Author: alohawild

I rose 7ish and started writing the blog after acquiring coffee and a NYC Zabar bagel toasted with cream cheese. While I waited for the toasting and the water to get hot to pour into the French Press to make the liberal coffee, I put away the clean dishes from the new dishwasher and washed the few pans in the sink. With some chores done, coffee, and a bagel, I padded to the in-home office in my PJs and slippers.

I was time-boxed by attending church today and tried to write about Saturday’s long day with some speed. It takes a few hours, and I often have a few asides, which was true of today’s writing. I had to publish without a final read-through as I ran out of time.

I cleaned up, shaved, and dressed. Today, I went with a new sweater vest from Land’s End and a white shirt that is now a bit large, as I keep losing inches but not pounds. The neck is comfortable, and the shirt now stays tucked in. I selected my grey suit pants to contrast with the blue sweater, as blues clash when they are different shades.

I use suspenders for suits now, and I managed to spend ten minutes with the suspenders, finally getting them straight, not reversed. Black shoes should not clash with the stark white shirt. I went with the pride tie to add color and a little politics to the look. I picked the black humbug as it was not wet today. Everyone liked the new look.

The Apple-based system that runs the audiovisual service and connects to the Internet faltered. I saw a kernel panic, which usually means there has been a SNAFU when installing the operating system updates or the software has had an update. Apple apparently broke something, and a fix was waiting to load. I suggested loading the patch that was now waiting to be applied and letting the system restart. That cleared the problem, and the service was only a few minutes late. I offered not to bill the church for my help.

Later, the organ stopped working. Dan and I scrambled to check the power boxes. The sound system is an old WW2-style tube amp—it has lots of power. It could create a spectacular fire if it shorted. There were no high-power electrical issues, and the digital organ (low-voltage and modern) soon worked again.

I took Air Volvo to church and arrived thirty minutes early. Dondrea was leading worship and preaching today. The music included Methodist favorites like Hymn of Promise (707) and a Finlandia-based Be Still, My Soul (534). Finlandia makes me cry; I find the tune especially poignant.

Dondrea’s sermon was one of her best, and I recommend trying the YouTube recording at First United Methodist Beaverton services on 4/21/2024. She combined Romans 5 and Ecclesiastes 3 to cover that God did not promise there would be no suffering and that Peter said, “We rejoice in our suffering.” The idea that God will prevent suffering for those who are good is not the message in the New Testament, but it is often offered by churches and other leaders. Dondrea paraphrased a saying from a friend who recently passed away, “Embrace the suck.” Yes, it may suck, but we must accept it and work through it. It is not about being good, going to the right church, believing the right things, but just accepting that, as Preacher said in Ecclesiastes, there is a time for everything. We will get through this together with God.

I had lunch with Rev. Anne Weld-Martin and her husband of 44 years (they just had an anniversary), Rev.Dr. Wayne Weld-Martin at BJ’s Brewhouse. Anne and Wayne were an hour late as there was a wait at the car wash. I was worried as Anne did not return my calls. We managed to get a good table and soon had an excellent meal. We had a wide-ranging conversation.

Wayne has trouble cutting his steak, and we asked the kitchen to slice it (they supply poor-quality steak knives), but it was delivered unchanged. The waiter took the meal off the ticket to make up for the kitchen, refusing to do this for us. Wayne managed, and I flinched when he ate large chunks of steak, but there were no issues. I also had $30 in discounts, so we applied that to the check. I gave the waiter a 20% tip on the original price as he did his best, which with the reductions was over 50%.

I headed home and changed into my usual clothing. I rested and read for a bit. I then made Jambalaya (what Anne had at BJ’s) from a box mix. I did make the trinity, onion, celery, and green pepper in equal proportions. This I sweated in a pan while I cut up sausage and ham. I had no seafood. I cooked it all together until the veggies became transparent and added a can of crushed tomatoes with garlic and olive oil. Water and the rice and spices from the box completed the mix. I boiled it and let it cook on low for 25 minutes.

I watched the 7th Son of a 7th Son fantasy movie while cooking and eating. In addition, I ran the laundry and washed the new PJs I ordered from Amazon. I need multiple pairs for the trip and hospital. This was sorted and put away while I watched the movie.

I was thinking of writing at a bar, but I decided to stay home and save the calories and the expense. I read more and finally started the blog at 8ish (20:00).

And that takes us to now…

Thanks for reading.

As usual, I tried to fit a whole weekend in one day. I rose after 7 and soon made coffee (liberal in a French Press), toasted a NYC Zabar’s bagel (thanks, Joyce), and covered it with cream cheese. Wearing my new PJs and usual slippers, I carried these breakfast products to the home office and started writing on my daily blog. The writing was slow as there was much to cover for Friday, which was also a busy day. I wrote until 10:30ish and finally just published what I had without another re-reading. I try to time-box the process as it can just go for what feels like forever. I want it to be perfect, interesting, and accurate, accounting for my day while only sharing those things that are appropriate and often deleting or toning down any political statements. All of this in a set few hours. It ain’t easy.

I have a body note. My revised colon (I lost 25cm to colon cancer, and that was followed by a chemical chemotherapy party for three months) has started to work more like before the tumor, and that is quite welcome. While not getting anywhere near my friend’s suggested 10,000 steps a day, I seem to be losing weight or at least inches. My weird weight numbers suggest I am building muscles and continue to fix around 255, being the newest reading. While still deep, the grief has loosened its grip on my mind and heart, and I find myself able to have fun and think about the future. It may be these sunny mornings here in the Pacific Northwest that have helped, but I think it is all the friends who continue to include me in their lives. They make my life better. Thanks!

Returning to the narrative for Friday, I looked into the process for Family Leave for Oregon, created an account for Francis, and began to create a leave request. Oregon will pay someone with a major illness a replacement for wages. Paid Oregon Leave, the name of the choice of request I need in the online Francis system, is aligned with your employer. I put this on hold until after next week as it appears Paid Leave is connected to an employer. More to come.

I continued to stir and check on the bean soup I started yesterday. I soaked the beans overnight. I washed them again, put them in a pot with water to cover, and added the ham bone from the Easter Ham I had put in the frig. This would replace the need for broth. I added a can of Italian-style (not seasoned) chopped tomatoes, the season pack from the Women’s Bean Project who supplied the bean soup mix, brought it to a boil (in no time on the new stove, so nice!), and let it simmer all morning. After washing, shaving, and dressing, I got some ham bits (there was a lot of meat on the ham), chopped them into small bits, lined a baking sheet with foil, and baked them in the top oven (the new stove has two excellent ovens), and waited for the bits to roast and give up water. I find that store-bought spiral hams are wet. I removed the ham bones (they had broken up a bit and filled the soup with a rich flavor) and tossed them (others would want to do more with them, but the bones, morrow, and remaining meat gave them all to the soup and are spent). This is a trick to make good chicken soup–remove the meat/bones you used for flavor and add more baked meat later. Thus, I added more meat that was freshly cooked and browned to add more flavor in the last twenty minutes. The soup was lunch, and I had two bowls. It was good, and nothing tasted spent or flavorless.

With the soup done, I headed out in Air Volvo. The vehicle had 1/2 a tank of fuel, so Air Volvo headed to the car wash. Soon, I could see much better through the windshield. I headed to The 649 and found Crystal doing a solo and was buried with customers as the weather changed from desert to Pacific Northwest grey. Soon, the Oregon mist was back, and I saw Air Volvo covered in little puddles from the fresh wax application. More and more folks abandoned the outdoors for a beer or exotic drink, and nearly every table was full. Crystal had lines across the place for drink and food. The kitchen staff was not delivering food and clearing tables.

I set up the board game Wyrmspan with the new components from the add-on I purchased yesterday. It looked nicer, and the tactical feel improved, as you can imagine when replacing cardboard with painted wood and metal parts. Evan, my opponent for this afternoon, was busy in the early morning, and I sat until after 2PM. I had an excellent beer while waiting. I read FaceBook and the news on the Internet. I also looked for more third-party products for Wyrmspan on Esty.

Evan showed up, and we played. Evan knows the original game, Wingspan, so the teaching did not take long. Also, the game mechanics are designed to flow, so it is a much easier game to play than Wingspan, I think. Evan and I played the first game, and I crushed Evan as the random dragons (not birds like in Wingspan) seemed to go my way. We played a second game at Evan’s request. Evan flew ahead and stayed there. I was still helping and following along on Evan’s play to help him follow the rules and understand the game’s nuances.

Dear reader, while winning is nice, I enjoy playing the game more. As a computer nerd and would-be AI programmer, I enjoy moving through the actions and seeing what happens. I am not interested in resolving perfectly efficient turns but in why the game is built the way it is. What makes it good? I am also interested in playing with many players, and that means teaching and losing as you play to help, not to win.

Evan was ahead, and I was sure he had me by ten points and maybe fifteen. Then I saw the time, and I would be late for Richard’s game. Oops. Also, Avery joined the bartender crew at 5PM, and I had planned to pack up the game simultaneously. She had been there for some time. Mistake—I should have packed up then.

Avery was clearing tables and helping Crystal with even more rain-avoiding locals, adding to the Saturday early evening clientele. We chatted a few times, but the game was intense, and I fought for more points until I saw the time. We then packed it up, granting Evan 15 points.

Traffic was lightish, and I was twenty minutes late. Our third was a last-minute cancellation (COVID or something else), and it was just Richard and me tonight. Richard pulled out Arc Nova, and while I never won and often score poorly, it is a favorite. We are using new add-ons that include fish and aquariums in our virtual zoos (the game is about efficiently running a zoo that is also good for the earth) and special player boards, each unique. I never figured out how to use mine. Richard had a run-away game (this game has little player interaction), and I did better than usual. I enjoyed the game and recommend Arc Nova, but don’t move to the more obscure maps and add-ons until you have a good handle on the game. Richard, as I am not a threat, played new approaches and enjoyed a point bonanza from the strategy paying well.

We chatted briefly, and I was not home until after midnight. I did see some amazing extra-legal lane changes during my trips to and from Portland. A Tesla with a vanity plate was all over the road, and I suspect the driver was using the local intoxicants and chatting with their cat (who was not there). I watched as the expensive red Tesla SUV cut me off, then realized it was still headed to the wrong exit, then crossed three lanes to the other exit. Oh my. Also, the police in the tunnel did not understand there was no side for us to pull into, but we managed to now do a four-car pile-up to help the nice officer.

Thus, I was ready for rest and soon was showered, back into my PJs, and sleeping.

Thanks for reading.

It is another desert morning on Friday. It is frosty cold (0C) in the morning and highs later in the 70s (21C). I rise at 6:30 on a work-from-home Friday and quickly make coffee and a bagel (thanks, Joyce) with cream cheese. We have a staff meeting at 7AM via Zoom to include India at the end of their day. Rajani covers mostly calendar and process items. While the meeting was discussing various processes, The Email arrived. Yes, layoffs, and yes, stay home all next week. We were expecting it, but everyone was surprised at how it affected them. The grief and anger returned.

I must admit, I am hoping to be selected because I am tired of this. Give me the package and leave my life alone. Pick me before you pick someone in the green card process who has bought a house, raised a family here in the USA, and sees India now as more of a place than home. Yes, I have over twenty-five years of experience, but it is time for someone else to have that. I am tired; let me rest.

But that never happens. I will likely go on at Nike, Inc. I will work until 2025 and likely 2026 to prove to myself that I am better and to thank my co-workers for letting me go on medical leave and then support my recovery. I will be there for them as they were for me. Be the future you want now. Do unto others as you would have done for yourself. Return kindness with kindness.

I also looked up the cost of traveling to the Maldives for a week starting next week, which is $2,500 for me…

Corwin wanted to make soup, so I managed to wash, after spilling many, the beans for soup. The beans need to be soaked overnight. So, I started this and will start the cooking process for lunch on Saturday morning. The ham bone is waiting to flavor the soup. Dondrea, I am sure, is smiling and nodding while reading this, as this is more of her style than mine.

Aside: This is a leftover from the pandemic when dried beans were impossible to find. I had ordered some from the Women’s Bean Project and still had one last set; Corwin wanted to make it. I strongly recommend their products as both good and good for the world. I just ordered some more.

As you, dear reader, can imagine, I was distracted all day. Still, I attended all the status and process meetings and even approved a few items. There was a software architect meeting (I am still treated as one even after losing that title and being relegated to the project’s basement like a steam shovel in the kids’ story). I spent the whole meeting listening. As this is a deep and complex discussion of Nike software work, I cannot repeat the details here.

While attending Zoom meetings, I made and ate a grilled ham and cheese and the remaining coleslaw. I did not have my camera on. Some details are best not shared on Zoom! I also put away the dishes; the mic is off, too.

My weight has flexed again to 255 pounds. My waistline and shape continue to change, suggesting I am improving. I believe I am exchanging flab for muscles, and that makes the flex happen. I fit in a restaurant booth today in Portland! That was a nice surprise. I am enjoying walking again (now that my belt is working, I have drilled two new holes, and I hold up my baggy pants).

On the less happy side, LL Bean back-ordered my new 40′ waist pants with a delivery date just after my brain surgery; I canceled the back-order. The new belt and one khaki-colored pair will appear soon (the pants must be shortened).

I discovered that the impossible-to-find add-on for Wyrmspan, my new favorite board game, was possibly available at Puddles Games and Puzzles in Portland. It was a lovely sunny day, and you could see the mountains, Mount Hood, the remains of St.Hellens, and just the tip of Rainier in the Seattle area. Glorious.

At 3PM, with the shoe company quieting to the usual nothing-to-see Friday and the shock-and-awe of layoffs, I decided to risk Friday traffic and find this store. Having been warned by online reports of a total traffic melt-down, I took the more scenic route, Canyon, to Highway 26 (called the Sunset Highway as it points at the sunset, making it a good reason to wash the car windshield and include sunglasses in your vehicle if headed west). The reports were wrong, and it is no surprise that Portland keeps telling the world, “No, don’t live here; it is terrible.” Nav took me into some traffic, but it was just a slow point, and soon, I arrived in the Grant Park neighborhood in NE Portland.

While enjoying Air Volvo, I did witness a truck pull out in front of a motorcycle as it dived for the turning lane in moderate traffic. I suspect the motorcyclist wanted a third arm to wave an obscene gesture as they drove around the commercial tuck. Air Volvo alarms did not ring as another car slowed while Air Volvo tried to merge behind it. Exciting. I also ignored some breathtaking lane changes while on bridges. It appears that sunny days in the Greater Portland area bring back the daring or foolish outside.

Puddles had parking in front, and I took advantage of that. “Why yes, we have two add-ons left,” I was happy to learn that I had acquired both. The spare one for a friend. I also found the mat for the card-based game Furnace and bought that, too. The selection of board games appeared more intact than usual, but soon, the place was full of kids, and school let out, and collector card games appeared to be the main focus of the store. Two tables were ready for games, which the younger folks took immediately as if they owned them. Feeling like an older gray-haired guy might be unwanted in this crowd (or accused of over-interest in the less-than-18 crowds), I was happy to leave with my purchases.

Aside: I noted that the young folks had gift cards, and it appeared that instead of latch-key kids, these kids were card traders and players, both young guys and gals. Mom and Dad parked them here until it was time for dinner, soccer, chess club, or whatever the kids do now. The school is across the street. The store sells the cards and provides play spaces. An interesting solution.

I found Tacovore, and after some difficulty going the other direction on Freemont, I found their parking lot. I grabbed Wyrmspan, my laptop, and one add-on and headed inside. They are one of the non-waiter Mexican-style places you find in Portland. You order, find a table, and bring a number. You bus your table (I felt guilty when I forgot, next time). Food, excellent food, is delivered.

I had the house margarita with chili and regular salt (I’m not sure I could do that much chili). Soon, Wyrmspan reloaded with cool coins and wooden food items for feeding dragons in my copy. I had to leave most new items in plastic bags as the provided containers did not fit the larger wooden components. Hmm.

I tried the blackened salmon taco and it was the best taco I had. I later tried the meat version, and it was too spicy for my taste, but I am sure it was great for those who want a more dragon-like meal, sticking to the Wyrmspan theme. The drink was excellent, and I was told, and can’t counter this, that it is the best margarita in Portland.

I headed home in Air Volvo, well-fed and ready to face traffic. My Nav was unhappy when I refused to use the onramp to Highway 26 and the tunnel as a parking lot, as that is what it had become. I continued on and found my way to Burnside and took it home after convincing, having to pull over, the Nav on Air Volvo that the scenic route, as it called it, was the only way. I enjoyed the trip, remembering my first time with Susie when we got lost and took Burnside to Portland. Also, most folks were parked on Highway 26, so it was light traffic. It was an excellent drive, but as I was traveling westward, it would have been better had I gotten the streaks of pollen and sticky off the windshield of an Air Volvo.

Returning with smiles, enjoying my day, and forgetting work, which I may never return to, I arrived at the Volvo Cave with no adventures or loss of paint. I rested and read Eric Cline’s new book, After 1177 BCE. The footnotes are extensive, the charts of the timelines work the cost of the book, and it makes me want to teach Sunday School again. Resist! Dr. Cline’s book includes recent work in the field and covers work from the 1800s to just a few years ago. I nap a few times and then keep reading for an excellent evening of learning new history and renewing what I already knew.

Not willing to let the day go, I headed to the 10PM showing of THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE (2024), which is sort of a mix of John Wick movie violence and lack of plot-but-action-makes-up-for-it style, a WW2 thriller-like Guns of Navaroe, a femme fatale WW2 spy story, and Castle Wolfenstein video game recording. In other words, it is perfectly silly and perfectly fun. If you like John Wick movies, then this will fit the bill. It purports to be a true story found in the recently released WW2 Churchill documents and even includes pictures of the people portrayed.

I was out at 12:15 and considered visiting The 649 as Avery was closing today at 1AM today, but decided I was tired and she did not need another customer. I was soon home, showered, and nodding off to Eric’s story of the Edomites. I was soon asleep.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

Thursday, the last work-from-office day at Nike WHQ, started with waking just before 6:30. While I slept better, I seemed out of sorts and should have rolled over and called in. But instead, I rose, found my slippers, and headed to the home office. It was already bright and cloudless. It was also cold, even frosty, as we continued with the desert climate. Thus grumpy, I made coffee, liberal coffee, in my French press and got the last banana.

I returned to the home office and read the emails, Slack updates, and news. I managed to just finish the banana as the clock showed 7. I returned the coffee and the plate to the kitchen. The banana skin joined a growing pile of garbage. Apparently, Corwin is blind to the overflowing trash. I am wondering how high I can get it.

I cleaned up and dressed using my Harry’s razor, still with its first blade, which is fantastic (thanks, Lynn-Wolff’s). I was soon dressed, and I had a sweater over the T-shirt. It was frigid.

I arrive at the Swift Building at Nike WHQ, realizing it will be my last visit if I am let go next week. It was a strange feeling. Soon, habit takes over, and I am again doing status and processing Zoom calls until late morning. I also reviewed how the new process may work in a short whiteboarding session.

Next, I had lunch with Scott at the cafe, risking the salad bar, and I am happy to report no sudden adverse side effects. Kerry, a friend of mine at Nike for years and a Belgium Beer expert, joined us for lunch. We talked about work and, sadly, much about the re-org and changes that are soon coming.

I returned to Zoom calls in the afternoon and then decided it would be good to head home, but I did get a call from the plumbers first. I arranged for the plumbers to come next week to restructure the connection for the clothing washer (and combo dryer) and to snake the drain in the main bathtub.

Once home, I followed along, but there was no message from leadership on layoffs. We are surprised they are waiting so long, which does not make this easier. We believe the process is next week, and we will again be asked to work from home next week.

I received Eric Cline’s next book. He is a brilliant writer and archeologist. I strongly recommend this lecture. His newest book, After 1177 BCE, was just published. I have read most of his books, and I love his recorded lectures.

I had one more meeting at 5:45. I made tacos by defrosting the ground beef in water and then cooked it in a non-stick pan on the new stove. It was faster, and the temperature seemed more stable. I added a can of hot peppers and tomatoes and the usual low-salt taco mix. I let that cook in the meat without draining the beef. It is so good this way. I took the taco shells from the box, put cheese inside, and backed it so the cheese melted.

I found some lettuce on its last legs and cut out the good part. Thus, I had spicy, almost to the point of burning, tacos while I did the stand-up meeting until after 6 (18:00). I had four, so good, while I did the meeting. I put the rest away in glass storage (thanks, Gene and Glenda) for Corwin to find later.

I washed the towels on the floor in the new washer/dryer, emptied and reloaded the dishwasher, and ran it with a light load. I took out the trash in three bags and put out the garbage and recycling. The grumpiness faded after bringing order (and tacos) to the world, and I decided The 649 was a good choice for writing the blog.

The after-work and early dates were just leaving, and Avery and Natalia were briefly buried in cleaning tables and running drinks. The crowd is slower as the sun slides behind the hills, and they can talk more softly. It is always lovely to chat with them.

And that takes me to the current moment. Thanks for reading.

 

I became exhausted this Wednesday night and had to stop playing board games with Z. I had a few coughing attacks, one bad enough to alarm Z, but my emergency inhaler controlled that. So, it will be a shorter blog as I am sliding into nap time.

Going with the highlights, starting in the early hours, I woke up too warm to sleep (that has not happened in a while) and then had a short-lived but terrible leg cramp. The fall in the kitchen that slammed my left knee into the floor was also bothering me, and I was taking painkillers for that. So, sleep was troubled when I rose before 6:30.

I had coffee and a banana. I got out the drill and put two new holes in my belt. Mariah urged me to get a new belt (on its way) and to stop my pants from falling. It worked and will be better. A new belt is on its way. My weight increased to 158 (!), but my waist seemed smaller. I believe I am building muscle at the same time, and that is why my numbers are varying by ten pounds.

I was able to clean up and dress without issue and soon was in Air Volvo, headed to the Swift Building on the Nike WHQ campus. The traffic was heavy, and I had to wait ten minutes longer to reach the shoe company’s parking lot. Work was about processing and approving various changes. It was a usual day.

I left early and went to Barnes and Noble to buy a copy of the new game Wrymspan. I have a discount as a member, so it took no time to acquire the game and an electronics magazine I like. After that, I went to Happy Panda and ordered chicken with cashew nuts and mushrooms added to it. The bits of chicken in a light brown sauce were a crunch mix of celery, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and slightly undercooked mushrooms. Nothing that would help reduce my weight, but it was feel-good food. This over-plain rice and the usual spring roll and Hot and Sour soup was an excellent meal.

While consuming this crunchy mix, I read the rules for Wrymspan and later texted Richard and Kathleen for clarification. It was a pleasure to read and think.

I returned to work, and soon, my old boss, Brad, pointed out that the admin staff was serving margaritas, and we were relaxing and drinking. Sadly, much of the conversation is still about the wreckage from the recent layoffs and the new ones next week. Yes, margaritas were a good idea—we needed to party a bit.

Brad, my now-former boss, invited me and his previous MDG Engineering team for drinks and food. This was Brad saying goodbye, as the re-org had us leave Brad and move under another director. It was a nice dinner and drinks.

Next, I drove (ensuring I ate something to be sober) and soon reached First United Methodist Church without incident. Soon, Z and Dondrea arrived. We had cupcakes of a special cake made from bananas, pecans, and pineapple from scratch by Dondrea, carefully frosted with perfect roses and other flowers. Ashley, wearing a mask (she had been ill), joined us as her birthday was yesterday, as was mine, with the choir singing Happy Birthday. We had cupcakes to celebrate Ashley’s birthday and mine.

Z was excited to learn the Wingspan-like board game reworked with dragons, Wyrmspan. Z had it down soon and was crushing me. Z soon had an engine built, and I would watch as her turns would often be 1/2 again longer than mine. Z beat me by twenty points. I was too tired to play again. Z and I just chatted.

After that, I said goodnight to folks and headed home. I was soon writing.

Sorry for the rushed blog. Thanks for reading.