Author: alohawild

This is actually what happened on Friday. I got my days mixed up. I published it as Thursday.

I am focused on leaving on Saturday night, and writing this blog has become secondary to getting through Friday and getting ready for my trip. I tried to rise at 6:30 but rolled over and started my day a little later. I had a game at Richard’s house and spaced it was July 4th! I wrote a card from Mom Wild and put it in the mailbox, forgetting that there was no mail on July 4th. I managed to get the basic tasks done and chatted with Deborah for a while in the morning. I had time to make and drink some coffee.

I jumped in the shower, managed to get showered, and so on. I then headed to Air VW the Gray before 8:45 and headed to Portland. There was light traffic, and I soon reached Richard’s home.

I was time-boxed, and we played a new resource and worker placement game, Merchant’s Cove. This is another $200-300 maxed-out Kickstarter game. I have sworn off most game buying, especially those with maxed-out Kickstarter campaigns. I have bought too many that are just not that interesting to me or are too hard to play; I have never even unwrapped my copy after playing Richard’s.

This is an asynchronous game, meaning each player is playing a completely different game. I was playing the Captain, fishing for resources, and discovering buried treasure. There is also a master map, and we all interact with that map. Laura was growing mushrooms in a simulated fantasy garden with soil, insects, and spores to control. Richard was running a fantasy mechanical bakery with gears, dough, and frosting. We sold the goods that we built on a shared central market. I had a 60-point lead at the start of the last round, but still came in last. I did not produce enough goods on the final turn to win. Lauren had held on to her goods throughout the game and sold most of them for huge points in the last play. She won. Richard was only a few points ahead of me (not bad for my first play).

Asynchronous games are challenging to learn and understand their balance; they are like mini-games that can be learned within a larger setting. Additionally, the game requires distinct components and rules for each setup. This pushes the cost up. However, the base game is only about $60 (although there are over $150 in add-ons), and I might consider adding it to my collection. I liked the idea and enjoyed it. The designers attempted to have each player play a different style of board game. With add-ons, there are nine options!

I was out of time and headed out, wishing Richard and Laura a happy July 4th. Air VW the Gray then had a soft break. The computer crashed on the dashboard with a wait screen. It drove weirdly. I pulled over and waited. On the second try, the EV screens worked, but it said I was a ‘Guest.’ I was able to drive it, and it was running normally now. I reached Beaverton and parked at the Safeway. I got some snacks and watermelon radishes. The EV, this time, offered me users, and I changed back to me, and suddenly everything (including Kink.FM) was back the way I liked it. Hmmm. My guess is a software update (I checked, and there is none outstanding, meaning I might have loaded one).

With the radishes in the car, I headed to Matt and Nicky’s place for their 4th of July Party. Matt cooked (and burned on request) burgers and hot dogs, while a variety of food was also brought by others. Matt supplied ‘miracle berries’ that change your tastes from sour to sweet. I tried them, and it made a lemon taste more like an Orange. Wow! Radishes now were a sweet burn.

I chatted with my gamer friends, and maybe we’ll connect for some games. It was great to see many of the folks I have played with over the years. We shared notes on our new characters and how we did in various adventures. Matt plays three groups playing the same adventure.

I got a note that there were some events at First United Methodist Church, and the pride flag was gone. Somebody needed it. I thanked Matt and gave a few hugs to friends and headed out. I stopped at the house, grabbed a flag and pole. I replaced them without issue at the church. Back to the usual now.

I returned home with all the fireworks going and started on finally writing this blog. Sorry, it is rushed. Thanks for reading!

Wednesday was not an exciting day full of new adventures, and there are no photos (I found one).

I woke up with leg pains (which also troubled me on Thursday morning), which is a new development. I did not have this in Orange County or before I left on what turned out to be a five-state odyssey over the last four weeks, with three hotels, one of which was unplanned and free. I woke at sunrise, 5ish, had a drink of water, took some painkillers, and the pain faded. I got a few more hours of sleep.

Rising at 7ish, I found the coffee already made (I had set it up the night before) and soon started on my usual morning routine. Back to WordPress, Grammarly, and composing the events and story of the previous day. Trying to remember the events and sequences. It is always a surprise when the day vanishes from my mind, and I then have to think for more than a minute to find the thread that restores my memory. I often remember something important towards the end of writing and add that back in. The thread appears as I assemble another memory into a story. I believe that folks with memory issues cannot lay down a thread and later trace it back. I am always thrilled that the memory is there. It is just jumbled, and then it pops into my mind. Someday it might not work.

I try to look forward and find the fun in even mundane tasks. I revel in those stupid things that happen; they are sticky. I know that to make that thread of memory connect, it must have emotion. We remember when we react. For example, I know I made the bed last week, but I cannot tell you much about it, as it has no emotional significance. However, I did add a blanket yesterday, and I recall making the bed with the extra blanket — I prefer not to be cold. Also, nearly cutting my hand by holding the knife wrong while chopping a green pepper yesterday, now that I can remember. I make a point of enjoying my day and try to recall it (How was the traffic? Did any crazy drivers do something? What can I remember from today’s drive?) even as it unfolds.

Back to the memory-story, a brief one of Wednesday (actually not). The blog, although not short, was completed by 9:00 and was ready to publish. I started to re-read it as I saw some Grammarly edits. F**k, I had not noticed that Grammarly not only fixed my commas and plurals, but it had also changed everything into present tense. I rewrote the text in the past tense and corrected various simplifications introduced by the AI tool that did not accurately fit the context or purpose. Grammarly often goes sentence by sentence and makes a disjointed paragraph. Ugh! Another thirty minutes of rework and soon I had it published.

I dressed and all that and boarded Air VW the Gray and headed to Great Clips to get a haircut. There was no significant wait, and the person who cut my hair said they had been busy. By the time I had my usual biz off the ears cut, there was a line.

I met Scott W at the Peppermill Pub, where we moved the meeting to Wednesday (my repair for The Machine was rescheduled to the last available slot on Thursday) and to Aloha, as Scott W was giving tours at Jenson Estate that day. I was hungry and ordered the fish and chips (which were only average), and Scott had a sandwich. We discussed our investments and how Trump had made the markets, for us, chaotic and difficult to follow. We both had moved to a more defensive approach in our investments. Our returns were excellent.

We talked about our surprise, both of us lean liberal, that the policies of Trump and their deficit spending could be a positive. There is a school of thought that if you dump cash into the wealthy, they will spend it and build something that generates even more money (a version of Reagan’s trickle-down theory, but with a fire hose this time). This aligns with Amazon, Google, PayPal, and, to a lesser extent (due to physical manufacturing), Tesla. These were built with massive debt and negative returns for years. Could the expansion of the economy and the tariffs cover this and swing the markets into overdrive? The markets are up. Hmmm. Thus, is the Trump and MAGA plan a version of Amazon but used by a sovereign? I will think about this and watch.

For my readers, I am not discounting the terrible cost of cutting off food to children, trashing education, the CDC being destroyed, and all the other horrible things Trump and his bill are and will do. For Scott W and me, we are trying to understand why our investments are performing well and why the markets are rising so rapidly.

After lunch, I headed to the church in Beaverton. The police have signs out that they are enforcing sidewalk crossing, and I managed to pass that without Beaverton’s Finest offering me a chance to fund the traffic court. I talk to Pastor Ken. We discuss the refresh of the church’s entranceway and fireside room, as well as the church’s civil rights trip to the Southern USA in November. I am directing (self-appointed) a pre- and post-trip to enjoy New Orleans, Georgia’s Civil War sites, and the Carter Library. All is starting to come together.

I head home and watch more Murderbot on Apple+, enjoying this retelling of a favorite book series. I skipped dinner because I am still full. I head back to the church by Best Buy. There I find a 70W plug for my Apple laptop with a replaceable plug to allow it to use the international plugs (which I found at the house on Thursday). I also got a cover for my iPad, but it does not fit, and I will have to return it and try again. I was thinking of using the iPad to watch movies on the plane, but it would mean more things to manage. I will likely just stick to the iPhone and laptop.

At the church, Z and J were playing. We learned the board game Welcome to Your Perfect Home. A gift from James to play at the church. Unplayed. J won the first game as Z and I were still getting the rules clear in our heads. Z won the next game. We managed to play two games and a teach in about an hour. Fun and fast game.

This is a paper-and-pencil game where each player gets the same resource choices and writes them on their version of the house development. The houses are built, but they must be numbered in order, and each build offers extras. The mix of house placement, extra use, and alignment to city plans that give points for that alignment are your choices. But it is the same for everyone, creating a variation of push-your-luck and resource placement that is quite fun and all up to you, as the other players are all playing their own game. Scoring is done when all the plans are filled, houses are packed on one player’s sheet, or a player fails to fill a house four times. It is all up to you to create the perfect housing development!

This is the Kickstarter version with marker boards, but with 100 sheets, it is unlikely we will run out. Z and J enjoyed it. I headed home after saying goodbyes to Z and Dondrea, whom I will see again after I get back.

At the house, I made a ham, green peppers (no bleeding), onions (no crying), and potato hash with scrambled eggs and cheese on the side for a late dinner. I finished Murderbot (that is, I am caught up and am waiting for the next episode). I then watched The Sandman and watched a bonus episode based on the previous season. The new season starts on Thursday and will be the last one. I am sorry the show only gets one more season, as I liked it, the acting, and the fantasy setting. I watched the first episode of season 1.

Bed follows, and the pain returns, and pain killers work until 4AM, and sleep is difficult, as I said. Thanks for reading!

I woke again with the early 5-6 a.m. sunrise and rolled over, feeling tired, and rose closer to 8 than 7. I found the office, and the coffee was made an hour before I started on Tuesday by a timer. It was still good. Yes, I am still drinking liberal, fair-trade coffee from Equal Exchange, which is sent from their warehouse in Portland, Oregon. It is as local as coffee gets here in Blue of Blue Oregon, the Greater Portland Area. Yes, every morning since Trump was elected the first time, I have liberal coffee. I can recommend the bitterness that reminds you of all that is yet to be finished in this world: Bringing forth Justice with Compassion, Love of Community, and Hope. I also point out that the coffee makes me sharper, and after seeing what Washington is producing, the world needs a little more attention to detail (besides Justice). Yikes (did anyone read that bill, 940 pages published less than 24 hours before it was voted on?)!

And I try to keep politics out of this blog, but I consistently record my thoughts and feelings. Being liberal, the context will include some light politics. I am not trying to convert anyone (though I would, if I could) or criticize their views here; instead, I am recording my thoughts and feelings from a day.

Continuing with more explanations, I did receive a quibble about why I include my “proof of hydration” in my blog. I have diabetes (controlled, and my A1C is down to 5.2), and I discovered how many people are up and down all night, like me. I share that I, too, have that problem and how happy I am to sleep, like last night, a night without rising at 2 or 4 just to “prove hydration” again. Additionally, most of Susie’s falls in the house occurred when she got out of bed to use the restroom. There were at least two bad falls that required ER trips for Susie. If I can’t sleep for but a few hours at a time, I find it makes me depressed, tired, and confused. I know it damaged Susie’s quality of life. Coffee is my drug to fight this, but sleep is much better. It is part of my life trying to control diabetes, cancer, brain tumors, and trying (praying) for sleep.

I was reviewing church materials when I received a call from the LG repair team. It was a person with a strong accent informing me that the repair person was not coming and I needed to reschedule. I had canceled my game at Richard’s for the repair. I was not happy, but the person on the phone was not there to listen to my anger; they were there to reschedule. The only day is over my other planned day for the week. Thus, Scott W and I moved our lunch to Wednesday to allow for a Thursday morning/afternoon repair. Rescheduled with a note not to cancel this one. Hmmm.

I boarded Air VW the Gray after getting showered, shaved, and all of that. I had watched some Murderbot episodes on Apple+ before this, a book series I enjoyed (though I stopped after the third book as it was getting repetitive for me), which is now a TV series. The season is just the first book, and each episode is short. It was hard to binge the show. It is less funny than the books and more cynical, but I like it. The show has created entertainment videos that are only mentioned in the book, serving as a sort of mixed-up subplot. Recommended, but an acquired taste, I think.

I parked in the hot sun as all the shaded parking on the streets of Beaverton was already filled. I walked to Breakside and found some uncooked spicy tuna in a bowl to go with a beer. The cart that supplied my lunch was in the sun, and the cook/vendor was grumpy (or melting), but my food was great. I sat inside in the AC at the bar and ate and used my laptop to work on more church items.

I stopped at the church after lunch and visited with Wendy, the church administrator, to review the samples for the refresh of the entrance way and fireside room. Sadly, none of the materials and samples were marked as the approved version. Whatever was approved was not recorded. Also, I am unsure if any of these samples were reviewed and approved. Hmmm.

I spoke with Dondrea and Pastor Ken, and there appears to be no record of what was approved. I will just find something that matches the drawings and use that. I stopped by the gaming store, learned that one of the staff I used to chat with has left the store’s employment, and bought a new board game, Ticket to Ride: London, Days of Wonder. This is a 1960s version of London with a light Ticket to Ride system. A perfectly light game, and I loved the cover featuring the original Avengers, John Lennon, and a young QE2.

At the house, I watched more Murderbot and made dinner. I defrosted a pack of skinless and boneless chicken thighs using the sun outside. I microwaved a large potato, steamed (oversteamed) some asparagus, and then used the new spices I purchased in Asheville and fried the spice-covered chicken in a pan (it was too hot to bake). I made a pan gravy from the browned bits. More Murderbot while eating my delicious dinner (except for the mushy asparagus).

Next, I headed to Office Depot and spent some money to get 11×17 full-color copies of the refreshed vision for the fireside and entrance way of the church. I find that handout work is better suited for a church group. Physical paper is reassuring to people as they age; it is more real, and they feel respected and seen when you hand them something. They might not even look at it. The printing, not cheap, is in color and will take the printer all night to produce.

With that in process, I stopped at Salt and Straw and tried their Strawberry and Pretzel Salad ice cream. It was good, with a more pronounced cheesecake flavor and a hint of pretzels. Whole bits of salted pretzels really worked. The dancing fountain was off, and everyone was in the area. My inner 12-year-old wanted to find the controls and turn the fountain back on, but I resisted and acted my age. But it would have been epic!

With regret for not causing any mischief, I was soon home via the EV and did the dishes, read the rules for the new game, and played Welcome To…, another game I just got from James, on Wednesday at the church. I was tired, too many flights and hotels over the last four weeks, and soon was in my PJs and managed to sleep the night through. My dreams were again forgotten, but I think they involved mischief as I woke happy and ready to consider some political writing.

Thanks for reading.

Aside: I am considering starting a blog with a name like BlueAlohawild.me, which will focus on politics. I find that I cannot sit idly while Trump cuts off food aid to state after-school programs (a George Bush program) and help to learn English.  More to come. I am looking at the Ghost platform for that, though WordPress (what this blog is composed with) is my current platform.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I woke with the sun and finally rose after 7. The coffee was ready. I had not been shopping, so I just had coffee this morning. I wrote the blog about my travels to get home. The memory was still fresh, and 1,300+ words were for Saturday’s story. The church service was at 11, and I was done. I dressed in a dress shirt, a Pride tie, a cold, sparkly vest, a pocket watch, and a top hat to celebrate Pride Day in Beaverton. I got out a Pride Flag, brought a Pride Celebration flag if we needed it, and boarded Air VW the Gray. It felt so much better to drive an EV than a gasoline car (sorry for you gearheads, it is sooooo smoooooth), and soon I was parking five blocks away. The police allowed the church folks to have seven parking spaces inside the park area and parking that was closed off for the party. I did not want to take one as I could walk.

I carried the flags and fit right in with the crowd. One of my suspender clips was gone, and a kind person pointed that out. I fixed it. I arrived at the church without any more wardrobe failures. I spoke to the police and identified myself as the usher for the service, and thanked the police for their help. I wanted them to know me in case something went wrong; the USA is no longer as safe as it once was at events like this. I was watchful through the service and had more coffee. The hours of travel were taking a toll on me.

Dondrea, worship leader, Pastor Ken, and our usual AV crew were in place (Michael R. and Seth, but missing Shawn). Dondrea was tired too, having been traveling for work for a week. The service was lightly attended as access to the church was limited. I wish we had better connected with the Pride crowd, but I opened the doors and talked to the vendors nearby, and that seemed to help a bit. We were still not connected to the activities, but next year we can see if we can improve this.

Pastor Ken talked about the disciples of Jesus and how they did not get what they wanted, sometimes being a jarring discovery like hitting a speedbump with too much acceleration, but instead got what was actually needed. Thomas, the Doubter, is said to have ended his life in India, where he founded the still-existing Christian movement. John, instead of being a great leader, spends his life with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and is not martyred like the rest. Paul was a prosecutor of the new Christian movement until he was forced down a different path. We often try to set the direction of our lives, but God (or the universe) takes us down a different path, like Thomas and John. We have to be ready to serve, but not on our terms.

With that done, and no issues as an usher, I left and then took twenty minutes to find the EV. I took it home, changed clothing, and ate my three-piece Popeye’s chicken with two sides. Despite my Amazon account being blocked, my cable works. I watched Poker Face’s second season and thought it quite good.

I then spent an hour upgrading my Dungeons and Dragons 2024 Sorcerer to 3rd level. This took more time than I expected. These magical characters have many moving parts, and they all start to work on the 3rd level. With ten pages of notes, I finished updating my character. I rested after that.

I picked up veggies and some bread on the way back to church. This included some watermelon radishes. I sliced them and brought them to D&D. It matched my sorcerer, who is aberrant. These looked weird when sliced long.

I arrived at Matt’s place. He and his lovely wife, Nicky, were just back from a trip to Iceland and Europe. I saw the photos on Facebook. I brought Matt coffee from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Jack, Karyn’s son, was playing in place of Scott, and he brought a paladin to play. We have a holy fighter tank. We changed tactics with the first bunch of zombies being surprisingly difficult to put down (“brains!”). With some resting, we continued on and used a combination of our rogue/assassin sneaking ahead of the loud and bright paladin in the undead-infested tomb. Yes, we used him as bait (fishing for undead), but it let the rogue/assassin act.

I would like to tell more of our adventures, but this is published material, and others are also playing Matt’s version. We managed to overcome, with a paladin, the undead and received a boon. As a trained writer (forger), I did provide documents that supported our actions and inspired our paladin to even greater glory. It was a fun night, and Jack was excited.

With the game over, I headed home and soon was resting. It will be a hot morning, and I have to use a laundry mat and call for the repairs of The Machine. I was hoping, like last time, they would call.

I slept all night again. Mostly, my dreams are forgotten, but I know we fought more undead in the tomb with Jack’s bright paladin in my dreams. Thanks for reading!

 

 

I rose without any issues and had slept once I got to sleep. I had trouble falling asleep; the first time I had that, but I was not surprised, as two of my days on the trip, a four-day trip, started at 2 am. I woke with the sunrise at 6 and was up, showering and all that by 6:30. I was repacked by 7ish and checked out of the hotel, and then enjoyed the industrial and complimentary breakfast. A dad was helping his daughter to breakfast and showed the little person how to make waffles. Then, he doused the hot waffles with syrup and even added colorful sprinkles. “Don’t tell Mom how much sugar I gave you,” I hear him say. She ate it all. I continued to write the blog for an hour. Dad was back with another sleepy little person and smiled at me as I laughed.

I finished the blog and got three cups of coffee inside me, including one I made in the room. I missed Deborah, as we always enjoyed the room’s coffee machine on all these trips. Today, just coffee for one.

Aside: Headed to Detroit and then Iceland with Deborah next week, so “don’t cry for me, Dear Readers.”

With food inside me and fueled with lots of coffee, I boarded Air Ford Bronco, bags loaded and double-checked that everything was in the bags, and soon found the tourist or shopping area in Asheville. I located the post office and the parking lot I saw on the map and parked there. It is a garage and would keep the cargo cool. I did not want to bake my bags and computer!

The area was still sleepy, as it was not yet 10. I walked and found the start of the Saturday Fair, and with the few tourists, locals, and cars, I was able to take great photos. I found a few items in my shopping. I try to find unique items as I don’t want to buy something I can see (without sales tax) in Oregon. I purchased some likely overpriced spices from a nice store, The Spice and Tea Exchange, which is actually a chain (but the manager said each location is independently owned — so really local). They had recipe cards, and I purchased the cookie mix that matched the recipe card, along with some other gifts for Christmas (I always think of the next Christmas when shopping).

I found a bookstore, Malaprop’s Bookstore, open, and discovered some unique items among their new and used books. I resisted the books as I wanted to walk more than browse today. I think I have found the perfect gift for Pastor Ken. No spoilers here!

I met a street Magician, The Amazing Akarion, whom I gave a dollar, and he then did an excellent version of a trick I had seen before. His execution was nearly perfect, and we discussed magic briefly. He is a student getting some pocket money and studying Meteorology. I told him street magic and weather forecasting were a good match. We took a picture and I sent it to him.

Things started to come alive, and I found that the art gallery was now open. I met a nice couple there and lost the card with their names on it. I should take a picture of the card when I get it–my mistake. I hope (if they are reading) they forgive me for that. The watercolors were terrific, and the oils were a mix of modern and older styles. Nice!

Gene and Glenda traveled downtown and then had trouble finding my parking garage. I saw them, hopped in, and we parked. The ladder truck and other emergency equipment were in the area as a homeless person who had taken ill was being transported. The emergency trucks cleared out as we walked to have lunch.

My first choice was full, so we tried Jerusalem Cafe, and my breakfast-for-lunch selection —a North African-style dish —was terrific. It was more than I could eat. Gene and Glenda had gyro-style wraps. I was avoiding salads as sometimes I react to them, and a flying day is not a day to take risks!

We said goodbye and promised to meet next at another funeral! I drove to the other side of Asheville and found a gas station. I managed, despite being from a full-service state and driving now an EV, to fuel the Ford. It was an independent gas station and did not appear on my digital map (corporations are obviously being paid to include gas stations on my map — f**k). I just found it. With that done, I used Nav to locate the Asheville Regional Airport, which, not surprisingly, is not in Asheville. I then drove by the entrance and found the rental car location, and then turned my Bronco in. The friendly gal decided not to charge me for the extra two hours (having racked in 50 hours). There were no printing stations with a tag and drop area, and I had to line up with everyone. My bag was checked ($35), and I found my gate after clearing security without any issues. I had loaded all my purchases (except the coffee) into my checked bag.

The gate requires you to walk outside (90F and sticky) and then return to the original terminal. They are reconstructing the airport (like most airports I use), and this crazy process is currently in use.

The rest of the trip consists of the usual waiting and charging devices, and then on planes. I’ve drained my phone’s battery. The first plane was tiny, and it was a one-hour trip to Charlotte, followed by a long walk to the next gate. I was 6 minutes before boarding when I finished the long walk (twenty minutes with a hydration stop) and walked over to buy a sandwich stuffed with sliced turkey and cheese. The plane was then delayed for fifteen minutes.

I boarded, found my window seat, and watched two movies. Snow White from Disney, which is live action (sort of with computer-generated dwarves), and there are new dance scenes and songs. It was an over-made TV version, I thought. Next, as I had more than five hours, I watched the latest animated Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. This is a dark story, and I thought it was well done. The scenes, colors, and art matched the LOTR movies, and I enjoyed it. I did eat my sandwich, one half for each movie. My tummy wanted food, and it was good to bring food on the plane.

I took a long walk, covering over 12,000 steps today, and found my bags before getting on the MAX. I took the hour+ trip back home. Corwin picked me up at the station and took me the last few miles. On the train, it was quiet until we hit Portland, and a concert was ending, and the train was packed full of happy and provocatively dressed concert goers.

One person told me to consider the Holiday Inn at PDX to park-and-go. It is cheap and easy, I was told. A person noticed my Nike biz card still in my bag. She still works for Nike, and we talked about our experiences, learning that she was in a business section I knew, and I knew the same people. She was happy to see me happily retired.

With all of that, Corwin showed me the cleaned windows. He has a new window washing, gutter, and other services biz. I am his first customer. They look better!

I was tired and just stacked the bags for later, took my meds, found my PJs, and crawled into my bed. I was soon asleep and did not wake. Though not remembered, I think my dream adventures were pleasant, and I might have met old friends and family on a few dream flights where every seat is First Class.

Thanks for reading.