Monday Laundry, Glasses, and Paperwork

Monday was unusually busy for me. But let’s start at the beginning…

I rose around 7:30 and discovered I had not assembled the coffee the night before. I removed the filter, emptied it of grounds, washed it out, and then grabbed the coffee pot. I rinsed and filled the pot halfway. I did not need a whole pot for myself, and I should not drink one. I located a banana and cottage cheese, just a scoop or so dusted with pepper, sea salt, and smoked paprika. I took the coffee and breakfast to my office. Turned on a bright light (to help resist seasonal affective disorder) and started my day.

I do my usual things, like reading email, though I mostly delete emails I don’t need. I update Quicken and check the transactions. I read the headlines on CNN and then read more detailed stuff on the NY Times. And while many would claim they have a bias, I just like their excellent use of words, strong editorial controls, and enjoy their art, travel, and cooking sections. The NY Times never disappoints, and they produce good content every day. Wow!

I wrote the blog and arranged a late-afternoon fitting for my glasses. I made a salad for lunch, chopping a carrot and a few stalks of celery to make it more interesting. I got the laundry started and did the dishes. I planned to stop by the church in the afternoon to see how the start of the demolition of the areas to be refreshed is going.

Corwin stops by, tries my baked chicken, and agrees that some cheese would make it great. I think ham and cheese would be great. Corwin joins me in the trip to the church and Peak Vision to get my glasses. We stopped at the church, and I had already spoken to Wendy, the church administrator, a few times and worked out a few issues. Wendy described it as ‘controlled chaos.’  We saw the changes. Wow! And I noticed that the pasterboard work from the 1950s was out of standard. It was hidden by the paneling. Ugh! Later, I learned that the electrical work is a challenge; the existing wiring limits are options. No surprise there. There was also a missing radiator cover. Pinepoint, the commercial construction company we are using, will make one, if needed.

Next, I headed south and got my new glasses. I am having trouble with my short vision, but the distance and bifocals are wonderful. I could read signs again, and the double vision is gone! Better! Great!

I took Corwin to Famous Dave’s BBQ across the street from the vision place, but it seemed to be too early for dinner. I tried to order fried chicken, but I would have to wait thirty minutes because it was served after 4 (we were early for dinner). Corwin got an order for wings through, and I followed. Corwin finally got his coffee. I stuck to Diet Pepsi. The wings were the usual sticky fried mass. It was OK. It will be hard to convince me to return. Hmmm. Or at least to never have an early dinner there.

Corwin headed out, and I got back to laundry, connected with Deborah in Michigan, and watched the last of season 1 of Kathy Bates’ Matlock on our respective screens. The season ending was a cliff-hanger. Deborah and I speculated about how the cliffhangers would be resolved, but we imagined different futures. Season 2 has already dropped quite a few episodes, and soon we will see how this plays out.

The south trip requires a Bio, and I wrote one — just a few hours of work — and then sent it out. I cc’d the other church folks to give them an outline, in case they want to follow my structure. I then looked at hotels for the last part of the trip. Looks like Holiday Inn Express, my usual, is a good fit.

I finally did some work on my Dungeons & Dragons adventure and read some of the 5E Monster Manual to rebuild the encounters to 9th level from the original’s 2nd level. I finally turned off the light, but then I had trouble breathing when resting. With a few coughs and a spray of my enhailer, that all cleared up.

I was soon asleep, woke once, and then heard my alarm too soon. I thought I had been sleeping only for a minute, but the night was gone.

The difference between night and day is the color of the sky now. There is no moon, sun, stars, just clouds and gray to black. Sunrise is the slow change of the sky from black to gray. I fear for those Texas National Guard folks coming to help defend ICE from frog-like liberals. They are going to be depressed pretty soon and likely understand why we are so weird up here. I understand some tear gas was used, and some more drama happened when ICE and their protectors became concerned about aggressive dancing, flag-waving older folks, and some singing. Portland will continue with its weirdness and mockery. It is what we do.

Thanks for reading.