Another Rainy Wednesday

I slept well enough & long enough that  I woke easily and before 530am. Can’t recall the exact time.  After finding my way downstairs I peeked out the back door seeing cloudy skies and light sprinkles. Ugh, another morning of rain. I completed sit-ups and push-ups and then went for coffee. It was 540am. I spent about 15 minutes on the PC, but no more. Again, I’m trying to reduce the amount of time spent on line and then increase my time meditating and stretching.

I headed in to meditate at 557am. Ten minutes went by like that – bam! Felt I had just gotten started. Woke Mindy and delivered some fresh coffee next. She said she was still really tired. We’ve been running around like crazy people the last few weeks with little real down time.

I headed back downstairs to stretch and ready for a run. It was something close to 50 degrees. I was happy about that. I headed out the door for my run by 625am. I added the garage trash can's contents to the big curb can that was already setting by the curb. Thanks Jacob. I darted off on my 4.1 mile run.

It was sprinkling, but very lightly. It wasn’t much of an impediment at all. My thinking was geared towards pleasant things, like our winter ski trips. I tried hard not to allow my mind to be polluted with needless worry. That worked fairly well. I was home shortly after 7am. Like most other days the past two weeks, I waited by the front door for Mindy to bring me the pug. After some rubs and hugs, off we went. It was sprinkling a little heavier during our walk, but she took care of her business. We were home after about 5 minutes of walking.

Mindy was already preparing to depart. She reviewed the day/evenings busy agenda, which included evening teacher conferences for our two children. It would be another long day, indeed. She left by 715am. As soon as she was gone I got busy making my eggs. This time I fried only two for me. Both kids wanted donuts again. I didn’t make one for Eiknarf. Sorry!

I cut some cheese and packed some fruit. I didn’t take a salad. This was a work at the customer’s prem day.

It started raining ever harder as the morning progressed. No surprise there. After all, it was Wednesday, or umbrella day. I made sure to remind Bella to brush her teeth and don her socks. She’s so cooperative. OK daddy! She played on my bed with Eiknarf while I showered. I reminded her that Lindsey wouldn’t be there for a ride. This was her day off.

I was ready to go by 745am, much earlier than usual. I spent some of the extra time at my PC listening to music and editing a blog post. I had to be careful not to let too much time elapse. Editing/writing can eat time like nobody’s business. We headed out at 810am, but only to the garage. It made no sense to stand in the rain. We still took our umbrellas and the dog. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Bella kept an eye out for Chrissy and kids. No sightings. Around 820 we headed out to the actual bus stop. The bus was late, very late. She didn’t show up until 825am. Said the problem was traffic, just as the kids predicted. J Only this time, she elaborated. Blamed it on the paving project on I-270 south. She’s right. It’s at a crawl every morning.

I walked Eiknarf in the rain with the benefit of my umbrella. More sniffing, no doing. It was 835am by the time I was pulling out of the driveway for new Albany. I chose to take I-270 all the way around. Traffic was moderate to heavy but with no real jams, though the rain kept the pace a bit slower than usual. I didn’t arrive until 905am, and it was ten minutes later by the time I was finally in my make-shift office.

Right away I was greeted by one of the managers. Said he had to cancel our 10am meeting, but asked that I provide an executive-type summary for an ongoing issue. Sure thing.

I like the new cubicle they've given me, but it was dusty/dirty. I took a few minutes to clean and sanitize all the surfaces.

They day flew by.  I took very few breaks of any sort. In fact, I spent too much time on my butt. Got involved in two escalations that pretty much consumed my day, so much so that I called Mindy to let her know that I would be late to the parent/teacher conferences.  I didn’t get out of the office until almost 530pm, or 30 minutes later than I like.  The rain had stopped and the sky looked to be clearing. That was good news. It was much cooler, though, too.

I called Lindsey on my drive around 270. She was going berserk over seeing a single bug in her apartment. Really? She also shared that there was a problem with the check for her first month’s rent. Apparently the Salvation Army and the complex had their wires crossed somewhere. Lindsey was certain this would spell disaster for her. I only listened without offering possible solutions. Still didn’t have a ride to work for Thursday either, but said she had a peer that she was hoping would give her one. Would call him later. Oh boy!  I did suggest that she call the rental office and kindly ask them to spray for bugs.

I pulled into the school’s lot around 555pm. I hustled inside and joined Mindy & Jimaken already in conference with Mrs Anderson, Bella’s 3^rd grade teacher. They were midway through the discussion. Mindy passed me Bella’s report card for review. No real surprises, though she did get higher marks (4s) that I expected for determination and effort.

She’s definitely got Bella pegged. Knows she’s a social animal and often has to be reminded to return to her seat and to stop socializing. She seems to hold her in high regard. Mindy often spends a lot of time comparing notes, reviewing teaching styles with the kids teachers. Honestly, my mind was still on a couple hot work related issues. Hard to transition, get into the flow of the discussion.

The only conference I missed completely was with Bella’s reading teacher. Next up was Jacob’s 5^th grade teacher, Mr Goodwin. Mr Goodwin had nothing but praise for Jacob. None of us were surprised. Jacob’s a smart kid. However, I was a little disappointed with Mr Goodwin’s relatively empty assessment. Jacob is without a doubt  an advanced reader, and as we recently discovered, an excellent writer in terms of style. However, he struggles with what I would deem simple mathematical concepts yet Mr Godwin said he’s tops in that too. I suddenly felt like he was simply winging the conference. As the conversation neared its end, he nervously shared that Jacob needs to consider using deodorant as he’s going through early puberty. He was trying to step lightly. We laughed and let him off the hook, agreeing whole heartedly with his assessment. As Jimaken put it, Jacob smells like a goat! I suggested we alter his hygiene pattern to morning showers and then make sure he's actually using the deodorant. Mr Godwin said it’s usually not until spring that he has this talk with some parents. But then again, Jacob is 11 and could really be in 6^th grade this year.

The meeting ended with him taking notes to press Jacob harder in math. I only added that his biggest problem comes down to neatness. He writes so poorly/fast that even he can’t read his numbers, and then they’re all out of alignment. In the end, Jacob is a well liked student, not only by his teachers, but also by his peers. Mr Godwin said he’s the biggest kid on campus.

All three of us headed out together with each heading to our respective cars. Mindy wanted a hug, though, before we headed for home where dad was keeping an eye on the kids. I called my mom along the way. Hadn’t talked with her for a couple weeks after missing each other's calls over the past two days. For whatever the reason, mom often calls me back at the most inopportune times.

She sounded good, and said her knee replacement therapy is coming along nicely. Wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, though. Said she definitely won’t have the other done under any circumstances. We chatted about TG and the kids. She’ll be cooking a TG dinner for April, Charles and Ronald’s parents. Said she’s planning on coming to our house for Xmas weekend. That’s fine. I only alerted her to the fact that we’ll be leaving for HV early the following morning. Still, I encouraged her to come and stay Friday through Sunday (xmas day).

We ended the call when I pulled in the drive. Mindy pulled up right beside me. We headed inside together. Just as I was greeting dad and putting my work stuff away, a knock came at the door. It was neighbor Teri bringing me the title and tags for the Hyundai. Cool! I wrote her a check to cover the expense for the tax, title and tags. She didn’t hand long. I introduced her to my dad before she left.

Dad left a couple minutes later.  I walked him out. Mindy whipped Jacob and I up some sandwiches. She made Jacob grilled cheese and me, grilled meatloaf and cheese. It was really good. I asked for a second. It was equally as good, but I ate it much slower, over the next hour, for being full.

With a couple work issues still dangling out there, I logged into work. While working, I summoned Jacob to my side. We patiently discussed the hygiene issue his teacher brought up. Jacob acknowledged having BO. Said he’s forgotten to use deodorant recently.  I suggested the morning shower thing again, and he liked it. I made him think it all the way through, though. I quizzed him on his wake time, and subsequent shower interval to make sure he’d have enough time to fully ready. I’m not worried about running out of hot water. His showers are always very brief. He took it very well.

Mindy checked her blood pressure numerous times. It was extremely high. She headed for bed early, somewhere near 9pm. Bella was still up and downstairs snacking on a bowl of Nutella and pretzels. She and I hung out for a while before I tucked her into bed. She spotted the fur pouch that Ben & Ryan bought me at the Ohio Historical Society. She asked what it was. I told it was a pouch made of squirrel fur. She then asked me what a Bgina was? Needless to say, I was taken back. Uh … don’t know. You should probably ask your mother.

After tucking Bella in, I returned downstairs long enough to fill my water glass and secure the home. An early bedtime sounded good to me too.

What do you call a headless, furless deer?

Dinner!

I woke near 5am after a solid 6+ hours of sleep. I decided to sleep a while longer but hopefully not past 530am. Turned out, I woke again around 525am, and rather than chance it, I went ahead and rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom to brush my teeth.

I was downstairs just in front of 530am and manually started the coffee maker before looking out back and then starting sit-ups. It was cloudy again, but at least it wasn’t raining. The coffee finished brewing around 540am. I poured a cup then headed to my PC where I checked the weather forecast first. It was 55 degrees, windy,  with a chance of rain throughout the day. The high wasn’t expected to be anywhere close to Monday’s high of 70. Instead, we’d be lucky to hold steady to 55 degrees. Checked the Vikings/Packers final. Ouch! The Vikings lost 45-7. Darn glad I didn’t stay up to see that.

Read the Daily OM and checked emails. Forgot to share that we booked flights to Oregon for this coming ski season the evening before. Planning to stay a full week this time. Mindy put in for some unpaid days off to make it possible. Got a ticket for brother Tommy, too. Sent Glenn our confirmation info. He responded sometime through the night asking about our peeps – Bob & Mary Ann – Kenny & Chrissy. We plan to alert both couple to our plans. We had to book to take advantage of the sale price.

Left the PC behind at 555am to meditate. I’m trying to get away from the PC earlier to allow more time for the most important stuff, meditation and stretching. My mind was racing with a million things. I was thinking about work, Lindsey, and now dealing with the logistics of getting the Hyundai road ready. It was hard to let go of my cluttered thoughts. Consequently, it wasn’t one of my better meditations. Not even close!

It was 607am and time to wake Mindy. I headed upstairs with coffee in hand at 610am. I wasn’t long. I was back downstairs to stretch and ready for my run. The stretching went well. Felt great. Because I was in freshly laundered running attire the day before when got soaked, I simpy tossed them in the dryer and they were like laundered fresh all over again. My shoes were just a smidge damp still after leaving them on the register vent since yesterday’s return. And while the heat never kicked on, we leave the fan run regularly. I’m sure that helped.

I headed out the door at 625am. It was a good 4.1 miles run. Sorted through a number of issues, including how I might get Lindsey’s car road ready by Thursday. I still needed to get it titled, tagged and insured, though in Lindsey’s name of course. The interior needs a really good bath, too,  and I definitely want to get that taken care of before handing it over. To solve that. I thought that I might try and escape at lunch time later that day. I’d have to clean it at home, however, since it doesn’t have tags.

Neighbor Teri has a title business. She offered to take care of getting the new title and tags for costs. That would save me oddles of time and frustration. However, she would need Power of Attorney to make that happen. In theory, if all that worked out, I could hand the car to Lindsey Wednesday night. But still whirling in my brain was having her sign a contract of sorts, not only promising to repay the ‘loan’ but also agreeing to NOT allow others to drive it. In other words, I want some assurance that the car will be taken care of. And as hard as I am trying to help and be a positive influence, I’ve been trained to expect the worst by past performance.

My run was over like that. That happens when my mind is elsewhere. I was back early enough to walk Eiknarf without infringing on my breakfast time. Mindy went after the pug and leash while I waited by the door. She brought her to me fresh out of bed. I let her stretch a little before we headed out.

Out about five minutes. Mindy was on her way out when Eiknarf and I headed back in. I fired up the stove and started whipping up some eggs. I took the time to fill Eiknarf’s food bowl and then poured myself a big glass of OJ before proceeding with cooking the eggs.  Neither kid wanted any, but Eiknarf sure did. I made a cheese omelet, but sectioned off a piece cheese-free for the pug.

Meanwhile, Bella and Jacob both asked for warmed donuts. I put two in the microwave for 13 seconds. Perfect! The cheese omelet was delicious. Hit the spot. I enjoyed a little fruit, too. I reminded Bella to put on her socks and address her teeth right after breakfast. She needs to be reminded every couple of days.

Headed off to the shower around 733am. I was ready quickly. Downstairs by 750am. Lindsey with already there. After a brief greeting, I asked if she remembered the prescription. She said she wasn’t sure. Rather than react, I just waited. She produced it, finally. Mindy plans to see that it gets filled. She went on to tell me that her mother had some less than kind words for her to pass along. Honestly, I wish Kelly would try to get on the same page with us, but we know that’s probably never gonna happen. Lindsey went on to say that she’ll give him the medicine but pull him off the first sign of issues.

All this is old news. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

I had the Hyundai title out for Lindsey to sign so that I can give it to Teri. I explained my plan, which was to get everything taken care of this week and then hand it off over the weekend.  Any sooner would be a bonus. She understood.

We headed out to the bus stop at 810am. We met Chrissy there. I confirmed Thursday’s Beacon singers arrangements, which have me dropping the girls at rehearsal that way I can be downtown before 845am. Chrissy agreed to see Jacob and Lillian onto the bus. The bus was pretty close to being on time, although she’s late more often than not these days.

Lindsey and I were ready to go a few minutes after the kids were gone. It was 825am when we backed out the drive. Lindsey asked that I make the insurance arrangements. She also requested I check the rates for full (comprehensive) coverage. I asked about a valid driver’s license. She assured me it’s valid and with no points. I dropped her at work at 845am.

Off to work. I pulled in the parking lot just before 9am. The morning wasn’t as busy as I expected. Ken, my former peer, stopped by to chat. We talked for about 30 minutes. Once again, I spent a considerable amount of time working on monthly reports. Come 1245pm I set work aside and headed home for lunch to clean the inside of the Hyundai.  I wished the weather were nicer. As it was, it was about 50 degrees, cloudy, and windy. I thought I might pull the car into the garage and did just that. However, I quickly discovered that the lighting was such that I couldn’t see the grunge as well. I pulled back out on the driveway. While doing so, I noticed the brakes seemed even weaker than during my test drive. Hmm?

I went ahead and filled my car washing bucket with hot soapy water, and then lugged my shop-vac to the car’s side. I vacuumed first. There wasn’t a lot of debris but enough that it needed addressed. More than anything, there were some spills on the cloth seats I wanted to scrub away and then clean the thick coating of dust and sticky stuff all over the dash, doors, and console.

As I expected they might, the stains came up easily. A lot of it, most likely from spilled fast food. The water was almost black when I finished. It looked a whole lot better. I sprayed it with Fabreeze when I finished. I had been home for about an hour. I took the car for a brief spin checking out its performance. I noticed the emergency brake barely works – a sign that perhaps the back brakes are shot. Tom said the front brakes were done recently. Have the paper work for it.

I glanced through a myriad of receipts for the old maintenance records. Holy smoke. The owner before Tom had a ton of stuff done including timing belt, transmission, engine light, alternator, etc. Had it serviced at least five or six times at Dennis Hyundai. I’ll need to review those records more thoroughly later. I needed to get back to work.

During my drive back to the office I felt like I had a new dilemma to deal with, whether to take it in for a brake inspection now or later. I think the right thing is to have it taken care of before Lindsey gets to reliant on it. That way it’s taken care of up front. But scheduling it and coordinating the drop is another struggle.

Spent the afternoon working through a detailed report provided me by one of our vendors. I had to take the data and sort it into manageable pieces. That pretty much ate my entire afternoon. I was shocked when I glanced at the clock and saw that it was 4:55pm. Holy smoke! Where had my day gone?

I got to talking with my peer and didn’t get out of the office until almost 530pm. Mindy figured to be at work that late too. One of us needed to fetch the kids from Dena’s I celled Mindy to let her know that I would. She didn’t answer. I left a VM. She returned my call just as I was pulling up in near Dena’s. I wasn’t sure which place was theirs. Mindy said it was next to the one with the front porch swing. Only trouble was, no one had a front porch swing. She then gave me an address she believed was theirs. It looked completely dark, but I went up and knocked. Yep, that was it. Tony answered the door. Dena was just around the corner.

We chatted for a few minutes. It occurred to me that I hadn’t seen Dena for several months, and maybe an entire year. Wow! She looks good. The kids headed out for the car. I soon followed. We arrived home just after 6pm.

We weren’t home long before I asked Jacob to head out with the pug. He reluctantly addressed the request. Mindy pulled in a few minutes later. She quickly started going through the kids book bags – basically doing her evening ritual. I stepped aside. It’s a bit chaotic, something I don’t excel at handling. I headed to my PC to decompress. Mindy whipped up some leftovers for Bella and whipped up bacon & egg sandwiches for she and Jacob. I didn’t want anything.  I chose to stay hidden while the kitchen was in disarray.

At some point through the evening Mindy came in to tell me that her principal approved her unpaid leave request coupled with her personal days for our winter ski trip. She was excited. At some point, I’m thinking near 7pm, Jacob called and invited Evan down to play. Teri asked if we were ready for her to come down and get the car title. Yes.

Teri and her kids showed up around 730pm. The kids played while Teri reviewed the title and what we needed to do to get tags. Basically, she needed power of attorney and Lindsey’s personal info. I had the information stashed somewhere but thought it far easier to call Lindsey to get it. For a minute I thought I was talking with Kelly. Sounded just like her. She was going on and on about me requesting the information for covert reasons. Said she’s never heard of such a thing. Really? I didn’t no whether to laugh or cry. I simply responded that I was more than happy to sell the car. Either you want it or not. She gave the information while also decrying my controlling ways. Oh boy!

Nearby, both Mindy & Teri got a laugh out of the exchange. Teri agreed to take care of the whole process and bill me at cost (title, tax, tags). Cool beans. Once business was settled, we chatted over beer and wine while the kids played upstairs. I asked if she was there when Mike cut up the deer he brought home from his hunting trip Sunday. Said not. Doesn’t like to see it, though he had it hanging in the garage. Said she opened the door briefly to see it with out fur or its head. Think it was 830pm when Teri gathered up her two kids and headed for home.

We watched the rest of the Buckeye basketball game against Florida while enjoying some popcorn. Mindy ended up sending Jacob and Bella to bed after she’d had enough of their almost constant bickering. I was in on my PC when it occurred. Bella was in tears. Jacob just angry. I tucked both kids into bed. Mindy and I watched the rest of the game by ourselves. The Buckeyes won by 7 points. Mindy headed to bed around 10pm. I was just a few minutes later.

Buying a Hyundai

I was up at 520am after a fairly decent night of sleep. It was cloudy and it looked like it rained some over night. I hit the go button on the coffee maker then started my calisthenics. Had sit-ups and push-ups out of the way even before the clock struck 530am.

I probably spent more time than perhaps I should’ve playing around online. It started raining shortly after I delivered Mindy’s coffee around 605am. I held out hope that it would let up before my run. It was fairly warm – about 54 degrees.

I did a brief meditation and stretch then prepared for a run. I had freshly laundered running clothes to awaiting my wear. That’s always nice. I was ready to go ahead of 630am but it was hard to motivate immediately out the door. It started pouring just before heading out. In the end, I knew I just needed to suck it up and get it done. I dashed off into the rain.

It didn’t take long for me to get soaked as the rain came down really hard within seconds of my launch. Figures! It let up after about five minutes, but by then the damage was already done. I was soaked. Two more times the rain came down really hard during the four miles – once at about the half way point and then again during the final stretch. I might as well have been swimming. J

Standing dripping wet just inside the door, Mindy went after Eiknarf so I could take her on a walk. She wasn’t real excited about walking in the rain but then neither was I. There wasn’t any choice. By then the rain was reduced to a light sprinkle.

Our walk produced the desired results. I headed back inside after perhaps 5 more minutes in the light rain. Mindy was on her way out the door in a hurry. I quickly removed my dripping wet running clothes and changed back into my PJs. I then started breakfast making scrambled eggs. I made enough for Eiknarf and I. The kids both wanted warmed donuts.

I actually made a plain omelet. It was really good. Mindy prepared a salad for my lunch, and I cut up some cheese and threw some fresh fruit in a reusable container. Breakfast finished, and my lunch all packed, I headed off to the shower.

I was back downstairs by 753am. Lindsey was there and sitting at the island. We chatted casually, her telling me about Olivia becoming ill and throwing up late Saturday night during her sleepover. Actually, we already knew after Mindy ran into Kelly & Ashley at Target on Sunday afternoon. I let Lindsey know that I wouldn’t be able to give her a ride to work this coming Thursday due to an early customer meeting downtown.

She thanked me for the advanced warning, but was at a loss for her options. I had loose plans to purchase the Hyundai after work, but once again, I chose not to share any of that with Lindsey until it’s a done deal and the car’s at home. It’ll need title, tags and insurance for sure, and then maybe even a visit to the shop.

The kids and I headed out for the bus at 810am. The rain had stopped but it was still a damp gray morning. Chrissy engaged Lindsey in conversation about her apartment and job. I heard Lindsey telling her that she doesn’t like the job. I tried to let it go, but it irked me hearing that, especially given her situation. In my mind, she just needs to be thankful that anybody would give her a chance.

Soon the bus was there, but a few minutes late. I allowed Eiknarf enough time to relive herself outside again before Lindsey and I set out. She did nothing but sniff around. Hey, at least she had the chance. Lindsey and I were on the road by 825am.

We made good time around 270. She shared that she would call her grandma about a ride to work on Thursday. She also shared that her work schedule changes this week to having Wednesday’s and Sunday’s off. Now she’ll need child care on Saturday’s. She still isn’t sure when the move to Westbelt will take place but supposedly by the end of this week.

I dropped Lindsey by 845am and then headed off to the office. I was there and in my office just before 9am. I caught up with my boss in passing, who had been on vacation for the past two weeks in Europe. He stopped by again briefly just to catch-up on two hot issues relative to one of my customers. Both issues were under control.

I worked on proactive stuff for most of the day. I didn’t bother taking a formal lunch break since I had a dental appointment at 315pm. I planned to leave the office at 245pm. I sent my boss a heads up on that, too.  I had to join two different calls, one at 1pm and the other at 2pm. Both went smoothly. I ate some of my packed food minus the salad after the 2pm meeting. I then flossed and gargled before heading off to see Dr March.

Arrived at Dr March’s office around 300pm. By then the sky was partly cloudy, the rain seemingly behind us. It was warm too, almost 70 degrees. Nice! Inside I greeted Colleen then read their Discovery Magazine while awaiting a call from Heather, my hygienist. She came for me a few minutes early.

I asked Heather if we could be quick so I could make my 430pm appointment with Tom. She promised to have me out of there even before 4pm. She even made arrangements for Dr March to examine me prior to her finishing the cleaning just to ensure no unnecessary waiting. I appreciated that. The cleaning went quickly. It goes a lot faster now that my permanent retainer is removed. They took some new X-rays, too, but that was really fast.

Gave me a clean bill of dental health – no cavities – no problems. Made my next appointment for the week before Memorial Day. I was out of there by 355pm. I drove straight to the bank branch in Hilliard arriving well ahead of my proposed meeting time with Tom, the Hyundai dude. I decided to head in the Kroger right behind the bank to see if they might have some Great Lakes Xmas ale – perhaps the one hardest to find.

They didn’t, but they did have Goose Island Xmas ale, another old favorite of mine. This year it comes in 4-packs. I picked up one along with a dozen roses for Mindy. I headed back to the bank where I took care of a couple work related issues in the course of the next 15 minutes. Gotta love the Blackberry! With his buddy following behind, Tom arrived right after 430pm. Tom not only brought the Hyundai, but also a bill of sale, and the title. Said he would drive it to my house for me too. Cool. That was load off my mind – how to get it home.

We headed inside the bank where I flagged down a teller to help with the transaction. Tom's preferred method of payment was cash, so I simply took a withdrawal. We then headed over to a banker in a cube to have the B.O.S. notarized and then complete the exchange of cash for title and car. Quick and painless.

Tom agreed to follow me home. Learned then that he and his family only recently moved from our subdivision.  He obviously knew right where he was going.  I called Mindy to ask that she meet us outside and introduce herself when we arrived. I pulled in the drive, but then thought it wiser to pull the Hyundai in front of my Accord since it won’t have tags for a couple of days yet. As I understand it, it’s against the law to park along the street without tags. At my prompting, Tom pulled it up and into our drive and me right behind him.

Mindy came out and we chatted with both Tom and his buddy, Rich, both of whom are Hilliard school bus drivers. Turns out, Rich also works with the theatre department at Bradley, and knows Mindy’s nephew, Matt, who is the theatre director there. We chatted for maybe ten minutes before the two of them headed off, but not before a handshake.

Mindy briefly admired the car, its outward appearance seemingly cleaner than the interior, which needs a little TLC and elbow grease. We headed inside for dinner, and to the waiting kids. Rocky & Landon were there too. We agreed to pick them up both Monday and Friday this week.

Mindy cooked the meatloaf in the crock-pot all day. Said my dad was on his way too. He showed up around 530pm. We chatted briefly before dinner was served. Said he’s doing good, but still in a little pain. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but he was driving, so the knee must be coming around just fine.

Dinner was good. The kids were a tad wild. Mindy and I wondered if Lindsey filled Rocky's recent prescription. We also noticed a letter addressing poor school behavior on her fridge Saturday. All clues that perhaps he’s out of the meds that help him. I planned to ask when Lindsey showed up.

The meatloaf was good, but not her best. Even Mindy would tell you so. After dinner and during clean-up, the kids played Wii while Mindy ran Bella to gymnastics. And being the thoughtful person Mindy is, she agreed to do the pick-up too, so I wouldn’t have to miss even a second of the Vikings/Packers MNF game. Thank you dear!

Dad stuck around while Mindy took Bella to gymnastics. He left a few minutes after her return. Before he left, we asked of his TG plans. Said he planned to spend TG with Bob and family. We extended an invite to Gloria’s just the same.

After dad departed Landon fell asleep on the sofa around 8pm. Pretty typical for him. In fact, 8pm should probably be his bed time.  Lindsey arrived a few minutes later. Rocky ran to her side immediately telling her that her car was outside in the drive. Honestly, though, I hadn’t confirmed that to any of the kids. Lindsey ignored it. Mindy offered some dinner, but she declined. She said she’s still waiting word from her grandma on a Thursday ride to work. Rosemary called her back while she was at our house. Apparently she told her she couldn’t take her.

Before she left, I asked about Rocky’s prescription and if he’s out of the meds. Yes, he’s out, and she hasn’t been back to get the refill of the increased dosage. I wasn’t pleased with her lack of follow-through and let her know as much. Again, poor decision making I my mind. She cited her mother and grandmother strongly urging her not to medicate him despite his doctor and teachers recommending as much. Kelly’s objection isn’t old news. In fact, Lindsey came to Mindy for help because her mother refused to be party to it. Mindy took time off work to see that Rocky got to the two evaluative appointments. It was a long arduous process. And one that Lindsey assured she was committed to following. But, here we go! I didn’t let up. Told her I wanted the prescription in hand tomorrow.

Mindy left to take she and the boys home. Jacob and I settled on the sofa to watch my beloved Vikings. My hopes were high but I wasn’t delusional, either. I knew our chances of pulling off the upset were slim to none. Mindy got home right at kick-off. The Vikings went three and out right away and the Packers took the punt back for a touchdown. Just like that we were behind 7-0, and a few minutes later 14-0. It was never really close, although the Vikings seemed to settle down a bit in the 2^nd quarter, but still trailed 17-0 at the half. Missed a couple decent opportunities to get it close.

First, the kids were sent to bed, and then Mindy soon followed, heading up just before the half. I figured to stay up for at least part of the 3^rd quarter, but no the entire game. I sipped on one of the Goose Island Xmas ales while watching. The Packers and Vikings both scored touchdowns in the 3^rd quarter. I’m pretty sure that it was 24-7 when I headed for bed around 1030pm. I was tired and needed sleep more than I needed to see the butt whoppin’. Good night rain showers.

Leaf Management

Unable to sleep any longer, I rolled out of bed around 730am. I quickly brushed my teeth then headed downstairs where I immediately started some coffee before spending a little time on the internet. While sipping coffee I sent the Hyundai owner, Thomas, an email offering the low end of what he was asking for his car.

I spent the next hour or so reviewing college football scores and then reading another long suppressed molestation story, only this one in major league baseball. It was a sad, but very well written story. I prepared and left for a run around 930am. Mindy was still sleeping when I left.

I ran the usual Sunday trail of 3 miles. The weather wasn't very pretty, but at least it wasn't raining. It was 55 degrees and cloudy. Just as I was finishing up my run I happened upon Mike & Kenny unloading gear from their overnight hunting trip. I stopped briefly to chat. I asked if they got one. Mike told me to open his tailgate. inside was a big ol' buck. They both looked tired, but Kenny more so than Mike. Mike joked that Kenny celebrated more.

I remembered telling Mindy the night before that she wouldn't likely be up until 1045am. It was more like 1015am when she came downstairs, or just a few minutes after I returned from my run. It wasn't long before she started a grocery list while I started making breakfast: sausage patties and a cheese, green pepper, and onion omelet.

We ate breakfast near 11am, or maybe a smidge after. As soon as I was done eating and the kitchen cleaned up, I headed out to do some leaf management. Kenny was already out with his Billy Goat sucking up the leaves in his yard. I used my blower first, getting all the leaves out of the rear flower beds around the deck. I did my best to get them into a manageable area. I then headed around front where once again I had to blow a tarp load of oak leaves from the front yard and into the street.  Not sure whose tree those are coming from. I then blew them along the curb into a pile easily raked onto a tarp.

Soon after I dumped the tarp in the compost pile, Kenny brought over the Billy Goat for my use. Asked me to run it out of gas, or so I thought, so he could clean the carburetor. Said he just recently filled it up. I made quick work of the leaf piles that remained in my own yard. I had removed most with the rake and tarp. I decided to run the Billy Goat over most of my yard as well as neighbor Trena's even though the remaining leaf coverage was scant. I cleaned Trena's yard even better than my own. It took a long time to run the thing out of gas. Holy smoke! I was a whipped puppy by the time I was finished. Kenny later told me that he didn't really intend for me to run it out of gas. just didn't want me to add more. No biggie. I got a good workout and a leaf free yard. All that remains now are the honeysuckle bushes and the neighbor's pear tree. Both typically hold their leaves until after Thanksgiving.

Tired and sweaty, I headed inside for a shower and a snack. Mindy was still shopping. Not only was she going to the grocery, but also making a stop at Target. I'm thinking it was near 230-3pm when she got home. Can't recall for sure. I know I was out of the shower, and helped her lug in the groceries. At some point she made arrangements for us to cookout with the neighbors, something we haven't done at their house for quite some time. I'm thinking all the way back into Late July possibly.

Don't think I heard from Lindsey all day. Mindy did, however. She wanted to know what days, if any, we could get the kids after school. Mindy shared with me our busy after work agenda for the coming week. Mindy commented about me not saying anything to Lindsey about the car offer. I shared that I didn't plant to say anything until it's a completely done deal. Don't want her nagging me about it.

I watched a little of the Bengals and Browns games, but only passively. I got a little nappy but never fell asleep. Just sat/laid around casually. Washed my running clothes as well as the small load Lindsey sent home with us Saturday evening.

Our contribution to the cookout was baked potatoes. Mindy baked about 10 of them. As I understood it, Kenny & Chrissy were supplying the steaks. What a good deal. At the same time, Mindy was kneading a meatloaf for Monday's dinner. We headed down to the neighbors house around 530pm. I was drinking ice water at the time, but took along one White Rajah for later.

 Kenny was just heading out to grill when we arrived. I decided to hang out on the deck with Kenny. Mindy went home to get a glass of wine and then joined Kenny and I on the deck. Took about 15 minutes to grill the meat. Most of the kids were having chicken.

Teri O'Connell came down to the neighbors just as we were preparing to eat. Said she'd already eaten. I still offered to share my steak. She declined. Chrissy whipped up some green beans too. Dinner was quick and good. While Chrissy and I cleaned up the kitchen, Mindy headed home to bake some chocolate cookies for dessert. Jacob went with her. They weren't gone long. They were slice and bakes.

Hung at the neighbors chatting about the Penn St. scandal until 830pm when Mindy declared it time to go. Said we needed to get home and get the kids ready for Monday. While the kids got ready for bed,  I tuned to the SNF game - Patriots/Jets. The Patriots looked good. As she does most times, Mindy headed for bed well before halftime.  I remained up until just before half, but then rejoined the game from our bedroom, a rare occurrence, indeed. Mindy reached for the remote two or three times.  I was still awake watching when I finally allowed her to turn it off. It was after 1030pm and I really needed some sleep.

Wooden Bleachers & Tina

It was Saturday and I was up around 730am. Mindy woke briefly when I slipped out of bed but rolled over and went back to sleep. I brushed my teeth then headed downstairs to start some coffee and play on the internet.

It was a sunny start and still somewhat cool. According to Yahoo, it was 40 degrees. My first order of business was ordering the carfax for the Hyundai I test drove Friday evening. I bought a package of 5 for $44.95. The carfax came back clean, showing two owners and only 77K miles. No accidents or major repairs. In kind, I sent the owner an offer via email taking the average stated value from the two most popular car value websites.

 I enjoyed some coffee and internet until about 930am when I readied for my Saturday run. At the same time, Mindy was up and in the shower preparing to leave for Bella’s gymnastics meet at Pleasantview Middle School. And while Bella didn’t have an event until 1230pm, Mindy needed to be there by 1030am because she volunteered to emcee the trophies/awards presentations. That’ll teach her!

I planned to meet her there just before Bella’s first event.  And because it was a Jimaken weekend, he’d be taking Bella around 1130am.

I did my run shortly after 930am. It was warming quickly, almost 50 by the time I set out. Ran three miles. It would’ve been a great day for leaf management, but that just wasn’t in the cards. Instead, I planned to do it Sunday if the forecast, which was calling for wind and rain, was incorrect. Before a shower I made myself a Cuban sandwich with what was left of Monday’s pork roast. It was good.

I made plans to leave the house around 1145am giving myself plenty of time to get to Pleasantview. Mindy called at some point to let me know that I-270 south was backed up for miles due to paving. Suggested I choose and alternative route. Thanks for the heads up, dear. After a shower and before leaving the house, I called Lindsey to let her know that I planned to stop by sometime after Bella’s gymnastics meet to drop-off the twin box springs Chrissy had for her and also put together her bed frame. She said she’d most likely be at her mom’s.

Heeding Mindy’s advice, I avoided 270, choosing instead to take West Broad Stto Georgesville to Norton Rd. Traffic on West Broad was slow. And when I got close to Georgesville, I could see that it was at a complete stand still due to road construction. I opted for plan ‘C’, which was to take West Broad St all the way to Norton Rd. Again, traffic was slow but at least it was moving. Once I got on Norton Rd it was smooth sailing and lovely drive south all the way to Kropp Rd.Pleasantview middle school is about a mile or so west of Norton Rd out in the middle of corn fields. Tommy & Charles attended there way back in the early/mid 70’s. Don’t think I was ever in it, but had been past it before. It was the first SW school district high school before Westland was built.

The Buckeye/Purdue game was just getting underway on my drive out. The Buckeyes were behind 3-0 in a hurry. The lot was fairly full, but I managed to find a parking spot in the far away row.  I headed inside where I was quickly amongst throngs of people milling in every direction possible. No one stopped me for admission money. Spotted Grandma Sharon right away. She pointed me Mindy’s direction, who was in the process of presenting awards. Approaching 1230pm, I headed inside the gym to watch Bella.

I spotted Jimaken and Jacob in the stands and joined the two of them. Spotted Bella, too, who was just getting warmed up for her first routine – trampoline.  Shared the early Buckeye score with Jim and Jacob. Jacob moaned about how bored he was. Must’ve told me that at least 5 times over the next ten minutes. Gloria showed up just before Bella’s first event. She joined us in the stands. Said she hadn’t considered that we’d be sitting in the stands. Doesn’t care for them. That makes two of us. They’re awfully tough on the buttocks. Mindy came inside the gym long enough to see Bella perform.

Bella appeared to do reasonably well, but we wouldn’t know her score for some time.  Her 2^nd event was soon to follow at 1pm – tumbling. We sat through that event too. Bella did OK. Her next event not until 3pm, there was about a 2 hour gap. Jimaken and Jacob were leaving for lunch at BW3s and to catch some of the Buckeye game. Jimaken asked me to join them, and when I declined, he offered to bring me back some food. I thanked him for both, but declined again. Instead, I did a little people watching and then headed out for the awards ceremony. Bella got 2^nd place in trampoline. Yeah, Bella!

I kept a close eye on the Buckeye game via my Droid. They were trailing 10-0 and then 17-7 at halftime. After a little more people watching, I decided to head outside for some farm fresh air. Immediately amused by the stillness of the country setting, I decided to walk about the lonely football field. I walked the perimeter of the track and football field eventually ending up at the school property’s edge by an adjoining corn field. The weather was ideal and it was very peaceful. I sat alone on a bench with only my thoughts for a good five minutes. It felt good, almost meditative. 

Before heading back inside the school building, I took a few pictures doing my best to capture the essence of the country-type school setting. It was 240pm by the time I was back inside. Jimaken and Jacob were soon back too. They watched Bella’s final event from the doorway. I headed back to the stands. It was just after 3pm when Bella finished her mini-tramp event. By then the gymnasium had cleared out considerably, with most other kids already completely finished.

I headed to the lobby for more awards and to see Mindy. Mindy made it pretty clear that she expected all of us to remain through the awards ceremony. They were slow with the final scores due in part to their computers being down. They were scoring everything manually. Mindy later shared that it was completely disorganized. We waited patiently for the last events to be scored and the standings posted. During that same time, the Buckeye game was drawing to a close. As they had all game long, the Buckeyes were trailing 20-14 with just over a minute to go. However, they had the ball and were marching towards the go ahead touchdown. With just under a minute to go they scored a touchdown to make it 20-20 before the clinching extra point. But don’t you know, they missed it. It was blocked. The game went into overtime. I knew they’d lose, and they ultimately did. Despite getting the ball first and taking their first actual lead 23-20, they let Purdue score a touchdown on their OT possession sealing their fate. We lost 26-23.

We stuck around long enough for Mindy to finish her volunteer effort. The others were still there moving the gear out into trucks. Jim left with Jacob & Bella. Mindy and I headed for home in separate vehicles.

Mindy asked about stopping on our way home for an early dinner or late lunch, but I had other thoughts.  Figured we’d head home, eat a light lunch, and then take Lindsey the box springs. Mindy agreed. By the time we arrived home I was really hungry. I snacked on Tostitos while Mindy walked Eiknarf. She made herself some sort of wrap when she got back. I checked my email to see if Tom, the Hyundai dude responded to my offer. He had. As expected, he counter offered. Essentially, he said he really wanted $3200, or $350 more than I offered but would take $3000.  Rather than quickly respond, I decided to think about it for the next couple/few hours.

Mindy and I loaded the bed rails and some tools into the Pilot then drove down to Chrissy’s to get the box springs. Chrissy was busy cleaning while Kenny and neighbor Mike were off hunting. After putting the two rows of seats down, we were just able to get the box springs in the Pilot while still closing the rear hatch. We had to leave a roll around cart for another trip. We already had the seats scrunched far forward to make enough room. We headed off to Lindsey’s place.

As expected, Lindsey wasn’t home, and it was probably for the best. We carried in the box springs, bed frame/rails, and tools, and then got to work. We put the twin box springs from Chrissy on the boys bed frames first. Next, we put Lindsey’s queen bed frame/rails together. It became quickly apparent that the mattresses Lindsey had weren’t Queen sized after all. Instead, they were full/double.

We could make the frame work but it would require me drilling a new hole in the frame to shrink it another 6". Only problem was I forgot to bring my drill. %^%&&**! I wasn’t pleased. Mindy agreed to run home and get the drill, and then bring the rolling around cart we had to leave behind while at it. She was gone only 5 minutes. While she was gone I tightened all the screws on the end tables.

We were moving things around in the boys room when we heard the kids outside and on their way in. We braced ourselves for the raucous.  Lindsey and the boys were home with groceries and Olivia. The three kids were wild and loud. It was a little more than I bargained for. We played with the grand kids for short while but also took care of a few more odds and ends, like mounting the mirror to Lindsey’s dresser. Mindy also hung a wall clock at Lindsey’s request. The place is looking nice. Mindy asked if we could take our air mattress back. Lindsey asked that we leave it a while longer, for one, so Olivia could use it.

Kelly popped her head in long enough to set down a big laundry basket stuffed full of clean but wrinkled clothes. Who wash and dries their clothes but leaves them in a twisted heap in a basket? Lindsey!  I greeted Kelly with a big smile. She uttered no words and instead abruptly turned to leave. Is it something i said? :)

I did my best to calm the kids. It didn’t seem like Lindsey was going to even try.  Mindy and I were on our way out a couple minutes later. We headed home where we planned to make a quick change of clothes and then head to CBC for dinner and drinks.

We weren’t home but 15 minutes tops. Mindy walked Eiknarf down to Chrissy’s so she could play with Woody and Annie while we were away. Truth be told, I felt like I needed a nap but didn’t say anything. We hadn’t been out on a Saturday night, just the two of us, for a while.

I let Mindy out at the door and then found a parking spot towards the back of the lot. Given the number of cars, I figured it would be packed to the ceiling. Inside, Mindy was already seated at the bar in one of about 6 or 7 open stools. Hmmm? I joined her. Jamie shared that the reason the lot was fuller was because all the employees are parking there now too. In the past, they were parking along the north side of the building where some construction is currently going on. OK!

Mindy had already ordered a Winter Warmer but also a sample of their new black barley wine. Mindy really liked the barely wine. To help out, I opted to take Mindy’s Winter Warmer so she could enjoy a barley wine.  I asked to try it too. I don’t typically like barely wines, but this one is really good. Honestly, though, it’s more like a traditional porter. Jamie shared that it’s 9%. I also noticed that they’ve added their double IPA to the regular beer menu. That had me very excited. I wanted to order one next, but the only trouble was, it won’t be on the taps until next week. Note to self.

Mindy ordered some calamari after perusing the entire menu. There were a few new entrees but still most of the old stuff. I refrained from ordering any food and quickly lost my desire to eat a full meal. We did have some of their fresh baked bread, however. It was very tasty. We talked briefly with our newly single friend Stella. Said she wants to hang with us more often.

After finishing my winter warmer, I ordered the black barley wine. It was very enjoyable. While sipping my 2^nd beer we met Rachel, a recent college grad that plays the French horn by trade and is currently auditioning for various symphony orchestras around our great land. She was odd but interesting.

 I suggested we leave soon after finishing my beer and head over to T. Murray’s for dinner. We’ve been promising to visit Tina, a former Barley peep, who’s been a server there for many months now. Mindy agreed. I finished my beer and we settled the tab.  I paid. Mindy agreed to get our T.Murray’s tab.

We weren’t entirely sure where T.Murray’s was, though we knew on High st. Mindy Googled it and quickly had the address. We parked just down the street at a meter. It was 855pm. I remember that because the parking meter would only register one hour and five minutes. I dumped an additional $.45 before I figured that out. Meters are free after 10pm. Duh!

A gentleman greeted us at the door. We asked if Tina was working, and if so, if we could be seated at one of her tables. Yes. He offered our choice of two. We took the one closest

to the door. He then went to find her. We haven’t seen Tina since Janet’s wedding the last weekend in April. We covered our faces with menus until she was at our table. She jumped up and down and gave both of us lots of happy hugs. Can’t help but like Tina. She’s so sweet. We have three connections to Tina outside of Barley’s. One, her daddy is my ophthalmologist, and two, her grandma is a longtime family friend of Mindy’s family, and lastly, her grandma is Guatemalan. 

Tina eventually had the owner come over and chat with us. He sat at our table and talked for a while. He’s a real character. He'd been drinking a bit too! Gave us the whole story of how the restaurant came about and then the story behind the mural painted on north wall. It’s a mural by a local artist, Jeff Smith, who’s recently sold this character, Bone, to Disney, I think he said. Neat!

We eventually ordered some dinner.  I went with onion soup and their crab cake sliders topped with a cilantro chutney. Mindy went with a salmon pasta dish. The owner came back around to chat again. Soon shared that the menu is changing the following week. Said lots of really good stuff coming. We met one of the chef’s, too, who is also an owner. She’s very Italian.

It was getting late and Mindy was getting tired. It had to be about 1030pm when Tina brought our tab and our leftovers to-go. She said the owner comp’d our drinks. She toured us the upstairs level before we left. Very quaint and quiet. Time to head for home.

Mindy dashed off to bed almost as soon as we were home. She tasked me with heading down to Chrissy’s to fetch Eiknarf. The house was rocking, but nobody answered my knock. I let myself in announcing myself along the way. TV was on, the music was blaring, but no Chrissy. Eiknarf came to me right away. I then saw the three girls playing up in the loft. I leashed up Eiknarf and headed for home. Hollered good night.

Once home I sent Chrissy a text letting her know that I intercepted Eiknarf just so she wouldn’t worry. I headed for bed. Mindy was already out cold.

Show me the Carfax

I was up by 520am and quickly downstairs going about my usual business. It was a push-up day so exercise took a few minutes longer. Meanwhile, it was a cool, clear start to the day, only 29 degrees.

Fooled around online until roughly 6am when I headed upstairs to wake Mindy with coffee in hand. Back downstairs, I spent about 20 minutes between meditation and stretching. I dressed warmly for my run wearing both hand and ear covers.

I ran the full 4.1 miles against a stunningly beautiful autumn sunrise. A familiar site this past week, Mindy already had the Pilot warming in the drive. I headed inside long enough to corral the pug then headed back out for a brief walk. She was quick to take care of business, probably gone no more than five minutes.

Mindy was already on her way out as we were heading in. She shared that Jacob wanted me to make scrambled eggs. I reminded Mindy to have Lindsey try the new spare key to her apartment and then tell me if it works. I planned to use my key later that morning to move her furniture in.

I asked Bella if she wanted scrambled eggs too. Nope. She wanted Pop-Tarts instead. I whipped up a bowl of 4 eggs for scrambling. I set some aside for Eiknarf, then served Jacob, and lastly myself. They were good.

I was off to the shower at 730am. I expected a call from Mindy confirming the key thing but the call never came. While showering, I figured worst case, I could drive by to test my key myself. Lindsey didn’t need a ride to work, Her caseworker, Tristan was giving her a ride after first taking her to pick out furniture.

The kids and I had what amounted to the first ‘normal’ morning prep in quite a while. I was gonna pack my iTouch but found the battery completely dead. I didn’t pack much of a lunch, plus we were out of bananas. Figured I’d survive on the tuna fish already stashed in my office. I called Lindsey as soon as I was downstairs from a shower. She said the key worked fine. I reminded her to get an ETA on the furniture delivery and to give them my cell number for a call ahead. If all went well, Tommy planned to meet me there to help carry it in. The kids and I headed to the bus stop at 810am.

Met Chrissy and the girls at the bus stop. Both Bella and Jacob were wearing light jackets more appropriate for warmer weather. Bella clung close to my side until the bus arrived. It was chilly! The bus was on time – 815am. Chrissy asked if I’ve said anything to Lindsey about the car I planned to test drive later that day. No. Don’t need any pressure from her.

I was off to the office by 820am. Aside from the chilly temps, it was a gorgeous morning. Arrived at the office by 835am – the earliest I’ve been in several days. I was just getting settled into my day when Lindsey called to let me know that she picked out her furniture and wanted to once again confirm that Chrissy had two twin box springs for her to use. Geesh, yes. I confirmed that she gave them my cell number for a call ahead. She said that they only guaranteed that it would be sometime before 4pm, but that it would more than likely be before noon.  Said they’d call 30 minutes ahead too. In other words, I couldn’t plan much of anything. I only added that my help, brother Tommy, would only be able to help if it were prior to 2pm. Oh boy!

I had hung up the phone for maybe 5 minutes when the phone rang again. It was the furniture bank guy calling ahead. Said he’d be there in 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes - already? I scrambled to temporarily log off my PC and then quickly called Tommy. He answered but hadn’t yet showered or anything. I shared my dilemma and that I was heading there directly. Would wait for his arrival. He agreed to hustle. I thanked him for his flexibility.

Despite my hurrying, the furniture bank was already there when I arrived. He already had a bunch of stuff unloaded from his truck and in the apartment breezeway. I’m guessing he was either just around the corner or already there when he called. No biggie. I told him I would carry in everything I could, and then asked if he could help with the big stuff. As Lindsey already shared, he couldn’t. Not permitted to do so. No problem. I explained that I had help on the way. He unloaded everything to the sidewalk then departed.

I carried everything up to Lindsey’s apartment that I could including all three bed frames and mattresses, dresser drawers, sofa cushions, etc. All that remained was a sofa, dresser, desk, and armoire. Most of the stuff was nice, too. In fact, the sofa was much nicer than ours. Of course that doesn’t take much. And we’re OK with that. With a little TLC, her apartment is going to look really nice.

Tommy arrived about 45 minutes later. I thanked him again for being so helpful. We carried in the four remaining items then chatted briefly. I headed back to the office around 1130am. I stopped briefly at home to see if the guy with the Hyundai responded to my email and meeting time. He did. Good thing I stopped to check. Couldn’t meet me at lunch, but instead after he gets off work around 430pm. I figured I would call him once back at the office to make the formal arrangements.

Talked with Mindy and Lindsey via text or phone through the afternoon. Let Lindsey know that all of her stuff was moved inside but not really set-up. Mindy wondered how the car thing went. Told her that I hadn’t yet hooked up with the guy. I called Tom around 4pm to see if we could arrange a meeting in Hilliard much like he suggested earlier. I got his VM. He called me back right after 430pm – his stated quitting time. He asked if we could meet at Britton and Davidson Rd. Sure. That’s very close to my office I shared. I hurriedly packed up my stuff and headed out for the weekend and to meet Tom and test drive the Hyundai.

Tom was there waiting when I pulled in, he and a buddy. At first glance the car looked as clean as described – a 2001 Hyundai Accent. After a little idle chit-chat he and I took it on a drive. He insisted he go along, which I pretty much expected.

Turns out, he drives a school bus for Hilliard. We know some of the same folks, including Ms Vanorder, the kids bus driver. Gave me the history of the vehicle (2^nd owner) and what he’s done to it. Seemed to run fine, although the brakes a tad spongy. The interior and exterior are both well maintained, although it doesn’t look it’s had a bath or detailing in a while. Only 77K miles, too, which is really low for a 2001. After our drive I shared that I was encouraged by the condition but that I would be taking down the VIN number and running a carfax before making any type of decision or offer.  He understood. I agreed to circle back with him on Saturday.

I headed towards home encouraged with the prospect of the car, but also tempered any excitement until after seeing the carfax report and then the blue book value. Nephew Joe’s car was out front when I pulled up. He, Mindy, and his roommate Ryan were gathered in the kitchen enjoying some wine and beer.

I greeted everyone while also tending to my after work ritual. After some fun banter, I headed to my PC to do a little preliminary work on the Hyundai’s value. I also went out to carfax.com to see how much a carfax would cost me.  I haven’t needed one since I bought my BM’er way back in ’04. Back then they were something like $10 each or unlimited for a month for $29.95. A lot’s changed .They’re now $34.95 for one, or 5 for $44.95. Before proceeding further, I visited Edmunds.com & Kelleybluebook.com to assess the car’s value. Turns out, Tom’s asking more than the private party value for a similar Hyundai in good condition. He’s asking $3400. KBB.com has it at just under $3100 and  Edmunds has it at just under $2700.

I did no more with the car. Instead, I figured I would think it through and possibly buy the carfax in the morning. I’ll almost certainly buy the 5 pack just in case I need to check on others if this doesn’t work out. I rejoined the others in the kitchen. Soon, another one of Joe’s friends, Chris, stopped by.

We hung out for another hour before Mindy and I headed off to Barnes & Noble and Barley’s. Those guys headed off to Marshall’s in Grandview. Mindy had a book on reserve at the Tremont Center Barnes & Noble. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was for her teacher friend, Phyllis, who was meeting us at Barley’s.

Mindy was in Barnes & Noble much longer than she thought. Said she’d be in and out. It was more like 10 minutes. I joked that they must be in there writing the dang book.  Finally, she appeared. We headed down Northwest Blvd to 5^th avenue and then Grandview avenue to Barley’s. I’m thinking that it was near 730pm when we parked in the crowded main lot.

We greeted Phyllis just inside the bar’s entrance. Of course a few of the other regulars were already there too. I ordered a beer fairly quickly. Honestly, can’t recall what it was I ordered. I know I had a Fortune Teller at some point. Soon Keri & Kevin arrived. And probably after we’d been there for an hour brother Tommy showed up. I visited with Barley peeps for quite a while choosing to stand as opposed to taking a seat in the nearby booth that Mindy and her school peeps garnered.

I eventually ordered some K.C. wings. Not only was I really hungry, but knew I needed to eat something or else risk feeling like crap come Saturday morning. Spent quite a while chatting with Rick C. near the bar. We ended up sticking around until almost 11pm. And as you might expect, lots of familiar faces came and went during our 3+ hour visit. I ended up ordering a 4^th beer after Mindy shared that she would drive home. Having started prior to me arriving home, she’d stopped drinking much earlier. I paid the tab.

Mindy headed right for bed while I took Eiknarf out for a walk. She took care of business in short order then she and I headed up to bed too. She was very excited to get to sleep with Mindy & me, something she hasn’t gotten to do a whole lot of lately.

Long Day for All

I slept soundly and didn’t get up until just before 530am. I attribute the sound sleep to taking three Advil just before bed. I definitely don’t toss and turn as much when I take Advil just before bed.

I glanced out back to a crystal clear sky. Checked the weather soon after sit-ups. It was 40 degrees. Expecting a high near 50 degrees. Read that Penn State decided to fire Joe Paterno during the overnight. Can’t say that I was too surprised. I played around online while enjoying coffee until just after 6am when I delivered Mindy’s coffee.

Back downstairs for meditation and stretching. Finished both of those around 625am, and it was already after 630am when I made it out the door for my run. It was clear and chilly, but I warmed quickly. I ran the full 4.1 miles. Mindy was still at the house when I got back, but also on her way out. Said she planned to remind Lindsey to bring her paystub when she arrived later. She also reminded me that she had parent conferences until at least 8pm, and that I needed to pick-up the boys at Magdalene’s after school care. Our kids would be with Jimaken after school.

I preheated a skillet with olive oil then headed out with Eiknarf. Our walk was brief, but plenty enough time for her to take care of business.  I fried four eggs, two for me, and one each for Eiknarf and Bella. Bella needed to hurry along. She had to be at Beacon singers practice at 8am and needed to be at Chrissy’s by 740am to leave with Makayla. In turn, I’d be seeing Lillian onto the bus.

Lillian showed up just as I was getting ready to shower. Let her know that Jacob was off in his room playing. Not sure what she did while I was away, but I was ready in short order. By then, she was downstairs talking with Lindsey, who was there for a ride to work. She pulled out an old wrinkled pay stub for me to see. It wasn’t the one I wanted. Promised to bring it Friday.

We headed out to the bus stop early - 805am. The bus showed at her usual time – 815am. Lindsey & I headed back to the house. I already had the Honda warming. All I had to do was unleash Eiknarf and secure the home. We were off to work before 820am. It was a fast drive up and around 270. Dropped Lindsey at 837am. Made it to work before 850am.

Spent my morning crunching numbers. Left for Home Depot at lunch to have extra keys made to Lindsey’s apartment. Took the guy two or three tries to get it right. While he toiled with the keys, I looked at Xmas lights and then picked up some CFL bulbs – both 60 and 100watt equivalents.  I planned to put the 100watt equivalents in the garage.

It was 150pm when I got back to the office. I ate my Monday salad. It was getting a little gamey, but I ate it anyway. I spent the rest of my afternoon working on a project I had procrastinated over for almost two weeks running. Felt good to get that nearly completed. Left the finishing touches for the following day. Headed out just after 5pm. I needed to pick-up the boys before 6pm. Glad I left when I did. There’s no easy way to get to Magdalene from Hilliard. I took the freeway as if I was going home. Traffic was extremely heavy from my house to the Magdalene. Got there with time to spare, however, but it took almost 35 minutes. The boys were excited to be heading out. Calmer than usual, which was a good thing.  Without making mention of it, I pulled into the McDonald’s nearest our house. That made the boys happy. They each asked for happy meals, of course, though Landon wanted a side of chicken nuggets, too. J I didn’t get myself anything. Figured I’d eat leftovers.

It was dark by the time we got to the house. Rocky more so than Landon, was visibly nervous after I set them up with their food and then took Eiknarf out on a walk. He doesn’t like being left alone – abandonment issues.  I noticed them watching me from the front door. They scattered as I made my return up the driveway.

After dinner I let the boys play Wii. Rocky kept asking when his momma was gonna be there. At least an hour longer, I shared. He wasn’t amused when I shared that I would simply role play as his mother to help ease his mind. I found it funny.

We watched Sponge Bob until the kids got home. That had to be around 745pm. I actually dosed off during the cartoon. Both boys were staring at me when I woke up. Creepy! Jacob and Bella interacted well. Lindsey showed up a few minutes later, and Mindy called a few minutes after that to let us know that she was finally on her way home. Lindsey warmed and ate some leftover pork roast. Lindsey practiced spelling words with Rocky while I listened on. He did surprisingly well, and certainly better than I expected.

Mindy agreed to run Lindsey and the boys home. She only asked that I have them ready once she got there, and then have a glass of wine poured for her once she got back. Sounded more than fair to me.  Mindy came inside briefly, but quickly headed out the door again with Lindsey and the boys.

While she was away, I poured her a glass of wine and me a Hop Wallop. I tuned the TV to the Thursday night college football game between Virginia and Georgia Tech. We watched only passively.

While Mindy was away, Jacob headed off to the shower. He stunk to high heaven. Said it was the practice soccer jersey he was wearing. Had been in his soccer bag unwashed. Baaaaaaaad! What would compel him to pull it out and wear it, I asked myself. Mindy was back after just 5-10 minutes. Doesn’t take long. It was already 845pm, however. Mindy and the kids headed off to bed around 920pm. I elected to remain up watching more of the football game. I fell asleep at some point and didn’t wake until 1015pm. Mindy was already asleep when I hopped into bed. Good night full moon!