It was a frustrating day at work, and those happened. Had I not needed the pay and health insurance, I would have been out of there–but it is not possible to retire immediately, no matter how tempting (or driven to madness) I am. Thus I will remove all mention of the shoe company today; otherwise, my jaw will be sore from clenching while writing. The games helped me refocus on important things (fun with friends).
So moving backward, I just finished the season’s newest season of Vox Machina. I liked the ending, and the action was well done. This animated series was created using Kickstarter to fund the first season and is based on Dungeons and Dragons. It is profane and funny. I liked this season as it reminds me when our player characters move to a higher level, there are lots of changes and new powers.
For a snack, I sliced the ham from Olympic Provisions and some cheese I had with Triscuit crackers. I had a bagel-like product for a light dinner while I did not enjoy a meeting at work. The product is locally made; I thoroughly enjoyed and finished my NYC bagels–thanks, Joyce and Smiths (plus Jason).
Between these meals, I met Zophia (Z) at First United Methodist Church to play games while Z’s mother, Dondrea, and the choir practiced. Z picked out the board game Wingspan as our first game for today. Z has a birthday coming up, and I will let Z pick a game for the upcoming event as a gift. Z managed to play very well and win by three points. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of adding some low-point birds to my sanctuary, and I gave away one of the goals by not paying attention. Z was on top of it the whole time and thus scored the win. Next time!
WIndspan is a resource management game where you build and manage a bird sanctuary. Birds are cards you play, and then you run a habitat and get special abilities from the bird cards. For example, there are little eggs to put on bird cards. It is an elegant game with the only flaw of being a bit random.
Next, Z and I managed 3/4 of a Vindication game. I received my upgrade yesterday, applied all the changes, and even reviewed the rules in the new, better rule book. The game is now in a giant box about twice the size of the original swanky version. The new box fits all the parts and expansions and comes with new trays for each player that really improve the setup and put-away. The game is primarily unchanged by these upgrades, and Z can soon remember how to play and was soon fighting monsters and earning superpowers called traits. I was teleporting all over the board using a relic and collecting help from many companions. I also vindicated myself (no longer a wretched scumbag), gaining more abilities. We had about thirty more minutes (or maybe a bit less) to finish, but at least we got to try it out.
Vindication is an elegant game where you try to vindicate yourself and stop being a scumbag. You find helpful companions, explore, discover great powers, and overcome monsters. The resource management system is particular to the game and brilliant. It was fun to try it out again with all the new trays; I will finally paint the guild items and maybe even use them. Since acquiring the game in 2018, I have only played the basic game with only a few add-ons. Time to finally play all this cool stuff.
Moving back to the morning, I had a bad cough, and when learning a fellow employee tested positive for Covid-19, I was worried. I returned home and tested. Negative. Just asthma, again. I got a text from a friend, and she, too, had to use her inhaler. The valley was full of fog and stagnant air, which was my real issue.
As I did not have Covid-19, I visited Susie but kept my distance again (no kisses today) like it was 2022 again. We sat in the social activity room, called Susie’s mother, Leta, and connected. Susie and Leta talked for a while about Leta’s battle with mice. Her porch was removed from her house, and now they can block the place where the mice are getting in. Leta plans to have a nice deck and stairs built later.
After we said goodbye to Leta, I talked to Susie about our finances, saying we were doing fine and how I was getting ready for taxes. I told her we were good for 2023, and I think I can handle 2024 too. She was happy to chat a bit; it was a one-sided conversation, but it was still lovely. I left with just a wave–Susie was happy I made it and tested negative.
Before this, I was up at 6AM and did my exercises and stretches.
Well, I am tired, and it is approaching 11PM. Thank you for reading!
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