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I started this day by waking at 5AM and then waking every five to ten minutes, thinking it was time to get up. The only thing that broke this terrible loop was it being 6:15 and the alarm going off. I was unprepared for the day to start, and while my lungs were back after suffering poor air, my legs thought it was a holiday and tried to go in different directions for a while. Later that morning, my revised colon, being less than a year out from colon cancer surgery, decided to empty completely–a process one neither enjoys nor should try to rush. However, I managed to finish breakfast of nectarine and some croissant bread slices before the exiting. This was improved with liberal coffee created using a French Press.

I was now late, but my first status meeting was at 8:30, so I was not technically missing anything. I managed to play connect-the-school-buses and their resultant traffic jams in Air Volvo. I did not witness extra-legal driving, as all of us overly polite Oregon drivers know better than to harass a school bus.

Finally, arriving at the shoe company Clubhouse building and reaching my usual location. We have open seating, but we always sit in exactly the same spots. I was busy in the morning with some of the status meetings and some crises of the moment.

I slipped out at 11:30 to get lunch, a burger at Burger King that caused me to need a nap or a stomach pump (my colon was not impressed with lunch, and then I was tired). Last time for that, I think. Next, I headed to see Susie, Mrs. Wild, at hummingbird house.

I took 217, and the traffic was light on a Wednesday near noon, a surprise. Susie was in her recliner and was happy to see me. She decided that going outside was a good idea, and Jennifer, the nurse aide today, gave me a blanket for Susie to throw over her in the wheelchair (Jennifer popped Susie into the wheelchair with ease–I am always impressed as when I lift Susie it is with trepidation).

Metzger Park, just outside the Adult Foster home, was busy with folks with dogs. Some were barking, the dogs, that is, at other dogs. A tiny dog, we saw, lunged at another small dog and then jumped back–second thoughts? Both were on leads, so they could not reach each other. We found an unused bench, and I sat down. My legs were still not sure they wanted to work today.

As usual, we called Susie’s mother, Leta, and she was at home waiting for the call. While talking to her, everyone called her; she was popular. Today is Susie’s Aunt Joyce’s birthday, and Joyce called Leta back. Susan’s sister, Barbara, was also calling Leta with some news. So we let Leta go and talk to the other family.

Aside: Happy Birthday, Joyce!

After that, I returned Susie to hummingbird house and Jennifer’s care. Lunch would soon be ready for Susie. Then, I returned by Air Volvo, without issue, to Nike.

I spent the afternoon bouncing between tasks and the helpdesk installing some software. I did not get out until after 5PM. I returned home without events. I learned that Zophia had homework to do and young kids to play with at church, so there were no games tonight during choir and band practice. Next month we will start up again. No more losing the board game Azul to an 11-year-old for a while.

I made dinner of chicken Cordon Blu (frozen) from Schwann’s and corn (also frozen and from Schwann’s), plus some Texas toast (frozen). It was not hot today in the house; the oven’s warmth was welcome. I add some butter, salt, and pepper to corn niblets.

I watched the 11th episode of The Sandman that I had missed while eating. This is a special extra post-season session with an animated story and a story with Morpheus, but not part of the narrative–an independent story. Both stories are reminders of just how good The Sandman show is (Netflix).

Afterward, I headed to Wildwood Taphouse to write the blog and some more of my Dungeons and Dragon adventure. I have thought of a theme for The Poisoner in the plot of my adventure. The beer is good too.

For those wondering, yes, it is a year since Susie had her stroke. Next month it will be a year since the terrible strokes and Susie’s lung collapsing. Terrible days.

We are still here, and Susie and I plan to head to the Mall on Saturday and then church on Sunday.

Thank you for reading.

 

The air has literally cleared today. We are still under a bad air advisory, but my area has a cold breeze, and the air is clear.

The morning started with me coughing and sneezing uncontrollably, to the point that it hurt a few times. I wrote a note that I would work from home and slowed down in the morning. I did the first hour of Zoom calls, showered, and dressed. I also took some allergy meds that made me tired, but the burning eyes, coughing, and sneezing stopped.

I spent the rest of the morning following along at work on the current issues and some crises of the moment. I was busy. Tuesday has a stand-up and team meeting besides the usual meetings.

I made a chili-taco salad by heating a can of chili in the new glassware from Glenda and Gene in the microwave. Next, heated some bread and a few taco shells in the oven, washed some lettuce, and assembled it into a salad. The cheese and sour cream dressed it up.

I did the dishes and ran the dishwasher, which gets run every other day or so.

Next, I got aboard Air Volvo, journeyed over Coopers Mountain, and noticed that the mist was less (it was not mist yesterday). Today the trip was fraught with flaggers stopping and starting traffic, and other construction caused congestion. I returned by Division crossing over the other side of the mountain and avoiding the mess.

The day was a cool October day (without rain) for us. A sun that strikes hot and a cold wind below the ambient temperature. Freeze in the shade and burn in the sun. Usually, our September weather, but we will take it in place of the sideways rain in October.

I arrived at hummingbird house without issue, but Susie decided to hang out inside, and we moved to the activity room and called Susan’s mother, Leta. We next went outside for a bit just to do it. I stayed in the sun, but even that was not enough when the wind hit. So soon, I was kissing Susie goodbye on a short workday visit.

As I said, I reached home by another route, and I was back to work, following along and helping here and there. Evan stopped by to do some work on the Internet between games. It is his day off, so he plays a lot of pickleball.

I continued to work, taking a short break to rest as the allergy meds made me sleepy. Then, I was back online, and everything was done for the day.

I fried a pork chop from the freezer in butter. I cut the flesh off a nectarine into slices and fried that in the butter with the pork chop. When the chop was done, I added a bit of cornstarch and made a pan gravy that tasted slightly of fruit. It was perfect on the chop. I reheated while frying the pork some couscous I had as leftovers, and that went perfectly with the fruit, wilted, and the pork chop with the pan gravy.

I again watched the newest episode of the Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power and still recommend it. It was better the second time as I caught more.

The oil industry has already raised gas prices even when the production cuts from our ally, Saudi Arabia, will take months to impact the true pricing. I will not quote any left-wing conspiracy theories here–no matter how obvious. I got the car washed too. One day’s rain had caused the dust to collect all over my car–I was hoping for more rain.

I then drove to Wildwood Taphouse to get out of the house, and here I am, drinking a beer and writing. I have a sweater on–it is a cool fall night.

Thank you for reading!

For those who want to remember a year ago, here is Susie’s stroke post in NYC (10Oct2010): https://alohawild.me/2021/10/10/sabbatical-day-8-er-in-nyc/

And here is a happy post in NYC (8Oct2021): https://alohawild.me/2021/10/08/sabbatical-day-6-evening-7-tired-feet/.

 

About a year ago, we were on our way to New York City to see a show as Broadway was reopening and the art museums opened.

Going backward, I am having trouble breathing as the air is poor in the valley. The conditions are not as bad according to the readings, but my throat is sore, and my lungs are locked-up. Something in the air is irritating my respiratory system. I am staggering a bit. I am being cautious and just writing, reading, and resting.

I took some Benadryl to reduce the reaction–it is helping but makes me tired.

Before this, I had an early dinner with Mariah at BJ’s. To celebrate her new home, she is closing on a house in Portland; I ordered steak, as did she. I had mine with a salad and baked potato–old school. Eric, my usual waiter, Eric, handled everything. I had no breathing issues in the bar. I am only having problems when exposed to the outside air–something in the air is causing me to react.

I was online for work before dinner and helping here and there. I also rested a bit as I was feeling off today.

Before this, I stopped by and got some bread from Paris Baguette and had an ice cream cone from Salt and Straw in Beaverton. The ice cream helped; I was not feeling well, and the bread was for breakfast and dinner on Wednesday.

I had traveled from hummingbird house through Beaverton to the shops off Cedar Hills Street without issue. I had come to see Susie and took her for a spin in the wheelchair in Metzger Park. It was another extra summer day in October (with lousy air). It is a work day; I could only stay for a short time. We did manage to call Susan’s mother, Leta, and do a FaceTime call with her in the park.

Before this, I traveled over Coopers Mountain, all the hills filled with mist or smoke. No wind was clearing out the air in the valley. Construction also delayed me more than ten minutes when some signal lights were out.

Lunch was leftover chili, and it was not that good reheated. So the rest will have to be tossed–too bad, it usually is better.

I started at 7ish today as I did not have to travel to the office. I was tired when I woke at 6:15. I spent the morning working on a few crises of the moment.

My colonoscopy, I have a make-up one after the last discovered cancer, is scheduled for 22Dec2022. It will be the same miserable process and drinks. Still, they have ignored my request for Margarita flavored bowl prep. I was on hold for twenty minutes to schedule it. The gal who schedules was so relieved when I was not angry about the long wait and pleasantly finished the process with her. I try to be nice on appointments.

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

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

The house phone number: (503) 246-4116

Thank you for reading. Sorry if today’s is brief.

The day started with me rushing and then being early. Not unusual for me. I could not be late today. So I started at about 7AM, discovered I had never published the previous day’s blog, and corrected that. I then wrote the story for Saturday for the blog. I posted everything and got it out.

Next, I dressed for church with a white shirt, tie (Mandelbrot), and sweater. I was ready early and read for a few moments. I then took Air Volvo and crossed Coopers Mountain: The hills were full of mist, and the mountains could not be seen. Traffic was light on Sunday, and I was soon at hummingbird house a bit early.

Susie was happy to see me and was dressed in bright colors for today’s church directory pictures. We called her mother to say hello, as we were early enough to get that done. Susie used my iPhone to FaceTime with Leta. Anasa put Susie in the wheelchair and followed us to the car. I put Susie in the car, with Anasa watching and making suggestions. I again did not lift Susie high enough, and she nearly hit her head. I think Susie was not standing as strong as she did before, so we will need more practice. Nonetheless, Susie was safe and in the car.

We made it to the church, a short drive without any adventures with Beaverton’s Finest or warm yellow lights. I loaded Susie from Air Volvo to her wheelchair, and Susie was welcomed back to First United Methodist Church. Pastor Ken, who Susie had not met, was happy to meet Susie.

Susie sat in her chair for the service, and I supplied hymnals, and she sang the songs. The guy who does hospitality, Bill, has an upcoming birthday, so there was a brownie cake for him. So Susie had a tiny bit of that and a sip of coffee after the nuclear hot coffee–a Methodist thing–cooled down.

I loaded up Susie with folks watching and helping to load the heavy wheelchair for me. I got her back, and Susie was a bit tired. I unloaded her and the wheelchair without issue. Susie was better at helping at that time.

I changed shirts in the bathroom to an H.P. Lovecraft Festival shirt and took Air Volvo to the Hollywood Theater. The traffic, for a Sunday, was more than I expected, and I was late for the movies, but as usual, the festival was running twenty minutes late.

I was in the little upstairs theater (once the balcony) and watched the Lovecraft Under-the-gun films. These are films made in a few days with specific elements included, and most were good and, considering the ad hoc nature of their creation, quite good. I had met some creators during the various parties, so I wanted to see their films. It was worth the rush to get there.

After that, I was hungry, but I decided to end my festival and not sit and watch for another couple of hours with pizza and beer. So instead, I headed to Olympic Provisions near OMSI. But first, I did get a book by Mark Teppo, who I met at the festival, and he signed it for me. Mark’s game-related writing is for sale at Guardian Games, and I have one of his pamphlets. I also thanked Gwen, one of the directors, again while buying another t-shirt with the image of this year’s poster printed in light brown.

Next lunch/dinner. While expensive, my food and gin and tonic at Olympic Provisions were some of the best food (all meat) I have had in a long time. I was last there with Susie in the pandemic, with the Proud Boys rioting in their trucks all over Portland. I had the ham board (they make great ham) with steak tartar. It is a beautiful product.

I headed home, well-fed, in Air Volvo. I stopped by the local gaming store (only a few miles from home), Rainy Day Games, and chatted with a few folks there and looked to see if there was something I needed. I found a $10 card game, solo, “Can you save Ichabod from the Headless Horseman?” That I thought would be something I should try out. More on that later.

I got home and took a nap. My leg was hurting again. It is better now; I have all these horror books to read alone in the house. Yes, weird poetry about unearthly creatures coming for us. I am sure I will be fine.

I will, Eric, try not to mumble the words while readying to myself.

I am reading Mark Teppo’s recommended series, starting with Solitaire. It is a Weird Wild West story.

The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival is said to be the only festival made up of people who understand. Yes, we do.

The weekend work was completed on the software upgrade. I was able to help a bit here and there.

Thank you for reading.

I discovered that the Friday blog was not published (?!), but I was crazy busy and did not just finish it. It is not published. That is corrected. This Saturday blog is rushed this Sunday morning and will be brief.

I spent the whole day at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival at the Hollywood Theater in Portland. Yes, we have a Hollywood district in Portland that is a bit run down and so far has failed at gentrifying like the Pearl district. I can always find parking there, which shows that it is not attracting customers.

I was out of the house early, and apparently failed to finish the Friday blog, and rushed to the readings at the public library. The drive was fast, with more traffic than expected for Saturday morning. The traffic signs suggested slow speeds and congestion, but none of that was true. I wonder if they just put that up every morning. I made a mistake and went over a different bridge, using the Fremont instead of the Marquam, and had to reconnect to northbound i-84. Still, it seemed faster as there was no traffic (bridge info here for the interesting bridges of Portland, some more than 100 years old and reinstalled here: Info).

I arrived with Adam Bolivar already reading–it had started early. I managed to hear most of his works. I met him last year and got his book–I loved it. I was happy to hear more of his stuff. Next, Wade German’s poems were read (he let some read them for him). Again, this is all weird and Mythos-based writing, but Adam and Wade are excellent, and while the subjects are dark, the work is old school in its structure, making it sound arcane.

There were Voodoo Donuts and coffee in the cramped room. It is a public room in the Hollywood Public library–a pleasant public space. I enjoyed the first hour but then headed back to the theater.

I spent most of the day watching films with the usual late start. When it was open, I got my usual seat, left-side aisle row three, with a perfect view. I then bought books of weird poetry and got them signed during the Festival by Wade and Adam. My usual purchase at the Festival.

Lunch was pizza from the pie hole. In a unique system, Hollywood Theater sells you pizza, then you pick it up at the little gateway to Sizzle Pizza. Today they were behind, reportedly due to staffing issues, and thus I bought my slice and then waited until 2PM to get it. I found a break in the first hours of short films and quickly acquired my veggie pizza–it was recommended and great.

The long film, Freeze, in the main hall, was about a failed trip to the artic in the 1880s that was attacked by fish creatures. I saw Dustin and Jessika Oxford, gaming friends, join in that film. It could have been edited to be shorter, which is the case with most of the movies at the Festival. For a special effect, a picture of an HMS Victory model was painted black and gray and put in snow. Not exactly the model I would have picked for a steamer and research ship. A kit of Cutty Sark or anything closer to the time would have worked! There are also many pictures of the Endeavor locked in the ice that is in the public space, but I still enjoyed the movie.

Dinner was by myself at Laughing Planet Cafe. I had their couscous bowl, which was perfect and surprisingly came with chicken. I had an IPA to go with it. It was a good break, and I decided to watch the Re-animator and Bride of Re-animator. There are old horror films loosely based on H.P. Lovecraft.

The film’s star introduced the film, who is much older now. The movies were just old and terrible and beyond R-rated. Just a crazy romp of a film. I can’t recommend them, but I have now seen them and know why they are banned. Even now, you don’t see that much flesh and violence in horror films.

I drove home without issue and watched the newest Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power episode, and I really enjoyed it. The story is starting to move, and I liked how the actors seem to have become their characters. I then went to bed.

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the rushed writing.