Thursday Busy

I rose after 7 with plans for lunch with Scott, a Zoom meeting for my church’s SPRC committee (for those who don’t speak Methodist, the HR and admin committee), and to take Joan S grocery shopping. She was injured and has yet to be cleared to drive. So a busy day.

The coffee had been assembled the night before, and I enjoyed a locally roasted and ground Mexican coffee. I found my mental footing and got it under me, and then I started my mental walk. I updated my Quicken setup with all the transactions downloaded from PayPal, Amex, and Bank of America. I receive updates from most of my accounts at US Bank. The Wealth Management section is problematic, and I only keep track of balances. The same is true of TreasuryDirect.

I generally earn 4% on my money, except in my savings account, which offers a slightly lower rate of 3%. However, I need quick access to that money and accept the somewhat lower rate for that convenience. I originally had a 5% interest rate on my money, but US Bank used a teaser rate on me. I have since moved 1/2 of the cash to other instruments that earn more.

I started on the blog and began the task of reassembling Wednesday in my mind, capturing it in words, and trying to avoid some of the mundane, yet still mundane, can bring pleasure, like a dusted and well-organized bookcase intermixed with curiosities, but not too many. I try to construct my virtual bookcase with a few asides and boilerplates and make the story of Wednesday at least pretty.

I spoke to Deborah here and there throughout my busy Thursday. We are counting down 8 days until I return to her in Michigan. Off to Michigan on the 10th of October, a Friday, arriving at 7 p.m.

I am pleased to finish by 10ish, publish my blog, and move to my list of tasks. I usually keep the list in my head, but lately, it has become quite long, and it is best to keep it written and in my office. Before I can get far, I receive the contract from the builders for my church. I read the contract through. It is boilerplate, primarily, and I send it off to others to review. Later in the evening, I will approve it. Wow, here we go!

I will add a car rental to my trip next week, somewhere on Wednesday. I don’t remember the timing.

I dress and all that, and head to the meeting with Scott at McMenamins Cedar Hills early. Scott arrived a few minutes after me, and we got a booth and spent nearly two hours chatting. We caught up and then covered our trip plans and investments. We talked about diving, and Scott dives. He is meeting his daughters in Key Largo in December to get them certified for deeper diving, as many wrecks and other interesting sites are located at greater depths. I may pop down there the week before Christmas and meet them, as I have never been down there and learned from Scott to fly to Miami and rent a car. I might fit that in just to meet and enjoy the area. To me, Florida is a special kind of crazy brought on by the place’s fauna and flora trying to kill you, and an occasional hurricane, open carry, and well-armed, not the mix I usually want to visit.

I rush back to make the church SPRC meeting, which runs about an hour on Zoom (my laptop at the house). We cover a wide range of topics, including the disruptions that the refresh, now with a schedule and a signed contract, will bring. It was a productive meeting, and there weren’t too many tasks to follow up on.

I contacted Joan S, and she is ready for me to pick her up and get a few grocery items. I offer earlier in the day to find dinner after getting the groceries, and she counters with a Break the Fast dinner with her family and friends, who are not expecting her. There will be plenty, I am told (there was), and I agree and wear a dress shirt and sweater vest instead of my usual T-shirt.

I travel the 20 minutes to Joan S in Air VW, the Gray, and to North Plains, which is further west and less urban than Beaverton and Hillsboro. Joan S slides into the back seat, Biz Class, and we head to Safeway. There, we do the needful and soon return to Joan S’s place and unload the goodies. With a few updates, we head to the party at Linda’s (whom I met for the first time), who loves color, and her house is bright, crazy, and welcoming. I always wanted a home with a spiral staircase. Excellent.

At Safeway, the EV froze. It would not start. I had pulled it on a curve to make it easier for Joan, and it wouldn’t start. It was not a safety lockdown, like what I experienced when the Volvo broke down and refused to unlock the parking brake without an override. I got out of Air VW the Gray, walked around it to check there was nothing too close, got back in, and it was fine. Getting out and in these modern computer-controlled vehicles is the only way to cause a reboot. It was fine. Hmmm. Don’t expect to jump a curve and make a quick getaway with one of these!

I switch to social butterfly mode, shake hands, introduce myself, and am introduced by Joan. I try to remember the names and faces associated with the names Joan S has used over the years. The same was for them. I recall discussing travel and our favorite drinks. Old Fashioned and Gin & Tonic were the most loved. Sazerac was unknown to them, but they may search one out.

Folks came and went from Linda as various services were completed for Yom Kippur. The crowd was a pleasant mix of ages. I got to meet Joan S’s family, including her mother, who was delighted to see Joan, as it was expected that she would miss due to her injury.

(cropped to just Joan S and me)

We had a bit of a car shuffle, and folks complemented the ID.4; it is an excellent EV, I think. I had to back it out, but the back-view camera works well, and it steers well. I soon had Joan S back at her place, with various food from Linda, and I headed home.

The social experience, driving in the dark, and I think the vaccines made me tired. I used Nav and got home without incident or unhappy notes from the local police for my extra-legal speeds. Air VW the Gray loves to go fast.

I soon was in bed reading. I forgot the coffee and slept, putting on my PJs early. I slept and my dreams are faded from my memory. I was probably back to playing board games in my dream world, likely in last place. No reason to remember that!

Thanks for reading.