It is hard to get started this Saturday morning as I actually slept until 7ish. I woke at 3AM to prove hydration and then rolled over a few times, but this time I actually slept. Unfortunately, this reduction of jetlag may be attributed to a cold. I keep trying to say it is allergies, but my friends warn me to rest and accept (cough, cough) that I may have a cold and need to slow down. Ugh!
Returning to yesterday’s narrative, I rose at 4ish and watched the dark turn to light as I wrote another longish blog about what was mostly a mundane day. There is some comfort in recalling a day of cleaning and friends. The dental work on Thursday (a slightly intense cleaning) has left me with no issues; yay! The weather has gone full on California. We are looking at the sun and ninety. Air Volvo registered 104F (40C) at one time, which is wildly inaccurate (it measures the temperature next to some metal that is obviously in the sun–my previous Volvo got this right by measuring only the air temperature).
I saw my pine tree smoke with pollen, and the trees and other plants were in full pollen mode. I can see the yellow sprinkles on Air Volvo. Again, I’m not sure I have a cold. As it is Mother’s Day week, we did one more f**king frost, so our temperatures ranged from the 30s to the 90s—a desert climate. There is no rain in the forecast. This is a month early from the last couple of war years and two months early from the 1990s-2000s wet weather.
I had a pastry and Columbian coffee (thanks, Kramers) while I wrote the blog. I was time-boxed as I had a final 8:30 meeting at Nike. I had to return Nike assets, including my badge, for twenty-seven years. I was happy to give back the iPhone and the laptop, but the badge represented so much more.
I finished the blog, cleaned up, dressed, and headed to Nike WHQ in the usual morning traffic. Of course, it was a familiar drive to me, but this time, I was headed to a different area. This was a strange drive-thru experience.
Empty space. Hmmm.
I stopped at the first group. Dressed in black with swooshes, looking like hired muscle security for a disco, the first group took my name, checked I was on the list, eyed me carefully, told me to stay in my vehicle, and then (called on a walky-talky that ‘Michael Wild’ coming. I drove slowly and followed the path set by cones. I was expecting Nike’s version of SWAT next. Nope, just nervous HR people. The next person directed me to another group under tents. I drove under the tent. I was smiling and thanked the people for doing the job and told them, “I know it sucks; thanks for doing this.” That got a lot of relieved smiles.
When I surrendered my badge, it hurt. The laptop and iPhone were equipment I could care less about, but the badge said I was part of the team. It really felt sad to give it away forever. Later, I took a picture of where the laptop used to sit on my desk; the space was empty, waiting for me to log back in and have yet-another-Zoom-Nike-status-meeting. I am gone from the shoe company; it will take a while for the grief to become just a memory.
I don’t remember the drive back. I was soon trying to clean my shower. I was scrubbing hard, and the ick refused to release. I managed to make a dent in the shower. I cleaned the toilet using other processes. Unsatisfied and slightly covered in ineffective cleaners, I headed to Safeway and acquired more supplies. That seemed to help some. I ordered new shower curtains instead of cleaning them. They are $10 each (I got one for the other bathroom) and will look better than trying to clean the old ones.
With some progress and purchases, I declared a tactical victory (I had tried and reinforced my position) in the bathroom, cleaned up a bit, and headed to lunch. Bombay ChaatHosue at the Aloha Carts was my target. I arrived there and, it being Friday lunchtime, we were busy. I had forgotten to put out the trash even with me up at 4. I forgot it was Friday, and I was more focused on the tasks. I missed the lawn waste pickup.
I waited for my order there, and a gal introduced herself with a JW.ORG business card. I am familiar with the Jehovah’s Witnesses and was polite. She spoke in a very soft voice on my left not-hearing side, and it was hard for me to understand her. She was trying to get my interest, but I was not biting, and she heard about Methodists from me (the best defense is to talk about how nice your church/religion is). She did them complain that, being from the East Coast, did not quite understand folks in the Pacific Northwest and their lack of enthusiasm for her message. I told her the PNW is different, and folks are more tight here as this used to be the wilderness and logging. It is more important to help each other than to share doctrine (I used kinder words). I asked her, very politely, to enjoy her lunch, and she and her group went back to lunch.
I am never offended by people trying to save me.
I ate my three different veggie curries and naan. It was already warm, and the hot chai was a mistake, but it was so good. Also, adding the hot sauce to the veggies did not improve my perceived temperature! It was an excellent lunch, even with a JW moment.
I picked up my Best Buy gift cards. When I bought the new appliances, I scored $150 in gifts. It’s time to reinvest. Since I am retired, I have no plans, so I just headed there. I had trouble finding the data cable, and they had to call an expert who managed to sell me a useless $20 USB-C cable. I could have gone to Walgreens and got the wrong cable! F**k. I get an official Apple power plug with a USB-C connector for my trip. While more expensive, theirs usually work. To that point, Apple’s expensive data cable was not available at Best Buy. I should have known better!
I returned in Air Volvo to the Volvo Cave to discover the new cable, while powering my backup drive, would not allow for it to mount. So the diagnosis was that either the backup device died last week or the new cable is crap that only works for charging and connecting Windows devices. Found the short USB I used before. Device mounts. Backups happen. F**king worthless USB-C cable. I can use it to charge my battery, so I will keep it.
David and Michelle Smith want to visit about 5:30-6, which means 7 or maybe 7:30. I clean and pick up various items. I clean the toilet in the other bathroom. Corwin appears and vacuums the carpet. He will mop soon. He needs to move out of the spare bedroom soon.
I set the deck furniture in the grass in the shade; it is 80-90F (26C+). I make iced tea from the remaining Irish Breakfast tea (more is coming) and have Lime tea cookies and iced tea sitting outside at my small table. The surface is uneven, and I manage to dump the iced tea on myself (not my laptop) and finally change my pants. We also use The Machine to clean the sleeping bags; one Susie used at summer camps and one Corwin has. Corwin finishes the dishes and cleans the counters later.
I read, surfed the internet, and edited some Howard stories. Grammarly AI is trying to flatten my wording to better fit its clarity model, and I have to undo its changes. I like my words better. This is a new issue. Grammarly is advertising this AI writing, and I can see its appeal—instant, correct, clear writing—but I like my words better—less clear (maybe) and more interesting.
The Smiths are having some car work done, and it runs late. So we replan, and I meet them by an Indian place that closes an hour early now (despite what their website and sign say). We then try a nearby place. They have a problem in the kitchen. Our food arrives an hour late, and it is not great. It is also dark. I cannot see my food.
While waiting, I told many stories about Morocco and remembered my earlier trip to New Orleans. I had not seen The Smiths (David and Michelle together) in a while, so I managed to fill the time by playing videos on my phone about Morocco.
David and Michelle, David’s treat tonight, met me at the house. They picked a huge container, David Austin, of white roses for me to plant. I now have two to plant this weekend. I have no white roses. David and Michelle also prayed with me for my upcoming surgery in the backyard under the apple tree under the stars.
I pointed out that Susie’s tree is back. I thought the summer burned it up, but it is green again. It is a redwood fur that changes needle colors in the winter. The manager of the park next to the hummingbird house gave Susie and me a small tree that they would have to throw away to plant. I am so happy that it is still trying to make it. I have a metal frame (usually used for tomatoes and like plants) over it to protect it. Someday, there could be a small redwood in the backyard, Susie’s tree.
It was a struggle to drive home, and I was fading fast. David and Michelle soon headed out. Staggeringly tired, I showered and went to bed and read only a few more articles before my eyes could not stay open. I subscribe to Stratfy & Tactics Quarterly, and the summer issue is “Alternative Strategies for World War I,” which summarizes the war year by year and front by front. The writer, Tyrone Bomba, a historical war gamer designer, presents options and thoughts about the options not taken. It is a very constructive approach, as you would expect from a game maker, and I find it fascinating. Mr. Bomba believes the Germans almost won in 1914 and could have won had they moved a few resources to the extreme west of the western front (still supporting the famous Schlieffen plan), but he is unsure that the logistics would have supported the change. He is clear that the adherence to a failing plan in 1914 (on both sides) and dumping resources into a failed plan to hope for a breakthrough is not strategy but hubris.
I then slept better Friday night, as I said. I canceled my Saturday gaming to rest, and I will write and enjoy the sun.
And then some garden updates…
One time blooming Cardinal Richelieu. Ready to start.
China Rose always blooming and always first and last to flower.
Pink Moss shows its flowers and also shows some stress from the wet winter or pesticide/herbicide leakage into groundwater.
David Austin’s most excellent rose (impossible to get) is The Herbalist. It is my best plant.
Thanks for reading!
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 