Author: alohawild

Just as I had given up hope of seeing the blue sky or the sun, it appeared late Thursday morning. It was a busy day, unexpectedly, but not very interesting. It will be a short blog today.

I was up later, which was a good thing, as I finally switched back to this time zone (though I leave next week for New Orleans). I find that at this age, I bounce back more slowly, but I suspect it is just retirement mode, and I can notice it now. Before, I was busy and there was much to be about, and there was no time for being tired. I remember three+ shot coffee drinks with sugar to keep going. I do not miss the all-nighters, weekend work, often with limited sleep, or reaching 40+ hours worked by Wednesday morning! Those 100-hour workweeks were harsh!

I write the blog, explore my email, unsubscribe from right-wing stuff that mostly wants money, and one Republican congressman offering to let me pay him for a newsletter. No.

I enjoy my cup of coffee with more peanut butter toast, write the blog, and update the Quicken transaction flow. Ensuring they are correct and meaningful. It is easy for you to do it every day and check them about every month.

With that done, I focus —or try to find focus —for writing the blog. The sun rises, the dark moves to gray, to white, and a hint of blue suggests the sky will show later (and it does), and the squirrels, fearless in my backyard, are bouncing all over and investing the lawn with their bounty to be used later. The slightly fermented apples of my old apple tree are enjoyed, and the furry treasure planters seem even more careless after that. The birds also come for the apples, and their flying seems more complex afterward.

The spinners from the trees are flying all over, rising and falling as the wind creates updrafts over the fence walls. It is marvelous to watch. I sip my coffee and try to write, but the fall show is hard to ignore.

I call Peak Vision (you can see Mount Hood’s top just over the trees there) and they agree to a 3:45 appointment. I need to resolve my glasses issue. I want to wear them all the time, which is different. I can see well at over 10 feet, but I cannot wear them to use my computer or talk to people. I need something different. Deborah makes many suggestions, having more experience with this than I do (this is my first pair of glasses for aging eyes).

Deborah and I connect by phone and text all day. Later, we will watch another episode of Murders Only in the Building together. We miss each other, but we stay in contact most days.

I get a few cards out before the mail comes, and when the mail comes, it is mostly stuff I toss.

I managed to book the rest of the hotels for our trip, and later I booked an IHG near the airport for myself. I have an insanely early flight, so it is best to just use the hotel shuttle rather than risk an expensive Uber and a traffic mess. I looked first at Aloft, but they wanted an extra $100 for a night ($300 should be a nice hotel).

I call Leta to say, “Hello.” Her mouse on her Apple computer has failed. A new one was acquired, but it too does not connect. One of the reasons I keep a wired mouse for my Linux systems. You never know when something will update an interface or when the batteries will fail. I tried to help, but even restarting and alternating between the mice got no response. Ugh! It is nearly impossible to diagnose over the phone, even with the video, and I called Leta’s daughter, Barb C, to see if she could help or had any ideas. I could not help.

(I am trying)

Next, I board Air VW the Gray and stop first at Happy Panada for lunch. I had the usual American version of Chinese-style lunch. A group behind me was loud and opinionated, so I put on music on my laptop to drown them out a bit (with the waiter’s permission). I was trying to work on the hotels and other stuff, but it was too loud even for me. I paid my bill, enjoyed a fortune, and headed to the glasses place in the EV.

The traffic was typical, but 217 is somehow not under reconstruction (for most of my nearly 29 years here, it has been being reconstructed for various reasons), and traffic was only slow in a few places. Wow! I arrive an hour early, slip into a nearby Starbucks, and avoid buying anything, as the line seems long each time I look.

Two folks are working with one woman, using the two-screen setup on her Windows laptop. Another person was clearly doing some kind of call response, using the coffee joint as a temporary base and source of Internet, with headphones too. I have an extra screen too, but I am out of the habit of using it. Hmmm. Maybe I should get it out, return to headphones, and work from coffee joints. I used to do that. All interesting.

Because of the hearing loss from the brain tumor (all my hearing on the left side is gone), I may speak too loudly on a phone, and I do talk to Joan S for a while and walk outside. I see the woman looking happy that I stepped out. Yup!

Glasses were mostly me apologizing for misunderstanding, and the glass folks and my Doc reworking the glasses. I paid $160 more for the improvements and was told my insurance covers a second pair, so I will do that in December (before my COBRA coverage ends) and get to enjoy no eye coverage in ObamaCare. They took back the glasses, and I should get a revision when I return.

I drove home, but stopped at the local store to stock up on candy. Still amazed that 217 is working and has worse traffic than 217 in Beaverton! I get a cheap bucket for the candy. At home, I move the table and put out the candy a day early. I talk to my neighbors and they get some. Excellent! Today is the close of the 28th year at 20625 SW Clarion Street, Aloha (Beaverton), Oregon 97003 (or 97006 and Aloha).

(Free candy to celebrate spookiness on top of an EV that had a ‘free’ EV rebate from the government–as scary as it gets for some folks. Boo! From a liberal.)

I managed to write some more of my Dungeons & Dragons adventure and made my first encounter more fun. Hill giants with a potion of speed and a pile of rocks. Put evil DM laugh here.

Time was somehow already late. The day, like most now, disappears in a poof of unexpected tasks and confused usual tasks, but I will still record them here, and even this quietish day has 1000+ words.

Thanks for reading!

 

Wednesday ended with me home after playing a newish game against Z on a table pushed into the sanctuary at First United Methodist Church. The refresh demolition is done, and the refresh work has now started. It will not be done until before Easter (and likely to end in January, but I am making no promises). We played Raiders of Scythia, a revision of the Viking-themed game, and read that it is better than the Viking-themed version, Raiders of the North Sea (without the final add-on, which, I am told, tips the scale to the Viking game), and I like the art and style better. Z enjoyed the game and lost by one point. Her gamer instincts were good, and she pounced on the easy goals before I could. I instead went on more raids and took more risks, since they involve dice rolls, and I lost most of my crew in one raid. Z built up again, going with good game instinct, and then took on the most brutal and highest-point raids, catching her up on points. It was my purchase of a horse in my last turn—yes, a single two-point horse —that won me the game. Z loved the excitement of the raids, the slow build, and creating a crew with wonderful-looking cards and powers.

I finished the night by finishing TRON, the animated series that seems to end as the latest movie starts, though I think they could fit in another season. I liked it.

I was tired, couldn’t focus, and remembered to assemble the coffee for the next morning. Deborah had explained to me earlier that I need to contact the glasses folks. I need a third section that is as plain as the glasses blur my vision for the first ten feet. The rest works great. Driving at night was much better now!

I went to bed late after surfing the Internet for a while, avoiding the news. I then climbed into my bed, turned off the light, and slept. I woke once around three, then slept until after 6. It was dark; Fall is turning to winter. Time for hot cider.

My day started in a mangled plan. I rushed as I had, from what I saw on my calendar, an 11 with Sam at US Bank Wealth Management, and then lunch with Scott at 12:30. I was happy to find the coffee made with my slightly delayed start at 7:30. I am out of bananas and just had peanut butter toast with my coffee. And, while not especially liberal coffee, I did grieve for the White House magnolia trees that Trump had slain to build his ballroom while sipping my dark, bitter beverage. You can see some of the murdered tree’s branches on the back of a US $20 bill. F**kers! Where is Treebeard when you need him!  Alas!

I will be composing something to send to someone on that. I just cannot figure out who you complain to when the Speaker and the President are the bad guys. From what I read from the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist’s book, Centennial Crisis: The Disputed Election of 1876, only the Supreme Court can resolve issues between the two branches of government. I am still thinking about it and maybe sending a magnolia tree to Chef Justince Roberts.

With my frustration, for now, pushed in the background, I finished the blog, booked rooms for the upcoming trip for the group in Columbus, Georgia, and sent out an option for Atlanta, too (Buckhead). I had updated my pro forma 2025 tax statement the night before and had that in Air VW the Gray. My newest addiction book, American Battleships 1886-1926, arrived in perfect unused condition and was also the cheapest one available, which seldom happens. I mailed my ballet in, just to anger anti-mail ballet people, and soon I was rushing a shower and dressing (and all that) to make an 11 o’clock.

Oops! It was at noon. I quickly sent a note to Scott, and he was OK with a later lunch. Sam from US Bank Wealth Management got me in earlier. We talked about investments and the crazy, unpredictable market with AI chip companies’ stock prices exploding while insanely profitable company stocks tanked. The Fed (growl!) cut rates today, and this, Sam and I agree, has added to the chaos. Sam and I both agree that my current portfolio, with some still in cash, allows Sam to harvest any broken bubbles while still earning some interest.

After sharing my health issues and my long-term plan (to live until 2084, passing away at 119 on April 15), Sam agreed that withdrawing $75K to take advantage of my giving and other tax breaks, and to set up a Roth IRA with minimum value, makes sense for a short-term play. When/if my health stabilizes, we can build towards my 2084 life expectancy. I will meet with Sam in December to lock in this plan. Then we will know more information on Oregon’s Kicker. Sam will also look into providing appropriate short-term cash instruments for the $75K. In Mr Burns’ voice, “Excellent!”

I was not late for lunch with Scott. We talked about my new glasses, changes to travel plans, what we see as investments for next year (yikes), and 2026 travel plans. It was a great lunch as we will meet again on the other side of my next trip.

After lunch with Scott, I stopped by the Guardian gaming store in Aloha. They did not have what I was looking for—Grindhouse—but I did get the figure I needed. I will have to paint it. They noticed I had been missing (mostly traveling, though visits can also be expensive!).

Home, took a nap in the chair, and then talked to Deborah for a while, and we found time to watch another episode of the current season of Murders in the Building. This one was a bit confused, trying to connect various threads of the story, and Meryl Streep stole most of the scenes. Still, we enjoyed it. Season six is planned.

I walked to the local convenience store, got some corn chips, heated some canned chili, and poured it over corn chips, cheese, and sour cream. What we called a haystack, and Deborah shared that the taco meat or chili can be poured into a small bag of corn chips and eaten as a carry-out taco. You eat it with a fork out of the bag and can walk around with it. Wow!

I also read more of the cookbook that Deborah sent me. Just the introduction.

And then I head to the church, and that takes us full circle.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

I rose at 6:30 with my alarm. It is dark and I have to turn on a light to find my way. We have had no sun, stars, or moon for a few days now as the gray takes over the Pacific Northwest. Sunrise is now a color change from black to shades of gray. It is not erotic (like the books), and again, is Trump sure he wants to send young troops here to experience this part of living in endless rain and gray? We are not just crazy here because we live in the vicinity of multiple volcanoes (part of Portland is made up of ash cones and lava flows). The weather requires a certain level of acceptance of challenges and a willingness to let go of control, which can be difficult for some. Portland and Seattle are as wacky as the US gets (though Asheville, NC, manages to be quite weird too, see this video).

Putting aside the weather, the city ‘cleared’ the camps near ICE (here), and there was more tear gas, from what I read from the Feds, and it was pretty upsetting to the local police. For those who wonder, you cannot sue ICE agents and other federal agents protecting ICE (the US Supreme Court rules that they can only be held accountable by ICE leadership). I have read that there have been fights between the usual Portland protesters and counter-protesters. Again, this is one block in Portland.

I wrote my blog in a rush as I had a 9:30 board game at Richard’s in Portland with James. We are still playing the cooperative Tainted Grail board game, and today we reached the 6th Chapter. We recovered the true grail on our third try in a maze with a timer. We fought a few battles, took on diplomatic challenges, and won them, though we took a beating in one.

The blog done, and I running about ten minutes late after a shower, dressing, and all of that, I boarded Air VW the Gray. The traffic was better in Beaverton and less congested in Portland. Why, I do not know. I arrived just as James, who had come from Washington State, arrived. We got into the details of the game. I am finding it increasingly immersive, and some of the dream cycles are starting to help. Jim and Richard comment that I am forcing them more into the story and less to gather goodies and explore every possible combination. This is my natural Dungeons & Dragons play. Get to the story center before the timer runs out. There are also 14+ chapters, and we are only 1/3 of the way. It seems reasonable to jump the story for a while.

I enjoyed the session, and we started on the new quest with the real grail. We stopped before 2, packed up the game, which has a physical save process, and I headed out to Broadway Grill. We are headed south in the game to explore new areas, as the storyline, which is interesting to me, leads us there to discover new mysteries. Excellent.

I had a Mr. Toad’s Wild Red Ale and a Ruben that likely could increase my cholesterol alone. I ate the whole thing. It was sooooo goooood. And the beer was so smoooooth. And while the Broadway Grill no longer, in our health-conscious and Vegan-centric city, mentions that they make their own award-winning corned beef, it was as good as anything in NYC (gasps, I am sure from some readers).

Well fed, I stop by the Broadway Books (yes, the bookstore is near excellent food, feeling even more like a larger city) and collect more cards, including one that says “Book Banners are never on the side of history” and did mail that one to the so-called Secretary of War, Pete H-something, at the Pentagon. Some of us wear frog inflatables here; others, like me, send things.

I spoke to the bookseller, and we talked about our favorite cookbooks; she saw I had the newest issue of “Cook’s Magazine.” She shared that she owns over a hundred cookbooks; I have only three feet of them. She carried to me something special —a book that looked at earlier but resisted: The Talisman of Happiness: The Most Iconic Italian Cookbook Ever Written. She explained that it is a translation and reworking of, as the title suggests, the most iconic Italian cookbook for Americans. I demurred. She smiled, knowingly, as it is likely I will get it another day. I remember that Deborah gave me Good Things from Samin Nosrat, and I had failed to read it, though I did open the cover. Just been busy since returning home. No time for two new cookbooks! Or at least that is what I told myself, but the checker’s smile was likely more truthful.

The gray was more white now, and I crossed Portland and found some traffic on the bridge (I hate to stop 100 feet above the river), but soon I was flying the EV through the tunnel and reached home without incident. Back to paperwork.

I discovered that my checking account had jumped a reserve line to cover a check. Well, puke, my $4500 transfer that I manually booked into Quicken was missing. I must not have hit save or something like that. Damn. I undo the damage and see, with a smile, that my huge balance has reversed all the fees. My retirement IRA is handled by US Bank, which provides me with all sorts of protections and fee reversals. I often feel terrible as I think I could actually afford these fees, while others with fewer resources would be crushed by them. It takes a while to connect all the transfers and pay off the reserve line.

New lesson, don’t put the transfer in manually! Let them download so that Quicken better represents the balances. I later revised my pro forma 2025 Tax statement, added more transactions, and corrected the property tax numbers. I also guess at a Kicker Check from Oregon (now a tax payment credit). I meet with Sam at US Bank for year-end planning and think I will extract $70K in value to harvest tax benefits for my giving this year (over $40K). And then what to do with the $70K? Shall I put it away in a Roth IRA and lock it up for five years, or do I put it in CDs or treasuries for around 4% or less interest (don’t get me started on Trump and the Fed–interest rates should be 5.25% for a healthy economy, not bouncing them crazy up and down)? I will ask Sam at US Bank for his thoughts.

Deborah and I connect. It is a workday for her. We watched Only Murders In The Building’s new season and enjoyed the new characters—murderous, nuts billionaires—and the show seems to be flowing again. We both were laughing through the episode.

Remember Glenda’s admonitions, I looked at what I had in the fridge, and planned dinner to finish up the leftovers. I made green beans (frozen) with garlic. I made couscous with India-style spices and butter. I reheat the chicken in the microwave until it is hot again, but not rubber chicken! Couscous North African sauce-in-a-jar is heated and liberally used. It is wonderful. I make only 1/2 cup of couscous because I love it too much. I watched the newest Slow Horses episode. I do enjoy this spy show; the opposite of Smiley’s people, set in the present. I recommend the series, but it is hard to start as the characters are reprehensible. The story is about how a bunch of f**k-ups can save the day when the better-looking, approved spies keep failing. I like it, but it may be an acquired taste. I could not read the books.

I sent out some emails on hotels for the upcoming trip. I talked to Deborah about cutting out the Florida visit this time and just flying in on Christmas Day. There is a 7PM arrival flight on Christmas and a Jan 2 flight back for just about $650 with seat selection and all that. This would let me enjoy some Christmas stuff in the Pacific Northwest and New Year’s in Michigan.

I worked some more on the adventure for New Hampshire and am getting much of it in my head now. Less in a Word document still, but it will come in bursts in my experience. I read more about 5E creatures and then sleep.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

Monday was unusually busy for me. But let’s start at the beginning…

I rose around 7:30 and discovered I had not assembled the coffee the night before. I removed the filter, emptied it of grounds, washed it out, and then grabbed the coffee pot. I rinsed and filled the pot halfway. I did not need a whole pot for myself, and I should not drink one. I located a banana and cottage cheese, just a scoop or so dusted with pepper, sea salt, and smoked paprika. I took the coffee and breakfast to my office. Turned on a bright light (to help resist seasonal affective disorder) and started my day.

I do my usual things, like reading email, though I mostly delete emails I don’t need. I update Quicken and check the transactions. I read the headlines on CNN and then read more detailed stuff on the NY Times. And while many would claim they have a bias, I just like their excellent use of words, strong editorial controls, and enjoy their art, travel, and cooking sections. The NY Times never disappoints, and they produce good content every day. Wow!

I wrote the blog and arranged a late-afternoon fitting for my glasses. I made a salad for lunch, chopping a carrot and a few stalks of celery to make it more interesting. I got the laundry started and did the dishes. I planned to stop by the church in the afternoon to see how the start of the demolition of the areas to be refreshed is going.

Corwin stops by, tries my baked chicken, and agrees that some cheese would make it great. I think ham and cheese would be great. Corwin joins me in the trip to the church and Peak Vision to get my glasses. We stopped at the church, and I had already spoken to Wendy, the church administrator, a few times and worked out a few issues. Wendy described it as ‘controlled chaos.’  We saw the changes. Wow! And I noticed that the pasterboard work from the 1950s was out of standard. It was hidden by the paneling. Ugh! Later, I learned that the electrical work is a challenge; the existing wiring limits are options. No surprise there. There was also a missing radiator cover. Pinepoint, the commercial construction company we are using, will make one, if needed.

Next, I headed south and got my new glasses. I am having trouble with my short vision, but the distance and bifocals are wonderful. I could read signs again, and the double vision is gone! Better! Great!

I took Corwin to Famous Dave’s BBQ across the street from the vision place, but it seemed to be too early for dinner. I tried to order fried chicken, but I would have to wait thirty minutes because it was served after 4 (we were early for dinner). Corwin got an order for wings through, and I followed. Corwin finally got his coffee. I stuck to Diet Pepsi. The wings were the usual sticky fried mass. It was OK. It will be hard to convince me to return. Hmmm. Or at least to never have an early dinner there.

Corwin headed out, and I got back to laundry, connected with Deborah in Michigan, and watched the last of season 1 of Kathy Bates’ Matlock on our respective screens. The season ending was a cliff-hanger. Deborah and I speculated about how the cliffhangers would be resolved, but we imagined different futures. Season 2 has already dropped quite a few episodes, and soon we will see how this plays out.

The south trip requires a Bio, and I wrote one — just a few hours of work — and then sent it out. I cc’d the other church folks to give them an outline, in case they want to follow my structure. I then looked at hotels for the last part of the trip. Looks like Holiday Inn Express, my usual, is a good fit.

I finally did some work on my Dungeons & Dragons adventure and read some of the 5E Monster Manual to rebuild the encounters to 9th level from the original’s 2nd level. I finally turned off the light, but then I had trouble breathing when resting. With a few coughs and a spray of my enhailer, that all cleared up.

I was soon asleep, woke once, and then heard my alarm too soon. I thought I had been sleeping only for a minute, but the night was gone.

The difference between night and day is the color of the sky now. There is no moon, sun, stars, just clouds and gray to black. Sunrise is the slow change of the sky from black to gray. I fear for those Texas National Guard folks coming to help defend ICE from frog-like liberals. They are going to be depressed pretty soon and likely understand why we are so weird up here. I understand some tear gas was used, and some more drama happened when ICE and their protectors became concerned about aggressive dancing, flag-waving older folks, and some singing. Portland will continue with its weirdness and mockery. It is what we do.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

I woke around 7:30, late for me on a Sunday, but the coffee was made by timer and waiting for me. To this, I added a banana and a scoop of cottage cheese with a dash of sea salt, a few grinds of pepper, and smoked paprika. I want more protein and fewer carbs for breakfast.

I wrote the blog without rushing, since the church building is not available until 10:30. We now share with another church, Emmaus Church (here), who meet earlier and uses the sanctuary. There was a meeting for our trip to New Orleans (NOLA), Alabama, and Georgia next week (I leave on the 5th of November, here) after church. I ordered through DoorDash burgers for those who wanted them, and added in one just in case (which Seth got). I had that delivered to the church at noon, meeting the driver/dasher on the street.

I tried on my new gray sweater vest and my NOLA tie. I had my church papers, D&D stuff, and some travel books already in Air VW the Gray. I carried my laptop because I had the DoorDash order half-filled. I reached the church as Emmaus was leaving. I said hello to folks from Emmaus and even spoke to a few pastors, since they know that demolition work for the refresh will start on Monday, and there will be some inconveniences.

I get more orders and order burgers from Killer Burgers via DoorDash. I usher for the church, and we, with the rains, I think, had three homeless join us. Sleeping rough in the Greater Portland area is tough in the winter, as the rain is relentless, and soon everything is soaked. We give coffee and get a few hellos in, and John Nilsen (here) is playing for the sermon for the church today! John and I have worked together for many concerts, including Susie’s Memorial here and at Grace UMC in Lansing. It is always a pleasure to see John, and I recommend his concerts and website to you, dear reader. I did buy the newest CD after the service, with his advice. Some more rock. Excellent!

It was an excellent musical service and John’s thoughts (he gives his version of a homily); he grew up in our church. It is like a homecoming with coffee and friends, a time to connect and reconnect.

After we were done, our meeting with Pastor Ken for those on the southern trip happened with some burgers and fries in Ken’s office. We talked about our hopes for the journey and some travel details. The larger concern is that we, from a come-as-you-are and home of Naked Bike Rides, may not be ready for the dress codes of the American South. No athletic shoes and shirts with collars for men, and no torn-up jeans (and maybe not jeans) or half shirts for women. Basically, you are to look like you tried to be respectful. All good —we are ready to start our adventure.

With yet another excellent but weight-increasing and cholesterol-worsening burger and fries inside me, I headed home and tried to relax for an hour or two. I watched from my chair as more heavy rain fell, but no downspout leaks. I wonder if it was some leaves blocking a gutter that sent the water to the downspout, and that has resolved with all the wind.

My gutters have refilled with my tree products. It is a pretty yellow-and-red collection, looking like an autumn fringe on my house’s roof, and I know there is no reason to fix it until both trees have released. No reason to pay Corwin or others to undo Fall’s decorations until all the leaves are down, about mid-November.

I have paid twice in some years for leaf removal. I do pay an extra $20 to my lawn service to haul away the mess. They also increased everyone’s lawn price by $20 a few years ago because of the large amount of leaves. The deciduous trees, most of which are not native, are larger now and will make a wet blanket for the area in our damp fall. We have to collect the leaves and compost them safely before they block all the flood controls in the area. While not SciFi Spice, the waters must flow! It is a big deal here to handle the leaves.

I next head to M@’s to play Dungeon & Dragons 2024, playing adventures from the Infinite Staircase material released for 5E, and with some revisions for 2024. This material is a collection of mostly older adventures revised to 5E. We are in the next adventure. I missed the last play on Deborah’s birthday. This is the old I3 adventure (1982), part of the Desert of Desolation series, and I have the original on my shelf. I have no memory of the adventure, but it is from the same writers who produced the famous Ravenloft adventure (also on my shelf). I also have the Crystal Cave we just finished (I have never played it and had no memory of it) and the S3 Expedition to Barrier Peaks, which is included in the Infinite Staircase material.

Without giving away any published material, we managed to find the adventure. We faced a cruel encounter, once again proving that my choice that my character is not resistant to fire (but to necromatic damage) was not the best min-max move. Becky had car trouble and missed, leaving us with no rogue and one down. Jack joined us as Mackers could not make it. But we had reached the 7th level, and new spells, higher temporary hit points, and Aid spells made us harder to kill.

While we made little progress helping the archaeologists, I did produce a document identifying us as the most reliable crew of helpers for archaeologists. Scott whisked away the threat that we discovered (or maybe they found us) with his latest non-combat tricks. Sort of a catch-and-release idea I have never seen implemented before. Karyn sent her summoned pixie (or like fey) into the tomb to explore. And while we cannot follow the same path, we did get a general layout of the complex.

We enjoyed the evening as we did the old dungeon crawl with the D&D version of Ehgytain’s tomb. Sort of a Hollywood mummy movie mixed with Vox Machina and Steve Martin. We will try to play on Nov 23rd, but that is a travel day for me and a church meeting day too. I will have to leave early for my 11PM flight to Boston.

With the game over, the temperature was a wet 43°F (6°C), and Scott and I only talked briefly about the play as we headed to our respective vehicles. I had spoken to Deborah by text and calls in the morning and afternoon, but we missed connecting for a ‘good night.’ We did reconnect on Monday, but it was strange not to communicate after seeing each other for two weeks. Long distance is not all that easy. But back to Michigan in December! And I am hoping for a long weekend in NYC, if we can swing it on some free weekend YTD.

I finished the Agatha Christie story, Cat Among the Pigeons, and discovered I had guessed right on some of it. The last events made little sense to me, and I missed one and did not expect the sad ending. Still a good story. I then slept and dreamed.

M@ and I were on another trip — we took one together a few years ago, but this time in various strange vehicles, as often happens in dreams, and then witnessed a massive wreck on an overpass. M@ kept us safe, and I woke up remembering that the demolition at the church started today at 7. I woke at 7.

Thanks for reading, and thanks, M@, for the game and the travels, even the dream travel.