Author: alohawild

Today started like many Mondays at 6ish with me getting going and answering emails before 7AM. I handled the crisis of the early morning, had instant oatmeal, and got updated on what today would bring.

I then slipped out before the Zoom-a-thon began and got dressed and all of that. Monday starts with status meetings and project meetings followed by more stand-ups, styled sessions (I sit at home for a stand-up), and more how-to meetings.

Susie has a hair, nails, toes, and so on appointment as usual on Monday with her driver coming for her. This had been moved early as Susie broke a tooth last week. Susie was to receive the royal treatment later today, a crown. This meant getting Susie going this morning.

After Susie driver picked her up, happy to see her dressed, breakfasted, coffee’d, and ready, I finished my morning with a can of chili warmed on the stove for lunch.

I went on with more meetings and more status. I granted various approvals to move software into testing and other reviews. It was a typical Monday, and I started to feel tired by the afternoon. The early start and the endless status usually make me sleepy by the afternoon.

I took Susie to the Dentist after she returned with blue and striped nails and other various changes. Susie was done an hour later. As we have all experienced, an hour with a dentist is a long time. Susie was worn-out and took a nap. I joined her for part of that. I did have to get up and do a few more approvals for Nike.

Next, I cooked tacos using the low salt spices and crunchy shells from a box that announced proudly that the corn used was GMO! Ground beef from Ponderosa Provisioners made the filling really good. I think I will head back to more true soft shells next time.

Groceries were delivered today. I ordered them between calls at Nike and emails. Just a fill-in order. I did forget the shredded cheese. Safeway.com does not provide suggestions from the last order or suggest refilling previous items. I not sure they have thought through their website very well.

Turning to the figures, I started by repainting the brown on the tripod base, a lot of metal color was splashed on the figure’s base, and adding a purple ink from Army Painters to the front to get that hint of alien light to it. I washed the figure’s base with dark tone ink again from Army Painters to get the ground to look more broken.

The battleship was more conventional work–I have a few minature fleets. I mixed up a gray wash, uniform gray, and carefully painted it on. It ran a bit, and I missed a few times, and so the usual touch-up had to follow. I repainted the funnels as they got splashed and bumped by gray and somehow the metal color from the tripods (the tripods seemed to have already zapped the battleships!). I repainted the small boats more white using the paint from the bottle to make them stand out. I then washed the ships with dark tone ink to make the lines show better. This also put back some of the contrast I lost with the wash.

I have to spray an anti-shine coat yet, but that can wait. Just over a few days of work to do all the figures. I am happy, and it is fun to try this new painting style on wargame figures.

Today the reports are that more than five-hundred sixty people who reside in the USA have passed because of the virus.

I found a fun song I had forgotten about, Methodist Hymnal 585: This Little Light of Mine.

I got started about 9ish today, finally sleeping the night.

Today I wanted to finish all the figures I started. I had not got as far yesterday as I was too social. Today I was going to keep the social interaction down, and I will resist the urge to play a board game.

Mostly I succeeded, but the figures are not entirely done. These are figures for War of the Worlds: The New Wave board game.

I started yesterday, and I primed, and dry brushed the sides of the alien building to bring out the detail. I painted all the other figure black and then misted them from above with a white primer. This brings out the feature and helps create the 3-D look in the models. I use Citadel Chaos Black and Tamiya Fine Surface Primer White, always. The human buildings are just straight walls–there is no detail to bring out. I also thought the battleship, tank, and aliens did not need any more detail brought out. When I am doing 28mm Dungeons and Dragons figures, I often have to dry-brush them to get the details to come out.

(the initial work has an X-ray look)

This next thing is to paint with a wash like paints. I have a small bottle made up of the proper ratio of water to flow enhancers that you can get at an art store. I use Liquitex Flow Aid Acrylic Fluid. Do not use it straight–trust me–it is supposed to be diluted.  You want the white and black of the primer to show through the paint, and you want the tints much reduced.

(my flow bottle and the start of painting)

The colors are just painted on with a larger brush, I use the regimental brush from Army Painters, to get the base colors. Mistakes are easily corrected later, so I do not spend much time on being too careful.

(the flying saucer in front is just painted with a flow enhanced steel color and the dark edges are not the light but the dark shading)

(here are all the figures I am working on in various points of work–this was about 7ish this evening)

Continuing with the narrative, I then apply ink to bring out the lines and to darken the color and make it more irregular, making it look more real. I did not mix my own color but used Dark Tone from Army Painters tonight. Actually, it was too dark, and I had to dry brush metal back on the figures to brighten them up.

The tanks are just green. I just mixed Army Green from Army Painters with a flow enhancer to get a nice 3-D look. Most of the shading work is then done by the primer, and I will just do touch-up and maybe some dry brushing. I then added Soft Tone from Army Painters to add some brown to the look. The problems with the inks are that they dry lighter than when you put them on. My tanks look dirty and worn when inked, but appear slightly dusting when the ink dries.

(two uninked and two still wet from ink tanks)

The battleships are more complicated as they require seascape, waterline red color, black stacks, white boats, and then battleship gray. I did the sea with a blue wash to let some of the primer shade come through. I then added white for foam and washed the sea with dark blue ink to make it look like water with waves. I have to add battleship gray and touch-ups.

I got to the tripods, and they need more work on the base and add some highlights and maybe a purple ink. The shading is done again by the underlying primer white and black coming through the metal color.

I am not sure other than some touch-up if this is creepy enough now. Purple shading would not make it look any better.

The flying saucers are mostly done with just some ink for the ground needed. I painted the death ray, white, then yellow, then orange at the base, and again white at the top. I finished it with a light red ink that pooled on the base.

(notice it is brighter on top from dry brushing a hint of metal, but it is still dark on the edges)

I find this new way of painting produces some easy highlighting. It prevents me from painting different layers for different light.

(These are Brother Vinny’s figures done with a black priming coat, white light spray, dry brush white, and then flow enhancer paints)

Returning to the start of the day, I did the dishes from the previous day and then had a salad for lunch. I connected with the church folks on Zoom twenty minutes late around 2ish+. I ordered and picked up Papa Murphy pizza today.

Today over five-hundred thirty people who reside in the USA died from the infection.

I found one I know that I have not done yet! Sweet, Sweet Spirit is known as Methodist Hymnal #334 and is one I can actually sing. It is a good one for all that has been happening.

 

Some mornings even with disturbed sleep, it is just impossible not to wake before 7AM. Today was one of those days. So I started priming figures from War of the Worlds: The New Wave board game before 8ish. I like the theme, and the miniatures are a bit steampunk, so I wanted some spare ones for other uses. I just have not had any time for painting for so many months. Starting so early, I primed the figures and have hope of finishing them in one weekend.

I am using the new painting style of priming the figures black and then misting with white primer from above. This is followed by a dry-brushing with white to bring out even more details. I then paint with washed-out Army Painter paints using a flow enhancer from an art store. I apply the colors almost as a wash letting the black and white show through. The white turns to the color of the wash, usually.

I also made a scrambled-egg with bacon and cheese bake. This is like a frittata that just never was flipped. I had it for breakfast and watched Foyle’s War while cleaning and cooking. This is an older BBC show I rediscovered–I saw only a few episodes when it first came out.

I was ill this morning (I will skip the details). I enjoyed a well known side-effects of some of my medications. I just took everything slower.

I also caught-up my binge of “Most Deadly Catch” and some of the Alaska gold shows. I would put the shows on hold and then paint more primer and then watch some more. I did this until everything, except a figure I found that I completely missed (!?), was black and then misted with white. I also took a few breaks for the illness which finally left late morning.

I had just finished the priming when Mariah texted me about lunch–we often meet for lunch. I left the egg bake out and headed to Cedar Hills McMenamins. I wanted to check-out the re-opened Powell’s Books after lunch; it is their only open location and is just a block from McMenamins.

Mariah and I talked about books and history and other topics while eating and drinking a Purple Haze beer.

I headed then to Powell’s only to discover a long line out the door. I passed on that. Too risky to be in a line with folks.

I headed home and found Corwin and his business partner Evan had enjoyed the eggs. Susie got the last of the eggs later and passed on them–by then I think the eggs were not their best. Susie had cereal and yogurt.

Cowin headed out to the beach (remember this is Oregon and not a place of huge beach parties).

Evan and I decided to go with a game of Architects of the West Kingdoms: Age of Artisans. This was my first game with the expansion. This is a game, Architects of the West Kingdoms, that I enjoy even playing solo (it has an automata deck to run the solo game) and the new rules and additions really seemed to fix a few weaknesses and make the game flow a bit better.

Note: I usually don’t describe the games as the Board Game Geeks website does a better job than I would ever do. There are videos, reviews, pictures, and a general description.

Evan has not quite got the game down, he has beaten me repeatedly in Vindication which he clearly understands, but I suspect that will change and I will not get ahead by ten points next time. I managed to build a bunch of moderately valuable buildings to get ahead enough to win, but a few more rounds and he would have caught me.

Aside: One of the new designs of games is to keep the points numbers lower and not to track them during the game–totaling of points is done after the game ends and often there is pad supplied in the game to help. This prevents a run-away game for seasoned players versus new players. It also stops players from seeing scores that may make them try to be “king-maker” when they know they cannot win. I see this in Twilight Imperium 4 to many times and often in the Game of Thrones Board Game.

I did make a few mistakes in the rules, but nothing that would have changed the outcome. I forgot to take some rewards a few times. It is good to try to get it all down with the new options and rules.

After we finished, Evan helped me make Morrocan Chicken, and we watched the Mummy Movie–The one in China–while we waited for dinner.

Today it is reported that nine-hundred seventy Americans lost their lives to the virus today.

I saw that there is a rock version of the same name that I know, this is the Stand By Me in the Methodist Hymnal #512 and not one I know.

 

 

Today started a bit rough. Susie had some trouble sleeping, so she ended up waking me around 4ish. I did manage to get back to sleep, but I was up again at 7ish for Nike. I usually start at 6ish, but I just could not do that today.

Work today was just the morning as Nike closes at noon in the summer. Three hours of Zoom meetings! All were status or process. Soon the morning was over.

Susie was still a lump-in-the-bed after the sleeping problems. I headed out to Portland. Mox Boarding House for lunch and maybe purchase the wooden replacement for the cardboard “food” markers for board game Wingspan.

Megan, the store manager, was happy to see me. In the bar, Tatyana and Sydney were delighted to bring me lunch. Today I tried the Jerk Chicken and the cheesecake dessert. I did better the last couple of times. The Jerk Chicken was a mess of different flavors, and the cheesecake was served in a small jar, and I had to dig it out–it was very edgy but not that great. Never fear, the other items are excellent. They have very few customers, but a few more with games this time. I am there to support our newest local gaming store!

I promised to bring a game next time that I can set-up and they can slip into a few times while working. I worked a bit more on “Howard’s Lockdown” story. I am trying to get the story to flow better.

I talk to Megan and do buy those replacement parts for Wingspan. We talk about the low traffic to the store. Their start-up in the middle of the Corvid-19 disaster is not really working. They also don’t really want to start the marketing for this store as only a limited number of people can enter the store (1/4 of the fire marshal’s maximum). There cannot be a crowd, and we can’t play games at the store as you can’t social distance across a gaming table. Mox’s main drivers for revenue are not possible. It is sort of a very long soft opening for the Portland store. I will continue to come and see them–it is not much but it is something.

I drove through Portland, it is still there, to get to the other local gaming company. There are a few boarded-up windows here and there. Mostly, downtown is just running Portland’s normal weird.

(Yes the Patagonia store on Burnside has huge posters of people wearing masks over the boards to protect their windows)

I head to the other local store, I hit our store in Aloha earlier this week, in Portland: Guardian Games. There I find the new Call of Cthulhu book on running a role-playing game with horror in the Dark Ages. I have skipped the Roman setting, but England and possible Brother Cadfael meets Lovecraft is impossible to resist. I told the staff at Guardian Games to imagine the Holy Grail quest mixed with Lovecraft. Was Morgan le Fay one of the faces of Nyarlathotep? My head did not quite explode. I have to write a Holy Grail adventure in this setting with a Brother Cadfael like addition. The staff told me to tell them how it works out.

Also, my favorite figure magazine has returned to publication with the July edition! Wargames Illustrated is back, and the issue includes a WW2 German infantry from the cold Easter Front tree of six plastic 28mm figures. And clear painting examples! This publication is a mostly figure based gaming full-color magazine from the UK. I am drooling over the Dark Ages Irish figures and the Afgan warriors. These figures’ lines and faces are sharp and clear with poses and weapons that would fit historical or fantasy gaming. Again all hard-plastic with multiple parts. Not really fragile, and there is always a spare set of pieces I can toss in the spares box. I can use that later to fix any breaks.

To that end, I put a head and an arm back on a cultist a few months ago–somewhere in the house is a tiny lost head. That does sound like the way a horror movie starts. It is about three millimeters, so I am not worried about it haunting me.

After getting my purchases, I had to head home with some directness. Nike called, and they need a vendor patch applied to the development system so back to the house. On the way back, I drove through ground-zero of Portland, well ground-zero, according to certain confused reporting. Yes, the courthouse is still there. The fence is still there. There was even a security guard at the back corner.

(Yes, the Federal Court House! That is the fence that is world-famous)

I drove by where the elk-statue was once standing–the link has the information on what is happening to the statue. It is a pile of sand now with various messages and a memorial leaf blower. Tourists were taking photos. I could not get a picture as I had to not run over the tourists and motor scooters and drive.

That is right crazy media people the crowds in Portland in front of the Federal Courthouse are tourists taking pictures of the graffiti.

I got home without incident and no traffic. The inbound traffic in Portland was looking heavy. I signed back on to Nike and put in the changes, and answered various questions.

I then took a nap.

I awoke and headed to the first Powell’s store to reopen. Yes, it is back–but only in Beaverton. I missed my chance as it closes early; I will get there tomorrow!

(Closed, but opening again tomorrow)

I was not paying attention to the market. There is more and more talk about the Moral Hazard issue with the Federal Reserve’s choices. The Fed is making the rich richer and filling the banks with easy money, but none of it can reach poor or middle-class. Gold is flying. Options are trading fast and furious. My 401K is on a rocket ride straight up. Looks like a massive bubble to me. I am paying off debt and getting ready. I could be wrong, and this could be an enormous recovery. I would prefer a massive recovery!

It saddens me to report the good news that only nearly thirteen-hundred Americans died today from the virus. The curve is headed down again. It is still a terrible number.

I found this song that I think is well known and hits for all the events, Fix Me, Jesus. This is Methodist hymnal #655.

 

 

Late on Wednesday, we worked out that the upgrades would have to wait until we had the software properly installed. That meant I could sleep! It also was true that I was not needed until a bit later on Thursday. So more sleep. I also had some meetings cancel, so I slipped in a couple naps. I am feeling much more human now.

Again, I had to deal with the crisis of the moment at Nike this morning and afternoon. I had hours of Zoom meetings. All of which was easier to do after having some sleep.

This will be a short story as I have to admit the moment I had a break, I took a nap. I also did all the laundry. I like to do it on Thursday day so it is all done for the weekend.

At midday, I ordered lunch from Victorico’s Mexican Food (Tanasborne), a pair of tacos made with ground beef, and a chile relleno that was very spicy and not that great. The tamales and tacos are good–I will stick to them.

After lunch, I had a few more emergencies of the moment, mostly about the software install and data conversions. I slipped in a few naps too.

Waking from a nap in which I dreamed I had slept too late and missed getting my blog done today, I saw it was getting late to make dinner. It was one of those teacher-dreams where you are asked where your home-work is. Funny that doing this blog is now showing up in my waking dreams.

It was after 6PM when I started, I made a simple dinner of Chicken Kiev, frozen from Schwans, with rice, and I peeled and sliced carrots that I then steamed. Susan thought I had put brown sugar on the carrots, just a sprinkle of salt and butter because they were so sweet flavored. They were fresh Oregon carrots.

I went out and looked at Saturn with my new binoculars and could just make out a ring.

Finally, I started to write this, and my Apple decided it needed a break and rebooted.

So not a very interesting day. I did pay-off Air Volvo today and another loan. I am paying everything off these months.

Today the US market did continue to go up with more indexes recovering and moving into positive territory. Food prices are headed up also. I also heard that there is a new bail-out for REITs being considered. Again, the government might start picking winners and losers.

The reports are showing that more than twelve-hundred Americans died from the virus today.

Today’s hymn is not one I know, Methodist Hymnal #290, and I find this quiet version, enjoy,  Go to Dark Gethsemane.