Author: alohawild

I rose early, rolling over at first at 6, but finally moving and having coffee at 6:30. I had to start the coffee I had prepared the night before; the clock is set for 7 on the coffee maker. I then rushed through writing the blog, as I had to be out the door at 8:45 to arrive on time at Richard’s house around 9:30 for our return to the cooperative board game, Tainted Grail. I also did, though rushed, read email, updating transactions in Quicken, and taking a dose of bad news, I read the news. I updated my IRA balance after checking it in detail, a process I perform to ensure everything looks accurate. Soon, I took a quick shower, shaved, and got ready. I was in Air VW the Gray about ten to 9 and soon was going slow in Bearverton.

The traffic on Highway 26 and 405 was not heavy, though it had many stops and starts. I arrived only a few minutes late. I had a breakfast of a bagel-like local bread product with cream cheese and a banana, along with Zabar’s roast from NYC for my coffee. The game took another thirty minutes to set up and to remember the previous plan, a month ago. James and I were traveling. We start to explore the world that is Tainted Grail, and we are on chapter 2 (there are 15), and it seems to be wrapping up this story. We learned that there are three or more story lines flowing at the same time, and you connect with one and take it to completion. We had been sampling more than focusing.

We finally understood the maps and board and located Kamlot, one of the possible goals. I was excited to finally reach a focus. James and I managed to complete some diplomatic quests, and Richard fought some more monsters. We were then offered details that cannot be shared as this is protected content, to move to the next chapter. We agreed, though Richard wanted to explore more in chapter 2 and get more stuff. That ended the game for this session. Next week, we will start with chapter 3A.

I headed back and picked up Michael R at the church, and we both had no lunch, and stopped at the Oswego Grill for lunch. I wanted to try a few more items. I had the Chicken Marsala while Michael R had the stuffed salmon. It was not a cheap bill, as I had a glass of wine, $15 alone, but I wanted to try a few items. I was not that happy with my lunch; the chicken did not cut with a fork, and it was plain, not covered with flour or breading. The flavorful sauce and the mashed potatoes brought it back, and I would be challenged to match those.

We next headed to The 649, where Kiley was bartending. We had coffee and then decided on the board game Concordia, as Burning Banners was not punched yet and was complex. I did the teach of the game, remember the points I missed when I did this with Deborah. I then helped Michael R play for the first third of the game, and then gave advice after that as requested or to help him when stuck. Michael R began to understand that in Concordia, the turns are easy, but they must be done in a sequence that produces an efficient result. For example, if you want to use your Architect card to build outposts, you need the money and resources. Unless you have more colonists, your placement will be restricted to areas near your previous build. Often, you need to build up. I often see Z, when playing the same game, create a collection of cards with resources and money stacked on the cards as Z plans the turn sequence. I got a red ale (excellent!) as we reached the last part of the game. Michael R stayed with coffee.

Michael R missed winning by eight points. I held the Weaver Card, but he had the Farmer and Vinter Cards, and I ended the game (gaining seven points) by building my last three outposts in one move. We were done as they were setting up for trivia night. Time to go!

I dropped Michael R off at his home, with him interested in playing again. I headed home. I took out frozen raw chicken (Costco) and thawed it by running water. That took a while. I watched the new episode of Murders Only in the Building and enjoyed it, but there was a lack of chemistry between the leads of the show. I hope that improves. I cut up the chicken, once mostly thawed, and fried it in a large metal pan. The pan developed a brown crust; I was careful not to burn it. I spooned out the excessive drippings, added Maya Kaimal’s Coconut Curry Mild Indian Simmer Sauce, and scraped off the brown bits that dissolved into the sauce. I managed to slip once and splatter my shirt with delicious coconut curry sauce.

I washed a 1/2 cup of basmati rice and cooked it with only one over-boil, making a small mess. I found some frozen naan, and I heated that too. It was a grand feast, but I managed to pack most of it away for another dinner, including a spare naan.

I did the dishes and put away the laundry from Monday that was out. I assembled the coffee and was stumbling, tired. Hmmm.

Ignoring my body, I went to my office and did some more research on Christian denominational history. I made a list of significant events I need to cover for my class. I get only 45 minutes on Sunday; my talk needs to be focused.

It was getting late, and I changed into my PJs, took my meds, took more inhaler, and some painkillers (various things hurt), and soon drifted off to sleep. The images of Tuesday night’s dreams have faded this Wednesday morning, but I remember being in a dream-lecture on Christian history and trying to take notes and remember all the facts (it is all gone now). Somehow, a horse riding arena was involved (Linda and I talked about her riding in a show recently), and somehow the history lesson became mixed into reading a dressage test and execution (sorry if the intricacies of horse riding and dressage are a mystery to you, dear reader). I, in the dream, was desperately trying to take notes, read the test, and get my lesson for Sunday together with all these facts. Linda was off course. I woke with my alarm. I rolled over.

Thanks for reading!

Monday is my Saturday. I usually have no plans as my friends work, and they are back at it. I do laundry, having risen around 7 with the coffee assembled the night before to greet me. It is bitter and from NYC, Zarbar’s, and it reminds me of all the work we liberals still have to complete. The world is nowhere near experiencing Justice with Compassion. US ICE won the right to stop people for just looking or sounding foreign. I understand the ruling, but yikes! I had a banana and finished the cottage cheese with some sea salt and smoked paprika while reading the news (Ugh!), updating Quicken, and checking my emails.

The rains are back, and the skies are staying gray here in the Greater Portland Area. We will see the sun here and there, and then weeks of gray will happen. With the climate changes, we now see the sun more often, but the rains are now storms of ‘rivers of rain.’

The hummingbirds and squirrels that I watch through my window while sitting in my office seem happy. The squirrels and the birds seem to be enjoying the slowly fermenting apples on the ground and still hanging from the old apple tree. The spiders often try to move in, and I will likely be chasing and killing them, frequently quite large. It is just part of living in Oregon. We have one large spider species that has learned to charge humans when discovered, attempting a quick escape when the human is surprised. It is less effective on me, splat! Here is the annual explanation of why the spiders come: here.

Aside: While the article describes the spiders as docile, I find nothing docile about a three-to four-inch spider running down my hallway!

On and off all day, I was updating my notes, mostly Wikipedia and Google search results, for my class on denominational history and schisms in Christianity. I have a gorgeous chart from Useful Charts of Christian Denominations Family Tree that helps me trace the United Methodists back to their roots. I am getting notes together to cover each split or change on the chart for the UMs.

I called Oak Alley Plantation near New Orleans (NOLA) and looked at options for a visit in November. The church is headed on a history of civil rights trip in the American South, and I have arranged for some events before and after the trip. I also recommended various jazz and vampire bars, some of which are favorites. I found a non-shellfish-based cooking class as a possibility for Donna, Dondrea, and me. It was fun to plan some new adventures.

I decided to have a few beers at Wildwood, despite my weight going the wrong direction. There, I did the NOLA planning and did not think about church splits, genocidal religious disputes, and schism. For example, my chart Cathar’s as ‘extinct.’ Which is true after the homicidal crusader war against them. It can be so frustrating and depressing!

A nap followed, and I was up again around 6. Deborah and I talked a few times. We enjoy starting and ending our days together, even while remote. I cooked a pork chop that was in the freezer for a while with fresh green beans and a microwaved potato. But I had no sour cream, so I just used butter. I tried to enjoy Resident Alien after Mariah recommended it, but I found the main character unsympathetic, which I think is part of the joke. I finished the first episode, and we will see. Mariah has been right before; I will try some more episodes.

I finished the laundry, dishes, and assembled coffee for Tuesday morning. I read some more and soon fell asleep. I set an early alarm as Tuesday starts with a 9:30 gaming session at Richard’s. I managed to sleep all night. There were dreams, but they all faded.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

Rising early from nightmares and asthma attacks was not the way to get ready for teaching Sunday School for the first time in years. I started the coffee and later moved my writing to the kitchen while I made grits. Cooking and writing do not go well together, but I managed to not burn the grits (just a bit of light brown stuck to the bottom of the pan), and while I made a 1/2 sized amount, it was still twice what I needed; that would be in the trash later (grits turns to rock-hard paste as it dry out), next time 1/4 in a smaller pan. Fortified with a banana, Zabar’s coffee, and grits with butter, I was able to complete the blog and get it published.

I showered and all that and soon was in a green sweater vest and white dress shirt. I wore a New Orleans tie. Old school lessons, if you want authority, you wear a darker knot near your throat. I needed everything I could get!

I moved the food and materials into Air VW the Gray. There were multiple trips of stuff, including plenty of sandwiches from Costco that I acquired on Sunday. I headed out and then, talking to Dondrea by text, realized I was an hour too early and returned home and read for an hour, more American Civil War (ACW) battle history.

I arrived a few minutes early and then unloaded. I got some help, and soon the food was in the fridge and the water was ready. The church service was a blur as I ushered, and it ran over by forty minutes, as this marked the start of new programs and planning. We also had communion with Ken, now licensed as a United Methodist Church pastor. I asked folks to put out the sandwiches; there were plenty, and I offered them as lunch to everyone as we ran over. There were enough for everyone (and I encouraged seconds).

We stayed in the fireside room as I had over ten people. I spent 45 minutes reviewing the material I had on biblical history, including actual archaeological finds and their connections to our understanding of the Bible. The idea is that these findings, now in museums, give a clear connection to history that is represented in the Bible. And while we do not have proof of many lives described in the Bible, we do have findings that can place the timeline and artifacts we do have.

It seemed well-received with one person saying, “I’ve never had a membership or bible study that used ‘secular’ history to prove what I believe. Makes you think differently. A Methodist way of viewing it.” Everyone seemed happy and wanted more.

I was tired and soon headed home.

I took a nap, watched that final episode of Wednesday, thought season 2 was excellent, and I’m glad there is a third coming, and read more ACW. I reheated the pizza and had that for a snack and later dinner. I picked up my laptop and started on the notes for my class on the 14th, which meant starting to read again about schisms and denominational history. I have a chart of this from Useful Charts, and anyone who wants to teach this kind of class should just get one. There are fewer charts in the public space, but for a few bucks, you can have a massive chart. The chart starts with the Nicene Creed, and I did some work on that. I have done this before, but I had to get all the words, dates, and places back in my head (and in my notes).

I found a strange movie, Pursuit of the Graf Spee (1956), that had some of the original ships recreate their roles in the WW2 1939 battle. It is low budget and skips over the suicide of the captain of the German Pocket Battleship, but, without comment, shows the actor playing the captain never giving a Nazi salute (which is accurate). It sticks to the still official story that the cruisers found the KMS Graf Spee by happenstance (something I still find hard to believe). I found it poorly done, and there are far better YouTube videos and books on the battle (and board games). Still, they had enlisted real WW2 ships (the USS Salem playing the German pocket-battleship, which is now a museum ship),  to recreate some of the moments, and that was worth it. Not recommended as it is an acquired taste. 

While I have not played this battle (I have some figures and rules for it), I have read that gamers believe the Nazi ship, KMS Graf Spee, should have changed its target from HMS Exeter to the other two British Cruisers once it was heavily damaged. Damage each one in succession. This would likely stop the damage to the pocket battleship that caused its loss. This also explains why most believe it was happenstance as had the captain of the German ship been a bit luckier, all the British ship would have been disabled, captured, or sunk. 

The battle echoes the problem that the KMS Bismarck would later face in the war; the Graf Spee‘s fuel filter was damaged/destroyed in the fight, making it impossible to run for more than 24 hours without significant repairs. This is the main reason the ship was scuttled (one of the better special effects in the movie); even if it could escape the perceived threat, it would be out of usable fuel in a day. The Bismarck in the Battle of the Denmark Straits takes a seemingly minor hit that damages its water system for its engines; it must return to port as it has only a limited time before its engines cannot operate. The only port is in France, and the ship is far away near Iceland. The Nazi ship is caught and sunk on its way back. The USA faced this too in WW2, having to scuttle damaged aircraft carriers as there was no large sea-going savage tug to get them to repair facilities. This problem is still not necessarily resolved in modern times. Those nuclear carriers are huge!

Returning to our story, tired from nightmares the night before, athema still making breathing, something not optional, not without effort (until I grab my inhaler), teaching, I head to bed early. I read more about the ACW and soon fell asleep, only waking once to check my hydration. Better.

Thanks for reading.

I woke with bad dreams on Sunday morning, and breathing is hard. The pollen, travel, and allergies are making it a difficult start, and I was awake at 4 after having trouble sleeping. It is a hard start on Sunday while I write this.

(Here is Richard and Laura playing the game for scale. Huge, and not all of it is in the photo!)

Starting near the end of Saturday, we (Richard, Laura, and I) chatted for a while about games and playing after enjoying a game of Luthier. This is a new Kickstarter board game that just shipped. It has been called a masterpiece, and the materials are lovely-looking, especially the special maxed-out version. Richard’s copy looks wonderful, the top-of-the-line version. I found the game complex, and there are layers of action and scoring; some of the placements are multi-dimensional without being confusing (the first time I have seen this done so well), but the game flows easily, and every decision requires considering two or three levels of complexity and meaning.

This is a race game that reminds me of the board games Concordia and Lisboa, both of which are favorites. Richard agreed that it seemed like an early Lacerda, but better. It uses a huge box and board like Lisboa. Richard had the roll-out board, which took up most of the table, a large one.

It is a mix of resource management and worker placement, but the resources are unlimited and not challenging to obtain. Your patron gives you things that help, but you have only three turns to get them something, or they will leave you and reduce your score. Many scoring items award only the first — it is truly a race.

A Luthier builds string instruments, and this has been expanded to other types. You represent a family of instrument builders. Your goal is to fill the Orchestra with your instruments first. You also serve patrons who get these instruments too, and that means you score your patron and the Orchestra (if first). Other actions get you resources, you perform (the dice tower has metal bars to play notes when you drop the dice into it), you repair, and you watch. All have advantages, and the connections were interesting. I misplayed a few times as I did not get the sequencing right. Last, with a 69, and half of the others, I enjoyed the game. Laura was surprised to lose by one point to Richard (in their previous game that morning, I learned, she won by a tiebreaker).

It seemed, for my liking, one of the best games we had played in a while. I had invested an hour in the morning watching a how-to-play video, which helped, and we skipped the teaching. Richard asked if we could play it again next Saturday, and I agreed. Again, soon!

I drove home for Richard’s and saw, as I drove through Portland, that the dance clubs were back and packed, but one bar had gone bust. My drive on the highways was fast, with the EV often staying just below 70 with many lane changes around slower Portland drivers. There are frequently opportunities to fund Beaverton or Portland (police), meaning I resisted higher speeds and changing the mode Air VW the Gray to sport and having the interior colors turn red.

I had a piece of pizza to have some food in me when I took my pills. I was soon in bed. Sleep did not come as I rethought the gameplay; my knees hurt, and the coffee I had had impacted me. I took some painkillers for the leg pain and to sleep.

Nightmare haunted me with the first one being that I had to be treated to reduced oxygen treatment, locked in a box, to treat my recurrence of colon cancer. There was an article about a person with stage 4, mine was 3, who was at the beach and found a float — glass floats are seeded in the water for folks to discover on our beaches. An article made me think about how grateful I was. Apparently, I had an asthma attack while I was sleeping, and the article combined with that in my dreams.

Next, I dreamed I was surrounded by strangers, and we were assembled by the US Federal Government, being shipped out. We had to ask for everything, and I was reprimanded for not asking permission to eat the terrible dry food. Cornmeal for Mexican-style food.  There were mice and trash everywhere, and I had my papers, as I had refused to give them away to the officials. I could still prove who I was. I was looked down on because I was resisting. We were going far away, and we were now considered illegal aliens in our own country. We were trying to speak Spanish to fit our new status. I woke from the nightmare as we became increasingly crowded and ready to march out to our new camp.

Before playing games, I met Mariah, after putting my pizza, which I had baked, a frozen pizza I had dressed up with some freshly sliced green peppers, away. Mariah had un-canceled the canceled lunch. I took Air VW the Gray to BJs Brewhouse, and there we chatted about our recent travels, Mariah in the Arizona desert, and me all over. We had not met in months, and it was great to catch up.

After that, I took the EV to Portland and stopped at Guardian Games, where I found figures, Dungeons & Dragons scales, for some doors, and camping tents. They were not expensive. I also talked with a young employee of Guardian about different versions of D&D, and they (not assigned a gender pronoun without permission) were still DM-ing the 5E version. It was nice, though I have dice and figures older than they, to talk about DM-ing and play.

With my new figures, I headed to The Lucky Labadore and had a beer and soup. I thought I was getting potato and bacon, but that was not updated, and I got to try their corn chowder, which was spicy and chewy with corn. I was going to write, but Z contracted me, and soon we were sharing pictures of Z’s math homework. We worked out that the questions were unclear, and Z will answer, knowing why Z selected that answer.

I spoke to Deborah after that, and we were happy to spend some time together, with me talking between bites of soup. We talked on and off all day as I traveled and wrote. It has been less than a week, but we already miss each other’s company.

The day started with me rising after pleasant dreams, a dream party. I spent the morning writing the blog, updating my usual transactions in Quicken, and processing emails and news (which was depressing). I got a card out to Mom Wild. I try to write her a card Monday-Saturday and get them in the mailbox in time to be picked up. The rest of the morning is a blur of rushing.

I revised my plan for my Sunday School class, Grammarly made some changes I did not notice that were terrible. I sent out new copies. Yike! F**king stupid context missing AI!

And that takes us full circle, thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

 

I rose later and planned to stay home most of the day. The coffee was assembled the night before, still Zabar’s Roast that I picked up in NYC. I had this with a banana and cottage cheese, small curds, dusted with sea salt and smoked paprika. I was distracted and worked on my Sunday School plans, read emails, looked at the news (depressing), and aligned my transactions into Quicken. It was Friday (Monday and Friday being my usual laundry days), so I started the laundry by stripping my bed and washing the sheets and towels. I would remake the bed with the other set of sheets and use new towels.

I wrote the blog. Again, I had trouble getting focused on it, and soon it was late; I published it. It is overcast but not raining, but the rains return next week. It is always a glorious time in Oregon when the rains return and the plants (and the moss) grow green. I love to visit the coast in September, and will try to find a few weekdays for that. I missed most of my bids on some Duck stamps (the federal government requires the purchase of a stamp to hunt ducks, which are lovely, but never cheap), but got one and a few inexpensive postage dues I was missing, too. I am just filling in the gaps in my album that are still inexpensive. I find most of my missing older stamps are expensive and rarely listed at an auction. I watched for years for an opening for many stamps (I have all the US Zepplin stamps after years of watching with two flown covers).

What I have learned is that there are a few of us stamp collectors who are willing to pay more than $100, and even fewer who are willing to pay over $200. There are also crazy folks paying thousands, but I assume they are dealers or investors. I have also learned that proofs, stamps printed on cardboard and paper, usually as examples of stamps — much like today’s posters in the US post office, exist at much lower prices, and the print is generally perfect. I have one for a stamp that has no price (there is only one known version), and I have a proof of the same stamp that once belonged to President Roosevelt’s collection. Excellent! FDR’s collection was broken up and sold after his passing, and parts of it have surfaced here and there. Now, instead of an unfilled empty spot, I have FDR’s proof still glued down by him on a small piece of paper.

Sorry for the aside, this is also a distraction.

I reheated the Chinese-style food and watched a group of videos on YouTube. ShipHappens, Battleship New Jersey, The Descriminating Gamer, and a few others filled much of my afternoon. Corwin stopped by to check an unusual quarter he found. We determined it was a normal quarter after using my scales and magnifiers (I use them primarily for stamps). I was chopping and preparing to make Bœuf Bourguignon from the recipe we cooked at Evelyn’s Midtown Kitchen. This is an update to Julia Child’s version. I had about 3/4 of the amount of beef, but that did not stop me. I replaced the onions with celery and onion powder, but that left it with a darker flavor, which was not bad. Deborah is allergic to onions, so I try to switch them out when I can. I also skipped, as did Evelyn, when we cooked this with her in Detroit, the pearl onions.

I burned the brown bits on the bottom of the Dutch oven, and luckily, I have another, so I switched to that one. That saved the meal, but there is a slight bitterness from this. I will have to be more careful next time. I had put the flour on the meat too early in the process, which caused the issue. I mixed this up with another recipe for beef stew that cooks the beef with the flour (and I nearly burned that too, hmmm). I got a full glass of wine (two half glasses, as I believe you should only fill your wine glass to the level that is the mess you are willing to clean up after you knock it over). I use a bulb glass, not a stemmed glass, when I am cooking in my tiny kitchen.

Aside: I love my tiny galley kitchen.

It seemed to take forever for the carrots to soften, and I think next time I will just ‘sweat’ them (words from New Orleans cooking). I followed Evelyn’s special baking instructions, setting the oven to 450°F to form a crust on the meat and then reducing the temperature to 325°F after adding the wine, stock, and various other aromatics.

I then cleaned up and let the would-be French-style mix bake for hours. I fried the mushrooms to get them nice and brown, ready to be mixed into the Bœuf Bourguignon. I used high heat and avocado oil. Next, I boarded Air VW the Gray and took it to Costco, and there I bought sandwiches and fruit for the Sunday School. I returned home and loaded that into the fridge to be ready for Sunday.

I made various updates to my plans, adding in more information on the early fragments of the Gospels. I resisted buying a reproduction of the fragments (you can download the images, print them, and make your own). I finally finished and set a copy off (I sent a fix later, as Grammarly made a change I missed and also overlooked some obvious issues).

I had a few servings of my version of Bœuf Bourguignon, and although it could have been better, it was still not terrible. I would add more liquid next time, too. I will leave the bay leaves whole and remove them. The onion powder can be added later with the mushrooms.

Stuffed with food and the standing, chopping, mixing, cleaning, and wine left me tired. I decided to read and found myself sleeping before 10! I woke up a few times to check my hydration. Again, this is a reminder to keep up the walking and reduce sugar.

I dreamed most of the night, and sleep seemed shallow, but the dreams were large. They have all faded, but the dreams were pleasant, featuring travel, eating, and enjoying friends and family, including those who now only exist in dreams. All my living friends were there too (so if you woke up tired with a vague sense of happiness, hmm). I woke tired from all the dream-partying!

Thanks for reading