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I am writing this Sunday morning as I was exhausted Saturday night and went to bed early and woke again at 3AM to realize I had taken my meds; oops. I could not take them so close to the morning.

I worked on the radio project a bit, even when tired. I copied the face place of the old 1940 police radio on my color printer and then tried to fit it to the display by cutting some holes in the copy and inserting the needle meter into it. That looked good, but the large display removed most of the details. I will have to photoshop the original to keep the look and make room for the new electronic.

I read more Grey Mouser and Fafhrd stories reaching the novelle-sized tale of the heroes facing the Adept (Adept’s Gambit, 1947, found in the collection Swords in the Mist). It is one of my favorite stories in fantasy. In this story, the heroes’ personalities are explored, and their ally, an alien wizard, provides comic relief. Unlike the other longer stories, this one is set in post-Alexander ancient earth in the middle east. It also has just the slightest hints of comic horror. I still nodded off and will have to finish it later. Paperbacks for these stories are $6.50 and less (used).

Before this, I was in Portland playing board games at the Lucky Labrador after finding a table directly under a light. I have a Czech pilsner, the beer is excellent (it is Portland, so that is true in most places), and the food has improved to top-rated for their limited menu; I have a great BLT sandwich. We get extra napkins and manage to not damage my copy of Vindication with greasy fingers or beer. Corwin is with me in Air Volvo, while Evan is driving his car and meets us there.

The beer and food are great; I will use that as my excuse for inattention and placing last. Corwin, who had not played for a few years, still had the rules down cold. He was near the Arcane Tower location (all locations are randomly placed as the players explore the island) and had a companion that reduces the cost of Artifacts found at the tower; thus, Corwin had three artifacts by the end of the game worth a pile of honor points and gave him all sorts of superpowers. Corwin and Evan both fought monsters for another pile of points.

The end conditions changed, and soon the game ended before I got the points I needed to win. Evan had to leave, and Corwin and I were tired. We packed up, I paid the bill, and we arrived at the Volvo Cave without incident. Corwin loaded one of the spare office chairs in Air Volvo’s cargo hold, and we then traveled to his house (he rents a room) about a mile away, and Corwin took his new chair. I returned home and, as I said, had a short night.

Before this, we all met at the movies to watch John Wick 4, another shoot ’em-up film. Susie was with us for this. She was happy to get out and watch her man, Keanu Reeves, play her favorite assassin. It is also one of Corwin’s favorites, and he went to the others with us. Thus, it was good to keep some things unchanged in the crazy changing world. Next, Evan met us at the theater. The movie is 2:45 long, and I thought it was a bit bloated, but Susie and Corwin think I am all-wet, and this might be the best one (I really like number 2). My suggestion, if you still do theaters, is a small drink. I made it through the movie.

Corwin was late with me waking him with the phone. He managed to be ready at 11:10. We rushed then to Susie’s, who was ready; Anassa told us that Susie was excited to go, and we then met Evan at the Tigard Regal for the noon show, just getting there as the previews would start. Despite the website saying there was a showing, the theater was closed. Damn. Off to Bridgeport Village for 1PM (our backup time)–we got there in time for the 12:20, but Evan was planning on 1PM and was not yet there, so we did the 1PM.

With some spare time, we explored Bridgeport outdoor mall. There is considerable reworking being done. The mall discovered we live in the PNW and not California, and now they are adding roofed pavilions with friendly fires for heat. Before, there was a fountain and chairs that were always wet. Better.

We had to use a kiosk for tickets and then found our way to theater 9. Evan found us later. Corwin got the supplies, and Susie had some diet coke and a few bits of popcorn. The movie was great. Susie was happy with my lifts as I used the lift belt (Susie does not come with handles).

Evan returned to Portland while we returned to the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was yawning, and her butt hurt (three hours on a padded wheelchair is about her max). We called Leta, Susie’s mother, and they had a pleasant visit on my iPhone with FaceTime so they could see each other. Susie was yawning and needed to get out of the wheelchair, so it was a short visit. We left Susie with Jennifer and Lewis to get her something to eat and likely a rest. I called later, and Susie was sleeping–a good day.

Before this, I was up and not needing to write the blog since I wrote Friday’s story on Friday. I was tired as I had trouble sleeping. I finished the dishes, did laundry, made liberal coffee (finished only one cup), and worked on my radio project. I purchased yesterday some 320 sandpaper (for finishing work, fine grit), took the wooden box of the 1940 police radio on the deck, and sanded the finish. Someone, likely fifty years ago, had repaired the water-damaged radio by repainting it with a dark stain and replacing tubes (I could see the newer vacuum tubes when I took out the guts). Some of the veneers are coming free, which looks very old (the stain was done to hide some loss). Thus it is best, I think, to try to remove a bit of the mess from the painting and will use some steel wool to get a thin layer off of the surface. I will replace the lost veneer, reglue the original loose stuff, and repaint it with another stain.

For breakfast, I had cottage cheese with smoked paprika and sea salt and the remaining peaches from the can I opened yesterday (they don’t last very long once open).

I had trouble sleeping Friday evening/Saturday morning. I had worked on my radio project’s electronics and could not make the LCD work. I use an excellent component from Sparkfun that runs on just three wires. I use serial communication to run the display; I have used these for years–so lovely. However, I had the same problem I had with these before. I was getting random characters on the screen. These displays connect to 5V for the lighted display but communicate with 3.3V, which matches my setup. The Arduino Pro (also from Sparkfun) is a 3.3V version (there is a 5V version that runs twice as fast) with available 5V, regulated this time to stop the blue smoke, that powers the amp and now the LCD. On Friday night, I also connected all the screw mounts on the main frame board and these to power, ground, and the Arduino. I plan to have the speakers and switches mounted on boards to place in the radio and connect them with screw contacts. This will remove some of the rat nest looks of the prototype (the one I use in my office every day) and allow this new one to be mailed to its recipient (the LiPo battery will have to be delivered by another means as it is illegal to mail a hand-built system like this with a LiPo in it–for all the obvious reasons–fire or explosion) as all the connection will be strong.

As I said, I could not sleep, so I got up at 2AM and fixed the LCD issue after reattaching all the wires and reloading the code. Success! The LCD is perfect now. I also copied the code to another file (Arduino IDE is not smart enough to use GitHub and Fork) and began developing new features for this current (and the next radio). My new screw connectors from Amazon should arrive today; I am out, and since a box of them is $8, but the components are sold for $1 each at Sparkfun, I ordered a package from Amazon.

Aside: The Crosby 515 Radio, ruined inside, is from 1935, and I have the schematics for it (I have a book with every radio from 1926 to 1938). It uses four vacuum tubes, a rectifier tube, and a transformer to make three sets of power AC, with one line just for the light and two to drive the rectifier to feed the speaker. The 120 AC is then routed into the main frame (!). Nothing here is really safe. I will not be rebuilding this death trap.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

Yesterday I received my test results from the samples taken during my colonoscopy, and no cancer was found. This is good news, and I, while the chances of cancer were low, was still incredibly pleased not to enjoy any more cancer and the required treatments. Once was good for me. I am still not even a year out of chemo.

Friday started with me sleeping in until 7:15 or so. It seemed that morning was a surprise, and I was unready for Friday. It took me 15 minutes to decide I could rise to face another Friday. I made liberal coffee using my French Press, opened a can of peaches, spooned out 1/2 (leaving sauce behind), and paired that with cottage cheese dusted with sea salt and smoked paprika. I wolfed this during my first meeting on Zoom, starting at 8AM. I also presented at the staff meeting covering GitHub and its potential uses for the team. I also set up a few examples and did a small demo.

After that, I had more status meetings and a few crises of the moment, as one of the data conversions fell over after some unplanned and undocumented manual interventions; polite terms for we were f**ked over. We worked on the problem and undid the unexpected changes, and were able to proceed (it broke again). I read emails and followed along on Slack channels. Soon it was lunchtime, and I shaved the ham with a sharp knife and made a ham and cheese sandwich with a pickle and the rest of the macaroni salad I had bought a few days ago.

Next, Air Volvo took me across Beaverton to Portland (Tigard) at 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was in bed, I was in the afternoon, and Susie sometimes rested in the afternoon, but this time she was having gut issues and was resting on her side. She was delighted to have me as company. We called her mother, Leta, and they chatted for twenty minutes. While they talked, my phone sounded with issues from the shoe company (the previously mentioned break in our data conversion). I was needed. Soon the call was done, and Susie was disappointed that I had to leave. It is a work day, but Susie always hopes it is the weekend and I can stay (or I have a day off); no tears today and a promise for a movie on Saturday (John Wick), and Corwin will be coming to visit and watch the film with us–going back to the old days before the pandemic.

I drove directly to the Volvo Cave in the snow-sleet-rain-wet that was today’s undecided weather. There were no issues, and I was before school ended; I was home safe. More Zoom and ad hoc Zoom is a big deal on the usual NO-MEETINGS FRIDAY. Yes, we were again enjoying the impact of incorrect manual intervention in the master data (we were cluster-f**ked). A lengthy discussion ensued, and I helped to lead us to a more comfortable data position and decided to enjoy our data as it is (let’s say we found the safe word).

With that done, I followed along and drove back to Beaverton, this time finding the school buses. I stopped by the woodworking store and purchased a pack of wood veneer, mixing cups, and various small items. I am rebuilding some vintage tube radios to use my digital design and create a steampunk look. There is some lost veneer that I can repair. I also ordered cut-to-size clear plastic to replace the window for the radio (the original is melted and discolored).

I cut a small piece of light plywood I have for model work. I then used my mini-belt and disc sander to get the hand-cut (using my fine German-made hand saw) piece to perfectly fit inside the 1940s radio box. I then used the drill to cut a round-ish cut for the two speakers, three-inch, and covered the wood with Gorilla Tape (black). While not great looking, it will be functional and is inside the radio, and the speakers and clothing will hide the rough cuts.

After that, I decided it was time to slow down a bit. I got the mail and found a package. The other tube radio I ordered on eBay was delivered. Another dead tube radio, a Crosby later model, but ruined inside. I will pull the insides, preserve the face places, and try to create a new look and make it digital. It will be, like my others, an FM radio with stereo speakers amp’d to loudness. I hope to use the four-inch speakers for this one.

Next, I headed to Nomma Emilla again for dinner. I had the Chicken Piccata with a salad and later a tiramisu for dessert. The place was swinging, so I sat at the bar on the corner to stay away from folks. I was in the firing line for the bar, so it was loud, and drinks were made right before me.

I met a waiter that I used to serve me at another place. We recognized each other. We both remember the long-gone Public House near Nike. I had my bulb catalog, she saw it, and we talked about the upcoming Tulip Festival. The waiter had never gone (she is from here), and will do it this year.

I wrote this blog in the noise and chaos. I wanted to hang out with some folks and finish the blog today instead of rushing it on Saturday morning. I also wanted to include the news about my negative tests.

I was unsure how I felt yesterday and decided to wait until today to announce it; it feels good.

Thanks for reading.

The day started with me waking with my alarm at 6AM on Thursday; Thursdays are work-from-office, and so it means rushed. I struggled with my decisions and finally rose. I found my slippers and headed out to explore Thursday–I did not have a machete, but I did find it a bit of a jungle as I tripped over laundry yet-to-be-washed and a sweater that somehow was on the floor. Ugh!

I managed to handle creating liberal coffee and finding yogurt, leaving both to contemplate being consumed. Next, I recovered a plain NYC bagel from the freezer, lightly serviced it (15 seconds) in the microwave, and left it to finish defrosting. Next, I climbed down on the floor (it seemed further away today) and had Alexa play the best of Imagine Dragons. I then performed all of my stretches and exercises for twenty-five minutes. I know I will feel better in a few days, but it is always hard to start this again. I have only done two days this week.

A bit breathless and various things now hurting, I reach the home office with coffee. My breakfast (the bagel is now toasted and wearing a coating of cream cheese) without incident, I quickly ate everything, read emails, Slack channel updates, and new feeds (CNN, BBC, New York Times) to be prepared for the day. The news is not terrible, with no mass shootings or another bank failure (Republic Bank is holding on by just its fingernails, from what I have read). But today, the USA Central bank, The Fed, raised interest rates by a quarter point–I could hear the sound of bonds losing value (pop, pop, pop).

I boarded Air Volov after rushing into the shower, dressed in the last clean work-acceptable t-shirt (the H.P. Lovecraft-centric ones are not really shoe company ready), and grabbed the Nike laptop. I pushed through and managed to avoid all of the school buses and arrived before 8 at my table in my project’s building known as Clubhouse. We don’t have assigned workspaces, desks, or even lockers. When you arrive, you just sit in a chair at a table and use it. We have team areas, and folks settle into a location after a while. I always sit in the same place. It is strange to be homeless, but I am where my laptop is. Most meetings are Zoom anyway (I have one meeting a week with a conference room which we then sign in to the Zoom meeting with the AV equipment). I am a corporate gypsy.

Sitting with my colleagues (all having picked and settled into their usual place), I spend the morning in some meetings (there is a tiny room nearby where I do sessions–I am not that guy talking to a screen next to everyone) and then try to help with a few crises of the moment and a data issue. Morning disappears fast.

I travel next to see Susie in Portland (Tigard) at 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. I see, despite the light misty rain, that the Beaverton motorcycle cop is out shooting his radar gun at Highway 26. All of us send up prayers for a sudden downpour. Without more adventures other than improper prayers to God, I reach the hummingbird house and soon see Susie. She is napping in her recliner in the living room with a blanket, and some 1990s movie with supermodels is on the screen.

Ignoring the TV, we call Susie’s mother, Leta, and quickly reach her. Susie and Leta chat for twenty minutes until Susie starts nodding off. Susie looks good, and her arm seems better, but she is sleepy today. For her, because she nods off a few times, it seems like only a few minutes before I have to leave. She does not want me to go but relents, a bit confused (but not crying), and I manage to kiss her goodbye without crying (where she can see). Jennifer tells me that despite the healing, Susie no longer uses her right arm to feed herself. Susie has stopped using it–we would hate to lose the functionality and will keep working at it.

I return to the shoe company, and there are some questions about how our data works and why I answer. I also work on a presentation about GitHub I am giving the team, just three slides. I also update the example repository for our group Read.me file with example code (Read.me has its own mini-programming language).

It is a bit frustrating at work, but it is the last in-the-office day, so I am happy to leave at 4:45 and arrive at the Volvo cave in heavy Oregon mist. I rest briefly, offer Mariah dinner (she turns me down), and nap. I am back up after 6PM and make dinner by reheating the no-seafood jambalaya, having had my offer rejected once more.

I rewatched the last episode in Season 3 of The Mandalorian and still liked it. I then caught up on Quicken and paid Susie’s monthly bill. Susie’s monthly expenses are about $8,000, including Rx, OTC, supplies, care, and room and board. A lot of money, but nothing compared to nursing home costs, and I think I can manage it. I will request that the IRS and Oregon return much of my taxes to help cover this (all medical expenses over 10% are deductible) in 2024.

I then drove to the Wildwood Taphouse, where JR paid my bill ahead of time using the Pay It Forward program. Thank you, JR! I had a small dark beer and wrote this.

Thanks for reading. I will likely play a game of Captain Nemo (solo game) tonight.

 

 

Today I played board games with Z at First United Methodist Church in Beaverton for the first time in a few weeks. We twice played the locally created board game, Vindication, each winning a game with a large point spread. Z had not remembered how to play, so the first game was a learning game. The first game-ending conditions, randomly assigned, were harder to reach, and so the game played longer. This allowed me to gain quite a lead on Z and hold it. Then, in the second came, she took the lead and stayed with it.

Vindication is a resource and worker placement game with some discovery features. It is also quite elegant, and I think fun to play. Once you know how it works, the game seems to just play for you.

We ate our dinners first, soup for the recovering Z and a Five Guys burger for me (my first one since before the pandemic) with fries and a Diet Ginger Soda. After food, we got out Vindication and played it for the rest of our time together. After that, Z and Dondrea, Z’s mother, headed home, and I took Air Volvo to the Volvo Cave. I then wrote this blog and watched the next episode of The Mandalorian.

Before this, I was at work and dealing with various crises of the moment and a data issue. My boss, happy to have me back at work, asked after my health and Susie. Brad had been very supportive over the years of dealing with stroke, cancer, and family leave. Most kind.

Moving backward in the day, I visited Susie from work for a short visit. It is a work day, and my visits are usually only twenty minutes or a bit longer if Susie wants to visit Metzger Park, next door. As with most days, I call Leta, Susie’s mother, so they can talk briefly and, using FaceTime, see each other. I stayed a bit longer after the call, but Susei was surprised by my leaving, said it was alright, and kissed me goodbye.

Before visiting Susie in Portland (Tigard) at 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116; I was at a team lunch. We ate Thai food at a local place, and six of us ate together. Our scrum master was moving to a new team, so we had a good luck send-off lunch for her. It was a sunny and warm spring day, perfect for lunch.

Before this, I did my usual meetings in the morning, arriving around 8AM. The meetings went on for hours. I did get coffee at work; I get a regular coffee with cream (coffee is paid for by our leadership until 10AM), But I did have liberal coffee to start the day with the last of the corn muffins and yogurt at the house.

I woke with my alarm, decided “no,” and rested for 45 minutes. No exercises and stretching. A rushed morning once I started.

Tuesday night, after soldering the FM radio Si47xx breakout board into my power and microcontroller framework, I stayed up until midnight again and got my radio to play. I ordered more screw wire posts on Amazon (they were cheaper there). I also purchased another wrecked tube radio on eBay for another summer project.

I am tired, and it is late. Thanks for reading.

The day started with me waking at 6AM to my iPhone alarm. It was hard to wake up, and I thought first to rest more, but I got up and did most of my stretches and exercises. It is essential to eat after, not before! I finished at about 6:40 and made a breakfast of liberal coffee, corn muffins, and a banana. After the usual prep, I rushed out the door and into Air Volvo in time to beat the school buses and reached the project’s Clubhouse building before 8AM.

Recalling Monday night, after writing the blog, I picked up my soldering iron and assembled the basic power and microprocessor for the next radio I am building. I attached everything to a small board and set the electronic in standoffs. The test passed–good. I then stayed up late reading. Grey Mouser and Fafhrd kept my interest until after midnight. This made the morning harder, of course.

Returning to the narrative, I reached the office and was treated kindly, as I had been out for a week with Susie’s illness and my colonoscopy. My co-workers asked me to let them drive me or help in any way. They are concerned–most kind.

The day went on with a few Zoom meetings and a few crises of the moment. I had to send some heads-up-styled messaging on a few issues. Soon it was getting late in the morning. I headed out.

I had my physical therapy (PT) appointment, and the stress and lack of keeping to a schedule had made a hash of all the good work for months. Conor did some pressure to unlock my back and suggested we keep the same plan at a slow build for a few weeks. I agreed. Leo finished up with me doing some basic stretches. Leo plays Dungeons and Dragons and board games, so, during stretches, we talked about gaming.

Next, I headed to Bethany Public House bar and had a Diet Coke and their chili. The bartender was happy to see me and asked me if I wanted my usual lunch, and I answered “Yes.” I ate quickly, as usual, and then headed to Susie’s place in Portland (Tigard) at 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116.

It is another perfect spring day with blue skies and dry streets. Thus, I was unsurprised to see Beaverton’s Finest on Highway 26 giving grief to various overly imaginative drivers. The police do not seem to come out except on lovely days. Air Volvo stayed to the limits recommended to avoid expensive notes payable to the City of Beaverton Court. I did see rushed driving with folks making sudden lane changes at speeds over 55. With a few more nice days, I imagine the court’s treasury will soon be replenished!

Linda, my sister, texted me, and then I called her. Our mother, Barb Wild, was not answering her phone (again). Linda had to leave work and drive to check on her. Everything was fine, but it is easy to imagine something else when traveling; I know from experience! I talked to Linda and was able to cheer her up on the way to mom’s place, Cheatu Wild, East. Again, everything was fine.

I arrived without legal entanglements at the hummingbird house. Susie was getting her fingernails trimmed and painted by Jennifer (Jennifer is the live-in nursing aide). Once that was completed, I took Susie out on the porch and called her mother. Leta was at her house waiting for the call (I had called Leta earlier, letting her know I was running later), and Susie and Leta enjoyed FaceTime (they could see each other) on my iPhone until Susie was getting cold. Finally, I returned Susie to the warmth of the living room, kissed her goodbye, and headed back to work at the Clubhouse.

I was back late in the afternoon, and there were still more meetings and a few crises of the moment to work on. We also got a team lunch planned for Wednesday. I was out after 5 and home before 6PM. Dinner was reheated corned beef and cabbage. I also had a few snacks as I was still hungry.

I read a bit and rested a bit. I am filled with nervous energy today. I do not feel that well; something left from the stress of last week.

I got a package from SparkFun, including some excellent 3″ speakers that will fit in my radio project and a new LCD display. I purchased another dead tube radio for about $100 on eBay. This will handle the larger speakers. I plan to build two projects. It will be here in a week.

I have stripped a 3V needle meter of its face and back plate. I plan to install a copy of the face plate of the 1940 Philco radio (I bought this one last month) over it and paint it red. Not quite a match to what was there, but it should look steampunk. The needle will move with the sound volume (AdaFruit in NYC has the mic I need, and I have three on the way). I hope to cast the push buttons in clear acrylic and put neoPixel lights (also from AdaFruit) behind the buttons changing colors with the frequency or like light show (new ideas for me), turning them into something new.

Thanks for reading. I am trying to relax; it is hard.