I have started to watch all the late-night host monologues as my news feed. I still read the news in the morning in The New York Times, which I do not read for its liberal editorial (which isn’t that liberal, but at least not the voice of some zombie self-focused multinational corporation or worse, some twisted billionaire), but for its focus on language and storytelling. Even their cooking articles are brilliantly composed. Their writing is meant to catch your eye at the start, and as the writing flows naturally, it keeps your attention and adds more and more interesting items. I forgive their use of the Oxford Comma, and look carefully at how they use punctuation, especially how they break for paragraphs. I am reading less and less during the day.
Monday is my day to relax and go wherever I please. I seldom have plans on this first day of the working week; many of my friends are busy changing their mental gears from living the weekend and now grinding in the week. I glide into Monday. It is a laundry day, and often things leak into it. I have a church meeting in the afternoon and a CT scan following Monday at a new location at OHSU in Portland (no tram rides this time, as I will be on the river).
Grammarly gave me my “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” 350-week continuing writing award (over six years). They seem to be inventing new awards just for me; I suspect I am one of the few, possibly the only one, who has used their tool every week for this many years. And I am happy that it has been years since I last had to talk to their helpdesk folks. I am, though always fighting with it, glad to have it watching and helping. And it never likes to start a sentence with a connecting word, such as ‘and,’ for example. Although it is legal, I often use this technique to break up the writing and engage the reader, but the AI tool highlights it every time, suggesting that it is incorrect or unwise. But, I digress.
Returning to our story, I struggled to find my focus on a day when I didn’t need it. I managed to publish the blog in the morning and start the first load of laundry after stripping the bed, gathering towels, and having breakfast of a banana and some cheese (finishing the blue from Market of Choice). I shower. Deborah, back to work, and I text as the day goes on. We enjoy starting and ending our days together. She was an excellent distraction from finding my focus!
I am not as sore as I was yesterday, and I try to ignore the cold house at 64°F (18°C). There is no dampness to it, making it easier to tolerate, and I am happy to spend no resources again today on heating or cooling (though the fan is running constantly to keep the air moving through the filters).
I cook, some sticking to the bottom of the pan but not burning, some grits for lunch. I add the last of the French-style beef, heated in the microwave. I had no cheese to make the grits extra special, but honestly, I don’t need those extra calories. I cooked 1/4 cup of dried grits, just enough for the meal.
Off to church by way of the post office to mail a card to Mom Wild. I arrive, and folks for the refresh meeting are there. We even have a little person join us. We talk about the details of the refresh and the bids. I check my understanding of all the work. Wendy from the church office joins us for a while, and we decide on a bid, agreeing to move forward. I sign the letter to transfer the last of the money as a donation in front of them, adding a bit of ceremonial flair. We pray, and it begins.
I take the EV home, putter around the house, do some more paperwork, and start more laundry. My plan for a walk never materializes; I will have to be more careful with that. I want to close that ring every day. I make dinner at home (saving money, my waistline, and using up all the food I bought). I defrost more Costco chicken in running water, find the curry sauce in a jar, and cook some rice. Again, I chose to make 1/2 a cup of dried rice to prevent over-consumption. The skinless and boneless chicken thighs are cut into 1″ pieces and browned in a pan, and then the sauce is added. I did eat all the chicken, but I was hungry from the merger lunch and avoided snacking. It was delicious.
I watched more of Apple+ Foundation and enjoyed where the show is going, a surprise to me. I like the action, acting, and the expansion of what I thought were secondary characters. It reminds me of The Explanse and their reworking of the books. Recommended.
I talk to Clint (Married to Susie’s cousin, and an outlaw like me), I will join them around Thanksgiving, I think, and we will play some games, and also collect his large group of role-players and do D&D again. Details have yet to be finalized.
I read more role-playing game (RPG) rules, Shadow Dark, and even an adventure. This is a GM-focused game with rules light and a strong focus on combat and flow; that is more my style (Game master, or dungeon master, runs the game and decides on rules, for those who do not speak RPG). It makes spell casting a risk, and I would reduce or eliminate other mechanics to make it more enjoyable for the players. I am tempted to get a group together to try it. It comes with adventures, though the details are light, they would be a reason to play.
My usual complaint is that there is no playable material, but these rules and the one expansion come with adventures. It also comes with premade characters ready to play (all obviously ignoring the character creation rules, which I would immediately discard). I am player-focused, not GM.
I turn to my 1980s biography of Bismarck and read more of the “great man.” I get a few more pages, and then sleep comes. I put the book away and surrender to the darkness. The new sheets on the bed feel wonderful in the cold evening. Dreams come, but they are not remembered. Pain comes too. My legs ache. Painkillers do not work. Taking some electrolights does. I sleep the rest of the night, sliding deep into my blankets.
Thanks for reading.
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 