Chilly Rain

I slept a few extra minutes in an effort to fully rid myself of a bad case of the sleepies. Waking tired seems to be the trend of late. I’ll chalk it up to winter. I was out of bed and downstairs by 540am. Once again, it was cloudy. And amongst the morning’s silence, I could hear the familiar pitter-patter of rain against the roof & windows.

I proceeded to knock out 50 sit-ups and then poured coffee and played on the PC for the next 15-20 minutes. The weather forecast was calling for significant rain all day long with the high eventually climbing well into the 40s. Nothing close to the winter-like conditions I was hoping for.

Meanwhile, the weekend forecast is still teetering on the edge, with Sunday looking like the best ski day of the two. Delivered Mindy’s coffee near 615am. Back downstairs for a stretch and meditation a few minutes later. Both went well. During meditation I could hear the intensity of the rain increase as it beat against the roof and skylights. And judging by the radar that I glanced at earlier, it wasn’t going to let up anytime soon either.

The current temperature was 34 degrees, so for my money, the running conditions would be about as miserable as they get. I dressed wearing full winter attire and headed out the door near 640am. It wasn’t long before I was soaked through and through, including my shoes after running through a couple unavoidable puddles. I plowed right through, though, not worrying about the rain. Once you’re wet, you’re wet. It doesn’t get any worse. Duh! I ran the full 4.1 miles, and it went by pretty fast.

Mindy had a towel waiting for me at the door, but I tossed it aside figuring there no point in toweling off before walking the dog. She brought me the leash and dog next. Eiknarf and I headed out the door before she had an opportunity to realize that it was raining. She tried renege once she realized it was raining, but I wouldn’t allow it.  I started Mindy’s Pilot along our way down the drive. She apparently got the message and took care of her business in a hurry. We scurried back inside.

Soaked to the bone, I took a few minutes to strip out of my wet running clothes tossing them in the clothes dryer. I put my wet running shoes on the bay window heating vent. I was soon back in my dry PJs. That felt great. Finally, I could relax and enjoy my breakfast. By then, Mindy was on her way out the door for school. Bella enjoyed a Pop-Tart while I ate my fried eggs. It was 740am by the time I finished eating and headed off to the shower. I reminded Bella that she needed to take care of hair, teeth and socks.

I planned to make another trip to a customer’s site, so I dressed accordingly and wore my brand new Bostonians. We normally have our staff meeting at 9am, but because we needed to be at the customer’s location for a 10am meeting, my boss moved the staff meeting up to 830am. I told him I would have to join remotely from home since I needed to get the kids on the school bus. I then planned to head straight to the customer’s locale after our meeting/call.

Because it was still pouring rain, the kids and I decided to wait out the bus from the cover of our garage. Kenny and the girls walked down and waited with us. Wouldn’t you know, the bus was late – real late. It was 827am when I told Kenny that I needed to go in to jump on a conference call. He willingly stuck around to see the kids onto the bus. The bus showed up near 830am. Kenny closed the overhead garage door and cut through our house to get out afterwards. Thanks Kenny!

The staff call lasted no more than 10 minutes. I didn’t plan to leave the house until 910am at the earliest. I poured a second cup of coffee then played around on the internet for a while. As planned, I left the house at 910am with my umbrella in tow. Despite the crappy weather, I still took 670 east. That worked out fine, and I got to New Albany near 935am.

My boss called my blackberry just as I was walking in. He was on campus but at another one of their buildings, though I didn’t realize it at the time. I went looking for him in the cafeteria where he said he was waiting but couldn’t find him. I eventually bailed and headed to the assigned conference room, which was a challenge to find in and of itself. Good thing I allowed lots of extra minutes.

This was our quarterly review meeting and it started a few minutes late. No biggie. My boss made it there just in the nick of time. My turn to present came 2^nd, and about 5-10 minutes into it. As usual, I was a little nervous, but did fine delivering my section. I even threw in a little humor. The meeting lasted no more than 30-35 minutes. I hung around to socialize for a few immediately afterwards but was on my way back to our main office by 1045am.  It was still raining at a good clip as I made the long trek out to my car.

As I was leaving their lot I decided that I would make a brief stop at the Easton Macy’s so I could look again at their wool jackets that were marked 50% off last week. There was a couple that really caught my eye. I got a parking spot within 40 feet of the entrance, and the coats were just inside that door. Cool! I think I tried on three different jackets. One in particular, a Calvin Klein, fit really nice. I decided not to buy it though, betting that they’ll be marked down even further, and perhaps another 20-25%, next month. I know all too well how Macy’s works.

Headed back to the office taking 270S back to 670W. Arrived at the office around 1130-12noon. I had two conference calls I needed to join, one at 1pm and then another at 2pm. The hour before the first call went fast, and I got quite a bit done in the short amount of time leading up to it. As it turned out, I didn’t have enough time for a potty break between the two calls. Literally went right from one to the other. The leader of the 2^nd call (also the project mgr) never joined. But because the project in question impacted my customer directly, I took over and lead the call best I could. The way I saw it, I had little choice. That call ended at 305pm. I updated the timeline and sent it to all the concerned parties.

By then it was near 4pm. Mindy called about that time, too. I shared how my day suddenly seemed to be dragging despite being so busy and not getting to the office until almost noon. She shared her desire to make pasta & meatballs for dinner. I was OK with that. Shared that I would call once I was on my way home. She said Lindsey was waiting at our house when she arrived home.

Ended up at the office until almost 530pm. I felt good as the work day ended having accomplished almost everything on my daily to-do list. It was still raining, by the way, and the temperature was still above 40 degrees. Blah! I called Mindy to let her know that I was on my way. She was busy with dinner so our conversation was rather brief. I arrived home by 550pm. Looked like dad was there for dinner, or at least a minivan similar to his was parked out front. Sure enough, it was dad. Unless I’m mistaken, I hadn’t seen him since New Year’s day, though Mindy and the kids have. He’s gotten them off the bus a couple times recently, but left before I got home.

Dad asked if I had heard from mom recently. Yes, and as a matter of fact, I received an another email from her that day sharing her most recent malady. Not only is her knee replacement bothering her, but her carotid artery is an issue now, too. Will be having that checked in the coming weeks along with having her knee/leg stretched. She also shared something about having a new doctor, and that she doesn’t care for him/her. Not sure if she was referring to the knee replacement surgeon or primary care. My thinking is that she should drink a lot of water, stretch, and get daily exercise. That might fix much of what ails her.

Asked dad about his recent river boat gambling trip winnings. He won $2K and he’s still stoked about it. I suggested that he buy an airplane ticket to Oregon with some of the money. We had an enjoyable dinner. The pasta and meatballs were really good. Mindy shared how she customized the sauce. Bella ran off upstairs to play with Makayla after dinner. Jacob hung out with the three of us in the kitchen while I managed the clean-up process.

Mindy was telling dad that it was Bella’s adoption day this coming Saturday, which eventually morphed into how/when I entered Bella’s life at such a young age. Dad, in turn, began sharing stories about when he first met Sheila and then their first dates and such, much of the focus centering around Shawn being just a baby at the time. Honestly, I found the stories a bit creepy.  

Dad hung out until near 715-730pm. Both Mindy & I headed upstairs to change into comfy clothes soon after he left. The kids and Mindy were much looking forward to yet another night of American Idol. For me, watching Idol night after night gets old. Feel like I am wasting time.  So to address that, I spent the majority of the hour between 8 & 9pm on my PC. I should’ve spent the time editing/updating my blog but didn’t. Instead, I read about the Vikings stadium push and Joe Pa’s funeral.

As 9pm neared, I poured the first pint from the growler of Centennial that I bought last Friday night and then joined the family for the end of Idol. Saw that next week’s auditions are from Portland, Oregon. We watched The Finder immediately after Idol. As usual, watching a TV program put me to sleep.  I woke for about the last 20 minutes and got a 2^nd wind. Of course, by then Mindy was ready for bed. She wasn’t happy that I opted to stay up a while longer. Wanted me to join her in bed.

After tucking in the kids, I made a bowl of cereal – Cookie Crisp. That hit the spot. I’d been craving some for a while. My appetite finally satiated, I dosed again from the sofa. When I woke I headed for bed. By then it was darn near 11pm.

New Shoes New Skis Look at Me

Even after a good night’s sleep I was feeling a little lazy, so come 530am I decided to sleep in another ten minutes or so, and justified my actions with the kid’s scheduled 2-hour late start. In other words, I wouldn’t need to have the kids at the bus stop at 810am. I’d only need to send them down to Kenny’s when I was ready to leave for work.

My plan worked. I slept for an additional 10 minutes and woke feeling great. I was downstairs prepping coffee by 545am, and at 550am I started 50 sit-ups & 50 push-ups. My calisthenics were done by 6am, which was about on par with the coffee coming ready.

I headed to the PC with coffee in hand where I checked the gloomy weather forecast. I couldn’t get a good sense of the temperature simply by glancing out back since there wasn’t any water on the deck to give off clues. The only thing I knew was that it was cloudy. Turns out, it was below freezing, only 27 degrees. It wouldn’t stay that way for long, however. We were expecting a high in the 40s. And looking ahead, it didn’t look like any freezing temps again until Saturday night. That’s a bummer since we really want to ski Saturday. Saturday’s high is expected to reach the mid to upper 30s, which is suppose is skiable, but with a week's worth of warmth and forecasted rain, the snow pack will be jeopardized. L So much for trying out my new skis.

It was 615am in a hurry and time to deliver Mindy’s coffee. I snuck in 5 minutes of meditation before hand. It was 620a-something by the time I placed her coffee bedside. She asked me to turn up the heat but I’d already beat her to the punch. I headed back downstairs to stretch. That went well. It was 635am when I dressed for my run. With a temperature of 27 degrees I dressed in my full winter attire and headed out the door somewhere close to 645am.

I ran the full 4.1 miles without any problems. Felt great. It was one of those runs where I found myself so deep in thought that it was over seemingly just as it had begun. I like that feeling a lot. I could see that Mindy had the Pilot warming as I walked up the drive. She was actually on her way out as I headed in to get the pug. As she passed, she shared that Jacob was preparing to take Eiknarf out. Frankly, I was surprised that either kid was even up given the scheduled late start. Cool! That saved me some valuable time. It was 632am when I sat down to my fried eggs.

Jacob and Eiknarf were back in a hurry. Jacob said she went right away. Must’ve been cold. She whined for her eggs, but I wouldn’t give her any until Bella filled her bowl with dry dog food first. I headed up for a shower sometime after 640am. It was a customer site day, so I dressed accordingly. Actually, though, the customer has a fairly lax dress code, and definitely far more lax than our unspoken dress code. I was ready to go by roughly 8am. The kids asked what time they needed to head to Kenny’s. When I left for work, was my answer.

After prepping a lunch, I played on the computer until just before 830am. I sent the kids down to the neighbors and then headed off to work. Once again, I took 670E to 270N. That shaves at least 5 miles off the drive, and maybe more. I arrived after about 22 minutes and was in my office by 9am. Took a few to get set-up and logged on. Their director joined our regularly scheduled 10am call. We stretched the agenda to cover more issues than usual. Not a problem. It was a busy morning as I had a number of ancillary tasks I was hoping to get completed. I hoped to take a lunch and head over to Dick’s to look for new ski gloves/mittens for Mindy & Bella. Both could use them. Mindy likes to get them at Target or Kohl’s but said both were all but out of stock already. Not unusual. Already seeing their spring stuff out.

I left for lunch just after 1pm and headed to the Easton Dick’s. Having been there at Xmas time, I knew right where to go – 2^nd floor, just beyond the escalators. I exhaustively perused their glove selection looking first for mittens (Mindy’s preference) with a pocket for hand warmers. That proved difficult, especially at a reasonable price.  I refuse to pay $100 for a pair of gloves, but they have ‘em. I looked in all three glove aisles twice. I could’ve settled for some really warm mittens but without a hand warming sipper pocket but didn’t think that would help Mindy . Me, I’ve never needed to use hand or feet warmers.

After about 20 minutes I was just about ready to throw in the towel, but instead thought I’d look at some of their other ski/board stuff. Well, right around the corner they had a kids ski glove aisle. There I found some real nice purple North Face ski gloves with a zippered pocket for hand warmers. What’s more, they were on sale, which is rare at Dick’s. Marked down to $30. I found a pair in kids medium. Mindy has tiny hands. I knew they’d fit.

Bella could use some too. I found a pair of raspberry North Face mittens with a hand warmer pocket in a kids small. Perfect for her. They’ll even match her raspberry ski jacket. Glad I found them. All totaled, I was in Dick’s a while – about 30 minutes.

When I was walking in, I noticed a DSW next door. What the heck. I thought I might check out their shoe selection. Haven’t been in a DSW in over ten years. I’ve bought a couple pair of shoes from them. They usually have top quality shoes at great prices. Just not that convenient to us. I was one of just a few customers. I like the way their selection is laid out. It makes it easy to serve oneself. First, I perused all of their dress hoe offerings noting the few I liked. The once requirement I have these days is the soft sole and extra comfortable insole. Used to be that was impossible to find in real dress shoes, but not so anymore.

I tried on 2 or 3 styles eventually settling on a really comfortable, nice looking black slip-on Bostonian that met all my criteria – no compromise. Even better, the price was on target too. They’re normally $100 but the everyday DSW price was $69. I bought a pair in a size 10.5. Sweet! It was a tad past 2pm when I found my car and was headed back to the office.

Back at the office, the first thing I did was retrieve my packed lunch from the fridge. I decided to skip the salad since I didn’t have any dressing. Forgot about that. I enjoyed the some cheese and Greek yogurt. I was anxious to get out of the office and head to ASBCO to pick-up my new skis. In fact, I’d been anxious all week. However, there were a couple issues going on that required my intervention and attention. I couldn’t just walk out. I stuck around until they were well under control. Earlier, I had talked with Mindy advising that I might be a little late since I had to stop and pick-up my new sis. She’d forgotten about that. I also shared that I might get out of the office late, too. She reminded me that we’d be having pork roast and that Lindsey and the boys would be joining us. Mindy asked that I call once I was on the road so she could plan a time to sit for dinner. Sure dear.

Turned out, I was able to leave at 510pm. Before pulling out of the lot, I thought about the best way to get to ASBCO from New Albany. I decided to do 270S to 670W to 315N. I called Mindy once I was on the freeway. She told me to take my time but guessed me home by 6pm. I wasn’t so sure it would be that soon.

The traffic on 315N slowed to a near crawl at the merge off of 670. Can’t recall the last time I’d come that same way. Happily, the pace picked up the further north I went. Once on 315N, I wasn’t entirely sure which exit I would take to get over to Old Henderson but eventually settled on North Broadway. That was a good choice. I arrived at ASBCO around 545pm.

Kayla was busy with another customer but and guy helped me. Told him I was there to pick-up my new skis. He only asked my last name then disappeared for a bit. Returned a couple minutes late with my new skis and boots. I was a tad concerned that they wouldn’t have my ski boots associated with my new skis, but that worry was all for not. Before handing over the new skis they always have you verify the Din settings. Yep, set at 5.5 on both. In turn, I wouldn’t accept the skis until I did a boot/binding fitting. When Mindy and I bought our first skis in Feb 2009 I had to take my skis back to have the binding set for my boot size, something they later admitted only happens with about 1 pair of skis each season. LOL!  I definitely didn’t want to go through that again. This time they fit snug as a bug!

I called Mindy when I was about halfway down Tremont towards Lane Ave. It was about 6pm. I was actually making better time that I presumed. I pulled in the driveway at 609pm and carried all of my stuff into the garage and house. By the way, I used the small pass through hatch from my trunk to the back seat to transport my new skis. Worked great, and what a great invention!

Mindy was just beginning to dish up dinner while I went through my after work ritual.  I shared that I picked both she and Bella up a gift. After getting settled I showed them their new gloves/mittens. Both were pleased. Jacob asked about him. I didn’t get him anything this time, but it’s not like he’s neglected. Believe me, he’s well taken care of.

Mindy shared that the boys, Rocky & Landon, were tickled pink to learn we were having pork roast & mashed potatoes, which is one of their faves.  I was too, I love pork roast. The roast was delicious. Not only did Mindy make mashed potatoes, but there was a fresh garden salad and rolls too. Yum-yum. I kept my helping to only one. As dinner concluded, Mindy asked Bella to go ready for gymnastics. Lindsey and the boys left for home around 640pm, or while I was busy managing the clean-up. Mindy took Bella to gymnastics at 650pm. Jacob went along too. I had the house to my lonesome for a brief stint. I used the time constructively to edit some of my recent blog entries. I was at my PC doing that for about an hour. By then Mindy and Jacob had been back for a while. They were waiting for American Idol to come on.  Wednesday’s show was taped in Aspen. Nice! I saw very little of the auditions. Even though I was already comfortably donning my PJs, I agreed to go after Bella which pleased Mindy much. I left the house at 820pm in the Accord. Mindy warned me that the roads might be slick. Said it was raining and the temperature was dropping to near freezing. Great! Turns out, it was still 35 degrees so the roads near us were just wet. Felt raw and cold though.

Arrived at DCW a couple minutes early. Headed inside where the girls practice. One of Bella’s peeps alerted her to my presence. We were just about to leave for home when one of the older girls mentioned that Bella must’ve taken her sweat pants home on Monday by accident. I assured her that we would look and bring them in on Monday if that were the case. Bella wasn’t so sure. However, the tell-tale sign was that Bella’s purple sweat pants were still there.

We headed for home. Bella seemed in good spirits, which is good. She’s been up and sown a lot lately. She did express some concern over the less than desirable weather forecast for Saturday at MRM. Mindy’s planned a small adoption celebration there. I did my best to put her mind at ease. As we pulled in the drive she bellyached a little about missing much of American idol.  I simply let that go.

After a greeting, Mindy requested that Bella hit the shower. After all, it was 845pm on a school night. Bella didn’t give any push back. OK Mommy. I caught the last few minutes of Idol with Mindy & Jacob. Always entertaining. After idol we watched the preview episode of Touch as a family. It went for an hour. I was a little surprised that Mindy let the kids stay up for its entirety. It was a good show, though. Mindy and the kids headed to bed immediately following the show. It was 10pm. I stayed up for a while longer but fell asleep fairly quickly watching a program on one of the knowledge channels about the geology of Manhattan. Joined Mindy in bed around 11pm.

Idol Thoughts

I was up and out of bed a few minutes after 530am. As a result, the coffee making process was well underway as I whipped out 50 sit-ups.  I could see that the sky was cloudy, but I had no idea what the temperature was, though I expected it to be near freezing. I was at my PC with coffee by 550am. The temperature was 37 degrees with an expected high near 40. The rest of the week looks similar to Tuesday’s forecast – partly cloudy with highs near 40 but overnight lows in the mid to upper 20s. We’re hoping for the night time lows to drop to 28 or below, which is the magic number for making snow at MRM.

I didn’t spend too much time online beyond reading a few headlines. At 605am I moved on to meditation, which went fairly well. It must’ve been about 615am when I woke Mindy. She asked that I crank up the heat, but I had already done so. Stretching was next. Did the usual routine. Felt good.

Dressed for a run wearing full winter attire, which given a temperature in the mid 30s that was pretty much the upper edge of the comfort zone. I didn’t get out the door until almost 640am after confirming that it was a ‘ruby’ trash pick-up day - our day. I wished I was out sooner but it is what it is. I pulled our trash can to the curb before taking off. I wasn’t certain whether he’d been by yet or not, though I hadn’t heard him.

I ran the full 4.1 miles remaining fairly comfortable throughout. I happened upon the trash truck near the half way point. Unless he started at the back of the subdivision it was likely that we missed him. I confirmed that our can was still waiting pick-up when I got back. Kenny had already pulled his can back into the garage, a good indication that he came by early. I wasn’t sweating it. It was only half full anyways.

Because I headed out for my run through the garage, the front door remained fully secured. I had to knock on the door for reentry. I could see Mindy looking right at me from the kitchen. However, instead of coming to let me in, she just kept doing whatever she was doing. I knocked and rang the door bell again. Really? She finally came insisting she thought I was knocking and ringing for the sole benefit of rustling up the pug. I guess that makes sense given that any other day I would have the door unlocked.

I leashed up the dog asking Mindy if she’d started my eggs. She hadn’t. I asked if she would make fried eggs this time. Yes. I headed out with Eiknarf stopping to start the Pilot as we walked by. We weren’t out for more than five minutes.

Mindy was about ready to leave the house as we were reentering. Bella was enjoying a batch of strawberries dipped in Truvia for breakfast, and Jacob was already off to his room. The fried eggs were a welcome change of pace. Mindy fried one for Eiknarf too, though she purposely fried the yoke hard. She was fidgeting for hers as I finished mine. Off to the shower by 740am.

I was fairly efficient, finding my way back downstairs by 8am. I quickly threw together a lunch choosing to skip making a salad. Instead, I packed the sandwich leftover from Saturday’s ski outing at MRM. Can’t remember the last time I took a real sandwich to work for lunch. Several years to be sure.

The kids and I headed out to the bus stop at 810am. We met Kenny and the girls there. I confirmed that his trash got emptied earlier. Said that it did. I shared that I put ours out late, but would simply drag our can across the street next to Carl’s. They always do the opposite side of the street last and on their way out. Also confirmed that Kenny planned to manage Wednesday’s late start. Said he did. Thanked him for doing so.

The bus was on time. And just like she does most days, Mrs. Vanorder teasingly provoked Eiknarf into barking. It’s become a daily ritual. Eiknarf and I headed back home. After putting her inside, I drug our trash can across the street parking it near Carl’s. Not knowing if he was watching or aware, I gave him a wave. He does the same at our place when he’s too impatient to wait for his scheduled pick-up.

Inside, I took care of a few last minute to-dos then headed out the door for work near 830am. It was a leisurely drive into the office, arriving somewhere near 845am. I parked in the front lot and was in my office by 850am.

I spent the first hour of the morning finalizing my 2011 performance assessment. It wasn’t required, but I completed it in a separate document and attached it to the provided online link. Hey, sometimes you’ve got to toot your own horn.

I spent the middle part of my day helping a peer with a rather cumbersome task. Took me about 4 hours to knock out the work. He expressed a great deal of gratitude when it was done. Guess you could say that I was paying it forward, so to speak. The last portion of my day was spent editing my quarterly presentation for Thursday adding a blurb or two recommended by a peer. Had to deal with a challenging escalation near the day’s end, but collectively we managed to get it on track. I definitely earned my money Tuesday!

During my busiest streak, I missed a call from daughter Ashley. I managed to take a call from Mindy, however, where we discussed our evening plans. Once again, this was a date night and it looked like I might be getting out of the office late. I suggested we have a  relaxing evening at home. Tuesday really isn’t a good date night for us, but with Bella having gymnastics on Mon & Wed, and then Jimaken teaching on Thursday’s, it’s the only day that works. In the end, however, it’s not really about Mindy and I having a date night. Instead, it’s about the kids getting to spend an evening each week with their dad.

I was able to wrap things up at work and leave for home at 525pm. I called Mindy. She was lounging/napping on the sofa. She shared that she hadn’t whipped up anything for dinner. I didn’t mind. I wasn’t that hungry anyways. She also shared a couple Jacob stories. For starters, she shared that his ping-pong catapult broke during a trial run at school earlier that evening. They’d need to go back to the drawing board for design modifications. She also shared a funny story. Apparently Jacob’s music teacher thought it was a good idea to ask the class to hold hands and skip while they sang. Jacob adamantly refused. She apparently became angry and went and told his primary teacher, Mr Godwin, about his obstinate behavior. Mindy & I couldn’t stop laughing.

Arrived home at 550pm. Mindy was still on the sofa relaxing, which is very unusual. I took care of rinsing my lunch containers and then snacked on peanuts and cashews. Mindy asked if I would warm her some double-noodle chicken soup while she went up and changed into her lounging clothes. Yep! I had it ready and waiting when she returned. I headed up to change too. It felt good not to have to run anywhere.

I ended up warming the five leftover CBC chicken wings on the pizza stone. They were good. Mindy and I were done eating by 630-640pm and sat relaxing in the family room. Mindy suggested we watch TV, but was struggling to find something worthy of watching, so I took over the remote and found The Universe on History Channel 2. Looked like a The Universe bonanza – several episodes running back-to-back. Nothing delights me more! I was thrilled. Mindy, not so much. She said she really wanted to laugh. I guess you could say that I won. We watched The Universe. Unfortunately, I fell asleep at some point and remained out until 740pm or so. Next thing I knew, the kids were home.

At 8pm Mindy and the kids wanted to watch Idol, but I was certain that it was rerun of Sunday’s program. They didn’t seem to care or believe me, but it was. I got up and headed to my PC. I like Idol, but wasn’t in the mood for a rerun. Really? I was still tired and too lazy to work on my blog or do anything constructive. I simply surfed/played until the kids and Mindy were no longer watching the Idol rerun. I tuned the TV back to the H2 channel watching more episodes of The Universe. All of them were captivatingly good. If you haven’t caught the program, you should. Typically on Wednesday nights. Great, great stuff.

Mindy and the kids headed to bed a little after 9pm. Once they were all tucked into bed I headed back downstairs where I popped some popcorn and cracked open a Diet Coke. A little indulgence. Bella sniffed out the popcorn and eventually joined me downstairs just as I knew she would. She didn’t hang long, however. She was back in bed before 945pm.

I stayed up until 1030pm when my eyes were getting crazy heavy. Once in bed, I got a second wind but managed to fight it off and fell asleep somewhere near 11pm.

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.