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Yesterday I forgot to write a blog. That has never happened before. With me working for three weekends, the days all seem to run together, and I am not sure what I should be doing each anymore. So I will just cover the important things that happened on Monday.

Susie was better today. She was no longer confused and exhausted. The black circles near her eyes have faded. Susie was having a good day.

When I headed to see Susie after the usual Monday morning with hours of Zoom meetings, a few crises of the moment, and breakfast (liberal coffee and a banana), I called and spoke to Jennifer, the nurse aide for today (who lives there). Susie’s shipment of Ensure (strawberry flavor) had not arrived, and she was out, I was told. So I stopped at Target near the hummingbird house, bought four six-packs, and found some flowers. Thus I brought supplies and a bouquet of flowers to Susie on Monday morning.

Susie was delighted with the flower, and Jennifer was happy she could provide Ensure Plus for Susie–the protein version was not recommended for Susie–too much protein. Susie was in her recliner in the shared living room. Jennifer reported that Susie had eaten her breakfast and handled eating better–a perfect day.

I was rushed; I had chores on Monday, picking up my new pants (four pairs) from the cleaners who shortened them and getting Air Volvo washed (the car was filthy from the salt and sand from the snow event). My phone was sounding message after message on Slack! So I quickly called Leta, Susie’s mother, and Leta and Susie chatted on FaceTime using my iPhone. But, soon, I had to rush out, and Susie, disappointed by a short visit, but understanding, gave me a kiss goodbye.

Lucky for me, all the driving was better on Monday in Air Volvo was easy. The weather, still predicting snow, was just rain. A few times, it rained hard, the gutters gurgling loudly at the Volvo Cave, but no snow or ice.

The next event was I made dinner after work ramped down, and the data conversions were running on other systems and doing long-running jobs, so it was a point where our team was less needed. I had defrosted two pounds of pork and made Goan Pork Vindaloo, a recipe from Cook’s Magazine. I add potatoes and carrots instead of serving them with rice. I messed up on the spicing, and it was hotter flavored than it should have been–still good; I packed away at least two meals in the frig as leftovers.

I tossed all the Army Painter paint bottles with older-styled labels or from sets. All of those are over five years old. I have apparently bought more new paints and never tossed the old ones. I have reduced my collection of paints by 50%. I ordered more paints and a few new brushes (free shipping) from the Army Painter website. The local gaming store was out of these supplies. I also tossed a few paints that were nearly done.

I was feeling OK and did my exercises and stretches, and then my knee started to complain, as did my back. So I will skip the exercises on Tuesday.

I felt overwhelmed on Monday after working about twenty days straight and just wanted to rest for a while and get some things done (cooking dinner, picking up around the house, doing laundry, and getting new clothes).

Thanks for reading!

I am starting the blog early on Sunday. Susie is resting in her bed, and I am sitting in her rocking chair, typing the blog. We had big flakes of snow at 2ish. There is more snow possible in the next couple of days. If the warmer air stays, then we get our usual rain; otherwise, it is back to Snowmaggeden.

The day started with me waking before my alarm and finally getting up around 7. I then made coffee, the liberal Equal Exchange brand, in my French Press. I cut a bagel in half, one from the bakery in Hillsboro, but this one tasted more like bread. My dream of possible NYC bagels in Hillsboro is gone! I had that with some reduced-cost yogurt. Not sure I understand how you can have expired yogurt, but I was willing to pay 50% less for it. It tasted just like yogurt (with fruit).

Next, I logged into my Apple and Nike laptop; I reviewed all the emails, Slack channel updates, and news to be ready for my new day. Starting on the day after 9/11, I review the international news every morning. I did not know about 9/11 until I heard the news on my car radio while driving to work.

I did not do the Saturday blog on Saturday. I started to write it while listening to an hour of Zoom status and update meetings. Multi-tasking. I managed not to be the guy who said, “Could you repeat that,” when a question was addressed to me from the status meeting. I am already paying attention.

Once the hour of meetings ended, I was able to focus more on the blog. It is the Saturday one, and so is it often long–it was. I finished it at about 10:15, about two hours of work with interruptions. I put away the folding table in the dining room, another space cleared, and planned to toss most of the paints I used to paint figures. Most are pre-pandemic and too thick. Time to start again, and this lets me resync my painting area with new paints (only one bottle per color).

I ran out of time for exercises and stretching, which often happens on Sunday, and showered and dressed. I then packed up the Apple and Nike laptop to put in the cargo hold of Air Volvo. I planned to stop by the gaming store to buy replacement paints, but the store, Rainy Day Games, apparently does not open before noon on Friday. It will have to wait until Monday.

The roads were wet with some sloppy snow on them. The Beaverton crossover I due on Allen Street was still covered in frozen snow, and cars were slipping on it. I had to slow down and be aware of my fellow drivers in less capable vehicles than Air Volvo (XC60 SUV with automatic four-wheel drive, anti-lock breaks, and computer-controlled crash avoidance). I arrived safe and without events in Portland (Tigard) at 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116.

Susie was sleeping in her recliner in the shared living room. Anassa moved Susie to her rocking chair in her room. Susie was exhausted and apparently took a long time to eat her breakfast. I put on Cruella, the newish Disney film. It is a musical, and Emma Stone shows her skill at handling a complex musical story again (I loved her in La La Land) and owns the part.

Susie watching the unexpected big snowflakes in Tigard today.

Susie started to lean to the right (from the stroke) and fell asleep, leaning out of her chair. I had to awaken her to get her back to a safer stance. For the first thirty minutes, Susie was confused, sleepy, and leaning too much. For the rest, Susie seemed to find her focus and seemed to enjoy the movie and was even singing along to a few of the rock songs.

We called Susie’s mother, Leta, after the first song, and Susie was not very responsive. I think she was asleep or spacing a bit. Leta was disappointed that Susie was not responding, but Susie came back, and they were able to chat for just a bit.

After the end of Curella, I headed out to Red Robin for lunch/dinner. Susie got a snack, and shift change happened with Louis taking over; he is another live-in Nurse Aide and Jennifer’s husband.

At Red Robin, I had the salad and spiced chicken breasts, the ensalda platter. I had this with a Diet Coke. My waiter plays Dungeons and Dragons, as does another guy, and we talked about gaming while I ate. They both like to DM and write stories.

It always surprises me to find folks so young playing a game that was new in the early 1970s. I am glad it still attracts new players. Everyone seems to like the tabletop version (with various online help).

I returned to Susie’s place after lunch and found her sleeping in her bed. She was glad I came back, and she slept while I typed this blog. Susie was deeply asleep; I think you feel safe when she knows I am there. I stayed another hour, but I had a 4:30 status meeting, so I left with a kiss, and Susie fell back to sleep.

I did the status call while driving home. There was nothing new for me, and things were just clicking along according to plan, finally. It has been three weekends now that we have all worked. I reached home, stopping by the gaming store Rainy Day Games, which did not have the Army Paint Set I wanted. I grabbed the iPad I had forgotten to put in the Volvo cargo bay this morning and headed to Cory’s house.

I reached there 15 minutes before the game, and we played until 9ish. We are playing the new Spell Jammer campaign in 5E Dungeons and Dragons with new characters. I am playing a holy knight of death. I protect the dead and their tombs and ensure the dead are not poisoned by unholy undeath.

We played, and I repeatedly nearly became a customer of myself. I will not share details here as it is purchased material, and I don’t want to do any spoilers. All six of us, Matt DM-ing, had a great time.

I returned home and made a salad for a late dinner with ham, cheese, olives, lettuce, and other goodies.

I am getting tired. Thank you for reading again.

 

Today was a strange mix of hanging out with Susie and Evan and being part of a 7/24 data conversion. I was constantly reading updates and, at the same time paying attention to Susie and then playing board games with Evan. It was a bit expensive as we tried a new grill place near Susie’s place that, while the food was good, was top-priced. Later, I had dinner out too, and Evan and I tried the Mexican place, Si Señor Mexican Restaurant, which was expensive, but this time the food and drinks matched the money. I went home after that and crashed.

Saturday started before 7, with me waking before my alarm and trying to go back to sleep–nope. I was up before the alarm. I padded over to the kitchen in my slippers, the floors are cold, and made liberal coffee with my French Press and a banana–having had a late dinner, I was not feeling the need for more than a banana. Then, I logged into work and my Apple and consumed all the email, texts, headlines, and Slack channel updates, so I would be ready for the status meetings and enjoy my day knowing what was happening in the world.

I participated in an hour of Zoom meetings from my home office. Most of the work was still happen in the evening, and there were no approvals of designs or other items for me. I just followed along. I did the short set of exercises and stretches using the new list–a few more things. These did leave me a bit winded and hungry. I showered, dressed, and packed all the computers to head to hummingbird house.

Aside: From taking my meds and doing my exercises, I was starving. I had a plain bagel in the car while driving.

Our road, Clarion, was a mess of refrozen melted snow with no plowing or treatment–the usual here in the Greater Portland Area. It was fun to take Air Volvo through the crunchy and slippery stuff. The main road, TV Highway, was wet, with part still covered with slushy snow. Folks were driving 30 mph on just wet roads and scared. Air Volvo passed many groups of cars waiting to do a pile-up and help the local economy with more bodywork. On the radio were ads for various body shops–with the unique driving skills in the area, I would expect the repair shops to be busy all year long.

The Beaverton crossover drive was actually scary. The roadways in places were shaded by pine trees, causing now washboard ice, and cars were braking (!) and sliding and having emergency lights on. Air Volvo was sliding, so I pulled more to the left where the slush was and drove past them with two good wheels–All-wheel drive. Unfortunately, there were sections of ice that were water covered and polished to a problematic level. I do not think you could walk across the ice without falling!

Despite sudden and unexpected ice, I reached Susie in Air Volvo without incident or scaring the passengers (me) in Tigard at 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. (Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116). Susie was thrilled to see me. Anassa, the weekend nurse aide, moved Susie to her rocking chair. We agreed on the movie Mary Poppins 2, which Susie did not remember and is not well-loved by Disney fans, but we tried it anyway. It is an enjoyable movie and follows close to the canon of the original film, but it has a troubled start with the bowl scene, and Susie did fall asleep during a goofy song and dance routine with Mary Poppins. Susie thought the movie was “fine.” Here is the best song: There is Nowhere to Go But Up.

Susie was showing signs of confusion and started again to falling asleep. She managed to talk to her mother for a bit, Leta, but she still looked sleepy or confused. Susie is safe and stable and seems happy.

After that, we left Susie with Anassa to get a snack and likely a nap. I went with a kiss and no tears in Susie’s eyes today.

Evan and I tried, as I wrote above, a new place for lunch nearby Susie, but it was not a success. So we next moved to Iron Tap Station, also nearby. It was under new management, with a couple brewing beer in their garage taking over. Evan tried their IPA and declared it the best he had had. The new owners also moved around the tables and enabled more lighting. Previously, we could only play during the day and by a window, but now we managed a couple of games even after the sun went down. Excellent.

I had their German-styled dark beer. Good.

We played two games there, and both were a bit long (one because I had to do that status meeting at 4:30 and approve some overtime and processes). We played Architects of the West Kindom, which was again in the car. It had been dumped out in Air Volvo’s cargo hold, and I repacked Architects of the West Kindom (with all add-ons and promos) and put it more carefully in the cargo hold.

I managed to win our two-person game by six points (the value of an easy building) by planning my end-game moves to build the Catherdral (having all the resources ready). It is my usual gameplay to work the Cathedral at the end of the game.

Architect of the West Kingdom is a worker placement game, with each turn being simple, but the options are vast, and the strategy is varied. The new rules from various add-ons make the gameplay less single-pathed. Overall the latest incarnation is enjoyable. But the rules and gameplay match no other game, so learning takes a bit of a while.

Next, we played a basic game of Vindication, adding Pets and Loot for the first time. After that, we decided not to add more rules (the Guild stuff). Evan had a frustrating game as I managed to take all but one proficiency tile (even with the rule you can only buy one a turn), own the best areas, and move around the gameboard, gaining more and more resources and points. Evan did manage to be ahead of my basic score when the game ended, but he was awarded no mastery tiles, and I plucked all but one. It was a crushing score that we did not bother to calculate.

Recalling the play, Evan went after a monster with one companion and no conviction and thus had no easy means to recover if the monster’s die roll was Death, which it was (having Conviction allows the player to save a companion). Adding all the promo items in the game includes more Treachery Cards, which do not count toward Mastery (but do count for some monster rewards–the Monster Card showing the backs of cards). Evan was unhappy to get one of those (he needed one of each type for his monster, which it counted for), as it did not count towards Mastery (meaning to get Mastery, he would need three more Traits, a nearly impossible task). He was frustrated much of the game. I have had luck turn against me, too; in the game, there is more luck in a two-person game.

My play was my usual style; I worked on getting Vindicated by quickly moving my potential to influence, thus avoiding running low on influence. I try to collect valuable companions (owning the first Inn) and use their powers to improve my play. I had two of the best influence-based companions, just blind luck, and explored, looking for more valuable resources. Having the best mix to collect proficiency tiles, I just went after them. My slow movement rate restrained me, but the resources giving tiles were all two steps away, so I just added resources as I moved, using them often to buy another proficiency tile and providing resources for my next turn. I played an enjoyable game of traveling the board three times.

After finishing the game, Evan and I, as I said above, had a fine dinner, and then I headed home. The roads were clear, but Air Volvo shuttered a few times as it slipped on black ice (a thin layer of perfectly smooth ice on a roadway). Nasty! The problem did not get worse, and the black ice was gone once out of Beaverton.

The snow was melting away on Clarion. The trash pickup never happened. Mail did not occur.

Well, that is all for Saturday. I was in bed early reading. But I did wake up a few times at night. A vibration in the house still wakes me from a dead sleep–I am attuned to Susie falling.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

The snow is beginning to melt, and the drive is improving. The solid-packed snow (ice) is finally disappearing from the major streets, but it is a hazard on any side street or shady area. The temperature did reach not cold, 45F (7C), and the grass, soil, rocks, and treated areas are clear. You can still find ice on wet sidewalks that will kill you if you are not careful walking. It seems safer to drive than to walk.

We have developed two styles of dress today, those who deny the reality of winter in t-shirts and summer shoes and those who embrace the winter and have coats, gloves, hats, and chains on their vehicles. I have gone both ways (as you dear readers would expect) with my coat and Air Force Ones and no traction devices on my all-weather tires on Air Volvo (automatic 4-wheel, anti-lock breaks, auto-breaking, and computer-assisted winter driving, WTF are the traction device for?!).

I also learned that a new gasoline XC60 is $55,000-70,000 now. Not quite twice what I bought Air Volvo for, but the electric one is slightly cheaper (?!) and would provide more tax credits in Oregon. Despite my desire to help pay for some of the sunk costs of an all-green infrastructure, I will continue using Air Volvo, as I need to cover $8,000 monthly in medical expenses. A new transportation medium will have to wait (The Van Electric is still a dream).

Today my CPA folks, Cornerstone Tax in Hillsboro, finished my taxes. I can reclaim over $20,000 in taxes (President Trump’s SALT changes still cost me $3,000 a year–I don’t blame him as he did what he said he would do) for 2022 to offset my expenses for Susie and my care last year. I am still building a portfolio of paperwork that is audit-proof. I don’t expect an audit, but I will be ready. Oregon, which excluded the SALT changes, was more generous than the Feds for a medical disaster (more than $100,000 in out-of-pocket expenses). My statements about SALT are mine and not from my CPA.

So the morning started, like most Fridays, with me sleeping in until 7ish. I then take the first two hours of meetings on Zoom (no camera). I also read emails, texts, and Slack messages to keep up. I read the news, and you can find me reading NYT details while listening to Zoom status meetings. Like most at-home employees, I can read and listen simultaneously (I do not play Candy Crush).

Once the meetings stopped, I did my complete set of excises and stretches. Unfortunately, I forgot the new list in Air Volvo, and with the snow, I was not headed out there in the snow and only a robe with slippers. So imagine if I slipped–better not imagine that, actually.

Next was the usual shower and dressing. Yesterday I put on a dress shirt (blue), but I was not wearing a white shirt today, my other choice (I plan to acquire more colors soon). I like long-sleeved heavy cloth shirts with a t-shirt underneath for cold weather. A habit from Michigan and living in the Mid-Atlantic area (Washington-Baltimore Corridor). Today it was just a t-shirt. I did do the laundry today between meetings and trips–I like to have the dishes and laundry done on Friday–it makes the weekend easier.

I boarded Air Volvo and headed, again, West to the CPA. The roads, in the morning, were sloppy at best. There still were sections of major roads covered in packed snow, slippery. Folks were driving poorly, going slow and bunching up like a body shop owner’s dream. I was passing and getting away from folks. I saw many yellow lights, then red light turns at intersections. Nobody wanted to brake once they got started in an intersection (good plan).

I managed to get to Hillsboro without incident, and the worst risk was the sidewalks–slipping here and there in my Air Force Ones. I picked up the taxes and headed back East. I stopped by McDonald’s, thinking of Bob Wild (Dad), and ordered two cheeseburgers (Dad’s fav). I then headed to the hummingbird house, having to cross Beaverton. The roads were sloppy, where salt or the sun reached the streets, but shady areas or less traveled areas were compacted snow still, and Air Volvo shuttered a few times, moving sideways a few inches on the ice. I had no issues and never felt worried.

I reached Susie’s place and had Susie moved to a wheelchair and the social activity room. There we went over the taxes and how they worked this year. Susie seemed to understand. The refund will cover her expenses for about three months (perfect). Susie, with my help, managed to sign the documents.

We called Susie’s mother, Leta, and chatted for a while. We talked about taxes and Susie’s care. Susie was in pain. Her ankle hurt. I checked it, removing her sock and shoe, and she seemed OK–no skin issues. Jennifer, the nurse aide, checked it and thought the pain may be related to the stretching they did in the morning. I called back after 5PM, and Susie was OK–no pain. At the time, it was a worry. I did not get a picture as I was distracted by Susie’s pain.

I said my goodbyes, got a kiss, and headed back onto the melting, snow-covered roads. The afternoon sun was sunny here with a beautiful view of the coastal mountains and Mount Hood, and the higher temperatures cleared the streets (there are no plows in Beaverton, I understand). I stopped by the post office and mailed some bills. Next, I returned to Hillsboro and the CPA office. I brought the signed documents, and now they can transmit the results to the tax agencies–excellent.

As I was in Hillsboro, I stopped by the only open gaming store in the area, saw the owner who remembered me, and purchased a gift for Z’s 12th birthday. For such a small store, the stock in the place is always impressive. They have increased their paints for sale (I resisted) and got some advice on speed paints from Army Painter (use a protective coat if doing multiple coats of speed paints). Good to know.

I returned to the Volvo Cave with the main roads now primarily sloppy. 209th and our street, Clarion, are still a snow-covered adventure.

Once home, I returned to online work. I checked my phone and replied to any issues between driving trips (no texting and driving on snow-covered roads–it is also illegal). I did the 4:30 status meeting and then chatted with my team online. No issues. I will be watching online for the status meetings on Saturday.

After a short rest, I wrapped Z’s gift and headed to BJ’s Brewhouse. Mo was on today, and I managed to get a porkchop–there were only five left when I ordered. Mo ensured I was happy with dinner, and I was, and brought me coffee afterward.

I wrote the blog while drinking coffee and sipping almond liquor.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Today I dug out an old Barnes and Noble gift card pre-ordered On the Curry Trail: Chasing the Flavor That Seduced the World by Raghavan Iyer. I only know him by his cookbooks and kind comments when I send him a picture of something I cooked from 660 Curries. I read in the NYT that he is passing away from Colorectal cancer that has spread (the same kind I had). I love this man without ever having met him except in his books and tweets, and I would recommend his books and articles. He got me to cook Indian-style meals.

There are six to ten inches of snow around the Volvo Cave, depending on the wind and aerodynamics of the area. It is again cold tonight, refreezing the snow and the melt, 20F (-6.67C). I made my Physical Therapy (PT) appointment and visited Susie today using Air Volvo to push through the messy, slippery roads. My fellow drivers (who no longer apply some weird quantum legality driving system) mostly drove too slow, too close together, and scared. Nevertheless, I passed many of them and never felt worried about a sudden paint-loosing stop.

I sent a note early that I would not be coming into the office–the trip in was not worth the time and risk in my mind. Then, an hour later, Nike WHQ belatedly announced its closing. So at least the closure for Friday is already announced.

I started, like on Friday and Monday, sleeping in a bit, and began my day after 7. I had two hours of Zoom meetings on status and planning. After that, it was the usual thing with a few crises of the moment for me to resolve. Soon I was getting dressed and making lunch. I opened a can of corn and clam chowder (flavored with bacon as stated on the label) and turned on the oven, and heated some frozen Texas Toast to go with it (garlic and cheese bread). I also did the dishes and started the dishwasher, which heated the kitchen to a comfortable level with the oven and stove going.

I took all the food into the office in the house and followed along a bit at work. I also read the news and tried to keep up. Soon it was afternoon and time to leave for PT. I boarded Air Volvo after clearing the snow from the vehicle and headed to Bethany. My street, Clarion, was unplowed, with only one car trail. Four to six inches of snow. Air Volvo handles well (I thought I heard it giggle–it loves snow), and I was soon on a messy TV Highway. At this time, the road was packed down with snow and slippery, and folks were driving too slow (20 mph or less) and too close to each other. I passed them and went about 30ish and higher when the roadway was visible.

I connected by major streets to keep moving (I was worried about getting trapped behind a stuck car or worse) and reached PT early. Colin was happy to see me (most folks had canceled), and as his previous and next appointments were canceled, I got him for the whole time. He changed a few exercises and corrected one that I was not doing quite right.

After that, I headed in Air Volvo to the hummingbird house. The highway was wet, with only some snow left. Folks were driving slowly on just wet roads, more passing. I soon reached Susie’s place. There was less snow in Tigard, about four inches at most.

Susie was resting in her bed and was delighted to see me. We called her mother, and they chatted for quite some time. I was already getting messages from work, and I had a meeting at 4PM, so it was a brief visit today. Susie was sad about that, but it was a work day. No tears from either of us (I did cry later).

I crossed Beaverton and had no issues. Air Volvo did slip here and there, as I would expect. TV highway was a bit more melted but still sporting packed-down snow and unpacked snow. My neighbors were outside and waved and laughed that I was out driving. I was purposefully driving on the unmarked snow to create more trails on our street. Again, Air Volvo is unstoppable.

I did the meetings at home and then made a breaded porkchop for dinner. I microwaved some tiny potatoes and heated some frozen corn in a pan of water and a steamer mesh. I ate dinner in the kitchen, watching Public Broadcasting Nova shows; I bought the season on my laptop. I love to learn something while cooking and eating.

I took a nap, woke up, and then became depressed lying in bed. Finally, I got up and downloaded more proof of last year’s medical bills from my health insurance website (58 pages), paid some new bills, and started on the blog. I felt better now. I lost my auction bids on some beer stamps for my USA stamp collection (yes, I still collect stamps), but I was fine without paying too much.

I am getting tired again while writing, and that is something new. I do not usually get this tired.

Thanks for reading.