Going backward, I finally slept before 2AM. I had anal pain from over-pushing on a movement. My colon was revised from cancer so that the top was pulled over and resected to the bottom. This means I am less aware of when I need to make a movement. I was over-enthusiastic yesterday evening and badly bruised the pushing parts. It was hard to sit or to lie down. A lot of aspirin and Tylenol, and let’s call it resting, finally calmed the area so I could sleep. A new issue and one I caused–more care will be used from here out. Ugh!
Yes, this will be a funny story later. But then, breaking my poo-er was not amusing at the time.
Note: As a colon cancer survivor, I have been internally surveyed many times, and there are no known medical issues in this area. I just have to be less enthusiastic.
As I could not sleep and standing was working better, I continued with the laundry and cleaning. I emptied out the ant-visited shelf in the pantry, tossing some expired and questionable items that had been pushed to the back of the shelf. I previously sprinkled that area with hot petter to keep away bugs; I washed the shelf, removed the pepper, lightly sprayed it with Raid, and let it air out overnight. The shelf contains mostly canned goods. I will do the rest of the shelves (less bug spray) over the week.
Corwin was cooking a late dinner, but he had mopped the floors and was getting the dishes put away and dirty ones into the dishwasher. Excellent. Late-night cleaning is acceptable. I sleep now with the “Sleep” station playing on my Echo Amazon device. That and the reduced hearing prevent me from waking. I am conditioned to jump up and help Susie when she calls my name. I used to wake up all night to strange sounds. Showering before sleeping reduces the coughing (removes pollen, and the damp air clears my lungs), and the light music makes sleeping easier.
Corwin 2.0: This was not true of Corwin’s earlier releases, but he cleans up his messes now. I still put dirty laundry in the washer when I noticed the pile in front of it—no problem. Corwin 2.0 is easier to live with.
I had a to-do on the water bill. I have little love for the local utility as a broken pipe can get you thousands of dollars in bills instead of informing you of an issue and allowing you to fix it before they bill you for two months for a break–at the full rate! With my surgery coming in May, this is the last utility bill not automatically paid. Sitting (with care in my office in a nice padded chair), I explored their website and found they have a maximum payment option, setting that to $300, 150% of my usual bill. Another item is done! Ya! Before I trust them, I will leave paper billing on for a few more billing cycles.
Before this, I tried to sleep, but the butt pain was distracting. Instead, I read the rules of the board game War of the Rings, Second Edition. Evan might want to try the game, and Corwin likes this one too–he beat me twice as the Free Peoples and I playing Sauron. My dying wish as a defeated Sauron was a rematch!
Imagine a giant board that is the map of Tolkien’s Middle Earth covered with figures instead of cardboard wargame pieces. Next, you can play events that match the story within the framework of a vast and quite colorful rule book. That is just the war part. The Ring and the Fellowship exist as figures, cards, tracks, and casualties, and there are rules for the chase to Mount Doom to destroy The Ring. It is nuts, and you roll dice for actions, making for strange plays that fit the book (For example, “Well, I can’t search for The Ring as I did not roll search options, guess time to finish off Gondor”). It is a merger of board gaming, role-playing, and Tolkien. Totally not recommended–unless you love board games and Tolkien. Then it is a must-have seldom played game. I have all the add-ons and 3D-printed visual improvements (some still need to be painted).
Yes, moving backward in the story, I had a tough movement at home, which created the issue. Details will not be listed here. I was unhappy with the results and the process. I will be more gentle in the future. Yikes!
Before this, and when sitting and resting was easier, I was at a local taphouse and food joint, The 649, with Evan. We played the board game Exploding Cats: Good and Evil. This is a silly game where you try not to explode. There is a strategy and luck card game. Evan gave me the little game as an early birthday present (I turn 60 on 16 April 2024). Evan had trouble grasping the silliness and the strategy of making your opponent vulnerable to exploding and forcing them to play extra turns. Evan exploded twice. I had read the rules, and he was still learning.
Before that light game, Evan was a bit overwhelmed by learning two games in one night; we played my new board game acquisition, Stroganov (spelled differently than the food), which I got for 25% off at Guardian Games Aloha (formally, Rainy Day Games). This is a complex resource management and worker placement game from a 2021 Kickstarter, with me owning the plain retail version–cardboard markers instead of terrific pieces ($219 for the deluxe version on Game Steward’s website, I paid just over $30).
Our first game, won by Evan, was sluggish as we learned the rules and started to understand the game instead of just the rules. We also missed that there are two actions, and then you pay for a third, which explained the low scores and the lack of flash as we were playing one less action per play. In the second game, with Evan figuring out the rules issue and what outposts are for, we played a more enjoyable game. In that game, I scored higher as I gathered many resources, such as pelts from hunting in Siberia and visiting yurts. The game is layered but easier than Arc Nova and Weather Machine and closer to the complexity of Scythe. I liked it as it played fast and, compared to the newer complexity-to-the-max Kickstarter games, a quicker teach. There is some competition as the board does not replenish existing lands. This is a game to consider if you want something more accessible and faster while being complex and colorful. It is also cheap, in the basic form. I will likely find some generic metal coins and horse meeples to upgrade the game. I did find stickers for the game. The gaming community does not love the game and now wants more complex games, and thus, this game does not have the upgrade sets you find for more loved games.
Before this, I had lunch, soup, and a taco at the nearby Mexican place Tapatio: Mexican Restaurant. I also had a grilled cheese and split a fondo with Evan. I broke a rule and ordered two lighter beers while gaming. The beer seems to be one of the reasons the pounds won’t come off. Dondrea has said she has the same problem–adult drinks mean no weight loss or worse. But I wanted a break today.
I also stopped by Tammy’s Hobbies and picked up more glue (it ages poorly) and some grey primer. I plan to get to one of my models this week. So far, it’s been a no-go, but there is hope.
On the way to the hobby store, a car blocked Farmington Road. I had to brake, and Air Volvo detected the issue, too, and tightened the seat belt. The computer knows that a sudden braking means a possible rear-ending, and so it prepared me for bad things by strapping me in. I did not get the warning for auto-braking as the Volvo detected I had enough space to stop. It is always reassuring to get a computer-based hug from Air Volvo. No paint loss and I was okay and smiling. The huge pickup truck behind me stopped in time.
Before this, I was talking to the friendly people at the USA Social Security call center on the phone in my office. They checked if I should apply for benefits for Susie’s passing. I could claim, after a lot of work, a few hundred dollars in one-time death payment, but survivor benefits were not available to me. I decided that an appointment and paperwork were not worth the small payment. I also learned that if I applied for benefits at 62, I would get over $2,600 a month in benefits. All interesting and took most of the morning waiting for a callback and writing the Sunday blog.
I rose at 6ish as I wanted to get my staycation going. And that takes us, dear reader, to the start of my day. Thanks for reading!
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