Author: alohawild

Sunday: Church and D&D

alohawild

I rose in the dark again. I cannot seem to sleep past 7 (until Monday, when I blinked and the clock went from 5 to 8). I am still dragging, but not as bad as Saturday. My left arm is less sore from the COVID-19 shot. I never had issues with the Yellow Fever shot. I’ve also been getting headaches lately and waking up with a stuffy nose, which I think is from the heat running in the house. It is cold out now.

I make coffee, liberal coffee, but I forget to press the bold button, which you can’t change once the coffee is brewing (hmmmm). It is OK coffee. I have a banana with that. I return to the office and start doing the usual morning stuff.

The amount of political (all Democratic) email I get is impressive, with all of it being deleted without being read. I delete lots of things I sometimes read, and I spot one impressive phishing email that I just delete; it looked real except for the strange email address and the fact that I don’t have an account with the company they are pretending to be. I received many emails pretending to be Apple, since the crooks know my storage re-up is in the fall, but I avoided them all.

Aside: I use Apple’s Time Machine and a drive plugged into my laptop for backups. I have images back to February available. I also do an old-school file copy to a solid-state drive I keep in the car and refresh it every month or so. I am not paranoid; four hard drives have failed on my laptops, and I’ve never lost any information. I have broken two screens and replaced the one keyboard.

I update my transactions in Quicken and read the NY Times not so much because it is a liberal paper (they really aren’t), but because of how they tell stories and edit. It is a lesson each day. And no AI-generated content.

I manage to finish in time to post the blog before I have to get ready for church. I manage the rush and arrive in Air VW the Gray, loaded with Brazil trip stuff and updated Dungeons & Dragons (I had to make a last-minute character update). I was giving the Stewardship Minute in the service, and the service is here, and my little speech is at 1:11:03.

My ushering was busy; we had many late visitors, members, and some homeless people parking to get coffee, donut holes, and cookies. I also got my Brazil books to Eric K, and my hard-copy forms to Kathy. One person brought a dog, and the dog made noise while getting a bowl of water and some food. I got a few looks and smiled back. It was a dog, and I had to stop myself from laughing when members gave me the “stink-eye” for doing nothing.

Ken was back, and he was going for broke in length and content. Eric K, who was also the liturgist, read the whole chapter of Isaiah 59, and the congregation called out memorable verses for Ken to focus on. Ken, who had just lost his father, remembered his father at points in the sermon.

With that done, I was tired again. Nothing like standing for over an hour, dealing with people, and then giving a short speech to run your batteries down. I headed home, watched more Borges, and then headed to Market of Choice. There I bought some expensive cheeses, a loaf of bread (I was down to a few slices), bread flour (on special for $5.69 for the good stuff, 5-pound bag), and a few small breakfast items.

I was late calling Deborah back and, at that time, was headed to M@ for a game. We said an early goodnight. We will try to connect for a show to watch together.

The game at M@’s was different. Our group avoids combat and mostly ignores treasure. We are in D&D Hell, the 5.5E version, and trying to recover some lost heroes and destroy an unholy artifact that the leader of Hell, Asmodeus, introduced in D&D in the 1970s, knows the secret of how to destroy it. Thus, the field trip. M@ assembled a different story for us, as we were not going to do the large combat and instead implicated a Pit Fiend with false but very convincing evidence of mismanagement and wastefulness. Pretty much the worst you can be accused of in Hell as a leader. Even consorting with dangerous adventurers for likely “good” reasons. A terrible mistake for a Pit Fiend to be discovered being “good.” The details cannot be covered here, but we managed a whole night of gaming and partying with Devil Lords and not having to roll for combat once.

M@ had acquired some new cloth maps from China and a see-through cloth mask to play some of the characters. M@, unlike me, can do the voices and acting when DM-ing.

After that, I chatted with Scott C for a while about retirement and health; we often talk outside by our cars after a game. I arrived home tired and read for a while, and somehow it was 11:30 before I was ready for it.

Today the clock got away from me. Thanks for reading!

Saturday: No Game and Lots of Tasks

alohawild

On Friday, Richard asked me for suggestions for board games for our usual Saturday night play, and I was hoping to play the newish Fromage game or another game of the same ilk, but themed around baking. On Saturday afternoon, Richard sent me a note that it was just the two of us, so I decided to skip.

I had traveled to Portland that afternoon and was now drinking a beer (just one now, as I am cutting back) and eating a bowl of peanuts. I finished my Dungeons & Dragons paperwork; my character was now 15th level (12th-level sorcerer/3rd-level bard) in M@’s Sunday game. I had to give up a magic item (only to discover, as often happens in 5.5E, that a rule change means I can keep it and had to redo my work again Sunday morning) and correct some mistakes. These were in an area I seldom, if ever, use, and after manually updating a character fifteen levels, a few slipped in.

After talking to Deborah, I headed home, finished my beer and peanuts, and paid my bill. Lucky Labrador’s on Hawthorne was busy, and I had to park on the street for the first time in months. The staff was delighted to be busy. I chatted with Deborah as I crossed Portland and Beaverton, and then we did one of our favorite long-distance activities: watching a show together. Elsbeth gets better each season and reminds me of Columbo and Nero Wolf books. The main characters become settled, and the actors become the characters for me. It is wonderful to see an old formula still work. But underlying currents also become clearer with each season, adding to the story and possibly changing the beloved main characters. This is a newer formula, and I like that too.

We managed two shows, and then it was late, and Deborah said good night and ended her day. She watched the shows in bed with her dogs. I made dinner, a salad (as I promised myself), read, did the dishes, and cleaned up the kitchen a bit.

I was soon in bed, reading more Dungeons & Dragons adventure, The Caverns of Thracia, that I am thinking of using for a new Thursday night game. It would be less work to use premade stuff. I also got that as a Kickstarter, and it would be a shame to leave it on a shelf. Unlike the three volumes the next adventure in the set took, this one uses a one-inch-plus-thick book that includes the AD&D version and is a bit unwieldy. The Kickstarter includes a supplement of player handouts that makes that part easier. It lacks large maps or other cool items like the Beadle & Grimm versions of other adventures (though those are often $400+; I can see why the Kickstarter did not go that far, and B&G usually works on established adventures).

I noticed a flaw in the adventure’s flow, and I think I had that problem when I played it thirty-five years ago. I worked out how to solve it. I will have to start making notes on how to play it. I am also headed toward removing some of the complexity, as it will not add to the enjoyment of the game and will take time. There is only so much time for gaming; it is best to remove anything that doesn’t improve the experience, a lesson I learned from M@.

I purchased The Borgias, an old BBC show from Apple TV, and watched an episode. I did buy a season, but I may have made a mistake. I hope it gets better. I do like this time of history and know the Medici’s story. We will see.

It was soon after 10, and with the time change, early rising a few times this week, and two vaccines (my left arm hurts from the COVID-19 shot), I tire easily and feel like I am dragging all day. I put aside the adventure, turned off the light, pulled up the blankets, and instantly fell asleep. I woke around 3, proved I could rise, and also proved I was hydrated. I woke in the dark before sunrise on Sunday.

Back at the start of Saturday, I rose in the dark, overheated in my 66°F house under too many blankets. I managed to kick some off, but sleep still didn’t return, so I crawled out into the cold house (it would soon heat to 69°F), found my slippers and robe, located liberal coffee already made, and reheated it in the microwave.

Breakfast was just a banana. I need to make more bread for toast. I use a cheap Amazon Basics bread-making machine. I may go back to the old-school way I learned, like many, during the pandemic.

I puttering around the house after the blog and reheated the Indian-style food I made the day before. It is too much food, and next time I need to split this up into smaller containers. I watched more Battleship New Jersey videos and ShipHappens on YouTube. I then headed to Portland.

And that is full circle. Thanks for reading.

Friday: Broke EV Door and Other Mistakes

alohawild

On Friday evening, I went to charge the EV. I pressed the door to the power plug, but it would not open. I pressed unlock three times multiple times. No change. I have never, and I mean never, had to unlock this small power-plug door on my Air VW the Gray. I turned the car on and off. No change. I pulled on it. It broke. Damn.

The car had been last charged the week before. I have no idea what happened. Is it stuck? I checked, and this is a known issue with a manual workaround, and the fob should have unlocked it. I missed a fix online. That ruined my evening.

I have tape to hold the door closed until I can get it fixed. I saw online that it is about $100 in parts and $400-$750 for the dealership to fix. Hmmm.

Moving to the start of my day, I woke up at 3:30. The alarm went off, and I looked at it for a while, trying to figure out why it was going off. Yes, I have to take Mariah to the airport. I had showered the night before and just dressed and headed out.

Emma is house- and dog-sitting for Mariah. I picked her up at 4ish. We then traveled across Beaverton and Portland, talking about Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E. I loaned her my spare players and DM books.

On returning home, before sunrise, I made coffee. I started my usual day now. I did the usual checks, but US Bank would not talk to Quicken, leaving me with little to do for a Friday in Quicken (it fixed on Saturday). I checked my balances in the US Bank app, and all was good.

I spent the morning looking out my office window and writing the blog. I am still getting used to the new tooling. I miss the word-count and media-addition process of the “classic” editor, but I am getting used to the standard one now. I do save often, as this version lost my work once, and I worked with tech support to try to recover the loss years ago (no go), and the tech waved me off from the “JAVA-based editor,” as he called it then. He gave me the link I use to have direct access to the “classic” editor.

I finished the blog and decided that the few items I had to wash, and the sheets that hadn’t been used for a whole week, meant there was no reason to do laundry again. Monday will do. I headed out to get some veggies and Taco Bell for lunch.

While tacos and a Mexican Pizza from Taco Bell are not everyone’s choice, skipping fries, burgers, and other caloric disasters for a nice taco or two and the pizza (which is not a pizza and certainly not Mexican) still worked for me.

I got a pile of veggies and fruit at 185th Corner, paying the extra 3% to use my card. Somebody has to pay it, and I think it is best they pass it on directly instead of charging everyone more. I loaded up my two bags, about $35, and headed out.

Back at the house, resisting the urge to go to a bar and write and play games, even solo games, I started on a chicken soup kit I bought by defrosting some chicken thighs (they have bones and skin! Oops). I focused on the three-minute Stewardship moment Eric K asked me to do this Sunday. I worked out a basic, short message (I revised it before I started this blog).

I made fridge pickles by putting fennel leaves (I didn’t have dill), garlic, and peppercorns in a jar. I peeled the cucumbers (getting rid of the wax) and sliced carrots for the pickle. I mixed near-boiling water, vinegar, and salt with the veggies in the jars. Let them cool, then put them in the fridge.

I made average chicken soup. I had a few bowls. Trying to be good. I used fennel instead of onion.

I also got a note that they received my vote. I mailed mine to be more annoying, but I put a stamp on it so the county paid nothing. Yes, my ballot passed through USPS!!!!!!! They texted me from Washington County that Elections has my ballot and it was good.


I watched a PBS show while cooking about how they made the Statue of Liberty. I read more about the American Civil War (ACW). I said good night to Deborah as her day ended. I worked more on my text for Sunday, read more Dungeons & Dragons stuff, and finished with more ACW. I slept very well.

Thanks for reading!

Thursday Busy Med Stuff and Lunch

alohawild

Thursday started with me rushing a bit to make my 9:20 appointment with Doc M, my usual doc. I reheated the coffee and wrote the blog. I did not finish, headed to the shower, and soon boarded the EV. Air VW the Gray soon had me through Beaverton and to the Doc at Cedar Hills.

Despite my weight gain, he did offer weight-loss drugs; my A1C was down to 5.6, and my last bloodwork showed no issues and some improvements. And my blood pressure was excellent. Doc M was happy, and we spent more time talking about traveling than my health. We did cover the Yellow Fever shot and he got me a list of my vacinations.

My job, without discussion, was not to gain any more weight or mess up our good work on my A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol numbers. I will be back for a physical around April next year.

Next, the EV zoomed, following Nav, to the distant Walgreens that supplies Yellow Fever shots. It is a sunny but cool fall day without rain or Oregon Mist. Thirty minutes later, I am early for my 11 appointment. I get in line, but then I see a QR Code for vaccine check-in. Feeling more like Delta than Walgreens I check-in on the internet.

A few others are there waiting too, and soon a pharmacist calls my name first and has COVID-19 and Yellow Fever (a live vax) for me. We head to a cubbyhole, and I show my passport; he fills out the yellow card (I lost my original, but I’ve never had Yellow Fever before), and he watches as I enter my passport number and other formal details that must match it.

The shots are barely noticeable. I then get back into the EV and head across Portland back to Beaverton. Insurance didn’t cover the Yellow Fever vax, but the pharmacist had a coupon that brought it down to just above $276.

Brad J and Scott W can do lunch today at McMenamins Cedar Hills and wait until 12:15, enabling me to get back, finish another task, and then have lunch with them. Nav gets me back to Beaverton via Highway 26.

I visited Powell’s @ Cedar Hills and got the book I ordered, The Italian Job, not about the movie, but about the author’s time as bureau chief for the New York Times covering Central Europe and the popes. I liked his article about the current pope, Leo XIV, and about how popes face aging and health setbacks.

I also found a book about the American West part of the American Civil War that I only have some vague information on (having played a wargame on the battles in New Mexico): The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West by Megan Kate Nelson. I will try to get to it soon-ish, as I may suggest asking the author to speak in the church’s speaker series, if in the area.

Next, I headed to McMenamins Cedar Hills, and soon we were together and talked about Scott W’s diving trip and Truk Lagoon. The lagoon is full of WWII Japanese wrecks from Operation Hailstone in 1944, mostly transports and merchantman ships. Scott W told us he stays safe by seldom touching anything and staying mostly outside the wrecks. He also does about two dives a day, never risking a buildup of nitrogen in his blood. We also talked about my purchase of the Air VW the Gray; I had leased it for two years. The choice was mostly a financial decision, as I could not get a vehicle for a lower cost; I like it, and it is only two years old. We updated each other on travel and will not meet again until December.

The beer, cup of soup, half-sandwich, and side salad made me sleepy, and I imagine the vax also had me worn out. I returned home and talked to Deborah as her day wound down. I went back to bed and did not rise again until 4ish.

At home, I made Indian-style dinner from a jar. I defrosted chicken thighs, roasted them, sliced them hot, then browned them just a bit in a pan. I added the sauce to the hot pan, turned the heat down, and let it simmer until hot and spicy. I made rice and managed not to screw it up. Just one cup, but it filled the pan. I forgot to make 1/2 cup. I had a few bowls over rice, but I put most of the rice and much of the chicken tikka masala in a container for another meal. I do like rice, but it is bad for my A1C and waistline.

I read more Dungeons & Dragons stuff and will see if I can get a game going soon. I had to rise at 3:45 to take Mariah to the PDX. I also had some itching and took a Benadryl to stop it. I fell asleep by 10:30 and woke to my alarm, wondering why I needed to get up now.

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday Home and Busy

alohawild

I am again using the standard editor and working my way through the new tooling.

I am also rejecting many of Grammarly’s suggestions now. I like my own voice. And yesterday it did scramble the meaning of a couple of sentences that I corrected after posting the blog. Hmmm.

The words ‘so’ and ‘actually’ are still not used by me. I do not like ‘because’ either, but it floats into my writing when Grammarly points out in blue highlighting that the meaning would be improved if I used ‘because’ and not some other word.

I rose early on Wednesday as my breathing was tough and my tummy unhappy. I also needed to prove hydration and thus started at 6. The time changes also had me up too soon.

I started the day early. It was the deep dark of predawn. I had to turn on the lights. I started my adventure of using WordPro and Grammarly to tell the story of my travel day, Tuesday.

At one point on Wednesday, I opened the garage door, and a red-and-green hummingbird flew down and looked me over. Deciding, I assume, that I was not a source of food, it flew up. It did hover and then left. I am not sure my neighbors are not teaching the birds to land on their fingers.

The backyard had three flickers that were eating the windfall apples. I have not seen the downy woodpecker return. There are fewer crows (they often drive other larger birds away), and I am not sure whether the birds are staying or passing through for the winter.

I spent the morning writing and doing the usual tasks of checking all my transactions in Quicken. I also checked, and my weight is up to 244, so it will be back to salads and less beer soon. Email is usually just deleting them. I have also seen more official-looking phishing emails, which I delete without much more than looking at the obscure email address that sent them.

I did get an email from the Social Security Administration that was official but led to nothing more than reminding me I get a cost-of-living adjustment at the end of the year of 3.6%. I logged on and confirmed my number matched theirs. Yup.

I reviewed my United Methodist Volunteers In Mission for, printed it off, and put it with my other papers. I am using a green mailer for my Brazil trip (19Nov to 30Nov2026). I later updated a health insurance reimbursement form for the trip. UMVIM is covering the trip for health trip (and less happy events) for a few bucks each day. Dondrea and I are the official and trained UMVIM leaders for the trip.

With the blog done, I showered, and all that, and dressed. After putting around the house, I headed out to the nearby UPS store in Air VW the Gray. After a short line with folks there to drop off various packages to be scanned and accepted, I was up. A very young woman then got out her stamp and notarized all the UMVIM documents she watched me sign. It was $10 a stamp (two needed), and a few bucks for a scan of the documents on the USB-A drive. Done!

Next, I was going to stop at the church, but Wendy called, and the internet access was out (a frayed cable, according to Jack C), and she was working from home, and various meetings were moved out, too. Instead, I headed to Portland.

I took the usual 26, crossed over Beaverton to Portland, and headed to the Cosmic Monkey on Sandy. There I got the newest Doomquest, #5, from Marvel. I have enjoyed this series. I also found #3 of Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers and ordered #2, which was out of stock.

Ignoring the information above on my weight, I headed to Grassa and ordered a lovely salad (which would be wonderful with a little chicken for another visit for fewer calories) and a vodka pasta dish I previously enjoyed at the airport. A glass of house wine in a small juice glass went well with it. I read the comic books while eating and enjoying everything. An excellent meal and read.

This is too much food but so good; I finished it.

I also stopped at the 1960s-70s retro lighting and furniture store, Lounge Lizard, and managed to resist going retro.


Wendy’s update was a no-go for our meeting, so I headed home by the river on Highway 5; it was a lovely day, and the mountains were out. It added ten minutes, but the trip was enjoyable.

I managed to sit in my comfy chair after getting the mail, after returning home, and nod off for 5 minutes. Wendy called and was happy to meet at the church. I got up, put on my glasses and shoes, grabbed my laptop, and headed to church.

It was a short trip, and I joined Wendy, and we worked out cleaning plans for the church, mass mailing holiday info, and a few other details. We called Dondrea and talked with her too to get things moving. Busy. Busy.

After this, I headed to Ava Coffee and got a London Fog and an apple strudel, cut in half (Emma got the other half). I did more paperwork again and enjoyed my snack.

Next, Lay Days, a brewpub with good pizza, is not far away, and I walked there, got a table, and waited for Mariah and Emma, who showed up just as Trivia for Geeks started. We had pizza and drinks while trying to answer trivia questions. We managed, after an hour of coming in 6th. We had blown a few questions, and some music questions left us lost. Still, it was fun, and the Detroit square-cut, too-much-crust pizza was great (and again a bad plan for my waistline).

After trivia and closing the place at 10ish, we talked about role-playing games, and Emma and Mariah agreed to D&D on Thursday night or another gaming system. We will start with 5.5E D&D and see if we can make it work.

I found my copy of the Kickstarter rework of the AD&D adventure from the 1980s, Caverns of Thracia, to 5E (which is close enough to 5.5E for adventures). Maybe we can use this material to give me a break on writing until we see if this works. I remember the material was fun to play way back.

I got home, read more American Civil War history, set my alarm for an easy 7 since I had a 9ish visit with Doc M, and soon fell asleep.