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I did not need lunch on Wednesday; you won’t find it in my story of Wednesday. But the story does start with me waking at 3AM and texting Deborah a good morning for the beginning of her day. I then went back to sleep, barely waking and texting. Deborah was happy to be surprised by an early text. I visit her Time Zone occasionally, and when I can’t sleep. Running on her schedule is always a pleasure; it seems to shorten the distance between us. I can always get a nap if I become sleepy.

I rose later, after 8, and was happy that freshly brewed coffee awaited me; I had assembled the locally roasted and ground coffee the night before. While a $99.99 KitchenAid coffee maker seemed an extravagance, and I only bought it at Best Buy as I had a $100 gift card from buying The Machine (the combo washer and dryer from LG), I am happy with the timer, the much needed auto shut off, and the taste of the brewed product.

Z’s Willy Wonka play (she is playing Wonka) has moved to Saturday (there has been some illness in the cast, I understand), and the result is that I now have no plans for Wednesday. This is one of the pleasures (and fears for some) of retirement. I also received news that my “Chat Holmes and Watson” was accepted by 2600 The Hacker’s Quarterly and would appear in one of the following issues (from my previous experience, this is two quarters out). It takes them about two months to respond.

I wrote and finished the blog. I headed out to the gaming store, found a figure that matched what I was looking for, and purchased it (it came in a two-pack, and I would combine the two figures to make what I wanted). My colon was presenting me with the cork and bubbly issue. I rushed home and let things happen. I had not experienced this in a while, but was relieved (literally) that it was a known issue. Things are more normal now.

With the risk of a bad moment over, I drove to a local Great Clips and learned that 4ish on Wednesday is not a bad time to show up without an appointment, as there was no line and they were not busy. Soon, I had less on top. I was given the senior discount without asking (I look the part), but paid a good tip. The woman who cut my hair was bored and polite until I paid, and I got a genuine smile. I paid her the senior discount with my tip, which is the money that goes to her (she had a pronoun pin that directed me to these uses).

The 649 was full, so I drove home. I put on another episode of Elsbeth on Paramount+ while the potatoes boiled, the steak warmed up, and the salt soaked in a bit. I tried one of freshly made frig pickles. The taste was mostly just vinegar, but with hints of garlic and dill. I used English cucumbers from Costco, which were a bit industrial for my taste.

I fried a 1/2-inch boneless ribeye steak in butter and tried to brown it on both sides. However, I did not get the pan hot enough for a good sear, and the steak was mainly baked when I finished it in the oven. Alas, I need to use more heat at first and less time in the oven. I steamed asparagus and made mashed potatoes to go with it. I got the veggie good. I enjoyed the show with the corrupt investment family while enjoying my dinner. One must enjoy the mistakes as they make us better (we hope), and I got the salt right on the steak. Next time!

Next, I headed to Wildwood Taphouse and saw JR there, and we chatted for a while. I had a heavy, dark-as-my-soul beer, and the place was busy. I sat outside with JR. It was warm enough with the sun and no wind (the building breaking the wind), and then I read more Elric by Michael Moorcock. Young folks asked about the book I was reading while enjoying a beer and some chips; they like SciFi, but were unfamiliar with the author. “Someone old-school,” I said, and recommended him, and a few others, books from The Iron Druid Chronicles and The Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. I finished another story (the book is a collection of Elric and Elric-related stories).

I stopped by Barnes & Noble and picked up two hardware magazines from Europe (the American-based one is no longer available). I was surprised to see RISC-V on the cover of Elecktor. I thought it was forgotten.

I returned home, did the dishes, read more Elric, and worked on my new figure for my new character. I removed the transparent flames from the hands and attached small rectangles to the figure. I then did a basic paint to get the colors on the figure. I printed tiny cards from public images from Wikipedia for tarot cards. I attached these to the hands of the figure. I then painted the small cards with a transparent anti-shine to lock in the ink.

The figure needs fine work, including some metallics added to fine detail for buttons, belts, and clips. I thought the purple speed paint was a fail, and will dry brush on some lighter purple for the coat. I need to reattach some transparent, electrical-like material I harvested from the other figure to put around the cards I added. I will use jeweler’s cement as I need it to stay on, and the glue to hold well and not burn the material (CA glue will be a poor choice). I will try to finish it on Thursday night.

I read the zines, and the focus was on AI, both hardware and software-based AI options. I am jaded to AI claims being a practitioner (even retired), but the reasons for RISC-V resurfacing reminded me of why Python resurfaced. Like earlier forms of Python, RISC-V is open-source, has a strong community, and is strongly supported by academics. I also learned that foundation models are available for AI to allow the developer to call in a pre-made and well-understood (and open-source) AI solution. My attention is raised, and the RISC-V boards listed in detail have caused me to drool a little. While I can resist the latest Kickstarter for a board game and a new 3D printer, I might not resist a RISC-V Linux-based computer that looks delicious. Oh my! I could build a small footprint machine, call in a foundation model, even on a tiny processor, and consume images and make decisions. My little submarine might be possible! Dreams. Wonder. And not expensive (less by 1/2 than a new printer).

We will see. I nodded off when I returned to reading Elric stories, stopped, turned off the light, and soon slept the night. I do not remember the dreams, but I imagine the night phantoms included mixed AI and Elric swinging his cursed sword.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

It is hard to write the story of Tuesday, as I just got a notification from 2600 Hacker Quarterly that they have accepted my Holmes and Watson story. It is hard to focus on writing now; I am delighted. Dear reader, I will let you know when it appears. It is usually two quarters away when I get a notification.

I tried to rise at 6:30 but managed to get going at 7. This time, I found the coffee waiting for me. For breakfast, I had a few slices of pound cake and a banana. I returned to my office and wrote the blog until 8:15. I was time-boxed as I had to get to Portland and play at Richard’s house. I showered, shaved, dressed, and got in Air VW the Gray at 8:45.

Traffic was heavy on Highway 26, the Sunset Highway, more like a parking lot than three lanes inbound, but it was more stop-and-go once inside Portland. Surprisingly, I arrived on time. There were no racing cars this time, and while there were the usual sudden lane changes, it was an uneventful trek.

We tried Tainted Grail today, another horror-based dark rewrite of the Arthurian legend. James brought the game, which he bought painted on the secondary game market. This is another dudes-on-board, all 32 mm-sized figure game. It is cooperative and complex. It has the mandatory unique iconography, which can be copyrighted. This protects the game creator, as rules and game mechanics are not protected, but art and iconography are. The art and materials unique to the game are part of the game and easily defended.

Here are the words:

“Copyright does not protect the idea for a game, its name or title, or the method or methods for playing it. Nor does copyright protect any idea, system, method, device, or trademark material involved in developing, merchandising, or playing a game.”

I played a druid who had trouble with nightmares. We wandered the map, and soon, I was almost wounded and approaching my end. I also went insane. It was slow going because I did not understand the game, and Richard, who was concerned about our chances, became a bit intense. I was frustrated because I could not understand how combat worked. While interesting, I was unhappy with the game, its dark story, and the play style. I thought it was fiddly and dragged. This is also an endless game, so we had to record everything. I took pictures. We will try it again. James has a significant investment and multiple add-ons. He is a self-declared ‘completist’ who often gets everything.

At 2ish, I was headed home with my feelings mixed. I can’t recommend this game, but I know it is highly rated. I also see lots of it for sale. More to come.

Deborah and I talked once I was home and had made lunch. I had reheated and frozen some ham and pea soup I made last week, and added more ham. I finished the blog after I rang off. Later, I would talk to Deborah before she fell asleep. It is good to start and finish our days together.

I watched another episode of “Elsbeth.” It was good and reminded me of the Columbo guest star versions, where each show focused on another area, cooking, magic, music, etc. This was the murder of a tennis star.

I decided that I had had enough of my own cooking (though the pound cake was good) and headed to Eric, my usual waiter, at BJ’s Brewhouse. There, I had a perfect ribeye steak for too much money. I added a salad. I skipped dessert but had coffee. It was a bit late, which meant little sleep until near 1 Wednesday morning. I finally took some ibuprofen, and that counteracted the caffeine. Not a good solution, but it is better than staying up until 4 and then sleeping until noon!

My 3D printer is highly temperature sensitive and will print only on warm days and nights. F**k. That explains why it works and then stops working. Richard suggests building a printing area with heat in the garage–there are many examples online. I also found a new Egloo 3D resin tank printer model with a built-in heater. Being now retired and spending most of my money on travel, having a new printer at the house seems wasteful for the price of a round-trip ticket to Detroit with some upgrades. But that FOMO takes over, and I want it (“my precious”). Instead, I will continue to buy printed items and, for the figure I want for my new character, I will buy and alter them to fit. But the FOMO rises…resist.

I did not order a printer. I am thinking of recycling mine.

I was reading Elric at BJ’s and then at home in a larger paperback.  I got this book and another (volume 2 and 3) at Curious Books for my birthday when I was in East Lansing. I was enjoying the story, though Elric does not appear in the first one.

I went to bed after doing the dishes (meaning I put them in the dishwasher and washed the large pans and knives). I also reviewed my character in the new Dungeons and Dragons 2024 rules when I could not sleep. I also searched my unpainted figures, a box of the “Vampire” pledge from years ago, filled with plastic figures. I found nothing that matched close to what I was looking for. I was amazed at how many repeats I had. I wonder how many “Vampires” and repeated add-ons were in the box!

I finally settled and slept.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

Monday is like my Saturday, as I seldom have plans, and the weekend is over. While I don’t work, others do, and I rush on the weekend to be included. On Monday, the rush ends. I rose around after 8 and found I forgot to put the timer on and had to wait for coffee. I entered the office—the corner bedroom is now my office—and started my online morning.

I write this blog most mornings. I am more of a morning person, and the task seems easier than late at night. I used to write a blog late while working for a living. Now I can afford to invest the morning in the blog. I use WordPress for the blog, and Grammarly checks my text and makes suggestions, many of which are useless, while I type. I prefer it to spot missing plurals and insert commas. It corrects my spelling, but most tools do that now. Quicken is updated with the transactions from most of my accounts. Only the IRA and my Treasury account were not updated–both are too complex and provide only limited or no Quicken transactions.

I am done at about 10, and then return to the 3D printer. It is cool today, and I suspect this is the real reason it won’t print, but instead puddles on the tank film. The operating temperature for the resin is 25-30°C (72-80°F). I cleaned up the Egloo Mars 3D resin printer and started a new print. I changed the model to be at an angle with supports and a base the night before. I also changed the run parameters to be the recommended values. It will fail as a puddle again.

Deborah is back to work, but working from home, and I get a few texts and a call. She is doing chores all day. I woke up to her text, and we talked as I started the blog.

It is nearing noon, and I reheat the Chinese-style food. I watch Elsbeth and enjoy the quirky show while I eat. The show reminds me of The Rockford Files and Colombo. This episode’s guest murderer is a modern matchmaker from The Hamptons, and the viewer is treated to a view of the winter version of The Hamptons. I liked it.

After that show, I looked at replacement printers and various options. The highest-tech one would cost about $600, and I was not ready to spend that much (the latest Saturn Ultra 16K with a heated tank, with the extra wash and hardening solutions). But we will see. I have always dreamed of printing my stuff for gaming, and I am still tempted.

Time was slipping by, and soon it was time to head out again. I changed to a dress shirt, Pride tie, and green sweater vest and boarded Air VW the Gray for the short trip to the MAX station. The trip into Portland was faster, and I was enjoying my Canadian murder crime novel on my Kindle and missed my stop. It was just a few blocks’ difference. But I walked to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, and the Heathman Hotel Bar was on the way. I decided to try the remodeled location next to the Schmitzer.

I ordered a Sazerac, which was perfectly mixed without ice (better). I had the chips with the salmon dip. The chips were house-made potato chips with a hint of vinegar and salt. The dip had roe on it and was not overly fishy flavored, and it went well with the chips. I had the mushroom soup, which, while good, was a bit cooler than I liked. Oddly, there were noodle bits sprinkled on the top that I thought did not work. I saw that other symphony goers were sharing the cheese and meat plate. It looked excellent. Next time!

I reached the Schnitzer next door while the talk was still happening and heard a few words from the conductor, Jun Märki, and the principal guest conductor. Conductor Märki described Debussy’s La mer like waves and storms. He shared his excitement, and when conducting later, I could witness his love and enjoyment of the piece.

The most memorable piece was unexpected: Korngold’s Concerto in D Major for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 35 had me laughing and tapping my feet. Koldgold was a movie composer who combined those bits to make this concerto. It was enjoyable, and Paul Huang, the soloist, seemed to create his own movie with sweeping arm movements as he played the dramatic notes. He really leaned into that music. Medelssohn’s Calm Sea and Properios Voyage, Op. 27, mixed well with Debussy, but I remember Haung’s music more. He played an encore solo that was lovely, too.

I stumbled when the concert was done. It is a long fall. I barely caught myself. My knees had frozen up. Something new. I will be more careful!

I arrived, safe, home via MAX and the EV. I stayed up late and made a pound cake from the Cake Bible Cookbook. I had a slice of the cake, excellent, and went to bed.

Thanks for reading!

 

I nearly forgot to finish the blog on Sunday. Finally, I finished it after 6 and published it. Deborah asked me where the blog was. Oops!

I had just watched another episode of the bright and fun murder show, Colombo-like, “Elsbeth,” when Deborah reminded me to write the blog. The second episode was excellent and gave me a more NYC feel; the murder involved real estate. Often, these shows, well done, do not connect as well to the location, but “Elsbeth” connects to NYC. I was catching up on the next Doctor Who when Deborah called. It was also good and was about a god of storytelling.

After the blog, I started another 3D print run. I got a half-melted 28mm figure and two puddles. Ugh! I cleaned up the mess. Remembering to use a mask this time, I collected the unused resin, put it back in the bottle, heated it to 32°C in a bucket of warm water, and tried again with warmed resin. Another three hours of printing and my second try on Sunday. It would fail again with the same results, precisely the same.

Dinner was reheated: a breaded chicken thigh and pasta I made a few days ago. I covered it in Costco’s Rao’s overpriced sauce. My colon and tummy had been bothering me, and I was dizzy and had moments of feeling hot. I decided to take it slow on Sunday.

I loaded the dishes into the dishwasher and ran it. Then, I washed the larger pans by hand, cleaned the knives, and put them back. I hold them on a magnetic board, which I recommend.

I finished the night reading until I started to nod off. I put on my PJs and soon fell asleep.

Sunday, Mother’s Day, started with me rising around 8 and finding coffee made. A pot of liberal Fair Trade coffee to start my day; perfect! I spent most of the morning writing the blog, doom-scrolling the news, and updating my Quicken summary. I use Quicken to download all the transactions and categorize them. I know what is transpiring in all my accounts.

I talked to Deborah with her ‘Good morning’ greeting me when I woke up around 7. I had to ring off at 9:15 to shower and dress. Air VW the Gray carried me across Beaverton in light traffic and arrived at 10:30, for the 11 worship service. The steps to the side door were sprinkled with rice and other food items. I said good morning, got a broom, and cleared the steps. I ushered and had to admit I could not follow the service that well. Ken had two people talk about their experiences at the church, and then tried to connect that to living a righteous and full life. His point was that little things and community matter. Dondrea and Z supplied tulips for Mother’s Day. There was also a cake, and I had one small piece.

I returned home in the EV and reheated the wonton soup. I always order the large to have another meal later. I also wanted the container, as it is perfect for pouring out the resin from the tank. I reheated the soup twice in the microwave and let it sit to let the heat spread through the soup. It was good.

I poured the unused resin into the previous soup container, cleaned up the Egloo Mars 3D printer, reset it, and poured it back into the bottle. I then reheated the resin in the bottle with warm water to 33°C and repeated the print–it would fail again.

Aside: I learned that the resin’s optimal temperature is 25-30°C.

I looked at new models and discovered that the new Egloo printer has a built-in heater for the resin, a fan to kill the fumes, and works much faster. The tariffs are not yet worked into the prices, so I am tempted. I have an expensive, large Egloo 3D resin printer that seldom worked for me, and I am not tempted to try it again. The reviews of this Kickstarter printer are poor, and the amount of resin in the tank makes it hard to work with. For the moment, I will try to make my old original and often successful printer work. I did see that Egloo sells a little heater to put in the printer, which is very tempting.

Deborah spent most of Mother’s Day with her boys, and we talked for a long time after she was in bed. We like to start and end our days together.

And that closes the loop on Sunday’s story!

Thanks for reading!

 

Saturday was unusual as I could play many games and publish the blog. I was feeling better, though my colon, 25 cm shorter from cancer, would fill, and the lockdown was making me uncomfortable. It finally emptied on Sunday morning. It is part of living as a survivor of colon cancer.

I rose late on Saturday, rolling over a few times after sunrise, and got coffee waiting for me when I finally rose after 8. I had drunk a lot of water (see above) and proved this twice, and still had to run for a third when I rose.

I started in my PJs with the 3D printer. Ugh. A melted blob was partially on the printing plate, and a blob stuck to the plastic film on the bottom of the tank as a pool of hardened junk. Using gloves, I did not get any toxic resin on me, and I removed the failed print. I dumped the expensive resin ($25 per 1,000 grams) and cleared the tank of stuck bits. Total fail.

Disappointed, I returned to the office with coffee, a banana, and a NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce!) and spent the morning mostly writing the blog. I also quickly got out a card to Mom Wild, wearing my robe and slippers, and no comments from my neighbors (they have gotten used to the retired guy in PJs late). I squeezed in while writing the blog, getting my transactions updated in Quicken while getting the blog out. I also looked at the website HeroQuest, which lets you design a gaming figure; I hoped to download an STL file for about $8 and print it myself (it is a 4-week wait from HeroQuest and about $30 for a simple plastic version). I read my emails and doom scrolled enough to know that no new disaster had befallen the world (or caused by the current USA government).

I published the blog and then read more on the Egloo website, the manufacturer of my Mars resin tank printer. I thought something was wrong with my settings; possibly, a software update had scrambled them. I checked the recommended settings, and my printer settings, while not matching, were not radically far from the exposure times and movement speeds. These settings are in the software that takes the STL image file and then transforms it into commands for a printer. As my printer is old, I did not dare update the software. I did download a new software, but it did not include my printer, the old Mars printer (not the Pro or other later improvements). I used the old stuff as it is.

I read that the resin works at 25 °C to 30 °C. Yikes, I was printing at 55°F. There was a warning that the resin would stick to the film if it was too cold, which I was experiencing. Could it be a temperature issue?

I created a new build file and transferred it to a USB ‘A’ stick (also old) from my Apple. I then walked that file to the printer. I plugged the stick into the Mars 3D printer. I then put on gloves and cleaned the printer with near-pure alcohol. I cleaned the tank with care. It is transparent to allow the UV light to harden the resin, hopefully on the previous layer. I checked the file and did a print run with no resins. I have UV eye protection. I also use gloves to protect my hands from the resin and UV!

I took the freshly opened resin and a bucket. I filled the bucket with water at 34 °C, placed the resin container in it, and let it reach 30 °C. I reset the printer and zeroed it again. I poured the warm resin into the printer and opened the garage door to let the warmer air in. I started the print. It was an HP Lovecraft bust, my usual practice, and a miniature version only a few inches tall.

I have no memory of lunch, and I think I just spread breakfast over the morning, as I was fearful that my colon and tummy issues would resurface. Next, I took Ottoman Sunset, a solo board game, and boarded Air VW the Gray. I closed the garage door to keep the contents safe and cat-free (the local cats have more than once spent the night in the garage). I headed into the strange traffic of an early Saturday afternoon across Beaverton and Portland.

The trip was the usual stop-and-go in Beaverton, and Highway 26, the Sunset Highway, resembled a parking lot for the Zoo a few times. The local streets of Portland are troubled by racing. Two cars were racing through Portland, and I got out of their way without losing paint on the EV. They zoomed through traffic and weaved here and there, with one car having to downshift. The backfires were loud as the fuel burned poorly in the engine.

I arrived at Lucky Labrador without incident and found a parking spot in their lot on Hawthorn across the river. I found a table and got an Irish ale. The place was busy for early Saturday afternoon, but no gaming groups were there. I found a table and tried to play the solo board game, Ottoman Sunset, again. This game has you play the Ottoman (Turkish) Sultan, and you need to keep back the invaders while keeping up the morale of the Turkish people. The game has cards that replay the events of 1914-1919 that impacted the Ottoman Empire, and if you wish to play them in historical order, you just sort the cards by number. I did random and enjoyed the first set without too much pain, but once the French and Lawrence of Arabia appeared, it became a desperate effort to survive. I misplayed and removed cards that would have helped/hurt, and will get that right next time.

In my version of history, Lawrence of Arabia paraded into Istanbul and kicked me out. I had a marginal defeat (almost making it). I focused on keeping the people happy and investing in Europe’s battles. I must keep Lawrence and others further away to survive to 1919. I enjoyed it and will play again and try to get it right. Solo games have endless rules and complexities, as there is only one player, and thus, having to return to the rulebook often is not so bad.

I got peanuts to go with the beer. I put away the game, put it in the cargo hold of Air VW the Gray, and got out Scythe. This took the whole table and another one. Scythe is not a small footprint game. I set a three-person game with two factions controlled by the automata deck. I have bought extra decks to allow me to play multiple robotic players. I have two automata decks in my box, one of which comes with the game. While you can use one deck for numerous factions, it gets confusing and ineffective. In the unofficial section of the rules, they suggest multiple decks. Time to try it.

(You can see the two decks with a marker for each at the edge of the table)

There were many rules and mechanics, and I will not cover this. The robot factions moved by teleportation, which was interesting. I attacked and watched as the two robots fought each other. It will be interesting to play this with others.

I misread the time, ordered some soup, and put Scythe away. I then discovered I had another hour, and I was also uncomfortable. I sat outside where it was cooler and read some rules. Ostia, another board game, has an add-on, and I read the rules. Ostia is already a complex game, and I am not sure more rules will improve it. Someday we will have to try it.

At 5:15, I headed to Richard’s, and Laura was there to play. We played a three-person basic version of The Lost Ruins of Arnak, a favorite board game played a lot during and after the pandemic. The theme is a Hollywood version of archaeology with a research section resembling the usual worker placement and resource management race in many games. There is also a card deck building and a thinning part. It is an excellent mix of the theme, deck building, worker placement, efficiency race, and resource management. It is hard to get the correct mix, and there are many correct answers.

I remembered the game well, having played it for years, and was ahead of Richard while Laura explored and defeated the Hollywood guardians, gaining a pile of points at the end of the game. I did not expect to win with Laura behind me and Richard at the bottom. He missed, I think, the efficiency race and resource management. We finished the game in 90 minutes.

We then took on Cthulhu—Death May Die with Richard’s painted figures. This is a horror cooperative game in which you fight cultists and the things they summon before they end the world. I have played it before and lost. And not to be disappointed, we lost this game, too. We played for three hours and lost the game by one card draw of stopping the Yellow King.

After we chatted for a while, I headed home. The drive was easy; nobody was racing on the bridges! I was soon home and asleep in my bed. As I said, I was happy to find my 3D print completed and a print still on the plate, as I had hoped. It was pretty hard to detach it. A good sign.

I slept until sunrise.

Thanks for reading.