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I decided to write this on Thursday morning and not Wednesday evening. It is a wet Thursday morning, and you can hear the water gurgling in the drains. The plumber is coming today, so all the laundry and dishes were run yesterday. I have to leave at 3PM for our international airport, named by its call letter, PDX, and British Airways will get me on my way at 7:15PM.

My morning started after 7ish, and I made coffee in the French Press, which is a French roast from Equal Exchange. It was very liberal. In my PJs, I spent the morning trying to describe my first day of not working for Nike, Inc. in twenty-seven years. The emotions and lack of structure (work) made writing difficult, and there were numerous typos. I did not dress until the afternoon, which was unusual for me. I skipped breakfast and lunch.

I collected a bag of Susie’s clothing, some more I found in the dresser, and various items, including stuffed animals and hats. Two bags. I then took the pile of umbrellas. Susie bought them every chance she got and scattered her lost ones all over the local area, long ago internationally, and in various states in the US. I removed all but one of her hats from the closet. These are mostly caps; I put the familiar fur and knot cap in the box to send to Barb for Susie’s Concert. I loaded this, three bags, and a few items, including a scale that I could not make work (too heavy), into Air Volvo’s cargo hold and headed to Goodwill. I also put gas in the car and, to make it rain, I ran it through the car wash.

I lost my US Debit Card again (!), and, with no time to replace it, switched to my investment banking checking account, Morgan Stanley Debit Card. I called eTrade and let them know I was headed to Morocco, and they did what they could to prevent a security lockdown. It took three transfers, as it may say Morgan Stanley, but it is really eTrade. I used the card to test it for the fill and the wash. I also tried it at the US Bank ATM. I was charged an extra $3, which was refunded later. I connected US Bank to Morgan Stanley without issues and transferred extra funds to the account. I am seeing some issues on Quicken; some transactions are not being registered yet, but I will see if they clear soon.

Lunch was veggie curries at the local Bombay Chaat House at the Aloha Carts behind the Walgreens. The food and naan was excellent. Air Volvo took me next to the bank and the post office. HIS website was revised, and to celebrate this excellent modeling company in the Czech Republic, I ordered a plastic model with their rigging kit, The Great Western. I had to sign for the package, so it was at the post office. Next, I withdrew $3,000 to get a pile of money for the trip. Morocco is cash-based, but I am unsure if USD will be OK. However, I will have plenty if my ATM card fails. But $2100 will pay off Corwin’s truck, and he can pay me back. This means the title and registration will be under his name; he will own it. This is a major event in Corwin’s life. He also has to only pay me back 1/2 (on time at $200 a month on every 26th) if he can do it every month on time–a lesson (parents will recognize this).

The afternoon was a rush of grocery shopping, laundry, and dishes. I soon was headed to First United Methodist Church in Beaverton. I stopped by Burger King, thinking I should have one hamburger before I left the USA. Mistake. I ordered a Whopper Jr., which was terrible. The bun tasted like sugared flour, the burger was bland, and the fries tasted of everything else they fried that day. Ugh! Not going back.

Dondrea, tired and stiff as she started running again, brought Z while she and others practiced for choir and then the Praise Band. Z was excited to play more of the new board game Wyrmspan. This is a reworking of the popular Wingspan, but with dragons and fixing all the glitches that made some plays of Windspan leave me frustrated. I have the new components with the metal coins and wooden resources (I think there are better resources for purchase on Esty). Z has this game’s mechanics and scoring down cold already. Some subtle dragon combinations have not yet become clear to Z, and I just squeaked by Z twice by five points with those. Next time, I will be under no illusions, and I will be crushed.

Aside: The UMC lost 1/4 of its churches in the USA when it split over gay rights and money issues (some of us think it was all money with gay rights as a smoke screen) this and last year. The UMC General Conference is meeting now, the only legal body for running the whole church. It has already faced pressure from the now non-members but decided to respectfully ignore them. This year, the UMC is trying to reduce its management (bishops) to be properly sized to a smaller church body. I read some of the notes coming out of the meetings. We all wish them well and success–it ain’t easy.

Hugging Z and Dondrea, I headed home; I wouldn’t see them again until I returned. Air Volvo delivered me to the Volvo Cave with no issues. I ran more laundry, including all the clothing I had on (I was in a robe). I pilled all the underwear, light shirts, and other items for the trip. I checked into my flights and discovered my seat to Morocco from London. I printed all the boarding passes and travel plans documents and arranged my carry-on. I made a 1/2 sandwich of beef, cheese, and coleslaw as I was hungry and wanted something that tasted good.

I showered, dressed for bed, and then tried to relax. Soon, despite my nervous energy, I was asleep.

Thanks for reading!

I was wide awake at 4AM. Should I start my day now, as I am driven to work on my first day of retirement, or should I respect the process now that I am likely stressed and sleep more? I picked sleep.

It was strange not to sign in to work and read emails and Slack updates. Then, I read the news to be ready to start my day at Nike and head to Swift on WHQ. Instead, I took my time making liberal coffee and enjoyed the process, French Press, of turning Equal Exchange grains into the liberal liquid that gets me started in the morning. I toasted a NYC bagel and added cream cheese. All this I took to the home office, now truly my office, and started on one of the things I am not changing, blog writing.

I struggled with three things while writing. The nervous energy that nearly had me blow off sleep was back, and it was doing calmy writing. The lack of a framework impacts my ability to remember and assemble the story. The boiler plates are gone, as most were based on working at Nike! My focus is gone. I am texting friends often or chatting on Facebook. I am on the Internet more than I have ever been. It is hard to focus, and soon, time disappears.

Aside: I am on word count 226 and it has been an hour. My usual is 600 by now.

I find my shacky written voice and start describing my last day at Nike, which was likely also my last day working a real job. Recalling the events and trying to be an observer is more like remembering a nightmare; not that it was terrible, but the memory is colored with emotions to the point it is hard to, like describing the color blue, to do more than recount events. I try to keep it light as I was, I remember, bemused by the events as it was so surreal. A cosmic joke: let us pay you about a year’s salary and cover medical expenses until the year’s end to make you do all those things you never had time for. F**k yes! Do I need to sign away my soul? No, we just need you to go away. That’s fine! Off to Morocco.

I was in my PJs until the afternoon. I had reheated leftover Jambalaya and ate that. I continued to surf the net and read various communications from friends who were just learning I was no longer an employee of Nike. Some folks are very unhappy that I am free. Those who remember who did most of the detailed work on the main system still running the money at the shoe company. They are unhappy that Nike would release me. I tell them all that I am fine.

I finally dressed, put on a T-shirt, and headed to the Hummingbird House. The owner, Michelle N., was there, and I wanted to say hello. Jennifer and her family were on vacation, and I chatted with Michelle. It was good to see her again. One of the residents remembered me and waved when I left. I did not go more than a few steps inside, as the emotions would spill out if I started to look for Susie.

Next, I drove to the Washington Square Mall. I walked through without getting tired or staggering–a vast improvement. While many things helped, I think the trip to Texas and New Orleans, with all the walking (and Absinthe), changed my health. I feel like I am returning to an even better me. There I found the luggage store.

For more than I f**king imagined, I bought the perfect bag for traveling. It’s insanely expensive: a suit bag that folds into a normal pulled overhead bag. Wow! After telling them I was headed to Morocco, I got a neck pillow and a boring name tag. They suggested something unimaginative, a grey metallic-colored name tag. I then rolled my new acquisition (it was so much that I should book it as an asset) out of the mall. Done!

I stopped at the ATM to get some cash, Morocco is cash-based, but I expect my ATM card will work in the new city (as they call it) Casablanca. Next, I stopped by RiteAid and visited the travel-sized section to get a folding toothbrush, cheap razors, a tiny toothpaste tube, and AirBorune from the cold aisle. With my immediate covered, I return home. Corwin is headed out. Later, he returns with an updated truck and a new muffler for under $400. We agree that I will pay off what he still owes on the truck and get the title and registration to put in his name. He will pay me back. If he managed to pay half of the time on time, I would forget the rest.

Corwin had called and asked for the cheaper muffler, but when he arrived, they had somehow sold that one just before he got there. Corwin, having met Dad Wild and hearing all my stories of bate-and-switch, graciously let them put on the more expensive and slightly better muffler for the same price. The guy was even called “Bob.” Corwin is rightfully proud that the late-model truck is sounding and running better. Excellent.

Aside: Parents will recognize this process. Corwin had a tough childhood on the streets, so some lessons must be redone. Be responsible, and we will make it easier for you—that kind of thing.

I read for a while, and poof, time is gone again, and I am headed to The 649. It is my delayed birthday dinner with Dondrea and Z. The 649 was the Trivia contest, and the tables were all booked, so we sat outside. We had a nice appetizer dinner and some drinks. Z got a fruity variation of a Moscow Mule with no booze she loved. Dondrea tried a cider, and later, I got her a sample of a sour beer that shocked her with how good it was.

The day ended, and the winds were frozen, hinting at the desert. I am too cold, and Dondrea and Z have homework to do. We closed out at The 649 with Natalia, and I introduced Dondrea to Crystal. The place was packed, so Natalia walked the card machine to folks to let them pay.

We headed to our homes, and once Air Volvo was parked, I put aside the iPhone and read. I wanted a break and was soon buried in the history of ancient Phoecian from 1177 BCE to about 600 BCE. Eric Cline, in his book After 1177 BCE, told an amazing story that is now updated with the recent scholarship. The use of iron is now more nuanced, as is the creation of the alphabet. If you like your history with endless footnotes and scholarship, then this is the book you want.

I remade the bed and completed my laundry. I showered, and soon after 11, I was comfy reading. I got up and bought seats for my flight (last-minute cheap flights require you to buy a seat selection or wait to enjoy one assigned—I paid about $150 for seats). After that, I could sleep knowing that the trip was ready. I did prove hydration twice. The night seemed to be gone, too, in a poof.

Thanks for reading.

 

To be almost trite in my wording, I experienced another life-changing or defining event: layoff. My responsibilities at Nike, Inc. ended at 10:30AM after twenty-seven years in a Zoom call—de rigueur in a post-COVID-19 USA with so many gun shootings. Matt, the V.P. of our department, explained the company was letting me go as part of their planning. An H.R. person displayed a letter that showed a more than generous severance package. They promised a yet-to-be-received email with details and my termination letter. F**k it is over!

My emotions swing back and forth. Other events had prevented me from retiring for years, and I am just six months from Susie’s passing and weeks away from brain surgery. I would have stayed at the shoe company for a few more years to show I could do it and pay back so much for their help.

I am sad I will not be part of the careers of my co-workers (especially the Master Data Governance team under Rajani); I am happy in the present and hungry for what the future brings.

Returning to the narrative, I rose, knowing today would be emotional and difficult to find focus no matter the events. Earlier, I got up at 6AM to check if I had The Email, nope, and slept into 7AM. I started with the usual making of liberal coffee, Equal Exchange, toasting a NYC bagel, and then covering it with cream cheese. I returned to the office to find The Email with a Zoom meeting (yes, a f**king Zoom meeting) with Matt, our V.P., at 10:30. Yup, I knew my career with Nike would now be measured in only a few hours. I reflected on my walk to Air Volvo on Thursday in the WHQ Swift building parking lot. At the time, I thought it was possibly the last time I would leave work and be inside Swift WHQ. It was a strange moment with dread of the change. I am not afraid of the results; it is just the usual butterfly from change. I remember grimly driving out of Nike’s WHQ. It should, as I think back, have a dramatic addition like Morgon Freeman reading a poem as a voiceover or some appropriate 90s music as a soundtrack.

Returning (again), well, now what? I remember thinking. I cleaned up and dressed. Only the non-visible (from a Zoom camera) socks were Nike. I picked an L.L. Bean white button-down collar dress shirt, a pride tie (yes, a f**king tie), and my LandsEnd blue sweater vest. I adjusted the Nike laptop so the camera had me in frame with my framed Soviet-age poster in the background with Lennon’s face a meter across (“Workers Revolt!). Yes, I was not intimidated or worried, which was the message I wanted; I hope they remember the guy in the tie with Lennon.

I did my last actual meeting and approved one last software change for Nike. I resisted letting folks in the meeting know I had The Email and The Meeting. I did let Brad know, and he was supportive. Rajani, my new boss, who was new to Nike and brilliant, was shocked and in tears. He wanted a few more years to work together, and leaving him and his most excellent team is the hardest part of today. We did a Zoom meeting before The Meeting and talked with the cameras on for this last meeting. We both had tears.

For me, the scariest part of the horror movie or the roller coaster is the build-up or ride-up, and it was the same. I had an hour that took forever. I was nervous and excited, reminding me of the feelings (long ago) of job interviews or second dates. The usual agent of change personality took over as the meeting started, and Matt, looking pissed off and unhappy, explained I was gone. The meeting and process were over in a few minutes, with Lennon looking on.

I closed my Nike laptop and put my Nike phone on top. I used the phone a few times as text messages are sometimes delivered there instead of my new phone. Folks are still learning my new number. Later, I walked outside, retrieved my badge from Air Volvo, and put it on my corporate laptop. I removed the sticker with my name on the laptop later. The contents, my emails, and so on are now Nike’s property. There is little, if any, personal data on the system. I use my Apple and my new iPhone for that.

There are some boxes in the garage from my desk, when I had one, that I will check soon. I will see if I can find my official nameplate and return that, too. I will recycle/return anything that belongs to Nike. I never go backward; it is a mantra I have learned, so I will not need any of it.

I was free and retired, at least for the moment, and I did not know what to do. I called a few folks and updated Facebook. I told Corwin, who commented on what a stupid move for Nike it was.

Going back to what a dramatic scene would look like, I head to a Mexican-style food place with my latest book and my single phone (Nike’s phone still on top of the laptop and now struggling as my access to Nike is being destroyed–a digital fire is burning my digital self, michael.wild@nike.com with user MWILD, out of the computers; it will burn for a while). I left my Apple computer at home as my emotions were strange, and writing would be impossible. I got a margarita and lunch and sent out a picture of me at my new job, drinking and reading at a Mexican-styled place. That seemed the right action and would be perfect for another Morgon Freeman voiceover. I posted that to Facebook, and folks calmed down a bit.

Aside: There is an outcry at Nike about my leaving. Folks are hurt and upset that Nike would do this. It is not my issue; leadership at the shoe company will have to deal with it (this is the revised version without the word f**k).

I looked at travel, and the islands were expensive again. I looked at other locations, and Brad, still texting me to ensure I was OK, suggested Morocco for a sudden, unplanned trip. It took some time and a trip to the bookstore, Barnes and Noble, and then Powell’s to find a current Lonely Planet guide to Morocco. I booked a flight and will stay from April 25th evening to return on May 4th, just in time for Cinco De Mayo and a Dungeons and Dragons game. I used Expedia to do packages, and it took multiple attempts to get everything right. The trip was over 3,000 USD, with an extra $700 to adjust flights to be not totally stupid.

I reheated bean and ham soup for dinner and began watching travel YouTube items on Morocco. I learned that Casablanca is the largest city and is considered a new city and not a recommended tourist city. It reminded me of the description of my second home in India, Chennai, that I love. Few places on this earth are so busy, so polluted, so hot as there–and so proud. I suspect I will love Casablanca. There are day trips to other locations, so I can make it all work. Hotels are always a risky venture to go cheap, so I instead spent more on a Mövenpick Hotel. I used the same brand in Istanbul to great success. As my French is nearly non-existent but better than my Arabic, I needed to pick a business hotel that could deal with a crazy American.

Time flew fast, and soon, it was near 11PM, and I was still bouncing with energy. I was also exhausted by the emotions. The sudden freedom, the trip, and all the chaos had me living on adrenalin. The fade started as I showered. I soon was sleepy and, in my L.L. Bean P.J.s, rested and read about the history of Assyria in Eric Cline’s new book, After 1177 BCE. I managed to complete the chapter and enjoy all the new information Eric lists. My 1980s college classes and Sunday School teaching in the 1990s made it all familiar, and I was thrilled to see where new connections and information have brought more fidelity to my mental images of these times.

I soon was asleep with no alarm set and a decision to sleep in.

Thanks for reading!

I rose 7ish and started writing the blog after acquiring coffee and a NYC Zabar bagel toasted with cream cheese. While I waited for the toasting and the water to get hot to pour into the French Press to make the liberal coffee, I put away the clean dishes from the new dishwasher and washed the few pans in the sink. With some chores done, coffee, and a bagel, I padded to the in-home office in my PJs and slippers.

I was time-boxed by attending church today and tried to write about Saturday’s long day with some speed. It takes a few hours, and I often have a few asides, which was true of today’s writing. I had to publish without a final read-through as I ran out of time.

I cleaned up, shaved, and dressed. Today, I went with a new sweater vest from Land’s End and a white shirt that is now a bit large, as I keep losing inches but not pounds. The neck is comfortable, and the shirt now stays tucked in. I selected my grey suit pants to contrast with the blue sweater, as blues clash when they are different shades.

I use suspenders for suits now, and I managed to spend ten minutes with the suspenders, finally getting them straight, not reversed. Black shoes should not clash with the stark white shirt. I went with the pride tie to add color and a little politics to the look. I picked the black humbug as it was not wet today. Everyone liked the new look.

The Apple-based system that runs the audiovisual service and connects to the Internet faltered. I saw a kernel panic, which usually means there has been a SNAFU when installing the operating system updates or the software has had an update. Apple apparently broke something, and a fix was waiting to load. I suggested loading the patch that was now waiting to be applied and letting the system restart. That cleared the problem, and the service was only a few minutes late. I offered not to bill the church for my help.

Later, the organ stopped working. Dan and I scrambled to check the power boxes. The sound system is an old WW2-style tube amp—it has lots of power. It could create a spectacular fire if it shorted. There were no high-power electrical issues, and the digital organ (low-voltage and modern) soon worked again.

I took Air Volvo to church and arrived thirty minutes early. Dondrea was leading worship and preaching today. The music included Methodist favorites like Hymn of Promise (707) and a Finlandia-based Be Still, My Soul (534). Finlandia makes me cry; I find the tune especially poignant.

Dondrea’s sermon was one of her best, and I recommend trying the YouTube recording at First United Methodist Beaverton services on 4/21/2024. She combined Romans 5 and Ecclesiastes 3 to cover that God did not promise there would be no suffering and that Peter said, “We rejoice in our suffering.” The idea that God will prevent suffering for those who are good is not the message in the New Testament, but it is often offered by churches and other leaders. Dondrea paraphrased a saying from a friend who recently passed away, “Embrace the suck.” Yes, it may suck, but we must accept it and work through it. It is not about being good, going to the right church, believing the right things, but just accepting that, as Preacher said in Ecclesiastes, there is a time for everything. We will get through this together with God.

I had lunch with Rev. Anne Weld-Martin and her husband of 44 years (they just had an anniversary), Rev.Dr. Wayne Weld-Martin at BJ’s Brewhouse. Anne and Wayne were an hour late as there was a wait at the car wash. I was worried as Anne did not return my calls. We managed to get a good table and soon had an excellent meal. We had a wide-ranging conversation.

Wayne has trouble cutting his steak, and we asked the kitchen to slice it (they supply poor-quality steak knives), but it was delivered unchanged. The waiter took the meal off the ticket to make up for the kitchen, refusing to do this for us. Wayne managed, and I flinched when he ate large chunks of steak, but there were no issues. I also had $30 in discounts, so we applied that to the check. I gave the waiter a 20% tip on the original price as he did his best, which with the reductions was over 50%.

I headed home and changed into my usual clothing. I rested and read for a bit. I then made Jambalaya (what Anne had at BJ’s) from a box mix. I did make the trinity, onion, celery, and green pepper in equal proportions. This I sweated in a pan while I cut up sausage and ham. I had no seafood. I cooked it all together until the veggies became transparent and added a can of crushed tomatoes with garlic and olive oil. Water and the rice and spices from the box completed the mix. I boiled it and let it cook on low for 25 minutes.

I watched the 7th Son of a 7th Son fantasy movie while cooking and eating. In addition, I ran the laundry and washed the new PJs I ordered from Amazon. I need multiple pairs for the trip and hospital. This was sorted and put away while I watched the movie.

I was thinking of writing at a bar, but I decided to stay home and save the calories and the expense. I read more and finally started the blog at 8ish (20:00).

And that takes us to now…

Thanks for reading.

As usual, I tried to fit a whole weekend in one day. I rose after 7 and soon made coffee (liberal in a French Press), toasted a NYC Zabar’s bagel (thanks, Joyce), and covered it with cream cheese. Wearing my new PJs and usual slippers, I carried these breakfast products to the home office and started writing on my daily blog. The writing was slow as there was much to cover for Friday, which was also a busy day. I wrote until 10:30ish and finally just published what I had without another re-reading. I try to time-box the process as it can just go for what feels like forever. I want it to be perfect, interesting, and accurate, accounting for my day while only sharing those things that are appropriate and often deleting or toning down any political statements. All of this in a set few hours. It ain’t easy.

I have a body note. My revised colon (I lost 25cm to colon cancer, and that was followed by a chemical chemotherapy party for three months) has started to work more like before the tumor, and that is quite welcome. While not getting anywhere near my friend’s suggested 10,000 steps a day, I seem to be losing weight or at least inches. My weird weight numbers suggest I am building muscles and continue to fix around 255, being the newest reading. While still deep, the grief has loosened its grip on my mind and heart, and I find myself able to have fun and think about the future. It may be these sunny mornings here in the Pacific Northwest that have helped, but I think it is all the friends who continue to include me in their lives. They make my life better. Thanks!

Returning to the narrative for Friday, I looked into the process for Family Leave for Oregon, created an account for Francis, and began to create a leave request. Oregon will pay someone with a major illness a replacement for wages. Paid Oregon Leave, the name of the choice of request I need in the online Francis system, is aligned with your employer. I put this on hold until after next week as it appears Paid Leave is connected to an employer. More to come.

I continued to stir and check on the bean soup I started yesterday. I soaked the beans overnight. I washed them again, put them in a pot with water to cover, and added the ham bone from the Easter Ham I had put in the frig. This would replace the need for broth. I added a can of Italian-style (not seasoned) chopped tomatoes, the season pack from the Women’s Bean Project who supplied the bean soup mix, brought it to a boil (in no time on the new stove, so nice!), and let it simmer all morning. After washing, shaving, and dressing, I got some ham bits (there was a lot of meat on the ham), chopped them into small bits, lined a baking sheet with foil, and baked them in the top oven (the new stove has two excellent ovens), and waited for the bits to roast and give up water. I find that store-bought spiral hams are wet. I removed the ham bones (they had broken up a bit and filled the soup with a rich flavor) and tossed them (others would want to do more with them, but the bones, morrow, and remaining meat gave them all to the soup and are spent). This is a trick to make good chicken soup–remove the meat/bones you used for flavor and add more baked meat later. Thus, I added more meat that was freshly cooked and browned to add more flavor in the last twenty minutes. The soup was lunch, and I had two bowls. It was good, and nothing tasted spent or flavorless.

With the soup done, I headed out in Air Volvo. The vehicle had 1/2 a tank of fuel, so Air Volvo headed to the car wash. Soon, I could see much better through the windshield. I headed to The 649 and found Crystal doing a solo and was buried with customers as the weather changed from desert to Pacific Northwest grey. Soon, the Oregon mist was back, and I saw Air Volvo covered in little puddles from the fresh wax application. More and more folks abandoned the outdoors for a beer or exotic drink, and nearly every table was full. Crystal had lines across the place for drink and food. The kitchen staff was not delivering food and clearing tables.

I set up the board game Wyrmspan with the new components from the add-on I purchased yesterday. It looked nicer, and the tactical feel improved, as you can imagine when replacing cardboard with painted wood and metal parts. Evan, my opponent for this afternoon, was busy in the early morning, and I sat until after 2PM. I had an excellent beer while waiting. I read FaceBook and the news on the Internet. I also looked for more third-party products for Wyrmspan on Esty.

Evan showed up, and we played. Evan knows the original game, Wingspan, so the teaching did not take long. Also, the game mechanics are designed to flow, so it is a much easier game to play than Wingspan, I think. Evan and I played the first game, and I crushed Evan as the random dragons (not birds like in Wingspan) seemed to go my way. We played a second game at Evan’s request. Evan flew ahead and stayed there. I was still helping and following along on Evan’s play to help him follow the rules and understand the game’s nuances.

Dear reader, while winning is nice, I enjoy playing the game more. As a computer nerd and would-be AI programmer, I enjoy moving through the actions and seeing what happens. I am not interested in resolving perfectly efficient turns but in why the game is built the way it is. What makes it good? I am also interested in playing with many players, and that means teaching and losing as you play to help, not to win.

Evan was ahead, and I was sure he had me by ten points and maybe fifteen. Then I saw the time, and I would be late for Richard’s game. Oops. Also, Avery joined the bartender crew at 5PM, and I had planned to pack up the game simultaneously. She had been there for some time. Mistake—I should have packed up then.

Avery was clearing tables and helping Crystal with even more rain-avoiding locals, adding to the Saturday early evening clientele. We chatted a few times, but the game was intense, and I fought for more points until I saw the time. We then packed it up, granting Evan 15 points.

Traffic was lightish, and I was twenty minutes late. Our third was a last-minute cancellation (COVID or something else), and it was just Richard and me tonight. Richard pulled out Arc Nova, and while I never won and often score poorly, it is a favorite. We are using new add-ons that include fish and aquariums in our virtual zoos (the game is about efficiently running a zoo that is also good for the earth) and special player boards, each unique. I never figured out how to use mine. Richard had a run-away game (this game has little player interaction), and I did better than usual. I enjoyed the game and recommend Arc Nova, but don’t move to the more obscure maps and add-ons until you have a good handle on the game. Richard, as I am not a threat, played new approaches and enjoyed a point bonanza from the strategy paying well.

We chatted briefly, and I was not home until after midnight. I did see some amazing extra-legal lane changes during my trips to and from Portland. A Tesla with a vanity plate was all over the road, and I suspect the driver was using the local intoxicants and chatting with their cat (who was not there). I watched as the expensive red Tesla SUV cut me off, then realized it was still headed to the wrong exit, then crossed three lanes to the other exit. Oh my. Also, the police in the tunnel did not understand there was no side for us to pull into, but we managed to now do a four-car pile-up to help the nice officer.

Thus, I was ready for rest and soon was showered, back into my PJs, and sleeping.

Thanks for reading.