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This morning was chaotic, with more chaos for lunch and then in the early evening. I rose later, around 7, and started working on getting an upgrade to first class for my Chicago flight. For about the cost of picking a seat and having a checked bag, I could do first class. So I paid it and then tried to figure out how to get my bag counted. I gave up (you do it at the airport). The phone then rang, and I remembered I had an 8-ish phone interview for the hospital where I was having my surgery. The RN reviewed my history and meds and updated Providence My Chart to match the Legacy and OHSU versions. Ugh. I was unimpressed as I had waited three months for this process. These questions could have been asked months ago and not at the last minute.

I learned that they needed to validate my blood type (which has not changed recently), check my A1C, and check if I had an infection in my nose. I was flying tonight to Michigan, and they were able to find a 5PM (17:00) appointment for me. So, I had to drive and get this done this late afternoon. This took an hour plus for the call with the RN, and it left me a bit disconcerted. I let the RN know I thought this was more comedy than medical, as they had three months to plan this. They seemed to be doing everything at the last minute. This is f**king brain surgery–they need to step up their game. I called the doctor’s office and let them know I was losing faith; they said it was a process. I was unhappy. There was nothing to do but rush and get it done.

I made a half-sandwich and then got a note that Scott W was looking for me. Puke, I had lunch plans, and the sudden medical items had me forget. I dressed (I managed to finish the blog and all the calls, but not to get dressed), shaved fast, and was only twenty minutes late. I had soup as I had already had half a sandwich at the house—my usual beef, cheese, and coleslaw. Scott and I talked, no longer about work, as we both were now retired from Nike–both of us getting the package. We talked about trying to spend the next six months trying to get refocused.

I received my official severance package letter, which I electronically signed and returned to Nike, Inc. This includes 48 weeks of pay and Cobra coverage. I was hoping to get this done before leaving. Excellent. I printed out a copy, and the payout will be on 28 June 2024, which is my last paycheck from the shoe company. Yes, I get paid for May and June, too.

I finished packing and took a load of Susie’s items and clothing to Goodwill. It makes me sad to do this, but it is time to let some things go. The house is slowly emptying of many of the items from our years together.

Finally, it was near time to leave for the tests. I took Air Volvo across Beaverton and into the edges of Portland. I parked and then found the pre-surgery test folks, and they soon had me out. No time at all, and they were happy I was early and had the work done before my actual appointment time.

I forgot my hat and a couple of other items. It was a lovely day, so I used Air Volvo on the backroads and headed back to The Volvo Cave. While the traffic was heavy, it moved, and soon, I had my hat and other things and headed to the church. More driving.

I planned on playing a game of Concordia with Z for our usual Wednesday gaming, but a second game (often including Andrew) was unlikely and did not happen. Z played a hard game and soon had me on the run. I managed to recover and bought lots of cards after losing the Farmer and Weaver cards to her. I finished my trading houses just a turn before her and thus ended the game and got 7 points for that. As I won by only 15, this was a close game and had Z pulled a few more cards, I would have lost. Z is a tough opponent in this game–we both love it!

After that, we packed the game, and I said my goodbyes. I then reached PDX without issue, checked a bag (now able to add it), and printed the label. Security was the same, and I managed not to be exposed without my belt.

I had only light food. I stopped at Henry’s Tavern in the C gates and had a BLTA and a nice large beer. It is now hard to write as I am falling asleep. Perfect. I have to run and will finish this in Michigan or Chicago. Thanks for reading so far.

The plane showed up, and we boarded about on time. This is the usual uncomfortable 737 cattle car MAX for inside USA flights, but I have a comfortable seat in first class. That means drinks—just Ginger Ale for me. Overnight, for four hours, I do not get food.

I could not get comfortable, and then we had a bouncy ride for the last hour. Compared to the flights I have been doing, it was easy and short. The gate broke after we landed, and we waited ten minutes for someone to make the gate work.

After that, it was a trial run on our short connection on Saturday. Both flights are in Terminal 3, and I was able to reach G17 (the f**king last gate and take escalators down to make it even further) in fifteen minutes. I switched out the red carry-on to a wheeled Nike bag for this trip.

I am at Chili’s Too near gate G9, which opened at 5:30, and happy to have a customer. My waiter loves my laptop cover (it looks like a book) and decided she would get one for Christmas.

I had spicy breakfast tacos with bacon and potatoes. Excellent. Flight boards in three hours.

This morning, I am writing about Tuesday morning; it has been a cluster-filled morning. The RN from the hospital discovered that I needed more medical tests, and I had to make that work before getting on a plane. This is to make the requirements for surgery at the hospital. Not expected. But, at the last minute, American Airlines (AA) offered a $125 upgrade to first class on my red-eye to Chicago tonight, which would cover the same cost for checking a bag and seat (yes, you often have to buy a seat or get something interestingly assigned). So, yes, I paid the same price for a First Class seat this morning.

The distractions did not stop, and even a flicker (a local bird) appeared in my backyard, showing off; it was not a good day for writing today. It was just an experiential morning!

I slept with some interruptions and started again at 7ish to write the blog. I had pain in my legs and had to get some Tylenol to sleep as the pain was enough to stop me from sleeping. So no sunrise for me as I slept the early morning away. For breakfast, I made steel-cut oats, a banana, and Columbia coffee.

Corwin was trying to wash a pillow-like thing, which stopped because of an imbalance in The Machine. I restarted it, and it went for as long as thirty minutes before stopping because of an unbalanced load. I put The Machine on Dry, which lasted longer, but the pillow-like thing was not dry after two hours and three restarts. I put it outside to dry.

I then collected all my laundry, including my swimming suit, which I found (and more clothing from Susie to give away) in a drawer. I decided to stay inside and do more housework. I took the old computer desk and tried to clean it and move it to the soon ad hoc office for Linda, but it came apart when I pushed it. The sudden explosive, unplanned disassembly missed smashing the sliding glass door. I got to experience the sudden loss of resistance; Physics still works, and I flew over the wreck and crashed into the hunter’s cabinet as an alternative to reaching the deck through the sliding glass door! The door was closed, of course. Shocked as I got to experience all of this in slow motion in my mind, I then cleared the mess, stacked the pieces outside, and later recommended Corwin take the desk remains to his next beach burn. F**k, I nearly avoided brain surgery by bleeding out on my deck.

Lunch was reheated Chinese-style food from a previous delivery. I ate that in Susie’s usual seat. I then removed all the board games (all recent Kickstarters) and put them in the garage. I then went through the last bits that have been sitting there since Susie left for a physical therapy appointment (she never returned from that–that was the day we were walked to the ER for stroke). Her purse, glasses, and other items. All gone now. One more change. I managed to cry only a little.

Aside: I was unsure I could live here in The Volvo Cave with so many memories of Susie and our life together. So far, I can, but I often think I should sell it and get an apartment with access to a pool and exercise stuff. However, I think that I would be more lonely in an apartment and feel more like I was rootless in a hotel (renting the house and living elsewhere would cause negative tax consequences later, except if I held the rental for my estate). If I do go that way, I would likely become a gypsy and rent furnished apartments across the world and just travel forever.

Things got to be too much, and I said, f**k and got in Air Volvo and ran away. I found myself delivered to Salt and Straw ice cream, folks could not get in a line properly, but soon the folks who must have order sorted it out. I was willing to go with Chaos or Law at that time as I still suffered from churning emotions. But once the ice cream was acquired, I was calm enough to return to The Volvo Cave.

I started packing, doing more laundry, and doing the dishes. I rested a bit, as I had been going nonstop all morning. This was followed by meeting Dondrea and Z at Swagats at Orenco Station for dinner. We ordered two full plates with two mains. The lamb was spicy, and the chicken was flavorful. We chatted about upcoming events and had a great dinner. It was one quiet and easy dinner before the travel, tears, and medical stuff started. Thanks, Dondrea and Z!

I returned home, packed some more, and finally went to bed, dragging and tired.

Thanks for reading.

I managed to sleep well and only woke once to prove hydration. I rose after the sunrise, slipping back to rising at 7ish instead of 4ish. Better. The cough is fading and appears to be more allergies than a cold. Good! It is still hard to be organized as my life has changed from an uncompromising multinational corporate IT warrior to well a duffer. I am also on the short side of the countdown for travel and surgery, so I will not start building some model or painting project.

The weather is visiting from California, Another Day of Sun comes to mind. We will not have rain until next week, and it ranges from cool mornings to hot afternoons, 50s to 75F (10C to 24C). There are a few days with a 50% chance of rain, but I suspect I will have to start watering soon!

I refused to get dressed until the afternoon to make me slow down. I wrote the blog and did more of Cowin’s camping laundry (and rewashed my permanent press shirts and pants that Corwin ran for me but left to wrinkle). If you remove the permanent press clothing while warm from the dryer, then it will remain mostly unwrinkled. If it cools wrinkled, it stays that way. When I want perfect shirts, I have them done at a dry cleaner, usually asking for them to be boxed to enable easy travel. Light starch.

I had the last poppy muffin (purchased) with Columbia coffee (thanks, Kramers) and a banana. My potassium is again low in my blood work. For lunch, I found the beef, cheddar, and coleslaw sandwich I made a few days ago (somehow going unnoticed by Corwin) and put it on a plate with dill pickle and some local potato salad. I enjoyed being outside now that it was warm and sunny with the deck furniture in the grass. The sandwich includes my trick of Thousand Island dressing on the bread and then spread out a layer of coleslaw over it. It makes it so good.

I kept forgetting about heading to a church book study on Monday at noon, so I headed instead to Hillsboro, went to the antique stores, and enjoyed a long walk around the town. I also wanted to check if the chest cold was really gone. Yup! Air Volvo had to circle until finding a parking spot, but other than that, it was a pleasant trip.

I was looking for a small working desk that Linda could use while she was here, but there was only one tiny rolltop that would not be suitable for a laptop and monitor. I will instead dust the one I have from the 1990s (!) and move it to the dining room, Linda’s new ad hoc office. I need to get a power strip (ordered).

I also recreated all the pictures I had for Susie’s Concert and will see if Shawn here still has what he used for the service and bring that too, Dondrea’s suggestion. I put the thumb drives in my carry-on. I always have it ready to use. Air Volvo had become an art piece, modern, from the crows and other flying artists. I purchased, using an app, unlimited ultimate washes for Air Volvo and took Air Volvo to be washed. After two runs, most of the art was removed. One bit remains, which I will get with a paper towel later. I decided I was washing Air Volvo more than four times a month, which is the break-even on their Wash Club. I might lose in the dark winter, but the extra trips in the summer should cover that. It seems like what a retired person would do (unless I washed it myself, which is not happening in the winter for sure).

With gas still at $4.59, I still gassed up Air Volvo (remember, we don’t have a sales tax, so please consider increasing your comparison by including your sales tax, but still, gas is high out here in the West). I am driving a Tesla for my next rental trip; it is my first electric car. I still hope that the new VW Van will be something I want. I have doubts as they are taking forever to deliver any.

We met Mariah for dinner at Nudi, a Japanese-style noodle house that serves exotic drinks. Traffic was slow, and we were there after a forty-minute round-about trip, avoiding I-84. The waiter was excited that they had some Dungeness crab and offered, among other dishes, pad thai. I made the mistake of ordering the special and soon had a crab sitting on top of noodles (I was expecting crab meat in my noodles). I had a cracker and discovered the disassembly process to access the crab meat inside the shell. It was a seasoned, cleaned crab with a side of pad thai. I gave away a set of legs to Corwin, who, while still eating endlessly, added the legs to his meal.

We had a long, fun chat with Mariah, suggesting I buy three fast but older model cars and see who could reach Susie’s Concert first in Michigan. I demurred. There were other suggestions for cars I could use now that I was retired. I am considering visiting Chicago (Deborah H, you are invited for that adventure if you can swing it–it was your college town, I believe) to visit the museums and maybe a concert in July. Next, Detroit for its incredible museum and maybe some excellent food. Finally, Laingsburg remember that my sister is turning 60. She plans to be out of town for her birthday, but we will make something work.

It is important to have plans, and Mariah might join this one. However, that did take us back to getting older model cars and seeing who could reach the Palmer House first. Hmmm. More to follow.

With cheesecake added to the dietary crimes, we broke up, and Air Volvo, in much lighter traffic, returned us to the Volvo Cave. There, I collected print copies of the instructions on how to learn about my condition during surgery. I took the papers to The 649, and there I edited more Howard stories while Avery and Natalia were happy to get the instructions, and Avery made me a drink and then coffee. I stayed until I finished the coffee at about 9:45 (just one cup so I wouldn’t be awake all night). Avery wished me well on my surgery (I won’t return until after all the adventures are done).

I reread my surgery directions and will use special soap in Michigan on Thursday. I am also bringing extra pajamas, as I need to wear clean clothing each night.

This morning, I arranged for 12 folks at The Beggar’s Baquant on Friday at 6PM in East Lansing. They will have us in the regular restaurant.

Running out of steam, I showered and was in bed around 11. I tried to read, but I soon slept. I am starting to feel better. I did have some breathing issues, so I took my inhaler and was fine. That was allergies messing with me.

The Cardinal Richelieu rose is blooming just before I leave. It is an old rose that only once bloomed. It is a favorite but is poor when cut; you have to enjoy the plant. Notice the shade is close to a cardinal’s purple-red.

Thanks for reading.

Sunday was quieter as I tried to get beyond the plane or travel-induced cough. I woke early and had some trouble getting back to sleep, but I got more sleep than I had for days. I felt better.

I then went to write the blog using Grammarly and WordPress and fought more with Grammarly as the AI (Artifical Intelligence, as they call it) wanted me to write more simply and with certain sequencing of sentences and words that I don’t always use. The product repeatedly insisted that this needed to be revised, and I received no happy messages, so I left my writing as I liked it. My editing of my long, 11,000+ word story later in the day for my hero Howard was also a fight with the tool. Sometimes, the software suggested non-sensible changes as it misunderstood my usage of some words and concepts.

In a later published Screwtape letter (“Screwtape Proposes A Toast,” 1959), C.S. Lewis wrote that the devil was trying to make everything boring and average. If everything was kept bland and uninteresting, there would no longer be a great evil, but there would also be no great good. Thus, all the host of hell needed to do was slightly push folks to not do good and collect their tasteless but bountiful harvest. Hell had gone industrial! I thought about that as my words and efforts faced the pruning of Grammarly’s newest algorithm (you can call it AI if you like). Not that I am claiming some demonic force has taken over my writing tools, but I need to strive to not be a simplified writing standard (maybe worse than demonic, corporate).

After my quixotic writing adventure and publishing the blog on FaceBook and by email (I am resisting putting it on LinkedIn), I cleaned up and dressed for church. While my weight refuses to move more than a few pounds, my inches continue to shrink. Folks have told me that muscle weighs more than fat and that I am actually recovering from cancer, pandemic isolation, grief, and stress and putting on muscles (F**k you, Screwtape!). I was still hoping to see the scale hit 240 pounds someday, sigh–250 today. My pants are falling off again. My shirts are starting to be large for me. I can hide these sins of fashion under vests, especially a navy blue sweater vest. I have drilled a hole in my new belt, which is no longer enough–I can walk four steps and share what underwear I selected today. I am using my old belt, which is also in the last hole. I must keep pulling my pants, but the old belt works to prevent unplanned exposures. For my suits, I use suspenders, and I am tempted to invest in more suspenders in the future. But then I would be looking like grandpa, and that is not the look I am ready for yet. Also, I am ruining the family tradition of playing Santa Claus. Yes, I was thinking of letting the whiskers grow out and ringing the bell in a red suit, but now I am lucky if I will be allowed to be an elf! I plan to take my new pants (one size smaller) and have them shortened after my surgery. The trauma of another surgery will likely cause more weight loss (cancer and brain surgery are not recommended weight loss processes!). I also looked into a swim club membership after June. They will send me a complementary pass in July.

Returning, somehow, to the narrative. I dressed in a French Blue button-down dress shirt, pride tie, my usual pants with belt, vest, and black dress shoes. I wore my black Humburg hat, which always gets a comment. I got to church early and had a surprising conversation that coffee was delayed as the homeless kept drinking it, so they put it out later. This greatly upset me as a strange solution to the problem for a church! But, the homeless won, as they just waited and then got coffee. One gal decided to rest during the service in a pew with my permission.

Dondrea was running the show and preaching. There were some surprises that she handled with her usual professionalism. She is the communication director for a major insurance company and handles microphones and public speaking with an ease that you must admire. I stayed out of the way and sat in a pew, drinking the precious coffee.

The hymns and the music were easy to sing, and the choir, missing half its members, sang with the congregation a familiar (and soon forgotten by me) hymn. Dondrea, warning me earlier that I should bring tomatos to throw at her, gave a sermon called “Duty Calls.” Pastor Ken and Dondrea both follow consciously or unconsciously the Methodist strong belief in experience and the Holy Spirit in religious practices. Your experiences in your life manifest the Holy Spirit, and so they include their discoveries in their lives.

In her sermon, Dondrea recounted her unhappiness at being called to jury duty for the first time in her life this week. She recognizes now that a jury is the base for the protection of our rights and the only safe means to execute justice. You must serve, and service is demanded of Christians in 1 Peter: “Honour everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honour the emperor.” Yes, it says that (I check it in Greek). Dondrea made a call to action (usually Methodist Sermons are light on calls) for everyone, as good Christians and citizens, to do their duty, serve, and help the cause of justice (I resisted calling out, “It’s a cookbook!” But instead called out “no tomatoes” which got a few laughs).

After church, there were dangerously good baked goods and precious coffee. I headed out and called Evan. Air Volvo took me to the Volvo Cave, where I planned dinner (steaks) with Corwin. Next, it was The 649. I was not traveling far today.

Natalia was bartending and was later joined by Avery. Evan showed up after 1, and soon, we were in a deep Wyrmspan board game. This is a new and excellent game showing all the improvements and design decisions of the current crop of games. The game flow is clear and well-controlled, and there are few exceptions, usually as an interaction, not as a rule. I have seen folks familiar with Wingspan and other new games pick this game up in just a few turns.

I stalled and misplayed a few times. Evan managed to get high-point dragons, while mine were low-point. While I could blame the randomness of the game, which was more pronounced in Windspan, I think I misplayed. Evan won by more than ten points, with 47 points in dragon cards being decisive.

I ordered only dips, munchies, and two beers, one refreshing American Lager and a smaller (thanks, Natalia, for pouring a smaller one) red ale, Diablo Rojo while playing. Breakfast was a poppy muffin (purchased) and a banana with Columbia coffee (thanks, Kramers). Dinner was planned as a huge steak, so I tried not to overeat!

We played the board game (not the food) Stroganov next. I wanted to remember how to play this excellent game. Evan and I did have a few rules checks and minor disputes as Evan feels that the game turn allows too many options. I think that is the charm of the game. As I remembered it better, I scored a win by more than five points. Had Z been there, I am sure Z would have crushed us. We did not play that efficiently.

Avery and Natalia commented on my church outfit; they liked the look and the tie. They were dressed for summer bartending, and we were a strange contrast. I told them about the upcoming surgery and promised to stop by on Monday with instructions on checking my status (Charlotte at church wants the same instructions) and contact information. It makes me think of The Other Side in The Greatest Showman: Here is a version. I could not find an official clip.

I paid the bill, said goodbye to Evan, and headed out. I soon arrived at the Volvo Cave (forgetting that 209th is closed on this side) by an indirect route. I made wilted green beans with garlic and sliced almonds, couscous with a hint of India, and salted huge ribeye steaks on the grill (more of a fire fighting than grill process). I took mine outside and sat in the backyard and enjoyed my repass. The steak was salty and juicy and terrible for you, or, in other words, perfect. The slightly burned beans and couscous flavors matched the steak.

I was stuffed, so I did not finish my steak. Corwin was also defeated and had to put the steak off for a few hours. I putted around the house, and somehow, the clock spun to 10. I showered and fell asleep early, not coughing anymore.

Thanks for reading.

Sorry, this is a mundane day.

I woke late, after 5, rolled over, and could sleep until 7ish. I woke tired and coughing. It was not allergies, as I had told myself. I had the usual airplane cold and needed to slow down and just deal. I hate to cancel my attendance at gaming as this is my last chance to see some folks before my surgery. But it was the right thing to do. I also could tend to my right foot’s big toe. The blister was healing, but it would be good to just go slow.

So, I grounded myself at the house on Saturday and only did light work. No scrubbing, getting dust-covered, or making trips to GoodWill. Stay home, take lots of Airborne, and try to get better.

First, I wrote the blog and found myself coughing through the writing. Yes, it’s time to rest. I managed to take my time and write for hours. I did the dishes, took out all the recycling, and picked up the house. The new shower curtains arrived, as did the solo book games: Bismarck, Waterloo, and Gettysburg. These are from one of my favorite wargame companies (though I gave away all my copies of their games when I purged 2-person American Civil War games from my collection), Worthington. I installed the curtain in the master bathroom shower (the Volvo Cave has 1.5 baths) and cut it to go around the seat/shelf in the shower.

I made lunch. I cooked ground beef and added lots of garlic, oregano, bruised fennel seeds, crushed fire-roasted tomatoes (left over from an earlier cooked adventure), and a can of tomato sauce. I actually started by cooking mushrooms and green pepper in another pan in butter and adding that to the sauce (olive oil would have been fine, too, for those who avoid dairy). I added this to the sauce and let it cook on The Stove for twenty minutes. I boiled water. The Stove is faster and hotter than the previous one, and I managed to heat the pan for the water before the water was put in, and there was a reaction. Oops. No harm, just more steam than I was prepared for.

I took the leftover dried pasta from the previous adventures, combined them into little tubes and bowties, and cooked them the usual way in boiling salted water. I reserved less than a cup of water before straining the pasta. I then combined all the cooked pasta with the sauce and the reserved pasta water.

It was meaty from the mushrooms and ground beef, but the spices and tomatoes were in the background. But it’s still good. I had two bowls. If you are doing just ground beef, you can’t take this too far.

Still in my PJs and wearing my cooking apron over my PJs, I resolve to stay at the house. Corwin has new outfits that have a more Viking Retro look. Corwin loads up his friend’s truck with firewood and heads out. We looked at some of Ben, Susie’s father’s outdoorsman outfits (I recently found the box). One belt Corwin says is a sword belt (it used to carry an axe), and he uses that. We discovered that the powder horns (which I mailed to the house and have been in the closet for years) are actually full of black powder. Yikes! I will dump that in the flower beds (it is carbon, nitrate, and sulfur, all good for plants or blowing things up).

The house is quiet now, as it is just me and my laptop. I make iced tea, thinking of Susie and Leta, who both would make it and drink it all day. I clean up and dress. I take the iced tea, cookies, and laptop to the backyard. I move the deck furniture (and one wooden folding chair) and sit and write. I finish the basic editing of one of my longest Howard stories. This is my hero attending the SAP conference (though I never use those three letters in the story) and discovering a plot within the German software for world account; gasp! I wrote it after I did a speaker gig there in Orlando, and I also remembered another trip to Miami I took years ago. I think it is a salute to all my friends at SAP. Someday, I will have to look into publishing these.

By about 6, I was sleepy and tired, and I stopped writing. I undid the mess that I had made in the kitchen by using it. I ordered lots of Chinese-style food to be delivered, something I do when I am not well. This includes hot and sour soup. It arrived while I was reading the rules for the solo games. Waterloo and Gettysburg give you twelve plays for each challenge. Bismarck is different, as a naval WW2 game, and is designed around independent missions. I take too many plates of food to the backyard, sit in the shade, and eat and surf the internet. I ordered the lotus root and chicken with cashews. Nothing super calories and one veggie. The wontons were a different thing–cheese and deep-fried. I eat too much as I love the lotus. It reminds me of my travels in China with Susie and Mom Wild, where we would find it in everything while we cruised the Yangtze.

Sleepy and trying to stay awake, I shower and dress in my PJs. I force myself to read, but soon, I hold a book while dreaming of the words. Since it is an excellent history book by Eric Cline, one should not dream of new history! It is too early. I put away the book and slept, and I woke at 2 but managed to sleep again.

Thanks for reading.