Friday with UFOs

I slowly started Friday. Coffee, locally roasted and ground, was already brewed, which helped get me going. I quickly wrote a card to Mom Wild and got that in the mailbox in my robe and slippers to make the morning delivery. Mail here now comes at 9ish.

I wrote the blog until after 10. I also did some doom scrolling and read my emails (most are deleted, and I keep sending out unsubscribes, especially Trump/Vance emails I never requested). I also tried to order tickets for Monday for Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue from the Oregon Symphony. The account still has my Nike phone number and provides no means to update them. I will have to call support, but I did not get back to that in time. I updated Quicken, discovered I missed a few corrections over the last few days, and fixed them. I like Quicken to be close to the balances, as you can imagine, dear reader.

With the blog in place, I put on Elsbeth and reheated some jambalaya for lunch for a big pan in the frig. The spices had evened out a bit, and because it was not too spicy, the hot spices, which do not fade, I learned in my cooking class, did not overwhelm the reheated version. I could add heat in each bowl, and that worked for me. The spices were multifaceted, and I thought it good, but I missed the smoky flavor of New Orleans and the spicy meat.

I did not care for this Elsbeth with a helpful bartender who murders for his customers in the name of justice. A fury that makes perfect and expensive drinks (he only charges those who can afford them) in his own bar in Manhattan. It sounds like my kind of story–something I would write, but I did not like the manipulative and creepy nature of the murderer; it was a bit too real. I stopped watching it and finished it later.

My afternoon game fell in. This was with a new gamer, who I suspect was less interested. Instead, I took Air VW the Gray to McMinnville’s UFO Festival. I had not been since the first one opened after the pandemic (with Susie trying out the travel wheelchair we used on planes and NYC later–it needed a pillow, we learned there). Navigation took me over the mountains instead of the highways, and it was a wild ride on curves in the hills in the passes. I read 1200+ feet for Champoeg. The EV got a 1% charge on the downside of Chapoeg!

The wine country, passes, and farmland were lovely, and postcard pictures were available the whole ride. The EV handled well; on one curve, I took it faster than I find comfortable, and the VW perfectly stuck to the road. I was happy, though, to have dry pavement! I arrived sooner than I expected. I had Nav set to just McMinnville, and I drove right through. I turned around, found the Old Town, and parked in free parking at the Methodist Church (they have a sign for free parking)–they did have some reserved parking for staff, too.

I walked into the Festival about thirty minutes before it started. It was relaxed and not that busy. Main street was not shut down, with vendor tents (it is Oregon) on each side street. They closed one block of side streets. I saw a tow truck pulling in to remove an unfortunate driver who left their minivan in the way despite the signs.

I walked the town and checked out the vendors. I found a metal hanging that would look great at the peak of the house. I will need Corwin or Jeff to install it. I had them hold it for me while I walked the show.

There were no bathrooms. How odd? I walked to the McMenamins Hotel Oregon, the center of the Festival, and where all the UFO talks were held, got a seat at the bar, ordered, and then used their facilities. My beer did not show. Their Ruby keg blew, and I ordered a Hammerhead with some fries. That showed (my beer appeared after the fries). While I waited, I went to the front desk, bought a T-shirt (XL, going with tighter and smaller), and some postcards to send to Mom Wild. My first little bag.

With a beer and some food, I was ready to return to the vendors. I met some authors when they were setting up. I bought one book from the three. The Norse fiction had got my attention, but the other younger author had a pile of different books with a sign that got me to get a book: Three Words: Gay, Space, Wizard. How could I resist that? The other author, thinner books, which interested me more, and mixed horror and magic–again, something I like. All books were signed and fit in the little bag.

I stopped in an art gallery, and a digital artist had a picture of a rabbit and a dragon having tea, which got my attention. I liked it, and it was not AI-generated. The price, nearly $200, stopped me. The shop was by an oil painter, and I liked his stuff, but I would not want it for my walls. I saw that the artist I liked, Andy Kerr, had a shop nearby at Artemis Fox Studio (the print is on their website when I write this, but art shops come and go), but I did not think it was open.

I wondered more and did not realize I was headed into these studios until I saw the identical prints! I met Andy upstairs and bought an 8×10 print from the artist for $45. Another bag was required, as my other bag was too small. I put my email on his list, but Mr. Keer said I would not hear from him often. He made it clear he was not a social media personality.

I had driven by Source Farms and almost stopped, but I did not have a cooler in the car. They were in a vendor tent, and I learned from Jake, whom I bumped into at the Festival, that they run a few stores on Main Street, including a nearby taphouse. I forgot that Jake and some other folks from Nike now live in McMinnville. I signed up for their newsletter and bought a jar of pickles from them. I took all my goodies, picked up my metal item, and loaded my third bag as I walked back. I loaded them in the cargo hold of Air VW the Gray.

I returned for some food because I felt a bit off (all beer and carbs were a poor mix for me). I ordered jambalaya, a $8 sample in a cup, to try a local version. Large bits of spicy sausage, and while not too drenched in heat, the heat was more than I had cooked with–NOLA cooking classes said to let folks add it. The rice had the same chalky problem mine had. Overall, the jambalaya had a one-dimensional flavor profile, just heat. Specifically, I could not taste the spices and veggies over the heat. Mine was better, but the heavy chunks of meat added much to my enjoyment and made me forgive the faults. I will remember to use larger chunks and more meat.

Jake and I chatted while he walked his dog and looked at the Festival. We talked about mutual friends and the layoffs at Nike last week. He, who is still working at Nike, gave me more details. Like many corporate changes, it seemed senseless and misguided. Instead of working on new services and products (this is my opinion), I think they cut expenses and outsourced more technology—the usual corporate decline and ruin, but so easy to look good to leadership and put on a spreadsheet and PowerPoint slides.

I said goodnight to Jake because I didn’t want to take the EV over the mountains in the dark and rain. It was still sunny—time to get back. This time, I found the correct setting on my AirPlay to run my book on AI. This made the trip easy, though I did do the usual passes with their curves and lack of guardrails, not to spoil the lovely view (an assumption on my part).

Scott recommended this book, Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI, which I listened to on my way to LA. I am about 2/3 done and started it up again. It took me a while to reconnect to the concepts explained earlier (that was six weeks ago), but I soon was following along. 

The book is, I think, a bit alarmist, but I think it is on target. The main thrust is that AI is already with us, will not disappear, and we have a problem. The United States has allowed corporations to use information (many, including the NYT, claim they raided copyrighted works) to create tools such as AI and other intelligent software. The US further grants that these tech companies cannot be held accountable for their correctness or, in most cases, safety. People are primarily unable to understand AI, and government laws are outdated. There is nothing to protect us from the impact of AI and software. This, then, more alarmist I think, creates scenarios, according to the book, where AI becomes an unregulated yet controlling force over humans and allows, with a lack of transparency, corruption. I am not sure the author Yuval Noah Harari (and others) is wrong.

I would contend there have been false prophets, snake-oil salesmen, and financial cons since the first caveman bought his cave for a few skins for reasons he/she later could not understand. In my experience growing up in a family that sold stuff, humans always enjoyed a good sale. And the best con is the one that the salesperson believes in; both are victims. Granddad always sold the best TV on the market, and he could tell you why (even if he did not understand the words).

I made a salad for a light dinner and then enjoyed some cake. I watched more Elsbeth episodes. Again, I stopped halfway on the next one, which was about murder in a fashion show. I thought it was less believable, and the internal storyline was a bit dark.  Instead, I watched the finish of the season for Andor on Disney+. It was three episodes, and I watched them back to back and was disappointed as each ended. I was leaning in my chair as each resolved various outstanding plot issues. It was very dark, with even the Imperial folks getting hurt. I thought the message from these shows was that the rebellion was unstoppable, as the repression of the Empire impacted everyone (including the repressors) and could not be everywhere all the time. I liked it.

I read for a while after making the bed. The laundry for Friday was two loads, one of which was sheets. I put on the sheets from the linen closet and will fold the others and put them away soon. I was asleep by midnight, woke at 2 and three. The rain was heavy and gurgling in the downspouts. I got up, put on a coat over my PJs, checked the house, and climbed into bed slightly damply (my slippers kept my feet dry). I slept until my alarm.

Thanks for reading!