My grandfather’s brother was in France when the Great War ended. So today was a working day for me, working from home, but I saw all the flags out today, and there was free beer and meals for vets all over Beaverton.
The extra walking I did yesterday has made my right leg hurt again. I will try to get more walking in to build strength. I think the timing issues on my muscles are stressing my leg muscles.
I enjoyed my colon deciding that last night’s dinner was going to rush through–very rushed. I was waiting at home for the loan funding check, so I missed out on a chance for more excitement. Next time I have pasta and red sauce, I will see if I have the same reaction–I think that is the issue.
The check for the loan, a paper check, arrived in the late afternoon. Yes, in this world of e*everything, I cannot get an electronic transfer. In any other country in the world, it would likely be impossible to get a paper check, but in the USA, we like our legacy technologies. Because it was Veterans Day, I had to deposit the paper check at an ATM which required me to type in the amount after reading it on the bill. Apparently, a large deposit is doubled checked at the ATM.
Starting the narrative in the morning, I got up at about 8 with my first meeting. I did not turn on the camera. I made coffee between morning meetings and had cereal for breakfast, plus milk. I had peaches from a can to go with the cereal with liberal coffee made in a French Press.
I was researching and reading as it is Friday, and I try to learn things on working Fridays. I was also following along; Friday was unusually full of messages and tasks.
Lunch was a large salad as yesterday was too heavy (and the results would prove it soon), so I boiled three eggs and made a salad with mostly veggies. I chopped celery and a carrot and added pickled beets and some olives. A sprinkle of cheddar and store-bought croutons finished it. I put on some Thousand-Island dressing, store-bought, and ate my lunch while watching more battleship videos found on YouTube on water damage to museum ships–It was one I had to fast forward as the speaker goes on in great detail sometimes.
The bug man sprayed chemicals all over the house and ant-slaying powder–Ants are an issue in this part of Oregon. I have tried to use kinder services, but these green services never worked for long. So now I go with industrial power, and still, they come back. I have checked the chemicals, and they are not that powerful (likely why they are less effective) and fade away–Good. They also do spiders which I grow pretty big–seeing a two-inch spider running across the carpet is nothing I like.
Finally, at 3:30ish, the check is delivered, and I drive to see Susie and deposit the check. There is little parking at the bank, which is closed. I am not quite sure why. Traffic is quite heavy for a dark and wet Friday night. In the summer, Friday afternoon traffic is much lighter. It must be the mix of holiday traffic and rush hour colliding.
It takes me twenty minutes to cross Beaverton Old Town, usually ten minutes or less, and I reach the hummingbird house. There was no imaginative driving as the heavy traffic surprised everyone. The weather changed from a sunny but cold day to a dark, rainy, and cold evening. This driving created a kaleidoscope of white, yellow, and mostly red lights on my windshield and the reflection off the wet pavement. The headlights blinded you as the world became all white dots between sweeps of the windshield wipers. Pretty, but it would be nice if Beaverton would repaint those lines on the road soon! Rain, traffic, construction, and faded road paint are not a good joint experience!
Susie was resting in her recliner watching some Hallmark Christmas show–she prefers Blue Bloods or M.A.S.H. I stayed with her a bit longer as my work day ended. We called her mother, and Susie and Leta chatted for a while. Susie was having some pain and the opposite problem I was having. She was uncomfortable.
I left the hummingbird house at 5ish with a kiss and crossed again through slow traffic in Beaverton. I headed to the center of newish Beaverton. I grabbed a waffle sandwich, this time with bacon and maple butter, and walked it and the new board game The John Company to Central Taps.
There I relaxed a bit. I had a dark beer made in Old Turkey bourbon barrels and a strange IPA, both smaller glasses. I set up and played three people in The John Company, trying to run through the rules and be ready to play the game someday. I did not want to play a solo game (it can do that), so I just played all three players. I worked out the basic flow and got a feel for the game. Money is very important for the company and the players (representing a family trying to win its fortune and prestige in India). There is even a prime minister in the game and laws to pass, with the prime minister’s job passing to another player, the opposition, if a law is not passed by the prime minister. The chaos of the times is represented by an elephant figure and a storm die, and I still had trouble understanding how that works.
Still deciding if I like this new Kickstarter game. I finished my second turn and then decided I was tired, and the light was getting dim–a problem at some tap houses for gameplay at night. So I went home, read, and watched the first Matt Smith Doctor Who episode on HBOMAX (the Doctor is moving to Disney+). I went to bed without even doing the dishes. It was a crazy day, and I was tired.
Thanks for reading.
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 