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I woke before my alarm and tried to roll over and fall asleep. Only to awaken 15 minutes later to recheck the time. This went on for a while. As often happens, I was sound asleep when the iPhone alarm announced it was time to be awake. I was not really sharp but jumped into the shower and got started. I found breakfast and put ground coffee in the French Press. I never returned to it! I had a banana and cottage cheese for breakfast. I read my emails, loaded Susie’s new pedal device delivered last night (a day late) in the car, and took Air Volvo to Nike World Headquarters.

It is hard to describe how lovely the WHQ is; I miss working there. We are assigned Clubhouse, which is an office building not on WHQ. Boring. I believe that many of the old folks are retiring early from Nike in the computer groups as we feel disconnected from Nike. I also think the newer computer folks that have never worked from campus see Nike as an exciting job but never feel part of Team Nike. So the computer folks exit for money or a new challenge.

Nonetheless, it was nice to park in a parking structure and then walk on the campus. I picked the furthest new garage to walk by all the new buildings. I have not had the chance before with the pandemic and the construction. My, they are huge buildings and have a completely different color and design scheme from the older buildings. The buildings no longer seem to be a college campus–the previous theme, but a dream from LA and the Pacific Northwest. Black, orange, gray, and folded designs shout LA with water and plants that give a calming PNW feel. I love it.

Parking garage.

The photo does not really show the scale of this building.

The photo is a bit dark on such a bright day. Another huge building.

It was a thirty-minute walk and many stairs that I would prefer to avoid, but I managed. The stairs were never too high like in Clubhouse. I use the elevator always in Clubhouse after nearly falling. I felt safe on campus.

I reached the Tiger Woods Center, Nike’s event center on campus, and found my favorite working spot. TWC has hotel spots to email and make calls, and I had two hours of meeting before the two-hour All-hands meeting. My first one in person in years.

I handled my meetings and even turned on my video as I had a window seat in TWC. This was not my first time stuck for hours between sessions in TWC!

The discussions cover more crises of the moment and other knowledge sharing and planning chats. Of course, the details cannot be shared, but it was mostly the usual computer stuff–not interesting for most.

The All-hands was hosted for the first time live in TWC with our new Irish newest leader and VP, Hilda (not Heidi–Thanks Kate). While much of the content was the usual corporate stuff you see at any company, with the standard Nike amazing videos (even the computer group’s videos are great), it surprised me by starting on time, running to schedule, and finishing on time. A first for me–giving me more insight into Hilda., I think, than anything she said. This gal does her homework and expects adherence to schedules.

I left TWC and had to skip lunch and hanging out with Heidi to see Susie today. I reversed my walk and was proud that I did not get lost on the trails in the woods and grass. I soon found the parking garage and connected Air Volvo with 26 and then 217 to hummingbird house at 9925 SW 82nd in Portland (really Tigard).

Aside: I do not capitalize hummingbird house as it is not a formal name. This is Alliegence Senior Care, LCC formally, and the house name allows distinction from the other home (I forgot its name).

Susie was in her chair, and one of the other residents was already outside enjoying the near-perfect weather. On my iPhone, we called Susie’s mother, Leta, from inside the hummingbird house, letting Susie and Leta see each other. They chatted for some time while I rested a bit; I was exhausted yesterday, and I was also tired today.

After completing the call, Jennifer moved Susie into her wheelchair, and we traveled to Metzger Park next door. It was busy today as school was starting soon–or had begun, and the kids and adults seemed to want one last time in the park. We saw one high school-aged gal with her younger brother, whom I recognized. She was again in the park practicing her dance routines with a hula hoop while her brother ran around the park, and her little dog enjoyed the grass.

I saw the swallowtail butterfly named Elrond by Susie, but when we got closer, it had found somewhere else to flutter.

I could only stay a short time, and I had had no lunch and was sleepy in the hot sun. Not a good situation! So I pushed Susie back to the hummingbird house and said goodbye with a kiss.

I stopped by Jimmy John’s and tried the East Coast Spicy Italian as I was hungry and fading. It was good, but I need to ask them to cut it into thirds so it will not fall apart. I love the freshly made bread and the speed. The wait is always short.

Air Volvo, reversing my previous course of 26 and 217, got me to Clubhouse. A sign on the door, ‘Welcome Back!’ and ‘Rest and Recovery are not just time off,’ provided more options online. I said hello, as always, to the desk team and took the elevator to the second floor. Someone had finally cleaned the elevator–the footprints on the wall (?!) were gone.

Some of my teams were in and sitting at the usual shared desks–even though it is open seating, we generally all sit at one spot (very human). I worked on a few escalating items and on the critical path. I then, tiring, left early. I took Air Volvo home without incident except for suddenly stopping cars. Going slow is a sort of driving sport in the Beaverton area, and one must be ready to stop.

I logged back into the shoe company at the Volvo Cave. The 5:05 meeting was a bit disorganized, and our escalating issue was questioned for being de-escalated. We were a bit surprised and found ourselves having to explain why it was escalated (even when we thought it should not be escalated) and suggested it needs to be left as an item we review every day. How strange things sometimes get in the corporate world!

After that, I was free. I made dinner of leftover salad and bratwursts I had grilled a few days ago. I then wrote some more Dungeons and Dragon 5E adventure. I am starting to bring the first part to a close. I have to find a way to transition to the next part. It is nice to write again, especially an adventure in D&D style.

Next, I decided I was still a bit stressed out and went for a drink and dessert at Stanford’s. Susie and I used to hang out at the bar there sometimes. I had coffee and a shot of almond liqueur, and a chocolate mouse cake. I felt better, but the sadness does sometimes overwhelm me. Dessert and writing help.

After that, I realized I would be late starting my blog and hurried home. The local cat was sitting in the center of the road and took its time to finally get up and let me use the road. Cats!

I hope you enjoyed my writing tonight. The coffee helped.

It was challenging to start today, and by the early evening, I was dragging. As usual for a workday, I awoke at 6:15 to my alarm and was up and making breakfast only after a short struggle resisting a few hugs from my blankets. My pillow was willing to let me stay another thirty minutes, but I demurred. I had cereal with a banana sliced in it. I had a nectarine with the bowl; I love nectarines. Coffee was soon ready, and I regretted not making a pot of liberal coffee to drink all day.

As my friend Joe C said, “a rough re-entry.”

It was my first time using my new office to work from home. My two computers fit nicely in my new workspace, and I did concentrate better. I have lowered my chair, and the back pain is receding. Better.

I did my usual read email and tried to manage my re-entry to work. It was nine days of time off, and I had a backlog for the first two days. Still, most Nike WHQ and other locations (including India and other development centers) were closed for Rest and Recovery Week, so I had no emails or missed meetings (except the 5PM yesterday), making the re-entry not so bad.

My first status meeting and some other crises of the moment surfaced, and one issue from before the long break returned and started again to escalate. However, I think we were able to tamp it down for now.

I had the spaghetti with meat sauce I picked up on Saturday from Olive Garden for lunch. I microwaved it. I also got two pieces of Texas Toast (garlic bread with some cheese) from the freezer, lighted a few burners on the grill on the deck, and roasted the toast on tin foil on the gas grill. No reason to use the oven.

Lunch was pleasant, but the Cubii JR1 or JR2, Under Desk Elliptical, Bike Pedal Exerciser was not delivered. I had to be headed to hummingbird house as Susie had Tracy for PT at 1PM, and Tracy is a bit intense. I wanted to be there with the new excellent device, but that will have to wait until Thursday, Tracy’s next appointment with Susie.

I was there 15 minutes early, with no events from my careful trek through Beaverton, avoiding the Old Town 20 mph sections. Tracy was there only a few minutes after 1.

Tracy had Susie standing and balancing and even got Susie into the wheelchair, mostly doing it herself using the strength of her legs. Susie was finding standing difficult as her muscles seemed a bit locked up. I think all of us are feeling this from the pandemic. Susie was also having trouble with her left side, and Tracy, for future exercises, asked me to cover Susie’s right eye and then have her left hand give me things. This will help her cross-brain actions work better.

We then watched Susie’s ice skating video on my Mac. This is Susie’s 1980 long and short program. Tracy then headed out. Susie was disappointed I was out of time and could not take her to the park. Unfortunately, it was a work day, and I had a 2PM Zoom call and then a 3:30 call.

I was that guy on the phone driving in a Zoom meeting. After that adventure, talking in the driveway for ten minutes, I had a crisis-of-the-moment meeting and filled in for the director too. That one went fine.

I then was tired again. I rested and fell asleep but somehow managed to wake in time for the 5:05 status meetings.

The mail came, and the pedal thingee showed. It was delivered, and it is heavy, by the mailman! I will take it to Susie on Tuesday, and we can unbox it at hummingbird house.

After that, I was free for the moment. I was also dragging and was not going to make dinner today. Instead, I ordered spicy Italian food with a big salad and watched the new Game of Thrones prequel House of Dragons. Eating dinner while enjoying the new show. Of Doctor Who fame, Matt Smith was one of the bad guys. I thought House of Dragons’s first episode was a bit predictable, and the actors, with Matt Smith’s exception, were still trying to find their voices and become the characters in the story; they seemed stiff and looking distant.

Aside: I had to increase the volume as I had trouble with the accents. I have hearing issues, but I think it was the show’s sound.

Later, I started to write some more Dungeons and Dragons 5E to distract me. I get sad and lonely sometimes, but work, coding, writing, and reading are always my escape. Next, I started on the blog and hope you enjoyed it.

For those who wonder, I discovered that I can remember what happened by blogging each day. I think the events in the pandemic and the medical challenges Susie and I have faced are important stories. I want to remember, and when I return to the previous entries, I can find the memories of that day. For example, before the pandemic, I was leading games at the Game Storm convention 30March2019, and there is an excellent description of the games I played that day. Though the memory is fading, I can remember the games and the players. So for each blog, I try to find a story to tell and some detail that I can remember later. It might be gas prices or some creative driving on TV highway.

Again, thanks for reading and letting me create a story to remember later.

I started Sunday awakened by my alarm on my iPhone at 6:30 from dreaming of work. Always a disappointment to not dream of exotic places or terrible vistas but to dream of working. Monday is my first day back after nine days, and I guess my dream was a complaint that I return to work soon. It was hard to get started as my bed and blankets were like a siren song of comfortable, if not dull, dreams. “Rest here and let the world go on without you,” were the words my pillow was whispering. Finally, I pushed away their illusions and stood and marched like a soldier to the kitchen.

I managed a bread-like un-French croissant with a banana with my liberal coffee made in a French press for breakfast. Today I would regret not making a whole pot! I took my food to my new office space in the back of the house and started to write. While I do not dread writing the Saturday blog on Sunday morning, it would be over 1,800 words and take about two hours to write; it is a longish task. I would have some interruptions, so it would not be finished until 9ish or later.

The coffee and food worked, and so did a few side trips to the websites Board Game Geek and Wikipedia to learn a few things, but mostly I just wrote the long story of my Saturday. I manage to do a whole weekend in one day.

I was in the shower, dressed, and headed out by 10:15ish, having finished the blog and collected all I needed to see Susie today. No church today as I could not fit it in. I reached the hummingbird house before 11. Susie was in her recliner, and Rachel was today’s morning nursing aide. Rachel got Susie moved into the wheelchair, and it was a pleasant day; we headed to the park. The park was not busy as it was still morning on Sunday. Picnics were just starting. The sun was out, and the Oregon Swallowtail butterfly, now named Elrond by Susie, was in the cedars. We had stopped in the shade of the trees at the bench. This was after having to share the road with a little person on a tricycle. The little girl was followed by her dad as she drove into the park. Dad turned her around as she was going to join a tennis match.

We enjoyed the warmth and called Leta, Susie’s mother, on the iPhone, and Susie and she caught up. Leta had not, as I reported yesterday, gone to the DIA Monet show but to a Lecture on the Sistine Chapel at the Ford Presidental Libary in Grand Rapids. While they chatted, Evan appeared on his break. He was happy to see Susie and could only stay a few minutes. Susie was glad to see Evan, and all talked for a bit. As his break was short, Evan had to head out, and I pushed Susie through the park, the road, and back to the hummingbird house.

Susie was up for a movie. So Rachel got Susie comfortable in a recliner in the activity room. I wrapped a present for Natasha’s graduation, Soviet chess set from the 1950-60s that I bought from Ukraine. I decorated the chessboard with a map of Berlin and applied the seal of NATO and the USSR to the chess pieces. Susie approved of the gift and watched me wrap it. I wanted to include Susie in the gift process, so I took wrapping paper, tape, and scissors to the hummingbird house.

Next, we watched a movie, the old musical Singing in the Rain, with Susie and me sometimes singing along. This one is a fav.

After the movie, I had to head home, getting a goodbye kiss–Susie was sorry to miss the wedding celebration, and then to the wedding celebration of Natasha Smith and Jason Kramer at Shadywood Park in Hillsboro. So the stop at the house was just to drop off the Mac and other computer items.

I was soon at the wedding party and had gourmet chicken made by Natasha’s father, David, and her sister Cat. After that, I spent the rest of the day hanging out and eating more food. It was so lovely to see the Smiths plus Jason again. Everyone missed Susie.

I gave Natasha her graduation gift, the chess set. She seemed to like it.

I left after 7:30 as I was getting tired, which meant I was likely more tired than I realized. I said my goodbyes to Natasha and Jason, and the Smiths.

I got home and found my office had been invaded by tiny ants. I decided to commit insecticide and sprayed the baseboards, windows, desk legs, and anything else an ant might use to get to my computer. Warm computers attract ants, and there was a small mass of bugs trying to ruin my Mac!

I had to open the windows and air out the office as I had maybe sprayed too much; I am liberal, after all. I read World War Two while I waited for the air to clear–in the completion of just a few pages I read, the Red Army took 750,000 casualties–it is a truly terrifying history.

I finally got to the blog.

I did miss out on some unexpected excitement at church; a crazed squirrel entered the church and needed to be convinced it did not need to be there. It was evacuated before worship service, I was told.

Thanks for reading. Hope it is not too rushed.

My alarm on my iPhone woke me at 6:30. I could have slept in, but I wanted to finish the blog in the morning and try not to be too late to see Susie at hummingbird house. So I was not in a hurry. I made breakfast in the kitchen and then carried the plate and water to my new office in the back of the house. It is nice to have a place to work again. I also started finishing a load of laundry by putting it in the drier.

I spent the morning reading some emails and writing the Friday blog. I managed to be late to see Susie, almost 11 by the time I finished the blog, showered, dressed, and got organized to leave. I do not return to the house on Saturdays, so I must load the car with everything I need.

Air Volvo had a tire alert, but I suspect it was a temperature or sensor glitch. I reset the tire monitoring system, and the warning went away. I called the mothership and left a message with the service department to see if they could move up my appointment from September (!) to August. I would forgo the loaner car if that could enable the change. I have noticed the alerts on my cars (and all the Volvos) seem to sense the Nike bonus deposit and light up within weeks on the money appearing in my account. Thus, I was not at the least surprised that the tire light went off.

Safely arriving at hummingbird house, Susie was delighted to see me, but I saw some extra-legal lane changes while driving through Beaverton, with one car changing all the lanes in front of me. We had tax business to get done first. A Metro tax needs to be paid; we owe interest and 20% for missing this new tax. I had no idea about it, and with the events of 2021-2022, I am not surprised I missed the tax as I did our taxes in the middle of chemotherapy. Susie needed to sign the tax form. We practiced, and Susie could not remember how to spell her name, and the scrawl was not recognizable. I gave Susie the Metro tax form, and she put her mark on it, and I then signed her name next to it. I am sure that will do; they just want the money anyway. We both signed.

Aside: I will need to sit Susie down and practice some writing. She could make out a drifting signature before that sort of matched her signature. My lawyer believes I will need a guardianship for Susie, but that is expensive and time-consuming, so I have deferred it as the medical expenses are more important than this.

I wrote the more than $1,000 check and then sealed up the envelope, supplied and addressed by the CPA, and will mail it soon. Next, it was cool, 68F (20C) outside, and the sky was gray with clouds but little chance of rain. We made a short trip to the park next door, Metzger Park. Susie’s mother, Leta, and her sister, Barb, were at a Monet exhibit in Detroit, and we could not reach them for the usual call. So we called Zorida to say hello for a few moments.

Susie dressed warmly today, but soon the park was getting too cold for us. It is strange to be cold in August in Oregon!

We returned to the hummingbird house and got Susie comfortable in a recliner in the activity room with Vanessa’s help (Vanessa working a long shift on Saturday as our nursing aide). I picked the movie Atomic Blond, as the music is from the 1980s and is an action spy thriller. Susie liked it and enjoyed all the music.

Atomic Blond is set in 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall and has some fantastic recreation of Cold War Berlin and the emotion of the spies that now see the end of their way of life. Charlize Theron does fight after fight and is busy exploring the more direct side of spycraft. I liked it, and Susie liked the music and stunts.

Evan showed just as the movie hit the credits. I was cold and had even used a blanket for part of the movie. Vanessa took Susie to lunch and then to a nap. I said goodbye with a kiss.

Evan and I met for lunch in old Beaverton and tried out Top Burmese Bistro Royale for lunch. I had the pumpkin curry (vegan) and a Kingfisher beer I later learned is made in America now. It did not taste like what I remembered. Evan tried a beef curry.

We tried a new tap house, Rain Drop, and had a beer to help pay for the table. Next, we set up the board game Vindication. It was a long game this time, and Evan managed to keep his lead all through the game, and a last-minute Monster card gave him the game by one point. Vindication has a random end-of-game trigger, and these accumulate as players score. Had I been able to trip the end-of-game sooner, I would have won with all the masteries I bought. Still, Evan played well and deserves credit for his win by collecting rewards for visiting the various cool places on the board–also randomly determined. It was hard to lose by one point. Next time!

Notice the round scoring tokens; yes, blue is one point behind!

Aside: I have described Vindication often in the blog. You can find more information here: Vindication. It was made here in the Pacific Northwest, and I know the game designer and had some input into the final game. As a Kickstarter game, its buy-in price has ballooned (all of the cool add-ons that attract folks to Kickstarter increase the price) to $349 (you can still get it from Game Steward). I have bought my copy piece by piece over the years, one Kickstarter at a time, and so have not noticed the high price. The next game I played at Richard’s is the same story: Wonderland Wars. The Kickstarter version retails at over $300 if you can find it on eBay or other secondary markets (Game Steward is out of stock).

As I hinted, after lunch and a good game with Evan, I headed out to Portland and Richard’s house. I was dead tired, and I am not sure if it was the two beers, lunch, or all the stress (i.e., taxes, Susie’s health, learning to live alone, mailboxes, IKEA furniture, and so on). I managed to turn off too soon, and Air Volvo provided a tour of Portland, Oregon. Portland is recovering, I noticed, and while homeless and graffiti still suggest there is much to do, I know my new tax payment will help (Metro Supportive Housing Services (SHS) personal income tax) as it is directed to these issues. Painful, as I could use the money, but our joint responsibility is to help. Remember, we are all in this together–nobody gets off the planet alive.

I was just a few minutes early for the 6PM game. I did get some fries and a shake at McDonald’s in Portland to help me wake up. Shawn and his wife-to-be from Milan, Italy, Valorian, and Richard, were ready to play Wonderland Wars–I had no time to watch a how-to-play video, so I went into the game cold. I got the randomly assigned Jabberwocky to play, a famous but minor character in Alice in Wonderland, while Shawn was Alice, Richard the Mad Hatter, and Valorian the Red Queen.

The game is new and has all the bling of a Kickstarter version, plus the gorgeous art and larger components we now expect in new games. The game is a mix of resource management and dudes-on-a-board we see on higher-end Kickstarter, with Richard having painted the miniatures in cartoon colors. It also adds a bag, and the resources are tokens placed in a bag. The main action is divided into the Tea Party and the War. You collect four cards, with each character having a unique power to get more cards, or in my case, as Jabberwocky, I could poison a card. The cards give you upgrades, quests (for victory points), and resources. Many of the resources are helpful tokens for your bag. In addition, you can ally with famous and less well-known Wonderland characters (many with a figure). The figures are a few inches tall and have a cartoon look.

After that, we did the war portion of the game. We would battle for control of various territories in Wonderland by drawing power or madness from our bags of tokens. You can always stop; each draw could be madness (a damaging token) or something good. Many of the tokens you would have earned in the Tea Party. While I was lost for much of the game, my last place score clearly showed this (I also had trouble concentrating); I truly loved the mix of various game systems in a clean and well-thought-out game. We did bounce to the rules often, but the rules checks were all for exceptions. Richard’s copy is lovely with the painted figures, and I look forward to playing it again–I will resist the $300+ to get my own copy and paint the figures.

Aside: Richard’s figures were slightly dulled by the clear coat. The metal colors were no longer shiny to his great unhappiness. I have seen this before in figure painting. I now use very light coats of flat clear coats as many contain a white material that fades the underneath work. Mr. Hobby Mr. Super Clear Flat is my go-to, and this was after being disappointed by other sprays. The higher price, expensive and imported from Japan, had stopped me from using it, but I had a few figures’ tan colors turn gray. I noticed that Mr. Hobby’s products were mentioned in all the high-end model-building articles and videos. I have used them with great results, but always light coats!

I was tired and stopped, unusual for me, at 9:30 with the completion of Wonderland Wars, and drove home without issue. However, I did stop by the 24-hour open lobby Post Office in Aloha and mailed our tax forms and payment (done!), and got home and ramped down soon.

I managed to write a few words on my Dungeons and Dragons 5E adventure; I believe you need to make progress every day or lose the momentum you build up. I completed a chapter of The Second World War by Anthony Beevor, and another 100,000 people died on the Russian front and from the expansion of the Holocaust in 1941. It is nightmarish reading and has clarified some of the Cold War policies and Human Rights focus of the twentieth Century for me.

Hoping not to hear the screams of WW2, I fell asleep and dreamed instead of working.

Thank you for reading.

The morning started with me getting going at about 6:30 as I had to be at Susie’s on time. Physical Therapy (PT) was coming at 11ish. My office is now in the back bedroom, so it was strange to make breakfast and then take it to the office. I used to work just next to the kitchen. I had liberal coffee with yogurt and a croissant, an industrial one that would shock a Frenchman. It is certainly not, as described in Wikipedia, “A croissant is a buttery, flaky, French viennoiserie pastry inspired by the shape of the Austrian kipferl but using the French yeast-leavened laminated dough.” But still not a bad breakfast.

I wrote the blog and put the dirty laundry in the washer. I then showered and dressed and jumped in Air Volvo, which delivered me without any issue, but with a high count of police along the way, to hummingbird house. Susie was eating very slowly but ate most of her breakfast. Susie was leaning oddly to the right when eating and sitting in her wheelchair.

Rick was only a few minutes late for the PT appointment. We looked at the hummingbird house’s pedals, tried them out, and failed. So I ordered new pedals for Susie. I ordered using my Mac, “Cubii JR1 or JR2, Under Desk Elliptical, Bike Pedal Exerciser.” It will be here on Sunday and ready for PT when they come next week.

We discussed the standing frame, I had made no progress on acquiring that equipment, but I promised to look into it. Which I did after the PT by calling multiple medical equipment places. Nobody had one, and I am getting a price to buy one as so far nobody rents one. I was surprised to see prices in the $3,000-$4,000 range, so I will discuss this more with Tracy, the PT person who thought we could use one.

Returning to PT with Rick, Susie scared us by learning so far in her wheelchair to almost fall out of it. Rick and I had to guard Susie a few times, and I had to help some. I usually try to stay out of the way most time and just listen, but Susie was leaning, and her right side was not responding to her, so I was needed. This reminded me of the signs of the debilitating stroke in October 2022, and Vanessa, the nurse aide in the morning, had told me Susie seemed quieter than usual today. So I am worried but not panicked; I have seen this before.

Susie could be having a bad day. She struggled with breakfast and PT. She looked tired, and her stroke damage resurfaces like an old sports injury when she is tired.

Rick completed his evaluation, and Susie will get four weeks of visits, which is excellent. So Rick left, and Susie and I headed out to Mezger Park. It was a cool 70F (21F) overcast–there was no sunshine to warm you.

We just headed to our favorite bench in the cedars, and it was even a bit cooler there, as usual. The insects were still resting and waiting for the warm sun to get them going. We called Leta, Susie’s mother, and they talked on my iPhone for a while using FaceTime. Susie was better. Leta could only chat for a bit as the church wore matching t-shirts to a local baseball game, the Lansing Lugnuts. There were fireworks planned after the game, so Leta was excited. Leta loves parades and fireworks. Leta was worried about Covid, but it should not be a high-risk activity as it was outside.

Susie was cold when we headed back. We went right in, and Vanessa moved Susie to her recliner in the living room. Susie again leaned to the right, and Vanessa had to move Susie again to safer.

I sat next to Susie on the couch, looking up equipment on the Internet and calling local suppliers. No dice. One will call me back with a price. I will call them back on Monday as they likely closed, it being Friday, before getting a quote.

I left with a kiss and headed home via The Olive Garden. I ordered soup and salad in the car using the app before driving there across Beaverton, where I saw at least two of Beaverton’s Finest bouncing radars on Air Volvo. As usual, I never touched my phone and was attentive to the ever-changing speed levels in Beaverton. The 20 mph area near the library is new and requires braking, and I nearly missed the first sign. Invariably, one must be diligent in following the laws in Beaverton.

I used the Olive Garden app to tell the folks which car part I was at, #5. Soon the food was placed in the back seat without contact. It is always great to see folks play by the rules–even when the nice gal was unmasked.

I took my food bounty with me home in Air Volvo. There I had the salad, soup, and two breadsticks–the policy is now that Olive Garden provides two breadsticks with an entree. There was some hubbub about this a few years ago, and the two breadsticks became the default, not the three that most folks remember.

I also purchased a premade spaghetti with meat sauce designed to be microwaved.

Next, I headed to Hillsboro. There Darren, my new CPA, had a tax amendment for me. I had missed the new TriMet Tax for 2021- a new special local tax. Darren was unhappy to show that I owed, with penalties and interest, just over $1,000. However, I was happy to get it paid before they come looking, or the penalties are higher.

After getting the paperwork, I tried so antique stores in Hillsboro. I found in the Hill Theater, now a messy antique mall with all the seats pulled out and the floor mostly level, an Exporter Encycopidia from 1918, including all the clipped pages for corrections. The book, purchased for $8.50 in 1918 (about $172), came with a monthly update and news on exporters and shipping–this was before air cargo (literally shipping). It covers all the rules dealing with the war (WW1 does not formally end until far into 1919) and has such interesting facts as how much space a ton of banana takes up in cargo space. I history geek fest! Later, I ordered a 1924 version of the same book for my Call of Cthulhu writing.

Next, in the shop Le Stuff, another more orderly and friendly antique mall, I found an old suitcase that just screams the 1920s (it is likely a 1940-50s knock-off of better 1920-30s luggage with a painted cloth that looks like leather) for only $24. It does not smell of mildew, so I got it. Even empty, it was heavy. I also found an excellent working, very old combination square that is smaller and would work for me on modeling. I took my new treasures home.

I did notice that the local gas in Hillsboro was cheaper than anywhere. So I filled up there.

I rested a bit and then started writing more of my Dungeons and Dragons 5E adventure; I am beginning to conclude the first part. I had the sushi plate, which I picked up a Basics for dinner while I tried to use the Internet and then watch a movie. My Infinity (Comcast) connection had again collapsed to near dial-up speeds. I called them, and the robots sent me to get help from a texting expert and then sent me a text when nobody responded to use their unhelpful chatbot. I powered down the modem for ten minutes, restarted it, and got terrible but not impossibly bad service (maybe DSL speed).

I ordered Ziply Fiber to install their service at the house. As I do not have fiber coming to the house (I once had fiber, and then AT&T was bought by Comcast, and I was changed to cable), I suspect this will be an adventure. I have Friday 1-5PM to enjoy the experience. Once they are installed, for $99 a month, I will cancel Xfinity–I have twenty years with them (starting with the various companies that were merged in a Wall Street orgy of money and fees to form the unapproachable Comcast). Still, I don’t need the cable show, and I need fast working and reliable Internet access.

Aside: Ziply Fiber was another creation of merging small companies into an Internet (literally, in this case) start-up. They have to expand to survive, and their record for service is mixed. I hope that the technology change to real fiber to the house will at least give me a better chance for good access to the Internet.

Of course, I receive an email that requires me to do something with Ziply that does not work. I call them, and they bounce me around; the call center is in the Philippines, and while well trained to be friendly and happy, the nice folks seemed a bit lost on my question–how could I be the first one? After placing me on hold for a while to consult, they told me that it would be OK once I am installed next Friday, and I thank them, and they profusely thanked me for the opportunity to give me excellent service. Douglas Adams, long gone, would be grabbing a towel after that call. I added a towel to my office now.

Deciding that I needed something productive to do to get that strange out-of-this-world feeling out of my mind, I drove to Lowe’s super hardware mall. Yes, a house repair will get me back to myself and stop looking up at the sky for a Vogon fleet.

I look at mailboxes; mine was recently hit again by a car, likely the mailman. The metal box is barely mounted on the post, has been repainted twice, is covered with moss, the paint, again, is failing, the dents from someone taking a ball bat to it (they mistook for my neighbor’s mailbox who apparently had angered the drunk-high-under medicated person) are pronounced, been dented by paintballs or shot with some kind of low-power projectile (I did not ask questions), and lost it flag years ago. I bought the cheapest solid plastic (made in America) black mailbox. I then stopped by Jim’s to get an ice cream cone, once again entering Hillsboro. I had a Rock Road in a waffle cone. I then searched for Shadingwood Park as the Smith family will celebrating Natasha’s wedding there (they were married last year, I believe) on Sunday. I found it in a lovely park hidden in a new subdivision of moderate to expensive new homes. I finished my ice cream in the park talking to the squirrels (again, nature makes me get over thinking I am in a Douglas Adams novel).

On the way, I called hummingbird house and talked to Susie. She seemed OK. Jennifer said Susie had a nap and then dinner and seemed to be herself. I was much relieved.

Returning home, I got out my new smallish drill and tried to politely disassemble the old mailbox. Nope, I got a hammer and eye protection. I found that one lonely screw was holding the box to the pole. I smashed the box off the post with a few solid hits with Dad’s Old Adjusting Tool–something that cars, ball bats, and low-powered projectiles had failed to do, and then installed the new plastic one. Instead of attaching a wood plate to the post and then the mailbox to the plate with side screws (which did not come with the cheap mailbox), I took advantage of the cheap plastic and forced screws through the bottom into the wood. Six screws later, my neighbors and mailman have a new fresh target. I also put a few longer screws in the side post that holds up the box (it is just butted to the main post)–no reason to make it easy for them.

Come and get it!

With that home repair done, I was feeling better now. So, I went back to writing about undead mummies and poison traps in my D&D 5E adventure. I went to bed at about 10:30 and quickly fell asleep.

Thank you for reading.