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Thursday, the last work-from-office day at Nike WHQ, started with waking just before 6:30. While I slept better, I seemed out of sorts and should have rolled over and called in. But instead, I rose, found my slippers, and headed to the home office. It was already bright and cloudless. It was also cold, even frosty, as we continued with the desert climate. Thus grumpy, I made coffee, liberal coffee, in my French press and got the last banana.

I returned to the home office and read the emails, Slack updates, and news. I managed to just finish the banana as the clock showed 7. I returned the coffee and the plate to the kitchen. The banana skin joined a growing pile of garbage. Apparently, Corwin is blind to the overflowing trash. I am wondering how high I can get it.

I cleaned up and dressed using my Harry’s razor, still with its first blade, which is fantastic (thanks, Lynn-Wolff’s). I was soon dressed, and I had a sweater over the T-shirt. It was frigid.

I arrive at the Swift Building at Nike WHQ, realizing it will be my last visit if I am let go next week. It was a strange feeling. Soon, habit takes over, and I am again doing status and processing Zoom calls until late morning. I also reviewed how the new process may work in a short whiteboarding session.

Next, I had lunch with Scott at the cafe, risking the salad bar, and I am happy to report no sudden adverse side effects. Kerry, a friend of mine at Nike for years and a Belgium Beer expert, joined us for lunch. We talked about work and, sadly, much about the re-org and changes that are soon coming.

I returned to Zoom calls in the afternoon and then decided it would be good to head home, but I did get a call from the plumbers first. I arranged for the plumbers to come next week to restructure the connection for the clothing washer (and combo dryer) and to snake the drain in the main bathtub.

Once home, I followed along, but there was no message from leadership on layoffs. We are surprised they are waiting so long, which does not make this easier. We believe the process is next week, and we will again be asked to work from home next week.

I received Eric Cline’s next book. He is a brilliant writer and archeologist. I strongly recommend this lecture. His newest book, After 1177 BCE, was just published. I have read most of his books, and I love his recorded lectures.

I had one more meeting at 5:45. I made tacos by defrosting the ground beef in water and then cooked it in a non-stick pan on the new stove. It was faster, and the temperature seemed more stable. I added a can of hot peppers and tomatoes and the usual low-salt taco mix. I let that cook in the meat without draining the beef. It is so good this way. I took the taco shells from the box, put cheese inside, and backed it so the cheese melted.

I found some lettuce on its last legs and cut out the good part. Thus, I had spicy, almost to the point of burning, tacos while I did the stand-up meeting until after 6 (18:00). I had four, so good, while I did the meeting. I put the rest away in glass storage (thanks, Gene and Glenda) for Corwin to find later.

I washed the towels on the floor in the new washer/dryer, emptied and reloaded the dishwasher, and ran it with a light load. I took out the trash in three bags and put out the garbage and recycling. The grumpiness faded after bringing order (and tacos) to the world, and I decided The 649 was a good choice for writing the blog.

The after-work and early dates were just leaving, and Avery and Natalia were briefly buried in cleaning tables and running drinks. The crowd is slower as the sun slides behind the hills, and they can talk more softly. It is always lovely to chat with them.

And that takes me to the current moment. Thanks for reading.

I became exhausted this Wednesday night and had to stop playing board games with Z. I had a few coughing attacks, one bad enough to alarm Z, but my emergency inhaler controlled that. So, it will be a shorter blog as I am sliding into nap time.

Going with the highlights, starting in the early hours, I woke up too warm to sleep (that has not happened in a while) and then had a short-lived but terrible leg cramp. The fall in the kitchen that slammed my left knee into the floor was also bothering me, and I was taking painkillers for that. So, sleep was troubled when I rose before 6:30.

I had coffee and a banana. I got out the drill and put two new holes in my belt. Mariah urged me to get a new belt (on its way) and to stop my pants from falling. It worked and will be better. A new belt is on its way. My weight increased to 158 (!), but my waist seemed smaller. I believe I am building muscle at the same time, and that is why my numbers are varying by ten pounds.

I was able to clean up and dress without issue and soon was in Air Volvo, headed to the Swift Building on the Nike WHQ campus. The traffic was heavy, and I had to wait ten minutes longer to reach the shoe company’s parking lot. Work was about processing and approving various changes. It was a usual day.

I left early and went to Barnes and Noble to buy a copy of the new game Wrymspan. I have a discount as a member, so it took no time to acquire the game and an electronics magazine I like. After that, I went to Happy Panda and ordered chicken with cashew nuts and mushrooms added to it. The bits of chicken in a light brown sauce were a crunch mix of celery, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and slightly undercooked mushrooms. Nothing that would help reduce my weight, but it was feel-good food. This over-plain rice and the usual spring roll and Hot and Sour soup was an excellent meal.

While consuming this crunchy mix, I read the rules for Wrymspan and later texted Richard and Kathleen for clarification. It was a pleasure to read and think.

I returned to work, and soon, my old boss, Brad, pointed out that the admin staff was serving margaritas, and we were relaxing and drinking. Sadly, much of the conversation is still about the wreckage from the recent layoffs and the new ones next week. Yes, margaritas were a good idea—we needed to party a bit.

Brad, my now-former boss, invited me and his previous MDG Engineering team for drinks and food. This was Brad saying goodbye, as the re-org had us leave Brad and move under another director. It was a nice dinner and drinks.

Next, I drove (ensuring I ate something to be sober) and soon reached First United Methodist Church without incident. Soon, Z and Dondrea arrived. We had cupcakes of a special cake made from bananas, pecans, and pineapple from scratch by Dondrea, carefully frosted with perfect roses and other flowers. Ashley, wearing a mask (she had been ill), joined us as her birthday was yesterday, as was mine, with the choir singing Happy Birthday. We had cupcakes to celebrate Ashley’s birthday and mine.

Z was excited to learn the Wingspan-like board game reworked with dragons, Wyrmspan. Z had it down soon and was crushing me. Z soon had an engine built, and I would watch as her turns would often be 1/2 again longer than mine. Z beat me by twenty points. I was too tired to play again. Z and I just chatted.

After that, I said goodnight to folks and headed home. I was soon writing.

Sorry for the rushed blog. Thanks for reading.

I woke up with the iPhone sending out sounds of messages. It was my 60th birthday, and I managed to sleep until 6:30. I thought I should have taken the day off, like most years, but today, I will try to summon the will to return to work. I found my slippers and rose; I have LL Bean felt PJs now and forgo the robe. I am warm.  I read the warm greetings and watched a card from the Lynn-Wolffs. Soon, I ran out of time and managed only a slip of liberal coffee from my French Press and a banana that I scarfed down.

I clean up and dress. I wear my blue Nike Metcon Turbo 2 shoes, which are not my usual Air Force Ones, and my Empire State T-shirt. My pants are a problem. I have shrunk, or they have grown. They are now falling off. Mariah insisted later that I purchase a smaller size from my usual LL Bean order; I ordered two pairs and a new belt. Let’s hope these will stay on.

I was in the office by about 8; the traffic was heavy but was moving, and I soon enjoyed a leadership meeting and more hours of meetings on various subjects, all on Zoom. I get a few birthday wish calls. I got a meeting notice for cake at 1:30 for my birthday, and I have to let folks know that it is OK to tell people I am 60 today. Birthdates are personal identifiable information (PII) data, and thus, they are protected. My IT folks are nervous to discuss my age and request that I release the information; I do. Yes, we will pass an audit even for birthdays!

I had lunch alone at the cafe and my usual at the pop-up. This time, it was a split chicken breast over Israeli couscous with a gravy that contained large bits of onions, small mushrooms, and other veggies. It was good. I read the news on Trump’s trial; he has become a class in obscure excuses in a legal setting.

When I returned, my team soon set up a nice party for me, and I served the cake. When I was a little kid, birthday people had to serve their own cake. By the later afternoon the cake was gone. I served extra frosting to the directors; they roasted me a few times. It was all in good fun, but I think the newer people are not used to the lack of decorum that is old Nike. But soon, they were laughing and enjoying the jokes.

Someone brought a pinata in the form of ’60’, but it was empty. I suggested we go to the supply of Advil, Tylenol, allergy meds, and other pills in small bags, making a true IT pinata. Meds instead of candy! That got lots of laughs; we did not do that.

After the cake, I walked through Core ERP’s area (my organization is Core ERP), invited folks for cake, and shook hands. Soon, the cake was gone; excellent.

I talked to some folks about my understanding of our upcoming work. Soon, I was out of time to meet Mariah at BJ’s for dinner. I thanked everyone again and headed out.

Eric, my usual waiter in the bar, was there, and Mariah soon appeared. I had the ribeye with a baked potato and a salad, and Mariah had their excellent double pork chop with bacon jam. I had a beer, Jerimiah Red, delivered by Eric without asking (a favorite), and then a gin and tonic on a cold but sunny day. I was thinking of the warm days to come. As it was my birthday, I ate the dessert–so wrong but so good: A macadamia nut cookie still warm with ice cream.

Mariah spent the evening giving me advice. I hold her in high regard, and she had much to say. I listened. Sadly, there were many requests for Mariah to repeat what she said. My hearing degradation becomes more apparent in social settings. Also, I fell in the kitchen yesterday when a moving mat used by the installer shifted under me while trying to stand. I landed back on the floor; my left knee slammed into the floor, and today, it is sore. My whole leg was locked into a cramp in the same area while sitting on the high chairs in the bar. It passed once I stretched the leg out over a chair. The problem is returning as I write the blog. Hmmm.

Mariah and I soon headed out. I returned home in Air Volvo. There, I went through the emails, found the Kickstarters, and updated the address and items I wanted. Ostia is a Macala-using board game that I enjoy. It was created, reprinted, and has add-ons supplied by the Kickstarter process. I selected my choices and will see the new stuff near the end of the year.

I received the paperwork to cash out $61 of Susie’s last remaining investment. They want a court order, so I may abandon the money. I am the surviving spouse, and they should recognize that, but we will see. Endless!

And then I started the blog, and that takes me to now. Thanks for reading!

I was home most of the day today as I needed to be home for the plumbers and the appliance installation.

I rose with my alarm, which seemed too early, as I had woken at 5AM and rolled over. I dreamed of traveling again, but the details evaporated as the day started. When I get this tumor stuff done, it seems like it is time to get back to traveling. I am thinking of New Orleans again or another crazy trip with driving to do museums in Chicago, Detroit, and then Lansing and the Old ‘burg (Laingsburg, Michigan 48848, for those who don’t know) for Linda’s last youngish birthday (59) on 23 July 2024. Folks will be welcome to overlap that trip and join me for museums (Chicago Field, Industrial, Arts, and then Detroit Arts). Details will wait after I recover. But yes, I am dreaming of travel.

I made liberal coffee in the French Press and had a banana with that. A light breakfast.

The plumber called around 8ish and said he was running late, and I should have expected him at 9:30. The appliance delivery, installation, and haul away were potentially at the same time. Oh my. I did the process Zoom call at 9 and a planning meeting afterward. Then, Rick, the plumber from Crown Plumbing, showed up, and he was done in just a few minutes as he was there to review the issues and provide an estimate in a few days and a date–likely in a week or so. They will replace the connections for the washer and the discharge to a more current setup with a little sink. Excellent.

Back to Zoom meetings. I met with my new boss, who asked me to help with a few items before I head out on Medical Leave about 15 May 2023 (I travel to Michigan for Susie’s Concert and fly back that same day, 18 May 2023). We discussed helping folks attend the technical conferences and how I can help.

We finished, and I was just starting on paperwork when I heard the truck. I spent the next two hours helping and watching as the dishwasher and stove were replaced. It took them a while to disconnect the dishwasher. I had turned off the power to the washer, not the dishwasher. They checked, and I fixed that. Yikes! The stove is not flush as the power cable is looped. We could fix it, but it will work as it is.

They hauled away the old ones, the boxes, and other packing stuff, and they were gone before 2PM. I was back online and worked until 4ish. I made a sandwich of shaved beef, cheddar slices, and cole slaw with Thousand Island Dressing. Corwin found my half sandwich from last night. I ate both halves as I was hungry.

I ran a few dishes in the dishwasher and tested all the burners on the stove. We had to burn off the transportation oil before I could use the stove. That is a bit smokey. I put on the vent fan.

I got out the slightly reduced Easter Ham and set it in a glass dish to make. I put Oregon black, not sweat, cherries in the dish; this was from a can. I peeled carrots and put them in some oil and seasoning to bake—they did dry out too much. Next time, I will steam them, cover them, and then uncover them. I made rice pilaf from a box as the starch.

I baked the carrots in the first oven and used the convection roast in the second oven. Fun! I used the cooking surface to make the rice pilaf in a saucepan. I used the whole stove! It works perfectly and heats much faster than the previous one.

I sliced off the baked ham and put the liquid and cherries on it. The carrots were passable. The pilaf was OK and made well. I think I am spoiled by my couscous.

Corwin was waiting for his paycheck. I paid for a tank of gas for him. While he borrowed my Amex, I raced to finish all the clean-up and packed the food in glass containers (thanks, Glenda). I was done before he returned and had the dishwasher on custom settings: A heavy load with regular dry but high-temperature water for three-plus hours.

With my AMEX card back, my bank card was lost–the AMEX is all I have, so I headed to The 649. I have put in a request for a replacement and locked down the card. Alexa immediately told me that my payments for her services were faltering. I fixed all of that. I already have the replacement card numbers (I printed out a picture of the virtual card) and put them in to make Alexa happy again.

I am now at The 649 writing and having a sour beer suggested by Avery, who bartends tonight. She is manually playing tunes, a DJ, and a bartender, as the sound system music selections are not working. I do recognize some of the music. It has a fast beat, and I can see Avery moving at the speed of the music. Mondays are often quiet, but she is keeping busy tonight. She is moving with the music. I saw her shaking a drink to the beat a moment ago.

Thanks for reading!

It is early evening, still on Sunday, and sunny and dry, which is unusual for the Pacific Northwest (PNW). I am at The 649. Avery made me a special drink she thought I would like. She was just finishing her day and so headed out soon after. Crystal is here to finish the night. I decided I needed a drink and to be with people while I wrote. I am sitting inside as the desert weather means a cold wind, and soon the temperatures will drop desert fast. We are either raining or doing the desert-like nights and days.

I dusted and ordered the bedroom for the afternoon today. I went through Susie’s jewelry. Most of what remains is decorative and costume. I found some gold given to Susie by Ben, her father, and I will soon take that to Michigan and give it to Barb, Susie’s sister. I plan to mail the lesser stuff with photos and other items for Susie’s concert on 18 May 2024. I found Susie’s first passport, which she did not take to France when she fell ill, but it included the stamp from Israel from when we went there in 1996 with the Maryland Bible Society. Next, I found Susie’s ID for the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington and her original Michigan Driver’s Licence. All will be sent for the party.

I then made a sandwich for dinner, roast beef, cheddar cheese, and cole slaw. I added a smear of Thousand Islands dressing to the bread for flavor and to stop the bread from soaking up the slaw. I could only eat half of one. I put the rest in the frig for later.

I napped for a few minutes, then rallied and called Leta before it got any later. I caught her before she went to bed, and we chatted briefly. We switched to FaceTime, and I walked out to the backyard. I showed Leta the tulips (those I bought when Glenda was here a few years ago), and Leta showed me the night lighting on her deck, all powered by solar cells. Leta likes to have some pretty lights on at night. I switched to some less dusty clothing before heading out to The 649.

Going back on Sunday, I was at church in time for the service, even a little early. I sat in a new place, and that drew some comments. Methodists never do that. The music included the choir singing Precious Lord, and I recorded some of it and posted it on Facebook. Facebook software suggested I make it a public reel, so I did. Jack did an excellent solo that I missed in the recording.

Pastor Ken continued his mix of lectures, reports from his travels, slide shows, and preaching. Today, he attached everything to Isaiah 58. This is a favorite passage for me because God says people should stop pretending and show care for the poor, the needy, and the widow to experience a genuine connection to God. God promises to be there if you are there for your fellow humans. Pastor Ken covers that evangelism, including John Wesley’s trip to Georgia (the founder of Methodistism and who preached to the poor and the coal miners), was funded by the sugar plantations that existed through the abuse of slaves. I had read Bury the Chains, which Ken brought forward, and I knew the story. I recommend this book; it is a fantastic work, and I must admit I cried at the end when we said goodbye to “the preacher” in the story.

For Pastor Ken, the question is about truth and how complicit we are in the terrible sins like the sugar-slavery economy of the past and those new modern sins like human trafficking, mass theft of people’s savings, and other apparent horrors we still face. What are we doing to make the world better? As God promises in Isaiah 58, helping is how to be closer to God. God is much less interested in the hymns, great as they are, and more interested in how the poor, the orphans, and the widows in your community are.

After church, I had an event with a homeless person at the church. I gave the person money to help, and then I had to leave. I will not describe the moments here to provide the person with privacy. It left my mind and heart troubled.

I headed home and remembered I had a book at Powell’s to pick up. I turned around; my head was still spinning a bit. The novel that becomes the musical Cabaret is Goodbye Berlin, and I ordered a used copy to be picked up at Cedar Hills Powell’s. While I love the musical, the last parts are so dark and hard to enjoy. Life may be a cabaret, as is sung in the musical, but that is a harsh moment that gets much darker. I wanted to read the original story.

Next, I decided I needed lunch, so I headed to Beaverton’s Elephant’s Delicatessen and ordered a Ruben with fries. It was wonderful, but I only ate half. I did eat all the fries. I brought the sandwich half back in Air Volvo and gave it to Corwin, who enjoyed it. As I had said, I was soon cleaning and organizing the bedroom.

I rose before my alarm and wrote the blog. I am time-boxed because I planned to be at church early, so I could only partially edit it. I wrote for hours as Saturday was a busy day to describe. I wore a sweater over my dress shirt and tie—no suit today.

When I arrived, a skateboarder, Angelica, asked for a bandaid. She had a scuffed knee. Not seeing a first aid kit, I grabbed the one from Air Volvo. I realized I had never opened it, which greatly amused Angelica. Soon, we found what we needed, and Angelica helped herself, and soon, she was fine. She was apparently known to Pastor Ken’s daughters and sat with them for the service.

It was obvious we needed to get supplies like bandaids in the worship area. Also, Angelica nearly laughed when I offered her coffee—it was not her thing. Bill, who does the coffee and snacks, will see about getting some water bottles for folks like Angelica. If we serve the public, we need to meet them where they are and their needs, even water, and bandaids.

I talked to Z at church, and Z saw the new Wyrmspan and asked me about it. I told Z I just played it, and we might have to play on Wednesday if I acquire a copy as an additional birthday present (I will likely buy a copy on Monday–don’t send me one!). Z is excited to do dragons. Wyrmspan is a reworking of Wingspan, one of Z’s favorite games, which has dragons, not birds.

I pulled the stove out partially; it is being hauled away and replaced on Monday. I ran one last load of dishes in the dishwasher, which is also going on Monday. I will be working from home as 1) the plumber is coming to improve the connections for the washer/dryer, 2) the new appliances are being delivered, and 3) the old ones are being hauled away.

I have enjoyed a New England IPA now at The 649 and enjoyed writing about it today. I hope you have enjoyed today’s story. Sunday is the day when I have to write twice. Thanks, dear reader, for following along. Also, folks on the East side of the USA or those willing to travel, see you next month if you can connect at Susie’s Concert. I plan to have dinner with friends on Friday, so connect with me if you are interested in the Beggar’s Banquet in East Lansing on Friday, 17 May 2024. I am staying at The Graduate Hotel.