Author: alohawild

Today we start the weekend work for data conversions. These are running 7/24, and I am on call all the time. I follow along and try to help when I can. I managed to slip out of work at 5ish to head to Richard’s in Portland, and we played Anachrony with the newly painted figures I did for Richard.

The game is still a mystery to me. I have watched many of the videos on the game, and the mechanics are clear to me. However, how to play the game and win is hard for me to work out. It is a SciFi story that is a skin-over and engine building game with resource management elements. The game has a time-travel device, and you borrow from the future to build now (and they pay back the debt). You have different kinds of workers who can do some tasks better than others or even be excluded from some actions. This makes the decisions and timing of actions tough. And then the meteor hits, and you must evacuate the earth! You can only leave if you have completed certain requirements. So while building the engine, using resources, traveling in time, borrowing from the future, you also have to plan to evacuate. Anachrony is a game with a lot going on, and I look forward to learning its mysteries.

I scored only 35 while Sean and Richard were double that. Richard had built buildings that create an Engine. Sean was capturing goals and time traveling all the, yes I will say it, time. Turn order is critical and I was last for about half the game. That was a surprise to me as many of the actions are limited by worker placement mechanics. Something that was obvious once it started to happen to me. I had powered up more mechs that I could use effectively in two turns of the game. Richard and Sean took all the positions that can build in the first two turns. I was lucky to get one build in! Anachrony will be hitting the table a few more times I am sure at Richard’s. I am looking forward to learning it better!

Return to the morning, the day started out with very little sleep. The anti-coughing meds make it hard to sleep, but they have worked, and I am feeling better today. I got going about 7ish and managed to make my first Zoom meetings all dressed and ready. I caught up on email and the news and then rushed to get cleaned up.

Susie had a change in plans yesterday and her spa day is today, not Monday. We managed to get her out on time. She also had an eye doctor at 2:30. Zerida and her driver decided that they could handle that for me.

I returned to Nike Office today, the Clubhouse building, to pick up my personal items. I had an appointment at 1 to enter the building. It was strange to come to the building and nobody is there. I found my chess set where I left it and left. It was funny to be wearing my badge again and a mask in this building. I have not been back since February 2020.

Lunch was nearby at the old pizza place. It has reopened as a sports bar: Replay Sports Pub and Arcade. I had an $8 lunch of a mini fresh-made pizza, salad, and a soft drink. There is a large supply of familiar 80s-style arcade games, and while 50% off plays on Tuesday night is tempting, I never remember arcades as very sanitary, so I will likely pass.

I returned home and worked reading emails and trying to help with a few minor crises of the moment. I then drove to Portland in Air Volvo. There was a crash and fire on highway 26 that made the trip take the usual 45 minutes. The traffic on the bridges and inside Portland highways was light.

It is very late so I think I will stop there.

At the end of the day, we learned that Nike killed it on earnings, and our bonus will be good (PSP for those who speak Nike). That made the last status call at 4:30 a bit more festive.

I made dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. Maybe too much cheese, but Susie liked it.

I am back to reading Commissario Ricciardi Mysteries, By My Hand (book 5). I tried a new Italian crime novel and found the main character too corrupt for my taste. I like the cops to be honest policemen; The Black Run: A Novel did not work for me. I do recommend it with the warning that the main character is not likable. 

I read that and took a nap between meetings. To stop the coughing, I took a pill with side effects that can be described as you are a bit too high or sleepy to cough. I do not drive when I take it. It has helped, and I have been able to stay focused with a few breaks.

Thusly, lunch was Happy Panda Chinese delivered. Susie got Cashew Chicken, and I had Kung Pao Chicken.

The morning started with more caregiving for Susie and more laundry. I was back into hours of Zoom meetings and quite a few crises of the moment. I had to help work out a few missed steps and help find corrections.

Sleep was hard last night. I am still not feeling very well. I also somehow kinked my neck reading. So more painkillers for that.

Another 329 people died in the USA from Covid-19. Reports are that all of these are non-vaccinated.

I went with an Easter song as we missed Easter together: Low in the Grave He Lay.

The day started early as Susie had some caregiving requirements at 6ish that started my day early. I was at work early and was all showered and clean for the first Zoom meeting. The morning was full of non-stop status and alignment meetings. Folks had worked all night on the 7/24 schedule, and we are now 24 hours ahead. We need to find four days to make the overbooked schedule. The status meetings went on for three hours.

I slipped out at 10:30ish to do some chores. First, I drove to the Beaverton Cleaners in Air Volvo to pick up my new paints. I usually buy pants online and have them shortened. I picked up three pairs of pants and threw away my pre-pandemic pants. I ordered another set from Landsend today to finish the process of new pants for the post-pandemic world. I hope that will be here soon. I received 50% and free shipping this time!

I grabbed a Mexican lunch, a chili Relleno with steak enchilada, at Don Carlos to-go. I have never been there in person. I used GrubHub for almost a year to order from Don Carlos. The place was full of locals speaking only Spanish having lunch. The drive-through was also busy. I saw a shrimp cocktail in a huge glass being enjoyed. I might get one of those next time. The food looked great and made so fast there was little waiting!

I got Susie a Happy Meal with apples.

Lastly, I stopped by RiteAid to get Susie’s prescriptions.

Home and eating my Mexican food, I then watched some videos on how to play Anachrony. I am planning to play games with Richard on Friday–maybe we can play that one. I painted Richard’s large figures for the game and wonder how it plays. It is an expensive board game.

More meetings followed lunch, more zooming.

I still have a terrible cough. I managed to finally suppress it by using my inhaler with an Aero Chamber (a long tube that lets you breathe in the meds slower). I took a nap as nothing was going with work for a bit, and I was tired again.

I got up and started cooking dinner. Steaks and baked potatoes and corn (frozen from Schwann’s steamed). I put the potatoes in foil and through on the grill for 40 minutes and incinerated them. I got them right last time. I will try again on another day. I opened a can of baked beans, and that worked as a replacement for the carbonized potatoes. I should note that I did soak the steaks, fillets from Scwhann’s, in teriyaki glaze. It gives the little steaks a nice look and taste.

Susie ate everything on her plate today. A win for the cook!

I looked at my apple tree today. It fell and was cut back to a small tree now. The tree is now lying and growing up out of the horizontal trunk. It looks like it will make it, and we will have apple still. It is part of the original farmstead. The official history of the area mentions the farmers planting apple trees to raise some additional money.

Today, Alan Turning is now on the 50£ note in the UK. Today was the first release of the new bills in the UK. I found a kit on eBay and will have one soon. I hope to get some more and give them away for Christmas. I have met people who worked with him breaking codes and building computers. He wrote the first general theory of computers and invented the term Artificial Intelligence.

326 people died from Covid-19 in the USA today. Reports are that these death all are non-vaccinated people.

We’ll Understand It By and By is one of my favs, and this version works for me. I am repeating my favs now that I have been writing this for so long.

The first meeting was 7ish this morning, so I had to be rushed this morning. I managed it and had breakfast while listening to discussions for about two hours on how to convert data. This was followed by the typical status and alignment meetings. We are running a 7/24 schedule, so there is a lot of alignment and discussions on not losing any time to various issues.

The day went on with meeting after meeting until 10:30. I get a break at that point today.

I rested a bit and then headed out to Old Chicago Pizza for lunch.

I had my regular, a stromboli and salad with iced tea, and got a to-go pizza (ham and pineapple with the thin crust for Susie).

It is not as hot as Monday, but the pollen was thick again. My coughing was awful. I had to stop a few times to use my inhaler.

Susie had some caregiving moments, and I had to stop working to care for her. She is OK now. Everything is back to normal again.

I nearly made the same mistake as I did a few years ago. It is important to breathe in and out after using the inhaler. I instead held my breathe to hold in the medicine and quickly stood up and walked. This can make you pass out. I managed to stop myself and hold on to the wall and recover. It did make me feel ill for a few hours. Breathing is important!

I had a few more status and alignment meetings. I then rested and checked emails a few times. The exhaustion and nearly knocking-myself-out caught up with me. I was deep asleep when Mariah called on the house phone, worried she could not reach me. I had left the iPhone by my computer.

We arranged to meet for dinner. I drove Air Volvo to the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse. There Mariah and I had a Portland Dip (turkey, not beef in a French dip sandwich). After we got our sandwiches, we learned that horseradish sauce was one of the items they no longer carried (!?). It was still good, but we did feel a bit cheated. It needs horseradish sauce! Susie had a plain burger, skipped the bun, and enjoyed the burger, cheese, and bacon. I had their Ruby and Susie, and Mariah enjoyed Purple Haze; all their in-house made beers.

I drove home and am very tired.

I will stop there as I am tired again. I do have to finish a load of laundry before I rest.

As usual for most Mondays, I started at 6ish and then went out to my Nike laptop and checked. Nope. Nobody needed me, and I return to sleep until 7. I then returned to emails and messages and alignment processes until it was almost too late to get dressed before the first Zoom meetings. I managed it and was there smiling clean and shiny at 8 on Monday. Susie had her Spa day on Mondays with Zerida at 9ish; I had to rally her while folks talked about status and other alignment issues. The project is in 7/24 mode, so it is important to have status and alignment on what needs to be done.

I helped here and there, and soon it was my break around 10:30ish. No walks in the 90+ pollen-filled air. The dry, burning hot air is killing the pollen, finally. My coughing was much less today. Instead, I read a bit and took a 15 min nap.

More emails and trying to help. I then take Air Volvo to Gyro House. The temperature makes me think of days in Istanbul, and the last hint of humidity from the night suggests the seas in the East. I enjoy the food and the memories of that ancient city.

I took my Apple with me and wrote a few more paragraphs of Howard’s Unlock. It is a bit better now. I reworked the transitions and added more color. No samples today.

I returned home and started back in after lunch: more meetings and more alignment.

I decided to make lemon chicken breasts today. But, first, I had to get the chicken out and cut the chicken breasts in half the hard way. I had frozen them last night and thawed them about halfway to make the cutting safer. I was multitasking in the kitchen and the Nike emails and slack messages. I was beating chicken flat and checking emails!

I managed to get the cheese grated, the eggwash ready and mixed the cheese with flour for the breading. I then fried the breasts. I had the oil too cold at first. I had two do batches, and the second batch was better. Learning!

I made a lemon butter sauce, but it was a bit weak. I was not happy with the results. Not enough salt and flavor. I will look for alternative options.

Susie actually liked it. So we will try again. The kitchen looks well used. I have to clean that up tonight.

I rushed dinner and work as I had Dungeons and Dragons 5E on Roll20 tonight. We lost a player tonight, conflicting schedules often happen in the summer, but we agreed to go on. The adventure played well. The only shocker was when the wizard turned my giant purple worm (think Dune) into a tiny worm and had it carried away by their pet owl. That is not what the DM expects to happen to the boss monster! But it is according to the rules…So a fun evening with the players trying to find the adventure and understand what is happening. A good mix of combat and mystery solving. I managed to delay the game with some optional monsters so that the rest of the adventure will happen next week. Everyone had a good time and looked forward to finding what lies within the center of the endless sandstorm at the ruined city center.

There is a good possibility of 100 to 110+ temperatures next Monday.

213 people died from Covid-19 in the USA today.

I went with Lift Every Voice and Sing as I keep hearing it on various media.