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The morning started early, with me awake at 6:15 and writing the blog. I had just toast with smooth Jiffy peanut butter (the only kind Susie likes). I drank most of the liberal coffee this morning. I needed a bit of caffeine to get going. I also did some of my exercises and stretches. It is Sunday, and Susie may want to attend church today, so I have to be ready to do all the lifts. I also bring my computer and equipment in case we watch the service at hummingbird house.

As I am writing Saturday’s blog, the sun (well, we assume there is still a sun during the winter months, but we have little proof other than the regularity of night and day) rose, and I could see the enormous puddle in the backyard. It rained a bit last night. The wind was whipping the trees, and the little lake had little white caps. An ordinary January day here in the Pacific Northwest.

After the blog, I showered and dressed in my church clothing. A blue (or white) shirt, buttondown collar, oxford cloth (old school 1980s look, L.L. Bean biz shirt), nearly wrinkle-free (permanent press pulled from the dryer while still hot, placed on a hanger, and let cool–auto irons itself) plus banker tie (usually I go with something like Pride, Mandelbrot, or Elephants from India, but today banker). Blue sweater over it all. No suit coat.

I managed to leave on time, but the USA flag was twisted into the gutter. Can’t leave it that way. I pull, and the flag holder breaks, and I am covered in a wet flag. Beyond eye-roll! I collect the flag, hang it inside to dry, and put the broken post and post holder near the entrance to fix or dispose of when I have time. The damage shows that the screw to hold the top of the post holder was in rotted wood, and only the bottom was still holding. The metal post holder broke at the bottom screw where the stress would be from holding the flag with only the bottom screws. Crazy!

After that mess, I boarded Air Volvo and drove the wet and puddle-filled streets to reach Susie at the hummingbird house. I was splashing along without incident. However, I did see someone do a U-turn and nearly hit a bike in the bike lane. It was a damp day to ride, but worse with cars cutting into the bike lane!

I parked Air Volvo, and Susie was waiting. Anassa, the nurse aide for today, helped me get Susie ready. Susie was ready and in her heavy leather coat, matching hat, and scarf. I loaded Susie without issue (I am used to her being unable to help) and loaded the wheelchair in the cargo hold. Air Volvo had a short trip to First United Methodist, Beaverton.

The rain mainly was mist, but the wind was the cold mountain winds we get. The winds are from the east and come from the cold heavy air traveling east to west from the high desert to the valley. It pours down the Columbia Gorge and blasts over the low hills into the valley. It can be ten degrees colder than the ambient air!

Susie shivered as we de-Volvo’d and rushed to the church. We managed to get there just as the service, 10:30, started. Howard, the Music Director, was playing lovely songs on the organ. Susie was unstable and leaning to the right in the wheelchair (the stoke-involved side), so I moved her to the tables in the back. She was able to sit up with the tables and did better.

Dondrea gave the sermon, one of her best; so good that here is a link: 15Jan2023FUMCB. The sermon’s basis is the Centurian’s story in Matthew’s gospel. A Roman is given a miracle, and Jesus comments that he has never found such faith. Dondrea compares this to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s seeing an ally in an old southern President Lyndon Bain Johnson (LBJ to most Americans). LBJ drove the Voting Act, which began the disassembling of Jim Crow in the south USA, indeed, an unexpected partner. You can find LBJ’s words. Here is a bit of another speech, which is old-fashioned for today’s tastes: Speech.

“The time of justice has now come. I tell you that I sincerely believe that no force can hold it back. It is right in the eyes of man and God that it should come. And when it does, I think that day will brighten the lives of every American.” –LBJ 1965

Our first hymn was my favorite; here is Lift Every Voice and Sing. We also sang We Will Overcome, also the name of the LBJ speech.

We enjoyed some donuts and coffee after the service. Susie does not get donuts often (today, tiny bites). Next, I loaded Susie back into Air Volvo without incident. Susie was leaning so much to the right that I had to pull her out of her chair like a doll, but we managed without pinching or other painful mistakes. I use a moving belt over Susie’s coat to give me a purchase. I keep the belt in Air Volvo’s storage.

We returned, and I popped Susie out. The wind was a bit harsh. I had Susie’s coat unzipped to stop her from overheating in church, leaving her exposed to the wind. I rushed and got Susie back into the comfort of the hummingbird house without incident.

Susie was soon comfortable in her rocking chair in her room, and we watched the season finish of the Disney+ show Willow. The show was well done, and I liked the ending. A mix of too much sweetness but with a slightly bitter twist at the end. The special effects were Star Wars meets Swords and Sorcery. There are teenage love interests and everyone, but Willow seems to be squeezed into apparel that would fit a drawn comic book image showing every line and curve. No flowing robes here, but still an interesting story.

Susie was exhausted and slept through the slower parts of the episode. We called her mother, Leta, a bit late–after the show, but they still had a friendly chat. Susie headed next to lunch and a nap. I left with a kiss.

I stopped by a Mexican place and had average food. It took forty minutes to get lunch, so I will not name the business. It is closer to Susie. Next time I will travel back to Aloha.

I then rested a bit, read, and finally headed to Wildwood Taphouse to write this blog. It is about two hours of work tonight.

Thanks for reading.

I am writing Saturday’s story on Sunday morning. I had some vivid dreams and was wide awake at 6AM, so I started early. The dreams were about work, so I will not detail them here. I will carefully consider the contents of my dreams last night as the dreams are an opening to my true feelings. Often the predictions in the dreams come true, not magic; it is just my subconscious picking up on political currents at work and informing me through my dreams. I prefer the strange dreams to the screaming nightmares of chemotherapy or the crying sadness of dreams of personal loss. Nice to have a peculiar but positive dream.

Sorry, I forgot to take any photos on Saturday.

Going backward, I was back at the Volvo Cave, and the trip back from Portland was on wet roads with deep puddles and some local flooding. The roadways were not full of water, but they had been. The rains are here in the Pacific Northwest, and they will continue until June or July. I read and did laundry and the dishes and finally went to bed a bit early. I had trouble sleeping as I had a good couple of days and did not want the day to end.

I finished The Last Magician, and I liked the book. I thought it ended well and would recommend it. I still think the author has failed to make the characters as sympathetic as I like, and I am not a fan of dystopian stories, but this one works for me. I purchased the next book in the series (there are four) on my kindle. Thanks, Smiths (plus Jason), for the first in the series.

Moving backward, before this, I was at The Lucky Labrador Hawthorn playing board games with Evan at one of their slightly worn tables with heavy wooden chairs. A few other tables were also busy playing games. I also took questions about the games we played: Vindication and The Architects of the West Kingdom.

I had a rice-based beer and then a Scottish Holiday dark beer. Evan and I split a Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato (BLT) sandwich on traditional toasted bread with mayo (BLTs are usually excellent and are often the cheapest thing on the menu–the bartender recommended it). Later, at 7sih, we shared a pizza that was burning with spices that Evan selected (I told him to order what he wanted). The pizza was average, slightly undercooked with too much cheese, and I miss the wood flavor in the crust of wood-fired places. Still not terrible.

As for gaming, Vindication went sideways. Our first game hit the random end-game, with Evan claiming land so fast that he just won. We thought that was a waste and will consider a house rule requiring a longer game. The next game I miss played, a companion I had was unclear and gave me a stupidly good advantage. I re-read the card and asked Evan, and we both saw that I had misplayed; I surrendered that game (I was far ahead from the wrong play). We tried again, and I won that one, but again I tripped the end-of-game without even realizing it. Evan was in the middle of his plans, and I was lucky to win. We need to be more careful playing Vindication; we have so many plays that we get careless–Some of the new stuff coming from the newest Kickstarter for the game should be here next month (I hope) and will provide some game flow devices for the players to avoid some of the issues.

Vindication is a favorite and was designed here in the greater Portland area. I know the designer. It is a positive game about redemption and exploring that is beautifully implemented. It is a resource and worker placement game but with unique processes. Your character is a scumbag that needs to find companions and explore the island. There you find the resources to become vindicated and a better person. You may collect more companions and relics, fight monsters for honor, develop beneficial traits (Evan’s favorite), and become the owner of your favorite places. It is fun and very positive.

We managed one game of The Architects of the West Kingdom. Evan beat me by a whopping ten points. He schooled me on the fact that I was building cheap buildings, and in a two-person game, collecting resources is about the same for more expensive (and more victory points) buildings–I had drawn, at random, cheaper buildings. We built about the same number of buildings, with me building one great work building, and the scores on everything else were +/- nearly even, except victory points for buildings. The game ended with Evan and me down to our last two meeples!

Architects is a resource management and worker placement game. It uses a straightforward turn structure and complex options that make it easy to play, easy to learn, and challenging to master. I like games like this. Vindication is in the same style. Architects has more player interaction with the ability to arrest other players’ workers and sell them into prison for money.

We are playing the final version of Architects after the last updates from Kickstarter with all the moving parts. I also have most, maybe all, of the promo cards. Evan used one of those to clear his debts just before the game ended; the King Dan apprentice card is available at conventions and from the game’s New Zealand website (shipping was high, so I got multiple and gave them away as gifts).

Before this, I was at Susie’s from noonish to 2:30, watching episodes of Willow on Disney+. Susie was in her rocking chair in her room at the hummingbird house with me, watching her TV. Susie has a TV and all the cable we have at the house set up in her room. My account Alexa (renamed Echo) device, is also there. Susie can watch her favorite shows on Prime, Netflix, Disney+, and steamy HBOMax. Disney+ gets the most use. She can play music and get news from Echo.

Susie enjoyed the company and her chair with a Karen Wilson-made quilt (in Mardi Gras colors), keeping her comfy (Karen is the Treasurer of our church and very handy). Susie slept through the story-building sections (boring) and enjoyed the action scenes. This is a Lucas series with all the special effects and vistas of the incredible Star Wars shows; it is sort of like Star Wars goes Swords and Sorcery without the baggage of Tolkien or the Skywalker family; I enjoyed it.

We called Leta, Susie’s mother, between the episodes (they are almost an hour long each!). She and Susie had a friendly long chat about Leta’s day. Susie is always delighted to see her mother on my iPhone using FaceTime.

After a couple episodes, Susie was sleepy and hungry. We had skipped lunch so far; Anassa, the weekend nursing aide, was ready to help and get Susie lunch. I gave Susie a kiss goodbye, and Susie was headed to some soup and rest. Anassa will have Susie prepared for church at 10AM on Sunday.

Before this, I was up a bit late but refused to rush. I wrote the blog with toast and coffee for breakfast. I skipped my exercises as I was stiff, and my back ached a bit. I was in Air Volvo at about 11:30 and headed to Susie’s place.

Switching gears, David Wesley has done a new video and since it is Sunday, let me put the link here: The Goodness of God. While I don’t support David Wesley on Patron, I subscribe to his channel as he does fantastic work.

Thank you for reading!

I am writing this on Saturday morning with a desire to not rush these next four days. It is MLK on Monday, and Susie has a doc virtual visit on Tuesday, so I took that day off too. I will try to do a bit of rest and recovery these days. No rushing.

Friday began with not rushing and getting up at the last moment for Zoom meetings. I managed to get up in time to make coffee. Friday, often declared a meeting-free day at the shoe company, is seldom that. Our weekly staff meeting is held at the end of the week for India. Always a pleasant meeting, as the master data engineering team is a great bunch of folks. More status meetings follow.

By 10ish, I was through most of the meetings, but a few crises of the moment kept me busy. I slipped in some breakfast of toast, and of course, the coffee was liberal and made in my French press. I was busy until I needed to get a shower and dress.

I was in Air Volvo by 11ish, and soon, the traffic was none too heavy to quickly reach the hummingbird house. The roads were damp but not flooded; the rivers of rain were south in California. The puddles around the Volvo Cave have dried or emptied. The now-cleaned gutters are making guttering sounds and gargling all day and night. I think I miss the sound-deadening gunk and leaves! Driving was easy and safe today.

Susie was delighted to see me and was sitting in her recliner in the shared space, watching Judge Judy. She was dressed in her new Lunar New Year t-shirt with Bugs Bunny to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit. We called Susie’s mother, Leta, using my iPhone and using FaceTime so they could see each other. Leta shared what her day was like and her plans for the day. Susie responded here and there. I filled in a few details here and there. Soon my twenty minutes (twenty minutes to get there, twenty minutes to be present for Susie, and twenty minutes to home/work–A total of one hour) were gone, and I had to leave (I had stayed a bit longer actually–when Susie is feeling awake, like today, I take a few more minutes). Susie was sad to have me leave, but it was Friday, and she was happy to hear that we had a four-day weekend yet to come.

I stopped by Tammy’s Hobbies on the way back and got a few items. I bought from their wooden shipbuilding section (shrinking, I am afraid) and found a tiny ship wheel, wooden granting, and a few other small items I might need. In addition, I saw purple Dork metallic paint and a metal paint that suggests it will look like natural brass and can be polished. I need all the things for my Spelljammer ships that I am decorating; I want them to be more a model and less a generic role-playing terrain item.

I returned home, reheated the tamales I had purchased from a gal for dinner, and continued working on a few crises. I was up to midnight with work items in India, helping folks there with a presentation the night before, and I was starting to drag. I managed to keep going until about 4PM and then closed the laptop. I have a few more meetings with India planned over the holiday–They don’t do MLK day in India.

I read for a bit; The Last Magician has reached the page-turning last hundred pages. The book has improved. I find the characters less sympathetic, and their relationships are troubled. It is just hard to love them. However, the book is well-written, and the story flows well. It is in the first person switching between two characters’ perspectives, and I like that style. I recommend it to folks like me who enjoy time travel, old New York City, and steampunk with magic. I will be reading the next one. I am at the final pages; I had to stop reading at 1:30 this morning!

I returned to my model work. I painted the round power band (?!) for the spacejammer metallic purple (more silver than purple), having to apply four coats to get the look (I wanted it more purple, but that did not work out–I have had mixed results with Dork Metalic paints so far). I then splattered the ring with green, blue, and purple to make it look more magical. I abandoned the electronics for this model as there is no place to hide the batteries.

I created a steering wheel station and gratings and replaced the levers with tiny stick shifts. I pinned the steering wheel complex to the deck and then glued the grating next to it and the shifts. I have small and expensive premade tiny buckets that are too large for a 28mm Dungeons and Dragons scale; I remade one into a windless for the anchor. I glued an anchor I bought together, wrapped the windless (a capstan, actually), and then carefully drilled a hole in the deck and put a metal porthole in the hole to make it look neat. I threaded the scale hemp rope and finished with the anchor hanging just below the front (bow) of the spelljammer. It looked good (except I wrapped one loop of the anchor rope around the push bar for the windless–It is too late to fix it).

I had painted the exposed laser inscribed (to make it look like boards) deck with a clear finish. Next, I painted the bird-like figurehead brass with the new paint adding a strip of wood to make it look like a ram bolted on. I used Pine dye on the rest of the exposed wood of the ship and painted the base black after priming it.

I read some more and could not sleep. India contacted me and canceled the call tonight. Mariah turned me down for dinner, and I made a chef’s salad. Mariah rethought that, but I was already eating. I watched the Buzz Lightyear movie. I laughed and even cried, so I would recommend it, but I thought some of it was contrived for kids, and the story seemed forced a few times; I still laughed and cried, so it must be good.

I read more and could not sleep. I drilled the model as described for the anchor. The mast is going to be a clear plastic rod. I had hand-drilled tiny holes in the material with a pin vise hole. Brass deadeyes for attaching rigging to the mast. Unlike wood, this stuff is hard and takes pressure and time.

I knocked over my tiny drill bit collection that spilled on the carpeted floor. I think I recovered all the carbon drills. Just a terrible, sharp, miniature mess. I broke a bowl today. Putting Utterly Smooth on your hands (and toes) every day means dropping things. I have dropped everything at least once today, including the whole spacejammer.

The mast hole with a power drill had the drill lock and spin the model. I managed to extract the drill without too much damage. However, the mast hole will need a bit of clean-up once I have the mast glued in. I was going to do it but decided that 1AM was not the time to do the risky and must-be-prefect attachment for the model.

I finally went to sleep before 2AM, satisfied and enjoying my model building. I forgot how much I love to work with my hands. Wood is also a different experience than plastic, brass, and figure painting. It seems more alive and working with you (plastic always feels like it is resisting). Rope, I hate it, but I try to make it work. I just need more practice with it, but rigging makes a model look more authentic.

Thank you for reading.

The morning started as the usual rush at 6AM, and I was up late writing a blog and reading, so it seemed that 6AM was only a few minutes from when I closed my eyes. Mourning sleep by passing through all the phases of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, and final acceptance) in just a few moments, I raised much like Bela Lugosi and started my day.

I made it to the kitchen, started the coffee water, and made toast. I then did all my stretches and exercises and could have closed my eyes (they are done chiefly lying down) and could have found myself dreaming of going to work. But, no, I completed the work and made coffee. I used the liberal Equal Trade Brand packed in Portland in my French Press. I used an extra large cup!

Returning to my in-home office and reading emails, Slack messages, and my personal email. I got caught up with what was happening and even approved some messaging for one computer system undergoing a data correction. I read the news to understand what is happening. Finally, I head to shower to get ready.

I exit the Volvo Cave and board Air Volvo by 8:30 and make it to work at about 7:45. I beat the school buses, and the traffic was unusually light near Nike World Headquarters. MLK day is Monday, so we might have more many folks doing an extended weekend–Thursday traffic is usually awful in the USA.

My first meeting is at 8:30, so I have some time to read more news, and there are more details on crises of the moment I dealt with yesterday to familiarize myself with. After that, I read emails, new ones, and Slack messages until the Zoom meetings start, three hours with just a short break.

The status and information-sharing meetings go on until 10ish. I have many queries about the crises of the moment and admit I paid less than my usual careful attention to the Zoom discussion. On the other hand, I hate to be that guy who has to ask them to repeat the question, so I try to follow along. Today I was multi-tasking but was not called out of the status meetings. Just lucky today.

I picked up more to-dos and spent the morning and afternoon covering those items. I drove to the Nike World Headquarters and parked in the New York City garage (it even has bagels worked into the artwork in the elevators. I always park on the 4th floor and take the elevator down. I then walk for fifteen minutes across campus to the Serena Williams building. There is an excellent cafeteria on the first floor, and I meet Scott to chat about software. We have a wonderful working lunch–both getting a salad from the salad bar. Unlike the traffic and parking, the cafe is packed, and we have to share our table. My Covid-19 defense trip is as I sit next to strangers, and it is hard for me to keep eating and talking. We managed to have a nice lunch and chat, but I was a bit uneasy.

I walked back; the walk was somehow uphill both ways (Nike magic). Air Volvo takes the ramp out of the parking garage (when you drive it, it looks like a giant skateboard park opportunity–too bad there are speed bumps) and drives to the hummingbird house. Susie is now (I am later than usual) having a small lunch. I wait, but I have only a limited time. Once Susie is done, we manage to call Susie’s mother, Leta, in the social activity room. We chat for a while, but time, seems to fly away like the hummingbirds the house is named after, and I have to leave. Susie is visibly upset as my visit seems to have just started, but she recovers and lets me leave with a kiss and a smile. M.A.S.H is on the TV in the shared space, and Susie loves that show–Hawkeye and the cast will keep company this afternoon. Leaving is hard, but I must return to the office.

I finish the day about 5ish after getting a coffee from the barista on the first floor to make it those last hours. I am dragging a bit. Before heading out, we review some progress on performance issues that are becoming critical. I am, like years ago, working on performance issues on new SAP systems–seems so 1990s. But, the solution is one I have done before.

Traffic to the Volvo Cave is light, and I take the regular path without incident or construction issues. I have tamales for dinner warmed up in the microwave. I bought $20 worth from a local gal at the bar a few days ago. I will freeze the extras soon. They are great, and I could eat tamales every night–they are exotic to me.

I have Theology Pub tonight on Zoom. We used to meet, before the pandemic, at a local bar and discuss theological issues while enjoying drinks and food. Now it is DIY food and beverages and Zoom. Tonight’s passionate discussion was about compassion and if compassion makes poverty worse. The usual zero-sum game arguments followed about helping someone or helping them help themselves. I do not see this as a zero-sum game, but that helping and then finding a fix both must be done. Stop the bleeding and not argue about how the person was stabbed and how we can prevent stabbings–save them first. We can do both. So the argument that it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish is rewritten by me: feed the hungry, know them, help them, and never count the costs–it is always better for them and for us. The zero-sum game being applied to the homeless is a lie. Making my argument, we see the same in the conservative process of cutting taxes. When you stop taking folks’ money, all for good causes, and let them use it–they will make more and even pay more taxes from the new surplus. Giving people more is not a zero-sum game. This is simple economics and humanity. I also mentioned my friend’s book on her life on the streets: A Fish Has No Word For Water.

After feeling cold after getting a bit emotional, a leftover from chemotherapy, I put on a sweater and soon wished everyone a good night on Zoom.

Going backward, I just arrived home in the pouring rain. The mail was almost soaked just from the mailbox and back to the house. The trip in Air Volvo to the Volvo Cave was hectic, and then 209th was closed at its connection to TV Highway, meaning I had to drive past my cross street and come back (growl). I was in a hurry to call India, but that was delayed, so I managed dinner while chatting with my India-based co-worker.

Before this, I was at First United Methodist Church for choir and band practice. I am in neither, but Zophia and I play board games, hard ones, while others practice. Today we started at about 6PM, and Zophia was willing to try a new one, Ostia. This is a Ronda-based Euro-style board game. Something new to Zophia and something I am not that good at. There is a circle in the game, the port in this game that schedules your actions based on some logic. You need to manage this to be efficient–Zophia got the hang of it and crushed me. She was producing what she needed next and then doing an action for which the previous turn had supplied the resources. I was always on the wrong action. Zophia also bought the goals, and this really got her ahead. We enjoyed the game, and Zophia smoked me with more than seventy points in her first play!

After that, we played Azule, the tile-matching game, with me managing to win two, tie one, and lose one. Zophia hate-drafted on me, with me returning the favor a few times. Azule is a favorite, and we enjoyed the chance to play over and over.

Before the church meeting with board games, I worked for the shoe company at the Clubhouse building until after 5. This meant I would enjoy heavy traffic, and it took me thirty minutes to reach Old Town Beaverton. I was busy most of the day and happy to feel better. Physical therapy and all the rest have me feeling more normal. I worked through a few crises of the moment and a few other required items.

Moving back in the day, I visited Susie at about noon. Susie had just finished breakfast and was waiting for me in her wheelchair. I pushed her into the social activity, and we called her mother and chatted for a while. Susie was delighted to have me there and to chat with Leta.

Susie is always disappointed when I have to leave, but she understands it is a work day.

I am happy to report that the reimbursement money from my medical reimbursement account hit my bank account today. While it covers less than half of the expenses for just one month, it is before tax money, so it does help a bit.

Well, it is nearing midnight while I write this (my meeting with India and the gaming all forced this to be a late-night blog), so it will be brief.

The morning started with me getting going at 6AM and doing all my exercises and stretches. I also had an NYC bagel and a bowl of canned peaches and cottage cheese for breakfast. Unfortunately, I forgot to take the liberal coffee in a thermal cup, so I had only one large cup of coffee today–something I regretted in the later morning! A tragedy to later find the coffee, cold and bitter, on the counter waisted.

So thank you for reading, and please forgive the short story as I am falling asleep as I write.