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It feels like I swallowed a rock, and things are not moving inside. I am constipated, I believe. This started with the chocolate croissant I had this morning with NYC Zabar’s coffee made in my French press. The croissant felt like a weight. I ignored it as I quickly dressed after showering and all the tasks I do every morning. This includes applying Utter Smooth with Urea (cow pee) to my feet and hands. The numbness many feel after chemotherapy has not manifested in me except for some minor issues, which might be preexisting or the results of diabetes.

My trip to the office, Tuesday being a work-from-office, was slow as the traffic backed up across two traffic lights. You crawl through it. Just a minute into the trip, I turned around as I forgot the folder for the lawyer. I got it, and Air Volvo returned to the slow trip. I arrived before 8. My tummy was not comfortable feeling extended with a rock in it.

I made it to work and did some meetings, and I spoke to one of the system designers for a long time. It is good to align even if we don’t agree. I listen carefully as I am not always right, just usually when it comes to SAP systems. It is good to talk about all the issues.

I returned home for lunch. I heated a bowl of chicken noodles, added extra egg noodles, and had that for an easy and not too upsetting lunch. I was still early for the lawyers off of 185th and ended up waiting. I had forgotten my phone, so I could not read a book on my Kindle app.

I discussed my health issues and the ideas I had. Scott then transformed them into local legal ideas and will revise my will and get me the correct powers of attorney for a medical adventure. Orgeon uses something else, but he understands what I want and what is appropriate. It is always good to work with a professional.

I returned home and rested a bit. My tummy was now quite unhappy. I could not get this to pass.

I did a long Zoom meeting at 3PM to finish my work day. I then rested until Leta called me. I had missed calling her as I was not feeling well. It was good to hear that her therapy is working. We also went over yet another form of insurance to pay Leta the small life insurance on Susie (one of those policies you buy for an infant). It was nice to see Leta feeling better and safe at her home in Lansing, Michigan.

After that, running a few minutes late, I headed to Nonna Emilia Ristorante for dinner with Dondrea and Z. My tummy was not better. We had a booth, and I wedged myself into it. It was at least warm.

I ordered Lambrusco wine, the worst wine ever–I love it. It is even sparkling. Dondrea, slightly scandalized by my awful choice, had a great Malbac. Z went for a peach Italian soda with cream. Dondrea and Z shared a Calazone (no olives) while I tried a stupidly huge Carbonara that I could only eat a bit of.

I managed a salad and one piece of garlic bread. While we did eat 1/2 or more, the boxes we took home belied that. Most of my pasta is in the frig.

I returned to a water-surrounded Volvo Cave as the storms were still hitting. Earlier, I saw that I had a small lake in the backyard, which the robins and starlings were washing in four or more at a time. They were splashing and eating the fermented apples from the old apple tree. It looked fun.

I am struggling with the discomfiture. Hopefully, all this will pass soon.

Thanks for reading!

It is Monday night, and I am cold and sad. I talked to Barb, and she agrees with the obituary I wrote for Susie; Leta has read it, and I included her updates. It makes me cry to read it. It is 990 words and oversized, and when I looked at running in the local papers, they wanted more than $10,000 (!). I will try to make a compact one on Tuesday.

I also worked on getting the last life insurance paid out to Leta. I talked to the funeral home and the insurance company to make sense of everything. This took me back to some painful memories. I am now cold, tired, and ready to jump in, pull up the covers, and hide. Instead, I write the blog.

Before this, I watched the new NetFlix movie Rebel Moon enjoying it. It is not great and slow with monologuing characters, but it has significant special effects, a storyline that is easy to understand, and characters I have liked. Lightly recommended. I also made dinner while watching. I cooked two small potatoes in the microwave (removing them before they were dried out), split them open, and covered them in butter and sour cream with plenty of pepper and sea salt. I microwaved the BBQ chicken thighs I grilled yesterday, and that goes well with the potatoes. I added a few kosher pickles and some pickled beats. Excellent. I had a few cookies for dessert.

Preceding dinner, I returned to painting figures; I so missed it. I am back to my Egyptian undead painting the tiny lines for their headpieces. I managed to complete two and then stop. I am out of practice, and it is best to stop. My fingers ache a little. I need to build back into hours of painting.

I worked on paperwork, as I said above, and other sad things before this, having left the shoe company early. I find the Globe Life forms and other usual things. All this seems so final, and it is.

I am now the owner of Susie’s IRA under my name, and I adjust my holdings to show the year-end fees and reinvested earnings. This is invested in the old PAX fund (the symbol is PAXWX), the first socially responsible mutual fund once based in North Washington D.C.> It was created to allow Methodists to responsibly save for retirement. This was Susie’s money and retirement, and she loved to get her statement. She was proud to be in the PAX Fund.

Before Air Volvo returned me to the Volvo Cave, I was mailing some gaming wooden pieces to the Kramers at the post offices. I had bought a spare copy of one of my games, and now that they have a copy of the same game, they could use it.

Work was just a few meetings. We are still trying to find our way with the cancellation of our go-live in December. I was cold and tired, so I went to Happy Pandawarm tea, soup (Hot and Sour), and chicken with cashews. That helped.

Nike requests us all to take a Run-Hide-Fight training class. It is about thirty minutes and all online. I found an unused conference room and took it with the sound on. It was an excellent reminder of what to do in an active shooter event. I have taken many classes like this. This one is about surviving a shooter event. I still check for exits.

Moving back further, I started the morning at 6AM and then cooked the chocolate croissants I had put out to rise overnight. I had just one. I made coffee in my French press using NYC Zabar’s grind.

I had trouble sleeping, and it made the whole day drag. I can never sleep on Sunday nights.

Sorry it is short, but I am tired and cold.

 

 

 

It is back to work, and the office is on Monday. A 6AM start, not the usual 7AM, and work from home day.

Today, going backward, I had a nice dinner with Mariah and Corwin at the bar for the nearby Spaghetti Factory, where Corwin sold us all on ordering the three meatballs with spaghetti, the Sicilian meatball version. It was terrific (the pasta was slightly overcooked and rather industrial than freshly made, but the meatballs made it all work) and went well with a salad with their creamy pesto dressing. I skipped the bread, but it, as usual, smelled and looked great. I had a ginger ale and bourbon for a drink. Switching to hard liquor from beer. I only had one. Moving to coffee, we chatted for an hour. We had spumoni ice cream, a small scoop for me, for dessert. I did manage to pay the bill before Lacy, our waiter, went home. She shared with us that she was a new waiter, and I saw that she did not have many tables, so I am sure she could use the 20% tip for three people with drinks.

I then drove Corwin home. He has agreed to house-sit for me on the week I am away. I offered a small fee per day (he could use some money, which means he has to show up), use of the house, and what food he finds (there is plenty). I did not want the house empty while I was away for over a week.

Air Volvo got me home. The wind warnings we had earlier seemed unnecessary, and it is drying out tonight.

Before this, I was reading and finished my book, The Brutal Telling: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (A Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery Book 5), and I was again surprised by the ending. I will return to Canada again in the future for another murder, but first, my new favorite Watson-like writer, Lyndsay Fay, has a book on the Ripper and Holmes and Watson that looks fun. I read these primarily on my Kindle.

I cleaned up the long table in the family room, adding to the mess that is in the garage, but I can return to painting figures now. Something I have wanted to return to. Also, I suspect the long recovery from the brain surgery will give me a chance to paint. It will also be a good test after the surgery.

I also finished the wash but have not yet put it away. I did the dishes. I am starting to put away some of Susie’s items, too. I am finally feeling like I can do that. Many will end up given to Good Will. For example, I found five purses for various uses that are barely used. None of these were really a favorite.

I talked to Leta, and she had a change for Susie’s Obituary, which we are working to complete. I may have to shorten it for some publications, but Leta thought it was good. I will take a few more days and then start to publish the free ones, and then I will pay for some here, maybe Skating Magazine and various newspapers here and in Michigan.

Leta is feeling better, and her mobility is improving. Barb, Gordon, and Emma (her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter) have been upgrading her house to work better for someone with only one working arm. Leta is quite pleased. She also said the cabinet she bought from my dad at Wild’s Furniture in the 1980s went to the curb, and someone took it as it was “free.” Funny to think of those days when Leta would visit and then find something she needed. Dad would deliver and even install it.

Dad, in the 1980s, offered to sell you a TV in Laingsburg, Michigan, at Wild’s Furniture and Appliances, Inc., “We Beat City Prices.”

Lunch was started while I was writing the blog in the morning. I started to defrost some chicken thighs in water and then boiled them. Next, I lit the gas grill and covered the chicken with BBQ sauce from a bottle. I made a salad to go with the chicken. I had an apple for dessert and a few cookies. A light meal for me.

I wrote the blog and rushed to make the church service, but my colon decided it needed to empty with some acceleration–quick action avoided a tragedy. I was not enjoying the process and felt entirely off. I sent a text to Dondrea that I would miss. I finished the blog and read and tried not to throw up or explode. Not very nice. Constipated.

This passed (yes, I know), and lunch worked, and I felt better. I stayed home, organized things, and kept quiet. So it was a dull day except for a nice dinner and a good lunch at home.

I woke at 7:30AM and felt good. I made a bagel, a NYC one, and some NYC Zabar’s grind in my French press.

Thanks for reading.

On Saturday, I rose again late and started writing to finish the blog before the morning ended. I was missing Susie today as the weekends had begun to be all about Susie, as I could only visit for a short hour or so during weekdays. This Saturday, I wrote after making coffee and an NYC poppy bagel (thanks, Joyce) with Zabar’s grind from NYC 79th Street (thanks, Cat, for that) and carrying that bounty to my home office.

The blog took around ninety minutes to complete and was quite long. I started to receive text from Evan about playing games with me. He was playing games with Richard and his friends. Richard plays an early and late game on Saturdays, with me now only joining the late game. I showered, dressed, and all that. I headed in surprisingly light traffic to Portland and arrived for lunch at The Lucky Lababdor on Hawthorne in Portland.

I ordered a lower-alcohol beer, my only one on Saturday, and a BLT (while not exactly light, it has lettuce, at least). This would be my dinner and lunch. Most of the chips ended up trashed. Evan was surprised I was already in Portland and appeared after lunch.

We tried the board game Unsettled again. This time, with a new planet, we found this a kick. The game is a cooperative game with a sci-fi theme, and you play a scenario on the planet. We unimaginatively picked the first one, ‘A,’ and I read the mission explanation, which sounded like Captain Kirk or Elon Musk had gone nuts. I read it aloud. While I can’t do voices, I tried Kirk’s cadence, and then Evan asked me to try Elon. Evan said I did OK–lots of practice from Dungeons and Dragons.

We started to explore and soon had a lot of distress. The stormy planet was crushing us. We soon learned some of the tricks to mitigate the storm. The planet worsens, and we are now in recovery mode and running away. Oh my! We died. My character was only hit by lightning once and blasted once.

The game, especially this planet module, was quite immersive, and time went by without us noticing–the best sign that you are enjoying a board game. After failing the mission (and dying), we saw the mistakes we made and the subtle things we could have done to be safer. Unsettled scenarios and planets usually need multiple plays to survive; it is part of the experience. Excellent cooperative game. Next time! About two hours of play for Evan and me.

Evan decided he wanted to play basic Scythe. We had not played a regular game, two-player, for quite some time. Evan was randomly offered Saxony (black), and I got the Nordic Kingdom faction (blue). These are on opposite sides of the board. Left alone, blue has some advantages over many other factions (and statically wins often), and I had the Agriculture board, which matches the Nordic lands well. Evan was struggling with efficiency and money with his board, Engineering.

I played aggressively and captured many resources with my character. I had all my Mechs built early and got all those superpowers granted by the Mechs and a star. Evan was bouncing all over the board, but I soon noticed I had plenty of combat cards and power and defeated him in a battle. Later, Evan gets revenge but forgets that the Nordic retreats to lakes. I retreat and start to build quickly, clearing items on my board and gaining stars, and end the game with my sixth star. Evan had picked up on the approach of the end-of-game and had spread out to claim more of the board.

My engine-like turns had generated a pile of coins with my withdrawal to my area. I had also fixed my low popularity and was in the same section as Evan when the game ended. I score over 70 with Evan in the 40s, with the difference being my coins generated in the last ten turns. This is a trick I learned from Cody and Richard–I played a campaign with them.

While paying the bill at the Lucky Labrador, I talked to a pair of gentlemen playing a wargame a few tables over. They had stopped by and admired my Scythe game. All the models are painted, and meeples are printed. I also have life-like resources from the original Kickstarter. There is a historical gaming group that often meets there on the weekend. They have a website and other connections, but I demurred to be included as I have enough to do. I did offer to teach Scythe or other games if they see us playing and want to join in. They might.

At Richard’s, I was surprised to see a four-player Vindication being set up. Richard, mostly, let me do the quick teaching of the game. We then played the most aggressive game I have ever played. Richard locked in two masteries and then focused on owning hexes, and this plan took him to second place. Shawn got a complex, crazy mix of Traits and companions that gave him an unbreakable lead, and he won. I could not pry a single mastery from the other players, and the game was in the third. Michael, the other player, followed me. All of us were within ten points, so it was a close game, and anyone could have won. Richard removed all treachery cards from the game, so there was little risk in drawing cards. This meant it was usually better to draw blind cards.

We played another game, and then I returned to Air Volvo. The rain was pouring, and I was relieved that Air Volvo’s four-wheel drive and tires kept the trip safe. The puddles were vast in Portland, but Beverton had the usual-sized ones.

I had a few cookies to go with my meds and then read until after midnight again. I put on the sleeping music to cover the sound of the water in the gutters. My head hurt, and I had some Tylenol–the right side without a tumor. I started to sleep and put away the book. I was awoken by a dream and the need to prove hydration.

And that is all. Thanks for reading.

 

I rose late as my sleep was interrupted and stayed up until almost 1AM reading. I am really enjoying book five in the Inspector Gamache novels series. I laugh out loud, and since the setting is usually the same village and people, I feel like I know the place, and that makes some of the foibles of the characters more fun.

I regretfully left my bed after 9AM and started my day by finding my robe, which is not where I usually put it, and my slippers. Once comfortably clothed, I headed to the kitchen and located an NYC everything bagel from Zabars (this one from The Smiths), performed the ritual to convert it from frozen to toasted and covered with cream cheese, made Zabars grind in my French press (thanks, Cat for picking that up for me for Christmas), grabbed the last banana (close to turning black and inevitable), and headed to the in house office (once Corwin’s bedroom).

I consumed my breakfast while reading the news on my Apple and surfing the net. It was another surprisingly clear and dry day with even blue bits in the sky. I was still fretting about my upcoming brain surgery. I found my will and started making changes. I have two copies with one stamped ‘COPY’ and meant to be used for revisions. I updated my will in pencil. Just a few changes as this will cover the house, property, and monies not already covered by their own beneficiary process (i.e., 401Ks, investment accounts, retirement accounts). I also updated the most money account, my 401K, to split up to various folks in case of my death. I started to move from ‘shock and awe’ to creating a list of to-do’s in my head before the surgery. I called my lawyer and have an appointment on Tuesday. More paperwork. I will soon have medical power, financial power, will, and other paper and legal things done.

When I have dates and tests started to clear the way for the surgery, I can start the leave requests. Yes, another joyful adventure with Nike HR and Sedgwick. When I have dates, I will start the list and begin to work on it.

Aside: While it may seem depressing to work on death stuff, it is the easiest way to work with fear. Take the energy of fear and reform it into a method and process. Yes, I am following my favorite detective, Hercule Poirot. It has worked for me through Susie’s long illness and my own cancer. While I have no plan to execute these plans, I want them in place as a comfort and a distraction. When doing method and process, I hear David Suchet’s Hercule voice. When I write code, I still hear all the code in a high-pitched Dehli women’s accent, my best professor in college.

I spent much of the morning doing method and process work and my usual accounting. Nike stock has slid from 124ish to 102 now. My plans to sell it all and pay off the mortgage on the house in 2024 (to even out the tax burden) are delayed. With the surgery coming soon, I have put off travel until I can finish enjoying the tumor removal process.

Reminder: The tumor is benign and slow-growing. I could be ignored for years. My thinking is to address it before I get older, and more health issues could make the surgery more of a risk or impossible.

Evan will meet me at our usual Mexican place across from The 649 in Aloha at the Farmington Road and 185th cross. I dress and leave late. Evan was waiting only a few minutes when I arrived. The usual crew meets us at Tapatio: Mexican Restaurant and they have a new menu. The prices have increased by about a buck, and we are directed to a lunch menu that is not quite as bad a price shock. I have a smaller beer, taco, and enchilada with beans and rice for a buck less than a salad or soup. I am reducing my beer consumption.

The waiter plays the part well with a big mustache, smile, and accent–more a tour guide of food offerings than a waiter. I asked about his family, as his son married into a family living in Israel. He thanks me for asking, and the facade drops, and we see a worried and proud father. He tells us they are safe and back residing in Israel as the risks have dropped. The family evacuated to Athens for a month, he tells us. The news becomes real when you hear his family’s story. All is safe now, and the facade returns.

Next, we return to our usual gaming table at The 649. We are the only customers. The sun is warm, and the bartenders are dressed for the summer. Natalia is cutting fruit for the rush they expect in a few hours. They will have three bartenders working full-out with all the indoor tables full when we leave after 5PM! Inflation? Pandemic? No sign of them here on Friday night.

Natalia forgets to pour me one small beer. Avary, an evening bartender, is shocked at 5ish when I cash out and have a low bill.

We have time for three games, one incomplete. We first go for the board game Vindication. Evan and I (the only customers for another hour) take an early lead in the colorful game designed for the Greater Portland Area. Evan does not like the board layout and plays some inefficient turns while I dance across the board, getting more and more points. I am used to changing tactics to match the board and play the longer game, as the end-of-game triggers are all unlikely to happen soon. Evan drives for mastery pieces, which I ignore as more end-of-game triggers are also long-game ones. We have reversed rolls as I play to grab Traits, Artifacts, and companions, racking up a twenty-point lead–nearly unstoppable. I also built up enough cards to ensure that we would split the awards at the end-of-the-game scoring. Evan gambles with Monsters, which costs him companions and shortens my lead, but not by much. Monsters have a 2/6 chance of removing a companion, but he has a re-roll but still is unlucky enough to take the loss. Ultimately, my plan for a long game works, and I trip the end-of-game with the last token. Again, I was running Evan’s usual long game plan. He was playing my short gameplay. An interesting game.

Next, I decided to play Unsettled, also from the same game designers, Orange Nebula and Evan, and I spent two hours relearning the game and playing the basic planet using the story ‘A.’ It is a cooperative game with the motto, “Don’t Die.” We knew those stories well and the choices we needed to make. We played well together and used our resources efficiently with time spinning fast–I never noticed the two hours. I did get my beer and Evan a drink, non-alcoholic. We won and did not think it was too hard.

We reset and played story ‘B,’ which we had never tried before. Oh, my! This was not easy, and we had bad luck too. My character was distressed and hallucinating soon, and Evan was burning through our supplies to keep his character going. It was beautiful and very immersive. I have to play again! We had to stop after 5PM. Next time!

We packed up, and I paid the small bill, as I said. I headed home and read until 6ish. Air Volvo then headed across Beaverton to a Capital Highway Thai place. I met my working friends, Subha and Shiva, who also work at Nike. They are trying to make a long-distance family work. Shiva, who works for Nike, is based in India, while Subha works with me in the same group, CORE ERP, at Nike WHQ in Beaverton. Shiva was here for a month, so we met for a holiday dinner. Subha, too, is on an unexpected two-week holiday with our project stopping its go-live. In the past, Shiva and Subha worked for me as a manager or acting manager for data conversions. Shiva is now working on testing. Subha and I have both worked in various positions in the CORE ERP space. We sit in the same area in Swift at WHQ.

While the conversation was great and fun to meet and chat socially (though work did invade that with Nike’s announcement of layoffs), the food was not great, and one dish was discounted as it was too salty to eat. Dinner was during their daughter’s soccer practice, and they got a to-go for her, and this bookended our dinner. I will not name the place as it is my policy to not evaluate food joints here.

On the way home to the Volvo Cave, Air Volvo had some trouble with some cement lane markers (which the auto lane enforcement in the Volvo did not recognize) until more precisions were made by the pilot. I soon arrived safely at the Volvo Cave. I read it again late and decided not to write the blog until the morning.

Thanks for reading.