Author: alohawild

One of the ideas I had for May, besides staying local for the whole month and teaching Sunday School every Sunday (there are five), was to play tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) at local gaming stores. Rune & Board had opened a new store location in Beaverton. I asked about games there, and the owner is interested in my starting a ShadowDark game, but I thought it best to start by playing there in an existing game. I signed up for D&D on Friday night on their website ($10 fee for Adventurers League, room, and DM). I will try the place out and become more familiar with the players and the staff.

Let’s return the narrative to the start of the day. I woke, as usual, with the sunrise and rolled over. It was Friday, and I usually hop out of bed, strip the bed, and get the laundry started. This was a less energetic start. The house was still on AC, and it was 65°F/18°C, and I made coffee. I returned to the office and started on my daily tasks.

I updated my transactions in Quicken and am amazed by the run-up in the markets, and that 2/3 of my withdrawal has already recovered by earnings. Wow! War is, no surprise here, good for business. Though most of my earnings come from large corporations, indexes, and bonds. For me, the USA mid-cap is still running a large loss. Again, no surprise that multinational corporations, oil companies, billionaire-run companies, and banks are making money while mid-sized companies are suffering from war, tariffs, instability, and price hikes (don’t me start on insurance increases and the profits of the same).

I write the blog and practice the mental yoga of remembering by trying to find those threads in my mind, not near the surface, but not lost. Suddenly, there are pictures appearing in my mind. I am relieved as everything seems so obvious now, and I write fast as the memories pour into my conscience, and I work to assemble a story from the flashes.

Continuing this topic, as my days have little framework now, I find it hard to remember what I planned in the day, and it takes me three or four times of stopping and trying to remember what I am doing today, until it finally seems to lock into my surface thoughts. Remembering feels like diving into my mind (be it trying to recall yesterday’s lunch or my gaming plans for the next evening) and seems like holding one’s breath as I kick down in the pool of thoughts, trying to find the threads to connect, and grabbing them, dragging the memories, and resurfacing. It can be a brain workout. Sometimes they thread sink down again as I do other things. I then stop and do it again.

Returning to the narrative, I finish the blog, reheat the Chicken Vinaloo from a jar for lunch, and then shower and dress. I plan to head to Portland for Saturday (it is Train Day at the train center). I hear the doorbell and a box from a Kickstarter I have waited for arrives. It is two historical American Civil War (ACW) wargames with huge rubber-backed maps as an add-on. I cannot open the games, as they look so good (and expensive) in their unpunched, still-retail version. I am elated to have them arrive. Though I have not opposite to play them, just to look at them, read the rules, and possibly play them solo (playing both sides) is enough. Wow!

Next, I head to Costco to get a few things. I manage to survive Costco; everyone looks stressed out, and the cart drive is the only true aggressive driving I see in the local area; I never enjoy visiting Costco. I escaped with just $150 worth of items and waited in the usual checkout line to get my extra items (some food items and one garden item) set in a box (no bags there). I also finally remembered to drop off the US mail container at the local post office. I get there ring the bell, wait five minutes, and do it again, on the third, they finally appear. I know they have for-hire signs everywhere, and Trump’s appointed folks are not making it better. I am polite and just hand the container back to them and leave with a “thank you.”

I return to the house, and there is a Costco chicken for dinner too (too cheap not to get one). I unload and then head back out. I stop by the US Bank ATM and get some cash (for the D&D fee, and it is good to have some cash). There is a market there, and I see if they have lettuce, no fresh items, but I do find some tea and spices that come highly recommended for rice (cous cous, I am told, will likely be good too).

I return home, start dinner, and nearly set the seasoning on fire (the kitchen was blessed with the scent of spiced smoke). I was just toasting while doing some Excel work (I get too focused sometimes). I put out the smoking ruins, clean the pan, and stay in the kitchen while doing that. I manage to stay focused on an early dinner, which, since the chicken is already hot and cooked, should not be this dangerous. I manage to salvage enough lettuce from my fading supply to make a salad. The couscous with seasoning, a little oil, and raisins is good (this batch did not catch fire). I managed to finish dinner and organize my D&D character sheets and dice.

Corwin calls me; I invite him to raid my dinner, as there is spare cous cous, most of a chicken left, and I split my salad to make two before I planned to start it as a sort of dessert (I eat it first or last and seldom during other foods), and had not taken a bite yet. Corwin is hungry and has been working extra hours at his new job, and has not had a home-cooked meal all week (Not sure this qualifies, more assembled or summoned), he tells me. I have to leave, and he will do the dishes.

I take Air VW the Gray to 167 East, the building where Rune & Board moved to. I check with the staff and the DM. I need to check in closer to 6. I am twenty minutes early to ensure I get a spot, and to check that, as a former DM of Forge of Fury, I can play. The DM says yes, and I get a seat. These are bring-your-own-character Adventure League rules, and I am surprised it is D&D 2024 (or now 5.5), until I realize this is an official game and thus uses the newest (and expensive) rulebooks. The adventure is 5E and sort of compatible.

The group had played together, and this was a continuation of play with drop-ins like me allowed. This was an official Tier 1 event for levels 1-5 characters. I brought Carter in his level 2 version. Others, I learned later, were 4th, which explained some of the damage they did. I stayed in the background, but continued to forge licenses, insurance applications, and member cards as we went to many smiles.

The group was young (except for the DM and one player who were in my age group) and loud, and they were enjoying doing the murder-hobbo gaming. I went with it. Some only kept their attention when it was their turn and were surprised when they were attacked. The DM used the traditional initiative system, which I find distracting and which prevents the players from working together more effectively. But still it was fun for two hours, and I signed up later for the next two games (already booked to six).

I returned home, finally opened Gettysburg (retail $120), and got the rules, and marveled at the excellent components (version 1.5 of their base rules, shared with most of their new ACW board games; this one is four of five ACW games). I read the surprisingly simple rules (I have another Gettysburg game that is considered the most complex, and I have pages and pages of how-tos and have never even tried to play it solo).

I also created Carter Level 3 with the gold and magic item we got as part of the League play. He is ready to play next time and is certainly more dangerous now. I will try to find his slightly broken original figure (I 3D-printed a replacement figure on my stolen printer and painted it, but that one is at M@’s for that game).

I continued the laundry overnight and slept soon after reading all the rules and scenarios; easy rules. Hmmmm. The whole battle for two players is measured at 6-12 hours of playtime, which is long for this subject, with other scenarios ranging from a few hours (starting) to 4 hours (most representing a day or major events in the historical battle). It would be interesting to play the second day without Pickett’s Charge, but it would be so hard to resist with the Union’s position all about holding one ridge.

I slept with dreams of rules and ACW. I woke with a rules-reading/allergies throbbing headache and rolled over.

Thanks for reading!

 

I felt better on Thursday and finished the day by driving over to Salt & Straw in Beaverton and had a scoop in a nice sugar cone. I ate my cone with all the folks who were there for late ice cream. One little person was less interested in the ice cream (seeing how far she can throw a mostly finished cone, at one point — quite far). The little person ran around saying hello to folks, all excited, with her father running after her a few times. Observing the hijinks added flavor to the ice cream. It was a multi-ethnic late ice cream party of strangers! Nice to see this in times of ICE and the sweet with complex flavors (some I cannot spell or pronounce), Jasmine Milk Tea Almond Stracciatella, reminds me that there can be Peace on Earth, and it is food that brings us together. Or as Bilbo said, “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

I returned home in Air VW the Gray, did the dishes (the kitchen looked like it exploded), and soon was in my bed, enjoying more stores of financial crises. I finished a chapter and continued to enjoy the basic premise that loose credit, low interest rates, and something to buy, usually two, create the mania and result in the panic and crash after some event triggers the fall. Does this remind you of anything, dear reader? BYW: US Government debt broke $39 trillion and, for the first time since WW2, surpassed the US total economy’s annual output; the last trillion of debt was this year! And for those who do not know, the largest holder of this debt is the Social Security Pension Fund. Yup, that is how we pay our retirees (including me) with interest payments on the national debt. Hmmm.

Thursday morning started with me not getting up for the sunrise, or even near it. Instead, I rolled over and rose before 8. I felt better and reheated yesterday’s coffee. I am able to run a microwave, though it takes a moment without coffee inside me. I slice a bit of raisen bread, a gift from Karen W, and toast and butter it. I add a banana to the mix and consume it while writing the blog and doing my usual tasks. My US Bank online daily balances for my IRA have been missing since April 22. Hmmm. Still.

A scrub jay has moved into my pine tree, and I suspect there are two, as I think they have a nest. Male and female scrub jays are identical in color and size, an unusual trait among birds. More on them here. I thought the local murder of crows, who are quite aggressive, had driven away the larger birds, and I am happy to have them here.

I wrote the blog, got a text from Brad J that he could meet for lunch — Scott is still in the islands — and I agreed to join him at the usual place: McMenamin’s Cedar Hills. I spoke to Deborah here and there in the morning and while driving. She was on a drive back to Detroit from Kalamazoo and got to enjoy an hour in standstill traffic while an accident was cleared. The EV soon arrived, and I rang off.

Brad J appeared a little after I did, and we chatted and had an excellent lunch. I was going to go for an iced tea, but my usual was offered, a Hammerhead, and I went with that. Brad J had an excellent alcohol free IPA. Brad J told me they are quite nice, and I might try these 0% beers. Brad J and I talked about travel, houses, investments (Intel is 3x in a short period), and retirement plans. Our discussion also covered quantum mechanics and other esoteric topics. It was fun to talk for about 90 minutes.

I returned in time to make the SPRC church Zoom meeting at 2 (the SPRC committee, for those who do not speak Methodist, is the HR committee). We were short as we covered mostly easy paperwork items. We put off other items. The contents of the meeting are private and cannot be covered here.

I rested for a while and talked to Deborah for a while. I was disconcerted by the meeting. I am also noticing that I am too busy with church things to get back to my other items. There is electronic hardware that I would love to explore (including algorithmic improvements, AI model compression, and vastly reduced processing requirements) in AI-controlled robotics. A hummingbird tracking system? Watch the hiding of nuts in the lawn and record what treasures are there. And what walks in the yard at night? Can I track the bats at night? Soooo muccch.

I have made no progress on my writing for months. I am contemplating running away with Deborah to an island (with good power and WIFI with free drinks) and just writing and being with Deborah, but for the moment, I will slog through my commitments to my church. If not an island, there is a bar in Portland or Detroit or LA or NOLA or …

It is sunny and warm, and I walk to the little creek about 1/2 a half mile on the local streets. I am amazed that I am not tired or in pain to make the walk and back. Not even breathing heavy. So much better than last year’s spring, when it took me two days to work up to the same walk. The travel, Deborah’s outdoor exploring, and moving more have made a difference. I also think that having the chemotherapy now in the rear-view mirror by years helps. Also, a long walk is now a choice, not an exercise or a strain, better!

BTW: an Old Fashioned has fewer calories and sugar than beer…and is too expensive to have more than two. I drink those more often now.

Returning to my narration (my mind was lost in the previous fantasy), I read for a while and tried some more Star Trek: DS9, but thought it was not very well-written and overly predictable. I defrosted some raw chicken and chopped up some veggies. I used a simmer sauce from a jar, Maya Kaimal: Spicy Vindaloo, once the chicken was browning, and the veggies were softening. I cheated on the fresh carrots and microwaved them first.

I made rice to go with it and talked to Deborah while I did my usual chaos that some people may call cooking (Deborah once commented when there was some crashing, just getting a lid). More like a summoning ritual to me, as I was using a jar. Follow the procedure, take care to prepare everything according to this hard-to-read print, and then combine it into a hopefully non-explosive or burning ending. The rice, this time, was perfect; I made it at the same time. The food, while spicy, was excellent and full of veggies.

With dinner inside me and the rest for leftovers, and my scale showing 228 pounds (yay!), I was not gaining weight; I headed out to get ice cream as I described, which means I have covered the full circle of Thursday.

With images of the Apocalypse of John and crashes and panics, I sleep well. This is nothing compared to just watching the news online! Hmmm.

Aside: Deborah sent me beeswax bread bags with an e-book that describes how to use them to prevent stale and moldy bread. I will have to make a loaf and see how it goes. Excellent! Thanks, Deborah.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

I slept late as I had no real plans for Wednesday. I hoped to join an ad hoc Dungeons & Dragons at The 649 in Aloha in the evening. When Emma C and I stopped by The 649, Kylie and Crystal, the bartenders, told me there was a D&D game on Wednesday (I learned that Z was busy again with Track); I hoped to join.

I found the kitchen, it is still in the same place and looks great with the new flooring, and made a pot of liberal coffee. I use Fair Trade and Equal Exchange brand coffee, meaning that my cup of coffee is fully paid for, and those growing the coffee are fairly paid. My coffee is not causing more pain. When I taste its bitterness, I am again reminded that God does not measure a nation by how great its buildings, conquests, or wealth are, but by how it treats the orphan, widow, and the stranger (once you or your forebearers were a stranger in a new land).

I found my focus, and with many cups of coffee (too many), I wrote the blog, ordered flowers for Mom Wild (for too much money), and sent chocolates to Leta for Mother’s Day (though the chocolates will be late). I ordered the book Spirit Wheel for pick-up at the local Powell’s. I have heard it quoted often at church meetings and wanted a copy. I may then give it away, as it is not likely to be my style. The words I have heard are beautiful.

I reheated the potato, cheese, and ham, plus the baked beans from a couple of days ago. This did not sit well with me, and I had to coast for the afternoon. I might also still be tired from the weekend. I find that since I broke 58, I tire more. A short nap, then trying to rise again, was difficult, and a headache added to my woes. Pain killers and water, and watching DS9 balanced the scale better.

Deborah is at a conference in Kalazoo, Michigan, and she calls me between classes and events. The long distance seems longer this time, and we miss each other. Deborah (and Jeanne) will be in California in June. I will drive Air VW the Gray to LA to meet them. I am excited to drive there again (though it will blow through my mileage on my lease).

I put my Book of Revelation work, laptop, and D&D Player Handbook (both 5E and 2024 versions) in the cargo hold of the EV and headed to The 649. The bartender (sorry, name forgotten) was unknown to me, and he was unaware of a game at the place, but told me Crystal would be in soon. I ordered a beer, found a seat against the window, and instead worked on Sunday School class stuff and then hotels for my trip down (taking two days and arriving on the third).

I learned that David Kearns was running for Beaverton City Council, he wrote the adventure we were playing, and his campaign manager was also playing, and that this was a fundraiser for David. Later, after checking David’s campaign page, I did make a donation. There was space for me, and I soon, after finishing a beer, ordered another and ate my sandwich (brisket with avocado in a pressed sandwich). I sat at the table and soon was playing a cleric with seven other people, including the DM, Josh.

There were two newbies, and this was a one-shot intro game with 3rd-level characters and a broad mix of species. 2024 and 5E were mixed in, but the adventure was 5E style. Josh rolls for everything in his games and uses the standard initiative-based combat order. The adventure was a theater-of-the-mind, meaning no figures, and the DM created the adventure from some loose notes as we played. We played for a few hours, and we rescued Beavertopia’s (a fantasy city that reminded us of Beaverton, and the adventure started in a coffee house) magic protection gem from some criminal-gang dragon-born crew. I lost count of the number of natural ’20’s that were rolled by the adventurers (including me). The big bad was pounded and did not even get more than one swing in. The DM was smiling (and I smiled with him) as his should-be-dangerous bad guy fell quickly with almost no damage to the adventurers (I have been DM for like surprises).

It was strange for me to roll for damage, but folks enjoyed rolling. The new players began to figure out what was going on, and they had good plans and kept the spotlight on them. I gave some advice here and there, healed the monk, and managed to roll average (almost minimal once and max a second time, my usual).

Yes, raising money for a campaign by playing D&D sounds like a politician I can support. David had to make up a lie, and it was so terrible that we all agreed he couldn’t lie well. Perfect for Beaverton City Council!

It was fun. After the game, I had a coffee with a shot of Amaretto on the side. I chatted with Crystal until closing time about traveling and New Orleans. I then headed home. I soon was in bed again, reading. I slept until the sun rose, but then rolled over.

Thanks for reading!

I rose later after waking a few times at night. I started with coffee from the previous day and just reheated that. I had that with a banana and started my usual process. Yes, it is boring and mechanical, but it keeps me safe (including even my retirement cash) and well-informed. Sadly, the news is filled with more Trump-I-Must-Have-The-Headlines statements (“Yes, taxpayers, we want a billion bucks for the ballroom and security updates for the White House”). Updated my transactions and noted that US Bank still does not show my IRA’s daily balance on its website (only the evaluation of the moment balance). I found the month-end balances on another screen and used them to update Quicken.

I started the blog, but then showered and dressed to make my 9:30 ISS Vanguard board game at Richard’s. Air VW the Gray got me there only a few minutes late. The school year is wrapping up, and traffic is already becoming less. I give the trip about 45 minutes, and in the winter it is often an hour, but today the timing was back to 45. James, the owner of this fully maxed-out Gamefound (much the same as Kickstarter) board game (over $500 in 2022), was excited to finally play it. I had done an hour of videos on how to play.

We ran through the ISS Vanguard tutorial scenario, which, with its rules ignored to make it easier to understand, almost broke our first play. We managed to understand that we had a spare crew after all (we had to find an exception for the tutorial with a Google search that was in some obscure place), and after the planet-side adventure (no spoilers), we transferred the ship. We are off, now, to our next adventure. We spent the morning and part of the afternoon assembling, playing, and then ‘saving’ the game for next Tuesday. More confusion: We stopped midway, which is not usual for the ‘save’ process, as we did not have time for another planet-side adventure, which the game starts without much ado.

Unlike Tainted Grail and other horror-based games, there is no elaborate combat system or health/sanity rules. There are no traitor rules (so far). It is a process and flow, with characters as your connection on how you interact with the story, represented by process and flow. Dice are rolled for attempts (using strangely marked dice you find in most games now), and, like another cooperative game, Unsettled, other players can help on your turn (if their character is with you). ISS Vanguard uses four characters (in non-solo mode), and this time Richard was playing the spare one (we will likely rotate that). We leveled up our characters (there are three levels, but you can only have one third level in each of the four areas) from the tutorial and, rule-breaking, can use them without having them rest or recover, in the next planet-side mission.

Aside: Rules cannot be protected from reuse (copyrights do not apply), but art and shapes can be protected. Games now use special dice symbols, rules on cards (with art), and on boards (with lots of art). This prevents copying. You need to license the whole game or make one from scratch that will not resemble the original (and what would be the point then); I see this more in wargames, as basic rules are often the same across publishers (but often with tables and maps combined, which is protected).

The game was ready for the next play by 2ish, and I found street parking near Broadway Grill, where I wrote the rest of the blog while having a steak salad (mostly salad) with a Mr. Toad’s Wild Red beer (just one). I got the blog out, then returned to my Sunday School work and wrote for another twenty minutes or more (I lost track) while drinking water and finding the text and structure for my next class.

With that done, I returned to the house via the EV without issue. I read and go slow as it has been many early mornings in a row. I watch more DS9 and read. I avoid a nap by making some instant coffee and dinner. I use my mandoline slicer (no fingertips were lost) to reduce a potato to a greater surface area, and then bake it with some salt and oil (avocado oil for high-temperature use). I sliced up and deboned the ham (tossing the bone, as I had not prepared to make bean soup). I froze most of it and put small bits in a glass dish that has held the ham for these weeks. Later, I would add slices of cheese and milk, then bake them all together. I got close, but it looks like I need to make a cream cheese sauce next time. Dinner was 3/4 of one potato with some ham and cheese. I would eat a raw carrot for dessert. I put the small remains for lunch on Wednesday.

I returned to Sunday School work, wrote more for the class, and sent an update for the next class as I added to it. I have completed the first draft of the 3rd class’s plan; that class is in a week and a half. I will review it again on Wednesday, find any mistakes or updates, and then send it out. I have a draft in my mind for the fourth class and will start that soon.

Time went by fast, and I put away the Greek and class work after 11 and read for a while. I am unwinding with a finance history book, Manias, Panics, and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises, Fourth Edition. The author, Charles P. Kindleberger, has a basic premise: despite various denials that the markets are not irrational but perfect, these things keep happening, and, from his point of view, in the same ways. It is then important to know this history to avoid repeating it. Also, the rise of the “Funder of Last Resort” in our modern systems does not seem to improve the situation. I am over 30-pages in and enjoying it, though it was a difficult start (boring).

And maybe, dear reader, if you read and studied John’s Apocalypse and then read about financial history for failures, you might have trouble sleeping; I slept late. The truth gives me comfort.

Thanks for reading!

 

Monday started to f**king early when my iPhone alarm rang at 3:45. I threw on clothing, having organized them before I went to sleep, which was good as simple tasks are not at 3-4. I made coffee and tea for Emma, who was also awake. With some go-juice in car-safe cups and Emma carrying everything in her short-visit carry-on, we board Air VW the Gray and head to PDX. Kink.FM is playing softly, and I use the Navigation. I, or the car (at 4 it is hard to know who is really driving), can drive to PDX without thinking, but if there is an unexpectedly closed highway or bridge (i.e., construction, running, biking, protests — right-wing likes to close the roads — and other Portland weekend weird), I can quickly find alternative ways to PDX. I have had to do this before. Today we get to PDX in a fast 35 minutes. Emma is surprised by how much traffic I have, and I am not surprised that even with nearly clear streets, they are going slowly. One porche rushes and dives in and out of cars, and frustratingly, usual slow-going-drivers have to brake to avoid it (making all of us go even slower than slow for empty streets).

The end is always sudden. We pop in, and I cut over three lanes to get to the curb to ‘unload’ without any horns or any complaints. Yup, sleepy Portland. Emma is gone with a few waves, on her way to find her flight to Chicago and then to Flint, Michigan. Emma will arrive at a long-ish wait in Chicago and a slightly delayed flight. She makes it to Flint in the evening. I took the EV back through traffic that was building, but it was a trip without any memory; the coffee helped to drive, but I did not really wake up.

I reach the house, take off my shoes, and curl up in my bed again and wake with a fuzzy head at 8ish. I manage to rise, find more coffee (still warm), and begin writing the blog and doing the usual things. I manage to enjoy the liberal coffee, Fair Trade, and read the news (depressing), check my email (a few interesting electronic items, but most I delete), and pay a few bills. I see that my IRA daily balance is no longer available at US Bank. I call their helpdesk, and they put me on hold for 30 minutes while they try to connect me to someone to help (yes, the helpdesk can’t get through their own phone tree); they get no answer, and I tell them I will watch it and hope they fix it (not so far). Hmmmm.

I do the laundry; it is Monday, my day for using the washer and dryer. I strip the beds and wash the sheets. I did not realize I had bunched up the sheets, and they turned into a twisted mess, and the yellow sheets tore in the dryer. Ugh! I did wash everything, including the towels. Not everything is folded yet and put away.

I finally showered about 3, as I kept finding things that needed to be done. Now dressed and clean, I continue my chats with Deborah. We have connected here and there as a family member is sworn in as a citizen. Excellent.

Dinner on Monday is from Gyro House and take-out. I pick it up. I am tired, watch some Star Trek: DS9, and try to find some focus. None is available.

The Lay Leader meeting, the last one with the outgoing District Superintendent Karen H, is at 6:30 and runs over to after 8. We talk about church items, but we also share some experiences, and Karen seems reluctant to stay on topic or to end. One last meeting with her church leaders.

With that done, I find my way to bed early, read for a while, but soon fall asleep. I wake at 1 and manage to roll over (after proving hydration). I sleep until sunrise.

Thanks for reading!