Day 34: Frozen–“the cold never bothered me, anyway.” It was f**king ice!

I woke to still-frozen Oregon today. The ice and snow, the snow mostly refrozen to ice, still making a walk to the mailbox a life-risking proposition. We were above freezing all day, and tonight, with Oregon mist to outright rain, also above freezing, but the slick is still here even after the sun went down.

I rose at 7ish and found, as before, that the night seemed to vanish, and it was another work-from-home day due to the slick not melting. I had accumulated a collection of feedback requests from various directors, and I was planning to get them all pushed through this morning. I had time to make coffee and acquire a banana before the first two hours of meetings, many of which I had not expected.

The project has begun restarting after the shutdown before Christmas, and the meetings to explain are starting. I did some process meetings and we are still teasing out the changes wrapped in the project, but are actual bug fixes or stand-alone enhancements for our existing customers. It is a bit messy still. We need to get the changes in before the Lunar New Year freeze.

It will be the Year of the Dragon (my team!) on 10Feb2024. Multinational Companies like Nike, Inc. have to be aware of the global holidays, and this limits change to software for busy times and for Month Ends, Quarter Ends, and, of course, Year Ends (which for corporations may not be calendar-based). For us approving software installs and fixes, we must keep all this in mind–it can be frustrating for engineers.

Returning to the narrative, a mail package arrived, but the regular mail could not make it–a telephone pole was replaced on our street, making the street even more impassible. It was on the other side, so I kept power and internet access all day. I had a few power blinks, but my Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) kept my internet available all day. It contains a large battery and an inverter to make AC power–it sits under my desk in the office. It is suitable for a two-hour interruption.

Barb C and Gordon were in Austria last month for a holiday, and today, a carefully packed small bottle of currant liquor arrived with the brand Wild. They thought of me while traveling–thanks! I will try it with friends soon.

I finally, after dressing, got started on the reviews and completed them all today. Excellent. Details, of course, cannot be shared here.

I reheated the pasta and chicken I had made a few days ago for lunch. I watched YouTube and the Battleship New Jersey channel. There, the curator, Ryan, talked about the tug boat nearby that, when in service, helped push around New Jersey a few times. I gave the tug fund $25 to help cover the costs of having it travel with New Jersey when the battleship is coming or going from drydock. That is coming up soon.

I returned to work in my home office and had more status and process meetings. I started writing an email to myself to get my thoughts on what to do with my new miracle process leadership would like me to invent. I was not ready to draw pictures and slides as I had not gotten the risk/reward and tooling settled in my mind. I know what folks want, but that is a dream, and I have to live in the cold world of software and software tools with all their limitations, complexity, and risks to existing processes. So I spent the afternoon writing a note to myself and Sri who will also work on the solution.

I started to pack for my trip in the late afternoon. I am taking two suits, three vests to go with the suits, dress shoes, and then some regular clothing. As it is a week trip, I am taking more than my usual light gear and packing things tight. I will try to keep my carry-on gym bag light this trip. The new Apple laptop is heavier than I expected. I can read my Kindle books on my phone, so the Kindle will remain at home. I must carry the bag long distances, so I want it lighter this time!

I am testing my new earbuds while I write the blog. They are brilliant, but I only hear now from one ear. It always saddens me to put in the earbuds; only one plays for me. These are Soundcore by Anker Space A40 Auto-Adjustable Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds. Excellent!

I have a ribeye steak that is starting to age, having been defrosted, so I pan-fried it. I am not going outside, slip, and grill myself! It is OK that way. I made StoveTop cornbread stuffing that was almost too salty for me–I added nothing and used unsalted butter. Most of it went in the trash. Hmmm. Still, the steak was good.

I watched the movie Angels and Demons again just to see warm Rome. With all the slick here, it looked so lovely. I like the movie more for the look at Rome than the story, and should I get a chance this year, I have to do the Dan Brown tours in Rome!

I did more packing, tried to turn my knee in ways I did not enjoy, and had to stop for a bit. Suits, shirts, shoes, ties, underwear, and socks are packed. My suspenders and pocket watch are included for that old-school look. I will try to take my new Homburg hat, too. It should make New Orleans fun to dress up a bit.

I got a note from Nike that WHQ will remain closed on Thursday!

I started to write the blog and enjoyed recalling it today, and I hope all the slickness melts away tonight. I pulled off a piece of ice 1/2 inch thick off Air Volvo!

Linda, my sister, and her husband Jesse will meet me in New Orleans on Thursday. Linda hinted, and I made dinner arrangements for Thursday night for three. I have resisted planning much more as I want to see the place before I start filling my days with tours.

Thanks for reading. Stay warm and avoid the slick!