I decided to write this on Thursday morning and not Wednesday evening. It is a wet Thursday morning, and you can hear the water gurgling in the drains. The plumber is coming today, so all the laundry and dishes were run yesterday. I have to leave at 3PM for our international airport, named by its call letter, PDX, and British Airways will get me on my way at 7:15PM.
My morning started after 7ish, and I made coffee in the French Press, which is a French roast from Equal Exchange. It was very liberal. In my PJs, I spent the morning trying to describe my first day of not working for Nike, Inc. in twenty-seven years. The emotions and lack of structure (work) made writing difficult, and there were numerous typos. I did not dress until the afternoon, which was unusual for me. I skipped breakfast and lunch.
I collected a bag of Susie’s clothing, some more I found in the dresser, and various items, including stuffed animals and hats. Two bags. I then took the pile of umbrellas. Susie bought them every chance she got and scattered her lost ones all over the local area, long ago internationally, and in various states in the US. I removed all but one of her hats from the closet. These are mostly caps; I put the familiar fur and knot cap in the box to send to Barb for Susie’s Concert. I loaded this, three bags, and a few items, including a scale that I could not make work (too heavy), into Air Volvo’s cargo hold and headed to Goodwill. I also put gas in the car and, to make it rain, I ran it through the car wash.
I lost my US Debit Card again (!), and, with no time to replace it, switched to my investment banking checking account, Morgan Stanley Debit Card. I called eTrade and let them know I was headed to Morocco, and they did what they could to prevent a security lockdown. It took three transfers, as it may say Morgan Stanley, but it is really eTrade. I used the card to test it for the fill and the wash. I also tried it at the US Bank ATM. I was charged an extra $3, which was refunded later. I connected US Bank to Morgan Stanley without issues and transferred extra funds to the account. I am seeing some issues on Quicken; some transactions are not being registered yet, but I will see if they clear soon.
Lunch was veggie curries at the local Bombay Chaat House at the Aloha Carts behind the Walgreens. The food and naan was excellent. Air Volvo took me next to the bank and the post office. HIS website was revised, and to celebrate this excellent modeling company in the Czech Republic, I ordered a plastic model with their rigging kit, The Great Western. I had to sign for the package, so it was at the post office. Next, I withdrew $3,000 to get a pile of money for the trip. Morocco is cash-based, but I am unsure if USD will be OK. However, I will have plenty if my ATM card fails. But $2100 will pay off Corwin’s truck, and he can pay me back. This means the title and registration will be under his name; he will own it. This is a major event in Corwin’s life. He also has to only pay me back 1/2 (on time at $200 a month on every 26th) if he can do it every month on time–a lesson (parents will recognize this).
The afternoon was a rush of grocery shopping, laundry, and dishes. I soon was headed to First United Methodist Church in Beaverton. I stopped by Burger King, thinking I should have one hamburger before I left the USA. Mistake. I ordered a Whopper Jr., which was terrible. The bun tasted like sugared flour, the burger was bland, and the fries tasted of everything else they fried that day. Ugh! Not going back.
Dondrea, tired and stiff as she started running again, brought Z while she and others practiced for choir and then the Praise Band. Z was excited to play more of the new board game Wyrmspan. This is a reworking of the popular Wingspan, but with dragons and fixing all the glitches that made some plays of Windspan leave me frustrated. I have the new components with the metal coins and wooden resources (I think there are better resources for purchase on Esty). Z has this game’s mechanics and scoring down cold already. Some subtle dragon combinations have not yet become clear to Z, and I just squeaked by Z twice by five points with those. Next time, I will be under no illusions, and I will be crushed.
Aside: The UMC lost 1/4 of its churches in the USA when it split over gay rights and money issues (some of us think it was all money with gay rights as a smoke screen) this and last year. The UMC General Conference is meeting now, the only legal body for running the whole church. It has already faced pressure from the now non-members but decided to respectfully ignore them. This year, the UMC is trying to reduce its management (bishops) to be properly sized to a smaller church body. I read some of the notes coming out of the meetings. We all wish them well and success–it ain’t easy.
Hugging Z and Dondrea, I headed home; I wouldn’t see them again until I returned. Air Volvo delivered me to the Volvo Cave with no issues. I ran more laundry, including all the clothing I had on (I was in a robe). I pilled all the underwear, light shirts, and other items for the trip. I checked into my flights and discovered my seat to Morocco from London. I printed all the boarding passes and travel plans documents and arranged my carry-on. I made a 1/2 sandwich of beef, cheese, and coleslaw as I was hungry and wanted something that tasted good.
I showered, dressed for bed, and then tried to relax. Soon, despite my nervous energy, I was asleep.
Thanks for reading!
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 