Yellow Snow!

We already knew the weather was going to go south, but just how far south we didn’t know. In fact, based on what they were saying, we even anticipated that school might be canceled. A call came about ten minutes before 6am that school was indeed closed. Mindy was thrilled and rolled back over and went to sleep. Meanwhile, I got up and got going with my morning.

We already had about two inches on the ground and it was still coming down. Schools were canceled because the snow was expected to pile up to ten inches through the day and then a thick layer of ice and sleet to boot.

After exercising Ykraps and I ventured out for our morning walk. The conditions were brutal with snow coming down hard and horizontal from the east. After making quick work of our walk, I unleashed Ykraps into the house and began shoveling the drive. I knew that if I didn’t shovel we could have a real problem on our hands later with the ice and all. After shoveling I found my phone ringing. It was Lindsey wanting to know if Mindy would be kind enough to keep Lil’ Rocky since schools were closed. Mindy lovingly agreed.

Back inside I was more than delighted to get some coffee in me. I went about the rest of my morning prep just like any other day. I played a little, packed my lunch, and made my breakfast. After a shower and dressing for work I was back downstairs to ready for departure.

I warmed the Trooper then once again shoveled the drive in case Mindy had to leave. We had already accumulated another inch or two. Driving into work was slow but no real traffic jams. The lot was completely barren when I arrived. I was surprised! We also had a couple of call-offs due to weather and closed schools. After getting some coffee I remembered to call Mindy to let her know that I arrived safely.

The snow kept coming down and the forecasters reaffirmed what they had promised all along – very heavy snow and lots more coming. We collectively decided to buy pizzas for our team at my prompting. I agreed to pick them up after my run. I left for my run at 11am to ensure a 1230 pizza pick-up and to get my run out of the way before it really got bad.

It was a fun and exciting run tromping through the heavy snow. It was tough going for the first mile running through unplowed streets until I got to the asphalt trail leading to the high school which any more is always plowed early. Today was no different. The stretch out was easier than the return since the weather was uncharacteristically coming out of the east. And once I got past the housing development the wind picked up and large drifts were forming across the trail making running a bit more challenging. Still, it was fun.

I made it back in about 47 minutes – about five minutes longer than usual. After a quick shower I drove off to pick-up the fourteen pizzas at the Hilliard Joseppi’s. I called Mindy on my way after seeing that I missed a call or two. We chatted briefly, and during our call she mentioned finding a Word document that shared intimate details of my life from the third grade onward. I wrote this to better understand how I got to be the person I am. Glaring to her was one relationship in particular. Truth be told, I was a little taken back that she felt so comfortable reading my private docs regardless of how she came about them. We discussed it only briefly before I arrived at Joseppi's. The pizzas were ready just as I arrived. Perfect! After loading the Trooper, I was on my way back to the office. It was 12:35pm. The weather was demanding of my focus, so focus I did. I called one of my engineers on my way back and asked that he meet me at the rear door to help carry the fourteen pies. The pies were delicious. We destroyed our seven rather quickly. I chose to leave my packed lunch in the fridge and instead enjoy some pizza.

The rest of the day and afternoon went slower than usual only because I ran so early. Generally I'm not back from my run until 2pm and finished eating by 2:30pm. But here I was with the entire afternoon still in front of me. I used the time wisely meeting with my engineers reviewing their 2006 performance. I left for home around 5:20pm destined for home. The snow was still coming down although it was more like ice balls by now, and the roads were a total mess. Lots of vehicles were off the roads. I navigated carefully and arrived home around 5:45pm. After a quick walk of Ykraps I got to shoveling again. Mindy had shoveled for the third time around 2pm. Now, we had about one or two inches of icy snow that was stuck to the drive. The snow in the road was about 10 inches deep and unplowed. I didn't want to leave the Trooper on the street. My only hope was to scrape the ice away and pull it up before more fell. It was coming down fast and furious.I had to unlock the shed to get to my square landscape shovel which works great for removing icy snow. That proved a bit challenging given the foot or so of snow piled against the door and the iced up locks. I got to the shovel nonetheless.

I worked my ass of getting all the ice chipped away. At first I wasn't going to use driveway salt, but opted to last minute. I was convinced it was the only way to secure an ice-free drive. The trade off is damage to the concrete. I was stiff and sore when I finished but it had to be done. Now, should Mindy have to travel tomorrow, she'll have half a chance. I chose to opt out of dinner still feeling full from the mid-day pizza. Instead, I had a few handfuls of peanuts throughout the evening while updating my blog. And when I was through, I popped some corn. It was almost 9pm by now. We tuned into the very end of Idol and stayed tuned through House. It was captivating. Mindy learned somewhere just after 8pm that school was indeed canceled for Wednesday. That's five! Any more than that and she'll need to make 'em up. We headed to bed at 10pm.

They say big snow's a coming

For reasons I can't understand, I woke late & tired on Monday morning. This, despite a solid eight hours of sleep. I know, too, that the only cure for a case of the sleepies is a good workout and vigorous walk in the frigid cold. I did just that, and by the time that Ykraps and I found our way back home, I was pretty much awake.

I made two cups of coffee and then took Mindy hers. She was already up beginning her own prep. I casually went about the rest of my usual morning routine. I read the daily OM, meditated, and surfed the web. I did all of this in a very short window of time - probably about ten minutes.
By 7:35am I was well into food prep. I packed both Mindy and I a lunch and then made scrambled eggs topped with sharp cheddar cheese. We woofed down our breakfast just after 7:00am. The kids were slow to rise. Some what out of character, Bella was up & ready before Jacoby. I guess Jacoby had a case of sleepies, too!

Mindy left around 7:20am - and no power outage this AM! I went paid a couple early bills and then headed for the shower. After warming the Trooper I headed off to work at 8:00am. I got just a half mile down the road when I realized I was without my laptop. I made a quick turnaround and headed back home to grab my PC. That cost me about eight minutes - no biggie!

I arrived to work just before 8:30am. I quickly got settled in and began working as if I had never left for a weekend. I spent a good chunk of the morning meeting with my engineers going over their performance reviews, merit raises, and annual bonus. Everyone was in fairly good spirits, including me. Because of my busy morning, runtime came quickly. Sometime earlier in the day, GoBucks IM'd asking if I were busy. I was, but still chatted briefly. I ended up asking her to call me at my desk. She expressed some concerns, and I offered to help however I could.

The talk in the gym was of the coming snow storm. I was asked if I would be running in the snow. Please! Do you have to ask? My run went well. And for the first time in weeks, I was able to not wear by lined windbreaker as a middle layer. Instead, I wore a thin wind shirt as a middle layer. It was the first day in a long stretch of many where the temperature topped freezing. It was 36 degrees an hour before I left, but a bit cooler during the run. We had some snow squalls. The began and ended well.

The afternoon went quick. I headed home after sticking around the office until almost 5:30pm. unlike most Monday's, this wasn't a Mindy Monday. We had the kids. Along my travels home, Mindy and I agreed that she would make chili dogs and reheat scalloped potatoes for dinner. That sounded delicious!

Once I was home Jacoby quickly dressed to walk Ykraps with me. He was eager to walk on the frozen pond again. We both enjoyed watching Ykraps fall through the ice Sunday evening (it was very shallow - 6 inches). But because of the day's brief warm-up, I warned against icing again today. Jacob understood. We walked Ykraps along he walk and harassed each other by throwing snow all along our walk. Jacob had a lot of fun.

When we returned, Jacob went in and I retrieved some additional firewood for a possible fire later. Dinner was ready and I was hungry. Jacob and Bella had chicken drumsticks in lieu of chili dogs and taters. I passed on dessert, although Mindy indulged herself. Jacob and I headed to the basement for some basketball. We played for about thirty minutes, or until Mindy called for him.
While the kids readied for bed I tinkered on the computer. A few minutes later I went up for the read and tuck.

After the kids were fast asleep, Mindy and I returned downstairs to relax and talk. We, once again, talked about some of the premarital issues we had talked about earlier and then a few more. It was good, and I think Mindy finally sees the good in these topics. Around 9pm we went to family room where Mindy walked on my back and me on hers. Both of us have found that very fulfilling sexually! :) Not really. It helps keep our backs aligned. It can literally relieve one of my routine stiff necks and mid-back pain instantly.

We headed to bed around 10pm like good kids.

Almost cut my hair ... it happened just the other day

Day begins

Lack of sleep wasn’t an issue. I woke just after 8am eager to get out of bed and get going with my Sunday. I slept for nine solid hours. Mindy would’ve preferred I stay in bed longer but just the thought of wasting another hour in bed sent shivers down my spine.

I quickly made coffee then went about my exercises. After finishing my exercises I leashed up Ykraps, all the while feeling good about having his new leash. No longer would he and I trip over or step on the loose extension. Our walk was fun!

Home for coffee. Wahoo! Mindy was downstairs shortly after I finished my first cup of coffee and dressed in my running clothes. She planned to make steak & eggs for breakfast while I ran. I ran out along Trabue rd today even though sound reasoning suggested not. I was careful and fully willing to leap deep into the snow banks to avoid any potential head on collision with a motorist.

Food, rest, and work

I was back from my run by 10:40am The steak and eggs were all but ready. I was hungry but sweaty. Once gain, I stripped out of my running clothes and re-entered my PJ’s. We ate and chatted some more about the logistics of being married one day soon. After getting the kitchen back in order I went upstairs to find Mindy laying in bed about asleep. We napped together for another hour or so. It was 1:30 when we pulled ourselves up and out. I was eager to begin making progress on my next storage project, which is to build storage shelves in the northeast corner of the basement to hold 30 or 40 large storage tubs.

Down the basement I began relocating the many boxes of tools that lie in that spot now. As I finished up the clearing, it dawned on me that I might be able to use Closetmaid shelving in lieu of building from 2X4s and plywood. I left for Home Depot/Lowes to look at what was available.

Lowe's and haircut

Along the way I decided that a haircut was in order, too. After all, I haven’t had a single hair cut since December 28th. I was a week or two overdue. They had a fifteen minute wait, so I ventured Lowes directly across the street from Saturday’s. Closetmaid makes storage grade shelving in widths of 20” which is four inches shy of my desired width but not out of the question. However, the cost of using their material versus wood would more than double the cost, yet I would gain little if anything. I nixed that idea. I’ll stick with wood! J

Back to Saturday’s

Perfect timing! I was called to the chair as soon as I entered the shop. I hadn’t planned to get a hair cut when I left the house. I hadn’t even showered. I was grungy and smelly and wearing a ball cap. But my need for a haircut prevailed. She sheered the back and sides then whisked me off to the shampoo chair. After a quick wash she trimmed the top and I was good to go! The cost - $16.95. And after a $4.05 tip I was on my way.

Back at home making dinner

Mindy left me a voice mail wondering when I’d be home. Apparently the kids were home from their weekend with Jim, and Mindy wanted to visit her mom. However, Jacob did not want to go with her and Bella. Instead, his preference was to hang out at home with me. I was already just about home, so I didn't bother calling back. Once I arrived, Mindy and Bella departed. While they were gone Jacob and I played nerf basketball for over an hour. After we were both tuckered out, I began the arduous task of making dinner, which Mindy had casually intimated as she left for her mom's.

I pulled a box of Tilapia filets from the freezer and placed four of them in luke warm water to defrost. In the meantime, I sliced up six or seven red skin potatoes to make scalloped potatoes. This time I made them with ingredients found in the fridge - not the $30 gourmet version, although I did loosely follow the same recipe tweaking the ingredients to make do with what we had and to alter the consistency more to my liking. I was really excited about making the scalloped potatoes than I was the Tilapia. After the Tilapia was satisfactorily defrosted, I concocted a mixture of olive oil, lime &pineapple orange juice as a marinate.

The sautéed red onion and garlic smelt terrific. Jacob even commented on how good they smelt. he asked if we could have some garlic bread. In lieu of expensive gruyere cheese, I used pepper jack, Swiss, and feta cheese to top the taters. Bottom line, they looked & smelled even better than the last batch. Mindy and Bella returned home just after I placed the taters in the oven. I knew the Tilapia would need less than ten minutes to broil, so I waited to cook them. Mindy whipped up some garlic bread which was sure to please Jacoby. As a veggie, we made Brussel sprouts in butter.

Dinner was served around 6pm. It was very, very good, especially the taters. But truth be told, the Tilapia tasted a little like Pinesol. Note to self - no more lime and pineapple orange marinate for fish. Next time I'll use only olive oil and garlic salt. After dinner dishes were done we got into the chocolate turtle pie, again. It was now after 7:00pm.

The day ends

The kids went to bed at their usual time. Mindy and I talked, exchanged back rubs, and watched the Sunday evening Fox cartoon comedies. They were very humorous! We headed to be just before 10pm.

Steak, Shrimp, and IPA ... does it get any better?

We were both awfully tired. I woke a few times in the early morning hours but didn’t jump out of bed until almost 8:30am. That burning desire to not sleep my life away is what helped push me along. Mindy communicated her desire to sleep a little longer. In granting her wish, I pulled the door closed to minimize the noise from my morning activities.

After starting some coffee and choking down my One-A-Day, I began my exercises, which got my blood flowing. Quietly, I bundled for a morning walk with Ykraps. Our walk was non-eventful. We were back five minutes late no worse for the wear. The temperature felt almost warm. I checked Weatherbug on my return only to discover that it was in the mid teens. That was funny! The mid-teens felt spring-like!

I lazily went about having coffee and playing on the internet. I wasn’t very productive at all. Come 10am I decided to install my running clothes and set out on my first run of year eleven. Just about the same time, Mindy made her presence known to the world. I bidded her a good morning and then took off on my Saturday morning run.

I kept my run internal to the subdivision, not feeling much like dodging fast cars, especially given the somewhat late hour. The run went well and went by quickly. I was home before I knew it.

In the door only minutes, I was quick to change back into my pajamas not wanting to sit around in my sweaty & smelly running clothes. Mindy wanted to talk about some things we’d briefly touched on the night before, so we sat at the breakfast table and talked for about an hour. We talked about things that all couples should discuss before getting married, but most don’t. Some of the discussion broached topics I was certain Mindy didn’t really like, but just the same, the issues needed to be discussed. I knew that in the long run our relationship would benefit from having discussed these issues now. Most of our discussion centered around our individual finances and how we’d recognize these issues should our relationship end. My point, of course, was that now was the time to discuss them rather than risk surprise later. Again, Mindy didn’t like discussing such things. But the fact is, the number of relationships and marriages that end are staggering, so these what if’s should be aired.

We came to moderate agreement on a few things, but I was also certain that we’d have more discussions on these and other issues in the near future.

Mindy had some errands she wanted to run and so did I. We both eventually showered and prepared for our day about town. I asked how she felt about me going to see the new Hannibal movie by myself, knowing of her disdain for such movies. She didn’t seem too warm to the idea.

I left destined for Wal-Mart, Old Navy, and Giant Eagle. Mindy was headed dress shopping and then to her mom’s. At Wal-Mart I bought a new leash & collar for Ykraps, a new tooth brush, some greeting cards, sun glasses, and a neck strap.
At Old navy I looked for new ski gloves for Mindy. They had none. It’s spring in Old Navy. At Giant Eagle I bought two big steaks, some jumbo shrimp, asparagus, a chocolate turtle pie, six pack of Mad Hatter IPA, and a couple of things for Gloria. Total damage of today’s shopping - $150.

I arrived home before Mindy. It was 1:30pm. Ashley was due over at 2pm. She was leaving Olivia for me to watch while she shops for a birthday outfit. She called while I was out shopping to ask if Lil’ Rocky could come over too. And of course I agreed.

It wasn’t long before they were over. Ashley left just after getting the two kids settled. The time went fast. Me, Olivia, and Lil’ Rocky played for about 2.0 hours before Mindy got home and another hour before Ashley returned from shopping. I enjoyed my bonding time with Olivia although she got a little fussy towards the end. And the fussier she got, the sleepier I was. Mindy took her off my hands for the last half hour while I captured my second wind and even snuck in a short little nap.

After Ashley left with the kids it was approaching 6pm. We decided we ought to get busy making our Saturday dinner. I took charge of cooking the steaks and shrimp. Mindy took ownership of the asparagus. For asparagus to turn out well, one has a very tight window. We were eating just after 7pm. Our steaks were 1.25 inch Angus Rib-Eyes. They turned out fabulous as did the jumbo shrimp. And the asparagus was just right, too. After cleaning up, we enjoyed some chocolate turtle pie.

Through dinner and after, I enjoyed three Mad Hatter IPA’s while Mindy enjoyed some red wine. In between IPA two and three, I did a shot of tequila – the first in years, and probably since our Puerto Plata trip when I did one with daughter Ashley.

We stayed up until 10:30pm when we both gave way to sleepiness and agreed to head to bed. I tried to watch Mad TV but fell asleep minutes into the programming. So much for comedy relief!

Running

Finally, a Power Outage!

Friday was finally here and I was up to greet it at 5:40am. A clear sky loomed large just out the door, but it was still cold, although not nearly as bitter as it was earlier in the week.

Just as I was lunging through my sit-ups, the power went out, but not before bouncing three or four times. Almost instantaneously, Bella let out a very loud cry for her mother, and when Mindy didn’t immediately respond, she next cried out for Jacob. Mindy finally gathered up both the kids and pulled them into bed with her. It was still only 5:45am.

I finished my exercise routine then lit a few candles to serve as our only light source. I found the stillness and quiet most comforting. As settled as we could be, I leashed up Ykraps for our morning walk. His leash was once again a problem causing him to get tangled and me to trip. I noted that I’ll have to get out and replace it this weekend.

Back home, the power remained out. I made a cup of coffee for Mindy and I. Thank God for the auto brew mode! And just like always, I delivered hers upstairs. Back downstairs I decided to simply relax and enjoy my coffee. I snuggled up against the back of my reading chair then eventually grabbed my guitar. I strummed a few tunes before deciding I should get moving with packing our lunches.

I packed usual lunches under candle light and reflected light from my rechargeable flashlight. Because the power was out, there would be no hot breakfast. I haven’t gone without eggs on a work day in years!

Soon Mindy was downstairs gathering her stuff to depart. I noticed that she hadn’t showered and asked why. Turns out, she was reluctant to shower with out the ability to blow dry her hair. She chose stinking over vanity. Before departing, she asked for my help in raising the garage door – something I hadn’t immediately thought through. There’s a release cord that must be pulled to disengage the electric opener. As Mindy backed out the drive I went out to lower the door. And just as the door hit the concrete the power came back on. The timing was impeccable! It was almost like the jolt of the garage door hitting the floor forced it back on.

As she pulled away, I witnessed Mindy slow apparently in disbelief. She phoned me minutes later to express her disdain. I found it totally humorous that she leaves and the power restored. She expressed feeling a little snake bit. Hey, but she has me! :)

I switched into power-on mode. I put my jeans in the dryer then went around the house resetting most of the clocks. I also checked for stray lighting left on. Just after completing a quieter meditation and jumping to my feet, the power went back down. Oops! O.K. – maybe I’m not blessed. I gave it a few minutes – about 8 to be exact. Lucky for me, the power came back on for good enabling me to shower and ready as normal. I wore a vintage Muff's black t-shirt today. It's probably 26 years of age. Wow! I wasn’t going to let no power stand in between me and a shower anyhow. The rest of the morning at home was non-eventful. I left for work just after 8am.

It was Friday so I braced myself for a challenging day at the office. And challenging it was. I worked awfully hard. I had a little extra motivation for getting to my run, this being my anniversary day and all. So come 12:45pm I set out on my anniversary run.

The weather was perfect. It was cold but it was also very bright and sunny. And truth be told, I didn’t care what the weather. I was so excited to complete today’s run and hit this milestone. I was admittedly a little more careful stepping off of curbs and making my cuts not wanting to injure myself and jeopardize the streak.

After completing today’s run I put the icing on number 3652 – 10 full years without a miss! I expect some day that my face and name will be up there along with my fellow streak brethren, Cal Ripken Jr, who played in an unbelieveable 2632 straight ball games, and Brett Favre, who has started a record 237 consecutive games for the Green Bay Packers. Over the ten year period I have ran over 15,000 miles going through 20+ pair of running shoes. I have ran in sub zero temps and also in scorching heat. I have endured pounding rain, extremely high winds, grueling hills, and foot deep snow. I have run sick, hungover, and without much motivation. I have run in a handful of countries, many states, and numerous cities. I’ve run at 3am and I have run at 10pm – whatever it took to keep the streak alive I have done. Through it all I just keep runnin’. As one might guess, I was in a celebrative mood at my run's conclusion.

The afternoon was busy and a blur all in one. Come 5PM I was eager to get home and let the weekend begin. I called Mindy along my way home boasting about the day’s milestone. She allowed me to go on and on for a while. She advised that Jimaken was at our home playing with Jacob in the basement. Seemed a bit strange. Apparently he had been there for at least 30 minutes.

He was still there when I arrived home, but he and the kids prepared to leave shortly there after. I walked Ykraps. Mindy came along. We hung out for the next hour or so until it was time to ready for an evening out. It should come as no surprise that we were headed to Barleys.

We left for Barley’s shortly after 7:30pm. Being somewhat of an off week, the place was rather barren as compared to many recent Friday’s. There was plenty of bar side seating available. Mark, of Mark & Trudy fame, was just leaving when we arrived. Network Mark and new guy, Tim were the only familiar faces remaining. No Bob & Mary Ann, (they were skiing in NY), and no Courtney and Jeremy. However Jeremy appeared a few minutes later to pick-up some carryout. We chatted briefly and even discussed the possibility of hooking up Saturday for some fun. No Steve and no Rick. Rebecca was there too and expressed having trouble getting to my blog. She gave me her email address and asked that I send the url.

Lee served me up a Kiss My Bitter Ass (KMBA) IPA off the firkin. He quipped that he visited my blog and was disappointed not to find any pics of himself. Hmmm? I was certain there are plenty of pics if Lee and Janet on there, but mostly in the archives.

We ordered food. Mindy ordered the Tuna steak topped in Wasabi, and I ordered a Cuban and fries with a side of Gates of Hell hot sauce for dipping. This was a notable night for Mindy. She did not drink any wine. She had two Russian Imperial Stouts instead. I had three pints of the firkin.

As the evening wore on, other familiar faces showed including: Thad & Monica, Steve, and Josh. We left for home around 11:15pm.

Once home and in our comfy sleeping clothes we talked about our relationship along with eating some freshly popped corn. We were in bed asleep by 12:30am.

Home Sweet Home

One to go! I was up at 5:40am on yet another cold winter morning. The glow of the waning half moon was most impressive against the snowy back drop. I began and completed my exercise routine without any unforeseen consequence then dressed for a cold winter morning’s walk with Ykraps. It was colder than I expected with a fairly stiff artic breeze forcing wind chills down around -17. Despite this continued deep freeze, and I supposed because of the expected warm-up, most schools were not closed or delayed this day. I made coffee for both Mindy and I, which I hadn’t done since last week. Mindy was in the shower when I took hers upstairs. I left it on her lingerie dresser and returned downstairs. I checked the official temperature which was a balmy 2 degrees, and as I shared earlier, the wind chill was -15. It was time to get busy making lunches. I made both of us lunch and then scrambled some non-embryonic eggs topped with sharp cheddar cheese. I served the eggs with cut fruit. The kids, a little out of sync after their three-day sabbatical, didn’t ask for any breakfast. In fact, only Bella cried that she wanted to stay home. We teased her about staying home alone, but all that did was make the whining worse. She was awfully cranky! Mindy and the kids departed at their usual time. Mindy let me know that she’d be stopping by her mom’s after school provided she gets released as planned, and that Jim would be dropping Bella off to me – most likely around 6-630pm. I’m glad she said something. Otherwise, I might have used the time to shop or do something unique for myself. After they left I made quick work of my shower and change of clothes. I warmed the Trooper then left for work at 8:05am. Once in the Trooper & on my way, I realized that I left my parka at home, but I was bundled in my wooly fleece so I wasn’t too concerned. Besides, barring any problems, it’s a very short walk from the lot to the building. The pace of my morning was feverish. I was busier than each proceeding day and still had a couple of pre-planned conference calls I needed to join. During the later call, cousin Dodie IM’d. I hadn’t talked with her since our family Xmas party. We caught up on a few things, including my step-mother Sheila. Because of these calls, I didn’t leave for a run until just after 2pm. I was beginning to get a little jittery. I left for my run by 2:15pm dressed in my full winter gear. My groin pull felt marginally better again today. For this I am grateful. I was beginning to worry it might be something worse. I trust it will continue to improve with each passing day. The run went well and was especially easy after the turn around. I had the breeze at my back on the run in. The afternoon went brutally fast, helped along mostly by the late run. It was already 3:15pm by the time I got back to my desk and ate my lunch. I stayed pretty busy through what was left of the afternoon. And literally, the next time I looked up at the clock it was 5:00pm. I was in the middle of helping a couple of engineers with an issue so I didn’t get out of the office until 5:20pm. Just as I was starting the Trooper my phone rang. It was Mindy. She reported having Bella with her, which would free me up until 7pm after all. I headed straight home bent on spending some quiet reflective time alone. Along my trip home I made a few calls to family. I called my dad, Lindsey, and then Ashley. My dad gave me a full report on Sheila’s progress as well as some insight into his recent activities. Sheila’s having some difficulties with therapy, I learned. I arrived home around 5:40pm and instantly switched into hurry-up mode. I organized myself for the next morning and then walked Ykraps. Even though it was in the teens, it actually felt warm given the recent artic weather. I was back inside and free to relax by 6:05pm. I decided my time would be best spent updating my blog and adding pictures. I did just that for the next 1.5 hours. Mindy arrived home just after 7pm. I apologized for not starting any dinner. She understood as usual. While I put the finishing touches on my blog, Mindy whipped up homemade burritos. We ate those at 7:30pm. They were very good! Soon after we finished eating, Mindy got Bella ready for bed. She would have no part of going to sleep while Jacob was away at the hockey game. Jim brought Jacob home around 9:15 or so. Bella was happy to see him. Mindy quickly readied him for bed, and retucked "the peanut", too. While she took care of all that, I sat on the family room floor strumming my guitar and also watching some TV. I watched Scrubs and then 30 Rock. Both were very funny. After 30 Rock, Mindy and I headed to bed.

3650

1) the virgin snow on our front lawn 2) Gloria's renal artery: before & after - quite dramatic! 3) Oliva expressing joy The phone rang very early. It was a co-worker of Mindy’s calling to report another day without school. All the effort Mindy put into preparing a lesson plan for a substitute teacher the night before was all for not. I was certain, however, that she didn’t mind. My day would proceed as usual so I got up and going with my day. It was just after 6am. Once again, the early AM temperatures were below zero with a significant wind chill. The prior evening’s snow was very pretty under the crystal clear sky and very bright moon light. After a quick set of exercises, Ykraps and I set out on our journey through the snow. The snow glistened like never before under the chilly moon light. I think that was due in part to the extra fluffy snow. Most of the snow we get is the wet heavy stuff and rarely if ever does it snow when the temps are in the single digits as yesterday. Regardless, it looked spectacular. Upon our return, I let Ykraps in the house but headed back out to shovel the additional inch or so off the drive and walks. Again, I can’t afford to be lazy with my steep drive. I was definitely ready for some coffee when I got back inside. Mindy had mentioned waking at 7am but just before I headed downstairs she advised that she was going to phone Ashley to request a much later arrival time. I took that as she no longer wanted up at 7am. I went about my morning in peace. Mindy got up just before I headed to the shower. She left Ash a VM requesting the time change. I took a handful of pictures of the beautiful sunrise & fluffy snowfall. We had about 3-4 inches total. I readied and left for work as usual. Work was busy and the day went fast. We had our standing Wednesday staff meeting that lasted only half an hour. But I had plenty else to keep me hopping. When I got back from my meeting I saw that Mindy had called a couple of times. She reported Ashley being 50 minutes late arriving. She was stressed over it. Gloria’s procedure was to take place near noon and Mindy certainly wanted to be there. She called again later, just after she arrived. As it turns out, the procedure was done before she got there. She wasn’t too happy. Regardless, the most important thing was that it went well. They placed the stent in the renal artery. She was already in recovery with only minor complications associated with taking an uncoated aspirin after the fact. That made her vomit, and in turn, they gave her some Phenergan, an antihistamine commonly used to control itching from allergies and or nausea and vomiting. But from the sounds of it, she experienced many of the documented side effects from taking it, too. It made her loopy, angry, and fidgety. To counter that, they gave her some Dilaudid, a very powerful pain killer, and favorite amongst the junkie community. After that, as I understand it, she was pretty much out of it for a while. She was given only a half dose. It sounded like she’d be going home tomorrow provided her blood count was in check and her blood pressure regulated. Mindy left the hospital around 3:45pm destined for our appointment. I, in turn, left work around 4:05pm. She arrived just before me. I arrived at 4:30pm sharp. We talked for almost an hour. It was a good, productive meeting. We followed one another home, and arrived just after 5:45pm. Ashley and the kids seemed to be having a good time. Jacob had been out playing in the snow. We decided to make a Bob Evans family sized turkey dinner via the micorwave. As a side, Mindy whipped up Stove-Top stuffing. Hey, it's TG dinner! Everybody enjoyed it. After dinner we played with Olivia and took a few pictures. She makes the funniest facial expressions, unlike any I've ever seen a baby make. While trying to make her giggle, I made her cry, instead. Apparently I had scared her. I felt bad and cuddled her fears away. After my time with her, Mindy took a turn. She enjoys her as much as me. She helped Mindy ready the kids for bed. I heard Mindy laughing her ass off up stairs. She soon called for me to bring the camera to capture a special moment. Olivia was bouncing on Jacob's bed and was once again making one of those priceless faces. We all got a big belly laugh! Ashley left as the kids were going to bed. After she left Mindy read my blog while I did some reading. I finally finished my latest Deepak book, Life After Death. American Idol came on at 9pm. We watched. It was as entertaining as always. We headed to bed almost immediately following Idol. We exchanged back crackings just before heading up. Oh yeah, as far as we could tell, Mindy would be returning to school on Thursday.

Rina, Renal, and Renin Stimpy

I purposely slept late knowing that I’d have plenty of time due to having my lunch already packed and not having to prep any food for Mindy. I slept until 6:10am. But truth be told, that was about ten minutes later than I had planned. Still, not a single worry! Once again, it was brutally cold. The 6:15am temperature was -3 degrees and the wind chill was around -18. I took the artic chill in stride and began my indoor exercises. All went well. I was excited about our morning walk. There’s something macho about braving the ridiculous cold that gets my juices going. I was plenty warm in my fleece and winter parka, hat, and gloves. But as fun as it was, I was happy to be back inside for some hot coffee afterwards. After some coffee, the internet, and mediation, I was ready to make some breakfast. I made myself fried eggs and fruit (go figure). By 7:15am I was ready for a shower. Before heading up, I took a few pictures of the cold sky. Mindy was awake once I entered the room. Mindy and the kids followed me downstairs after my shower. Mindy was heading up to the hospital again today, but as late as mid-morning she still wasn’t sure who’d be watching the kids. She hoped to hear from Ashley, but as of yet she hadn’t heard back. I started the Trooper and let it warm for a good long time before heading off to work at. I left the house at 8:05am. I was happy to be working from my office today. We were very busy. Mindy left a number of messages on my VM asking me to call, but I was tied up either in meetings or simply engrossed in my work. I later learned that she contacted her old friend Tara and she volunteered to keep the kids. Several updates on Gloria’s condition flowed in throughout the day. By mid-day the latest thought was that she might have had a heart attack. They scheduled a heart catheterization and canceled the MRI. I left for my run soon after. Again, it was bitterly cold. The temperature hovered barely above ten degrees with wind chills approaching -10. But this was becoming old hat. I ran through it like nothing. And once again, my biggest hurdle was dealing with a pulled groin, but even that felt measurably better today. About half way through the run it began to snow just as predicted. As I closed in on the finish the snow began to accumulate. Through the afternoon Mindy kept me posted on the condition of her mother. The heart catheterization revealed a healthy heart but a clogged renal artery to one kidney (Renal Artery Stenosis). Suddenly, all the pieces were beginning to fit. This is why her blood pressure was so high and why the meds weren’t lowering it. It seems the kidneys release a hormone-like enzyme called renin. As blood flow to the kidney slows, more renin is released raising blood pressure. Good job doc! He scheduled her to have stent placed in the restricted artery sometime Wednesday. I think I can safely speak for everyone in saying that we were all relieved to not only have a cause but also a reasonably simple solution at hand. Nothing’s worse than being sent home with no findings. Mindy inquired about me picking the kids up from Tara’s but after she learned that I wouldn’t likely leave the office until 5:30pm, she went ahead and planned on doing it. Meanwhile, outside, the snow continued to come down. We had a little over an inch with plenty more to come. Word had it that there were accidents everywhere and the freeways were either closed or down to a snails crawl. As predicted, I didn’t leave for home until 5:30pm. Before leaving, I caught myself up on the latest addition to the Rina & Glenn soap opera. Geesh! I stopped at Home Depot along the way to take back $25 worth of closet project parts. While there, I looked for storage containers and fireplace tools. They had neither, at least anythign I liked. All of their fireplace supplies have already been replaced by spring related items. I decided to stop at Lowes which was right down the road before proceeding home. Lowes had an ample selection of storage containers and a few fireplace tool sets on close-out. I got a new set 60% of the regular price. I paid $22. The handles always come loose and fall off the current set. I hate that! I also bought three 50 gallon storage containers. By the time I left Lowes the heavy stuff was just beginning to come down. As reported on the radio, traffic was backed up everywhere. We had about 2.5 inches by then. Because of the traffic reports, I took the back way home – down Fishinger Rd to Old Dublin, and then through The Glen. Smart move! The snow was beautiful, and since the temperature was hovering around ten, it was extremely fluffy snow. When I arrived home Mindy, bless her heart, was already shoveling the drive. However, despite prior warnings from me about trying to drive up our steep snowy drive, she learned the hard way. I helped shovel as soon as I got home and walked Ykraps. Of course the toughest part was shoveling where she had attempted to drive up. But because the snow was so fluffy, even that came up easier than usual. We had it done in about ten minutes. Once we were back in the warm house we decided, because of the late hour, to forego dinner. Later, I made myself a plate of Tostitos Chips smothered in cheese and topped with sour cream and hot sauce. Once I finished off the nachos I rendered myself to the big overstuffed chair and did some reading until bed time. Passively, I watched the second half of American Idol.

Snow Day but No Snow

1) The news by phone is startling 2) As proof by the weather bug, we're in a deep freeze! 3) Having the blood pressure taken 4) Perhaps by premonition, I snapped this pic on the way out of the hospital Monday eve 5) This one too after they asked Gloria if she were pregnant 6) Minelli's pizza and red wine Up on time. It was 5:38am by the time my eyes met up with the stove top clock and I confirmed by touch that fresh coffee was ready. I choked down a vitamin and quietly went about my morning routine being careful not to wake “the mommy”. After all, this was Mindy's first snow day in two years, so she had designs on sleeping in. I was more than happy to oblige as long as the kids remained at bay, too. But as I later learned, that proved to be wishful thinking. It was -3 degrees and the wind chill, as predicted, was a bone chilling -18. Like many others, I was eager to venture out to get a feel for the “deep freeze”. Ykraps certainly didn’t seem to mind, but his leash did. His 16’ retractable extended but wouldn’t retract. He and I fumbled and tripped over it a number of times. Aside from that, it was a very beautiful morning. The sky was exceptionally clear and the stars were bright and crisp. And, of course, it was cold! Back inside, I leisurely went about making some coffee choosing not to make Mindy any. Instead, I figured that she would get her own once she got up and going. I made my lunch and fried a couple of eggs. I sat quietly and ate my breakfast enjoying the peace. I tried to make as little noise as possible while showering but that’s almost unreasonable given the design of our master bath. Mindy was wide awake as I finished up. She & the kids pretty much headed downstairs when I did. I warmed the Trooper at 7:40am and went back inside to make final preparations. Just as I was putting my coffee supplies away, Mindy checked her phone & saw that a call was missed from a familiar number. However, she was sure who it was. She guessed it was her brother-in-law wanting to share news that his ailing mother passed. She called the number and it was, in fact, her brother-in-law, Larry. Suddenly she let out a huge gasp and a look of serious concern came over her face. I waited to hear the news. When she hung up she told me that it was her own mother in harms way. Apparently she had just been ambulanced to the hospital for what appeared to be stroke like symptoms. As one would expect, Mindy wanted ot get to the hospital right away. But being off of school due to weather put Mindy in a difficult situation with the kids. She called Grandma Sharon to see if she would keep them while she went to be with her mom. She agreed. I chimed in, however, and volunteered to stay home and watch the kids. After all, I could work from home. That is what we did. I contacted work and made arrangements. Mindy showered then left for the hospital. Mindy called every hour or so with updates. Everyone knows that going in through the emergency room often lends itself to a long wait. Today was no different. Mindy said there was little information and no official prognosis, but that they had pretty much ruled out a stroke. She would be admitted but wasn’t sure when a room would come available. In kind, Mindy wasn’t sure when she’d be home. I understood. As the day wore on, I stayed pretty busy working from home. The kids wanted me to play but I reminded them that I really couldn’t abandon work even though I was home. As much as they could, I think they understood. As the morning turned to afternoon, I began to fidget over my pending run. I wished I had run while Mindy showered, now. Around 2pm Mindy called to check in. They were still waiting on a room, and she didn’t know when she’d be home. I let her know that I would need to run before our 4:30 meeting with Pastor Steve. She understood. This being streak week only added to the drama. On the other hand, the sub-zero temperatures affected me little, if any. At 3pm Mindy called to let me know that Pastor Steve had stopped by to see Gloria, and due to the inclement weather he asked that we move our meeting to Wednesday. She also pointed out that her mom would be moving into a room very soon. The cancellation worked fine for us. I now had a running slot built into my day. Jim was coming to get the kids for his usual Monday visit at 4:15pm. I would run after he left. In turn, Mindy would be coming home to see the kids before they left and then would be heading over to her mom’s to pick-up a few of her personal comfort items to help soften her hospital stay. In the meantime, I worked through the day with only a few breaks smattered in. Mindy & Jim arrived within ten minutes of one another – somewhere close to 4:15pm. I was already dressed in my running clothes so that I would be ready to run. After the kids departed, I dashed out into the bitter cold to complete my run. I was so happy to be running! And, yes, it was chilly. While I ran, Mindy headed to her mother’s. We would meet back at the house, and head to the hospital together. I completed my run by 5:20pm. Despite the bitter cold, I worked up one hell of sweat. The only trouble I had was with my groin, which has been hurting the past few weeks. It was worse today, however, I think because of 'ball restriction' which goes hand in hand with extreme cold. I jumped in the shower minutes after returning home. Mindy was still at her mom’s. I had time to shower, dress, and tidy up a little awaiting her arrival. Finally, near 6pm, she arrived home. She had a story about gaining access to the house. The garage door was inoperative and the screen door was locked, apparently by the paramedics. She had to do a B&E to gain access. We walked Ykraps together before we left. That allowed time for the Trooper to warm. We arrived at Riverside hospital at 6:30pm. All of Mindy’s siblings were still there. The room, 7101, was full. Call me self-conscious, but I think we must have stunk because no sooner than we arrived did everyone else leave. We visited with Gloria for about 30 minutes. While there, they came and took her blood pressure. It was still something like 190/90. Not too good. They also scheduled an MRI but had no idea what time they’d come for her. The nurse said it could even be in the middle of the night. I guess a good night’s sleep won’t be in the cards. In preparation, they asked Gloria all sorts of questions, most pertained to the housing of any metal objects on her person, which would cause major troubles during an MRI. They also asked if she was pregnant, had any tattoos, or had an IUD or diaphragm. That was pretty funny. I guess they’ve got to ask! We left the hospital just after 7pm, both of us hungry. After making our way out of the hospital garage we called Minelli’s and ordered a pizza for pick-up. Once home, we changed into our comfy clothes. Just as we both dig into the pizza, the kids returned from their evening with daddy. Bella was crying that she didn’t want to come home. I think that surprised Mindy, but kids are fickle! We enjoyed our pizza. Bella had some too. Jacob didn’t want any. After pizza, Mindy got the kids settled into bed. I helped with the tuck. We stayed up and talked a while longer, but not for too long. And by the way, Mindy learned just before we left the hospital that SWCS would be closed again Tuesday. She’s living a blessed life. We headed to bed somewhat early. We were in bed by 9:30pm.

Super Duper Sunday

1) The Super Bowl match-up 2) Prince - Purple Rain 3) Bears 4) Colts - I think you can tell who won! Happy 47th (ex) Kelly! Once again the kids were up earlier than allowed milling about the hallway and our room. I shewed them out once and Mindy again later. They were up and playing noisily around 7am. I rolled out of bed just after 8am. Our room still resembled a disaster area with all of the master closet's contents strewn about in various piles. The contents even spilled into the hallway making it unpleasing to the eye as well. I tried not to look as I stumbled down the stairs to the kitchen. The kitchen, while not as bad, was not in its usual order either. This put me over the edge! I needed to make coffee but there were a few pans and dishes in the sink from the chicken and dumpling event. In front of me looked to be about an hours work, and I wanted to exercise. Add to that mix a couple of loud children and we had the makings of an unpleasant morning. Mindy found her way downstairs as I stared at the ugly mess. She could tell I wasn’t pleased. In disgust, I put the mess aside and went about my exercises not wanting to look at it, much less clean the mess. I wanted instant order. The anxiety was mounting. I already felt that my weekend had escaped me by giving my entire Saturday to the closet project. And from my perch, every room in the house was amiss. Anxiety!!!!!!! After my walk with Ykraps I kept to myself at the PC not wanting to socialize much. I was in a foul mood. Mindy came in to measure my mood and gain some perspective. I decided to share so that she understood the source of my frustration and that it wasn’t her. Although, come to think of it, she was the impetus for most of the mess. :) She understood after I shared my feelings and went to great lengths to rid us of the problem. I readied for my run just before 10am. Before I left, Mindy asked if I was up for a hot breakfast upon my return. I declined. It was very cold. The temperature was a balmy 2 degrees and eleven below with the wind chill. However, the sun was shining brightly making for a beautiful day and an easy run. Barring the short time the breeze was in my face, it was like a spring day. And once again, I worked up quite a sweat. Mindy had made the kitchen whole again and was almost finished putting all of her stuff back into the closet. The house was almost back in order save for my own closet gear, which lying as it was looked like total excess. Beyond the guilt, I had an undeniable feeling of panic as I stared at the massive piles of clothes. Chaos and clutter often cause me to feel this way. But I realize, too, that the only cure is to get crackin’. So, get crackin’ I did. Slowly but sure I chipped away at the mass of material placing many garments I knew I’d never again wear in a separate pile to be donated to charity. About two hours later I was just about done with the re-org phase. I still had to order the charitable goods and find homes for stuff that had no business being stored in our master closet in the first place. I worked on that for another hour or so. Come about 4pm I finished up. My only regret was not getting a before and after photo. As dinner time approached, we collectively decided to have chicken and dumplings once again. So, Mindy heated the pot on the stove for about an hour, which allowed the broth to thicken resulting in even better texture and more flavor than when it was fresh. Before I ate, I took Ykraps on his evening walk. It was getting even colder as the sunset. Dinner was on the table when I got back. After we all finished eating, the Super Bowl was less than an hour from kick-off. We joined the pre-game programming in progress. The game kicked off promptly at 6:25pm. The Bears scored on the opening kick-off reminding us immediately of the National Championship game. And just like that game, the other team won. However, to say the games were similar beyond that would be misleading. It was a competitive Super Bowl and the good guys won! Tony Dungy was once a coach for the Vikings. That should help explain why the Colts are so good! :) The game meant a lot to Jacoby. Because of this, we allowed him to watch the game from bed. He hung in there until near the end but ultimately fell asleep. We knew before he crashed that school was canceled for tomorrow due to the extreme cold. Before we went to bed it was below zero and wind chills hovered close to 20 below. We went to bed immediately following the Super Bowl programming.

Teri, Rene, and the Closet Maid

The kids crashed our snooze party early. They trickled into our room as if it were a work day. The first crash must have been before 7am. Mindy shooed them away once or twice and I another. Just after 8am I gave in and got up & out of bed. I had to prep coffee before doing my exercise routine. That didn’t take too long. Soon I was outside with Ykraps walking the neighborhood. It was very cold! And the cold coupled with the wind was nothing short of brutal. The wind chill plunged the temp to 12 below. The air temp was only 3 degrees. Once back, Mindy & I enjoyed some hot coffee. While relaxing to coffee we clarified the day’s plans. I would be working on the closet project while Mindy entertained her friend Teri and her son Massimo. Mindy planned to make chicken and dumplings, too. I wasn’t sure how long the project would take. Before heading out for a run, I agreed to keep the kids company while Mindy showered. Come 10am she was done and I left for my run. By then it had warmed to 7 degrees with a wind chill still well below zero. That proved of little consequence. I was bundled for the cold. Something about running in the extreme cold excites me. It was very pretty. And believe it or not, I worked up one hell of sweat. While I was running, Mindy and the kids all but emptied the closet. Too, Mindy made bacon and scrambled eggs for my consumption only. It seems she planned for Teri to bring her & the kids Wendy’s. After finishing my eggs and several cups of coffee, I headed up to get started on the closet. I removed that last of my stuff still lurking in the closet and then wrecked out the original closet maid shelves keeping in mind that I would be reusing all of the material. After tearing out the old, I filled/repaired all of the existing holes before moving forward with the new design. That took only about 30 minutes soup to nuts. Next, I used a level, measuring tape, and pencil to mark lines where all the new shelving would mount. That in effect served as a template on the closet walls. I hung the highest tier first and then moved onto the new shoe shelving. After that, I hung the new lower tiered shelving as well as the six new sweater shelves. It was after 4pm when I finished. I couldn’t believe that the day was all but done. Mindy stopped up a couple of times – once to check my progress and another to deliver food. I did stop down just as I started to say hello to Teri. But when I went back down just before 4pm, she had already left. I was up there for about 5 or 6 hours. All I had left to do was to suck up all the debris with my new shop-vac and to hang my tie rack. But the tie rack would have to wait until tomorrow. I was fried! When I returned the shop-vac to the cellar I saw that Mindy’s friend, Rene was over. She was over to have dinner with us while her boyfriend plays down in Miami. So, in a nut shell, Mindy played with her friends all day while I worked my tail off. Seem fair? After walking Ykraps I jumped in the shower to free myself of the drywall dust, sweat, and little bits of fiber glass insulation that flew around after drilling holes in the outside wall cavity. I was downstairs for good just after 5pm. I was more than hungry. The chicken and dumplings that Mindy made through the day wee smelling mighty good. Just before dinner was served, I poured myself a pint of hand crafted brew while Mindy and Rene each enjoyed a glass of red wine. Rene whipped up a fantastic Greek salad to complement the dumplings, too. By 5:30 or so we were eating the chicken and dumplings. Very tasty! After wrapping up dinner we talked for a good couple of hours. Rene shared a lot about her life and love (she dates Mayor Coleman’s son). She’s very Greek, cute, and interesting. While Mindy and Rene looked at old photos, I did some reading alone in the family room all the while enjoying yet another brew. Rene stuck around through the childrens bath and bed time, but left soon after. Mindy and I chatted while sitting around the fire. At 10pm or so I tuned into Talladega Nights, starring Will Ferrell, on pay-per-view. Mindy headed up to bed. Sadly, the movie reception was a digital mess. In fact, it was so bad that I could hardly follow the story. I tried resetting the box a couple of times but that netted no results. I went ahead and allowed it to whirl anyways, figuring that I had already bought it. I planned to call Time Warner early next week to complain. Around midnight I headed up to bed.

Shadow of a man

I am getting really good at this. I was up and downstairs doing my exercises before the clock struck 5:40am. It was another cold winter morning, and, if anything, the temperature was expected to drop all through the day. After walking Ykraps I returned to fulfill the rest of my usual Friday morning routine. Before beginning food prep I checked with Mindy to verify what if anything she wanted/needed. I made both of us some turkey and cheese for lunch and then scrambled eggs for breakfast. After breakfast, Mindy and the kids left at their usual 7:20am. I headed to the shower. I warmed the Trooper and left for work just after 8am. I was in my office ready for a Friday by 8:20am. Aside from my normal Friday duties, I was determined to put the finishing touches on all of my team’s performance reviews. Thankfully, I didn’t have that much at all left to add. The work day was very mellow, especially for a Friday. We maintained order all day long. That rarely happens. I left for a run around 12:45pm. It was snowing and blowing. The temperature, as expected, had dropped into the teens. For the third time this week, I took an alternative route. Today I ran north on Britton Rd through the two new roundabouts all the way past the new BMW facility, Kittles, and Wal-Mart. I turned around at Sterling Commerce. There’s only one difficult stretch and that’s from Hayden Run about halfway to our building where there’s no path to run on. Traffic was thankfully minimal making it fairly safe running in the road and burm. The snow came down really hard during my run. It was pretty. I was back in the gym by 1:35pm. I guessed my run was something short of the usual 5 miles. After a shower I headed back to my office determined to have a quiet afternoon heading into the weekend. I stopped by my boss’ office to talk on along the way but he was tied up. Not sure who did it. :) Back in my office I enjoyed my lunch and selected some tunes to accompany my afternoon’s toil. Mid-afternoon, Ashley called to confirm if we still needed her to watch the kids this evening. Yes. She said she’d be over near 6:30pm. I didn’t talk with Mindy until I was on my way home. I left the office at the usual 5:10pm. When we spoke, I reminded her of my intention to stop at Home Depot to get the closet project materials. She was glad that I reminded her. She had been grocery shopping. I was at Home Depot for about 30 minutes, having already verified they had everything on my list a couple days earlier. All I had to do was find an employee to cut the shelving to length. I had my pencil drawn plan in my pocket. The actual cost was $145. Ashley was already at the house when I arrived. It was much colder when I got home. The temperature was continuing its drop. I walked Ykraps before carrying in the closet materials. Mindy was kind enough to carry the materials from the door upstairs. I carried them from the Trooper to the door. It was 6pm and we had a good 1.5 hours to hang out with the kids before we’d be leaving. Bella and I played with Olivia after she ate. We witnessed her first official “belly laughs”! It was so cute! She was laughing hysterically as we played dodge ’em with Bella. Ashley captured a lot of it on her new digital camera. Mindy and I readied ourselves to leave between 7-7:30pm. We left for Barleys at 7:35pm. There was a moderate crowd at Barleys, but little if any room at the bar. We stood initially until a couple of seats opened up. But that didn’t stop us from socializing. As she often does, Mindy visited with almost everyone. Bob & Mary Ann were there and had just finished dinner. This might have been only the second time we have seen them together at Barleys on a Friday this year. Most of the other regulars were there, but Jeremy & Courtney were not. We were eager to learn how their weekend skit trip to NY went. Just as we ordered some food Bob ponied up on our second annual NFL results bet. He covered my food! For this reason alone, I love the Cleveland Browns! Mindy shared our embryonic chicken story with anyone who would listen. I think I heard her tell it at least three times. It drew similar responses from most. Steve was quick to point out that it’s normal cuisine in some countries. Lee eventually found his way to our side of the bar. Being a server/assistant brewer, that doesn’t happen too often. Mindy called Mark’s girlfriend Trudy, who was not in attendance. Mark was there alone. Trudy showed later, however. Late into the evening, my brother Tommy showed up. He was there about one hour. We left just before 11:30pm. That’s about as late as the Barely crowd lasts, which works well for the two of us since we typically crash and burn before midnight. It was cold, cold, cold when we left for home! Must have been single digits. Ashley was on my PC when we arrived home. The kids were in bed and Olivia asleep in her baby chair. I tried convincing Ashley to stay with us, but she was determined to head home. I took notice that despite the extreme cold, she’s still wearing flip-flops. Not too bright! What if her hoopty breaks down? Mindy wanted to hot tub, so after Ashley left I readied the water. We hot tubbed for less than fifteen minutes. The extreme cold leaves one numb when getting out. I couldn’t feel anything as I battened down the cover before going in sop and wet. We headed to bed shortly after 12:30am. Busy day tomorrow.

Hot Diggity Dog

Hot diggity dog! I was up and downstairs beginning my day even before the clock struck 5:35am. I was most pleased with myself. I felt that I slept soundly, hardly moving a muscle, or waking multiple times. And as I laid down on the floor to begin my sit-ups, I realized that it has been days since I’ve taken an anti-inflammatory yet my back feels great. The key, I surmised, was having Mindy crack my back by walking on it every so often. I think that I’ll keep her! I finished my exercises with plenty of energy left in my tank. I bundled in my winter garb and leashed up Ykraps for our usual stroll. I noticed right way how much warmer it was this morning. It was still below freezing but in the mid to upper 20’s – a warming trend. Our walk was fruitful. Ykraps left tokens of his appreciation in several neighbors’ yards. Our return was rewarded by hot coffee. Our new coffee maker makes wonderful tasting coffee, and it’s very attractive. However, I recently realized, due to its design, we lack the aroma of freshly brewed coffee in the house. It pretty much keeps it sealed off from air, which they say ultimately contaminates good coffee. The trade-off is worth it. I delivered Mindy’s to her bedside, but she didn’t budge. I had to wake her. Before heading back downstairs I made sure that she was conscious & talking. I pretty much followed my new altered routine. I took my coffee computer side where I read the Daily OM, checked my email, and read the day’s Yahoo headlines. After that I did a mini-meditation then got busy with the food prep. I didn’t need much food packed since I had tuna and fruit in the fridge at work from the day before. Instead, my attention was placed on prepping Mindy’s lunch. For breakfast I whipped up scrambled eggs topped with sharp cheddar cheese. And just like every other day, I complemented that with cut fruit. Soon the whole family was downstairs going through their own little rituals. One has to respect the ritual of others even while we may not embrace their choices. For example, I don’t like playing video games, but since Xmas, the kids pretty much hit the ground running with game in hand. It’s all good! They left for school by 7:20am just as they usually do. Just as she was leaving, Mindy reminded me that we had a 6pm conference call and to contact her with the preferred technology. My plan was to stay after work to catch up on performance reviews and participate on the call at the same time. After they were gone I did a deep 10 minute meditation After my shower I decided that today would be yet another jean day, which would most likely mean that this week there will be three such days since every Friday, with few exceptions, is a jean day. Yahoo! Along with jeans, I wore a black t-shirt and my baby-shit brown wool sweater. I like the look! Trooper warmed, guitar played, it was time to leave for work. I left the house at 8:05am. Once at work, I was soaked with enthusiasm. I just knew that my day would be a total pleasure. And shortly after my day began I spoke with a couple old friends about employment opportunities. Perhaps we’ll be working together again soon. The morning moved along quickly and before I knew it was nearly run time. Once I took notice of that, I adjusted my schedule to ensure a timely depart. While it was still below freezing, the day’s temperature was approaching 30 degrees – at least ten degrees warmer than the last handful of days. Despite the heat wave, I still wore my full winter garb knowing there would be potential for shedding towards run’s end. As it turned out, I was comfy throughout the run. I peeled off the gloves just a quarter mile short of the finish. Eight more to go! After a really hot shower I moseyed back to my desk where I enjoyed my two-day old tuna salad. It tasted fresh as ever! Come 2:30pm I headed to my boss’ office for a meeting with our new internal recruiter. Finally, it seems like we’re getting somewhere. I had a meeting with a candidate at 3pm. That meeting went exceptionally well. It was almost 5pm by the time I made it back to my office. I spent the next hour, before our call with Lowell working on performance reviews. At 6pm I gave Lowell a call and also conferenced in Mindy. We talked for almost 1.25 hours. It was interesting. We might even speak again in the coming weeks. It was late - 7:30pm - by the time I left the office. My day still was not done. I had promised daughter Ashley that I would come by to jump start her car. It seems that her mom and sister were either too clueless or too afraid to jump her themselves. I arrived at Ashley’s a little before 8pm. We opted to use my high quality jumper cables instead of the jumbled pair she produced. The car started right away indicating that it wasn’t that run down. I had her take it for a spin around the block before shutting it down and attempting to restart. That went well too. I was there no longer than ten minutes. I called Mindy to let her know that I was finally on my way home. It was 8:20 by the time I was home. Mindy had not only warmed my dinner (leftover Ding-Ho), but she had already walked Ykraps too. That made the late hour seem less impacting. The kids requested that I come up and tuck them in as soon as I arrived. I followed through accordingly. The Ding-Ho leftovers hit the spot. Mindy sat at my side while I ate. We caught up on each others day. A glance at the clock revealed that it was nearly 9pm, already! We moved in to the living room where I updated my blog all the while continuing our conversation. I popped some popcorn to share as we continued our talk, and after that was gone we headed off to bed. It was 10pm.

ONJ

Back on track, I was conscious and downstairs facing the new day by 5:35am. And I was thrilled to find myself in sync with the plan again. Without any further thought I tucked my toes under the sofa and began my routine. Ten minutes later I finished and bundled for my walk with Ykraps. Again, it was very cold, and wearing a hat, gloves, and thick coat were definitely required equipment for dealing with the cold. I was excited to be back before 6:05am. In fact, I had coffee at Mindy’s bedside even before that. Mindy wanted lunch today, so I made tuna salad for the both of us. We had fried eggs & fruit for breakfast. She and the children left the house at 7:23am. And before heading to the shower, I did a nice long meditation in a quiet home. For no good reason I decided to make today a jean day. I warmed the Trooper, and it started like it had a fully charged battery. It does! After some brief guitar and minor picking up of the kitchen, I left for work. The morning went very fast. It went fast in part because of our weekly staff meeting. That went until 12:45pm. Upon my return I didn’t wait too long before heading out for a run. After scratching the “new running trail” itch yesterday, I didn’t feel like running my usual trail again today either. So, as I set out to run, I chose to take my alternate route. I ran Britton Rd to Davidson, and Davidson to Trueman. Then, I took that all the way to Hilliard Cemetery Rd. It was liberating to run a different route. After today’s run, there would be only nine runs standing between me and my ten year anniversary. It’s a feather in my cap – that’s all. After my shower and ultimate return to work, I hurried through my packed salad since I had a 2pm meeting looming just minutes away. I didn’t get a chance to eat my tuna salad. That meeting took us up until 3:45pm. And when I returned to my office I had a VM from Mindy requesting I call her to schedule a dinner out. Because of this, I put my tuna and fruit back in the fridge for Thursday. I called Mindy and made plans to pick her up after work and head to Ding-Ho for some Chinese. The remainder of the day, what little there was, went as planned. I left for home by 5:10pm. I called Mindy to let her know that I was on my way. She told me that she had already walked Ykraps and had coffee prepped for the following morning. I asked her to be at he door and ready when I pulled up. The reason being, Jim brings the kids home at 7pm sharp. That leaves us a very tight window to enjoy a quiet dinner. It’s very doable, however, as long as we’re efficient with our time. We were. We were at Ding-Ho somewhere near 5:45pm. We were quickly seated. I already knew what I was ordering and so did Mindy. Our soup and appetizers arrived first, and we enjoyed them immensely. Minutes after we finished our main entrees arrived. They were piping hot and delicious. And just as we’ve come to expect, there was more than twice the amount we can consume in one sitting so we always leave with another meal for later. We headed home directly. After arriving we both changed into our comfy clothes first thing. It wasn’t too long before the children were at the door ringing the door bell. Keeping with the times, Jacob asked if I would play with him seconds after his daddy departed. But Mindy quickly put the kabosh on that plan by rushing both kids upstairs to ready for bed. The kids were in bed not too long after the initial rush. The Buckeyes were playing basketball against Purdue and I was watching some of that. Eventually I chose to watch only passively in favor of reading. Come 8pm Mindy changed the channel to watch what she thought would be American Idol. But for whatever reason, it didn’t come on until 9pm. While I read, she watched a show called Bones. At 9pm Idol came on. Again, I watched only passively, keeping a nose to my book. At the halfway point I put down my book to watch with Mindy. Olivia Newton John was a guest judge this evening. And she still looks damn good and doesn’t appear to have “overdone” herself. These days you see very few of the contestants that make the cut. Instead, we see the most entertaining rejects. It’s what sells! After Idol we headed to bed in hopes of a restful and rewarding night’s sleep.

Salt & Battery

I was up and at my routine by 5:40am. And happily, by the time I finished phase one, it was still before 6:05am. I was officially back on track! It was Tuesday and it was again brutally cold, at least by this winter’s standards. It was 12 degrees and windy when I was walking Ykraps. But believe me, I haven’t lost sight of the fact that during a normal winter, temperatures like these would qualify as nothing more than normal. Fact is, we’ve been spoiled with two exceptionally warm winters in a row. Now when the temperature dips below 20 degrees it's news. I started the Trooper before leaving the house. And the slow cranking of the engine just reaffirmed what I already knew. I needed to get a new battery - stat! As soon as I arrived at work I logged on to Sears.com and perused their battery selection. I knew that one could get cheaper batteries, but I have always been partial to Diehards. Yes, I too, fall for marketing! The proper SUV battery would cost me $100. Next, I called the Tuttle Sears to discuss and schedule an appointment. Rich seemed knowledgeable and kind. He told me that he could get me in and out quick and would charge only an additional $13 for install. That sounded good on such a cold day. While I had him, I asked if he could do my serpentine belt, too, since being informed twice during routine oil changes that it was dangerously worn. And I could see with my own eyes that it was. Ever since then it has been bugging me. Rich willing agreed to do so it for what seemed reasonable but still slightly more than Jiffy Lube. But the convenience of having it all done at once was more attractive. However, not having the exact belt in stock, he’d have to get it in. He was upfront about not having the exact price, but he gave me ballpark figures that seemed reasonable based on my research. Come my usual run time I dressed as usual in the gym. But instead of leaving for a run, I drove my Trooper to Sears. The plan all along was for me to drop the Trooper and run from there. The thought of blazing anew trail excited me. Rich implied that he could do all the work in about 50 minutes. That would be almost perfect! When I arrived the place was all but barren. They addressed me right away. They prepared the written estimate and shared the charges with me. There were no surprises with the battery, but there were with the belt. The quoted “ballpark” price for the belt changed from being between $19 - 44 to being $73. Plus, the labor to put it on increased, too. That was suddenly $46 rather than the $30 or 40 he quoted. Nix the belt, I said. Can’t see paying $120 for a belt when it’s not broke. I’ll do it myself. I let them know, too, that I had been out to NAPA’s webpage and verified the price. They were quoting me the same – $20 – 45 he originally did. He called to confirm and told me he was quoted $70. Not to argue, I told him that Jiffy Lube would do it for $69 total and in 10 minutes. If anything, I’d have them do it. Not wanting to be stuck with the belt, he offered to do it for $56, but he still hadn’t added the install fee. I asked again how much for labor and he once again quoted me $46. Sorry – no deal. I kindly asked that they simply do the battery. I left for my run and Rich said that he should be done by the time I returned. I was looking forward to this running adventure. I headed down Tuttle Rd to Franz Rd then north to Rt. 161. That proved longer than I remembered. Plus, it was brutally cold with a very cold wind seemingly in my face on the out and in. It was very invigorating! Forty minutes later I returned to Sears. Inside I confirmed that they hadn’t even began on my Trooper. Bastards! I was kind, however, and displayed great patience. No worries, I said. I’ll just head over to Cord Camera right next door and shop a little. I spent about twenty minutes in there. When I returned they had just pulled my car into the repair bay. Suddenly, I felt vulnerable. The thought occurred to me that they might take advantage of me. The work took a very long time. I had been there now a total of 1.75 hrs. Finally, after sitting in the waiting room perusing their tool catalog, they finished (about 15 minutes later) and I was on my way back to work. Reviewing the ordeal, I was happy that I didn’t allow procrastination to overcome me and find myself stranded somewhere with a bum battery. I should be good to go for about 5 years. I made the original battery last 6.5 years. However, the belt thing still loomed in the back of my mind. So, once back at work, I called Jiffy Lube to confirm their price and whether they would do it outside of a routine oil change. Yes. $69 and done in ten minutes. I hung up from that call feeling good about my decision. I’ll stop in there at my convenience over the next week or so to ‘get ‘er done’. The rest of my work day was uneventful after all of that. I worked hard until I left for the day. Mindy had dinner on the stove when I arrived home. She made cream of chicken with broccoli casserole. I walked Ykraps as soon as I unloaded my gear. It was another chilly walk. Dinner was exceptionally good. Between the two of us, we managed to eat almost the entire 9X12” casserole. The kids, as you might’ve already guessed, had alternative entrees. After dinner I agreed to once again play with Jacoby. We played in the basement for almost one hour. He plays rather rough. Mindy called the kids upstairs around 7:15pm. That was my cue to get busy on my blog. In email, I received word back from Timberline with the contract corrections requested along with a humorous apology. I was bent on getting that done this week. Mindy addressed getting the kids ready for bed almost entirely on her own, although I did deliver some water and do the final tuck and hug for each. Afterwards, Mindy pretty much readied herself for bed. I grabbed my book and plopped into the overstuffed family room chair. I read for a solid hour or more enjoying a bag of popcorn to boot. Mindy came in to see if I was ready for bed around 10pm. She wanted some attention. I was equally tired so we went to bed.