Tuesday

A short story as yesterday had very little to share going on.

I kept my coffee intake low and somehow avoided the sleepiness and headaches that are the usual reaction to reducing caffeine. I was taking too much when two large cups of coffee were enough!

I received a text after calling the Volvo mothership, having not heard anything for days. I read that the sensor network of the car, once known as Air Volvo, is failing, but they have no solution or fix yet. The possibility of water intrusion into the cables is the guessed cause. There is no ETA. F**k! Sounds expensive.

The morning started with Deborah, who resides in Michigan, and I exchanging good mornings. Deborah still works and her Monday was a long day. She was tired on Tuesday.

I had IKEA coffee but left half of it. I finished my cream cheese on another toasted NYC bagel. I read emails, updated Quicken transactions, reviewed the news, and read about the Syrian government’s collapse. I cleaned up, dressed, and soon headed to a morning game at Richard’s.

I took Air Ford (Escape) to Portland, leaving delayed. The windshield was iced. Traffic was heavy in the foggy and stagnant air. My lungs were challenged by the lousy air. My usual 35-minute travel time was an hour. The travel through Beaverton was twenty minutes. While slow, the Portland traffic moved, and the highways cleared in a few places. The roads off the highway were fast. A foggy and icy day is not the time to try the backroads in a rental car!

Apparently, the game starts at 9:30 and not 9 (Saturday games start at 9), and I was not late after all. James joined us, and we set up the same scenario I had played before in the board game Mansion of Madness, second edition. This role-playing cooperative (sort of) board game is based on the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game (RPG) and now uses an app to control the game. I find it slow compared to the RPG, and the game is about winning, not building a story or improving characters. I forgot that as I tried to overcome the challenge. Richard won the game, as when he went insane, he would win if he had a bladed weapon and was alone with another character. James also had this form of insanity, and I did know there was an alternative way to win. I needed five items in my insanity.

While I enjoyed the game more this time—I am more familiar with it now—I did not know that the other players would win alone. Still, it was more immersive this time, though Richard was trying to power through to reach the final objective. We all took more damage in this game, and I felt my fellow players were less cooperative and trying to win. It is always interesting to play RPGs with hard-core gamers, which is more board game games than RPGs. They seek to win, not tell a story.

I have one more scheduled game with Richard this holiday, as we both have holiday events, and I am traveling. Richard will text me if there are other gaming nights and he needs another player that fits me. For example, I don’t like ‘Escape’ games with a timer.

With the game over, I head out into Portland and once again park Air Ford (Escape) on the streets, which is easier now that it is not leaf day and parking is available. This time, I walked only two blocks to The Broadway Grill. There, I see they have chili dogs (known better, I think, as Conney Islands) on the menu (three at a time, which I did not finish), and order that with their locally made beer, “Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride.” Next, I edited my Christmas 2024 letter; I have my Apple. After eating and enjoying the beer, I completed the letter and now need to print them in color, but my Epson is not that great. I decided to pay an office supply store to generate the letters and only use two sheets to get better results. My Christmas cards with the two sheets of paper weigh exactly one once and thus get the letter rate.

I walked across the street, where there was a bakery and an office supply store—perfect. At the office store, a helpful and obviously Portland-styled young gal (tattooed, with a summer-like top and jeans, Portland’s weather deny-look), with a smile and polite words, helped me send my file to the store. The gal produced twenty stapled copies of my letter, and I was happy to play for only $1.65 for four images printed on two pages, front and back. I remember the days of two bucks an image. Excellent.

Bread, donuts, and small fruit cakes are excellent additions to the croissants I came for. However, I resist the cookies, including the Hanukkah and Kwanzaa cookies. Yes, I am the guy who brings the other holiday cookies to the Christmas Party. I took my bounty to Air Ford (Escape) and passed my waiter, who was taking a smoke break and was talking on her phone. I opened my goodies and offered her a donut, which she took. She mouths, “Thank you,” as she is on the phone, and I tell her, “Happy Christmas.”

Air Ford (Escape) enjoyed some stop-and-go traffic, which I don’t like on bridges. I try not to think of earthquakes when up there! Happy thoughts! The passage to Beaverton is slowed mostly by overly polite drivers thinking that ten-under is being polite. The mess clears, and soon, I return home.

Nothing interesting arrived in the mail, and soon, I talked to Deborah on the phone. She is tired when I start writing and assembling Christmas cards. I am sending only a few locals as email works better for those folks. I wrote 18 cards. I also talk to others after Deborah heads to sleep (there is a three-hour time difference).

I purchased BritBox on Prime to try some Classic Doctor Who. I watched the Three Doctors (1972) set of episodes, which, while badly dated, manages to tell a good story. I also started another episode, Frontier In Space, which includes the original Master. The actor Roger Delgado, who stole the show with his playful yet evil portrayal of the Master, was killed in a car accident in 1973, and this is his last appearance in the show. I enjoyed his playful acting.

Dinner was reheated beef and broccoli, which I made a few days ago. However, I had couscous instead of rice, which seemed a marked improvement and avoided some of the sudden carb loadings from rice. Couscous seems better for me.

I read the rules for the newly purchased board game Burning Banners, soon showered, and was in my PJs in bed. I read more rules and nodded off. I woke at 3ish with a rash, and after some Benadryl, I returned to sleep until late.

Thanks for reading!