Author: alohawild

Sleep was a bit harder as we passed through the summer solstice, and sunrise was so early. I don’t have curtains in the bedroom so the sun lights up the blinds in the summer. I manage to roll over and sleep some more. I rise at 7ish. I have my usual liberal coffee made in my French press, yogurt, and a scone, which I made a few days ago; the scones are still good.

I started writing the blog, and this went on for a few hours. I had a few distractions, but I also had no need to rush; I am retired. I finish about 10, including eating breakfast, reading the news, and updating my Quicken books. After finishing the blog, I went through my June transactions on Quicken, made corrections, and then printed off June transactions. I must print off US Bank and the other accounts to finish June. After that, I will take all the documents, punch holes, and put them in a binder. I think I did not finish May, and I will check that off soon, too.

I continued to change my bandage and managed later to damage my skin with the tape. F**k! I will be more careful and use a minimum of tape. The incision is still weeping. F**k. But it is not getting worse, and the attention and antibiotics seem to work. My face seems to be less frozen, and my taste is slowly returning after the Thrush. I still can’t close my left eye with the right one open.

I take a quick shower, trying to keep the incision mostly dry. Someday, I will get to take a long, relaxing shower without something bleeding! I dress in a T-shirt and long pants that barely stay on, but I have the belt pulled all the way now, and that keeps them on.

I board Air Volvo, but I feel hungry and a bit weak. Hmmm. I take Air Volvo to the car wash, and I have a monthly pass for daily washes (which breaks even on the second wash in a month). I drive to the dry cleaners and get all my suits. I then commit a diet sin. I have a Carl’s Jr. Western Burger with onion rings (which I can’t finish). Completing the outrageous calorie count, I start to feel better. I need to be more careful with keeping to my diet; I can’t afford to starve myself while recovering from brain surgery!

I am off to the Quatama MAX station, which, being the Geater Portland Area, even has its own Wikipedia page. Now, I try my credit cards, all rejected, to get a daily paper pass. I then load the Hop app and load $25 on my virtual card (which costs $3 to buy the card ?!). I watch one train go while I try to do this. I then cannot figure out how to tap to get my legal and paid access to MAX. As the train finally appears, there is still no tap–it is not connected to the train. I spy the green pole, wave my phone at it, and I tap. The train driver kindly waits for me before moving the train on (I am not likely the first confused user).

The MAX train contains one person who is having a conversation with themselves–sometimes getting into an argument with themselves, young people who could be models in a fashion magazine and ordinary folks. The train fills as we get closer to Portland, but strangely, keeping the proportions of beautiful, crazy, and ordinary people. MAX goes slower than I remember, but I am happy to not be driving.

My back hurts, and I am tired. I am surprised that I am running out of steam so fast, but this is a continuous process, and I realize it may be the longest time I have done something since the surgery. I try to relax and try to find a place to look where I won’t be staring at a beautiful person (being creepy) or making eye contact with a person talking to themselves (not wanting to add to the conversation) and find my phone very interesting (like everyone else). While I never feel scared or worried, it is less comfortable than I remember. This is my first time on the MAX since the pandemic.

I ride through Portland and get off at Skidmore Fountain stop (I should have stayed on for one more stop). I walk five blocks to the Chinese Garden. I managed to handle the uneven pavement of Portland (not as bad as NYC) and did not trip or even sway. Excellent. I suspect, with all the balance issues and PT over the last five years, that I have been compensating for the tumor-caused damage for years and have no problems walking in an urban setting.

I restored my garden membership, but it was a sad moment when Susie’s name was dropped from a family membership. I also have to align the phone number to my new number. I am not 62, so I am not a senior yet. It is hot, and my back hurts, but the shade is nice, and there are a few benches. Soon, I headed into the tea house and discovered that it had changed since the last time I was here. It is now run by the garden, I am told, and I like the menu now, which is light but has enough food for lunch. I ordered a tea service and cold lotus root salad (just something cold and light), and I picked a seat outside near the water. The service is delivered, and the process is explained to me (I remember much of this from previous visits). I have hot tea and a very spicy cold salad with various crunchy veggies and mushrooms.

I walk through the garden, and only once do the steps fool me. I was never near falling, but the step was further than it should have been. There is a man playing a traditional instrument, and he tells me about it. It has only two strings and is bowed. The amount of sound and range are impressive. The garden with all the water is humid, and soon, I am tired, and my back pain is back. I am near my limit. I left the Chinese Gardon after touring the shop and resisting the Year of the Dragon items (I was born in 1964, A Year of the Dragon). This time, I walk two blocks to the MAX. My train leaves as I reach the station. I discovered my original purchase on Hop App is still in time for a transfer to be offered to me. I wait three trains until I get one that will take me back to my starting point.

I noticed that the homeless and people screaming obscenities and acting violently were more prevalent than I remembered from my other visits to Portland. I can see why people are disquieted about coming to Portland. I could hear some of the screams from inside the Chinese Garden, and there was now a metal gate around the garden’s entrance. I had to be let in. It feels less safe than NYC as there are fewer people, and thus, the proportion of would-be violent folks was higher, and I saw no police presence my whole visit.

My ride back was nearly the same, with about the same proportion of crazy, beautiful, and ordinary people. It seemed to go by faster as I read a book on my iPhone. I was surprised to see some folks who were on the MAX before me and went out beyond Beaverton. With the difficulty of filling hourly positions in the area, few would ride that long to a job, so it appears these were mostly students, with most getting off at 185th on the PCC campus. The Max train was mostly empty when I arrived back at Quatama MAX station. Air Volvo was there and hot as it registered 90F (it is inaccurate for air temperature). I returned to the Volvo Cave via the 185th Fruit and Veggie stand. I got items we needed and a few we did not need. I enjoy our local stone fruit and found ripe nectarines this time.

I rested for a while and then started to make Lentil Soup from a Women’s Bean Project kit. I added cooked celery, onions, and fresh tomatoes to the soup. I used boxed chicken stock (I am not a foodie enough to make my own). I also added a can of diced tomatoes with garlic and other seasonings. Despite my back again complaining, I continued on and boiled some pasta to add to the soup. I assembled this, and it was excellent (three smaller bowls). I cooled it and finally put it on a pad and put it still warm in the frig.

I headed to Wildwood Taphouse in Air Volvo, which I had not been to in months. The bartender knew my name and was happy to see me. I explained about the brain tumor and Susie’s service and was happy to still be able to have a beer. I picked “something as dark as my life has been,” and number 19, 12oz pour, as it is dark, not sweet, and boozy was provided. I sipped it while surfing on the Internet (I now use my own hotspot from my phone to avoid hackers). While surfing, I looked into using Python, or in this case, micro-Python, for the new Arduino Avik and found the Python lab to download, selecting the non-Intel Apple version (I use an M2-based Apple running Sonoma 14.5) and selecting a place to save source code. Without a device to run it, that was as far as I could go. My $140 Avik will arrive next week (free shipping does not mean fast).

I was at Wildwood for a few hours, and it was likely the slowest drinking I have done. The bartender only charged me for the drink, dropping the charge for the bar mix I also ordered (I ate only half of that). I left with a thank you to the bartender and an extra high tip. Air Volvo had me back, and Corwin gave the soup high marks. I soon took my pills and went to bed to read more of the newest Analog magazine stories. I went to sleep but woke a few times.

Thanks for reading.

I rose late on Thursday, getting started after 8. I made liberal coffee, Equal Exchange packed in their Portland location, and yogurt and an orange cranberry scone I made from a very out-of-date mix. It is perfect. I write slowly and am often distracted by the news and other items on FaceBook and YouTube. I take my antibiotics and change my dressing three times a day for the incision on my belly, covering it with an antibiotic cream also a prescription product. My sister sent me a few boxes of anti-dry month lozenges that seem to help, too. It takes me until 10 to finish the blog. I take my next shower, rebandage, shave, and so on, and dress for the day. Today, I picked the Empire State t-shirt.

For lunch, I find the frozen salmon patties from Trader Joe’s and fry them in a small non-stick pan with butter. I also cut up the last of the Brussels sprouts and heat them in the pan with butter. I cover the pan, add some water, and let the steam cook the salmon through. I remove the top and let the water cook out. I add capers to the pan and let that cook with the butter and the salmon. I turn the patties a few times.

I cover the sprouts and repeat the same trick. This gets them cooked through. Remember, steam can be very hot as water turns to steam at 212F (100C) and then can be hotter, so it cooks top-down while the pan cooks bottom-up. I then remove the lid to let the sprouts cook dry and let them burn a bit. I like them a bit burned.

I heated a hamburger bun for the first patty and ate the second one with a cold bun; I was hungry. The capers, butter, and heating them thru make them perfect. The Brussels sprouts, black in places, are done late, but I still get some with my second salmon patty and bun.

I head to the Cedar Mills Mall in Beaverton. Air Volvo gets me there without any surprises. It is hot and sunny. When I left, I turned on the AC at the Volvo Cave (set to 70F), and it will likely be on for the next few months. The mall has been decimated by the Great Recession and the Pandemic, and Powell’s as an anchor does not bring in many shoppers to the Mall. The food court is empty, stripped spaces. There are a few hair and nail places and a Lego place. I walk inside, at least the AC is still in place, and find a table.

I looked up the rate, and I found a website that claims the rate is $2 a square foot a month for this mall. I calculated that a tiny shop of 5,000 square feet would then cost $10,000 a month plus the initial build cost of likely $100,000, with a break-even date of November. I imagine it would take six months to open. This means that starting in January, you would need $160,000 to open. Since 3/4 of sales are in the last quarter (holidays) and assume you can sell with a profit of 10% annually, a high expectation, it would take until the following year’s holiday to get into the red. Yikes! Deep pockets, indeed, for a small shop. I can see why so many shops are empty now.

Besides daydreaming about my electronics/gaming/history books/robot store, I returned to my laptop (which I carried into the mall and worked as a weight to carry) and returned to writing. The sun was on my table, and soon, my black Apple was almost too hot to touch. I moved to a more shady location and continued to edit and revise. I am working on my Dungeons and Dragons adventure for 5E, which I wrote and played a few times. I plan to publish it, too.

I managed to revise the introduction and align it with the shorter adventure. I had written a longer two-step adventure with a third part yet to be written. But when I went to play it, I was given only two nights, so I cut it to just the first part and a new ending. It is now 26 pages long and plays well for three gaming sessions. It can fit two sessions with some discipline on the DM to move things forward.

I headed to the theater and sat waiting for Jake and chatting with the ticket scanner (we don’t take and rip anymore; instead, we scan). They let me sit in the AC (it was over 90F/32C now) while I waited for Jack to join me for Fall Guy on the matinee prices (yay!). We talked about movies and how much we loved the new Mad Max movie and that it should have come out before the previous one as it leads directly to that movie. I did a bit more editing.

Jack arrived on his bike, and I bought the tickets ($9.50, senior). We found our seats and had E row to ourselves. The movie started after lots of content and previews. The movie Fall Guy dragged at the start, and I feared it was a loss, but it slowly dropped the long talking bits and turned to more and more action. You began to cheer on the show and the making of an insane SciFi movie that was the main plot point. At some point, you forget how silly all of this is, and you just cheer on the stunt people and the explosions. They even have Lee Majors appear–the original Fall Guy, and he gets a great moment. While not a good movie, I was laughing non-stop at the final trailer for the SciFi movie the story is about making. So, it is a good laugh if you ignore the first part.

Air Volvo reported 99F (it is not accurate) when I climbed back in after seeing Jack off on his bike. When I returned home, the AC was comfortable. I opened a can of tuna and added it to a romaine salad with cheese, croutons, and sunflower seeds. Amazon delivered an Amazon Basic Bread Maker, and I started it by making French bread that finished at about midnight. When I learned that you turn the basket to unlock it, I found melted packaging still in the machine. It was not a loss, and it came out without issue. Corwin pronounced the French bread good. Corwin plans to buy the bread machine from me (at a slightly reduced price) when he moves out at the end of June.

My new copy of the SciFi magazine, a real printed one, Analog, came in the mail today. I spent time reading the editorial article (I had to stop as I got depressed from the issues, valid as they were, were exposed) and then enjoyed a story of steam engines (nuclear powered) on a future colonized Mars running the new rails. I read and waited for the bread to finish, too curious to go to bed yet. I also needed to delay my bandage change as I had been late changing it. And it was a good excuse to stay up late.

With the bread done and approved by Corwin, my tastes were still off from the thrush and dry mouth. I rebandaged and went to bed in my PJs. I soon fell into a peaceful sleep that lasted until sunrise around 5. Yesterday was the Summer Solstice, and the sunrise was early.

Thanks for reading.

I felt like myself again and was excited that the day was mine. My head all but explodes with all the options that I can do. I won’t rush to get ready, take Air Volvo to the office, and then sit in the window and do hours of meetings with my camera on and off. I wrote the blog the night before, so my sunny, bright morning had no plans. I received the email that my fourth Howard story was published. The day is mine.

Breakfast was yogurt and liberal coffee. I was soon dressed. I changed my bandage, and the incision in my belly was weeping still. It seems a little worse.

I have a doctor’s visit and hearing test in the morning, so I shower, dress, bandage, and board Air Volvo. The office is in the pavilion next to St. Vincent Hospital. It is a busy Wednesday, and I park on the 4th floor. The elevator doors can’t close; they try repeatedly to close, and all of us in the elevator have to take the stairs. I stay with one man who has some medical issues. We manage the steps and are safe.

I arrive early and wait about an hour before they test my hearing. As expected, my hearing is gone on my left side, and my right side is unchanged. Good. I wait again and finally get about ten minutes with my surgeon. I need new antibiotics and a cream to work on the surface issues, and I should be checked in two weeks. Of course, if it gets worse, get to an Urgent Care or ER. I ask the doctor to explain the changes on the poster of the inner ear on the wall. A bone was removed, as was the inner ear. A metal plate fills in the space where the bone was removed.

I drive across Beaverton and pass by Nike WHQ. I still feel ambivalent, but I hope to overcome that. I miss walking the garden-like campus and having a salad at the various cafes.

I stopped at a Thai place and got mussaman curry with beef to go. While there, I got an email that my prescription was ready at Walgreens (wow!). Air Volvo heads there next, and I get my two prescriptions without waiting (wow!). Air Volvo gets me home, and my new non-stick pads and less painful medical tape have also been delivered (Amazon). Besides enjoying an excellent curry (careful to chew and swallow), I rebandage it with a new cream, nonstick pads, and tape that is less painful to remove and take my antibiotics. The nonstick pads, I learned, let the blood through, and I need two to avoid having blood on my shirt (today, I just happen to be wearing a red t-shirt). I bought 100 so I can manage it. I also have a box of tape rolls.

Once the wound closes, I am cleared to start swimming. I plan to join a gym in July to help me lose weight and get my A1C back to normal. The swim club across from Nike will give me a free day in July to try them out. Also, I believe I can join Nike’s pool for something like $20 a month. I will see what works for me.

Mariah wants to meet for an early happy-hour dinner in Portland, and Corwin will join me after work at Air Volvo. I was hopeful that June 19th would be a light-traffic day. Better than usual, but still a 45-minute trip. We are outside at Hopworks off of Powell. We talk and laugh often. I have not seen Mariah for weeks. I have an excellent pilsner and a salad with salmon (local salmon, so not that overly fishy stuff, but the excellent firm stuff we catch here).

The trip back to the Volvo Cave is not memorable, and it is quick. Corwin heads out to the gym, and I watch another Dark Sail episode (XXV). The storyline seems to be twisted and losing logic. More naked scenes, Starz’s version of pirates, after all, were at first distracting but actually are used to move the story forward, which surprises me to see some excellent writing. I will have to watch the next one.

I work out a plot point in my head for my Holmes and Watson chatbot story. With Holmes and Watson moving to the public domain, I wanted to write an AI story with these characters. I just did not have something for them to do in the story, but I think I have something to finish the first short story.

To that point, I am not sure I will return to Howard to write a new story or even try something longer than a short story. My interests are turning to AI and computers from Lovecraftian horror. I am also always interested in writing or updating my Dungeons and Dragons adventures to 5E, the current iteration of the rules. I enjoy designing and then playing what I write. Seldom do I get to play one more than once, even when I write everything out, but still, I like to write them. Now that my time is mine, I will see if I can get some players at a gaming store to try one out. I have one first level (beginner) that I am converting from 4E, and my recent creation of “When Your Heart’s Desire is Offered” for advanced players (10th level or tier 2) is 26 pages with no art or maps.

And my Python programming desires led me to order a new device: Arduino Alvik. This is a micro-Python device from the Arduino family (I ordered it for $140 from Arduino’s website with free shipping, a whopping huge price for Arduino products that knock-offs can be less than $20). This device is more of a kit and more directed to kids. It is Lego-friendly, but it might make a fun presentation for the Hillsboro Python and Machine Learning meet-up.  More to come.

With dreams of Holmes and Python robots, I fell asleep resting on my blankets as the house was still warm. I did have to prove hydration once just before sunrise, and then I climbed under the blankets as the house cooled.

Thanks for reading.

I woke after sunrise and found myself happy and well-rested. I had no endless proof of hydration during the night and had slept well. I rolled over for a bit and slept a few minutes more. While there was still some pain and the incision on my belly was still weeping, I did feel fine and more like myself.

I found my way to the kitchen in my PJs, made liberal coffee in my French press, and decided to fry a hamburger patty for breakfast for something different and full of protein. I don’t need the usual carbohydrates-stuffed food in the morning. I wrote the blog, cooked, and then ate my patty, and was multitasking. I choked on the patty when my dry mouth seemed to want to swallow without chewing. It was a terrible few seconds, but I managed to swallow as the patty broke up. My heart was pounding, and it took over a few minutes to recover. I am being very careful now. I have also bit the side of my mouth a few times today.

I talked to PT, who came this morning, about it, and I will forgo a swallow test unless it happens again. I have been attentive, and if I am eating, then that has my whole attention now. When I was struggling to breathe, I was thinking how ironic it would be if I made it this far to be felled by a burger patty. I will not make that mistake again!

My lawn company came on Tuesday, and they got my OK to cut back my old apple tree, which was hanging down to the ground. They also cut back most of the roses in the backyard. There is plenty of summer left for more roses, and most are constantly or repeat-blooming. I will see if the Bourban rose, an 1865 version, will bloom again–I think it repeats in the fall.

I finished the blog, dressed, and was ready for PT. I picked a dress shirt and my sweater vest for today. I wanted something nicer today. PT noticed my blood pressure was still up (I attribute that to the close call). PT agrees to also forgo the stationary bike while I still have issues with my wound. We did go over my usual exercises, which I have continued this week. PT also suggested some vision-balance items to try. I will give them a shot. I will likely graduate from PT next week as I am no longer homebound. I had Home Health while I was recovering.

After PT, I reheated the Jambalaya from a few days ago (no seafood, but with extra veggies) and had it for lunch. It is rice and tiny cuts of meat. No swallowing issues there!

I collected my three three-piece suits (grey, black, and blue) and put them in Air Volvo. The suits have traveled far with me, and it is time to get them all cleaned and pressed. I try to have one fresh, one still good, and one for the cleaners. But there have been too many parties and traveling, so all of them are in today. I also had a repaired button on one. Just been having too much fun!

Aside: The suits were about forty pounds ago, so they may need to be replaced soon.

I next head to The 649 in Air Volvo, having brought my laptop with me. Stephen is opening today, and I have a Japanese-style rice beer (at a dollar discount) and happy hour-priced pretzel and cheese dip. There, I edit the last of the finished Howard stories I plan to publish this go. A gentleman asked me what I was doing, and I showed him the DriveThru Fiction website and explained a bit about the process. He is an older guy, and I can see he struggles to follow, but I try to help. He seems to be interested in writing but does not know how to start. I cannot help much, as I, too, am new to all of this. He moves on. I return to editing and rewrites.

This last story is the final Howard story I completed when we (Susie, Corwin, and I) returned from having Christmas in Amsterdam in 2019. We had left Europe with the infection we would know as COVID-19 entered Europe from the same airport we flew back from. We may have walked by the zero-case.

At The 649, I received an email stating that Susie’s Quilt had been delivered. I worked until I finished editing and formatting the story. I paid the bill and then headed home in an Air Volvo. I got the quilt from the mailbox, which surprised me that it fit. However, I remember how small my rug was when packed tight, and I soon had the quilt spread out on a bed. It is fantastic.

I will send the quilt to Leta later this week. I think it should go into Susie’s family.

I have spinach and cheese Greek-style pie for dinner while Corwin cooks some burgers for himself. I then publish the fourth Howard story, again charging a pay-what-you-want fee, which includes free. It will take a day for it to be approved.

I was thinking of another movie tonight, but I will see if I can catch it earlier tomorrow and see if anyone will join me. I want to see Fall Guy and the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes movie before they leave the theaters.

I am writing the blog tonight because I have a 10:45 hearing appointment and then an 11:15 appointment with my hearing surgeon. He got my message about the weeping wound and will look at that, too.

Thanks for reading!

I was up early after having a dream about Susie and started to write the blog about 6ish. (Today, I slept all night and woke after sunrise at 6, rolled over, and did not wake until after 7.) I wrote the blog all morning and received notifications that my Howard story was approved. I was now an official publisher of content for DriveThruRPG, and if you visit there, you will see my Howard stories as new titles!

Aside: Here is a link to my best story, I think. You may purchase it for what you want to pay, with a recommended $1. You can search for AlohaWild on DriveThruRPG Fiction to see them all. It is worth a buck, and the other stories are good, too.

While writing the blog, I added Howard in Florida, which was approved in minutes. I had prepared everything the day before, waiting for the first approval to ensure I had not missed a step and I needed to take some additional action I was unaware of.

I made a NYC bagel with cream cheese (thanks, Joyce) for breakfast. To finish, I also included liberal coffee from my French Press and a banana. Jack has suggested I switch to a salt substitute, which is high in potassium (and also slightly radioactive), to help improve my potassium numbers. I will pick some up next time I am shopping. Thanks, Jack!

I finished writing and publishing the blog. I then completed the alignment of a third Howard story and added it to my collection. It took longer to approve and was not added until Monday afternoon.

I reheated my messy lasagne from a few nights ago for lunch, did many dishes, stripped my bed, and put that in The Machine. The Bedding wash and dry option still shows the infinite dry times, and I will check that out later now that I have reproduced the issue. I am not having issues with the other settings after carefully removing all the lint from the filters and the inside of The Machine. It may be that Bedding requires you to pull it out.

I also remove some dishes from the frig that are long gone and get those pans and plates in the dishwasher, too.

My belly incision is weeping a small amount, and I sent a message to Doc about having it looked at on Wednesday. Selfishly, I want it all done to start swimming and other good-for-you things in July. I have a free pass to a local gym and swim place coming in July. I want all the extra holes gone by then!

I set all of my Howard stories in DriveThruRPG Fiction to pay what you want, with recommended prices of about 10 cents a page. I am interested in getting some reviews, hopefully positive, and then money (but one can daydream of selling a million for a buck each). I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that folks will take, read, enjoy, and recommend them.

I need a distraction. So I make dinner. I was going to make a North African-style meal of spiced chicken and couscous and a wonderful sauce I bought, but I spotted a bag of stuffing and thought, or I can make something simple. So it is salt and pepper baked chicken thighs (boneless and skinless) with stuffing with roasted pecans. I added some broccoli (I only have frozen). Simple, but good. I did have three chicken thighs and two helpings of stuffing. There is enough for another meal or two (or one for Corwin). I packed it away, and it is now next to yesterday’s dinner.

My mouth is dry on the left side, and my tastes are off as if part of my tongue no longer works. My left eye seems to be working better, but it still needs drops during the day. My blinking still does not work right. The problems seem to be shrinking in size. I think the nerves are returning to my face and mouth.

I apologize to my friends who often go to the movies. I decided at the last minute to catch a movie, so I went to Regal Evergreen alone and watched a most excellent Mad Max-style movie: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. This is an excellent movie, and I highly recommend it if you like the last one. This is a reworking of the previous movie’s storyline, Fury Road, starting from the beginning and reaching the next movie. During the credits, parts of the Fury Road were played to show the continuation of the story. I was amazed to see how the movie recreated the previous storyline, filled it with events, and then took us forward.

I was fine driving back at 12:30 AM and was in bed soon after making my bed in clean bedding. I slept well.

Thanks for reading.