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My weekend started with me up at 7ish to be ready for the 8 and 8:30 status meetings for work. We are running 7/24 until hyper-care for the software ends in mid-July. So I was online early, reading emails, texts, and Slack messages. So far, I am just a tourist on these Zoom calls as nothing has required me to step in.

I did the dishes that had been in the sink for two days.

My plan was to see a movie with Susie in the morning, have lunch out, and then do some figure painting and maybe a bit of housework. So I was in Air Volvo headed to Susie’s place in Tigard, Humming Bird House, by 10ish after having coffee, yogurt, and a bagel with cream cheese (this time, I managed not to trip and drop it) for breakfast. I also take pills and put Utterly Smooth on my hands and toes after showering–I am very disciplined about medications and processes.

Susie was up early and had just finished breakfast when I got there. Vanessa was the nurse for today. Susie was placed in a recliner in the activity room. I set up the screen I keep in Susie’s closet, an older screen I used to use as a monitor, and plugged my Apple into the screen. I use a USB-C-to-Digital convertor as my M1 Mac 13″ has only two USB-C plugs!

Saturday’s movie was The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), made by Touch Stone (Disney) using mostly B-actors. It is my favorite version, and I would recommend it. The sword fights are with the actual actors (apparently, if you are a B-actor, you get to do your own sword fights), and the acting is believable. There are some nice touches not from the book; the Count appearing (as the count) to his guests in a hot air balloon is breathtaking. The prison is fun, with some of the best jokes and ideas. The pirates allow for some of the best jokes, “Who are you?” “We are bad men.” If you need a brain cookie, please consider this film a near-perfect relaxation.

Susie enjoyed the movie but was then sad as I was heading out when the movie ended. Susie asked to come home again, and we talked about it. I explained that she needed to be safe at Hummingbird House. She told me she was happy and felt safe there. So she will stay and “I am OK.”

Again, this is heartbreaking for me. Susie still cannot walk or transfer, and I could not keep her safely at the house.

I headed out and stopped at Pepitas for lunch in Beaverton. The place was packed, and there was precisely one waiter, manager, and host, all the same guy. I waited twenty minutes for a table, and service was slow at first. I ordered a beer in a bottle to make it easier on them and steak fajitas to make the check higher than usual–they were being crushed. My dinner-lunch game out without issue and was quick. The bartender was helping. He cleared my table and took my payment to release some pressure on the manager. Lunch/dinner was excellent.

I returned home and rested for a bit. I managed to sleep through the status meeting at 4:30. Oops. I managed to wake up and traveled to Portland at just about 5ish. I drove the slightly heavy traffic in Air Volvo without issue.

My first stop was Guardian Games. This is the best gaming store, really a complex, in Portland, and they are open again for open play in a new play area. So far, the rooms I used to rent are unavailable, but I expect that will soon change. I went through their games, looking for anything that caught my interest. No Arc Nova board game, I did not expect them to have it, but I was surprised to see other games on the shelf. Nothing I needed. I then went through their role play game (RPG) shelves (they usually have everything that has been published in the last ten years) and found something that caught my attention.

The Lamentations of the Flame Princess RPG got my attention (LotFP). In Finland (!?), they are publishing in English (?!) a new version of Old School (OSRIC) rules, but instead of the usual challenge of adding bloat to a bloated book, these rules are reducing the rules (i.e., the magic-user class is described on page 15, just one page). Yes, rules-light Dungeons and Dragon first edition rules set in Earth 1700s. This earth has dark demonic magic and horror. Interesting. There are lots and lots of adventures, all recently published. Also, and am I not surprised, there are various versions of LotFP, and the reference book is MIA due to the pandemic, so there is a free fill-in PDF version. I might have to play this.

I was soon, having bought a copy hard copy of the LotFP players’ rules, headed to Richard’s. I was there at 6 and thus was just on time. I was surprised that the Space Race board game was on for tonight. I thought this game was headed out of the collection. But Richard likes it and wants to try it again. Shawn was our third today, and he quickly picked up how to play. I could catch Richard a few times, and Shawn scared me a few times. I enjoyed the game and remembered, mostly, how to play. We still had to look up a few rules, but generally, I enjoyed it. I will officially move the game from the garage and back to my shelves.

Space Race was a Kickstarter game, and we have all the add-ons (both Richard and I backed the Kickstarter, we both liked the theme). I also have the 3D print files for the rocket models in the game–the game designers have been very supportive.

After a game of Space Race (I did have Carl Sagan working for me, as you can see), Richard won, we played my copy of Unsettled next. We played a new mission on the easy planet, Winona, mission B. This was easier than the first mission, A, and we enjoyed working together; it is a cooperative game to survive and exit the planet. Unsettled is a SciFi board game where the players explore a planet and try to find a way to survive (usually having crashed their spaceship into the planet). It was a slightly intense session as a severe mistake would have us all die. However, I was surprised that the mission was straightforward, and we managed to finish it and survive the first play.

After the games, I drove home without incident but never liked the on-ramp, which was taller than the bridge on the way home. I don’t like bridges, but at least this one is not see-thru (The Big Mac in Michigan is see-thru!). I was in bed after midnight and not asleep before 1ish. The start on Sunday will be hard!

Here is the Wedgwood rose first bloom:

Thanks for reading.

I was up early at 6:15 to write the blog. I had breakfast of coffee, yogurt, and a bagel for breakfast. I tripped over the wine rack, and my bagel flew. It slammed into the floor, with the cream cheese on the top, but the impact was like watching the animation of the Titanic front section crash into the bottom. Creme cheese and the currants exploded off the bagel and flew everywhere, just like the videos of the Titanic wreck. I cleaned up the mess and finished breakfast. My bagel, having landed cheese side up, was still editable. Unfortunately, the accident caused me to hurt my neck, and I have had a cramp in my neck. Pain killers were taken twice today for that.

Friday is a work-from-home-day and 1/2 day at the shoe company during summer hours. So I wrote the blog, published it, and attended my first status meetings. I had two hours of status meetings this morning. After the meetings, which were without incidents or crises, I took a shower and got dressed. I finished the morning reading emails and following along on my work laptop.

I made a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch.

I collected my laptop and a Bluetooth speaker and headed off to see Susie. The trip to Hummingbird House included the sound of the polite crash alarm, a trolley bell sound, when the traffic stopped suddenly, in the rain, and the car started braking for me. The pick-up in front of me downshifted instead of braking.

I managed to avoid losing any paint on Air Volvo. The traffic was heavy, and the trip took ten extra minutes. I was relieved to arrive at Hummingbird House without any physical contact with other vehicles.

Susie was asleep in a recliner; she had finished breakfast and had been in the recliner for a short time. Jennifer let me know that Susie had just nodded off. I set up the screen, speakers, and laptop in the activity room and then woke Susie, who was surprised to see me already in the house. Jennifer moved Susie to her wheelchair and then moved her to a different recliner in the activity room. Susie was comfy.

We watched the 1999 Thomas Crown Affair. This is a fav for both of us. It even carries over Faye Donaway from the 1960s movie. It is a shorter movie than what they make now (1:45 including credits), and soon I was headed home. My neck was miserable.

Before I left, Susie asked to go home with me. That was heartbreaking. I explained that she would stay at Hummingbird House and I would be back on Saturday. She accepted that; I did have tears in my eyes when I got to Air Volvo.

On the way home, I stopped by Tammy’s Hobbies in Beaverton and picked up some grey paint; the paint I used on the HP Lovecraft figure had been contaminated by dry paint flakes and was not safe to keep using. I also got the newest Fine Scale Modeller magazine–they have how-to sections I find valuable. In the store, I saw the 1/200 scale IJN Yamato model for sale, nearly four feet long and a museum piece (assuming you ever finish it). I also looked at the USS Enterprise models, the WW2 carrier model 1/700 scale, and the spaceship (two different versions) but resisted buying yet another model. I have enough models waiting for me now to find time to work on them.

Reaching home without incident, I rested for a bit and called into the status meeting at 4:30 while making rice for dinner. I had reheated Chinese food from a few nights ago but was out of rice. I listened for about an hour as the meeting ran over an issue on some timing for data. Mushroom Chicken over rice and reheated hot and sour soup were delicious tonight.

After the call finally finished, I returned to painting H.P. Lovecraft. I used inks on the tentacles and on his skin. Before I did that, I did do some touch-ups that required me to touch up the touch-ups. Oops. But, the figures should be finished tonight. I plan to start on some more after that. I have a large backlog of 28mm 1920s figures and some Spacepunk 32mm to paint.

Thanks for reading.

Going backward, I went to bed at about 11ish with a plan to be up early and write this blog in the morning before my meetings. Before falling asleep, I read a few pages of Eric Stross’s new book, Quantum of Nightmares. This is set in the Laundry’s Lovecraft horror world, running a modern pulp fiction story. These are pager turners for me, but I think it is an acquired taste.

The Smiths and I, using group watching, watched the newest episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+. This is still, for me, much like the movies. The storyline is continuous; you must start at the beginning and go through them in order, much like Hawkeye and Moon Night. We enjoyed the next episode–no spoilers, but it is less predictable than other series. Recommended!

David and I talk for a while about investments after the show. My recent purchases of Tesla and Ford stock and David’s investment in technology were the main discussion points. My Ford stock has fallen more than 10%, and Tesla is down 5% from where I bought it. I am a hold until 20% loss person, and if you are going to buy in this market, you need to expect instability, so I am not concerned. David is expecting a solid tech rally at some point; I am less confident and thus went with heavy industry, Ford, and Tesla (which I also see as a heavy industry play). I picked them because both have a strong tech side that would have them increase with the hoped-for tech rally.

Aside: After the shocks for inflation and interest rate hikes bake into the market, I expect the usual rally we have been seeing for the last two years. I have read that others expect a recession and a bear market, but instead, I believe the Fed will manage a slightly less than a soft landing. This will be followed by a rally. Or, the future is so bright I will need sunglasses.

Before the group watch, I had drinks and dessert with Mariah. After I had my first bowl of dinner, as usual, Mariah sent me a text suggesting dinner. I told her I would meet her at the Golden Valley Brewery for dessert and dinner for her. We chatted about work and life and just enjoyed a nice dinner (or dessert for me).

Before that, I made dinner and followed along at work. I came home at 3ish as all the work was done early (before the holiday weekend, unusual for IT as we continually work holidays). I got out a jar of Les Moulins Mahjous North African-styled sauce–buy it if you see it, the gnocchi I purchased last week, and then the fire-roasted veggies from Schwann’s. I baked the veggies with frozen strips of bacon over the fire-roasted veggies on a piece of parchment on a baking pan. Next, I heated the sauce and boiled the gnocchi. Finally, I stirred it together in the pan and boiled the gnocchi. Corwin thought it “good enough for a restaurant,” and I had a few bowls.

I had a few emergencies in the afternoon at work and various emails, texts, and Slack messages to follow. One of the meetings was in-person but used an Owl to connect us with the Zoom meeting. The Owl has multiple cameras covering the whole space and focuses on who speaks in the room, even various speakers. It worked well, but at $1000 a machine, I will not be using one at home any time soon.

Before this, I tried to kill myself with lunch. We have free lunch trucks until the end of the month. Today I had the sushi wrap and made the mistake of putting wasabi from a packet on my raw-fish wrap. The wasabi was hot, or hotter, than fresh and near caused me to choke. I recovered without embarrassing myself by returning my lunch to my napkins (with all the subtleness I could muster). Yikes.

Before lunch, I made the trip to Hummingbird House to see Susie. Again, air Volvo made the trip there and back without issue. The traffic on 217 was significant, but there were no events and no stunt driving by the locals. Susie was up, dressed, and speaking a bit clearer this morning. She was eating her breakfast, feeding herself, and using her hands. Her left-hand does not work very well still–stroke damage. Susie’s strokes in October included the paralyzation of her left side, swallowing issues, speaking issues, and since October, she has been unable to walk or stand. Her swallowing issues are improving, her speech is better, and her hands are more robust now. We have Home Health coming to help her improve her movements and transfers. I hope to get Susie back in the car someday and travel around a bit.

Susie was happy to see me and picked Friday’s movie, The Thomas Crown Affair. Thus she turned down more singing and dancing for a more current film. We both like this movie; this is the 1999 version. The original 1960s version had one of my fav songs, Windmills of your Mind. Here is the version from the credits for the movie: here.

Before this, I rushed to work and then had to turn back and get my phone. So my first meeting was done in my car, parked on my iPhone. I started at 6:15 and was slightly rushed in the morning to make it to the office on time (only to have to, as I said, return my phone and be late anyway).

I was up late last night. I painted some figures and read until 11ish. I have some new figures from Etsy.com for the 1920s 28mm gaming, including a realistic H.P. Lovecraft figure. I was also following along with the data conversions that were running at work.

I started the day at 5:45, and while I did not have to rush, I could not go slow as I needed to be at the office near 7:30. It is about a 15-20 minute commute to the shoe company Clubhouse office building. So I made coffee, had breakfast of yogurt and a banana, and took all my meds. Next, I quickly showered and dressed. Previously I had collected some roses for Susie and put them in a bag to take with me.

Soon, Air Volvo had me at the office. I did an hour of meetings. I did head downstairs to get a Star Bucks coffee, still free, from the barista–just coffee with cream. I was again mostly following along.

I headed out at 10ish to see Susie at Humming Bird House. The traffic on 217 was the usual mix of aggressive and talentless drivers, sometimes the same drive. Nevertheless, I reached Susie’s place without suffering any damage or setting off any collision alarms.

Susie was up and eating breakfast: Scrambled eggs, pureed breakfast potatoes, apple source, and milk (slightly thickened). Susie paused her consumption to call her mother on my iPhone. Today, Leta was able to answer. Susie and Leta chatted for about ten minutes. Time is short for me on work days, a 15-20 minute trip allows for about a 20-minute visit, and soon I was saying goodbye with a kiss. Jennifer will arrange the roses. I did warn her; the thorns are wicked on this bunch of flowers from my roses.

I managed the trip back without incident, but I did see some extra-legal lane changes. Also, I thought a pickup would make me a witness to a grave mistake, but somehow the pickup truck violated the physics of time and space and did not crash into the car. It cut off. A true wizard of driving.

Back to monitoring and reading some items on neural networks.

I went to get coffee and fell partially on the stairs. I managed to grab the rail, hold on, and stop gravity from demonstrating why I should use the elevator. It was a close call near the top of the stairs (a ten-foot or more fall with the possibility of going over the edge and falling the whole story). I will use the elevator. Jim, our department head, was having coffee, and he joined me for the trip back up by showing him where the elevator was. I also showed him the footprints on the wall:  Nike sneaker prints. Somebody literally was going up the wall.

Aside: I twisted my back in the near-disaster and had to take some painkillers tonight.

My day continued until the last status meeting. Then, I returned home and had left-over goulash two nights ago. I heated it up in the microwave. Then, I logged back into work, followed along, and occasionally commented.

I took a break, read, and painted more of the H.P. Lovecraft figures (I have two to paint).

 

Of course, Howard is in the suit (two figures) and is surrounded by the gang, undoubtedly saying, “I would have summoned an Eldar God if it was not for you meddling kids!” I will be touching up HP soon and then adding some shading. His suit is in Dark Grey (Tamiya XF-24) and thus can be shaded with black. I will not put painting metal buttons on his vest as he was a poor writer.

Aside: I often use German Grey (Tamiya XF-63) instead of black paint on figures as it allows for shading, and at the 28mm scale, black just consumes the detail. For example, In the figure above, the hair is black and thus shows no details. I made the vest Desert Yellow to add more drama to the figure. Another good idea to make the figure stand out more is to use an Ash Grey instead on the pants and then heavily shade with black, but I wanted a more traditional look of matching coat and pants. I checked, and I need to add a bit of paint for a pocket square. I have a reproduction of a Sear’s Catalog from 1927 to check this stuff.

Well, that is about all, dear reader. I will try to finish Howard after my 9PM meeting. Zooming!

 

I was up at 5:45 to make a meeting at 7:30 in the office. I was not rushed, but I could not slow down and just drink coffee. So I was in Air Volvo before 7 and at the office just after 7–I had to turn on the lights in our section; I was the first in.

As usually happens, the meeting I came for was canceled. I saw that at 11:30PM on Monday night, it was decided not to do the early morning meeting. C’est la vie. I then followed along on the hour of meetings starting at 8. Next, as we were still waiting to start the big process, I slipped out to see Susie. With more traffic now, Air Volvo passed through 217 traffic (known to some as the Devil’s Bowling Ally); I reached the Humming Bird house without incident.

I got there, and Jennifer was surprised to see me at 9ish (I am usually 10:15ish), and Susie was not ready. Also, Jennifer was training a new gal, so it was taking longer than usual for Susie to appear. So I just waited, but I had only twenty minutes.

Soon, Susie was ready, but most of my time was gone, but I decided to stay a bit longer as the big project stuff seemed to be running late at the shoe company. So I stayed with Susie for a while and tried to reach her mother on the phone, but Leta missed the call. So I just stayed with Susie for a bit while she ate.

Susie is always unhappy when I leave. Today, Susie had slept poorly–getting to bed about 2AM the night before and was a bit grumpy. Susie said she would be OK but did not want me to leave. I understood; soon, she relented, gave me a kiss, and I headed out.

Evan stopped by later to say hello too. So Susie had two visitors today!

Air Volvo and I were dodging dump trucks and flying rocks from these trucks on the way back. Nevertheless, I managed to avoid any damage while on the narrow passage that is 217 in heavy traffic. I was soon back in the office.

We are still getting free Star Bucks coffee from the coffee stand, and two lunch trucks provide free food. I stayed with the Twisted truck that makes a great pita Mediterranean-style lunch. I had the Greek Gyro. I always ask what the recommended, and today it was Greek, the lamb. Wonderful.

We waited as more tasks were running late, and finally, we started on our big tasks. I am primarily a tourist, but it has been five years of work to get here. Brad, my boss, had me put in one of the trouble tickets for one of our data issues. I had to remember how to use the defect creation process; I have not used it since I was out in October 2021! It took me a while, but it is always fun to learn something and, in this case, to remember something.

More runs and more meetings. I left after the last status meeting of the evening. Air Volvo seemed to drive itself home. Soon I was back online and following along. I am tired, so I order Chinese food delivered. There will be leftovers, so it works out for dinner on Wednesday.

I cut some roses for Susie. Unfortunately, these have wicked thorns, and I did not escape without being perforated. However, I did notice that the strange weather has affected the roses. The bushes have gone giant long canes and then fall or break. I have never seen my roses grow this fast before. The thorns are huge and sharp too!

Between checking the progress of things online, I am painting primer on some figures–back to painting! Last night, after finishing the blog, I worked on drilling and pinning two broken figures–3D printed 28mm Dungeons and Dragon scale figures are fragile and easily break.

This repair is tiny work, and I was relieved that my hands, eyes, and mind could still handle the delicate repairs. I was not sure until now if I had recovered my skills. I used my pin vice, tiny carbon drill bits, my bifocal safety glasses (yes, they make those), and my hands to do the work. The repairs were perfect. Painting next!

I read some more of Eric Stross, and the pages fly by. I am back online often to follow along. There is a meeting to hand over to India at 9PM. Archana takes over. I am online chatting with the system support as the process seems slow. There is no detected issue–it is just slow.

I am writing the blog while following along on my work laptop. Dual tasking.

Thanks for reading!