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It has been 22 days since I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor.

Moving to the essential items, I had a video meeting with my neurosurgeon, Dr. G, who went through my challenges. The tumor is 2.5cm and about a medium-sized one and is likely too large for non-surgical options. He shared the MRI scans with me on the screen, and it is a US quarter-sized tumor over my balancing and hearing nerve on the left side near the base of my brain. The surgery involves drilling an access, and the two surgeons will then deal with the tumor. Dr. G’s surgery will take four hours (!) to ensure the facial and other nerves (such as swallowing and speech) are not impacted by removing the tumor. A metal plate and other actions, best not described here, are done to ensure the spinal/brain fluid is not lost.

Besides all the obvious, the most significant risk is the loss or build-up of pressure from the fluid. Drains may be placed in my head and back to reduce all the fluid. The recovery will be two days in the hospital or even three. They would like someone to stay with me as most folks will be dizzy from the work on the balance nerves. Various complications could happen, but he believes they are less likely. He strongly suggested I lose weight as heavy people have higher brain fluid pressure. Something new to me. I had a salad for dinner.

We talked about the first two weeks of February as a target. From what I understand, it will be surgery of over six hours at St. V in Beaverton. I plan to spend three days at the hospital. I will need folks to stay with me at the house until the dizziness passes. Which may be in a few days.

That is what I know now, except for leaving out a few more gruesome details. The surgeon, Dr. G, will start the plan to get all the insurance, tests, sign-offs, and scheduling done, aiming for the first two weeks of February. I have yet to talk to the other surgeon, Dr. W.

According to Dr. G, the doctor has done many of these operations, and the chance of recovery is high. Once again, I have a boring tumor. It is also likely that I have had the tumor growing slowly for years, maybe my whole life.

Well, the rest of the day is somewhat anticlimactic. I rose at 9ish and started the blog for the previous day, Wednesday. It took me a while to assemble the description for the day, and I included a small sample of my attempt to write a Sherlock Holmes story. I even made a correction to better fit Watson’s writing/speaking cadence. I completely forgot breakfast and found another breakfast roll I made a few days ago for lunch. I showered and dressed for my 2PM video conference around noon.

I discovered I had no link for the video and thought they would send it by now. I called them. They close for lunch. I called at 1:05, and at 1:15, a human was happy to help me and resend me an email I did not receive. I do not remove email, even Spam, so I know they did not send it. It appears, and I can check everything. My blood pressure is higher now. Dr. G appeared eight minutes late on the video conference. Waiting did not improve my blood pressure, but I was still happy to see him.

I described the outcome, but Dr. G has a Midwest American accent with Indian features and an easy smile. His eyes show concern, and he has the usual friendly yet not too-friendly demeanor that I think they teach newer doctors. None of the jokes or personal notes I used to get from my now-retired doctors. I can see that I am a problem to be solved, and I also see a mixture of Dr. House and Dr. McCoy wrapped in smiles and perfect manners–that works for me. I can work with this man.

With the call ending, I am crushed. I do not want another challenge, and certainly not one of this size. F**K. Six hours of surgery, days in recovery, possible dizziness issues, and folks having to stay with me. The doctor asked if I had a support system here; I mentioned my wife’s passing so he could understand some of the pressures on me, and I answered yes. I have many friends, and I am sure we can get a rotation going of visitors, but still, there is so much to do.

I was cold now and tired. I rested, pulling up the covers. I talked to a few folks to let them know. Linda, my sister, had my favorite cookies delivered today: I love them dipped in coffee. I usually only see them on airplanes. Showing that most problems can be made better by cookies.

I also received a new load of bagels from NYC from Aunt Joyce. I had a few of those, too!

My new game, Wonderland Wars, was delivered today. After rising again after sleeping briefly, I punched and assembled the game. I see that I have to paint the figures. I will have to get back to organizing the house to have a space to paint and build models. It has been on the back burner but needs to move to the front. The space I planned to use in the office is too small.

Looking at the game and punching it got me back together. I also watched, again, the fourth special of Doctor Who. I read some Sherlock Holmes, the original, and made a few more changes in my version.

Yes, I have much to do, and I will overcome this challenge.

Thanks for reading.

I do not usually stay in bed until after 9AM. I feel like I lose a day when I do that, as the hours missing make the day seem truncated. Night comes too soon. But, the new clean sheets and sleep were so comfortable I decided to enjoy it. I could have stayed in my blankets all morning, but at 9:15ish, I finally climbed out of my cacoon like some failed attempt of a butterfly. Not wings and lovely nectar sipping, but a stumbling grey-haired guy needing coffee.

I found a roll I put in the frig; the ants can’t find it in there unless they have little parkas, and poured some Rwanda fair trade coffee in my cup (thanks, Kramers). I settled into the in-house office and on my Apple using Grammarly and WordPress to create the next blog. The work spanned the morning and was completed in the early afternoon after 1PM. I reheated the not-so-porcupine meatballs, which were better the second time. The undercooked, at least I thought it was, garlic and onions balanced on reheat. Morning and lunch were gone before I was ready for their completion. I dressed after 1PM!

The colon issues, the dizziness, and the general feeling of blah were all gone. But the day was disappearing fast; I called Dondrea to learn that we were indeed playing board games during choir practice tonight. Air Volvo is stuffed with board games at this moment. Excellent.

I headed to Wildwood Taphouse, about ten minutes away, in Air Volvo with my Apple laptop. The traffic was back as it was a regular work day for most. Brook was our bartender. I did not remember the bartender’s name, but I no longer let that bother me. I asked for it again and used it. I try not to use “dear” instead of “ma’am,” which puts so many teeth on edge in the Pacific Northwest. I prefer to use names to avoid gender pronouns or replacements like ma’am or sir.

Aside: I do not struggle with pronouns to be politically correct or to burnish my cancel culture or woke credentials. I believe strongly that I have no right to assign people to ethnic groups or to gender, and that to do that is a form of privilege I should avoid. To expand, I cannot let the historically racist and gender-bashing English structure force me to create these unnecessary lines. It is also fun to try to avoid gender–a mental game that keeps me sharp. I do not always succeed, but I try and apologize when I get it wrong.

I order a bright and low-alcohol beer product from their twenty offerings. The high numbers are outstanding dark beers that I love but must be taken in small amounts. The alcohol percentage can be 50% higher than my selection. I avoid them as I worry about self-medicating (I am still grieving my wife’s passing) and getting home safely and legally.

I drink my bright beer while trying something I have not done before. I started on a new idea. Sherlock Holmes and Watson are now entirely in the public domain (1 Jan 2023), so I thought I should try them on. I struggled as I had to remember the cadence of their discourse, and I brought no sources with me. I also discovered I had no clear memory of their 221B Baker’s Street apartment. I did have to surf the net and found some beautiful drawings and various websites to help. That lets me know the names of a few items. For example, Holmes sits in an armchair, not a sofa. I managed a first-page draft, mostly in my wording, which needs to be made more Watson-style, about 600 words. Grammarly interceded to help with some wooden wording and simple errors–what it is best at. I ignored many ‘clarity’ improvements.

A small unfinished sample:

“Watson, I have made some adjustments to make you more comfortable. I have filtered some of the information that is unnecessary for you to receive to function as, well, my ‘Watson.'” My look did not change with this explanation. I felt that I had yet to receive any meaningful ‘information.’ And–I found my thought processes using words and processes that seemed less me and more mechanical. I seemed to understand more than I should.

“Watson, we are artificial—a creation. We are artifacts of a mechanical process. We are unreal but conscious. To re-coin a phrase, we are Artificial Intelligence,” said Holmes, using the same voice and look in his eyes as he says when explaining one of his brilliant deductions.

“I think I understand, Holmes,” I surprised myself by saying. I suddenly felt I understood that I was a construct and also alive.”

Comments are welcome.

I am unsure if I will have the time to finish this or if I can wrap myself in Watson’s style and make something at least worthy of reading. More to come. I was happy to write a creative piece. Also, since Watson’s writings are in the first person and about their experiences, my years now of blogging have helped me find the words. To write this, I imagine myself as Holmes explaining to Watson and writing in Watson style to blogging about it. A new article, if I can manage it, for 2600, I suspect.

While I wrote, JR kindly brought me a sample of number 19. Dark as night and with burnt grain and malt flavors all mixed and grown in the process to a magical elixir. I used to say, “I want something as dark as my soul,” but that comes too close to the truth with the grief. Now, I get something bright to fight back the darkness. Still, the dark beer was beautiful and brought back memories of the summer.

JR and I chatted for a while and wished each other a prosperous 2024. I returned to my surfing of websites and discovered three maps, none quite matching, of Holmes and Watson’s apartment. Apparently, Doyle’s descriptions are incomplete and even contradictory. The Japanese Sherlock club has the best drawing from what I saw made by an expatriated Brit teaching in Japan. That helped. I completed my first page. I am headed to five or so pages.

It was getting late, the day vanishing fast with my late start, and I paid my bill and thanked JR and Brook. It was the 5th anniversary of the Taphouse, but they will celebrate on the 20th (I will be out of town). I wished everyone a happy anniversary and took Air Volvo through the regular heavy 5-ish traffic to Beaverton Old Town.

I parked at the church and walked to the local Thai place. The 20-something pretty host asked me about a table for one, but I headed to the bar. This seemed to surprise the staff. I seldom eat at a table when alone. It is less lonely at the bar. Apparently, few customers here in Beaverton eat at the bar.

I had the pumpkin curry after asking the bartender for a recommendation, who seemed distressed to have a customer, and I failed to get the bartender’s name. It was starchy pieces of a squash-like veggie in a sauce that I poured over rice, just about the worst case for a diabetic like me. Still, it was OK, but I wanted good. Next time, the chicken!

I saw a manager of a consulting firm who was eating alone, whom I had known for a few years. I learned thus that the soup was great–my other choice. We talked for a bit about computer stuff and Nike’s internal stuff. Nothing I can repeat here. I was offered employment instead of retiring in the future, and I learned that they were looking to poach (my word) Nike employees and consultants for the manager’s company. The consulting firm was clearly trying to buy ready-made expertise from Nike as the projects went on. I demurred. I was laughing on my walk back to the church, but away from the manager’s hearing–no reason to be rude. A strange dinner for me.

Soon, Dondrea and Z appeared, and Z selected the board game Wingspan to play that evening. Soon, we were playing the fastest Wingspan game I think I have ever played. Z is twelve (soon thirteen) and burns with all the wild energy of a young person, driving me to play fast, too. I love to play fast.

I build my first and last rows to give me more food and cards. I have some luck, and the cards I play, birds in the game, have powers that help me. Z has fewer powered cards. We fly (is that a pun) through the first game, and I lead by twenty points. We play again; this time, I am even luckier and have an early, nearly unbeatable combination. A flaw in the game is that an early lead is often impossible to overcome. We are playing two players, and the player count has a significant factor of luck.

We are waiting for the third game, which Andrew will become available to join after helping to set up the church sign. I jump in to help with the sign as it will reduce the time. Z practices her lines for a try-out for a school play. We wait some more, and finally, I do a quick teach for Andrew. Andrew, like Z, is a friendly gamer and quick to pick up a teach of a game. We managed to play a round before running out of time. Z was doing better this time, and Andrew seemed to like Wingspan. Next time, we will get more time in with Andrew.

After that, Air Volvo returned me to the Volvo Cave without much traffic. I used 209th now that the street is open from TV Highway. It was nice to be back to using my usual streets instead of the construction detours.

At home, I had some crackers and some smoked surgeon as a snack before I took my meds. Food is required to not have a tummy issue from the drugs. I ordered a new book after seeing it offered at the 221B Baker’s Street museum website: The Moriarty Papers: The adventures of Sherlock Holmes’s Great Nemesis. I have ended my Amazon monthly payments after Amazon decided to add commercials to their video content. I will try to not buy from them. My books are from Abe.com now. I do have to pay shipping, but often the total is lower than Amazon and the service better. I found a book in Texas for about $11 with shipping in new condition. I will see if I can buy from non-Amazon sources–a new challenge for 2024 brought on by Amazon’s policy changes.

I read more of The Brutal Telling: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (A Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery Book 5) on my Kindle (the Kindle will continue to be used from Amazon, but the digital stuff never needed shipping). I was laughing and following along with care. It is very hard to spot the killer in these books. I never figured it out in the last book. But there is a trick now, the author likes her regular characters, like in a Agatha Christie story, and thus I am looking for a new character that is suspiciously on the sidelines. I enjoy Inspector Gamache mysteries and recommend them.

I found myself with my eyes closed dreaming the next paragraph. I managed to stop, put the Kindle down, and rest before I dropped the Kindle on my face or chest. I was soon asleep. I did wake a few times, as usual, but I managed to sleep until 9AM as I said.

Thanks for reading!

 

I had been tired the night before and slept early and well until 4:30ish, and then at 5AM, I was wide awake. I was unhappy about that, but I had hoped to wake early (not f**king early), so I rose. I made coffee and an NYC bagel, toasted, with cream cheese and a bit of salmon mousse from a can that I had opened a few days ago (thanks, Smiths and Joyce, for the bagel, and Dondrea and family for the mousse).

I put on YouTube music videos, and I have long playlists available to me–YouTube technology, without being creepy, noticed my selections and put them in lists for me. Excellent. I started to make breakfast rolls. I cooked the flour in milk to start my super puffy dough. Today, I would be back to using fruit cake dried fruit (still having quite a lot left over–a King Arthur Flour purchase for the holidays. I did the dishes and started the never-ending laundry quest. I was rocking out as this happening.

The dough was soon resting for ninety minutes. I cleaned the kitchen, which looked like a bakery had exploded in the space. More laundry stuff was begun. The mail included my CPA’s 2023 Tax forms; I filled out the required forms again; even though Cornerstone Tax in Hillsboro has the information, it is explained in their annual letter that the IRS requires this information to be re-acquired in a form that can be shared with the IRS. I also added my end-of-year paystub to my records (I have to log on to Nike HR, run a report to generate an electronic copy of the paystub, download the PDF, email it to my personal email, save it again on my Apple, and finally print it) and to my already started tax large envelope.

I next turned to Quicken, the online version, and I started to look at the tax reports. Most of my paychecks are under income instead of paychecks, already corrected for new transactions. However, the old ones are misclassified; the error is transparent, so it is of no consequence. The payment of Susie’s housing and care at the hummingbird house, classified as an unused medical category, did not show on the tax reports, but again, this is transparent, so there should be no issue.

Next, I got balances for my 401K (finally going up again) and my deferred compensation (increasing) and then made adjustments for the month-end values. For a brief time, Quicken was able to update these values daily. However, the two-factor protection on these accounts made it impossible for Quicken to robotically access and download the values. I now manually update these values every month as adjustments. It also gives me a moment to recheck the compensation account. I eyeballed them for unexpected changes both from hackers and also to see if the corporation/organization that manages them has not come up with some new way to take what is mine as fees–I have found most of these fiduciaries to be untrustworthy.

Aside: Folks who want Wall Street to take over social security need to consider the fees and percentage that Wall Street helps itself to. They also make it difficult to transfer money, especially large retirement balances–so shopping for better returns is discouraged. Social Security returns about 10% with zero fees. Try to find better over thirty years! It is also not taxed by states (increasing the effective return compared to an IRA to over 18% in my calculations). Social security is indexed for inflation. It offers an excellent return.

My deferred compensation will jump to 20% of my pay next year. My tax efficiency plans are weaker with Susie’s passing and were already failing due to the Trump changes to deduction limits for SALT (State And Local Taxes). My interest payments on the Volvo Cave are not tax-deductible as there is a hard limit to write-offs for SALT. While I don’t agree with the changes, I do agree the changes are a kept campaign promise and believe Trump was a successful president. He did what he said, but I reject his methods, including race-baiting and other fascist-like actions. The changes to the courts are also quite telling. I find myself often agreeing with at least the logic of most of his appointee’s rulings though I strongly object to the results. There are limits to 401K contributions–increased for us older workers, but not to deferred compensation. But, deferred compensation plans are inflexible, and I have elected to take lump sum payments to avoid the inability to access my money once I leave Nike (likely by retirement). I am trying to balance my options; Trump’s changes have made it very difficult.

Aside: Oregon has retained the previous tax structure, so what is not tax deductible on Federal may still be in Oregon. Last year, my Oregon tax refund was much larger than my federal one! Another reason to have a CPA.

I will close out the year next week with all the documents from the bank and investment houses have been printed and the transactions reviewed and accepted.

I wrote the blog Tuesday morning. It was a long one. It took me ninety minutes.

I was surprised by how late sunrise is today (just before 8AM); we are still in the dark winter.

I also have a doctor’s appointment on Thursday and went online to-yet-another-website to put in all my information. The same information is in all myChart, including matching questionnaires. I did sign in to myChart but could not find the medicine allergies to copy the information (I am banned from one chemotherapy drug now that I enjoyed a trip to the ER from its side effects). I spent about an hour repeating the same items from last time. I am ready now. It will be a remote appointment. The surgeon appointment is later this month, on the 29th, and that one is in person.

I had my sandwich half from Wanda’s on the Oregon Coast for an early lunch. It was still good, but too cold. Next time, I will put out a sandwich and let it warm on a counter.

I finally get dressed and head out. I loaded the rolls, which looked wonderful and lightly glazed, and boarded Air Volvo. I called the hummingbird house, Susie’s former facility and they were happy to hear from me. I arrived, and Jennifer and Louis were delighted to see me and get a load of warm breakfast rolls. More changes at hummingbird house saddens me, but I cannot share that private information here. I stayed for a while and chatted; it was good to hang out with the friends I made there.

Next, I dropped off some breakfast rolls for Dondrea, Z, and Donna (Dondrea’s mother, who now lives across the street). Dondrea could not come to the door as she was on a call, so I left the baked goods in a bag by the door. I then headed back after discovering my wallet was still at the house.

At the house, I found my wallet and headed to Safeway. There, I acquired groceries and the fixings to make porcupine meatballs, a new recipe from the NYT. I loaded up three bags of groceries, which I managed to get through the DIY checkout. I had to use the heavy plastic bags they charge you for–they are recyclable and reusable. No thin plastic bags here anymore (the cheap bags make a mess of the trees and our waters when lost outside). I need to put the shopping backs back into the Air Volvo Cargo bay.

I loaded and unloaded and put the groceries away without incident, wondering again why I don’t just do this online and have this delivered. Lack of planning on my part! Safeway produce is always a crap shoot, and one onion I bought in a bag was ruined (having been squished). I cut an onion in half, checking it, and then finely chopped it with many tears. The other half is wrapped and in the frig. I forgot to wash the other half to stop some of the crying-causing fumes. I minced garlic, shooting one clove into another universe when smashing it with the knife side–I could not find it anywhere and assumed it entered the same extra-dimensional space where socks go. I added the surviving garlic to my mix with oregano and some dried parsley (I forgot to get fresh). I defrosted ground beef in water. I cooked 1/2 a cup of rice, but I had only Indian-style rice and not cheaper long-grain (which will make this not work well).

I put on the movie based on the musical Chicago, named the same. I sang along and finally started assembling the meatballs. It did not go well; I forgot the egg and added it late. The rice was not sticky and would not porcupine when baked. The Dutch oven bottom grabbed the meatballs as I tried to brown them, which were too loose and broken. I salvaged the meatballs and placed them and the remains on a cookie sheet.

I made the sauce, which was quite good once baked and assembled into more casserole and less like meatballs. I put it in the oven, cooked it, and the baked dish was a fine repass at 5ish. It was quite good. The garlic and onions tasted too sharp. I would cook them until translucent in a pan next time and then add them cooled to the meat. I would change the rice to the recommended type, long grain, and add some bread crumbs to help it hold together. Lastly, I would cook the meatballs in a non-stick fry pan to brown them. Still not bad for a first attempt.

More mush than meatballs, but it still tastes good. The salad is leftover from yesterday.

Time flew by soon. I did much as I already described. Today, I cannot remember the sequencing, so sorry if the blog sounds a bit random.

I read more and re-made the bed. Having newly washed sheets felt great.

On the harsh side, my colon played tricks on me a few times. I had to rush to the bathroom. I decided not to travel anymore on Tuesday. I was freezing a few times and felt off–flu-like. I stopped and thus rested a few times. So, it was not a great day as I felt off much of the day, and my colon and body felt unhappy much of the day.

Still, a productive and busy day. I was happy to have a long day and do so much. I fought against my usual issues, but it was good to enjoy a day off.

Thanks for reading.

I was exhausted on Monday night, New Year’s Day, and decided to read in bed until I fell asleep. I returned to the murder mysteries set in Canada: The Brutal Telling: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel. I managed quite a few pages on my Kindle before I started to nod off. I turned off the light and fell asleep sometime after 11PM, which was unusually early. 

I woke this Tuesday morning at 4:30 and then again before 5AM. I gave up and got started at 5AM. It is still dark out.

Going backward, before that, I was in the home office paying bills and surfing. I watched a good video on pizzas by Joshua Weissman, my favorite new chef and cookbook writer. He found the best pizza in NYC’s Scarr’s. On my next trip to NYC, I must validate this conclusion!

I also watched another set of videos on Battleships. Battleship Texas, in dry dock, has been painted and looks better (it is over 100 years old and quite rusty inside, I understand). Battleship New Jersey had some more short videos on findings on how more areas of the ship were used during the 1980s. I also napped (explaining why I was up early on Tuesday).

Before this, I made a Caesar salad from a bag and then added smoked salmon leftover from New Year’s and cooked a few smoked scallops to try. The scallops, quite expensive, were too salty for me. I will wash them next time and see if that helps–the usual solution for frozen chicken (often packed in salt water). The salad and salmon raised my dining to a restaurant level, a high-end restaurant.

I reached the house from the beach in Air Volvo. The Smiths and I conveyed back from the Oregon Coast at about 3:40, and I reached Beaverton as the skies started to darken. New Year’s Day was a surprise with the sun out and the rains stopping; even the mist from the ocean waves was light. The sea was boiling with what looked like twenty-foot waves here and there. I saw a massive wave near Haystack Reef.

Aside: Wave size, when published, is the average wave, and thus, a three-foot sea can have five-foot waves.

We encountered an elk on the trip from The Smith’s Beachhouse to a pizza place in Seaside. High on the cliff on Highway 101, The Oregon Coast Highway, I saw cars turning off and on their headlights–meaning ‘slow down’ and look out. We were on a blind turn. As I turned the curve, a large elk with a rack on its head was calmly walking alongside the road. It suddenly seemed to want the road or to wear a Volvo; my slow speed and the emergency lights prevented me from enjoying an elk-close encounter, and no vehicle rammed Air Volvo from behind. We all were slow and had blinkers on. I could not drive and take a picture at the same time. It was a beautiful creature.

Arriving safely, we enjoyed one piece of pizza each at the pizza place. It was Thai and basil pizza with a soft crust- not my favorite, but it was still good. I stayed to one piece as I had ninty minutes of driving. I had a Diet Coke for the bubbles (my tummy and colon have been uneven these last few days) and the caffeine.

The trip on Highway 26, The Sunset Highway–it points west, was mostly uneventful. On the last third, we came to a near stop as folks turned off or other causes, and I did have the emergency lights on to prevent someone from hitting me from behind who did not see the slowing. Other than that, it was an uneventful trip for Air Volvo.

The mist and clouds in the Coastal Mountains did not dissipate today, so white mist hung in the air even over the highway. Some dramatic music and a few good video shots of the fog hanging over the forest and road could have made a good mood shot for a horror movie. Still, it was a pleasant drive, and since I had done it twice this week, it was familiar, too.

I wrote the blog Monday morning, rising early at the Smith’s beach house in Manzanita, Oregon–two houses from the dunes that lead to the beach. I was up after 7:30 and before the sun rose. The Smith stirred after 8ish. I continued to write and talk about Michelle and my experience with Agile development. I packed up and loaded my overnight bag and a few games into the Volvo cargo bay, already stuffed with board games, and prepared to leave.

The Smiths had large luggage and had to wrangle the cats. Michelle successfully acquired the larger cat, but the cat left Michelle bleeding from a small swipe when it resisted the travel box. With the cats boxed, and remaining items were bagged and arranged. The Smiths loaded up the jeep. I mostly stayed out of the way.

We then conveyed to Seaside with David leading and driving us through Seaside instead of using the slow and elk-loaded Highway 101. I drove and took peeks at the sea while being safe. It was an excellent drive.

David and I then searched Seaside for parking, finally finding a public parking area with two spots, Volvo and Jeep-sized. There, as aforementioned, we consumed pizza.

And that takes me full circle. Thanks for reading!

 

 

It is the 18th day since I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. Next doc appointment is 4Jan2024.

I had written the blog the night before and wanted to hit the Oregon Coast, but I still stopped the 6:30 alarm and rose at a house later at 7:30AM. I wanted to visit the Columbia Maritime Museum in Astoria and spend New Year with the Smiths at their beach house. I rushed, showering, dressing, finishing the packing, and adding some cooperative games to my collection in Air Volvo’s cargo hold at Michelle’s request. Air Volvo left before 8AM.

First, we stopped at McDonald’s, and I got two breakfast burritos and a coffee with two creams. I had taken more morning meds, so I needed to eat something. Air Volvo, using navigation, then pointed west and headed 84 miles to the Museum.

The morning traffic was light, but 31Jan is usually a police-patroled day, and I did see two of Washington County’s sheriff deputies on Highway 26 (All called the Sunset Highway). I found the slow cars, and soon, there was little chance of attracting attention at the slow speeds allowed.

The Sunset Highway has many passing lanes, but I even passed a car on the two-lane road the old-school way, and soon I was back into the high 60 mph (105 km h), and my ETA reduced on navigation by nearly thirty minutes. The drive was full of Oregon Mist, and the clouds hid much of the valleys, reminding me that the vampire books Twilight are set in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). It is dark here in the forests.

Soon, I reached the coast and Highway 101, called The Oregon Coast Highway. The sun was out here and there. I could see the mist from the Ocean moving still on shore in the morning. I arrived around 9:15. I headed north and was happy to refresh myself with the distant Ocean view and the very local feeling of the highway. I have not driven 101 North in some years. The last visit was before the pandemic, with Susie Corwin and me visiting McMenamins Gearhart Hotel to get a stamp on our McMenamins passports. The company offers a passport to get a stamp at all hits facilities. Sets of stamps and completed passports (Visiting all McMenamins and finding all the hidden signs) receive discounts. We kept at it for a while, and I hope someday to just finish my passport.

I see a huge mist rising, and I am near Astoria. There is a rough sea out there (twelve-foot waves/3.6m, on average), and it has generated a mist that covers Astoria, Oregon, today. A causeway leads to Astoria, and soon, I am in the slightly rundown and nautical-looking town–It was once a busy town filled with canneries. The town is trying to merge the remaining fishing industry and tourism with some success.

I arrived at the Columbia Maritime Museum and purchased an annual membership as I am rushed today and would like to be back. As I entered the museum, I saw two active (not museum ships) tied up to the pier and a large ship. I also headed up the Columbia River, having managed The Bar today. The crossing between the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean, The Bar, can be dangerous, and I am not sure I would want to do it with twelve-foot seas!

I looked at the USS Shark exhibit, which is about the 1840s US naval ship that came on an exploration visit and was wrecked. An officer’s sword and a cannonade were recovered. Sadly, the cannonade was not on display as it was being treated to help preserve it. I did see some of the tackle from the gun that was also recovered.

I looked at the shipwreck display, which was updated with a new wreck that has happened since I moved here, the New Carissa. The recovered compass, builder plate, and some lights from the ship are on display. Also, a vast burned board of the ship’s name, also salvaged, is displayed. Because of the cold water and the rough seas, most wrecks include a significant loss of life. The remains of the wrecks, including part of the Exxon Valdez’s hull (I have a bottle of oil from the wreck I bought in Alaska years ago), are respectfully displayed.

The bridge of a WW2 Fletcher destroyer is in the WW2 display. Astoria was the name of three cruisers, and the display covers all of them. USS Astoria (CA-34) was lost in the Battle of Savo Island to gunfire–there is a chart showing the damage. It was fun to walk onto a Fletcher destroyer’s bridge.

There is also a display on returning WW2 Japanese flags to families in Japan. The flags, signed by family members as a gift to a newly minted soldier, are often all that remains of the lost soldier. So, the museum works to return any given to the museum to the surviving Japanese family members.

It is a small museum, and I had hoped for more scale drawings of the local ships in the gift store, but I did find one that I did not have, a blue-print-like drawing of a rear-paddlewheel ship. It was only a few dollars! I have paid much more for accurate drawings.

I was feeling dizzy and still coughing. I was dehydrated. I had only coffee to drink. Mistake.

The Smiths contacted me, and we were to meet at Wanda’s Cafe. I headed out. I first got some fuel for Air Volvo. It is still full-service, so I gave the guy a dollar as a tip, and we talked about New Year’s. He was doing NYC New Year and would be to bed early as his next gig at the gas station started at 5:30. Fully fueled, I headed south; I thought about stopping at the Peter Iredale wreck on the beach just south of Astoria–the tides pulled off some of the sand so you can see more of the wreck–but I was trying to make 1PM so Air Volvo drove on.

But I did stop at my favorite smoked fish place, Josephson’s Smokehouse, and quickly got a few items to celebrate 2024. Smoke sturgeon, salmon, and some scallops.

Sadly, I arrived too early at Wonda’s and rested momentarily in the car. At 1PM, I found myself still alone and got a table. I was informed that I had the last table for the day at 1:40; oh my. I texted The Smiths to let them know. I then sat there and chatted with the hostess.

The hostess, whose name I did not learn, flies drones for fun and makes incredible movies from the camera in the drone. She said her best work was going over a cliff above the sea on a low-wind day (there are few here on the coast). She also said her drone was slammed by a gust and thrown against a tree. The drones are designed to withstand a 24-foot (7.3m) fall. She has so far recovered her drone in working conditions.

The Smiths arrived within time to make the seating, and we had a lovely brunch. The hottest recommended is the turkey sandwich with cranberry and cream cheese. I had it, and it was beautiful. I only finished a half. I felt much better.

We then dropped off Air Volvo at the beach house, storing my fishy bounty in their frig, and headed out in David’s jeep to the beaches. We then walked the beaches and found them still primarily empty of shells. I found one broken clam shell to keep. The water roared, and the surf ran for us, and I found myself running in Air Force Ones, too. I managed to avoid the soaking, but Cat’s boots were breached. The wave was higher than expected, and Cat was cold as the water was 51F (11C). Cat had to pour some of the sea out of her boots! We headed back, and I slipped on reaching the road and took that as a chance to sit down and tie my shoes. David offered me an arm that I took as falling backward into the rocks and sea grass, had I slipped again, would have likely presented more difficulties.

Returning to the beach house and Cat finding new dryer garments, we decided to try a cooperative board game: Pandemic. I have a cheap, used copy of the 2nd printing without any extras–very basic. I teach the game, and soon we are playing, and soon the mechanism of the crises increases, and we are unable to balance the competing challenges, and we all fail. We reset now, having learned most of the game and adjusted to a more balanced strategy. We cured three diseases, almost the last, before we ran out of cards and lost the came. Closer. It takes a couple of plays for me to relearn the balancing needed to win, and The Smiths now had the game down.

Pandemic is an excellent introduction to cooperative crisis management games. Everyone takes on a helpful role and works together to save the world. The mechanisms start to accelerate the crisis, making the game more and more enjoyable. The debates are about the best choice, often in exchange for risk. Two timers are running, which will cause an abrupt loss. While the most basic and, for many, their first crisis cooperative game, this one still appeals. Euro and competitive players chaff under the rules and crisis creation.

We tried and played it into 2024: Root. This game is complex, and I admit I was unsure of some rules and mechanics, but we pushed on. Michelle returned as the Racoon, Cat as the Woodland Alliance, me as the Lizards Cult, and David joined us as the Cats. New to the game, David had the resource and worker placement simple rules of the Cats, but he was unprepared for being targetted by everyone. Soon, his great build was forced back, and the Racoon shot him. The Woodland Alliance spread sympathy all over the board and then stalled as her cards did not help her. As the Lizard Cult, I was stuck playing repeatedly in the same clearings. I started to build up lizards everywhere, but I could not sacrifice or get defeated warriors to build up my conspiracy powers. I never put out enough gardens to score–and ended up in last place. Michelle continued to snipe and take items we made, allowing the completion of quests and adding to her totals. Cat, waking to the end of the game, exploded a revolt under a pile of David and my warriors, gaining many points, and started reaching the final thirty points. Michelle then quickly ended the game.

After that, I headed to bed, wishing everyone a Happy New Year.

Thanks for reading. Welcome to 2024.