Friday Doc and Writing and Tired

I am tired and know that I put the next travel day as Sunday, but still, it is going to push me hard to be ready. Sunday is packed with events, and Saturday is not free either. I will have to pack and prepare between gaming, church, church meetings, and so on. Still, I look forward to seeing Susie’s family in New Hampshire and playing some games. This will be only 11 days of travel with one all-nighter. I will make it work, I think. I am planning to bring figures and material for Dungeons & Dragons, too.

I rise at 6:30 and watch the gray turn to orange and then to grey-white. Later, the clouds and fog will burn away. I see the squirrels bouncing around in the apple tree, looking for the few remaining apples. I also think they are collecting a few soft leaves for their nest. Wet and cold are coming (and visits now).

I write the blog, but I am time-boxed and do not complete it. I will complete it later in the afternoon. I am showered and soon dressed and ready. I do not start the laundry, as Saturday better suits my travel schedule. I board Air VW the Gray and notice the 60% charge. I should charge it (and later I remember to plug it in at night — when electrical usage is reduced in the Pacific Northwest).

Note: Unless needed for essential reasons, it is irresponsible to charge cars during peak usage. While the charging process is about the same as an electric dryer running for four hours (it will not crash the Grid as some FOX News and other commentators claim). To be green, it is best to get power when the Grid is coasting on easy-to-source power. I also agree with my conservative friends that getting an electric car powered by coal is making things worse, and a well-maintained older-model lead sled is a better choice. Most of the costs for petroleum infrastructure are sunk.

I travel to my 9:20 appointment and smile as I am repeatedly stopped by school buses picking up small boys and girls, with an occasional parent watching and waving. I nod to a parent, and she smiles. No ICE, no protests that these kids are not proper people or citizens, just smiles and waves, and the rush to get the best seats on a yellow school bus. An American moment for ‘We the People.’

I remember being small once, as I was a former little boy, and, while I would not do it over again, there is some appeal to being small and having everything a mystery again. Maybe some time on swings and playing with Matchbox cars again in the dirt. But you can’t go back.

Instead, I am an adult, off to a doctor’s appointment, hoping nothing new has gone wrong. I get praise for a normal A1C and a smile from my doctor, who also loves American Southern food, especially New Orleans’ version. The extra 8 pounds are not commented on. We agree not to experiment with weight loss drugs at this time (I qualify for it). There is a new issue, and an ultrasound of a mass under my jaw is ordered. I will fit it in before my insurance changes. Doc is happy that I managed to find ObamaCare insurance that keeps him as my provider. Back in six months, and the test results will be checked online.

I give Doc and my nurse a sticker from the King Center in Atlanta. They love them. I head, as I usually do, to the bar at La Provence at the Cedar Mills Mall. Demitri is my bartender, and we remember each other and chat here and there about making drinks based on what I learned in New Orleans. I have the hash and a croissant. I also ordered two to-go for my remaining mornings in Oregon.

I put aside the blog and work on the Dungeons & Dragons adventure for a week away in New Hampshire. I edit and assemble the last section of the original 2014 4E version into my document (yes, I have soft copies of almost everything I write) and begin to transform it into 5E and a one-shot adventure.

(Notice the bacon in a glass; that is for Bloody Marys–booze and breakfast in a glass. I did coffee.)

I enjoy my breakfast/lunch and get further on my writing. I do daydream that I will hire an artist to tidy up the look, make a lovely map, and sell it for pay-what-you-want on Drive-thru-RPG. But that is a hope for the future. I am not looking for money, but to share the story.

I return home, get the mail, and try to find my way again. I finally finished the blog, but I’m having trouble finding focus. I am tired and still full of tears from the Civil Rights trip, Susie’s birthday, troubles in Washington, and just being alone. Corwin pops in for a while, and we chat. I give him some cash for carrying caring for the house while I am away again (the typo was funny; I left it). He leaves, and I talk to Deborah for a while. We decide to watch some more of the second season of Matlock. We have the cameras on, and that makes us both feel better as we miss each other, and it will not be until Christmas that we will be together. We say goodnight, but neither wants to end the call.

I do the dishes and assemble coffee (and there is coffee this morning!). I do more editing on the adventure, but instead of working late, I rest and read. I feel better, and soon sleep comes, and I disappear into my covers and dreams. The dreams are forgotten, but I felt happy. I must have been wandering through one of the various dream worlds with friends and family (many of which are only found in dreams now). I wake at the time for morning on the East Coast and then sleep until West Coast time.

Thanks for reading!