I was at Richard’s house at the usual time of 6, but there was no answer. I finally called Richard 10 minutes later and discovered, as I had suspected. that my text saying I would miss next weekend was taken to mean I meant it for now. Oops. Laura and Richard had the board game The Lost Ruins of Arnak (the basic version, but with the final components from all the updates) set up for a Sunday game, so we played it. This is a favorite of mine, but I played poorly and didn’t gobble up the resources available on cleared sites like Ricard and Laura. I reached the top of research first, but then stalled there. Richard’s play was masterful, and he doubled my score at the end! I was seven points behind Laura. Still, it was an enjoyable game, and Richard schooled me again on how to win (I have won this one before).
The Lost Ruins of Arnak is recommended, but it is not an easy game. It came out just before the pandemic, and many played it throughout the pandemic. I played it at Richard’s as the pandemic started to fade and got my own copy. We played for about two hours in a three-person game wtih no misplays or any significant take-backs. It was just a joy to play.
Next, we played a fast and fun game of the card game CATAN: On The Road Card Game. This is loosely based on the board game but is fast and easy to understand. I won my first game, but this time my hand was filled with sheep cards instead of a useful mix (Deborah is laughing, “sheep!”). I managed, like Laura, to get three points in buildings, but Richard, like my winning last time, got the roads built fast and used that to build more and more.
We chatted for a while, and then I headed home. Traffic was light, and I was home soon. I watched some late-night comedy shows for my news updates. I did not get to bed until almost midnight. I also did the dishes and looked at more car information. Air VW the Gray lease is over in Jan 2027. The last payment is in sight, and I have to decide.
Basically, with 7-9% car loans, the remaining $30K would be about $500 a month for five years, increasing my monthly expenses by about $150. Doable, but still unwanted. A new nice EV matching the ID.4 runs about $55-66K, and there are no discounts. That is, to purchase, $1,000+ a month for five years, certainly an unwelcome increase in monthly expenses. There may be a lease out there, but it will be $500; the $269 price I pay isn’t coming back. I checked, and rebuying the ID.4 used from a dealership would be about a $3K discount, $27K. I suspect I can get that discount from the dealership if I buy the ID.4. I will talk to them.
I checked the car sites, and I could get an EV for about $ 28-36K for various versions, including Audis and Mercedes. The loss of popularity is working on my side. My EV charger in the garage isn’t a Tesla-style charger, and I may have to replace it for some vehicles (though there is a converter). Carvana will drop off a car, let me try it, and then finance it with them. I can also use US Bank (with my IRA there, I might get a break, but so far they are offering 9.5%) for a loan.
My stop there: I looked at Car and Driver magazine recommendations, and it is a GM Bolt, but it can’t do CarPlay, which rules out all GM vehicles. The Nissan Leaf is their second choice (it has longer range!). It is cheaper and fits my price thinking. A nice two-year lease would be great; I wonder if I can do that again. Hmmm.
It was nearing midnight when I returned to my latest book, The Demon of Unrest, on the American Civil War. I love the short paragraphs and complete a few before I discover I am not reading but dreaming words. It is really strange to realize you are asleep and not reading. I sleep through the night, and while there are dreams, none are remembered. I wake early, prove hydration, and can’t sleep for an hour. Just as I’m about to give up, I wake up closer to 8 than 7. Again, surprised that I was asleep when I woke up.
Saturday starts with me realizing I blew off laundry yesterday. Laundry will be Monday, I guess. I reheat yesterday’s coffee, have the last banana, and start on the blog.
I call Deborah all day and often talk about cars. Deborah is more detail-oriented than I am when i t comes to large purchases and has strong opinions that I respect. The car discussion goes all day.
I get the blog done late morning, having been less focused on writing and investing more time in cars, expenses, reading the news, and getting my Quicken correct. I am hungry.
The day is already into the afternoon by the time I have got all this done, plus dressed, and boarded Air VW the Gray. Traffic is a bit snarled into Portland on the main highways but not unusual, and it seems we are not used to having I-5 South closed in part of Portland. I was unhappy to see that the OMSI ramp is also closing, but I can circle back if needed.
There is parking at Lucky Labrador off of Hawthorne, always a nice surprise, but it is not a good sign for downtown Portland. I have not had to park on the streets so far this year. Hmmm.
I did bring my laptop, but no books. I spent the afternoon updating a Dungeons & Dragons published adventure I wrote to the new 5E and sort of 5.5E version. I want to DM again, and I need something to start with. This is the same adventure I used in 4E (it was published after I played it in 2009). Here is the original version for sale on Amazon for more money than I ever charged for it. I have seen a signed copy for sale at Powell’s.
The wording is old and stilted, my write-a-manual style that is mostly gone now, and I do let Grammarly loose on it, as it is not how I would word it today. Still, I often undo what it does, as the gaming context is unknown to Grammarly. I am about 1/4 done, and when I reach 1/2, I can try to get a gaming group together and see if it works for them.
As I covered, I look at cars too, get a BLT after my bowl of peanuts, and a beer infusion for me for editing the D&D stuff. It is a first-level adventure, with this one trying not to kill too many nearly helpless adventurers.
And that completes the circle, dear reader (I saw this in capitalized again, but the standard manual says no), thanks for reading!
