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I just got back from Dungeons and Dragons at Cory’s house. This was the first time playing this character for a whole gaming session (5:30 to 9) as my last character sacrificed himself to save a planet. I now play (instead of a Lawful Good, holy warrior) a cleric of War that is effective (Lawful Evil). I had to remember how to play a cleric (it has been years since I played one), learn the features of War, and how to use my spells again. I managed to not make any terrible mistakes, and we all had a good time taking on various spell-jamming challenges–think Swords and Sorcery with space-traveling sailing ships. It was an excellent way to end Sunday and my week of Rest and Recovery from the shoe company.

Before this, I stopped at the Oak Hills McMenamins for chili and an iced tea for dinner. This is on my way to Cory’s house, and I stop to grab something quick after leaving Susie’s place at 4PM. About $13 for a bowl of soup of the day and an iced tea, perfect.

Returning to the early afternoon, I spent the time with Susie at her place found at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. I arrived after lunch at the Volvo Cave in Air Volvo, having survived some emergency braking without losing any paint. Air Volvo’s autobraking started when the truck in front of me braked short but had no break lights (including the third light) to warn me. I saw something strange with the truck and was gently braking when Air Volvo took over and slammed me to non-movement. I was surprised but not shocked as I was about to stand on the brake (there was no room).

Susie was happy to see me. The air in Tigard was worse than in Beaverton (already yellow status), and later moved to Orange. I was coughing in the car and sneezing. I decided no trip to the mall, and we stayed inside. The air worsened as the day went on–forest fire smoke from the Cascade Mountain fires. The hills disappeared into a grey smoke.

Susie and I watched a few episodes of “Only Murders in the Building.” Susie was sleepy, but she wanted to stay in her wheelchair. I stayed with her and watched carefully so she would not fall out. Susie woke up when I was laughing. She was trying to stay awake with me, but she was tired. As I said, at 4PM, I left Susie safe in her bed, watching M.A.S.H.

Moving to the start of the day. I was up before 7AM–my hand hurt. I was reading a book on the Spanish Armanda last night, and the weight seemed to have stressed my hand–this has happened to me before. I made coffee and then rode Susie’s non-moving bike to not travel about 5 miles for twenty-plus minutes while watching the CBS morning news (ABC just showing ads). I could not quite do thirty minutes–soon. This is part of my retirement plan–lose twenty pounds in six months.

I spent the whole morning writing the blog for Saturday, including some commentary here and there. Lunch was reheated pasta and homemade veggie sauce with shredded Italian sausage. Excellent when reheated. I watched ShipHappens on YouTube while eating.

And that is an excellent place to stop tonight. Thank you for reading.

 

I am writing this Sunday morning, and the smoke is here. It came yesterday, which started with clear dark blue skies and ended with a smokey, yellow sunset. This morning I saw the yellow light telling us the smoke was still here. I do my exercising on Susie’s non-moving bike inside the AC house. The Air filters will have removed much of the worst smoke and pollen. So a more brutal start today.

Let us return then to the clear skies of Saturday morning!

I managed to get some good sleep and woke at 8ish and soon turned on the ABC News on the News channel on Amazon Fire and mounted the no-travel bike. I was at my limits at twenty minutes of two-bar peddling and did not travel four miles. This is my workout for the day and part of my retirement plan to lose twenty pounds. I prefer Bloomberg News, but that is $$.

Breakfast was an NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce) from the freezer. Popped into the microwave for twenty seconds, easily cut in half now that the bagel is not frozen and toasted. Added cream cheese to the bagel and poured liberal French Press coffee into a cup, and breakfast is done. Off to the office to read email, FaceBook stories, and news.

I ignored the laundry still in the dryer (it was already too wrinkled), stayed in the office, and disassembled the radio project. It has become a rat’s nest of wires, and the primary microprocessor is too slow and cannot store information between powering off and on. I am resolute that what I have is not what I want. I have another radio working with the same wiring, and I really wish it could remember the last station played. The new attempt included connecting the wires to a main board instead of the microprocessor and then connecting the processor to the same board. This created chaos instead of the order I thought it would create. Do over.

As the radio wires all landed in screw connections or other connectors, it was no problem to remove them. That at least worked. Soon I had the radio box back, empty, with wires in orderly bundles. Better. Ready to start again.

It was now time to visit Susie. I showered, dressed, and boarded Air Volvo. It is the last weekend before school starts for the teachers and another week for the kids. Some colleges are also beginning in August. Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer in the USA, is 4Sept2023 and is only a few weeks away. The sunlight was blindingly bright, and the skies were perfect dark blue, letting us know the air quality was good. The traffic was light (when soccer and other sports start running, even Saturday will be an adventure of dodging SUVs and minivans with desperately late soccer moms and dads), and I soon arrived at Susie’s place at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116.

(Yes, I copy that last bit into most blogs.)

Susie is happy to see me, and this time, as promised in the previous blog entry, I present Susie with her new scarf that I found at the Portland Art Museum (PAM). It was created by a native Pacific Northwest (PNW) American gal and is printed with local tribal imagery. It is soft silk and wide; soon, it will be the fall, and we will need it!

Before fall reaches us, after putting away the scarf for next month, Susie and I head out to Metzger Park next door; Anassa (the nurse aide on for the weekends) pops Susie into the wheelchair, and soon we are out the door. The weather was showing hints of fall already, as the temperature was back to reasonable, almost cold, and Susie had a blanket over her legs. The park was packed with events, and dogs were out with the humans; some of the humans were not even leashed. One large dog came over to be petted, but the unleashed human had to get the canine visitor as it taste-tested the gravel with likely unwanted results of those tests.

We found a bench for enough away from events not to have to claim we were their long lost relatives, Michael and Susie, and “Why, yes, I would like a hot dog and a beer.” But I digress. Instead of joining the 2023 Annual Cornhole Contest (with medals and ribbons to win), we called Leta and Barb, Susie’s mother and sister, respectively, by a three-way call on FaceTime. Barb was at Leta’s house but in the garden, and Leta was inside–kind of funny. We had a short happy chat. After the call, we finished a quick tour of the park and headed back inside. Susie was placed in her bed by Anassa, and I put on her TV the next season of “Only Murders in the Building.” Susie was soon asleep (she was sleepy in the park), and we just watched one episode; soon, I left after getting Susie safe with the gate and the crash pad in place (Susie sleepwalks or, in most cases, sleep falls). This setup process woke her, and I kissed her goodbye and promised to return on Sunday, and Susie agreed to get some rest. Friday’s Barbie movie trip wore her out.

Evan came in as the show started and was confused as he had not seen it before, but mostly the show is new each season. Evan and I were headed to the Scandinavian place after leaving Susie, but I forgot it was Viking Beer Festival, and I did not have tickets. The 649 was the replacement, but we ate at the Mexican place across from The 649. We had our usuals, and we learned that the Mexican waiter’s son married a Jewish girl, and he had a new grandbaby in Israel. What a fantastic world we live in–Grandpa was proud and slightly worried about understanding another culture.

Next, at The 649, Evan and I soon tried the new add-on for a favorite board game, Furnace. I incorporated the new components into the base game and got the game started with just a little fiddling. The new rules, components, and design for an automated opponent for two-player games worked well, except the Agent (as the automata is called) seemed unstoppable. Evan crushed me but was twenty points behind the machine player.

The changes to Furance were interesting. This included a way to buy another bid token. The new setup calls for separating the new cards and the basic cards from the original and selecting a limited amount of cards from the original game to balance the game better–exciting change. The game includes the addition of a possible fifth player. I have not tried the solo rules, and I assumed these, too, are improved rules. The game designers managed to avoid the usual bloat of add-ons for no purpose and to have recreated Furnace as an even better game. Recommended.

Next, Evan and I returned to the board game Architects of the West Kingdom. This game (my version is the final extended version with the matt) is a worker placement and resource management game with a suggestion of engine building. Scores are usually close, so every point (or negative point) matters. Evan knows this one well and fights to the end to win. I was running an alternative plan of building the cathedral and a great work. Evan had built high-value buildings. The final score, with my last turn empty (I was out of meeples, but I had no additional way to score anyway), was Evan’s 42 and mine’s 41. Anyone’s game, and I would play it the same way again. Evan built a building as his last act, proving that the game was ending in the next turn or so.

After that, I order too much food. I had ham and cheese (it is cheap there and a pressed sandwich) and a hummas** plate (less affordable)–I should have gone home and made a salad, but I wanted one more beer, and food is good with beer if you are soon driving, even one. Evan and I headed out our separate ways, with me winning no games and Evan proud of his scores. Next time!

**Grammaryly changed this word to human. Yikes! Always re-read!!

I rested at the house and read the adventure for the newish Role Playing Game (RPG) (Lamentations of the Flame Princess–lotfp), The Green Messiah. The adventure is written in the first person to the game runner (DM in RPG speak) with Bastard suggestions and references to other adventures. This low-level adventure is set on Earth in the 1600s is part of a set. I will have to get more.

lotfp is an alternative to the Old School Rules (OSR) of the original Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Rules (AD&D) set in a 1600s alternative history Earth with magic (evil) and the church (the Spanish Inquisition being much less successful in this version of history) and royalty (the high authority still and using both forces with the means certainly justifying continued rule). Some day I will have to try it and maybe write for it. The Green Messiah is close to an adventure I wrote with aliens and mind control. I wrote this sci-fi adventure for Dungeons and Dragons 5E (Corwin wanted to try the SciFi alternative rules in 5E); I like this new stuff.

Next, I slept a bit (food and beer do that to me), woke up, and returned to the radio project. I drilled the radio case and installed a new power board by mounting it on brass stand-offs that I epoxied into the holes. This part needs a USB plugged into it, so it needs more stability than just hot glue. It will not move now.

I read some more while I let that dry for an hour. Next, it was getting late; I wired the new power to a new power board, replacing my previous idea of an interface board. I need power to be reachable, and I don’t care to have all the wires soldered to the same pin. I still need 5V and 3.3V power, so I used a Buck Regulator from Sparkfun in Denver this time. This excellent device is efficient and will cause lower heat than a usual regulator–it is much more expensive. I have it on stiff wires, which will float in the air. The power board, as I am calling it, will be mounted on the side and attached with hot-glued brass stand-offs. I do not need to have it do more than just stay up.

I put a coin battery-powered LED light in the radio box with hot glue holding it in place. This allows me to see better in the box. Initially, I was going to connect the light to the power board, but I burned myself on the diode I used to cut the power–talk about inefficient. The Internet is not always helpful in electronics; as I read that diode had to release 1/2 watt of heat, I wondered why this was OK when reading–so I tested by holding the parts together–pain! After running my fingers under cold water–it was not a cool design (pun, sorry). The tiny diode-sized blister is a good reminder that if it sounds wrong, it is likely wrong.

Going for the most uncomplicated design, I remembered I have hundred 2032 coin cells from China I bought some time ago (you are not surprised, I suspect, dear reader, that I have them). I had just ordered battery holders (single and two-cell versions with on/off switches) for another project (lighting gaming-sized buildings). So I just soldered up a coin cell light with a cool bar light (also from China and 3.7V and great with one coin cell)–these lights are used on kites to fly them at night as the lighting is lightweight and bright, and the extra metal, so helpful to attach it, is the heat sink too. Now I have a little light inside the radio box, making seeing so much better. I managed not to burn myself with the hot glue gun.

I tested more of the power, and everything worked. I connected the amplifier for the speakers. I split up the 3.3V and 5V without issue. Everything is ready for me to bring the M4 Grand Central Arduino Mega-styled board to the radio. This is a significant increase in power, and I hope my power system can handle the board, amp, and displays.

It was near midnight as I soldered the last wires not connected to the Grand, so I had gone as far as I could without programming. I did try to program a Gema (from AdaFruit in NYC) in Python to run the display. I have decided to run the excellent display with a separate M0 based $9 microcontroller, but my Apple M0 cannot handle the alternative storage of these devices. I will have to switch to my Windows system I have for such issues. Time to rest.

I, having taken my night meds, go to bed and sleep.

Thanks for reading.

 

I did not feel like sleeping the previous evening, and I did wake every couple of hours–no great sleep. I finally started to accept the day’s existence at 8ish. I rose and completely forgot to ride the bike and do my exercises. I did find the coffee and microwaved the unfinished coffee from yesterday, but it was a poor replacement for freshly made liberal coffee.

I then invested the whole morning in writing the story of the missing days from the blog–I can’t recall any breakfast. My allergies made me sneeze, and I was a bit stuffy, but I was generally comfortable writing the blog in the in-home office. It took nearly three hours to recall the four days and decorate the text with pictures from those days, with me checking the info on some of the photos to ensure they fit the days I was describing in the text. A few days blended together, but I managed to sort some of that out and created a self-consistent narrative. There were typos and wooden writing left after Grammarly had over-edited it–but it will do. I was tired and wanted to get on with my day.

With that done, I found some of the pasta and homemade veggie-thick sauce I made yesterday with shredded sweet Italian sausage and reheated it for lunch. I watched more of the original Swedish movie, the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Extended Edition), while I ate lunch. I really like this version, and I am used to reading the text now, and the simple dialogue is obvious.

Next, I boarded Air Volvo, added the scarf I bought for Susie to the cargo hold, and then forgot it–Susie will get it on Saturday. I crossed Beaverton without issue and soon reached Susie’s place at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was waiting for me in her recliner in the shared living room. Jeniffer was surprised when I told her I had tickets for the 2:10 showing of Barbie at Bridgeport Regal Theaters. Susie was soon ready to leave and was now sporting a pink plaid shirt. Jennifer placed Susie in the co-pilot seat in Air Volvo, and soon we were flying down Highway 5 and were ten minutes early for the movie.

An overexposed shot in the theater. You can see the belt I use to move Susie–she does not come with handles.

At the parking lot, I unloaded Susie without pain. I had to slide the pillow under her as I forgot it the first time, but everything was fine after fixing it.

Susie and I shared a Diet Pepsi and popcorn (no butter) and soon enjoyed an endless stream of commercials and previews before the previews, which lasted for about ten minutes. The previews took another ten minutes. Finally, the film started, and it was funny, sweet, and ironic. Comedies falter for me, and this one did occasionally, but Margot Robbie, playing Barbie, pulled the film back up when it slipped with a smile, a good line, or acting. Or Kate McKinnon pulled the show back with some gag. Much better than I expected. Recommended.

After that, I wheeled Susie around the Bridgeport Mall but stayed outside. We called Leta (Barb, Susie’s sister, was not available) from Air Volvo and chatted for a while, our daily catch-up with Leta (Susie’s mother).

I managed to load Susie myself and then unload her at the hummingbird house. My shoulder did not get worse or even hurt much from it–excellent. Susie was sad for the day to end, but I was tired and returned to the Volvo Cave crossing Beaverton in moderate Friday traffic.

I stopped at Don Chilitos Mexican Grill for dinner and ordered shrimp and steak, recommended by the order taker, to-go. I stopped by Rainy Day Games, next door to the Mexican place, and found the add-on for Furnace, a new board game in my collection, and purchased it. I finally reached home and unloaded my goodies.

I finished the Swedish murder story while eating my excellent repast. I then took a break and napped after reading my Doctor Who comic, #2, which finally arrived from the UK. The new showrunner has started the storylines for fans with a comic book about the Assassin Doom until the show restarts in November 2023. So far, I like it, but like most comic books, I find them too short. I have the books delivered from the UK on their release date.

I then headed to Wildwood Taps to write the blog today (my third one in 24 hours). I decided I needed a beer to write a third time! JR, a former Nike IT colleague, supplied me with an excellent sample of a dark-brewed product.

Thanks for reading.

I have returned to writing the blog daily but took a break to see how it would feel without it. I found I had more time, but I soon felt more alone, but more importantly, I found I was updating Facebook instead of writing. I would prefer to own my own life and pictures and to provide context. My extra time seemed more of a function of not having to work every day. Nike is celebrating Rest and Recover Week and closed down for a week at WHQ and most locations (retail and logistic workers are allowed to schedule an alternative week).

So, in brief, the missing days…

Saturday 12Aug2023

This was my usual busy, if not maniac, Saturday. I worked on the radio project and puttered around at the house for the morning. I boarded Air Volvo, crossed Beaverton without issue, and I soon reached Susie’s place at noonish. Susie’s place is at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. We visited the park, I can barely remember this day, and called Leta and Barb (Susie’s mother and sister, respectively) on a three-way call and caught up. Next, Susie was sitting in her bed, and we watched TV (Only Murders in the Building, I think). I stayed until after 2PM with Susie falling asleep. I kissed her goodbye and boarded Air Volvo.

Next, I headed to Rogue in Portland and had a salad and a beer there; It was already past 2PM, and I was hungry. I had a salad with grilled salmon added–it was excellent salmon (not cage-grown Atlantic). Next, we got out the new game, Davy’s Jones Locker: Rise of the Kraken. This was the first time to play this, and it was rough going, but we liked it. This is a cooperative game where you spend the first half gaining superpowers for your pirate ship. Then you face the dreaded Kraken. There is a mechanism running the Kraken, and we tried to win. Evan lost his ship, but his crew swam to my ship and there fired extra guns–an exciting game mechanic. We likely missed more lousy news and finally slew the Kraken. It’s a fun game, and we will probably have it close after a few more plays. This is a new Kickstarter game, and I was happy with the small box size and the components.

Next, Air Volvo, after saying goodbye to Evan, to Portland and Richard’s place. There we played a game of Expeditions with four players. Richard corrected some play, and a few more things clicked for me, but I did come in last. Kathleen always seemed in my desired spot, and Richard took the game. It was Kathleen’s first game, and almost caught Richard. Shawn, too, almost caught him. We all agreed we liked this new game and would play it again without question.

On the way back, it was Naked Bike Ride Day in Portland, we did see a few naked and near-naked bike riders at various road crossings, but I managed to miss their main route this year. Yes, this year, I did not find myself in Air Volvo unexpectedly leading the parade like last year!

Nearly forgetting (I saw the photo I took), I drove by Aloha High School, and the sign suggested you could take an Advance Placement class there, but the word placement is misspelled.

Sunday 13Aug2023

Sunday was a quiet day. I reached Susie at 1ish after having lunch at the house. Reheated Jambalaya, which left me a bit uncomfortable in the afternoon. It was over 90F (32C), so we stayed in the hummingbird house. Jeniffer was the nurse aide (Anassa was ill), and she had Susie set in her bed in her bedroom. We watched more TV and just hung out until 4PM.

Monday 14Aug2023

Another quiet, boiling hot day! Again, I had lunch at the house. I spent the day with Susie in her room watching TV, more Only Murders in the Building. The show was getting interesting, and Susie did not nod off anymore. We switched to M.A.S.H. and then music for the rest of the afternoon. Soon, we both were nodding off. I headed home at 4:30ish.

I have dinner at The 649 Taphouse, a salad, and a snack of chips and salsa later. Their AC is working–I was there to check if the place would work for a game on Tuesday. I had turned mine off the AC at the Volvo Cave 4-9; PGE gave me a rebate of $6 for helping to reduce the power load on the grid.

Returning to the Volvo Cave, I managed to mount the face plate and speakers in the radio project using white glue so it could be broken out if needed. I was frustrated as the project was a rat’s nest of wires, and some were still breaking loose from their connections. I also found the microprocessor slower than I wanted; 8mhz is too slow. I looked at the super special Metro M4 Grand Central Python-loving board from Lady Ada in NYC (3.3V logic). While I can’t use Python (there are no drivers for my radio break out in Python, and I am not writing my own), the Grand is more than 10x faster than the Pro I am using and has a built-in memory card slot (and built-in real number handling which is software implemented in the Pro). I found the ones I already have and started testing them. While it eats more power, it would be an excellent replacement for the next project.

Aside: The world has changed while I have played with microcontrollers and one-board computers like the Raspberry Pi. I started in 16mhz (still slow) but with 5V logic (0V being zero and 5V being one), with about 1/3 of my boards still using this. But most items are now 3.3V with some tolerating  5V logic, and some painful devices wanted 5V power and 3.3V logic. Next, I had to solder all the headers five years ago, but fewer and fewer people can handle a soldering iron with skill, so now everything has headers for breadboarding or other plugs. Today, most controllers are offered only with preinstalled headers, especially the faster microcontrollers. Thus when I want to build something that has some resilience, I can’t get a microcontroller that I can hardwire into my device. I have found a set of Pro that is still offered without headers, and Lady Ada offers Grand without headers (and even charges less for that version–excellent).

Plus: Grand uses the Mega Arduino layout. This was the first super-powered version, with the Mega appearing in many 3D printers and various takes on CNC-like machines. Mega was great, but Grand is outstanding and comes with Python.

Tuesday 14Aug2023

Another 100F+ (38C) day, I arrived at Susie’s place at 12:30ish. Again, we do the usual set-up in Susie’s room and do the usual calls. Today we binge watch the Hulu show. This time Only Murders in the Building is exciting and does twist after twist; Nathan Lane nearly steals the show. This was another day locked into AC for Susie. I left at 5ish.

I stopped by the house but headed to The 649 and met Dondrea and Z there. They loved the place, and Z got a non-alcoholic drink while Dondrea did a cider. I had some beers. We got out Furnace, an engine-building board game with a bidding mechanism. Dondrea was at first overwhelmed by the new iconography and process but soon was enjoying the game. Worse, she won both games we played. Z and I have created a monster!

We had a lovely night–eating appetizers, including great nachos–and the place filled up, and the AC was stressed to keep up. After 9ish, we headed out. It was a good night.

Wednesday 15Aug2023

Another 100F+ day, and I arrived later at Susie’s. I had stopped by McDonald’s to get an excellent 1/4 Pounder with cheese. It took the fast-food people fifteen minutes to make the burger. In the world we now live in, sometimes you just have to wait. I also got a chocolate shake for Susie. I ate my slow-arriving lunch in Air Volvo while listening to the local public broadcasting news. More news on fire and water issues in Oregon.

I soon arrived with a partially melted shake for Susie, and Jeniffer set her in her bed, and we completed watching the first season of Only Murders in the Building. I was impressed with the story and that they managed to bring the show’s first scene back to the end of the first season. Susie was happy with it too. Susie was enjoying her shake too. I serve Ensure most days to Susie when I stay with her for the afternoon, but today it was a McDonald’s shake. I left Susie with a kiss after doing the usual things.

I was feeling depressed on Wednesday night from having to stay inside in the heat. I decided to visit the local art museum on Thursday to break free of that feeling. I cleaned up the house, and the regular chores seemed to brighten my mood.

Dinner was a microwaved large potato with a can of heated chili added to it with cheese and sour cream. I worked on my radio project but broke the baseboard and had to repair that with strips of wood and let the glue dry. I managed to fix all the issues even with the break, and the microcontroller seemed fast enough to work. I finished my latest read (recommended), Titanium Noir. I went to bed early and did sleep.

=====

Well, that is what I remember from the days. I did leave out the waiter with the costume failure and lots of bad driving I witnessed, and I did brake a few times into the turning lanes when my fellow drivers decided to stop without brake lights (!?).

Thanks for reading.

 

Yes, the blog returns after a short break.

Going backward, I just arrived home at half past midnight, safely in Air Volvo from Tigard. It was a bit of a challenging flight as I am not used to staying up late anymore. It is always funny when I am tired as I don’t recognize where I am, and then pop my mind, tired, puts it together, and I know where I am. It is best to be home before 1AM to be safe.

I decided tonight to catch one of the last shows of the latest Indiana Jones movie. I liked it last time and wanted to see it on the large screen again with all the sound. It was good again, I thought, and I laughed at many of the jokes. And I agree that “More ice cream is always good.”

The showing was at the Bridgeport Mall in Tigard, and I was sad to drive by Susie’s exit. I miss just deciding to do something, and Susie and I just did it, not something I can now do with Susie. But, we will head, I hope (my shoulder was pulled or something) I can lift here for a visit to the theater on Friday to the record-breaking movie Barbie.

Moving back, I made dinner of pasta and homemade pasta sauce, a garden veggie sauce, with good sweet Italian sausage. I picked up a Wholefoods last week. I wanted to cook the sausage before it went bad. I discovered I did not have a premade sauce in a bottle but had the ingredients. So I sliced and cooked onions with garlic and chopped celery. I added a can of whole cooked tomatoes that I then crushed (trying not to be sprayed by the juice). To that, I added generic Italian seasonings and tomato paste. I cooked the sausage in a frying pan until browned and added it to the sauce, and cooked that for an hour on med-low heat. I made the pasta I had, macaroni. I washed pasta with cold water to stop the cooking so it would not congeal into a blob of starch. I then scooped the pasta into a bowl, poured two or three helpings of sauce into that, and dropped some leftover ricotta cheese. Excellent.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the original Swedish version, was the show I watched while cooking and eating. It is a great version if you don’t mind reading the words. While I like the Hollywood version, the original is a kick and much darker; it is a much more human story. I recommend it.

Moving back further, I was in Portland. I left Susie’s early to see the Portland Art Museum (PAM), which I had not been to in years. I had heard I needed to see Guillermo Del Toro: Crafting Pinocchio show, and I wanted to see the regular collection. PAM is famous for its graphic arts collection. Unfortunately, the building is being rebuilt, and only the Toro show and the Impressionism to Modern Art collection were open.

The Toro show was terrific. It had the models and sets for the stop-action work for the film. The work was incredible to me, a model maker and figure painter. The amount of work and the attention to detail on the puppets, especially the clothing, just floored me. Some of the painting techniques are familiar to me, but the scale is nothing I work in. I enjoyed the displays and took a few pictures.

After that, I did the art by descending to the basement, taking the tunnel, and climbing back to the impressionists. As I climbed the stairs, I saw the familiar pond from Monet, blue with lily pads. All the favs were represented by a few paintings and some bronze sculptures. Van Gogh was represented by a small brown painting of a bull. I was missing Toulouse-Lautrec, but he is likely heavily represented in the graphic arts displays that are closed–too bad. It was a pretty collection, and the modern stuff seemed to be selected for its beauty, so I liked the selection, not knowing most of the later most American artists.

I purchased a membership as I liked what I saw and could return for the impressionists alone. I also found a book on the Toro show (on special) and a scarf that I think Susie will like (Pacific Northwest Nations design in red and black on wool).

Next, I stopped by South Park’s bar–A place Susie and I used to visit after symphonies in the nearby Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The place has been remodeled (I learned that the art pieces are at the former wine bar director’s wine shop), and the menu is a bit less friendly, I thought. I managed to order an excellent red wine–but the bar no longer focuses on wine, I could see, and instead had the usual endless spirit collection. The bartender was not that helpful. I had to pick it without recommendation (I miss Will, the aforementioned wine bar director). I had their board of cheeses and some fish dip for their house-made crackers. The mains ranged from low thirties and up to $60+, but they still had fish and chips and a burger for a reasonable restaurant price. No special bar menu with special appetizers like olives or stuffed dates. Still, it was good, and the bartender, Matthew, ensured I was happy.

Next, I traveled across town with me, enjoying a small traffic snarl with a stalled car. Once through that, I soon pulled into the best parking spot (!) at Guardian Games. Madison, a gal I thought I remembered from previous visits, helped me a few times. I did not find the add-on for the board game Furance. They were out of stock. Madison checked for me, breaking her away from shelving hundreds of Warhammer figures in boxes. I suspect she was not too focused on that task as she also checked me out with an adventure book for the Lamentations of the Flame Princess Role Playing Game (RPG): Green Messiah. Because I bought it there, they also sent me the matching PDF, a service for buying RPG stuff at Guardians (it does not cover 5E D&D).

Lamentation of the Flame Prince is a strange RPG based on the original version of D&D, often called OSRIC, but set on an alternative history Earth in the 1600s. Magic is unholy by definition and banned by the church, but it works much like in OSRIC. Cleric powers are through the church. I have yet to play it, but I have acquired the books as they interest me. Maybe someday I will get to try it. The books and system are from Finland and published in English.

Before all this traveling in Portland, I was at Susie’s in the morning, arriving before noon. The weather was overcast and humid. The 80Fs (27C) should not feel cool, but anything felt cold after three days of 100F+ (38C) days. Jeniffer popped Susie into her wheelchair from her recliner in the shared living room, and I soon pushed Susie into Metzger Park next door. Susie was happy to again be back to our park visits.

We called Leta and Barb (her mother and sister, respectively) on a three-way call via FaceTime. We had a lovely short chat as the sun surprised us, and it appeared and was baking us. We headed back, and Susie was surprised it was a quick visit, but today I wanted to see the PAM; I did not take Susie with me as I did not know what to expect, and I wanted to chance my hurt shoulder on a nearer location first. I kissed Susie goodbye, and she was OK with me leaving–I had spent the last three days staying with Susie until 4ish.

Before this, I started my day again, sleeping in until past 8AM. It is my mission to rest more this week. Nike is closed for a week for Rest and Recovery Week. I made an omelet for breakfast with three eggs and some already-cooked spicy sausage I usually use for Jambalya. I had that with liberal coffee made in my French Press, but as I was busy with laundry, dishes, and trying to research microprocessors, I only drank one cup of coffee. I boarded Air Volvo and headed to Susie’s after 11AM.

Well, that is full circle for Thursday. I will try to add a catch-up entry for the missing week. It is almost 2AM, but I wanted to finish the blog tonight. Some nights I just don’t feel like stopping even when my eyes droop, and I could just sleep on my keyboard. Some days just want to hold on, a good day.

Thanks for reading.