Craving the Cave - Gorge Us

I slept in until 745am then headed downstairs, started coffee and exercised, completing sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups in all of about 8 minutes. Was able to enjoy a little coffee around 815am. The early weather was nicer than forecasted, partly cloudy skies and 48 degrees.

I heard the girls upstairs giggling near 9am. Mindy was up around 915am. The day’s plans included a trip to Old Man’s Cave in Hocking Hills. There’d be 7 of us: me, Mindy, Jacob, Bella, Laurel, Makayla & Lillian. We didn’t set a departure time, though my preference to leave before 11am seemed in jeopardy. While readied for a run, Mindy started breakfast: bacon and French toast. It was already 10am. The dog needed walked. Bella paid me $2 to do the deed, which is supposed to be her responsibility.

I did a three mile run under partly cloudy skies and was back home sometime after 1030am. Jacob still wasn’t awake, but when he finally did get up he was insistent that he wasn’t joining us on our Old Man’s Cave adventure. Didn’t want to hang out all day with girls. Mindy didn’t immediately address his displeasure. The bacon and homemade French toast was delicious.

It was 1130am by the time we all were showered, dressed, and ready to go. Jacob still insisted on not going. At first, Mindy was going to take Jacob to Gloria’s, but after a brief chat we decided that he was going with us. We’d planned this outing some time ago, and while we understood that he wasn’t happy being the only boy, we were doing this as a family. It was after 12 noon by the time we finally left the house. Oh boy!
We stopped at the Circle K to fill the gas tank. I think we paid $3.37 per gallon. Jacob did his best to be an annoyance to everyone during most of the hour long drive. A couple times I wondered if Mindy my turn and ‘brain’ him. Instead, she largely ignored him, as did the four girls. The fall foliage was at its peak. The hills & trees were simply gorgeous! Good thing we all brought jackets, as expected, it was a little cooler at the park.

They’ve made some significant improvements to the park’s main entrance area, adding several new parking lots and upgraded walks. It was the most crowded that I’ve ever seen it. Unless I’m mistaken, it’s been several years since we’ve hiked Old Man’s Cave. I think we skipped this particular park the last time we hiked Hocking Hills, choosing instead to do several of the lesser known trails/parks.
The expansiveness of the main caves simply blows me away. Right away, the kids were having fun. The park was crowded, though, and often one had to stop and wait for others to pass through the often narrow trails. We hung out in the main area for about 30 minutes before deciding to make the 2.5 trek to Cedar Falls via the lower gorge trail. The further we went the less crowded the trail.

The kids made several stops to climb rocks of the steep slopes to play. I’m guessing it took us 1.5 hours to get to Cedar Falls. As luck would have it, the falls were completely dry. I wasn’t too surprised. While we’ve had our share of rain in the last couple weeks, it was an extremely dry summer. The kids were disappointed that we hiked so far ‘for nothing’. We reminded them that it’s not always the destination, but often the adventure. Started to sprinkle a little as we turned to head back. This time our pace was more deliberate as all the kids were hungry and tired. By afternoon Jacob was in a far better place, and was even helpful with the girls. He gave both Bella and Laurel piggy-back rides for about half the trek back. We passed a few others still making their way towards the falls as we made our way back. A young woman hiking with her man stopped and asked me if I was Courtney, Lindsey & Ashley’s dad. I quickly scanned her face but had no clue who this might be – nothing! I shared that I was, and then apologized for not knowing who she was. It was Jennifer Kersey. Her parents watched our girls for several years, and she and her siblings went to school with my daughters. They did all sorts of things together. I probably haven’t seen Jennifer since she was 13 or 14 years old. Both she and her younger sister, Courtney, are school teachers in Lancaster.

I gave her a hug and told her to say hello to her parents for me. The intensity of the rain picked up. We picked up the pace still a little more. Mindy kept count of the manmade stairs we climbed. Our legs were spent by the time we made it back to the park’s main entrance. I think Mindy counted 440 stairs. Of course that’s times 2 counting the trek out and back, and also doesn’t account for the hundreds of natural root stairs. Without question, an invigorating 5 mile hike.

It was already near 445pm – far later than we envisioned getting finished. We were all half soaked too. Bella had the lone umbrella. We stopped at the mini indoor museum before heading to the car. I didn’t even know it was there. Inside they have on display a number of taxidermed animals, including black bear, fox, coyote, rattle snake, and raccoon. Also read about ‘grandma’ who loved hiking Hocking Hills.
Our plan was to stop at Millstone barbeque for lunch/dinner on the way home. Earlier, we had talked about stopping at a pumpkin patch too but we due to the late hour as well as the rain, we scrapped that idea. There was a hand scribbled note on our windshield. It was from one of Mindy’s students who must’ve recognized our Pilot. It’s not hard with the bike rack and Thule.

We didn’t regain cellular service until we were nearly to Route 33, or 11 miles removed from the park. We took a wrong turn trying to get to the Millstone barbeque and ended up taking a picturesque drive around Lake Logan. Very pretty! Back tracking, we found our error – poor signage. Arrived at the restaurant around 530pm. It was crowded. They handed us a pager and quoted 20-30 minute wait. Quizzed everybody on their eagerness to diner there. Weighing our options, we opted to wait.

Nice place. Jacob and Lillian ordered from the adult menu. The three other girls ordered mac & cheese from the kiddie menu. Mindy and I both went with the Trio – three mini sandwiches: one brisket, one pulled pork, and one burger. The food and service was good. It had to be near 640pm when we made our way back to the Pilot. It was still raining and perhaps even a little harder. Unless I’m mistaken, the early forecast said that any chance of rain would diminish as they day wore on. They definitely screwed that up.

It was after 730pm by the time we arrived home. Laurel’s mom, Kelly, was already on her way to pick her up. We were expecting Kaileigh around 8pm. She was spending the night and then going to Olivia’s birthday party with us the following afternoon. It was still raining. Like Bella earlier, Jacob didn’t want to walk the dog. I willingly offered him the same deal I gave Bella earlier. For $2 I’ll walk her. He jumped at the option. I made $4 in one day!

Kelly (Laurel’s mom) and Shelly showed up within 5 minutes of one another. Both hung out for about 30 minutes. After they departed, I eagerly headed upstairs and changed into my PJs. Back downstairs I poured a Jack & Coke. At the same time, Mindy poured a Russian Stout. Lillian and Makayla hung out at our place until Chrissy was home from picking up Jake after marching band. That had to be around 10-1030pm. Mindy headed to bed shortly after they left. I stayed up a little bit longer, but not too late. I’m pretty sure that I was in bed by 11pm.

Jitney Lunch @ Monterey

I woke a couple times between 530am and when I heard Mindy roll out of bed at what must've been about 630am. I heard the shower start a few minutes later and tried unsuccessfully to return to sleep. It wasn't so much the noise as it was the fact that I'd completed the sleep my body craved. Near 650am I went ahead and got out of bed, brushed my teeth, and headed downstairs. Mindy was still in the middle of her ready, primping in front of the master bedroom mirror.

For a lazy second, I considered not exercising but quickly cast that notion aside. I did the usual 50 sit-ups, windmills and curls. Mindy stood ready to depart as I finished my curls. She wanted a hug. She also confirmed my intentions to meet her for lunch. I haven't met her at school since fall 2008.

I headed to the PC with coffee near 730am. It felt good knowing I didn't need to rush off to the shower or anywhere else. I had about 40 minutes to kill ahead of bus stop time. That time went fast. We headed out with the pug at 810am. It was cloudy and 61 degrees. Kenny was at the bus stop. I asked if his kids were planning to hike with us on Friday, COTA day. He knew nothing of it. Apparently he and Chrissy hadn't yet talked, but he thought it a good idea. He was heading to West Virginia over the weekend for a golf outing.

The bus was there and gone by 815am. Eiknarf and I headed home after wishing Kenny well at his golf outing. I spent a little time writing before heading out for a run shortly after 915am. I checked the radar beforehand. A thin band of rain was moving quickly into our area. On a positive note, it looked like it might clear after it passed. I wore a thin wicking shirt and jacket. By the time I left the house the temperature had dropped a couple degrees.

The rain moved in during my run but not long enough to soak me. And by the time my run ended, there were significant breaks in the clouds and even a few peeks of sunshine. However, not five minutes after I was home from my run more rain moved in, and this time it came down in buckets. In fact, it rained so hard that the gutters overflowed like a waterfall. Reminded me of a July rain storm minus the lightning and thunder. It lasted no more than ten minutes.

I was in the shower by 10am. From the masterbath, I could see quite a bit of blue sky in the offing. And by the time I was ready to leave for my lunch with Mindy the sun was shining brightly. Appeared that the rain was gone for good. I left for Grove City near 1030am. I took 270S all the way to the route 62 exit then took Home Rd to Hoover Rd. I was there in less than 15 minutes, and far sooner than I planned. Mindy's lunch period didn't start until 1115am. I didn't want to get there too early.

I hadn't yet decided where to pick-up food, but quickly settled on the Taco Bell just around the corner from her school on Stringtown and Hoover. I sat in their lot until 1050am then headed in to place my order. It's been years since I've visited a Taco Bell. Gone was their $1 menu (they're the ones who started the whole thing). After staring at the menu for several minutes I decided to get two burrito supremes and a dozen tacos. I figured there might be a teacher or two who would appreciate a taco.

Arrived at the school near 11am. I signed in at the office via their online security process. Pretty cool. It printed out a name sticker with my photo on it. Jill, the admin assistant, sent me on my way to Mindy's classroom. Mindy smiled and waved me in. The kids were excited to have a visitor and made a lot of to-so about me. It was quite amusing. I hadn't given much thought to dealing constructively with 25 six year olds. Yikes! They were easily amused. I was nearly mobbed. I must've had about ten of them dancing around me pleading for me to guess their names. Nearby, there was chart with all their names and pictures. I glanced at it for tips. Not too many common names. Instead, there was a Deacon, Draven, Blakeleigh, Muiz, & Atalia. It was lunch time, so Mindy hearded them off to the cafeteria. I helped, but encouraged a several at the rear of the line to do the funny walk all the way down the hall. What a hoot! Mindy gave us the hush sign a couple of time. I could quickly see that I was a distraction to the peace, order and tranquility that Mindy's seemingly worked hard to establish.

Once the kids were dropped off in the cafeteria we headed back to Mindy's classroom where we enjoyed our burritos and a couple tacos. We took the 8 or 9 remaining tacos to the teacher's lounge where I greeted many of Mindy's teacher peeps. As a kid, I often wondered just what went on behind the teacher's lounge door. Were they in there grading papers, eating shiny apples, or planning how they might ruin our lives with yet another test? I was shocked then when on one occasion they door popped open just as I walked by and cigarette smoke came billowing ouot into the hallway. However briefly it was, that encounter ruined the innocent, angelic image my brain had conjured up of teachers. But I've digressed.

We hung in the lounge for a just few minutes. We set out down the hallway looking for Shelly and Kerianne. We found neither right away, but after a couple minutes we happened upon Shelly seemingly in a hurry to get to an offsite meeting. And just a few minutes later we found Karianne. I gave her a hug. Mindy and I headed back to her classroom where the kids, due to the morning's heavy rains, were busy playing inside recess. It didn't much to get them all riled up again. They were all about me, once again wanting to play the guess my name game. At some point I suggested we all dance. Not three seconds later, 5 or 6 of them were boogying in the middle of the classroom. I joined them. Mindy thanked me for getting them all fired up. Before heading to the office to checkout, I thanked the kids for making my lunch visit a fun one. They thanked me too. :)

I left the school and headed down the road a few miles to the Grove City Target where I filled a cart with stuff for Olivia. I might've gotten little carried away, at first thinking I'd pick out a couple cute outfits. I ended up with 3 or 4 outfits, some PJs, a winter jacket, underwear, and socks. And once can't get a 6 year old clothes alone. I added a scooter as well as an animated plush toy. I also added some Halloween candy as well as a few other odds and ends. When it was all said and done I had dropped something just shy of $300.

I left Target and headed across the street to home Depot where I bought a 2"X10"X8' and had an associate cross cut it into two, 4' lengths for easy transport in the Accord. I picked up 5 joist hangers too. I'll cut the 4' lengths to 14.5" and use them to support the top plate that runs parallel to the existing floor joists. I headed for home.

Home by 2pm. The weather, meanwhile, improved immeasurably. By then it was 60 and sunny. Not wanting to waste an opportunity, I quickly changed into my running clothes and headed out to mow the lawn. We planned to go hiking on Friday and to Olivia's birthday party on Saturday. I wasn't sure when I'd have the time to do the lawn otherwise.

This time I push mowed first and did so in a hurry. I'll bet it didn't take 20 minutes to do it all. I lowered the blade to about 2.75". Did the tractor piece next. All totaled, it took no more than 50 minutes start to finish to cut the entire lawn. And while the lawn could've used a whack and an edging, I opted to forego that step this week. I'll do it next go around.

I kept waiting for Jacob to get off the bus. It wasn't until I saw Lillian get off the bus without Jacob that I remembered that he was going home with a school pal, and Mindy was planning to pick him up later that evening. Bella got home from school at her usual time of 4pm. Mindy didn't get home until about 445pm after working late and then making a stop at the Grove City Kroger for a few food items.

Mindy and her mom were going to visit an old neighbor who recently became seriously ill. She planned on dropping Bella at gymnastics and going for the visit immediately after. I'd have a couple hours all to myself. The plan called for me to pick-up Bella from gymnastics at the usual 730pm. I'd be bringing her gym pal, Laurel home with us, too. She'd be spending the night and then going hiking with us in Hocking Hills Friday.

I spent my evening writing and playing on the computer, certainly nothing too serious. The time went by fast. I left to get Bella at 710pm. I was still in my running clothes from earlier. Arrived around 725pm. Caught the last few minutes of practice. Bella was on the double-mini, but was struggling to master a new dismount that included a front flip. Practice was soon dismissed. Kelly, Bella's coach, brought Laurel's things to the lobby. She joked that she packed enough for her to stay the month. She wasn't kidding. Two shopping bags and a suitcase. One shopping bag included five American Girl dolls. Yikes!

We were home for 30-40 minutes before Mindy & Jacob. It was somewhere near 830pm. I changed into my PJs, poured a Centennial then tuned the TV to the TNF game between the Seahawks & 49ers. I watched only passively. Mindy headed to bed before 10pm. I stayed up much later, heading up to bed somewhere close to 11pm.

Spectacles

 

 

Happy 6th Birthday, Olivia!

I woke Wednesday near 725am. Mindy was already downstairs and getting ready to depart. I started exercised immediately, completing 50 sit-ups, 28 windmills, then 50 push-ups. I opted to throw in 20 curls, too, even though I haven't been doing them on push-up days.

Mindy asked if I had a preference for which vehicle she took. No, not really. I didn't think I would be heading to Home Depot for any lumber just yet. And even if I did, it would only be for one 2X10"X8' that I could have cut in half and easily fit it in my Accord. I appreciated the offer just the same. Mindy was soon off to school, and I was soon sitting in front of my PC with coffee.

While enjoying coffee I thought about my day and how I didn't have anything that I had to do. That felt great. From that point on I decided I was simply going to have a relaxing day. I headed out to the bus stop with Bella around 810am. I shared our Friday hiking plans with Chrissy. I then asked where her kids were going to spend COTA day. She said they were staying home with big Jake since she had to work. I planned to ask Mindy about inviting them to go with us.

Once the kids were safely on the bus I walked Eiknarf out front a little while longer. At the time it was cloudy but fairly warm - about 53 degrees. It was expected to reach well into the 70s as the day went on, and they promised sunshine by the afternoon. After heading back inside I spent quite a bit of time on computer writing in my blog. I didn't stop and ready for a run until almost 905am, or later than I had all week. My goal was to not worry about the time, and just enjoy the day. Once into my running clothes I took the time to meditate and stretch without worrying about the time. Felt great. It was closing in on 935am by the time I headed out the door. During my three mile run the sun broke through the clouds making for a partly sunny morning.

I am not even sure the time when I returned from my run, but I felt good and relaxed. Mindy had been after me to come have lunch with her one day this week. I didn't plan on it being Wednesday. Again, I wanted a day without a plan. I played on the computer some and then made a ham & cheese sandwich. At some point I decided to go to the basement and take care of a few minor tasks necessary for the basement project. I ended up moving the security system wires back away from where the top plate will attach. As it was, they were right in the path. That took no more than 15 minutes. I also trimmed the foil backed insulation that the builder installed right against the electric panel, revealing the 3/4" plywood panel they used for mounting. I plan to install a second 3/4" panel right next to the existing for the CATV and security system. It was 2pm when I finished up in the basement and headed upstairs. It was really nice outside, Spur of the moment, I decided to head out front and trim more of the ivy using he electric hedge trimmers. Not only did I trim back the English ivy growing on the house, but I also thinned that growing in the front flower beds. That turned into trimming all the deciduous shrubs as well as the weeping mulberry tree.

By the time I was done I had enough debris to fill half a tarp. Before dragging it back to the compost pile, I raked and blew the leaves out front to the curb then drug the already half full tarp to the street to pick-up all the leaves. BY the time I finished the tarp was full and heavy. It took lots of muscle to drag it to the back of the yard and dump it.

Jacob was home and brought the house cell phone out front so I could field a call from Mindy. She was on her way to pick-up Bella from school and then take her to get her new eye glasses. Apparently they called her at school to let her know they were in. As soon as the yard work was done I headed inside for a much needed shower. I worked up quite a sweat.

It had to be approaching 430pm by time I was showered and dressed. Jimaken came by to pick-up Jacob for soccer around 5pm. Soon after those tow left, I headed out to walk the pug. At the same time, Mindy & Bella pulled up. They joined me walking the pug. Bella was excited to show off her new spectacles. She looks nice in them - natural even. They're no-line bifocals so she needs to learn to move her eyeball to use the different lens areas. I know, I had to do the same thing a few years back when I wore glasses.

We firmed plans to have dinner at Barley's. We left soon after we got back from walking the pug. Mindy let Bella take her Kindle. I reminded Bella to take a sweater as she often complains of being cold in Barley's. Called my mom in her hospital room during the short drive. Seemed in good spirits. We arrived even before 6pm. April was tending bar and also taking care of the few near bar tables where we opted to sit. I ordered a ZIPA ( a zesty IPA, supposedly with a hint of orange). They've brewed it before. Mindy tasted it but then opted for a Russian. We ordered loaded fries as an appetizer.

About halfway through my beer, we ordered food. Bella ordered grilled cheese. Mindy and I both ordered burgers. She went with a regular cheese burger while I went with a Texas pile it on burger. I ordered mine medium rare. As usual, it didn't take long for our food order to show up. And my burger was delicious. Haven't had a Barley burger in a really long time. About halfway through my dinner I ordered a 2nd beer, a Centennial. Planning ahead, we brought an empty growler. But when it came time to place Jacob's to-go order and have our growler filled, Mindy expressed a desire to have a 2nd growler filled with Russian. No problem. April agreed to comp us one.

Mindy picked up the pricey Barley tab. We left for home around 735pm. Jacob was home not ten minutes after us. He wasn't in the best of moods. We figured that meant his team lost. However, that wasn't the case. They didn't win the game either. Instead, they tied 2-2. Jimaken and Jacob said they had two goal inexplicably taken away by the referees for one reason or another.

I told Jacob we brought him home some Barley's. That made him happy, and once he ate he was his usual jovial self. I poured a Centennial and Mindy poured a Russian. It was so nice outside that we headed out on the deck. It was a rare warm autumn evening. Didn't even need a jacket. We stayed outside for about 30 minutes. Mindy was off to bed shortly after heading inside. I stayed up for another hour or so.

Room with a View

I slept a little later Tuesday slipping further into vacation mode. In fact, I wasn't even out of bed by the time that Mindy was leaving for school. She came to the side of the bed for a goodbye smooch and to see if I still wanted to swap cars for the day. Yes. She took the Accord so I could see about taking the boat in for winterization. Another 5-10 minutes passed before I finally rolled out of bed and headed downstairs for some exercise and coffee. The later start left me little time to do much else before walking Bella to the bus stop. I barely had any coffee in me when it was time to head out. I checked my phone. Got a text back from Denise sharing that my mom's surgery went fine. Was still at Adena.

It was sunny, cool, and breezy - only about 40 degrees. Chrissy was at the bus stop with Makayla. I must've looked really tired. Chrissy commented on my ragged/rugged look. Once the bus was there and gone I headed off with the pug, her first opportunity to relieve herself. I headed back inside where I spent about 30 minutes enjoying coffee and internet before heading out for a run. It had to be close to 9am.

I ran the planned three miles with ease. It was nice morning for a run. Back at the house I poured another cup of coffee then spent a little more time on my PC. I called Paul's Marine to see if I could bring the boat up for winterization. Unfortunately, they said they were booked solid through the end of the month. I went ahead and reserved a time for Saturday, November 3rd - winterization and oil change.

My plans included a trip to the hospital to see my mom. I called brother Tommy to see if he wanted to join me. We talked only briefly. He couldn't get away, needed to pick-up Wally after school. I called and left my dad a voice mail next, letting him know my intentions. I headed for a shower.

I'm thinking that it was near 11am when I cleared the shower. After my full ready I checked my phone. Had a missed call from dad. I called him back. This time he answered. Said he'd just passed the house and noticed that Mindy's car was there. I let him know that we swapped vehicles. I also let him know that my plan was to head down to Adena in Chillicothe to see mom. Asked if he wanted to join me. Yes. Said he'd circle back and ride down with me. He showed at the door not five minutes later. We hung out at the house for no more than 10 minutes before heading out.

We took 270S all the way around to 23 south. Once we got about a mile north of Scioto Downs traffic came to standstill and remained that way for about a mile or 15-20 minutes. They had two lanes merging into one for about a 200 yards so they could work on the berm. During the drive to Chillicothe, dad shared the details of his sister Ruth's weekend visit. He, Ruth, Kenny and Char all went to dinner Friday evening. They spent Saturday at a Central high school all class reunion bean dinner at Bolton Field. Took in a drive around the city afterwards.

Dad shared that cousin Elizabeth was back home living with Ruth, and he believes she's unemployed. Last I knew she had moved west, to New Mexico, I think, to be near her dad. Hope things work out for Elizabeth. Arrived at Adena somewhere just after 1230pm. We parked at the far extremity of the front lot and had one heck of a hike back to the main entrance. Had I thought it through, I would've dropped dad at the entrance and then parked. He commented a time or two about my pace. I must've been walking a little fast and the terrain was slightly uphill.

The young woman at the counter had to be 70 something. :) She gave me mom's room number and rough instruction how to get there. It was another decent hike through the hospital. She was in room 3NE-324. We found it without needing further assistance. I half expected her to be out cold or drugged to a point where she wouldn't be able to communicate. That wasn't the case. She was up and out of her bed sitting on the chair next to her bed. I didn't realize it at the time but it was a potty chair. Ronald was there and actually looked about as good as he has in several years.

Mom shared that she was feeling ill after eating, Not sure if she got sick or not before we arrived. Didn't seem to be feeling any pain, but later said that she was still on some medication to block the pain in her leg. I turned to take a photo then realized that she was in a backless gown with her rear end exposed. She didn't seem to care.

Ronald headed out for a smoke shortly after our arrival. While he was out several nurses/nurses aids came in for various causes. Let's see, there was a nurse, a social worker, and the rehab facility liaison. Ronald was back after about ten minutes but soon left for the day. Said he'd be back on Wednesday. Soon after Ronald left another nurse came in to go over knee exercises with mom. Dad and I left the room heading to the nearby restroom and then to a visitors lobby where I tuned the TV to ESPN and watched the past weekend's NFL highlights. After about ten minutes we headed back to her room.

We visited with mom until about 320pm. Mindy called just before we left for home. She asked me to invite my dad for dinner. Mom seemed a lot better off than I imagined, which was great to see. Getting back home didn't take nearly as long - no traffic snarls. I extended the dinner invite to dad. He accepted. I called Mindy back to let her know that he was planning to join us.

We had a busy evening planned, Not only did we need to get both kids to their extracurricular activities, but we agreed to watch the boys for Lindsey so she could attend Courtney's baby shower. Mindy was making inferno chicken. I'm thinking that we arrived home near 420pm.

Jacob needed to be at soccer practice by 530pm and Bella at gymnastics at 6pm. Mindy talked about taking both, dropping Jacob first then Bella. I suggested that I would take Jacob so she wouldn't have to wait at the gym for practice to start. Mindy seemed to like that idea. That was she could put the finishing touches on dinner ahead of taking Bella.

Dad hung out at the kitchen table talking with Mindy and the boys. I left to drop Jacob at soccer practice near 510pm. He wanted to leave even sooner. Mindy warned that traffic is always a bear getting to Spindler field near 5pm. She and Jacob both suggested I take Westbelt from Trabue to Roberts avoiding the long Trabue back-up as well as the long light at Roberts & Wilson. However, traffic was backed up to turn left on Trabue as soon as we turned out of our subdivision. I scrapped the Westbelt idea and opted to take Wilson to Roberts to Spindler. And while we had a lengthy wait for the light at Roberts, we still arrived at soccer practice with more than five minutes to spare. I was back home by 540pm.

As I was walking in, Mindy & Bella were heading out. Dad was there with the boys. I'm sure he was happy to hear me come in. The boys can be a bit overwhelming. They're not ill behaved, but full of energy and relentless - a bit much for a 77 year old. Mindy had dinner under control. Thankfully, I had no instructions I needed to follow in her brief absence. She was gone for about 25 minutes. And as soon as she was back dinner was served. In addition to the inferno chicken we had rolls, rice, and potato tots. As usual, Landon ate great and quickly asked for seconds. The boy can do some eating! Everything was good.

While I managed clean-up Mindy headed off to pick-up Jacob from soccer practice which ended at 7pm. While she was away, dad and I agreed to play a game of crazy eights with the boys. Just as we were starting the first game Mindy & Jacob got home. It was 710pm and already time to go after Bella. I wasn't sure if she was going to head there after picking up Jacob or if she wanted me to make the run. Turns out, she wanted me to make the run. I left almost immediately.

Didn't arrived until 728pm and by the time I walked inside Bella was already done and walking towards the gear room to gather her things. She asked if we could stop at DQ. No, you haven't had your dinner and it's waiting at home. She didn't complain. She did, however, ask that I change the station. I put the stereo on FM WNCI. That made her happy for the brief 10 minute drive home.

Lindsey was there to pick-up the boys when we pulled up at the house. She also texted a picture of Courtney and Kaileigh. First I've seen of Courtney in almost a year. Cute pic. Said the shower was nice. She and the boys were on their way out. Dad wasn't too far behind Lindsey. He thanked Mindy for dinner and me for taking him to see mom. Sure, I appreciated having someone to talk with. By the time the house returned to normal it was 8pm. Both kids finished their dinner while I got changed into my PJs.

We planned on watching the town hall presidential debate at 9pm. Before then I did some reading while Mindy played on Facebook. Mindy dispatched both kids to the shower shortly after they finished eating. I poured myself a Jack & Coke around 830pm. Yum! The debate started at 9pm. I like the concept - randomly selected, undecided voters asking questions of the candidates. But let's not be fooled. No matter the question, the candidates always steer the topic off course to suit their own agendas. That was the case this time, too. It's funny how they rarely if ever answer the exact question. They squabbled like children, and at times Mindy and I commented that they might come to blows. If nothing else, it was like watching a good SNL.

Without question, Obama was much more on top of his game in this debate and might very well have won, if there is such a thing. Mittens tripped over himself on a couple of issues. Finally, someone asked the question that I wanted asked, which went something like this. "You often cite Obama's failed policies over the last four years for putting us where we're at today, but most of this is carry over from GW Bush's policies. How are you different from GW Bush? Case and point, Mitten's blames Obama for losing 5 million jobs in the last 4 years. Need I remind anyone how bad off our economy was just before and after the last election? The banking and auto industry were both about to collapse, and mortgage foreclosures were at an all time high. The stock market plummeted to near 6900, or 50% of its August 2007 high. We were on a collision course with economic disaster well before Obama stepped in. Mittens seems to be banking on America's short term memory.

My opinion:

I find Mittens to be a very bright man with a strong business acumen, but I don't trust or believe that he's what our country needs. I also think he's out of touch with middle America.

As for Obama, I genuinely like him. But I think the job is far bigger, tougher than he ever imagined. I also think partisanship in congress has worked him over. That, of course, comes with the territory. He simply needs to do better. He's definitely no Bill Clinton, but I think he'll do much better in round two. Now, 2016 really concerns me.

Mindy and the kids were off to bed well before the debate ended. I fell asleep around 1035pm and didn't wake until almost midnight. I secured the home and headed up to bed.

Insulation Vacation

Out of habit, I woke at my usual work day rise time of 530am. However, I was on vacation, and it took only a few seconds to realize/remember that I didn't need to be up so early. I happily rolled over and went right back to sleep. A while later, I heard Mindy rise, shower and ready but managed to sleep through most of her noisy endeavor with relative ease.

I got out of bed, brushed my teeth, and headed downstairs to exercise, just like I would any other day, work day or not. It was almost 7am when I tucked my toes under the recliner and whipped out 50 sit-ups. After sit-ups I did 28 windmills: 7 forward then 7 in reverse with each arm. Push-ups were last. I did 50 of them. Mindy & Bella were downstairs a minute or two later. Bella had a buttered bagel for breakfast. Mindy left for school around 730am. Bella played on her Kindle while I played on my PC.

Curious, and probably out of habit, my instincts told me to check work email. I resisted, however, and spent my time playing. I reasoned that what good would come of me checking on work. The only thing that could happen would be for me to see something that would eat at me through the day and possibly even the week. I did some writing for my blog while checking out all of Sunday's football scores as well as reading about the Vikings loss to the Redskins.

Bella and I headed out at 810am. Kenny was at the bus stop with Makayla. It was a decent morning, partly cloudy and fairly warm - about 54 degrees. I was already dressed in my running clothes, my plan was to run minutes after seeing Bella onto the bus. The bus arrived on time. I headed home with the dog then quickly headed out the door for a run.

I made the decision to run only three miles each day during vacation just to give my legs a bit of rest. It was an easy run. By the time I rounded the last bend for home I ran past Kenny & Mike, who were installing garage coach lights at the O'Connell's. I greeted them as I ran past.

I didn't have much if any real plans for the day, though making some progress on the basement was high on my priority list when I scheduled the time off. I fooled around on the computer for another hour listening to music then headed to the basement. My goal was to tear off the foil backed insulation attached to the upper half of the basement walls, roll it up, and secure it with duct tape. The idea being to make the block walls frame- ready. I planned to the same thing with the many carpet remnants we used to carpet the playroom area.

The insulation came down easier than imagined. I folded the 4' wide sections in half foil side out then rolled them up and then used duct tape to keep it rolled tightly. By the time I finished, my work gloves were covered in fiberglass. I'm sure that I breathed some in too. I really need to buy some of those disposable masks for such tasks. Once the insulation was done I rolled up the carpet remnants in a similar fashion. The runs wider than 3', I sliced in half.

Once the carpet was rolled up and stacked, I swept the concrete floor as well as the block walls that have spent the last 20 years behind insulation. I then fetched my shop-vac and cleaned up the entire basement, including sucking up the cob webs on the ceiling duct work. I even vacuumed the steel ibeam. In total, I spent about 3 hours in the basement, the last 30 minutes surveying all the little nuances and hurdles that I'll need to overcome during framing. There are several: the gas pipe, the AC condenser line, the kitchen sink drain pipe, the security system wiring, the electric circuit for the sump pump, etc. There are others too, but you get the idea.

It was time for Jacob to get home from school in a hurry. Where does the time go? And it wasn't too much longer before Bella and Mindy were home. Mindy asked if I wanted to go out for dinner. Suggested Barley's. Nah, I wanted to stay in. She simply reheated the chili.

Hadn't heard a word about mom's knee surgery. And sadly, I wasn't even sure where it was to take place. Mindy suggested I phone my dad. She was certain he would know. I wasn't so sure about that, and never did call him.. Later, during MNF, I sent a text to brother Tommy and my mom's friend, Denise asking for any information. Tommy responded but didn't know anything.

The MNF game pitted the Broncos and Peyton Manning against the Chargers. The Broncos looked bad, mistake after mistake and trailed 24-0 at the half. I stayed up for the entire game, though I did beg off to my PC a couple of times to play. The 2nd half was a complete turnaround from the first thanks to both quarterbacks, Manning for masterfully driving his offense down the field three times for touchdowns, and then Phillip Rivers for throwing two pick 6s. The Broncos won 35-24. Game ended near midnight. I headed to bed.

Cleveland in my Rearview

 

I slept soundly waking somewhere just after 815am. The hotel bed was both soft and firm. The mattress enveloped in a thick pillow top cover. I went to sleep the night before thinking that I would wait until we got home to do my run. After all, the locals did a more than admirable job convincing me that it wasn't safe to run in and around the hotel neighborhood. However, while glancing out the hotel room window the thought of not running in the AM caused me consternation.

I told Mindy that I was gonna head down to the hotel gym and see if there were any treadmills available. I warned that quite often than not they're taken up by runner wannabes. I was still half asleep and unlike home, I didn't have the luxury of coffee ahead of a run. I didn't have the right attire for an inside run either. I packed for running outside and had a winter wicking shirt and my jacket. I opted to wear the fresh black t-shirt that I was going to wear home.

The fitness center is located on the fifth floor. Aside from me, there wasn't another soul present. They had some very nice equipment, including three top of line Precor treadmills. Nice! I tuned the onboard TV to ESPN without the benefit of earplugs. My vision was a little blurry for the somewhat small screen but it would do just fine. In the end, however, I wasn't there to watch TV. I was there to do my run.

I ran 3.25 miles in 29+ minutes. And while it felt a little cool at the outset, I was soaked through my black t-shirt by run's end. I toweled off with a complementary towel then headed back to the room. Mindy was already showered and dressed and just about ready to blow dry her hair. I watched a little TV while she finished her ready. Once she was finished I headed in for a much needed shower. By the time I was showered, dressed, packed and ready, it was just bout 10am. We planned to stop for breakfast along our drive home.

It was a gorgeous morning, the clouds parting, giving way to sunshine and warmth. We headed due west on Carnegie Ave all the way to Progressive Field. The 71S on ramp is right there. We were on the road for home in a jiffy. The kids called just as we entered the freeway. They were just getting ready to start the Sunday tournament game in Cincy.

We drove about 50 miles before we finally stopped at the Lodi Station Bob Evan's for breakfast. We hadn't eaten anything substantial since Saturday's Brew Kettle lunch. We both ordered the Farmer's Choice, three pancakes, two eggs, sausage or bacon and home fries. Mindy ordered a large OJ too. Service was quick and efficient and the food was decent. While paying our tab, I called the cashier by her first name. She responded by calling me Columbus since I had on a Columbus Brewing company shirt. Yep, first name's Christopher. Born in 1462, 30 years prior to sailing the ocean blue. She was quick, and shared that I was actually born in 1444 - 28 years of age when I sailed the ocean blue. Said she visited the spot where Columbus landed over the summer. Cool!

We left Bob's near 1115am with about 103 miles to go. The sky transitioned several times between thick clouds and sunshine. The entire time the wind was gusting big time causing lots of leaf fall. The kids called again sometime just after Mansfield. They were on their way home too. We arrived home a minute or two after 1pm. Our trip door to door was about 302 miles.

Lindsey left a note sharing that she didn't poop the evening before or that morning. Mindy and I walked Eiknarf minutes after arriving home. She was very excited to have us at home. She took care of business right away. Back at the house we unpacked in a hurry. Mindy was insistent on a quickie nap before the kids got home. It was something like 120pm. The kids pulled up at 145pm.

I tuned the family room TV to the Browns/Bengals game. Early on it looked like the Bengals might kick their ass. The kids weren't in the house long before running off to play with friends. Mindy quickly threw together a grocery list and headed off to Kroger. I took two or three naps from the comfort of the family room chair. I was paralyzed with the sleepies after a 150 miles drive and a belly full of Bob Evans.

I woke when Mindy got back from the grocery store. Can't recall the time, but I'm going to guess near 3-330pm.
We hoped the Vikings/Redskins game would be televised, but the local Fox channel opted to carry the Giants/49ers. Aside from the game we saw in Indy, we haven't seen any of the others, all victories. I guess that's what a 3-13 season will do for you.

I woke to help Mindy carry in the groceries. The Browns found a way to beat the Bengals to garner their first victory of the season. Prior, they had lost 11 straight games. I caught a glimpse of the Vikings/Redskins score early on. The Vikings kicked three field goals in the first quarter to lead 9-0. I didn't see another updated until halftime when it was 17-9 Redskins. I had a feeling we'd be kicking ourselves for not converting those field goals to touchdowns.

While I continued my nappy ways, Mindy whipped up some chili. Dinner was served around 630pm. In addition to the chili, Mindy whipped up some cornbread too. At my prompting, she added sugar and real corn kernels. Both were good. I took care of clean-up and by the time I finished it was darn near 7pm.

The Redskins scored right after halftime to take an even bigger lead. I considered my team's goose cooked right then. The Vikings, however, were determined to make a game of and kept scoring touchdowns. But it seemed that every time we scored, the Redskins would score again too. The Vikings were on the Redskins 1 yard line with a minute to go and trailing by 38-26. Fox joined the game in progress. Great, I got to see Ponder throw an interception on the goal line.

It was a lazy evening at home. Unlike a lot of Sunday evening's, I wasn't fretting the fleeting weekend. After all, I was on vacation. Other than a little work in the basement, and possibly taking the boat in for winterizing, I didn't have a whole lot planned. We tuned into SNF at 830pm - the Packers/Texans. The Packers took an early 14-0 lead and never looked back. So much for Texas' undefeated season. Mindy and the kids peeled off for bed around 930pm. I stayed up at least until 11pm.

Born to Synthesize

I slept as late as I wanted despite a stated goal of leaving town for Cleveland around 10am. I wasn't out of bed until roughly 745am. I could see that the sky was clear as I prepped a pot of coffee. While the coffee brewed I began organizing stuff for our trip. I set the ticket & hotel confirmation out on the island then placed my personal electronics there, too, which included my iTouch, camera, phone, and chargers. I washed my running clothes the night before. Figured I'd use/wear others for my Saturday run so I would have fresh stuff packed for the trip. I'm thinking that it was near 9am when I finally left for a run. I'd already given up on the idea of leaving by 10am. We didn't have to be anywhere at any particular time before the concert which wouldn't begin until 8pm.

It was about 44 degrees when I headed out the door. I opted for a light long sleeved wicking shirt, a jacket, and hand covers. I ran the usual 3 mile weekend trail. It was a pleasurable run with no discomfort. I can tell that my legs are finally releasing. Thank goodness!

Mindy was just out of the shower by the time I was back. I organized more stuff for our trip while she finished her ready. I brought up an empty growler along with the soft Jimindy cooler from the basement. We planned a stop for lunch at the Ohio Brew Kettle in Strongsville on our way into town. We planned to have our jug filled there. I also packed a hard cooler with water, soda and Gatorade.

Around 1015am I headed up for a shower. Before getting in the shower I sat out the few articles of clothing I'd be taking, including a swim suit, though i wasn't sure if the hotel had a pool. If they did, I'd be prepared. Was downstairs again around 1045am. Mindy packed some snacks and then left a note and pizza money for Lindsey & the boys. They were going to one of GD Kaileigh's cheering competitions before coming to the house.

I programmed my Droid navigation for The Brew Kettle. We hit the road around 1120am. We stopped and filled the gas tank at Thornton's then jumped on 270N. It was a lovely drive up 71N, the trees sporting lots of fall color. We stopped at the Frederickstown exit to pee. I believe that's one exit south of Snow Trails. Strongsville is a Cleveland suburb that straddles the I-80 corridor right off of 71. We had one minor problem finding the Brew Kettle. The navigation system took us to their production works, an off-site brewery a couple miles away from the pub in a warehouse complex. I had a sneaking suspicion it was leading us astray. We corrected the error in all of about 5 minutes and arrived at the actual brewpub a few minutes later.

As one friend told us a month or so ago, the pub itself is nothing to look at, especially from the outside. It sits in a small strip mall that's straight out of the 70's. I took Mindy's photo outside. Inside, I headed for the john and then towards the rear just to take a look around while Mindy snatched us a couple stools at the bar. It's bigger inside than it appears from the exterior. In the back is where they have the home brewing. It was packed with patrons either brewing or bottling their recipes. I snapped a couple photos then returned to the main pub.

There we met Paul, the bartender. He was friendly sharing a little bit about their beer. They had about 30 different beers on tap, including six or seven of their own. I noticed they had CBC IPA. I just happened to be wearing my CBC shirt. I got a couple thumbs up for their brew from passing patrons. Mindy and I both ordered White Rajah fresh off the tower. MMMMM, good! I saw they had some Three Floyds. I asked if they had Bubble Gum Head. Nope, but they routinely get it in, according to Paul. He also shared that as difficult as it is to find White Rajah in Columbus, it's nearly as difficult there locally. Fear not, however, said they're in the process of expanding their capacity to better meet the demand for White Rajah.

We wanted to order some food. We were both really hungry. The menu was vast. Paul highly recommended their wings. Why not? We opted for the wings and an order of deep fried green beans, something we get in Yellow Springs, too. While our food was being prepped, we walked back to the home brewing area again. I bought Mindy a t-shirt and then two pint glasses. We chatted with the guy working the counter for a while. He said CBC IPA is one of his all time favorite beers. Paul came back to tell us that our food was ready.

The wings were indeed something. First, they were very big, the whole wing/leg combo. They were dry rubbed and smoked. I would give them a 9-9.5. They came served with four different sauces. All were tasty and different than what we're used to at home. The deep fried green beans were good too. We met a few nice folks, one, an older couple there brewing beer. Mindy later said she thinks they were from Akron. They travel all around visiting brew pubs. Lots of cool stories.

We wanted to get a growler of Rajah for the road. We gave Paul the sad face when he shared that they had just ran out of growlers. Fear not, we had the one from home. As much as we wanted a Brew Kettle growler to add to our collection, we were happy to get some fresh White Rajah. I went to the Accord to fetch our growler. Paul filled it to the brim. Mindy decided she wanted a piece of pie. She went with their pumpkin chiffon. A gentleman sitting near us at the bar, who I now think works there, came back to the bar and shared that he found one more box of growlers back in the home brew area. Cool. We paid for an empty growler.

I'm thinking it was near 3pm when we settled our tab and hit the road for downtown Cleveland. While Mindy hot the john, I snapped a photo of a threesome dressed in Ghost Buster costumes, about as authentic as you can find. They were happy to be photo's, and then shared that I should see their car. I went out to the lot to check it out. It was a Mini Cooper decked out in full Ghost Buster equipment. Cool! I showed Mindy when she came out too.

According to the Droid, it was another 22 miles to our hotel in east downtown Cleveland. Just as the weather forecast predicted, the sunny day faded to clouds as the afternoon faded into early evening in downtown Cleveland. It appeared we were driving through a seedy part of town, our hotel located near the Case Western Reserve campus, just a block from the Cleveland Art museum. The area in and around the Double Tree Tudor Arms was primarily occupied by the Cleveland Clinic. No exaggeration, they must have 20 buildings in the immediate area.

We found the hotel with little trouble. Mindy rolled down the window to ask about parking. The valet parkers directed us to the self park area. The hotel is and old castle-like structure and as ornate on the inside as it is on the exterior. Very cool! Right away, Mindy picked up on the wedding reception sign in the lobby that announced the wedding of Mike & Christopher. The lady working the front desk offered that we should pay a visit to the 2nd floor and check out the reception decor at some point. She asked our preference for floors. We opted for an upper floor. She gave us floor ten of eleven. We headed up to our room now almost 4pm.

The room was well appointed - small - but nice, and certainly enough room for the two of us. We took a few minutes to get settled and oriented. Mindy Googled the Cleveland museum of art only to learn that it was closed on Saturday. Too bad. But even if it was opened, the regular closing time is 5pm. We wouldn't have had anytime to browse anyway. Mindy suggested we pour ourselves a Rajah then head down to the wedding reception. And that's exactly what we did. I felt awkward but followed Mindy to the 2nd floor reception ballroom. It was even more ornate than the lobby. Either Mike or Christopher is a florist. His shop did all the flowers. The theme color was yellow. Looked very nice. But then again, most gay men have a flair for decorating.

We met one of the grooms sisters then one of the grooms mom. They were all very nice and very sociable. Welcomed us to look around. While visiting for a few Mike & Christopher showed up. We met them too. I didn't want to wear out our welcome. I told Mindy that we needed to go. I sensed she was trying to score us an invite to the reception. Can you saw awkward! We finally headed back to our 10th floor room where we tuned into college football. I eventually plopped down on the very comfy, very soft king sized bed. I may have dosed off for a few minutes but for the most part stayed awake watching football - Notre Dame and Stanford.

Near 620pm I leaped from bed and shared that it was time to ready for the concert. By then Mindy was snuggled up in the bed. She quickly followed my lead and redid herself for the concert. Mindy called the front desk inquiring about the free hotel shuttle service. The Agora was only 2.2 miles to the west. The front desk cited only a 2 mile radius. They wouldn't cave. Said they'd be happy to call us a cab, though. By the time we headed to the lobby it was raining and at a pretty good clip (of course!). Mindy went to the front desk and asked for a cab.

She found it comical that Sam at the front desk was calling Cleveland Johnnie, the same car guy we used some 16 months prior during our last overnight Cleveland stay. Said he'd be by in 7 minutes. I chose to wait just outside the door despite the rain under the large overhang. I didn't want someone else to snag our car, as there were many others awaiting cabs/cars too. Long story short, he never showed. More than 20 minutes passed and several other cabs showed up picking up others.

It was now 720pm. Mindy went to talk to Sam at the front desk. I headed back inside to see what was up. Sam got Carlos, an employee of the hotel to give us a ride to the venue. Said he'd pull his car around - a red Pontiac Vibe. Carlos was a friendly guy. Moved to Cleveland from NYC about a year ago. Told us all about the area. Said you don't want to be walking the streets in and around the hotel - dangerous. Went on to tell us about a recent YouTube video of a Cleveland bus driver upper cutting a drunk woman on his bus. Apparently she had it coming, causing all sorts of problems. Said it's gone viral. Carlos dropped right at the door of the Agora. He wanted no money. Mindy gave him a $10 tip.
Figuring out the will-call arrangement was a bit misleading. While we sought out the end of the line, we saw our Columbus friend and CBC bartender Kevin drive by and wave. Soon we were inside complete with 'drinking wrist bands'. Much like the Columbus Agora (aka Newport), the venue appears run down - unkempt, and certainly not on par with some of the more prominent theatres in downtown CMH like the Southern, Ohio, or Palace. We headed to the bar where the scant beer selection left me drinking a Heineken. Mindy opted for a Diet Coke. I checked out the make-shift t-shirt stand before heading to our seats. The commemorable t-shirts were very plain-jane yet still asking a whopping $35.

We headed to our seats in balcony #1. A flight or two of the stairway leading up had the carpet removed. The carpet that remained has definitely seem its better days. I laughed to myself thinking that it's been barfed on more than a few dozen times. Out seats were just right of the center section row 'F' seats 9 and 10, or 3 in from the end. For my money almost ideal. When we first entered the venue they had Rundgren's, Initiation side 2 playing over the sound system - nice! By the time we found our seats they were playing routine 70s pop.

Much like the commemorative t-shirts, the stage set-up was minimalistic. In fact, looked similar to what you might expect to find at one of your buddies garage band shows. Before the show began, I slipped off to the restroom, which was just down the stairs and around the corner. I'm thinking that the show started around 815pm. Aside from Todd, I recognized only one other, Kasim Sulton on bass.

Todd played a vast assortment of his tunes, all seemingly off the cuff. He threw in a number of political jabs aimed at Mittens and then some tongue and cheek country stuff, including Patches, and then a song from Bonanza's Lauren Green, about guns. The show wasn't without a technical problems, either. They blew the sound system twice, once a bar or two into Hello It's Me. It was perhaps the most interactive show I've seen him do. Lots of funny banter.

I felt the whole time as if we were sitting in on an informal studio jam session, which was pretty cool. Thinking back to my very first Todd concert, it occurred to me that I've essentially grown up with Todd Rundgren. He's changed and so have I, but somehow we've managed to stay connected. During one of the encore's he played Born to Synthesize in bluesy/jazzy beat and without any special effects - a completely different song without the benefit of knowing the original. I can easily think of 10 more songs I wish he would've played, but in the end I very much enjoyed the show, and that's what really matters.

I should also mention that of all the Todd shows I've seen through the years, this was the first time that he didn't play lead guitar. In addition to playing rhythm guitar, he sat for most of the show. I guess he's getting old like the rest of us - 64 years. Without the benefit of conversation, I could tell that Mindy was enjoying the show, too. Imagine that, Todd, endearing himself to yet another new fan. We exited the theatre with smiles on our face and Todd's music still dancing in our heads. After 32+ years it's still alive and well.

Our attention immediately turned to a safe return to DoubleTree. stood just outside the Agora for a while hoping several cabs would pull up, but when none did we asked two of Cleveland's finest standing next to us monitoring the easy going crowd. They assured us that we'd have to call for a cab. Furthermore, they reiterated how unsafe the area is between the Agora and our hotel. Told us that we shouldn't take the bus either. Yikes!

While Mindy Googled Cleveland cab companies, I simply dialed 444-4444 thinking that would get me the Yellow cab company. It worked. I got the cab company. They only problem was it was the Columbus Yellow cab company. Silly me, I didn't consider dialing the Cleveland area code. By then Mindy found a couple cab companies via Google. She quizzed the cops of their reliability. They gave their thumbs up. Mindy called and ordered a cab. Once again, they didn't ask our name or destination. And like the hotel earlier, there were others waiting on cabs too. Several pulled up and each one I asked if they were there for us. No! I wondered how they could possibly know.

The crowd thinned in a hurry, but as long as the Agora remained opened and those two cops were close by, I felt somewhat safe. Just like earlier, our cab never showed - repeat theme in Cleveland. In fact, I read a couple reviews on Google while waiting that espoused the same sentiment. Mindy eventually caved and called Sam back at our hotel. He assured Mindy that he would get a cab to us. Not even a minute after Mindy's call to Sam, an ABC cab that pulled up earlier but took another couple west to downtown, came back for us. He asked us to get in then and then shared that he wasn't going to leave us there. Cool! He drove us back to our hotel just 2.2 miles east.

The fare was a whopping $9. I gave him a $20 and told him to keep the change. We were never more thrilled to be back safely at our hotel.

We were both hungry and after walking past the desk thanking Sam for his kindness, we headed into the hotel restaurant/bar. But as we suspected, the restaurant kitchen was closed for the night, bar only. Crap! We headed back to the room to scope out the room service menu. I poured a White Rajah while Mindy scoured the menu. Damn! Room service ends at 10pm too. I suggested we order a pizza, but that didn't fancy Mindy. She was ready to go to bed. I ate a few of the rod pretzels we brought from home and then the once warm chocolate chip cookie that the DoubleTree is infamous for. I washed it down with the Rajah.

The first went down fast. I poured a 2nd then got comfy in the bed all the while watching the end of the South Carolina/LSU football game. More importantly, we kept a close eye on the Buckeye score rolling across the bottom of the screen. They held a lead but every time we would score Indian would score, too. We bounced between the start of SNL and ESPN until the Buckeye game went final. We won 52-49. Can't recall the last time we gave up so many points.

Surprisingly, I managed to stay awake through all of SNL. But more surprisingly, so did Mindy. In seven+ years that might be a first. I think she wanted me. :)

Sunshine Daydream

Obliterating what should now be considered habit, I was up and out of bed near 525am. It was Friday and my last day of work until October 22nd. That felt really nice and served as motivation for the entire work day. Downstairs in a jiffy, I completed the usual Friday calisthenics. Outside it was cloudy and 44 degrees, or almost 10 degrees warmer than the morning before. A heat wave so to speak. I checked the weekend weather forecast, which for Columbus looked awesome, partly to mostly sunny with highs in the 70s. I checked the forecast for Cleveland, too, since that's where we'd be spending the lion's share of our weekend. Glad I checked. It wasn't expected to be quite so nice up there. Expecting wind & rain Saturday evening with temps at least 10 degrees cooler. Yikes!

I woke Mindy just after 605am then returned to the computer but left myself plenty of time to meditate and stretch ahead of a run. I headed out the door at 636am. And while it was considerably warmer than the past few mornings, there was a chilly breeze blowing in from the N/NE, which is somewhat unusual. I ran the full 4.1 miles without any pain though my legs not feeling as lively as perhaps I would like. The past couple of days I took Ibuprofen or Naproxin. That always makes a difference.

I glanced at the clock as soon as I was back from my run. It was 719am. Bella was at the breakfast table and Mindy was toting school stuff out to the Pilot. I leashed up the pug and headed out for our walk. Mindy met up with us on the bridge across the street from the house. After a quick hug she was off to school. I microwaved my eggs for 12 seconds then enjoyed them along with some watermelon and strawberries. Headed for a shower near 740am.

I wore jeans and a black button-up casual dress shirt. I left it untucked. Man, am I cool, or what? I packed only a banana and some nuts. Thought I might slip home for lunch and cut the lawn, time and weather permitting. Bella and I headed out to the bus stop at 810am where we met Chrissy & Makayla. Shared that Mindy and I would be leaving Saturday morning for Cleveland and wouldn't be home until Sunday afternoon. Went on to share that Lindsey and the boys would be staying at our house while we were away.

The bus arrived on time, or maybe even a few minutes early. I let Eiknarf walk out front a few more minutes enabling her to pee and second time. I left for work near 835am arriving about 15 minutes later. As usual, the lot was populated to a lesser degree than any other day work day.

I added to an already constructed to-do list, then jumped right in. Thankfully, there wasn't anything pressing to divert my attention away from my proactive to-do list. I stayed busy until a scheduled call at 11am. I was the only one who joined. I remained on the bridge for 20 minutes or so in a muted mode all the while tackling other tasks from my list. I looked up at 1120a and realized the bridge was still engaged. Oops! I terminated the call.

I chatted briefly with my boss. Other than he and I, there weren't too many others in the office on our floor. I kept plugging away at my to-do list until 230pm. By then I had everything taken care of. The only task that remained was the 430pm call that a peer scheduled. Oh boy! At 255pm I crafted my vacation out of office message and set it to kick in right at 5pm. I then recorded an out of office message on my desk phone then packed and left for home. I planned to spend the next 60-90 minutes taking care of my lawn chores before joining that 430pm call from home.

I arrived home near 310pm. The weather was ideal - about 57 degrees and sunny. The grass growth has slowed significantly over the last week thanks in no small part to the three nights in the low to mid 30s. It still needed cut, however. Jacob was already home from school and practicing saxophone in the family room. He kept playing while I changed into my running clothes. I quickly headed out to the shed and pulled out both mowers, the tractor and push. I did the tractor piece first.

I decided to set the mowing deck to 3" instead of the usual 3.5". There was a fairly thick blanket of leaves out back, but they were dry so I was able to mulch them as I mowed. I finished the tractor piece in about 35 minutes. I checked my Blackberry before doing the push piece. I missed a call from an account manager. Sure enough, he sent me an email too. Really? It's late Friday afternoon and I was just about to be in vacation mode. I decided to finish the lawn before calling him back. Finished the push mowing in less than fifteen minutes. By then Mindy and Bella were both home. I took a couple minute break from the deck where I chatted briefly with Mindy then returned that work call. His ask was rather trivial, something I considered low priority. I still had 20 minutes before my call. I decided to do the blower piece. Finished that in 10 minutes or less. At 420pm I headed in to my make shift work station and joined the call 5 minutes early.
The other two participants didn't join until just after 430pm. The topic was somewhat benign but I played along to keep them both happy. They were both sending emails back and forth throughout the call. Our call went past 5pm, the time I set my out of office to kick on. One of them commented that they received my out of office. Yep. They're both in Chicago, which is in the central time zone.

We ended the call at 505pm, and as soon as it was over I considered myself on vacation, though I double checked my work emails to make sure I wasn't leaving anybody hanging. Nope! Mindy asked what our evening plans entailed. She expressed a desire to visit CBC. We hadn't been there together for 3 weeks, or when they told us that they'd be out of Bodhi for two weeks. We were expecting Jimaken to pick-up the kids near 6pm. They'd be heading to Cincinnati for Jacob's soccer tournament and would be there through Sunday.

Mindy had both kids tidy up their rooms before Jimaken arrived. Jacob gave his mom the most crap. Not sure why. It was clear that he didn't put forth any effort to get his room in the order we've come to expect. While the kids did that I wrote in my blog. Jimaken showed at 6pm sharp. After goodbye hugs the kids were off. They were excited to be over nighting in Cincy. I suggested they do the Newport aquarium in their spare time, though I didn't get the impression that either of the kids were too interested.

As soon as the kids were gone, Mindy headed upstairs to change into attire more fitting for a night out on the town. I headed up about 30 minutes later, or near 630pm to freshen up and change clothes, too. As it was, I was still in my running clothes from mowing. I told Mindy that I was OK going to CBC but that my preference was Barley's. We agreed to do CBC then stop at Barley's on the way home. We left for CBC near 645pm. We hit some traffic as we neared downtown but it didn't take too long to navigate our way off at the Front St exit. We arrived somewhere close to 7pm.

At the time of our arrival the bar and restaurant were both packed in pretty good. Once again we ran into Dave Goldstein, one of Jimaken's old attorney friends. He was there with his wife and in-laws having dinner .He joked that he and Amy were heading to Boston over the weekend and that his goal was to be her "bitch' for the weekend - do whatever she wanted. Mindy and I soon were seated at the bar where Vince quickly poured both of us a Bodhi. Kevin was there and tending bar, too. We shared that we'd likely see him at the Rundgren show Saturday night in Cleveland. We talked about it a month or so prior. In fact, he's the one that let me know about the show.

Vince fetched us some bread and risotto balls without us even asking. Awesome service! They were light and delicious. Between the snacking I did from home, the beer and risotto balls, I wasn't hungry for dinner at all. Mindy was somewhere in between. But when push came to shove, she opted for only the soup of the day, which was some chicken bisque type recipe. I enjoyed a 2nd Bodhi. Mindy had just the one and then went with water from then on. Vince gave her another half pint anyhow. :)

I'm thinking that it was 830-845pm when we asked for our check and left for Barley's. For some reason, Vince charged me for 3 Bodhi's. Said he'd get me next time. That's cool. He didn't charge us for the risotto balls or bread. Mindy tipped him well. I was fine and drove to Barley's arriving around 9pm. Unless I am mistaken, I don't think there were many regulars on hand, though Grandpa Tom & Steve were there. I ordered a Fat Head's Sunshine DayDream. Once settled, I sent Bob I. and Darwin a text inviting them to join us.

About halfway through my Daydream I decided I'd better eat. I ordered a brisket quesadilla. It was big and tasty, but I could eat only half. I ordered a 2nd beer, this time a Centennial. We didn't stay out too late. I'm thinking it was about 1045pm when we asked for our tab. I picked up this one. It wasn't too much. Just before we headed out I checked my phone. Bob I. responded that he was at the Woodlands to see a local band. Invited us up. Mindy would have none of it but offered to drop me there. No thanks. Truth be told, I was tired and didn't want to be out too late ahead of our drive to Cleveland the next morning. We were at home and in bed by 1115pm.

34 Degrees of Separation

I was out of bed somewhere close to 540am after a restful night of sleep. Downstairs I glanced out back at the clear skies and quarter moon. Looked cold and it was. After exercises I saw that it was only 34 degrees. It was Thursday so I did sit-ups, windmills, and curls. Headed upstairs with Mindy's coffee near 605am. She asked that I turn the heat up to 70 degrees, which was something I had already taken care of. I turned the ceiling fan off when I first got out of bed.

Back downstairs I enjoyed coffee and internet until just after 620am. I was in a lot better frame of mind than I was on Wednesday morning. Wasn't stressing over work. Dressed warm again, this time going after my thickest winter running shirt and new light jacket. For the first time all season, I added ear muffs, too. I didn't get out the door until 647am. And between it being late as well as so clear, I could already see daybreak on the horizon.

I was comfortable through the entire 4.1 mile run. While running, I remembered it was Kidney Foundation day. We had it all just inside the overhead garage door ready to moved just the other side. I planned to take care of that as soon as I was back at home. I didn't even bother heading inside. I raised the garage door using the code and moved everything into position. Mindy left for school just as I finished.

I walked Eiknarf next. Took about ten minutes door to door. Headed inside where I enjoyed the cheesy scrambled eggs Mindy had waiting for me. There was a fresh fruit tray too with watermelon, strawberries, and blackberries. I've never been a blackberry fan at all. I ate plenty of the others.

Bella was fooling around on her laptop when I headed upstairs for my shower. Didn't take me too long. I was back downstairs to ready my lunch and head out to the bus stop around 8am. We headed out together at 810am. I asked Bella to guide the pug while I started the Accord. It was still quite chilly but also pretty. Wasn't a cloud in the sky. I took a couple photos.

Chrissy was at the bus stop and commented about me wearing jeans. Declaring it jean day! The bus was a few minutes early. Even after letting Eiknarf stay out long enough to pee again, we were still back inside by 822am. I loaded and started the dishwasher then headed off to work. I had a 9am call to lead and didn't want to be rushed. I'm thinking I left the house at 830am sharp.

It was 855am by the time I was in my office and logged onto my laptop. The 9am call went well, and probably no more than 10 minutes. I had to join another call at 930am. That one was a bit more involved but went reasonably well too. Once those two calls were behind me I was able to focus all my attention to monthly reports. I worked straight through the day, though I took a few breaks to stretch my back using an old t-shirt. I ate my packed lunch while working.

Not wanting to feel too much pressure on Friday ahead of a week's vacation, I took care of as many things as I could Thursday afternoon. I was actually surprised at how many tasks I squeezed into my afternoon. I even prepped my timesheets for this week and next to minimize the time I'd have to spend on administrative tasks. I sent emails to my customer base as well, letting them know I'd be out all of next week and then who my back-up was.

I left for home around 515pm. Called Mindy once I neared the second roundabout, where there's a better cellular signal. We didn't talk for long. She was prepping dinner while also getting ready to take Bella to gymnastics. Meanwhile, I refused to tune into the last couple innings of game 5 of the Reds/Giants. Last I heard they were behind by 3 runs. What an epic collapse!

Mindy and Bella were already gone when I pulled up at home. I quickly readied Friday's coffee and rinsed my lunch containers. I played round online for a few minutes before Mindy got back and put the finishing touches on our spaghetti and meatballs dinner. For the first time in a while I had a glass of milk with dinner. I couldn't eat the last bit of spaghetti on my plate. Mindy took my leftovers. Jacob headed off to play with friends right after dinner. I managed clean-up while Mindy did some school work at her laptop. She double checked to make sure that I was going after Bella. 710pm came around fast. I wasn't quite done cleaning up the kitchen, but hurried through the last few steps. I didn't want to leave it for my return. Left the house at 715pm.

Still made good time. Decided to listen to Spa on XM still avoiding any word on the Reds outcome. Arrived at the gym at 727pm. It was already pitch dark. Arrived in time to see Bella do a back flip from the double mini. She came running to depart immediately after. Asked if we could stop at Wendy's. Told her no, we've got a spaghetti dinner waiting for you at home. Decided it was time to catch the Reds final They lost 6-4. Done! Too bad.

At Bella's request, I switched the car stereo to FM WNCI. She sang along to the next two songs. Made me smile. Arrived home by 742pm. Mindy was still busy with the school work. As soon as I was downstairs from changing, Bella asked that I warm her spaghetti and meatballs. I happily did the deed. While Mindy worked and Bella ate, I tuned into Thursday Night football on the NFL network pregame. I turned the volume low so I could read at the same time. I read about 5 or 6 pages of Subliminal. Interesting chapter, discussing the roots of our unconscious emotions. Most people, no matter their ethnic origin, and even those isolated from all others as well as technology express sadness, happiness, fright, pleasure, etc. with the same body language. Never gave it much thought before.

The NFL game featured the Steelers/Titans. Even though the game was in Nashville, the Steelers were favored. The Titans scored first but then the Steelers quickly took the lead. Mindy headed to bed at 915p and offered that we could watch the game from bed. I declined, desiring some quiet sofa time. Bella stayed up for a while longer too. I sent her to bed at 930pm. I think the Titans took the lead just before I fell asleep on the sofa. As I often do, I woke close to 10pm sharp and headed for bed. Mindy was already asleep.

Winning, Chiptole & Hubble

Somewhat out of character, I tossed and turned during the night and had a difficult time sleeping after say, 3am. I woke stressing over a work issue. I stayed in bed as long as I could without jeopardizing my routine. I pulled myself from bed around 550am. The room was too chilly for me. I turned the ceiling fan off on my way downstairs. I could tell right away that this was going to be one of those days where I’d be tired all day long.

I whizzed through sit-ups, windmills and curls. I was out of breath after push-ups. They take a lot of out me, especially when I’m tired. I felt a bit more awake though. It was already after 6am. Before enjoying any coffee of my own, I headed upstairs to deliver Mindy’s. I startled her when I woke her, which is highly unusual. Her alarm didn’t go off. She thought she overslept. She asked me to bump up the heat but I already had.

I headed back downstairs to enjoy some coffee and internet. Ended up playing around online for about 20 minutes. And by the way, this was my first extended sit in my new leather office chair. Nice and comfy! In fact, so comfy that it was hard to peel away. Tick-tick.

I somewhat hurriedly did a meditation and stretch so not to get too far behind in my routine. Getting out the door for my run before 650am wasn’t going to happen. It was only 37 degrees and partly cloudy. Jacob came down dressed in shorts and a t-shirt with his light weight jacket. I warned him of the chilly temps. What’s more, his class was headed to Darby Creek on a field trip that afternoon. They’d be ‘creeking’ (actually in the water). I suggested he take long sweat pants and a hoodie in his back pack. Nope. He said he didn’t want to. OK Jacob (bozo). I left for my run at 650am.

As I completed my warm-up lap, a peer of Jacob’s was waiting at the bus stop. He asked me if Jacob was ill. As I ran by I shared that he should be on his way out any second. I ran the full 4.1 miles and was comfortable throughout. It gets any colder I’m gonna have to don my ear muffs. By the time I completed my run and was back at home Mindy was already gone. I thought that might happen. It was just after 730am.
Bella helped me get the pug out the door. We headed across the street on a brief but fruitful walk. I zapped my eggs for 12 seconds in microwave. Bella took care of feeding the pug. By the time I finished my breakfast and sat out a few items for my lunch, it was already 750am. I hustled off to the shower. By the time I put the finishing touches on my ready, Bella was hollering up that it was almost time to go. Can anyone say role reversal?

Bella and I headed out at 810am. Chrissy was out with Makayla. Said she’d be taking Makayla to the doctor to have her burn checked out that afternoon. Not sure about letting her playing soccer despite Makayla wanting to. The bus was on time, and perhaps even a few minutes early. I let Eiknarf hang outside a while longer before heading to make last minute preparations.

It was Wednesday and monthly service review day for one of my customer’s in New Albany. I made sure I had all the necessary electronics and peripherals then headed out just ahead of 830am. I made good time getting across town. No traffic snarls. I was in the customer’s lot by 850am.

Took a while to get situated and logged on. I was a little surprised when my boss and a peer showed up. I knew they were planning to sit in on the presentation but expected them a bit later. Turns out, they had a meeting set up with one of the directors. We talked for a good 45 minutes or up until 10am, the start of their other meeting.
I had my usual 10am call but with a 15 minute delay due to a planned fire drill. However, the fire drill got postponed until the following day. The call was brief and efficient. The customer asked if we could push the monthly service review meeting out from 11am until 2pm to facilitate a special lunch meeting they were having for a peer who was leaving the company. Sure.

I used the time between then and 2pm to work on yet another monthly report for another customer. For the next 3+ hours I did some serious data crunching. Made significant progress. I decided to postpone eating my packed lunch until after the service review presentation. Those that know my work habits know that that is typical of me. The monthly service review meeting went even better than expected. Received lots of accolades for the quality of the report. I like hearing that.

It was already 3pm by the time I was back at my desk. I ate my packed veggies, cheese and fruit all the while continuing with my work. 5pm came around in a hurry. Took me another 15 minutes to wrap up what I was doing and pack for home. I called Mindy as soon as I was on the Accord. I remembered Jacob had a soccer game but I wasn’t certain where and what time.

Mindy was already on her way to the soccer game since Jacob needed to be there 30 minutes early. The game was at Spindler field, their home field and at 6pm. It was chilly – only about 52 degrees with a few scattered clouds and a brisk breeze. I made excellent time barreling around 270 with only a brief traffic snarl near the Cemetery Rd exit. I arrived at Spindler field near 545pm.

Mindy & Bella were already set up and bundled warmly. I already knew it was breezy but it’s always a while lot breezier at the soccer field. They didn’t have a chair set-up for me, but I didn’t really want to sit. In fact, I wanted to nap. The drive made me overwhelmingly sleepy. I begged off to the Pilot, which was parked within easy eyeshot of the game. Mindy said she was cold too, and came with me. Bella came running too. They hung out with me in the Pilot until just after the game started. While conversing, they shared that they saw a ground hog on the deck eating our sweet potato vine again. Said Jacob wanted to go out after it but Mindy insisted he not for fear of rabies. Damn, just when I thought I eradicated our yard of that pesky critter. A couple minutes after she headed back to their camp chairs on the sideline I managed to get a few winks. I’ll bet I didn’t sleep any more than 5-10 minutes, but it was enough and exactly what the doctor ordered.

I rejoined Mindy and Bella on the sideline. But no sooner had I walked up when the referee blew the halftime whistle. All three of us headed back to the Pilot. Both Bella and Mindy went on about how hungry they were. Mindy suggested we get Chipotle on the way home. Bella suggested I leave to get it right then and meet them at home. I was game. Mindy wrote the family order on a piece of paper and I was soon on my way. You can’t go to Chipotle without everybody’s order written down.

Chipotle is located across the street from the Hilliard-Rome Rd Target. I haven’t been to that one in a few years. In fact, I think the last time was when Mindy flew to DC to see her friend Tara’s sister before she passed of breast cancer. There was a small line but they served me as soon as I stepped up the line. Most of the help has trouble speaking English and as a result are difficult to understand. And because Chipotle build your order in assembly line fashion in front of your eyes, it’s always difficult when you have multiple burritos orders. At the same time, multiple people are asking what you want on the burritos. I was very matter of fact and succinct in my instruction. They seem to appreciate the clarity. When it was all said and done I’d dropped $28 (two burritos, two burrito bowls, two chips, two salsas, one guacamole). I carefully placed the bag on the front floor board, remember that the last time the salsa containers exploded in the bag and everything fell out when I lifted it at home. I’ve talked to others that same thing happened to as well. They should really put the salsa in a separate small bag. Thankfully, no such problems this time.

Save for snagging a few chips on the drive home, I left the bag untouched on the island until Mindy and the kids were home. I’m guessing I had about 20 minutes. During that time I rinsed my lunch containers, prepped Thursday’s coffee, and changed out of my work clothes and into my PJs. I surveyed the ground hog damage to our sweet potato vines. Pretty much decimated the vine in the tomato pot.

Mindy and the kids were home by 735pm. After both kids put their stuff away we sat for dinner. Bella’s burrito was comparatively small given that she only wanted chicken and cheese. It’s not like they’ll double up on the meat if you pass on the ten other ingredients. Even still, she couldn’t finish barely half of it, and gave what remained to Jacob, who quickly polished off his burrito bowl. Mindy polished off hers too. Me, I ate about 3/4s of my burrito then stashed what remained in the fridge for another day. Jacob, keep away!

By the way, the Reds lost again on Wednesday. Now the best of 5 playoff is tied at 2 games each. Thursday’s game will be for all the marbles! After dinner I tuned into the Science Channel watching a program about the Earth’s magnetic field and how over extended periods of time it’s prone to change, throwing off our sense of directions and what not. Interesting. That was over at 8pm, but another episode immediately after. This one concerned the big bang and an ever expanding universe and how it first came about in the astronomical community. Major credit is given to Edwin Hubble, perhaps more widely known in our current day for the space telescope named in his honor - the Hubble space telescope. He discovered and proved that the universe was expanding, and expanding even faster at its outer edges. From this he deduced then that if it’s ever expanding, it must have begun from a finite point. I eat this stuff up!

Come 835pm, Mindy headed up to read from bed. She insisted the kids be in bed by 9pm. Jacob headed up right then, too. He needed a shower. It wasn’t long before I fell asleep on the sofa while watching the Science Channel. I woke a time or two hearing Bella poking away at her laptop, but didn’t wake and head to bed until 1005pm. Of course, Mindy was already out cold when I slipped into bed. Good night moon!