Tuesday with Headache

The day was colored with a painful sinus headache, but I pushed through the pain and kept busy on Tuesday. I have suffered from headaches all my life, and this one did not have a classic migraine with the colors dancing, even when my eyes are closed; this was just pressure. An allergic reaction.  A mix of ibuprofen and Tylenol made it bearable. Also, Deborah suggested before a fix, and I had some protein (some leftover fried chicken) at night (not good for the calorie count so late), which seemed to help. I will try to cut back on carbs.

Also, I had Mr. Toad’s Wild Red beer at Broadway Grill, and last week I also had a matching headache. I have heard over the years that some beers come with a headache, and I am thinking that is the cause.  Beer is out for now, and I don’t need the calories anyway.

I rose feeling better at 6. I could not sleep again after the sun rose, and I had an early 9:30 board game at Richard’s. I started writing and had trouble arranging my thoughts into a narrative. It was a gray morning, with marine clouds that would burn off, and I watched the scrub jays and hummingbirds while I tried to find a focus.

Deborah called, and we had a lovely morning chat.

In the blog, I had written about my dreams and started retelling Monday’s events, but had to stop because I had to shower and all that. I had about 300 words. I remembered to apply all the creams and was five minutes late for my start time, 8:45, to make it to Richard’s house, only 15 miles away, with most of the travel on highways. The traffic was reduced as we started into the no-school pattern of the summer. Rush hour traffic is faster, and I usually see fewer accidents. In the last month, I have seen quite a few smashed cars, mostly at intersections at slower speeds. I have seen quite a few folks running lights of late. I have traveled for half of May in the previous few years.

I arrived at Richard’s only a few minutes late, and James appeared at the same time. We are still learning the massive role-playing cooperative board game ISS Vanguard. James was all in on the Kickstarter from a couple of years ago (even painted miniatures!); this is his chance to play his investment. There is no Game Master, and that means the rules are deep and processes must be strictly followed to make the game work. There is an app that drives much of the game. We spent some hours on the process and working through the restore and selecting our options. And while not that interesting, the choices mattered at each level, and we discussed all the options in detail. In the story, we headed to the next planet and learned from our research that we have new goals and directions on what we are searching for. It was interesting to me that our research, one of those processes, produced this revelation. We soon have characters to use, and we head to, using Star Trek terms, an away mission. Crew of four (with James playing the extra character), and soon we are picking equipment to carry and upgrading our landing ship. Our trip to the exploded planet did not happen without loss, and we regretted not getting the guidance system updated!

We arrive bruised and soon explore the planet. And while the game still feels more procedural and meta-gaming than immersive, the mission (It is copyrighted material, and I will provide no spoilers) was exciting. My character was injured, as was Richard’s, when I rolled in an accident. We learned that the blowing of a test brings more stories and consequences. Actually, fun. We learned more and started playing better. I look forward to our next mission. It was after 2 when we finished the scenario and ran through the procedures for unloading and sending the injured to medbay. This was then followed by the save process.

I was hungry and reached the Broadway Grill, only a few minutes from Richard’s place. It was Happy Hour, so I ordered a chili dog and some cheese dip with chips. I also had the dreaded beer, and the headache soon started. I managed to finish and publish the blog. I was having trouble with concentration.

I also heard from a friend who was going through something, and that, too, distracted me. That is their story to tell.

I fit the late afternoon traffic on the Fremont Bridge using the, for me, scary on-ramp that is higher than the roadbed of the bridge. Stalled for an extra five minutes at 175 feet above the river is not a pleasure, though the view is nice. I reach home and try to rest to see if that will make the pain less. Nope.

I turn to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and watch three episodes, and wish Deborah good night as her day ends. I finished the season and, since it splits a story, watched the first one of the next season. I laughed through the crazy episode where everyone sings and ends with a big finale, “Subspace Rhapsody” (Season 2, Episode 9). I was feeling a bit better (here if you don’t know this with the Klingons at 3:06).

I ate some leftover cold chicken and had it for a late dinner with some coleslaw. And the headache faded. Wow!

I got tickets, only $4.99 plus another $4 for handling and a donation, to Rocketman on Elton John. Time for a musical! It was late, and I was in an empty theater, but still it was great with a small bag of popcorn. I might have closed my eyes and started dreaming, but I woke up each time and enjoyed the show.

The theater was empty when I left, though I heard some huge explosions behind a door; folks were likely getting the late-night Star Wars movie. I drove home without issue and was asleep in bed before 1. I did wake at 5 and had trouble sleeping for a while, but managed to sleep until 7:15.

Thanks for reading.