Thursday Busy Busy

Thursday had collected many tasks. I rose with my alarm, having slept well in my comfy bed and familiar blankets, but I was confused about what time it was when I woke. The air was only of moderate quality, and I could feel that. All day I was tired and dragging from the travel, the bad air, and the time change. I turned down Corwin’s and Mariah’s dinner and game invitations. Unusual for me, but it was hard to stay awake (it felt like I needed a nap in every time zone I visited).

Corwin, when I spoke to him later, when he stopped by to get his mail (he uses the house as his permanent address and package delivery). His business (window washing and garden work), his side job cleaning and cooking at a local restaurant, delivering food, and donating plasma is working. He has some money, no debt, and the biz is without debt. Also, giving up booze and beer and staying mostly clean (mushrooms and various other interesting edging options are still in use) has cleared his vision and made him reliable. He likes to work and get paid now. Corwin has passed through the fires of near death, Susie’s loss, and poverty to find a path that may work. I am proud of him. He is paying for his own insurance and working with my Allstate people. He hopes to be an Uber driver soon and maybe move into chauffeur work. Applause!

As always, the holidays bring back the faces and names of those we have lost. You look for them or hear them in your dreams: Susie, Dad, Joyce, Grandparents, Elric, Cory, Warren, and others whose names don’t come to me, but whose presence is still felt. It is good, but it hurts. Time to get out the eggnog from the fridge, remember all those you have drunk it with, smile, and enjoy the flavor. Maybe some rum to make it better. And perhaps a light dusting of nutmeg.

Thursday was a rush, returning to the accounting of my day. I started the blog, but I soon jumped into the shower, then remembered I spilled coffee on myself on my last day before travel, and the towel hadn’t been replaced. A cold, wet run gets a towel followed. With myself shaved, clean, and dressed, it was off to Aloha Dental for a cleaning and check. I had trouble breathing and not panicking at first, but that requires me to relax. I found my calm place, and Bo, the hygienist, knows how to just chat about travel and places to visit to keep the focus off the choking feeling of all the stuff in your mouth. Dr. Packam found nothing to fix, and we spent more time talking about Dungeons & Dragons than on my teeth. Perfect!

Back to the house and checking on laundry in progress. All good. My neighbors had put out my trash and recycling (their extra bags are welcome in my cans, as my trash output and recycling are less now). I had added some items on my return home (a few items in the fridge went to science experiments). The trash and recycling were being intermittently picked up on Thursday.

I continued with the blog and then boarded Air VW the Gray again. I crossed over into Beaverton and talked to the church folks on my phone and to Deborah, too. Deborah was having a good day at work and was happy. Excellent. Refresh at church has a minor issue. I started to handle it.

Lunch was at McMenamins Cedar Hills, and the waiters were happy to see us back on our regular visit. We did have beers (back to two a week for me), and I stuck with just a salad (enough food over the month, meaning I am back to lettuce-survival living). Scott and I caught up and talked about our travels, past and future. We both discussed selling our respective houses to ease the burden and reduce costs. Still, we agreed that keeping our homes and getting help with the annoying things makes more emotional sense, and the economic savings are nothing compared to the likely stress of buying and selling or of apartment living.

Later, I learned that Dr. Muge Dogan had been cut from Nike and that the board-level CTO position had been removed. While I don’t hold a grudge, it was Muge who shut down the SAP departments at Nike and eliminated the remote development centers her predecessor, Ratnakar Lavu, had started. This hurt lots of my friends. This would, from my viewpoint, be the last of former CEO John Donahoe’s team. It seems the new CEO, Elliot Hill, has hit the big reset button, returning Nike’s structure to something from the 1990s. Hmmm, the stock price is still in the 1990s, too!

At the house, I joined the Zoom call for the church SPRC committee (for those who do not speak Methodist, this is the HR committee), and we completed our work in 45 minutes. As the salary committee, we are responsible for various year-end processes, which have consumed much of our time over the last few months. All was good and quick.

With that done, Corwin stopped in, as I said above, and installed his new plates on his new car. He stayed for a while, and I offered to include him in the dinner I was making. I was too tired to do much more. He demurred and headed out to make more money. Good plan!

I watched the next episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and thought the show was sexy and bright, but the storyline felt obvious and poorly executed. If it continues this way, I won’t make it to the next season. More to say later (but I was tired, and I may be overly critical).

I used a water drip to defrost the two huge chicken thighs (boneless and skinless), mostly. I put some high-temperature oil in the glass baking dish, salted and peppered the chicken with enthusiasm, and painted the top of the thighs (after rolling them in the oil) with Dijon Mustard mixed with a bit of white cooking wine. I baked them for thirty minutes (which also finished the defrosting). I took them out of the glassware, added a sliced potato, some chopped garlic, and sliced onions (which I would skip next time), then returned the chicken to the top of that (I did toss the potatoes in the drippings before adding everything). This was a Barefoot Contessa recipe I saw on my flight (though just from memory with some changes). I baked for 30 more minutes; the chicken was well beyond done (175°F+), so I took it out, put it on a plate under a foil tent, set the oven to 450°F, and baked the potatoes for 15 minutes. This did not finish them. Ugh!

Next time, I will start with everything together, skip the onions, and return the chicken for five minutes to reheat it. Still, the hint of mustard, salt, and pepper was excellent for the chicken. The potatoes were mostly cooked. Next time! And look, an American recipe without cheese!

I watched Heavy Metal 2000, as I had watched the old one on my trip. It was about the same as the last one, and is poorly rated, but I liked it ($3.99 rental on AppleTV). I got my T-shirts done and have three loads to go to finish all my laundry. I will continue on Friday.

Tired, sleepy, and wanting my bed, I put on my PJs and soon joined the night, traveling somewhere in my dream world. Not sure where, my memory fades, but I suspect there was coffee, beer, used bookstores, games, and friends and family.

Thanks for reading!