I rose with my alarm at 6:45, and it was dark, ugh! I had a 9:30 game at Ricards, and time seems to fly in the morning. I had coffee ready to start, and I just pushed the button to start it now (it is set to start at 7:15). I had the last banana for breakfast (I will acquire more later). My potassium levels are always low, and I like bananas.
I have limited time, but I download the Quicken transactions (then forget to finish reviewing them and do that at night) and read (mostly delete) my emails. I read the New York Times and Semofar’s email summary of news. I check, and the Social Security Administration still has not approved my application (it is now two months and four weeks longer than was suggested, and I am glad I gave them the maximum amount of time — it was approved on Wednesday). I call the SSA, and their phone tree does not let me speak to a human; instead, it says my determination will not be released until May, but is approved one more day later, despite the phone tree’s promise.
I finally started on the blog and discovered (as today) that Grammarly is not running well and is missing things. I write a note about that in the blog and then realize that I am running over. I then hop into the shower and rush. I remember it is Saint Patrick’s Day, and I put on my usual green sweater vest and dress shirt. This is, for me, the most comfortable clothing. T-Shirts feel sloppy and half-dressed, but are the de rigueur for IT, board gamers, and the Pacific Northwest. I try to get some interesting ones.
I have noticed that my shirts and pants are loose, and I am back to suspenders. I have, as I said yesterday, gone down to 225 pounds. I am on a slow glide of not gaining and losing weight for travel and events. This seems to work and helps me avoid the ups and downs most folks experience with dieting. It can be frustrating as I go up and down about five pounds, but then my weight settles on a new, lower number about every six months. Though the holidays knocked my weight back up for a while, it was fun, and I have no regrets.
I do avoid carbohydrates as they are bad for my Type 2 Diabetes (controlled with diet and exercise, to sound like a Big-Parma commercial), and beer is limited to about two a week (and less with my tummy issues). Cocktails are expensive, and I think that creates its own limiting factor (I don’t drink cheap booze).
My skin rash is staying reduced, and my shedding is less reptilian and hardly noticeable now. I will soon finish all the creams and think this Skyrizi is working. I am surprised and happy. Deborah did send me this SNL skit on it here (really funny).
Returning to the narrative, Air VW the Gray at 91% charge took me through a different route, and I avoided Highway 217. I joined Highway 26 at the top of Sylvan Hill and joined a slow-moving downhill movement. Oddly, the traffic moved at a pace that recharged the EV, with my charge returning to 89% by the time I reached Portland Downtown on the other side of the tunnel. I was ten minutes late, having started about ten minutes later than usual. It is a 40-minute trip to the NE Portland Area on Tuesday morning.
We (Richard, James, and I) got frustrated wtih each other while playing Tainted Grail. I was annoyed that the game told us to do something, but there was nothing to do. Ugh! But I have been here with role-playing gamers. We tried to slow down and speak more softly, and we started to find our way. We think there are only two chapters left for us to play, and that puts some pressure on us. Next time, in about three weeks, I think we will be ready to slow down a bit. Still, I have found these later chapters to be immersive and interesting. Richard fights, by himself, a dragon, and James barely survives an encounter he fought alone. Both wanted to play their characters to the max as they see the end coming. For me, I am listening to the story and trying to understand what is happening. We find our focus and enjoy the game; Richard suggests we finish the chapter rather than take the provided shortcut. We agree.
I head home after the game; we ran over. It is nearly 3 when I get back to Beaverton — traffic was light, and I stopped at the Golded Valley Brewery for St. Patrick’s Day specials. Something that was lemon and more lemon with Irish Whiskey to drink, and Bangers and Mash. I used one of the coupons I received when buying gift cards last year, and my meal and drinks were delivered in a flash. It was delicious, and I was hungry. I finished it too fast, but it was great. I gave my waiter the sum of the coupon, $10, for a tip.
I talked to the manager as I left; their lunch traffic was disappointing. They hope that dinner will be better and busier. I was wondering, with gas prices having no limit and the mess that is travel now, if Americans will stop splurging. Nothing will cause a recession faster in the USA than if consumers stop spending. Buckle up, dear readers.
Historically, and from my memory of the 1990s-2000s, Portland slips into recessions early and then stays longer. We do not have multiple big employers to help us break out early (and Intel and Nike are already having their own issues).
In Beaverton, I stop by the 185th Corner market and get some potatoes (I forgot them). I get bananas and, a bit early, some necartines, a favorite. I cannot help myself, even though they are a bit hard, and I eat two of them on Tuesday.
Disembarking from Air VW the Gray (‘de-EVing’?), I start to organize. I talk to Deborah a few times, but I am sleepy from leftovers from Sunday’s cooking and serving, and the food and drink are making me relaxed. Deborah says goodnight (she has an early morning on Wednesday).
Pain wakes me as my feet and legs are still unhappy with standing and walking in the past few days. I return to the kitchen and slice up some veggies, add them to a large pan with water and salt. I pull out the pre-cooked corned beef (2.85 pounds for about $25 at Costco). I turn on Star Trek Academy after avoiding buying Paramount+ a second time (Deborah bought it for me last year as a birthday present), and watch the first episode. It is amazing. But the second episode stops me because it has too much romance for me; likely, that is a sideline, and the action will pick up.
(notice the cabbage is still green at this point…should have harvested it then!)
I follow directions and microwave the corned beef, and it heats through. I add it and its juices from the bag it is reheated in to my pot of now-overcooked veggies (oops), and my cabbage is fading to white. Well, it is my usual dinner, and I revel in it. Eric K and Susie used to give me crap about that. I smile at the memories and dig in. It is perfect for me, and I remember some of the dinners I have made for Corwin, Susie, and the church. It tastes better with memories. No tears, just food.
I make coffee as I am still tired, and later add some Kālua as I have nothing Irish. But still, it seems right for today. The show and the food make it a good ending to a misty Oregon day.
It looks like an Irish cook exploded in the kitchen. I bring it back into order. I pack away enough corned beef and musy veggies for a few lunches (though Corwin will often vacuum up any good leftovers). I have half a cabbage left (uncooked) to microwave in bits for those meals. The kitchen is still in need of a good cleaning, but it is no longer comically messy.
I have mixed feelings as I remove all the unfinished work from my table in the family (fireside) room. Before, when I was working and caring for Susie or recovering from various surgeries or treatments, sitting listening to music and painting figures and building electronics was excellent, but now I want to get out and do things, plan the next trip, write, play games, and run role-playing sessions. Models, figures, and electronic work are not shared experiences, and indoor work has lost most of its appeal. It feels strange to pack them away, but it is likely that someday I might need them again.
My scaples, eyewear with 3x bifocals, and paints are put in boxes and moved out. Expensive and difficult-to-find brushes join them. Electronics are placed in the garage cabinets or stacked with other items. Piles of yet-to-be-primed figures are set aside in my office. The cover for my table is damaged, and I ball it up and take it out to the trash. Paints and glues are put away in bags and a carrying case. The table is again a flat space wtih nothing stacked on it. It needs to be moved to make way for the flooring work next week. I will see if Corwin and I can move it (when disassembled, it is not that heavy). I feel like a corner in my life is being turned. I am happy about it.
More of the 1929 book fills the end of my day. I am now reading about the 1930s, and the aftermath of The Crash remains uncertain to the folks living it. Hoover is struggling to help, but the country is paying for unrestrained debt (dear reader, does this remind you of something current?), and the damage is serious. The markets rise and then fall to new lows as investors believe, for a moment, that this time it is the recovery. The wealthy are still making it work for them. But the spiral is beginning, and soon the horrors of the deepening Great Depression will start in the mid-1930s. I get sleepy and stop reading. I soon nod off.
I sleep and dream that I am back in school, taking a physics test, but I have no idea what the answers are or how I missed all the class until now. I try to answer some of the test questions and discover, to my horror, that there are questions on the back of the test I missed; I have used up all my time. I am f**ked. I wake 6ish, and it takes a while for me to shake the dream and think about how to answer the questions, then fall back asleep and continue the dream, scribbling more answers. Maybe Star Trek Academy is not a good answer for an evening show! I wake again and climb out of bed, coughing as I enjoy the pollen.
Thanks for reading.
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 