I should have called Dondrea earlier, she was already making dinner, so I am at BJ’s Brewhouse alone tonight for dinner. I have a beer and ordered Jambalaya already. Today was a trying day as performance issues in another system have the project on hold. We also have four production breaks that are in the process of being fixed and/or investigated, which also distracts us. Rajani has returned to work today, remote from home–I am back to architecting software solutions again. There is chaos in Nike IT, which is in the press, and I will not cover it here. So a chaotic, messy day.
The night was brutal, with breathing issues returning. I was tired and slept at 10ish. I dreamed I was at the bottom of a stony ravine and could not escape. The walls of the canyon are close and yellow and brown sandstone. I cannot see the sky; the light defuses down from above. If I tried to climb out, I could get stuck and not breathe. The area was in danger of collapsing, and I would be buried alive and not breathe, or it is clearly made from water action and could flood. The air is close and poor. Folks were calling down to me, and I would yell back.
I am at an airport in Europe. I want to go home. I am alone. I keep looking, and every time I do, the airport changes, and the desks and entrances move behind security gates. I keep trying to use my ticket to get to the following process. They seem endless and keep resetting to being further every time I blink. I am with the rental car now, starting over. Just arriving now, I am trying to find the door to the airport.
I woke up at 11ish and took my inhaler, could fall back to sleep and had no more nightmares. These dreams are harsh and occasionally happen when I sleep with asthma issues. I did wake at 3 to prove I was hydrated. I woke refreshed at 6 with my alarm.
I found the new bagels in the kitchen and a banana. I started the ritual of coffee (filling and turning on the electric kettle). Next, I did a short set of exercises and stretches as I did the whole set on Monday. After which, I completed the ritual of liberal coffee using my French Press. While not as great as an NYC bagel, the bagel was still a bagel, and I enjoyed it with cream cheese. Who would expect Hillsboro to produce such goodness!
It is Tuesday, and so it is a work-from-office day. I quickly absorbed all the information from the cornucopia of messages and emails that the shoe company provided this morning (and using the fancy word had nothing to do with improving my score on Grammarly–I really wanted to use it, honestly). I also assimilate all the news from CNN and the New York Times (same note) so that I am enamored (really) to persevere (alright, that was gratuitous). I next take a quick shower, dress, grab my laptop, and board Air Volvo in time to arrive without incident at my office building, Clubhouse.
Two hours clock time of mind-numbing meetings begin on Zoom with me in a small room listening, primarily, to status and making a few comments. The issues are ongoing; thus, the status, defect meetings and planning meetings all spin on the breaks and problems. Our building is empty of our colleagues as there is a planning meeting elsewhere. Just us working on the data conversions are still in the building calling into Zoom meetings.
I head out to see Susie and find lunch nearing 11. I reach her using the highways without incidents or witnessing any imaginative driving. I am careful not to run any pink lights as the traffic is heavy, and cars are caught in intersections, “smile for the camera.”
My sister Linda contacts me; I cannot arrange delivery for Mom Wild in Michigan as I am traveling, and my Apple Computer is home. I don’t like to do personal work on my Nike laptop (see comment about chaos), but I offer to cover the cost; another crisis resolved!
Susie is finishing her breakfast when I get there. I wait while she eats; she is handling the spoon and glasses without help today. She does choke a few times, but not seriously. She finishes everything, including a glass of Ensure. We move to the social activity room at the hummingbird house.
Susie is happy to connect with he mother, Leta. Leta is in her car talking to us, parked at her church. Leta just finished a Bible Study and was happy to chat. Leta has mice issues and possible raccoon issues in her house. She will need to fix the attic and the area between the floors. Time to evict the unwanted pests. We talk for a while, but it is time for me to go. Susie is sad that it is a short visit (she is not counting the time I waited) but understands. Jennifer, the live-in nurse aide, takes over, and I say goodbye with a kiss.
Aside: The Saturday Market returns on March 4, so we will have to plan a morning trip for Susie and maybe a stop at Kells for lunch.
My trip back includes some half-melted snow on highway 217. The rain comes down heavily, and there is some local flooding. Air Volvo’s connection to the road becomes more tentative. But, I arrive intact at Carl’s Jr. and have a Western Burger, a guilty pleasure, and listen to some Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) show on folks poaching muscles at the breach from Haystack Rock–it is a sanctuary, so it is illegal. I also heard a discussion about thinning and controlled burns to protect our Western forests. A very Oregon lunch.
I return to work and have more meetings. At 2ish, I head home as I have some medical items to schedule that I need to get on a calendar at work. I discovered I have a doc appointment on 9March and 11March Colonoscopy (rescheduled from Christmas time due to a bad cough). Susie’s appointment is in 11May (not March), and I am relieved. I scheduled a hearing test in May with new doctors for myself.
I do the last meeting at 4:30 and head here to write and enjoy a Fat Tuesday dinner.
Thanks for reading.
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 