Build-up 2 Turkey Day

I was up and out of bed near 730am on yet another sunny day. I started a pot of coffee then headed to my PC. I decided to skip calisthenics. At first I felt like a shrew, but a break from sit-ups and push-ups every now and again is a good thing. I enjoyed coffee at the PC for almost two hours before heading out for a run. I spent most of that time writing in my blog. The temperature was somewhere just below 40 degrees with an expected high of 60 later that afternoon. Very nice for late November!

Mindy was up between 9-930am. After pouring herself some coffee, she started decorating for Xmas almost immediately by starting with the curio cabinet in the livingroom. To make room for the Xmas stuff, she puts the regular stuff in the Xmas tub. I left for my run around shortly after she got started. I ran only three miles and did so almost effortlessly. I was back home around 1000am.

The insurance claim adjuster was sitting out front in his car. Mindy said she'd already talked with him. He said he'd be back inside shortly. I hung in the kitchen to hear his spiel. His estimate was a little less than that given to us by Westway, but he agreed to make up the difference if Wayne found that he couldn’t repair the existing bumper. My only input was that we expected to be made whole, and nothing out of our own pocket. He agreed.

Shortly after the insurance adjuster left, I asked Mindy if she wanted me to take Jacob to Aspen Ski & Board to look for goggles and possibly even new ski pants and a jacket. She did. I hollered for Jacob to come with. Mindy gave me her credit card. And since ASBCO can be a bit pricey, she also gave me her Kohl’s card and a coupon just in case we wanted to stop there and check out their ski pants and jackets. Just before we left, I informed Jacob that we’d be making a quick stop at Giant Eagle’s Market District as well. I opted to remain in running clothes.

We arrived at ASBCO at 1057am. The sign on the door still read Closed but we checked the door anyway. It was unlocked. Their advertised hours were 11-6pm. We headed in and were immediately greeted and welcomed in. We went to looked at goggle first. They have at least 50 pair in a display case, but Jacob didn’t see any he liked. They’re so expensive, I insisted that he love whatever he chose. Not satisfied with any of their offerings, I suggested that we simply order online from Oakley. And actually, the pair he likes best online are half the price of those at ASBCO. The sales guy didn’t give up. Suggested we find what we liked online and call him for a price compare. Said he could order them in. Hmm? Maybe.

We looked at ski pants next. From our earlier discussions, I had a pretty good idea what he wanted – bright blue. Not my color but hey, he’s the one that has to love and wear them. I found a decent pair right away. They were men’s sizes. The smallest size in stock was a medium, which is what I wear. I didn't think they'd even be close. Jacob wanted to try them on anyway. Sure. While he headed to the fitting room I looked for a closely matching jacket.

Found a nice jacket made by the same manufacturer in the same color. I left it aside while I went to check on Jacob. After all, if we were going to spend the money on nice ski pants, I wanted to see the fit, keeping in mind the additional layers he’d be wearing with them. He gave me a little push back when I asked through the door to see him in them. But he complied. They fit pretty well while still allowing some growing room. Plus, he said he really wanted them. Perfect! The price was fair too.

I walked Jacob over to the matching jacket, which he instantly took a liking too. Once again, I suggested he try on the medium. It fit nice too. He wanted it. Together they were probably a little more than Mindy wanted to spend but we had a $50 off coupon we got from Mad River Mt. for buying a family pass. We bought both then headed for Market District just a couple miles down the road. I could tell that Jacob was very excited about his new stuff.

As one might expect the day before TG, Market District was crowded, but nothing like it was a couple years ago opening weekend when we could barely move our cart. Jacob and I were all over the store. First, I picked up two six packs of White Rajah. Then we found some Arborio rice and chicken broth for making risotto. Still not done, we headed to the cheese department where we picked up a chunk of fresh parmesan and a chunk of my favorite beemster 18 month aged cheddar. The women at the cheese counter offered Jacob and I a sample of the aged beemster with freshly baked almonds. It was good. Jacob liked it too. Lastly, we picked up two bags of Stacy’s pita chips along with two tubs of hummus. I knew we spent a lot. Heck, between the beer, cheese, and rice we spent more than $50. For everything, our total was close to $75. But you only live once!

We headed for home arriving around 1220pm. Jacob excitedly showed his mom his ski attire. She made it clear that it was his Xmas present from Santa. She stowed it in the basement and reminded him not to say anything about it to Bella, who still believes in Santa Claus. While we were out, Mindy got a lot more decorating done. She originally set aside Friday for decorating. She was feeling good about herself for being so far ahead of schedule.

Even though it was early afternoon, Jacob talked Mindy into making us an omelet. She filled it with avocado, tomato, and cheese. I asked that she omit the avocado from mine. I asked what time she planned to go after the peanut (you may recall, Bella spent the night with Gloria). It sounded like nephew Joe might bring her home later that afternoon. He was at Gloria’s house to help her prep for TG dinner. Bella was helping, too.

Jacob headed out to play while Mindy kept at the decorating all afternoon. It was ridiculously beautiful outside – low 60s and sunny. Didn’t feel anything like TG, let alone Xmas season. Opening the back door, we could hear mowers growling throughout the subdivision. Later, we made plans to have dinner at CBC.

Bella was home from Maw-maws somewhere near 2pm. She spent the afternoon helping Mindy decorate. Her friends weren’t yet home from the Justin Bieber concert. Around 330pm Bella headed out for a bike ride. She was back after just 5 minutes to ask if Mindy and I wanted to join her. I agreed. Suggested she ask her mom. Mindy wanted to go too. After all, it would be shame to let the lovely late autumn weather pass without getting out in it.

While Mindy changed into attire suitable for a bike ride, Bella and I waited out front. While waiting, Chrissy and the entire ‘Bieber’ crew passed by honking the horn. It was almost 4pm as we peddled away from the house. We made a brief stop at the O’Connell’s where Mike was out playing basketball with the boys. I talked with Teri & Chrissy for a minute or two as well. Asked about the concert. Asked Mike for help moving the AC condenser line. Said we’ll do it in the next week or two. Cool!

We headed off on our bikes. Bella was lagging a little behind. I decided to stop and wait for her. She gave us an earful for peddling so far ahead. Mindy pulled up in Darwin’s driveway and headed up to the door. I was maybe just a little surprised that she stopped and knocked. Before I could even get off my bike she was inside. I soon followed. Just as I headed inside Bella shared that she was going on without us. Didn’t want to stay and visit.

Arriving just before us was Darwin’s cousin, Beth. She’s down visiting from Michigan for TG. She had her young son with her. She seems very nice, friendly. First we’ve seen Darwin since he got in trouble. He shared the story with us again – an OMVI. Very unusual circumstances. To make matters worse, the attorney he hired hasn’t made himself available to him at all. In fact, didn’t’ even show up for his plea hearing. Sent his admin.

You know Mindy, she wasn’t about to let it go. She suggested that she would call her attorney friend Sam S. I know Sam too, from back in my early Time Warner days when he was still in law school. Mindy insisted that Darwin get a new attorney. As it was, Darwin said there won’t be any skiing for him this coming winter. Ugh! We visited for about 30 minutes. Wished the family well then peddled off.

Mindy and I took a quick lap around the subdivision – shorter than most bike rides – then diverted back to the house. As the sun sunk, it was getting a little chilly. When we got back home Bella gave us both an earful for abandoning her. She can be very dramatic!

Determined not to let the Darwin issue rest, Mindy immediately tried reaching attorney friend Sam. After trying a couple numbers she left him a VM. A few minutes later he called back. She headed upstairs to talk, presumably explaining the situation – both the OMVI and the absentee attorney. His opinion of Darwin’s current attorney was quite humorous. Told Mindy to give Darwin his cell number and have him call on Friday. To close the loop, Mindy called Darwin and passed on the information. We both agreed that he’s going to spend some money getting out of this either way. He needs to go with a reputable attorney that will do him justice. Hopefully Darwin will follow through on Friday. I think he will.

Mindy showered first. And then after about 45 minutes, I headed up to shower. We were ready to leave for dinner around 6pm. Bella asked if she could take the iPhone. We agreed. That made her happy. The funny thing is, she uses it for everything but a phone. As usual, traffic snarled near the Front St exit. CBC had nearly a full house. We got lucky, and got one of the few remaining tables in the restaurant near the back. We’ve dined at a table only one other time in the last two years.

Ally was our server. She looked familiar but I wasn’t immediately sure why. Mindy and I both ordered Bodhi’s, while the kids ordered soft drinks. It soon became clear where we knew Ally from. She transferred over from 229. She was our server there one evening late spring. I gave her a hard way to go when they didn’t’ have any CBC IPA of pale ale. However, just as she was sharing the bad news, they found a new keg of IPA. She was off the hook. 

Mindy predictably ordered the salmon. Jacob ordered the nachos, and Bella ordered the pepperoni pizza from the kids menu. I ordered two items I hadn’t had in an awfully long time – French onion soup & the Italian Hoagie. Mindy asked for some bread too. Jacob ate almost an entire loaf of bread to himself. I credit the bread as the reason he couldn’t finish his gigantic plate of nachos. I could eat only half of my order too, though. Mindy, on the other hand, was a clean platter. Bella barely touched her pizza. Said it didn’t taste right.

Mindy & I each had the one beer. And while the place was packed when we arrived, the crowd thinned dramatically just before we left. We couldn’t have been there for more than an hour. We headed home determined to watch a movie together. I suggested Christmas Story 2. Saw the previews the night before. Bella didn’t sound too enthused. The rest of us were game, though. Once at home we all changed into our PJs then I poured a fresh White Rajah. Mindy jokingly wrestled Bella to the sofa insisting that she watch the movie with us. She eventually scurried away. Mindy let her.

The movie was good, and right up the same vein as the prequel. It lasted something less than 90 minutes. Mindy headed to bed shortly after the movie. She asked Bella to get a good night’s rest. But that often means something different to Bella. She was in her room but making all sorts of racket well into the night. At one point, I dosed off on the sofa only to wake and find Bella woofing down powdered sugar donuts at the table. I’m thinking that was between 10-1030pm. I woke again around 11pm and she was gone. This time I headed up to bed.

Closet Electrician & Plumber

Noodle hair!

Nothin' like morning coffee!

Almost a repeat of Monday, I heard Mindy's alarm blaring near 6am. I think it's tuned to Sunny 95. No thanks! But once again, I managed to rollover and fall back asleep. I didn't wake again until almost 715am. By then Mindy was already downstairs preparing to leave for school. I heard Bella up talking loud, I assumed talking to her mom from her
bedroom. I brushed my teeth then joined the family downstairs. Both Mindy & Bella were excited that it was Tuesday, their last day of school until next Monday.

As usual, Mindy left for school around 730am. Bella removed the braids Mindy put in her hair the night before to reap what she calls the 'noodle' effect (think wavy, curly hair). I did my typical Tuesday exercise routine then headed to the PC with a cup of coffee. And there I spent the next 30 minutes or so until bus stop time when we headed out the door along with the pug.

We met Kenny & Makayla at the bus stop. I asked Kenny if he was working. Yep, sort of. He was heading to his grandpa's house closing. Kenny reminded Kayla that he'd likely be picking her up at school around 1pm. Kayla, Lillian, Emily, Chrissy & Teri were leaving for the Justin Bieber concert in PA around 2pm. After the girls were on the bus, we joked briefly then headed our separate ways.

I walked Eiknarf until she took care of her business, which didn't take her too long at all. We headed back home where I enjoyed a second cup of coffee before heading off on my run. Left the house around 845am and ran only three miles. Again, a bit of a break for my tired, old bones. I felt good through the run's entirety. Back at the house I drug our emptied trash can back to its resting place at the side of the house then headed inside.

I spent perhaps another half hour online and writing in my blog before heading to the basement to work on the two small projects I originally intended to do on Monday. The first involved fixing an exterior lighting circuit that I installed 7 or 8 years ago. I used 14/2 direct bury exterior electric line, which is difficult to work with. And when I prepared the end for the interior junction box I accidentally skinned the protective sheath back too far, beyond the outside the entrance to the junction box. I didn't think I exposed the bare wire, but given that I'm about to drywall the ceiling, I felt it wise to re-do it if for no other reason than piece of mind. I bought the materials thinking I'd have to splice in a new piece by adding a second junction box., but as it turned out, I was able to free enough slack to avoid having to do that. On closer inspection, I had only skinned the sheath and not the white (neutral) or black (hot) insulation. Finished that task in all of about 20 minutes. It didn't take long at all.

Task number 2 involved moving/raising the 1-1/2" PVC drain run for the kitchen sink. In its current configuration, it was mounted below the floor joists against the block and somewhat interfering with a basement window. Not sure what M/I was thinking when they ran it. My plan was to cut a notch in the floor joist, then raise the run a couple inches into the notch so I could eventually drywall over it. To do so required cutting off the existing run where it ran up into the kitchen then also where it descended into the floor. While getting access (room) to make the flush cuts was a trick, I managed to do the move with relative ease. I used my reciprocating for the first time since cutting into the family room wall a few years back saw to notch out the joist. And while the new run isn't perfect, it looks good enough and more importantly is more functional that before and remains leak-free.

Sandwiched between the two basement projects, a UPS driver knocked on the door leaving my new 32" LED TV. Frankly, I was more than a little surprised that they would leave a TV on the porch like that without speaking to someone. After all, the box wasn't disguised in any way whatsoever. Of course the front door was opened so I guess she assume someone was home. I made it to the front door just as she was getting back in her truck. She acknowledged my presence then shared that she likely had another box for us too, but would stop back later once it was exposed in her full truck. And going from the two emails I received the day before, it was our two new kitchen table chairs. Sure enough, she brought those by mid-afternoon. Did the same two knocks on the door then quickly scooted away. Same as earlier, I rushed to the door and let her know that I had the large package.

I cleaned up the mess I'd made in the basement then made myself a meatloaf sandwich. I was starving, having eaten only a couple pieces of fruit all day. Not too much later, Jacob was home from school. He was more than excited to be on break. Dropped his stuff then headed out with his friends. Sometime between then and when Mindy got home, I showered. But instead of getting into jeans, I put on flannel pajama bottom and a t-shirt. I was all about comfort. Mindy called around 4pm to let me know that she was stopping at Kroger again, this time for TG fixins. Bella was home shortly thereafter. I quickly pointed out the two new kitchen table chairs since she was the biggest benefactor. Bella was even more excited about her the black light bulb I picked up the day before at Home Depot. She couldn't wait to install it in her room. Until Mindy got home, she hung in the family room sitting in the new 'extra' kitchen table chair watching TV. Too cute!

Jacob spent the entire evening down at the neighbors. I guessed that meant Evan's basketball goal got installed that day. We opted to have leftovers for dinner, meatloaf, wings, & risotto balls. Mindy reheated the wings and balls on the pizza stone and the rest in the microwave. We headed up to Bella's room to check out the new black light. Bella was excited to show her momma. While passing by our room she spotted our new LED TV. She let out a squeal. Her eyes told me that she thought the TV was for her. Instantly, I felt bad knowing she'd be let down. I carefully explained that it wasn't for her. Though she's been asking for a bigger TV, I didn't tell her that Mindy told me that she didn't want Bella to have a new one. Oh boy!

Soon dinner was ready. Mindy asked me to holler/whistle for Jacob. I whistled loud but he never showed. I whistled again. Still no Jacob. Finally, Bella went after him. He came running in a hurry. We ate dinner together. The plan was for me to deliver Bella to gymnastics and then Mindy would do the pick-up and then deliver her to her mom's where Bella planned to spend the night.

Bella and I left for gymnastics near 535pm. She was worried that we were gonna be late. Hardly, we got there with more than 10 minutes to spare. A major portion of the 270 south construction between I-70 & Georgesville Rd. is finally opened. That helped immensely. It's been in the works for more than a year. Expected to be another 18 months before its 100% completed. The return home was just as quick. Was back by 605pm. Mindy walked Eiknarf as soon as I got home. Said she was going to walk down and look at the O'Connell's new basketball hoop. She was gone for about 10 minutes. Later she shared that Jacob, Evan, Mike & Kenny all headed to BW-3s.

I spent the next 30-60 minutes writing in my blog. Before Mindy left to fetch Bella I poured a Jack & Coke. Near bottom of the half gallon I bought nearly six months ago. Maybe enough for three or four drinks, tops. After writing for a while I searched Google for ski goggles on Jacob's behalf. I found REI's site, which had hundreds of options as well as pretty decent prices. After looking online with Jacob a couple night's prior, I knew well what his preferences were. I highlighted a couple pair to show him later.

Mindy was gone until almost 815pm. Jacob still wasn't home. By then I was surfing through the Movies on Demand and stumbled on The Campaign, Will Ferrell's latest movie. As soon as Mindy walked in I asked if she wanted to watch it with me. She did. I didn't start the movie until she was downstairs in her PJs. Started the movie around 835pm. From the very beginning the dialogue was a bit trashier than I expected, though the rating was 'R'. But it was very funny. We laughed hard through several scenes. It reminded me much of Talladega Nights - the Legend of Ricky Bobby. Jacob got home around 915-930pm and watched the last 30-40 minutes with us. He found it humorous too. Like most Will Ferrell movies, it's stupid funny, and sometimes that's exactly what Mindy & I want to see.

Mindy headed for bed soon after the movie's end. I stayed up a while longer watching a program on the History Channel called Mankind - the history of us all. The episode picked up near the end of Constantine's life (mid 4th century) through the fall of the Roman empire, and then through the rise of the Viking empire. Prior, that period was a blank spot for me. I learned quite a bit. I must've fallen asleep around 1020pm. I woke on the sofa around 11pm and headed for bed. I looked around for Eiknarf but she was nowhere to be found. With Bella gone I assumed her with Jacob, but when I went upstairs there she was sitting just outside Bella's bedroom door waiting. How cute!

Not wanting to be bothered in the middle of the night, I first tried to lure her into Jacob's room where he was already sound asleep. But she would have none of it. Instead, she rushed into Bella's room then placed her paws on the side of the bed as if asking me to give her a boost up. That was cute too, but again, not wanting to be bothered through the night I picked her up and carried her to our room and bed. Good night moon!

Lights Up!

 

I heard Mindy's alarm sound. It had to be close to 6am. She didn't immediately move to put out the noise. Instead, she let it whirl for a while. Finally, after a good 30 seconds, she put the kyboshes on the obnoxious alarm. It went off again maybe ten minutes later, but this time she dealt with it quickly and was soon up and out of bed. I rolled over burying my face in my pillow trying hard to return to sleep.

It must've worked. I didn't wake again until sometime just after 7am, right after Mindy finished blow drying her hair. I got up, peed, brushed my teeth then headed downstairs to start exercises. It occurred to me that this was recycling day and I had a feeling that Jacob forgot to put out our can. Still half asleep, I staggered to the garage and drug our recycling to the curb. I looked up to see the Rumpkee recycling truck barreling up to our house. Excellent timing! I greeted the workers and wished them a happy TG.

It felt great knowing I didn't need to bother with work. I leisurely completed my calisthenics then poured a cup of coffee. Mindy asked if I still wanted to swap cars for the day so I could take the Pilot in for an estimate. Yes. She left for school in the Accord around 730am.

Bella and I hung out until bus stop time. She played on the new iPhone for several minutes after her ready. At the same time I played around on the internet. Leisure time went fast. Soon it was time to head out to the bus stop where we met up with Chrissy & Makayla. Chrissy talked about her short work week and then there trip to see Justin Bieber on Tuesday, the following day. Said she was taking Makayla out of school around noon then leaving for PA. Would be home sometime Wednesday. Bella didn't flinch. I looked.

After the bus picked up the girls I asked Chrissy if Kenny was working. If he wasn't I had the thought of golf in mind. Too bad. Kenny was indeed working. Just as well, I had a lot of things I wanted to accomplish over the next few days before the TG holiday. Because I slept late by design, this was Eiknarf's first opportunity to be outside. We walked down the street a ways until she finally took care of business.

Back at the house, I might've played on the computer for 5-10 minutes before ultimately dressing for a run. I left for my run near 835am. It was a lovely morning - sunny and 30 degrees. I ran only three miles and planned to do so most days this week.

I was back at home shortly after 9am. I enjoyed another cup of coffee and a little more time online. While at my PC I sent myself an email detailing a to-do & Home Depot list that I created in my mind while running. I headed off to the shower next. It was just after 10am when I left to take the Pilot for an estimate at Westway body shop on Fisher Rd. I'd never been there before but have known of its existence and have heard good things about it. Mindy took the Pilot there to have the ding fixed she put in it backing into the our trashcan a few years ago.

Wayne, who I believe is the owner, said he recognized the Pilot as soon as I pulled up. Asked my wife's name. Mindy. Yes, Mindy. I filled out an estimate form and then the two of us headed out to look at the minor damage. One has to look carefully to even see the damage but it's there. Almost all the damage is on the lower bumper trim. Still, I wasn't too surprised when the estimate came in just under a $1000. Would need to follow-up with the kids' insurance company before proceeding with the work.

I was there no more than 15 minutes. As I left to head to Home Depot I took notice of the strange light illuminated on the dash. Looked like something to do with the airbag. It was red too, which to me meant - 'warning'. Before going on, I pulled the manual from the glove box to reference the indicator. Sure enough, something amiss with the SRS (safety restraint system). I wondered, one, if Mindy realized it, and, two, if it was a result of the rear ending. If so, it would need to be accounted for too.

I headed onto Home Depot taking the back way up Old Dublin Rd. At Home Depot I picked up several things, including a CFL black light bulb for Bella (she's been asking for one), 2 electrical jct. boxes, some 1-1/2" PVC pipe, elbows and glue, a set of color changing Xmas lights, and a poinsettia. I checked mycart against the list that I emailed myself to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. Nope!

I headed for home. It was just after 11am. Good bet that nephew Joe was at our house cleaning. Mindy reminded me that he would be there Sunday evening. Didn't want to cancel like we do most times when I am on vacation. Trust me, it's difficult to 'live' in one's house when it's being cleaned. Yep, Joe was at the house and just starting in the kitchen. After a brief greeting and conversation, I headed to my PC where I listened to Xmas music and wrote in my blog. Earlier, I thought that I might get cracking on my inside basement projects while Joe cleaned, but the more I thought about it the less sense it made. For one of the projects, I'd have to render the kitchen sink out of commission while moving the PVC drain pipe. And the other would require me turning off an electrical circuit.

Instead, I decided that it made more sense for me to do the yard work that I originally forecasted for Tuesday. That way Joe & I wouldn't be in each others' way. I announced my plans and headed out through the garage. I gathered up the electric hedge trimmers, a 100' extension cord, and gloves then headed out back. To begin, I trimmed back the two large burning bushes that sandwich the deck steps. Next, I trimmed back the deciduous bush at the SW corner of the house. It's always a pain!

Neither of those two tasks took long at all. I decided to go ahead and tackle the honeysuckle removal project - the one surrounding the base of the ash tree middle of the backyard. It's a pretty bush but one that's hard to keep groomed. I only recently decided to cut it completely down. It'll still grow back, though, if left unattended unless I also remove the roots, which I don't plan to do. I thought about using the chain saw, but opted to cut it down manually using the giant loppers and a folding tree saw. As with most bush/tree removal projects, it looked far bigger on the ground. Took about 30 minutes to lop off/saw off all the main trunks, some as big as 3" in diameter. Took as long again to drag all the branches to the compost pile. Worked up a good sweat.

Next, I raked all the loose twigs and small branches into a pile with the surrounding leaves then picked up most of it by hand, placing it in my collapsible trash can then carried it to the pile. Next, I fetched my blower and managed the most recent leaf fall in the entire back yard. I created two wide piles for mulching then blew the rest along the pond's bank. I then fetched my tractor for the mulching. I recently discovered that the Deere mulches even better than my Toro. Very surprising!

Worked like a charm. The Deere rendered the leaf piles almost nonexistent - not even a trace. What the heck. The lawn didn't really look like it needed mowed, but it had grown some since last week's mowing. I went ahead and cut the entire lawn with the tractor. And because I placed the leaf piles in half of neighbor Trena's yard (it's flatter than mine), I went ahead and cut her entire back yard too, also mulching up the leaves between her and Kenny's house. After finishing the mowing, I blew the front yard free of any newly fallen leaves. For some reason, our sweet gum tree holds its leaves much like a pin oak. It's the only one I've ever seen do it, and there are several hundred of them in our subdivision. They eventually fall through the winter , but it's a slow, slow process. Pretty much have leaf fall all winter long. Yard looked great when I finished.

I headed inside to grab a water. It was near 230pm and Joe was upstairs vacuuming. The downstairs looked sparkling clean. I was careful not to leave a trail. I didn't relax. Instead, I headed back outside to hang the new Xmas lights I bought earlier. This is a set of 12 large icicle lights that vary in length -5" & 7". My plan was to hang them from the overhang above the front stoop. I've professed that my days of crawling out on the roof to hang lights are over. I planned to use these clear plastic clips and small clear tie-wraps for mounting. I fastened the clear clips with a small phillips screw using my new cordless drill. Worked like a charm. Can hardly notice the clips which are on the backside of the overhang. They're virtually undetectable, so I can leave them up all year. The plan worked flawlessly. The light set stretched across the overhang perfectly, almost as if they were custom cut just for that spot. I plugged them into a day/night timer and gave them a test run. Cool! Was looking forward to seeing them in the dark.

Jacob was already home from school. had been for a while. It had to be about 330pm when I headed back inside, only this time for the day. Jacob soon ran off to play with friends. Joe had just finished cleaning. Before leaving, Joe commented about the early Xmas music. Like many, doesn't like listening to it before TG. I shared that it begins playing on the Time Warner seasonal channel Nov 1st just in case he wants to partake at home when alone. :)

Bella was home near 4pm. She asked if I knew that the new Xmas lights were on. Yes, allowing them to 'burn in'. Mindy got home from school around 440pm after making a brief stop at Kroger in Grove City. Both kids ran off to play with friends. We talked about it and decided to do dinner at Barleys. I know that comes as a shock!

Jacob was thrilled to learn about dinner at Barley's. Bella, however, wasn't. She went as far to throw a mini-fit. Mindy explained that there are times when her opinion matters and then also times when it doesn't. To be clear, this was one of those times when it didn't matter. :) We left for Barley's around 6pm driving the Accord.

We opted for a booth near the bar. I ordered a Xmas ale. Mindy did too. I ordered the kids Dr Pepper's. Samantha was our server for the first time even though she's been there for a while. Mindy and I laughed when she brought both kids drinks in kiddie cups complete with straws and a lid! Jacob wasn't thrilled but was a good sport. Bella, however, said she wasn't drinking it. She was still in a pissy mood for simply having to be there. Mindy ordered a plate of loaded fries to tie the family over while we perused the menu. Slowly but surely, Bella emerged from her cantankerous mood.

Jacob ordered the regular - chicken tenders with buffalo sauce and Gates of Hell on the side. Can't recall what Mindy ordered. I went with 20 KC wings figuring I'd share them with Bella, who otherwise refused ot order anything. Finished my Xmas ale then ordered a Centennial. Mindy went with ice water after finishing her Xmas ale. To appease Bella, Mindy ordered another basket of fries. We all had some. I passed the check to Mindy and she took care of it. We headed for home around 730pm. Bella was in a far better mood.

At home, everybody got into their PJs. Jacob headed to his room to read and practice saxophone. Bella hung out with us playing on the new iPhone. I checked my email via my new cell phone. Had two emails from Amazon sharing that two of the items in my recent order were scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday. Read them twice since I selected free super-saver shipping. The original promise date was after November 27th. Cool!

We tuned the TV to MNF - The Steelers/49er. Both teams were playing with back-up quarterbacks, which was somewhat of a disappointment. However, the 49ers back-up played lights out. The game was pretty much a blowout in SF's favor. I watched until about 11pm then headed for bed.

Abe ... "but from her want of teeth"

 



I rolled out of bed around 745am after a pretty good night of sleep. The noise I made brushing my teeth must have woken Mindy. She asked for a hug before I could tip-toe out of the room. After a quick hug I headed to the kitchen where I prepped a pot of coffee then played on the internet.

Hardy five minutes had passed before Lindsey and the boys were at the door with their laundry. Lindsey had to work OT and asked if we could watch the boys. I was expecting them but not for another 45 minutes. Lindsey carried in her dirty laundry but then left for work. Both boys asked for some coffee. I obliged their request, making it heavy on chocolate/white milk and whipped cream. Just a shot or two of actual coffee. They love it!

We played for a while until they eventually asked if they could go up and see Mindy. I followed behind after a minute or two and found them both in bed with Mindy watching cartoons. I told Mindy that I was leaving for a run, Her only request was that I delivered some coffee first. No problem.

It had to be near 9am when I hit the streets. It was chilly - somewhere near freezing but warm in the sunshine. I ran the usual weekend route of just three miles. The run was easy and pain free. By the time I was back at the house Mindy already had Lindsey's laundry underway. Before I left for my run, Rocky asked me to make bacon. I followed through making both bacon and omelets for everybody. I baked the bacon in the oven.

Both boys are well, finished their omelets and asked for more bacon. After cleaning up breakfast, I spent some time online looking for purple Galaxy S III cases for Mindy. I also found the same TV we looked at just the night before at Best Buy except for about $50 less. Curious, I scoped it out on Amazon, too. As expected, same price there. The only difference being no sales tax at Amazon. In addition, I looked for and found a wooden chair that matches our existing kitchen chairs. Amazon sells them in pairs for $72 and free shipping. We've been using a metal chair ever since Bella's chair broke several month ago. I didn't buy anything just yet. Instead, I placed all three things in my cart.

When Mindy had a minute I had her come look at the phone case. She wasn't thrilled with it, and asked me to look for one made by Otter. That case tends to offer more protection to the phone, and lord knows Mindy needs her phone protected as much as possible. Mindy and the boys mixed up a batch of sugar cookie dough from scratch. They set the mixture aside for later. Mindy planned on picking up a turkey shaped cookie cutter while at the grocery.

I didn't bother looking to see what NFL games were on. The Vikings had a bye week. Mindy headed for a shower around noon and soon left for the grocery store. Shortly after Mindy left for the grocery Bella got invited to Chuck E Cheese with the neighbors. Iasked that she call her mom to confirm that it was OK. Rocky spotted neighbor Jake out back and headed off to play with him. Landon opted to stay inside while I napped on the sofa. I slept pretty much the entire time that Mindy was gone. She got home from the grocery store about the same time that the kids got home from Jimaken's. I helped carry in groceries then tuned into football. The Browns were beating the Cowboys. Hmm? There was plenty of time left, so I more than expected them to relinquish the lead. They've done that in almost every game this year.

Sometime midafternoon I added a book to my existing Amazon shopping cart and then hit the purchase button. Mindy put a meatloaf in the oven a little earlier. It's one that her mother made and sent home with us a month or so ago. I think it was the Sunday before Bella's birthday. Seems like a really long time ago now. It cooked all afternoon and smelt terrific.

Mindy and the boys proceeded to bake cookies late afternoon. Said she couldn't find a turkey shaped cookie cutter anywhere. She settled on using the gingerbread man cookie cutter. They sat them aside to cool before decorating. As expected, the Brown lost the game against the Cowboys in OT.

I had designs on deep-frying the last dozen risotto balls I mixed up about 6 weeks ago. I left the bag of frozen balls set out on the island most of the afternoon. Once the cookie baking was done I got busy with the balls. It didn't take long, though I did roll them in another coat of breadcrumbs. Fried them up in ten minutes or less then covered the plate and put them in the microwave oven until dinner time.

Lindsey was supposed to work until 630pm but came in the door around 520pm, or just as we were getting ready to eat our dinner. Said they got slow and sent a bunch of people home. She didn't want to eat dinner with us. Instead, she opted to take her completed laundry home while the boys enjoyed dinner with us. The meatloaf smelt terrific. Mindy nuked some Bob Evans mashed potatoes and prepared some fresh cooked carrots, which are a favorite of mine. Everything was delicious. Jacob opted out of meatloaf - never has liked it. Instead, he had cereal. Once Rocky saw that Jacob wasn't eating the meatloaf, he said he didn't want any either.

Jacob teased him incessantly about his momma not coming back to get him. Before we knew it, Rocky was in tears. Rocky's insecurity issues are well documented. We insisted that Jacob stop. Once dinner clean-up was complete, Mindy and boys decorated sugar cookies. Not too long into the cookie decorating, Chrissy called to share that the girls were back. All three (Bella, Makayla, Emily) came in to decorate cookies. While they did that I took what amounted to my third nap of the day, and this one longer than the others. I slept for about 90 minutes.

Not sure the time when I woke but I'm guessing it was close to 8pm. I finally felt like I got a second wind. At the same time, Mindy shared that she was getting tired. I found that amusing. I was very excited to not have to work on Monday. Something incredibly comforting about a Sunday night that's not a work night.

In celebration, I poured myself a Jack & Coke and got comfy on the sofa at the outset of SNF. Bella soon joined me on the sofa and brought the new iPhone. I let her download a free game app. She must've played the game for two hours. Mindy headed for bed around 930pm leaving Bella and I hanging out on the sofa. She and I eventually popped some popcorn and watched the SNF game in its entirety. Bella fell asleep on the sofa. I woke her for bed around midnight. She headed up to bed without any complaints. Took Eiknarf along, too.

Lincoln said "The year 1836 rolled up and so did Ms. Owens -- who thought she was engaged. Quite displeased with her appearance, a confounded Lincoln instantly regretted his promise and grappled with how to handle the situation. Lincoln later wrote: "...when I beheld her, I could not for my life avoid thinking of my mother ; and this, not from withered features, for her skin was too full of fat to permit of its contracting into wrinkles, but from her want of teeth, weather-beaten appearance in general, and from a kind of notion that ran in my head that nothing could have commenced at the size of infancy and reached her present bulk in less than thirty-five or forty years ; and, in short, I was not at all pleased with her."

Watchin' Bella Bounce

I was out of bed somewhere close to 730am after waking in the middle of the night to choke down a few Advil. I felt pretty good, though perhaps still a little sluggish. But it wasn't anything a three mile run wouldn't cure. I started some coffee then played on the internet. Mindy wanted to leave the house at 1015 to be at Bella's gymnastics meet by 1030am. Her first event was slated for 11am.

I headed out for a run near 830am. It was chilly but nice. Plenty of sunshine that when directly on me made it feel 10 degrees warmer. Mindy was up by my return. Said to expect Bella home by 930am. Jimaken & Jacob were attending the gymnastics event too, but Mindy wanted Bella home first so she could do her hair the correct way. They're fairly persnickety about the way the girls wear their hair during competition.

I'm thinking it was 945am when I emerged from a shower. By then the kids and Jimaken were there, and Bella was already upstairs getting into her leotard, or so we thought. Mindy went to check on her and found her playing around in her room. It was somewhat amusing to hear Mindy giving her an earful from afar.

Mindy packed our Jimindy cooler with healthy snacks and water while I was in the shower. We were all ready to leave the house right at 1015am. Just as we made our way to the front door Gloria called Mindy, who very quickly let out a gasp and then quickly said she was on her way. I knew then that it wasn't good news. Apparently Gloria fell down the stairs and despite telling Mindy she was OK, Mindy wanted to head over anyhow. We altered our plans on the fly. I ran Bella to the gymnastics meet with Jimaken and Jacob following close behind. Mindy headed to her mom's.

Mindy called my cell just as Bella and I were ramping onto 270 from 70. I shared that perhaps she should call 911 and have them check out her mom. My thinking was why else would she have called to tell you that she fell if she wasn't hurt, and as she put it was fine. Mindy did call her sister and brother-in-law Jodie & Larry. They were heading over too. Mindy planned to meet Bella and I at the meet once things were settled.

Not only had I never been to the Galloway Ridge Intermediate school before, I didn't even know it existed. It's a relatively new school located on the NE corner of Galloway Rd & West Broad St. directly across the street from the nice Kroger. Looked like parking was at a premium, the parking lot full and cars lined up along the road circling the entire school. We headed around back and found a spot there. We entered through doors with a sign directing us around front. I walked to the front through the school and paid my $5 entry fee.

From jump, it was painfully obvious that the school's gymnasium was much to small to host such an event. Many were talking/complaining about the accommodations, or perhaps more aptly put, the lack thereof. It was small and cramped for the three main events: trampoline, double-mini, and floor, but they managed. Spectator viewing was lacking but I didn't mind. Bella and I took up refuge near the back at what seemed to be the school's cafeteria tables. Bella soon ran off to find Kelly, her coach.

Not too much time passed before I spotted Jimaken and Jacob in a doorway across the gymnasium. I flailed my arms wildly hoping to capture their attention. Either they didn't see me or chose to ignore me. A few minutes later I spotted nephew Joe. He soon joined me. At the time he was unaware of Gloria's spill. Before he could get too worried, we spotted his dad, b-in-law Larry, out in the hallway. Then we spotted Mindy, Jodie, and Gloria. Was very surprised to see Gloria. They eventually made their way to our table. Gloria said she was fine. The fall left her more scared than anything else. Glad she was OK.

They stuck around long enough to watch Bella's first event, the trampoline. With an hour and one half between all of her events, the extended family members departed leaving just me, Mindy, Jimaken, Jacob, and Bella. It was Larry's 54th birthday. They headed home where they'd be hosting a Buckeye game party for the family later that afternoon.

Not too long after they left, Jimaken and Jacob left to get some lunch. They left for Wendy's and were gone for at least an hour. Mindy texted them after about 45 minutes asking Jimaken to bring her a chicken sandwich. He did so willingly.

The double-mini event was next, and on the far end of the gymnasium/lunch room. I made my way to the other side where I could get a birdseye view of Bella in action. She did great on two of her three passes and eventually took 2nd place. Incidentally, she took 3rd on the trampoline. Her third event wasn't scheduled for another 90 minutes or 230pm. But judging by the start time of the other events, it would almost certainly be later.

Jacob was getting antsy, pacing around and complaining about the long afternoon. I felt bad for Bella because he directed his anger towards her. Bella did her final event - tumbling, around 245pm. It would be another 45 minutes or more before the awards ceremony. We had to wait for that. Having been to four or five of these over the past two years, I've learned to be patient. Jimaken and Jacob had to wait because it was a Jimaken weekend and the plans were for Bella to leave with them. Jacob was angry for one, because they would miss the beginning of the Buckeye/Wisconsin game, which was kicking off at 330pm.

I'm thinking it was 335pm when finally got out of the school and on the road for home. We left in three cars, me by myself, Mindy by herself, and both kids with Jimaken. We missed Wisconsin's first series, a three and out. I took West Broad to Hilliard-Rome Rd to 70 east, exiting on Wilson. Mindy took West Broad all the way to 270 or Phillipi. Not sure why. I beat her home by more than ten minutes.

We talked about heading up to Best Buy to have the screen protector installed on her new phone. Talked about trying the new brewpub at Tuttle Mall, too - BJ's Brewhouse. We ended up watching the entire Buckeye game before doing anything else. The Buckeyes took a 14-0 lead and for a brief moment I wondered if we might run away with the game. That wasn't the case. instead, the momentum seemed to swing Wisconsin's way. They quickly scored a touchdown to make it 14-7. And it remained that way for the next 2.5 quarters until Wisconsin tied the game with something like 20 seconds remaining. Dang it! And that was after a goaline fumble that the Buckeyes recovered. The game went to OT, our second such game in the last three. The Buckeyes won in OT, 21-14 to go to 11-0 heading into the Michigan game next Saturday. Regardless of that outcome, it'll be our last game of the season thanks to the bowl ban.

I walked the pug then freshened up. Mindy freshened up too. We left for Best Buy near 7pm. Best Buy was crowded, especially in the cell phone department. A friendly manager took notice of Mindy and I waiting and walked up to assist. He quickly took Mindy's phone and had the screen protector installed. Said they were short handed after one of their phone guys went home sick. Said he threw up in the store. Nice!

We looked at TVs, including a look at the new 80" LCD from Sharp. Only $4500. Mindy wanted to look at appliances too. We looked only briefly then headed out. We headed just over the freeway bridge to Tuttle Mall and the new BJ's Brewhouse. We could see pulling in that the place was packed. Neither of us was too into fighting a crowd or a long wait. We decided to give it a try anyway. Could leave and head elsewhere if we couldn't get a seat.

There were plenty of folks awaiting for tables, so we opted to try our luck getting seats at the bar. The bar was full too, but a nice couple sitting at one of the bar tables told Mindy they were just about to leave and offered us the opportunity to join them. So we did. Tim and Carol. Tim works at Honda. Not sure where Carol works. She showed Mindy her new phone, which was the same white Galaxy S III. We've run into several people the last two days that said the same thing.

Tim & Carol were quite interesting,. Tim told us that his good buddy just quit Honda to open a new brewpub in the short north called The Bru, scheduled to open this week. Said it was really his idea. We talked with Tim & Carol for about 15 minutes. They soon left leaving their table to us. Cool! David was our youthful server and was very helpful. Without much consideration, I ordered one of their IPAs - the Hop Storm. Mindy sampled both their porter and stout but didn't care for either. She settled for a Great Lakes Xmas ale but they were out of that too. She ended up having a CBC IPA.

I wasn't impressed with the Hop Storm. Tasted more like a English-style pale ale. I ordered a CBC IPA for my 2nd beer. We ordered appetizers and dinner. For an appetizer we ordered avocado egg rolls. For dinner Mindy ordered their ribeye steak dinner. I wasn't that hungry, and went with their mini burgers.
Mindy had a bowl of their clam chowder as one of her sides. She shared that with me. It was good!

Her steak looked really good too. By mini-burgers were scrumptious as well. Bottom line, very good service and food. Beer - just so-so. We left BJ's for home around 915pm. At home we changed into PJs then I poured a White Rajah. We kicked back on the sofa watching the Oregon/Stanford game. Oregon's averaging something like 60 points per game, but so far against Stanford they could manage only 14 points. They lead for most of the game. Mindy & I headed to bed to watch the rest of the game.

The score was 14-7 with 2 minutes left to play. Stanford tied the game with two minutes left then won in OT after Oregon missed a field goal. Both #1 & #2 lost on Saturday. Good night moon!

Shadow Boxing

Up a few minutes early on Friday morning. I felt well rested and ready to go. I breezed through calisthenics (sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups) then enjoyed coffee at the PC. All totaled, I must've spent a good half hour online, stopping long enough to wake Mindy somewhere near the middle. Because I worked at home on Thursday, there wasn't any chance of it again on Friday. Besides, I'd be off work for all but one out of the next nine days. I needed to be in the office to wrap up several lingering to-dos.

After meditation and a stretch I was off on my run near 635am. My shoulders and neck felt great. It was chilly, but not quite a chilly as it's been, though I believe it was at or below freezing. I ran the full 4.1 miles without any issues. In fact, it was a super good run.

Mindy was preparing to depart for school shortly after I got back from my run, but she hung out long enough for Eiknarf and I to do our walk. She made fluffy, cheesy scrambled eggs for a change of pace. I enjoyed them much. There were plenty of them, too. In fact, there was so much that there was enough for another serving after both of us had our share. I baggied the leftovers for the dog.

Showered next and was ready and downstairs again by 758am. Bella and I met Chrissy and Makayla at the bus stop. Both Chrissy & I gushed about it being Friday. After the bus picked up the girls, I let Eiknarf sniff around out front for a few more minutes. She peed again. Inside, I grabbed my keys and went out to start/warm the Accord. I left for work after a quick cup of coffee hoping for an easy day.

Arrived at work near 850am. I went for a fresh pitcher of ice water while my laptop booted up. By 9am I was pretty much settled in. I wisely sent my three clients emails on Thursday detailing my time off as well as my back-up. I also created my out-of-office message too. In Outlook 2010, one can set it to kick in much like an alarm. Relative to my time-off, all I really needed to do was put out-of-office messages on both phones (desk & cellular).

I spent most of my day tying up loose ends. Called Tommy midmorning to see if he wanted to join us for an evening at the Shadow Box theatre. We had four tickets but only three of them spoken for. He thanked me for thinking of him, but said he had to work.

I took lunch near 1230pm with two stops in mind. First, I headed to Best Buy to buy Mindy & I screen shields and silicone boots for our new phones. I opted to buy the Zagg invisible shields, just like the one I had installed on my Droid X. It's like tough elephant skin. They only had black silicone cases for the Galaxy SIII, and I knew that Mindy wanted purple. I bought her a black one anyway thinking it wise to protect the phone now. We can always order a purple case later online where they're typically much cheaper. My goal for the short term was to protect the phone. Best Buy had a special, case and Zagg shield for $35 each. That was a savings of $10 on each one. They charge $8 to install the shield, which I took them up on. Told me to bring Mindy's phone in later along with the receipt.

I checked out their 32" LCD/LED TV's too since were thinking about replacing our bedroom 32" CRT TV. After leaving Best Buy, I headed to the Swan Cleaners at Mill Run near Saturday's. The zipper pull on my favorite thick fleece jacket finally broke completely in two pieces. The jacket, otherwise, is in great shape. I wanted to see if they could simply replace the zipper pull. If not, I wanted a price to replace the entire zipper. The girl told me they should simply be able to replace the pull. If so, it would only be $10. Would have it back next Friday. Cool!

Headed back to the office around 130pm. I didn't bring a whole lot of food. Brought a banana ,nuts and cheese. I ate the banana and nuts earlier. I ate cheese when I got back from lunch. Took care of a few more to-dos including finalizing yet another monthly report. That was done by 30m. I spent the rest of my day taking care of administrative duties. I left for home at 455pm.

Place was already deserted. Traffic was heavy merging onto 270 but kept moving until my exit, which is just one more to the south. Arrived home by 520pm. The kids were already gone with their daddy and the house was picked up.

We were expecting Ryan around 6pm so we could head to the Shadow Box. The show doesn't start until 730pm but they encourage you to arrive early to eat, drink and be merry. I changed shirts and brushed my teeth but remained dressed casually. Ryan showed up right on time. We didn't hang at the house long before bolting for the venue. Again, I wanted to be there seated near 630pm. As usual, traffic was at a crawl as we neared downtown and the Front St exit off 70E.

We parked in CBCs lot, and Mindy ran inside to make sure it was OK. We planned on stopping in after the show. Jamie gave Mindy a thumb's up! We walked up Short St to the back entrance to Shadow Box. It's not that far at all. We ordered beers at the bar before they called us to our seater/greeter - Adam, the same guy that called and offered me the tickets.

He seated us at a table near the stage. Sweet. We had to listen to a brief spiel about all their upcoming attractions and shows but ultimately turned down heavily discounted tickets. We soon ordered drinks and appetizers. Keep in mind the way Shadow Box works, the same folks that issue tickets, seat you, feed you, serve you, are the same folks acting in the shows. They work their tails off! We thought about ordering full entrees but ended up filling up on appetizers. We ordered two more beers each in a bucket to hold us over through the show. That proved to be just about right!

The show was good, both the band and sketch comedy. They opened with Mannheim's version of Deck the Halls. Nice! Recognized a few faces from the shows I saw last year. A lot of new faces too, though. All three of us had fun and laughed much. Mindy, however, laughed loud and hard - far and away more than Ryan and I. That's OK. Glad she liked the show. Show was over around 9pm. We hung out for a few more minutes but then bolted for CBC where we captured a few bar stools in the corner. Kevin & Vince we working the bar.

I, of course, went for a Bodhi. Mindy went with their stout. Can't recall what Ryan ordered. Mindy ordered bread and risotto balls, too. Vince brought me a 2nd Bodhi without asking. I checked to make sure that Mindy could drive before I partook. Wahoo!

I order a plate of wings, well done. The last few times I've ordered wings at CBC they haven't been up to par. Ordering well done was the trick. But next time will I not only order them well done, but with extra sauce too. We headed for home around 1045pm. Ryan picked up the CBC tab. Thanks Ryan!

It was chilly, and Ryan's car was frosted over when we got back to the house. I suggested she start it up, let it warm, and come inside for a few before she bolted for home. She hung for about 10 minutes then left for home. Mindy and I headed for bed right after she left. Mindy was ready to sleep.

Discovering a new Galaxy

Somehow I missed the fact that my bedroom clock was flashing after Wednesday evening’s power outage and a result, I had no idea the time when I woke somewhere in the middle of the night. Fearing the possibility of oversleeping, I managed to roll over and rise a enough to see Mindy’s clock on her night stand. It read 1:45am. What I didn’t know was how accurate, but know that she typically has it set about 15 minutes fast. From that I was able to do the math with the flashing number on my own clock to determine the number that I needed to correlate to 530am. I did all of that while more than half asleep.

My twisted math worked. I was downstairs at 534am. I’m sure I mustered a little smile. I had designs on working from home, but at the time had made no mention of it to Mindy. I proceeded through Thursday calisthenics (sit-ups, windmills, and curls) then headed to my PC with coffee near 555am. It was yet another clear and chilly day, the present temperature only 27 degrees. Expected it to end up around 50 later in the afternoon. I made a firm decision to work from home. And as a consequence, pulled out and logged on my laptop in preparation for my work day. As a side, I didn’t plan to run until after seeing Bella on the bus. It feels really good to set aside one morning each work week to do that.

I delivered Mindy’s coffee near 610am and made mention of my intentions to work from home, so she could plan accordingly. Anytime I work at home, I don’t expect for her to make my breakfast. She can then sleep a little later. That’s what she did. She wins too.

Back downstairs I enjoyed my PC & coffee time at a much more leisurely pace. The time went fast. First Jacob was downstairs and then off to school, and not far behind, Mindy was down and gone. She left around 725am. I didn’t walk the dog until bus stop time. Like a lot of work from home days, I was busy working much earlier than I might be otherwise. Took care of a handful of minor issues even before bus stop time.

Headed out with the pug. The gas company was out front of the neighbor’s house, there to ‘upgrade’ the size of her gas line at the prompting of the contractor she hired to install a tankless water heater system. The notion made little sense to me when she first shared it with me a couple weeks ago, but who was I to tell her otherwise. But apparently, the gas company came to the very same conclusion. Said the gas line was already the proper size. They had numerous trucks, a backhoe, and about 8 employees on site. They sat out there for about two hours doing nothing. I’m assuming they reached out to her and eventually her contractor. I’ll be she/they had to cover a pretty big cost even without them doing any work.

After Bella was on the bus I walked the dog taking our usual path. She took care of her business in relatively short order. I headed back to the house then quickly readied for a run. I left the house no later than 830am. I opted to run only three miles, further giving myself a ‘down’ day. It was a very enjoyable run. Back at the house by 9am I enjoyed a little fruit, poured another cup of coffee, then dug back into work.

Had a couple issues come up that really tested my patience. I’m sure that I dropped more than a few swear words. Sometime late morning, and for the second time in less than a week, I tripped over the pug who chose to lay just beyond the passage way between the kitchen and dining room, a direct path to my home office. I gave her the dickens. Her light coat blends nicely with the carpet, making her easy to miss, especially when my mind is somewhere else (in this case work), and my vision straight ahead. I think she likes laying there for the sun drenching this time of year.
Hunger soon overcame me, having eaten nothing substantial since the evening before. I ended reheating half of a cheese burger still the fridge from Sunday. I think it was Bella’s. Topped only with cheese and pickles. Very good, too. Hit the spot!

I took a real lunch break around 1230pm and headed to the basement to move the electric line and receptacle for the sump pump. I wanted to move it south about 18” on the block wall putting it inside what will eventually be a closet. As it was, it would end up just outside of it. The job seemed almost to simple – a 15 minutes job, tops. But I am also wise enough to know that nothing I do ever seems to go so simple. It wasn’t ridiculous, but it took far longer than I speculated. Had to overcome a few minor problems.

The toughest part was drilling the holes for the new anchors in the mortar joint between two blocks. For some reason, even with a concrete bit and hammer drill, I could only penetrate about an inch deep when I needed to go about 1-1/2”. Tried two different holes. UGH! I eventually moved to plan b, which was to drill directly into the block. That worked far better. Had to make other modification too, but won’t bore you with the details. Bottom line, the work took me almost an hour! I have two or three more ‘small’ jobs needing done before I can frame away. I promised myself that I wasn’t going to rush myself through the project. Want to savor the experience, something I failed to do in my younger years while completing the numerous major home improvement projects I took on.

Back to work. Around 2pm, the Fed Ex guy stopped by to deliver our new phones. I opened the box right away, but quickly set them aside after confirming that all three were inside. I had to focus my attention on work. As usual, it hardly seemed possible that Jacob’s school day could be over, but it was. He was home around 250pm. Man that time goes fast! He is fairly self-sufficient these days and hardly a bother. We chatted only briefly, and he wasn’t inside any more than 15 minutes before he headed off to play with friends.

I continued on with my work day. About an hour later Bella was home, and at approximately the same time as Mindy. Around 430pm I decided to try and activate my new phone first. Given these are 4G, the process is a bit different. One has to install the 4G SIM card in addition to the battery. Turned out, the simple activation instructions didn’t explain the pre-activation well at all. As a consequence, online activation failed and I was prompted to call customer service. I did. The young lady was helpful and friendly. I was more than friendly too, but also let her know that the instructions provided were poor at best. Stuff she was asking me for wasn’t anywhere to be found. Eventually got it together and she activated my new Galaxy III. Sweet!

Once my phone was working I figured Mindy’s would be a breeze. I went ahead and finished my work day first, however. Sometime near 530pm I asked Mindy for her phone. This time I followed all the steps the young lady had me do for my own before trying the activation. Still, even after following those instructions, I got the same failed message and was prompted to call customer service. No problem. Got a different rep but she was just as friendly and patient. Had Mindy’s new Galaxy fired up in a hurry. By then it was time for Mindy to run Bella to gymnastics. She asked on her way out if I was still planning to attend Bella’s parent teacher conference. Apparently my after shower attire of flannel PJs and a t-shirt didn’t give off an air of confidence. She was right. I’d forgotten all about it. We were upgrading our home cell phone to an iphone 4. That activation involved less work since it’s a 3G phone. Still, there were technical difficulties that once again prompted me to call customer service. By then I could only laugh. I got yet a 3rd rep to walk me through the activation steps. She had to try two or three times before it took.

Once all the new phones were activated, I headed upstairs to quickly change into attire more suitable for the parent teacher conference. I was back downstairs in less than 5 minutes. Mindy still wasn’t home. I decided to go ahead and delete all personal information from our three old phones so they can be donated. The process returns the phone to factory defaults an clears the SD card, contacts, and any trace, at least that’s what they say.

Mindy was back just as I was struggling to figure out the menu on the old home cell. I couldn’t figure how to power it off.  Collectively we got it. Jacob told me that he was going to the conference with us. For some reason, Mindy seemed to not want him to go. OK. She and I left the house at 615pm for our 640p appointment with Ms. Leahy.

Jimaken called Mindy just as we parked. I thought that he was joining, but he wasn’t able. Among other things, he shared that his good buddy, Pez just learned that he was stricken with breast cancer. Was scheduled to have a double mastectomy next week. Apparently the number of male cases is like 1 for every 1000 in females. Yikes! As I understand it, it hadn’t spread to lymph glands which is very good. We’ll pray for full recovery.

Inside the school we had to wait about 10-15 minutes for Ms. Leahy to finish the conference scheduled just in front of ours. While waiting, we talked with Ms. Hanes, Jacob's 4th grade teacher. She's seems fun. I noticed that Chrissy was scheduled to meet with Ms. Leahy right after us. We spent the first few minutes of the conference joking about the birthday snacks policy. Ms Leahy told me to bring them to the window next time, thus avoiding the inevitable office criticism. Bottom line, Ms. Leahy really seems to like Bella and had nothing but positive comments about her academics as well as her social skills. Chrissy knocked on the door just a minute or so after we got started. I went to the small school door window and stuck my tongue out. I then opened the door laughing my ass off, telling both Chrissy and Kenny that we'd just gotten started. We had to wait too.

Finished our conference near 705p-ish. We headed to the gym to pick-up Bella. We were a few minutes early so we spent time familiarizing ourselves with our new phones. We talked with Kelly, Bella's gymnastics instructor, after practice. She invited Bella to join her and Laurel in Pennsylvania the weekend after Xmas. We thanked her for the invite but had to decline since it was the same time as our family ski trip to NY.

Arrived home just ahead of 8pm. I spent the next 90 minutes wrestling with my new phone, trying to configure my roadrunner email account. With no success, I turned to chat forums for assistance. Lots of complaints about roadrunner compatibility issues. Everybody was pretty much on their own dinner-wise. Mindy offered to warm-up her leftover gyro for my eating pleasure. I accepted.

I wasn't in a pleasant mood to say the least. The email phone thing had me climbing the walls. I bit Mindy's head off when she came to see what I was up to. I suggested that she leave me to myself. It's best that way. I snacked on the gyro in between swings at my email problem. After visiting both the official Samsung Galaxy III support forum and the Roadrunners help forum to no avail, I finally turned to an unofficial forum that gave me a configuration that worked. I was quite pleased to have that taken care of.

Mindy wasn't very happy with me for the remainder of the evening and headed to bed around 930pm. I stayed up watching the Thursday night NFL game by myself. It was Buffalo & Miami, a game I had little to no interest in the outcome. Like I do many nights, I fell asleep on the sofa while watching the game.

Big Fat Printer Problem

I was up near my scheduled wake time of 530am. It was another clear, cold looking morning as evidenced by the thick frost covering the cars and just about everything else outside. Inside the temp was just right, our thermostat set to 68 degrees. I whipped out calisthenics: sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups. My back and neck felt great. I did my new targeted stretches just the same.

Sat down at the PC with coffee near 550am. Had plenty of time to play before heading upstairs again to wake Mindy near 610am. Downstairs I spent a couple more minutes online, double checking the temperature which was a chilly 27 degrees. The high was forecasted to approach 50, and it looks like we'll stay in this pattern for a while (sunny and near 50 during the day with night time lows close to 30).

Meditation and stretching were next. Both went well. I prepared to head out for a run starting at 635am. Probably out the door before 640am. I ran the full 4.1 miles feeling good from jump. Any chilliness was gone just a few minutes into the run. Mindy had already started the Pilot by the time I returned to the house. I had to wait for the pug to come to the bottom of the stairs. She was still in Bella's bed when I first reentered. Our walk was brief but fruitful.

Mindy was just walking out the when I got back to the house. Bella showed me that she had $40 of her own money set to take to the book fair. I was surprised with the amount. I hollered for Mindy to make sure that she knew how much she planned on spending. Yep, she knew. Said she was buying the latest (2013) Guinness Book of World Records. It alone is $30. OK. It's her money and she does love reading those books. As a kid, we loved it too, although I'm guessing the version we had to be many years outdated. It really never occurred to me that it was annual publish back then. Perhaps it wasn't.

I dashed off for a shower near 740am. At the same time, Bella headed up to her room. We met again downstairs near 8am with me spending a few minutes throwing together a lunch. My customer was hosting a Thanksgiving luncheon and invited me to partake, but I didn't really want to eat like that. I was torn. I planned to take my veggies, fruit and nuts.

Bella and I headed out near 810am. We met Chrissy and Makayla at the bus stop. Chrissy shared that Kenny was off so he could attend his cousins funeral. As I understood, he passed away from ALS. We chatted briefly after the kids were on the bus, but parted ways still before 820am. I returned to the house with the pug where I enjoyed a little more coffee and started the dishwasher.

Made sure I had everything I needed to work remote then headed out to warm the Accord at 830am. I waited 10 minutes for the windows to clear. I remembered I needed gas, too, so I planned a stop at Circle K where I also planned to buy a single Powerball ticket for Wednesday night's drawing. The jackpot was sitting at $185 million! We've been playing for the last three or four weeks. I just know that we're going to win it really soon!

The Accord took 14.8 gallons. Didn't get more than about 21 mpg last tank. That might be the worst mileage yet. Not entirely sure why. However, come to think of it, perhaps warming the car most mornings has something to do with it. Traffic was a bit slow through downtown, again a byproduct of the recent traffic pattern change on 670 east. I made to the office by 905am and was inside and at my desk by 915am. Customer came by a few minutes later to share that we would in all likely hood cancel our 10am call. Said she'd send a confirmation email. I got busy and 10am came and went. I got a ping from a peer asking if I was joining. I retuned quickly that the call was canceled. He quickly shared that he was on with the customer. :)

Our 11am monthly service review was still a go, though we planned to do it without the benefit of a projector. They printed off several copies of my PowerPoint presentation. My boss was the only participant that joined remotely. At the meeting's conclusion they reminded me of the TG luncheon and encouraged me to participate. I thanked them for the invite and headed back to my desk where I quickly dug into my other to-dos and stayed focused like a laser beam for a couple hours. Around 2pm Karen came by and asked if I enjoyed the TG feast. I didn't want to lie. After a few seconds I again thanked her for the invite but shared that I just didn't want to eat differently than I do other days. She's a runner too, and was quick to share her latest kick, Insanity, a P90X-like program, only more over the top. She encouraged me to give it a look after I shared that I am gaining weight even though I haven't changed my routine or diet. After she walked away, I Googled the Insanity program. Interesting mix of aerobic, anaerobic interval training. I don't plan to spend money to buy DVDs, but may research and implement something similar on my own.
Sometime during the afternoon I received a call from the Shadow Box Theatre asking if I would be interested in 4 free tickets to Friday night's Holiday Hoopla show. my guess is that attendance is down and they're scouring past patrons for attendance. The spend once there is typically big, tickets aside. After all, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Stayed busy until 445pm when I decided to call it a day. I called Mindy shortly before I left the office. Decided not to share the Shadow Box proposal until I was home. They only asked that I confirm our attendance by Thursday evening. Mindy shared that the power was out at home, but that she wasn't quite there yet. She only knew the power was out because Bella called her in a panic. That's our Bella! Wanted to know how I felt about dinner out.
aid we'd decide once I was home, but I was pretty much set on staying home.

It was a fast drive around 270 until I got off the freeway and turned onto Wilson. Traffic came to a standstill near Golfview Woods. I could see that the traffic light at Wilson and Trabue was out. It took almost as long for me to get home from there as it took me to get there from New Albany. I was next at the intersection when the traffic lights came back on. I could see that the lights were on in our subdivision now, too. Still, relative to the Wilson Rd traffic, the damage was done. Cars were bumper to bumper both directions. Making matters worse, traffic from both directions were trying to use the chicken lane early. That caused a standstill. I didn't really mind. I was listening to Xmas music on XM radio. I remained completely calm through it all.

Made it home by 545pm. Mindy and Bella were at the table and Mindy was on the phone. I told her I saw the power come back on. Mindy asked about dinner. I was noncommittal. I quickly partook in the Stacy's pita chips and hummus she had out. Yum! I went to my PC to play while Mindy was doing sub plans on her laptop. She would be in an all day teachers meeting on Thursday and needed a substitute for her class.

Jacob hollered down asking about dinner. In turn, Mindy once again asked me. At the same time, Bella shared that she wanted to stay home. I quickly agreed to stay at home with Bella while she and Jacob went out. That's what we did. Mindy & Jacob decided to head to the Big Fat while Bella and I stayed at home. I made Bella a mini frozen pizza. Seemed odd that she wanted it frozen. :) We added a few extra ingredients (more cheese and more pepperoni). We baked it for 13 minutes. I continued to snack on pita chips and hummus. And I'm afraid I made a meal of it.

While Bella enjoyed her pizza I decided to order two more Mannheim tickets, one for my dad and the other for Glenn. I offered to buy my mom a ticket too, but she declined. No longer were seats available right next to Mindy and I, but I found two fairly close. Went I went to print the new tickets I experienced printer issues. Printer issues lead to IP conflict issues. What the heck! I fussed with the wireless printer and PC for 2 hours. By the time Mindy was home, I was all worked up over it all. The IP conflict turned into an error that said my printer head was bad. Then it locked up my PC. I was furious! Mindy kindly offered her help, but what was she going to do. I simply - and curtly - asked to be left alone. Trust me, it's better that way!

I ate some of the gyro she brought me then quickly returned to my PC. I eventually decided to reboot and also remove and reinstall my printer. After a lot of swearing that seemed to do it. Never under estimate the power of cussing! At some point Bella asked me if I was done swearing. For now. I wandered to the kitchen where I finished my gyro then went to the sofa. It was already 9pm. Damn!!! I tuned into the Science Channel, "How the Universe" watching a similar program to the one we watched the other night about comets, asteroids and meteorites. I enjoyed it much. It's like candy for the brain. Until then, Bella was watching Disney soaps and also playing on her Kindle, dream life in her world. She headed up to her room when I took over the TV. I suggested she leave the Kindle downstairs and then do some reading. Mindy quickly chimed in that she was heading up to bed and would see to it that her Kindle was confiscated.

Mindy headed for bed around 915pm. I stayed downstairs but quickly fell asleep on the sofa, waking somewhere near 1030pm then heading for bed.

Answering the call for Wendy's

Probably fallout from Sunday’s lack of quality sleep, I didn’t want to get out of bed come Tuesday morning despite sleeping really well. I stayed in bed as long as I could while remaining somewhat on track relative to my typical routine. I was downstairs in the kitchen by 550am. I remembered that I didn’t prep coffee the night before either. I took care of that right away.

I glanced out back seeing frost and clear skies. Looked really cold. I slipped into my exercise shoes then headed to the living room where I whipped out 50 sit-ups. The wait wasn’t more than two or three minutes. By the time it was ready, it was also time to wake Mindy. I took her coffee before enjoying any for myself. Once she was awake, I headed back downstairs and spent another 15 minutes or so online.

Wasn’t surprised to read that the Steelers won the MNF game, but was surprised that they had to rely on OT. In the NFL, it’s any given Sunday. The temperature, according to Yahoo weather, was 27 degrees. However, with clear skies and next to no breeze, that wasn’t too bad. I broke away for meditation and stretching near 625am. Both went well. I was behind by about 5 minutes. No worries!

For the first time in a couple of weeks, I could feel a bit of stiffness in my neck and shoulder. I did numerous back stretches in an effort to relieve any discomfort. It was minimal but didn’t subside, even after the stretching. I dressed and left for a run around 645am. Jacob had just come downstairs for his breakfast as I was heading out the door. Wished him a fun school day.

As expected, it was cold but nothing I couldn’t handle. A ½ mile into my run I was very comfortable. I ran the full 4.1 miles with issue. Felt terrific. Mindy had her Pilot warming in the driveway by the time was home. Our garbage can had been emptied. I drug it back to its resting place before heading in to get the pug. The pug was still in bed. I had to have Bella go after her. Mindy was just about to back out the drive when Eiknarf and I made our way back to the house.

Enjoyed my breakfast while also chatting with Bella. Reminded her about stowing her glasses in her zippered book bag pocket versus the mesh pouch. She agreed to move them. Headed up for a shower. While toweling off after a quick shower, I spotted a fairly good sized buck crossing our street and walking along the pond. I called out for Bella to come see. She stood on the corner tub to get a bird’s eye view. Cool!

After my ready, I spent time throwing together a lunch, the regular stuff, nuts, cheese, fruit and veggies. Bella and I headed out at 810am. We met Chrissy and Makayla. It was still cold – below freezing. Makayla was wearing only a thin hoodie. Said she lost/misplaced her winter jacket. Not at our place. The bus was a few minutes early again. Cool. Eiknarf and I walked out front of the house for a minute or two then headed inside.

I printed off the PDF insurance application for Lindsey to sign then sent her a text asking her to stop by after work to sign so we can get her new car insurance completely squared away. That’s been weighing on my mind, one of those dangling to-dos that really shouldn’t be my concern whatsoever, especially given her age (28). It is what it is.

I enjoyed a 2nd cup of coffee then headed off to work. I noticed I was getting low on gas but had plenty enough to get me through another day. Arrived at the office near 850am and was quickly settled. I still had a half pitcher of water at my desk from Monday. I didn’t bother going after more. I dug into the day’s agenda in a hurry. I had a lot of stuff I wanted to get done.

Right out of the shoot I was hit up for help and had to put aside my proactive to-dos. It’s a good thing that I am a multitasker. I’ve had to further hone those skills in my new role just to survive and remain sane. My boss stopped by midmorning just to chat. We talked for a while, him sharing how his weekend at the cabin went. We talked shop stuff too. Briefed him on a couple issues that I knew were important for him to be updated.

I didn’t take a formal lunch break, but did take a half an hour to finally upgrade our cell phones. Mindy recently bought our MRM season passes, so I agreed to pay for our cell phone upgrades. I wanted to speak with a sales rep before ordering online just to make sure I fully understood the monthly impact to our bill as well as the upfront out-of-pocket costs. I got Mindy & I Samsung Galaxy III’s, hers white, mine black. We upgraded our ‘home’ cell phone to an iPhone 4. Our monthly bill will go up by $15 but that’s with 3 smartphones as opposed to just two prior. Of course we’re being forced off the unlimited data plan too, but we’ve never been ones to use that much. Mindy’s current Droid 2 is well beyond its usefulness. Been dropped and abused one too many times. On the other hand, my Droid X is still fine, as is our LG ‘home’ cell phone.

Through mid and late afternoon, I stay focused on my aggressive to-do list while also taking care of those pesky escalations. I still needed to put the finishing touches on a monthly service review presentation for Wednesday. I didn’t get to that until 330pm. It didn’t take long. All the hard work was done.

I left for home around 515pm feeling really good about all that I accomplished. I called Mindy on my drive home. Lindsey and the boys were there to sign that insurance form. Mindy needed to go. She was getting ready to take Bella to gymnastics. The drive home was about as easy as it has been in the last two weeks. No slowdowns. Got home by 540pm. Lindsey and the boys were pulling away as I pulled in. Mindy and Bella were just about to leave too.

I took care of my chores (rinsed lunch containers and prepped Wednesday’s coffee). Dinner was on the stove, inferno chicken, rice, and Brussels sprouts. There was half a bowl of mac and cheese on the table, assumed it to be Bella’s leftovers as she often eats before gymnastics. I couldn’t resist. I polished what little was left.  Before Mindy got back, I scanned Lindsey insurance app then emailed it to Josh, her agent. Mindy got home just as I was finishing up. Good timing! She must’ve been hungrier than I. Loudly declared it dinner time as she romped into the kitchen.

She asked if I ate what was left of Bella’s mac & cheese. Yes! Uh-oh, she shared that Bella was bent on finishing it later when she got home. Oops! I’ve heard that a hundred times!  Dinner was delicious, though I could only eat half the inferno chicken that she dished up for me.

After dinner, Mindy & Jacob left to get Bella’s prescription filled and also stop for art supplies at the teacher store in Mill Run. Jacob’s not at all thrilled to be in art class this quarter. I only shared that he should give it a chance and channel his creativity. It’s very likely that someday he’ll appreciate both art and music class. They left unsure of their ability to swing by and pick-up the peanut after gymnastics. No problem, I told her that I would do it. I didn’t say anything, but planned to stop at Wendy’s to make up for eating her mac & cheese. I knew that would make Bella happy.

Before leaving, I called my mom to see how her knee was doing. Said that brother Tommy & uncle Chuck were there at the time of my call. We didn’t talk all that long. It didn’t sounds as though her knee is making the kind of progress it should. I asked if she was interested in seeing Manheim on Dec 22nd with Glenn and dad, Mindy & I. She said not. Couldn’t see herself struggling to get around. OK. Wished her well then left to get Bella.

It was a fairly easy drive to the gym, though I still absolutely abhor driving that part of 270. It’s been under heavy construction for more than a year now with narrow lanes bordered by concrete barriers that are difficult to navigate and see in the dark. Arrived at the gym at 725pm. Got to see Bella rehearse her trampoline routine. She has another gym meet this Saturday. This one is in Columbus and on the westside. I remembered to bring Laurel’s water bottle and handed it to her after practice. She made sure to point out that she and Bella were wearing the same outfit. Too cute!

As Bella and I walked to the Accord, Bella asked if we could stop at Wendy’s. I planned to stop anyway, but didn’t immediately answer. Once we were rolling I explained what I had done and that I would stop at Wendy’s to make it up to her. She was quickly over me eating the rest of her mac & cheese.  She asked me to tune the car stereo to WNCI too. I obliged. Heck, it’s only once or twice a week for 5 minutes. It’s nice to hear her happy and singing in the back seat. The little things!

We stopped at the Wendy’s sharing space with the Pilot station at Wilson and I-70. Ordered the regular, chicken nuggets and fries. Had to pull forward and wait for our fries. No other cars were behind us. NO biggie. Took only an extra minute or two.

Mindy and Jacob were already at home when we arrived. I quickly headed upstairs to change into my PJs. Ahh, now that feels terrific! Bella ate her dinner and called her daddy. After eating Mindy dispatched her to the shower. In preparation for our new cell phones, I wanted to make sure that both of our many contacts were backed up online via VZW’s back-up assistant tool. I could access mine just fine, but was having trouble figuring out how to get to Mindy’s. I had to call customer service. Sharonda was very helpful, though she shared that she wasn’t 100% sure how to do it with a 2nd and 3rd phone either. Turned out, her instructions worked fine. Essentially had to create a new subaccount under My VZ. The biggest problem was accessing the temp password she texted to Mindy’s phone. As mentioned before, it has a mind of its own. It was cycling through several screens – all but the one I needed. I’d hit the text to open it up and it would go back to the home screen! I wanted to scream … or throw it!

Left my PC and headed to the family room with Mindy and Bella around 815pm. Actually, Mindy was on her laptop playing Solitaire. I tuned to the TV to the History Channel watching a program about comets and asteroids. Mindy headed to bed just after 9pm. Not long after she headed up for bed I fell soundly asleep on the sofa while watching the History Channel. Heavenly!!!

Cold, Wind, & Rain

It happens a lot on Sunday nights and I’m not entirely sure why. Hour-wise, I get plenty of sleep, but for one reason or another, my Sunday night sleep is rarely sound. Instead, there’s a lot of tossing, turning, and waking numerous times. And the poor sleep is often accompanied by bad dreams. The outcome is that I wake feeling slightly under slept and angry.

I woke for good around 530am and by the time I brushed my teeth and stumbled down the stairs it was 535am. The coffee maker had just kicked on while I gazed out back at the mostly cloudy sky. It was windy, too. I slowly slipped into my exercise shoes and then began my calisthenics. At the outset the finish seemed insurmountable. But like most other days. They were done and behind me in a hurry – 50 sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups. I did my neck/back stretches too.

By 550am I was parked at my PC with a welcome cup of coffee. I read a few headlines and checked the weather. It was a balmy 62 degrees. Unfortunately, there was a strong cold front moving our way complete with wind, driving rain, and dropping temps. Honestly, after watching it move through Chicago during the SNF game, I was surprised that it wasn’t already upon us. It looked like it might break loose during my run, still about 40 minutes off. Yikes! Expected the temperature to drop down to near 40 by late afternoon. Hey, at least we had a lovely weekend. Chicago lost the SNF game at home in the rain and wind against a dome team, the Houston Texans. I was surprised.

I headed upstairs to wake Mindy near 610am. Soon back downstairs, I spent a little more time on the computer, which included checking in on work. Nothing of significance came in overnight. Good! Peeled away to stretch and meditate near 620am. During meditation I heard the rain begin to beat against the roof. Oh boy! Nothing I could do, short of being glad that there wasn’t any lightning. I finished meditation and stretching then dressed for a run. It was approximately 635am when I headed out the door. It was raining moderately as I left the porch. I did my level best to avoid the many puddles already formed by the heavy downpours. Wet shoes and socks are inevitable, but avoiding a puddle drenching is paramount to my comfort. 

I took the rain in stride. It creates a ‘me against the elements’ kind of mindset. I ran the full 4.1 miles with no trouble. Actually felt good. The rain proved intermittent – sometimes light and almost nonexistent, while other times heavy. I was dripping wet by the time I was back at the house.

I stood at the entry waiting for Bella to bring the leash and pug. She did so quickly. By then the rain was only light. The pug and I headed out for more wet. I was so warm and wet, the additional rain didn’t even phase me. Eiknarf took care of business pretty quickly. We headed back to the house for eggs.

Mindy was finally feeling a lot better but did have a coughing spell during the last couple hours of sleep. Come to think of it, her coughing could be one of the reasons my sleep was so sketchy. Mindy gave me a smooch then left for work. Bella and I chatted at the breakfast table for a few then both of us headed off to finish getting ready.

I was back downstairs before 8am. I spent the next 10 minutes packing my lunch. Bella suggested we wait for the bus from the garage. Good plan! We headed out at 810am. Bella had her umbrella and stood just outside the overhead garage door. Why the garage then? She finally agreed and came in undercover. I suspect she was looking for Makayla, who eventually found her way to the dry confines of our garage too. Chrissy didn’t come.

The bus showed up by 815am. I headed back inside where I took my time making final preparations and enjoying another cup of coffee. It was 835am when I left the house for work. Not only did I have a busy day planned, but I agreed to cover for my boss, too, who was taking a vacation day down at his cabin. I couldn’t help but laugh at the horrible weather. I’m sure he was hoping the sunny and 70 degree weather would hold for another day. Not to be. I never did get a single escalation on behalf of my boss. That’s good. I was more than busy trying to tackle my own agenda. In fact, I wasn’t able to get all of my to-do’s completed. I worked straight through the day, both on calls and then working on monthly reports and impromptu escalations. I took a couple stretch breaks, and at one point, must have been around 11am, the sky was as dark as night and the rain pounding against the building windows. Holy water buffalo batman!

I didn’t come up for air until almost quitting time. Mindy called sometime late afternoon reminding me that it was a Jimaken night – date night for us should we so choose. She also shared how horrid traffic was on 70/270. Apparently had the ramp from 70 to 270 closed and diverted traffic to Wilson. At rush hour, that backs everything up. Said it took her an hour to get home. Given the traffic and my less than restful night of sleep, I wasn’t too keen on going out, but suggested we decide for real once I was home.
To that end, I left the office at 505pm.

Pulling out of the lot, I gave brother Tommy a call, but got his VM. He called me back a few minutes later. I meant to take the back way home but jumped on 270 south out of habit. Nothing I could do then other than crawl home with everybody else. At least the traffic was moving, but it was at a snail’s pace. Tommy shared that he had been through it heading from Pickerington to Marysville. Took him twice as long as it normally would. We talked for a while, him sharing the progress of his shed rebuilding project that was destroyed by a fallen tree during a violent summer storm. Talked skiing, kids, and mom.

I arrived home around 545pm. Took me 40 minutes to get home. Traffic was a crawl from the second I entered 270 until I turned off of Wilson. Wilson was like a parking lot. I told Mindy that given the traffic and the nasty weather, I wasn’t up for heading out anywhere. She agreed. Our discussion quickly turned towards dinner. Hmm? I opted for hot dogs while Mindy opted for the last of the stuffed peppers. I asked that she set aside a little of the meat mixture so that I might top my hot dogs with it. That’s what I did.

The house was eerily quiet without the kids. Mindy shared that her sister, Jodie would be stopping by to drop of a prescription for Bella on her way home from the office. She comes this way anyhow, always avoiding 270 south given the messy construction. I’m thinking it was 620-630p before she made it there. Like the rest of us, she was caught up in the traffic snarl. She concluded that attempting to turn out of our subdivision onto Wilson would be next to impossible for her trip home. Mindy gave her instructions on taking the back way out to Hague.

The instructions were almost too simple: right when the road ends, then left when it ends again. Funny, that’s true, but there are so many curves that it seems so much more complicated. I suggested Mindy give Jodie a call in short order to make sure she found her way. Ashe did just that, and it sounded as though she found her way just fine.

Mindy &I let some soft music play in the background and soon changed into our PJs. We spent the next 30-45 minutes relaxing. Relaxing soon turned into a nap for me, however brief. I headed to my PC around 740pm to look over the insurance info Lindsey’s agent sent us. The kids got home a few minutes later. Had to be close to 745pm. Jacob was no sooner in the door then off to his room for homework. Bella played on her Kindle while also snacking on Krave. After 20 minutes of that I insisted that she put the Kindle away and read. Bella’s one of those that left to her own preferences, would play on that Kindle all night long.

She followed my directions and began to read aloud at Mindy’s prompting. Mindy suggested she read aloud for about 10 minutes. While she did that I took care of that insurance document. I pounced when I heard Bella talking to her momma about a commercial. I was sure she allowed her attention to divert towards the TV and away from her book. Turns out, I had to eat crow. She was sharing part of the story with her momma. Mindy gave me crap too! I apologized. We had Bella read silently for another 10 minutes leading up to 830pm and the MNF kickoff. At that point Bella headed up for a shower.

The game featured the KC City Chiefs at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Again, just like Sunday, the game being played in a cold, driving rain storm. Cool! The Chiefs took a surprising 10-0 lead. According to the announcers, their first lead all season long. I struggled to understand how they had won one game without ever leading. I think they won that single game in OT, though. Mindy headed to bed around 9pm, and I quickly fell asleep on the sofa. I didn’t even make it until halftime. Though I am pretty sure it was still halftime when I woke and stumbled to bed.