Tuesday Without Repairs

I woke again with the early 5-6 a.m. sunrise and rolled over, feeling tired, and rose closer to 8 than 7. I found the office, and the coffee was made an hour before I started on Tuesday by a timer. It was still good. Yes, I am still drinking liberal, fair-trade coffee from Equal Exchange, which is sent from their warehouse in Portland, Oregon. It is as local as coffee gets here in Blue of Blue Oregon, the Greater Portland Area. Yes, every morning since Trump was elected the first time, I have liberal coffee. I can recommend the bitterness that reminds you of all that is yet to be finished in this world: Bringing forth Justice with Compassion, Love of Community, and Hope. I also point out that the coffee makes me sharper, and after seeing what Washington is producing, the world needs a little more attention to detail (besides Justice). Yikes (did anyone read that bill, 940 pages published less than 24 hours before it was voted on?)!

And I try to keep politics out of this blog, but I consistently record my thoughts and feelings. Being liberal, the context will include some light politics. I am not trying to convert anyone (though I would, if I could) or criticize their views here; instead, I am recording my thoughts and feelings from a day.

Continuing with more explanations, I did receive a quibble about why I include my “proof of hydration” in my blog. I have diabetes (controlled, and my A1C is down to 5.2), and I discovered how many people are up and down all night, like me. I share that I, too, have that problem and how happy I am to sleep, like last night, a night without rising at 2 or 4 just to “prove hydration” again. Additionally, most of Susie’s falls in the house occurred when she got out of bed to use the restroom. There were at least two bad falls that required ER trips for Susie. If I can’t sleep for but a few hours at a time, I find it makes me depressed, tired, and confused. I know it damaged Susie’s quality of life. Coffee is my drug to fight this, but sleep is much better. It is part of my life trying to control diabetes, cancer, brain tumors, and trying (praying) for sleep.

I was reviewing church materials when I received a call from the LG repair team. It was a person with a strong accent informing me that the repair person was not coming and I needed to reschedule. I had canceled my game at Richard’s for the repair. I was not happy, but the person on the phone was not there to listen to my anger; they were there to reschedule. The only day is over my other planned day for the week. Thus, Scott W and I moved our lunch to Wednesday to allow for a Thursday morning/afternoon repair. Rescheduled with a note not to cancel this one. Hmmm.

I boarded Air VW the Gray after getting showered, shaved, and all of that. I had watched some Murderbot episodes on Apple+ before this, a book series I enjoyed (though I stopped after the third book as it was getting repetitive for me), which is now a TV series. The season is just the first book, and each episode is short. It was hard to binge the show. It is less funny than the books and more cynical, but I like it. The show has created entertainment videos that are only mentioned in the book, serving as a sort of mixed-up subplot. Recommended, but an acquired taste, I think.

I parked in the hot sun as all the shaded parking on the streets of Beaverton was already filled. I walked to Breakside and found some uncooked spicy tuna in a bowl to go with a beer. The cart that supplied my lunch was in the sun, and the cook/vendor was grumpy (or melting), but my food was great. I sat inside in the AC at the bar and ate and used my laptop to work on more church items.

I stopped at the church after lunch and visited with Wendy, the church administrator, to review the samples for the refresh of the entrance way and fireside room. Sadly, none of the materials and samples were marked as the approved version. Whatever was approved was not recorded. Also, I am unsure if any of these samples were reviewed and approved. Hmmm.

I spoke with Dondrea and Pastor Ken, and there appears to be no record of what was approved. I will just find something that matches the drawings and use that. I stopped by the gaming store, learned that one of the staff I used to chat with has left the store’s employment, and bought a new board game, Ticket to Ride: London, Days of Wonder. This is a 1960s version of London with a light Ticket to Ride system. A perfectly light game, and I loved the cover featuring the original Avengers, John Lennon, and a young QE2.

At the house, I watched more Murderbot and made dinner. I defrosted a pack of skinless and boneless chicken thighs using the sun outside. I microwaved a large potato, steamed (oversteamed) some asparagus, and then used the new spices I purchased in Asheville and fried the spice-covered chicken in a pan (it was too hot to bake). I made a pan gravy from the browned bits. More Murderbot while eating my delicious dinner (except for the mushy asparagus).

Next, I headed to Office Depot and spent some money to get 11×17 full-color copies of the refreshed vision for the fireside and entrance way of the church. I find that handout work is better suited for a church group. Physical paper is reassuring to people as they age; it is more real, and they feel respected and seen when you hand them something. They might not even look at it. The printing, not cheap, is in color and will take the printer all night to produce.

With that in process, I stopped at Salt and Straw and tried their Strawberry and Pretzel Salad ice cream. It was good, with a more pronounced cheesecake flavor and a hint of pretzels. Whole bits of salted pretzels really worked. The dancing fountain was off, and everyone was in the area. My inner 12-year-old wanted to find the controls and turn the fountain back on, but I resisted and acted my age. But it would have been epic!

With regret for not causing any mischief, I was soon home via the EV and did the dishes, read the rules for the new game, and played Welcome To…, another game I just got from James, on Wednesday at the church. I was tired, too many flights and hotels over the last four weeks, and soon was in my PJs and managed to sleep the night through. My dreams were again forgotten, but I think they involved mischief as I woke happy and ready to consider some political writing.

Thanks for reading.

Aside: I am considering starting a blog with a name like BlueAlohawild.me, which will focus on politics. I find that I cannot sit idly while Trump cuts off food aid to state after-school programs (a George Bush program) and help to learn English.  More to come. I am looking at the Ghost platform for that, though WordPress (what this blog is composed with) is my current platform.