Author: alohawild

I am writing this on Sunday morning–my sister’s birthday. She is somewhere in Michigan catching fish to celebrate. Happy Birthday Linda!

Returning to Saturday morning, we will even move back into Friday. After I finished the Friday blog, I decided that I was feeling restless and went to the 10PM showing of the next Mission Impossible movie, number seven, and joined the chaos at Movies on TV. One girl was a perfect Barbie, including the high heels (I suspect her heel does not touch the floor). The late showing of the ramping down MI7 was attended by another family; otherwise, it was empty. The movie was a blast, and I was laughing at the over-the-top stunts and a plot that disappeared into the poof of amazing chase scenes and even more completely unneeded stunts–perfect. Tom Crusie’s character smashes a tiny Fiat into a wall after starting it and apologizes that sometimes it takes him a while to figure out a car–not sure that was in the script. Still, it was so unexpected it was hilarious. If you need to escape, and they do many times in the movie, this one is for you.

Air Volvo was ready to deliver me to the Volvo Cave at 1AM. I managed to sleep sometime before 2AM. That made Saturday morning a more challenging prospect. In the morning, I managed to ignore the shoe company, make an NYC bagel, and write the blog with my French Press delivering coffee. I tried to start on the radio project, noticing an issue and breaking the replacement plastic window out. I reglued it in place, and that ended that plan.

I boarded Air Volvo in the early afternoon and faced low traffic; hole installation had stopped for the weekend. I soon arrived at Susie’s at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was just finishing breakfast, and we headed to the park to enjoy the day before it was hot again (another 90F+ day with no rain–32C). I took the paved trail that led through the tennis courts to skip the crushed stone that rattles Susie and can suddenly stop the wheelchair (the loose rock buries a front wheel and halts the forward motion). The park was busy with humans being walked by various-sized dogs. Small children were with their parents on the swings or other devices for child happiness. The butterflies were meeting in columns of light between the trees, doing spirals together, and then parting and dancing across the park: Definitely showing off.

We found my favorite shady bench and did a three-way call to Barb, Susie’s sister, and Leta, Susie’s mother, and us. Barb, oddly, could not see or hear Leta on the call (how do you do that?!), but everyone else was okay. Leta’s face is red and purple with bruises from her fall, and she is tired and resting more. We played a strange game of telephone with Barb as we repeated what Leta said, but it was a good call on FaceTime so we could see everyone.

We finished the usual tour and returned to Susie’s room. I found the movie Bohemian Rhapsody on the cable, and Susie sang along for this Queen biopic. We spent the next two hours watching the story of Freddy Mercury and the band, with Evan showing at the movie’s finish. Susie had an Ensure while we watched the show. Once the film was completed, I promised to return soon after grabbing a fast lunch. Evan and I did a sub sandwich and then dropped off a copy of 2600 for Dondrea (signed by me on page 57). We returned soon to the hummingbird house, and Susie was having lunch. Evan headed out, and I stayed with Susie for ninety minutes watching M.A.S.H. I had to return to the home office by 4PM to start my shift.

I was just on time with traffic returning and running slow. I logged into my shoe company laptop and started an hour of status meetings, plus a bonus Zoom meeting, as there was a crisis of the moment. I spent the evening following along and monitoring the current crises. I reheated the jambalaya from a few days ago for dinner. Later, being a bit bored, I made scones from a box (cranberry and orange), King Arthur Flour brand–recommended. I watched an episode of The Avengers (1966) after seeing a fan work on Mrs. Peele (Diana Riggs). Returning to the shift, I stayed until 1AM to update folks on the crises I watched.

I finally slept after 3AM, making Sunday morning harder.

Thanks for reading!

I am having dinner at the GVB alone; Mariah could not join me this Friday night. I spent most of the afternoon with Susie. We watched the Disney animated movie Moana while I was logged into work, reviewing documents and designs and helping with a few crises of the moment. The emoji of the team today was the animated facepalm. I could not finish the last status meeting as I was becoming impatient with folks on the project–best to log out before I say something. It is good to have a beer and dinner–prime rib is the special on Friday–sinfully good.

Susie was sad when I left, near tears, but she understood I would be back and kissed me goodbye, three times and held my hand. I set the TV in her room to M.A.S.H., the second season; she likes the earlier seasons, and they are not often on the reruns on regular TV. We use Hulu for this.

Susie was weighed today and is still only 68 pounds. Her weight is stable, but it is still not improving. I will get more desserts!

Right after I arrived, we managed to head out to Metzger Park next door. The park manager was out and had a chainsaw. He thought I could use a haircut, but I good naturally demurred. Next, the manager got on the tractor and cleared the logs from the fallen trees. It is hot and dry this summer and not time to have stacks of dried wood in the light forest of the park!

We found our favorite bench in the shade with redwoods, cedars, and butterflies. We did a three-way call to connect to Leta, Susie’s mother, Barb, her sister, and us on FaceTime and could see and hear each other. Leta, sporting new bruises, had fallen in her garage, and, according to her, it looked worse than it was. Barb was less convinced. Susie was delighted to have a call with all of them and to see them. Barb had mostly recovered from her trip back to Michigan from here. She did, she said, sleep until noon today–but looked awake. We connected with Barb while she was grocery shopping. We talked for ten minutes, and everyone was happy to reconnect today.

Before this, I was at the house doing my usual work-from-home Friday. I slept in, finally getting started at 7AM, and then made breakfast–an NYC bagel with a veggie smear (thanks, Joyce), yogurt (plus fruit and Organic), and liberal coffee made in my French Press. I was online reading stuff and getting ready for the hours of status meetings. After managing to listen and send updates to my team for any issues identified for us (just one minor thing which unfortunately did cause a faceplant emoji from the team), I found time to shower and dress. Next, I hosted an hour session with the software architects and engineers on how Nike is redesigning its processes and the impact that would have on our systems (existing and future). No details can go here, of course. I reheated some jambalaya I made the day before for lunch while I did the session–I used an Avatar instead of a live camera image.

My boss sent me my official bonus. It was the expected amount and is over 20% of my annual pay–a good year at Nike. I also ran the numbers for my retirement, with the results suggesting I should retire soon. The numbers show we will be OK. For various economic reasons (and tax reasons), I will be putting this off for a while.

I packed up the computers, my Nike and my Apple, and boarded Air Volvo. I headed to Susie’s at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. The traffic was light, and I had no issues or police entanglements.

And that takes me full circle. The person doing the local writer’s anthology has not returned my emails. Looks like my Howard story has no home. I have not heard any new complaints or compliments on my 2600 AI story.

Thanks for reading.

The morning started with me awakening before my 6:30 alarm and debating if I could just have thirty more minutes of sleep; nope, I had to get going to make the 8:00 status meeting in the office. I dragged myself from the bed, made coffee, liberal in the French Press. I also ran water and vinegar through the coffee pot after dumping the grounds so I could safely turn it off in the future. Just hot, slightly acidic water to clean it and make it safe to leave off until someday. Yogurt (with Organic fruit) joined peanut butter toast for breakfast. The coffee took longer, now using the water kettle to boil the water, but it was still good. I also found a thermal cup to take the remains to the office.

While eating breakfast, I explored the emails, Slack channel updates, and the news. I had been out a week, so I only went back to Wednesday for emails. I believe if something is noteworthy, someone will send it again. I finished at about 7AM, jumped in the shower, dressed, and boarded Air Volvo.

I was in the office in time for the hours of status meetings and then read various design documents to approve. By 10:40, I was ready to head out and see Susie. I boarded Air Volvo and kept my promise that I would see Susie at 11:00AM. Susie was waiting at Susie’s place at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116.

Susie had just finished her breakfast of scrambled eggs, ham, and cheese–Susie’s favorite. Plus, some Ensure to add even more goodness. It was not hot yet, and we headed outside. Metzger Park was not busy, and we got the usual shady bench. I did a three-way call to Leta, Susie’s mother, Glenda and Gene (Susie’s aunt and uncle) using FaceTime on my iPhone. That worked well, and everyone was happy to see each other. Once that call closed, Susie wanted to finish the park, so I pushed her around the paved path, onto the street, and back to the hummingbird house, making a large circle. After that, I had to return to work (and find some lunch) after a goodbye kiss and a promise to return on Friday.

I stopped by Carl’s Jr for a Western Burger, a guilty pleasure, and listened to the radio while enjoying my bacon-laden burger. Oregon Public Broadcasting Fresh Air described the dispute in the crab finishing industry and the lawsuit that the crab processors are actually a monopoly and are price fixes. It was quite an interesting and very local story.

I returned to work and continued to do status meetings and headed out at 3:30 and did an hour of status meetings again starting at 4PM from my kitchen. I made jambalaya without seafood for dinner while listening to the meetings. I cut the sausage into cubes and added a can of stewed tomatoes and green pepper, seeded, cut into 1/2″ pieces. I cook the sausages first, get the oils from the sausage to fill the pan, and cook the peppers and, later, the tomatoes (not strained) in the oil; I add a box mix and water and bring to a boil and then let simmer for 25 minutes. The box mix has seasonings and rice.

I ate this while watching the newest episode of ShipHappens on YouTube.

At 7PM, we had the Zoom meeting for the church group, Theology Pub. This time it was about Unconditi0nal Love and balancing that. We also talked about how wars start, about caring for people who are dying, and other complex examples of unconditional love and balancing the realities of love and responsibilities. It was less political discussion and more about life’s journey and the tragedies in one’s life. There were a few tears. It was a good meeting.

Thanks for reading! Sorry, I forgot to take a photo today!

For those who want to read my article, “Turning’s Battle,” in 2600, here is the digital link:

Summer 2023 Digital Edition (PDF or EPUB3)

Today the day started at 7 with me waking to prove hydration twice at night and the sunrise waking me. I rolled over a few times and woke with the alarm. I stumbled out of bed and made liberal coffee. Breakfast was an NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce) with a veggie smear and yogurt (purporting to be Organic which I think describes yogurt anyway) with fruit (which I guess is really the Organic part) that I took to the office and started writing Tuesday’s story in WordPress.com. I also use Grammarly to correct and help with the perfection of the text. So far, the new Artificial Intelligence improvements have tried to rewrite some of the blog’s sentences into simple sentences–I resist AI that does not improve the text. I already deal with Grammarly putting and then removing the same comma and missing plurals for complex nouns.

Barb was showered, packed, and ready to head out by 9ish. We said our goodbyes, and she headed to Susie’s place to say goodbye to Susie.

Barb would arrive with plenty of time as her flights all changed, and she did not leave until after 7PM and will be arriving in Chicago at 1AM local time and getting a car to drive home to Michigan. Barb enjoyed PDX all day, reading her book and finding adult beverages to pass the time. She was offered more complex flights over two days but decided that Chicago worked for her.

I left the house after doing various chores like stripping the beds and starting laundry. Air Volvo crossed Beaverton without issue, and I was soon headed to Susie’s place at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Mariah contacted me and was in the area for some medical stuff and suggested a late lunch. I continued the hummingbird house and arrived to find Susie napping in her recliner in the shared living room. Her favorite show, Blue Bloods, was running, and we completed an episode.

After that, Jennifer (the weekday nursing aide) popped Susie into her wheelchair, and we headed outside before it got too hot (it reached 92F today–33C). My black Star Wars t-shirt burned with the clear sunlight, a poor choice. We headed into Metzger Park and met Joan and Bud Goldhammer, who were also using a shady bench. They were happy to see us, and we chatted for a bit. Before that, we had called Leta and Barb, a three-way call (Barb was stuck at PDX). Leta and Susie enjoyed seeing everyone in one call. Later we called Joyce, Leta’s sister in North Carolina (and Susie’s aunt, of course), and talked for a bit too. Had I been thinking, I could have done a four-way call. Susie was happy talking to so many people, which removed some of the sadness from Barb’s leaving.

I returned Susie to Jennifer’s care and used Nav to reach Ancestry Brewing to meet Mariah; I was only a few minutes late. We both had adult beverages, just one for me as I had to return to Susie. The red ale was fantastic, and the burgers, we both had one, were excellent. We talked about writing and other items. I headed back and got back to Susie’s at 3:20ish.

Susie was resting in her bed, listening to music. I just sat in the overstuffed chair and sat next to her. We talked a bit, and Susie seemed confused about where she was and if she could go home with me. Susie was very tired from everything we did and missing her sister.

I left at 5PM, and she wanted to know when I would return and asked me to repeat it twice. She kissed me goodbye and looked like she would rest before dinner. I could see she was still a bit confused, but was mostly tired.

I headed home in Air Volvo, arrived at the Volvo Cave, grabbed my laptop, and headed to Wildwood Taphouse to write. There I had a few beers and slowly wrote this blog. Will, the barkeep, asked me questions about AI which I tried to answer and explain.

Thanks for reading!

Today, Wednesday, I am still writing the blog in the morning for Tuesday. It is another perfect sunny day.

Tuesday started with me waking from my alarm. I had to prove my hydration at 3:30 and again at 5:30, and the bright clear sunlight woke me at 6ish. I did try to return to sleep but was up at 7AM, only having lightly slept since sunrise. I finished the pastry and had yogurt with fruit (not sure how Organic can be a thing for yogurt, but it is claimed to be organic too). I made coffee, liberal Equal Exchange, in the coffee pot without covering the counter with used coffee grounds (which I had to clean up from yesterday–I had not noticed the spill until the morning). With breakfast summoned and the coffee reminding me of MacBeth (“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”), I took my meal to the office and started ninety minutes of blog writing.

Barb started while I wrote; Susie’s sister is visiting for a week (ending soon on Wednesday–we will miss you, Barb!). She found the coffee and managed on her own. I continued to write. I finished the blog just before Barb headed out early to see Susie.

I continued to organize the house, recycle things, find things for Goodwill, and generally clear the floor of stuff that would be better on a shelf or drawer. The dishes got done. Questionable board games, those not likely to be played, are returned to the garage for possible disposal (selling, trading, or Goodwill). Finally, shower and get dressed to catch Air Volvo’s next flight to Susie’s place at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116.

I arrived without entanglements with Beaverton’s Finest or traffic snarls at about 1PM. Barb had been with Susie and helped Susie with breakfast and was with Susie in her room when I arrived, listening to music. Susie agreed that I could take Barb to lunch and be back in about ninety minutes. Air Volvo took us to Broder Soder Beavert, a Scandinavian restaurant only a few moments from Susie’s place. 

The Broader Soder Beavert is a Scandinavian cultural center cafe serving only breakfast and lunch. Their food is excellent, with Barb enjoying the meatballs in cream sauce with potato pancakes and mushrooms on the side (so good the mushrooms are not just delicious but proud), and I had the hash with smoked trout. We shared some pancake balls with lemon curd and jelly, lingonberry, of course.

Needing a nap, we returned to Susie’s place as promised. I stayed for only a few minutes, with Barb staying until 7PM as it was her last full day with Susie. They rented (Amazon) the film High Society with Grace Kelly and enjoyed that–a favorite for Susie and Barb. Barb helped feed Susie. Barb left Susie, promising to say goodbye on the way to the airport on Wednesday, and met me at the food trucks at Beaverton Central. Susie forgot that Barb was leaving on Wednesday, and the parting was hard on Barb.

I had dinner, and Barb was still stuffed full of meatballs and consumed only a local brew product. We sat outside as the sun set over Beaverton Central. Beaverton Central is a new group of buildings that include a food truck park, the Metro to Portland (and beyond), and towards Hillsboro, the end of the line. There is also the Beaverton City Hall, a newly built cultural center, high-end restaurants, and parking garages. Plus, local coffee, a plant store, and a taphouse. An excellent place to have dinner, play board games, or attend a cultural event.

While Barb was hanging out with Susie, I was at the Volvo Cave, having returned by Air Volvo without incident. I submitted my 500-word horror story to the H.P. Lovecraft Portland Film Festival. It is always a nervous process as you don’t want to make any mistakes, and then the doubts that it is not ready or has more than 500 words start to haunt you. I submitted it on the fourth try, discovering that it must be .rft and having to resave the story and add a title and my information to the text. I was just checking out the festival’s status and discovered that link to submit the stories with a deadline of 1Aug2023! I almost missed out.

I also worked on my next submission, editing the Howard story and letting Grammarly have its way with some of it, but only to fix some extra words. I canceled the majority of the suggestions as I have found that the latest Artificial Intelligence-based style suggestions are simplifying and do not improve my writing. The AI likes unambiguous text–no surprise there, as the code will want everything to fit an approved pattern. You only get the extra help if you buy the professional version (I did), and I could start the blog by having their version of a chatbot review my previous blogs and generate a new one. Not happening.

But I am tempted to connect a CC text flow from a work status meeting and have a chatbot read and consume it. I could ask the chatbot to send me alerts if there were any issues on things I or my team are responsible for; yes, very tempting. The advanced class would be to have the chatbot then control my Avatar at the meeting, and when asked, it could supply vague but appropriately satisfying answers. “I don’t have an update on that, but we now are focusing on it, and I am sure the team will get back to us soon,” for example. So tempting.

Barb and I returned without issue via Air Volvo and stayed up until 10ish. Again, I decided to put off writing the blog until morning and went to bed early.

A reminder that my article, “Turing’s Battle,” was published in 2600 Volume 40, number 2. This issue was just released to hacker-supporting bookstores (Barnes and Noble and Powell’s here) and is available online. Please consider buying a copy to support all of us hackers out there.

Thanks for reading.