Warm, Soft and Slow

Drinking just two beers the evening before and then hitting the sack by 1030pm, you might have expected me to get up a lot earlier than 745am, but I guess I needed the sleep. I disabled the security system then started coffee.

I played on the internet and then prepared my GoPro for a day at MRM. It was already fairly warm, 40 degrees and sunny at 830am. I headed out on a run near 930am. So much for an early start. The sun was really warm, but still a stiff chilly breeze from the west. Felt like spring facing the south and into the sun.
Mindy was up and walking the pug as I returned from my run. I walked back to the house with them. With few words, Mindy quietly began getting ready for our day at MRM. Bella called at some point to ask what time we’d be on our way.

Having showered just before leaving for dinner the night before. Mindy didn’t bother with another though I did. Took us a while I finish our ready for skiing. Packed snacks and a cooler. I made breakfast too, an egg and cheese sandwich. Mindy had peanut butter toast.

Mindy loaded most of our gear into the Pilot while I made final preparations. Left the house at 1130am, headed to Jimaken’s place to pick-up Bella. Mindy had all of her soft ski gear in a bag. Once at Jim’s, Mindy got Bella ready while I hung out with Jacob and Jim who were playing Xbox soccer. Thinking we left there near noon.

Took Bethel to Sawmill to 161 to 33. Easy drive. Passed the new brew pub, the Pint Room. We’ll have to make a stop there soon. Bella was extremely quiet for the entire drive to MRM. Decent parking spot about 3 rows out and right in line with the gift shop. Geared up and on the Four Star by 1pm.
It was sunny and 46 degrees upon arrival. The north facing slopes were soft but still in decent shape, though a little thin in a few areas. Near the bottom of hill the snow was a bit stickier where it takes more direct sunlight. Fun surface. The Mantras were ideal for this type of snow. The three of us skied several runs together.

At some point we happened upon Scott & Zach. We skied with the two of them for a little while. I’m thinking it was near 230pm when Bob & Mary Ann showed up. With such lovely weather, they opted to take their time getting ready and coming up. Arriving about the same time were neighbors Kenny & Mike who showed up with all the kids. Chrissy was still at home hosting a baby shower. Bella happily skied off with her peeps, Emily & Makayla. Lillian wanted to try snow boarding. Kenny put her in a lesson.
We skied until 4pm or after before taking a break. More than anything, I was thirsty for some water, perhaps a little hungry too. Instead of breaking in the lodge, we set up camp out in the parking lot at the rear of the Imber’s minivan. Bob had his camp chairs out – a little picnic. I experimented around with my GoPro taking a few short videos and then some photos. Drank a beer or two and then enjoyed some snacks. Thinking we were out there for only about 45 minutes.

Slowly but surely, the mushy snow began to firm as the sun sank in the southwestern sky. That made for some very fun skiing. Took my first two spills of the year, once trying to dust Bella and friends and another more treacherous spill flying down the face. I lost both skis and tumbled head over heels two or three times. I was fine. Laughed if off. Not sure what happened. I guess I simply lost an edge.
Scott & Zach headed home. The rest of us took another break around 630-7pm. This time we headed up to the lodge. Bob bought a pitcher of beer. We grabbed half of a long table. Met up with Mike & Kenny. Lillian was done with her snowboard lesson. Wanted to warm up but then head out to ski with the other girls who were already out again.

Our break was relatively short – no more than 45 minutes long. Bob, Mary Ann, Mindy and I headed back out for three, four, five more runs. We all planned to be back up Sunday. Near 830pm we bagged it. Couldn’t have been more timely. We spotted Bella with her peeps just getting off the lift. Called last run. We met at the bottom and headed for home. It was just before 9pm by the time we pulled out of the lot.
By the way, it was still in the 40s and quite breezy. Got home around 945pm. Bella asked if she could stay up and head over to Makayla’s once they got home. Mindy thought not. I thought I might have a beer or a Jack & Coke but had neither. Instead, I had a bowl of cereal then headed for bed. Mindy was already in bed and asleep.

Hair Choppin & CBC

HaPpY  29tH  LiNdSeY

Up around 555am.

It was a push-up day. Completed exercises then enjoyed coffee and internet.

Cold – 19 degrees.

Meditation and stretch before run.

Heard the trash truck out front picking up garbage.

Dressed warmly for my run. Didn’t head out until after 7am. In fact, walked the pug first. She was up early since she slept with Jacob.

Ran just 3 miles.

Mindy gone by the time I was back home from my run.

No Bella. She overnighted with Gloria.

Fried a couple eggs.

Showered and ready for work by 830am. Blue jeans/ black cashmere sweater day.

Called Liberty Mutual insurance agent. We received two auto policy renewal statements – identical coverage but a price difference of $1000. Agent assured me our renewal was the lower of the two. shared that she left me a VM sharing that she rewrote our policy and saved us a $1000. Sweet! That made my morning a tad brighter.

Warmed the Accord. Left for the office at 850am.

Spent most of my day working on a monthly report and quarterly presentation

Visited Saturday’s at lunch time for a haircut.

Enjoyed tuna and cheese for lunch.

Left for home at 450pm. Called Mindy. Shared that Bella was feeling better. Jimaken on his way to get kids. Planned to ask Jimaken about getting Bella Saturday morning and taking her skiing with us.
Arrived home just after 5pm. Jimaken was there to get the kids around 520pm. Jim agreed to let Bella go skiing with us. We’d pick her up on our way.

Mindy and I agreed to do dinner at CBC. She what time. I suggested 630pm. I wanted to unwind and nap. Id a little reading to trigger a nap. Worked like a charm. I slept for no more than 10 minutes. While short, it still felt heavenly. Mindy had just finished a shower when I headed up to freshen up.

We left for CBC at 635pm. Arrived at CBC around 650pm to a packed house. We stood at the bar for a good 20-30 minutes before a couple stools cleared. No Bodhi on tap. Bummer! They did, however, have Nightstick, a new black IPA on tap. I had one of those. I’m pretty sure that Mindy had one too.

Mindy texted numerous folks letting them know our whereabouts. Her friend and former e principal, Jan and her husband Jeff joined us around 730pm. And brother Tommy showed up around 8pm. I had a 2nd Nightstick but that’s it. I agreed to be the DD. Mindy ordered a steak. I ordered wings well done and extra saucy.

Bella was texting both Mindy & I sharing that she was bored. Mindy stopped responding. I went back and forth with her for a while. She can be relentless.

Tommy gave me a check to cover his Utah airfare. We hung out until 930pm or so. Not too late. By then I was doing a lot of yawning.

Mindy headed to bed within 15 minutes of arriving home. I stayed up for another half hour watching History channel, though can’t recall what program I watched. The pug & I headed up to bed around 1030pm. With both kids gone, she’d be sleeping with us.

We Need Another Teddy

 

My new Vikings jersey took a slow boat from China ... literally

 

I got back to sleep around 230am, but nowhere close to the deep sleep I craved. I tossed and turned and woke several times before finally getting out of bed for good near 545am. I simply felt sluggish & tired. It was a work day so being lazy wasn’t an option. I drug myself downstairs and in short order began calisthenics. I was happy that it wasn’t a push-up day. Instead, it was sit-ups, windmills and curls.
It was after 6am by the time I was pouring coffee. I went ahead and woke Mindy before enjoying any of my own. It was 30 degrees. Not as cold as I expected. Read a few new headlines, but not much new since my late night/early AM surfing near 130am.

Meditation & stretching were next. Both went well. It was after 640am when I began dressing for a run, and probably another ten minutes before I was out the door. I ran 4.1 miles without issue. Mindy was by the front door when I got back home holding Eiknarf’s leash. Said Bella wasn’t feeling well. She asked if I could work from home. Reluctantly, I agreed to. I walked the pug. She took care of business quickly.
Back at the house Bella was snuggled up and getting cozy on the sofa. Simply said she didn’t feel good. Mindy soon left, saying if necessary, she could go to school and come home. Nah, I’ll work from home. Before enjoying my eggs, I got my laptop fired up. I woofed down my eggs while waiting for the lengthy boot-up process to finish.

It was somewhere between 8-830am when Mindy phoned to ask if I would take Bella to see Craig. Said she would come home and take her if necessary. I had a lot on my agenda workwise, and was already resigned to working from home, but didn’t want to take an hour or two to run Bella to the doctor. By then she had already requested I make her two eggs and was watching DVR’d American Idol. Even said she was feeling better after pooping.  Mindy sounded disappointed with my answer, but she did offer.
Since she was coming home, I changed my plans and decided to head into the office. I sent a text letting her know and also asked what time I might expect her home. It was a while before she responded. Said she figured to be home by 10am. I took a quick shower then worked as normal. As luck would have it, things were fairly quiet. In the background, I finally got around to opening my GoPro3 and began the lengthy process of getting it formatted & ready for action. The next hour went by in a hurry. Mindy got home around 1015am.

Soon after she arrived, I headed out to warm the Accord. Back inside, I logged of my laptop and prepped to depart. Already had my lunch stowed and ready to go. Left the house between 1030-1040am. Prior to Mindy asking me to work from home, I had four tasks on my lunchtime personal to-do list. The list included a haircut, new running shoes, new reeds for Jacob’s sax, and a stop at the bank to make a deposit. I decided to take care of the reeds and bank on my way to the office. Both are located in the Kroger shopping center on Cemetery Rd. Didn’t take long at all. Surprised how costly a box of 10 reeds is - $27.

Still managed to get to the office before 11am. Took a few minutes to get logged on and settled. Spent most of my day following up on fallout from a large scale outage impacting one of my customers the week prior. Kept me busy for most of the day. Opted to pass on a lunch break. Instead, worked straight through. Left the office near 520pm.

Called mom on my drive home. Hadn’t talked with her for more than a week. Seemed to be doing OK. This time she shared that he phone is flaking out. Called the phone company. I suggested she check the phone itself. Seems to have a lot of electronics issues. Probably a poor or nonexistent power ground to the doublewide. Said her knees feeling a bit better, but the fracture still bothers her. Has another appointment within the month.

We talked until I pulled up in the driveway. Inside, I noticed a package on the island counter, one I assumed to be my long awaited “ Wright” Viking jersey. Wahoo! Greeted Mindy & Bella. Bella was diagnosed with a sinus infection. I noticed antibiotics on the counter. Mindy sent me a text earlier, a dig regarding the comment I made about her manufacturing Bella’s illness. I still find it odd that her nose isn’t running and isn’t displaying any cold symptoms. Mindy kept saying that she was pale and had dark circles under her eyes. Wasn’t seeing the same thing. Looked normal to me. And don’t get me started about the prescribing of antibiotics.
Mindy was putting the finishing touches on dinner – spaghetti and meatballs. I asked Jacob’s whereabouts and was quickly reminded that he bused home with a class friend. Mindy would pick him up around 8pm in north Hilliard (almost to Dublin).

Dinner was good. Bella must’ve used the fresh parmesan and greater four or five times on her sketti. She simply likes the grating process. Mindy mentioned taking her to her mom’s for the overnight and Friday day. Hadn’t called her yet. She did so after dinner and while I started clean-up. Gloria agreed to keep Bella overnight. Mindy planned to run her there and then go after Jacob.

They left around 730pm. After clean-up was completed, I got busy with my new GoPro again. I already had the micro SD card installed and both the remote and camera charged. I spent the next hour or more learning how it operates as well as downloading the new GoPro app to my Galaxy 3 so I can see what the camera’s seeing. Cool app. Works via a WI-FI connection with the camera. Got through most of the 50 page PDF before Mindy & Jacob got home. Guessing that was near 830pm.

Shortly thereafter I headed up to install my PJs. Now comfy, I headed to the kitchen to pour the season’s first Hop Slam. I’d been looking forward to it for a couple weeks now. A little disappointed. Not as delicious as I once thought. Not sure if my palette changed or if it’s simply not what it used to be. I asked Mindy if she wanted to try it too. She did, but just one sip. I commented that I prefer White Rajah hands down. It’s still good though.

I tuned the TV to the History Channel catching a program about our Presidents. I watched from Benjamin Harrison through Woodrow Wilson. That’s where I fell asleep. Interesting history lesson. Enjoyed it much. Mindy watched all the while playing on her laptop. I think I would’ve enjoyed knowing Theodore Roosevelt (TR). I woke on the sofa around 1030 and stumbled up to bed.

Bru & Barleys

I woke plenty rested. Was up darn close to 530am. Downstairs, I disabled the security system the turned to morning calisthenics. Whipped out sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups. The coffee had just finished brewing. Great timing. Poured a cup then headed to my PC.

Checked the weather. It was 30 degrees. Expecting the high to climb above freezing later. Still concerned about the SD memory card I ordered 12 days prior for my new GoPro. Can’t do much without the card. Checked the Amazon shipping status again. Still showing shipped but not delivered. I priced the same card at Best Buy just in case I got another one of those emails from Amazon sharing that the shipment was returned as undeliverable. Bestbuy has the card for the same price. Had I done my due diligence upfront, I would have made the purchase there.

Woke Mindy near 610am and dropped off coffee. Headed downstairs again this time to meditate then stretch. Spent about 15 minutes between the two, and both went really well. Dressed for a run and hit the pavement somewhere close to 640am.

Ran 4.1 miles comfortably. No aches or pains. Blessed to be so healthy. Mindy asked me to start the Pilot when I got back to the house. While doing so, she corralled the pug and leash. I didn’t notice until it was a tad too late that we were out of poop bags on the leash. Dang it! Had to leave her poop in a neighbors’ yard.

Mindy was about to leave by the time we got back to the house. Reminded her about the Alarm Force guy coming at 4pm. Bella and I both had eggs, though hers were scrambled while mine were fried. Headed up for a shower near 745am. Downstairs again by 805am. I hurried through lunch prep but didn’t have enough time to completely finish before heading out to the bus stop with Bella.

Bus arrived pretty quick, even ahead of 815am. Didn’t have the pug, she was too busy eating when we headed out. Had a number of things to finish up before leaving for work. I finished packing my lunch and inventoried my work backpack to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything important. Didn’t seem to be. Left for New Albany at 835am.

It was a fairly easy cross town drive, no traffic jams to slow me down. Arrived just before 9am. Got a good parking spot directly in line with the long walk to the building. Had some minor laptop issues. Had to go through the login in process twice. Wasn’t settled until after 930am. I really need a new machine!
Our weekly 10am call went fine. Short and sweet. Got involved in a number of escalations, but nothing to dramatic. Left for lunch around 1pm with planned stops at Kohl’s and Target. Headed to Kohl’s first. There I picked up a gift card for Lindsey’s fast approaching birthday. Headed Target next. There I stopped and talked with Mary Ann, who was just shutting down the pharmacy for their lunch break. Talked for 10 minutes or so. Always a pleasant time talking with Mary Ann.

Picked up a few different items: two types of almonds: plain and coffee/mocha, chewing gum, and a birthday card for Lindsey. Gone about 50 minutes, I headed back to the office. Worked until 445pm when I packed up for home. Mindy and I texted back and forth, starting with Mindy asking if we were going out for dinner. Probably. Reminded her once again that Alarm Force was to show up at 4pm. She remembered and was almost home. Apparently called and said he was running behind. Still showed up before I left work. Called Mindy once I was safely on I-270 for home. Discussed dinner options. I suggested a stop at the Bru even though we know they’re not serving food. Figured to make two stops just as we did a week ago.

Arrived home around 525pm. The kids were already gone with Jimaken. My micro SD card finally arrived. Hooray! However, still waiting on my new Viking’s jersey. Mindy said Bella was a bear, thinks she’s getting sick. I opened the coffee/mocha almonds. Man, are they good! We readied and left for the Bru near 555pm. Traffic was somewhat slow, but it generally is that hour of the day. We took 5th avenue from Riverside to High St again. Mindy asked why the funky mood on Monday while skiing. The topic dominated conversation all the way to Bru.

Didn’t realize it at the time but Middle west distillery is just behind the Bru. They’re the ones that distill the OYO vodka and whiskey. Looks like a neat place. A slightly larger gathering at the Bru, though they’re still in their soft opening phase. Talked at length with Gavin, co-owner. Said they expect to have their formal opening either end of the month or first week of Feb. Lots still to do: signage, food offerings, etc.
He bounced some of their food ideas off the two of us all the while we enjoyed beers. This time I tried their IPA – not bad. In turn, Mindy went with their Milk Stout. We enjoyed our visit and conversation. I had two beers, Mindy only the one. We left to go after food near 7pm still not 100% sure where we were going. Ended up at Barley’s.  Mindy called Jimaken on our way there asking if he would keep the kids until closer to 830pm. He agreed.

Sat at the bar, of course, and Janet was tending. We ordered a Centennial to share. I ordered K.C. wings, Mindy ordered chicken & noodle soup and bread. Wings were scrumptious. Mindy said the soup was good too. Talked with Kent &Kurt briefly. We left Barley’s for home around 810pm. Mindy and I made a friendly wager on whether Jimaken and the kids would be waiting at home. She won. They weren’t there and showed up about 5 minutes later, just as she stated.

Bella was eager to catch more of American Idol. Apparently she started watching from Jim’s place. While they tuned into Idol, I played around online. A few minutes later after getting into my PJs, I joined Mindy and Bella in the family room to catch part of the Idol despite saying minutes earlier that I wasn’t going to get sucked into it this year.

Bella was beckoned to bed at 930pm. She asked me to please DVR the rest. I think it went on until 10pm. I fell asleep for a short while downstairs but joined Mindy in bed around 1030pm. I slept quite soundly until 115am. I woke with a little case of acid reflux. I got up and chugged water, but that didn’t help. I eventually headed to the kitchen for a small glass of milk. That did the trick. Now wide awake, I played around online for almost an hour before heading back up to bed near 230am.

Hankerin 4 Hop Slam

I allowed myself to sleep in a few extra minutes, which resulted in me staying bed until about 540am. Certainly not enough to feel the need to alter my routine. Downstairs I quickly engaged in exercise, whipping out sit-ups, windmills, and curls. Any leftover sleepiness was gone – a thing of the past. I moved on to coffee at 555am, enjoying about 15 minutes on line before heading up to wake Mindy.

Checked the weather. It was 27 degrees, perhaps a degree or two warmer than the morning before. Expecting a high near 38 later. Every night this week is expected to sink into the mid to upper 20s meaning that MRM should be able to continue making snow leading into the weekend, when it’s expected to reach 50 with sunshine.

After waking Mindy I moved on to meditation and stretching. I shared about 20 minutes between the two. I dressed for a run, once again employing long johns under my running pants. Joined by Jacob around 638am. Headed out the door near 640am.

I was comfortable throughout the 4.1 mile run, my upper perhaps a tad chilly for the first mile or so. I decided not to add an extra upper layer so not to get too hot towards the run’s middle and end. I was fine. Nice to run on clear roads and walks. Finished my run near 720am. Bella was just coming down for the morning. She brought Eiknarf down with her.

Eiknarf and I walked for about 8 minutes. Mindy was just on her way out upon our return. Bella and I both enjoyed some eggs. I like when she eats something other than carbs. I wasn’t at all stiff from Monday night’s skiing but was a little tired, but I guess that’s to be expected.

Did much of my lunch prep before heading up for a shower. Had to be near 750am. Wasn’t back downstairs until 806am. Bella was already prepping for departure. We met Chrissy and Makayla at the bus stop. Asked how the skiing went. Chrissy shared that they have new family room furniture coming on Wednesday. Their three dogs pretty much ruined the leather sectional there now. I joked about the dogs eating the new one too. Chrissy thinks they won’t. Said Kenny will kill them. 

Bus arrived near 815am as expected. I allowed Eiknarf some extra sniff time. That’s all she did, sniff. Inside, I unloaded the dishwasher from the day before then put the morning’s new dirty dishes inside. The only thing I didn’t wash was the empty crock-pot Mindy brought home from school Monday afternoon. Otherwise, the house looked in order when I left for work at 835am.

I didn’t bother warming the Accord. I was a minor inconvenience at best. Warmed quickly. Arrived at the office near 855am. Spent the lion’s share of my day working on a reactive escalation and then some follow up action items as a result. Didn’t see much of my boss, but he did stop by briefly in the morning while I was watching a clip of our CEO giving the keynote at the CES show from Vegas.

Made a Home Depot/market District run at lunch. At Home Depot I picked up furnace filters and felt cabinet door bumpers. At Market District I bought a six pack of Hop Slam, which was just released locally the day before. A few years back when I first found Hop Slam, I considered it the holy grail of IPAs. However, nowadays, it’s not as special given the year round availability of White Rajah and Bodhi. Of course Bell’s only brews Hop Slam for about 6 weeks out of the year (mid-Jan/Feb). I suppose in part to justify the significant premium pricing ($17.99 for a six pack). I thought about buying an entire case, but its shelf life isn’t that long. I learned that the hard way.

Gone just about an hour. Was good to get away for a while. Felt reenergized upon my return to the office. Ate my packed lunch all the while digging back into work. Mindy sent a text confirming that nephew Joe can play nanny for the kids while we’re in Utah next month. The only catch being that he’ll have to bring his two dogs. Wanted to know how I felt about that. My only concern is that they’re potty trained.
In return, I sent Mindy a text asking if she could plan on being home on Wednesday afternoon by 4pm in time to meet the Alarm Force guy, who is coming to change out our panel. Yes. Great! That will help a bunch, me not worrying about trying to get home by 4pm from New Albany.

I left for home around 515pm. I didn’t bother calling anyone on my drive home. Had to be about 535pm when I pulled up. Entered through the garage carrying the day’s haul – Hop Slam, furnace filters, and felt bumpers (tiny bag). Noticed Bella looking somewhat mopie right away. A few minutes later Mindy shared that she wasn’t going to gymnastics – feeling under the weather. I asked if my Viking jersey and/or memory card arrived in the mail. Nope! Crap. Taking forever.

Mindy was busy making dinner, left over Hawaiian sea bass, baked potatoes, and rice. Just as good the second time around. I told Mindy that my running shirt smelt like sea bass Tuesday morning. Not only are you what you eat, but I guess I sweat what I eat too! 

Bella’s mood improved significantly through dinner. Mindy drew her a hot bath while I managed kitchen clean-up. After getting the kitchen in order I checked the status of my Amazon shipment (64gb SDHX micro memory card) online. Still showing shipped, but with an expected delivery date of 1/14 – past Monday. Fooled around online until just before 7pm. At that point I went for my book and new reading glasses. Bella had the family room TV tuned to her Disney teenie bop sit-coms. Volume was a bit excessive too. Yikes. I went back to the living room to read and nap. Didn’t even open the book. As soon as I leaned back in the recliner I knew I was going to fall asleep fast. What I didn’t realize is that I was for all intents and purposes done for the night.

I woke around 8pm and headed for bed, still taking my book along just in case I got a 2nd wind. I turned the TV to the History Channel to use as a sleep aid. Worked like a charm. Right back asleep. Mindy joined me around 830pm. Sounded as if everyone was heading to bed early. Mindy left her reading light on. I slept right through it. Woke a couple of times but only for a second. Good night Irene!

Blizzard on the Mountain

Was out of bed a few minutes ahead of 530am. I slept great and felt adequately rested. Turned off the security system then slipped into my exercise shoes. Very curious about the weather, I poked my head out the back door to gauge the temperature. It was cold and felt below freezing.

Completed calisthenics, including sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups. Headed to the PC with coffee around 545am. According to Yahoo, it was 27 degrees. Supposed to reach the freezing mark sometime during the day. Checked MRM’s site next. Said they were blowing snow, but the webcam link wasn’t working. Played around online until 605am when I upped to make and deliver Mindy’s coffee. She asked if it was cold enough for snow. Yes.

Back downstairs I completed a thorough meditation and stretch. I could hear the recycling truck come by just before 630am. I dressed for a run a few minutes later. I had to make another trip upstairs to retrieve a pair of long johns. Hit the door at 640am. Ran the full 4.1 miles. Felt colder than 27 degrees, but little wonder given that it was in the 60’s for the prior two runs. I was excited that the cold weather was back. We planned a rare weeknight run to MRM later in the day.

Back from my run around 620am, I quickly leashed up the pug. Mindy briefly touched on her after school plans, which included a staff meeting but then hurrying home to get the kids and load the Pilot for MRM. She would then swing by my office to pick me up. I walked the pug. Mindy left for school before our return. I pulled our recycling bin up to the garage door before heading inside.

Breakfast was waiting in the microwave – fried eggs. Bella took care of adding eggs to Eiknarf’s bowl. Took my dear old time. It was after 745am before I headed to the shower. I faintly heard Bella calling for me as I was putting the finishing touches on my ready. I glanced at the cable box clock. Yikes! It was 809am. Said she was heading out. I hurried downstairs, leashed up the pug, and headed out to meet her at the bus stop. It was a cold wait. Chrissy & Makayla met us there.

Bus arrived on time, somewhere close to 815am. Let the pug walk/sniff out front for a few minutes before heading back inside. I finished packing my lunch then warmed the Accord. In so doing, I remembered how low I was on gas. The low fuel warning light was on, and had been since heading out for dinner last Friday evening. While the car warmed, I organized our skis for easy loading into the Pilot. I put my ski boots and ski pack in the Accord. Mindy would only need to pack my skis. Last second, I remembered to take my base layer. Can’t ski without that. Tossed it in the Accord, too.

Left the house at 835am. Stopped at Thornton’s for gas - $3.19 per gallon. Accord took 16.04 gallons. Marked the first time I averaged something less than 20 mpg – 19.9. Again, chalking up the drop to car warming. Arrived at the office near 855am.

Had a very busy morning. Still managed to visit the MRM website to check out their live webcams. They were finally working. And happily, looked like they had already made a bunch of new snow. More importantly, they were opened. Sometime near 11am, Mindy sent a text asking if skiing was still on. Yes it is!

Stayed busy working on both monthly reporting and reactive escalations for most of the day. A buddy stopped by to talk skiing a couple of times. I didn’t bother leaving for lunch but did take time to eat while working. I ate a lettuce, tomato, and carrot salad without any salad dressing. Healthier that way. Enjoyed some fresh fruit and cheese too.

Mindy called sometime after 4pm to let me know that she was on her way home. She planned to feed the kids then hurry and load the ski gear and then come by my office to pick me up. Said she’d call before leaving the house. 5pm arrived but I still hadn’t heard from Mindy. I decided to pack up and head out, thinking that I would fetch my base layer from the Accord and then change in the 1st floor men’s room.

Sometimes the best laid plans fail. I fetched my base layer then tried to head back inside the building. I hadn’t needed my security code in over a year since I don’t ever reenter after 5pm. I couldn’t recall my code so I couldn’t reenter the building. I suppose I could’ve waited by the door for a peer to exit, but instead I headed to the Accord, started it up, then jumped in the back seat to change out of my work attire and into my ski base layer. Mindy called just as I was starting to get changed.

Two things I forgot to bring: a pair of casual shoes (slip-on or tennis) and a ball cap. Neither were a show stopper. I chose not to call Mindy back and ask her to return home for them. I looked silly dressed in my base layer with dress shoes, but hey. The showed up near 520pm. I quickly tossed my boots and bag in the back then took over the driver’s position.

To hopefully avoid the rush hour Tuttle/I-270 interchange traffic, we took Hayden Run to Avery Rd t route 33W. Mindy had a lot of snacks packed. I enjoyed several little beef summer sausage links. Made decent time arriving at MRM at 605pm. From a few miles out, one could see an orange misty glow hanging over MRM. I guessed it do to the overwhelming snow making process. According to their website, they had all 133 snow guns going.

I’ll bet there weren’t 30 cars in the parking lot, and that included employees. We picked a front row spot between the gift shop and ticket window. Neither of the kids seemed pumped about their first MRM skiing of the year. Our prior two visits were both without kids. Bella was tired, and slept for most of the drive up. They’ve gotten to where they can pretty much ready themselves, but it’s always a bit more difficult doing so from the car as opposed to a condo or hotel room. Took about 10 minutes for everyone to gear up. Felt much colder than I imagined. Last check the Pilot read 24 degrees.

Soon our way up Four Star. Not many skiers/boarders on the hill or lift. Remembering thinking how odd it felt to be at MRM on a work night. Snow coverage appeared decent, though perhaps a bit uneven, looking down from above. Largely untracked, too. Opted to ski my Volkl AC30s for the first time since buying my Mantra’s last January. Was quite sure what to expect.

Hit it! Opted to air towards caution first run in unchartered snow. Still, can’t believe how nimble the AC30s felt. Able to carve with incredible ease. In fact, so much so that it almost brought me to laughter. Wow! Second run even a bit faster. This time I purposefully lived almost exclusively on the edges. Another extra fun ride, and definitely the right ski for the snow type. The AC30s are 7cms shorter than my Mantra’s, more rigid, and much narrower under foot. What’s funny, I didn’t notice such a huge disparity going the other direction. I’m really glad that the two pair of skis I own provide such a differing ride. Of course the Mantra’s will be going to Utah!

The rollers are in place now too, which wasn’t the case our previous two visits. We skied them a few times. Incidentally, those are the same rollers that ate my lunch two years ago the Saturday before our Oregon trip. I ski them more carefully these days. 

All totaled, we did about 8 runs before deciding to take a brief break in the lodge. By then we were all coated in icy manmade snow from the snow guns as well as cold. Our butts were cold/damp too from riding up the lift on icy/snowy seats. And despite having a cooler and bag full of snacks in the Pilot, we went through the cafeteria where I got chili and Mindy got chicken noodle soup. Bella opted for a cheese burger while Jacob surprisingly only wanted chocolate milk.

Just a few tables being used in the bar, and most likely ski club chaperones. Jacob noticed that his lift ticket was missing as we finished our break. Mindy suggested he not worry about it unless asked by the lift operator. I was a little irritated that he put it on so carelessly in the first place. But that wasn’t all, he was rambling on about not wanting to board anymore. “Too stiff and cold”. I told him he could stay in the lodge. After all, I didn’t really want a sour puss with us on the hill. Apparently he had a change of heart and joined us for round two.

He was careful about being in the middle on the lift ride up. But on the 2nd run, the lift operator asked to see his lift ticket. He played it off like he didn’t know. The operator was kind and asked if Mindy would show him his membership card. She did. He was very gracious and offered to walk Jacob over to the office to get a new lift ticket while the rest of us skied on. We each rode up the lift separately.

By the time we skied another run, Jacob was waiting at the bottom with a new lift ticket. Apparently the lady in the office gave him the 3rd degree and even threatened to toss him out if it happened again. Not sure why she was so animated and seemingly rude, after all, it was a somewhat innocent oversight. Still, I didn’t like Jacob’s tone mocking the woman on our ride up the lift. I only chimed in that he needs to respect all adults, regardless of their personality.

I kept my eyes peeled for his original ticket thinking it had to be somewhere in the new manmade snow. Sure enough, after another run or two, I found it at the top of Four Star. I picked it up and showed Mindy. On closer inspection, I could see why it came off the wire wicket. He didn’t press it firmly together anywhere but the outer edges. Not sure what was suddenly up with Mindy, but seemingly out of nowhere she started giving me an earful about Jacob, almost as if I were a child and actually listening. Having no desire to be lectured, I simply tuned and skied off.

We skied the next few runs hard and fast. And the run just west of Four Star that typically becomes their race trail was largely untouched. I skied it two or three times. As with all the runs, even Mary Ann’s backside, there were a few unexpected bumps, holes, and soft spots to contend with. But still a lot of fun.
We skied until about 845pm, and by the time were removing our gear in the Pilot, it was 9pm.

Got to my office to pick-up the Accord around 950pm. I quickly started the Accord and headed for home. Mindy followed just behind. Arrived home around 10pm. Mindy had already communicated the orders even before I transferred cars. Asked the kids to help carry everything in. While she and kids carried our boots, bags and jackets to basement, I stowed out skis upright to support the melt off. Had our gear stowed, was in my PJs, and had Tuesday’s coffee prepped by 1015pm. The kids and Mindy headed for bed immediately after getting out of their base layers. Not me, I opted to unwind slowly with my book and a glass of ice water. Heavenly! I read about 5 pages before dosing off from the family room reading chair. I woke around 11pm and headed for bed.

Big Melt Off - Booking Utah

Rain+Warmth = Big Melt Off

I slept soundly until 6am, but then woke every 20 minutes or so until getting up for good around 815am, which is considered sleeping late in my world. Not to worry. Downstairs I started some coffee then played on the internet. Bella came down around 920am asking if I would make she and her guests homemade waffles. She returned a few minutes later asking me to simply make scrambled eggs. Apparently, Nicole was leaving at 10am for soccer practice.

I made the girls scrambled eggs and toast as requested. Mindy was up and downstairs just as I was serving the eggs. I didn’t make any for myself since I hadn’t yet completed my run. It was already 61 degrees with light rain. I dressed and headed out for a run just ahead of 10am.

I ran three miles without a jacket, hand or ear covers. Very nice conditions for a run. By the time I was back home, Mindy was in the shower and getting ready to go grocery shopping. Hungry, I took the time to make myself two fried eggs along with warming what was left of Saturday’s bacon (two slices). Threw some cottage cheese on my plate, too. Yum!

After breakfast I did some reading in the living room. Read for an hour or more. Jimaken brought Jacob home shortly after noon. A short while later Mindy left for the grocery, and then Lindsey and the boys showed up to do laundry. I turned the family room TV to the early NFL playoff game featuring Seattle and Atlanta, though didn’t watch much if any of the first half. Saw that it was 20-0 at the half.

While Mindy was away, I decided to go ahead and book our Utah trip. Made sure the flights I picked the day before were still available. Booked the condo/skiing first. Once that was done, went back and booked three flights: me, Tommy, and then Mindy’s. I had to book Mindy’s separate from the others since she’ll be returning three days ahead of us. I was a little nervous getting it all booked then organized. Sent the group an email letting them know it was a done deal. Also let Glenn know our flight arrival/departure times so he book his as close to ours as possible so we can share a resort shuttle. Within the hour he sent back his flight confirmation. Felt good to have it all booked.

Headed up for a shower. After a quick shower I took about 30 minutes to pull a bunch of clothing from my closet for Kidney Services. Quite a big pile. I suppose I could’ve done more, but purging is always a difficult thing for me. Made a detailed list for tax purposes before stuffing it all into a trash bag.

Downstairs, Mindy was home from the grocery. Already had everything carried inside. She called me earlier sharing that she was stopping at Giant Eagle for meat. While there, I asked her to check and see if they had any Bell’s Hop Slam yet. She checked. Nope, not until tomorrow – Monday, Jan.14th.

Mindy spent the rest of her afternoon slicing up vegetables and fruit while I watched football and read. Seattle came back and took the lead in the early playoff game and lead 28-27 with 31 seconds remaining. I guess that was too much time. Took the Flacons two plays and 12 seconds to get into field goal range and kick the winning field goal. Actually, gave Seattle a chance with something like 11 seconds left after the kick-off only went 10 yards. However, a desperate hail Mary failed. Seattle lost 30-28.

Mindy started our dinner while Lindsey finished her laundry. They weren’t staying for dinner. We were having Hawaiian sea bass (a close relative of Chilean sea bass). Apparently Giant Eagle will no longer carry the Chilean version citing it being over fished. Hmm?

Lindsey and the boys left for good around 540pm. Soon after we sat for dinner, just Mindy, Jacob and I. Bella went bowling with the neighbors. The fish was delicious. Mindy baked potatoes and made a fresh garden salad too. Finished dinner and clean-up by 650pm.

After dinner I decided to tackle one more task – cleaning out the dryer vent. Mindy said that the dryer’s been taking much longer recently. Last time we ignored the problem we lost a heating element, and repairman said had we cleaned the dryer vent more regularly we most likely wouldn’t have burnt it up. Noted!

I’ve done the deed only two or three times prior. This time I had a better plan. I used the telescoping feather duster and the shop vac. However, before any of that, I did the back of the dryer itself and then the baffled tube connecting it to the vent. Neither of those two housed too much debris. Still messy, though. Anyone who’s pulled there dryer away from its resting place knows what I’m talking about. I took the time to clean up under and around the dryer too, including the walls.

Down the basement I took the vent apart at the same two places I have in the past. My plan worked well, though I needed Mindy’s help holding the shop-vac up high enough that I could extend the hose well into the vent pipe to suck up all the loose debris broken free with the telescoping feather duster. Took just under an hour beginning to end. Caught the end of the late playoff game. Not really close. Patriots won. Unless I’ mistaken, same two teams in the AFC championship game again this year – Baltimore/new England.

I wisely wore a dust mask while cleaning the dryer vent. My clothes were covered in dryer vent lint. Washed my hands and changed t-shirts. Back downstairs I snuggled up in the chair and did more reading. Mindy and the kids headed to bed shortly after 9pm. Mindy insisted on lights out by 930pm. Bella struggled to comply, but eventually did. I stayed up reading until 1010pm.

Snow Melt, Fog, Late Spring-like Warmth, Football

Got up around 630am and took three Advil. Went back to sleep until 745am. Downstairs I started coffee then played on the PC. Wow, 53 degrees at 8am. Looking out the window, just a few small, stubborn piles of snow remaining.

Enjoyed the quiet for well over an hour. Took Mindy coffee around 9am. She didn’t get up for good until about 945am. I headed out for a run around 10am. Ran three miles. Mindy started breakfast. Baked a half pound of bacon and whipped up scrambled eggs. Breakfast was delicious.

Jacob was chomping at the bit for his first indoor soccer game. Jimaken was expected to come by around 2pm to get Jacob. I spent a little more time pricing out our Utah trip again. My plan was to have it booked over the weekend. I found a skiutah website that offered lodging/skiing packages significantly cheaper than the resort itself.

With nothing significant planned, I snuggled up in the family room chair to read and nap. Did that for an hour or so. While I napped, Mindy pulled everything from the pantry so I could fix the broken shelf clip. It fiercely needed reorganized. After my nap, I replaced a few broken clips in the pantry then washed the inside walls with warm water and Clorox cleaner. Mindy talked about going to Jacob’s soccer game. Said she’d put everything back in the pantry later.

Soon after Jacob left with Jimaken, I headed out to vacuum Mindy’s Pilot. She asked that I do that as a favor. With the temperature around 65 degrees under partly cloudy skies, it felt like mid spring. I vacuumed the Pilot and the Accord. Took my time.

Decided to take down exterior Xmas decorations, too. Took down the large lit wreath and the color changing icicles lights. First time I’ve had the exterior decorations down before March in a few years.

Back inside, Mindy had the pantry put back together. I guess she decided against going to jacob’s soccer game. Took a shower around 330pm. Tuned in for NFL football playoffs sometime after 4pm – Broncos/Ravens. Watched passively.

Bella planned to host a sleep over. Was expecting school friend, Nicole to show up around 6pm. Mindy suggested we order a pizza for dinner. Sounded good to me. Denver led for most of the game. In fact, had a touchdown lead with less than a minute to play. Somehow they blew defensive coverage and let the Ravens score a tying TD. Yikes! Baltimore won in OT after Peyton Manning through a Brett Favre-esque interception. Too bad! I was pulling for him.

Nicole arrived as planned around 6pm. We invited Makayla and Emily to stay, too. Mindy ordered a pizza around 7pm and then went after it (Minelli’s double pep/double cheese). Talked with brother Tommy to discuss our ski trip. He tried using RCI points for our airline tickets. Concluded that it simply wasn’t worth it. Almost cost prohibitive. What a scam that is. Gave me the green light to book our flights/condo.

At some point during the evening I left Glenn a VM asking for his input on booking a condo with a 2nd bedroom. The additional bedroom drove the cost significantly – anywhere from $1000-$1300. I placed calls to both that website I found and then the resort itself. The resort confirmed the legitimacy of the skiutah website citing them as a booking agency. Just happened to be running a 25% off special. Cool! They were very friendly. I opted to wait until I heard back from Glenn. If I didn’t hear from him by Sunday afternoon I would go ahead and book it.

Enjoyed a few Jack & Cokes while watching the 2nd Saturday playoff game – Green Bay/S.F. Like the earlier game, it was close for most of the first half. And I think it was tied 28-28 at the half. However. S.F. pulled away in the 2nd half. The S.F. quarterback played lights out. He was something special to watch. Mindy and I watched the end of the game from bed. S.F. won 45-31.

Firkin Barley Friday

Was up near 530am. Completed calisthenics then enjoyed coffee.

Woke Mindy near 605am. Warm – about 50 degrees. Expecting rain and temps in the 60s through Sunday. MRM likely to lose quite a bit of their snow pack.

Skipped hand and ear covers for my run. Headed out the door near 640am. Ran 4.1 miles.

Trash day - Drug our can back to its resting place after a run.

Walked the pug. Mindy left for school while we were out walking. Started to rain just as we headed back in the house.

Enjoyed eggs. Rain intermittently pounded against the house.

Bella suggested we wait for the bus from the garage. Bus arrived near 815am.

Working in New Albany. Monthly service review moved from Wednesday to Friday at customer’s request. Left for work near 830am. Poured rain during the crosstown drive. Needed my umbrella for the walk from the lot to the building.

10am weekly call. 11am monthly service review. Went well. Received hi praise for a job well done in 2012. Didn’t bother taking a formal lunch break. Had a working lunch at my desk around 130-2pm.

Easy afternoon. Called it a day near 440pm. Warm early evening – low 60s with partly sunny skies. Called Mindy. Firmed plans to take the kids to dinner at Barley’s.

Arrived home around 515pm. Both kids off playing with friends. The house was tidy and quiet. Very nice! Mindy asked what time I wanted to leave for dinner. I suggested 630pm, thus allowing enough time for relaxation and possibly even a brief nap.

Over the next hour, I read and napped. Readied for an evening out around 610pm. Tom C. texted Mindy asking where the party was. She suggested he meet us for dinner at Barley’s. Said he would. We left the house near 630pm.

Barley’s was packed. Parked in the deep back 40. Quite a wait for a table. I went directly to the bar for a beer. Ordered a Double Dog, and so did Mindy. April back from Australia. She didn’t have time to chat, however, because of the large crowd. Mindy somehow finagled a table, moving us up the lengthy wait list.

Took our time perusing the menu waiting on Tom C. to show. He showed around 7pm. Prior to his arrival we shared French fries and a plate of K.C. wings. Ordered a 2nd Double Dog.

For dinner, I ordered a brisket quesadilla. Jacob and Bella went with the usual: tenders and mini cheese burger. Mindy went with some sort of salad. Tom ordered a platter with double brisket.

Mindy planned to drive home. I ordered a 3rd Double Dog. Jacob had 4 Dr. Pepper’s. Left for home around 9pm. Mindy paid the dinner tab. I picked up the small bar tab. Mindy invited Tom to come over to our place. He accepted. Jacob asked to ride with Tom. I rode with him, too.

We enjoyed a few beers sitting around the island. Darwin sent a text asking what we were into. Invited him to stop by. Darwin showed up around 1030pm. We hung out until late. Jacob headed to bed around 11pm. Tom left around 1130pm. Mindy headed to bed around midnight. Darwin and I hung out for another hour. I was crazy sleepy when he finally left for home. Surprised that it was 1am when I finally headed to bed.

Mulling Utah

I slept rock solid until about 4am. After that it was choppy. Good thing I fell asleep so early the night before. I felt more than rested when I finally pulled myself from bed around 545am. Downstairs I quickly whizzed through calisthenics completing sit-ups, windmills, and curls.

The coffee was already finished brewing. In fact, I could smell it from bed earlier. Yum! Because it was already after 6am, I went ahead and took Mindy her coffee before making some for myself. Jacob was already in the shower when I headed back downstairs.

At my computer with coffee, I decided that I was going to work from home. It was 22 degrees, by the way. Far colder than I expected. I checked the forecast. Still calling for a high in the mid 40’s by midafternoon. Didn’t plan to run until after seeing Bella onto the bus, which is perhaps the greatest benefit of working from home. I can take a much more casual approach to my morning, which the older I get the more beneficial doing that feels.

I did my meditation and stretch just before Mindy came down. While I got logged onto my work laptop, she put everything in the crock-pot necessary to make chicken tortillas soup. Me working from home saves her the hassle of prepping my lunch. She always appreciates that small surprise. Mindy left for school around 730am after warming the Pilot for a solid 10 minutes. It needed it. The frost was thick.

Shortly after she left, I headed upstairs where I noticed a puddle of pug pee on the hallway carpet. Dang it! It was hard for me to blame Eiknarf, though, given that Bella walked her too early on Wednesday evening – 405pm. It could tell that it was fresh. I used 4 old diapers to soak it all up before cleaning the spot with Resolve. Thankfully, doggie accidents like that are few and far between. Can’t recall the last time she had an accident indoors – easily months ago.

I took her out for a morning walk soon after. She pooped in a hurry. She must’ve been in pain! I met Bella at the bus stop after our walk. Chrissy shared that she talked with neighbor Trena the evening before. Said she’s very irritated with the contractors finishing her basement. Just now getting around to hanging drywall after 3.5 months. I’ll bet she slapped down at least $30K for the job. Yikes!

I was already in my running clothes, and once Bella was on the bus, I took the pug back home then headed off for my run. Ran only three miles. It was still below freezing, and according to Yahoo – 29 degrees. Easy run. I was home again by 855am and quickly back at my laptop with a 2nd cup of coffee. Took care of several issues then made myself breakfast consisting of two fried eggs and some leftover rotisserie chicken. Yum!

Kept busy finalizing a monthly report that I would be presented on Friday. Earlier, I sent an email to Glenn detailing the latest status of our Utah ski trip. Wasn’t looking favorable. I shared a few different options and promised to have more specifics later. We’ve talked about the possibility of moving our Utah trip to week of spring break, and possibly even doing a shorter Mt Hood ski trip over our anniversary week. I was still holding out hope that Mindy might make one last request again with personnel.

Worked in my running clothes for most of the day. Didn’t take a break and head for a shower until almost 2pm. The day sure seems to fly by when working from home. Per usual, Jacob was the first one home near 3pm. He did his homework right away then headed off to play outside. Bella got home around 4pm. I made sure she did her homework before heading out to play with friends, too.

I kept working until about 510pm. Mindy called around 430pm to let me know that she was on her way home after her hair appointment. Asked if I stirred the tortilla soup any time during the day. I did. In fact, I even broke up the three large chicken breasts she threw in.

Once Mindy was home, we discussed our ski trip options while both kids were still of playing with friends. We agreed that moving the Utah trip to spring break week, while convenient, would be almost sinful since the kids are off that week too. She suggested still going the last week in February but with her coming home three days early. She was also warm to the idea of taking the kids to Oregon spring break week. My only thought was that I didn’t want to think about an Oregon ski trip without going to Utah. With the exception of winter 2009, we’ve done Oregon skiing every year since 2006. She understood.

Mindy put the finishing touches on dinner. We ate shortly after 520pm. Mindy needed to run Bella to gymnastics at 540pm. The tortilla soup was delicious. Mindy made taco nachos too. Not sure why. The soup was filling enough. Plus, she used all the tortilla chips, which I like in my tortilla soup. Said she’s on a quest to use up our bulging supply of leftovers. We used paper bowls so clean-up was a snap. She and Bella soon left for gymnastics.

While she was gone, I took some time to piece together our Utah ski trip based on Mindy coming home early. It was painful because I booked our original trip using Southwest’s dreams vacations which had all the flights together, minus Glenn’s, of course. Now I had to book two flights with the package and then price out hers separately. It’s tough being the event planner, and thankless sometimes too.

Once I had it all priced out, I created a price breakdown sheet for each of us. The CMH airfare to SLC is ridiculous – almost $625 r/t. On the other hand, Glenn can fly direct to SLC from PDX for almost a 1/3 of that. For the heck of it, I priced out an Oregon spring break trip too, including both kids. It would certainly be nice to do two out west ski trips this winter. Not sure that it’s financially wise. Talk about getting your ya-yas out!

Once Mindy was home, I shared the numbers. I also sent a text to Tommy since we haven’t received final word from him as to whether or not he’s a go. He called back a few minutes later. Said he figures to be a go, but wanted one more day to cement coverage for his shops. Fair enough. He briefly mentioned the idea of him flying back with Mindy on Wednesday. I didn’t like that idea since the trip was always meant to be a full week.

I sent a summary email of the plan to all parties. I had a little time to relax and talk with Mindy before it was time to go after Bella. Left the house at 720pm taking the Pilot. I was happy to see that most of the construction is done on the southbound lanes of 270 towards Grover City. Certainly makes that drive a lot easier. Got there to pick-up Bella just before 730pm. They were just finishing up class.

Once dismissed, Bella asked Kelly if she could demo for me the most recent program she learned for the double mini. Kelly agreed. She does a back flip then bounces once more then dismounts. Cool! She was very proud. Not too surprising, Bella asked if we could stop for fast food on the drive home. No. We just had dinner. She didn’t fuss about it.

At home, I reheated some of the taco, cheese nachos Mindy made earlier. Bella insisted I peel off the meat and then add more cheese. I did my best to oblige her request. I did some reading in the family room while the kids readied for bed and Mindy played on her laptop. After about 30 minutes of reading, I tuned the TV to Office. Very funny episode. Mindy headed for bed even before 9pm. I set out to watch the program immediately following – 1600 something or other, but promptly fell asleep. I woke on the sofa around 1010pm and headed for bed.

Somewhere New: Bru / North High Brewing

I was up a few minutes ahead of 530am after a very restful night of sleep. It didn’t hurt that I started dosing off the night before around 830-9pm. Downstairs I quickly whipped out calisthenics then headed to my PC with my first cup of coffee. It was just after 540am. I played around online until 605am when I headed upstairs to wake Mindy, taking her a cup of coffee, too.

The weather forecast called for moderating temperatures with the day’s high expected to reach well into the 40s. At the time it was somewhere near 30 degrees. I did a thorough meditation and stretch which carried me through until about 635am. It was near 645am by the time I headed out for a run.

I ran the full 4.1 miles comfortably. The ice is slowly but surely becoming less and less of an issue with each passing day. Still, I set my gaze on the next 10-15’ in front of me so to help pick out a path when the rare but dangerous patches of ice come into play.

Mindy was preparing to depart soon after I got back to the house. I quickly leashed up the pug and headed back out for a walk. Mindy was gone before we got back. Ate breakfast with Bella, who was having cereal. She reminded me that I was supposed to take she and Makayla to school early for their Wellness team meeting. Oops! I had otherwise forgotten about it. I stepped on the gas a bit. Bella said they needed to be there by 830am.

After my shower, I suggested she call Chrissy to let her know to send Makayla down. I hurried through packing my lunch and headed to the Accord around 815am. By then it was raining lightly. Makayla came down while Bella and I waited in the car.

Made great time. Had them at school by 825am. Headed into work, arriving about as early as I have in months. Surprisingly, I had to park in the deep lot. An unusual number of employees took the up close spots presumably due to the rain. Lucky for me, I had my handy-dandy umbrella in the trunk.

The halls were largely dark and quiet. I was one of only a few working from the office. Looked like my boss was either out sick or working from home. Didn’t see him online until much later in the day. I stayed busy working on yet another quarterly report. Spent most of my day pulling it together. Didn’t bother taking a lunch. Work, work, work!

Mindy sent a text mid to late afternoon letting me know that she met with the school superintendent. Unfortunately, he refused to overturn the personnel director’s decision to disallow her two additional days off. Too bad! I suggested a couple other tactics, but she wasn’t sure it was worth further pursuit. Back to square one.

I left for home early, somewhere close to 435pm. That might be the earliest I’ve been able to leave for home in several months. It was a Jimaken night. Mindy and I were planning to have dinner out. I suggested we visit Bru, a new brew pub in the short north. She liked the idea. I was home even before 5pm. Before heading inside, I grabbed an old broom from the garage and took a few minutes to beat the remaining snow pack off the bows of the large boxwoods out front. They’ve been crushed under snow for two+ weeks. They snapped right back into shape once the snow was removed.

Jimaken showed to get the kids around 515pm. Mindy and I made quick work of prepping to depart. Left the house right around 530pm. We opted to take 5th avenue all the way from Riverside to High St. The Bru is located on the SE corner of 6th & High St. I was a little worried that it would be packed. They were opened but still don’t have their signage out. We me the two owners, Tim and Gavin. Talked with both, and Tim at length. He’s the one that is friends with the guy we met at BJ’s at Tuttle Mall the weekend before TG that told us about Bru.

Tim shared that this is still their ‘soft’ opening. Only had three beers on tap: an ESB, Porter, and Belgium Pale ale. Promised to have their IPA and a milk stout on tap by Saturday. Also shared his enthusiasm for skiing. Loves Brighton. Shared that they’re already in the process of a name change after another company using the Bru name threatened litigation. According to Tim, they have had their name registered longer, but the other company has much deeper pockets. Not worth the fight. Changing to North High brewing soon.

Mindy had their porter while I had the Belgium pale. Both were decent. Mindy raved about the porter. She bought a Bru t-shirt with the promise that they would give her the new North High Street brewing t-shirt free once it comes in. They plan to add bar-type appetizers soon, too, but as it was, they had no food. Mindy & I were both hungry. We stayed for just the one beer, tipped well, then left.

Heading west, I asked Mindy where she wanted to stop for dinner. She offered no particular venue. I opted for Barleys. Arrived around 640pm to a more than packed lot. It was even more packed than a typical Friday. We parked with several others out in the back 40.

A couple stools freed after standing for a few minutes. We sat next to Kent, one of the twins. April wasn’t in. Katy/Janet advised that she did NOT get the engagement ring she hoped for during her Xmas holiday trip to Australia to meet her boyfriend’s parents.  I ordered a Double Dog Dare IPA. Mindy stuck with only water, though she sampled my DD IPA. We ordered food. She went with a burger while I went with the special, a gourmet deli sandwich served on a warm pretzel bun. Pretzel bread/buns must be the new fad. Everybody’s got ‘em now.

Stuck with just the one beer, though really wanted another. Itwas a work night and I needed to feel good come morning. My sandwich was fantastic. Loved it! Left for home at 745pm. The kids called just as we were standing up to depart. Said they were already at the house.

Home before 8pm, which is the unofficial time the kids usually get home. Not a problem. Jimaken left a minute or two after we got home. We changed into our PJs and Mindy asked that I rub her lower back. Had a knot on the lower right side. We weren’t up very late at all. Headed for bed well before 10pm.

Tiberius, Caligula, & Lloyd Xmas

Wasn’t immediately sure why, but I woke a few times after 4am to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Each time I managed to fall back asleep before finally getting out of bed for good near 535am. Felt good. My head & sinuses felt almost normal again, too. That was a really good sign. Downstairs I checked the coffee maker and learned why the coffee brewed early. Its clock was somehow set about 90 minutes fast. I completed calisthenics before enjoying any coffee.

Went to my PC around 550am. There I spent the next 20 minutes. Learned that Alabama continued their mauling of N.D. Alabama won 42-14. Guess that makes the Buckeyes the only undefeated team for the 2012/2013 season. We win!  It was colder than I expected, only 22 degrees. I was expecting it to be above freezing, but I learned it wasn’t supposed to starting warming to that degree until later in the day. Forecasting rain and warmth through next Wednesday now.

Woke Mindy near 610am. Soon headed back downstairs where I spent a few more minutes online before finally breaking away for meditation and stretching. Both went well. Made sure to do an extra good stretch, especially with my hamstrings. They stiffened up on me during our recent HV ski trip.
Headed out for my run between 745-750am, or just after Jacob made his way downstairs for breakfast. For the first time all season, I decided to wear wicking long johns under my running pants. Very cozy! However, no need to go that route unless them temp is well below 25 degrees.

I ran the full 4.1 miles. Of course there was less ice to contend with, too, making my run that much faster. Still had a few transition spots that were tricky to navigate, but as always, I was extra careful. Happened upon Mike O. out with his two jack Russell’s as I near the house. Didn’t bring up the football game. He’s a big N.D. fan.

It startled me when Mindy rolled down her window as I walked between our two vehicles heading back into the house. Didn’t realize that she was already in her car and just preparing to back out of the drive. After a quick kiss goodbye she was off to work and I was in the house to leash up the pug.

Took about 8 minutes to walk the pug. Back inside, I remembered to reheat the leftover scrambled eggs for Eiknarf then microwaved the two fresh fried eggs Mindy made for me just before she left. Bella was quickly off to her room while I finished eating. I was once again running behind schedule. Didn’t get to the shower until 750am. In kind, it was 808am before I was back downstairs.

I had just enough time to organize myself for the bus stop. Figured to finish packing my lunch afterwards. Bella and I headed out at 810am. We met Chrissy and Makayla at the stop. Not much going on. Bus showed up on time. – 815am. After some idle chit-chat, Chrissy & I parted ways. I allowed the pug a few minutes to sniff around out front in the snow. I don’t believe she did anything, however.

Inside, I finished packing my lunch, tidied up the kitchen, then started/warmed the Accord. Enjoyed a 2nd cup of coffee while waiting for it to warm-up. Left for work around 845am.

Arrived at the office near 9am. Already warming up with bright sunshine. It was supposed to reach into the low to mid 40s later in the day. Worked on monthly reports and lead a conference call at 11am. Was another fairly easy work day, and one with few surprises, which always helps. Looked like my boss was working from home. Said he was feeling even worse that he was Monday. All but finished one of my customer facing monthly reports. At their request, we changed the presentation day to Friday in lieu of the usual Wednesday. That’ll be different.

Didn’t hear from Mindy all day. Left work a little early – 450pm to be exact. Gave her a call once I was rolling down the road. Reminded me that she was taking Bella to gymnastics as well as taking Jacob to see niece Lindy for a haircut. I’d have to fend for myself, dinner-wise. Sounded like she would pick-up Bella on the rebound meaning I would be able to get into my flannels and read fairly early. That sounded great! I also asked about the Utah trip and if she talked to the superintendent. She hadn’t talked with him but did send an email requesting his time and ear. She’s got an excellent argument. Basically, they quoted policy as the reason she couldn’t take the unpaid days, but she works untold hours/days unpaid both getting her classroom ready for the new school year and then in early and staying late on numerous occasions. If they want to work to the letter of the rules, OK. We’ll see where this goes.

Arrived home just a little after 5pm. Mindy and the kids were still there. Makayla was there still too. Bella asked if I would be willing to take her to gymnastics so Makayla could go along. Not tonight. After Bella woofed down some dinner they headed out and Makayla headed home.

After prepping coffee and changing into my flannels, I retreated to the family room chair with my book. I toyed with building a fire but didn’t. I read and napped for the next 30-40 minutes. Around 630pm, I got up and made myself a burrito for dinner and took care of a couple overdue chores. I also took the time to remove the rest of the Honey Baked ham from the bone and put it in a zip-loc and stashed it in the freezer. Had to be about 2lbs worth left. Enjoyed a piece of Xmas fudge too. Yum!

Mindy sent a text asking if I wanted more hair product. Lindy gets it for 50% off. I had Mindy pick-up another tube of Tea Tree Styling gel. I’m not completely out, so I should be set for year or so, especially given that I only use gel for the first week or so after a haircut.

About the same time Mindy was texting, I got an email from Glenn sharing that his time-off was approved for our Utah ski trip. Wanted to know if it was still a go. I shared that we hoped it was, but that Mindy had hit a bump in the road with the requested time off. Shared that we hope to have it resolved by week’s end. He also shared news about Stephen, his ex-girlfriend’s son, who was recently released from prison and is staying with him temporarily. Said he paid his winter term college tuition to get him back on his feet. Facing a fork in the road, Glenn hopes to be the difference in his life.

Got back to reading my book, The Super Brain. Really digging it. Read until and even after Mindy and the kids got home around 745pm. Jacob ran upstairs to the bathroom immediately in the door, presumably to deal with his haircut. I heard him groaning as if he hated what he saw in the mirror. Mindy shared that she insisted he allow Lindy to put gel in his hair and style it before leaving the salon. But when he showed his face a few minutes later the gel was brushed out and he had it lying flat against his head. I joked that he looked like Lloyd Xmas, from Dumb & Dumber with his hair that way.

I continued reading until sometime after 830pm. At which point I turned on the TV and tuned to the History Channel watching a program focused on two early roman emperors, Tiberius and Caligula – an interesting watch and learn. As much as I was fascinated with the program, Mindy was equally tormented by it. Said she’d likely have bad dreams and refused to watch with me. She went up to our bedroom to read around 9pm. I stayed downstairs watching and dosing until sometime after 10pm. I woke at some point to Bella offering me a new snack she created – Cheezits and peanut butter. No thanks. I soon upped, secured the home, and headed for bed. I developed a kink in my shoulder while sleeping on the sofa. Mindy graciously rubbed it out. Ahhh!

The Coming of Unwelcomed Warmth

Out of bed Monday morning at 535am. Not sure why, but Mindy’s alarm went off just after 530am. I hope it’s not set for my sake. I don’t need or want to be awoken by alarm. My sinuses were still fairly open, thanks in part to shooting Sinex up them just before bed the night before.

I prepped coffee the night before but apparently didn’t have the auto program set. I had to hit the go button just before starting calisthenics. Over the next 10 minutes I whipped out sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups. All went well. Coffee wasn’t quite ready. Went to my PC where I checked the weather and headlines. Cloudy and 30 degrees. Expecting a high in the mid-30s with a significant warming trend coming in for the upcoming weekend. Into the 60s even.

Coffee was ready by 555am. Returned to my PC for another 15 minutes then headed upstairs to wake Mindy. Stopped by Jacob’s room before heading downstairs. He’s usually up by then. Not this time. He was sound asleep. Back downstairs, I spent several more minutes online before moving on with my morning.

Did a thorough meditation and stretch. Didn’t finish until 640am. I was out the door for my run just after 645am. I ran 4.1 miles. Less ice to contend with each passing day. Thankful for that. Mindy was still at the house but just preparing to depart when I got back. This was her first day back to school after a long 16 day Xmas break.

Leashed up the pug and headed out for our walk. A bit more grass to sniff across the street where there’s more direct sunlight. Eiknarf seemed to appreciate that. Relived herself quicker than she has since the first snow fell.

Mindy left a pan of cheesy scrambled eggs on the stove. I dished up some for myself and for the pug. There was still quite a bit leftover. I eventually put those in a container and then in the fridge. Bella was already upstairs getting ready for school. It was 650am by the time I was done eating and off to the shower. Having to contend with the ice and snow has slowed my run considerably. Perhaps an earlier start would be in order. Hmmm? Probably not. 

It was 810am by the time I was downstairs again. Bella was already out the door. I hurried into my jacket, leashed up the pug, and headed out to wait at the bus stop with her. Chrissy and Makayla were out a couple minutes later. We talked about the coming warm weather after Chrissy brought up the possibility of going to MRM over the coming weekend. The warm up isn’t supposed to later too many days. Should be back to normal, or in the 30s by the following Tuesday.

The bus arrived near 815am. Soon headed back home. My head was feeling a little foggy and warm. I squirted more Sinex up my nose before leaving for work. Left the house at 840am after activating the security system. Tried calling Mindy to make sure nephew Joe had the code. He was scheduled to clean that afternoon. Couldn’t get through. Oh well!

Arrived at the office around 9am. Took several more minutes to get fully settled. The clock I bought for my office several years ago appears to be on the blink. Manages to get far ahead. Since only last Friday it managed to move ahead by as many as 50 minutes. I set it congruently with my cell phone.

Spent most of the day on monthly reports. My boss summoned me to his office around 1030am. Offered me a framed Three Stooges poster. I graciously declined, but then spent a few minutes catching up. Said he wasn’t feeling well at all. I encouraged him to go home and rest but he didn’t take heed. Talked a little football, too.

Didn’t take a formal lunch, but did eat my packed lunch comprised of a salad and cheese around 2pm. I packed a snack too (banana and nuts) but ate that much earlier. Mindy sent me two or three texts. The first indicating that Joe had the code to get in our house. The second text shared that her time-off was approved for our winter adult ski trip. I took that as my cue to seek coverage that week too. An hour or two passed before she sent another text sharing that her time-off hadn’t yet been approved. A short time later she sent another sharing that it had in fact been denied. Darn! With limited information I wasn’t about to panic. Figured we’d talk through it later that evening.

Lindsey sent a text as well, letting me know that Rocky’s boat project wouldn’t be due that night after all. I’m guessing that other cub scout parents found themselves mercilessly behind the eight ball too. Actually, though, I had his ready to go.

Talked with Mindy around 420pm. She shared the details surrounding her denied time-off request. Apparently the school district doesn’t want to make a habit of allowing teachers to take unpaid time off, even though it’s only two days. Sadly, though, that outlook is short sighted. She could simply call off ill as she gets something like 12 paid sick days each school year and typically only uses 2 or 3. She wasn’t yet sure how she would proceed, if at all. We still have some time to work through it. Just before our call ended, I shared that I would most likely be leaving work a little early.

That proved inaccurate. I’d forgotten about a 5pm conference call on my calendar, established by a peer in the central time zone. I sent Mindy a text letting her know that I wouldn’t be leaving early after all. That ‘brief’ call ended up lasting until almost 6pm. Ugh! By then it was pitch dark. At Mindy’s request, I phoned to let her know that I was finally on my way. She said dinner was ready and waiting, but didn’t say what it was.

Got home by 610pm. Next to zero traffic to contend with, which is one of the benefits of working a little late. Once in the door, I knew instantly what was for dinner, tacos. Yum! Both kids seemed in rather good spirits. Makayla was over too. However, aside from snacking on fruit, she wasn’t eating with us. Said her momma was home making tacos as well. Didn’t want to ruin her appetite.

The tacos were good. I actually made a burrito and a taco salad. Clean-up was a snap, thanks in part to using paper plates. Mindy and the kids played spoons while I managed clean-up. They asked me to play, too, but I declined. I was looking forward to my PJs and book. I headed to the recliner in the living room after changing into my new flannel PJs. Ahh! Mindy & the kids were loud but having fun. Chrissy called just after 7pm to share that there was a change of dinner plans. Going to Teri & Mikes for dinner instead. Told Makayla to join her there. Makayla apparently asked if she could stay with Bella for a while longer. Mindy ended up getting out the taco fixings and making her one.

I read until almost 8pm and then went to the family room to tell Mindy that I was going to sneak off to our room and bed where I planned to watch at least some of the national championship football game. Jacob jokingly asked if he could come watch with me. Unfortunately, he was still grounded from all screens.

Felt great to snuggle up in bed with the remote control just after 8pm. Watched the final minutes of the pregame then the kick-off. Knowing how big of a sports fan Jacob is, I felt bad for that he was going to miss the game. Had a change of heart Went to the balcony where I was going to invite him up to watch with me after all. However, when I leaned over the balcony he was nowhere to be seen.

A few minutes later he showed up at our bedroom door anyhow. I invited him in and we watched the 1st quarter together. It was a blow out from jump. Notre Dame didn’t stand a chance. Men playing boys. Mindy joined us around 830-840pm. Seemed everybody was eager for early bed. Jacob headed off to bed once the score was 21-0, which was pretty quick. I started dosing even before halftime. I think it was 28-0 when Mindy turned the TV off. It was probably close to 915pm.

Float my Boat

Slept in until almost 8am. My sinuses were completely blocked when I first rolled out of bed. I hate that feeling. However, simply being on my feet helped them drain a little. I started some coffee then played on the internet until it was ready.

Enjoyed coffee and internet for about an hour before Mindy was up. Headed out for a run around 1015am. Told Mindy that I would walk the pug after my run. It was cloudy and about 30 degrees. It was supposed to break 32 degrees during the afternoon, our first real opportunity for meltage beyond just sunshine. Still lots of ice on the subdivision roads, but 90+% of the walks free of snow or ice. Ran three miles with any problems. Felt good. As for my sinuses, they felt perfect when running.

Back at the house I kept my word and walked the pug as soon as I was back from my run. She did both. Already with a little meltage going on, she was able to pick up a scent much easier than she has in the past week.

Had Mindy hand out the Accord keys so I could pull my car as far forward as possible, thinking I would leave room for Lindsey and the boys to park in the driveway that way avoiding having to park her new Civic in the heavily rutted snow pack along the curb. They were coming over that afternoon so I could help Rocky build a sailboat for cub scouts.

I was hungry. Asked Mindy if she wanted some ham and eggs. She did. I heated some Honey Baked ham on the pizza stone, whipped up a cheese omelet, and concocted potato cakes using leftover mashed potatoes. Added an assortment of items to give them some extra flavor. Turned out nicely.

Before and after breakfast, Mindy worked on a grocery list. She actually left for the grocery around 130pm. I took a very brief nap soon after she left while also tuning into the NFL playoff action. The day’s early game featured Baltimore vs. Indy Colts. Ray Lewis’ intro was way over the top.

Lindsey and the boys showed up around 2pm. If you ask me, Lindsey was making the sail boat project much bigger than it needed to be. Apparently it’s due Monday evening at his pack meeting. We got started right away. Sadly, noticed missing piece right out of the shoot. And after reading the directions, more to it than once thought. Needed assembled, sanded, painted, etc. Oh boy! Before I could stop her, Lindsey phoned the scout leader to talk about the missing pieces. Too funny! You’d think that someone’s life was on the line.

I had Rocky read the directions, and was happy how well he did. The few words he struggled with were well above his grade level. Used 60 grit sandpaper to shape the boat. Once we were happy with the shape we headed to the garage to spray paint the mast and boat. Mindy got home from the grocery just as we finished up the first coat of paint. Helped carry in the groceries. Had to be about 3pm.

I let Mindy know that while she was off to the grocery, Bella asked to go outside and play in the snow with Emily. Not ten minutes later Jacob alerted me that Bella was out on the pond ice again despite Mindy telling her just over a week ago that she wasn’t allowed on the ice under any circumstances. I called her in for the day and also sent her to her room.

Jacob and the boys played well together in the basement for the rest of the afternoon. Hardly noticed that they were there. Baltimore won the game against Indy rather easily. Next up, the Seattle/Washington game. Once to the end of the putting away groceries, Mindy realized that the rotisserie chicken she bought didn’t make it home. She called Kroger and went back after it. Lindsey soon left for home but the boys wanted to stay. Said she’d come back after them at 5pm. She had a roast cooking in a crock-pot at home.

Mindy worked on our dinner soon after she got back from Kroger. She planned to make chicken tortellini with pesto and peppers. Lindsey showed up to pick-up the boys just after 5pm. Rocky was beginning to panic, asking if he could call and see where she was. I’m guessing it was another half hour after they left that our dinner was ready. Shortly before dinner Jacob was throwing Bella under the bus for tattling. I then reminded him that he’s the one that tattled on her for being on the ice. Once Bella heard that she loudly proclaimed that Jacob broke his grounding rules while with his dad all weekend. Said he watched TV all weekend. Really? When asked, he came clean. Uh-oh!

Rather than display knee-jerk reactions, Mindy and I both reserved final judgment. Once afforded a private moment we briefly touched on the topic. Bottomline, we both agreed that there had to be repercussions. I also suggested that a conversation with Jimaken was in order. We absolutely have to be on the same page lest we risk a Jimmy/Kelly scenario.

Because we had about 15 minutes to kill after the tortellini was done but still before we ate, I went ahead and washed most of the messy dishes before dinner. That made the actual dinner clean-up far, far easier. Enjoyed dinner between 530-6pm. Tortellini was good.

Finished watching the Seattle/Washington game after dinner. After being behind for 3+ quarters, Seattle came from behind in the middle of the 4th quarter and won rather easily. RG3 looked gimpy throughout the entire game.

Had a fire going for most of the late afternoon and early evening. First time we had a fire in several weeks. In fact, I don’t think we had even one through all of December. Put Rocky’s boat in front of the fire to expedite the paint drying process. Once the first coat was dry I gave it another sanding only this time with fine grit. After that I customized it. Named it “Rocky Shores” and used indelible markers to add color. Sprayed in with a coat of polyurethane after that.

After the football game I tuned to the History Channel and watched an excellent account of the Dark Ages in Europe, dating for the sacking of Rome up to the 11th century. I was fascinated with the details. Mindy - not so much. At 815pm she headed up to bed to read. I poured a White Rajah and watched until 10pm. After securing the home, I joined Mindy already in bed at 1010pm after putting a dose of Sinex up my nose and after taking half a dose of Nyquil.