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Wednesday: Rain and Cold Here

alohawild

I rose around 7 and found the kitchen. It had not moved, and I made coffee. It was still dark. I turned on the lights to be safe and see. I had my robe and slippers on. It was still cool, 66°F, and I must protect my feet, as they are partially numb from diabetes and/or chemo. A cut might go unnoticed. Discipline is important. And to that end, I took my meds before I had any coffee, another rule. One set before coffee, and one set after I put on my PJs.

I then did my usual processes, another discipline, and updated Quicken and checked the status of my money and debts. I read my accumulation of emails, mostly deleting about 100 emails (smirking at the phishing ones), and dipped my mind into the NYT and tried not to become depressed by the latest shenanigans of the President. My bleeding liberal heart is hoping for lots of blue on Tuesday, but we have been surprised and disappointed so many times that I try not to hope.

More discipline. I sent Deborah a good morning as I started my day. We miss each other and have to wait until December to see each other. I am headed to Brazil for a church mission trip as an alternative to Thanksgiving. I try to start and end our days together.

And then, again, a discipline, now more a habit, I started another daily blog and began to reassemble my previous day in my mind and words in WordPress, with Grammarly flagging mistakes and then trying to push AI simplifications that steal your voice but do make the text brief. I resist. And enjoy the process.

It is always fascinating to me, as my mind sticks and squeaks like it needs oil as I try to remember yesterday’s details. Slowly at first, images reappear in starts and stops, and then a flow begins. But there can be pieces missing, and often I will remember something later and return to the early text and insert the lost moment.

I wrote the blog and looked outside my office window. A bird strike surprised me: a loud thump and a small cloud of downy feathers, and I walked outside in my robe; the recently washed outdoors, it had rained all night. No bird was stunned or killed, but a new hole in the window screen and some downy feathers showed where it hit. The house has been here since the late 1970s, but birds still strike the windows. I have another screen to repair. Hmmm.

I finished the blog, my coffee (about three cups), a banana, and a yogurt. I published it (meaning I clicked the publish button, added the link to a Facebook post, and sent an email with the link). Soon after, I showered, applied various creams for skin issues, and all that. Next, I grabbed my almost finished American Civil War (ACW) book, The Demon of Unrest, and headed out.

I met Wendy, Jack, Dondrea, and Ken for a meeting with a new church that is considering renting our church for a Saturday worship. We discovered that the folks we met had worked with Ken before; both were surprised, and the meeting shifted tenor from a meet-and-greet to a how-to-make-this-work. Excellent.

After that, I headed to Shake Shack and had another caloric disaster of a bacon and avocado burger (single) with fries and a Diet Coke. I read and finished the book. It’s always sad to finish a story, and I really want Erik Larson to write a second volume of the first year of the ACW, because his footnotes and storytelling bring everything to life and are based on traceable records. His last chapter hints at the war and its consequences.

The day was escaping me, and I returned home to rest for a few moments. Lunch did not settle well, but it was sooooo goooood. I discovered that Emma and Mariah were headed to trivia again at Lay Days in Beaverton, and I agreed to join them.

Again, time flies, and I headed to Beaverton Old Town, only to arrive too early. I thought it started at 6, but no, at 7. But I could use a walk, and I enjoy the local area and looking at restaurants. I found new places to try, including a wine bar with a local Tempranillo on their glass list. London, the bartender, was friendly, and we talked about their favorites.

There is also an LL (Loyal Legend) bar in Beaverton with German-style food. But there was also a heavy downpour, and soon my coat was soaked and my shoes damp. I headed to Lay Days, got a table for three for trivia, an Old Fashioned, and waited.

Emma and Mariah appeared, and soon we were busy coming in sixth in trivia. I partook of their pizza orders. Detroit-style square pizza with heavy crust. Delicious, I thought. We had a good time visiting, closed Lazy Days, and headed out.

At home, I was cold and shivered in bed for about an hour. I must have let my core temperature drop; something I have to watch (a family trait not made better by chemo). I then slept. I woke later, dressed for bed, and took my pills. My legs were stiff, and I was tired from shaking. But I was better. I slept the night away and woke late.

Tuesday: Games and Reading

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It was dark in the house last night because I had been reading and had not turned on all the lights. It was quiet with light rain, and I suddenly was quite lonely. It sneaks up on you. Also, some grief for Susie slipped into my thinking as I put her name among the saints to be read at the All Saints service.

Still, it was a good day, and I am reaching the end of the American Civil War (ACW) book, The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson. The shelling of Fort Sumter was just covered, and Lincoln’s call to arms was made. The ACW has started. It’s a marvelous book, with footnotes to back up the story (I even bought one of the books referenced in the footnotes).

I read until the fort’s surrender, then rolled over and slept the night. I did not wake except for the return of leg cramps, which I have not had for weeks. I had a beer for lunch/dinner, and I must admit I had not drunk much water. We will see if they return. A friend also suggested that a medication change would help.

Starting at the beginning, the morning started with me wondering how it could be 6:30 and why I wanted an alarm to get up at that time. It was dark enough that I first turned on a light. I then remembered I had a board game at 9:30 at Richard’s, ISS Vanguard. I reheated my coffee and had a banana and yogurt with it. I wrote the blog with some speed as I wanted to get out onto the roads before 9.

I finished the blog, showered, applied all my psoriasis creams, and was in the Air VW the Gray by 8:45. I was headed into a mess. The traffic in Beaverton was backed up, requiring two to three attempts to pass a light on TV Highway. I talked to Dondrea, who told me that a fire had closed Highway 26, and I was on the rerouted mess. A usual 35-minute trip was now over an hour, according to Nav. I sent an updated ETA to Richard and told him to start without me.

It was slow going, so I took TV Highway (and then Canyon) to Highway 26, which was empty because of the fire. I made fast passage and was there before 10. Nav was correct with its estimate of an hour-and-change travel time.

I arrived, and Robin, James, and Richard had proceeded into the ship management and had a plan to return to the same planet we played before. We had decided to run and return with a fresh away team, using Star Trek terms. It was a difficult quest, and we wanted another chance.

Robin was time-boxed, and we were rushing. It took the morning to get the ship management done, but this time we finished before 11. We did complete a research project. Many players, I have read, love the ship management part of the game. This involves choices and picking destinations for away missions. It is very much a game inside of a game.

We were soon off to the planet, and the trip was rough. James character was wounded in the first play (!). The planet setting has two versions, one of which is undersea. We had explored the surface, and this second visit was for ocean exploration. At the last moment, James (and only James had three wounds and would die, ending the mission in failure with a fourth, but we found the solution to the puzzle and could leave. We had also defeated the monster, but it just returns. “We got it, but we don’t know if there are more,” was the message from the App. This game runs on an App, though there’s also a book.

With the mission done and Robin out of time, we follow the ship management for recovery and various assignments for all the discoveries. Robin and I then headed out, running a bit over.

I had no traffic and was surprised that, with clear lanes, drivers were still driving below the speed limit, but not that surprised. I reached the house without incident, checked the mail, and took care of things (my colon was messing with me, but it is best to skip that description).

I learned there are multiple FLOCK cameras in my area and shared Violet Blue’s update on security, or the lack of it, with others. I will have to look at them. Hmmm.

I found lunch at BJ’s: chicken breasts in lemon-butter-mushroom gravy with mashed potatoes and asparagus that seemed so thin; it was more like grass than a veggie. It was delightful, and I was hungry. The red ale was excellent. I read my ACW book there while eating.

With dinner/lunch inside me, I returned home, read more, and puttered around the house and on the Internet. I did do some work on the Brazil trip and got the insurance paid. Deborah and I connected later for her, and we watched a show together: Elsbeth. We enjoy the characters and the way the show flows. Deborah then said good night. It is good to start and end our days together.

I read more, and Deborah discovered I had messed up my April flight with her to New Orleans. Deborah had noticed that there was nobody next to her on the flight. I reworked the flight for more $ and was now sitting next to Deborah on the correct flight (Detroit to NOLA on Friday)! I needed to start on Thursday to make the morning flight in Detroit to NOLA. I had, on my original flight, missed Deborah by a day, as I started on Friday, not Thursday (for a red-eye to Detroit). Fixed!

And I think that takes me full circle. Thanks for reading.

Monday: Games and Church Meetings

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I finished the meeting around 8:30 PM and decided to read. I also made the bed and finished, though I did not fold or put away the laundry, and was disquieted by a church meeting. I try not to talk at these meetings, but I got a bit carried away. With that done, I decided to read more about the American Civil War. As has happened of late, the clock seemed to be moving fast, and before I knew it, it was near 11.

I started the morning late. I woke around 3-ish, rehydrated, and climbed back into bed. Woke again around 5, finding my bed too warm. I then rolled over with no sheets. I woke again, now cold, a few minutes later, I thought. I rolled over and blinked, and the clock, made up of my charging iPhone screen, Apple Watch, and AirPods, said it was past 8!

It had rained all night, and the sound of water running off the roof and into the various pipes was loud. It was extra dark, and I think the two made me miss my usual sunrise wake-up. It is so dark now that I need an alarm, or I start my day missing the early morning!

I made coffee. I also disassembled the bread maker and removed the surprisingly damp milk bread, or sweat bread, as it is also called. This is really a white, soft loaf that has milk powder that I make often. I like the soft texture, and the milk powder helps it resist turning fuzzy with mold, so it lasts longer. Oddly, despite the name, it contains no sugar. It does use plain flour. I have read that the bread has a post-WWII history in Japan. During the occupation, local Japanese received food from the Allies, including American flour. The Japanese used flour cooked in milk, called a tangzhong, to make a softer loaf. In the recipe I use, the milk powder has a similar effect (the recipe slightly mismatches the Sweet Bread setting and the recipe that comes with the Amazon Basics Bread Machine).



I sliced most of the new loaf and added to the freezer bag I had for bread. I have a few slices of the wheat bread left from my previous spin with the bread machine. I do not eat bread fast enough to stop it from molding. Thus, I freeze it and toast it when I want it.

I then assembled focaccia dough from another recipe in my bread machine. I chopped garlic and fresh rosemary I snipped yesterday while cutting a few roses for M@’s wife, Niki, and also brought some rosemary to M@ and Niki on Sunday for the Dungeons & Dragons game. I did the assembly in the now-cleaned bread machine with bread flour this time. I put in less yeast than recommended, oops, and sprinkled some in later.

I let the bread machine dance (I put a kitchen towel under it so it does not walk off the counter, again) while I wrote the blog and did my usual morning items. I had a banana with my freshly made liberal coffee, forgetting the bold button again.

For lunch, I made a salad with olives, cheese, toasted bagel slices (from a box), and tuna. Yes, even some lettuce, and though I didn’t drown it in Olive Garden Italian, Deborah doubted I should call it a ‘salad,’ especially when I pointed out the olives were stuffed with blue cheese.

The focaccia dough had finished after 90 minutes of time in the machine; I spread it out (and I should have sprayed it wtih non-stick or used a larger sheet of parchment paper) in a 9 ” square pan (with a pie-shaped parchment liner that did not quite make the edges), brushed it with olive oil, sprinkled with more rosemary (which next time I will do just before it is finished), and lightly sprinkled with sea salt, coarse grind.

I showered, dressed, applied the creams (once again) to end the flakes and skin reactions from psoriasis (Skirizi slows it, but it will not stop without direct intervention), and all that. I sliced up the bread after managing, with some difficulty but no loss, to get it out of the pan. I took the bread on a cutting board, wrapped, and headed to Doug J house.

(Notice the markers way past my yellow marker)

I have been invited to the gaming group that Doug J. They have been playing for decades, and I am now the younger gamer. All of them are friendly and wickedly talented gamers. They often pretend to be confused or unthreatening, but Dave’s 30+ score in Ticket to Ride: Europe suggests more was going on. Also, Mike followed Dave. Doug J and I were only four points apart at the bottom and nowhere near the high scores. Next, we played the Pick 7 card game, and I ended up at the bottom. They asked me to suggest some “hard games” that I have in my collection for next time. I will send a few, but I mentioned Concordia, Brass, and The Lost Ruins of Arnak.

I returned home, time-boxed by a church meeting, and did the Zoom call.

And that takes me full circle; thanks for reading.

Sunday: Church and D&D

alohawild

I rose in the dark again. I cannot seem to sleep past 7 (until Monday, when I blinked and the clock went from 5 to 8). I am still dragging, but not as bad as Saturday. My left arm is less sore from the COVID-19 shot. I never had issues with the Yellow Fever shot. I’ve also been getting headaches lately and waking up with a stuffy nose, which I think is from the heat running in the house. It is cold out now.

I make coffee, liberal coffee, but I forget to press the bold button, which you can’t change once the coffee is brewing (hmmmm). It is OK coffee. I have a banana with that. I return to the office and start doing the usual morning stuff.

The amount of political (all Democratic) email I get is impressive, with all of it being deleted without being read. I delete lots of things I sometimes read, and I spot one impressive phishing email that I just delete; it looked real except for the strange email address and the fact that I don’t have an account with the company they are pretending to be. I received many emails pretending to be Apple, since the crooks know my storage re-up is in the fall, but I avoided them all.

Aside: I use Apple’s Time Machine and a drive plugged into my laptop for backups. I have images back to February available. I also do an old-school file copy to a solid-state drive I keep in the car and refresh it every month or so. I am not paranoid; four hard drives have failed on my laptops, and I’ve never lost any information. I have broken two screens and replaced the one keyboard.

I update my transactions in Quicken and read the NY Times not so much because it is a liberal paper (they really aren’t), but because of how they tell stories and edit. It is a lesson each day. And no AI-generated content.

I manage to finish in time to post the blog before I have to get ready for church. I manage the rush and arrive in Air VW the Gray, loaded with Brazil trip stuff and updated Dungeons & Dragons (I had to make a last-minute character update). I was giving the Stewardship Minute in the service, and the service is here, and my little speech is at 1:11:03.

My ushering was busy; we had many late visitors, members, and some homeless people parking to get coffee, donut holes, and cookies. I also got my Brazil books to Eric K, and my hard-copy forms to Kathy. One person brought a dog, and the dog made noise while getting a bowl of water and some food. I got a few looks and smiled back. It was a dog, and I had to stop myself from laughing when members gave me the “stink-eye” for doing nothing.

Ken was back, and he was going for broke in length and content. Eric K, who was also the liturgist, read the whole chapter of Isaiah 59, and the congregation called out memorable verses for Ken to focus on. Ken, who had just lost his father, remembered his father at points in the sermon.

With that done, I was tired again. Nothing like standing for over an hour, dealing with people, and then giving a short speech to run your batteries down. I headed home, watched more Borges, and then headed to Market of Choice. There I bought some expensive cheeses, a loaf of bread (I was down to a few slices), bread flour (on special for $5.69 for the good stuff, 5-pound bag), and a few small breakfast items.

I was late calling Deborah back and, at that time, was headed to M@ for a game. We said an early goodnight. We will try to connect for a show to watch together.

The game at M@’s was different. Our group avoids combat and mostly ignores treasure. We are in D&D Hell, the 5.5E version, and trying to recover some lost heroes and destroy an unholy artifact that the leader of Hell, Asmodeus, introduced in D&D in the 1970s, knows the secret of how to destroy it. Thus, the field trip. M@ assembled a different story for us, as we were not going to do the large combat and instead implicated a Pit Fiend with false but very convincing evidence of mismanagement and wastefulness. Pretty much the worst you can be accused of in Hell as a leader. Even consorting with dangerous adventurers for likely “good” reasons. A terrible mistake for a Pit Fiend to be discovered being “good.” The details cannot be covered here, but we managed a whole night of gaming and partying with Devil Lords and not having to roll for combat once.

M@ had acquired some new cloth maps from China and a see-through cloth mask to play some of the characters. M@, unlike me, can do the voices and acting when DM-ing.

After that, I chatted with Scott C for a while about retirement and health; we often talk outside by our cars after a game. I arrived home tired and read for a while, and somehow it was 11:30 before I was ready for it.

Today the clock got away from me. Thanks for reading!

Saturday: No Game and Lots of Tasks

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On Friday, Richard asked me for suggestions for board games for our usual Saturday night play, and I was hoping to play the newish Fromage game or another game of the same ilk, but themed around baking. On Saturday afternoon, Richard sent me a note that it was just the two of us, so I decided to skip.

I had traveled to Portland that afternoon and was now drinking a beer (just one now, as I am cutting back) and eating a bowl of peanuts. I finished my Dungeons & Dragons paperwork; my character was now 15th level (12th-level sorcerer/3rd-level bard) in M@’s Sunday game. I had to give up a magic item (only to discover, as often happens in 5.5E, that a rule change means I can keep it and had to redo my work again Sunday morning) and correct some mistakes. These were in an area I seldom, if ever, use, and after manually updating a character fifteen levels, a few slipped in.

After talking to Deborah, I headed home, finished my beer and peanuts, and paid my bill. Lucky Labrador’s on Hawthorne was busy, and I had to park on the street for the first time in months. The staff was delighted to be busy. I chatted with Deborah as I crossed Portland and Beaverton, and then we did one of our favorite long-distance activities: watching a show together. Elsbeth gets better each season and reminds me of Columbo and Nero Wolf books. The main characters become settled, and the actors become the characters for me. It is wonderful to see an old formula still work. But underlying currents also become clearer with each season, adding to the story and possibly changing the beloved main characters. This is a newer formula, and I like that too.

We managed two shows, and then it was late, and Deborah said good night and ended her day. She watched the shows in bed with her dogs. I made dinner, a salad (as I promised myself), read, did the dishes, and cleaned up the kitchen a bit.

I was soon in bed, reading more Dungeons & Dragons adventure, The Caverns of Thracia, that I am thinking of using for a new Thursday night game. It would be less work to use premade stuff. I also got that as a Kickstarter, and it would be a shame to leave it on a shelf. Unlike the three volumes the next adventure in the set took, this one uses a one-inch-plus-thick book that includes the AD&D version and is a bit unwieldy. The Kickstarter includes a supplement of player handouts that makes that part easier. It lacks large maps or other cool items like the Beadle & Grimm versions of other adventures (though those are often $400+; I can see why the Kickstarter did not go that far, and B&G usually works on established adventures).

I noticed a flaw in the adventure’s flow, and I think I had that problem when I played it thirty-five years ago. I worked out how to solve it. I will have to start making notes on how to play it. I am also headed toward removing some of the complexity, as it will not add to the enjoyment of the game and will take time. There is only so much time for gaming; it is best to remove anything that doesn’t improve the experience, a lesson I learned from M@.

I purchased The Borgias, an old BBC show from Apple TV, and watched an episode. I did buy a season, but I may have made a mistake. I hope it gets better. I do like this time of history and know the Medici’s story. We will see.

It was soon after 10, and with the time change, early rising a few times this week, and two vaccines (my left arm hurts from the COVID-19 shot), I tire easily and feel like I am dragging all day. I put aside the adventure, turned off the light, pulled up the blankets, and instantly fell asleep. I woke around 3, proved I could rise, and also proved I was hydrated. I woke in the dark before sunrise on Sunday.

Back at the start of Saturday, I rose in the dark, overheated in my 66°F house under too many blankets. I managed to kick some off, but sleep still didn’t return, so I crawled out into the cold house (it would soon heat to 69°F), found my slippers and robe, located liberal coffee already made, and reheated it in the microwave.

Breakfast was just a banana. I need to make more bread for toast. I use a cheap Amazon Basics bread-making machine. I may go back to the old-school way I learned, like many, during the pandemic.

I puttering around the house after the blog and reheated the Indian-style food I made the day before. It is too much food, and next time I need to split this up into smaller containers. I watched more Battleship New Jersey videos and ShipHappens on YouTube. I then headed to Portland.

And that is full circle. Thanks for reading.