Tuesday With Games

Tuesday mornings are a rush as I have a game at Richard’s in Portland at 9:30. I rose before my alarm, turned it off, and rose before 7. I then waited for the coffee to start. I was programmed to start 7; I defeated the purpose of having a timed coffee by starting my day too early. With my trip on Thursday next week (just over a week away), I am being careful about baking and cooking. I am running out of bread, but do I make another loaf? Humm.

I started the blog and finished about 80% by 8:30, but it was time to shower, shave, and dress. I did not rush, and soon, I was appropriate for public consumption and got into Air VW the Gray with an 86% charge. I had not reset it to charge over 80%, so the charging all night did nothing but light some diode lights that the charging was done. Growl.

The trip into Portland was more usual with 35 mph speed on 26 inbound to Portland, and no sudden stops for me, though I saw smoke pouring out of the breaks for a large truck that some nut passed, changed into its lane, and then slammed their brakes. All this was done at low speeds and very short distances, which is very much something you only see in Portland.

I arrived at Richards a few minutes late but before James. It is Mansion of Madness 2nd Edition again. Richard and James had played this last week and failed. I picked, as usual, a spellcaster, and we returned to a cooperative (mostly, unless you go insane) board game based on Lovecraft’s mythos and, for these later made scenarios, horror films and books. My spell removed insanity, but also, if I failed a roll, it would hurt my character. And I spent most of the game missing my rolls. I did keep the other players in the game until the very end. We erred on the final conflict, a terrible monster rose, and my character was by bad luck to be right with the creature. My character was slain after taking terrible damage (on more failed rolls), and James and Richard could not finish the quest in time as we had erred. Next time!

I returned home in the EV in light traffic. I had purchased some cubed steaks, and Corwin was planned to be over at 2 for math lessons. I steamed asparagus and microwaved some potatoes. I chopped celery, carrots, and pickled beets for a large salad. I salvage my lettuce from ten days ago. I fried the steaks in the non-stick pan.

The pan was not hot enough, and the steaks were more cooked than fried. Next time, I will use the cast iron pan and get it smoking hot. I made pan gravy in the frying pan, adding butter. When I added water, I discovered the ants had found the corn starch, as the little guys floated to the top. I tossed the corn starch and the cornmeal next to it. I have not had ants in that cabinet before. Hmmm. I used flour instead.

My repast was excellent. Corwin was a no-show. I called, and he decided to put off the math; he is looking for a new apartment and cannot find the focus for pre-calculus now. I still offered him a late lunch or early dinner, and he would be over after donating plasma (another source of income).

I sorted the mail and put away the liberal coffee from Portland’s Equal Exchange warehouse. Today’s coffee was fair-traded but purchased at Safeway. I love the taste of liberalism in the morning, having drunk fair exchanged coffee nearly every morning since President Trump won his first election. We liberals need to remember to keep going. The world will someday find Justice with Compassion and the Love of Community. I see Hope at the bottom of every cup. It will work someday! Drink deep of liberal coffee!

While I was away, the lawn service has cleaned up the yard. It looks marvelous. In the spring, they come weekly on Tuesdays. I do the dishes and run the dishwasher. I have accumulated enough dirty items to run it full.

I watch more Andor on Disney+ and nod off. I am sleepy and nap in my chair. A text from Deborah wakes me. We have both been busy and have had only a short call and a few texts this Tuesday. Corwin is here at dinner time and reheats the food. Deborah calls while Corwin eats, and we chat in private and sometimes on speaker with us all chatting together. Deborah, on Eastern Time, is ready for bed (she rises early and works for a living), and we say good night. Corwin heads home after stacking his dishes. I board Air VW the Gray with a hat and my new Columbia light coat and head to The 649.

It is trivia night, and I find a table in the corner to hide. Crystal and Natalia are on today, with Crystal closing. I get a beer and tell them about my trip to LA with Deborah. They love the photos. Natalia loves to drive to California and shares how she travels there. She agrees that Northern California’s Lake Shasta and the volcano park are worth doing. She loved to camp there and had hiked the volcano vent paths.

The trivia is loud, and I did listen a few times, but mostly, I ignored it and wrote. Over the night, I reached my goal of 3,000 words for chapter one. The voicing is different than the first half of the chapter, and I may have to do a rewrite (I started aligning the voicing this morning), but still, the words and story are written and thus exist. I invent more of the history and magic of my fantasy world. I let my stream of consciousness build the world and its history while I direct the story to the conclusion. This chapter is positive and introductory. Others will introduce conflict, fear, and revelations. But, like my favorite mystery and fantasy writers, the main characters will be mostly unchanged. They (Brass and Mary) are the pillars I will decorate with the story.

The trivia contest goes on for hours, and I have a hummus plater with some pita bread and veggies. I need some food with the beer. I have a second beer, and then Crystal and I agree on coffee with cream and bread pudding. With dessert inside me, I wished Crystal, I was the last customer, a good night (they close at 11 on Tuesday).

I was soon home, and the EV, now set to recharge to 100%, was plugged in. Somehow, the cable had a knot in it! I untangled the first one, and it reached. I ignored the other one. I ignore the dishes and head to bed. After taking my meds, I put on my PJs (I remembered ordering more as I have a trip in a week from the online pharmacy) and found a book to read. I have a 1936 account by an American naval officer of the WW1 Battle of Jutland 1916. The author, Commander Holloway H. Frost, also wrote a secret account and analysis (I have a copy, declassified) for an intelligence briefing book for active American naval officers published in 1924. I am interested in reading what an American observer recorded. I did not know about Commander Frost until last year. His account has been overshadowed by the British and German accounts.

Aside: In the times before antibiotics, Commander Frost passed away young from an infection, and his colleagues and family wanted his writings published as a memorial. I am happy to get a copy from Abe Books.

So far, I like the book’s writing style. I am just at the beginning and Commander Frost’s retelling of the state of the Great War in 1916 (with maps!). The summary and words fit my understanding of the war at the point without the usual bashing of various countries or their peoples. In our time, you can almost see these pages as the script and maps for a YouTube video.

Even with the fascinating book, I was soon falling asleep. I turned off the light and soon drifted to dreams of my fantasy world and Jutland. No dreams were remembered. Thanks for reading!