Sunday not busy

I spoke with some folks at church about the refresh work for the fireside room, and I was surprised by the anger and false narrative as I pushed a bit. Wow. It bothered me all day and made me a bit depressed. I was able to work on some M.A.S.H. 28mm (Dungeons and Dragons size) figures. These need to be ‘based,’ and I decided to leave the two figures that were treating a patient in the set separate and put the patient figure aside as I don’t see any need for it. Working on this had me forget the discomfiture I was feeling.

I started Sunday, another cold and sunny day. More than a week of sunny in January is bizarre weather for us–it should be pouring rain, but last year’s endless ‘rivers of rain’ have us embracing the chance to do late and early garden work. I might even mulch in January!

I rose early, around 7, found the coffee, and started to write. I read the political news, and the President does not disappoint. The ‘shock and awe’ policies continue. While not surprising, the false narratives and the attempt to redefine things he knows cannot change (the 14th Amendment, for example) were/are still shocking when you watch them being implemented as policy. I drank deep of my liberal coffee and know we liberals must withstand the storm and not despair and become despondent. But it is OK to be sad for the liberals reading this.

On the other hand, as a follower of American politics, I know that a newly elected or re-elected President has only so much ‘capital’ to spend after an election. Most new administrations cut-and-run for difficult appointments, not wanting to spend their influence on non-policy items. Not this administration. I also see mass firing in the same process, as more influence expensed. Attempts to short-circuit the US Constitution also burns away these credits. Trump wanted fast and easy wins to get some political ‘axe-grinding’ done, but many of these will continue to distract and cost. His next plans, including restructuring the budget or shutting down the federal government, possibly bankrupting the US currency (by not paying the debt), and abjuring Congress (quite sure this is not supported by Michael Johnson), will deeply dip into any popularity and good feelings from the election. I will buy more popcorn, write some letters, watch, and pray for those impacted by the policies.

Returning to the narrative, I wrote quickly about Saturday. Deborah and I talked; we did make it a short chat so I could finish the blog. I was able to finish by 9ish. Next, I cleaned up, shaved, and dressed. I wore a green sweater vest over a gray dress shirt and the tie Deborah gave me for Christmas. The brown tie with yellow butterflies worked; Deborah remembered I gave her a butterfly necklace in high school. I grabbed a mason jar I had cleaned; Dondrea’s salsa was excellent, and I was returning the jar to her. I was early.

I parked in the library’s parking lot across from First United Methodist Church in Beaverton. I had trouble with the app ChargePoint, which is a non-free station. The first cable does not work; I see the failed marker on it and select the other, having to pull it longer, but it works. Air VW the Gray estimated an incredible 7.5 hours of charging time from 47% to 100%. I managed to add 57 miles of charge for $2.50 while at church for 2.5 hours of charging. I am slowly getting used to it. I cannot imagine this charging in cold, snowy weather. I seem to be walking through parking lots each time I do this. That would suck in a snow-filled parking lot. I look forward to installing a charger (no estimate has been emailed to me yet, but we will see what happens).

Church was full of distractions; I will just pass over it in the blog and move on to lunch. I decided not to work on church paperwork; I was discombobulated by church events. Instead, I found a nice lunch/dinner at BJ’s Brewhouse. I had a chicken breast done in a mix of styles. It was served in a light, lemony, but not sweet gravy with thinly sliced mushrooms. I had a baked potato but mashed would have been better to mix with the sauce. I added a salad with Thousand Islands to stick to a more tangy afternoon!

I watched football with Washington, learning why the Eagles were there, but every time the Eagles blinked, Washington reminded the Eagles why they were there. Washington was crushed, but the Eagles had to keep scoring as Wahington slid another score. I had my favorite red ale and then a coffee to finish.

Home, full of food and beer and still reeling from church, I took a nap in my chair as I watched “The Face of Evil (1976),” a classic Doctor Who episode series I had never seen before. It is an acquired taste as it has terrible acting, effects, and a strange storyline. I returned, once awake, and hours later, to painting my figures. I also started to prepare some figures I got from a Kickstarter: Unofficial Pandemic figures for the board game with the same name. These are modern-looking figures with a slight SciFi and science look. I got them years ago and decided to take them on. I will add them to my version of the game. I will think about acquiring The Brink add-on, which added some more options to the game. I had a late supper by reheating terrible Chinese-style leftovers from P.F. Chang’s as they were too expensive to throw away. It was not better reheated!

With all the bases done on the M.A.S.H. figures, the new Pandemic figures washed and dried (it is a good idea to wash plastic before painting and let it air dry), the dishes in the dishwasher, and laundry put away, I headed to bed. I showered, put on my PJs, and tried to read. I found my legs and feet uncomfortable. Painkillers made that fade. I read until midnight, got up, and looked for reservations for 14 Feb, but I saw those are not out yet. I returned to bed, set Alexa on soft sleeping music to cover any noise, and slept all night.

I dreamed of traveling again and losing my luggage because I forgot to get it at the airport—that never happened to me. I talked to many folks, Susie, Dad Wild, and my Grand Wilds, about how to get to the airport to get it. They were all just happy to chat with me, and strangely, I was in no hurry to get my luggage. It seemed that where we were, missing luggage was not something to worry about. I woke, at first forgetting the dream, happy and sad. I recalled it when writing this blog.

Thanks for reading.