Story 8July2022: Friday

Susie continues to improve. The TIA appears to have faded today; it is hard to notice that she is still not using her right hand much–you have to be looking for it. This made it a good day for me.

I started with the 6:15 alarm this morning, having awoken with the sunrise around 5ish and staying in bed until it was time to start. I could have slept the morning away, but I started at 6:30ish.

I made french press liberal Fair Trade coffee, but that did run out before I ran out of morning. I also got a bagel out of the freezer, defrosted it in the microwave, and then toasted it. This is followed by me liberally applying veggie spread and capers to the same–Breakfast is never conservative, especially not with cream cheese. The bagel was perfect for a local product. I also had a banana.

Next, I had meetings until 11ish and a few crises of the moment. All this while working from home and drinking all the coffee I made. Zooming.

I also did two loads of laundry, put it away, and got dressed later while listening on Zoom. Next, I did my Quicken update and assigned various expenses to the correct category. I download everything from US Bank, Paypal, AMEX, and Visa all at the same time. Plus, my investments are also updated. It is quick work and lets me feel confident with my finances.

When things settled down at work, I reheated the Indian dinner from last night for lunch, Tikka Masala Chicken. I had some rice I made yesterday too. The food was improved by the overnight settling of the spices and the reheating. I got the large glass measure cup and reheated the chicken and rice in the microwave. I do not have many microwave-safe dishes or bowls, which Glenda thought I should fix when she visited. So, I am leaning that way now that I am cooking for one.

I was in Air Volvo at about 1PM, headed to Susie’s place. It is sort of summer hours still. Before I left, I had built another section of my OcCre work cabinet. I do a bit of it here and there. I discovered that I need to be very careful as it is easy to build a part wrong–I dry fit all the pieces first before gluing and then use Elmer’s glue which dries slow and cleans up with water. So far, I have made no unrecoverable mistakes.

On the way to Hummingbird House, Allstate called. My local agent’s office was looking for cheaper car insurance for me. I am trying to economize, but the new policy (you are billed based now on your credit rating and not your driving–I have perfect credit) was more expensive, by far, than the old school policy (based on your driving record, how many drivers, and your commute distance). In addition, I learned that being a single driver had a penalty on the newer policies. Thus, I would retain my existing insurance unchanged.

Aside: My policy is only extended to existing policyholders–cheaper insurance like this is not available to new drivers or new customers of Allstate. This is why I have not left Allstate after 26 years–there is nothing open to the public as good as what I have for a better price.

Susie was napping in her recliner when I got there at about 1:30ish. After waking her, Hana, the nurse for today, got Susie in her wheelchair, and I took Susie out to the park. We even went “Baja-ing” across the grass and found a nice bench in the shade for me to sit on. On my iPhone, we called Leta, Susan’s mother, and they used FaceTime to see each other and chat.

The park was surprisingly empty today for such a lovely day. Just a few families going for an outing in Metzger Park. Nobody played basketball or used the tennis/pickleball courts when we arrived. I took Susie for a spin on the basketball courts. Next time maybe I should bring a nerf basketball and see if Susie can do baskets!

We then headed back to Hummingbird House. After a change of clothes for Susie, I started the old Cold War movie, White Nights. I love the music, and Susie loves the film’s dancing. It is about 2 hours long, runs a bit slow, and is quite dated. My Love is Chemical is a favorite song of mine that is introduced in the movie.

Still, Susie and I enjoyed the movie. I was following along at work for a bit on Slack channels and email on my iPhone during the movie.

After the movie, I headed out with a kiss from Susie. Hana would get Susie a snack; she had skipped lunch to watch the movie and then would have dinner later. Susie did have coffee that I helped her with during the movie. She managed to not choke or spill the coffee. This was a clear sign that she is fully recovered from what appears to have been a TIA.

Traffic for a Friday across Beaverton was slow, with the lights taking two waits to get through. Slow. I only got home at 5PM and had to call in immediately to the status meeting. I had a few crises at the moment, but after that, I was clear to have dinner.

I got the big bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and drove to the Weld-Martin’s to have dinner with them. Wayne had been in the ER again, and I thought it a perfect excuse to have some KFC with friends. I got the large bucket with plenty of sides so Wayne and Anne would have leftovers for the weekend. They can skip cooking a few times.

We had a nice dinner; I had a beer with the KFC. I did not stay long as I was fatigued.

I got home and took a nap. I got going again. I wrote the blog. Thank you for reading.