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I started the day at 6:30ish, even though it was my day off. I had vivid dreams about work and was tired of that on my first vacation day in August! So I have taken off most Mondays and Fridays and 1/2 the Thursdays. I logged on to the Nike corporate laptop and arranged my auto-relies to emails that I was out on Paid-Time-Off (PTO) and sent reminders that I was unavailable today to my colleagues.

After that, I enjoyed my liberal Free Trade French press coffee with an everything bagel (actually a local bread made to resemble a bagel) smeared with chive and onion flavored cream cheese and a banana. I read my email, even work email, and some messages (including some work ones) and then closed my laptop, promising myself I would leave it closed until Tuesday (I failed to do my timesheet and would have to break that promise).

I wrote my blog for the next couple of hours. I was in a writing mood, so there were various contents besides the narrative. Also, it was my day off; I tried to enjoy the usually rushed process of producing the daily blog. I was not done writing and posting until 9:50, thus not making my planned 10AM visit with Susie at hummingbird house.

Aside: I am using more and more semicolons now. I know that a sentence is a complete thought in English, but I often have more than one thought, and I want to join them; make these different thoughts flow together if you like. Thus, I am using the soft stop of a semicolon to make this work. I hope it is not too distracting.

I was in the shower and dressed efficiently but not rushed; again, I refused to rush on my vacation day. I was very late. I just could not get organized today.

Susie was still eating when I got there, just finishing breakfast (had I rushed, I would have had to wait, so my late timing was perfect). Susie was soon ready to enjoy the park, Metzger Park. It had rained, a very light and warm sprinkle, just a few minutes before. It was now steamy and damp–something we never see in August in Oregon. We usually enjoy the dry desert heat up from Death Valley and California. But today, you could get just a hint of ocean in the damp.

Susie and I risked the rain returning. I rolled Susie to the handicamp space near the tennis courts, which is paved to the road. I am always worried that the steep ride down the crowned pavement (where the center is higher than the edges) to the parking lot will knock Susie off the wheelchair. I have her lean back and hold on, but Susie was slumped today, so I took her to the safer area. I then hit the sidewalk that enters the basketball courts and push down on the back bar of the wheelchair to pop-a-wheely and then push forward. I mention this as the Park crew saw this and laid down fresh gravel to avoid this next time. I was very thankful.

Susie and I found a picnic table, not in use and dry; it was under some pine trees, and the rain never made it to the table. I sat there and called Susie’s mother, Leta, on the iPhone, and Susie and I talked to Leta on FaceTime. A rabbit, about 1/2 sized, popped into our area and then ran across the grass only to be scared by curious children. We saw a flash of a white tail, and the rabbit was gone. After finishing our chat with Leta, Susie and I explored the park some more, but no more bunnies surfaced. A dragonfly did circle us, and a hungry yellow jacket hornet was eyeing Susie, which was knocked away by me.

The sun appeared, and it was clear that it would be hot and even more humid soon. So we retreated from the park, using our new gravel to leave the park. Excellent.

I remembered some flowers for Susie that I bought at Safeway. I also brought her yellow shoes that Susie had been missing. But unfortunately, I did forget the Bluetooth speaker I use for movies. Again, my groove is not to be found.

Susie and I agreed on Gigi, an old musical that Susie has watched repeatedly. We know all the words and songs. I had trouble with the sound as I had to redirect the sound back through my Apple laptop.

The young star of Gigi, Leslie Caron, was also in an American in Paris, another fav. Susie sang along to some of the songs but did fall asleep for a bit of the beginning. She woke up to some of the best songs and seemed to enjoy the movie.

I left after the movie was completed with a kiss and a brave smile from Susie. Susie agreed she had a good day and would be fine. Susie was still a bit sleepy but was much more alert than yesterday. I am much relieved.

I got home at about 2:15; the traffic was terrible across Beaverton, with me taking three lights to get Air Volvo through some intersections! Finally, at the Volvo Cave (home), I made a salad for lunch. Mariah wanted to have dinner out, so I would meet her at BJ’s for beer and dinner. A salad was a good choice for the heavy dinner coming.

I was there on time, but Mariah was delayed by work items. I got a beer from our usual waiter, Eric, in the bar. Mariah was not terribly late. I was thinking about a lighter dinner, but they make the best pork chop in the area. So Mariah and I both had the chops. Mariah’s came plain, and mine glazed–I switched them. Mariah praised me for my deft handling of the chops–apparently, I am wasted on computers and should consider a career in the service industry. We enjoyed dinner, and we dallied until nearly 8PM.

I took Air Volvo home with Mariah’s bright Orange Challenger with the required Hemi engine growling in the lane next to me. I have to say I rolled down the windows to hear her car. It was so old school it was almost new. Wonderful! Mariah does not mind the gas usage; she can hear where it is going!

With dreams of old-school cars growling, I think I will stop there. I felt out of sorts. I did not get everything I meant to do today, but I managed the critical path. Still looking to get back into my groove. Maybe next time.

Thanks for reading.

 

I was feeling tired last night, staggering tired, and decided to stop resisting and fell asleep fully clothed on top of the bedsheets. At 1ish, I awoke and took my meds, and fell back to sleep. I did start early today and signed into the shoe company’s network with my corporate laptop and put up an out-of-office message, and reminded some folks with email and Slack messages. Of course, they can reach me with a call, text, or Slack message. I am always available.

Aside: I did hear this Sunday morning on Kink.FM, how happy Portland folks are to have the Naked Bike Ride back on Saturday night. Having driven in the event as an unplanned addition and fully clothed in Air Volvo, with its hazard lights on, I was surprised to be able to help celebrate. Congrat, Portland!

The day started with me starting, on a Sunday, at 6:15, to write the blog and be ready for church for the 10:30 service at First United Methodist Church, Beaverton. The blog for Saturday is always long, as I try to pack a whole weekend into one day, and it took me more than two hours to write, edit, and post it. I also use Grammarly to edit as I am going and so the text is usually close to being correct when I finish the first draft; otherwise, it would take even longer to write. Despite all the help, there are still some logic problems, poor or missing transitions, and half-started and finished thoughts to still be cleaned up (I get into a lot of ‘-‘ issues now, and Grammarly seems to know the arcane rules for American English–I go with what is says). Lately, Grammarly has been trying to remove some, let’s call it, flair as a problem with conciseness, but I have been resisting. Thus, all the writing was completed by 9:30, and I was at church just on time, 10:30.

Pam Smith, a church member, gave the sermon. I usually keep the bulletin to know the title of the presentation but lost it in all of my travels on Sunday. She talked about how mundane things, in her case, her father’s brand of tobacco, a glass jar for peanuts, and an old pair of scissors, helped her know that God has her back. How friends helped her get through the rough spots by letting her know they were there for her. “You don’t want sympathy but want instead empathy,” she said (I likely getting that quote close to her wording). Pam knows how to use a mic, her voice is clear, and she is a self-assured speaker making it a short, clear, and well-done message.

Aside: Our church has been negotiating with the Oregon version of the United Methodist managing authority called a Conference. We have had no official pastor for about six months and have used a retired pastor, Rev. Anne Weld-Martin, and the members to preach. We are getting a 1/2-time pastor in August. I think we are beginning to think that maybe we did better without the Conference meddling.

I chatted with the music director, Howard, after the service. He changed one of the songs; I was happy as I did not like singing “On Eagle Wings,” and he replaced it ad hoc with “Spirt Song.” Howard is off on break for three weeks, heading to the UK with his wife; she is from there.

I drove Air Volvo a short distance and parked in old town Beaverton, and walked over to another food joint. I was asked about places to eat in Beaverton, and so I was now touring them on Sunday. It was hot now, but I was wearing a Nike polo shirt and was comfortable (we used to have a rule that when it was over 80F that it was Hawaiian Shirts for church–but that is forgotten, but still I switch for comfort).

I selected Top Burmese Bistro Royale, and a highly tattooed and dressed for the weather gal, Emily, I think, suggested I sit outside (I had my mask on), and I agreed to use a picnic table placed outside on the street, on a wooden deck and covered from the sun by a nice tarp. Nathan asked me what I wanted to drink besides lots of cold water, and I asked him to pick it. I got a fresh and very cold coconut! He told me when delivering it that he cracked it himself. It was cold and good for you. As I was sensing a theme, I ordered the vegan okra on his recommendation.

Lunch was hot, and just a hit of spice, but the flavors were good. Okra is not a fav, but when made well, it can be fantastic, and it was both. I enjoyed lunch, and soon the place was hopping. Outside we got the one required, or so it seems, screaming child that was suddenly carried off. With that exception, it was a perfect lunch. I sent a text to Dondrea about the place.

After that, I headed to see Susie at the hummingbird house. I crossed Beaverton, aware of my speed the whole way there, and arrived without incident or distracting naked people, a new local concern. When I arrived there, Susie was finishing her lunch, and so I waited. Rachel was on as nurse aid.

It was steamy hot, 90F+ (32.2C), so we just did the porch and not the park. It was nice there, and the humidity, something we are surprised to feel here, made it a bit sticky–I miss sea humidity from the Chesapeake when we lived in Maryland. Susie and I, and her sister Barb when she lived with us, used to go swimming in the Chesapeake after church. We would wear swimming shoes as the oyster shells would cut a swimmer without you even feeling it. Nets kept the sharks and jellyfish away. I think it was Sandy Point State Park.

We called Susie’s mother, Leta, and Susie seemed to just look into space and was not very responsive. This pattern continued all day. Susie seemed half awake all day. Susie barely said goodbye to her mother.

After enjoying a nice break on the porch, Rachel got Susie arranged in a recliner in the activity room, and I set up for a movie. I asked about a few; Susie was not very attentive but agreed a Pirate movie sounded good. Susie seemed not to watch the movie but to maybe sleep with her eyes open–just staring into space, but her breathing did not suggest she was asleep. Susie usually says a few things during the movie, but not this time. Her reaction was different than yesterday, a new movie we saw on Saturday.

Susie did seem to wake a bit when the movie finished, and it was time for me to leave. She seemed shocked that it was already time for me to go; it was nearing 4PM. I put away the screen I keep in Susie’s. I collected my items and left with a kiss. I will return to hummingbird house on Monday at 10ish; I have the day off.

I was thinking about stopping at Central Taps, having a beer, and playing the solo board game Nemo’s War. But had to buy groceries as I had managed to eat most items available in the house, including various leftovers, so no gaming and beer. I went to the local and nearby Safeway. I was the only person except for a checker that had a mask on. Folks are still staying socially distant, I noticed (I suspect that people do that unconsciously now). I loaded up my cart with mostly food items, as I am not going through paper products or cleaning supplies that fast anymore (it is just me at the house). I was shocked to see the length of the lines of checking, and even the DIY checking was backed up, a total fail for Safeway. I sent a complaint to Safeway on Twitter while waiting at least twenty minutes to check out and received a response including an apology and that the District Manager was informed.

Aside: I am usually more accepting of lines and understaffing, but Safeway has on-purpose cut the number of checker stations to force folks to self-check. This would be OK, and I have used it for smaller loads, but I do not feel this is meant for a fully loaded cart. I will have to return to online-only purchases as Safeway is just not convenient and really not safe in a denied but still burning pandemic.

I picked up some flowers for Susie and put them in water to bring her on Monday. I forgot to cut roses for her on Sunday. Mister Lincoln surprised me and has slipped in another slightly smaller, classic red rose too. The heat and summer weather has reduced the rose sizes. A normal thing for summer roses here in the Pacific Northwest.

I made dinner of pasta, rigatoni, with sauce from a jar, and meatballs from the meat department. And the pasta always makes me think of an Opera song that sort of matches the name, and I love to try to sing: Rigoletto La Dona e mobile. The lyrics are silly:

Woman is fickle
Like a feather in the wind,
She changes her voice — and her mind.
Always sweet,
Pretty face,
In tears or in laughter, — she is always lying.
Always miserable
Is he who trusts her,
He who confides in her — his unwary heart!
Yet one never feels
Fully happy
Who on that bosom — does not drink love!
Woman is fickle
Like a feather in the wind,
She changes her voice — and her mind,
And her mind,
And her mind!

But yes, that is what I dream of when boiling rigatoni!

I then watched a strange movie on cable via Amazon Fire: Waiting for the Barbarians. This is a fantasy story of a long-ago time of empires and the evil they do and the good men who find themselves with no choice but to stand for good. It is a painful movie, but the acting makes you forget it is a fantasy, and you feel the pain and awkwardness of the good man played by Mark Rylance. Johnny Depp, the villain, somehow changes his face so that his mouth points down, and his words and actions set your teeth on edge–well done. A harsh movie, but well done and a warning of the cost of faith.

I packed away most of the dinner I made into little ziplock bags for leftovers and then, as I said, just collapsed into the bed. I made dinner for four or more, knowing I would pack it up.

Thank you for reading. I am sorry I forgot to take more pictures.

 

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Going backward, I arrived home at about 11:20PM and decided that skipping dinner earlier meant I should eat something tonight when I take my pills. The meds are unpleasant on an empty stomach. So I microwaved two smallish potatoes and then dressed them with the last of the sour cream and added some shredded cheddar cheese and an olive on top (remembering the olive floating in a snow-like field of cream cheese in the potato bars of Istanbul). After that, I went to bed and fell immediately asleep.

The trip before that was not uneventful. I had just left Richard’s neighborhood and turned onto Broadway near the Lloyd Center, and I was suddenly in a swarm of little lights that turned out to be bikes and folks jogging. The folks riding and running were happy, and the crowd on the side was cheering them. Folks were mainly wearing bikes and running shoes–and nothing else; I first thought it was still hot, and folks were reacting to the heat.

I had to slow and put on my hazard lights to let folks know I was going slow. I was now part of an impromptu parade providing traffic control! It was a Naked Day in Portland, and I had forgotten. Folks, primarily athletic and good-looking, were taking over the roads and enjoying their freedom. Small crowds of bystanders (those being the people still dressed) were on the intersections cheering people on and, not surprising to me, taking videos and enjoying the event.

I was having issues at intersections. There were groups of bike riders and runners having a consultation to determine where to go next and then suddenly deciding, like white smoke at a conclave, unexpectedly crossing the intersection when I had a green light. They did not look or give me any attention until my bumper was close to them. I then smiled and waved them by. It was a bit confusing, but I smiled at all the people in Air Volvo’s headlights and let them pass by, most naked, and managed to not hit them.

At first, I thought it was a male-only crowd, but I soon realized that I saw the bikers from behind, literally, and folks look, ahem, the same from that direction propped on a bike. I could not risk many looks in my mirror as the bikes kept whizzing in front of Air Volvo like bugs, soon to dirty my windshield. I also did not want to be distracted by anything in my mirrors. Oh my!

I managed to creep down the street like a lost lap car from a domestic car race. Soon the naked folks thinned out after they mostly headed a different way. I got back to everyday driving and turned off the hazard lights. Finally, there were no naked folks on the highway, and soon I was relieved to be on the ramps and headed to Beaverton.

Before being swarmed by naked people in Portland, I played board games at Richard’s house. We played two games, Mysterium and the Lost Ruins of Arnak. We played my copy of the Ruins of Arnak as I had incorporated the latest add-on into my copy: Lost Ruins Arnak: Expedition Leaders. We wanted to try the new stuff.

Aside: As I like the game, I blinged my copy with printed meeples, real little compasses, and metal faux-gold coins. It looks good on the table.

Tonight Shawn brought his Italian wife-to-be, Val, who spoke excellent English. Richard and I were the other players. I learned Val was from Milan.

We played the cooperative Mysterium first, not a fav of mine, and Shawn played the ghost. The ghost cannot speak. In this game, you must, like in clue, select a different person, place, and weapon. These are the suspects. The ghost gets large cards of art pictures, and this is the only clue for you to guess which of the six persons, or places, or weapons is the one that the ghost wants you to pick. A small timer gives the mediums (the non-ghost players) only a short time to decide. The spirit first hands you the art cards to each medium–representing a message from the spirit world. After all of the mediums are correctly led to suspects, a final set of art cards are presented to help pick which of the three is the actual killer.

As Ricard said, this game is about the crowd and its commitment to work together to solve the puzzle. Shawn was our ghost; he gave us too many cards, and our mediums were lost, and we failed–Shawn and Val had never played before. Richard took over as ghost as we reset for a second time. Richard managed to play perfectly, and we all found our way with the limited information. We identified the murder, room, and weapon without a miss.

The next game was the latest revision of the Lost Ruins of Arnak, worker placement, and resource management game. Shawn and Val are experts at this game. I had managed to play this early with Evan and had some of the new rules down. Shawn and Val knew this game well and soon crushed Richard and me. I was playing the Baroness, and I could buy lots of tools, and I had a unique power to put the tool in my hand instead of waiting for it. This got me going better.

Shawn ran away with the game and the Professor leader. Richard, as he often does, did his usual last-minute catchup and scored in second. I was just three points, which surprised me as I was sure I was totally crushed by Val, behind her score.

Shawn tried out the new leader, The Professor, Richard tried out the Falconer, Val got the Captain, and I had, as I said, the Baroness. The add-on replaces the starting cards with unique cards for each leader, and that shocked us as the game seemed constrained at first (we checked this later, and only the Captain is constrained). But, on the other hand, the new powers, the new guardians, and other new features made the game fresher. Overall, we loved the new rules and leaders.

Before this, I took Air Volvo into Portland without incident or having to dodge naked people, to reach Richard’s house. I left Beaverton after playing Lost Ruins of Arnak with Evan; we were to try to get a handle on the new Leader rules–I got a few base rules wrong as I had forgotten how to play. I played the Captain, and Evan tried out the Falconer. He won as I focused on how to play.

Susie called me from hummingbird house while Evan and I were trying out the new expansion for the game. Hana, the nurse aid for the evening, made the call for Susie. Susie was in a panic and told me, “I don’t think I can make it,” and asked me to come. She had already forgotten I was there only 90 minutes ago. She calmed down when she remembered I had just been there, but she was worried that she had failed and had done something wrong. I reassured her that she was safe and cared for at the facility. Susie told me she was not in pain or that anything was going wrong with her health-wise. I could hear in her voice that she was tired and confused but no longer frightened, and she agreed that I did not need to come. I called Hana back an hour later, and Susie was okay now. Susie had dinner and was relaxed.

Returning to the game, we played at the Central Taps, our usual haunt on Saturdays, with good beer, nice tables, and a smaller and friendly crowd. Before that, Evan and I met at the closing food carts near Beaverton City Hall. Our choices were few, and Evan wanted to try the Philly Steak cart. It was $40 for the two! The food was fresh and hot, but an average sandwich. Evan thought the sandwich was light on the cheese, but I thought it had too much meat compared to the other items. Usually, you don’t complain about too much steak! The fries it came with were good.

Clouds had covered the sun, but it was steamy for Oregon. About 95F (35C) without the sun and a surprising amount of humidity for Beaverton. Folks were barely dressed (a theme for today). The limited food options had cut the crowd.

Before a late and heavy lunch, we were at the hummingbird watching a movie with Susie–Ocean’s 8. This is the women’s version of the robbery stories in the Ocean movies and set now in New York City and not Vegas–already an improvement. There is much fantasy in the use of technology and the execution of the crime, but the locations are real (the Met in Central Park), and you can forgive the license as the story moves well and the acting is well done. The film even borrows some plot from another fav, The Thomas Crown Affair, with Insurance played by James Corden, who plays it so well that you begin to hope he actually gets the diamonds back. A fun and enjoyable movie with a twist near the end. Recommended.

During the movie, we stopped to talk to Zorida and Leta, Susie’s mother, on FaceTime. Susie was happy to see Zorida and then to chat about various items with her mother.

I arrived without incident–no crazy naked people challenging Air Volvo at green lights, to the hummingbird house at 10ish. Before heading out, I had finished a breakfast of peanut butter toast with French press liberal Fair Trade coffee. I was up at 7ish after some dreams about work–no reason to share here.

Switching gears, I have picked out fav music a few times now instead of religious music. Here is my next one: Zero 7’s “Summersault.” This, too, is alternative rock, a soft song that should, I think, have had wider play: Summersault. Enjoy!

I cut the last of Mister Lincoln rose to take to hummingbird house. One of the unknown roses, while smaller flowers from the heat and being summer, has rebloomed and looks good. Wedgwood, a David Austin climber, is also back in flower but has shrunk and turned white in the heat, is also back. I will cut a few for Susie.

A mystery rose I bought on discount years ago.

Wedgwood is just a bit faded to white.

Thanks fore reading!

I decided to take a break and write this Saturday morning. I am now in a rush, of course.

Friday is a work-from-home day at the shoe company, so there was no morning rush. I slept into 7AM and then went slow, cleaning up and dressing at 9ish. Breakfast, eating while listening to yet-another status meeting at 8:05, and break off at 8:30 for another overlapping status meeting that leadership decided should be overtopped of the production support status meeting and still has on Fridays. Fridays are supposed to be Zoom-free, but the project seldom follows the rules like this. It can be frustrating.

It is a summer-hours at Nike WHQ Friday; even with the project trying to horn in on that, I did manage to break away at 11:30ish. I made grilled cheese with chicken soup from a can for lunch. Again, trying to economize and reduce my meat intake (which failed later–but it was sooo good).

I packed the computer, cable, blue-tooth speaker, and Nemo’s War board game and headed out in Air Volvo. Nemo’s War is a solo board game that has been through a few Kickstarter projects and add-ons, which is my recommended purchase on Kickstarter. I then drove to hummingbird house without issue going across Beaverton and skipping the downtown section with its 20MPH zones. Folks were driving very slow in light traffic.

Aside: Games that have changed to a 2nd edition and had multiple Kickstarters are usually a good buy. Nemo’s War is a solo game (it tries to provide a multiplayer add-on–forget it) that has you play the storied captain from Jules Vernes’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The game is complex, the rules thick, and, like many solo and cooperative games, is controlled by a card deck with an elaborate set-up. Once I got the rules and set-up down, I enjoyed stopping by a bar, getting a table with plenty of light, and drinking a beer while pretending I was Nemo.

I reached Susie’s without incident. There is now a big red stop sign message on the entrance door. Covid-19 is still running through the place, but Susie is negative, and I tested negative too. Deciding it is essential Susie gets a visitor, I entered and was welcomed. Vanessa was the nursing aide today.

Susie was happy to see me, and we decided to go outside even with it approaching 90F (32C) in the sun. Vanessa got Susie into her wheelchair while I put my laptop in Susie’s room with the equipment I had brought. It is too hot for a running computer to be left in the car!

I quickly got Susie and me into the shade at a nice bench, for me, in Metzger Park. It was a hot but glorious sunny July day in Western Oregon. Still green with the butterflies and dragonflies everywhere and the forest fire smoke absent, so far. The heat had reduced the number of people playing in the park, and only the kids were running around. The adults moved slowly and looked a bit stunned. We did see two brave guys, one older, playing basketball covered in sweat–but the tennis courts were empty.

From our shading spot, we called Susie’s mother, Leta, and then called her aunt Joyce in North Carolina. Everyone was happy to see Susie in her bright shirt and outside in the shade trees. Nobody had as hot of weather as we did, but Michigan is always humid–something we don’t usually have, humidity. While warm, we were very comfortable in the shade–but temperatures were climbing, and it was time to head back in. Usually, our temperatures will rise one to two degrees an hour on 100+ days. You can actually feel the change with the low humidity, making you bake even in the shade.

Back in the cool house, we headed to the activity room. While Vanessa got Susie comfortable and safe in a recliner, I set up the scene and the laptop to play a movie. I keep a screen there for Susie. Plus, Susie has a nice TV set in her room on cable. And she has Alexa on the house account to play her music and anything else. I was joking with Venassas that she should order pizza with Alexa or anything else (the name is set to ‘Echo’ for all the obvious reasons). I think, as I have not tested it, that Alexa can only put something in your cart on Amazon. They have Alexa play music for Susie to get her started in the morning.

The movie today is a new one Susie has not seen before: The Lost City. This new movie stars Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe with Brad Pitt and is reworking an old film, Romancing the Stone (which has aged poorly). Daniel, using a primarily American accent, is the bad guy and manages to be creepy and passive-aggressive simultaneously. Sandra and Tatum are the focus and do a great job moving the story. Susie loved the movie, and I think a bit relieved to get to see a new film.

It was 3:30 now, and time for me to leave, and Susie’s face fell. She tried to be brave but was not ready for me to go after the movie. It is always heartbreaking to leave. Susie was distracted by Vanessa, and Vanessa promised they could always call me if she needed to talk to me. Vanessa talked about lunch and other mundane items with Susie; you can tell how well trained and good at their jobs are the folks of hummingbird house at moments like this. I left, haunted by the look on Susie’s face, but I kept going. Susie recovered and was talking about a snack with Vanessa when I left. Good.

It was 105F (always overstated) by Air Volvo, but it was hot inside on the black-on-black leather. So I crossed Beaverton with the AC at max! I reached the parking garage, not wanting the car to heat and willing to pay 1 hour an hour to not experience the prolonged afternoon heat when returning to Air Volvo.

I headed to Central Tap and grabbed a table and a few beers. I played Captain Nemo for the next few hours. I needed to unwind a bit between work and home stress. I was just becoming a stress puppy (beginning to like endless stress–“Stress me again; I am a good boy.” Pant. Pant). So I felt a bit more normal with some spice bar mix and two summer beers. Nemo’s War played better (I also think I got lucky) and avoided the immediate loss conditions by trying to mix my actions. I had to learn how to score as I never got this far and reached the “Failure” level for ‘explore’ styled Nemo (the game allows different settings for Captain Nemo play options and scoring). I was still proud.

I enjoyed the game more this time as I have learned enough rules, so I seldom have to look up rules now. The mechanics and choices are also more familiar to me, so I know when I have to start focusing on sinking ships. I spent too much time in this game upgrading the Nautilus (but who would not want all that gadgets?!) than exploring and causing revolts (yes, Captain Nemo is a force to resist the imperial powers running the world back in the late 1800s). Next time.

Lastly, I headed to the Mexican place, Pepitas. They were busy, and I got a seat, after being ignored, as usual, for ten minutes–don’t be offended. They do that to everyone. I went to the bar as it was just me. I sat at the very end and was far enough away to feel OK. I had Fajitas, the steak version. I wanted something good after all the veggies and low-meat meals. The waiter asked me again, and I said “steak” and then looked annoyed and asked again. The music was making it hard, and we both wore masks. She was saying ‘Tortillas,’ but I heard ‘Fajitas,’ we both laughed when we figured it out, and I answered correctly this time ‘flour.’

I had a diet coke which did not go well with dinner, but after drinking two beers earlier, it was best to slow down. A group took the chairs next to me on the bar, but we managed to still not be that close. My dinner was terrific, and I soon left.

It was a short trip home in Air Volvo, and I was soon asleep, a bit early for me. I needed some rest and to unwind a bit. So I practiced self-care: Beer, games, Fajitas, and a good movie with my gal.

Thanks for reading!

My morning started with me being released from self-isolation from exposure to Covid-19. That meant getting started at 6:15 and hopping into the shower, dressing, and then having breakfast. Today, rushed, I had peanut butter toast and the last of the yogurt with French press coffee that I nearly forgot and ended up drinking in the car in a travel cup.

I could not find my keys and got the spare set. This should have been a warning. Unfortunately, I forgot my wallet, which was under some chaos on the table with my usual car keys.

I reached the office at the shoe company Clubhouse building before 8 and learned that the command center was no longer in use. I found the small conference room in our area was not in use and settled there.

I did the first thirty minutes of status and then changed to the new software release, yes, I am starting on the next one, status meeting. This was followed by the global IT meeting; again, I saw only 1/2 of the meeting as I had another overlapping meeting before I had to stop watching the presentations, well done actually, and change to another meeting. That was an update meeting on another item on the new release. And yes, then another meeting, this a stand-up. Oh my, I was almost dizzy with changing the subject every thirty minutes and headed out.

I took Air Volvo to hummingbird house to finally see Susie. It had been three days and two Covid-19 home tests since we saw each other, and the longest time we had been apart since my cancer surgery in the week of Christmas 2021 (“don’t open to Christmas” had a different meaning that year). Even when I was ill from chemotherapy, I was only out for no more than two days. So I was pleased to be back!

Susie was thrilled to see me and Vanessa, the nurse aid for today, told me Susie was worried about me. Susie looked good and no longer tired. It was already over 85F (29.4C), so we did not go out to the park. Instead, we called Susie’s mother, and they chatted on FaceTime for about 15 minutes. Susie’s aunt Glenda called and texted, so we called them back on the East Coast, and they too talked with Susie. Anika, Susie’s niece, and Gene, Susie’s uncle, were also on the call. They had a pleasant chat on FaceTime.

Soon I was returning after getting a kiss goodbye from Susie. Next, I had a biz lunch and talked software with Scott. We meet once a week. I ordered the tofu, and he the wilted green beans. Vegetarian for us both.

I returned to work after that and had meetings and discussions most of the afternoon. It was just a bit quieter, but I was still busy. I headed out, deciding to skip the shindig in Portland for the project at 5:30, and was home about 4ish. I was just out of isolation and did not feel like risking a party.

I did attend some training instead of the party; from 5-7, I was in a Zoom meeting to learn about being an ally to underrepresented folks. The speaker was excellent, but the material was a little less practical than what I am used to. But, it is a tough topic, including privilege and how to self-correct, so maybe a more high-level discussion is more appropriate. Usually, training for IT is very goal-centric and has tests and proof of completion–as I said, this was not that way. I did like it.

I made a ham and cheese sandwich with a side of excellent pickles. I then was going to see a movie but fell asleep reading and missed the start time.

I then wrote the blog and had some cupcakes; I still have some lemon poppy muffins left. I then did remember to put out the trash and the recycling. My neighbor, who sold their house, was packing and moving out.

Thanks for reading.

I added this song to my collection today. It is an alternative rock piece: The Promise.