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The morning started with slight pain in my right leg and me sleeping into 7ish. I had slept well and started writing the blog with cottage cheese and peaches for breakfast. I also made liberal coffee via French Press. As this was the Saturday blog, it is long, and I was writing until just after 10.

I rushed a shower, dressed quickly, skipped shaving, and got to the online church service on time. Then the sound was not turned on, and I soon wandered to writing my Dungeons and Dragon adventure I will need in late October. I got a text from Dondrea, and the sound was back, and our new preacher was giving a sermon (with sound) about the temptation of Christ. I listened to the sermon while I worked.

Next, I got a note from Mariah to meet her in Forest Grove for lunch. I headed over and then waited for a while. I miscommunicated and had to wait for her to get ready. We had wings at the Black Dog, a local place in Forest Grove, with smoked chicken wings. While great, I think Von Ebert (replacing Fat Heads) in the Pearl District in Portland still has the most incredible wings I have ever found.

Aside: I just learned there is a Von Ebert in Beaverton. I will have to make a pilgrimage and check that the wings are still so good that chickens ask to be included in today’s wings.

Mariah and I chatted about her housing purchase and the complexity. We headed out at nearly 2PM, and I drove back to find Susie in Tigard. It is a fourteen-mile drive, and I redirected the navigation into the hills and to circle around Cooper’s Mountain. I drove the twisty two-lane Tile Flats Road that was apparently popular with bicycles on Sunday. It was a lovely drive in the hills and farms.

Soon I reached Susie’s place, the hummingbird house. Vanessa, the nurse aide for today, had Susie in her chair, and Susie was ready to enjoy the park outside. It was warm, about 85F (29.4C), and the park was busy. Susie was sleepy in the afternoons and soon was nodding off in the warm comfy sun, even after we called Leta, Susie’s mother.

We also opened the door to Air Volvo, and I demonstrated how I thought she could get into the back seat. I am hopeful we can make a go of that in the next couple of weeks. It would be great to take Susie on short trips.

We set up a recliner to watch the next Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power episode. Susie was falling asleep soon and leaning to the left. Vanessa said Susie was leaning today; something to watch for. She can fall out of the chair or wheelchair when this starts. Susie woke a few times, and I finished the episode; Susie saw some of it. She was ready for a nap. I left Susie to take a nap with a kiss.

Next, I drove across Beaverton, taking a risk, and headed to Cory’s house to play Dungeons and Dragons. I started at 5:30 on Sunday, about every two weeks or twice a month. This adventure is a campaign, and one of the monsters is lifted from a Lewis Carrol poem: Jabberwocky. We finally faced it, and for those who know Dungeons and Dragons or the poem, “Why yes did have a vorpal blade and it did go snicker-snack!” Also, we faced the burble from the Jabberwocky, which was terrible. Matt, our DM, had bought all the monsters in painted 28mm scale. The Jabberwocky figure was eight inches tall. Impressive.

We also faced one of my favorite monsters earlier in the night, animated stained glass windows. Matt had made little transparent stained glass figures. It was wonderful.

We played characters tonight that are less combat efficient, and that makes us cautious (cowardly?), and we managed to avoid getting crushed tonight. We jump in and out and force the bad guys to bunch up so we can make our attacks more effective. We also deliver many attacks, which makes it possible to roll more critical attacks. More efficient combat characters often have a few great attacks. We just attack more.

It was a fun night with the DM having a great time and nearly overwhelming us with the stained glass monsters and a wizard. We had fun getting a legendary sword in Dungeons and Dragons and taking on the Jabberwocky, “Beware of the Jabberwocky.”

I returned home, chatted with a friend in India, and texted others that I could not call tonight as it was late when I got home.

I finally wrote the blog.

The pain in my right leg on Saturday morning was much reduced. However, it worsened as I overused it in the morning and early afternoon. So this Sunday–I write the Saturday blog lazily on Sunday mornings–I am being more restrained.

I forgot to take photos for most of the day, sorry.

I slept in until 7:30ish on Saturday. I was in a writing mood, so I wrote a lot more and was not ready to leave in Air Volvo until 10:30ish. I had only a small yogurt with fruit for breakfast, still feeling overfed from Friday. I made French press liberal coffee, and that helped me get going.

The drive to Susie at hummingbird house was through the hills and Cooper’s Mountain. This is to avoid Beaverton and takes fifteen minutes longer. I had called, and Vanessa, the nursing aide for Saturday, had Susie ready in her wheelchair, but then, as I was so late, Susie went back in her recliner. Then I show up!

On my iPhone, we spoke on FaceTime to Leta, Susie’s mother. Leta and Barb, Susie’s sister, were at Bronner’s in Michigan looking for Thanksgiving items for Leta’s tree; we got to see on the tiny screen all the Christmas decorations–Bronner’s is a year-long Christmas store. Leta tires quickly, and Barb had borrowed a wheelchair from Bronner’s and was wheeling Leta around in the store.

Aside: Leta, instead of taking down her artificial Christmas tree, just changes the decorations to match the season. They were looking at Bronner’s for some more Thanksgiving theme items for the tree (Leta told us that she has plenty of stuff for Halloween). This seasonal tree started during the pandemic as it was a lot of work to take down the tree, and Leta found it fun to keep decorating the tree during the lonely parts of the pandemic.

Leta and Barb rang off and continued their shopping. Susie was ready to visit the park. So we headed out, and the park was quieter today, Saturday. I suspect families were during sporting events at various schools, and there were plenty of beer-loaded Octoberfest parties starting this afternoon. Also, college football (American football) has begun, and I have to admit I might have cheered on the Ducks while playing a board game today.

Evan found us in the park just enjoying the warm, clear, nearly perfect Oregon fall day. We are between the melt-down hot summer and the soggy winter here in Oregon. The wine is being made, the Ducks are playing football (and the Beavers), and we have cold mornings and hot sun. The best time in Oregon.

I was starting to limp again, so Evan pushed Susie, and we made the full circle and went off to see the magnolia tree, but it had finished blooming. Soon, Susie was yawning, and we decided to let her take a nap. So I kissed her goodbye, and Evan and me–in separate cars–risked Beaverton and headed directly to The 649 Taphouse.

Air Volvo has me there without incident or raising the crime rate. I was a bit nervous with the traffic lights now. Instead of starting with the bar, we headed to the Mexican place nearby, Tapatio: Mexican Restaurant. I had the platter with a taco, a small burrito, and an enchilada. I also had a large beer.

Next, we went to The 649, which also needed us to buy a beer; I had a lower alcohol product. Next, we played the board game The Lost Ruins of Arnak with the Leaders add-on. I tried out The Mystic leader, and Evan played the Falconer. I enjoyed playing The Mystic from the Leaders add-on as I had many options that play the Fear cards as a resource and not as something you need to thin from your deck. I lost by seven points as Evan managed to run up to the top of the research track. We matched nearly 1 to 1 on all the other points.

The game uses a deck-building mechanism with resource management. It is themed to a 1920s Hollywood version of lost treasure and archeologists. There are guardian monsters to defeat and great treasures to discover. It has replaced Architect of the West Kingdom as my favorite, as I like the theme better in The Lost Ruins of Arnak.

I grabbed a quick sandwich at The 649 while we watched the Ducks crush the Wild Cats by scoring 20+ points in the last minute. I thought fans of the Ducks must have made an unholy pack to pull that off! The Wild Cats quarterback actually threw the pass to a Duck player. Congrats Oregon!

We headed out, and I stopped by Shell to pay too much for gas. I did not notice that I was paying more than anywhere else! Surprised, I grumbled and headed into Portland in light traffic.

I was soon at Richard’s house, getting a nice few of Mount Hood on the way. Richard carried the heavy and huge game War Room 2nd Edition to his game room.

We looked at it and discussed the game and some historical items that control the play. Richard was surprised to learn that in the 1930s, the Soviet Union and the Empire of Japan signed an independent non-aggression pact. This freed both countries to ignore each other during the war and leave their flank uncovered. Stalin, the Soviet leader throughout the war, did not declare war on Japan until the very end of the war. I explained to Richard that before WW2 started, there was a war between the Soviet Union and Japan, and the Soviet army was crushed in China. This convinced Stalin to sign treaties with Nazi Germany and Japan. Stalin could see the embers of WW1 were catching fire again, and he wanted no part. Hitler completely bamboozled Stalin.

As fascinating as the game appeared, we decided not to try it with just two players. We also discovered that the hour-glass styled timer, an add-on I purchased, runs for about 11 minutes. Instead, we agreed to try Brass: Birmingham. I have never played this version of the Brass system. Rather, I have Brass: Lancashire. I picked up my copy when I saw it at the Rune and Bone gaming store in Hillsboro. I had not seen it on a shelf before and gobbled it up.

The Birmingham version, named for the area in the UK the game map covers, plays with some more straightforward mechanics and is, frankly, easier and less mean than Lancashire. You also have to pay an extra resource, beer, for building trains and delivering. This means you have to build breweries to get points. This counts double as you deliver and use your beer up, a kinder and sudden income and points for the player. The Lancashire version does not have that mechanism. The Birmingham version is more straightforward to understand than Lancashire.

The games are resource management, area control, and production-styled game. My fav and I was surprised to beat Richard by building trains and blocking his train lines, sort of mean. I did not do that on purpose but to give me access to more places to build and connect. Richard had not played a two-person game before, and his usual approach to the game was less efficient than mine.

Aside: I like Brass: Lancashire more than Birmingham. There is more happening in the Lancashire version. Also, I thought the beer mechanism was too artificial for me–why do you need beer to build two trains? I have only played two-player count, and it may be that three and four players are better in the Birmingham version.

We next played a train game, also new for me, Ticket to Ride: Rails and Sails. I have never played a Ticket to Ride game as I find the train games more of party games for me and I like then Save Doctor Lucky and The Forbidden Island or, for the game-friendly crowd, Azul. Richard is on a quest to play all his games in a year, and this one got missed. We gave it a try and learned it and played it. Again this is a resource management and area control game, more my strength, and I had some lucky draws on the routes (tickets) and somehow won. I liked the game, again very light, and would play it as a filler game.

After that, we chatted for a bit, but soon Richard put War Room 2nd Edition back in my car, and we said goodnight. Air Volvo got me home without any issue, and I did not wince when I used the tall bridge with a taller on-ramp (I call it the Space Shuttle ramp).

I found the mail and left the games in the car for another day to put them back.

I went to bed and was asleep before 1AM. I had a pleasant sleep.

Feel free to call or send cards. Susie resides at:

Allegiance Senior Care
Adult Foster Care Home
9925 SW 82nd. Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97223

The house phone number: 503 246-4116

Thank you for reading.

Before I start with the narrative, I wanted to write a bit; I hope, dear reader, you will not think this is a conceit.

Firstly, the pain is fading in my right leg, and I started the Saturday morning–Friday’s blog is written at a relaxed pace on Saturday morning–surprised that the sharp pain combined with stiffness is gone. There are still motion control issues as I need to relearn how to use my right leg again. The usual cure, just Advil and time, and waiting for someone to say, “you should see a doctor,” and the fading begins.

Next, I read a short article that the New York Times emailed me (I have an Internet subscription and get the physical paper on Sundays). The article described how the writer took an art class to learn to sketch and then found that you had to look with intensity and time at a landscape instead of just taking a photo. That the writer had a desire to freeze the view so it would not be forgotten–this desire was hard to fight against. The writer discussed in the piece that it would be a pleasant memory if you just enjoyed it, but it would fade, as all memories do. Was that bad?

I write this blog to remember every day. The last couple of years have been filled with events, many terrible and personally a disaster, but I want to remember them all. I return to them to understand what is happening to me (and indirectly to you, reader). I keep it focused, laser-focused, on my experiences during the day I am recording and my feelings. When I return to a day, say fourteen months ago, I can, while reading, recall most of that day, and I see in my words the viewpoint at that time. I can feel my memories fading and changing to match the current me, but I can return now to my previous self and reset.

I have changed the style and format over time. I do not regret the original formats or the new versions; it fits with the place I am at. I am no longer sad and frightened and no longer actively grieving for the millions we lost to the pandemic; thus, I no longer cry and find a hymn at the end of the blog. I grieve still, but not that way.

Well, just a few thoughts to record here. But, first, let’s return to my narrative.

Friday morning is not a rush, and I delayed getting dressed until late morning. I have a few Zoom meetings and a lot to read, and I follow along. I slept into the luxurious time of 7:30. Work was going fine, and then I got a request to talk to my boss.

A change at work impacted some folks that I can not discuss here; it left me sad and stunned. The rest of my work day was a blur after that. I am heartbroken for the friends impacted. Again, no details here, just tears.

Lunch was reheated goulash, the last of it. It was so good!

My new board game, War Room 2nd Edition, was to be delivered today. So I had to wait for that. With the sad news and the pain–which was quite bad on Friday–I was tired and rested for a while. So I had to put off my visit to Susie too. The vast package arrived at 4ish, and I had the delivery guy, not masked, put it in the house.

Aside: I am still trying to get used to our post-pandemic world while science says the pandemic is still burning. Violet Blue is still fully isolated in San Fransico, as are others waiting for a more scientific conclusion to Covid-19. I have my newest shot, keep my distance, and often wear a mask in crowds and small conference room meetings. I mostly fear the latest flu and colds more than Covid-19 and like the mask for that. I find at the shoe company that most folks still isolate themselves when they have symptoms and test for Covid-19.

I crossed over Cooper’s Mountain, avoiding the ticket-giving Beaverton area. Still sparkling and smelling clean, Air Volvo reached the hummingbird house without incident or raising the crime rate. Susie was excited to see me, and we called her mother, Leta, from her recliner in the living room. They had a friendly chat with Leta describing her day as it was late; usually, we call in the middle of Leta’s day and get to see what Leta is doing. Susie was ready for the park; it was still warm as sunset was still an hour away. Friday night is a time to hit the park, which is filled with the sounds of children. We stopped at the first bench and chatted with a parent who was happy for a polite distraction. Soon, some kids and his spouse ran toward him, and we moved on to the other end of the park.

We called Dondrea and Zophia while sitting in the park in the cedars. We had a nice chat with them. The sun was setting, and it was starting to cool. We next called Dan and Janet, who were happy to talk to Susie. Dan and Janet invited me to dinner at the Golden Valley Brewery (GVB). After that, the sun was moving to set, and the cool breeze that announced the sunset (when I used to sail and fish, I noticed that just as the sun went down, the air was disturbed by the change–it was our last chance to get that sailboat in before the wind dies completely) and headed inside.

Vanessa had dinner ready, and everyone was already having dinner. Susie was ready for dinner too. I headed to the GVB after getting a goodbye kiss from Susie. I risked 217 on a Friday night to reach the GVB. No incidents and no police presence.

I was ahead of Dan and Janet and ordered the day’s wine, pickles, and onion rings. I usually avoid cabernet sauvignon as they are too acid and boozy for me, but it was Intrinsic, a cheap one, and I wanted to see if it was worth it. It was not bad, but not as good as a malbec they serve from Argentina and indeed not as good as our local wines.

Aside: Grape names are lowercase when used in a sentence–I had to look that up. But wine regions are place names that must be capitalized, and the grape names are also capitalized. Thus I could have done this: Argentian Malbec. Also, you do not italicize the French names of grapes as they are not a phrase but words. For you grammar nuts and wine crazies out there…

For dinner, I had the meatloaf, which was better last time. We had to get some help from a waiter, and Dan asked very nicely with his usual smile that says, “Now!” to folks of a certain age. I then re-asked using direct words just short of being rude, and the waiter was not offended and quickly acted. Younger folks expect to be told directly with some force when they need to do something. They appreciate the directness. People my age and older would be insulted.

Dinner was excellent, and I was soon headed home. I then sat in the living room with the huge boxes and assembled my new board game, War Room 2nd Edition. I had to put labels on pieces and organize some items into different countries. War Room 2nd Edition is the masterpiece work of the guy who made the well-known Axis and Allies board games. It is a game recreation of WW2 at a slightly higher-level seen in the Axis and Allies series and dares to have more rules and a long game time of six hours (or more) for the grand six-person game. It starts in the 1942 setting of WW2 and, like the previous game by the same group, eliminates the insane number of paper troop counters and break-through rules of other games covering this same material.

The game is highly recommended, and we have waited years for it. Richard, Kathleen, and I will try it out on Saturday night (likely using the six-turn short game rule). However, I am not sure I can carry it into Richard’s house it is so big!

I put the stickers on and arranged the game while watching Lucifer season 2 and was laughing through the jokes and watching the writers and actors struggling with the new themes. Not sure the addition of a mother character was a success. I often do mindless tasks while the TV runs. It makes the process go easier.

The game, including most add-ons, is in its vast box. I ordered from the maker some more dice (in matching War Room bags) and some extra parts (likely something will get lost) before they sell-out. I am resisting the rolled-up map, but that might fit better in the box (another $85). I want to play it and set it up once before buying that!

I went to bed taking more painkillers. That seemed to work as I am better this Saturday morning.

 

 

 

I am tired tonight, again, and I have fallen asleep twice. The pain in my right leg is better, but it is still quite pronounced and tired me out. I am hoping it will be better tomorrow.

The morning started in the rush that always happens when I try to be at work before 8AM. I first woke up at 6:15, made coffee, made breakfast of cottage cheese with canned (no extra sugar) peaches from a can, and read my emails, texts, and Slack channel update.

The coffee I drink is Equal Exchange brand that supports the liberal belief in paying a living wage and a fair exchange for goods (coffee in this case). Opposed to the more corporate system of getting products as cheap as possible, possibly exploitatively, and selling it at the highest price the market allows. Many of my friends, and readers, believe that the market will settle this, and while I do not believe that and think regulations are more effective with required transparency, Equal Exchange allows us both to be right. So my conservative friends, buy some Equal Exchange as the brand is changing the way coffee is sold and is transparent without regulation–precisely what Adam Smith would love, and I bet I would have drunk! Maybe, a little liberal every morning will help; who knows.

Liberal coffee got me going, and soon I was ready and in Air Volvo, still smelling clean and shiny from being polished at the dealership for complete detailing (cleaning, polishing, and some grooming). I have this done once a year so that the car seems new. I paid off Air Volvo, titled cleared, too, so I want to keep it in fine condition.

I reached work on time but talked to folks about various things and missed all the status meetings. I did make some stand-ups. Nike uses the Japanese process now known as Agile, which can require a cycle of stand-up meetings. I have been using Agile software development for more than a decade now. I believe using Agile methodologies combined with automated testing can reduce escapes (bugs and mistakes) to near zero. Combining this with CI/CD allows developers to instantly promote clean code that is automatically tested and evaluated, gets you substantial cost savings and reduces development time. Nerdvana for me.

I had a business lunch meeting with a friend, and we talked about software development and some thoughts about the future. I am worried that I might not be able to mix caring for Susie and the busy life of corporate IT–I may be overwhelmed and fail. My friend suggests that doing interesting and good work is the answer–we have a few more good years in us. I demurred.

After lunch, I risked Beaverton Police and used 217, which was torn up by construction and flooded with traffic, but I managed to get to the hummingbird house fast and without incident (or loss of paint). Susie was finishing lunch, and I waited. Tracy from Physical Therapy was there. I have brought the stepper I bought on Amazon as a step for Susie. It is extra wide and stable–it fits inside the wheelchair too!

Once Susie was done with lunch and Tracy had completed the basic checks–blood pressure (100/64), oxygen levels (good), and some questions about pains (no), medication changes (no), and falls (no)–we started into today’s work: Practice getting on to the bed set at the same height as the back seats of AIr Volvo. We used the new step for her to start and the belt (to allow safe and comfortable helping), and Susie managed to do about four of these–it is a lot of work. Susie can slide well, and Tracy thinks we can use a transfer board to make this even easier (and safer).

We played with the balloon next. My leg was hurting, and I nearly fell trying to help, which certainly did not impress Tracy. Tracy relegated me to sitting on the bed behind Susie. Jennifer thought she might have to get me a bed for Susie’s room! Soon Tracy was done, and I believe she was pleased with the advancements.

I was now in more pain and took Susie for a short trip to Metzger park. On the first bench, I called Leta, Susie’s mother, and we chatted for a while on FaceTime. I then took Susie back to Jennifer, the nurse aide for today, got a kiss goodbye, and returned to Air Volvo.

I risked 217 back, and again the traffic was heavy but moving. So I returned and entered, late, the project stand-up, the first live one since Covid-19; I wore a mask and found a seat for the first part. It was catered, and wine and beer were offered (drinking is allowed at Nike). After the usual leadership presentation and Q&A, I spent time talking to folks and getting a bit of cheese.

After that, I collected my laptop and stuff and headed home. The trip home was uneventful. Once home and after more painkillers, I heated some potato gnocchi, heated some North African-style sauce from a jar by Les Moulins that I love (highly recommended if you can find it), I cooked in hot butter some raisins, almond slices, and spices (light dusting of cardamon, cloves, and cinnamon plus salt), and added couscous with water. The sauce goes on all of it!

I watched two episodes of Lucifer and started the second season while eating. I like the show more now that it is less predictable. It has given up the cop show formula and is relying more on storytelling now–more Blue Bloods-like. The actor and the writers for the actor playing Lucifer make me very happy with some fun lines I wish I had written.

I took a long nap after more painkillers. I plan to limit my movements on Friday.

Sorry I failed to take pictures. Susie was in her red Converse shoes today!

Thanks for reading.

 

I am running very late tonight and tomorrow is a rushed day. So I will be brief today.

I was at work at about 8AM after having disturbed sleep and many dreams last night. While these dreams did not include nightmares, they were provocative and showed that I was worried about the future and demanded I take action. I am still thinking about these dreams and their meanings all day. My day was colored by my thinking about the meanings of dreams.

The morning was spent in meetings and talking to folks at work. Some were, and so frustrates me, Zoom meetings that could and should be in-person. I do not like calling into meetings from the office to talk to people on the same project (and sometimes in the same room!).

I went to Susie’s, braving Beaverton and 217, after 10ish this morning. Susie had just finished breakfast, and it was a nice summer day, so we headed out into the park. There we reached Leta, Susie’s mother, on my iPhone. Susie and Leta had a friendly chat with me and talked to Leta too. Leta was at lunch at Panera’s and offered to email me the almond chicken sandwich, which she ordered without bread (it comes in a lettuce basket).

We enjoyed the park for a while, but it was a work day for me, and I had to leave soon. So, with a kiss, I left Susie with Vanessa, today’s nurse aide. Susie was better today and less confused.

I stopped by Burger King and had a whopper with cheese sticks (never again) and diet coke before turning to work.

I spent the rest of the day at work following along and talking to folks about various issues. I headed home at 4ish and checked back into work. I got the two stools I ordered in the mail. The one used for step exercises might work for Susie getting into the Air Volvo–I put it in the back for Thursday’s physical therapy–it is wide. I will likely send the other one back (too small).

I had cookies for a snack and then headed to First United Methodist Church. It is Wednesday and choir practice. I play games with Zophia, 11 years old, while her mother, Dondrea, does band and choir practice. I brought Scythe, and we spent the whole time learning and playing Scythe. While this is a 4X game (Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate), it is light on combat but heavy on the process. Like all 4X games, it is a highly competitive and can be mean (ego bruising). Your turns are complex, and the strategy is also cdifficult

It is ranked as the 16th greatest game on Board Game Geek. It is a hoot to play once you get the flow and the rules and yre ready to be ruthless. There are many ways to win, and you have to be more efficient (or ruthless)  Zophia started to get it and deat me back in combat once (with a smile). I scored about ten points on her at the end, but she had me worried, and that was not bad for a first-time play!

Zophia liked Scythe.

As I said, we only got one game done, and after that, I stopped by Olive Garden to get pasta, meatballs, and salad. I was hungry, and I was still thinking about the dreams, despite the distraction of Scythe. So I ate dinner while watching another Lucifer episode on Netflicks. St Lucifer’s episode was better than the previous one and had my attention.

After that, I went to write this blog and rushed it–sorry.

The pain in my leg, while not much better, is less sudden and seems more to be just a pulled muscle. Maybe it will get better after some rest.

Mister Lincoln has grown back to full size at the end of summer.

Thank you for reading.