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Deborah and I stayed up late, going backwards in this narrative, watching Wake Up Dead Man. This is a “Knives Out Mystery” and now on Netflix, and was the first true who-dun-it I think of in the series, I think. As the show goes forward in the storytelling (the slow reveal of an excellent mystery), it calls out many of the books on locked-room mysteries (one I am reading now).

These are my favorite type of murder mystery, and I direct you, dear reader, to Tom Meade, who writes excellent new versions (though set in the 1920s UK). I also thought it was the first time that Daniel Craig fit into his character. Glen Close was excellent. The acting was superb, and the camera work showed what the main character, the “killer” priest, saw. Deborah believes it is the best of the series. Recommended.

Before this, we were at Ernie’s for dinner, a new place with a Greek direction. We sat at the bar, having two drinks each (starting with Spanish Coffees). We had some flash-fried thin-cut veggie slices with tzatziki sauce that were to die for. We enjoyed our visit to the bar, and our table was ready just short of the promised hour wait.

A high-top table and hard chairs make the bar louder but more comfortable. Hmmm. Our waiter was attentive, and we had a wonderful dinner with Deborah going for chicken and me lamb chops. Greek lemon potatoes cannot be beat (see this video), and their version was great. We shared a cream cake dessert that was wonderful, too.

 

Before this, we were at a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert, and I am sorry to say it is unlikely I will return. The friendly Christmas story is now a confused mess, with one wondering if ChatGPT wrote the story, or worse, it did not. The music was sifted, lifted, and reformatted to fit a more Christian theme, and references to war and discrimination were removed from the original versions I have seen. The imagery is now AI-generated, as the original artist has passed away and was replaced, according to their band’s information, with AI, and it shows all the awful hallmarks of poor AI generation (hands like claws and illogical and Cartoon-like structures that would embarrass Disney to use). Their music, when they returned to their older material, was excellent, and you could sometimes feel the original pulse and edginess of the old TSO shows. A real mixed bag now, and seemed heavily “laundered” for a selected audience. Souless. Not recommended, sadly.

Little Caesars Arena in Detroit was excellent, and they had a screen showing folks walking in and hockey players skating onto it. This is the home of Detroit Hockey. While we just did popcorn and a pretzel, the food looked good. The staff was excellent, with everyone friendly and helpful, always with a smile.

We parked after looping around some closed roads and had pre-paid parking. We were with a crowd when we learned we needed to join the outside line, since it was for box seats and the like. We tried the other staircase to find locked doors and no easy access. We were worried at first that we were locked in the stairs, but the door on the second floor does not even have a lock. We soon walked to the wrong line, and then finally to the usual person line (we had regular tickets). We waited only a few minutes outside after getting more steps!

Before this, Deborah and I had lunch at Panera Bread to keep things simple. The amount of sugar and holiday cheer has accumulated. Just soup and half a sandwich was a relief.

I tried to get up early, but rolled over and managed to start and finish the blog with the industrial breakfast. On many days (not always, I was told with an eyeroll by the gal who did the breakfast today), as the breakfast closes, the cleaning staff finishes the food. Something I have seen at many IHGs.

Thanks for reading

 

Sleep was at first elusive and then would not let go. The time change seems more brutal this time, but I found it always harder in the shortened days of winter. Sleep measured only a few hours on Thursday night.

I had a light breakfast as I had tea with all the works at 11. Keith saw me, and we talked. He runs the food for some of the week, and I told him I would be back around Christmas. We talked about my travels, especially my visit to Ebenezer Baptist in Atlanta, and he said he likes the singing and the feeling of the African American-style Baptist services. But then he asked if it went on and on. I told him that the preacher said he was told to “get in and then get’m out.” That got a smile.

I returned to my room after finishing the blog, dropped off my computer (my room was already cleaned), and got my coat and hat. Next, Deborah picked me up in her mini for our only event on Friday, a Tea at the Royal Park Hotel. A higher-end hotel than my usual IHG, with a complimentary industrial breakfast that has me now a Gold member (and, like Airlines, Diamond is where the perks are, with Gold and Silver being more participation levels). The rain was freezing, and the hotel staff told me to be careful, as the maintenance person had fallen while spreading salt and was being checked out. Yikes!

Deborah and her mini with winter tires, and she with spikes in her boots (when walking the dogs), had no problem, and we soon arrived at the Royal Park — just a few minutes away. But the valet parking was not available, and Deborah parked, and then we risked the parking lot (and a downpour) to reach the hotel. We arrived for tea without falls or getting overly damp, and wandered the decorated lobby until it was time for our tea.

Aside: Deborah believes that if you respect Michigan’s winter, prepare, and remember to move more slowly, it is not that bad. Nothing to fear, but to be ready.

The room for the tea opened, and the line was soon seated, and we found a classic tea with finger foods, the required cucumber sandwiches, and our choice of tea. We went with more regular teas, English Breakfast and Earl Grey (not drowned in Bergamot oil). The clotted cream and lemon curd added heavenly flavors to our scones. Our steeped teas were a bit weak.

Time change, airplanes, and lack of sleep had me back at my hotel for a long nap. Deborah joined me there later, and then we met her kids plus a girlfriend for post-Christmas dinner at the brewery and restaurant. The menu was more elevated than the usual burgers and fries you see at breweries, and I had goulash with spazael and others had short ribs. All was declared good.

We returned to Deborah’s house, and I got to pet Zelda and Trixie. Deborah and I may have nodded off on the couch while her son tried out some video racing game and/or Cyberpunk 2077. Deborah dropped me off at my hotel, and soon I was back in my room, falling asleep with the light on while reading. I woke a few hours later and turned off the light. I woke many times, but managed to fall back asleep each time. There were forgotten dreams and one nightmare (also forgotten) that knocked me awake. I startled awake but soon calmed and fell asleep; I had forgotten what scared me.

Thanks for reading.

An apology for yesterday’s typos; I was traveling while writing.

It is Boxing Day (26Dec) while I write this, and any typos are blamed on the time change. It is 8:30, but it feels like 5:30; ugh!

Returning to my memories of Christmas Day. I was happy to wake with my alarm in my comfy bed and rise. Despite being a travel day, everything was packed, cleaned, and organized, and my flight was neither early nor late: Noon to Detroit. I found the coffee waiting for me, along with the last banana. I started the blog, but as Joan S was picking me up at 9, I could only write for a while.

After showering and all of that, I soon dressed in a sweater with a dress shirt with a Santa tie. I packed the last items, forgetting one red sweater vest (when I changed my mind on sweaters) and one gift (I will send it by mail next year). But that cannot be undone, and also makes Christmas last into January.

I turned the hot water and heating to the vacation settings, and soon Joan S met me, and we wished each other a Merry Christmas. Joan S then headed to PDX, and we chatted about work things and some travel details while she drove to the Airport. Traffic was lighter (though more cars than I expected), and soon I was at PDX. Thanks, Joan!

First Class today, so I went to those Delta machines and soon dropped off my old red bag (with duct tape on one corner) and my new Delta Silver Medallion status name tag. I then headed to TSA security and saw everyone was happy and friendly, and the rush and crowd were gone.

My glasses did not confuse anyone, as I was trying to wear them all the time to get used to them. But TSA found my instant coffee in my bag interesting. They tested it, and it was not found to be a threat. My suspenders also caused me to be inspected more. It is hit-or-miss, I have discovered with the suspenders.

I continue to enjoy TSA and their checks.

Safe and TSA-acceptable, I headed to Grasso for breakfast/lunch (I would lose three hours due to time changes).  I had not done their avocado and smoked salmon toast. The toast was a slice of croissant bread, which I love when I can find it. While lovely to look at, soon salmon and avocado were falling off the bread, from its precarious stack. Still, it was excellent, if messy.

I wrote for a while, but a gal and I chatted about our travels, holiday plans, and AI. She is an RN and headed to Minnesota for the holiday. She enjoyed being an RN and the freedom of working in a field that is in demand. We got onto AI as I explained a bit about the scanning in TSA, where they identified coffee as a potential threat (here in the Pacific Northwest, of all places).

With a “Merry Christmas,” we headed out in separate ways, and I soon was at my gate, stopping to use the facilities before getting on a plane and giving a buck to a musician playing Christmas songs on an electric guitar (so Portland!). I rushed to finish the blog and get it posted. I sent out the email and added it to Facebook as my section was called for boarding.

I enjoyed an aisle seat in First Class, 3B. My seatmate at the window soon put on noise-canceling headphones and a mask. We exchanged only a few words. I respected her wishes and watched a movie, the original Casablanca, but my screen was having stop-and-start issues that had me change to reading, but I did finish the film and laughed at all the jokes; it always feels modern to me, though the exploitation of women is hard to forgive (Though Rick foils the attempt as a victory for love).

(That is not wine in a sippy cup but a coffee lid on the glass to prevent spills)

Christmas Dinner was good, though my entree was not hot, but it was cooked. I did not send it back as this is a plane and Christmas. It was good too. The wine was excellent too. I enjoyed Christmas Dinner in Amsterdam with Susie and Corwin in 2019. Packed up one and took it over to a friend when her husband was ill and in the hospital on Christmas. I liked flying on Christmas, and dinner at 20,000+ feet will likely happen again.

Deborah waited outside baggage claim as I retrieved my bag. And while it survived well. The metal tag was now bent, and I had to fix it. How it got caught in something and crushed is a mystery I will not solve. I was amazed that my largest suitcase is still small compared to the others. Folks use huge roller bags.

Deborah got me to my usual IHG hotel. They remembered me. I have a room with a jet tub.

I did not sleep until 2 with Deborah returning on Boxing Day for a Tea at the Royal Park Hotel. Our holiday party together.

Thank you for reading!

 

I rose late on Christmas Eve, having stopped using an alarm for a few days. I woke a few times at night and rolled over (and proved hydration once). When I next woke, it was 8:30!

Wednesday was not busy until the afternoon with a 3PM Christmas service. While that is early for candles and singing Silent Night, it allows older folks to get home before dark and young families to show. And it would be, I knew that Christmas Eve service and dinner at Dondrea’s would be here before I was ready. It is the nature of the holidays to suddenly pop up and be here.

I wrote the blog and made a nice breakfast. I took the leftover bratwursts (sold cooked), browned them in a pan, then added water to let the steam heat them through. I sliced up the leftover half of a potato from my steak dinner. I pulled out the ‘worsts and added butter and fried the potato bits. I next added the brats back in after slicing them, and added some onion and green pepper (also left over and frozen). Three eggs beaten to make scrambled eggs were added to the collection, and while I was tempted to flip it like a frittata, I scrambled it.

While I made that, I thought of Dad Wild in the kitchen making bacon or hash for breakfast. Food brings back good memories. Breakfast was good.

The blog comes together, but I forget to start the laundry until it is too late to finish it. The Machine takes three hours or so per load, as it is a combination of a washer and dryer. Soon I have the blog published, and lunch is more of a breakfast, which is surprisingly good cold.

Shower, and all of that, and I dress in a white dress shirt with a Pride Tie and my ruby vest with the sparkles (not quite something from The Book of Mormon, and more James West). I use my slip-on black leather shoes because my better dress shoes are already packed (along with shirts that will need to face an iron in Michigan, as I am using a larger, more traditional suitcase). I also started to pile things into my old red suitcase. I later discovered that its return from Morocco left a corner crushed and a small hole! Duck tape, but this is the last ride for this one; it is made of carbon fiber and bright red — easy to find — and it was the last one they had, discounted in red color (instead of the in-demand blacks and grays). This suitcase has gone to India with me twice, and once it had a tire mark on it after being run over during delivery at Chennai International. Likely a smaller vehicle, as the contents were unimpacted (literally), I just smiled when I saw it.

Dressed and lunch done, I headed out to get a few things done. I stopped by Wallgreens and purchased a small tube of toothpaste for the trip and a few items. But they did not have Milano Cookies (not the same place, but still makes me think of this song from the musical, Chess). I headed to Safeway on Christmas Eve; yikes!

The purchase of a bag of cookies, along with some little boxes of chicken salad and tuna with crackers, for my carry-on. I like to have some food items with me for when things go terribly wrong or I am just hungry. Last time, I was told by the TSA agent that I had to prove my chicken salad was not a terror instrument, that sometimes the AI is retrained, and then all sorts of mundane items are identified. I was apparently not the first chicken salad carrier that day. Lately, my lunchables have passed muster, but I always look amused now at this process. This time I have a can of instant coffee with me, will it be the next thing (actually, the coffee did flag with the TSA guy, Khan, asking “Do you have coffee?” and I almost said, ” You know you are in the Pacific Northwest,” but being a smart-ass in a security line is not the best choice and I just smiled and said, “Why, yes I do!”)?

But I was now behind my schedule and drove to the church. I arrived a few minutes before the service. And then I had a costume issue. All my suspender connections let go at once. F**k. I rushed to the men’s room, removed my vest, and reapplied the suspenders.

Back to it, and I ushered for the service as I promised Dondrea. The place was busy with under 70, but a good turnout for us, with many smaller kids. One child cheered on the service and kept wanting to walk to the front and help direct. An old choral, Fum, Fum, Fum, surprised me (here is a version, but I think it sounds better less dressed up). Brian, our organist, brought his full-sized harp and played it for us. He was slower than I am used to, but the music was lovely, and the slow process seemed to bring out the harp qualities.

The usual service, and we lit the candles and sang Silent Night without setting the church, kids, visitors, members, or staff on fire (there is likely a joke about Methodists in there). Pastor Ken gave a short, for him, sermon on the meaning of the words ‘Christmas’ and why ‘Xmas’ is OK (‘X’ is the first word of ‘Christ’ in Greek).

After service, with a few minutes left before dinner at Dondrea’s, I headed to Powell’s, thinking I might need a last-minute Christmas purchase, and I found something. I saw many books and things I did not need at the moment, but would be nice. I escaped with just a few small items.

I arrived at Dondrea’s, and we tried a local red with a horse on the label; it was good and tasted nothing like the label. Dinner was smoked salmon (local again) chowder with bread and salad. Perfect, I thought. Dondrea, Jackson (Dondrea’s son), Z, and Donna were there. Faith, Dondrea’s daughter, FaceTimed; she is in Australia with friends for the holidays.

It was a good break. I received more loot (thanks!) and then headed home (sorry, running out of time while I write this at PDX). I did my last load of laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, and watched more of The Agency season one.

Merry Christmas (written at home and then at PDX on Christmas Day)!

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Today is another less-than-interesting day, where I get ready to travel and finish up the last things for 2025. The mail hold and new insurance are in place. I started to pack and clean.

I rose late, a new thing, and slept well. I woke about 4 and rolled over, and next I knew it was 8ish. I rose, started on the blog, and wrote most of the early morning away. I did watch the hummingbirds and other locals searching the backyard for food. Their Winter Solstice gifts from the land.

I wrote about Monday all morning and also the usual things, including collecting coffee from the coffee pot, which I again remembered to assemble the night before. I had plans for Tuesday, but Richard and I agreed to pass on the morning game; it would just be us, and the travel in and out of Portland would take almost as much time as the gaming. I did have an appointment south to get my glasses (which I am struggling to use while typing this). The Smiths also invited me to their home on Bald Peak (I call their home Smith’s Mountain) on Tuesday night.

I enjoyed bringing order to chaos — something that you don’t get much in the news or politics — as I cleaned the toilets and finished up the bathrooms (though I might clean the shower I missed). All the carpets are vacuumed, though I did not move the furniture to get every spot. Things you can control are nice to complete.

I had slices of babka I made the night before with my coffee and a banana.

Somewhere in the day between cleaning and finding order out of the chaos, I took a break and started season 2 of Halo, and I still like it, but the new storyline is not making me that happy. We will see.

On the way back, I stopped by the state-controlled liquor store, and they were not too busy, a surprise. I found a gift, and then the staff told me to take the gift set instead for the same price. Excellent. They also had Pusser’s Rum Blue, which is the original Nelson’s Blood rum. My favorite (there are other products now that claim to be original, but this one has been around a long time).

Soon I was sleepy. It may be connected to the rum in my eggnog (with two pinches of nutmeg, stirred) and lunch (see below). I woke in the living room with a start after an hour, and with all the travel, I am not sure where I am when I wake in a chair in the dark. For a moment, I thought I was in a hotel or a plane.

It is not the longest night, but still, it was dark soon. I continued cleaning and organizing. I wrapped up the babka and boarded Air VW the Gray at 80% charge. The uphill travel would cost me about 10%.

Navigation seemed worried, and I got many notes about sharp turns. It is a mountain-paved road, more than 1,200 feet up. Clouds or mist were near the top. I crossed over and started down the otherside, but only a short distance. I made the sharp turn and enjoyed the steep driveway to Smith’s Mountains. I got the smaller EV turned around and out of the way without complexity (David would turn the old XC-60 Volvo around for me, as it is longer and there are places where it gets close to an edge).

David was not there when I arrived; he was off getting a pizza and doing other chores. I talked with Michelle and Cat for a while. I brought the board game Fate of the Fellowship of the Ring, and later we would play a few rounds of turns until it got late. I think everyone liked this new style of a cooperative Pandemic or Forbidden Island-like board game.

We also looked at the weather forecast, as a massive low was near California, and it may move up the coast, bringing 50+MPH winds (80+KPH). Noon could be exciting.

A gift of some cooking and food items was kindly provided to me (thanks, Smiths). I managed the mountain and soon returned home. Soon, I was in bed as the clock turned to Christmas Eve. I soon slept.

Thanks for reading!

Update: I missed that I went for Italian-style food for lunch. Pastrini was not too busy, and I had a good lunch, but with so much to do, I skipped the wine.