Blog

I continue to rise late and after 8. My weight fell to 232, surprising as I had some beers and snacks. I am keeping active and walking. I also broke through the 5,000-step limit on Wednesday and two days before. I am keeping away from restaurants because I think the portion size and salt are not working.

My plans went a bit sideways on Wednesday morning. I wrote the blog while enjoying a scone from the bakery in Hillsboro, a banana, and locally ground and roasted coffee also from Hillsboro. I had trouble remembering everything the day before and found I had finished the blog before 10:30.

(these are all the trees in front of the Volvo Cave)

I then tried on my XL swim trunks, but they would not stay on, so my plan to try out the Aloha Aquatic Center faltered. There are so many jokes about exposure available. Yesterday (I forgot to put this in yesterday’s blog), I stopped by the center and talked to one of the staff. He explained that I lived outside of their supported area and would have to pay extra. They do have monthly passes and annual passes. I have a schedule for activities and was trying to make an open swim session to see how it all works. They don’t have towels or lockers in the changing rooms. Bring a gym bag and a towel.

I headed to Forest Grove again. I was hoping that the construction and delays would be minimal. Nope. I spent thirty minutes in a mess, and there was some impressively aggressive driving as folks would not queue up in the one lane. I got a dose of road rage when a muscle car dangerously slipped between construction barrels and cut me off; the Charger made all sorts of engine noise and made me brake. I was sure I was better insured and thought I might prove it, but I calmed down.

I reached Forest Grove without any more incidents or chances to prove my insurance quality. I parked beyond the usual parking as there were signs about no parking in the late afternoon. Like Hillsboro yesterday, Forest Grove had a street party in the late afternoon. I walked to Pacific University and walked around its lovely campus. The trees are huge and block the hot sun. There are plenty of well-maintained paths and some folks around (the regular sessions start in a few weeks). The bookstore is tiny, and there were only a few items I was interested in (mostly higher math) last time, so I skipped it this time.

I did a large loop and then walked back into Forest Grove Old Town. I visited the antique stores I missed last time and a locally-owned sports goods store. I found a pair of large swim trunks there. I stopped by the local gaming store, Gongaii, and the manager, Ray, chatted with me for quite some time. I will try to stop by on Thursday afternoon with Bloodrage and Scythe, and we will see if we can teach and play. I will be delayed a bit as I have lunch with Scott on Thursday, but I am sure that will be OK.

I headed back to the house in Air Volvo with no traffic snarls, but I witnessed more aggressive driving west of Beaverton. Safe, I opened the frig and got out the pre-cooked chicken from Safeway, and stripped the meat from the bone. I then took about 1/3 of that and added chopped onion and celery. Next, I mixed in some spices and mayo to make chicken salad. I put that between two pieces of bread and had that as an early light lunch.

It is Wednesday, which means Praise Band practice and gaming. Andrew was coming to add to Z and me. Z and I set up the older board game Istanbul, and soon Andrew appeared. I did a short teach of the game for Andrew; Istanbul turns are easy to understand and the game has a logical order. Z was distracted and soon was visibly upset; something about a friend and was texting. Z played the game anyway; a trooper.

The game is a race, and every turn is important. You collect plastic rubies and put them on your cart. Your cart is your own playing board and records goods you collect and then sell or trade for money, special powers, and rubies. You have a criminal uncle that can do a shady deal for you, but then is loose until another player arrests him. We played the Coffee add-on, giving players multiple ways to be efficient in the race. Z was using the Guild and the Coffee House (all additions in the Coffee version) to get many powers and gems. Andrew and I used the mosque-like locations to gain powers and gems and the wainwright and other base games options. It was a close game at the end. I held last place for the first 1/3 of the play!

The practice ended before the game, so we agreed to finish with just two more gems. It was a rushed game, and three turns each before I shocked Andrew and Z by jumping ahead and grabbing two more gems and winning. Andrew managed to match me and tie. Z was one coffee from matching us at the Coffee House.

Istanbul is an older game originally published on cheaper card stock. One side was in German (the other in English), and the cards used only iconography to avoid publishing an all-English version. Only the rule book was in both languages. Now, it is published in separate languages. The Big Box version is recommended as it includes Coffee, my favorite add-on. While recommended, it is a unique game and takes a while to get used to. It is also a bit aggressive.

We said good night, and soon, Air Volvo had me home before sunset. Even with the smoke, I walked to the bench and back to get over 5,000 steps for the day. Next, I returned to folding and gluing little bits of brass for SMS Derfflinger 1916. I managed to spend an hour doing two pieces. The gluing and folding were tough, as these are railings on curved surfaces. I also managed to fold and attack two wheels no more than three millimeters in size. This is a no sneeze, no drop, and no bump process. At 10, I was relieved to have finished two. I was disheartened when I saw that some of the next parts have brass extensions that are as thin as a hair! Not sure how to even store that!

I took a shower, dressed for bed, and read more brain cookies: Star Trek. I soon nodded off. As I said, I woke multiple times and had to use some anti-itch stuff on my legs. Ugh. Sleep was hard to reach Wednesday through Thursday night.

Thanks for reading.

These mornings, I am sleeping into 8ish. I wake with the sun rising around 5ish and then go back to sleep. I often wake up a few times and even drink water. I have no alarm as I have no plans on most days. It feels quite pleasant to make up the day as it happens.

I read my emails, looked at the news (mostly reading the political items), updated Quicken with transactions, eyed all my account balances, and started on the blog. I had a NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce) with cream cheese, a banana, and liberal Equal Exchange coffee for my breakfast while writing.

I find Tuesdays harder to start as I am tired from all the weekend things. Monday was more of an extension and clean-up for the weekend. Tuesday, my legs hurt, the bed felt very comfortable, and I just wanted to go slow. I am paying for the weekend and Monday.

The blog took until late morning. I cleaned up, dressed, and was still working on the blog until the morning was nearly gone. I took out the bacon, nothing special, and fried six pieces in a non-stick frying pan (thanks, Steve) and then sliced a tomato I remembered buying yesterday when I picked up a few things from Safeway. The lettuce was still looking fresh in the crisper in the frig, and I pulled off a few leaves. I toasted the new bread (the artisan bread had a very artful beard of mold, and the last two pieces were trashed) and soon had an excellent BLT. I saved three pieces of bacon for a later creation.

I watched the newest videos of ShipHappens, Battleship New Jersey celebrating finishing replacing all the teak wood on the main decks, and Drachinifel’s discussion of whether the IJN Kongo class were fast battleships (no) while enjoying my BLT. My tastes are slowly returning. I could get a lot of the sandwich flavor. Dr. G said the loss is caused by the brain tumor surgery and should slowly recover over the next year. It seems to get better every couple of weeks. My left eye is better, but it still does not close as well or as fast as it should. I wear eye protection to prevent dust from damaging it–it cannot blink fast enough. It was a nice early afternoon.

I loaded up the box of office books, empty frames, and some Christmas items I don’t need in the Air Volvo Cargo hold (which is filled with board games). I decided to head to the park to walk, but then I had to return my phone. I forgot it again!

After returning for the phone, I decided to head to Forest Grove and walk the lovely Pacific University campus. At Hillsboro, on the way to Forest Grove, the highway was closed to one lane for construction. I decided that I could change to Hillsboro and skip the mess. It took me a while to find a parking spot as the streets were closed late Tuesday afternoon for an event. Once parked I walked across Hillsboro and managed about 3,000 steps. I walked through the antique stores but did not see anything I needed or something I could use for 1920s gaming props.

I stopped by Rune and Board gaming store and talked for some time with Nick, the owner. I talked about various board games, and I purchased a reduced-priced game, A Sherlock Holmes case book game but this one on Jack the Ripper (I have the other one). Nick gave me his card, and I will send him a note to see if he wants to have a night for board games (I am willing to rent a table). Nick would get a chance to play some of these games he does not know. More to come on that. It sounds exciting.

After buying the game, I stopped by the place where I bought coffee. I bought ground, freshly roasted coffee, and a few other items. I also stopped by the bakery and got a few scones for the next couple of breakfasts. I also got a Smoky Robinson cookie made with smoked salt; it was a complex and interesting cookie. With all these goodies, I left Hillsboro. I stopped at GoodWill on the way back to the Volvo Cave and unloaded the office items and Christmas stuff.

Once Air Volov had me at the house, I started chopping and soon was making Jambalaya from a box. I made the Trinity (green pepper, onion, and celery in equal proportions) and added the Pope and Cardinals (a can of chopped tomatoes with garlic). I let that cook until shiny in a large pan with just a bit of oil. I chopped various sausages and then made a mistake. I should have cooked them in another pan and drained them. Nope, just threw them in. I added hot water from the electric kettle and the from-the-box rice and seasonings and let that cook for twenty minutes on low. I added frozen huge gulf shrimp (headless) that cook on top for five more minutes. I then stirred them in and cooked the jambalaya for another five minutes. I had three bowls and three shrimp which were not rubbery and excellent. It is not the same as the smoky flavor of New Orleans, and I will have to return to NOLA for more research!

I rested, read more of Grant’s 1864 actions, and napped after that. I rose, which was harder than I expected as my legs were not interested in moving, and soon, I was putting away the jambalaya in bags and loading up the freezer with easy, spicy, ad hoc meals. Next, I got in Air Volvo, forgot my phone, reached Reedville Creek Park, returned, got my phone, and returned again to the park. F**k.

The park was busy as we approached sunset, about 7, and the Hillsboro library folks were there giving away free books and crafts for little people. I thanked the library folks and demurred when offered a free book and bookmark. I headed out doing loops and tipped my hat often to other walkers and runners. The grass was filled with people playing soccer and volleyball. The skatepark was full of young and less young folks doing impossible stunts and some making, for me, impossible to recover from falls on cement (they laugh and get up). I manage three pleasant loops with many smiles, hellos, and hat tips. I finished Tuesday with more than 5,200 steps (Monday with 5,700+).

Air Volvo takes me to Wildwood Taphouse and they are happy to see me. I appear less often as excellent beer is not The Way to weight loss. I have Lisboa, a huge box of a board game, and I plan to re-read the rules so I can teach it again and play it. It is one of my favorites, but it is complex and intimidating to most new gamers (Z loved it). It flows well and has a happy vibe (unlike Brass, where everything is dark and competitive). It also has a mechanic that other players may play on your turn, meaning that everyone has to pay attention. This is a favorote mechanic of mine and Vital Lacerda, the designer, a favorite too. Two beers later and approaching 10, I finish the rules and look over the components. I remember how to play now and could teach it. The strategy I am less sure about, but that will make the next play more fun as we discover that together.

Lisboa is about the 50th rank game out of thousands at Board Game Geek and is rated a huge 4.58/5 complexity (ye ‘r warned) and sells for about $126 for a new copy. It is still in print. There is also a bonus card, The Queen, available that is only a minor update to the game. Lisboa plays 1-4 players (I have never tried solo mode), and it will take a few hours for new players. To any would-be player, clearing rubble is the most important thing you can do. Lisboa is often ranked, even with its aging from 2017, as Vital Lacerda’s best game.

I returned to the Volvo Cave, showered, read in bed, and finished Strategy and Tactics Quartly Fall 2024: Grant’s Overland Campaign. I enjoyed the sad finish as both Grant and Lee never achieve the war-ending breakout, and both legends are discolored and marred by the 1964 Forty Days in the Wilderness. General Bell’s, the author of this history, story is much more focused on action and less on the poetry-like writing of Shelby Foote, who tells the same story in his histories. This is what you would expect from Strategy and Tactics Magazine. I like this more-to-the-fact version. I also recommend their book to any ACW readers, The Quest of Annilation. This explains the mechanics of the ACW and the flawed tactics.

Soon, I was asleep, dreaming of moving and trying to reach somewhere. I woke a few times to prove hydration and to apply Benadryl cream for hives. It helps.

Thanks for reading.

I am writing this Tuesday morning and am already running late and having trouble focusing. In other words, it is Tuesday morning. I am not ready for the rest of the week, but let me try…

I rose after 7 and closer to 8. I did not want to write all morning, but 1400+ words that are not trash take time. The weather was cooler, and the sun backed off from being the desert-bleaching California nightmare sun we have had most of the week. The skies were again dark blue with grey, only on the Coastal Mountains from the cold ocean mists, but the smell of smoke persisted. I found frozen Trader Joe’s French Onion soup in the freezer. These are placed in a cup or bowl and then microwaved. While not great, it was still good. I watched YouTube while eating the soup and enjoyed the latest updates on ShipHappens.

Cleaned up, dressed, and remembering my meds at the last minute, I was ready to board Air Volvo. I got to Reedville Creek Park and saw those dreaded words, “No Phone Attached.” I returned to Air Volvo and got my phone. While it is unlikely I will have a vertigo attack or fall hard, it is not OK to have no means to call for help. While still comfortable with a nice breeze, I decided to go to the park. Forest Grove or Hillsboro seemed good alternatives now that I was starting over, but I decided to return to my usual practices.

I managed five loops for about 3,800 steps. The park was busy, but as my timing was different, I did not see anyone I met before. The tennis courts were full with what looked like a line to get the next time. The skateboard park was busy as usual, and a tall dad and daughter passed me, smiling, on skateboards and doing the park together. Yes, that dad is cool.

Next, I enjoyed Safeway and getting the few items I missed last time and a few other items. I finally have cream cheese to go with all those NYC bagels sent from Zabar’s by Joyce! I got a bunch of bananas (mine soon to run out) and tomatoes to go with the lettuce and bacon and good bread I also bought. Jambalaya mix to go with the sausage I bought. I found a pre-cooked chicken, full-sized, for $9.99, slightly cheaper than a raw one–I never understood this. That became a late snack and early dinner with some coleslaw.

Air Volvo loaded and delivered a few bags and chicken-in-a-bag to the Volvo Cave. I soon unloaded and had my snack/dinner of chicken, as mentioned. I had a few hours before a church meeting (not a charge conference like I thought) with the new District Supervisor (the administrator who is the boss of Methodist preachers and nominally of the churches and works at the pleasure of the Methodist bishop who appoints preachers to churches). I washed in alcohol the etched-brass sheets for SMS Derfflinger 1916 that came with the deluxe kit (I also bought a second etched-brass kit, not knowing that the deluxe kit had one). I then let that dry and painted it with fine surface primer, one coat on each side. The bending process will scrap the paint, but the primer allows the regular color to take and cover the scratches. I washed the hard plastic model parts in soap and water. I will let it dry overnight and then spray a coat of primer on it on Tuesday.

After processing and waiting for drying, I board Air Volvo, head to First United Methodist Church, and park outside of the Pride Progress flag, which is pleasantly waving in the cool breeze. We are now in the low 80s, and the church, without the breeze, will be, at best, unpleasant.

The meeting is about two hours long, with a bonus of fifteen minutes for the S/PRC committee (which includes me). It is a pleasant, if not warm, and mostly a meet-and-greet with the new DS, Rev. Karen Hernandez, who is also the DS for all of Idaho (and parts of Eastern Oregon). We listen and tell stories, and I make the mistake of telling a good story and am now tasked with writing it and repeating it for the Conference; next time, I will just listen.

I have many observations, but none I feel should be shared here. I would say the DS seemed to be relieved that we happily received her and were busy trying to make it work in Beaverton still as First United Methodist Church. We did not split off or decide to go on alone when the opportunity arose (with the United Methodist church schism this year). We survived an unpleasant review of our church, the start of the process of closing a church, from the conference. We had many reasons to be unhappy, but instead, Rev. Karen found us ready to try things and pleasant.

I stayed late and showed the DS the signature of the maker of our glass windows. I suggested that she look for who made the windows as she visited churches. It would be interesting to collect that information and share it. She seemed to like the idea, but we will see. Rev. Karen Hernandez has many duties.

Air Volvo brought me home and I had a snack of more chicken and then started on the model of SMS Derfflinger 1916. I finished all the painting of the main decks and started with the nerve-wracking and only-one-chance-to-get-it-right application of the decks. I used my scalpel to carefully separate the plastic from the sticky material of the bow section, then pushed the deck and aligned it to the holes. I had to adjust the deck and risked destroying the overlay, but I managed to align it better on one side. I then did the same with the stern section and it aligned better than the front section. You only get to do this once; usually, you build a certain model ship once in your life (unless you are doing a YouTube channel, then you would do it twice or three times with filming on the last version).

I then took out the tiny brush (called The Pycho by The Army Painter) and painted some missing black for the chain plates for the anchor line, and some mostly accidentally sanded off the mooring cleats that have cutouts in the overlay. The black will hide the fact that they are missing. I have to be careful as the wood overlays are made of wood, and I will drink the paint if I make a mistake.

My plan is to paint all the remaining assemblies before mounting them to avoid wrecking the deck. Next, I will spray the model with a light gloss coat and then use oil paints to add depth and stain the hull. I will also apply the decals as they work better on a smooth gloss coat. Once that is done (and any fixes are made), I will lightly cover the model with a final dull coat to even out the look.

But before I can get to that, I have to fix the deck. The deck overlay is complex near the guns as the original cut a path in the deck but left wood on the other side. This makes the overlay broken, and I have to glue tiny bits back in. I kept the bits when I first removed the decking from laser-cut wood. I have special cement for this kind of task and for the etched brass: G-S Hypo Cement for jewelry and watch work. It is a tough, clear resin-like material that dries slowly (and has toxic fumes, but is used in tiny amounts). I glued the tiny bits in place and created a bit for one area that did not survive. It will be below a gun and likely not even seen. The final work is excellent. I place the next level of decks; it covers well and aligns with the overlay. Perfect. It has been a long journey to reach this first milestone.

I took up the etched brass and started building the first three pieces (of many), which took me a stressful hour. I carefully moved the parts to an Occre storage system (Occre makes plastic storage bins as part of their modeling experience). This idea of storing parts in closed bins is one of the reasons I look forward to building their wood models next year (I have one waiting for me to get it in my work queue).

Bending, gluing, and storing the tiny parts is harsh, but it will get easier as I do it more. I remember having these issues on my build of HMS Dreadnaught 1906 1/350. I got better and better as I went on. I am also happy that the first parts are not in direct view, so slight imperfections will not draw the eye (and may be invisible to most folks at this scale). Care on the decks, guns, mast, and funnels are needed; most have little etched brass.

I stop at about 11, shower, and spend another hour reading in bed, enjoying General Grant’s plans for 1864. I sleep but wake in the cold and have to prove hydration a few times.

Thanks for reading!

 

Sunday morning was a rush. I was up near 7 and spent the morning writing the blog. I managed to get some coffee, toast, and a banana while I was writing. I also read the news, updated Quicken, and loaded dishes in the dishwasher. Soon, it was 9, and I was rushing, and the last few bits of the blog were done without much re-reading. I cleaned up, dressed in a dress shirt, Pride tie, black shoes, and a sweater vest; my summer church wear. Now ready to leave, I finished and published the blog.

Air Volvo, still shiny from the car wash on Friday and nearly fully gassed from Friday’s fill-up, faced surprisingly heavy and slow-moving traffic on TV Highway. I had to redirect to Farmington Road, which was nearly empty (usual for a Sunday morning), and soon arrived safely. The Pride Progress flag on the church side entrance was flapping nicely in the light breeze (Z and I replaced the older and fading Pride and slightly broken pole a few weeks ago).

Dondrea was preaching, and the music in the hymnal was easy to sing. I find that the ordained Methodist preachers, Dondrea is not ordained, often pick the most obscure hymns that include words from the sermon. Dondrea’s sermon covered the last words of the epistle of James. Dondrea leans into her Native American family roots and her recent trip to say goodbye to her stepfather and visit the holy places in the Bad Lands. She shares with us her belief (and also in the text in James) that prayer and the process of praying helps us to better connect with the universe and find peace. Dondrea reminded us of the story of Apolo 13 and that the whole world stopped and prayed. Dondrea finished with some Lakota words and translated prayer. While I know that Dondrea struggled with writing and preparing the sermon (we text often), she was not over-prepared–something I often see with preachers, and remained focused on the message. It worked, and I could see that many listeners were moved.

Here is the prayer (found on the Internet; I believe it is in the public domain):

Mitakuye Oyasin

– A Lakota Prayer –

Aho, Mitakuye Oyasin … All my relations, I honour you in this circle of life with me today. I am grateful for this opportunity to acknowledge you in this prayer….

To the Creator, for the ultimate gift of life, I thank you.

To the mineral nation that has built and maintained my bones and all foundations of life experience, I thank you.

To the plant nation that sustains my organs and body and gives me healing herbs for sickness, I thank you.

To the animal nation that feeds me from your own flesh and offers your loyal companionship in this walk of life, I thank you.

To the human nation that shares my paths a soul upon the sacred wheel of Earthly life, I thank you.

To the Spirit nation that guides me invisibly through the ups and downs of life and for carrying the torch of light through the Ages, I thank you.

To the Four Winds of Change and Growth, I thank you.

You are all my relations, my relatives, without whom I would not live. We are in the circle of life together, co-existing, co-dependent, co-creating our destiny. One, not more important than the other. One nation evolving from the other, and yet each dependent upon the one above and the one below. All of us a part of the Great Mystery.

Thank you for this Life.

After the service, some church members and Dondrea invited me to a drag show in Portland on Friday; excellent. Grabbing one last coffee, I headed home in Air Volvo. There (traffic was light), I removed the tie and the leather shoes and made lunch. I used the microwave on one of Trader Joe’s frozen dinners. The food does not seem to be over-prepared, and the Chicken Tikka is not bad (still not as spicy as I make it), but just one smallish portion. Perfect.

It was already too hot for a walk, but it would remain just around 90F (32C) and without sticky humidity. The California-style clear, hot sun would bleach everything. The deep blue skies would change to light grey blue as smoke filled the valley. While the air quality meter was good, there was something in the smoke. Hives haunted me again when I tried to sleep later. Ugh!

I had a few hours free and no wish to go outside and cough and sneeze more, so I painted more of the deck on my SMS Derfflinger 1916 model. I was able to freehand some fine details on the deck and correct some overpainting. My The Army Painter brushes make all this possible. I try to make some progress every day. This is a six-month to a year project to build this model, and the only way to face such a huge undertaking, something Michelle V taught me years ago at Nike, is just to keep working and get further every day. Just get something more done every day, and soon, you will find yourself surprised to be in the finishing steps.

I headed out in my Air Force Ones, dress shirt, and vest to a party at Dr. Ernest’s house. I stopped by Safeway and picked up a bunch of flowers to bring; Safeway has the best flowers. I was early, and this gave me time to head to the Hillsboro library to remember where it was; I now have a library card. I found a shady spot and read some emails and updates.

Dr. Ernest, who runs the Hillsboro Machine Learning and Python meetup, has a lovely house, and I was invited to a family party as a guest. Dinner was nice; we talked about AI and computers, and folks were surprised that I write Python for fun and not part of my job at Nike (before I retired). We even talked about Jenkins and CI/CD, a very obscure topic. I had a nice time.

I left at 7ish and then called Corwin after Air Volvo returned me to the Volvo Cave. Corwin was delivering food in the hot weather in his un-AC’d truck. I offered him dinner. I had a light second dinner. Soup and some lotus root with veggies at the local Chinese food joint that Corwin picked out. He had a huge soup and rice dish. I had some of the rice and veggies with soup and let him take the rest home.

After that nice break, I sneezed and coughed for just a few minutes exposure to the air outside. F**k! Once that stopped, I put on my 3X bifocal safety glasses, picked up my fine brushes, and returned to my model. I painted the decks XF-78 Wooden Deck Tan that will be covered by the thin laser-cut wood overlays. I also painted the black markings for the guns and other deck furniture (the model building name for various deck stuff you have to build or paint). Again, this is tiny millimeter-sized stuff and perfect for The Pycho and Kolinsky Masterclass brushes (the names say it all about the use of the brushes). I will have more corrections to make after the paint dries overnight. I try to make smaller and smaller mistakes until I cannot correct a mistake. When I take off the bifocals, I often can’t see the issue.

I shower (to get rid of any pollen or other irritants that might cling to me), dress in clean PJs, and turn to reading. Strategy and Tactics Quartly Fall 2024: Grant’s Overland Campaign is just excellent (you can find it in the finest bookstore magazines on military stuff). General Bell (ret.) writes an excellent story and the color drawing and plots of the battles make the text work. I played these battles against Bill years ago and can recommend Grant’s Gamble (I gave away most of my two-person wargames, but I liked this one with its simple rules and play) if you want to try your hand at this. I have read many books about them. It is hard for me to put down this issue, but this is an acquired taste if you have not delved into the American Civil War histories.

With troops moving across Virginia in 1864, I turned off the lights and soon slept. Around 1, I woke cold and climbed under the blankets. I woke again for more proof of hydration.

Thanks for reading!

Our leader for games on Saturday is camping, and Kathleen was unable to join me in Portland. It was a quiet Saturday.

I rose at 6, with the sunrise waking me at 5. I tried to roll over and return to sleep, but the hives drove me to get up and treat them. I was itchy all day. I was able to control most of the hives with some skin cream and taking a morning shower. Something in the smoke is making me sneeze and react. The air quality is good, but something in the air is irritant. I must have walked through something and carried it into the house. I will wash the bedding as that usually helps.

I wrote a long blog, but as I started early, I was through before 11. I had the usual distractions, but I wrote more than 1,800 words. Again, there were many asides and musing and a few rewrites to remove ‘so’ and then to re-write the re-write from Grammarly, which is out of its AI’s mind. I still use the service as it finds missed plurals and other basic mistakes that I find difficult to spot. Grammarly attempt to rewrite a paragraph often requires me to correct its updates. I often reject its more invasive recommendations.

I’m happy to publish the blog before noon; I shower, shave, and so on to be prepared for Saturday. A text updates me that Dondrea has already done her run, which motivates me to put on my Air Force Ones and head out. The air has a hint of pine and smoke, and the sun is not yet burning hot. There are some clouds in the sky, and some of the blue is dark, meaning the smoke is not heavy; it still feels cool from the evening. Air Volvo takes me to Reedville Creek Park and soon I am walking the loops.

The group of Asian men, now one with a girlfriend, is there again, sitting at a bench and doing something on their phones. They are intense and then walk, looking at their phones the whole time, to another bench. They go back and forth on the benches. The girl is as intense as the others looking at her phone while having an arm around one of the men.

Another couple was running and walking the same loop. I told them that I measured that loop at 725 steps or thereabouts. Later, we stopped and chatted, and they said that steps are a function of heights and that the loop is about 1/3 of a mile. The world is literally smaller for taller people. We both continue with our loop. The park is busy and at least four groups are on the loop this Saturday morning. I managed to complete five loops, with the last one being hard, but I feel I might be able to do six soon. Better.

I stop by Sonics and commit a lunch sin, but a favorite lunch. I have a foot-long Coney Island dog with chopped chili, onions, and cheese. I have a Coke Zero for the first time–not terrible. The onion rings, extra, were not worth eating. I listened to the end of “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me” and some of “Live Wire” on Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). Having a Coney Island and listening to my favorite shows on OPB was nice.

After dumping the trash (and most of the onion rings) in the supplied container, Air Volvo headed to Big River Coffee across from the car wash, which I did not need, having washed Air Volvo on Friday. I had no pen in the car to mark Post-Its arrows with notes. I opened the Annotated Sherlock Holmes to “The Musgrave Ritual,” which is sort of a treasure hunt story, and found the footnotes quite interesting (this is the older 1968 book, not the new and more expensive annotated copy). The footnotes were about the streets, buildings, and living costs.

This caught my attention, and soon, I was on my laptop searching Abebooks.com for an 1887 London travel guide–the year the telling of “The Musgrave Ritual” by Holmes to Watson, according to the experts. These older travel instruction documents are often inexpensive and can be found in good condition. I have a whole collection for the 1920s. There were few choices for London, but there is a special version for Americans: Charles A. Gillig’s guide to London and important suburban districts: specially compiled for the use of American travellers, 1887. I could not find an original for cheap, but the book reprinters and binders in India offered a $40 leather-bound copy of a print from a digital copy. What the hell, I thought, and I ordered one (it takes a month). I have two other reprint books the same way and like them. I like to be precise when writing about the past.

I return to the Volvo Cave after finishing my coffee and finding reading not what I want to do. Then I sit down with my new Strategy and Tactics Quartly Fall 2024: Grant’s Overland Campaign. I have played these battles and Grant’s earlier chaotic victories in the West (back then, the Ohio Valley was West), and I find I was wrong, and I can read. I finish the prologue. This issue is written by a retired General Bell (no relation, I think), and I enjoy his writing style. I have a subscription to these quarterly military history publications as they are current-thinking and colorful, and I often read 1/2 of the whole magazine.

I do some more research on investing. I discovered that the Treasury’s short-term instruments, as their quality is unquestioned, pay low rates for inflation-protected options. I can get the same rate in my savings account without locking in for years.

I managed to put down Grant’s story. I head to The 649 for a beer and a light dinner. I brought my laptop, hoping to do some more writing. Natalia is bartending, and I have not seen her in months. We catch up, and I have a lighter summer beer and find a seat that points out the window. Most of the tables are already in use, and no smaller tables have proper light.

I wrote for a while and then started back into my AI story of Holms and Watson as AI creations. I found an ending with Holms refusing to accept a poorly created client interface. I thought having an AI refuse to work with its creator over bad software was fun. I was able to finish the first draft and will return to editing it and smoothing it out soon.

I also discovered a 4.6% interest for 100K CDs at US Bank and locked in one for seven months. I will leave much of my money liquid, but getting some good interest on 1/3 works for me. I also ordered a coffee while doing high finance and a hummus platter with mostly veggies, some cheese, and some pita bread.

I returned home after paying the bill. I returned to my model building now that it was dark and beyond 9. I finished painting the hull of SMS Derfflinger 1916 by adding a thin black line to the bottom of the waterline model. I started to read the etched brass instructions and removed the plastic that brass would replace. I primed one sheet of brass and then discovered that the parts were scattered across multiple brass sheets. I will have to prime them all before I start on the full build. With this kind of model building, you ignore the plastic model instructions and follow the new instructions with the etched brass. You build the model in sections and assemble it all at once. This will prevent you from breaking and smashing up the brass you built previously.

At 10, I decided that I was not going to open, clean, wash, or prime ten sheets of brass. I returned to reading about Grant and soon showered and headed to bed. I have to wait for The Machine to finish with the sheets. I remake the bed and soon sleep.

(the bourbon rose is reblooming!)

Thanks for reading. Sorry, the last section was rushed as I ran out of time.