I slept until 5AM without waking over and over—better. I’m not sure I mind waking at 5 and watching the sunrise as I write the blog. I did shower and go to bed early, but I rose and watched some of the Best of The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival 2022 DVD. This is the COVID-19 one that was much reduced and masked. I won the best microfiction that year. After that, I went to sleep and woke once when it was 11 and then not again, except to prove hydration.
But let’s return to Tuesday and explore what happened on the day of mixed weather. I could not sleep, so I woke over and over and finally rose just before 5. I sat down and started the blog; it was too early for breakfast, so I wrote it. This was interrupted a few times, but as I am retired, I did not care.
I looked for breakfast food and found the steel-cut oats. I cooked them, nearly burning them when I got busy writing. I poured water on the back of the pan before stirring and used a fork to detach the stuck bits. There were no problems other than it was a bit chewy as it was not entirely cooked, but I liked it.
I found the brown sugar still with some ants inside. Puke. They were long dead, at least, but still, ick! Trashed. Instead, I poured molasses and sugar into my bowl with some walnut pieces. Excellent. If maybe there were a bit too many molasses, I like molasses. I continued to write and go slow. The coughing is worse today, and my chest feels rough as if I have a cold. Ugh! But I know the cough, not the lungs, is the issue. I treat it all day, and it slows. I make enough for two, pack it in glassware (thanks, Glenda and Gene), and leave it for Corwin. He finds it later.
I step out to see the roses, having spotted some pink out there. Here is my old bourbon rose, Souvenir du Président Lincoln, ready to bloom. It is showing some black spots, and the aphids are enjoying it, causing the blooms to twist a bit. It is on its own roots and is thriving in the wet. I am surprised to see it blooming second to the China rose. I was worried the heat would damage it, but it looks happy. If I wanted it to be happier, I would need to spray it with an insecticide, cut away the damaged leaves, and spray with an anti-fungus. These toxins are not very nice in a damp location, so the bourbon rose will have to fight its way through it.
I continued to write and finish the blog in the morning, seeing that it was my usual start time of 8 at the Nike WHQ, and smiled. I am still getting used to the idea that I have no responsibilities at Nike, and once in a while, thinking about how to improve something or how something works in Nike’s systems. I then stop, realign to my new “your responsibilities end” statement from the VP at Nike, and think about something else. It is still hard to internalize that I am no longer part of the team after twenty-seven years.
After I posted on LinkedIn that I was retired by layoff, the word is out. I am receiving positive comments and even some suggestions to return to work for various consulting gigs. I have not yet decided to use LinkedIn as my Facebook for corporate stuff. I am still trying to get used to being retired, or at least not Nike IT.
I did order some Moroccan mint tea. Dondrea was scandalized that the mint tea from Morocco uses tea and has caffeine, which explains my repeated orders for it while fighting jetlag in Morrocco! It is not the polite American herb tea.
I added my other Upton Tea Company favorites to the order: Russian Caravan and Baker Street Afternoon Blend, which reminds me of Holmes. I like their Irish Breakfast Tea, but I have plenty still. I recommend this website, which is where my tea comes from.
Returning to the narrations (it is so easy to go sideways when you do not have time limits), I then started on a task that I could not believe was finally here. I put together all the papers for Dondrea (who holds my power-of-attorney and medical decision rights if I cannot decide) and Matt V (my executor for my will). Going with Si vis pacem, para bellum (from John Wick, not a classical education), which I will rephrase: Want life, then prepare for illness and death. Thus, all my accounts and papers are now in a leather briefcase to be handed to Dondrea (hopefully not Matt V).
I close out April 2024 with all the expenses for my unplanned trip to Morocco and a carpet. I check every month’s transactions and make corrections. I then get the balances for my 401K and deferred compensation (still unpaid in a lump sum) and correct the Net Worth report. I put a copy of that, now accurate to 30th April, in the papers in the briefcase.
My exit agreement with Nike (all the $$$$) will appear next week. I have to sign it and return it to them (electronic signature). The dates match my trip to Michigan, so I will watch for it. It is very important to get it back to the shoe company before my surgery. It has a time limit, and my death, without signing, would cancel the agreement, leaving my estate empty-handed (my life insurance ended on my separation date in April). More para bellum stuff. I have been granted, already, an extra month to sign it.
While I was doing all this depressing paperwork (including some more instructions for Matt V that I hope he never sees), I was defrosting and then boiling some skinless and boneless chicken thighs. I cut up the chicken, putting 1/2 away for another dish, and made, of all things, Rice-a-Roni stir-fry flavor. I have not made this for years, and it was cheap. In the water I used to boil the chicken, I added a handful of already cooked shrimp (cleaned and only have tails) from the freezer (I buy a bag for various times–it’s always fun to add some shrimp to something). I followed directions and created sort of a stir-fry with chicken and shrimp, and I had two bowls. Better than I expected. Hmm. I need to fry the chicken with the rice and add some veggies to make it excellent. Fun!
I took Air Volvo to my post office and confused a person there. They could not find my mail, which was on hold. On returning home, my mail carrier brought me all my mail, including various packages. This included a package from Providence with the special surgery soap, shower mitten, and instructions. I tried to cancel the bottle I ordered from Amazon. Nope. I will have plenty. I will suggest a correction to the instructions from the surgeon that Providence will send the soap.
I am a bit dizzy and coughing, so I decided to rest. I also started my subscription to Analog magazine and have my first one. The stories, especially the first essay, are always a learning experience. How do people write this way? How can I ever hope to equal that? I managed 1/4 of the first essay before nodding off. I have trouble sleeping, and then, suddenly, I awaken, and it is 5:15. How the f**k did that happen! Hate jetlag!
While cool, the rains are gone, and the sky is blue. We don’t see that in May. So we sit at a picnic table outside. I find Dondrea and Z at the Beaverton Carts.
I have a business meeting with Dondrea to cover the briefcase and discuss the events of my surgery on 20 May. We also try a new Chilean cart. The noodle place we loved, sadly, was gone. About one-third of the spaces are empty, with some favorite carts now just a memory and an empty space. Still, our food is heavy and delicious, made into a burger structure. Z is put off by the mayo but accepts it as a structure to the giant sandwich. Excellent! We love this new option.
We talk about the boring stuff. We cover my assets, beneficiaries, location of the will, power of attorney, and Oregon papers that assign Dondrea as my decider (with my sister as backup). Z is doing her homework and is not happy to be talking about death and injury (she is 13), but she accepts that it is best to be prepared, and thus, much trouble can be avoided by preparing.
Aside: I have a document with every important financial account, including numbers, passwords, etc. I also have a document on using the house (including the network password) that can be emailed and shared widely. I created an unimaginably named Google Doc Test that is reached by a link at alohawild.me that will be maintained by Dondrea and others to share my status. Here, you can check on my status. Just click on the link. It contains my flight information right now.
I forgot to bring a board game, and the topic and food were both heavy, so it was best to stop there. I agreed to pick up Z at her house and bring her to the church on Wednesday evening; I am retired and can do taxi work for Dondrea, too. There we will play games again.
Air Volvo gets me home. I am tired, so I do the dishes. I shower and head to bed early, and I try to read. The jetlag takes over, and soon, I am a zombie, not sleeping but not able to read. I get up and go back to bed. Just about the time I accept that I will not sleep, I sleep. I wake up a few times, but I manage to sleep.
Thanks for reading.
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 