Day 95: Monday again

It is the 95th day since I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The surgery for the tumor is planned for 20 May 2024.

For those on the East Coast and Michigan, Susie’s Concert will be repeated in Lansing on 18 May at Grace United Methodist Church. More to follow. Thanks to John for being flexible!

The day started with waking at 6:30 and wishing I had taken another day off. I managed to remember who I was and find my robe and slippers. I found the office and the Nike laptop and logged back in. I read some emails and Slack updates to be aligned with what was happening. I also read some news.

I made liberal coffee and had a banana to go with it. Soon, I was cleaning up and dressing. Despite the good food in NYC, I lost a few pounds, and I am down to 248. I would prefer to be at 240 by now, but that will take longer, I guess. I found the work laptop, loaded my thermal cup with coffee, and boarded an Air Volvo.

Traffic was light, as I was early. I found myself stuck in the lobby of the Nike WHQ Swift building. The security turnstiles were not working, and there was no access all over the WHQ and another site. There is a bug or a data issue. Now, with the lobby full, it is finally decided to just override and let everyone inside, back to the 2nd floor.

My first meeting, the 8AM one, has been canceled, as there are no defects to discuss. Excellent. The status meetings and change control meetings continue for another hour. They are the usual things, but the project is doing well, and it is a bit boring. It is good to be bored when running a dress rehearsal test.

I head to the cafe, but the gates are still not working. I find that glazed salmon over rice and some steamed bo choy are in at the pop-up. I cannot resist that, and it feels so much like home. “Why yes, I will have the fresh steamed salmon perfectly cooked with local perfect veggies,” comes to mind. I love the Pacific Northwest.

I read my Kindle while eating and noticed my eyes were closed. Yes, the warm food and a good book, and I was fading. I returned to Swift, being let back in as the gates are more wall than door now, and let Rajani know I was headed home.

The light cough I had in New York City was returning as a pollen-driven nonstop coughing. Spring was here today, as the rains had stopped, the sun was out, and the cherry trees were in bloom. It was wonderful, but the tree pollen was harsh.

I opened the doors and windows to air the house and then held a change control meeting. I also approved a design and was following along. I went to rest, and suddenly, it was two hours later, just in time for the 4:30 status Zoom meeting. It was difficult to start again, and the open windows filled my lungs with pollen. I was coughing and sneezing, and my eyes were burning. Ugh! I attended the Zoom meeting.

I put on my shoes again and went to Safeway. There, I got the missing ingredients for dinner and a few other items (I still forgot to get a better razor!). With one bag of stuff, I returned and started to make a messy pasta dish following the NY Times recipe. This time, I added more veggies and finished it in a baking dish. It was wonderful.

I had a few bowls. I then started on the laundry and scanning pictures for Susie’s Concert on Saturday. I hope to have them ready on Tuesday. Barb, Susie’s sister, sent me a set, too.

Max Brenner, the chocolate shop in NYC, has connected with the Easter Bunny, and Leta, Barb Wild, and my sister Linda received some Easter Chocolate. More will be delivered soon.

I started on the blog once the scanning was done. The coughing has not slowed down. Ugh!

Thanks for reading. It is nice to be home.