nd half at 2-2. Because Mindy was cold, I agreed to walk back to the Pilot and bring it down to the south end of the field and close to the soccer action. When I was a kid, cars weren't permitted on the track area. As I walked towards the Pilot someone hollered Jimmy. It was Gary Orahood, a school mate from my elementary school days. He's been involved with the Vikings youth football program for as long as I can remember. We chatted briefly before I hopped in the Pilot and pulled it closer to the soccer action.

 By then Mindy had opted for the Pilot to hide from the chilly breeze. She could still see the action though. I kept at it with the boys. It was completely dark by the game's end. Couldn't believe they kept playing. Jacob's team scored a goal with a minute or so left to take the lead for good. They won 3-2. So after starting the season 0-4, they've strung together two victories and a tie in the their last three outings. Unless I'm mistaken, there's only one regular season game remaining.

While we waited on Jacob, Lindsey phoned Mindy to let us know that she was waiting for us at our house. She was driving big Rocky's minivan. Mindy planned to make a quick dinner once home - tortellini and red sauce. Mindy got busy making dinner right away while Lindsey talked her ear off.  At some point big Rocky phoned Lindsey to give her an earful about her whereabouts with his van. It was all I could do not to take the phone and shred the guy. The gall of him. He provides nothing for these kids and was giving Lindsey crap about how long she was gone working. Really?

But then again, if you've put yourself in a situation where you're relying on the unreliable for your own sustenance, then you have no one but yourself to blame. I can only hope Lindsey finally sees this and more importantly snatches control of her destiny moving forward. This is hard on all of us.

Somehow Lindsey calmed things over the phone. Everybody enjoyed a quick but nutritious dinner. Lindsey didn't have a lot of time, so after woofing down their dinner, she and the kids bundled for their long journey back to the YWCA. They needed to drive back to big Rocky's, drop off the minvan,  then head to the bus stop and then head back to the YWCA. To add insult to injury, it had begun to rain. Lindsey said they wouldn't get back to the Y until 10pm. The crazy cycle would start over again come 530am.  Honestly, I don't know how she does it.

Mindy & I both feel horrible about the situation, but are gun shy about helping too much. It's not a pleasant scenario, but one  I know only Lindsey can fix permanently.  

Once they were gone I was eager to get into my PJs and pour myself an IPA. Mindy texted back and forth with Lindsey until they were safely home. They arrived just before 10pm. Apparently Landon was cranky, tired and wet.

By then, our kids were already tucked into bed. Mindy finalized her sub plans after deciding she was taking Wednesday off work to get some much needed rest after battling a cold for the last week or so. I watched TV, but can't recall what. Mindy headed to bed shortly after 10pm. I stayed up enjoying another beer and TV. Like most night's this week, I fell asleep on the sofa and woke around midnight and headed for bed. I could hear the pitter-patter of rain against the house. Not supposed to end until sometime Thursday.

Turn Off the Lights!

Happy 5th Birthday Livy!

I was woken abruptly when Mindy flicked on the bathroom lights to start her shower. The bright light coupled with the sound of pounding water were far from ideal sleeping conditions. Once I realized that there wouldn't be any further good sleep, I rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and pee. I saw that Mindy had already poured her own coffee.

 I headed downstairs to start exercise. It was somewhere close to 645 am. I completed sit-ups and push-ups then headed to the PC where I enjoyed coffee and internet. It was pleasant outdoors - 45 and clear. Expected to remain that way through most of the day with a high temp of 64. In fact, it was a perfect fall golf day, but I didn't have a playing partner. Just as well, my plan all along was to get busy in the basement preparing for Wednesday's bulk pick-up.

Mindy and the kids were downstairs around 715am to have breakfast. I didn't plan to run until the kids were off to school on the bus. Mindy left at 730am sharp. She asked that I send confirmation of my ability to get the kids from the bus before 4pm.

The time between Mindy leaving for work and the kids and I heading to the bus stop went fast.  It was a lovely morning though still a little chilly. I was out in my PJs but with a fleece jacket. I made the kids wear jackets too. Once the kids were on the bus I walked Eiknarf leisurely out front. Once back inside I played around online for 15-20 minutes tops. I dressed and left for a run near 840am.

I ran only three miles in lovely conditions. I did a walk about the yard before heading back inside. The thought of leaving the lovely weather behind and working in the basement was painful. I kept tinkering with the idea of scrapping the day's agenda and going golfing even if it meant golfing alone. I poured a cup of coffee but didn't let too much time expire before I fought off the urge to play and headed to the basement to see what I could get done.

I can't explain what comes over me down there but it's almost a feeling of helplessness. Where to begin, that kind of stuff. A look around gets me antsy and angry. For one, as much complaining as Mindy does about me having so much stuff (junk) down there, I'll bet 75% of it is hers. I decided to start with some easy stuff - old work stuff - tech manuals, books, files etc. Soon an hour had passed. I had already sorted through 4 or 5 boxes. I was making progress. The relatively few things I found that I wanted to keep I sat aside and later placed them in a small plastic tub. I created a pile for Kelly too, not having the heart to throw away things I thought she might treasure, including old love notes from boyfriends from her childhood.

By mid-day I had way more ready to be hauled up and out than what I guessed when I scheduled the bulk pick-up some two weeks prior. It was too late to add to the list, and they're very strict about not adding more arbitrarily. I'd have to schedule yet another pick-up. We also have a mounting pile of stuff needing donated - mostly baby/toddler toys and gear, like a high chair. And that doesn't include the toy room toys that still need gone through. By the time I was done, it was near 230pm. I felt dirty and itchy from the fiberglass insulation tacked up against the basement walls.  

A couple treasures I pitched, were  my first PC, a TI-99 still in mint condition, and then a Teddy Ruxpin. I decided to keep the old Viewmaster and Atari game system and game cartridges. I also kept the post card collection Kelly's grandpa gifted me back in 1982. All in all, what I kept versus what I threw away was minimal. Now I just needed to get the stuff to the garage and out to the curb no sooner than 6pm Tuesday and no later than 6am Wednesday. I headed up for a shower after spending a solid 4.5 hours in the basement. I felt good about my accomplishments.

The weather was gorgeous. After a shower I headed outside in the yard. It felt like 70 degrees. Forecasting cooler temps and rain on Tuesday. in fact, rain through Thursday. Yuck! As requested, I sent Mindy a text letting her know that I would be home to intercept the kids. She planned to stay late for a meeting.

The kids were home near 4pm. Both enjoyed a snack then started their homework. I helped both.  Mindy got home around 440pm. Somehow I'd been sucked into the junk food trap with the kids and as a consequence, had little to no appetite for dinner. I ate a bowl of tortilla soup earlier in the day as well.

Bella had gymnastics at 7pm. Mindy made Bella a hot dog beforehand. I took a brief nap in the living room. Mindy and Bella left near 650pm. They were running behind when Bella couldn't find her shoes. I suggested that I was gonna visit Barley's.  Mindy countered by offering to stop on her way back from dropping Bella and pick me up a jug of Galaxy 500. That sounded good, although I wouldn't be able to partake until Bella was picked up at 830pm.

I was somewhat bored through early evening. I could've worked on my blog, but opted not. Instead, I played mindlessly on the PC being about as unproductive as I ever am. This is the danger of taking an entire week off without something planned to totally consume me. Mindy was home around 730pm. Not only did she bring me a jug of Galaxy 500, but she brought home buffalo chicken tenders for Jacob.

Just before leaving to get Bella, Lindsey called asking if we could help her out by picking up the boys at Magdalene after work on Tuesday. What a mess. She started her new regular working hours and has no plan for after care beyond 6pm, let alone transportation. So far, she's been counting on the undependable help of her baby-daddy, Rocky and his new girl friend. I could just scream!

I headed off to get Bella in the Accord around 825pm arriving at 831pm. Once in the car, Bella let me know that I was a minute late. Told me she placed 6th in the trampoline competition that we had to leave abruptly following. She had her 6th place sticker in hand that she needed to attach to her trophy back at home. She didn't ask for Wendy's this time. Hmm?

At home Mindy insisted both Bella and Jacob get showers.  I poured myself a Galaxy IPA and tuned into MNF already in progress - Jets vs. Miami. Mindy let Jacob watch football until almost 930pm. She and Bella headed to bed fairly early. She asked me to come to bed early, but being on vacation, I view staying up somewhat late as my right of passage. I stayed up sipping two pints of Galaxy 500. I watched the game until I could take it no more. I eventually fell asleep on the sofa.

Something to Ponder

I rolled out of bed somewhere near 715am, brushed my teeth then headed downstairs. Mindy barely budged. I didn't expect her up for a while yet. I started a pot of coffee then played on the internet until coffee was ready. Because it was Sunday I didn't plan to do any calisthenics at all. It was cloudy and 50 degrees - typical mid-October weather.

I might've enjoyed coffee and internet for an hour or so before deciding to do my run. It was still ahead of 9am when I headed out. Despite a forecast calling for a chance of rain, it was sunny when I left the house prompting me to go for a pair of  cheap sunglasses.

During my run I contemplated those things I hoped to accomplish that day, including hanging our new blinds, mowing the lawn, and hitting the bare spots with another dose of grass seed. I thought I might carry some of the stuff from the basement and place it in the garage so I'd be ready for bulk pick-up come Wednesday, too. No doubt, my agenda was aggressive. There was a retirement party some time that evening/afternoon at Barley's that we were invited to as well. Mindy promised to seek out the details for that sometime mid day.

I ran the usual 3 miles, and found Mindy and Eiknarf out back when I got home. Looked like they were just out of bed. Mindy started a grocery list right away. I made myself a chicken and cheese wrap with leftovers before heading out to start on the lawn. Figured I'd take care of the biggest chores first. It couldn't have been much after 10am when I headed out. I started cutting the lawn in a t-shirt and pullover fleece, but it got warm quick. It wasn't long before I removed the fleece. To change things up a bit, I cut the back push-mow stuff first then worked my way around to the front. I knew I was running low on mower gas in both the five gallon container as well as the tractor. I was able to complete the day's mowing but I'll need to get more before the next go round.  I won't use but maybe another gallon and a half for the season. I won't fill up. Instead, I'll get enough with a little pad to get me through the rest of the mowing season.

Mindy left for the grocery around noon best guess. I noticed she was wearing her Viking attire. This would be my first opportunity to see a Viking game this season - playing the Bears on SNF. I finished mowing, trimming, edging the lawn then did the over seeding using what was left of the peat as a topping before putting down seed. It didn't take me long, fifteen minutes tops. By the way, I cut the front as short as I cut the back for the first time since coming home from NYC. With the growing season beginning to slow, I might be able to go two weeks. We'll see.

Before locking up the shed, I carried our old patio chair cushions and umbrella to the garage. We're tossing them out on Wednesday.  Thought about donating them to the tree house but imagined them getting shredded and the white fluffy filling spreading all over in a hurry. Nixed that idea.

Yard chores now completed, I headed inside for a brief break before hanging the blinds. I was itchy and really needed/wanted a shower, though figured it wiser to wait until all my chores were done. I wanted to get those new blinds hung while I still had some alone time. I pulled up the Adobe Reader install instructions they sent via email and then got started. Weighing the options, I decided to go with the top versus side mount. The brackets would mount either way.

I got the first of three mounted in about ten minutes. That one, of course, took the longest, getting used to the hardware and the process. Mindy got home from the grocery soon after blind one. The other two went up quickly. Love the look (black mesh). They let light in while providing some element of privacy. Mindy said she liked the look too. Good.

The kids were home soon after Mindy. It had to be around 3pm. Mindy started making dinner right away.  She was making some sorta soup. I'd late discover it to be tortilla soup. She called Barley's mid-afternoon and asked Monica what time Bob's retirement party was to begin. 6pm. Mindy planned for us to eat dinner around 5pm and then asked Chrissy if she'd keep the kids while we made a brief appearance at the retirement gathering.

I kept only a loose eye on NFL football. Too busy. Somehow the Bengal won again taking their record to 4-2. Who would've guessed that? We sat for dinner just as Mindy planned near 5pm. The chicken tortilla soup was really good. She made a pan of sweet cornbread as well. I liked that as well. The kids headed off to the neighbors immediately after dinner. They agreed to keep Eiknarf for a couple hours too.

I'm think we left the house around 610pm. We already had a card but no gift. We planned to buy Bob a Barley's gift certificate once there. As soon as we walked in Monica shared that she gave us the wrong start time. Event started at 5pm instead of 6pm. It was being held in the banquet room around back. I knew it existed but had never been to an event there. As soon as we had the gift certificate in hand we headed back.

Aside from Bob and Carol, Just a couple familiar faces. Figured most of those that remained were Columbus library work peeps. Unless I'm mistaken, that's where Bob & Carol met some 25-30 years ago. Carol still works there, although I think at the main library. They had catered food and lots of beer, though only two varieties - pale ale and blonde bomber. I opted for the free stuff and went with a blonde bomber. It's one I haven't had in well over a year. It's not IPA but it was pretty good. Mindy, I don't think, drank at all. Only water.

After initially greeting Bob & Carol we sat with two guys we see often at the bar. I think one is named Don. The other, not sure. I ended up having a second beer, this time a Pale ale, which is another I don't have too often anymore, but one I used to love. Had that old familiar flavor.

We didn't stay too late at all. Weren't there but an hour.  I'm thinking we left at 730pm. Mindy drove, having not consumed any alcohol. Once home Mindy called for the kids and dog.  I got into my PJs and readied to watch my beloved Vikings for the first time all season. I cracked open a Widmere IPA.

The Vikings got the ball first but couldn't do a thing with it. Just like that, it was 7-0, 9-0, and then 16-0. Oh boy! We looked inept. Finally put a drive together and kicked a field goal. At the half it was 23-3. Mindy & the kids headed to bed. I stayed up enjoying another beer or two and then the 2nd half. The Vikings scored a TD on their first or second drive of the half. I was actually foolish enough to think we still had a chance and might mount a comeback. However, the Bears would have none of it. They returned the ensuing kick-off for a TD, pretty much killing any shot at a comeback.

The interesting thing was, Donovan McNabb was playing pretty well, and certainly better than his season-to-date stats. It my opinion, despite our slow start, it was the defense that was to blame for this beating. Still, the pundits were calling for our rookie, Christian Ponder. And he finally got his shot in the 4th quarter once the game was out of hand. He looked fairly sharp and decisive for his first real NFL action. Although, the two drives he lead both ended without points after going for it on 4th down both times.

I turned the game off with two minutes left and turned my attention to playing on the PC and finishing my 2nd or 3rd bottled beer. I'm thinking it was near midnight when I finally headed up to bed.

I'll Tumble For Ya, I'll Tumble ...

Celebrating Olivia at 5

I woke several times throughout the night thinking I'd get up and head to bed but never did. As a consequence, I woke stiff as ever. I got up for good around 7am, started some coffee, then headed up to the masterbath to brush my teeth and change into my running clothes. The plan was to drop the Accord at Ziebart as soon as they opened, which was expected to be 8am. I then planned to run back home as part of my daily run.

I enjoyed coffee and internet until about 745am. Sometime before then, I could hear Mindy get up and then get in the shower. I left the house at 750am. It was a bluebird morning with just a slight nip in the morning air. The forecast was calling for something less desirable.

Arrived at Ziebart just ahead of 8am. Dana was already in and was most helpful. He asked me to pick the tinting shade I desired. They had four tints offerings plastered on a window for comparison. The state of Ohio has a law limiting the percentage of tint allowable on both the driver and passenger front windows. All the rest can be as dark as you want them. I went with the darkest tint possible on the rear and back seat windows, and then the darkest allowable by law up front. Said it should be ready around noon.  Wondered if I planned to wait. No. Told him I was running home.

I left for home just a couple minutes after 8am running along Wilson Rd for the first time in several years. Once I made into the subdivision I did a couple more miles before turning towards home.  Once home I wasted little time getting ready for Bella's gymnastics meet. I showered quickly and then woofed down a breakfast burrito.

Since we'd be there for the better part of the day, I packed a book, laptop, and iTouch in my backpack. I didn't want to find myself with nothing to do between Bella's events. Mindy had said she wanted to leave at 845am since we needed to have Bella there by 10am. We actually left closer to 850am.

It was a lovely drive up route 33 to Bellefontaine passing Mad River Mt. along the way, and just a mile or so before our exit. Strange seeing the mountain all green. It won't be long before we're back up that way skiing - just two months. Neither of us had been in Bellefontaine prior. I expected to find a more economically depressed town. That wasn't the case at all. Most of the old houses are in good repair with a few real beauties scattered in too, especially just as you come into town.

A lot of the streets were unmarked, which made following Mindy's printed directions difficult. The map said to turn left on Ludlow Av. We had to navigate the last couple miles by instinct, which worked surprisingly well. We found the high school with little trouble. Like the town, the high school was nice. We made it there with plenty of time to spare, arriving around 955am.

Mindy and I had to pay $2 each to get in. Bella, of course, didn't have to pay. We found her group at the far end. Many kids were already competing, and had been since 8am. After about 15 minutes we were told that they were running behind schedule - upwards of 90 minutes. Great! While watching older kids compete I put on my iTouch listening to the Turtles and then Pink Floyd's Final Cut.

We were wowed by the teen-aged boys doing their tumbling routine. There were two in particular that were every bit as good as what you'd expect to see in the Olympics. That was a pleasant surprise. Bella finally was called to warm-up for her first competition on the double mini-tramp. There were all sorts of rules that we were unaware of. First, they fussed over Bella's pony tail saying that it needed to be up in a bun-like do. Also, no tennies shoes. Ankle socks or tramp shoes only. We both wondered why they hadn't told us before hand. We made do.

Mindy wasn't pleased that I was absorbed in music, but I would've been bored to tears otherwise. I guess she wanted me to be present with her. She does fine in these setting being the social animal she is. I had a book, my Droid, and a laptop too. However, I never did get out the laptop or the book.

For the first time ever, I used the Word software app for Android, writing my Friday blog entry via my Droid. That was kind of cool.  Once it was time for Bella's actual competition I put my toys aside and watched intently. I watched a few of her team mates too. Katlyn, a freshman in HS, is really strong in all her competitions. Bella didn't set the world on fire on the double mini tramp, but then again it was her first competition.

The second competition, tumbling, followed soon after without much of a break. This is the routine for which Bella's earned the nick name "Speedy". She did OK. Immediately following her performance, we headed to the awards ceremony in the high school cafeteria. Bella placed 6th in mini-tramp and 3rd in tumbling. Not a bad start at all. It was about 130pm when we headed back to the gym. I was getting sleepy. We had to wait a while for her third and final competition, the trampoline. I upped and headed to the cafeteria where a bunch of dad's were gathered around a TV watching the Michigan vs. Michigan St. game.  I watched only passively using it primarily as a sleep aide. Worked like a charm.  Next thing I knew Mindy was waking me to come watch Bella perform.

By then it was now 230pm, and she was just doing warm-ups.  I called Ziebart to confirm their close time. They left a VM earlier sharing that my car was done and ready. Close at 4pm, or 90 minutes from then. I told Mindy we weren't leaving my car there until Monday. The original plan was to watch the trampoline routine and then go to the award presentation sometime after.  Mindy informed Joannie that we'd need to leave immediately after Bella finished her routine so we could get our car. She finished up at 245pm. We quickly gathered our things and headed for the Pilot. Bella wasn't pleased that she'd have to wait to learn where she placed, but given that the competition was running about 90 minutes behind, we had little choice.

We made good time heading home. Arrived at Ziebart near 345pm. Wow! The back and rear sides looked really dark. Almost blends with the black paint.  The stated price was $240. I flashed a $30 off coupon. Todd quickly pointed out that the price he quoted me was with the discount already built in. Funny, I never mentioned having a coupon. We haggled back and forth a little until he said he'd be willing to knock another $20 off if that would make me happy. I told him to charge me what he thought was fair. He charged me $220. I was OK with that.

We arrived home around 4pm. Jimaken was on his way to pick-up Bella. She ran down to see Makayla before her dad showed up. I walked down to chat with Kenny & Chrissy after seeing them out working in their yard. Took Eiknarf along too. She peed and pooped.

Back at the house, Jimaken was there to get Bella. Mindy called for her down at Chrissy's. As soon as they left Mindy and I made plans to head to Olivia's birthday party after calling Ashley to see if it was OK to come then. The main event was scheduled from 2-4pm. We needed to stop for her gift first too. We planned a trip to Targhetto.

Wouldn't you know, Kelly, Lindsey and the boys pulled up at the exact same time as us and one row over. We watched them walk in, both Kelly and Lindsey puffing on cigarettes like their lives depended on them. The boys walked loosely ahead. I snapped a photo as they walked in. We waited until they were inside then followed behind. I was eager to get some snap shots.

We surfed the entire store before it was all said and done getting Olivia some candy, clothes and toys. We bought a few things for the house as well as a couple things for Jacob & Bella. I got a picture of Kelly perusing the laundry aisle. Mindy later ran into her in the $1 aisle and stopped to chat. I walked up to say hello briefly too, but then went on to the greeting card section. By the time it was all said and done, we'd dropped almost $300.

We talked with Lindsey & the boys too. After Mindy and I checked out, I spotted the boys again and called them over so I could buy them a treat at the concessions. They both wanted an ICEE and hot pretzel. I got them set up then headed out to meet Mindy at the car. By the time I got to the car Mindy had Olivia's gifts already stuffed into the giant gift bag we brought from home.  We headed onto Ashley's.

It was already after 5pm but there were still quite a few folks at Olivia's party, including Courtney & Kaileigh. We haven't seen/talked directly with Courtney since Olivia's last b-day party. We also met her new boyfriend, Zach. Seemed pleasant though we've heard through the vine that he's got a rap sheet a mile long. Two of Steven's sisters were there with their kids and boyfriends. I entertained them all out front for a few while Mindy carried in Olivia's gift bag. In fact, by the time that I headed inside Olivia had already opened all of her gifts.

I had a little fun with her cardboard cutout of heart throb, Justin Bieber. Watched the tail end of the Buckeye game from Champagne, Illinois. The Buckeyes clung to a narrow lead and were pitching a shutout up until the final minutes. Courtney interacted with me a little but pretty much ignored Mindy. The funny thing is, Mindy was one of her strongest advocates when she was really struggling.

We hung at Ashley's until the end of the Buckeye game then headed for home. We wouldn't be there long, however. We planned to do dinner at CBC. We headed to CBC after carrying in what remained of our Target haul. We drove the Accord. As darkness set in I wondered if it was a mistake getting the darkest tint on the rear window. Hard to see much at all.

A few folks had warned that most downtown restaurants would be packed with Columbus Day revelers as well as the marathon crowd. But if CBC was any indication, that notion was misguided. They had a decent crowd, but there were several parking spots still remaining. Jamie & Aaron were working the bar. As she often does, Jamie hinted as to the next stools to clear. As usual, she was dead on. We hovered nearby until those two folks settled and departed.

I went with their hop odyssey entrant. Not sure its name. It was good - familiar even. Mindy had a glass of wine. I ordered their artichoke dip while Mindy ordered a salad.  The dip was tasty. When I ordered a 2nd beer, Mindy ordered the salmon dinner entree. I ordered nothing more to eat. We weren't there too long. I'm guessing it was near 830-9pm when we settled our tab and headed for home. Mindy picked up the tab and tip. Said out 2nd round of drinks was comp'd.

We weren't home long when we opted to go down to the neighbors for a few. They were watching the baseball playoffs with Josh, Ben & Ryan. We might've hung for 45 minutes to an hour when Josh & I walked down to our house to get another beer. Ben soon followed. We hung in the garage for about 15 minutes, or until Mindy came home.  At that point we were just about to head back to Kenny's. I even had a third beer in hand. Mindy nixed that idea and said I was staying home. Josh & Ben headed out and we headed for bed.

Barley's By My Lonesome

I was up on time which felt pretty good after of over sleeping the past two days.  I was a little surprised to see clear skies and stars. I headed to the living room where I knocked out sit-ups then bounced up and into my PC chair. I played around online reading articles and checking the weather.  It was 57 degrees and expected to reach the low 60s.

It must’ve been around 615am when I finished both a stretch and  meditation and then prepared for a run. I didn’t take Mindy coffee because she wasn’t going to work. She’d been battling cold symptoms all week and decided to take a sick day. As for my run, I skipped wearing the pullover fleece, instead wearing only a wicking shirt, albeit a thick one. It was a nice run. I ran four miles. 

Even though Mindy wasn’t going to work, she was up starting breakfast for me and the kids. I stopped the process opting instead to for oatmeal. I whipped up two packets of maple and brown sugar topping it off with cold milk. It was a refreshing change of pace.

It had to be about 735am when I headed up for a shower. It didn’t take me long to get ready. I was back downstairs showered and ready by 755am. Lindsey showed up soon after I got back downstairs. Mindy was in the kitchen in her PJs and playing on her laptop. Lindsey and Mindy were chatting while I made last minute preparations.

Headed out to the bus stop at 810am. Lindsey was already out there chatting with Chrissy. After three days of late arrivals, we weren't sure when to expect the bus. She showed as early as she has all week - 815am. I went inside for just a few minutes. Said goodbye to Mindy then headed out.

Made good a time around 270 dropping Lindsey around 835am, the earliest all week. Arrived at the office around 845am. The first half of my day was a little rough. Too much to do with only a limited amount of time. My saving grace was being on vacation the following week. Because of that. I didn’t mind going 100 miles per hour all day long.

I kept at it all day long getting a ton of stuff done. I didn’t take a formal lunch break, choosing instead to eat while I worked. The day never really let up. In fact, the last couple hours of my day were as busy as the first couple. I set my out-of-office, both on email and phone and left for a week’s vacation at 540pm.

I called Ashley on my way home from work having missed a call from her earlier in the afternoon. She was wondering if we planned to make it to Olivia’s b-day party Saturday afternoon. Still weren’t sure with Bella’s gymnastics meet lasting most of Saturday morning and afternoon. Had to leave the invite open ended. Said we’d figure out a plan b if we couldn’t make the party.

Arrived home around 6pm. Mindy had dinner reheated - lasagna and chicken. I took that as a hint that she wasn’t up for Barley’s. Jimaken was coming to pick-up Jacob but wouldn’t be there until 7pm or so due to an out-of-town work day. Bella would be staying home with us since we needed to be at opposite ends of route 33 come Saturday morning - Bella a gymnastics meet in Bellefontaine and Jacob a soccer game in Athens.

Mindy wasn’t feeling well and definitely wasn’t her usual jovial self. Something seemed to be eating Gilbert Grape. Kicking off a week’s vacation, I planned to go to Barley’s a little later. It had to be around 7pm when Jimaken arrived to get Jacob. Soon after they departed I made clear my intentions. Mindy wasn’t going, but Bella suggested she and Makayla would. I discouraged their attendance knowing full well that I’d be having a couple beers. Bella seemed a little put out, but I knew my decision was a sound one.

I left around 730pm, unless I’m mistaken, my first trip to Barley’s alone in almost two years (Xmas 2009). Pretty good crowd but I managed to find a recently vacated parking spot fairly close. The bar was near full, but mostly an unfamiliar crowd. I quietly bellied up next to the bar ordering a Galaxy 500. As soon as stool opened, I nabbed it.  I sat there quietly for 10-15 minutes before a few familiars came in.  First to show was Wuffus. He and I talked beer for a while until Scott & Linda came in. A little later Bob an Carol showed up. Chatted some with them too. Asked Bob about his retirement. Almost forgot, having a retirement party in his honor at Barley’s Sunday evening and we’re invited.

Only planned to stay for two beers, and wasn’t sure about food. Never did order any. Around 10pm Darwin showed up. Haven’t had a beer with him in weeks. He bought me a birthday beer. Soon talk turned into singing. We had a fun time. Mindy called a couple times peeved that I wasn’t yet home. By then grandpa Tom and Steve were there hanging with us too. Atlanta Tim was in earlier as well. Don’t see much of him these days. Spent the last 45 minutes drinking water before taking off for home. Left at 1130pm. By the time I was home everybody was in bed.  Hungry, I reheated some lasagna. Ended up eating two slices and then getting comfy on the sofa. Fell asleep soon after the food settled in my stomach.

Momentary Conflict

Could this be a trend? I hope not. I wasn’t out of bed until 555am after a restful night of sleep. I hustled through brushing my teeth and calisthenics. It would’ve been easy to blow off sit-ups, push-ups, or both for that matter, but I didn’t. I knew I needed to stay true to my plan.

Momentarily conflicted, I couldn’t decide whether to stretch before or after coffee. I chose the latter. Coffee was extra good. Read a few headlines and then checked the weather. It was 59 degrees under mostly cloudy skies. The day’s forecast was actually better than it was the night before. Now calling for partly cloudy and no rain.

Delivered Mindy’s coffee then did a stretch and meditation. It was almost 640am by the time I was ready for my run. I didn’t consider cutting my run back a mile an option. I’d simply have to deal with being a few minutes behind schedule. I ran the full loop. And while the sky was cloudy, the cover was thin enough that I could see the full moon in the north western sky. Nice.

The sky was just beginning to brighten as I finished. I cooled off outside and took a look at my new grass. If nothing else, the mild temps and rain have been great for growing grass.

Enjoyed some eggs once back inside. Jacob would have soccer practice after school. Mindy shared that she and Bella would most likely go shopping after school. Weren't sure about dinner. That was fine with me. Mindy was soon off to work and I was off to the shower.

I didn’t take me long. I was downstairs and ready to go by 752am. Lindsey showed up later than the past two days. This time at 805am. Bella was watching for her. We headed to the bus stop at 810am planning to head off to work immediately after. I had already secured the home. The bus was late again, but not as bad as the two days prior. I’m thinking it was 820am when she pulled up.

We made great time around 270. The weather and traffic wasn’t an issue. I made it to work with barely enough time to get logged on and then join our weekly staff call by 905am.

Out staff meeting lasted about 20 minutes. I had to scramble to take care of a couple other urgent matters. One being returning a call to my newly acquired customer, who called while I was driving. Not really supposed to take over the account until Oct 24 though. I got no answer after returning the call. I sent a follow-up email letting him know I tried.

My day didn't get any smoother. Crazy busy all morning long. I forced myself to take a lunch and drove up to the Anderson's off Sawmill hoping to pick-up some more White Rajah if they had any. Store's been completely remodeled with a new wine and beer section. All very nice. You gotta love the Anderson's. I perused the beer aisles but didn't see any. I was soon approached by a clerk who confirmed that they were out. Said it went really fast - 15 cases. Wasn't sure if Brew Kettle was brewing more, or if his distributor was getting any more even if they did. I picked up a six pack of Widmere's new Falconer's series IPA, and then a six pack of Tommy Knocker's Winter Warmer for Mindy. I also picked up two bags of Stacy's Pita Chips. They're normally $3.49 per bag but were on sale for $2.50 each and then they had a $1.00 off coupon if you bought two hanging in the display. Cool!

Once back n the Honda, I dialed up Gentiles asking if they had any more White Rajah. I think I bought their last six pack two weeks ago. Nope. They didn't have any more either and weren't sure about a new shipment. I figured I would hit their website later to see what gives.

Instead of heading back to the office, I made one more stop right around the corner. I popped in the newly remodeled Whole Foods, which is now more on par with the Market District. I checked their beer selection. No White Rajah for Jimmy.

Back to work. I was gone only 50 minutes, though it seemed longer. My afternoon wasn't as frenetic as the morning but busy nonetheless. I didn't get out of the office until about 615pm. The good news was that I felt good about all I accomplished throughout the day.

Jacob was at soccer and Mindy and Bella were off to dinner. Said they were headed to the Rusty Bucket. Asked if I wanted to meet them there. Nah. I didn't feel up to it. I figured I'd head home and enjoy some alone time along with some of that leftover chicken from the night before.

Arrived home around 630pm. Took care of a number of household chores, including unloading the dishwasher, reloading, taking the trash out, and then hand washing a few miscellaneous items. I prepped Friday's coffee too.

After completing all the chores it was after 7pm. I reheated some of that chicken and mashed potatoes. It was good.  After dinner I enjoyed some quiet time at my PC. Jacob must've gotten home around 745pm. Still no Mindy & Bella. They got home around 8pm best guess. Bella was in a good mood, Mindy, not so much. Not sure why.

I retired to the family room around 815pm and tuned the TV to the Science Channel where Jacob and I watched at least two episodes of How It's Made, despite him begging against it at the outset. I love that program. Thursday's episodes included the making of flip-flops, walking sticks, & stop motion animation. Neat.

Mindy and the kids headed to bed around 915pm. I stayed up and poured one of the new IPAs. It was good. After finishing my beer I sunk into the sofa while the Science Channel continued to play on the TV. I fell asleep pretty quickly and slept there until almost midnight.

Middle of the Night

I woke initially around 130am. I tried going right back to sleep but couldn’t. Around 230am, with my mind racing about home and work, I got up and headed downstairs to my computer to do some reading in an effort to relax my mind and help bring on sleep. It worked flawlessly. By 320am I was once again very sleepy and able to head back to bed.

But then, as often happens after getting up middle of the night, I overslept, and this time by almost 30 minutes. That was after trying unsuccessfully to slip in another 5-10 minutes after waking around 520am. My head was in a fog, and I really wanted nothing more than perhaps another hour of sleep, the same hour I lost in the middle of the night. I could smell fresh coffee. Yum! That helped drag me out of bed.

I headed downstairs where I glanced out back to see that it was raining. I then whipped out 50 sit-ups before moving on to stretching. By the time stretching was completed it was 615am. I poured two cups of coffee, one for me and one for Mindy. I left mine sit until I returned from delivering hers.

My head was still foggy. It wasn’t until I sucked down some coffee and completed my stretch routine that it cleared. Even though I was in a bit of a time crunch, I still did a very abbreviated meditation, believing it a crucial step in ensuring a fun, successful day.

I wasn’t looking forward to running in the rain, but knew I had to. It was 59 degrees, but with the rain I figured I should plan on an extra layer. I opted for a thin long-sleeved wicking shirt and my pullover fleece. I headed out the door at 645am – comparatively late. To help get back on track, I decided early on that I would cut my run from 4.1 to 3 miles. I hate to do that, but figured I needed to this time. That would get me back home  near the usual time. The trash truck had already been by as I headed out.

I got back around 712am. It was still raining. I drug the empty trash can to its resting place and then headed around to the deck to hopefully enter through the back. Mindy unlocked the door with a beach towel in hand. But since it was raining and I was already soaked, I asked for Eiknarf and her leash. Figured no reason for anyone else to get soaked. I walked Eiknarf in the rain. She took care of business in record time. She was anxious to get back inside and have breakfast, and so was I.

Had fried eggs. Saved some for Eiknarf too. Mindy used my umbrella to go to her car to get her own. It was raining at a pretty good clip. Mindy left near 730am and I ran off to the shower.

I dressed nice, this being a customer site work day. I was back downstairs making last minute preparations by 755am. Lindsey didn’t arrived until a couple minutes after 8am. Since it was raining and Eiknarf was out and took care of business earlier, I didn’t plan to take her to the bus stop with us. Jacob headed out without concern for the rain. Bella and Lindsey hung out under my umbrella. Bella apparently lost hers. Nothing new!

We waited for quite a while. Lindsey began to stress about being late for work. I only offered that my first priority was getting the kids on the bus even though Chrissy offered to wait with them all. It was raining hard enough that I opted to head back to the house and wait in the garage. Chrissy and her girls came along too. The bus finally arrived close to 825am, or about ten minutes late.

Lindsey and I headed off in a hurry. Because of the rain, traffic was slower than usual. However, despite the inclement weather and the bus being slow, we still arrived at Lindsey’s place of work at 849am. According to Lindsey, they want her there by 845am. Hey, did my best!

I headed on around 270 to my customer’s location not arriving in their lot until about 910am. And it was another 20 minutes or so before I was at my desk and getting logged in.

The morning was fairly relaxed. My boss agreed to come by and spend his afternoon at the customer’s location too. He must’ve arrived around 1pm, or 30 minutes before we were scheduled to meet with their director.  That meeting got delayed for 20 minutes or so. ON top of all this, there was a big Blackberry outage impacting most of the east coast wreaking havoc on those completely reliant on wireless email and such. I was online via lan connectivity.

I am happy to report that our meeting went well. Worked out a good compromise for the opportunity we were dealing with. Originally, it wasn’t looking too good. I guess I needed to have more … faith.

. Typically, I’ll leave the customer’s site by 515pm to help offset the additional drive time. Not this time.  Worked somewhat late – 535pm. Called Mindy soon after getting on the road. We talked for a good portion of my I-270 commute. Mindy seemed to purposely be keeping dinner a secret. I didn’t pry.

Arrived home around 610pm. It was no longer raining but still very wet. Mild though – about 62 degrees. Mindy was putting the finishing touches on dinner as I entered. We were having this special chicken dish Jacob asked for. Mindy said she agreed to make it if Jacob helped Bella with her home work. That was nice of him even if he did have an ulterior motive. Perhaps he should help her more often. Isn’t that what big brothers do?

The chicken dish was really tasty for everyone but Bella. She didn’t care for it and ended up going with Fruit Loops. She was pumped up for gymnastics, this the last night of practice before her first actual meet, which is this coming Saturday in Bellefontaine. Mindy agreed to drop her off. I agreed to fetch her afterwards.

After clean-up, I retired to my PC. Like a lot of days recently, I became crazy sleepy after eating a big dinner. I wanted and took a nap while sitting at my PC. Jacob went with Mindy to drop Bella. They weren’t gone long. I woke when I heard them come back in.

They agreed to put in a Harry Potter movie, which didn’t interest me in the least. I hung by my computer but ultimately went for a nap on the livingroom floor. The audio was cranked louder than I’ve ever heard Jacob and/or Mindy put it. They’re usually the first two to complain. I chose not to bring it up. I knew I could still sleep, despite the noise. I woke at 805pm and poked around on my PC until it was time to go fetch Bella – 818pm.

I arrived after just seven minutes. Headed in where they had Bella practicing her floor/tumble routine. We left after just a minute or so. Bella was in good spirits. Asked if we could please stop at Wendy’s. She didn’t eat much for dinner and I she probably burnt it all off doing gymnastics. I stopped just for her. Besides, it’s practically on the way.

Bella ate her Wendy’s while Jacob and Mindy continued watching the Potter movie. I stayed away from the loud movie, opting instead to pour a White Rajah and sip it at my PC. It wasn’t long before Mindy paused the movie and asked Jacob to take Eiknarf out after hearing her scratch at the door. Jacob gave his momma some serious attitude about it. I was even surprised with his tone. Mindy snapped right back advising him to stop immediately. He took the dog out as ordered. Bella, meanwhile, was asked to get her shower, which she willingly did.

Once the movie was stopped, I made my way to the family room, which had to be around 915pm to hopefully catch some quality Science Channel programming. Mindy walked by while both kids were upstairs and asked me not to take Bella to Wendy’s unless I was picking something up for Jacob too. I was incensed. Really? Is everything tit for tat. And why did she have to turn a positive for Bella into a negative. She’s the one espousing to the neighbors that they need to tell their kids it’s not always equal. Besides, Jacob’s the one that routinely gets all special trips for dinner and wings brought home every time we visit Barleys. I didn’t want to hear any criticism for the Wendy’s deed.

Believe me, I was happy to have some alone time after that. I finished sipping my White Rajah while watching some lame TV show. Bella beckoned for a tuck in minutes later. I headed up and took care of all that. Jacob was already out cold.  Mindy was in our room reading. I headed back downstairs where I finished my beer and then fell asleep just the way I like too – by accident. Feels so good!  I slept on the sofa until almost midnight when I woke and headed for bed. There was defused moonlight shining in our bedroom. That was a good sign.