It has been 32 days since I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor.
I finished the Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes novel, reading all day and much of the early night, and I thought it was an excellent mix of the two stories. The author weaved the known facts of bloody murders with the fiction of Conan Doyle–recommended: Lyndsay Faye.
More years than I want to admit, I started painting the Scythe mechs. I used a different painting practice for them. I paint the models with a black primer, Chaos Black from Warhammer, and then spray a white primer from the above to dust them. This gives the figures a ghostly look or even an x-ray look. I often dry brush the surface with white to make the side details more pronounced. The larger surface makes this unwise for models as the look will be unnatural–glowing. Next, I mix the army painter paints with an art store’s water surface tension release product. The paint is a wash and duller. The color of the paint on the model is seen in the white areas and suppressed in the black areas. I painted all the details with washed paints, and a few details, simulating lights, and shiny metal are painted in plain paint, with no dilution, to create contrast. This technique is more art than craft and is used to create figures and models with dark hints. It is a faster technique with good results, especially if you are looking for a steampunk look.
I painted a little today and spent some time applying the decals to some original faction Scythe models. I also hit the decals with solvent to get the decals to follow the surface of the mech models and lock in so they will survive the overcoat. I made only a few fixes on the mechs I painted years ago. They look finished.
I started the day late, with me rising after 10AM. The snow is still here, and the temperatures are still in the twenties (-6C) and lower (-10C). I have the chicken and pasta for a heavy and leisurely breakfast/lunch. I decided to return to revisionist history, but the better and crazier version than Dan Brown is Umberto Eco. I purchased (for too much for such an old film) the movie The Name of Rose on my Apple laptop and watched some of it. I am afraid watching this burns away my morning, and I stop watching to get dressed to read my book and keep working on the Scytle models. I have seen it before and know the plot, but still, it is fun.
I am not surprised that Corwin contacted me and asked me to let him rent a room for a few months. I agree, as recovering from brain surgery is best not done alone. Corwin was going to house-sit for me for a week while I was traveling, anyway. He promised to clean the house and to treat the house well. He will pay me $450 monthly to cover the utilities while he lives here. I called Linda, my sister, and she is okay with this arrangement. She plans to “nurse” me and will need the house, too.
I call Corwin and suggest dinner. I call BJ’s Brewhouse, and when they answer, I hear a loud fire alarm and the voice of a young gal trying to be the happy hostess. Yes, they were open. The fire alarm won’t reset. They have to close tonight. I wish them well. The 649 is open when I call and say they are busy, and I guess they are likely understaffed, which is usual for them on Sunday. I pick up Corwin, who has a tie and vest, a half hour later. I have a sweater. The snow is nothing for Air Volvo, soon we are drinking beer and having light food at The 649. Crystal, our bartender, is busy and also delivering food. The kitchen is running well and also helping to provide the food. It was working, and they are happy to be busy at The 649.
Corwin and I talked a bit about the arrangements, and he will start moving his stuff to the house on Monday. We talk about the current conditions. I am concerned that China will soon blockade Taiwan. I am also worried that North Korea may take that as a signal to try to reunify Korea and hit Alaska with a nuclear attack to slow the US response. Corwin thinks Japan will be the first nation to assist our allies while the US prepares a response. I see a dark future in the next six weeks. Corwin considers this a chance for the First US Bountiful Empire, my ironic name for this, with the US now running the world, assuming we win and the economic consequences of fighting a war with our number one trade partner are mitigated. In contrast, I am concerned that the US will now have to police the world in this situation, and our natural isolationist tendencies in the US will make a hash of it.
I then turned the discussion to other conflicts, and we will see what other weapons Iran and the Houthis have and if they will use them on the US and its allies. Corwin thought the drones would do, but the sea and its winds eat store-bought drones. That is why the attacks have been ineffective against modern US destroyers. They mainly give the sailors practice when a lucky drone makes it to the firing range. Military drones are different and more like missiles and pilotless remote planes. I wait to see what Iran, their allies, and Houthis do next.
I have a second beer, against my usual rules, and keep discussing the abovementioned things. Yes, let’s hope I am wrong. I am not a fan of the US Navy carrier-focused direction, but I am a fan of the current model of the US destroyer: Arleigh Burke class. I think the US can win, but the deployment of forces will determine the outcome- the right forces in the right place.
Aside: Some of my thinking on deployment has changed as I have been reading some new items on WW1 naval speculative writing–certainly an acquired taste. Did the Germans lose the battle of Dogger Bank (1915) because of a deployment error? Specifically, had the Goeben, an excellent Battle cruiser, remained, and the Blucher, a mishmash of guns and armor with a slow speed, sent to Turkey, the Germans would have had an equal force at Doggers Bank and won? Assuming the van der Tann was also included (in repairs at the time of the actual battle). But with the broken German naval codes in WW1, would the British risk an even match with German battlecruisers (I think Admiral Beaty would)? Instead, send the fleet to crush them. Revisionist history was on my mind all day. It would make a fun tabletop battle. I will have to get a WW1 Goeben in 1:6000 scale!
After that, Air Volvo returns Corwin without any issues on the snow and ice. Corwin talks about driving on ice. My approach is to remove my feet from the pedals when sliding and steer out. If I have to, I will use the accelerator to power out, but that is risky and more likely will put you in the other ditch than the one you were headed to. When flying Air Volvo (we did not discuss this), you can switch to manual mode, and you can then change the gears of the transmission. You can use this to handle hills and ice and avoid other drivers. Air Volvo was designed for snow and ice. When in dangerous ice and snow, use the manual transmission.
Once home, I painted a new Scythe faction at the house, which waited a long time to be painted. I did not notice, but the models are not dry-brushed with white and look darker than expected. I get out a plastic paint mixing tray and turn the paint into washes. I find my set of painted factions in my copy of Scythe in the cargo hold of Air Volvo to compare. It is a close match, and so I try the washes. The purple color is very light on my finished one, and I reproduce the look, but I notice other parts are not showing up. I may have to dry-brush these and use purple to get the same effects now. I am okay with that, as I am good at dry brushing. White, the other color, mixes with purple (ugh!), so I stop, and then the models dry. I found my original and saw I did chrome pen work. I found my old pen, and it broke. I ordered a new one on eBay and will wait until I return from my holiday. I will finish the washes but can’t finish the models until I get a new pen. I decided it was best to stop, as I had made too many mistakes and needed to try again another day. My rule is that when the mistakes start happening, to stop.
It was a very hobby-centric day with my usual navy military wargaming in my head running for dinner. Corwin and I have played the US versus China board game Red Dragon Rising from Decision Games. So, both of us have some tabletop experience with the battle. I wait for events and see if the wars explode–I pray peace will happen instead.
I read the last of the Sherlock Holmes novel but missed who Jack was; Ms. Faye gets me each time! I sleep and wake a few times to prove I am hydrated. I dream not of war or bloody murder but instead of fairies and small quests to recover magic. So not like me and so light I woke with a smile this Monday, MLK Day.
Dondrea, Donna, and Z are cold in their unpowered houses. The storm crashed giant trees all over Beaverton, including a power transformer. PGE has no replacement and warned us that power will be down until next week (!) until the replacement parts arrive from Texas! Apparently, we do not keep spares here in the Pacific Northwest. A large portion of Beaverton is freezing. The next bad storm is on its way. Pray for Beaverton!
Aside: While my mailing address suggests I am in Beaverton, I am in Aloha or Reedville–on the line. The winds and weather have been kinder so far. If the winds come from the south or southwest, we are blasted more than Beaverton. The damaging storm was from the north, and we had a light blast.
I am hopeful my trees will stay up–they are still standing. The considerable redwood (not a giant) nearby looks good.
Thanks for reading!
The strike-thru is false information that was widely reported. PGE has called it a hoax. Power was restore later this morning–Update 15Jan2023
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 