Today 14March2023: Prep

I took the day off from Nike. I was tired from the events over the week, and I had to do the prep for my colonoscopy. Not a day to return to work for a day.

I slept until 7ish as the time change still has me not waking before 7ish. I then wrote the blog and remembered to not eat anything. I drank only a few cups of coffee, even liberal coffee made in a French Press is not that appealing when you can’t eat anything other than clear liquids. Later, I microwaved some chicken broth and choked that down.

I added the hot water to the bowel prep solution, shook it until all the powder resolved, and placed it in the frig after it cooled. I showered and dressed. I headed out around 11.

The first stop was Safeway. I got apple juice in small containers and broth (mentioned above) for today. I picked out some flowers for Susie, including a small bunch of daffodils, Susie’s favorite. I bought some items for later in the week (when I can eat) and got two one-quart containers of buttermilk. This is to make Irish-style bread, and I got one for me and one for the hummingbird house.

I called ahead and flew in Air Volvo across Beaverton, noticing the local flooding. The backyard has three inches of water again; another rain river is hitting the West Coast this week. I had to do a U-turn on Murphy Road as it was partially blocked by either flooding or construction. I also did that on our nearby 209th, temporarily blocked by utility work. Despite a few detours, I made it safe in Air Volvo to the hummingbird house at about 11:30 in Portland (Tigard) at 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116.

Susie was delighted to see me and was thrilled with the flowers, especially the daffodils. Susie had fed herself today, but with some pain. Jenniffer has Susie use the arm to prevent permanent loss of dexterity. Jennifer, the live-in nurse aide, was happy to get a quart of buttermilk from me. I provide an early gift of King Arthur Irish Soda Bread mix for St. Patrick’s Day.

Susie was watching a Hallmark movie, surprisingly staring Duchess Meghan. We called Susie’s mother, and they talked for a while. I was not in a hurry as I was not working today. After the call, Susie watched the show and nodded off a few times, she was still exhausted, and I soon said goodbye with a kiss.

The trip back was fast, but with moderate rain, the puddles were getting large. The sky was grey, and there were no signs of blue. The mail arrived, but no packages so far.

I started on my speakers-in-a-box project. I remembered that Arduino controllers cannot convert to analog signals–they use PWM (Pulse Width Modulated). So I googled how to filter the pulse to a voltage (effectively smoothing the square-wave signal to a single voltage) on the Internet. The RC bypass filter seemed to be the answer, and I found a website with a calculator that suggested a 330 Ohm register and 1uF capacitor. I found those (I have bags of these) and connected them into the filter circuit. I discovered I could make it work for low pulses (0-32 analog values on a PMW pin) and controlled a needle meter using a rat nest of jumpers and an Arduino Pro. I reworked the connectors for the meter. Now I can run the needle meter from Arduino; excellent!

I started my bowel prep by drinking 8 oz every ten minutes until half of it was gone. The bathroom trips began after the first hour. While this was going on, I worked on assembling my project. I connected the on/off switch, speakers, and powered to the amp. Here I made a mistake. I thought the amp took 9V and fried another amp. At this time, the prep was having its effects, and I stopped working and read and rushed to the bathroom until I finally slept for an hour or so once things got better.

I read book two of Grey Mouser and Fafhrd and started three.

I did laundry (I had to–best not to share details) and unloaded dishes. My next dose of bowel prep is 2:15AM, and I have an Uber for 6:15AM to take me to my 7:15 appointment in Portland.

My eBay purchase of another dead tube radio arrived later today. This is for my project. It is smaller than my previous build and needs some wood repair of the veneer–but I think I can handle that. The speaker cloth, while wrinkled, appears usable.

Thank you for reading.