Author: alohawild

I managed to start my Sunday feeling OK, but my nose was running, and I sneezed often. It felt like Spring-Summer in Oregon without the rain, which gets the pollen out of the air. With this many pine trees, the rain helps! But no rain for days and warm days, my eyes are burning, and my tissue use is way up. I am starting to place tissue boxes all over the house. More will be needed!

Sunday means church, and I fill in as an usher when I am there. Though I am not traveling as much as last year, I am out about one out of four Sundays and often miss two or three in a row. I rise around 7 and start writing the blog, having to make coffee as I push through a story of a busy Saturday. I text and talk to Deborah as I get going. We always enjoy starting or ending one of our days together.

The coughing and sneezing were worse, and I considered passing on church and resting, but decided to push on. I surprised myself by finishing the 1000+ word blog without mangling too many of my words with Grammarly. We have found a way to stop breaking each other’s updates. I assume that I am writing more complete and correct sentences, and the coders and data scientists at Grammarly have analyzed all the flow data and updated their product. It seems better. The constent offers to incorrectly update a whole paragraph that simplifies the meaning and drops the style and skill are gone. Or I have been beaten into submission and now writing differently…I suspect they improved.

My memory of the church service was a blur as I ushered. I was busy helping here and there and whispering to some folks in the back as the service went on. I tried to stand in the back with the doors open so I could see the hallways and the entranceway. I watched folks who got up in the service, always looking for an emergency. Often, an emergency starts with someone getting up in the service.

Michael R delivered the sermon. His delivery shows that he is still more comfortable with the written word than presenting, something I understand. It isn’t easy for some of us. From what I can distill from what I saw when I was not ushering, his message was that the church is a family, and we won’t leave you alone. We Methodists will ensure you are well and safe, like a friendly but slightly annoying relative. Michael R suggests we are never invisible or unseen. It is the same way he imagines with God. God cares for us, and will always be there, even when it is annoying.

In joys and concerns, I mentioned that I was now a year from brain surgery  (May 20, 2024) and was happy to be here  (and not having a memorial a year after my passing!) and asked for prayers for those facing grief, cancer, or major medical issues (like brain tumors). Happy to be here!

Jack was handling locking up, which allowed me to head out and go home. The sneezing and coughing were worse. Also, details best not be shared; my colon decided to empty over and over. I was grounded and had one moment that required a shower but not a clean-up. Nothing like that with coughing and sneezing to convince you it might be the flu. I stopped.

I did get my 3D printing off the printer, but I broke the star I printed because it was more fragile than the supports. Ugh! I put it aside after washing it. I can easily assemble it from the pieces, as the pieces are large. It is not a delamination where layers separate. I will have to be more careful with huge hollow prints in the future.

I fried a grilled cheese sandwich in butter. I had made the bread the day before. Once the bread started to brown, I added some water to the pan. This hot steam heated the sandwich through and melted the cheese. I then flipped it a few times to dry out any bread that might have gotten wet. I cut it with two cuts across, creating four mini-sandwiches. I had some of my homemade frig pickles with it.

I spent the day watching TV, not my usual Sunday, and ordered Chinese-style food from Happy Panda. I finished the second season of Severance. I can’t share much–no spoilers, but I liked the ending and some interesting conclusions to questions the show brought to the viewer’s mind that were finally answered. Watching two seasons of twelve episodes is a long haul, but it is recommended.

I next tried a movie. The NYT recommended ten movies that folks missed, and I selected Black Bag from the list. It started with a messy dinner party of people arguing, and one even stabbed, but soon, the movie became a British spy movie set in the present day. I enjoy spy movies and books, and this one did not disappoint. While a terrible start, it is worth pushing through—excellent. Available on Peacock.

I was not getting worse, and my colon settled back to near normal. I went to bed normally, but early, leaving the laundry not put away for another day, dishes undone, and a few other messes still in place. I put away lots of leftover delivered food in the fridge. It is unlikely house elves will help clean up, but there is hope.

I read more of Tom Mead’s book. I rose a few times to take my inhaler and some painkillers. That helped me settle down, and soon, I was again on my dream bus, going to forgotten locations with a friendly driver. I think there were spies and Severance stuff. It all fades now.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today was a techy day, and I spent much of it reading to refresh my memory of statistics (college Introduction to Stats for Math Majors was long ago; I did it as a summer class for an intense month or so). It was still fun that I could remember some of the words and terms from 1984! This was before computers overtook the field, and I had to learn the old-school approach. My data science text covers much, but sadly breezes through some of it, as it is not needed for today’s data scientist or for building data sets to load into Artificial Intelligence models. Much of the stats work I learned back in the 80s is now obscure and unnecessary–computer-based options are better. Much like the skills to do the bead test in geology, and bending and making pipettes from glass tubes for chemistry. We have safer, easier, and better options now. Still, it is good to refresh these concepts in my mind.

My print for a plate failed in my new printer, and I had a mess to deal with. The failure also likely poisoned the resin (i.e., bits of hardened resin floating in it now that will ruin a detailed print, like a Dungeons and Dragons 28mm figure). I was not sure why this started.

I wrote the blog in the morning, enjoying a truncated pot of coffee started by the timer at 7. I had woken with sunrise, rolled over, and finally rose. My dreams were forgotten, but I remembered them again on Sunday morning. I was on a bus, and a pleasant driver told me I could nap until we reached my stop–she would wake me–this was my second time on the bus. I was becoming a regular. It was driving through a mix of Portland and NYC. My stop was after 82nd (where Zabar’s is) and the Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, combined in dream logic. It was a friendly trip and a pleasant dream as we traveled through the dreamy Portland-NYC with me sleeping and waking in my dream at different stops. I also thought of statistics, AI, and bagels as I traveled in the dream. I must have reached my stop as I woke with the sunrise.

With the blog done, Mom Wild’s next postcard in the mail, and showered, shaved, and dressed, I returned to 3D printing. I took the failed print, reloaded the STL file, spun it, and supported it. I then downloaded this to a USB stick and carried it to the printer. I put on a mask and gloves. I checked the resin, which seemed OK, and started the print. There was no pause to heat the tank, it was cold at 18°C. F**k. The heater is not on! I abandon the print. I return to the printing software and rebuild the print this time with three smaller prints without support or anything. This should pool in the tank and fail if that problem persists. It is only eighteen minutes to print.

I watch the second half of a Severance episode while I wait. It works, and I pried the prints from the printing plate without accident, washed them, and cured them. I painted them with black primer; they reacted to the sunlight. These photo-reactive resin-based printings need UV protection. I do this usually with a coat of primer. I could see on the prints some flakes of hardened resin; the resin is poisoned. I must run it through the funnel with the screen to get that fixed. I also have another recently purchased bottle of 1000g of grey alcohol cleaning resin. I can start over if it becomes an issue.

With the prints done, I realized it was after 2, and I had only coffee and some pound cake to eat. I took Air VW the Gray to Carl’s Jr., committed a dietary sin, and had a fantastic Western Burger with bacon, fries, and a Diet Coke. It was wonderful. I ate it in the car in the parking lot, enjoying the sunny day and listening to Oregon Public Broadcasting (I had to get my OPB in before the cuts hit on October 1st).

I returned home and talked to Deborah and Dondrea. Dondrea was working in her garden but was looking for an atomic star for her retro pink Christmas tree in her basement. I found examples, but nothing that fit the bill. After Dondrea rang off, I found a tree topper that I could print about 90% size on my printer. Resin printers are for small, precise items. I put in supports, got most of it to fit, and started a ten-hour print, validating that the resin heater is enabled.

I have felt that I need to get back to Python and AI for the last couple of months, and this weekend has little in it, so I grabbed my textbook and headed to Wildwood to read. I saw JR and gave him one of the Enigma plates I made. I then read the whole chapter on types of distribution and how to validate them.

I mostly sat outside, once talking to Deborah as she went to bed early, and reading. When it was dark and after getting Curry Chicken from the local food joint, it was almost too spicy for me to eat. I did not finish the rice as that is not good for me (my diabetes may be controlled, but rice still hits me too hard). Naan wrapped the hot and spicy chicken bits for me.

Somewhere on Saturday, I loaded the breadmaker with ingredients for French bread. The final product was a bit dense. I think I will have to look for faster yeast. I also used bread flour, and maybe plain flour would be better. I have more to learn. The bread has a good flavor, and now I can make a sandwich!

I watched more Severance until midnight, put on my PJs, remade the bed (I washed the sheets after stripping the bed and got the other sheets out—I change them every week), and soon fell asleep. In my dreams, I got on the bus and toured all night. I woke to prove hydration and was then back on the bus with a smile from the bus driver.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

I rose with the sunrise. My old boss suggested I get curtains to let me sleep in the summer. The sunrise gets pretty early in mid-summer, but I like to wake with the morning, no matter the time.

I had no plans, but Kathleen suggested we do a movie together on Friday afternoon. Details would follow if that were to happen. I grabbed the laundry and got it into The Machine, but I did not strip the bed. It was a sunny but cool morning, and I thought about heading to Portland for lunch. Breakfast was a slightly aging croissant that I had purchased from La Provence. I spoke to Deborah and received a few texts from her in the morning. We like to start and end our days together.

I wrote the blog and decided not to touch the 3D printer, as my throat was still sore from the fumes. It was likely dried out by exposure to the evaporating industrial alcohol that I use to clean the prints (99% pure). I decided a break was good. I was also running low on resin; another shipment was due on Saturday. This order is filled from Amazon.com, with no shipping or membership costs. It was interesting that shipping is not charged when you turn down the membership and then accept two-day shipping. Who knew it was free anyway? The resin maker charges ten dollars for shipping on its USA website and has a more complex return process.

With the blog published, I showered, dressed, and boarded Air VW the Gray (at 52% charge) and headed into the parking lot-like traveling to Portland from Aloha via Beaverton. Twice, I got horns as I went to change lanes. The car warning system, and I did not see the other vehicle in my driver’s side back-panel area. I need to adjust the mirror, and I will turn my head further. A blind spot for me and the VW! This did not happen in LA or on my travels from Beaverton to LA and back.

I arrived safely in the parking garage in The Pearl in Portland. I skipped the EV charge station and took a regular space. I do not know if it was a free charge; next time, I will check.

I found Deshutes Public House a perfect place for lunch. I had the special, pulled Hawaiian-style pork, rice, soup, macaroni salad, and a summer Kölsch beer. The folks were friendly and I read my book, Tom Mead’s Magician Detective, Cabaret Macabre, set in the UK in the late 1930s. I enjoy these as I have often imagined another me, in another life, doing stage magic and not computer stuff. There is a lot in common with training an AI model and getting a rabbit out of a hat. No, really!

I had dessert, and it was almost too heavy to eat. The coffee I had with it helped, but I am cutting down my coffee use (use seems a more correct word than consumption, I think). I need to get down to three cups a day or less. I made a 1/2 pot today.

I was walking to Powell’s City of Books when Kathleen connected with me by text, and soon we negotiated a meeting at her house, with enough time for me to get a floor or two of Powell’s. I was interested in more postcards for Mom Wild and maybe something for Deborah. I found both on 1 and 1/2 floors and was soon back in the EV, trying to cross Portland to Milwaukee (Oregon). I arrived at Kathleen’s and we headed to the theater.

We did Lilo and Stitch, the live-action remake. It was funny and poignant—all the things an excellent Disney movie should be. I laughed and cried. I thought Disney had found its groove with this one. Recommended.

Next, we had industrial-Italian-style food at Olive Garden. Other choices were further away, and we did not want to enjoy Portland traffic again. I love the salad. We stayed with non-alcoholic drinks and talked about movies, gaming, travel, and house items. We both liked our meals, and they were perfect for Olive Garden’s skill level.

As I backtracked my path, I managed to get Kathleen and me home without incident. I arrived home in the EV as the sun was setting. Next, I watched more Apple+ Severance and then went to bed. I read for a while and nodded off. I could sleep the night, only waking once to prove hydration despite the endless iced teas I had at Olive Garden.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

No coffee or breakfast for my start at 7:30 as I quickly read emails, doom scrolled the latest disappointing news from Washington, and the atrocities in Gaza, wrote a postcard to Mom Wild (which missed the mail and I later drove to the post office), and did not start the blog. I instead hopped in the shower, shaved, dressed, and popped into Air VW the Gray and headed to Beaverton. I had my three-month check with my regular doc.

Thursday traffic is disappointing, as the streets are flooded with people going to work. This Thursday was the same. I arrived near the Cedar Hills Mall, where the office is. It is part of the same complex with its own small parking garage. I was only a few minutes early.

I checked in and we learned that my credit card had not gone through. It was a number that the software used and might need to be replaced. I lost the cards a few times and still am finding these things. Oddly, the website said it was approved, so I thought all was good. Hmmm. We got the $20 co-pay covered, and I waited only a moment before I was called.

My doctor was happy to see my A1C at 5.2, blood pressure measured low in the office (no ‘white coat’ misreads), and labs showing nothing concerning. My weight, while not going down, was stable at 234 pounds, showing that the change was likely to stay. We discussed my adventure with the EMT, and Doc agrees that I show no signs of stroke after a short exam. We decided that it is just a flare-up of impacts on my brain surgery on the facial nerves. It is already fading. My doctor was surprised that I was not searching for diabetes and weight-loss drugs–it is popular with his patients. We agreed that we would pick that discussion up at our next meeting if I still cannot lose more weight. Slow and easy is best. We left all my meds unchanged, as it was nice to have everything look normal; no need to experiment with removing the meds. The next appointment is six months out. Doc was excited, almost cheering, that we got here after everything, and happy to put off the next check-in in six months, not three.

Next, La Provance is nearby, and I grabbed a table. For breakfast, I had a corned beef hash and croissant, and I ordered croissants to go (I ate one while writing this on Friday). I read, relaxed, and was happy with where my health has reached. My activity level needs to increase, but many of my favorite hobbies involve sitting. But I will try, back to the house in the EV.

I returned to writing the blog and printing items on my 3D printer. I found WW1 gaming models for ships in the Battle of Jutland (1916). I have metal cast ships from Figurehead scale 1/6000. These were printed, all the German Battle Cruisers, in thirty minutes. I popped them off (not easy) from the printing plate, washed, and cured them in minutes. These models are 1/5000 and about 10% larger than what I use. I can print these, make cards to attach (they’re easier to use when connected to a card with the county flag and name on the back), and have them cover the ships I don’t have. It is about $500 for the metal versions of all the ships. This is a good option. I prefer 1/6000 as they are easier to store, and the surfaces for play are not the size of rooms. A table will work, and hexes can control movement instead of movement sticks (used for 1/1200 room-sized play of Jutland, which you see in colleges and gaming conventions). I was happy that I could print the models and use them.

I left the printer idle for 1/2 the day. I admit that I did nothing interesting for most of the afternoon. I found an Enigma plate STL file, the name plate for the famous encoding machines from WW2, to print, and wanting to try some large, I expanded its size to the printer bed. Alas, it puddled on the tank’s film and jammed the printer. It was jumping and banging until the stuck down print broke, leaving 1/2 on the bottom of the tank and the rest on the plate. I did not know this at the time, but I thought it was bizarre behavior.

I opened a can of chili for an early dinner and late lunch at 5ish. I watched the Apple+ movie Greyhound again. This is Tom Hanks as the captain of a destroyer in the Battle of the Atlantic and is not stop action. The story is from C.S. Forrester, one of my favorite naval writers. This one is excellent if you want to see an excellent WW2 movie. Though it is a bit unbalanced and could include more on the U-Boat side, it is still fun and gives you a feeling of what it was like to be an American crew on combat patrol in the Battle of the Atlantic.

I discovered the print mess. I had to use a rubber mallet and scraper to get the print off the plate. Despite this, I also pried the puddled letter ‘Enigma’ off the tank film with my gloved hands. I got the toxic resin on my sweater (it washes out). Overall, it was an unpleasant experience. I learned I still have a puddling issue and must tilt print and add supports to avoid repeated flat layers. We will see if this happens again. If this were a filament printer, this print would have been fine as it was set up.

I cut my hand on the printer. I had missed once with the scrapper, caught the bed, and raised a small sharp ridge on the edge. It cut through my gloves and into my hand. Yikes! I will use a metal file to remove the flaw in the future. Eek!

There were no treats in the house. I checked the Cake Bible and am not ready to make complex cakes. I am missing some ingredients and was looking for something simple to fit in a loaf or bundt pan. Yes, another pound cake (a 1/2 recipe and about a pound finished) was soon in the oven. It was excellent. I then did the dishes and enjoyed my cake, two small slices.

After that, I read more of Tom Mead’s book and fell asleep. It was a dream-filled night, and I woke at four with a sore throat. Likely, I was overexposed to the alcohol I used to clean everything. I got some painkillers, and soon the issues faded, and I fell back into a restless sleep after proving hydration. The bad dreams, my usual ones, were about losing control and driving somewhere lost. This time, not in the Volvo but some strange mix of my EV and late Volvo. Nobody would go with me when I left to return home, and I ended up lost and alone, wandering in exotic locations, trying not to crash the EV, trying to get turned around and back on track to go home. I knew it was hopeless, but I must try. I had to keep a small pet healthy at the same time. I woke as I managed to halt the travels. My usual nightmare.

Often, at least for me, life is a voyage I did not pick; I cannot control the flow of the journey, and all I can do is hold on and try to control my reaction, often called finding grace. The dream echoes my hardest travels. I saw the cancer, death, brain tumor, layoffs, and even the loss of my favorite Volvo in the dream.  It ain’t easy and the dream represents my mind saying, F**k!

Pound cake helps!

Waking at 4, 5, 6, and finally rising at 7 (the dream picking back up each time, though slightly changed), Friday started. I needed coffee, lots.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finished the night with a movie at 7 with medium no-butter salted popcorn. Sinners is set in the 1920s-30s in the American Old South, with African Americans setting up their own dance hall in an old mill. The story initially moved slowly as the brothers collected band members, purchased the mill, and hired the locals for help. The viewer learns that the community was steeped in violence from the repression, but also that the folks love (and hate) fiercely. It is an R-rated film, primarily for violence.

In the movie, everything was going well, despite the hint at the film’s start that some evil would rise. The music is terrific blues. We see vampires. Yes, an Irish lead vampire. The music grows, and more story-building items are completed (love and dance scenes are incredible). At one moment, a macabre dance mixed with Irish River dancing made me laugh despite the horror.

But I have limited the spoilers. Sinners (2025) is recommended if you don’t mind vampires mixed in a fantasy of the 1920s-30s American Old South. The music and dances are fantastical.

Air VW the Gray had me home by 10:30, and I was soon reading. I moved from Elric to Tom Mead’s book, the second in a series about a retired magician in the late 1930s who occasionally helps the police with impossible murders. Despite his age, his mind is still sharp, and his dexterity is excellent. I read until I started to fall asleep, and soon turned off the light and slept. I woke twice to prove hydration.

Returning to the day’s start, I rose with nothing on my calendar and wrote the blog all morning. I also arranged for a statue of Alan Turing to be printed on the printer. This is a few inches with the full-sized one in the UK. The print file is not protected, but I do not know about the statue’s image, Turing sitting on a bench holding an apple, being in the public domain. But as my print is for personal use, I should be in line with acceptable use.

I set it to have massive supports, and I would later have to free the print (though I did that after the movie–it flows better here for storytelling) from this mass. Not an easy task. I have learned to wash the model before removing the supports. I also wore eye protection as the glasses are bifocals that help me, and the bits of the supports flew everywhere. But, I washed them, which seemed to harden them and made them easier to remove. The model broke on a thin part of a bench leg. I used jeweler’s cement to repair the leg, and another piece I broke when I pushed the model to learn its limits after curing–now brittle but hard, sort of stone-like. I then used sharp, pointed tweezers to remove the bit still stuck here and there. The print was then cured and left to dry overnight.

That evening, I ordered another tank for the resin model washing station, as I need to have two: one for alcohol and one for water. There are two types of resin, and water can be used to clean one. I also ordered a gallon of 99% alcohol.

Returning to the morning, I wrote the blog and published it. As I said, I returned to Tom Mead’s books and read them on my Kindle. I only buy physical books on history and science. I headed to Cornelius Pass Roadhouse for a sandwich with soup and a few beers. This, too, is a McMenamins, but today I had a Purple Haze to drink.

I pulled the models off the printer, the Effil Tower and the Carter figure, cleaned them, and removed the supports. I noticed, after I crushed them, that the Effil tower had the finest guard rails. I did not know we could print that small. Excellent! I cured them in my new cure station. Next, I painted the tower black and Carter white. I then went over Carter again and removed any leftover marks on the Dungeons and Dragons-sized (28mm or 1/56 scale) figure. I will paint it soon.

I watched more cable and made dinner. I found some salmon patties, microwaved some potatoes, cooked asparagus in a fry pan with butter and some sea salt, and fried the patties in butter and a tiny hint of salt. It was excellent.

The day was a blur of writing, 3D printing, and an excellent Blues and vampire movie. Thanks for reading the messy and late blog.

Cardinal de Richelieu Rose (Old Rose, 1847)

Souvenir du Président Lincoln (It really glows pink. Bourbon Rose, 1865).