Today 2Oct2023: Monday

The day started with me dreaming about traveling and trying to get to the airport in time for my flight home from distant lands for work. I managed it in the dream and woke up on time, just before my alarm. I was thrilled to wake up rested without any COVID-19 and flu side effects. I had the vaccines on Saturday, and they made Sunday a tough day. I managed to get started and make an NYC bagel for breakfast, adding capers this time to the cream cheese. I was in the home office by 7PM with my bagel and liberal coffee summoned into existence by boiling water poured into my French Press.

I started my shift and enjoyed hours and hours of Zoom meetings on status. I captured issues for the master data engineering team and shared them. I approved some designs and some installs of software. After the Zoom meetings ended, I kept a close eye on the emails and Slack updates from the project. I did manage to slide in a shower and getting dressed between a few meetings.

While watching work on email and channels, I cut up a green pepper, sliced up spicy sausage into little squares (I cut it length-wise to make squares instead of across to make coin-like slices), and added in a can of Mexican-style stewed tomatoes after the frying sausage and green peppers started to stick to the pan. I then broke up the tomatoes with a spoon while stirring the frying items. I reduced the heat and let that all cook for a while. Next, I added in my favorite boxed Jambalaya mix (spices and rice), added enough water to make it look like soup, brought the mixture to a boil, reduced the heat, and covered. This cooks for 15 minutes. I then add a mix of seafood, all frozen, from Trader Joe’s. I add some more hot water and recover for ten more minutes. Done!

I started the laundry, as Monday is my usual laundry day.

I pulled out the ice maker and dumped the ice into a large bowl. I let the frozen solid ice maker melt outside. I did stop the ice maker after I heard the first dump into the frig. Oops.

Lunch was excellent! I watched more videos on YouTube, one from Nerd of the Rings and another from Battleship New Jersey’s channel, while eating. Both shows were nerdy, and I will not recount them here. I recommend these YouTube channels.

I put the Jambalaya pan on the ice and thus cooled down the food to store as leftovers. Ready now, I boarded Air Volvo with my two computers and the shoe company’s laptop. It is a wet and overcast Oregon day that becomes one of a parade of endless wet, gray days we see starting in November that some years only ends in July. The depression and suicide rates should not rise this week as we all want to see Wednesday and high 70F sunny days later this week. Enjoying and welcoming the rains (yes, I am one of those), Air Volvo quickly got me to Susie’s place at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116.

Susie is already in bed, and I bring in the purchases at Safeway I made on the way in. Two cases of Ensure, Extra Protean, and two bunches of flowers. One bouquet has a wooden owl, and Susie picks that for her room. The other one will be for the main table to share. The Safeway brand grocery store in Aloha is near our house; they have great flowers. Also, boxes of pasta were a buck (up to ten) today, and I got some fresh fruit for breakfast (bananas) and snacks (applies). That remains in the Volvo Cargo Storage.

Returning to Susie, Susie was resting and watching M.A.S.H. but was happy to have me visit. Using FaceTime to form a three-way call, we called Leta and Barb (her mother and sister, respectively) on my iPhone. Barb was sitting on her deck in Michigan relaxing on the hot, 80F (27C), and humid Michigan fall day. Leta was inside, sitting in a chair and relaxing in the AC. We talked briefly, with Susie “resting her eyes” a few times. We soon rang off. I stayed the afternoon with Susie.

I left as I was falling asleep, with a kiss at 4PM. The side effects of the vaccines are returning, and I am again feeling exhausted. I headed to Barnes and Noble (B&N) in messy traffic. The rain has slowed folks, and there were many back-ups. I soon was at B&N and bought my usual magazines: Electronic and model building periodicals.

Next, I headed to The Rock: Wood Fired Pizza and ordered a large red ale and an all-meat pizza. I love their pizza. I had this, as usual, with a side salad. Excellent this time. I will have a few slices left for breakfast–excellent for mornings.

And that takes us to now. I am writing the blog and will get a coffee in The Rock bar before I leave (or hot tea if they have no coffee).

Thanks for reading!

FYI: I was notified I did not place in the 500-word horror story this year. That makes it twice I was passed by after winning in 2021. Next year!