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My grandfather’s brother was in France when the Great War ended. So today was a working day for me, working from home, but I saw all the flags out today, and there was free beer and meals for vets all over Beaverton.

The extra walking I did yesterday has made my right leg hurt again. I will try to get more walking in to build strength. I think the timing issues on my muscles are stressing my leg muscles.

I enjoyed my colon deciding that last night’s dinner was going to rush through–very rushed. I was waiting at home for the loan funding check, so I missed out on a chance for more excitement. Next time I have pasta and red sauce, I will see if I have the same reaction–I think that is the issue.

The check for the loan, a paper check, arrived in the late afternoon. Yes, in this world of e*everything, I cannot get an electronic transfer. In any other country in the world, it would likely be impossible to get a paper check, but in the USA, we like our legacy technologies. Because it was Veterans Day, I had to deposit the paper check at an ATM which required me to type in the amount after reading it on the bill. Apparently, a large deposit is doubled checked at the ATM.

Starting the narrative in the morning, I got up at about 8 with my first meeting. I did not turn on the camera. I made coffee between morning meetings and had cereal for breakfast, plus milk. I had peaches from a can to go with the cereal with liberal coffee made in a French Press.

I was researching and reading as it is Friday, and I try to learn things on working Fridays. I was also following along; Friday was unusually full of messages and tasks.

Lunch was a large salad as yesterday was too heavy (and the results would prove it soon), so I boiled three eggs and made a salad with mostly veggies. I chopped celery and a carrot and added pickled beets and some olives. A sprinkle of cheddar and store-bought croutons finished it. I put on some Thousand-Island dressing, store-bought, and ate my lunch while watching more battleship videos found on YouTube on water damage to museum ships–It was one I had to fast forward as the speaker goes on in great detail sometimes.

The bug man sprayed chemicals all over the house and ant-slaying powder–Ants are an issue in this part of Oregon. I have tried to use kinder services, but these green services never worked for long. So now I go with industrial power, and still, they come back. I have checked the chemicals, and they are not that powerful (likely why they are less effective) and fade away–Good. They also do spiders which I grow pretty big–seeing a two-inch spider running across the carpet is nothing I like.

Finally, at 3:30ish, the check is delivered, and I drive to see Susie and deposit the check. There is little parking at the bank, which is closed. I am not quite sure why. Traffic is quite heavy for a dark and wet Friday night. In the summer, Friday afternoon traffic is much lighter. It must be the mix of holiday traffic and rush hour colliding.

It takes me twenty minutes to cross Beaverton Old Town, usually ten minutes or less, and I reach the hummingbird house. There was no imaginative driving as the heavy traffic surprised everyone. The weather changed from a sunny but cold day to a dark, rainy, and cold evening. This driving created a kaleidoscope of white, yellow, and mostly red lights on my windshield and the reflection off the wet pavement. The headlights blinded you as the world became all white dots between sweeps of the windshield wipers. Pretty, but it would be nice if Beaverton would repaint those lines on the road soon! Rain, traffic, construction, and faded road paint are not a good joint experience!

Susie was resting in her recliner watching some Hallmark Christmas show–she prefers Blue Bloods or M.A.S.H. I stayed with her a bit longer as my work day ended. We called her mother, and Susie and Leta chatted for a while. Susie was having some pain and the opposite problem I was having. She was uncomfortable.

I left the hummingbird house at 5ish with a kiss and crossed again through slow traffic in Beaverton. I headed to the center of newish Beaverton. I grabbed a waffle sandwich, this time with bacon and maple butter, and walked it and the new board game The John Company to Central Taps.

There I relaxed a bit. I had a dark beer made in Old Turkey bourbon barrels and a strange IPA, both smaller glasses. I set up and played three people in The John Company, trying to run through the rules and be ready to play the game someday. I did not want to play a solo game (it can do that), so I just played all three players. I worked out the basic flow and got a feel for the game. Money is very important for the company and the players (representing a family trying to win its fortune and prestige in India). There is even a prime minister in the game and laws to pass, with the prime minister’s job passing to another player, the opposition, if a law is not passed by the prime minister. The chaos of the times is represented by an elephant figure and a storm die, and I still had trouble understanding how that works.

Still deciding if I like this new Kickstarter game. I finished my second turn and then decided I was tired, and the light was getting dim–a problem at some tap houses for gameplay at night. So I went home, read, and watched the first Matt Smith Doctor Who episode on HBOMAX (the Doctor is moving to Disney+). I went to bed without even doing the dishes. It was a crazy day, and I was tired.

Thanks for reading.

For those who wonder, computers are my favorite thing to work on. Mathematics is what I often dream of. Board games are systems to me; to play them is to run them and interact with them, just like a strange computer. When I win, it means I must have run the game well.

But, turning to today, Susan was sad when I had to leave so soon (It is a work day), but I then stayed another twenty minutes just sitting with her holding her hand–that is what I will remember. I put away the things of this world to sit and hold my wife’s hand. She nodded off a few times, and then her fav, Bluebloods, got most of her attention. Finally, she said she would be fine, and I left with a kiss. Well, two kisses.

Starting the narrative, today was a busy and rushed morning. We were called to a meeting of our (let’s call it) department at Nike’s World Headquarters Tiger Woods Center (TWC). So I managed to do my basic reading of email, personal email, text, and messages on Slack. I caught up on the news.

I had a bagel-like bread product with the last of my cream cheese and some canned peaches with liberal coffee from my French Press. I dressed and headed to the New York City parking garage at Nike WHQ by Air Volvo. This is an excellent place to park, and the third floor is empty at 8ish. The lights on the elevator are little swoosh symbols.

I take the elevator as I am unsteady on stairs, and walking is hard after ten minutes. I have some Physical Therapy to schedule to help me–I have noticed that the infusion chemotherapy has unordered my muscles–they fire out of order. I had to use a cane after one infusion, and some of the issues are returning, or I am now trying to push a bit and noticing the changes.

I took a fifteen-minute walk on the new paths on WHQ that are so lovely–my fav part of the changes. I was a few hours early, so I grabbed a hotel space at TWC and worked from there. Someone else had the window seat, but the cubicles are nice and sound-absorbing. I did my morning meetings there.

I got the window cubicle later.

I was reading some articles on AI while on hold with eTrade. My account at the trading house was locked when I connected my Fidelity to the bank at eTrade. I need a bank account in my name to move any money from my Nike-supplied accounts at Fidelity. My usual account is in Susie’s name. So I created a bank account in my existing eTrade account but somehow triggered them to lock it down. I spoke to a nice person at eTrade. I had to upload my monthly statement from Fidelity to prove that I had a real account; I had already established my identity to eTrade. They finally accepted that what I was doing was legitimate–I said that there was “white smoke,” and I was elected, which at least got a laugh. So now I can use my eTrade account checking account again.

By this time, I have ordered a paper check which I will deposit in my usual checking instead. Unfortunately, it cost me an extra $25, and I will have to enjoy whatever US Bank will do to me when I deposit that check–usually, it will go on hold for a week. All this is to borrow money from my 401K to cover the upcoming medical costs. Ugh.

I was reading AI and its related mathematics while waiting on hold, and they managed to finish the release of my account just as I needed to head to my next meeting, the department meeting. Donuts, coffee, and cookies (shaped like a Nike shoe or Converse logo) were provided.

The meeting was well done but included the dreaded “new way to work” plans that come up every couple of years. My boss, Brad, was honored for thirty years of service and got to say a few words. I had to leave as it ran over by fifteen minutes. I had a meeting I needed to participate in; my meetings were back-to-back, and I jumped into another hotel space. There I had to tell folks that some of their questions could not be answered as the folks were in the department meeting still. Funny. But we got through most of what they needed. I needed to drop halfway.

I met Scott for lunch, this time a Serena William’s building in the cafeteria on the first floor. I had not been there for lunch, so I followed Scott’s lead and had a great salad via the salad bar. Scott gives tours, so he explains some of the features of the new building and even gives me a tour of the new covered bridge done in Phil Knight’s honor. Scott and I talked about work stuff for most of lunch.

I walked back, getting quite tired, to the parking garage and took Air Volvo to the Hummingbird House without incident. It was a frosty sunny morning, and Susie was sleeping in her recliner when I arrived. I woke her, and Jennifer, the nurse aide, got Susie some water. After Susie had a few sips of water, we called Susie’s mother, and they chatted for a while. Leta was home in her chair too. Susie was nodding off again and said goodbye to her mother. As I said, I stayed a bit longer and was rushed to make my next meeting.

Back to Nike WHQ and Victory building for another meeting, we discussed software and some long and short-term plans. After the meeting, I stopped by the team that supports my old system, AFS, and we were happy to see each other. They were busy–there is always something going on in systems that does all inventory, accounting, and fulfillment for Nike (except China which is on the new system from my project), plus Converse and HR. I do miss my old systems and friends that still work on them.

I took Air Volvo to the Volvo Cave and finished my work day from home, reading emails, texts, and messages on Slack.

I had picked up a salad and spaghetti from the Olive Garden on the way home. I ordered on my phone using their app. I just read emails and like stuff while waiting for a few minutes in the parking lot until they brought me my food–still using a Covid no-contact process. I was feeling a bit down and decided I needed pasta and salad.

I ate and watched YouTube videos on the 1930s US Navy Wargames, battleships, and about living in Mexico (daydreaming again). I recommend these three channels: Battleship New Jersey, Drachinifel, and Backpacking Brunette. My favorite history comments today were on Drachinifel’s description of the 1932 US Naval Wargames, where the US Navy simulated launching a sneak attack on Pearl Habor on 7Feb1932 and the defenders thought it unfair as it was done on a Sunday, and the defenders were not prepared. Another exercise a few years later made the same simulated attack, and it worked again. Drachinifel’s creator tried not to comment on that other than to say, “well, some folks were thinking about it.” The Battleship channel talked about how they stopped the battleship by using the rudders as drag to a stop–legend is that it was used only once on the USS Wisconsin, and there was permanent damage from the event. And I enjoyed more interesting thoughts on living in Mexico and mistakes not to make when moving there–just daydreaming.

Next was a short nap, and then Theology Pub’s seventh year started tonight. Today we had about six folks on a Zoom call talking about how the misuse of the Golden Rules allowed folks to do nothing or even worse as long as they thought they were good. We believe that truly good works (thus following the Golden Rule) produce “good fruit.” However, we also think that the Golden Rule requires you to act.

After Pub finished at about eight, I put out the trash and the recycling and wrote the blog.

Thank you for reading.

I forgot to take any pictures today, sorry.

Going backward, I just got home and had toast with cherry jam with my pills and as a treat. I just started writing the blog after playing games with Zophia, Dondrea’s daughter, for a few hours at the church. Zophia played the board game Azul with me, the tile-matching game we love. She won only one of about five games. So I could focus and did not have to teach, just play. We tried the blank side for the first time, and while harder, it was fun to set your own path until you were dropping piles of tiles and starting to lose points. So that was fun.

Before that, we played a rapid game of The Lost Ruins of Arnak; Zophia has those rules down after one learning game. This time we managed to complete the game in about an hour. Zophia was almost six points behind me at the end of the game, very close. Next time we may try the more challenging version or the add-on with special leaders. Zophia and I both like the theme and the flow of Anak, the Hollywood version of archaeology in the 1920s, complete with monsters and treasure.

Both games are maximum of four players and so play well with two players. In addition, the games are newish games, so they flow well. Zophia likes to play fast, and these games enable that.

Before heading to First United Methodist Church to play games with Zophia while choir practice was going on, I had soup for dinner–tortilla soup from a can. I dressed it up with some taco shells I heated (and slightly burned) and some sour cream. I wanted something lighter after having a heavy lunch–An Italian sub sandwich from Jimmy Johns. I made the soup at home while finishing up at work online. I had a few items to review and follow after heading home at about 4PM.

I worked on some items at work and did some research today. In addition, I discussed some design ideas for data transfers. It was a busy afternoon for me after lunch in the car listening to election results. I usually eat alone these last few years (even before the pandemic) and listen to Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) while I eat in my car.

Before the pandemic, I would read the magazine and travel sections of the New York Times (NYT) during lunch alone. I have the NYT delivered on Sunday. I could read the various extra Sunday sections at lunch for most of the week. Sometimes I would keep the biz section if I was busy on Sunday. I would spend the week consuming the paper. NYT’s writing is good, and I enjoyed looking at where commas went and their refusal to use the Oxford comma.

I will have to return to those pre-Covid-19 habits.

Before lunch, I visited Susie. She was sitting in her recliner and looked good. She was watching her fav, Bluebloods. Unfortunately, I could only hang out for a short time, and we called Susan’s mother, Leta, and they chatted for a while. Susie was sad when I had to leave for a quick visit, but it was too cold to visit the park, and Susie looked very comfortable in her chair. She told me how happy she was that I came to see her every day. I did have tears in my eyes on the way to Jimmy Johns.

I had meetings in the morning before seeing Susie. I had to run one of the meetings and work with folks to get some work done over the next few months. I got to work at about 8ish without any trouble with school buses blocking my way.

I was up at 6 today, getting some sleep last night and waking before my alarm. I start the day with a bagle-like bread product, toasted and covered in cream cheese. Then, I opened a can of peaches to have some fruit with breakfast and liberal coffee.

Aside: My eTrade account is locked as the linking of the account to my Fidelity account caused “unexpected activity,” and they have thus limited the account now. I tried to call them on the number they supplied, and after waiting forty minutes, I gave up. However, I did borrow against my 401K in my Fidelity account to continue to cover Susie’s expenses and any unexpected year-change expenses (the limits reset, and I will have to pay a few thousand out again out-of-pocket at the start of 2023). I planned to connect that money to eTrade, but I ordered a normal process instead. I picked a loan as it does not increase my taxable income as long as I actively start to pay it back.

More aside: A large amount of money in my medical reimbursement account that I paid back is now available to use again. I have submitted a new bill to expend that money again. Let us hope that this bill will be acceptable and that they don’t decide to rescind the reimbursement later!

Yes, I am busy with work, paperwork, seeing Susie, and playing cool games with Zophia. Thanks for reading!

 

I am at Wildwood, having a dark beer and chatting with friends. The election results are all over the map and, thus, going as I expected. It appears to me this election, like most, is about local candidates and not national politics–this is always true for two-year elections. Only new presidents bring party members in with them, and that will be two years from now.

Returning to the narrative, the noises from the storm woke me and made me dream that there was someone in the house. This sent me into a nightmare after nightmare. I woke every hour, getting up once to try to feel safer with the lights on. Finally, I managed to sleep a few hours at the end of the morning.

I struggled to have breakfast, a banana and a bagel with cream cheese with liberal coffee. But, frankly, I would be damned if I was going to let nightmares force me to call in sick. I climbed into Air Volvo, showered, shaved, dressed, and ready to be a corporate warrior. I did wear the wrong hat, but only I knew that. I have a spare that Corwin used to use in the rain, but he left it at the house. I grabbed that one in error. I was at work in time for the first 8AM meeting.

When offered to join my master data support collages for more coffee, yes! We still have free coffee until 10AM from the program’s leadership. I even did the stairs, getting slightly winded on the way back. I have to pull myself up with my arms. My legs and muscle timing have been off since the chemotherapy (I got a call tonight and physical therapy has my referral, and I need to schedule my visits–I just have to fit that in now).

I started on some PowerPoint for new work I am beginning for the master data folks and me. Time to architect new things. I worked on those all day, finally sharing them late afternoon.

I did slip out to see Susie in the late morning. It was a sunny but cold day today. We could actually see blue! Susie was ready for me when I got there, just having finished her breakfast. Jennifer bundled Susie in a blanket, and off we went outside to the park. Susie was cold the whole time but was happy to see Metzger park again.

We then returned to the hummingbird house and used the social room to call Barb, Susie’s sister, who is visiting in a  few weeks, and then Leta, Susie’s mother. Barb was happy to chat, and we discussed some gifts for Susie’s birthday (20Nov1962). Next, we spoke with Leta, who was in her car, not driving while talking to us. Soon we said goodbye to them, and I had to return to work.

On the way back, I stopped by Carls Jr. and had a guilty pleasure of a Western Burger. It was good. I finished up and left work a bit early–the lack of sleep catching up with me. However, I did log in from home and followed along.

I took a short nap after 4PM and then made dinner. First, I fried a porkchop in butter and seasonings. Then, I heated some corn in butter and pepper. I also made a salad having chopped extra carrots and celery last time–so that was easy this time.

I ate this while watching the election news. So far, I am not the governor-elect of Oregon by write-in (I forgot to even vote for myself). But it is still early.

Thanks for reading. I am hopeful that I will sleep tonight and not dream such unpleasant dreams.

Monday started dark and rainy, with the time change starting to impact my sleep and my ability to get started. I work at 4AM, 5AM, and 6AM, finally getting going with the sun (or less dark, as there is little sign of the sun in winter in the Pacific Northwest). I was dragging and started trying to get organized on a work-from-home Monday. I soon discovered my work reimbursement account denied some payments and wanted a refund of a pile of money. I was collecting a list of transactions for my taxes and found the issue had been waiting for some time. I did this transaction while covering $12,000-$16,000 medical bills for Susie a month, and thousands for me for chemotherapy and surgery, and taking chemotherapy–not a surprise that something was wrong–it was a crazy time.

Online, I have agreed to repay it and had the money pulled from my checking, but I have requested a new copy of the medical records so I can resubmit it later. This was my ambulance ride after my chemotherapy infusion reaction in the parking lot in March 2022, and there is some irony that this, being the only emergency for myself, was denied. I will resubmit when I have better records–all requested today.

I also noticed my checks are running out, and my order was lost (a nice person at US Bank sent me a replacement) No fraud, so I suspect I may have tossed them as junk mail, or they just got lost (looking like junk mail). Finally, one of my prescriptions was rejected, and I had quite a chat by messaging doc about that–I went to pick it up after visiting Susie, and it was not filled. Growl. I need to check with the pharmacy while they reject the prescription–crazy. So I will go with Manic Monday for today.

Additionally, I have linked my accounts in 401K, but it still does not recognize the bank. There is a note that it takes ten days to acknowledge a new bank account. So that is nearly December! Back to Manic!

I did manage to do some work and follow along at the shoe company, but I seemed to be getting sidetracked all day.

The wind is back, as it is winter now, and the rains are going sideways, but at least the river of rain has stopped, and we just have the Oregon mist. I took Air Volvo to see Susie today, and there was no slipping as the all-wheel drive hunts for a wheel that is not underwater. Last week the tires spun a bit when I pressed the gas from all the water. However, air Volvo’s good tires and excellent suspension makes it stick to the road like glue, even on a wet road. I managed to not meet any police people or cause any photo ops while driving–that I am aware of.

When I reached the hummingbird house, Susie was in her recliner chair and looking comfortable. She was feeling better, and her glasses were clean and were not slipping down her nose–better. Yesterday, we had to cut church short as Susie was uncomfortable and needed to rest (and other things). Today, Susie was fine, and we chatted with Leta, Susan’s mother, who was a Panera in Lansing, Michigan finishing her lunch. Susie and Leta talked on my iPhone using FaceTime. But soon, I needed to return to work (at home) and kissed Susie goodbye. She was sad to have me leave so soon–but said she would be fine. It is always hard to leave.

I stopped by the Rite Aid as I said to not get my prescription. The store floor is all marked up, and the shelves are messy. It is just homely and rundown. It was also overwhelmed when our Rite Aid was closed, and this store received all the work from our local store. Prescriptions can take a week, and lines are long some days.

I stopped by the Stir Crazy Kitchen near the Volvo Cave and got some Chinese/American food: Almond Chicken and Wonton Soup. I had to wait ten minutes for a to-go order. While waiting, I saw a few pickups from various drivers. Apparently, Grubhub and like services are still taking orders from folks working from home.

I returned to the chaos that was my Monday and tried to get some work and progress. I took a break, ate my lunch, and watched YouTube videos once it cooled a bit. I enjoy Drachinifel‘s channel on warship history–highly recommended but be warned, he goes into extreme detail. I also like Backpacking Brunette‘s channel on living in Mexico as she covers interesting ideas about living in Mexico and how to make it work–just a daydream for me. Her work is well done, and she covers how to make a living as a writer and Internet blogger while living in Mexico–just daydreaming. Ocean LIner Designer is also recommended for those who cannot get enough information on RMS Titanic and other famous Ocean Liners. And more daydreaming can always be found at Gentleman’s Gazette, which covers vintage men’s wear (and even some current stuff). These channels always make me smile, and I learn so much. Most correct errors you will find online, and in Wikipedia–very interesting to me that Wikipedia and other sources are just wrong–these are the true experts. Highly recommended.

After that, I continued to work and just continued with constant interruptions. I made the mistake of getting the mail, and next, I was on the phone; yes, you can guess more medical bills from the past coming to haunt me. After a quick call to North Carolina, I finally got copies of the invoices via email that I had requested for months and paid the bills after having to create an online account to pay the bills. No more checks for these (which is good as the ordered new checks, as I covered above, are missing).

Finally, the day comes to an end, and I rest for a bit; Mariah, now with a new, less cool but likely safer car in the rain (now she has a Honda Civic in cool blue with darkened windows–like the kind that gets rebuilt in particular car movie for racing), texts and we meet at the Golden Valley Brewery in Beaverton. We have the special: short ribs with mashed and veggies. I have a calming glass of wine–excellent local stuff. Mariah matches me. I do finish with coffee. Destressing happens.

We head out, Mariah to her new digs in Portland and me back to the Volvo Cave. There I finally write today’s blog (this) and start laundry.

I will spend some more time tonight downloading bank statements from the past to get a better picture of the year’s first four months. Tough months with me in cancer treatments. I must find copies of the bills for some of the medical stuff.

I was informed by Grammarly that I am on my 200th week of writing. Thanks for reading!