Thursday with Meetings and Dinner

I rose again late on Thursday, around 8, and spent some time on FaceTime with Deborah. We find that seeing each other makes the distances seem shorter. I did my usual morning routine, which included reading, deleting emails, and downloading transactions to Quicken. I had to switch the TreasuryDirect to manual mode and display only the case balance. I did the usual doom scrolling and watched Colbert to get my update on US politics. I read the online version of the NY Times, and that was depressing.

I contacted US Bank and rescheduled my meeting for Friday, as I had initially spaced the SPR/C monthly meeting on the First Thursday and inadvertently double-booked. I put the next meeting in my calendar to prevent a repeat. I try not to make these kinds of mistakes, but my untethered-to-work retirement makes these dates hard to remember (often, I am unsure of the day of the week without looking).

The morning got away from me, and I managed to get only a few things done, like sending a card to Mom Wild and publishing the blog. I drank all the liberal coffee. With Colbert cancelled, billionaires getting away with anything, and strange news from the Middle East, I needed extra liberalness, and I drink deep of my Fair Trade coffee. And, painful as it is to admit, I updated the value of my IRA, and I have never made so much money so fast in the market. Ugh! TreasuryDirect canceled one of my purchases (good), and the books now match what I have booked. That SNAFU is now resolved.

I boarded Air VW the Gray and headed to McMenamins Cedar Hills to have lunch and to get a reservation for Theology Pub for the following Thursday (I will be in Queens, NY). The summer special was a Sloppy Jerry’s (extra spicy version), and I had that with a Hammerhead beer. With the reservation made and reading more news on my laptop, I headed home.

I stopped by the local gaming store, Aloha Guardian Games, and found a small item for the horror/SciFi role-playing game Mothership. I did not see anything else that got my attention. I try to buy at least something when I visit, remembering how my dad would be unhappy when folks came and went from his store in Laingsburg, Michigan.

The church HR committee, SPR/C, met. The contents of the meeting cannot be shared. I was frustrated by the end of the meeting, but we managed to complete a significant amount of work. I watched more of The Day of the Jackel. I finished the series and was surprised by the ending. While I liked it, without details, it is now only sort of recommended. The acting, camera work, and story were excellent.

Nomma Emela’s is the local family Italian place. The food is a mix of excellent recipes from the original family and industrial American cooking. The lettuce, for example, is torn in the salad, but store-bought croutons miss the point, as does the restaurant’s supply of shredded cheese, which could be avoided with just a few moments of extra work. The garlic bread is excellent, and the pasta is overcooked for my taste (but usual for more folks), but I ordered the gnocchi, and that was wonderful (as are their baked items when I order them). I took half of it home.

I met Rev. Anne and Rev. Dr. Wayne for dinner there. They were late, but I am retired. While I waited, I met the new owner. The place was sold, and the owner told me they were looking at making some positive changes. This includes reducing some of the prices (Veal is $40+ a plate) and may bring back some old favorites. The previous owners (the family that started the place in 1978) are sharing the recipes and old menus, I learned. The new owner, whose name I have forgotten, told me that she wanted to be her own boss and had not run a restaurant before, but was thrilled to have a new business; having been there with my family, I truly wished her well.

We had a great meal, and Rev. Anne was happy to get eggplant parmesan. We finished the meal with some excellent and fresh spumoni ice cream. We said good nights, with me taking gnocchi home for lunch on Friday.

I returned home, watched cable, and wrote a few more words, a few hundred, of my current chapter, and stared at the finish. I am hopeful to start the next chapter soon. The Chapter is a transition and has been hard for me to compose.

I found my PJs, dressed for bed, and just turned off the light. I blinked maybe once or twice and slept. I wake early now, with the sunrise, as I no longer spend any time waiting to sleep. I just close my eyes, my thinking turns mushy, and then I am asleep.

Thanks for reading!