Day 13: Boxing Day

I stayed in bed until 9ish, and I have nested in my bed until 10. The rains have stopped but we did keep the gray skies, usual in winter for the Pacific Northwest (PNW), and my lawn service is now out twice a week a month as the leaves are done and the pruning is completed. Time for the garden that is my lawn to sleep in the gray winter.

Aside: The lack of sun often causes a vitamin D deficiency in folks (I have had it once) and can cause or worsen depression. PNW has a high suicide rate in the winter. It is also why I look funny at people who talk about solar panels here–and I am a liberal.

I found my home office and saw on my Apple that the world was still running. Sadly, the Incarnations, being very Piers Anthony today, of War, Starvation, Plague, and Cruelty, were still on their horses and riding through the world. The latest version of COVID-19 is raging. Ignorance and stupidly unimaginative conspiracy theories are running rampant.

Yes, but I put on my comfortable slippers and robe, find NYC Zabar’s grind coffee (thank you, Smiths), start my day ignoring the terrors, and listen to music while surfing the Internet. Yes, a nice dose of liberal NYC coffee makes all the difference–I am centered now. There is hope. The gray is nice. The dark greens are lovely–even the moss.

Thus, revived, I start my day.

I cook some russet potatoes in boiling water. I cut up some sausage left over from making jambalaya spicy by cutting the sausage lengthwise into quarter strips and then cupping that into little chunks. I don’t do coin cuts of sausage. I find a small onion still in good form and chop half of it (Susie does not like onions, so I am used to only a hint of onions). I chop a green pepper, too. All that goes in a non-stick pan (thanks, Steve) to heat with a lid to help it cook. I am watching the other half of the movie, Midway (the new version), while cooking. I nearly burn my breakfast when the main attacks happen; the computer graphics and special effects make you feel like you are both with the American pilots and the Japanese on the ships. I pause the battle, rescue my breakfast, and add three scrambled eggs to my sausage, sliced and pre-cooked potatoes, and veggies. I managed not to burn that as the battle ended. This movie incorporates much of And I Was There by Admiral Layton, published in the 1980s, and changed our understanding of the early years of WW2 in the Pacific. In this movie, the character of Layton is a hero–an excellent improvement.

Breakfast is good, and there is enough left for tomorrow (it will microwave, OK). I finally get dressed, and board Air Volvo with the cargo hold full of board games. Next stop Guardian Games (formally, Rainy Day Games) to see if there are any excellent specials for Boxing Day.

No sales and prices are higher. I find a game on the buy when you see it list, and it is full price. At least there is no sales tax in Oregon to make this extra painful. Brass: Birmingham is the highest-rated board game as scored by Board Game Geek, and I have not been able to get a copy with all the extras, so I have ignored it. Today, I have more realistic barrels to replace the wooden ones and poker chips for these purchased games. The $79 price is eye-water (there are other cheaper sellers, but with the shipping cost now, they are not that cheap, and return policies are complex by mail). So I decided to take it.

I see something that I do manage to resist. Doctor Who Role Playing Game (DW RPG)has published a 5E version. Yes, that uses the current Dungeons and Dragons system to play Adventures in Time and Space. The DW RPG 5E is marvelously decorated with color photos from the show. Previously published, there are sourcebooks for every doctor full of pictures. I am surprised to see two books in 5E–A player’s book and a 1/4-inch adventure book. Finally, somebody produced an RPG version with something to play–my usual complaint is that a rule system is printed without anything to use (Wizard of OZ RPG was released without supporting material). This makes it both tempting and expensive–I managed to walk past it. But Adventures in Time and Space sounds so fun. Resist!

I’m off to Wildwood Taphouse to punch, read Brass, and maybe play a solo game. JR is there, and we share a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year over drinks. He asks about my health, and I tell him about the benign brain tumor my left ear is unintentionally hosting. I am waiting for the doctors (4 Jan and 29 Jan) to update me on the process to evict the squatter.

I enjoyed a lighter beer and managed to copy the rest of the Amsterdam Trip (2019) into MSWord on my Apple laptop. This is harder and messier than I hoped, and with 1430 entries in my blog, an interesting task to take on–copying the blog to transform it into a book. But it is still a process, and if done every day or so, it should not take forever.

I then go out to the car and get Brass and another game. A young couple next to me asked me about the games, and I showed them the still unpunched Brass and the solo game. We talk for a while; I have a second beer, and so do they. I got the board game Azule from the Air Volvo’s cargo hold and taught them how to play. We are now sharing a table. We play three games, and I return to my usual cut-throat play now that they understand the game. I win the next two games, but not by much. They start to see that you need to play your card and block the other players to win. It was fun, and as dinner time approaches, we share phone numbers and will likely meet again. They want to learn Scythe next time (oh my, that is 4X).

Meeting would-be gamers and playing with them while enjoying a beer was a surprise. A most pleasant afternoon and early evening!

I return home and grill another ribeye (I had three when I started) with corn again. I watch Sandman episodes while cooking and eating. I managed not to incinerate the steak.

Time disappears fast, and soon, I am headed to bed. I cannot sleep tonight. I roll over and over. I manage a few hours of sleep. I just could not get comfortable, and the dreams were unpleasant.