Author: alohawild

I managed to get some sleep, but I knew the cough suppressant would make me loopy, so I decided to stay home and get a bit better before returning to work. This also allowed me to delay writing this blog until the morning.

Monday started slowly, and I wrote the blog a bit later. I had yogurt for breakfast with the last fine coffee from the Kramers. The cough is much reduced, and the choking has stopped. I kept a glass of water nearby as I slipped some water when my throat felt uncomfortable.

I read often today. I am reading a strange 1972 book on Lord Nelson, The Great Gamble. The book was written after papers from various European monarchs were opened. It is three inches thick, written in a pro-British, unrepented colonial style, and extensively quotes sources with notes. It lists sources in various languages, and the writer, Mr. Pope, thanks his various translators of these sources. I am on page 133, and the war has yet to start; it covers the details of Nelson’s life (including his failing) in detail for the covered time. It covers, almost word for word, the political process that created the war–fascinating but slow-going. To compare it to some current, it is a BBC mini-series. I enjoy the writing but cannot recommend this book, a lesson on how NOT to write history. A guilty pleasure, if you like, along the lines of Doctor Fu Manchu, so terrible it is actually fun (But Fu Manchu books were never accurate). An excellent source and fun if you are immune to strong-willed authors.

Aside: I have found all nautical writers romantic, and the characters’ stories are often larger-than-life. Writers like C.S. Forester seem to be the models. Even when the techno-wizard Dr. John Brooks’s books describe how every shot was fired in the Battle of Jutland after he reconstructed the British gun aiming systems for WW1, it was a love story. It is a romantic attempt to recreate the times and people of the battle. You can almost smell the cordite and the machine oil when you open his books.

Returning to the story, I had some chores that needed to be handled. I cleaned up and dressed. The pain and coughing were much reduced. The wheezing remained and was so loud I thought someone was calling me. My loss of hearing on my left side due to the brain tumor makes my hearing a bit unstable and undirectable. I often cannot understand what I hear or locate it.

I boarded Air Volvo and headed to Walgreens, where they had my prescription filled. I take just one of the cough suppressant pills—it is harsh stuff. I am tired the rest of the day as the pill, a light anesthetic, slows me down, so I cough less. I refuel Air Volvo and then run it through the car wash as the local murder of crows has made another homage to modern art on Air Volvo. I returned to the Volvo Cave and ate trisquet crackers and hummus for the last GrubHub order. I watch some YouTube videos on ShipHappens, watching how they built a shed to work in the wet UK while eating.

I head out at about 2:30 to my first appointment, the lawyers. I use the local lawyers Schmidt and Yee, PC in Aloha, Oregon. I am pretty pleased with them and their associate Scott’s work. Today, they have my revised will, changed now that Susie’s passed, and then powers of attorney for my upcoming surgery (20 May) and the required Oregon Advance Directive for Health Care. You can do the last without a lawyer, but I wanted everything completed and ready. All the health care stuff expires on 31 Oct 2024 or is changed by me. There was a minor fix (they printed out the old copy), and then everything was notarized and done. Dondrea and my sister Linda must sign the directives to accept the responsibility.

When I returned home, I turned down Mariah for dinner because I had a previous engagement and grabbed Corwin for a quiet dinner at the local Mexican place. I skipped the beer and had just the soup, chicken tortilla soup, with chips and salsa as a free appetizer. Corwin ordered soup, an entree, and drinks. I ate slower because the cough suppressant was working. I was feeling better, going slow, and letting the world flow over me.

Ernest leads Hillsboro Python Machine Learning Meetup, which restarted this Monday and every first Monday at 6PM local time. We had an hour of online discussion, and as usual, Ernest talked a mile a minute as he had all these cool Machine Learning Applications in Genomics Life Sciences he has published in the last four years. We are still measuring time before and after the pandemic. I promised to try out one of Ernest’s how-to papers and reproduce the same results using a Linux server at Amazon Cloud. Ernest is interested in seeing how fast and cheaply I can do this. It was fun to geek out with Ernest again.

After that, I crossed Beaverton to Dondrea’s place. Z was there not doing her homework (we both reminded her to do her homework). Dondrea, Z, and I talked about the papers I brought. It was a biz meeting, and I covered my new will, the power of attorney, and Oregon Advanced Directives. Dondrea had to sign the last one. All of this and more will be put in a briefcase I have and given to Dondrea before 20 May 2024, hoping it will not be needed.

I returned home, now very tired but happy to visit (despite the topic). I read, then showered and went to bed. I did manage to sleep at first, but I woke coughing, and after that, I had broken sleep. The banshees were no longer screaming; they were just repeated yelping. I am slowly improving.

Thanks for reading!

I am improving, but I do have scary episodes where I can’t breathe. Thus, I went to the local Providence Urgent Care to be checked out and see if I could do anything. Usually, allergies or a cold are something to survive; there are no fixes. In my case, the violence of coughing is bad, and I am now enduring harsh muscle complaints each time I cough, stand, or do anything that stretches my mid-body. The doctor prescribed a cough suppressant, one I have used before, and I agreed to have it delivered at my local pharmacy, a nearby Walgreens. CVS is in the news for being fined millions for failing to safely run a pharmacy, RiteAid closed the local one, and the remaining ones often take three days to fill a prescription (their warehouse fills the prescriptions and then mails them to the regional locations), and so I thought Walgreens might work. I get there, and there is a paper sign; starting last week, the pharmacy has been closed on Sundays. Puke. I will wait until Monday to likely learn it will take them three days to fill it. I use the mail Optima Pharmacy to ensure I get an Rx in a few days.

So I slept in the chair in the living room. If I lay down, the bashee screams start in my lungs. It is pretty loud and syncopated, so it is hard to ignore. This sleeping process is more of a nod-off and then waking to cough. Tonight, the length of time is longer, and I can manage likely an hour of sleep once or twice. I tried to do this in my bed, but I just fell over and tried to sleep until the bashee screams of wheezing drove back to the living room. It sucks, but I can see that the cough is already fading, and I am dealing with the leftovers. The banshees come when I am overly tired. It is familiar, tedious, and quite painful.

Next time, I will have a supply of the cough suppressant (I only had one pill left), as it may get filled after I return to work. I need to stop the coughs from hurting me. I cleaned up and headed to the Urgent Care. This is a new one just minutes away; I love that. It would be perfect if it had a pharmacy! I was inside wearing a mask, and they checked me out. My blood pressure was perfect, and my O2 level was 96–good enough. The provider, a big man with a full beard and a mask that created a comical figure, was to the point and precise. I had RSV or a cold or allergies. My breathing issues are related to light bronchitis he can hear and violent coughing causing a bronchial spasm or in other words, asthma. He recommended using my emergency inhaler when the problem occurs (he did not say, “thus the word emergency,” but I could see he was thinking it). If I can’t breathe or breathing gets difficult, head not to the Urgent Care but the ER; he informed me that the ER is equipped for that, but this clinic is not. He re-prescribed the strong cough suppressant I had used before.

Not disappointed, except with Walgreens, I returned home and read and rested for a while. I stayed with a sweater and t-shirt, a bit plain, and headed to Beaverton’s First United Methodist Church. Dondrea was preaching, and a friend was making an announcement, so I headed in Air Volvo to Beaverton despite the choking cough. Also, I was meeting with the church folks on the final details for Susie’s Celebration after church.

I was sleep-deprived and still coughing, and the pain was barely controlled by painkillers, so my memory of the service has faded. Dondrea sermon was on an impossible text that is usually not the subject of a sermon. The Book of Acts stories of when Paul is shipped wrecked and has other traveling adventures to reach Rome. Dondrea does an excellent job mixing the challenges in her life with the challenges faced by Paul. She found that we need to remember that the challenges will come, and we need to accept them and accept help; that is what Paul did. She also points out that Luke, the author of Acts, says, “Then they reached Rome.” The completion of the trip was not the focus; the voyage and how we interact with people and events are what matters.

A friend of mine came out to the church as a Drag Performer and said he was back. We were all happy for the person. I will not say more as it is someone else’s story.

I also learned that friends at work lost their daughter in surgery last night. I have known them and their daughter for years. I am greatly saddened. Again, it is their story, so I shall leave out the names.

I met with the church folks, and we have a plan. I described the process I use to make grilled cheese and the recipes for the no-bake items for the party. I think 75 people is a maximum, but it may be more; it is hard to know.

I returned home in Air Volvo, exhausted, and ordered from Gyro House to send a lamb gyro, some dips, and a platter for Corwin. That was delivered, and it was too much food. I ate just the meat in my gyro after the first few bites.

My coughing fits slow, but the wheezing and bronchi spasms are still possible. I am getting better, but it is going slow. I rest and read. I bought a used book on Admiral Nelson from 1972 at Powell’s that I had not seen before that purports to be based on new sources. The writing style is slanted against the French and compares Napoleon to the Nazis, and calls the Czar insane. That is a bit far but not unusual in the world before we looked for balance in writing. The story is still fascinating and the writing-style a time capsile of what we don’t do now.

Bored and trying to not cough is not really and interesting time burning process, I put on Conan movies; yes Arnold! We watched the fun first and the more Dungeons and Dragons-style second movie. Always recommended. The second movie keeps a more comic books and PG rating (all the girls stay clothed).

My coughing was much reduced, and I microwaved large potatoes from the Vancouver Saturday market and covered them with chili from a can, shredded cheddar cheese, and some sour cream. I managed to eat that and almost finished it. While a carbo-bomb, it was a good dinner.

I returned to my bed and managed to read and sit up for a few hours. I could not find sleep. This is the usual problem after two days of inactivity, other than coughing–can’t sleep. I try the living room, but decide to just force it. I spent the night with the banshees, wheezing, screaming me a wake, but I managed to get some sleep and felt better to enjoy my bed. I also showered before bed and that got some warm wet air into my lungs and that helped too.

Not a great night, but better. I put in for Paid Time Off (PTO) for Monday as I am not ready to return to work.

And that takes me to the night trying to sleep. Thanks for reading!

Monday morning pic

Congrats to my cousin April, who got married to her love this weekend.

Just a short note for Saturday. I was ill the whole day with a terrible cough and wheezing all day and all night. I did not sleep on Friday night nor again on Saturday night. I spent the night in a chair in the living room, keeping myself sitting to stop the drainage from filling my lungs. I have pulled all my chest and stomach muscles from coughing so hard. I am rightly miserable. The cough is finally slowing.

I stayed up and watched, binging Avatar: The Last Airbender. This live-action version of the cartoon takes the material seriously and makes an enjoyable show with special effects worthy of any significant production like Lord of the Rings. It is kids’ stuff. Literally, all the main characters are played by actors playing teenagers. I recommend it if you like the animated version or the movie.

I did not leave the house except to get the mail and spent the day napping and coughing. Usually, I would sleep for about an hour sitting in the chair in the living room, and then I would have a coughing jag that woke me. This would repeat over and over. Makes for an uncomfortable day and is boring.

I made a steel-cut oatmeal and mixed it with some brown sugar and walnuts to make it taste better. I did not make coffee as a hot, bitter liquid was not the best choice. I ordered food delivered Chinese-style, hot and sour soup, lotus root, salt and pepper calamari, and chicken with cashews. Just a small amount. The spicy soup made me feel better. I did find the last of the ginger tea sent to me by Michelle V, and I had that.

Aside: Lotus root, sliced, is a favorite of mine. It is a cross in taste between a potato and a carrot. The texture is like a bamboo shoot. I do not find it often and was happy to see it on the menu.

I continued to be bored, coughing, napping, and coughing again. I watched two episodes of The Last Airbender and then tried to rest. It was something to do.

A new problem started; my throat was unhappy, and I was having the experience of my breathing failing, but there was no truth to it. I am experiencing some chemo issues where you think you are choking. Damn. I have to not panic and let things calm down.

I will head to Ready Care this Sunday morning and have them look at me. I suspect the answer will be more rest and more hot soup.

So, dear readers, I will try to get better today by resting and likely resting on Monday, too. I have a Sunday meeting after church, but I will wear a mask and make it short.

Thanks for reading!

The day started with me with a light cough. It began to get worse and worse. It was a reaction to the tree pollen, as some anti-allergy meds have helped. I could not sleep last night as I was coughing and tried to sleep in a chair to keep the dranage out of my lungs, but that did not work that well. I canceled my gaming and will stay home and do the needful.

Kathleen and I met yesterday and went to her favorite theater, Clackamas Century, to watch Dune 2 (Sorry Jack, I had plans made up ahead of time–but I will think about you and others for another movie soon). While it was a well-made movie, and the acting was good, it was hard to love the characters and the speed at which the movie went through events made it all feel rushed. The final battle seemed particularly rushed when compared to the 40-year-old classic.

Following Kathleen’s lead, we got food at the Chinese-style place in the Mall food court near the theater and got that to go. We got popcorn and bottled water and soon found our seats. We then chatted through the commercials and previews while eating dinner. We did see a few previews that got us interested to see a few new movies.

The theater was comfortable, except for my coughing, which I tried to limit to times of loud noises. I would try to hold back the cough until some exploded or the music was loud. By the end of the movie, I could barely talk. I was surprised at how bad my nose was impacting my asthma.

We chatted about the movie until 10ish. We both sort of liked it. I think, but I would not pay to see it again.

Moving backward (typing this between coughing jags), I got to read about 3:30 and left to cross Portland to the Clackamas Mall area (Happy Valley). The traffic was slow, and it took me an hour to reach Kathleen’s house. I saw some creative lane changes, but today, I witnessed no extra-legal driving. Nav took me over the Ross Island Bridge, which I thought was a bit strange; I returned home by the highways after dropping Kathleen at her home.

Starting in the morning. My alarm went off at 6:30 and woke me. “How could it be 6:30 already?” Thoughts went through my mind as I found my slippers and robe. I then remembered that it was Friday, and I had a 6:30 meeting, so I was a few minutes late, but I got connected. We then did our staff meeting, which was timed to allow India to join on the early evening of their Friday. We had more meetings and a more sober all-hands for our project. I felt our leadership got it; a week after layoffs is not a time to cheer.

Friday is a work-from-home day still at Nike WHQ.

I made a NYC bagel for breakfast with cream cheese, and Kramer’s coffee showed up, so we are drinking some exotic fair-trade coffee this morning. After an hour of meetings, I got all this together and enjoyed it while I did various change control meetings and processes for the shoe company.

We had an hour-long meeting with the SAP experts. Raj, our Senior Director of Engineering, explained the changes he expects. Victor detailed another change that took the rest of the hour. There were many questions and items discussed. It would be best not to write them here.

I made chicken soup, hoping it would stop the coughing that was starting to get annoying. It did. I thought I was in the clear (until I got going towards Clackamas when the coughing returned). I dressed, cleaned up, soon headed out to do a few chores, and then left to see Kathleen and Dune 2.

Thanks for (cough cough) for reading. I am trying to rest today. I am getting a little better after getting a lot worse. The usual, in other words.

I rose at 6:50 after telling my alarm to wake me at 6:30, but it set it to the evening. I woke before I was late. I rushed and soon was dressed and ready to board Air Volvo. No time for coffee or making breakfast. I got in Air Volvo and headed to the Swift building at Nike WHQ. I remembered I had a gift for Ricky, who was retiring today. I returned home. I got one of my best Army Painter brushes for his model building in his retirement and took Air Volvo to WHQ.

I found Ricky in the morning and gave him the brush with some advice on how to use it. It works best on curves and does fine work. It is the best I own. I had a spare; I am glad it found a good home.

Next, work supplied coffee and donuts for our CEO John’s address after the layoffs. They had screens ready with chairs to sit in to enjoy the presentation. While it was his usual upbeat speech and additional words from others in the leadership, it seemed to lack empathy. It may be that the wounds from the layoffs are too raw for me at this moment. I don’t know; it was just how I felt.

After that, I did hours of status meetings. It was a typical day. At lunch, I met Nancy, who has worked for us on SAP systems for many years and is now a consultant. It was her last day with us. I took her to one of the cafes on campus, and we had a nice lunch, mainly talking about old times. It was good to just talk.

We returned to the office and said our goodbyes. We have met many times over the years, and I am sure we will meet again on yet another SAP project. I returned to status meetings.

Nike has put up cute phone booths, and I used one to call Leta, Susie’s mother. It even has a special light setting for video calls to get the indirect light on your face. Leta and I talked about Susie’s Concert and a few other things. I also talked to Barb, Susie’s sister, who is getting together pictures of Susie for a display at the concert.

After that, I then attended Ricky’s Retirement Party. Ricky left us after 36 years at Nike (mainly as an employee). We had cake and took pictures. Ricky and I pointed in our picture together; I said we were pointing at Ricky’s great future. It looked good.

I had more meetings and more status and stand up after that. I approved more items. We had a break in production from the move that required us to resend a program as part of the changes did not move.

On the way home in Air Volvo, I called Corwin, who has a cold, and said why don’t we do Mexican. Corwin agreed, and we headed to a local place. Corwin had soup, and I had Chili Colorado. Likely, I blew away my calorie count, but it was so good, and that with a beer and flan definitely blew my calorie count. But I do feel better now.

It was a hard day of many goodbyes. Tonight, I watched Dune 1 with Corwin for a second time.

Sorry for the short blog. It was a day of goodbyes. It was a day when my feelings were full of ups and downs. I hope Friday is kinder.