Day 118: Wednesday

Going backward, Wednesday’s gaming ended with us not finishing a board game of Furnance with Z and Corwin at First United Methodist Church in Beaverton—we ran out of time. We did complete a board game, Blood Rage, which is a dudes-on-board and resource management game. It was one of my first Kickstarter games, and I painted all the figures for the game and have most of the expansions also painted. Corwin was insanely lucky and remembered how to play the game and crushed us by nearly lapping my score of fifty and Z behind twenty points. Z seemed to enjoy the chaos that was this board game. I was teaching and managed to score at the bottom, which usually happens when I teach.

Corwin was not going to the gym or driving, so he joined us tonight. We were early and got a slice of pizza at Sizzle Pizza in Old Town Beaverton while we waited. The pizza was great, and the staff was friendly. Recommended. I should not have had that, but it looked so good. I saw another customer with a salad, and that looked great, too. Next time!

Before this, we had our first dinner at the Aloha carts. I had my usual at Bombay Chaat House—all veggie curries and garlic naan—with hot chai to drink. It was sunny and a lovely day, but the air was cold, suggesting the desert cold. So the hot drink was good. Corwin had a spicy noodle and pork soup.

Before this, I ran the new LG Laundry with one towel for the whole cycle. The install went sideways because my connection is too 1970s, so I need a plumber to upgrade it. I have called, and Crown Plumbing will come out and evaluate and plan the work on Monday. Yikes! I was hoping it was not that complex.

The old appliances are gone. It took the delivery men only a moment to clear the old ones. I then, at their suggestion, cleaned out the mess while they prepared the new one. They used a harness and strapped the appliance between them, raised it on the straps, and walked it out. Amazing! I had never seen anything like it. They said it was a new way, and I was impressed. It was simple, easy to control, and just walking. Wow!

They then refused to finish the installation and called in the incident, saying that my connection was old-school and showing some signs of rust. As this had worked for years, I was not expecting it to fail, but I did agree we should upgrade. When they left, I connected the hoses, but there was some leakage until I used a wrench. I then ran a test.

I am an IT professional, and this is a WIFI and computer-controlled device. I just booted it, added laundry soap and conditioner in the tanks (it handles how much to use), and started it. I then stopped it, put in the towel we used to clean up the mess, and ran it. I watched it the whole process. I did return to work a few times when it got boring. Having come from a family that sold these, I do actually find them interesting. The sale pitch comes to mind as I use it–sorry, old family habits. I look at the manual and stop the process a few times, cool, and restart in the same place, fun. There is an app, hmmm.

The newest WIFI-controlled device at the house also washes clothing.

Before this, I make a grilled ham and cheese for lunch, thinking about Susie as I fry the sandwich and then steam it–her favorite way. Also, I found Susie’s lost glasses, which she had replaced with her last blue-cool-looking glasses. They were under gloves and hats. I cleaned out the draw as I continued to clear areas and make the house more organized. Years of illness, COVID-19 isolation, and plain messiness have filled every space with stuff. I also found Susie’s passport, which took her to China. I will send that to Michigan with some other items next week. More stuff to Barb’s house.

I have another minor $61 account still in Susie’s name and SS# that needs to be closed and cashed. I had to call twice and work with a customer service person for twenty minutes to have them send me forms in the mail to close the account and send the cash. This was a leftover when we cashed out the account. The earnings from the mutual fund were paid after we cashed out the account years ago and left a tiny balance. Sometimes, it seems impossible to close out these investment accounts. As I inherited this investment from Susie, it will reset the value to the value on Susie’s passing, so it should not be an accounting challenge to cash it out. Just short-term earnings on the change of the value since 13 Oct 2023. It is a lot of work for $61, but it is the only way to make it disappear.

The day started with me rolling over at 6:30 and rising at 7AM. I then rose and started my day. I made liberal coffee in the French Press and had some of the corn muffins I made yesterday for breakfast. It was ridiculously sunny and nice outside.

Thanks for reading.