I rose too early at 6:30 and started writing the blog. I was helping with a 10-2 church alignment meeting. While writing the blog, I ordered two dozen sliced bagels with a spread from Einstein Brothers and a jug of coffee. The order came with plastic knives, paper cups, and coffee stuff. I finished a short blog, and as I was coughing so badly on Friday, I stayed home and rescheduled my car adventures.
The car adventure is Kia vs. VW ID.4 (all-electric, EV). To be frank, the Kia is a cheap-ass gasoline compact SUV, but practical, and with a lease, I can give it back after a few years. The Kia is really a retro choice. The VW ID.4 is a new electric vehicle that has been sold for a few years and is thus forward-looking. Charging on long trips will be an adventure, but it is worth it in exchange for dropping oil changes and other maintenance costs. I understand that VW has a discounted lease program (the dealership still has not sent me the promised offer). Both choices are cheap (compared to 70-100K Volvo and other high-end options) and short-term decisions. Two weeks of renting the Ford Escape is about $370. Uber trips run $12-$25 each way, with longer trips running about $100. I am not prepared (yet) to live without a car.
Aside: The Ford Escape is out of production in 2025 and thus came off my list of options.
I finished the blog, washed up, shaved, and so forth, and then dressed for the day. I went with a dress shirt and sweater vest. My pants would now barely stay on. Hmmm. I still need to lose another twenty pounds to reach a good weight, but I need to buy another set of pants, size 38. Ugh! I should also replace the shirts, which are not yet too large.
Dressed and my belt, desperate to hold up my pants, Air Ford (Escape) took me to Einstein Brothers, and there, my order was ready. I walked across the parking lot, balancing a box and bag with coffee, and loaded the goodies onto the seats. The trip to the church was uneventful, with no signs of Beaverton’s Finest not being out to hand out bills for driving too fast or using their phone. I arrived just before the rest.
With a bit of chaos from using a smaller room, we got started and soon started talking about alignment and goals. We spent most of the morning and early afternoon listening to each other. I took notes as I was there to listen and help. I shared my notes when done and enjoyed a Pud Thai for lunch (lunch was provided).
I returned home and rested and read for a while. I finished the Pud Thai for dinner and, on the way to Richard’s, picked up some French fries and a shake from McDonald’s; not great food, but something I enjoy. I was soon explaining Ostia (Richard and I played it last in 2022—Richard records all his gaming in an app). I recently covered this game, so I will briefly describe it.
The game uses a Manacala system that can be brain-bending as your turn is decided by moving boats on a port. Thus, your decisions must comply with the Manacala, and this can take you to choices that are not perfect or even make a turn incomplete. This was the first time I played Ostia with four players, and James, while coming in second, had trouble remembering that the large cubes are three, not four or five. The play is layered and more nuisance than you think, and soon, you are working out three-dimensional constraints for your turn. Simple errors are costly. Richard managed to make the Mancala work for him and soon was leading and won a crushing victory. I was busy teaching still, and I think I can be forgiven for a third-place finish. Everyone enjoyed the new game style, found it a brain-burner, and wanted another shot at it. Excelllent.
Ostia is another Kickstarter-only game by a Japanese game designer. It has the best components, and while the rules can be a bit of a trial (Richard found that the Admin action is more powerful), I like it.
I returned home and soon was showered and in my PJs. I tried to read but soon was nodding off. I was asleep before 11, I think, and woke only before my alarm on Sunday at 7. Thanks for reading
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 