Author: alohawild

Covering the interesting parts of today, I am at Big’s Chicken, recommended by a friend, and I had an expensive chicken dinner–it was OK, but I must have missed the good stuff. Next time.

Good Friday service is tonight, so I am in Beaverton until 7PM. I put on a dress shirt, no tie, and a sweater to make this work.

Before this, I was at Susie’s place, the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard), at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie told me, at 4ish, that she did not want me to leave, so I agreed to stay a few more minutes after putting on Season 4 of M.A.S.H. for her (this is when BJ enters the show). I waited and watched the first twenty minutes of the show and then left with a kiss and a promise to return at 11ish on Saturday. Susie wants to watch a movie in her room on Saturday.

Next, I stopped by Target to get some Easter items and shopping for Susie. Jennifer gave me a list of things Susie needs (lotion, wash stuff, nail polish remover, and so on). I also found some Easter items for her and others. But, there were only three checkers, and the line took twenty minutes to reach a checker. Ugh! Then a huge truck parked me in, but at least the driver said, “I will be right there, and sorry there were no larger spots.” I will grant that Target parking spots seem non-standard (small), and he was at least polite while I waited for him to give me access to Air Volvo. But, f**k, talk about privileged people, yikes! The police drove by, but I decided not to wave them down; the nice policeperson from Tigard did not need this!

This a reminder that the rules only apply when they convenience the privileged.

Before this, I traveled from the house to Susie’s place without incident but in heavy traffic. However, I did witness some insane lane changes and interesting charging of intersections (those without cameras). I avoided unplanned contacts, and Air Volvo landed safely at the hummingbird house.

Susie was first in her chair, and we called her mother from the living room. They had a nice chat. Leta has a new issue; her hearing aid is no longer automatically switching to her phone. We managed and had a fun chat for twenty minutes or so. While Susie was talking to Leta, Jennifer gave me the shopping list for Susie (I used that for the aforementioned purchases at Target).

Jennifer then moved Susie to her room and bed, and I sat in a chair and connected to work. I followed along all afternoon and read about various crises of the moment. Our team was dealing with messy data from the sources, causing our processing to fail. Susie was happy to have me work in her room, but the screen on my laptops was too bright, and I had to turn them away from her so she could rest.

At about 3:30, I stopped and set up Susie so she could watch M.A.S.H. I watch with her for a while.

Moving back to the morning, starting even after 7AM, was hard. I am tired all day–I could close my eyes and sleep tired. The crushing sadness of yesterday has left me, at least. I am still sad and can cry easily, but I feel it has faded today.

Breakfast was liberal coffee, not too much coffee (literally not being too liberal with the ground coffee), yogurt, and a banana.

Next, I enjoyed hours of Zoom meetings on status and then had some ad hoc emergency Zoom meetings, unusual for a Friday. I was discussing how a program works and the issues we are facing while I was making Jambalaya for lunch. I had two bowls (no seafood is my style for this, just sausage, but cut length-wise, sliced into strips, and then into cubes), and put the rest away in the glassware from Glenda and Gene (thanks again).

After lunch, I headed over to Susie, as I said above.

So, sorry if the story today is not quite linear.

 

 

 

I spent a few moments before writing, getting the trash and the recycling out. I always think of Glenda (Susie’s Aunt) and her strong demands to do recycling. She inspired me to keep at it as she would tell you it costs you nothing to do the right thing. Glenda was here about a year ago to help find a solution for Susie. Glenda and I found the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. I miss Glenda and all her help, and I hope she will return soon to see the tulips and the trees again–It is time for the wet trip to the tulip fields!

Talking about friends and family, I had dinner with Mariah at Von Eberts in the Pearl District in Portland. We talked about a favorite topic, money, and 401K. We had the best wings (rumors are that the chickens lined up to be selected) with excellent beer products. I have their Volatile Substance, an IPA-style beer that has gone mad. I had a good darker beer to finish my wings (just six wings with celery). Von EBerts uses Toast to order by scanning the barcode at your table (we were at my favorite #13 with the best views of the screens) and then ordering and finally paying in the application on your phone. You can order from the bartender if you must.

We did not stay after dinner, and I headed to Powell’s (I was unwilling to return to the terrible traffic on wet Thursdays). There I found two discounted books, a college textbook that I did not use (we had a harder one) at Central Michigan University, and an 1800s text of the story of the Holy Grail (I thought it a good thing to get during Holy Week). Starbucks was closed (!), and so I stopped at the Southern-style joint, Screen Door, and had coffee with their version of pecan pie. The coffee and pie was a perfect ending, and I read a few bits of both books. Again, it seemed right to read an older copy of the textbook, Algorithms, and start the story of the Holy Grail on Mundy Thursday, drinking coffee and eating pie.

Aside: As I crossed the street in Portland, one clearly marked for crossing (double white lines), a white SUV charged the intersection and barely missed me. They called out, “Look next time,” which did not get a reaction from me. It would seem a fitting story for my end if I was crushed to death on the street in front of Powell’s City of Books in Portland in the rain while heading for dinner in the Pearl District. But they stopped.

A few of Powell’s from Air Volvo.

I found Air Volvo, parked underground and dry for $7,  and took all my treasures home, and while it was wet, local flooding was back (Air Volvo throwing puddles off the street in waves taller than the vehicle); I managed to return home without incident.

My upgrades for the Lisboa board game arrived in the mail today (cool metal coins to replace the paper coins and the Queen card variant representing the historic removal of the minister by the queen in Lisboa). More fun!

I also received the final information from a new solo role-playing game (RPG), Lampblack RPG. I liked the comic books I received from the Kickstarter, and unlike many Kickstarter projects, they quickly completed fulfillment of their previous projects. I ordered some extra copies and will get that soon, I expect–I have the print-and-play version delivered today. So nice!

Before all of this, I visited Susie at the hummingbird house. I brought my laptop and set up shop in Susie’s room while she rested. I logged on to work and followed along for a few hours. I was not there until nearly 2 as I had lunch at Nike WHQ and a meeting that I called into at 1PM. Susie was delighted to have me just hang out with her. We called Leta, her mother, and they talked for a while. Leta is still without a working stove but has a plumber scheduled next week to make the corrections to her gas line. They chatted on my iPhone using FaceTime to see each other.

Leta had sent Susie a pile of balloons for Easter. It is huge!

Susie was sleeping when I was heading to Portland, but I woke her to say goodbye. She was OK with me leaving but wanted to know when she would see me on Friday. I will be there sometime around 1 and might hang out again. I use my iPhone for a connection.

Aside: Nike strongly suggests we access to the Nike network through our phones (part of the Nike infrastructure) instead of using unknown connections. My Ziply Fly network at the Volvo Cave is secure, and I use that at home, but I use my phone when traveling. Also, I find the phone usually provides faster and cleaner connections.

Before this, I had lunch with Scott at the WHQ for Nike. Serena Williams (a building at Nike) has a nice cafeteria with an excellent salad bar. Scott and I both try to eat better, and this is perfect. We talked about Nike stuff (nothing to share here) and caught up–we try to meet every week at the WHQ.

After saying goodbye to Scott, I stopped in Mia Hamm (yes, another building) and used a chair there in the closed cafeteria (it should reopen soon as the buildings around are completing their remodeling–rumors are that we will move to one spring 2024) which resembles a library reading area now. I called my 1PM, and my colleagues, all newish hires in the pandemic, loved it when I used my phone to show them the nice area. It is a gorgeous area with a balcony for the sit-down restaurant, The Tarheel, upstairs (opening soon).

Obviously, I drove to campus before this, parked in the New York City Garage (yes, more fun names), and walked the wooded paths across the WHQ campus. I, on purpose, park in NYC as it means a fifteen-minute walk (the LA garage is closer). The walk is so lovely it is hard to describe. Nike Campus is an amazing place.

Moving backward to the morning, I was in the office before 8PM and did hours of Zoom calls on status. I requested updates on various tickets and tried to be helpful. We are headed to 7/24 on Wednesday with folks on shifts. I will cover the 8-4PM PDT shift and start approving items again, as we will be slightly shallow. We are excited to start the final testing for the July release and ramping up the Dec release testing too.

On a more personal note, I found myself profoundly sad and near tears much of the day. I am tired, and my emotions are too close to the surface. I was happy to get out to dinner and do something fun, which helped the sadness fade. I will have to return to my doctor if this continues. Depression is a side effect of surviving cancer. It is also a hazard for caregivers. I will get help if it worsens.

I started at 6AM and did do my basic stretching and exercises. It seemed that 6AM came just a few minutes after I slept. I will try to get some extra sleep this weekend, which will help with the sadness (hopefully).

I did make liberal coffee this morning, making it extra light as we liberals have been winning a lot now–don’t want to overdo the liberal, you know. I had a banana and yogurt with that.

I found the school buses on my way in, which delayed me a bit.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Holy Week. Enjoy Passover. And I hope the evening meals for Ramadan are going great. Indeed,  a very holy week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I was surprised as I went through the day that the news published opinions that the charges against the former president were weak or strong. As this blog is about my feeling and experience, I will cover this a bit. I read the charges, and I have followed along for the past year or so; even as a liberal and someone who is against Trump, I was hoping that there would be no charges. I believe that the country does not need this. I read in the press that the charges are so weak that the charges will be dismissed–that is a pipe dream. The charges are specific (there is no such thing in the USA as a non-specific crime) and based on the evidence we have already seen in Cohen’s convictions. These are neither weak nor strong charges–just alleged crimes that must be vetted and passed through the jury process. I am sorry for President Trump and the country; a distraction but one that must legally resolve. I am sad and proud at the same time.

Moving to the more important events, Susie was happy to see me around 11:15, and I stayed until she fell deeply asleep in her chair. Before that, she was excited to see me and was happy to talk to Leta, her mother. Leta was angry at Best Buy. She had purchased a new stove, but Leta’s gas connection in her kitchen is older, and they would not install her new stove. Leta has to upgrade the gas connection for the new stove, which will not be cheap–she is very unhappy. Now she has no working stove and two in her house. She was beside herself; I have been there. I had to upgrade the electrical plugs for my electric stove (the upgrade cost more than the stove). Susie nodded off a few times when we chatted about appliances.

Susie was sleepy today, and, as I said, I stayed until she was deep asleep–she was happy to rest with me there holding her hand. I kissed her goodbye as she fell back to sleep again. Susie was not sad today. I understand, as I used to like when I would fall asleep reading next to Susie–there is something special about just slipping away to a dream with your loved one next to you.

I stopped by Red Robin on the way back to work. They had Fox News on their big screen editorializing in the bar (usually, they have sports on the big screen), so I sat behind the beer handles so I could not see the screen. I had my usual chicken breasts and salad with a side of fries. I drink Diet Coke. The bartender at Red Robin asked everyone else in the bar if they needed anything and skipped me. Obviously, I was unwanted. I ignored the rudeness, and the bartender relented, refilled my drink, and asked me if I needed anything a few minutes later. I finished my lunch, it was good, and I paid through the terminal and gave a 20% tip to the bartender.

Moving to the evening, again staying with important events, I drove to the church at 4ish. Parked Air Volvo. I walked to the coffee shop and got a turkey sandwich on a bagel instead of bread. I ate it outside near their gas fire under a tent. Nice to eat outside. I believe the 1930s WPA built the streets in downtown Beaverton; I saw the curb still showing the marking while walking to get a sandwich.

After I ate my lunch, I waited for Z and Dondrea at First United Methodist Church. Wednesday is choir practice, and Z and I play board games while Z’s mother rehearses with the church band or choir. Today Z asked for my hardest game, Lisboa, and I had spent quite a few hours before re-reading the rules and remembering how to play. I have played Lisboa only a few times and never my copy. Lisboa was the masterwork of a game designer known for his complex games and was created through a Kickstart campaign. This means it is a premium game with excellent components and graphics and is physically huge. The game is a mess of six or more sets of separate rules and systems that smoothly connect to the other rules and systems. It is a challenge to know what to do each turn, and events drive the game toward its conclusion.

Z and I made a few mistakes, but we generally like the game and will likely play it again now that we have gotten some of the rules and systems down. Z and I just played a learning game, with Z mimicking what I did on my turn to learn the game. I would demonstrate each part of the game with my play, and she would try it then. I had to get out the rules a few times to understand what to do. We ran out of time (the two hours blew by without us evening noticing) as we entered the last half of the game. I have played a few of Vital Lacerda games, and I like his board game Lisboa best (but I am warming to his overly fiddly Weather Machine). Richard, the super-gamer I play in Portland on most Saturdays, loves Vital Lacerda’s games–so I play many of them.

Returning to tonight, Z was excited to try a really hard game. Z still thinks the board game Grand Hotel Austria is the real head-exploding game. Z liked Lisboa. I agree with Z, and we have not gotten to the champagne and waltzing rules for Grand Hotel! Soon!

I will skip the usual narrative of my day. Let’s focus on events (Trump), Susie, and Z. It is already late, and I was tired all day. I want to just sleep. Thank you for reading, and I hope this new focus approach work for you.

I am just covering my experience; I do not wish to upset Pro-Trump folks or criticize them.  I am unrepentingly liberal, and the blog covers my experiences.

 

The evening ended with Corwin joining me for dinner at Nonna Emilia Ristorante Italiano. I had the sausage with peppers, onions, and Corwin, a creamy seafood dish. We finished with a shared piece of Tiramisu. Corwin and I had not had dinner for some time, and it was nice to get caught up. We mostly talked about Dungeons and Dragons. I wrote an adventure for Corwin, and we need to play it someday. Mariah has agreed to play. He wants me to extend it to the original campaign size. I may find the time for that–we will see.

After that, I returned to Air Volvo and rested a bit. I got going again and started on this blog.

Turning to important topics, I visited Susie twice today. Leaving from work and risking Highway 26 to 217 three times today. I left first in the later morning and soon arrived at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Today’s weather was a mix of rain, sleet, and sun–changing randomly and even including local flooding.

Susie was in her recliner in the shared living room. We called Leta, Susie’s mother, and they chatted for a while on my iPhone using FaceTime so they could see each other. Susie was wide awake, had just finished breakfast, and chatted for a while. The TV was on Fox News and former President Trump’s indictment of 34 felony charges. All white-collar crimes related to cooking the books to hide a crime, the usual mobster charges. Of course, the Fox News hosts were editorializing instead of reporting. Something we have seen more of late in the media–the hosts (not just Fox) need to fill the time and keep folks watching. A spectacle sells.

I had to return to work, and Susie was not happy about that, but she grudgingly accepted my leaving and kissed me goodbye. I traveled the short distance, ate a rushed chicken bowl lunch at Chipotle Mexican Grill, and read the charges unsealed for Mr. Trump. The charges are like “check 00798′ and are crazily specific; nothing I expected. The trial was offered in January 2024, but the defense wants more time with a date in Spring 2024 requested. More to follow.

How bizarre. I only include this as we all expected a spectacle, not an accounting lesson.

I returned to the office with the weather changing every few minutes.

After 3:30, I headed back with Air Volvo and, with more traffic, reached Susie again. She was sleeping this time in her room, and I woke her. I brought the flowers that were in the cargo hold for Susie. I had forgotten to bring them in (being distracted, I think, by the events of today), so I returned, and Susie was thrilled to get flowers and more time with me today. Work had been quiet for me, so I thought it best to return today and finish what I started: Flowers for Susie!

Susie was happy to get more flowers, and I stayed with her for another thirty minutes or so. I returned home from there. The traffic was thick. The sleet caused local flooding. Air Volvo was in three inches of slush at some points–I have never seen these roads flood so fast. It was forty minutes to cross Beaverton and reach the Volvo Cave!

I will skip the usual narrative of getting up (ugh!) and enjoying liberal coffee ( yay!), and managing my exercises and stretches today. These things are the same most days.

I did finish the story part of the book Colin J. McRae: Confederate Financial Agent. As I wrote yesterday, McRae is a despicable slaver who used his skills as slave-raised cotton and trading cotton to finance the war in Europe. I learned in the rest of the book that he was shocked by the sudden end of the war; he was still supplying the war effort with supplies when the Confederacy collapsed. McRae was sued in Europe as the USA claimed all the assets of the Confederacy, but the USA refused to pay any of the debts of the CSA. The suits failed as McRae’s books showed he had no monies that belonged to the Confederacy. Later, despite saying he was broke, he found money to support Jefferson Davis (the former CSA president) and moved to Belize and founded a plantation of some sort there, and was buried there. Colin McRae refused to return to the USA.

It reads like a Clive Cussler book, and one imagines the finding of the wreck of a blockade runner with a clue that leads our heroes to find 100,000 sterling pound notes from 1865 in a cave in Belize on an abandoned plantation. Of course, the McRae family is under some new name, like a famous Billionaire (put name here, Soros?), and they also want the money. They cannot do it legally as the USA would seize the money. It is a race.

Just a daydream and fits today’s events (notice, you Trump supporters, I put Soros as the bad guy–just to make you smile). I may read more about McRae, as he seems the perfect villain.

Thanks for reading.

I am rediscovering Barnes and Noble as a place to write tonight, Monday night. I used to write in coffee and bookstores, wear noise-canceling headphones (primarily for dish noise), and listen to my playlists. Now, my hearing is having issues, and headphones are difficult, if not impossible, to use. But with the isolation of the pandemic, I still do social distancing and often wear a mask; I welcome the noises of being with people, especially after Susie’s left for her new care facilities. Also, my hearing issues mean I cannot understand conversations at a distance; it is all reassuring white noise.

I am writing with a cookie with fresh coffee with cream.

The morning started with me waiting until after 7 to get going, but making my first meeting at 8:05 (on Zoom). I discovered I had ample steel-cut oats and made oatmeal from scratch, adding brown sugar, walnuts, and dried cranberries once cooked. I completed that just as the status meeting started. I also made liberal coffee, Equal Exchange brand, in my French Press and had a mug.

I saw snow falling, half-melted, from the sky instead of rain. The sun appeared later, only to be replaced by rain again. It was a grey day, but the sunset with some blue skies and thick clouds was a wonder of colors.

The status meetings went on about every half hour, and a few crises of the moment surfaced. The data conversion did not run over the weekend and thus was now further behind on the calendar. The usual “let’s make it the lost time” suggestion from leadership got silent.

I re-heated the last of the pasta and chicken and had that for lunch. I showered and dressed between meetings. I found the strength and resolve to do all my stretching and exercises. More data issues arose as the data conversion started up. I spent the morning following along.

My last meeting was at 1PM, and I found I had the only action item from the meeting. I then 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. As I left my street, flying in Air Volvo, I saw a county motorcycle police with lights on and pulling over a car on 209th. The police were monitoring compliance with the stop signs and school crossing at 209th and Johnson Street. I was careful and did not draw the attention of the Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies.

I noticed various police as I traveled, and Air Volvo was careful not to draw attention to us. I noticed that the police, when making a right turn, took the right lane. The officer changed to the left lane the usual way. I wondered if we had a law for that; I would comply now with that (instead of doing both at the same time).

Susie was delighted to see me. She told me she missed me and that she needed me. I apologized for not being there before (I was there in the afternoon). Susie told me she missed me and needed me. It is hard as she gets lonely some days. We called her mother, and they chatted for a while and I let them go on as I had no meetings now. I handled one item at work while at Susie’s place by sending a note on my phone. Next, we called Susie’s sister, Barb, freshly back from a week’s trip with her hubby in Ireland. We talked about her trip and how she loved Ireland. Susie always wanted to go to Ireland, but we never fit it in. Soon, it was time to leave, and Susie said, “no.”

Susie had tears and said she did not want me to go. She needed me, and she was missing me. Susie wanted more time. We were watching old Golden Girl shows. Susie wanted me to stay, hold her hand, and rest a bit–like this weekend. She finally relented, sad, and let me go.

On the way back, I don’t remember much, as the emotions make it hard to focus. Air Volvo sort of goes on auto-pilot, and I arrive. I stopped at Safeway and quickly shopped for missing items (groceries) and selected flowers for Susie on Tuesday–the main reason for the stop. Aloha Safeway has wonderful fresh-cut flowers, which I have been bringing to Susie for years. There used to be a vase next to Susie in the living room at the Volvo Cave with the latest flower. Now the flowers are with her at the hummingbird house.

I reached the Volvo Cave, unloaded the cargo, and put it away. I logged on again to work and checked; no important messages awaited me, and I followed along for a bit. I read for a bit. I then heard from Mariah that we were not going to dinner, so I made tacos.

I defrosted the ground beef in the freezer for a while and got all the items ready for tacos. Once the microwave had the meat ready, I browned it in a pan, added taco seasoning (less salt version), and dumped a can of Mexican-styled stewed tomatoes into the pan. Sort of a chili-like taco–I like it this way. I cooked that breaking up the meat and the tomatoes. I put shredded Mexican cheese into the corn taco shells from a box. I heated that in the oven so the cheese melts in the shell. I added lettuce, sour cream, and meat to the taco shells. Wonderful, but again more chili than a taco.

I watched the second Batman animated movie, The Long Halloween (Part 2). Highly recommended if you can ignore the strange way it starts. The ending and the solution is mind-blowing (“how did I miss that,” goes through your mind). It was fun to watch it again and catch each misdirection now. Well done, indeed.

Next, I read some more, nodded off, decided I would not sleep through Monday night, and instead headed to Barnes and Noble. I wrote this blog there. I also met a director of security stuff at Nike (details are not appropriate here) I have known for years. He looked well. We were happy to see each other.

I find that living through the pandemic, I am so happy to see folks now; everyone smiles. It is so nice to see another survivor.

Today has been hard, as I am impossibly sad today. I miss Susie too. I tell myself, “day-by-day”; it not enough some days. But, the cookie, bookstore, and good reading material have helped.

On reading, I have been reading more of Elric’s latest book from Michael Moorcock, and I can recommend it. It is a set of short stories aligned with about book three in the original series–before he starts the end-of-the-world battles. I have also been reading the impossible to get Colin J. McRae: Confederate Financial Agent from the Institute of Naval Archaeology (INA). This is the story of the man who ran the finances in Europe for the Confederacy. While there is nothing from him (i.e., no dairy or recorded family stories), the financial records and letters, to some degree, have survived, and the INA (USA group) has found some of the blockade runner shipwrecks, and thus they have republished and re-edited the book.

While Mr. McRae is, as far as I am concerned, a despicable character, a slave owner, and worse (a businessman that would make Scrooge blush), it is he that built a family business in cotton and slavery such that when the Civil War dawned, he had the skills to enable the financing to buy goods and blockade runners in Europe for the Confederacy. His signature is on the old bonds for cotton you can find on eBay; indeed, I bid on one. His financing kept the flow of arms, ships, and cotton to pay for it flowing. McRae kept slavery going and made the war possible by supplying goods to Rebel states.

The book is fascinating, and its footnotes draw me in to learn more. I would love to find the story of the Union in Europe trying to stop the cotton bonds from floating. Also, INA has another book describing the Confederate blockade runner ships–I will buy that one soon from INA!

Aside: The photo of the cotton bond in the book is of a bond currently for sale for signature collectors (they are uniquely numbered). I have found the same type of bond and a far cheaper one on eBay, just three numbers higher. I can see Mr. McRae and other officials from banks and the Confederacy on the document.

Thank you for reading.

Aside: I received an email from HipStamps that they would help me with their Concierge Services. I must buy enough to be noticed. I thanked them but told them I was not organized enough to use their service. Interesting to draw that attention.