Today 1April2023: April Fool’s 2023

On starting late for me, 8ish, I was surprised to see so many good April Fool’s items on the Internet. I found a few interesting ones, took screenshots, and sent the image by iPhone, and others I posted on FaceBook. I sent Richard a request to play a mad game today, so we played Wonderland’s War for today’s Saturday Night game.

But, moving to Saturday morning, I made breakfast. I opened a can of hash from the pantry, found the non-stick pan (thanks, Steve), and fried some hash. I also got out the small non-stick pan and fried an egg to go over the hash. I made some toast with some low-sugar jam to go with that, just one slice.

I have decided to cook breakfast on the weekends. Using the food in the house is just a good idea, and taking the time and thought seems to help me focus a bit. It was also delicious.

Trying not to overeat, I placed 1/2 of the hash in a glass container (thanks, Gene and Glenda) for a snack later. It is too easy to finish all the food–trying to not do that. And a snack later is also so good.

I did sign back into work. I did my timesheet and checked that nobody was genuinely looking for our team to work this weekend. Getting a work-free weekend is unusual of late.

I wrote the blog and acquired tickets for the Dungeons and Dragons movie at the IMAX for Susie and myself. A wheelchair spot for her and a companion. Yes, just like Doctor Who, I am Susie’s companion.

Once I had written the blog, drank all of the French Press-produced liberal coffee, showered, and dressed, I boarded Air Volvo and took it to Susie’s place at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116.

Anassa, the weekend nursing aide, had Susie ready with her already having finished breakfast and her coat on. Susie was prepared for a movie. I wheeled her out to Air Volvo and followed the usual boarding procedure: I lifted Susie from the wheelchair, landed her on the seat edge, pivoted her in the seat, and then adjusted and belted her in. I then loaded the wheelchair into the cargo hold. It is a short flight to Bridgeport Village (a California-styled outdoor mall now being revised to better fit six months of rain) and Regal’s IMAX. We found our seats; I acquired popcorn and the usual items and waited for the movie. Evan met us at the cinema.

We got the start time, it was dark, and nothing happened. I thought the shadows or other wicked undead would rise any moment. Maybe a trap would take out an unwary person heading out to ask WTF of the staff. Instead, we stayed safe, protected, and fortified by popcorn, Diet Coke, and other items. Finally, ten minutes late, the movie started. Again, no undead arose that I witnessed.

The previous two D&D movies, even with a talented team of actors, could not save the poor script and the sort of random inclusion of D&D gaming content. No spoilers, but it was an excellent adventure sword and sorcery movie, one of the best, and unlike the Tolkien films with the weighty things to complete, this was just fun: More John Wick (or Gray Mouser and Fafhrd) than Narnia or Tolkien (and without the blood splatters). Susie, Evan, and I loved it.

Susie was leaning to the right and fighting to stay awake when I returned her to the hummingbird house after the movie (I had no problem loading her). Louis, one of the live-in nursing aides and Jennifer’s husband, was making dinner when we arrived, and he took over and got Susie comfortable. I called later, and he said she was sleeping soundly, but we agreed she would get up for some dinner.

Next, Evan met me at the Lucky Labrador in Portland, a bar and food joint with large tables and open seating that welcomes gamers. There I had a Czech-styles beer and a BLT sandwich–they make a great one. Evan had a few beers and a salad. There we played the board game Wingspan, the basic version, for two games.

The basic version has some issues with randomness, and Evan got to experience this with me, with me winning by about twenty points in the first game. Wingspan is a worker placement and resource management game with little player interaction from Stonemaier Games, which produces lovely but unique games. Wingspan’s game mechanisms are a bit obscure, but once you get them down, it is a fast and excellent (if a bit random) game. The bartender commented on how beautiful the game looked, and we had a few customers at the Luck Labrador stop-and-watch. We rushed through a second game, which was more even, but I still managed to pull out a win by just a few points. As the game ended, my internal count said I was behind, so I played a bird (card) worth the maximum (nine points) that had just come up, and that play won for me.

My time was out, and I paid the bill, crossed over Portland, leaving behind slightly seedy Hawthorn, and found the nice houses near Broadway, Richard lives in a nice neighborhood. Richard was ready to play Wonderland’s War when I arrived. This mad game is an example of an overbuilt Kickstarter game with bright colors and dudes on a board entirely done in custom figures fitting the Alice in Wonderland look. The game has two phases that are repeated three times. The Tea Party, when resources, goals, and upgrades are acquired in a slightly competitive rush at the party. The resources include getting more figures from Wonderland; I had the dormouse. Next, battles in five territories from the story. When battling, you pull resources from a bag, which can help or be madness. I went mad (I was playing the Hatter, so it seemed normal to me) in the last battle but still won. The game is a strange mix of resources planning and totally mad, pulling random good or bad things from a bag. Fun!

Richard crushed us with a 100+ score, with me lapped with a 62 score (good for me) and our other player struggling to learn the game making a lower but good first-time score.

Next, we played a card-based resource management game: 51st State. I learned the game and played it for an hour. Richard won, as expected, but I liked the game, and now that I understand it, I look forward to another fast game. The theme is post-apocalyptic, which I dislike, but the game did not focus on that.

After that, I drove home, taking the huge on-ramp to the tall bridge that felt like a rocket ship ramp rather than a roadway. I arrived home without incident or much traffic. I had the remaining hash as a snack with my pills, read for a few minutes, and fell asleep.

Thanks for reading.