I woke with my alarm from my iPhone as I had a doctor’s appointment at 11:30. This was rescheduled as it conflicted with the trip to Michigan. This meant I needed to finish the blog before the appointment. I often slid into various distractions, such as emails, reading news, and looking up items (surfing) on the Internet, which I needed to curtail. The time difference made it feel early and late at the same time, f**k.
Also, I find that the amount of musing in the blog is less in Oregon. In Oregon, I am often off to the next thing that must be done, and there is some pressure to complete it quickly. Housework, gaming, hobbies, and life get in the way of long musing and complex sentences. I can see why writers and artists in the late 1800s would be at a bar away from critics with a glass of absinthe, forgetting their cares with the green fairy showing them something extraordinary. My cup, instead of the green fairy, was filled with a liberal coffee Friday morning, and I was tasting Compassion with Justice and the love of Community and Hope, ready to jump in. Deborah reminded me of this moment in Star Trek about coffee: Coffee Star Trek. I toasted a NYC bagel to go with it, using butter as I had not gotten to the store to replenish my cream cheese. Soon!
I wrote for hours and managed a few musings despite the time box restrictions. I completed the blog early and felt it was not rushed. I dressed in a T-shirt and sweater, my blood-draw outfit, and soon boarded Air Volvo. I had a few items to mail, and I stopped by Walgreens to get a large mailing envelope for f**king five bucks, eight-count, and even the clerk told me I should be buying this at The Dollar Store, “it will be better quality and cheaper.” F**k. I will try to start thinking like that. Damn.
I reached the local post office with my overpriced and lower-quality mailing envelope filled with various items addressed. There, I shocked the postal clerk with the suggestion to use actual stamps to mail the envelope. It took me three requests before the clerk agreed it might be possible. Soon, the clerk seemed to enjoy the adventure of collecting the proper physical postage, attaching it, adding a label for it with 0$ pay as I bought the stamps, and then canceling the stamps (which made my stamp collecting heart jump) and putting the finished work in the outgoing mail. I also discovered that Alex Trebek has stamps in the form of a question. I got two sets, and the clerk had to find a second set as they were selling out. Christmas cards are going out this year with a letter.
Having managed to play even at the post office and getting smiles from the clerks, I reboarded Air Volvo and headed to Portland. Traffic was messy but not slow, and soon, Air Volvo was back on the familiar streets of Portland. The police had blocked the usual turn, but I spotted it before I was committed. I drove deeper, took another turn, and soon circled back to the same road without waiting except for some folks using crosswalks. While it is not the death penalty in Portland not to stop, the reaction for ignoring a crosswalk will get you a response as if you committed public murder, and ignoring a bike could get you a physical assault. We may be polite here in the Pacific Northwest, but some things trigger us! Beware rude drivers! Obey crosswalks!
Air Volvo soon entered the medical parking garage, which is $20 unless you get a piece of paper with a bar-coded discount of, as you imagine, dear reader, $20. They hand out the little slips at the check-in desks. As Air Volvo pulled in, someone was having a challenge with a new (no plates yet) BMW yacht-like SUV as they could not reach the machine to get a parking pay ticket, and a friendly man got out of the booth and helped, smiling the whole time. He then handed me a ticket, but he saw I could get an Air Volvo close enough to get my own, getting a twinkle in his eyes.
The BMW driver found an easy spot to moor, while Air Volvo and I wanted the rooftop view. There was plenty of parking, and I liked looking out over Portland, a few miles from the tall buildings. I took the elevator down, seeing that the floor and walls now witness to someone setting fire to them—Portland has a real problem with fire starting. It seems to be a thing in a rainy place.
I checked in and waited. Soon, I had the usual blood draw results, surprisingly in this strange world of modern medicine, sent to me before the doctors were with me. I had two excellent doctors, one in training and my usual young, newish doctor. All the news was good. I have a follow-up appointment in early April, and another CT scan to plan. I decide I need lunch.
Swagat is only a block away. I enjoy the walk, smile, and wave to the JW.ORG folks who work to save people in any weather. I remember that German JW’s resisted Nazi Germany, and Hitler threatened to shoot the whole bunch for not saluting him. You have to love that.
I ordered their lunch special, a large tray of items in small bowls, and a basket of naan. I chose the chicken version because the goat entree, my favorite, often has bones, so it’s risky. I enjoyed the chicken version; my tastes are still off from the thrush and nerve issues from my brain tumor surgery, but the spicy foods worked for me. Excellent.
I walked around the area and started shopping. I mostly looked, but I did try the weird Paxton, which specializes in taxidermied items and other dead things, and found something for myself. They had the carnivorous plants for sale and an expert to talk to, who was not surprisingly named Zak. I thought with the trays of orchids and the light, this would be a good match, and Zak agreed and soon picked out, after being directed to the larger pots, a lovely pitcher plant for me (sarracenia). I was instructed that the plant likes distilled water, but it was easy to raise.
Soon, I was next door at The Fireside, having a mulled cider with Apple and Pear brandy. Roy, the bartender, did not blink when I set the pitcher plant beside me and said my friend needed distilled water. He started to fill that request. I waved him off. Yes, Portland is that weird. Deborah heard that later, laughed, and suggested a swizzle stick when I water the plant!
I walked my plant (again not getting looks like it was normal to walk a plant like a dog here) to Air Volvo, wrapped my coat around the base, and delivered it to my orchid trays without issue. I don’t remember any traffic issues, and soon, the lesser tap water welcomed my new plant to its tray (I need to get pure water later).
At home, I read, chatted with some folks, and looked at travel. I decided to have a light dinner and not reheat the pasta I made yesterday. I took a Trader Joe’s Chili Relleno from the freezer and baked it according to directions on a slightly oiled tinfoil sheet. When done, I poured Trader Joe’s excellent enchilada sauce and baked it longer. The combination was outstanding and recommended.
More travel planning and some excellent distractions took up most of the evening. I went to read, showered, dressed in my PJs, and rested for about five minutes. I then rose and went to my Apple and used Delta Airlines to book all the flights, car rentals, and hotels. I risked not paying extra for reservations that could be canceled and refunded. I am committed. Also, the cost of caution would be 1/5 or more. F**k that. I did pay $27 to have some form of insurance on the flights.
While the Delta website is good, it is not as useful as Tripit, and I paid for my annual Pro membership this time. I sent all the Delta emails for the trip to Tripit, which created a ‘trip’ for me with all the details combined into a time-based display. Perfect. I shared this with Linda, my sister, Deborah, and Clint.
With this trip set, I was able to sleep. I tried to read, and soon, I was fading into sleep. I turn off the light, and sleep takes me into a dreamless sleep that carries me to the dark morning after 6.
Thanks for reading.
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 