Author: alohawild

Going backward, the soy sauce bottle crashed on the floor, the bottom broke off, and the floor was covered in salty brown stuff intermixed with broken glass. This was not my plan at 11:30ish at night. I do not remember why I opened the frig and reached in and knocked it off the shelf. Dripping with soy sauce, I stripped off my PJs and cleaned the mess. I threw the PJs at The Machine, returned to the bedroom, put on a clean pair of PJs, crawled back into my covers, and returned to Elric stories. I soon was sleepy and put away the book. I slept and dreamed forgotten dreams, none including Elric’s soul-destroying sword. I woke twice for proof of hydration.

Before all this, I was at Wildwood Taphouse, delivered by Air VW the Gray, still charged over 80%, and had “beers as black as my soul. ” In this case, I must have had some cinnamon in my soul, as the beer was sweet and spicy, reminding me of Christmas and not of doomscrolling. I enjoyed the small glass (these are high-alcohol beers that are best to sip and enjoyed in small glasses). I revised my story “Chat Holmes and Watson” that I wrote as a distraction to grief and cancer recovery in 2023-2024. The copyright for the detectives has expired, and thus, I thought I should give it a try.

This was my fourth or fifth edit and writing, and I usually stop there. You got it by then, or it is best to forget it. I made a few updates and let Grammarly find things that Grammarly did not find a year ago, the last time I worked on it. Nothing that bad. I rewrote a few poorly formed sentences after Grammarly replaced them, losing their meaning. Yikes, the AI needs to come with an undo button!

I added more to the ending, which also was lighted up in red by Grammarly as it was new and had not been reread with much care by my year-ago self (red is bad and needs to be fixed, blue is suggestion, red for a paragraph means a subroutine of Grammarly wants to rewrite it all–all can be very exciting). I made corrections and then let Grammarly weed out some superfluous wording, though I retained some as the Holmes and Watson canon used more words we use now. I made a point of leaving in more decoration words at the start and then letting the story become more compact as it goes on. It is as if the chat version of the storyteller, Watson, becomes increasingly modern as he becomes more integrated into his new reality.

I liked the story and sent it to 2600 Magazine, The Hacker’s Quarterly, to see if they wanted it. They published my last couple-thousand-word SciFi story. According to professional writers, I am doing this backward. You should pitch a story, and when someone buys it, then write it. Being retired, I can write what I like and then see if someone will publish it (for free or, in this case, a year’s subscription or a T-shirt). I got confirmation that the PDF arrived, and I am being considered (with all the warnings that if they can’t read the text, you will get nothing).

Before this, I made dinner. I baked some chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, with Moroccan-style spices. I made couscous with spices, almond slivers, and raisins. I heated couscous sauce from North Africa from a bottle. I put the couscous in a bowl, covered it with sliced chicken, and then covered that with sauce. I had a salad to go with it, adding green olives to make it fit the theme. I might have had two bowls. Much was left over as I cooked four thighs and plenty of couscous. It makes a great reheated leftover. It looked like the kitchen had been blown up when I was done. I left the dishes for the house elves (sadly, I did the dishes on Tuesday morning).

Before this, I was at Safeway. I wrote a list and wandered from it occasionally but tried to be frugal. I am not very good at being frugal. Eggs were interesting. The excellent and heirloom eggs were $6.99 for twelve in a see-thru plastic holder showing 11 blueish eggs and one reddish. The regular large white eggs in the usual paper container that easily opens and dumps your eggs from the usual supplier were $6.99. Confused as to what to do, I picked the heirloom eggs. Why not?

With my list completed, plus a few extras, Aws checked me out. He was happy to see me. Aws, a legal immigrant from Iraq and a previous war, and I discussed the cost of eggs. He spoke of his hope that the new President would make it easier for the middle class with a tax cut or other help. While I let him know I am not for President Trump, I agreed that Trump kept his promises before (though I disagreed with much he did), and there was hope. It is hard for a liberal like myself to give support like this, but folks need hope, and maybe it will work out.

Before this, I called the towing company, and they picked up the Volvo, which is now the property of Oregon Public Broadcasting. I hope they can get some money for it. I had thrown on some clothing and dropped the papers off at the dealership that still had the ruined XC60. Everything was in order, and I will likely just get a gift receipt in the future.

I wrote the blog all morning and enjoyed coffee with a banana and a biscuit I made the night before.

And that takes us to the start of the morning at 7ish. Thanks for reading!

I woke to my alarm, rose around 7, and found coffee and a banana for breakfast. The coffee, liberal and Equal Exchange brand, was good. I wrote quickly and soon finished the story describing Saturday by 10 and published it. Next, I showered, shaved, and dressed for church. Seeing that Fat Tuesday is this week and missing New Orleans (NOLA), I stopped by Donut Day on TV Highway and bought a dozen donuts, half of which were very colorful for Mardi Gras (March 4th this year). The owner, whom I have not seen in years, was happy to see me. We both are a bit older now.

Armed with colorful donuts, I head to the First United Methodist Church near the park in Beaverton, sporting my NOLA tie. The cake donuts do not make it to the worship service, and the colorful donuts are much reduced by the time service is over. I see there was no usher today; I filled in.

I sit in the back as we have a homeless guy with a donut (just one bite) and some coffee. From his looks, he is on the other side of some substance that seemed like a good idea when he took it, but now he is rough. He is a young and strong man, so I stay back in case of a problem or if he needs help.

Pastor Ken, as usual, dives for the coffee and enjoys what is left of the cake donuts. The man heads to the restroom and then walks the long distance to the men’s room (I have no comment on how this church is laid out). The pastor for our other renting church, which has Spanish service (we host two congregations each Sunday, one in the chapel and one before us in the sanctuary), helps the man. The guy, stumbling, walks out of the church. I later checked (I had a question to answer) that he was not lying outside needing help–I did not see him.

Another person spotted me outside and asked to use the restroom. I escorted her to the requested facilities inside the church and waited near the door to ensure she was OK. “The library is not open until 1,” was the explanation. I agreed, as the library hours have tricked me a few times. Soon, gal was on her way. It was communion, and soon, I was walking to help. I also did the offering and put away the money. It was a busy day for ushering!

Pastor Ken preached on Revelations 21, a passage about the New Jerusalem. The passage includes the two famous phrases I think the best outside the gospels: “I am Alpha and Omega,” and “he will every tear from their eyes.” Ken described the passage of God, explaining that this is the model of a city and how God would have cities. A place of light that has no night. Where all the old things pass away and all is new. It is an extraordinary vision and one of the few in the Book of Revelations not prone to Hollywood-like imagination and strange interpretations.

Next, I headed to The 649 Taphouse in Aloha for lunch and a beer. Air VW the Gray was fully charged the night before; I did not park at the library chargers. I included putting the Apple in the EV in my morning execution. I got a red ale and chicken quesadilla and worked on my Holmes and Watson story. But it was missing. I spent the next couple of hours searching for it. I could not find it. I was unable to complete anything; I was unhappy.

I returned home, connected my backup device, and searched Time Machine for December 2024. Nothing. There, I noticed that it also covers iCloud storage. I discovered a later version in iCloud that had my revisions. Wow! My theory is that the iCloud was not connected when I was searching at The 649.

I renamed the document to include a version number and saved it on iCloud and Apple! Yay! It is over 2,500 words, reformatted as I remember, and ready for more work. Excellent!

Deborah and I chat on the phone while I make dinner. Tonight, I fry and roast a pork chop (slightly overdone despite the temperature readings, but still good). I steam fresh green beans and wilt them in butter, almond slices, and garlic powder (I am out of fresh garlic). Lastly, I boil and mash (with skins) potatoes with butter and some milk. I make a pan sauce for the taters. I should have started them earlier, and dinner waits for them to cook. Deborah rings off, and I enjoy a fine repast.

I read more Elric, reaching the end of the first ‘book’ in this composite version, which contains four previously published books. The second story, the Fortress of the Pearl, is not a favorite, and I manage only some of it before I am ready to find something else to do.

I decided to make biscuits with all the flour and powders I recently received from King Arthur Flour Company. I did not have milk, so I went to Plaid Pantry and paid too much for milk. I did not ask how much the eggs were. I suspect I would need a security escort for those. I mixed it all up to the recipe from King Arthur’s website. I baked them without brushing them with melted butter. They were good, but I would cut the salt by half (I do not use much salt and am overly sensitive to it now–most folks would be okay with it) and brush them. Still good.

With a few biscuits inside me—one on a plate on the bed that I tasted while reading—I shower and crawl into bed. I read but soon slept. I dreamed of travelling and Deborah joining me on strange trains and buses to places I did not know. Most of the dreams have faded.

Thanks for reading!

I rose on Saturday with only the plans to receive flour and other goodies from King Arthur Flour Company and to see Z at her birthday party (she turned 14 on 28 Feb). As is my habit on Friday, I did the four days of laundry, and I put away clean clothing on Saturday morning. I washed my robe and a few items from yesterday. I doom scrolled, what us liberals call reading the news from the USA–primarily drenched in politics, updated my transactions in Quicken, and checked my 401K, trading in a narrow 1% range for months.

I expect the market to not change and certainly won’t rise. Our activist Federal Reserve may decide to raise interest rates as inflation is driven by events (i.e., bird flu, tariffs, trade wars, loss of control by the US government as it partially shut down from cuts and funding issues), so diving for financial cover is difficult. It seems to be a belt-in and hold-on. President Trump wants cheap money, and I expect he will ‘fire’ the Fed after that. The Bank of the USA may be recreated (with all the exciting risk) and be controlled, again, by congress and the President. The Federal Reserve notes currency replaced with new USA bills or Trump Bitcoins. Escape Pods are unavailable for me (or you, dear reader).

Leta, my mother-in-law has already worked out that she can live just on her teachers retirement when Social Security Checks stop coming (i.e., they fire the people who run the checks so nobody can send them, they bankrupt the USA next month with a default on debts, or other unexpected results of the executive orders and chaos in the USA government). Leta said she did not want to live through another Great Depression, but she sees all the signs of one coming. Leta, and others, are scared, “I don’t want to do the 1950s or 1930s again!”

Aside: Yes, I know some of my readers have a different opinion of what is happening in Washington and the US Government. I respect your right to believe what you want in the USA. The blog is what I experience from my point of view and is not meant to be a political statement.

I wrote the blog for the morning and skipped breakfast (all those bowls of jambalaya had me still full), just freshly ground coffee, locally roasted. It was another sunny, bright morning, and it seemed less cold. I soon opened the doors. I showered, shaved, and dressed. I reheated leftover jambalaya from yesterday (Tuesday is Fat Tuesday) and enjoyed it for lunch.

The flour, lots of it, mixes, and even soup mixes arrived. I put it all away. I am ready for more baking!

It was too nice a day to write (though I published the blog), so I boarded Air VW the Gray. I then headed to Cornell Farms, a family-owned nursery in the West Hills overlooking the Tualtin Valley (the valley I live in). It is lovely and has many things I think I need and some I would love to have, but the price keeps it a nice dream. I also no longer dig holes with my balance issues (no ladders, either) since the brain surgery. So anything I buy Corwin or someone else has to ‘install.’

For a Saturday, the travel was in moderate traffic, and the place was flooded with others like me who can be fair-weather gardeners. In my defense, I was there in the rain and the cold. I saw a huge BMW SUV back out of a ‘Compact Only’ space, blocking traffic in the complex parking areas (there are three little lots, all at different heights and skill levels). More of an unmooring than a pulling out. After two attempts and not missing any paint from others (including wheeled carts and people), the BMW was released, and a line of cars followed that had to give way for the full-sized SUV. I found an easier parking location and revelled in the smaller footprint of the ID.4 that I now drive. It is smaller, and the cameras and windows make it a pleasure to park.

I walked the gardens and sales area three times and enjoyed the options. I met David on the staff, and he agreed I should wait until I return from my March trip before planting a pomegranate tree in my backyard. Later, I found a propagated clipping of their colossal rose bush, now just beyond the twig phase, a bourbon rose bush that will grow 8′ tall. Yes! They had two left, and I took the more solid-looking one. Later, I called Corwin, and he said he would dig a hole as the selected location was filled with stones. I enjoyed a coffee and a cookie from their café. I managed to release my parking spot without causing a parking SNAFU; I tried to ignore all the vast and expensive SUVs parked (moored) in compact spaces.

At home, I got supplies from the garage, tried digging the small hole, and discovered the rocks. This will have to wait. I did take the rose fertilizer and spread it on the backyard roses. The tulips are starting, and while last year’s wet took some, most survived. I am happy to see them rising.

I reheated some more leftovers, pizza this time. I continued to read Elric stories and eat. I read on the cover that this book I found in Seattle is the corrected version of the story and published in the correct sequence. I had noticed that a later story, 1989, was in the middle of the book. Later, Michael Moorecock wrote a half-joke story of an intervention of a traveller in Elric’s story. It was fun. I am glad to see it placed in this book. I remember buying it and devouring a new Elric tale in the 1980s (The originals are from the 1960s).

I put away Elric and headed to Dondrea and Z’s place for Z’s birthday celebration. I arrived without much traffic and soon was munching on incredible cupcakes decorated with frosting moss and mushrooms. The cakes were books and moss and mushrooms. Dondrea is a master cake maker.

I stayed for a while, and Z liked the metal dragon coins and realistic resources for her copy of the board game Wrymspan. I was tired, and I even nodded off while reading and slept an hour in the afternoon. I returned home after hugs and offers of more cake—I demurred.

At home, I got the mail, which was slow, and got my earthquake insurance policy renewal. For just under $700 a year, I can get the house rebuilt for up to $744,000 with a 10% deductible (which I must spend first) and only $10,000 of required upgrades from the state/county. Hmmm. It is all that is offered now.

I reworked my TripIt version of Deborah and my trip to California. I also completed a driving plan—I intend to take Air VW the Gray to California. I am looking at Fresno, as I need to stop twice to limit driving to no more than 8 hours a day. Fresno is four hours from Long Beach; it works as a second stopover.

I soon read more Elric and then showered and read more, a super brain cookie. But, I feel my inner writer wants to return to my stories. I think I will drink deeply from Moorcock’s stories. I sleep after turning page after page.

I wake and have trouble sleeping. I seem fully awake, but soon sleeping again. I dream of being drafted and working for Trump and Musk in some workforce. I remember the furniture was all white, plain IKEA, as the lack of planning had us provide our own bunks and storage shelving and assemble them. I discovered I had ‘volunteered’ for a marathon (it came with the award first as that was how it was done now, I was told by Elon via an email) and needed to get in shape, and Clint was sending me texts on how to get in shape. Deborah was in a Michigan-based workforce and sending me advise too. I woke shaking my head. Yikes!

Thanks for reading!

I was tired from Thursday’s adventures and slept in late, after 8:30. I rose and made local liberal coffee, Equal Exchange, and then started my morning as usual. I read the doom-laden news and updated my transactions in Quicken. I was happy to hear from my accountant the previous evening that my taxes were nearly done. Cornerstone Tax Service in Hillsboro got them done in about a week. Excellent. I owe $1,000 and am looking at a refund of $2,000 from the state of Oregon. Nearly perfect, though I had made a substantial prepayment for a quarter when I realized that my interest and dividend earnings had no withholding and my refunds for last year were counting, too.

(Susie’s flower opened today)

I am looking forward to finishing 2024.

I started on the blog, running late already, and it was a long account as Thursday was packed. I wrote until almost noon. I spoke to Deborah and texted here and there. After a break, I showered, shaved, dressed, and was ready to start my afternoon. It is a no-sale day for us liberals, meaning I limited my purchases to local, a few items I could only get at a retailer, and a chance to walk.

Air VW the Gray got me to Powell’s without incident, and I walked through the store a few times. After deciding to pass on a Sunday School class, I resisted a few interesting books on New Testament Greek. My timing for the class did not work—I am traveling often, and thus, I will move on to other things. I have plenty to do!

Mary Beard had a new paperback book on Rome, Emperor of Rome, and I got a copy for about $22. I only buy books about history, gaming stuff, have lots of footnotes, or are about magic tricks. Fiction and so on are usually in my Kindle. I have not yet worked out my library membership, but I will try to get that working soon.

I also got a lovely chocolate bar, as Powell’s Beaverton has a large candy section and other items that are hard to resist. I stopped by New Season’s and bought the minimal items I needed: shrimp and sausage for jambalaya. It was a warm and sunny day, and I wanted to cook something from The Big Easy. I noticed that the store was nearly empty.

(Notice the words in the glass.)

Next door is the furniture and stuff store City Home. Chaz, I talked to the sales folks, and they told me this was their newest and largest store. They also just put out some new items.

(When I saw this setup, I thought of my sister. When I sent her a photo, she thanked me for decorating my guest room to her taste. I left the stuff at the store. I was tempted by other items.)

I stopped at The 185th Corner veggie place and loaded up; it is a local place. For $24, I had a large bag of green freshness (I would have paid twice that or more at New Season’s). I then spotted their coffee and got a bag for too much. I have to grind it. It was lovely and locally roasted.

I finished Kolchak: The Nightstaker by Jim Rice. I liked the story and the style and can recommend it if you can find it. This book is about all that the author was paid for. It was a different time in the 1970s, and an author often went unpaid. The author’s estate copyrighted this book from a Kickstarter created by a fan.

I started Elric of Melniboné, and this version, a collection of the first books, has most of the stories in the correct order. I forgot how much I liked Michael Moorcock’s writing and appreciated a book in the proper order. A brain cookie and I picked up this volume, of two, in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in the used bookstore B L M F Literary Saloon. The second volume is still there, waiting for my return. A reason to return.

I chopped the onions, crying intensely, celery, green pepper, and garlic. I located rice and other items in the pantry and seasoning shelf. I primarily followed the New Orleans School of Cooking recipe and my memory of Chef Reneé’s instructions for Jambalaya. I could hear his laughter and locally accented voice as I chopped, ordered, assembled, and finally cooked. Mine was more fresh-tasting than the smokey flavor of Reneé’s version, with a slight kick, but still good. I used the chef’s trick of adding some veggies at the end to create a bite. I called Corwin, and he came over and had some; he pronounced it good. He took a large container with most of the shrimp (I used pealed and deveined shrimp). As I get older, shrimp has less appeal to me (unintentionally punned). The next version will host the addition of muscles, clams, and a white fish.

Corwin and I tried the new coffee after grinding it. ‘Gather, Darkness’ was perfect with the food. I must admit I had three bowls. I put Deborah on speaker, and she spoke with us for a while as we enjoyed New Orleans-style deliciousness. I finished the dishes; Corwin had done most of them. Then, I returned to reading.

I read until after midnight, enjoying my trip back to Melniboné. I thought it would be fun to tell precursor stories to Elric, but I will settle for the complex tales from the existing canon. I had trouble putting the book down.

I soon slept, and while I cannot remember my dreams, I suspect I walked the dreaming city of Imrryr on the Island of Melniboné and maybe caught a few sounds of the song of pain, and my heart quickened like a native.

Thanks for reading.

Going backward, I arrived at the house in Air VW the Gray at about 11:30, almost Friday. I put out the trash and lawn-waste containers, as our pickup date here is Friday. I then read a new physical book, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes by David Gann, until midnight, when I finished the first story. The book was a gift from Dondrea and Z.

I took the book to Portland and read it while on the MAX. I did not want to carry a Kindle and my phone. Yes, I can read my book on the iPhone, but the screen is smaller and backlit, which is harder on my eyes. This is the larger paperback version, so the print was easy and lighter. Also, if I lose it, I can easily replace it. I usually stick the Kindle in a coat pocket, but that was not today.

The day was warm, sunny, and shockingly dry. Once again, somehow Oregon switches back and forth from Pacific Northwest gray and endless rains to cloudless, warm sunny Northern California. Yes, a Schrödinger’s cat version of the local weather. Or, it is like randomly switching from 1980s bands like Nirvana and Tears for Fears. Yikes!

I thought it a perfect day for a concert and dinner in Portland. I switched to a dress shirt and a sweater vest to be warm as it will be a fabulous evening. I took the EV to the nearby Quatama MAX station and boarded after scanning the app on my phone. I found a comfortable seat in a near-empty train and read and doom-scrolled the news.

Deborah was available, so we chatted on the phone while I traveled and then walked through Portland, having left the train at the Library stop. The chess board in Director Park with giant chess pieces was set up, left at a sacrificial opening and just entering the midgame. It is an opening I have not seen before, and white seemed to have paid too much for its board position. The game was stopped with an offer for a queen exchange. I marveled at the board, and I am afraid I bored Deborah with my explanations of a chess setup she could not see. I returned after making a circle, and the queen exchange was declined. Makes me want to get back into chess. Hmmm. Later, the board was changed, and the chess game was no longer sensible. I was surprised by how shocked I was.

The chess pieces are put away each night at Director Park. I went back to look and maybe set up the game, but it was too late, and the pieces were safely resting somewhere. I suspect large chess pieces three feet tall would get up to some non-chess mischief if left out.

I rang off and walked to the mall and walked the river built into the floor like we did years ago when it had a glass lighted river (now it is filled with tile-like substance, but has LEDs here and there). Next, I headed to South Park (the local restaurant, not the cartoon), my old standby place for food and booze near Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Lee was my bartender, and Matt, the other bartender, poured me some heavy red I look for when I visit their bar. They never have average wines, and I seldom knew the wine they discovered. The food, while expensive, is near the best in Portland. I see more suits and travelers now, as this is an expense report joint, and less local. The cheap, excellent bar menu is now a memory. However, I was still early and got a 17% reduction on my bill. But I paid $1.50 to use a credit card, and the bill included a 20% tip. My bill was less than I expected.

I enjoyed their fish board, which included local smoked trout and salmon in various forms and one choice from the cheeses. The bread and butter were also good, and this was a large meal. However, I turned away from the mains, all of which were over $30. Adding homemade crackers, cheese, fresh bread and butter, and wine created an excellent and filling meal.

I was early to the show and walked around as I described, finally circling to the theater. I got lost once as twilight confused my sense of direction, but I found my way after spotting the towers now with lights. The Schnitzer was all lighted up. I read for a few minutes while sitting on a ledge until the doors opened. Tonight, they will show the movie Amadeus, a fictional story about Mozart and Antonio Salieri set in the early 1800s but with live choir and orchestra.

I bought the cheap seat that still had a good view, near my old season ticket seats in X, in a near-empty row on the upper balcony, row W seat 1. This row has a clear view, while the lower ones are blocked by people finding their seats. I remembered all this when ordering seats. Excellent. I was relieved that the movie was with CC, as my hearing was not great with words, but the music was clear and excellent. The crowd laughed at the jokes and comedy, and I could hear the breath intake when Salieri burns a cross in frustration with God.

I enjoyed the movie; many young folks saw it for the first time in the cheap seats. It surprised me that it has been forty years since its initial showing and winning a pile of awards. I forgot how good it was, and it was undoubtedly improved with live music.

After the show, I walked directly to the MAX as it was after 11 and MAX closes around midnight. I saw an older woman trip on the curb and fall. I helped her to her feet, and she thanked me and then walked on, no worse for wear, as you say.

Next, I found a comfortable seat on MAX. My app first complained that I had no money in my account (you have to draw cash and store it in the app instead, like NYC, get a charge for each use. I also paid for a virtual card to hold this money–ugh–but it was a one-time cost. I like NYC’s process better. Also, you must start the app to use it; NYC just charges you. Hmmm. I read my book until my station.

Moving back in the day, I started about 7 with my alarm and wrote the blog. I got coffee started in the French Press and had a light breakfast of toast, my milk bread, and yogurt. The blog took much of the morning. I connected with Dondrea on text and learned that Z’s 28 Feb birthday party was Saturday. I was free to see the movie tonight. I ordered tickets.

I showered and dressed. Air VW the Gray was still at 90% charge, meaning I had not plugged it in. I boarded the EV and met Scott at Cedar Hills McMenamins. I had a salad with some chicken added. Scott had a plant-based burger (they are great; I tried them). We had a Hammerhead beer and talked money and financial planning. We also covered experiences with aging parents. We both conclude that at a rate of 4-something % interest on short-duration CDs, we should pull cash, pay the taxes, and hold that for a few years to pay expenses. Any market fluctuations (caused by Trump’s tariffs and like actions, market crashes, war, disaster, or events) will not threaten paying our bills or make us withdraw at a loss. To be clear, get some investments out of the market into safe cash, with tax paid, and ready for bills. More on that later. After lunch and drinks, we headed our separate ways with plans to meet again next week.

Next, I returned home but also took care of church items that cannot be described here. I read and then wrote up some paperwork for the church. I did the dishes, changed my clothing, and headed to Portland for the movie and live music.

And that takes us, dear reader, full circle. Thanks for reading.