Author: alohawild

It was my first full day in Michigan, and I rose late at 8 when a text woke me. I had pulled the shades and woke in the dark. I was shocked as I must have turned off my alarm and rolled over without waking. This is why I set multiple alarms. It is so easy to do, and I might miss a flight or other important engagement.

I jumped in the shower, and my eyes were only slightly better. I put in some eye drops that use a preservative that can (and in my case does) cause swelling in your eyelids. Yikes! I have tossed the drops and hope my eyes will recover in a few days. They seem better.

Deborah is only a few minutes away, and she pops over, joins me for breakfast, and we spend some time together. Next, we head out to the local farmer’s market and get some veggies and ribs for a Sunday dinner. It is good to get some steps in.

I am fading with the eye issue, time change, and lack of sleep. We have a leisurely lunch at Panera Bread near my hotel, which helps, and then Deborah drops me off at my hotel. I lie down and puff, and two hours disappear. I was tired!

Deborah picks me up again, and we head to her house. I pet the dogs as we work out what to do. We have no plans for this weekend. The following weekend is busy. We decided on a movie and dinner, then headed out in Deborah’s Mini.

We get to just short of the highway when the car shuts off and switches to what Deborah calls limp-mode. The mini has an engine fault and now runs at half-power. This is what Deborah calls limp-mode. We get back to her house. Oil is added to no avail, and the car is down and needs to visit the mini mother ship. Having had a screw in my tire on Thursday, I understand the frustration of having plans broken by car issues. It is Saturday night, and we are glad a wrecker was not called for.

Instead, grounded, we order online for delivery of prime rib dinners from Lucky’s. We watched the first TRON movie (1982) that Deborah had never seen. It has been reworked by Disney and looks terrific on Deborah’s giant screen. The music is very basic and the same sounds, mostly, you would hear coming from the coin video game machine. I have played it again (poorly) at Ground Kontrol in Portland.

Disney has owned TRON since its inception and even produced a short-lived animated series (2012) that expanded on the story between the first two movies. The graphics showed some upgrades in the version we watched, and, having seen the original version unchanged a few years ago, it was quite an upgrade.

Deborah uses limp-mode to get me back to my hotel, and I try to sleep. I fail. I read and chat with Dondrea (three hours time difference), and we talk about her sermon. I read more and sleep sort of. Wake. Sleep. Wake. Sleep. And somewhere around three finally sleep on.

Thanks for reading.

Back in Michigan, I overslept this Saturday, the day I am writing this, because my alarm didn’t wake me.

On Friday, I was packed, the house was somewhat organized, and I had done some basic cleaning on Thursday when I woke up with my alarm at 6:30. I went to bed without writing the blog and had, which is often true before flying, poor sleep with me waking multiple times and checking the time. I had trouble reading the phone too.

I rose and discovered my eyes puffy and my eyelids swollen. Apparently, the eye drops contain a preservative to which I am allergic. We worked that out today, Saturday, as my eyes did it again this morning after I restarted the eyedrops. Deborah worked this out after I sent her a photo of the drops. I had acquired the drops on Thursday. Hmm.

This did not make things easier, and I called Deborah, slightly panicked as I was traveling, but already (not using the drops), the eyes were improving. I dressed after a quick shower, added the few things to my carry-on, my usual red Nike gym bag, and put on my hat and coat. It was 50°F (10 °C) in Oregon, with cloudy skies and hints of dampness. My neighbor Chris, who was working from home today since there was no school, called out, “Was I running away from home?” We talked for a few minutes, catching up, and then I headed out, rolling my bags to the TriMet 57 bus. I managed to wave the bus to stop for me and thanked the driver for his kindness. Spent $2.80 from the Hop App on my phone. I have heard TriMet is moving to a pure ‘tap’ system soon. Excellent.

The bus ride with my bags was uneventful, and I soon found myself waiting for a Red Line MAX train, also operated by TriMet, where I used a free transfer to pay. It is rush hour and I wait only 4 minutes. I record a video and add it to the #ShowMeYourHellhole tag for Jimmy Kimmel. He asked folks to post videos from Chicago, Portland, and other affected cities. I did.

I soon arrived at our airport, known unimaginably as PDX, which is also its call letters. I had talked to folks who were visitors on MAX about the area and suggested they return for more wine tours and enjoy the wine country west of Portland, where I live. I live within miles of various vineyards where grapes are grown.

At PDX, I left my phone on the scanner at Delta again as I followed the ritual of bag self-check, which has very few DIY actions, but I managed to retrieve it. Ugh! The belts are down at Delta bag check, and I rolled my bag to a generic bag area and handed it to a green-shirted person with an ID, who seemed happy to take and place it on the belt.

Next, I waited in a queue for about twenty minutes, walked past a dog, and then underwent two security checks. I thanked every TSA agent, all of whom were working during the shutdown, except the dog handler, who was busy, and I had to walk by as the dog checked me.

My box of chicken salad with crackers tripped the alarm. The TSA agent took the Lunchable, swabbed the box, and it checked out. The AI is trained to look for specific shapes and types of light, I was told, boxed chicken salad sets were tripping an alarm. I smiled and said, “I have done AI training before, and I understand that with each training, the AI may behave differently. As it sees chicken salad sets flagged as OK, it will change.” The TSA agent said, “Yes, the technology is still young,” and I thought he was a bit relieved that the human touch still works. We both smiled.

As often happens, I was talking to someone before the flight and found them next to me on the plane. Another person took the middle seat, and she brought a pizza. She dashed our hopes of having extra room; the flight was not full. I had acquired a bag of peanut M&M and a fruit and cheese box for the flight. I watched the previous TRON movie, which was better than I remembered it. We all politely watched shows and spoke only a few times. We ate and I finished the trip with a new series, CIA: The Agency. It was quite good.

I took a video of leaving Portland and posted that. I managed to get the wifi and Internet connected back on my phone. I had put my carry-on in the overhead after collecting my food and earphones, as I was feeling off (my eyes) and wanted to put my feet down and sleep if I felt like it. I did not sleep.

The plane landed, and I deplaned without issue. Soon, Deborah found me. Her drive in was messy, and she parked in valet; it is not much more than the garage and certainly easier. We waited about thirty minutes for my bag to appear, but its tag, which I had gotten when I bought the bag, was gone. It was supposed to be indestructible, with a metal cord. Hmmm. That tag has been to Casa Blanca, Iceland, and all over the USA. I will miss it.

(Deborah’s picture of sunset in Detroit)

The drive from DTW to my hotel was the usual fast-moving Detroit traffic. Soon we were at my hotel and checked in. The desk staff was happy to see me back and gave me the suite with the hot tub this time. We went next door and had dinner at the Grand Tavern. The staff there remembered us, and we had drinks and the fish and chips special.

Later, Deborah headed home, and I tried to sleep. It was hard to get to sleep due to the time difference. My eyelids swelled again. I was up and down all night. No good sleep for days.

I got a text and saw it was 8. I was not ready to start.

And that starts Saturday, thanks for reading!

I am at my gate with thirty minutes…so here this goes as a brief note.

Starting at the end of Thursday, I enjoyed packing my roller bag with ten days’ worth of clothing. I managed to get one side filled with socks, underwear, and the like. The shirts and pants go on the other side on hangers. This is a suit bag and works marvelously for me. But the last set of T-shirts made it impossible to close, thus I resorted to removing two and stuffing the rest in a pocket. I was then able to sit on my case and close it.

With the roller bag done, I folded laundry, put things away, and ordered the kitchen. Earlier, I had swooshed the toilets and cleaned them with disposable towels. Thrown in the trash! Sinks were also cleaned. While I did not mop the bathrooms, I had at least gotten the kitchen mopped. I decided not to vacuum as I was tired.

I put on my PJs, took my pills, and set two alarms. I read for a while, mostly Dungeons & Dragons, and then turned off the light and tried to sleep. I felt off, and sleep was light and often interrupted. I woke up with my alarm, and my left eye was swollen. It looks like an allergic reaction (I had changed the sheets, so the pillow cases were as clean as they get). It slowly improved, but both my eyes are puffy. Hmmm.

Before this, I was at our church’s Theology Pub. For nearly ten years, we have been visiting local bars and food joints to discuss theology. Today’s topic was about grief and whether the divide we are seeing is a manifestation of grief or not. It may be that people in the USA are experiencing all the stages of grief, whether for the past, jobs lost, or other defeats. We talked about it and thought this may be possible, and it is important to think about that when talking about issues. Is the reaction grief? Is it about loss?

And then they called my plane.

Jeff appeared later this morning and continued with his upgrade work on the drainage here at Cheatu Wild. The block roots and muck were removed from the pipes installed years ago to direct the roof water from the gutters to the street. Some fittings were replaced. The front pipes are ready for use.

My day started with me sleeping in until 8ish and rising to the end of the Mexican coffee that was locally roasted and ground. I will use Trader Joe’s instant coffee for the one day before I travel. The Mexican coffee was good, and its bitterness, along with the Trump Administration’s attacks on Portland, reminded me of how important it is for us liberals to be vigilant. Mostly, I know, this is to fill the press with anything but the truth and Epstein news.

I write the blog and complete it by ten. Jeff appears around the same time and resumes his tasks. As often happens, every pipe and fitting resists, with some becoming warped due to the pressure of being buried. Jeff gets a trip back to hardware suppliers, but manages to get all of the initial fix-it work done and fills in the holes. Ready for the rains! Next, he is building a rain stone flow, like a small creek, in the backyard to take the water to the French drain. A partial load of river rock is inbound!

I am talking to Deborah on the phone (we try to start our days texting and talking, and end them the same way) when I open the fridge door and the cottage cheese (small curds) falls out and platters a serving on the floor. I make jokes about the whey finding a way as I clean up the mess. Most of the curds remain in the container, and I decided to have a bowl, as it seems to have insisted. The whey way (for our Mandalorian chefs).

Deborah had some folks to meet and tasks to complete, and rang off. I had some reheated pasta, because a small bowl of cottage cheese was not enough. I then connect with Joan S and head to her house.

I provide a taxi service for Joan S, taking her to her appointment. She sits in the back as her leg is in a brace. And we have a fast, surprisingly fast trip to Portland. We take the Steel Bridge and soon park at the Moda Center. Her appointment is there, and soon we are waiting. I have a few hours to kill and manage to get back to 6,000+ steps as I walk the Rose Quarter area.

There are many folks here, and I learn that Sleep Token, a hard-to-qualify band, is playing today, and a goth-like fan base is here in a long line. This is the merch line I am told. This is where official band T-shirts and other expensive items are available for purchase. I did not remember the band name, found them on my phone, and played some. Yes, I have heard them on KINK.FM and liked them.

ICE is on the other side of the river, approximately two miles away. Portland looks excellent on a cool gray day. I know some officials are touring the building, but there is nothing happening in Portland from my view at the Rose Quarter. The concerts are ongoing, as is the symphony, and Dracula is playing at The Keller.

Joan gets updated instructions, and soon we are returning to North Plains, her home, and I to Beaverton (though really Aloha and Reedville). I am waiting for a friend to update me on dinner plans. And while I wait,  rewatch the season three finale for Wednesday again. It was better the second time.

I also located an old adventure I wrote in 2012 for the 4E version of Dungeons and Dragons, it is meant for three plays, at least, and is 60 pages, 23,000+ words. It also uses all existing monsters, spells, and treasure, resulting in a larger number of encounters than the page count suggests. On Thursday, I will check with Clint, and he thinks that would be a good choice for their Thanksgiving gaming. I will extract a group of encounters to make a single play adventure and rework them for 5E.

I find I am alone for dinner and head to the Golden Valley Brewery as I cross Beaverton again. I sit at the bar and recognize one of the bartenders, and Devan, a new face, waits on me. This is not a cheap place, and I visit less now that I would rather spend my money on travel (and the caloric impact is unnecessary). I have a glass of wine, Merlot from Argentina, and the steak salad, and I add dessert with coffee. It was all good and familiar; they make excellent food here.

I return home in Air VW the Gray, plug it in, do the dishes, and read until 10. I am tired from walking, driving, and the season change. I sleep and wake a few times. I managed to sleep better this evening.

Thanks for reading.

 

Again, my sleep was poor, and I was up at 6:30 to write the blog and head to Richard’s for a game in Portland at 9:30. I needed coffee, and later, I had some protein waffles for breakfast. I am near the end of the Mexican locally roasted and ground coffee. The bitterness reminds me how far we liberals have to go. I have made liberal coffee since Trump won his first term. A daily reminder of how important it is to remember who we are.

The morning was a blur as I tried to record Monday in a blog and be ready to face the traffic in the so-called war-torn Portland. I managed to get started a few minutes late, headed to Portland after rushing to take a shower and all that. It was a lovely day, and the mountains looked beautiful over Portland. I had plenty of time to look at them, as the traffic was slow. I was ten minutes late.

James and Richard had already set up most of the cooperative board game Tainted Grail. We are on opposite directions in the game, I wish to push through and complete the tasks and goals, while James wants to experience everything. Richard, being his usual gamer self, wants to collect maximum loot and powers. I also have a better memory of the previously discovered parts of the story and find that James and Richard, not role players, tend not to remember as they play mostly board games and recall mechanics and processes more effectively. I have to be patient a few times as we retrace a few steps here and there. We have not lost a combat or diplomatic encounter in multiple sessions. We are obviously too strong for our point in the story, but I am now enjoying the story, and we have some new discoveries in areas that I thought we had covered. James felt vindicated.

I am happy we reached chapter 5, and there were some close calls. The game is rising to our point in the story, and the strength level of our characters. I would say, for anyone playing this strange board game, that chapter four was when I started to find the game interesting and not a procedural slog. I also believe that we have reached a level of familiarity with the rules, allowing us to concentrate more on play than on mechanics. In other words, it is becoming more immersive. Additionally, James purchased a complete, pre-painted version, and the ‘dudes-on-a-board’ look works too.

With another session completed (about four hours), I headed back to Broadway Grill and had lunch. I had their salad and chili special and thought it was good. The Caesar salad was almost spicy from the garlic. The chili was tangy and had beans and meat. I like it more complex, but it was still good.

Deborah, working for a living, spoke and texted me a few times while I traveled in light traffic in Air VW the Gray. Later, we were happy to do FaceTime and watch together the third episode of Murders Only in the Building. We both sync our TVs by time and watch me in Oregon and her in Michigan. I thought the show had found its magic again, and I enjoyed it.

Deborah, coming off a cold and a funeral for a friend, was tired, and I was missing some sleep, so we said good night. I watched the next episode of Slow Horses on Apple+ and thought it was well done. I made popcorn as a snack (and put out butter to warm for a cake on Wednesday), but burned the first batch. Only two minutes, not the supplied 2:40, when pressing the popcorn button on the microwave. I have noticed that the popcorn packages are smaller, and I suspect that is the cause.

Somewhere, I did a load of laundry to get ready to travel on Friday. I will try to find time to clean and pack in the next few days. I will do Monday’s and Friday’s usual laundry on Thursday. No need to leave too much for me on my return.

I then, unable to get sleepy, returned to my office and assembled a new Dungeons & Dragons 5E adventure. I am not ready to switch over to the 2024 version for my writing, as few are playing it. I created my usual document style and started searching for old 4E stuff that I still have. I wrote much of what we played in that version (though we used some material that was supplied, and discovered that much of it utilized the older 4E monsters; it required more work than it should have). I plan to raid it and incorporate some of its parts into my new adventure. I am thinking of three unrelated adventures connected in a framework; this is a popular way of repurposing older material. I also retained the rhyme to give hints to the players. I find this an interesting addition as it gives players something to think about between encounters. Three will fit a single play if Clint wants me to DM this Thanksgiving, though seven would make a couple of session 5E adventures, which is my usual style.

Note: 5E was replaced by 2024, and 5E was created from 3.5, while removing most of the stacking of abilities. The 2024 version changed the rules further and removed many of the exceptions found in the magic system, and again for combining abilities into unstopable stacking. It also rewrote many of the spells, monsters, and magic items and removed many of the inherited conflicts from earlier versions. I find I have to relearn everything. The rules for hidden and grappling are simplified, thus preventing unexpected stacking.

I read in bed once, now in my PJs, once I was done reviewing my old items from 4E and even 3.5. I have the originals for them and can see a few started attempts to rewrite them into 5E. I have reviewed them to identify items to include in my new version. I think I can extract a few encounters and possibly an entire fantasy tower as part of the framework. All good.

I read until after 11 and then rolled over after I turned off the light. I woke for proof of hydration and then for my leg cramping; a glass of water stopped that. I managed some sleep.

Thanks for reading!