Author: alohawild

I rose early as I could not sleep and would not roll over again and again. I found my slippers and my robe; the house was an orchid night-friendly 66F (19C) and not uncomfortable with a robe. Soon, liberal coffee was made, and the taste of Justice, Compassion, and Community flavored my blog and the revisions of my sermon for Sunday.

Writing the blog was harder today as I had much on my mind, including getting to Eric “Elric” Anderson’s memorial in Michigan. Flights have been arranged, and a recovery day from travel for this trip is now part of the plan. I also re-joined Costco (I let my membership go during the pandemic) and used their travel services to reduce the cost of a rental car (thanks, Deborah, for that idea). I used Expedia for flights and hotels, with one hotel being almost paid for by my accumulated points and status. As we started into the holidays, the flight was about $400 each way for a cheap seat. There are cheaper discount airlines, but I took Delta instead and a direct flight. I will fly to Detroit this time as the extra $100 bucks and three hours to fly to Lansing connecting from Detroit (DTW) or Chicago (ORD) makes little sense to me in the winter. I will either make it to Detroit/PDX or not (the name for Portland International Airport is sensibly the call letter: PDX). I have also planned a day for a missed flight (or a recovery day if I make it). I will leave around midnight from PDX on 13 Nov 2024, get a car in Detroit the following day, and enjoy the drive to East Lansing. I return on 20 Nov 2024 from DTW, arriving late in PDX (the name for Portland International Airport).

While taking a short thinking break on the blog, I edited and updated the sermon text. When I write, I am not all steam-of-consciousness; I stop and start as I try to assemble events out of the mish-mash that is my memory of the previous day (for example, it has taken me an hour to remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, ham).  While I make a living in computers, my mind is not the usual perfect recall I envy of my fellow technologists, but instead a creative mass of lost connections that suddenly reconnect in strange ways. It makes me innovative but forgetful and easily distracted into rabbit holes. But I often find something in those darn rabbit holes.

Yesterday, I bought a spiral-cut ham (I prefer not to slice hams) and had a few slices for breakfast. While trying to avoid overprocessed food, I was missing ham. This one cost extra, too, as it is smoked. It is perfect for the Jamabalya, and I hope to make it this weekend using the New Orleans School of Cooking recipe. I had the ham with a banana (I am still low on potassium).

I did more writing and revising. Getting something polished takes hours of work, and I tried not to add but to improve clarity. It is so easy to bloat the text now that I am editing. I did drop some words.

Lunch will likely require some cooking, and I decided it would be a good day to let someone else cook. I head to the Mexican place across from The 649, Tapatio: Mexican Restaurant, and my waiter remembers me. It has been a while, and I explain that nothing they have will not put weight on me—except I order the soup. No beer, just iced tea and soup.

I talked to the waiter; his son had married into a Jewish family and was living in Israel and had to run from the war. They are safe now and living in California, and my waiter is a proud grandpa who can now drive and see his kids and grandkids. All safe and only ten hours away by car. A happy ending!

Next, after paying and ignoring the treat supplied with the check, I head to The 649 and order a single beer and pay. Crystal was happy to see me, as she, too, was missing me. I have a beer, chat with her about my trips to Chicago and NOLA, and show her the video of me cooking. I drink the beer slowly, order my rental car, and organize my trip to Michigan more. I called Linda, my sister, and told her of the revised dates and possible dinner plans with her and her family on Thursday.

I return home in Air Volvo, and Corwin soon drops by. I help him with insurance, and we get him set up with Allstate and vastly cheaper coverage for his truck. He is now paying 50% of his previous cost and has started a relationship with a local office for insurance; having humans interested in you as a customer to talk to is so much better when it comes to insurance.

I cook spatchcocked chicken with lemon and seasoning from Trader Joe’s, which you just bake for about an hour. I make mashed potatoes with the skins on, and wilt steamed green beans (frozen and from Trader Joe’s) in butter, fresh garlic, salt, and almond slices in a frying pan. It is good, and there are leftovers. I split the leftovers with Corwin. Corwin did the dishes and then headed out. He walked home, hoping soon to have insurance.

I read until tired, a few hours actually, and got through three more stories in the Vampire Cookbook. Apparently, they serve a rare (bloody) steak at the Vampire Café (just flipped over a few times on a hot iron skillet), not something I would usually go for. The Friday laundry is done but has not been put away yet.

I turn on the Amazon sleeping music channel to drown out the gutter noise and the funny creaking the house has started to make this winter. With one noise, repeating every hour or so loud enough to wake me. The music helps, and I sleep until 5, when I receive a text, fall back to sleep, and then have an anxiety-based dream since I did not wake up enough to read it. Poo. Also, the sermon does not reduce my anxiety. I wake from the dream with my heart rate a bit higher, but I am fine.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

It is not my place to tell other people’s stories, but this story is now on the Internet, and I feel comfortable providing a link. Eric “Elric” Anderson unexpectedly passed away last week, and I plan to fly to Michigan for his service on 16 November @ 11AM in Laingsburg, Michigan. Please see the link here.

“Elric” was my friend since 5th grade. He was one grade higher than me, and we learned how to play Dungeons and Dragons together. He would laugh often and tell terrible jokes. I usually find myself when writing stopping and thinking about how would “Elric” say or write this. “Elric” is charging ahead now, laughing and calling us to join him in the next adventure.

Returning to the narrative, Halloween started with me rising early with my alarm at 7 and eventually heading it. I missed the off button this time, and it went off again as I debated whether I was asleep again. I was. I rose on the second alarm.

It was Halloween, and I wanted to finish the sermon for Sunday today. I got to writing with only a few distractions, some excellent, and avoided reading the news about the election, war, and even new recipes. Focus was required today!

The coffee was made from Equal Exchange French Roast, which is my last bag. I picked up more fair-exchange-certified coffee and will try a few other brands. I have a croissant and a banana to go with my coffee. While rushed, I noticed the flavors of Justice, Compassion, and Community in my cup, and Hope soon rose to enter the world again.

The blog took much of the morning with a few breaks to update the sermon with a few words, but mostly editing and dropping wooden language, which often slips into my writing. Also, Grammarly found some exciting ways to ruin my flow of words. Those were reversed.

I managed to publish the blog, but it did have three (or more) typos I saw later. One must be brave enough to publish with faults when writing a blog daily. It is a courageous act to push ‘Publish.’ Not every time do I find all the mistakes, especially on a rushed day. So, please forgive me when you wince when reading. No promises not to error again, and Grammarly adds a certain level of error that is difficult to prevent–I press the ‘accept’ button a lot less now.

I headed this time to McMinnamen’s Cedar Hill Crossing Pub. Scott suggested a change now that it was cold and wet. The Pub has a fire in the winter and feels quite homey even though it is a recent addition. Scott and I got a table near the fire. Tyler suggested that when texting details of “Elric’s” service, I drink a stout for him in memory of “Elric.” I ordered their Terminator Stout. Scott has an Impossible paddy in his burger, and I agreed that it was an excellent idea (mine was a Captain Neon burger with bacon and blue cheese, which did get a raised eyebrow). It was good.

Scott and I talked about travel and plans for Thanksgiving. I am joining Scott and his friends for Thanksgiving. We also talked about investments, and Scott thinks it is better to get a mix of bonds and equities, with the bonds creating earnings, so there is always a payment in the structure—something to fund his future withdrawals. He also does not want to be involved in stock picking as he thinks he would enjoy other things instead of watching the markets. Scott and I enjoy lunch, beer, and chatting. Scott was getting some REI waterproof shoes, something I may need to do.

I returned home via Safeway. There, I bought candy for trick-or-treaters and some meats to cook for jambalaya, which I want to try soon, according to the New Orleans School of Cooking recipe. I also finally remembered to get toothpaste. Yay! A spiral-cut ham was not on special, but at least some were for sale (an item that had disappeared from the summer). I bought the higher-quality smoked ham.

With all my goodies, I headed home. I put them away and got out some limited Halloween decorations. I found my yelling skeleton, a projector of a haunted house, and some blinking lights that I have lost for years and found in my office boxes. The few, about four groups, in various looks, primarily bright. My skeleton, a plastic foot-tall guy calling out for help from his cage, fascinated the younger kids. Older kids and former kids were focused on handfuls of Snickers and Almond Joy, all ‘fun’-sized and not the yelling skeleton. I called for the older folks holding back to come forward and grab some of the bounty offered. I already had five! I wanted none to remain.

I wrote my sermon between candy events, with the skeleton calling out when more folks arrived. Corwin showed up and finished off the pizza—the usual Papa Murphy’s Pumpkin-shaped Halloween pizza with cookie dough. Corwin soon left, happy to visit, have some candy, get a jar of pasta sauce I have spare, and grab some other groceries I always grab for him. I finished the cookies and had a few.

I returned to writing and finished the first draft of the sermon. More editing and some updates will follow, but it was completed on Thursday. I decided it was time for a break and read more Vampire Cookbook stories.

Soon, the rains are pouring down outside. Fall/Winter has started. I put on sleeping music from Amazon’s Echo device and soon slept. Vampire cooks, AI, and other distractions haunt my forgotten dreams.

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday started with me sleeping until 7ish and knowing I would write all day. And for the most part, I did get much writing completed. I resist many of Grammarly’s suggestions but somehow misspelled Davy Jones’ Locker (thanks, Deborah). Artificial Intelligence (AI) is undoubtedly artificial, but I wonder if we should use another word to describe it when using ‘intelligence’! Maybe our-current-untested-pattern-matching-algorithm (OCUMA) is likely not going anywhere with their marketing department.

Putting away my concerns about typos and wooden wording from the previous day, I fought my way through and spent much of the morning writing the blog. I delayed dressing and made lunch, a kid’s meal of fish sticks and tater tots (sprinkled with Tony’s Chachere’s Orginal Creole Seasoning. One has to be careful with Tony’s as it contains 5%+ salt; don’t add more salt if using it without letting it cook in. It was excellent on the tater tots.

I had tarter sauce, which is soon expiring, with the fish and tater tots, which were all baked. I had strawberries from the 185th for my dessert—likely the last of the regular crop. My weight is still stable at 230. Someday, I will break into the 220s again!

Finally getting dressed, I return to my computer and more writing. The sermon starts to form. It has taken me weeks to think this through, and now the words flow as patterns and colors in my mind. I have thought of all these words before, but now they appear and seem better and more organized than I expected. While interesting to me, I ignore some paths that will not add to my message or the alignment to cooking, New Orleans (NOLA), or AI.

Aside: Grammarly has a new update that offers to replace my paragraphs with its version with a simple acceptance. Then, Grammarly’s usual editing notices the change and offers to re-edit and return it to what I had to begin with. While this is quite amusing, it is a time-sink. Also, to reject its correction, I have to drop down on options and then reject. Hmmm.

I decided on tip and crackers for dinner as the lunch was heavy. I stopped about 4ish on the writing with the sermon, now 1400 words, and 3/4 of the first draft is done (and much of the editing is done as I write and fight Grammarly). I read more of the Vampire Cookbook and realized that tomorrow is Halloween, and I have no candy or light decorations. Poo. I will have to rise and focus (having an excellent distraction today) and be early to make my day work.

Dondrea reminds me (!) that I have lunch with Scott as it is Thursday (I am such an air-head now). I rest briefly and then head to First United Methodist Church. The traffic was light, but the Oregon had left the mist behind, and it was wet and raining. Local flooding was back, with large puddles everywhere and the leaves melting off the trees. I splashed and drove across Beaverton and was just a few minutes early. My coat was still in the car, and I grabbed an umbrella; it’s not that accepted in Oregon, but it was still early. In the winter, we wear hats and coats and pretend we are expected to be soaked. Eventually, we will love the rain again and soon not even notice it (much).

I discovered that my new shoes are not waterproof; I must purchase an alternative soon. My sweater was a poor choice for the wind and sideways rain. The barista saw me with the umbrella and sweater and acknowledged that neither was ready for a winter day. I get a mocha and walk it back from the local coffee shop to the church.

Z and Dondrea appear, and Z and I decide on the board game Istanbul today. I grab and put on my coat, always in the cargo hold once the leaves start to change, and now I feel warm. Andrew is also there, and we will soon set up the game with the Mocha and Baksheesh add-on for three. Z remembers most of the rules; Andrew soon needs no help as he remembers it from our last play. This is an efficiency-styled game where the players collect and invest resources to get the best and quickest payoff (rubies in the game). The Mocha and Baksheesh add-on creates new options and complexity. Z heavily invests in these new strategies and manages to win the first game; we had to stop early to let Andrew sing in the choir practice (his wife plays in the Praise Band that practices first).

(The strange device on the table is used to bleed air out of the church’s hot water heating system; Jack took the picture and was working on the heating).

Andrew played a conventional game and blocked me repeatedly, and Z bounced me off of Andrew, too. With just a bit more luck, that strategy would have worked. I expect Andrew to take us next time!

We have time for two more fast two-person games. Z continues to call out her “evil plans” and tries to block me a few times while achieving her goals. This is impressive, and she blocked me in the first game. However, my goals are more complex and varied in the second game, and I soon score the game-stopping ruby, but Z matches me. I have a pile of cash left, so I win on the tie-breaker (Z winning the last tie-breaker).

There is enough time for one more game. Z flies ahead and stays there on some lucky combinations. Z’s “evil plans” are working in this game, and while Z has not mastered the evil laugh, I expect it soon. I am crushed by one ruby and lose to her master plan. Excellent. Next time. Three games, two won by Z. Z is delighted.

Istanbul is a unique and complex game to learn. I would recommend it, but make sure someone can teach you or watch a few videos on how to play. It is an excellent game and plays well, following the extra rules for two players in the manual (!) for two or more.

When I returned home, I had some more crackers and dip and watched the new episodes (7 and 8) of “The Legends of Vox Machina,” but I only started the next episode. I was surprised by the storyline direction (no spoilers) and decided to put off more until another day.

Setting the alarm to rise and get going sooner on Thursday, I showered and dressed in PJs, the red plaid making me look like a Scottish nightmare, and soon turned off the light. I only flipped through a few books on drink recipes for absinthe. I turned off the light nearer to 11 than 10 and slept through the night.

Thanks for reading.

Our weather in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) has been sunny, with blue sky in the clouds instead of endless rain and gray skies, with the leaves melting more than falling. The weather is returning to rain today, and it will rain through Halloween for the first time in years. We used to have soaked Halloweens, and this one appears to be returning us to that pattern.

I will try to decorate a tiny amount today.

The day started with me sleeping in until 8ish. I am slowly aligning to the PNW time, and my weight has stayed at 230 for a few days—just two extra pounds from The Big Easy. I have not got back to walking as every day seems to be filled with distractions, excellent distractions.

The morning starts with liberal coffee and pumpkin spice with pecans instant oatmeal from Trader Joe’s. The coffee makes me dream of a world without threats to aliens, a new world that follows the basics of human decency towards strangers and remembers God’s reminder (slightly updated), “You were strangers once–not garbage.” Hope is in the bottom of my cup along with grounds, tired and worn but still ready to jump into the world. Unlike the Greek story, my coffee releases Justice, Compassion, and Community with Hope. Drink liberal, and release Hope for the world.

I managed a few more words to my sermon during the day. Much is yet to be written, but I have been thinking about the words. I often think for days and then just capture the best, or maybe after NOLA, I should say distill these thoughts into a clear discussion-style speech, stirring it with a wash of emotions and a bit of bright orange rine for structure.

I write a short blog about Monday and then add a section about my options for driving to Michigan and maybe buying a used car for the trip. I’m asking you, dear readers, for input. I’m looking at used vehicles, especially Tesla Model 3.

With the blog done, I have tasks to complete; the small amount of laundry I generated is clean. I clean up and put on my pants, which, despite the weight being stable, seem to be falling off more. Crazy. What is my diet, you ask? I eat less, avoid fast and overly processed foods, have few snacks, travel, have much less stress (I am retired), and walk. I am also a guy, and it seems that older guys can lose weight more quickly than gals. Sorry, gals–an unfair advantage.

I received a book from NOLA; The Dauphine Street Books store mailed me a copy of the new edition, “revised and expanded,” of Guiding Spirits: The Haunting Experiences of a New Orleans Tour Guide. The store owner (I think he owns it), Steve, said it was from a local he knows, signed, and recommended as well researched. He mailed it to me for a few bucks.

Later, I get the board game extension Davy Jones’ Locker. It is shipped from Aloclek, the street I used to work from, and is only ten minutes away. Another Kickstarter fulfilled!

I board Air Volvo and head across Beaverton. Due to the lack of rain and the fact that I am between school opening and closing, the traffic is light and well-behaved. I get to Tous Les Jours and get a baguette with ham and cheese and a few croissants for breakfast. They have a microwave, and I heat my baguette with a sweat garlic wash and eat it. Still not that good. I will try to find something better (their croissants and bread are good).

I rush through shopping at Trader Joe’s and get my usual supplies and many frozen foods. While processed, they seem fresh, not over-processed, and thus fit my diet. I got four bags and a bill of nearly $200, $50 a bag. This is about three weeks or more for me. Yikes! I stopped by the 185th and TV Highway veggie and fruit stand and was shocked not to break $20 for fresh items that fill a bag. The contrast gets my attention.

I put this away and then called Deborah. We watched the last of this season together on a call for the whole show. We have become adept at sync-ing the show on our respective TVs, Deborah in the Midwest and me here in the PNW. The season was, I think, one of the best, with running jokes and even some physical comedy. We loved it.

After chatting and sending Deborah my 2600 Magazine article (PDF of the back issue), I rang off and soon headed to the Regal Evergreen Theater to meet Jack. We watched Conclave, the new non-Dan Brown movie about electing a pope. This is a slow political thriller with sudden revelations and twists that are unexpected and an obvious ending, but missed by the viewer as, like a magician, the show only hints at what is happening until the final reveal. I loved it. The actors make everything seem real, and the camera work is excellent. It reminds me more of the BBC than Hollywood. Recommended.

I drive Jack home and then return home. There I am, hungry again. I open a can of baked beans and the 1/2-sized cans and heat them on the stove. I have that with some potato chips. It’s an excellent meal.

I shower, get in my PJs, and read more of the Vampire Cookbook. The story turns against the vampires, and the recipes become more complex. It is not even 11, but I am falling asleep. I sleep the night except for waking to prove hydration at 2.

Thanks for reading!

I arrived at the house with Corwin after dinner and drinks at Hopswork in Portland with Mariah. There, I had a burger and a German-style beer, followed by a second smaller one made from rice and Japanese-style. I brought Mariah a cooking class kit from the New Orleans School of Cooking (NOSC). It has some spices, a roux whisk, a hot pad sporting NOSC in embroidery, and their class cookbook. It also has a large bag of grits.

Maria had a business trip to Chicago and liked the town, but not more than NYC. She visited the art museum and lots of places to eat. We talked about Chicago and what we enjoyed there.

I also wrote a few more lines in my Sunday sermon and talked to Dondrea about the scripture, hymns, and set up for All Saints Day, celebrated this Sunday at First United Methodist Church. Dondrea says it gets easier to work on a sermon as the date gets closer. Focus will come. I also looked at the translation of the scripture and validated it in Greek.

I read more of the Vampire Cookbook from NOLA. I am midway through the book, and it continues with the story of a not-so-honest bartender and murderous vampires that have escaped the Ursuline Convent and loose in the French Quarter, with a recipe after each Penny Dreadful-style story, now chapters (the chapters were initially printed as single magazines). I scanned and printed a copy of the lamb meatball recipe, which uses not bread but instead shredded onions to hold the meat together. I have to try this new technique. Expect some Google searches about how to do this. Exciting. I am defrosting some ground lamb I purchased in Vancouver’s Farmer’s Market  (the city across from Portland in Washington state, not the BC city).

I showered and dressed for bed. I read more Vampire stories and recipes, which made turning off all the lights and leaving the door open more thoughtful. I slept with forgotten dreams. I woke in 66F Orchid-loving temperatures at 5ish, rolled over, and slept until 8, getting back to my own time zone.

But let’s move now to the beginning of the day so we don’t miss the rest of the day; I rose at 7ish and was happy it was later. I was not tired, and my sleep was packed with forgotten dreams that left me neither scared nor breathless (from an asthma attack while dreaming) but happy. Susie and Dad were (I only vaguely remember the impressions from dreams) in my night. Coffee and liberal were made, and text was exchanged, including ‘good morning’ with friends nearby and more distant. Being Monday, most folks are working, so I get only a few replies here and there to text.

I did my usual long Sunday blog as Sunday was quite busy, with almost a whole weekend fitting into just one day. I also updated my Quicken transactions, checking for suspicious activity, updating some transactions not automatically attributed to an account, and correcting some imaginative assignments—about a 40% hit rate, meaning I have to check everything.

I reheated the frozen eggplant parmesan I made a few weeks ago for lunch. I also made a roux and tried to make homemade mac and cheese with New Orleans spices. While the spices were good, the pasta was not great, but next time, I will look for a better plan. It was just fun to play.

I planned to just put around the house, write, and then head to a movie, but Mariah and Corwin said they could meet in Portland, and I was welcome to join them. I accepted. Soon, Corwin was at the house, and we talked about Dungeons and Dragons. I described the insane game I played on Sunday, falling back into Old School patterns (smash-and-grab and avoid anything, not the goal) and not the video game take on D&D (fight everything and take every treasure) while driving in. Traffic was still slow, and lane changes were shocking in their risk-taking or maybe trust in fellow drivers not to just crash into them. One Tesla changed three lanes through fast-moving traffic to make their exit!

Now, for a long aside, with input from readers welcome, I am wondering about buying a used Tesla Model 3 and driving to Michigan for the holidays. I was thinking I needed a second car, and the cost of a rent-a-car in Michigan for about a three-week stay will be high, and the flights will not be cheap. I could also pack the car with some family items to be given to Barb and Susie’s family (some old rifles from Dad Ben, jewelry, and some art items). It would be a great adventure. And using a Tesla would be exciting and trying the self-driving would be fantastic.

Now, trying to charge a Tesla in the winter and driving on snow and ice would scare many, but can it be done? I have no information that it is impossible or worse than a gasoline car. But I can say that car rentals and flights are expensive, and I get nothing for them. Pay more, and I get a car. I want a self-driving car to try that.

I had hoped that the VW bus replacement would be for sale and that it would be the full version, but it is not ready, and the prices are headed to an insane 50K+ rate. A $20K used Tesla is looking good. There are Lincolns with low milage at this price and some excellent Mercedes (and lower prices).

A decent car rents for about $60 a day, and total coverage is the same (plus garbage fees they always find to add, and it is a good idea in winterly Michigan to have total coverage) for $120 a day. So, with gas, it is $3,000 for the rental for three weeks. The flights, getting the cheap ones, will be $1500 for the holidays. So that is $4500 or 1/5 of the cost of a used car (plus insurance). The hotels will be the usual mix of overpriced but comfy ones I pick.

For this trip to Michigan in December, I plan to spend some time in Detroit with friends and then in Laingsburg and Lansing for family during the weekdays and holidays—the holidays are mid-week this year. I may also take some long-distance trips to see the sights of Michigan on weekends.

So, dear readers, should we rent or buy and travel? Tesla? Mercedes? What are other good choices for winter in the Midwest and Oregon? Your input is welcome. I am leaning towards adventure, as usual.

Thanks for reading! You are welcome to reply by email, in reply to this post, or on Facebook.