Author: alohawild

Working backward, I just attached a microphone to my amp box, a prototype for the power system I am using. I managed to program the microcontroller to read the microphone but did not get useful values. I will have to do some more reading for that. I can control the use by code, so I have the needle meter again using the nob. I have the speakers and amp playing for me from my Apple.

Before this, I completed the code and attached the neoPixel to the new radio main frame by screw connectors. I did the voltage translation last night, attaching a tiny board to the main frame. The neoPixels use 5V, not 3.3V, so I did the translation using a small board from Sparkfun just for these issues. LadyAda strongly recommends the translation and using a large 1000uF 15V+ capacitor to protect the neoPixels from harm. I cut that into the wires for the strip. I used heat shrink tubing to cover the bare wires and my heat gun. It all worked, and the strip looks bright and colorful (the code for the radio now spends a moment updating the neoPixels–I used code from AdaFruit examples to add this function to my radio code).

Before this, I repaired more missing veneer (a tiny piece but noticeable) on the wooden radio box. I also reglued (white glue) the delamination of the curved edge. I will fix the other side next. That is the final step unless I decide to fix a few minor veneer losses. I received the new see-thru precut plastic for the faceplate area (the old plastic is discolored and partially melted). It was a bit too large, but I used my mini belt and disk sander to reduce it to fit the space. It took a few passes, but it works well now. I will glue it in place with see-thru white glue after I paint the frame carefully with some brass paint that contains wax so it can be polished like natural brass.

I have yet to build the station change buttons and volume to finish the electronics. But to build that, I must finish the case repairs and painting. So that will be last.

I returned to the Volvo Cave at about 5:20. I found the plastic mentioned above pieces (I ordered two in case I scratched one) and the casting clay delivered–I will be making transparent replacement buttons to be lighted up by the neoPixels. The trip from work was without events, but traffic was heavy. I was hungry and made tuna fish from a can and added tartar sauce, German hot mustard (for some kick), and pepper. I had this with crackers again. It was perfect. I ate that and watched a few YouTube videos from Battleship New Jersey and the couple rebuilding a wooden WW2 boat, Ship Happens. Both are fun but will sometimes fast-forward.

Moving back to the afternoon, I was at work in the office, with the afternoon being filled with various crises of the moment and some electronic paperwork. I was busy, and the time blew by. Before this, I had lunch and saw Susie.

Moving the narrative to the early afternoon, I left to see Susie and arrived about noon. Susie was napping in her chair in the shared living room. I woke her, and she was delighted to have me visit her. We soon called Leta, Susie’s mother, and chatted. Leta had heard from Barb, Susie’s sister, and she and Gordon, her husband, were enjoying their visit to Ireland. Soon, I had to be on my way, find lunch, and return to work. I left Susie with a kiss.

I had lunch at Chipotle, trying not to rush and reading stores on my iPhone. I had the chicken bowl with chips. I soon returned to the shoe company using a messy and clogged Highway 217 on both ways. I hate getting the traffic jam coming and going!

Moving to the morning, rising at 6AM required me to sit there for a time as I woke tired and with a stuffy nose, but soon I located the kitchen, cleaned up the ant bait (no living ants remained), and emptied the dishwasher, refilled it, and wash the light load. I was tired of dirty dishes–if I had done the dishes before, I would have had to look at the ants swarming the poison. Nope. Next, I started the hot water, found a yogurt for breakfast, and did the basic stretches and exercises. I then read some emails, Slack channel updates, and some news. Another mass shooting of children, more escalating tensions with Russia, and no new banks failed (today).

I drank my liberal coffee made in my French Press while getting informed for the morning. Next, I showered and dressed. This includes applying Utterly Smooth 20% Urea (cow pee) to my hands and feet. The numbness has slowed and reversed, and I have been using that since the Chemo. It was in the instructions for Chemo (!), and I was asked by the pharmacist and the doctor if I had acquired the product and used it daily. I still use it–it can’t hurt (other than I drop more tiny parts now when building things–utterly smooth, indeed).

I slept well, except I woke tired. Thanks for reading.

 

Monday arrived with me having trouble sleeping again. I woke at 4, 5, and 6, finally getting up at 6:30ish to start Monday. The ant bait was surrounded by a black line of soon-to-be former ants. The ant bait is made from borax mixed with corn syrup and water. It is easy to make, but I usually buy it. The roach products are also made with borax. It is not dangerous but is used chiefly for washing (don’t eat borax like you don’t eat soup). The pests will soon be reduced in number.

I ignored the black swarm, made coffee (dumping out the water in the pot, just in case), and made hot water for liberal coffee via my French Press. I had only yogurt for breakfast with my meds. I was a bit unsteady, so I forwent my exercises and stretches today. Today is my 220 weeks (4+ years) of writing; Grammarly keeps track. I then enjoyed a few hours of Zoom meetings and some crises of the moment as we started the next testing cycle for our project. My team was busy all day fixing and working out issues in the data configuration we needed to have in place before we started the three weeks of data conversions on Wednesday.

I had meetings repeatedly for various data issues and special data conversions. Of course, the details can not be covered here (and it would put more readers to sleep); I was busy and rushed all morning. I found time to open a can of tuna fish, add capers, stir in mayonnaise, and sprinkle in seasoning (dried mustard, pepper, dried tarragon). I ate this with some crackers while listening to Zoom meetings and reading (emails, Slack streams, and Internet news).

I finally boarded Air Volvo in the afternoon and drove slowly across Beaverton. My timing was lunch; this was a heavy traffic time, and the construction worsened it. Beaverton’s Finest must have a month-end quota, as I saw them everywhere and giving out tickets.

I forgot to take a picture of Susie. Susie was in her bed now as she was having tummy issues. She was delighted to see me, was no longer exhausted, and was wide awake. She had Bunny next to her and was still holding onto the toy stuffed white rabbit. I promised to bring Owly or Froggie next.

Susie and Leta, her mother, chatted for a while on my iPhone. They can see each other on FaceTime and talk for a time. I was time-boxed as I had a meeting until the afternoon and the next one at 1:05. Susie was surprised I had only a short visit, but I decided to do the meeting in the car and stayed longer. Susie looked better, and while she looked sad when it was time for me to leave, she looked happy to see me and talk to her mother. A better day.

I managed to cover most of Beaverton before I had to pull over to do the Zoom meeting on my phone. The meeting was canceled: f**k. Air Volvo got me home without incident.

I received the casting resin set and replacement screw terminals that are the right size for breadboard spacing. The clay for the resin molds will be here on Tuesday. Later, I received my breakout board microphones, 2″ speakers, and other goodies from AdaFruit in NYC. I have purchased LiPo batteries from Sparkfun, plus some parts for the next radio project that will be here next week that I can only get from the folks in the Denver area.

Nike IT continued to have some crises of the moment, and we had a meeting on how to control some data flows–again, details can’t be covered here (and it would be boring). I am finally free, but I follow along as the setup is a critical path for the project.

I contact Dondrea, and she and Z can join me for dinner. We decided to meet for dinner at Si Senor, near Dondrea’s home. I had a Mexican dinner (a Taco, plus Chile Relleno and a Pork Tamale–hungry from my light fair today) with a beer and ordered fried ice cream for Z–we shared that. Everyone was stuffed and happy. We chatted about Z’s camp in Portland and some church items while eating. It was a pleasant meal.

At about 8ish, I headed back in Air Volvo with light traffic this time and still Beaverton’s Finest, trying to catch up on the ticket counts for March, I believe. I drove carefully (no hot yellow lights) and did not handle my phone. I arrived home without incident or increasing the Beaverton’s Trafic Court’s treasury.

I managed to replace some more veneer on my radio project between things. I have one more big piece to replace. I then need to reglue some veneer that had delaminated from what I believe is water damage. I may then replace some tiny bits or just accept it. More to come on that. I have the stain and poly already purchased.

I decided to drop the needle meter from the display as there was not enough room for the LCD and the meter. This means dropping the microphone from the design (which finally showed today!). The meter and LCD would take up all the space, and the original radio plate would be lost–I want it still to be visible.

I think the needle will work in the following radio project; with the LCD on the outside of the box mounted over the speakers, I can fit the meter in the tuning window on the Crosly 1935 Tombstone cabinet. So no loss. I also have more space inside the case. I am also considering ordering an actual PCB board manufactured for the next radio–so cool if I can do that.

Well, it is getting late, and I have one more piece of veneer to fix tonight and then some neoPixies to solder in a series. Thanks for reading.

And thinking about a few years ago in Amsterdam with Susie…

 

I was exhausted yesterday and decided to sleep in on Sunday. I managed to rise after 8:15 and make coffee, liberal coffee, after attacking the invaders with bleach spray. Unfortunately, the ants were back, requiring a more organized response. I did the dishes, moved the unwashed dishes into the machine, and ran them–nothing left for the pests. Now that the chaos was over (ants everywhere), I made breakfast. I heated unsalted butter in a non-stick pan. I scrambled three eggs, added them to the pan, and covered them with chopped ham from Olympic Provisions ham and some shredded cheddar. While I could have tried for a polite-looking omelet, I instead scrambled it. I made a toast with a light spread of butter and jam to accompany my breakfast. I took this to the office with coffee and started writing Saturday’s blog–always a long story. I also did some repairs to the wood box for the police radio. I discovered that the inside is peeling away from the plywood underneath, likely water damage from over fifty years ago, and glued the broken parts. I also replaced one piece of veneer on the front. First, I cut a dark brown piece from the veneer kit I bought at the woodworking store, and then I changed to grey oak as I thought that would stain better and match well.

I showered and dressed. I was a bit off and had to grab the shower wall once–I am always ready to catch myself, but I was surprised to do that today. I finished with great care, was soon dressed, and headed out in Air Volvo. The first stop was Safeway, where I acquired flowers for Susie. Next, I got a Whopper Jr., a guilty pleasure, with onion rings (never again) and a diet drink. The mini burger was excellent.

I reached Susie at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was deeply asleep, and she had trouble waking. Susie was exhausted from Saturday’s movie and, until she saw the flowers, did not wake. Anassa was checking in as Susie was so sound asleep that she worried the nurse aide.

Susie was good, and we soon called Leta, her mother, and they had a short pleasant chat on my iPhone using FaceTime. Susie was excited as I brought her Bunny. She has had this little stuffed toy rabbit for years, and it was always on her pillow at the house. I said it was visiting for Easter, and Susie, after saying goodbye to Leta, fell asleep with Bunny and even held Bunny when sleeping.

Aside: I did sleep holding Bunny a few times for hard nights with chemo. Bunny is very comforting.

Susie was tired and slept while I tapped away on my Apple computer. I spent hours looking at electronics and code for running microprocessors. Finally, Susie woke up a few times and asked if everything was OK, and I told her it was, and she went back to sleep with Bunny.

Anassa rechecked Susie before heading out on shift change, and Louis took over. He was cooking baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn for dinner. All things Susie will like (even blended), and I left at 3:45ish to return to the Volvo Cave. The first stop was Ace Hardware off 185th on the way home. There I acquired steel wool to gently remove the stain from the radio’s wood, ant baits to commit insecticide, and a small can of stain and poly from Minwax (antique walnut). While there and resisting buying any cool tools, I received an update from Mariah that dinner could happen at the Gold Valley Brewery (GVB) at 4:45: excellent.

Air Volvo arrived a few minutes early, and I ordered a beer mixed with coffee (not again) and their Morocco-styled sweet potato fries. Mariah soon arrived and ordered red wine (I should have gone that way) and a cobb salad; I had the appetizer. fried oysters, as I had plenty of food already on Sunday. I did have a slice of cheesecake and coffee to finish.

Mariah and I talked about work and some reading we have done. We both love the American writer Emerson. I have a Kickstarter for a new solo role-playing game (RPG), and I have thought that Mariah, Corwin, and I could produce an excellent solo RPG. I have the solo RPG, The Thousand Year Vampire, and that got my focus on this. While a bit dark for me, especially with my health issue, I still like the idea and love the presentation, but I can’t imagine myself as a vampire so far. Also, the new Lampblack, a comic book I supported via Kickstarter and gave a copy to Cat Smith for Christmas, is now producing a matching solo role-playing game. This idea appeals to me, and I wonder if I could write some stories and make a matching Fantasy RPG to match the story. Just a daydream so far.

Mariah agreed to play my adventure with Corwin. I have invited Corwin to help me work on the adventure after he plays it (it needs a map and some editing), and maybe Mariah can help. So she will play (It should be three sessions to play). This is the one I wrote I wrote about before, When Your Heart’s Desire is Offered, which I wrote for 10th level 5e Dungeons and Dragons. I hope to see it for sale on Drive-Thru RPG someday for a few bucks.

We talked about the writing we hope to return to soon, the usual. There is never enough time to write. Soon it was getting late, and we left our separate ways. It was no longer raining, and the sun was out for one last peek and evening showing some blue sky. It was a lovely drive home.

I returned home without incident and returned to my radio–the glue dry on the repairs. I took steel wool to the surface out on the deck and removed more of the finish without removing much wood–better. I wiped off the dust, found a few more spots of sticky finish, and removed it (more repainting from fifty years ago) with the steel wool, better. I found more damage inside and glued and clamped more fixes.

I ordered more parts from Sparkfun for the next radio. I should have the wooden radio box repaired soon, and the casting kit is coming. That will allow me to make a fantastic color show with clear buttons. I am thinking of mixing some tiny watch gears in the new buttons to look more steampunk. Instead of station setting buttons, there will be a light show with six neoPixies from AdaFruit.

Aside: The 8Mhz Arduino cannot sample the microphone fast enough to match real-time using standard functions. The cycle of the Arduino is just too slow. According to Lady Ada, you can run a direct feed to get the information, but this is outside the usual coding for these microcontrollers. So I can’t produce a fabulous live display of the music spectrum.

The screw connectors that arrived today are too large. So I went back online on Amazon and ordered a smaller set. A minor setback.

Well, it is getting late, and I need to stop writing. It has been a busy two days. The data conversions are done, and the project restarted with the next test cycle this evening (India’s Monday morning). Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

 

 

I am writing this Sunday morning as I was exhausted Saturday night and went to bed early and woke again at 3AM to realize I had taken my meds; oops. I could not take them so close to the morning.

I worked on the radio project a bit, even when tired. I copied the face place of the old 1940 police radio on my color printer and then tried to fit it to the display by cutting some holes in the copy and inserting the needle meter into it. That looked good, but the large display removed most of the details. I will have to photoshop the original to keep the look and make room for the new electronic.

I read more Grey Mouser and Fafhrd stories reaching the novelle-sized tale of the heroes facing the Adept (Adept’s Gambit, 1947, found in the collection Swords in the Mist). It is one of my favorite stories in fantasy. In this story, the heroes’ personalities are explored, and their ally, an alien wizard, provides comic relief. Unlike the other longer stories, this one is set in post-Alexander ancient earth in the middle east. It also has just the slightest hints of comic horror. I still nodded off and will have to finish it later. Paperbacks for these stories are $6.50 and less (used).

Before this, I was in Portland playing board games at the Lucky Labrador after finding a table directly under a light. I have a Czech pilsner, the beer is excellent (it is Portland, so that is true in most places), and the food has improved to top-rated for their limited menu; I have a great BLT sandwich. We get extra napkins and manage to not damage my copy of Vindication with greasy fingers or beer. Corwin is with me in Air Volvo, while Evan is driving his car and meets us there.

The beer and food are great; I will use that as my excuse for inattention and placing last. Corwin, who had not played for a few years, still had the rules down cold. He was near the Arcane Tower location (all locations are randomly placed as the players explore the island) and had a companion that reduces the cost of Artifacts found at the tower; thus, Corwin had three artifacts by the end of the game worth a pile of honor points and gave him all sorts of superpowers. Corwin and Evan both fought monsters for another pile of points.

The end conditions changed, and soon the game ended before I got the points I needed to win. Evan had to leave, and Corwin and I were tired. We packed up, I paid the bill, and we arrived at the Volvo Cave without incident. Corwin loaded one of the spare office chairs in Air Volvo’s cargo hold, and we then traveled to his house (he rents a room) about a mile away, and Corwin took his new chair. I returned home and, as I said, had a short night.

Before this, we all met at the movies to watch John Wick 4, another shoot ’em-up film. Susie was with us for this. She was happy to get out and watch her man, Keanu Reeves, play her favorite assassin. It is also one of Corwin’s favorites, and he went to the others with us. Thus, it was good to keep some things unchanged in the crazy changing world. Next, Evan met us at the theater. The movie is 2:45 long, and I thought it was a bit bloated, but Susie and Corwin think I am all-wet, and this might be the best one (I really like number 2). My suggestion, if you still do theaters, is a small drink. I made it through the movie.

Corwin was late with me waking him with the phone. He managed to be ready at 11:10. We rushed then to Susie’s, who was ready; Anassa told us that Susie was excited to go, and we then met Evan at the Tigard Regal for the noon show, just getting there as the previews would start. Despite the website saying there was a showing, the theater was closed. Damn. Off to Bridgeport Village for 1PM (our backup time)–we got there in time for the 12:20, but Evan was planning on 1PM and was not yet there, so we did the 1PM.

With some spare time, we explored Bridgeport outdoor mall. There is considerable reworking being done. The mall discovered we live in the PNW and not California, and now they are adding roofed pavilions with friendly fires for heat. Before, there was a fountain and chairs that were always wet. Better.

We had to use a kiosk for tickets and then found our way to theater 9. Evan found us later. Corwin got the supplies, and Susie had some diet coke and a few bits of popcorn. The movie was great. Susie was happy with my lifts as I used the lift belt (Susie does not come with handles).

Evan returned to Portland while we returned to the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was yawning, and her butt hurt (three hours on a padded wheelchair is about her max). We called Leta, Susie’s mother, and they had a pleasant visit on my iPhone with FaceTime so they could see each other. Susie was yawning and needed to get out of the wheelchair, so it was a short visit. We left Susie with Jennifer and Lewis to get her something to eat and likely a rest. I called later, and Susie was sleeping–a good day.

Before this, I was up and not needing to write the blog since I wrote Friday’s story on Friday. I was tired as I had trouble sleeping. I finished the dishes, did laundry, made liberal coffee (finished only one cup), and worked on my radio project. I purchased yesterday some 320 sandpaper (for finishing work, fine grit), took the wooden box of the 1940 police radio on the deck, and sanded the finish. Someone, likely fifty years ago, had repaired the water-damaged radio by repainting it with a dark stain and replacing tubes (I could see the newer vacuum tubes when I took out the guts). Some of the veneers are coming free, which looks very old (the stain was done to hide some loss). Thus it is best, I think, to try to remove a bit of the mess from the painting and will use some steel wool to get a thin layer off of the surface. I will replace the lost veneer, reglue the original loose stuff, and repaint it with another stain.

For breakfast, I had cottage cheese with smoked paprika and sea salt and the remaining peaches from the can I opened yesterday (they don’t last very long once open).

I had trouble sleeping Friday evening/Saturday morning. I had worked on my radio project’s electronics and could not make the LCD work. I use an excellent component from Sparkfun that runs on just three wires. I use serial communication to run the display; I have used these for years–so lovely. However, I had the same problem I had with these before. I was getting random characters on the screen. These displays connect to 5V for the lighted display but communicate with 3.3V, which matches my setup. The Arduino Pro (also from Sparkfun) is a 3.3V version (there is a 5V version that runs twice as fast) with available 5V, regulated this time to stop the blue smoke, that powers the amp and now the LCD. On Friday night, I also connected all the screw mounts on the main frame board and these to power, ground, and the Arduino. I plan to have the speakers and switches mounted on boards to place in the radio and connect them with screw contacts. This will remove some of the rat nest looks of the prototype (the one I use in my office every day) and allow this new one to be mailed to its recipient (the LiPo battery will have to be delivered by another means as it is illegal to mail a hand-built system like this with a LiPo in it–for all the obvious reasons–fire or explosion) as all the connection will be strong.

As I said, I could not sleep, so I got up at 2AM and fixed the LCD issue after reattaching all the wires and reloading the code. Success! The LCD is perfect now. I also copied the code to another file (Arduino IDE is not smart enough to use GitHub and Fork) and began developing new features for this current (and the next radio). My new screw connectors from Amazon should arrive today; I am out, and since a box of them is $8, but the components are sold for $1 each at Sparkfun, I ordered a package from Amazon.

Aside: The Crosby 515 Radio, ruined inside, is from 1935, and I have the schematics for it (I have a book with every radio from 1926 to 1938). It uses four vacuum tubes, a rectifier tube, and a transformer to make three sets of power AC, with one line just for the light and two to drive the rectifier to feed the speaker. The 120 AC is then routed into the main frame (!). Nothing here is really safe. I will not be rebuilding this death trap.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

Yesterday I received my test results from the samples taken during my colonoscopy, and no cancer was found. This is good news, and I, while the chances of cancer were low, was still incredibly pleased not to enjoy any more cancer and the required treatments. Once was good for me. I am still not even a year out of chemo.

Friday started with me sleeping in until 7:15 or so. It seemed that morning was a surprise, and I was unready for Friday. It took me 15 minutes to decide I could rise to face another Friday. I made liberal coffee using my French Press, opened a can of peaches, spooned out 1/2 (leaving sauce behind), and paired that with cottage cheese dusted with sea salt and smoked paprika. I wolfed this during my first meeting on Zoom, starting at 8AM. I also presented at the staff meeting covering GitHub and its potential uses for the team. I also set up a few examples and did a small demo.

After that, I had more status meetings and a few crises of the moment, as one of the data conversions fell over after some unplanned and undocumented manual interventions; polite terms for we were f**ked over. We worked on the problem and undid the unexpected changes, and were able to proceed (it broke again). I read emails and followed along on Slack channels. Soon it was lunchtime, and I shaved the ham with a sharp knife and made a ham and cheese sandwich with a pickle and the rest of the macaroni salad I had bought a few days ago.

Next, Air Volvo took me across Beaverton to Portland (Tigard) at 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was in bed, I was in the afternoon, and Susie sometimes rested in the afternoon, but this time she was having gut issues and was resting on her side. She was delighted to have me as company. We called her mother, Leta, and they chatted for twenty minutes. While they talked, my phone sounded with issues from the shoe company (the previously mentioned break in our data conversion). I was needed. Soon the call was done, and Susie was disappointed that I had to leave. It is a work day, but Susie always hopes it is the weekend and I can stay (or I have a day off); no tears today and a promise for a movie on Saturday (John Wick), and Corwin will be coming to visit and watch the film with us–going back to the old days before the pandemic.

I drove directly to the Volvo Cave in the snow-sleet-rain-wet that was today’s undecided weather. There were no issues, and I was before school ended; I was home safe. More Zoom and ad hoc Zoom is a big deal on the usual NO-MEETINGS FRIDAY. Yes, we were again enjoying the impact of incorrect manual intervention in the master data (we were cluster-f**ked). A lengthy discussion ensued, and I helped to lead us to a more comfortable data position and decided to enjoy our data as it is (let’s say we found the safe word).

With that done, I followed along and drove back to Beaverton, this time finding the school buses. I stopped by the woodworking store and purchased a pack of wood veneer, mixing cups, and various small items. I am rebuilding some vintage tube radios to use my digital design and create a steampunk look. There is some lost veneer that I can repair. I also ordered cut-to-size clear plastic to replace the window for the radio (the original is melted and discolored).

I cut a small piece of light plywood I have for model work. I then used my mini-belt and disc sander to get the hand-cut (using my fine German-made hand saw) piece to perfectly fit inside the 1940s radio box. I then used the drill to cut a round-ish cut for the two speakers, three-inch, and covered the wood with Gorilla Tape (black). While not great looking, it will be functional and is inside the radio, and the speakers and clothing will hide the rough cuts.

After that, I decided it was time to slow down a bit. I got the mail and found a package. The other tube radio I ordered on eBay was delivered. Another dead tube radio, a Crosby later model, but ruined inside. I will pull the insides, preserve the face places, and try to create a new look and make it digital. It will be, like my others, an FM radio with stereo speakers amp’d to loudness. I hope to use the four-inch speakers for this one.

Next, I headed to Nomma Emilla again for dinner. I had the Chicken Piccata with a salad and later a tiramisu for dessert. The place was swinging, so I sat at the bar on the corner to stay away from folks. I was in the firing line for the bar, so it was loud, and drinks were made right before me.

I met a waiter that I used to serve me at another place. We recognized each other. We both remember the long-gone Public House near Nike. I had my bulb catalog, she saw it, and we talked about the upcoming Tulip Festival. The waiter had never gone (she is from here), and will do it this year.

I wrote this blog in the noise and chaos. I wanted to hang out with some folks and finish the blog today instead of rushing it on Saturday morning. I also wanted to include the news about my negative tests.

I was unsure how I felt yesterday and decided to wait until today to announce it; it feels good.

Thanks for reading.