Tuesday Sort of Monday

I rose at 6:30 before my alarm with forgotten dreams and a deep sleep in my quiet home. The pillows, blankets, and mattress seemed to hug me good morning and then launch me into my day, a full day back in the Pacific Northwest. There is no coffee and no easy breakfast food in the house. I open the windows as the house needs some refreshing. It is cold in my PJs, but I write much of the blog, and I am time-boxed. I have a board game with Richard and James, Tainted Grail, on Tuesday mornings at 9:30 in NE Portland.

I watch the sunrise while I write, and Deborah and I text a few times. I find the time difference jarring this time; it was nice to be running on nearly the same time as Deborah, that is, only an hour different, and then on the same time once we crossed to Georgia last week.

I managed to finish half of the blog. I can feel the usual exhaustion and depression today, at the end of a marvelous but long trip, but the light helps, and it is soooo nice not to be moving from hotel to hotel. Also, the Telos part of the trip was harsh; I learned a lot, but it is hard not to be a bit depressed by the treatment of people here in the USA. But this was brightened by the good people we met at Telos events and by the kind staff at restaurants, hotels, and museums. Their smiles give me hope.

Aside: Mail was delivered sometime. It included books shipped from New Orleans, various bills, catalogs, and many holiday donation requests.

Some carefully wrapped used books from Crescent City Books. They remember me when I am there. I always find something I need shipped home.

I rush and make the Portland slow inbound traffic, somehow again running between 0-35 mph. I am driving Air VW the Gray—I missed it—and the EV is always a joy to drive and generates no tailpipe smoke when idle, which can happen often when traveling between Beaverton and Portland. I had charged it to 100%. I reach Richard’s house and park a block away, where there are no leaves. It is leaf day when you pile your leaves in the street for pickup.

Richard has the game board set back to where we left it a few weeks ago. The board game has a ‘save’ process. I remember much of the storyline, and we were heading west to continue the story. James and Richard, who have likely played a dozen games since, do not remember. I have been a DM for Dungeons & Dragons since the 1980s, and remembering stories is part of my job. We start, and Richard cannot help but harvest resources and experience. James’ character is not combat-centric, mine is a mix, and Richard’s combat-focused, which means James often takes more damage. We have a close call as a monster tracks and attacks us, and it takes a few tries to defeat it. It then resets and will reappear in three turns. We stop it faster with a bit of luck. James’ character is the only healer, and he often helps that way.

(My character has plenty of resources and most of my health back)

We slowly move across the map of this fantasy world, a mix of Arthurian legends, SciFi, and HP Lovecraft-like alien horror. We return to the areas we explored when we first started the game. We actually find new stories now that we have the resources to pay, but in my memory, we were too poor when we first explored these areas, and I am happy to revisit them. We see new places we have not explored. Today’s play was mostly travel and learning that something is interesting on the other side of the map. I liked it, but James’ character got beaten up and had to rest while Richard and I fought more monsters and got more stuff.

I will be back in December to explore these new story-relevant areas, and I look forward to advancing the story. It has been a while since we have had a chapter change. The game has grown on me.

I give each of Richard and James a Jimmy Carter Library pencil. They are delighted. I head out, it’s near 2.

I find street parking near Broadway Grill and have a Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride beer and their Reuben sandwich. I can only eat half of it. It is excellent, and while I miss the food of the American South, this was house-made corned beef and sauerkraut. I asked for extra sourkraunt and it is wonderful. Recommended. The waiter gave me a box when the huge sandwich arrived.

I finish the blog at the Broadway Grill (having to wipe the good stuff off my hands from the sandwich), while the depression presses a bit, and it is hard to finish. I want to just crawl under a blanket and hide from the troubles of this world, take a few more days off, and do nothing. Just be.

Instead, I finish, talk to Deborah, learn that my bartender is from the New Orleans area, and we share food stories. I learned he moved back here after spending 5 years near the Big Easy to be closer to his aging parents, and that he is happy here now. But he often returns to live-long friends in Louisiana. The depression fades.

I stop by the Broadway Bookstore next door, but they have sold out of the cookbook I looked at last time: The Talisman of Happiness: The Most Iconic Italian Cookbook Ever Written. I did get a postcard. They offered to order it for me, but I demurred as I was traveling again. I did get the 2025 Cook’s Annual in the mail today. Maybe that is enough cookbooks for this month…maybe…

Next, I take the EV back and stop at Safeway to collect just a few things, which soon fill my cart, and I am checked out by Aws, who is excited to see me. We talk about my trips (there is nobody behind me at the check-out, as most people ‘enjoy’ the self-check out. He asked about my head — no hat — and he is saddened that I have lost my hat (again), this time in New Orleans. We laugh as I tell him where I have lost hats all over the world, each one a story, but he has to check, but we get words in between scans and bagging. He smiles and is excited for me for the next trips. I stop by 185th Veggies and get a few fresh items to add to my supplies.

The sun is down, and it is only 4:30, but I am bright and back to normal. The world seems better. I put away the items and start on tacos. Corwin calls; instead of getting a pittance for a trade-in, his friends give him the car and an excellent phone. Corwin feels, he tells me, that the universe no longer hates him. Corwin has given up drinking and has focused on a new business in window washing, gardening, and other ways to make a living. This, along with help from friends, has given him new hope.

I put away the taco makings. I take Corwin to dinner and let him order the best steak at Golden Valley Brewery (don’t ask how much), and I have their curry (not wanting to compare to anything I had down in the American South). I did have a Walnut Old Fashion, and it was good enough (though there were better drinks, but it scored in the middle of one I had in NOLA).

Returning home, I begin to fade, and I wish Corwin well. He needs to contact Allstate to get the correct type of insurance for Uber driving now that he has an excellent car. I may have to help with that for the first time. He is hopeful that with all the gigs he can make it work, and maybe, and this makes him smile, prosper. There is a light in his eyes.

And for those who wonder, the deal is that when he is older and has the resources, he will help someone and remember Susie and me. He can tell our story.

Exhausted and still in the wrong Time Zone, I stayed up and watched more Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and, like the next episode, three, and finished two. Recommended. I am in season one.

I then, with the first load dry but not put away, went to bed, tried to read, and fell asleep immediately. I dreamed many dreams, but did not wake until 6:30 in the middle of a dream math test. The Telos trip ended with math exhibits, and I realized I wasn’t paying attention. The test was difficult for me. My sleepy brain invented a whole new version of logic and proof formats, and I now needed to prove my proficiency on the test. Dondrea, Deborah (who somehow already knew this without being on the trip), and others were doing fine. Apparently, it was a simple test, but I was struggling to complete it and write legibly. I spent an hour of dream time trying to complete it. I woke up before it was over.

Always some guilt when learning things. Often, I dream I never work hard enough, never pay attention, and then there is that whole thing I missed. A familiar dream.

Thanks for reading.