I am writing this on Sunday for Saturday and attended an 8:30 meeting as the big project at work enters another 7/24 timeline. I am mainly showing signs of allergies and still seem to be tired all the time. I am fighting against it and can push through it and have a typical day.
So, starting in reverse, here is the narrative for Saturday…
I got to bed before midnight and went to sleep almost when my head hit my pillow. Dreams happened, all forgotten but not dark, and I did awaken a few times. I rolled over and slept the night. My usual 7 1/2 hours, at best.
Moving backward, I reheated a few tacos for a snack with my pills. I did not want another carbohydrate festival as that seems to be unsettled with the metformin I take. The tacos were better.
I was later than expected, leaving Richard’s just after tenish. Air Volvo flew Kathleen home without incident but then hit a huge traffic snarl on the flight back to the Volvo Cave at the Highway 26 tunnel. Air Volvo went on at 5 mph for thirty minutes until we traveled the few miles to reach the five-car pile-up and closed lane. Why the other drivers piled into the closed lane, a warning on big electronic signs told us miles ahead that the lane was a no-go, is a mystery to me. Luckily, I had decided to use the restroom at Richard’s before getting in the Air Volvo; otherwise, there could have been another accident best left undescribed.
Moving backward, I met Kathleen and Chris (a new gammer for our Saturday night group) at Richard’s basement in Portland for more board games: Our usual gaming night. We played two games of Suburbia with Richard and me looking at the first player marker and a way to light and improve it. Before our first game, I had played this a few times before (always losing). Chris and Kathleen listened with care to Richard’s teach, and Kathleen probed for extra winning conditions and other surprises; it seemed a simple scoring game. The game took about ninety minutes, including the teaching and some clarifications, and Chris ran away with the game, with Richard not even approaching his score. Kathleen left me at the bottom, my usual location, with me leading the score for the first 3/4 of the game (also typical for me). We decided to play again, and this time, Richard secured a win with surprisingly interlocked scoring goals (they are assigned randomly), with me just ahead of Kathleen (luck) and Chris unable to catch Richard.
Suburbia is an older tableau-building game with a simple economic model. You buy hexes and then add them to your part of a greater city, your tableau, and these additions may increase (or decrease) your income and reputation and also increase for other players. For example, building an airport in the game will help you and anyone else with an airport. A few years ago, I printed Richard, on my old 3D resin printer, a bunch of markers and painted them. These help us find these interactions and significantly improve the game. We all agreed that we would play again and would like Richard to start adding in the expansions–he has quite a few.
Aside: Evan asked if there were other games with random end-of-game triggers, and Suburbia is one. This game ends when a tile that says it is the last round is pulled. This tile is mixed into the final fifteen cool ‘C’ tiles.
Before the rather relaxing game night with Richard, Chris, and Kathleen, I was in Portland at Rogue Ales Pub in SE with Evan. There, we played two games of the board game Vindication (a game I have described often here and will avoid repeating myself). The first game was a tie, and I won the tie-breaker. Evan ran a plan to buy over and over Traits. I thus had a free hand for the rest of the board, and even with him getting 5-7 points and some superpower every other round, I still tied his score and won. I won the next game. When playing a two-person game with a board game that can play up to five, a little luck and some good plays can create the condition that crushes the other player. I had that in the second game. I also play this game more than Evan, so I know how to change my strategy to fit the board–especially with two players. So, the second game, while fun for me, should not count against Evan. It’s just dumb luck.
We played chess while getting a 1/2-price appetizer for happy hour (?!). Rogue was mainly empty instead of the usual mix of tourists. The weather and the October Festivals all over the area had impacted their tourist count.
Evan had a good start as black (I had never played him before, and I was out of practice). So, I built a more conservative pawn wall and then interlocked it with knights and the queen. I could see flaws that Magnus would have wept over, but I learned that Evan did not see them (sigh of relief). Evan crashed into my pawns at their strongest place, and soon, I had three passed pawns! I had an opening to do an insane dance-of-death with my queen, and I crashed the piece into the corner (the worst place for a queen) and gobbled up a bishop and a pawn before having to exchange. Instead (and Magnus would have approved), I should have pushed on relentlessly, exchanged out most pieces for better pawn structure, and won by walking pawns to the queens–but this was more exciting. Later, in the endgame, I flubbed and lost a rook–something I know I should watch, but I could just walk a pawn to get a queen and got busy finishing the game. It was an excellent reminder to stay with the basics. Evan had not played for years and played well.
Before heading to Portland, I was at Susie’s place at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. I got there early, and Susie and I headed out into the colder Oregon autumn weather. It is always a surprise how abrupt the season change here. We were in the 80s last week, and now it was overcast with highs of 66F (19C). Anassa, the weekend nursing aide, helped Susie get into a coat over a sweatshirt. We went into Metzger Park, and I was slightly chilled without a coat. I checked the weather radar, and we had no rain or Oregon mist for an hour. I found a dry bench.
We were watching folks, now in light jackets, ignoring (as we do in Oregon) that it is cold and soon to be wet and just enjoying the outdoors. Kids were on bikes and other wheeled items. Parents followed, pushing even younger progeny in diminutive carriages. It was a typical fall day, on the first day of fall, and nobody wanted to mention that it was sunny and hot yesterday.
Using FaceTime, we called Leta and Barb (Susie’s mother and sister, respectively) on my cell phone to form a three-way video call. Everyone was happy to connect up and surprised to see us in overcast skies, cold, and Susie in a coat. Leta talked about her birds at her bird feeder and bath and pointed out that the squirrels were being naughty while not getting into her feeder. Barb was out eating freshly made donuts–it is showing fall in Michigan, too.
After this call, Susie decided she was cold enough, and we headed back to the hummingbird house. There, with Evan, who showed up while we were in the park, we tried Peacock Network’s new show, The Continental, a new John Wick story set in the past before John. It was terrible, and I had to buy an extension of my Peacock account to see this trash. Ugh! Evan is slightly hopeful that the next episode will improve, but I am unsure. The lines and the background match the good stuff from the John Wick world, but the writing and organization are not very good. The usual violence and super and magical gun fights are there, but even those seem less as we have so little attachment to the characters. Susie nodded off often and was falling out of her wheelchair for the show.
Anassa got Susie safe in bed, and Susie struggled to stay awake. Susie became visibly upset when we went to leave and said, “No!’ At the same time, I could see her tired and sleepy. “I need you,” was what she said, and it broke my heart. I knew she would fall asleep again even if I stayed another ten minutes and then wake later, not knowing what happened. I asked her to let me go, and she said, “OK.” I got a goodbye kiss and promised to be back on Sunday afternoon. I asked Anassa to check on her after setting up the crash pad and gate and putting on M.A.S.H. for Susie. Anassa planned to move Susie to the living room and keep talking to her to keep her company. I called back later and spoke to Susie on the phone, and she was OK and still watching M.A.S.H. Apparently, Susie slept the afternoon away. I learned that Louis, the afternoon and dinner nursing aide, made Susie’s favorite for dinner: meat (Salisbury Steak) with mashed potatoes and gravy. Remember, Susie has to have everything in a blender. So mashed with gravy is always good, and Salisbury Steak still tastes good even when chopped up. So, despite the drama, Susie had a good day–all I could ask for.
Before taking Air Volvo without incident to Susie’s place, I was home writing a 2200-word blog. Friday was busy, but I also felt the need to write. I woke, well rested and wide awake at 6AM (?!), and then wrote through the morning. I had leftover meatballs and bananas for breakfast with liberal coffee. I also made a few changes in my Dungeons and Dragon adventure I am playing with Corwin on Friday (Kathleen may also join us in Guardian Games or somewhere else in Portland).
And that takes us to the end (or beginning) or Saturday. Thanks for reading.
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