Story 24May2022

This morning started at 6:15, with my alarm waking me from sleep. After that, it was a hard start, and I managed to rise to the occasion, looking much like Dracula. Tuesday is a rushed morning as I have an 8AM meeting, and I plan to do it from the office. This means jumping into the shower from the bed without first making and drinking coffee (gasp).

By the way, I still use Utterly Smooth with 2% Urea cream (that is cow pee) to help my hands and feet. Although I don’t know if it really works, my oncologist was happy I was still using it and rubbing the cream into my toes and fingers every day. I drop things now as my fingers are so smooth, yes, utterly smooth.

Next, I selected the red t-shirt with the battery symbol that nobody gets at work (it celebrates the 2032 coin cell used in many DIY projects). I could not wear it yesterday as I was going to a Star Trek movie.

I got to work just about 8ish after eating a banana and peanut butter toast with fresh liberal coffee at home. Yes, I am still drinking Fair Trade coffee, and it reminds me every day about all the good liberal causes. At Glenda’s (Susie’s Aunt) urging, I ordered a case direct from the vendor’s store in Portland and not from Amazon.

To continue with the narrative, I got a conference room–you can “invite” a conference room at the shoe company to your meeting to reserve it (if it “accepts,” it is your room). I hate to be that guy talking on Zoom in a room full of other people working on their laptops or having Zoom meetings. So instead, I find a conference room to be polite and to hear better. I can also remove my mask and be heard better.

After the meeting, I pop downstairs to get coffee, the stairs are much harder for me today, and I need to be careful. Coffee and lunch are still free–a welcome back from Nike and the program I am working on. I get a Starbucks Coffee (a bitter coffee) with cream. No sugar as I am diabetic and would regret the sugar.

I chat with the folks and help with a crisis of the moment and have an unscheduled meeting and had to be that guy as I did a short session of remote training from my desk–just a short one.

I then pop out of work and drive to Portland to see Susie, just 15 minutes away. She is still at breakfast when I get there. Jennifer is running the Hummingbird Home today (she lives there upstairs with her family and is always available) and told me she got Susie going about 9:15. When Susie can take a break from eating, we call her mother, Leta, and they have a video chat using FaceTime. Soon that is over, and my short visit ends, but Susie tells me that she does not want me to go. I understand, she has to face the whole day and night before I return; that has to be tough. But I need to get back to work, and Susie relents and agrees to me leaving.

It is always heartbreaking to leave and hard on days when Susie misses me. Unfortunately, I will not return that day as I still tire and find it hard to keep going in the evening. I can only manage short visits on workdays.

Air Volvo gets me back to work without incident. I take the elevator to the second floor of my building, Clubhouse, as I have some coordination issues, or it could be exhaustion; time to be careful.

I return to my desk and help with a few crises of the moment, but mostly the project is waiting for Tuesday when all the work begins to implement the new software and do the data conversions. I have waited for over five years to get here. It is exhilarating and boring at the same time. Perfect.

Lunch is from the truck; I have a chicken gyro, again free this week. I get a coffee at 3ish, and the stairs are not as hard this time.

The afternoon is quieter and filled with emails and some minor issues. Finally, I head out after 4ish. I have real problems on the stairs going down as my legs are not bending when I want them to. However, I manage to hold on to the railing and safely descend.

I had a simple trip back home to the Volvo Cave. My leg issues are not extended to the drive, “thank the maker,” as C3PO would say. I am home but freezing again at 70F. Put on a sweater, and take a very short nap while reading.

Corwin orders pizza for dinner; I have a slice. I also make ham, cheese sauce (pilfered from a Deluxe Mac and Cheese), and fire-roasted veggies (from the freezer). The sauce was average (not deluxe as one would expect), but still, it was good to use up the ham (from Easter and also frozen) and the frozen veggies.

I spoke on the phone with some friends and started on the blog, feeling tired again and just having the energy to write tonight.

Eighteen people died, mostly children, in a shooting incident in Texas. While the news is shocking and sad, it is strange that it is not as shocking now. It is a monthly event now in the USA.

It is Corwin’s Birthday on Wednesday, and I have provided him with an AMEX, and he can use it to buy a few days of hotel nights for his birthday. He is headed on a road trip to San Deigo for his birthday, lasting four days.

Aside: I prefer Corwin have the AMEX with him when he travels in case things go side-ways. And I forgot his birthday so covering 1/2 the hotel is a good gift.

Well, the tiredness is getting hard to resist. So I will not be working on my balloon model tonight. Thank you for reading. There are so many of you, and I am honored that you, dear reader, will still be following along. I will try not to start having a boring life!