Today 23April2023

It is harder to start writing this Sunday morning to record the life I lived on Saturday. I see this as not a record of political beliefs or the philosophy of living (I admit that my opinions do color the writing) but a description of living. I will push through as I cannot find a reason to stop, and while I regret the time spent some days, it seems inherently good to stop and remember. Let me start and hope, good readers, that it is worthy of your and my time today!

Yesterday, Saturday, started with me sleeping in (until 7:30ish) and then beginning a long day. I published Friday’s blog actually on Friday, so there is no reason to rush and get that done. The back and leg pain was back, and I decided to forgo housework and go slow. I made coffee, liberal, and had a few muffins I made a few days ago. I cut a piece of thin basswood and taped it inside the radio. I then temporarily glued the buttons in their original holes in the radio’s wooden box to the board. I will later wrap them in molding clay, cast them in acrylic, and place lighting behind them to make a visual display, as I don’t need these buttons.

The radio with the original buttons restored to their original location. The new window is done, and the cloth is reattached. The new faceplate (actually paper) with the new LCD mounted and LED (which will be less bright when in the box) are all visible. The strip of colored lights will be behind the acrylic replacement to be a light show. The veneer replacement/repairs are visible.

I also painted with black paint the white glue I used to attach the plastic window to hide it. It looks good now.

My tulips are finally flowered (I still have a set that has not blossomed). These are more like the eastern (Turkish) originals.

As usual, time just flies, and I am rushing to get dressed and head to see Susie at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Traffic is more than usual, but the roads are wet, and the sky suggests the forecast was wrong–not a nice day so far. However, the parents of soccer-playing kids will not be daunted by Oregon mist, and the roads are full of would-be goal achievers.

Susie had just finished her breakfast when I arrived and was moved (Anassa is the weekend nursing aide) to her rocking chair in her bedroom. Susie is delighted to see me but is confident she does not want to try the misty Metzger Park next to the hummingbird house. Susie’s room has a window that points to the park, and she sometimes watches the basketball court not far from home. Susie can see that the court is still wet and covered with a few puddles–no, we are not going out there.

Evan will be late visiting today and will miss most of the movie for today: Hairspray (2007). I liked the film’s energy (it is an extensive reworking of the original), and Susie was singing along and noticeably brightened on Saturday. Besides the movie, we reached Leta, Susie’s mother, and Zeriada on the iPhone. Leta was happy to see Susie on FaceTime. Leta and Susie chatted happily for twenty minutes. We next called Zeriada, who was getting her hair done by her favorite, Gil, her son. We were happy to wish Zeriada a happy birthday and say hello to Gil. They are now in Texas.

Here is the ending for Hairspray(2007): here.

After the movie, I found lunch, played a quick game with Evan, and rushed back to the house for my 4-12:30 shift this Saturday. No game with Richard and friends in Portland today. Susie was ready for lunch (and likely a nap) and kissed me goodbye with no tears today.

Evan and I went to The 649 to play Vindication, using only the base items, but had lunch at the Mexican place, Tapatio: Mexican Restaurant, across the street–I remembered to order a smaller beer. I ordered a small beer at The 649 while Evan, knowing we were pressed for time, set up the board game.

Seldom does Vindication hinge on a single move, but the Arcane Tower held a seven-point item, and Evan beat me to it by one move. I fought back to lose only by four points, with the game swinging back and forth. Knowing that I was far behind after that good play by Evan, I took risks, and none paid off enough to give me the points I needed. It was a close game (four points), and we both played well. Next time!

Evan put the game away while I paid the bill at The 649, and I rushed home to make it there by 4PM. I started my shift with a status Zoom call and answered the roll call–mandatory. So, yes, we do check that needed folks are actually on the call.

I then started my work day that ended past midnight with the next status call at 12:30. As usual, I had trouble sleeping after my shift, but I finally slept at 2ish and woke again too early. During the shift, I got a few issues and helped route them, which were resolved. I also sorted my papers and closed my first three months of 2023–I keep paper copies of everything now. I planned to do this during the quiet times in my shift (loading data is full of exciting moments and boring hours of waiting). To manage all medical bills, tax avoidance, and my investments without creating a tax burden, I need proof and categorize everything in Quicken. So while I had quiet moments, I was punching holes and moving paper into notebooks. I use a four-inch binder for the first third of 2023 (I even did April 2023, which has arrived so far).

I ordered dinner from Happy Panda, just soup and appetizers, and it was delivered only a few minutes late by Door Dasher. I was hungry and got too much mustard on a shrimp which burned my throat and mouth. I was shocked and thought a 911 call from too much mustard would be a poor start for my shift, and I managed to calm my breathing and stop the painful issue. I dipped a shrimp in pure hot mustard when I was not paying attention–yikes!

Aside: After my chemotherapy, issues with breathing and another resultant ambulance ride still haunt my thinking. I overreact a bit to coughing. I know I do that, but it is hard to forget the chemo-caused feeling of dying from a closed-off airway (the side effect makes it feel like you are dying even when you have air and could quickly hyperventilate yourself in an emergency) and alone does not make feel more confident. I just have to calm down.

So a quiet and paperwork-filled evening while working and reading constant updates. I was glad to use the evening to clear a task that had to be done while supporting the data loads.

Thanks for reading. I hope this memory of Saturday was worth the time. I enjoyed remembering it. I had forgotten the flowers and the radio work until I saw the photos I had taken for the blog. Saturday was already vanishing, and I was happy to bring it back into existence.