Thursday Rest Day

The day started with me dragging a bit at 6. I woke a few times and proved hydration, still confused about the time, as I did seven days in Michigan with a three-hour time difference. I found the French press and loaded it with coffee from the red bags. This is Equal Exchange brand liberal coffee certified fair exchange. The farmers get reasonable pay for their coffee; I don’t make the world worse by underpaying for coffee, and it is excellent coffee, too. When I taste, despite what I read in the news about the latest outrage and use of weapons in various wars, Justice, Compassion, and love of Community, I feel better–liberal. And when I get to the bottom of the cup, I see Hope, ready to jump into our world.

Empowered by liberal coffee and seeing hope again, I write a blog and tell my story from yesterday. Every day is precious to me, and I want to record it, not just for you, dear reader, but I feel it is some kind of duty and seems even holy. I suspect that is how other diarists of the previous centuries felt. So, another day is recorded, skipping some personal items and unnecessary clutter. Not everything belongs here.

I wrote all morning, and the blog was primarily a re-accounting of my travels with little musing about travel and events. It was still over 1,600 words. I also began reconnecting to home here in Oregon by using The Machine to wash all my carried clothing. I will take my black suit to be cleaned, as the travel process has not improved it. I ran laundry, three loads, all day.

Deborah reclaimed the black shoes I left at the Royal Park Hotel; she resides only a few miles from the hotel. They have a bag, tag process, and even a computer catalog of these found items. They hand the shoes to Deborah without issue. Excellent. I will not have to pack them for the next trip!

Update: Mae West said, “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!” Deborah and I are seeing each other. Deborah resides in Michigan, and I will be back in Michigan for the holidays. For those who wonder who Mae West was, I will save you a search here. Ms. West also said, “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Mae is a muse for me. 

I soon, pumped with liberal-based caffeine, felt like I should raise the taxes on the rich and provide children tax credits with the money and maybe even reduce the deficit with the largess (I am a moderate when it comes to fiscal policies), clean up, dress, and board Air Volvo. Air Volvo is having a hangover and is still showing me an engine check light. I will try to schedule a visit to the mothership again and get it serviced. It will likely be expensive, and I will get the offer to just get a new one from the dealership. More to come.

The mail showed, thinking about bringing order to chaos, and my Kolchak book from the Kickstarter showed, as did the Dungeons and Dragons 5E adventures for the holidays. I always back their holiday items, The Twelve Days of Orcus this year. More reading material, and happy to see another publication from the Necromancer Games company. They now only publish occasionally, but I always love their stuff. But they did not move on to the 4E version, faded, and now show up here and there for 5E adventures.

Zabar’s refill of NYC bagels was delivered (thanks, Joyce). I had a NYC bagel with my coffee!

Lunch is at the McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse, inside this time. Scott and I are early. Today, we met Jenny, another retired Nike IT employee, and her husband, Mike. Scott and I catch up while we wait, but soon Jenny and Mike appear, and we all celebrate with beers and stories of recent adventures. I am actually a gun supporter (but not into the crazy that the Supreme Court has gone with ‘historical,’ which nobody understands), and Scott’s daughter wants to learn to shoot, so we talk about the shooting. Scott used to shoot, too. Mike was just back from hunting, but the weather and a lack of propane shortened the trip. Jenny shares her horse adventures and their support for rodeos and riding. We will see them again after the year change, and more folks, including Michelle V, may join us. All are welcome! Scott will send me the time and location as I join his gang (also the name of a group of elk–it’s not a herd) for Thanksgiving.

Air Volvo, still hungover, gets me back to the house. I continue with the laundry process. I am at loose ends, but I decided to make dinner slow-cooking tomatoes, crushed and otherwise, from a can with cooked onions and garlic. I added generic Italian-styled spices, but not enough, I think. I defrosted some ham by baking, chopped it, and added it to the sauce.

I remember it was Thursday, and I put the trash out. I found some items in the frig that might begin to develop consciousness if left there any longer. Best to bring an end to those experiments.

I watched an episode of the old TV show “Kolchak, The Night Stalker.” I finished up the “Devil’s Platform,” in which Satanists are discovered to be running for Senate and using their transformational powers to kill people. Kolchak, in a desperate fight, manages to save himself by destroying the connection to Satan in Holy Water. I found it not a bad story (and strangely interesting to see people disbelieve anything terrible about a politician in the 1970s-based times), and the acting was compelling. I enjoyed seeing Kolchak drive his convertible Ford Mustang in old 1970s Chicago. It is definitely an acquired taste, but I liked it.

I mixed the sauce and meat with the tube-like pasta. When draining the pasta, I managed not to burn myself with the hot water, though my wrist was red from too much steam exposure. I ate while watching the first episode of the newly released season 2 of “Silo.” I was fascinated with where the story would go next. I was not disappointed, but there is little to recommend this to new watchers; start with season 1, episode 1, and watch it all before starting season 2!

Dinner was plain but three bowls. I read, still at loose ends and feeling lonely after so much contact for a week, took a nap, and found my mojo again. I was just tired, not depressed or lonely, and soon did the dishes, completed laundry tasks (except folding and putting away some items), and brought order to chaos.

Feeling like myself again, I read, shower, dress in my PJs, and try to read some more. I was worried sleep would be difficult, but no, it greeted me, took me, and I traveled in my dreams and saw old friends, including Eric and Susie. We were young again. The dream’s content was mostly forgotten, but we all met and chatted in my dreams. There might have been a comment, it is misty in recall, about when you will stop traveling and stay; not yet, I answered, but someday.

Thanks for reading.