Wednesday Roma and getting VW

I slept in (and again this morning) on Tuesday until after 8. I had plans on Wednesday to play board games with Z while at Choir Practice (in this case, the Praise Band rehearsal). I confirmed with Dondrea that there would be a Choir Practice, and Z would be there. I also expected the return of Air VW the Gray from the mothership. A safety recall required two days to rebuild the charging system on the EV; the danger was that the car would stop charging and brick.

I wrote the blog. I also had to untangle the Treasury Direct hit, not on my savings as I planned, but on my checking. Yikes! Automatic reserve transfers took over. I transferred money to cover everything. I called the Treasury and US Bank. One transaction, using an older routing number, would fail on Thursday. Fees were refunded because my balance at US Bank includes my IRA, and thus, I receive exceptional Wealth Management handling at the bank. I later learned from my investor advisor, Sam, that I could have called him, and they would have paid the amount for me even on a closed account routing number. I paid $1.74 in interest for the short time I borrowed money.

Deborah was back to work, and she was having a trying day. I heard from her occasionally as she navigated challenging issues at work. I wrote the blog and rebuilt my Quicken representation of the mess twice. I also reviewed the year for poorly recorded transactions and made a few corrections (I was still correcting it on Thursday!).

I heard from the VW Mothership that my vehicle would soon be ready. I shower and all that, and in my Disneyland Darth Vader T-shirt, head to the dealership. I take the TriMet 57 bus to Murray Road for $2.80. While sitting there, I reflected that the price was not much compared to the Uber price for a quick trip for me.  But it’s much more expensive for hourly folks, who I see mostly take the buses; for them, the price consumes 10% of their pay if working for four hours at basic wages.

My car is ready and waiting for me. They washed and vacuumed it, and it looks great, though I will never believe that a color called Cement is something to be proud of. Surprisingly, I get lots of compliments on the color. The internal timer has been reset, and the machine will no longer demand a return. They plan a visit in late January for Air VW the Gray for its annual check (it is leased).

I head to the Cedar Hills Mall and have lunch at Pastini, where I pay too much for a glass of wine. However, I do get their inexpensive lunch special, and I add garlic bread. I opt for the veggie version of pasta with a side salad, but I ruin my dietary positivity with their excellent garlic bread (just two pieces). The food was excellent, not the usual industrial American version of Italian food.

I finished the blog as they have open tables and they do not care, as my bill was worthy of my table (likely more than two folks just drinking water). I found nothing I was looking for at Powell’s next door, except for a gift. Details will be kept quiet as they often read the blog. A chocolate bar, Ritter’s, found at Powell’s further ruins my dietary neatness. Having hazelnuts and dark chocolate made me very happy.

I return home and manage to not get anything useful done, but depression is staying away. I am considering selling the house and looking at housing options in Portland. One of the issues I was concerned about was my ability to live in the house that Susie and I shared. I am thinking that I am not making this work, thus the depression. It would be a financial loss in the long term, but I will continue to think about it. No settled plans, and identifying the issue may have other options (remodel, removing clutter, and so on). Or even just headed to a museum if I am feeling lost. There are so many things yet to see locally, too.

Aside: I just let you, dear reader (today I learned that this is not capitalized unless in a formal letter), these are my thoughts and feelings. I try to include them here to help others who might have the same issues (grief, retirement, etc). The trouble and chaos of moving sends me into a tizzy. I will likely remain here at the VW Cave.

I meet Z and Dondrea at the church, and Z and I take on a new special map in the board game Concordia, Roma. This uses special rules and is a variation of the game. Z is sharp today, and we chase each other to the end of the game, and I lose by one point, making up for my three-point victory last time. We enjoyed the variation and included the Forum add-on because it enhances the game, in my opinion (Z likes it, too). This special version uses ships to gain various opportunities. She gains a game-winning advantage there.

I return home and watch more of The Year of the Jackle series. I find myself unable to stop watching it and end up watching it until late. I take a break and do some more writing and editing of my Fantasy novel, and add a few hundred words to the third chapter. I plan ten chapters.

I read for a few minutes before Assyria starts me dreaming while I am holding the book. I put it away before I drop it and soon sleep. And while I had no memory of my dreams, they seemed to have been pleasant.

Thanks for reading!