Wednesday Stay Home

Although it has been a while since I was in Iceland, I still feel tired at night and wake up too early. I was up around 7 and made coffee. I had forgotten to assemble it the night before. I had a banana to go with the coffee. Today I had only one item on, the repair person was coming to fix The Machine. It has a broken spin detector part, and the repair person had not brought that part before my trip to Iceland. Now, I had hoped to use The Machine again after the repair.

(Spoiler: the part was fixed, but now it leaks! F**k! The repair person returns on Thursday afternoon).

I spent the morning writing the blog and showered. When it was near noon, I called the Fix-It number and learned, after three hang-ups, that the repair person would arrive between 2 and 5PM. I was disappointed, but I was happy that I was still on the schedule.

We had played Pathfinders on Monday, and I was thinking a used, cheap version of one of the Core Rules might still be for sale at the local gaming store, Guardian Games Aloha. I headed to the gaming store and was disappointed to find that someone had already snagged it. But I did spot a board game in their gently used section for under thirty bucks that I liked, Euphoria. I bought the copy (and was happy to see it in good condition and all the bits in plastic bags). This is from the same publisher and designer as Scythe and was created before the breakout success of Scythe and Wingspan. I played it with Clint during the holidays last year on my trip to New Hampshire and liked the game. It seemed well-balanced, and while appearing complex, the play was quick to learn (I learned this is the older version–I did not know there was an update–I will see what I can do).

I returned home and reheated some beef stew I had made the day before in the microwave. With the pot chilled in the fridge, I could skim off the fat, which improved the product. I enjoyed a bowl while waiting for the repair person. I decided, with it being the 50th anniversary of the release of Jaws, to watch it again. I saw that they had a new version with higher resolution; another way to sell Jaws again (no surprise). But, for now, it was free for me. I had to stop the show a few times, as the underwater scenes still scare me.

About three-quarters of the way through the movie, the repair person showed up, and it was the same guy. He took apart The Machine, replaced the tiny part, and then ran a towel to test it. After he left, water spilled onto the floor from The Machine and into the drawer below. F**k, he had either broken or not sealed something. Ugh! I called, and he will reappear on Thursday afternoon. I have enough clothing for Friday.

Disappointed, I watched the show’s ending. I noticed that the shots of the shark are short and show little. I recall the first time I saw an artificial shark, how realistic it appeared, and how it seemed to be on the screen forever. Now it looks less real, but still as scary, but only briefly on the screen.

Dinner was more stew. I read some Doc Savage pulp fiction from the 1930s, something I read in middle school. I was never a comic book guy; instead, I read The Shadow, Fu Manchu, and Doc Savage novels from the 1920s-1930s. It was interesting to see what I remembered from a book I read thirty years ago; I was surprised by how much of the story I still recalled. This story, #9, The Mystic Mullan, drags a bit (which I recall), but it has some interesting ideas. I now, and then too, notice the racism, but I like the story and its focus on science rather than superpowers. I remember daydreaming of being the sixth assistant to Doc Savage.

Dondrea let me know it was too hot, 94°F (34°C), to have choir. There were no games on Wednesday night.

I also read more of the new Dungeons & Dragons rules for the 2024 version and discovered that the magic items have been rewritten as well. I was surprised by the number of uninteresting magic items; additionally, many items from older versions have been downgraded, and some no longer combine powers. It is all interesting to me. I understand the reasoning that the game needs to be cleaner and more flexible, and I will miss a sword that creates light and is +1, but that is the rules (the need for magical weapons to do damage to certain creatures has been dropped in these new rules; more things for me to learn).

I am tired at night. Instead of writing or doing hobby work at 9, sunset, or so, I am now headed to bed. I woke at 11ish, took my pills, put on my PJs, and climbed under the covers. I slept and dreamed forgotten dreams, but I suspect it was Doc Savage and his assistance meeting Deborah and me in Iceland to stop the evil (now-totally not racist) causing lava eruptions. Sad, we could not save the Blue Lagoon. Or something like that.

Thanks for reading.