Author: alohawild

A short story as yesterday had very little to share going on.

I kept my coffee intake low and somehow avoided the sleepiness and headaches that are the usual reaction to reducing caffeine. I was taking too much when two large cups of coffee were enough!

I received a text after calling the Volvo mothership, having not heard anything for days. I read that the sensor network of the car, once known as Air Volvo, is failing, but they have no solution or fix yet. The possibility of water intrusion into the cables is the guessed cause. There is no ETA. F**k! Sounds expensive.

The morning started with Deborah, who resides in Michigan, and I exchanging good mornings. Deborah still works and her Monday was a long day. She was tired on Tuesday.

I had IKEA coffee but left half of it. I finished my cream cheese on another toasted NYC bagel. I read emails, updated Quicken transactions, reviewed the news, and read about the Syrian government’s collapse. I cleaned up, dressed, and soon headed to a morning game at Richard’s.

I took Air Ford (Escape) to Portland, leaving delayed. The windshield was iced. Traffic was heavy in the foggy and stagnant air. My lungs were challenged by the lousy air. My usual 35-minute travel time was an hour. The travel through Beaverton was twenty minutes. While slow, the Portland traffic moved, and the highways cleared in a few places. The roads off the highway were fast. A foggy and icy day is not the time to try the backroads in a rental car!

Apparently, the game starts at 9:30 and not 9 (Saturday games start at 9), and I was not late after all. James joined us, and we set up the same scenario I had played before in the board game Mansion of Madness, second edition. This role-playing cooperative (sort of) board game is based on the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game (RPG) and now uses an app to control the game. I find it slow compared to the RPG, and the game is about winning, not building a story or improving characters. I forgot that as I tried to overcome the challenge. Richard won the game, as when he went insane, he would win if he had a bladed weapon and was alone with another character. James also had this form of insanity, and I did know there was an alternative way to win. I needed five items in my insanity.

While I enjoyed the game more this time—I am more familiar with it now—I did not know that the other players would win alone. Still, it was more immersive this time, though Richard was trying to power through to reach the final objective. We all took more damage in this game, and I felt my fellow players were less cooperative and trying to win. It is always interesting to play RPGs with hard-core gamers, which is more board game games than RPGs. They seek to win, not tell a story.

I have one more scheduled game with Richard this holiday, as we both have holiday events, and I am traveling. Richard will text me if there are other gaming nights and he needs another player that fits me. For example, I don’t like ‘Escape’ games with a timer.

With the game over, I head out into Portland and once again park Air Ford (Escape) on the streets, which is easier now that it is not leaf day and parking is available. This time, I walked only two blocks to The Broadway Grill. There, I see they have chili dogs (known better, I think, as Conney Islands) on the menu (three at a time, which I did not finish), and order that with their locally made beer, “Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride.” Next, I edited my Christmas 2024 letter; I have my Apple. After eating and enjoying the beer, I completed the letter and now need to print them in color, but my Epson is not that great. I decided to pay an office supply store to generate the letters and only use two sheets to get better results. My Christmas cards with the two sheets of paper weigh exactly one once and thus get the letter rate.

I walked across the street, where there was a bakery and an office supply store—perfect. At the office store, a helpful and obviously Portland-styled young gal (tattooed, with a summer-like top and jeans, Portland’s weather deny-look), with a smile and polite words, helped me send my file to the store. The gal produced twenty stapled copies of my letter, and I was happy to play for only $1.65 for four images printed on two pages, front and back. I remember the days of two bucks an image. Excellent.

Bread, donuts, and small fruit cakes are excellent additions to the croissants I came for. However, I resist the cookies, including the Hanukkah and Kwanzaa cookies. Yes, I am the guy who brings the other holiday cookies to the Christmas Party. I took my bounty to Air Ford (Escape) and passed my waiter, who was taking a smoke break and was talking on her phone. I opened my goodies and offered her a donut, which she took. She mouths, “Thank you,” as she is on the phone, and I tell her, “Happy Christmas.”

Air Ford (Escape) enjoyed some stop-and-go traffic, which I don’t like on bridges. I try not to think of earthquakes when up there! Happy thoughts! The passage to Beaverton is slowed mostly by overly polite drivers thinking that ten-under is being polite. The mess clears, and soon, I return home.

Nothing interesting arrived in the mail, and soon, I talked to Deborah on the phone. She is tired when I start writing and assembling Christmas cards. I am sending only a few locals as email works better for those folks. I wrote 18 cards. I also talk to others after Deborah heads to sleep (there is a three-hour time difference).

I purchased BritBox on Prime to try some Classic Doctor Who. I watched the Three Doctors (1972) set of episodes, which, while badly dated, manages to tell a good story. I also started another episode, Frontier In Space, which includes the original Master. The actor Roger Delgado, who stole the show with his playful yet evil portrayal of the Master, was killed in a car accident in 1973, and this is his last appearance in the show. I enjoyed his playful acting.

Dinner was reheated beef and broccoli, which I made a few days ago. However, I had couscous instead of rice, which seemed a marked improvement and avoided some of the sudden carb loadings from rice. Couscous seems better for me.

I read the rules for the newly purchased board game Burning Banners, soon showered, and was in my PJs in bed. I read more rules and nodded off. I woke at 3ish with a rash, and after some Benadryl, I returned to sleep until late.

Thanks for reading!

I slept until late morning, finally rising at 9ish to start my Monday. I started slow and was not in a hurry. Monday is like my Sunday morning for many. I have no plans for Monday. I sleep in and enjoy the morning. Since most of my friends work, I still fit a week into a weekend and am tired on Monday. I also had breathing and heart issues. I learned from Dondrea that she was having problems, too; the air in the valley was stagnating. I carefully used my inhaler when the issues restarted to avoid another spiral into a racing heart. I wanted a good day. I managed to keep it controlled.

Deborah was free to talk to me for part of the late morning and called me. I had to write the blog, and soon I rang off. I drank only half the coffee I made today. I made toast. I keep a loaf of sliced bread in the freezer. I toast it when I need it. I had some orange marmalade, but just a smear, as I cannot consume much sugar. But I love orange marmalade (and miss orange juice in the morning but cannot drink it); I risked it. I had a small cup of yogurt with fruit in it.

My new business card, “Michael R Wild, Retired,” arrived. While not inexpensive, it was hand-imprinted on fine paper. It has my new phone number, email, and blog site. Another fun purchase on Etsy.com.

I wrote and published the blog in the afternoon. Dondrea reminded me that we had Theology Pub on Thursday night, and I thought it reasonable to try for a room at Cedar Hills McMenamins. I traveled there with my copy of Seige of Jerusalem 70AD, a “Strategy and Tactics” magazine game. There, I had a seasonal turkey dip with gravy for the tip and a Hammerhead beer. They were fully booked for holiday parties. I read the rules and began to understand the mechanics the third time through. I am jumping about now, trying to understand the flow.

Dondrea and I talked and thought a pizza party at the church would work, so I reserved the church hall from Wendy at the church office. Dondrea will get pizzas from Costco, and others can bring items. It looks like an ad hoc Christmas Party.

Lunch was good, and I headed to Enterprise to extend my rental for another week. Yes, no word on the car once known as Air Volvo. It is now at the spa, spending my money with abandon. Eventually, it will have to come home when the money runs out.

At the house, I reconnected with Deborah, and we talked for a while. I did the laundry, starting with sheets, and then a few shirts, and so on. I worked on the Christmas Letter and had hoped to finish it today. But I did so much and so many trips that I found myself adding more and more. I saw pictures from the year on my phone and remembered another trip. Soon, the letter blossomed to three pages. My afternoon was editing and writing, and my hope to finish today failed. I will try editing it again tomorrow. I hope to get out Christmas cards soon.

After a search, I decided to make chicken thighs for dinner. I broke up a large pack, bagged three at a time, and frozen them. I grabbed a set, put them in water, and let them defrost for forty minutes. I finished defrosting them with the microwave. Next, I dried them, salted them, peppered them, added generic Italian-style seasoning, and sprinkled them with Italian-style bread crumbs. I then fried them in butter, using a non-stick pan. The chicken was still cold and would not cook through. I put them in the oven (having to change pans) and finished them there.

I had Costco’s frozen root veggies, and it suggested air-frying them. I put the oven on air-frying (yes, it does that too—I love this new one), but it took twenty minutes and still did not seem cooked enough. I set the oven to 350F, convection roast, and added the chicken from above. Another ten minutes and everything was good. I checked everything with a thermometer, and all was cooked.

I made green beans by steaming frozen ones. Then, I melted butter in a pan and added salt (I use unsalted butter), garlic powder, and almond slices. Once hot, I added the beans and wilted them. This makes any frozen green beans excellent. I learned this from Martin Yan, “Yan Can Cook,” when he visited Nike and I met him. Nike Cafe served Martin’s menu, and the wilted beans were excellent. I have the cookbook he signed for me.

I finished the beans; this time, I managed to get them perfect with crunchy almonds. The chicken was also good and not overcooked this time—better! The root veggies were bland. They will need more work. I had enough for leftovers.

Deborah called me, and we talked for a while. Next, I read more of the “Strategy and Tactics” magazine’s story of the siege of Jerusalem in 70AD, mostly recounting Josephus’s version (he was there) but focusing on the mechanics of the fight, but with a few notes from other sources. I wanted to learn how the Romans overthrew the city. I plan to play the game version of the battle in a week.

I did the dishes and hung up some of the laundry. With a game at 9 on Tuesday morning, I had to write the blog tonight. I started writing about 9ish and just finished.

Thanks for reading!

I rose around 7 on Sunday. With the church service now at a distant 11, I am not rushing to complete a blog. I too quickly drank all the coffee today, IKEA coffee, which was an issue. By mid-day, my heart was racing after more Methodist coffee—too much caffeine and on an empty stomach. I had to slow down, drink lots of water, and take my inhaler often. The caffeine seems to make my asthma worse, and it is unwise to mix it with my diabetes medication, metformin. This failure, on my part, meant a quiet and unproductive Sunday.

Deborah and I spoke on the phone for a while. I had to ring off to write the blog. It took a few hours to remember and assemble a narrative. My retirement life is less rigid and organized than my working life, and it takes a while to recall the previous day. The result is a jumble of mind-pictures, and I must sort and spot the missing bits. I often remember the missing events when writing or editing.

With the blog’s daily update done, I clean up, shave, dress, and talk to Deborah. Her voice accompanies me in Air Ford (Escape) while I travel to First United Methodist Church. The iPhone connects to Air Ford (Escape) but with no audio. I find that if I turn off the vehicle, the problem clears. There is likely a better solution, but this works, and it is so IT. Just restart it!

I ring off with Deborah at the church and soon have more coffee (a mistake), and my heart is racing. Ugh. I get some water and let Dondrea know I am uncomfortable—in case it worsens. The church service is the usual Methodist Advent service, but without the drama of trying to light a tall candle with a long brass candle lighter with a little kid waving a flame around has been replaced with a long lighter and a capable adult. It’s a pity in some way; the Peace candle was peacefully lit.

Micah 5, a minor prophet in the Hebrew text, was the center of Pastor Ken’s sermon. He focused on the words that God has a plan that will come to fruition and that we are part of the plan. Ken liked the translation, “from of old,” which describes the plan. He thought it got the point across that these are ancient plans running now—what Ken said C.S. Lewis called “the deeper magic.” The text predicts Persia’s rise and Babylon’s fall in 539 BCE, ending the neo-Babylonian empire and the Persians giving the captives leave to return and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. It is interpreted by Christians as a message that the Messiah will return and thus is read at Christmas times.

I was getting better. Switching from coffee to water helped, and I headed home after asking Michael R when he wanted to play Seige of Jerusalem 70AD, a “Strategy and Tactics” magazine game. Though most have disappeared, a few quarterly wargame magazines still include a complete game. They are often about $25 an issue, a reasonable price now (my last wargame game cost me $118). We have settled on 16 December to try this out.

When I returned home, I reheated the salt-and-pepper squid and a few cheese crab wontons in the oven. I then found Classic Doctor Who on Prime and watched an old Fourth Doctor episode I don’t remember. The stove did produce hot and not dried-out squid, but I will try the air fryer option next time and see if that is even better.

I turned off the TV, as the Prime I have apparently is with commercials, which are set in intervals of about thirty minutes and have five commercials. Yikes! I cannot waste that much time on 1970s SciFi.

I read the rules for Seige of Jerusalem 70AD. It describes the usual wargame process of moving little squares of paper on a map, but with an activation process and complex turn flow, you now see in newer board games. This is unlike the old Avalon Hill war game with the same name, which took hours to set up, had long turns for each player, and had huge stacks of paper squares. This new game, published in Fall 2024, focuses on enjoyment and decision-making. I am concerned there is no base recommended set-up, and Michael and I will have to pick where to start our forces, but we will see. I will try to play a game against myself and get the mechanics working in my head.

I read the rules and a book for a while. When I tried to return to the commercial-filled Classic Doctor Who, it changed to another episode, and there was no way I could find to change or select the series! I abandoned the Fourth Doctor and rested some more.

I got the racing heart under control with aspirin, an inhaler, and reading (trying not to think about your racing heart so you don’t get worried and make it race more) and headed to The 649. Crystal and Natalia served as bartenders, and soon, I had a red ale. I read the rules from the beginning and looked at the components. I punched the little squares of paper, wishing this one had larger components; these were tiny. I brought leftover little bags from various games and purchases of gaming pieces and arranged the different parts in multiple bags.

I had a simple appetizer for dinner: their hummus plate with pita bread and veggies. I read until the little light at my table’s batteries failed. They kept the place too dark for me to read or play games at night, but it was comfortable and romantic, the feeling I believe they are trying to promote. I try their cheesecake plate.

I tell Natalia goodnight (Crystal left earlier at the end of her shift, and I wish her well) and take Air Ford (Escape) home. I read for some more and felt better but tired. I soon showered, got into bed in my PJs, and read more of my book, The Three Summers.

I tried to sleep and noticed my heart racing—again, my worrying did not improve this. The issue faded as I read, and soon, I nodded off. Less caffeine! I sleep well.

Thanks for reading!

I rose at 6, even though the blog had been finished the night before. I had a 6AM game, and I would be rushed. But if I started early, I could text and chat with Deborah, and we did. While we spoke, I did my usual preparations by reading emails, updating Quicken transactions, and reading the news (another war was concluding with the fall of the Syrian government, but whether it would burn on as a civil war was yet to be understood). Coffee was the last of my current bag of Fair Traded coffee and would be followed with less liberal but interesting coffee from IKEA.

I brushed my teeth while Deborah spoke on my phone, which I carried around while getting cleaned up and dressed. We knew we did not have that much time together today as I had a long board game at Richard’s this morning: Twilight Imperium (version 4 with some of the add-on from Prophecy of Kings). I boarded Air Ford (Escape), having only heard a text from the Volvo mothership that the vehicle, once known as Air Volvo, was still undergoing diagnosis. F**k that was going to be expensive when the technicians finally worked out the issue. As I understand it, the sensors in the engine are producing erroneous results, causing a safety lockdown of the XC60 2018 model. I am enjoying Air Ford (Escape) at $200 a week, cheaper than buying a new one with a loan. It is increasingly likely that the Volvo will be donated to Oregon Public Broadcasting this year. I believe Enterprise Car Sales can get me the identical Ford Escape for about $24,000 or less.

The trip to Portland, where Richard resides, was uneventful, though I saw some surprising lane changes at the exits. I suspect it is extra-legal to change two lanes and exit simultaneously, but all the polite Oregon drivers slowed to allow the maneuver as if it were a usual thing. As I arrived at Richard’s place, I had to ring off from speaking with Deborah.

The usual good gamers were there, and Cody would win the game by two points over Richard and James, with me at the bottom and Chris making a good showing. The game Twilight Imperium 4 is a legendary board game. It is a SciFi 4X game with a strong political and economic engine. It was initially a re-themed version of the old Avalon Hill Dune board game, but with the randomness reduced, the original game is now again for sale with only minor updates (it was released with the new movie). The usual play time for this is 6-8 hours, and we played about 9:30-2:30, five hours. I was never in the running. It is a chance to play running an immersive experience as the evil emperor of a SciFi race.

(the scores…Five is covered by my marker…Chris on 7…Richard on 8…James on 9…Cody wins for 10)

I played more like a tourist than a hard-charging evil emperor like Cody, James, and Richard. I did not focus enough on gaining points (ten points to win) and preventing Cody from gaining points. However, as James, too far away from me to change the outcome, was tied with five more points than me and two more than Chris, I did not feel I could really impact the result; I could only play reluctant kingmaker. This is the challenge with these games; you have to play to the end even when you know 3/4 that you are out of the running.

I misplayed a few times as I tried to grasp the rules, and Cody and Richard were giving me bad advice as I realized they would do anything to win this one. James was also playing me. As I was wedged between Cody and Richard, I had few options, so I decided to inwardly focus and just play along. Cody took one of my planets and then attacked James, too. All to get those precious points while pretending to be my ally. And while it is hard to enjoy losing and getting last place in a board game, I still enjoyed playing it and found it a fascinating experience. Still, I warn you, dear reader, it is an ego-bruising and sometimes emotional experience to be lied to and taken advantage of for points, but that is the game; politics is ‘the art of the possible.’ Maybe watching the musical Evita would be good training for this one!

After the game, I passed on another game that evening. My brain fried a bit, so I headed to Broadway Grill instead. It was leaf collection in Portland, so all the easy parking spots were covered by no-parking warnings as the leaves were being collected and piled in the parking places. Paying for parking and walking four blocks in the heavy Oregon mist got me moving, and while it was damp, I felt good about moving again.

(the defeated would-be ruler of the SciFi universe at least gets a good sandwich)

At the Broadway Grill, I had a Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride beer and their famous Ruben sandwich with potato chips. I always took Susie here and thought back to when she was using the warm pool nearby, and I would drive her twice a week for months and then have lunch at the grill. I believe it was COVID-19 and some downtime for the pool for repairs and upgrades that ended that adventure, but I have only a fuzzy memory of it now.

The walk was good. I avoided the kitchen and flower stores and got to Air Food without incident. My trip back to Beaverton was uneventful and easy. I stopped by Guardian Games (Aloha) and picked up a few games, one of which was a Christmas gift.

I found Burning Banners, a highly rated fantasy-themed hex-based wargame. I have to try this out sometime. It includes magic and artifacts and reminds me of a recent yet-to-be-played Divine Right reprint, a late 1970s wargame also fantasy-themed. I have always wanted to return to this genre of game. I was happy to get one, but the high price tag ($118) surprised me. I could not resist.

Deborah was home, and we connected by Zoom and watched the last available episode of the Apple+ series Silo. In this episode, the IT director is running the Silo and manages to be extra-creepy, and Deborah is sure that if I offer chicken and mushrooms to her, she is not going to be able to eat it. Yes, the bad guy is IT–no surprise to me.

Deborah and I talked for a while afterward, but the time difference meant it was time for Deborah to sleep, so we said goodnight. I continued the rest of my night by making a late dinner of beef and broccoli from Trader Joe’s, but I made couscous to go with it, not rice. I found the Louise Penny-based miniseries, a favorite author, on Prime and watched the first episode, which was not bad. I read and did the dishes. I soon grew tired, showered, dressed in my PJs, and fell asleep.

I don’t remember my dreams, but they were pleasant, and I rested well, only waking to prove hydration at 3ish. I went back to sleep soon after that. I found that 7AM was here sooner than I had expected.

Thanks for reading.

I rose late because I was not feeling well on Thursday, and it was hard to start Friday. I stayed in bed until about 9. I decided to stay in my PJs until mid-afternoon. This will stop me from overdoing it and also from going on trips. Instead, I wrote a blog post and chatted with Deborah when she returned from work. I also had breakfast of a NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce). This was good with the Equal Exchange coffee I made in my French press, liberal coffee. This Fair Trade product helps the farmers who grow the coffee by paying them a fair price.

I wrote the blog and tried to include some changes recommended by other writers. Less musing and notes on coffee. I also need to explain more. I wrote until the afternoon. I also

Deborah was back later, and we chatted again for a while. I made lunch of Trader Joe’s Stout and Beef Pie. I returned to reading Clinton and Penny’s State of Terror book. The book connected with Inspector Gamache novels, a favorite of mine, with even the Inspector appearing. It is a political thriller, but it does feel more like a mystery, and I really enjoyed it. Later, I finished the book and enjoyed reading how the book was put together and that some characters are based on folks who have passed away, an excellent way to honor them. Recommended for Penny fans and for anyone who likes a good political thriller.

Deborah was available in the early evening, and we watched two episodes of Silo Season 2 on Apple+. We tried something new and used Zoom to share the screen in a browser (we both have subscriptions; before, we just talked on the phone while each of us played it on our individual screen). Now, I could pause and even hear each other laugh or react to the same thing. It worked well. There was one more episode, but it was late in Michigan, meaning we stopped there.

The story is getting deep and complex. I like it. I don’t want to include spoilers. Deborah told me this was first a set of books she read, followed by a TV series. I find dystopian future sci-fi hit-or-miss, but this one is quite interesting.

Aside: Silo is a linear story, and to watch this dark SciFi fantasy means to start with the first season and episode one and bingle them in order. The stories are so good, the acting is believable, and the camera work is amazing, making it hard to stop once you start. You have been warned!

Deborah and I then walked our laptops through our homes and shared our rooms. A Zoom video tour. We did not want to end the evening, but it was getting late in Michigan, and we finally closed the Zoom.

I ordered Doordash, deciding to stay inside and not spend the energy to cook dinner. I ordered from the nearby East Harbor. Soon, the dasher brought me a Chinese-style feast: Hot and Sour Soup, Salt and Pepper Squid, and Cheese Crab Wonton. I did not realize how hungry I was; most of it was consumed. I accidentally ordered two Salt and Pepper Squid entries, which will reheat well (I was not that hungry).

Aside: I lost four pounds and down to 228. I would not recommend the process.

Next, while eating, I watched part of Kolchak: The Night Stalker Spanish Moss Murders from 1974. I learned this series started as a well-received movie, which is now on my list of guilty pleasure movies to watch (not far on the list are other guilty choices like Conan the Barbarian, 1982). I do have the book published by Kickstarter, and The Night Stalker is back now as a comic book set with original characters and 1970s Chicago.

I did my laundry, but once again, I learned that I cannot mix towels with clothing in The Machine if I want it to dry the clothing. I also spent some time figuring out how to get Apple+ back. It took me four tries. Not an exciting night.

Tonight was Beaverton Tree Lighting, and our church supplied free apple cider to the crowd. I decided to pass, as I did not want to overdo it today. Dondrea sent me pictures and a movie of the tree being lighted. It looked fun.

For those folks wondering about Air Volvo, I received a text from the technician saying they had made no progress in diagnosing the issue. The Volvo has been at the spa now for more than a week. I imagine it will want to come home when the money runs out.

It is late, and I have a board game at 9 Saturday. I am returning to the long 4X Twilight Imperium Game. Richard’s copy has the new add-ons, cards, and rules. It will take a while to remember how to play. I hope not to be last.

Thank you for reading.