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I am writing this on Sunday for Saturday and attended an 8:30 meeting as the big project at work enters another 7/24 timeline. I am mainly showing signs of allergies and still seem to be tired all the time. I am fighting against it and can push through it and have a typical day.

So, starting in reverse, here is the narrative for Saturday…

I got to bed before midnight and went to sleep almost when my head hit my pillow. Dreams happened, all forgotten but not dark, and I did awaken a few times. I rolled over and slept the night. My usual 7 1/2 hours, at best.

Moving backward, I reheated a few tacos for a snack with my pills. I did not want another carbohydrate festival as that seems to be unsettled with the metformin I take. The tacos were better.

I was later than expected, leaving Richard’s just after tenish. Air Volvo flew Kathleen home without incident but then hit a huge traffic snarl on the flight back to the Volvo Cave at the Highway 26  tunnel. Air Volvo went on at 5 mph for thirty minutes until we traveled the few miles to reach the five-car pile-up and closed lane. Why the other drivers piled into the closed lane, a warning on big electronic signs told us miles ahead that the lane was a no-go, is a mystery to me. Luckily, I had decided to use the restroom at Richard’s before getting in the Air Volvo; otherwise, there could have been another accident best left undescribed.

Moving backward, I met Kathleen and Chris (a new gammer for our Saturday night group) at Richard’s basement in Portland for more board games: Our usual gaming night. We played two games of Suburbia with Richard and me looking at the first player marker and a way to light and improve it. Before our first game, I had played this a few times before (always losing). Chris and Kathleen listened with care to Richard’s teach, and Kathleen probed for extra winning conditions and other surprises; it seemed a simple scoring game. The game took about ninety minutes, including the teaching and some clarifications, and Chris ran away with the game, with Richard not even approaching his score. Kathleen left me at the bottom, my usual location, with me leading the score for the first 3/4 of the game (also typical for me). We decided to play again, and this time, Richard secured a win with surprisingly interlocked scoring goals (they are assigned randomly), with me just ahead of Kathleen (luck) and Chris unable to catch Richard.

Suburbia is an older tableau-building game with a simple economic model. You buy hexes and then add them to your part of a greater city, your tableau, and these additions may increase (or decrease) your income and reputation and also increase for other players. For example, building an airport in the game will help you and anyone else with an airport. A few years ago, I printed Richard, on my old 3D resin printer, a bunch of markers and painted them. These help us find these interactions and significantly improve the game. We all agreed that we would play again and would like Richard to start adding in the expansions–he has quite a few.

Aside: Evan asked if there were other games with random end-of-game triggers, and Suburbia is one. This game ends when a tile that says it is the last round is pulled. This tile is mixed into the final fifteen cool ‘C’ tiles.

Before the rather relaxing game night with Richard, Chris, and Kathleen, I was in Portland at Rogue Ales Pub in SE with Evan. There, we played two games of the board game Vindication (a game I have described often here and will avoid repeating myself). The first game was a tie, and I won the tie-breaker. Evan ran a plan to buy over and over Traits. I thus had a free hand for the rest of the board, and even with him getting 5-7 points and some superpower every other round, I still tied his score and won. I won the next game. When playing a two-person game with a board game that can play up to five, a little luck and some good plays can create the condition that crushes the other player. I had that in the second game. I also play this game more than Evan, so I know how to change my strategy to fit the board–especially with two players. So, the second game, while fun for me, should not count against Evan. It’s just dumb luck.

We played chess while getting a 1/2-price appetizer for happy hour (?!). Rogue was mainly empty instead of the usual mix of tourists. The weather and the October Festivals all over the area had impacted their tourist count.

Evan had a good start as black (I had never played him before, and I was out of practice). So, I built a more conservative pawn wall and then interlocked it with knights and the queen. I could see flaws that Magnus would have wept over, but I learned that Evan did not see them (sigh of relief). Evan crashed into my pawns at their strongest place, and soon, I had three passed pawns! I had an opening to do an insane dance-of-death with my queen, and I crashed the piece into the corner (the worst place for a queen) and gobbled up a bishop and a pawn before having to exchange. Instead (and Magnus would have approved), I should have pushed on relentlessly, exchanged out most pieces for better pawn structure, and won by walking pawns to the queens–but this was more exciting. Later, in the endgame, I flubbed and lost a rook–something I know I should watch, but I could just walk a pawn to get a queen and got busy finishing the game. It was an excellent reminder to stay with the basics. Evan had not played for years and played well.

Before heading to Portland, I was at Susie’s place at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. I got there early, and Susie and I headed out into the colder Oregon autumn weather. It is always a surprise how abrupt the season change here. We were in the 80s last week, and now it was overcast with highs of 66F (19C). Anassa, the weekend nursing aide, helped Susie get into a coat over a sweatshirt. We went into Metzger Park, and I was slightly chilled without a coat. I checked the weather radar, and we had no rain or Oregon mist for an hour. I found a dry bench.

We were watching folks, now in light jackets, ignoring (as we do in Oregon) that it is cold and soon to be wet and just enjoying the outdoors. Kids were on bikes and other wheeled items. Parents followed, pushing even younger progeny in diminutive carriages. It was a typical fall day, on the first day of fall, and nobody wanted to mention that it was sunny and hot yesterday.

Using FaceTime, we called Leta and Barb (Susie’s mother and sister, respectively) on my cell phone to form a three-way video call. Everyone was happy to connect up and surprised to see us in overcast skies, cold, and Susie in a coat. Leta talked about her birds at her bird feeder and bath and pointed out that the squirrels were being naughty while not getting into her feeder. Barb was out eating freshly made donuts–it is showing fall in Michigan, too.

After this call, Susie decided she was cold enough, and we headed back to the hummingbird house. There, with Evan, who showed up while we were in the park, we tried Peacock Network’s new show, The Continental, a new John Wick story set in the past before John. It was terrible, and I had to buy an extension of my Peacock account to see this trash. Ugh! Evan is slightly hopeful that the next episode will improve, but I am unsure. The lines and the background match the good stuff from the John Wick world, but the writing and organization are not very good. The usual violence and super and magical gun fights are there, but even those seem less as we have so little attachment to the characters. Susie nodded off often and was falling out of her wheelchair for the show.

Anassa got Susie safe in bed, and Susie struggled to stay awake. Susie became visibly upset when we went to leave and said, “No!’ At the same time, I could see her tired and sleepy. “I need you,” was what she said, and it broke my heart. I knew she would fall asleep again even if I stayed another ten minutes and then wake later, not knowing what happened. I asked her to let me go, and she said, “OK.” I got a goodbye kiss and promised to be back on Sunday afternoon. I asked Anassa to check on her after setting up the crash pad and gate and putting on M.A.S.H. for Susie. Anassa planned to move Susie to the living room and keep talking to her to keep her company. I called back later and spoke to Susie on the phone, and she was OK and still watching M.A.S.H. Apparently, Susie slept the afternoon away. I learned that Louis, the afternoon and dinner nursing aide, made Susie’s favorite for dinner: meat (Salisbury Steak) with mashed potatoes and gravy. Remember, Susie has to have everything in a blender. So mashed with gravy is always good, and Salisbury Steak still tastes good even when chopped up. So, despite the drama, Susie had a good day–all I could ask for.

Before taking Air Volvo without incident to Susie’s place, I was home writing a 2200-word blog. Friday was busy, but I also felt the need to write. I woke, well rested and wide awake at 6AM (?!), and then wrote through the morning. I had leftover meatballs and bananas for breakfast with liberal coffee. I also made a few changes in my Dungeons and Dragon adventure I am playing with Corwin on Friday (Kathleen may also join us in Guardian Games or somewhere else in Portland).

And that takes us to the end (or beginning) or Saturday. Thanks for reading.

 

 

I am writing Friday’s story on Saturday morning. When it was Friday, I had a few beers and was already a bit tired, so I was dead asleep by 10 something, which meant I was wide awake at 5:30AM. I do not sleep more than 7 1/2 hours, period. I am a working fool–I would instead write a blog, write a Dungeons and Dragaon adventure, write an easy, build a model, paint figures, play a board game, or anything except sleep away time. Time is all you have, and I want to use every moment. It is also what drives this blog; I am unwilling to forget this valuable thing, what I spent my time on.

Turning back my memory to Friday, I, as usual on Friday, working from home, waking at 7 and deciding that 7:30 would be better. I started thus thirty minutes later and had only enough time to make breakfast–just a banana and liberal coffee–and then sit down in front of my Nike laptop (you are where your laptop is) and start my work day. I was out on paid time off on Thursday (Thursday, I was exhausted and showing signs of flu or just bad allergies, and took the day off to rest), so my reentry, as we used to say, was rough. I had a pile of emails that I had to understand (usually, there is a complex trail, and soon, I learned I was not yet needed to review anything). I also checked the Slack channel to see if any messages need to be actioned. Nope.

My first meeting was the weekly Zoom meeting with my team for master data, and today, we were continuing to review how some of Nike’s data works. Details cannot be here. It was a great discussion; I shared some of my knowledge from years working on SAP software for Nike, especially in data and the data needs for international trade.

The work day went on as usual for Friday, and I had a few more hours of Zoom meetings. I slipped out of the meetings at 10ish, showered, and dressed. It was a quiet Friday as the next big build practice is at midnight Sunday (12:30 afternoon in India, IST) PDT, and pre-meetings on Sunday morning PDT.

I received news Bishop Minerva Carcaño, our former district superintendent, was acquitted in her Methodist trial. I wrote her a card, converting an An Oregon Christmas into a congrats card. I signed it for Susie and me. We in the West were shocked that during the pandemic, we heard that she was suspended on charges–we all knew her (she is the kind of person who owns the room when she walks in). The charges seemed minor to suspend a Bishop and were related to personnel and smallish money items (this was not a sex case); we learned this only during last week’s trial. Having worked directly with Minerva, she has a strong personality and can be pushy, and I can see how she could upset people. But to suspend her for two years and then do a trial is too much.

Aside: I used to work with Minerva on what is often called the Oregon Methodist Bank. While clearly wanting her own way, Minerva listened and was respectful to others. I remember voting against a loan she backed; she got her way, but I did not think she was wrong, and it was not risky. I disagreed with supporting a church that was not paying apportionments. The pastors and DS voted yes, while we finance guys grumbled; we know it was an outreach. I check the Conference Journal occasionally, and the new congregation in their new building still struggles to pay apportionments, but the congregation is functioning. Thus, I would conclude we were both right. I like the Bishop, and if they move her, I hope she returns to us–but the American Southwest is closer to her heart.

Leaving Methodist stuff and returning to the narrative, I made a lunch of reheated gnocchi I made the previous day. I had that with some buttered bread. I watched ShipHappen on YouTube as they continued to fix their boat. I also found plans for building a model of a Gearing class destroyer. I might build a model of Dad Wild’s ship, DD-840 (I think). I need details as I don’t know this destroyer class (it was eclipsed by the WW2 Fletcher class and Destroyer Escorts, which fought in all the important battles), so there is less modeling information on what became an early Cold War ship class. They were only replaced in the 1970s! I have to have Linda Frankovich (nee Wild and my sister) send me a picture of the picture of Dad’s ship we have.

After missing sending someone for a month, the bug people finally arrived. Jason, the bug guy, told me he saw only a few spiders, and I pointed out the considerable increase in wasps this year. The wasps eat the spiders. He was unsure which he disliked more.

Chris, next door, said hello while we kept our distance. She was facing her first COVID-19 infection, and her little girl, Harper (not infected), was with grandma while Chris fought to get better. She caught the infection at work; she worked for Nike like me, and said the company was being swept by COVID-19. She has kept her smell and taste and is not showing the depression some folks are getting. She explained that the loss of smell and taste causes or includes depression, a version of long-term COVID-19. She was happy she had a pizza delivered, her first food in days. I offered, from a distance, any help she needed. Lucky for us Nike folks, our company gives us 40 hours of time off just for COVID-19, and our co-workers will help as needed. Many folks do not get this kind of support. Please pray (or send happy thoughts) to folks suffering in this new breakout.

My rose, Mister Lincoln, looked exquisite, and I had to include a picture.

After taking a break and checking I was not needed, I headed to the hummingbird house after 1PM. I wanted to get there after the clear skies and sun had warmed up the park. The traffic was light as I was between the morning and lunch traffic and the soon-to-be after-school crazy driving. I soon arrived, without incident, at Susie’s place at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was in her recliner, napping, in the shared living room. I had stopped at Safeway to get some flowers. I used the self-check as I had two bouquets of flowers, but I did see that Safeway at least had two human checkers available today, and there were no long lines. I hate to go there now as I hate to stand in line for ten minutes to reach a human checker. Maybe Safeway wants customers after all. Hmmm.

Susie was happy to see me and the flowers. I have not seen her since Monday as I was exposed to COVID-19 (negative tests), and then Susie was in partial lockdown for cold and flu at the hummingbird house. Jennifer explained that Susie is down to 67.2 pounds, having lost 2.8 pounds in the last two weeks (4% of her remaining body mass!). We will try to get more caloric foods, but we are already pushing protein Ensure, and Susie has been eating well.  She had already eaten most of Leta’s (her mother) supplied no-bake cookies I brought back from Michigan!

We headed out to the park next door, Metzger Park. Luke, the park manager, was pulling out more plantings. We asked what was happening. He explained that the park is being replanted with more sustainable and less maintenance plants. While digging up some more items being replaced, Luke discovered a cedar tree germinating in the garden, put it in a bucket, and sent it away with me. He learned that my Dawn Redwood had failed to survive the hot days and sent the cedar with me to try again. “Fall is a better time to plant trees,” he suggested. Smiling, “Maybe you can keep this one alive,” he told me. Susie laughed. The cedar is outside the house, waiting for me to plant it.

Susie and I enjoyed the high 70s (25C+) and found a sunny bench. As we ran later, the sun was no longer in Susie’s eyes. It is the last day of summer 2023. We called Leta and Barb (Susie’s sister) on the iPhone using FaceTime to do a three-way call, but Barb was not available (doing yoga class, we understand). Leta and Susie had a friendly chat. Luke, who was digging nearby, said hello to Leta. We learned in the call that Leta is enjoying the bird using her deck with a new bird feeder (squirrel proof) and bird bath (and apparently squirrel drinking area). These are attached to the railing on her new deck. After the call, we did our usual loop and met Luke at the maintenance building at the park, and he gave me my new cedar tree in a bucket. Excellent.

I could not stay and saw I was being searched for, so Air Volvo soon had me directly back to the Volvo Cave and the home office. I had to read some designs and approve them. I had other pressing items that I reviewed and acted upon. Soon, as has on Fridays, the day quieted.

I printed out two old Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) adventures I wrote in 2023 and another one from 2004 and in the now defunct 4E version of D&D. I arranged to have dinner with Corwin, who was not busy tonight. I picked him up at 5PM and ended up at The 649. The crowd on a Friday was filled with twenty-somethings that resembled the models collected for background on a bar scene on your favorite cable series. The bartenders were lovely, with two guys and a gal who all seemed to have walked out of a magazine ad for some beauty product.

Before joining the beautiful people of The 649 (during the day, the bar is a mix of age groups and does not have this over-the-top vibe of the 1980s sitcom bar), we ate Mexican food and had a large beer with a full plate of Mexican food. Corwin was not surprised when the staff knew me at Tapatio: Mexican Restaurant. I had my usual chile relleno and a chicken enchilada. Corwin had a giant burrito.

Returning to the story at The 649. Another smaller beer, and Corwin and I talked about D&D. I wrote the one adventure thinking of him, yet he never got a chance to play it. I offered my hard copy to Corwin, titled “When Your Heart’s Desire is Offered,” or he could play it. We agreed to try to play it somewhere with him next Friday, playing a party of four adventurers (I might find some players–but it is also good to try it against one player). I have some corrections to make after the first play in my usual gaming group for D&D (they are maddeningly efficient). I underestimated the firepower of a 5E six-person party of adventurers. I also overpowered the final encounter–the last creature had too many hit points. There are the usual first draft wooden language and typos. All easy fixes.

I also brought something else: my first self-published and 4E D&D adventure (here is my Amazon entry), “Finding a Broken Sword.” It was also our first 4E play, showing some of the 4E issues that eventually had 4E being abandoned. I offered this to Corwin to help rewrite it as a 5E adventure and republish it. I had started on the conversion already. Also, I have developed a new format for 5E in my new adventure. I can, with care, copy the 4E text into the 5E format. Corwin will read the 4E, maybe draw some maps, and see if we can make this a revision and self-publish in Drive-Thru-RPG, the new place to self-publish. I am willing to share credit with Corwin on this one and any spoils (last time, I got about twenty bucks).

Next, Corwin was happy to play his favorite game, Vindication, which I have in Air Volvo’s cargo hold. Corwin claims I have never beaten him, possibly, but that night, the beer, food, and the distracting clientele put Corwin at a disadvantage. Also, I have played a lot of Vindication lately, and Corwin faced an eight-point loss. His last gasp to get monster cards with huge points stopped it from being a route. He did get his only companion slain by his last monster card (-3 points).

We had some more food and then left after 9ish, with Corwin taking the hard copy of “Finding a Broken Sword” with him and my newest Swords & Wizards copy. This is a D&D 1E rewrite of the rules, but they also published a solo and starter adventure. S&W just did a Kickstarter to get their rules and, interestingly, an open license to use the material–they want to succeed. I am not interested in 1E gaming, but Corwin likes this stuff.

After dropping Corwin off at his house, I finished the laundry, made the bed (once the sheets were dry), and then used it. I was, as I said at the start, tired and sleepy.

Thanks for reading this too-long blog.

 

 

I took the day off from work as I was feeling strange and tired all the time. I managed to sleep in just an hour to 8something. I had just a banana for breakfast with liberal coffee made in my French Press. I was still out of sorts and could not decide what to do. I read a lot of news and looked at polls for the next presidential election. This is a non-political blog, so I will comment only on a few things. First, someone ran a poll on VP Harris as a replacement for Biden, which got some interesting results (but not happy for us liberals). I also saw that Biden still seems to have Michigan locked in–someone ran a Michigan-only poll, which I am sure will not be believed by my friends in Michigan, but it was interesting. It is too early to look at these except to see how things change as we get closer to the election.

After reading, getting my Quicken updated (I track every buck), and not logging on to work, I showered, dressed, and headed out. I took Air Volvo to the dry cleaners and picked up my suit. I planned to wear my new suits for the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and had the one I took to Michigan cleaned. I am also having some of my dress shirts pressed, and I have a new Homburg hat.

But, before I could head out, the Volvo fob was failing. Thus, I have to take it apart and replace the battery. I do one at a time and ensure that the fixed one works before taking the second one apart. I have two, and they fail at about the same time.

Next, which is unusual for me, I stopped by Beaverton’s Stranger Things comic book store and bought two issues. I got one Sandman special issue–which looked interesting. I enjoyed it and might get the next one. I also got Murder by Mail, which looks like a solve the murder file presented in comic book form. I will get to that soon.

I was going to get Teriyaki to go, but Aloha Teriyaki was gone. I hope they retired, and it was a happy ending as they were here as long as we have been. It was one of Susie’s favs. Instead, I stopped by the Chinese place and had Almond Chicken (average–but I saw everyone else was eating the noodles–hmmm) and read my Sandman comic (it was really good, as I said). I got a text that Susie was ready, and I paid and rushed home.

I got to the office and called Susie on Alexa using the video device. This is plan ‘B’ when I shouldn’t or could not visit. The hummingbird house is partially locked down for flu and colds. As I was not feeling myself, it was best to respect the lockdown today. Thus, Susie and I saw each other on a video call that Jennifer, the nurse aide for the weekdays, arranged. We had a lovely short chat. Later, Leta, Susie’s mother, could also do a video call. I carried an Alexa to Michigan, and Barb (her daughter) and I got it working. I used it to call Leta later on Thursday. Leta likes it as it shows Oregon time and weather.

After that, I read the rest of The Shortest History of the Soviet Union, concluding with a description of Putin with some of Putin’s interesting quotes and the author’s thoughts on Putin. An excellent book.

Next, I cleaned up the deck and recycled metal items from Corwin’s metalworking. They were rusted and abandoned, and I was tired of the mess. I found a few things, not ruined; I put them back in the garage and emptied a huge glass jug. I will put that in the garage when it dries out. I was happy to see things back to usable again.

Aside: That feeling of being out of control or trying to find my way in my nightmares is related to these messes. I feel much better now. One more thing is done.

I made tacos for dinner and watched more LOTR extended version, The Return of the King. There are a few good lines in this movie and book. The hobbits eating and drinking after the cleansing of Saruman’s fortress is one of my favorite in the book and the movie. The book version is better, but it is still great in the film.

I try to fix a mason jar with blinking lights–like fireflies at night, but it is gone. I ordered replacements.

I did some more junk tossing and then headed to Wildwood Taphouse to write. It was almost too loud tonight, and I could only find a spot on the bar to write, but it was the break I wanted. I wrote there.

Violet Blue, an Intenet personality and a friend, sent me back thanks for the birthday gift.

I ordered my stuff from the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and hope my 500 words made it to at least the publication this year. I won two years ago and hoped this one was good. We will not remember last year’s failures.

I plan to work from home tomorrow, as usual, for a Friday; I will visit Susie in the afternoon, visit the park, and then return to the Volvo Cave (I will not stay as they are still locked down). BYW, Linda, and Jessi are back in Michigan after an enjoyable visit to the Pacific Northwest.

Thanks for reading.

 

It has been a hard day, but my luck has held, and I have a negative COVID-19 test. Yay!

But, at Susie’s place, the Alliegence hummingbird house, they are partially locked down as the residents are coughing and showing cold or flu symptoms. Susie, specifically, is exhausted and sneezing all the time. I am having muscle aches, exhaustion, and sneezing too. Pooh! Today has been a struggle to focus and do the usual stuff while working from home.

The day started with me climbing out of bed, which took five minutes; oh my! I filled the electric kettle with water and turned it on. I boarded the Immobile Schwinn bike and could only do fifteen minutes and 3.3 miles. I am trying to get back to thirty minutes. All day, I was struggling–likely a cold or light flu.

I composed a breakfast of a cinnamon roll I made last night. I used the hot water to make coffee in my French Press: Liberal Coffee. I consumed this bounty while reading my emails, Slack channel updates from work, and the news. I started my usual battery of hours of Zoom status meetings that paused at 9ish. I then slipped out of the home office and got a shower. I am still trying to get used to the new shower head and only once washed the bathroom floor! After being presentable, I had more Zoom meetings and even used the camera.

I made lunch early as the sugar high, not a good thing for a diabetic, faded, and I was hungry. I reheated the Swedish meatball I made yesterday, got an apple (store-bought), and cottage cheese (small curd) with pepper, sea salt, and smoked paprika. I added a spoonful of the lingenberry jam to go with the meatballs. Quite nice and soon gone as I was hungry.

While eating, I watched some YouTube stuff on board games and shipwrecks and tried to wake up. I was drinking a lot of hot tea, and I was just dragging. Next, I called Susie on Alexa and talked for a bit. They are partially locked down, not from COVID-19, but from flu and cold–everyone is coughing or sneezing.

I read some more work stuff and sent out some questions and requests. I finally stopped about 4PM but checked in a few times (and have a 10PM meeting tonight).

For dinner, I boiled some gnocchi that was starting to age and heated a jar of pasta sauce. While inexpensive, the product is qulovelynice (I left that in as it was funny–Grammarly sometimes gets mixed up with the WordPress editor), more like freshly made. I drained the gnocchi and just mixed the two. I then got some Parmigiano–Reggiano cheese and broke off bits with a knife (I occasionally buy a piece at Whole Foods). That was dinner with buttered bread. It was excellent, and I was very hungry (also a sign that I was ill). I continued my rewatching of the extended version of the LOTR movies. Peter Jackson’s The Two Towers has the nearly perfect mix of tension and laughs. Peter is even in the film at Helm’s Deep throwing a javelin.

I decided to finally write this blog and take tomorrow off to try to eliminate this exhaustion.

I also have been reading The Shortest History of the Soviet Union, and I strongly recommend this book. It is so condensed it never feels boring or slow going. It is good to review all of this to get my memories checked.

I also had a snack of, yes, more cinnamon rolls.

Thanks for reading.

Today was my first day isolating as I was exposed by a friend who did not know he had COVID-19. I started the day at 7AM and was up and moving–still tired and, I must admit, totally stressed out when thinking about catching the virus–I have never had it. I put in 16 minutes on the Immobile Schwinn bikes–it was tough to make it even that far. I am again starting over and trying to get back to thirty minutes. I listened to CNN news on Alexa while peddling. Next, I made a bagel with cream cheese and had an apple (purchased) for breakfast. I had that while reading emails, Slack channel updates, and Internet news. I like to be ready for the day.

I spent the morning in status meetings and updates. I also had to make some medical calls for Susie–her cardiologist needs to see her. Susie is on difficult blood thinners, and we have to do labs and check every six months. Time again. I also order groceries to be delivered in the evening. I am running out of paper products and some other useful things. So the morning was chaotic, and again, I was tired and not running on all my cylinders anyway. “Is that COVID-19 or allergies,” with every sneeze and cough. So far, yes, no real symptoms. I test again in the late afternoon on Wednesday.

I decided on a nice lunch. I got the IKEA Swedish meatballs out, instant mashed potatoes, and frozen green beans. I got every made and watched the new videos from Battleship New Jersey’s YouTube channel. I did not know that another more scientific group has dived on the Battle of Midway Wrecks. I watched footage on the famous ships and leaved from the Battleship New Jersey channel what surprises they had. The spotted last minutes changes in Yorktown that were not known, “All the models you built are wrong,” said the curator for USS New Jersey. He was excited to explain all the new findings. I then watched some of it and it was a science based expedition and they were trying to scan the whole wrecks to help historians and scientist study the wrecks in detail later. Excellent. Also the IJN Akagi has never been been seen on the bottom before, so that was even more exicitn for us warship geeks!

I called Susie on Alexa video so we could see each other. She was happy we could at least talk and see each other.

After that, I continued on working from home. It was a bit of a quiet day. I was able to get some more information on my project and my boss sent out some items.

After work, still waiting for my groceries to arrive, I made special cinimon rolls from a King Arthur Flour recipe. It uses an Asian technique to soften the dough, a Tangzhong. This is flour cooked in milk. I made the dough and let it rise for 90 minutes, assemble the rolls, cut with dental floss (it works perfect), and then let rise again, before baking. I glaze them when warm. So good.

Dinner was a salad I put together with some ham and cheese. After the large lunch and the rolls coming, I thought a salad would be best.

Well it is a short blog of mostly waiting and listening. Thanks for reading.