I am writing Friday’s story on Saturday morning. When it was Friday, I had a few beers and was already a bit tired, so I was dead asleep by 10 something, which meant I was wide awake at 5:30AM. I do not sleep more than 7 1/2 hours, period. I am a working fool–I would instead write a blog, write a Dungeons and Dragaon adventure, write an easy, build a model, paint figures, play a board game, or anything except sleep away time. Time is all you have, and I want to use every moment. It is also what drives this blog; I am unwilling to forget this valuable thing, what I spent my time on.
Turning back my memory to Friday, I, as usual on Friday, working from home, waking at 7 and deciding that 7:30 would be better. I started thus thirty minutes later and had only enough time to make breakfast–just a banana and liberal coffee–and then sit down in front of my Nike laptop (you are where your laptop is) and start my work day. I was out on paid time off on Thursday (Thursday, I was exhausted and showing signs of flu or just bad allergies, and took the day off to rest), so my reentry, as we used to say, was rough. I had a pile of emails that I had to understand (usually, there is a complex trail, and soon, I learned I was not yet needed to review anything). I also checked the Slack channel to see if any messages need to be actioned. Nope.
My first meeting was the weekly Zoom meeting with my team for master data, and today, we were continuing to review how some of Nike’s data works. Details cannot be here. It was a great discussion; I shared some of my knowledge from years working on SAP software for Nike, especially in data and the data needs for international trade.
The work day went on as usual for Friday, and I had a few more hours of Zoom meetings. I slipped out of the meetings at 10ish, showered, and dressed. It was a quiet Friday as the next big build practice is at midnight Sunday (12:30 afternoon in India, IST) PDT, and pre-meetings on Sunday morning PDT.
I received news Bishop Minerva Carcaño, our former district superintendent, was acquitted in her Methodist trial. I wrote her a card, converting an An Oregon Christmas into a congrats card. I signed it for Susie and me. We in the West were shocked that during the pandemic, we heard that she was suspended on charges–we all knew her (she is the kind of person who owns the room when she walks in). The charges seemed minor to suspend a Bishop and were related to personnel and smallish money items (this was not a sex case); we learned this only during last week’s trial. Having worked directly with Minerva, she has a strong personality and can be pushy, and I can see how she could upset people. But to suspend her for two years and then do a trial is too much.
Aside: I used to work with Minerva on what is often called the Oregon Methodist Bank. While clearly wanting her own way, Minerva listened and was respectful to others. I remember voting against a loan she backed; she got her way, but I did not think she was wrong, and it was not risky. I disagreed with supporting a church that was not paying apportionments. The pastors and DS voted yes, while we finance guys grumbled; we know it was an outreach. I check the Conference Journal occasionally, and the new congregation in their new building still struggles to pay apportionments, but the congregation is functioning. Thus, I would conclude we were both right. I like the Bishop, and if they move her, I hope she returns to us–but the American Southwest is closer to her heart.
Leaving Methodist stuff and returning to the narrative, I made a lunch of reheated gnocchi I made the previous day. I had that with some buttered bread. I watched ShipHappen on YouTube as they continued to fix their boat. I also found plans for building a model of a Gearing class destroyer. I might build a model of Dad Wild’s ship, DD-840 (I think). I need details as I don’t know this destroyer class (it was eclipsed by the WW2 Fletcher class and Destroyer Escorts, which fought in all the important battles), so there is less modeling information on what became an early Cold War ship class. They were only replaced in the 1970s! I have to have Linda Frankovich (nee Wild and my sister) send me a picture of the picture of Dad’s ship we have.
After missing sending someone for a month, the bug people finally arrived. Jason, the bug guy, told me he saw only a few spiders, and I pointed out the considerable increase in wasps this year. The wasps eat the spiders. He was unsure which he disliked more.
Chris, next door, said hello while we kept our distance. She was facing her first COVID-19 infection, and her little girl, Harper (not infected), was with grandma while Chris fought to get better. She caught the infection at work; she worked for Nike like me, and said the company was being swept by COVID-19. She has kept her smell and taste and is not showing the depression some folks are getting. She explained that the loss of smell and taste causes or includes depression, a version of long-term COVID-19. She was happy she had a pizza delivered, her first food in days. I offered, from a distance, any help she needed. Lucky for us Nike folks, our company gives us 40 hours of time off just for COVID-19, and our co-workers will help as needed. Many folks do not get this kind of support. Please pray (or send happy thoughts) to folks suffering in this new breakout.
My rose, Mister Lincoln, looked exquisite, and I had to include a picture.
After taking a break and checking I was not needed, I headed to the hummingbird house after 1PM. I wanted to get there after the clear skies and sun had warmed up the park. The traffic was light as I was between the morning and lunch traffic and the soon-to-be after-school crazy driving. I soon arrived, without incident, at Susie’s place at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was in her recliner, napping, in the shared living room. I had stopped at Safeway to get some flowers. I used the self-check as I had two bouquets of flowers, but I did see that Safeway at least had two human checkers available today, and there were no long lines. I hate to go there now as I hate to stand in line for ten minutes to reach a human checker. Maybe Safeway wants customers after all. Hmmm.
Susie was happy to see me and the flowers. I have not seen her since Monday as I was exposed to COVID-19 (negative tests), and then Susie was in partial lockdown for cold and flu at the hummingbird house. Jennifer explained that Susie is down to 67.2 pounds, having lost 2.8 pounds in the last two weeks (4% of her remaining body mass!). We will try to get more caloric foods, but we are already pushing protein Ensure, and Susie has been eating well. She had already eaten most of Leta’s (her mother) supplied no-bake cookies I brought back from Michigan!
We headed out to the park next door, Metzger Park. Luke, the park manager, was pulling out more plantings. We asked what was happening. He explained that the park is being replanted with more sustainable and less maintenance plants. While digging up some more items being replaced, Luke discovered a cedar tree germinating in the garden, put it in a bucket, and sent it away with me. He learned that my Dawn Redwood had failed to survive the hot days and sent the cedar with me to try again. “Fall is a better time to plant trees,” he suggested. Smiling, “Maybe you can keep this one alive,” he told me. Susie laughed. The cedar is outside the house, waiting for me to plant it.
Susie and I enjoyed the high 70s (25C+) and found a sunny bench. As we ran later, the sun was no longer in Susie’s eyes. It is the last day of summer 2023. We called Leta and Barb (Susie’s sister) on the iPhone using FaceTime to do a three-way call, but Barb was not available (doing yoga class, we understand). Leta and Susie had a friendly chat. Luke, who was digging nearby, said hello to Leta. We learned in the call that Leta is enjoying the bird using her deck with a new bird feeder (squirrel proof) and bird bath (and apparently squirrel drinking area). These are attached to the railing on her new deck. After the call, we did our usual loop and met Luke at the maintenance building at the park, and he gave me my new cedar tree in a bucket. Excellent.
I could not stay and saw I was being searched for, so Air Volvo soon had me directly back to the Volvo Cave and the home office. I had to read some designs and approve them. I had other pressing items that I reviewed and acted upon. Soon, as has on Fridays, the day quieted.
I printed out two old Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) adventures I wrote in 2023 and another one from 2004 and in the now defunct 4E version of D&D. I arranged to have dinner with Corwin, who was not busy tonight. I picked him up at 5PM and ended up at The 649. The crowd on a Friday was filled with twenty-somethings that resembled the models collected for background on a bar scene on your favorite cable series. The bartenders were lovely, with two guys and a gal who all seemed to have walked out of a magazine ad for some beauty product.
Before joining the beautiful people of The 649 (during the day, the bar is a mix of age groups and does not have this over-the-top vibe of the 1980s sitcom bar), we ate Mexican food and had a large beer with a full plate of Mexican food. Corwin was not surprised when the staff knew me at Tapatio: Mexican Restaurant. I had my usual chile relleno and a chicken enchilada. Corwin had a giant burrito.
Returning to the story at The 649. Another smaller beer, and Corwin and I talked about D&D. I wrote the one adventure thinking of him, yet he never got a chance to play it. I offered my hard copy to Corwin, titled “When Your Heart’s Desire is Offered,” or he could play it. We agreed to try to play it somewhere with him next Friday, playing a party of four adventurers (I might find some players–but it is also good to try it against one player). I have some corrections to make after the first play in my usual gaming group for D&D (they are maddeningly efficient). I underestimated the firepower of a 5E six-person party of adventurers. I also overpowered the final encounter–the last creature had too many hit points. There are the usual first draft wooden language and typos. All easy fixes.
I also brought something else: my first self-published and 4E D&D adventure (here is my Amazon entry), “Finding a Broken Sword.” It was also our first 4E play, showing some of the 4E issues that eventually had 4E being abandoned. I offered this to Corwin to help rewrite it as a 5E adventure and republish it. I had started on the conversion already. Also, I have developed a new format for 5E in my new adventure. I can, with care, copy the 4E text into the 5E format. Corwin will read the 4E, maybe draw some maps, and see if we can make this a revision and self-publish in Drive-Thru-RPG, the new place to self-publish. I am willing to share credit with Corwin on this one and any spoils (last time, I got about twenty bucks).
Next, Corwin was happy to play his favorite game, Vindication, which I have in Air Volvo’s cargo hold. Corwin claims I have never beaten him, possibly, but that night, the beer, food, and the distracting clientele put Corwin at a disadvantage. Also, I have played a lot of Vindication lately, and Corwin faced an eight-point loss. His last gasp to get monster cards with huge points stopped it from being a route. He did get his only companion slain by his last monster card (-3 points).
We had some more food and then left after 9ish, with Corwin taking the hard copy of “Finding a Broken Sword” with him and my newest Swords & Wizards copy. This is a D&D 1E rewrite of the rules, but they also published a solo and starter adventure. S&W just did a Kickstarter to get their rules and, interestingly, an open license to use the material–they want to succeed. I am not interested in 1E gaming, but Corwin likes this stuff.
After dropping Corwin off at his house, I finished the laundry, made the bed (once the sheets were dry), and then used it. I was, as I said at the start, tired and sleepy.
Thanks for reading this too-long blog.
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