Author: alohawild

Friday finished with me showering and putting on my PJs. No calming music as I had canceled the music service from Amazon when they raised the price from a steep $16.99 to $19.99, an 18% increase in one year that can only be described as corporate greed. I will miss playing music on demand, but I can put a CD in a machine for that price! I could buy machines for every room once and still be cheaper. I slept in silence and did not wake until 4ish to prove hydration. I am taking the high blood pressure (HBP) version of cold meds as I have a runny nose and cough. My lungs are clear. I took the night liquid and was able to sleep well.

Before this, I watched more Babylon 5 (B5), season one, and forgot how much I liked this show. It also does not feel dated as the issues sound like today’s problems revised into a SciFi show. Also, the special effects were cutting-edge at the time and have aged well, though I imagine there have been some digital touching-ups, and the broadcast appears to be high-fidelity. I watched two more episodes before heading to bed.

No figure work was done, as coughing and sneezing prevent accurate work with tiny paint brushes, as you can imagine, dear reader. Instead, I sat in my comfy chair with an electric blanket and rested. I could barely stay awake for B5. I staggered when I rose for the chair and found my way to the bedroom, showered, took my meds, and, as I said, was soon asleep.

Before this, with Deborah on the phone to chat, I made a nice dinner for one, though I will likely repeat this for two in a few weeks for Deborah’s visit. I steamed carrots that I sliced and peeled. I made a salad with carrot peels, pickled beats, croutons, and Italian-style dressing. The center of the meal is a 1″ thick pork chop (smaller than the massive ones at BJ’s Brewhouse but big enough). I sprinkle it with Herbs de Provence and ground sea salt. I heated a mix of olive oil and butter (to keep the smoking down) and fried it in a metal pan that could go in the oven. I got two sides showing some brown and then put it all in the oven at 350F for 8 minutes.

The carrots were done, and I had them plain, as I like carrots just as they are (although they are excellent with butter, salt, and citrus if you want to jazz them up). The pork shop’s temperature was just 170F, perfect for well-cooked, and I moved the chop to a plate. After nearly burning myself, I saw that the chop was still hot and discovered that the plate was on a hot burner (stupid of me). I made a pan sauce by heating the still-hot pan with water and cornstarch. I spooned that over the chop. Deborah rang off while I started my fine repast.

I was coughing a lot and headed to Wallgreens, a minute away, to get some HBP meds. I saw a level 2 charger there and thought I could stop at the food charts for a hot drink and let the EV charge. But someone had sprayed purple paint, making it useless; I could not read the screen with directions. The graffiti made the charger useless. I plugged it in, and it connected, but I could not start the process. The spraying likely covered the code to scan to get this one to work. F**k.

A local real estate person, Mark Larson, helped me and asked about my EV experience. I have enjoyed it so far and am not having range anxiety. I showed him how it plugged in and the trick of thrice doing unlock on the fob to unlock the cable. We exchanged cards, and thus, I included his whole name here. He was trying to help as we both tried to clean the screen to no avail. We talked to the Walgreens folks who connected us with their managers, who were unhappy and said they would connect with the corporate anti-graffiti people and the charger company to fix the issue.

I never thought of a “corporate anti-graffiti people,” it made me wonder if they come with a Paris accent, with brushes and cleaners, and say, “We will make it good again,” or instead, some nasty-looking folks dressed in dark, grim outfits and making dark promises, “We will make an end to your graffiti problems.” Wondering and my imagination going sideways, I returned home with cold meds and Mark’s card.

Before this, I was patching a wall. I stopped by Home Depot again and got a saw for drywall patching and other items. I then returned home. I parked Air VW the Gray outside while I worked in the garage, and my neighbor stopped by and was considering buying the motorbike that Corwin had left. Later, Corwin said he would drop off the keys. It is likely only a few hundred bucks, but it is something, at least. I then moved the wheeled toolboxes and got access to the large sheet of plywood I keep at the house. I balanced this on two plastic folding saw horses.

I found an old wallboard (drywall to some) and carefully measured a broken, still-cut garage wall piece. I managed to cut a replacement piece without injury or doing it twice (already a win), but the board was poorly backed. I made a hack of it with tape and joiner compound, but the wall is sealed. I suspect it will take until Christmas before the paste dries, but the wall is sealed for the first time since I moved in 1996. I managed to not make a big mess. This was a practice for the real challenge of fixing the hole where a plumber installed a drain opening for the new LG washer/dryer combination I call The Machine (currently unusable with a repair person coming on Tuesday). That will be Saturday’s adventure.

Before this, still in my PJs and robe, I disassembled the switches and ground-fault-protected (GF) plugs in the master bedroom bath. I wanted to update them (the switches are from the original 1970s) and replace the ground fault I installed twenty years ago. It was still working, but it was almond color and upside down. Unlike newer homes, I knew this one was on the light/plug panel, not on an independent power line for GF. Thus, I had to put one in the baths and the kitchen. At least the frig was on a separate line in the kitchen.

The switches went easy and were simple, one-way versions. The GF was not simple as it passed through to another plug, and I was covered in sweat by the time I correctly connected six wires and ran one off a tie in the socket. Yikes! I found my socket tester and all the sockets passed my test. The GF test also passed. All are now white, newer, and matching. The GF has a little green light, letting you know it is ready to use. Excellent.

After all of that, I took a shower. I decided on sushi locally for lunch. I thought some hot tea, soup (miso), and track sushi would be good. It was only a few minutes away and was already 1ish, meaning the place was not busy. The track was full of delicious options, but I ordered the Smoked Philly Roll, just five pieces, and then a few treats (smoked eel and a squid marinated salad). I was feeling better.

Returning to the day’s start, I rose at 7ish with a cough, and my ears were plugged. I made liberal coffee and had yet-another-pastry from Costco. I think they are too large and too many for a repurchase. I wrote, as usual, the early morning away.

I also updated balances and got more 1099s for taxes during the day. I called US Banks and learned that their website was wrong, and I have 1099s from them. They took my complaints that I should get proper info and the ability to download the 1099. I believe I have complained every year about this. I made some corrections to phone numbers and removed Susie’s name from some shared accounts. There seems to be an endless number of these updates required. I fix’em when I find’em.

And that takes us full circle; thank you for reading!

On Thursday, I woke too early; my nose was filled, and my ears were blocked (though it bothers my one working ear). I threw on my clothing. I collected the soaking wet clothing I rescued from The Machine’s floods, newly soiled clothing and towels, and detergent, and loaded it all into the cargo hold of Air VW the Gray. I stopped at the ATM first to get some cash. Next, I stopped at the Aloha Laundromat near the 185th and TV Highway crossing. It opened at 7, and there was one other customer besides me and an attendant who helped me change a $20 into quarters (some things do not change; you need quarters for laundry–pun unintentional).

I discovered this was a well-maintained place with all the machines working, and I paid for a large wash ($5.50) and then a few bucks for the dryer. I was happy that the dryers were hot and that a buck got you more than thirty minutes. I remember some rip-off places where the dryers took forever and cost $$. I did two loads. Drove home with everything in the dryer, got hangers, and returned. I folded and hung up everything.

President Trump’s news conference on the terrible plane crash was on Fox News with sound. At first, it was a recognition of shared grief for the country and those who lost people. But then it deteriorated into a political attack on the previous administrations, explanations including the obvious statement like the helicopter and plane were at the same altitude (repeated by Fox News until they realized what they were saying) when they crashed together. It was, and I will include this here because it was part of my experiences, disgraceful. But I am sure that my conservative friends can point at other politicians who do the same thing at other events. But this moment impacted me, and I included it as part of my day. Awful!

I ignored the President and Fox and wrote the blog. My lesser hearing has some helpful editing now. I don’t have to hear something. Yes, I am turning into that guy who only hears when he wants to.

Leaving behind the rest of my quarters for the attendant, a few bucks, and Fox News repeating (after cleaning it up) the President’s message, I returned to the house and put away my clean clothing. I washed my face, took my pills, had some coffee and a snack, and was back inside Air VW the Gray. Lunch today is at McMenamins Cedar Hills with Scott.

I arrived early, and Scott was waiting for me. We had Captain Neon burgers (blue cheese, bacon, and veggies) and a Hammerhead Ale. We talked about more politics than usual (we both lean left) and agreed that we have to limit our intake of chaos. We talked about travel (Scott’s wife was in France for a business trip) and our confusion about investments. Trump and Wall Street seem more random than what was expected after the election.

We agree to diversify and have fewer hands-on investments. We decided that it is too easy to be drawn into a storyline and become invested in a stock, both financially and mentally. I have friends who swear by Tesla. The investment seems more emotional to me. Instead, I have Ford (F) shares, which have lost value while paying a good dividend. But my JP Morgan preferred stock shares have been perfect (JPM-D). Both pay about 4.5% dividends (higher now on F as it loses value–not an improvement!). I stay primarily with indexed funds in my managed 401K and only the balance in my books at the end of the month.

Scott and I will meet again on Thursday (though I have a delivery now that may push that).

I returned home and noticed more cold symptoms. My nose is running non-stop. I talk to Deborah a few times as she is done with work (a three-hour time difference) and head to Home Depot. I tour the store with a cart with sides to hold your sheets of construction material. I have two two-by-two wall boards that look punny on the cart. I had various tools and materials for patching walls. I also got some plates, plugs, and switches in all white. I plan to update the bathroom and bedroom plugs and switches. I also gather bug and ant spray. The pests are back, and I am unhappy with my ant people. I will replace them later.

I stop at the strip mall and plug in the EV for a 100% charge. This is a pay network for me, and after $14+, I have a full charge after forty-five minutes, going from 45 to 100%. I see another EV, and the gal gives me a dirty look for using the fast chargers. Folks are always in a rush, so I try not to look smug while I sit in my car. Later, still angry, she gets a fast charge station when another driver finishes, and she still looks like it was my fault that she was waiting. I talked to another driver, who said the issue with EVs is that all the fast chargers are always full of cars, and you must wait. He said you can’t get a charge on the coast, and thus, he can’t drive there. That is a fascinating observation; too many EVs in the area now. How unexpected. It does not match my observation, but there is more to follow.

Mom Wild was having a bad day and thought my sister committed maleficence with Mom’s assets, which I know is a sign of confusion. It is not true. I spend much of the charging time talking her down and telling her that she is fine and her expenses are covered. I have repeated the conversations I and other folks have had with Barb. She sees something she does not like and then spirals into patterns from ten years ago. I reassured her, and she finally returned to calm and reasonable behavior. Later, she called Linda, and they were OK now.

With Mom Wild (Barb) calm and Linda sending a happy text, I called Deborah back, and we chatted for a while. We talked about her trip, which is now just weeks away. We had a nice talk. Soon, I will be on the road again.

All these Air VW the Gray deliveries are to my house. I set up the saw horses and placed the items there for Friday. I look at the challenges and think I can do this. I dust off and head back to the EV.

I arrived at Z’s school, which was near her home. I brought flowers from Home Depot, and we enjoyed the middle school play version of Treasure Island. Z steals the show as Long John Silvers on Z’s crutch and one leg folded back. Unlike some other kids, Z’s mic is taped properly to Z’s face and picks up Z’s clear voicing. It was a fun play with some singing led by Z (“Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest” and so on).

I only had time for some snacks before the play, and for a second snack, I had more cheese and crackers. Time disappeared, and soon, I was late getting to bed. I did not manage any painting. Busy. Busy.

Thanks for reading.

I have found that my life these last six months has been full of discoveries, both fantastic (Deborah, the holiday trip, and my health) and harsh (Volvo’s flooding, broken laundry, and the tax consequences of my buy-out). Today, the Machine, my LG combo washer and dryer, was running the water to rinse through the softener tray, down the front, and onto the floor. Now, it has a repair order. It arrived in May 2024 and is still under warranty. Despite buying the extra coverage at Best Buy, I still call LG on their 1-800 number. I ran various tests, removed the eZDispenser, dumped everything inside, and cleaned it. This changed nothing, except I could tell the folks on the phone that I had performed that ritual and know that the device was undamaged. Later, the repair people moved my appointment from Thursday to Tuesday next week. This means that I plan to visit the laundromat (a word I had to learn to spell) and catch up on my laundry (which is much soaked and dripping) on Thursday morning.

I rose around 7:30 and found the coffee and a pastry from Costco. The liberal coffee got me started, and I began writing the blog. I spent the morning writing, tried to run to use The Machine again, and managed to soak two more towels as I cleaned up the water. I continued to write and looked at options for The Machine. Deborah was free for a call, and we talked about fix-it videos. I found only notes on reducing pressure on the machine. I turned down the water, and it still poured water all over, just slower. I called the warranty call center, and after some back and forth, it was agreed to have a service call.

I did not return to the 4077 figures, but I did spray on prime for more Pandemic figures for the board games with the same name and painted their bases gray. There are about thirty figures, all modern, slightly SciFi looking from a Kickstarter. These are 28mm figures and not the heroic scale we see now, 32mm (the M.A.S.H. figures are 32mm). We gamers mostly mix and match them, ignoring the slight size difference. I plan to paint them and make them options for the board game Pandemic. They come with plastic-colored rings to match the game.

Deborah was free, and we watched Silo on Apple TV+ via Zoom meeting. We both have a license, too, meaning there is nothing wrong with us sharing. It was fun to see each other; we mostly called and texted and watched two more episodes of season 2. The bad guy is the IT director and now the mayor, which I like. There is also some code-breaking in the storyline with the encoded text that appears to be using an Ultra-like device.

For dinner, I had a can of chili with cheese and crackers while watching Silo with Deborah. Next, after wishing Deborah a good evening, I headed to the movie theater. The Met Opera in NYC broadcast was at the theater tonight at 6:30. This is a repeat from the weekend for Aida. Air VW the Gray got me there early. It was lightly attended, though online seats were mostly filled. I heard someone ask for a refund for a group of people who were sick. I suspect COVID-19 or flu has hit some retirement facilities, which explains the empty seats.

The opera was excellent, with impressive singing. I did not know that the Met had not performed Aida for years; this was a new production. It was outstanding, with a mix of high-tech wall displays, costumes that fit the theme but also looked fresh, and a moving stage. While it had a sad ending (I cried), it was fun to see new staging with a group of ‘archeologists’ doing the parade with their ‘findings’ for the march instead of the usual animals and military parade. There was even one ‘archeologist’ with a clipboard checking all the items off a list. And popcorn with opera and a comfortable seat makes it great. This also included some modern dance that was wonderful and mysterious at the same time. Recommended just for the parade alone, you can likely rent it for viewing for a few bucks at the Met website.

I returned home and read for a while. I took a shower and got in my PJs. I put on clean ones and added the PJs to things to take to the laundromat on Thursday morning. I plan to do early morning laundry as there should be only a few machines in use on Thursday morning—they open at 7. I plan to just throw on some clothing and get ‘r done.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

As I drank liberal, fair-trade coffee, I read the news, updated my accounts in Quicken, and read emails. The news was grim for us liberals, and the dark news deeply affected many people I love. As usual, the far right identifies single outliers as reasons for mass punishment. Chaos is now considered better than having a plan. This is not my style of change.

But there is also Hope in my cup—not just the bitterness of unfinished work—that we, even the extreme right, may learn and improve from the chaos. I have already learned more about the US Constitution, including this little thought here this year (recommended reading). And one wonders why יציאת מצרים (Exodus) 22:21 is not remembered more often.

כא  כָּל-אַלְמָנָה וְיָתוֹם, לֹא תְעַנּוּן. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.

It is hard not to become disenchanted with my fellow Americans, but in the end, we are all in this together.

I rose early and walked out to write the blog, having not written it the night before. I restarted The Machine to finish the Tub Clean. While writing the blog, I noticed the water draining well, as I could hear it. I made coffee.

I was sitting in a puddle. My slippers kept my feet dry. I stopped the LG washer/dryer combinations. I grabbed some towels and cleaned up about a gallon of water on the floor. I restarted the Machine while enjoying LG chatbots that suggested various procedures to clean various likely clogged locations.

The Machine pours water out through the detergent and softener door! I halt the process. Apparently, there is an issue, but another test run later, short wash, has no problems. There is a blockage when soap is required and water has poured out. There is a cleaning process for that. I will look up the process and perform it later. Ugh!

I could not complete the blog with all the events and rushed in the morning. I was ten minutes late at Richard’s house in Air VW the Gray in light Tuesday morning rush hour traffic, another forty-minute trip. When I arrived, Richard and James were still assembling the board game, Mansion of Madness, 2nd Edition. James had acquired a used add-on for the game that duplicated some existing parts, and he and Richard were compiling the game to a usable version. Also, Richard and James put all the cards for their games in plastic transparent sleeves, and all the new items needed these protections.

I played a new character from the new material that closely matched my previous one, with slightly different options that might be more helpful. But, as often happens, the scenario we played never enabled me to use my new powers. This storyline was more Hollywood than Lovecraft, with a haunted evil house motif that was first, from what I remember, done by Vincent Price in The House on Haunted Hill, but with ‘real’ evil forces like the Thir13en Ghosts (2001). I enjoyed the play and thought of Mr. Price and other Hammer Films as we continued discovering new things about the haunted house. Richard’s character went insane and failed to win, as the game required additional insane random goals for individual characters that he could not achieve. James and I did win, and we ended the threat.

I headed home, and EV had me home soon with little risk. I did see some fantastic lane changes on the inbound and outbound trips to Portland; one lane change was almost synchronized into the same space with speeding cars (very unusual in the Greater Portland area). Somehow, the drivers missed scratching their vehicle’s paint. I avoided some hot yellow lights but saw many folks getting the most out of a yellow light.

At home, I ran a trial run of The Machine, which did not leak (it would later). I watched more Classic Doctor Who and was surprised at how awful it was. I was curious about how the story worked and ended. Not recommended. I finished some baked beans for a snack. I also reheated the last eggplant bake I made Italian-style the previous month. It reheated well and was good.  Deborah and I chatted once she left work.

Corwin contacted me and suggested plans. He arrived around 5, and we headed to The Golden Valley Brewery, which offers upscale food and prices to match. I wanted to check out their offering for dinner for Deborah and me on 14 Feb. I had the sausages, with Corwin going for the pork schnitzel, and I sent Deborah a photo of the menu for their St. Valentine’s Day. While prices are high, their beef is shipped in from excellent ranches in Eastern Oregon. One of the managers asked Corwin to provide input on his meal; they were curious about what they got right and what was less correct. Corwin (and I had the same sides), and I thought the red cabbage needed more flavor and the potato salad would be better if a hot version was used. The pork was excellent, and the considerable portion size filled him up. We followed this by sharing a key lime cheesecake, a favorite I used to make. The bill, covered by me, was more than three people at another place, but all the food and drinks were perfect. I look forward, as does Deborah, to dinner there on St. Valentine’s Day. Reservations are in place, and TripIt has been updated.

We returned to the house, and Corwin pulled down a board game for me, Wonderland Wars. This is a push-your-luck, resource management, dudes-on-a-board, and worker placement game. It is unusual to fit all this into one game, and the game has some strong process controls and comes with flow charts (see Doctor Who comment on flowcharts here). It also has a mass of figures from Alice and Wonderland (not Disney’s look, but Pacific Northwest’s Manny Trembley) that I need to paint (I have the deluxe version).

I read and watched more Doctor Who and talked to Deborah late in her time. We like to say good night. I then painted figures until late. I am making progress on the 4077 figures (Deborah pointed out that Grammarly and I missed the article, the, in the previous blog, meaning Grammarly context is that I am painting 4,077 figures and not the M.A.S.H. context).

I read more after showering and getting on my PJs. I was wondering about laundry, but instead, I read. I set my alarm for 3:30 to wish Deborah a ‘good morning’ in her morning in Michigan, but my hearing missed the noise, and I woke at 6ish. Hmm.

Thanks for reading.

I typically sleep in on Mondays and start slower. I rose after eight and missed the sunrise. I made liberal coffee and tried not to read too much news. There are rumors of immigration raids in Oregon, but the local press says they have not started here (KOIN 6). The impact on people and programs now that Trump has ordered the halt of payments for programs will be profound. I spent the morning writing the blog and later writing some replies to the blog and other church-related communications. Dondrea and Deborah were already telling me stories of people they knew impacted by Trump’s policies, real stories, not rumors.

I spent many years as a corporate warrior and know these disruptor people and their chaos. It was why people leave companies, how billions of dollars were spent with little to show, how careers were made and destroyed, and how change was done just for change. Towards the end of my corporate years, I could find old presentations that just needed to be updated to the newest art, and a few words were changed. Database to AI, business intelligence to embedded logic, hardware to cloud, and coding to development–just a few examples.

Returning to the narrative, I wrote and tried to cover a lot of Sunday. I was more selective than usual, as I said in that blog. I finished the blog late in the morning and started on sheets that I purchased for the guest room. The Machine managed to tie the sheets into a ball; some never dried, and I hung them up on chairs and doors to air dry. Later, I got a code that a sensor failed in The Machine. I rebooted it.

The Machine leaked this morning, Tuesday, causing me to have an extensive cleanup. I am not sure what to think. That is one of the reasons the blog is late.

With the blog done, I moved to the spare bedroom, found old towels, sheets, and blankets used in Susie’s last year, and packed that all (except for a few quilts I had before Susie’s decline) for Goodwill. I also found some more Peanuts Christmas displays we had not used for years. I consolidated them with items I saw in the garage. All this went to Goodwill, but the grief was not easy.

I took Air VW the Gray to Target on the other side of Beaverton, but there, I found all the fast charging stations were in use. I plugged in a cable with a slower charge. I headed to Swagot for lunch. I had their lovely tray lunch. The buffet has gone away for COVID-19 and has not returned–instead, you get a tray. The food was excellent and had a slight kick. I was their last guest for lunch. I arrived thirty minutes before they closed for a few hours before the dinner menu was offered.

I returned to the EV and could not get the plug to release. I called the 1-800 number and, after a few steps in the call tree, reached a person with a strong accent on a poor phone line. Listening carefully, I learned to press my unlock button thrice on the Air VW the Gray’s fob. And the cable was released. I saw this in the instructions now on the app (it was graphic with a fob and three arrows, but I had no context for what it meant).

I connected the EV once I changed parking to the available station and charged it to 80% battery life in fifteen minutes. This fast charge process takes 10% of the time of the slower process. I would have preferred 100%, but somehow, I set it back to the standard of 80% between charges.

I wrote a letter to President Trump and found an old pre-stamped envelope and additional stamps that allowed me to raise the postal rate. I figure the extra stamps will make someone at least open it. The letter covered the Paris Accords (Trump again removed the USA from this important climate agreement), quoting from my 2017 letter on the same subject, and complained about Trump’s attempt to redefine the 14th Amendment because he hasn’t the votes to overturn it. This reconstruction amendment is often called unfair to states and ‘unclear.’ The 1868 reconstruction-era changes are precise, and they were meant to curtail states and set the federal courts and laws above states. I put that letter out in the mailbox.

I stopped by Costco. I found more Liquid IV drinks powder. I also picked up a few items, including a case of shelf-stable milk for the church’s kids’ backpacks program and some protein bars. Next, I did not know that the baked goods, which I thought were good sizes when I picked them out, were bought in sets of two. Oops. I checked out and then walked to the bakery to get another set. Hmmm. I also got some tulips that bulbs

I had snacks for dinner as lunch was so late and heavy. I watched more Classic Doctor Who, with one episode recalling the racism of the British Empire books like Sax Rohmer. The episode had a warning that it would offend people, and it featured a British actor in poor makeup as an evil Fu Manchu-like character. It also included the willing sacrifice of a minion. It was a Jack-the-ripper, alien invasion, and Fu Manchu mash-up with The Doctor. It was just awful.

I returned to reading Agatha Christie’s letters on her travels in the 1920s, which gave a first-hand account of the communist takeover of part of South Africa, something I had not heard about. The raising of a Soviet group openly declared and crushed by police was not something I had ever read about. She also wrote that she held back her letters until later to avoid running them through censors, which surprised me. I did not know censorship was so strong.

I painted figures until after 11 and got 4077 figures more finished. I finally went to bed with the Washer/Dryer LG running a cleaning cycle. This would be the flood I would find in the morning. Ugh.

I slept through the storm from the flood. I found it in the morning.

Thanks for reading.