It is thirty days since my diagnosis of a benign brain tumor.

It is also a work-from-home day at Nike WHQ, and I rose at 7:30 as there were no early meetings. I am suffering from an unlimited supply of gas, not constipation now. I hope it will, hmm, pass soon.

The weather was the most exciting today, as we got our first winter storm. Originally predicted for Friday, and we all were watching for the snow. I saw a few flakes but nothing more than a threat of snow. The temperatures crashed from our usual winter 40s to 20s (-7C) in a few hours, and we had clear skies promising a cold Saturday. I worked from home and did a few Zoom meetings. One meeting left me wondering why I even try–sad.

I took a shower and got dressed between Zoom meetings. I skipped shaving and other steps as I had to rush. The hot shower warmed me and the house. I left the shower door open. I was not leaving the house today, so shaving was optional.

My solution to the sad meeting for work was to make lunch. I sliced up the remains of my sausages and fried the cubes (slicing lengthwise to make cube-like cuts and not coin-like slices) with a green pepper I also cut up. I added a few gloves of garlic and fried that in a large pan I use for soups and stews. I then added a can of Mexican-style diced tomatoes and hot peppers. I use the acid and wet juices to deglaze the pan. Once that is hot, I add hot water from the electric kettle and pour in my favorite brand of jambalaya spices and rice. No seafood, but still good. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover for twenty-five minutes. Presto!

I also made a dozen corn muffins from a box. A simple task of putting paper cups in a pan, mixing the stuff together, and putting them in paper cups (sprayed to not stick). Bake at 400F something, according to the directions. Puff, you have lovely cornbread. Excellent.

I ran the dishes and started the laundry. Despite the temperature drop outside, the kitchen was warm, friendly, and delicious. I am feeling better.

More online status and process meetings. I provide snow reports to the master data engineering team. I detach the hoses and have to find a wrench to release one. I found, surprising me, the faucet covers in the garage and installed them. A bit late, but I asked other folks at Nike, and we all were outside installing them today. It barely froze last year, and I did not put them on the house in 2023. The forecast for Saturday is 12F (-11C).

I forgot to make or eat dinner–stuffed with jambalaya. Gaming was canceled for Saturday. I do get solicited by Richard for a Portland 9AM game, but I am not prepared mentally to get up in the morning and drive to Portland in a storm. Instead, I return to painting figures, my undead Egpytian warriors, and the undead priest of the Egpytian god Set. I have returned to using the long table in the family room, and with safety glasses with 3x bifocals and strong light, I use my special brushes to paint tiny things. I have only an OOO brush (from Reapers Miniatures) and not an OOOOO for tiny work, but it works well (it takes more paint, so I can paint longer before reloading the brush). I spend most of the evening remembering my skills on these relatively easy figures, with just the pharaoh-like headdress requiring some skill. For you painters reading, I decided to use dark tone from Army Painter instead of dipping or oils for shading. I use strong tone to shade the base painted desert yellow, also from Army Painter. Dark tone is shades of black, while strong tone is shades of brown. I take some green, the same in the headdress, add water to make a wash, and dull the bronze blades, already darkened by strong tone, to show green corrosion. I put a dot of red in the eye holes in the skulls as most descriptions of undead skeletons in Dungeons and Dragons mention the burning red dots for eyes.

I black-topped the base to get that pretty black look for figures on bases. I can’t finish them with a dull coat as 20F is not an excellent temperature to spray paint. I will do that later so they are still shiny from the wash in the photo.

If I wanted impressive painting, I could dry-brush on some bone to make the bones stand out. These are for tabletop gaming; I think they are good enough now.

After completing the first batch of figures, I worked on some Scythe Mechs I started a few years ago that have languished. I will try to finish the first factions soon and then the two added factions next. I want them finished so I can pick the next thing to do. I want to finish what I have started.

I head to bed and read. I have trouble sleeping as I made a pot of tea, and it is keeping me up. I try aspirin and Benadryl, which finally works, just a 1/2 of a Benadryl. It helps me breathe (allergies) and sleep.

I sleep through most of the start of the storm and wake to a dusting of snow and winds.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Wednesday Day 28

Wednesday was unpleasant with me up all night with gas and all the other gut issues and nothing passing. It was a terrible night Tuesday-Wednesday. I stopped by the Safeway and loaded up on Metamucil, dried prunes (they don’t have canned ones I could find), and some painkillers. I took all of that and tried to rest. No sleep until about 4AM, when things began to settle to some degree. I sent a note I would miss work and wrote a quick blog for Tuesday, but as Dan G pointed out, it was not checked with care, and I did misspell Oregon.

Miserable but still better than being wracked with pain; I started about 9ish and had some more prunes with oatmeal. I added walnuts, dried cherries and cranberries, and some butter to take it up a level from low-sugar oatmeal. The painkillers were working, and gas was moving, but nothing more. I then nodded off and did not wake until noon.

I awoke into a mental mist that took an hour to clear. I was unsure what to do other than to go back to sleep. Instead, I rose and made poached eggs on toast to help my condition. The activity and the food helped me leave the mist and start thinking again. The pain was mostly gone now, and I was able to get some things to pass. I was expecting some explosive outcome but was disappointed in the polite results. After all the discomfort, I should get something spectacular, but no. On clearer thinking later, this was likely the best possible result. Still, I was disappointed.

With the foggy thinking lifting, the flows running, and a dinner of oatmeal upgraded with dried fruit and nuts, I decided I could try board gaming with Z and Andrew during choir practice. I took Air Volvo out into the cold and wet that is Oregon in the Winter; tonight, colder than usual, 38F (3C). I was tired but happy to meet Z and Dondrea at the church. Z and I decided on the same game we played last week so that Andrew would not have to learn a new one. Wingspan with the Asia and Europe add-on is a favorite.

Z and I split two games, with me winning one and losing one to Z. We played fast with two players and might have fit in another, but we waited for Andrew to be sprung from the choir. His wife-to-be is in the church band and the choir, so Andrew, who is just in the choir, like us, is waiting, and we change to have him join us for one last game. He remembered most of the rules and soon was playing fast. I had one of those Wingspan games you dream of; I had the best cards (representing birds I have attracted to my sanctuary) and could run them for tucked cards and food on cards. All worth points. My birds were all low value, but I did not have a bonus for that. Z and Andrew played well, scoring one point apart, with Z taking second place with 57. I had 64 points with all the extra points and my last egg runs. This is the opposite of the game I lost earlier against Z when I could not get anything to match or generate points. Wingspan can swing on luck sometimes.

After that, we packed up, and I took Air Volvo home. When I arrived, I was worn out and just rested. Just getting up at midnight to take my meds. I woke up a few times, but I mostly slept. I could not write the blog. I needed sleep.

Thursday Day 29

The morning started with my amazement that I was better and again that the movements were minor. For all the lack of sleep, pain, and simple messing up my day–it should have been more exciting. Again, on rethinking that, I was obviously delusional. I do oatmeal again with prunes and the rest of the upgrades. I make NYC Zabar grind coffee (thanks, Cat) to go with breakfast. I rose, more like a summoning (Bell, Book, and iPhone?), at 6:30 and willed my slippers and robe to find me, but after a few minutes, I gave up and put them on. I found my office.

The Nike laptop was non-responsive (which I agree is better than me being non-responsive) until I found that the plug was not put in all the way. Until I found the power issue, I was ready for a massive eye-roll as I dealt with a dead laptop. It is the worst time-sink. But not today–power worked to revive my Think Pad (no longer in warranty or supported–but that is for another day). I do the basics: read my email and update Quicken with transactions. I read a few notes.

Next, off to the shower, and then get dressed. Air Volvo, with MAX running for heat, takes me through some traffic. I try an alternative way, which saves me five minutes–excellent. I was welcomed by the desk staff who missed me yesterday. It is nice to be missed, and we chat for a while. I head to our part of the Swift building on Nike WHQ and have a pleasant morning. I do a few process meetings and talk to some folks about some new work I have asked to do, which resembles a miracle–excellent to know that they still believe I can do the impossible.

Lunch is a salad at Serena Williams, not the GOAT but the Nike WHQ building named for her. It is a long walk, twenty minutes in the Oregon mist, but I have my hat, gloves, scarf, and a good coat, so I am comfortable. Air Force Ones are not waterproof but seldom get wet from the usual wet in Beaverton.

Scott and I meet and talk about work and the challenges we are both having. We meet weekly, when we can, to talk and see how we can help each other. We have partnered for years. It was a great salad from the salad bar (no bread this time as I do not trust my inner self with soft bread yet). Scott works in the business where they perform magic, which is foreign trade. Details cannot be shared here, of course.

I head back, and Scott goes back to the pixie dust. I walk a damp, easy trail through the wet beauty that is Nike WHQ–there are some new changes that, when it is summer, will allow more outdoor meetings. I am looking forward to that. “Meet me at the cement meeting circles next to the soccer field,” who gets to say that at work?

I return to Swift just winded; I need to do this more often. Lunch, a salad, is not settling very well. I remember the problems started with a dinner that included a salad and pickles. Hmmm. I do one more process meeting and then head out. Time to enjoy a trip to Portland for Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital, where the CT scanner I signed up for is located. There are closer ones, but I have used this one three times, and the results are provided in less than an hour, and I know it.

The traffic is the usual stop-and-go on a Thursday inbound to Portland on Highway 26. I arrive still with plenty of time. I park in the parking garage at the top to see the view. I walked to the elevator, stepping over the place where I collapsed when I could not breathe, and enjoyed an ambulance ride across the street to the ER. A false feeling brought on by a chemotherapy drug, I was fine.

I take the lift and walk by the Jehovah’s Witnesses on the corner. I thank them for being there and ask them to be careful when the snow comes on Friday. I always treat them with respect as I know their beliefs and history. Any group that Hitler threatened to shoot every member because they would not salute him has my respect.

The hospital has had a shooter incident, so there are some seriously armed and protected people at the entrance. You have to go through their inspection to enter; they are serious people. Somewhat disconcerting in Portland but needed. I put my hat in the X-ray, and it got stuck. They have to reach in to get it. I was worried if that was safe, but they seemed more annoyed than worried.

With my irradiated hat, I checked in at X-ray (yes, ironic), and the gal remembered me (the hat matched last time). She likes the joke that my sister wanted me to remember the meow-meow song while in the CT. Next, I slip into some less metallic (scrubs) and get an IV. The CT tech is also a repeat for me; she also remembers me. The IV goes in easily, and a quick in and out of the gigantic radioactive donut, and I am done. I will be back in four or six months.

I managed the Portland traffic with an electric scooter going down a street the wrong way and headed for me. Before having a head-on smash with Air Volvo–not likely to scratch the paint, they turn off into a food joint. I will say that pedestrians in Portland also believe in the kindness of the drivers, and they seem to step out of everywhere and expect me to stop. Air Volvo would automatically stop for them if I did not see them, so maybe their faith is justified. Trust in Volvo!

The jersey barriers are covered in tags, and I did not like that extra art. I was tempted to bring white paint. It is pretty, but I like white for traffic barriers; they are easier to see in the dark!

I was soon home as the trip was easy and not memorable–probably a good thing. I found a frozen chicken Cordon Blue and baked that for dinner. I had that with a sweet potato I cooked in the microwave, sprinkled with cinnamon, and then added a pat of butter. It was a good dinner and settled better than a salad. Hmmm.

The results are in for the CT scan before I reach home. Nothing. Excellent.

Tonight is the Theology Pub Zoom Church discussion. It is 60 years since the USA passed the Civil Rights Act passed in the year of my birth, 1964. We talked about this and other changes in the country. Our conclusions were that ethnic groups, while treated better, have not made the economic progress we had hoped. The pressure against the reforms is rising, possibly because the reforms are starting to work and become part of the traditions of the USA. We must keep pushing to preserve such changes as the Civil Rights Act and to promote more. The journey seems to have just begun again. That, again, The Other is being bashed instead of addressing the actual issues. A pattern we see over and over in USA history. We must find love and compassion.

After that discussion, I started to fade, but I wrote the blog pushing myself. I had started before the meeting while eating dinner and then stopped for the Theology Pub meeting.

I am tired, but my dinner (no salad) seems to settle.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for reading!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for reading.