Author: alohawild

As I wrote yesterday, I woke with my alarm, surprising me—I had slept so long and so deeply at a hotel on a travel day. I quickly performed the usual process and watched time disappear fast. I rolled my bags out of my room at the Holiday Inn Express. All the colors, wallpaper, and carpets match the ones I have spent many nights in the Greater Detroit Area. I checked out with the night manager, who was still there. It was just before 4 and to me still night. Four of us took the first 4AM shuttle to the airport, a short ten-minute drive. I met a man, and we both chatted about travel and food as we both passed the time. The others, still showing signs of waking up, ignored our friendliness. He was headed to a small town for business. He told me he tried retirement after hearing I was retired, but went back to work because he did not like having nothing to do, and now has more control and enjoys what he does (he did not tell me what he does). I did argue that I was busy.

As was our intent with the chat, the time went by without worrying about flights, and we shook hands and disappeared from each other’s lives, but we were relaxed and happy to be at PDX. I wish him well and hope his flights were good.

I checked in and managed to remember my phone after using it to scan my boarding pass QR code. The belts were working at the self-bag drop, and soon I was headed into security. A TSA person waved me, like last time, to a different line, “It is shorter.” It was short, and soon I passed with only a pat-down for wearing suspenders under my sweater. With Delta, I was in the exact same location as last time, in D gates, but the little market was being remodeled, and someone was selling from racks set up in the hallway, even around 5AM, and I found my usual little set of fruit, crackers, and cheese from Elephant’s Deli. Armed with a snack, I waited only a short time and boarded my 737.

The flight was easy and mostly empty, with the middle seat not used for me. I read, and soon we landed at Salt Lake City as the sun bathed the area in bright light. It was a 90-minute flight.

With only a short delay getting off the plane, I soon followed my TripIt app to locate the tunnel to the B gates. It was a bright, happy tunnel with recorded music that made me smile, though I did not recognize it. Soon I found my gate after filling my water bottle, and I drank all the water waiting for the plane. I started the blog on my Apple laptop, but the gate folks called the plane as I got near 400 words.

And as I stood, I then headed to the men’s room. Yes, I did drink all that water. I returned, and the boarding process was still in the lower zones. As a holder of a Delta credit card, an AMEX, I am assigned for no extra charge zone 5.

A family was in my area, and soon I discovered I was the spare seat. Their girls were not quite teenagers but were curious, happy, and well-behaved. I put my bag in the overhead bins to make it easier. I did grab my Kindle and phone. I forgot their names, but they were headed to a cousin’s wedding in the New Orleans area. The little person next to me played games on the screen, and I was surprised to see chess and other complex games. Smart kid!

I watched the movie Lincoln and cried at the ending. With the book I am reading, The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, about civil rights, writing, and ‘haunting’ the reader with the real truth and purpose of the story, I saw a new aspect of the movie. The movie is haunting. With my new perspective from my reading, I now see President Lincoln is haunted by his place in history, stopping Slavery for all time, and if he was ‘fitted’ for it.

The plane arrived without issue. I wished my seatmates well, and soon found Donna and Dondrea near the baggage claim. We soon had a taxi after standing in line in the warm, humid air. Palm trees planted at the airport make it clear we are in warmer climes. A minivan for us, me putting in my hotel name on the driver’s phone, and we flew out of the airport and down concrete four-lane roads.

Our driver’s lane selection and approach to exits were like a race car driver’s, but we arrived safely, and it was $45 plus tip for all of us. My room at the Le Richelelu has a door to the wrap-around shared balcony on the second floor. Donna and Donrea have a small private one above mine. I walked around and waved to Dondrea.

Checked in, slightly unpacked, and ready. We walk to Napoleon House for a late lunch/early dinner. Our waiter, Bruce, is a character but also helpful. We share a warm muffuletta sandwich cut into six wedges, and Bruce directs us to take two slices each. We have sides of jambalya, red beans, and rice for Donna. All excellent. Drinks are good, Pimm’s Cups for Donna and Dondrea. I had a Sazerac in a small cup. Their bread pudding is more my style when I cooked one, more custard—and we all shared one. Bruce suggested a return, but not for a few days, as he is off for the next two days; we all had a good time.

Fritz European Jazz Club was on my list for tonight, but before risking Bourbon Street, we visited the New Orleans School of Cooking store and eyed all sorts of goodies. We will swing back to purchase some items later in the trip. We walked out to the river, and there were two paddle boats tied up. It was a supermoon, and we watched it rise from the river. Lovely.

There was no line for Fritz, and we found some metal chairs (comfort is not a focus here). The Bourbon Quartet was playing, and soon Donna and Dondrea agreed to spend the evening enjoying Fritz, one of my favorites. We caught most of their sets and had only two rounds, as the staff was busy seating folks as the crowd slowly built.

The young band got stronger and louder as the night went on. Their focus was jazz with many Armstrong selections (as the band leader played trumpet). Fritz never disappoints, and they got better and better, and soon we were amazed.

We stayed for one set after the All-Star Band setup. They did ragtime, and the piano player, in a pressed gray suit, and a cigar in his teeth, stole the show. Donna looked him up and he leads a Swamp Tour when not playing piano.

Getting out of my chair, I had only two beers over the hours, which was difficult; I tripped over a foot I did not see. I managed to catch myself on a chair, but I was bruised by slamming into the cheap metal chair. I was happy not to fall and be carried out of a jazz bar on my first day!

We took the long walk back to the hotel, enjoying the look of NOLA after dark. We walked by many ghost tours getting started. Dondrea and I (texting) both used our balconies for work. I finished the Wednesday blog, while Dondread did some work and some Zoom calls.

I put on my PJs and soon was sleeping. I woke cold but well rested.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

I am traveling today; this will be a brief note, or maybe wrapped into Wednesday… let’s see if I can finish it before boarding begins here in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Nope! Finished in New Orleans late Wednesday night on my balcony with a super moon above me.

Tuesday’s story…

Tuesday was a travel day to PDX, and I was up early because I could not sleep in. I started on the blog after I threw on some clothes and got breakfast from McDonald’s again: Hamster surfboards with an eggy-muffin thing with something that might be cheese. This was with a large coffee with cream that seemed to last for seconds. I wrote the blog and checked my transactions in Quicken. I also updated some of the Treasury Bills to rollover. I did read some news, but mostly I was busy getting ready to head to the airport.

I also had two loads of laundry to do and to remake the bed. I like to return to a clean house and clean sheets. I got all that done. With all the chores done or in progress, I headed to lunch. Back to Happy Panda for the American version of Chinese food, but familiar. My usual waiter is there, and she is happy to hear I am off for another trip. Today I tried sweet and sour pork, but ordered extra veggies. It took longer for my meal, but I did get the additional veggies, and I was surprised to see mushrooms included. It was also a pile of pork bits, battered and deep-fried, then buried in a sweet-and-sour sauce. It did not really work, but I appreciated that they tried. I will stick to favorites like cashew chicken and mushroom chicken.

(Believe the cookie!)

I used a QR code to pay, but thanked them. I like the convenience of the code, but I still want to talk to my servers and hosts. I am not interested in making this more inhuman; just digital payments should be as easy as they are, well, digital.

I returned to the house and started on the final items, like taking out the trash, setting the water heater to low, and setting the heating to Vacation mode. There was a church SPRC meeting, and we started it as planned at 2, and others joined soon (for those who do not speak Methodist, this is the HR committee for my church, and I serve on it). We completed the meeting in less than an hour. There were mainly housekeeping items, which we soon disposed of.

Corwin had arrived as the meeting was starting and had taken a shower. My plan to have all the towels cleaned failed; this towel will be hung up for two weeks. It should be OK, and I will wash it later.

It was damp outside, and Corwin took me in Air VW the Gray to the local MAX station, then borrowed the EV to run an errand (he failed to mention it, but I texted him when I saw the VW app that the car was not at the house). It was OK; I was just checking. The SUV is back in the garage.  Air VW the Gray, like many EVs, comes with enhanced security and apps.

I took the MAX through Portland with no issues and sent live pics to friends of the boring Portland landscape. No “Hellscape,” and I counted one person in a sleeping bag under a bridge for the whole trip. It is hard to be on the streets (or protest, for that matter) when the rains are back in the Pacific Northwest.

I left the MAX at Cascade Station and realized I was at the wrong hotel. It was the next stop. Puke. It began to sprinkle on me as I, twenty minutes and 3,000+ steps later, rolled my bags to the Holiday Inn Express. I checked in with a helpful young woman, Kate, who thanked me for returning and my silver status. But that did not make the shuttle available before 4.

I came down later to walk, another 3,000 steps, to the closest food (the appeal of the more expensive hotel became clear), but the rain was cold and whipping. Nope!

I ordered a steak dinner from a local restaurant for too much money, but not much more than chain places (when I ran them through DoorDash). My steak was sirloin and needed a sharp knife. The plastic knife literally did not cut it. I, remembering Susie’s choking incident and being completely alone, carefully bit off some and sawed with the less-than-great knives. Not great but still good. I will stick to easier things next time!

I showered, packed my things for a quick getaway, and read more of my book for the tour. I soon fell asleep, and I surprised myself by closing my eyes and falling deeply into a black, dreamless sleep.

I was disturbed by an annoying sound—my alarm—and I rose at 3:30 on Thursday.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Dear reader, I am sorry if the recent blog entries (is a group of blogs a ‘bloggal’ or a ‘blogative’?) are more mundane, but my trip starts on Tuesday and hopefully will help you visualize some of the places I will write about. Some of my kind readers have told me they enjoy reading about the usual things. It brings comfort to share the typical American Pacific Northwest (PNW) experience.

After all the travel, it is a pleasure to sit here in my office looking out the window while I write, pay bills, and generally do things online. I now turn on the bright desk light and let the pure white light help me avoid the depression of no light. Something you have to be careful with here in the PNW. The light means I can see, if I look for it, my own reflection on the window with my face floating outside. Yes, I am both here and there at the same time. Both online writing in some digital region with the ghostly Grammarly following along (I can imagine a TRON-like scene of me reporting to you, dear reader, inside The Grid with some angelic-looking program, Grammarly, next to me whispering to me about every typo), and also in the real world, enjoying the rain, hummingbirds, flickers, and squirrels proving who really owns the apple tree, and trying to be creative while writing.

I am reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Message as recommended preparation for the lead part of my trip through the American South, and about Civil Rights. Nothing I would have picked, but still an interesting focus, and the writing is colorful and fun. I have it on my Kindle, sticking to the rule that only history books, textbooks, and writing guides are bought now. And cookbooks are resisted.

Deborah sent me, as a gift, the new cookbook, Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love, by Samin Nosrat, signed. I have read the introduction; it is marvelous and recommended. I did not read her previous cooking book. Deborah and I both heard an interview with the author, and both were intrigued.

My indominable Japan-style roses. Even in the shade and the rain, they are happy.

Monday started, as a ritual, with me not rising to any alarm, and today I threw on clothing and drove to McDonald’s for coffee, hamster surfboards (their hash browns), and an egg muffin thing that might have a cheese product on it. Today, it did not taste like cardboard or plastic, but like breakfast, cheap breakfast, but still good enough. And I will have no cleanup.

I wrote the blog and paid bills. I verified the Quicken downloaded transactions and mourned my IRA balance at US Bank (down again). Their fees have gone through, and my stocks, dividends, and earnings have yet to materialize to keep my balance at my previously recorded value. I will wait a bit longer before booking a reduction. More mind games, since none of this is ‘real’ money—retirement pre-tax.

I showered and cleaned up. I then headed to First United Methodist Church and brought three Christmas CDs—some of Susie’s favorites—for Jack to use at the church’s Christmas Fair on Thursday through the weekend. There, I dropped off the CDs with Wendy and checked out the progress. Sheetrock will be installed today. The mudding follows. This is the remaining structural work. All looked good.

I stopped by Taco Bell and had their strangely terrible but also good Mexican Pizza. They had brought it back to the menu. I went through the drive-through, but ate it in my car listening to the radio. Local Oregon Public Broadcasting political news. In rural Oregon, this might be the only news, and OPB ensures that all voices are heard. OPB receives no state funds, though in other states, there are multiple PBS stations—often one per large university—but in Oregon, there is just OPB. They try to be voices for everyone.

Next, I dropped in to the local ready care and got some help with a minor health issue. Prescriptions and directions were given. It will likely clear up soon. I did have to chase the prescription because Walgreens had the old phone number, and I did not know I needed to take it to another Walgreens. I learned that at the local one, ugh. I managed to call the other store, head home, wait on hold, and then speak to a helpful person who said they could fill it in 90 minutes. I was vacuuming and cleaning toilets when the call came in—30 minutes later—that they had filled it (!?). An hour later, I stopped the vacuuming and drove again across dark and wet Aloha to get the drugs.

Everything was good, and soon I was driving back. The traffic was heavy, and I made the mistake of not pulling into a parking lot but of jumping the curb. All was fine as I took it slow. Slightly frazzled, I got home.

I finished the vacuuming, put away the dishes, hand-washed the few remaining ones, and talked to Deborah for a while. We miss each other. We started another episode of the Kathy Bates version of Matlock. The conflicts are flying, and tricks, Matlock-style tricks (with some even whistling the old theme of the previous Matlock), are demonstrated, and Deborah and I both yell ‘no’ when Kathy Bates’ character even falls for one. It is only the second episode, darker, and impossible to tell where it is going. I like it.

Deborah, three hours ahead and like all of us suffering from night coming sooner, says ‘good night’ and soon sleeps. I, having those three hours, tidy up the house, and then somehow force two suitcases of clothing (for 14 days) into one suitcase without damaging me, my clothing, or the suitcase’s zippers. I believe I must have bought TARDIS brand luggage!

But before that, I head to our local sushi place for dinner. There, I have tracked selected raw fish with rice and miso soup. All wonderful and always so exotic to me. I never grew up with this, and so it seems, always, new to me and fun flavors.

Next, after returning, I dump my carry-on and pare it down to the necessities, remembering I can buy things in the American South. A pair of dress shoes (certainly not fitting in my checked bag) is in the carry-on gym bag this time. Batteries are plugged in to be charged (later to be put in a carry-on).  And finally, using my new meds, I read and try to relax. I managed to push through another chapter of The Message.

Somewhere in the day, I swept and mopped the bathrooms.

Crawling into my sheets, and no leg cramps (no beer!), I sleep only to wake at 5:30ish, as it is a travel day on Tuesday. No rolling over helps.

Thanks for reading!

A brief blog for Sunday.

I rose with leg cramps, but I avoided most of the pain. I am connecting the leg cramps with beer drinking. It is the only thing that corresponds to the attacks. I will cut out all beer from here on.

I rose, found the coffee had not started but was assembled. I pushed the button, and it started. I must have messed up the timer when I changed the clock. Hmmm. I had peanut butter toast with the last of the fresh bread. I was wearing slippers, as my rule is no walking in shoes or slippers to protect my slightly numb feet and toes. A leftover from chemo and diabetes.

With the flowers drowned or going slow due to a lack of sun, the hummingbirds are mostly hanging out at the pines. I see them seldom now. The squirrels are still raiding the windfall apples. The flickers seem to be raiding the tree trucks.

I write the blog until about 9ish and post it. I shower, shave, and all of that. I put on a gray-blue dress shirt and a gold sparkly vest with a New Orleans-themed tie. I wear my black Humberg and black dress shoes. Air VW the Gray is fully charged, and I try to leave with it without the key fob (no), and then it will not leave parked while plugged in (a great feature). I finally (and safely) leave and soon reach First United Methodist Church on the observation of All Saints Day (and Reformation Day). The service is lively and also sad as the names of the Saints who have gone before us are read and spoken (including Susie and Joyce Hill, Susie’s aunt, who passed away this year). Eric K sings the lead in an excellent piece with Ashley playing the French Horn and Brian accompanying on the piano.

Michael R gives the sermon and explains why saints are important to us United Methodists, “From Ain’t to Saint.” We do not worship people, but recognize the vital work they do while living. It is important to us to remember those who came before us and went before us. We see people moving towards being saints as they grow in their faith, Michael R explains.

It was communion, and we had a homeless guy—one of our regulars. I was busy as an usher. I also gave a peek at the construction and kept my eye on the doors. I did not get out of church until 1ish.

Deborah and I connected as I reheated some of the Popeyes’ chicken I got the night before for lunch. We then watched, Deborah in Michigan, the new season of Matlock. It was interesting to see how they are now mixing the stories and developing conflicts between people.

I contacted Mariah because we haven’t seen each other in a while. She agreed to an early dinner at BJ’s Brewhouse. I did get some housework done, as the dishes were done, and the chaos of things thrown everywhere began to recede. At 4, I met Mariah at the bar, and we got a high-top table and had a steak dinner. There, I made the mistake of ordering my usual beer. It was too much, and I could not even finish my steak. Last beer, I think.

We talked about travel and houses and caught up. Mariah works for a big corporation, but, like me before retirement, is finding that the pay, health care, and relative stability make up for a lot. Still, work leaks into your thinking and your personal life, and you do think differently than folks with more freedom. I think it was a good exchange for me.

We head our separate ways, unlikely to see each other until December, given all my travel. I return home and try to find some focus. I spent a few hours on our travel plans and sent a new email with what I have for folks for the two-week trip. I then write more of my Dungeons and Dragons 5E adventure for folks in New Hampshire. With the time change, Fall-back, I am tired at night. I get my Kindle and read more of the assigned book and make it a few more pages. Sleep comes soon.

I have trouble all night with leg cramps, at one point having to rise for twenty minutes to get the pain to stop. I try water and other solutions, but none work. Have not been this bad since the last time I had a beer or two. Hmmm.

I manage to sleep but rise late at 8.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

At the end of the evening, in my PJs, I went around and changed the few clocks that were not automatic. Air VW the Gray surprised me by changing in the late afternoon and confusing me for a while. I had missed dinner, and I stopped by Popeye’s and got some spicy fried chicken for a late dinner. I had about 1/2 of it. I ate that and watched the last episode of Slow Horses again. I watch them twice to see what I missed. I find I like spy shows, and when set in the present, they are fascinating. This one involves mistakes in computer access and security, and I find it interesting. Social hacking combined with some old school honeypots and trojans.

Before this, I managed to score lower than my best and last of four in another try at the board game Grand Hotel Austria at Richard’s house. Laura led the whole time, but then Ricard broke out, finding a new engine in the game. Kathleen was distant from my score. I still like the game, but the wait for turns can be long, and there is no reason to look at the board, as it changes all the time, until it is your turn. Richard and Laura think the game is a bit random with the staff cards and relies on dice rolls for part of turn control.

Before taking the EV to Portland, I was at the house getting ready for next week’s trip. I was not making that much progress. I had two more reservations (completed Sunday morning) that are needed for the journey. Deborah and I found time to finish the season of Murders Only in the Building, watching together—Deborah in Michigan—and I thought it was an excellent conclusion. Of course, there was a new murder for the next season, already approved to go forward.

I called Joan S; she was free, so I picked up for a sort of lunch. I ate a salad while she had a Diet Rite at the McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Imbrie Hall. We chatted and just enjoyed some time together. Joan S cannot drive yet, and so I try to help here and there. I figured she needed to get out, and it was fun. We also stopped by Kohl’s to return something.

Before this, I had some chores. I picked up travel-sized toothpaste and other like items at Walgreens. I mailed a card to Mom Wild and a set of Eastern Oregon Tourist magazines to Deborah. On her visit in February, we might, if the weather works, head to Bend and places east in Oregon.

(Should I take gum, Jesus, or Swift?)

Before all of this, I did paperwork. I successfully applied for insurance options on HealthCare.gov. I was approved! I have to pick an insurer by December 15th. This is contingent on my existing doctors taking the new insurance. I am surprised to find that I will miss UnitedHealthcare (not available to be extended), which, despite its iron-handed corporate approach to providers and customers, seems to be widely accepted (back to that iron-handed comment) and, despite often having to appeal (yes, more iron), does finally cover things I need. Regency (Old Blue Cross/Shield), Providence (very local), and Kaiser are all on the list, and I am looking, just for me, about $1200 a month to enjoy their lesser coverage (with dental). While packing, I will also select a few and call my Legacy-based primary, my Providence-based brain surgeon, and my OHSU-based oncologist to find out what they accept.

I hope there is a Venn diagram of coverage, price, and docs that means I can make this work with me only paying more (again, who would think I would miss $780 a month for UHC). But at least I have options. I remember what it was like before ObamaCare, and how someone like me—61 and retired—could not get any insurance at any price. Yes, dear readers, that was what it was like. I spent a few years with no coverage when I was young, with untreated migraine headaches for years (it was primarily caused by high blood pressure).

I also cleared the password and got access to my Social Security Administration Account with the US Government. I saw my 2024 wages, my last, are finally recorded. I checked with the software, and I should apply for my early retirement ($2700+ a month starting in May or June 2026) after December 2025.

I printed out my eligibility notice. Best to have a hard copy, I think. I would prefer a name I know for insurance, to pay less per month, and pay more for services. I do have to do an MRI and a CT Scan in 2026, and those will likely cost me thousands instead of hundreds now, even with the new insurance (again, I can’t believe I will miss UHC).

Moving backward in the story, I started packing by moving luggage to the spare room to get organized. I had showered, all that, and dressed. I did not put on my slippers, and I did slam my foot into the bed supports. I fell onto the bed. “Broke a rule,” I called out. No walking without shoes or slippers! My feet are partially numb from the chemo and diabetes. I was lucky, I had not hurt my foot.

As usual, I did the morning things after rising in the dark at 7ish. The coffee was made, and I finished the cottage cheese for breakfast.