Story 26Nov2022: Saturday

Going backward, I managed to get to bed just after 11PM. I was still tired from Thursday’s nearly sleepless night. I wrote for thirty minutes on my Dungeons and Dragons adventure for play on 4Dec2022. I had some cheese dip and Triscuits as my pills are best with food and were starting to bother me. The food fixed that. I also took some painkillers as the pain in my right leg is back, and I woke the previous night in pain, but not tonight. I managed to sleep through the night, finally.

Before this, I was at Richard’s and played the new board game Weathermaker with Richard and Shana. Unfortunately, I did much worse in this play as I struggled with the rules and mechanics. I had suggested the game, and by the end, I was sure I did not want a copy of the game; I could play Richard’s copy, but it is intriguing, and I want to try again. The game has you playing in different sections to receive various benefits, themed as weather control machines and research. After coming in at a distance bottom score, with Richard and Shauna surprising me by gobbling up two areas of research in the first three plays (!), I still wish to try again. The rules are endless, the mechanics easy to make a mistake, and the iconography arcane, but I still like it. I might buy yet.

Often we would play more than one game on Saturday night, but I was tired, and the struggle in Weathermaker had left me fatigued. So just one game last night.

Before this, I was at The 649 Taphouse in Aloha, Oregon. Evan and I met there after spending the early afternoon with Susie. We had a drink, and I later had a sandwich that was sort of a shredded meat version of a Cubano. We played the board game Concordia, my favorite. This time we played the Corsica map which worked for two players, and used the Forum add-on, which gives players random super-powers each time they retrieve their cards with a Tribune personality card.

Evan had some trouble getting into the mechanics and tried ending the game early. However, I had already purchased plenty of valuable cards for final scoring, and I had an Architect personality card still in my hand and the resources to build on my last turn. I won by a considerable margin as I always get my colonists out, which grants them more movement and more points at the end of the game. Next time, I will put the Architects of the West Kingdom in Air Volvo. Evan has mastered that one, and I still struggle with it. I have all the add-ons and bling, and we have some optional setups, so I really should get it out more often.

I met Jane and Gary at The 649 after finishing the game. I have not seen them in years. We took photos, exchanged addresses, and caught up a bit. Hopefully, we will meet up again.

Before playing at The 649, I picked Susie up at the hummingbird house and took her to the Washington Square Mall. Evan met us there later. We did some shopping with Susie picking out flowers to take back with her. We got a gift and just enjoyed all the bright colors and energy. The line for Santa was just a bit longer than the line to get into the Apple store, but the line for coffee seemed the longest, so Pacific Northwest!

We found a Christmas tree in Nordstrom for $1,300!

We did not get one.

The belt you see is to move Susie. I leave it on if I have to move Susie.

We found some ice cream for Susie, a hot dog (excellent) for me, and a chicken sandwich for Evan at the food court. I had a beer in the beer garden and saw some of the Civil War game (Ducks vs. Beavers, both Oregon teams).

After the shopping and touring, Susie was getting tired, and I took her back. Anessa, the weekend nurse aide, took over, and Susie wanted a nap. I said goodbye with a kiss. Evan headed to the before-mentioned 649.

Moving to the morning, I started at 7ish with some sleep–I still woke up a few times–from the night before. Then, I wrote the blog while having a banana and yogurt. Then, I dressed a few minutes late, having a bagel in the car with cream cheese.

I have a physical therapy visit on Tuesday (they called while I was driving and scheduled it). I am feeling better.

Aside: I acquired a used copy of the Mind MGMT comic book collection volume 1. I started to read it a bit. I have a board game by the same name and the same artist. I was curious about the source of such an unusual board game. More to follow.

Thanks for reading.