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The morning came too early for me, as has been happening too often. I could have used another couple of hours. Instead, I rise like an unwilling undead and start my day at 7ish. I resisted, and it was more like 7:15 when I finally threw off the covers like an unwanted lover. Yes, I have been reading some gothic stuff and also feel it is time to find my writing voice again. Fatigue is no reason to be boring!

Breakfast puts up no resistance, and thus I find the last yogurt and last homemade scone to go with my liberal Fair-trade coffee. The status meetings for the shoe company start, as they do every day, at 8 and 8:30 local time. Again, I am just a tourist as I have no tasks, and there are no emergencies for me to help with. I listened and commented a few times while enjoying my breakfast. The video is off.

Once the meeting is done, I ask Alexa to play the La La Land soundtrack on the Echo Dot in the bedroom. I like to shower and dress to music; it is something I started to help motivate me when I was in chemotherapy.

Aside: During my chemotherapy, I found some tasks took a long time–the clock seemed to turn faster, but after playing music, the tasks took less time. I think I was going slower than I realized, and since there was nobody besides me at the house, I am not sure how much I slowed down. The beat of the music helped me go back to my more normal speed. A lesson that, I think.

I put the towels in the dryer I washed last night and ran a light but quickly aging dishwasher run. You cannot leave dishes unwashed in the machine for too long with the door shut. Next, I charged my phone and the Bluetooth speaker while showering and dressing. So, with the basic chores done, I headed out.

Air Volvo, taking now $90 to fill, took me to Susie’s place at Hummingbird House near Tigard. The trip, more extended from the house and using Hall Street, not 217, was uneventful despite passing two speeding traps–I was not speeding.

Susie was up today, Monday, and finishing her breakfast. Jennifer was on this Monday and was surprised to see me–she did not know Nike is closed for Juneteenth. Today was another movie for Susie: The Greatest Show.

Jennifer, after we waited for Susie to finish her breakfast, including scrambled eggs–Susie’s fav, moved Susie to a recliner in the activity room. I set up the screen I keep in Susie’s closet there and connected up the Mac. Ready.

The Greatest Show is a beautiful musical with great music that sounds a bit more modern and, of course, with its name, fantastic dance and circus performances. And, here is my favorite song: The Other Side. The story, while not historical, is meaningful and about discrimination and its impacts on people. I love a musical, and this one just moves me. Recommended.

We took a break about halfway through the film and called Leta, Susie’s mother. She was available at home, and she and Susie chatted for a while on FaceTime. Susie and I then finished the movie.

Next, it being a warming day and without, despite being June, rain, I took Susie outside. I pushed her wheelchair through most of Metzger Park, only turning around when the paved path started going downhill. I don’t trust my strength to resist gravity coming or going. Thinking, If I can’t handle stairs at Nike, pushing a wheelchair up and down hills will likely prove that gravity works and that I don’t!

The park was full of folks enjoying the Juneteenth (observed) holiday. Susie enjoyed the trip and the movie but was getting tired. I got Susie back to Hummingbird House, and Jennifer put Susie to bed for a short rest before a late lunch. I kissed her goodbye, and today she was not sad as we had a lovely day and she was a bit worn out from it.

I drove Air Volvo to McMenamins Cedar Mills location. I had not been there for months and needed to do some boring stuff. I promised myself to start up Quicken to manage our finances this three-day weekend. So I sat at the bar and got a Terminator (a dark beer) and pretzel bites with cheese dip. Next, I started the process and connected to my bank account with Quicken on my Mac. This only worked after making some changes to my bank account to allow access. This downloaded all the transactions in my account for three months of them to Quicken. I then had to characterize the transactions (some were correctly guessed by the software–IRS transactions were recognized as taxes, for example), which took hours. Yes, I sipped my beer and updated transactions for hours at the bar. Ordering sliders later for dinner-lunch.

Quicken is part of my retirement plan. I need to start watching every dollar. With Susie’s medical large bills, retirement may be further in the future, but the need for precision in our finances is now critical. I need to track all the medical bills and know where every dollar goes. I have had the privilege of not needing to be careful for a few years, but it is time to return to my detailed planning.

As I said, the basics are downloading all the transactions and then assigning them. First, I did all the easy ones and repetitive ones at the bar–beer helps. I then drove home and read and rested for a bit. Next, I looked up checks, Amazon orders, and Paypal details on the significant high-value transactions that I did not recognize. Soon, I had all those done (remembering now where all my money went) and ignored a few minor unclassified items. Quicken is now usable.

I added a screen to my Apple to make this work feel less like drudgery. Sometimes Quicken can make you feel like being virtually chained to an oar and rowing. I have the Quicken items up on one screen with Amazon, the bank, or Paypal on the other screen. This lets me easily match up the transactions. This is my USB-C portable screen that uses only one cable.

I also finished my laundry and the towels. All put away while doing all of this. It is a boring task so folding laundry is a good break.

I also connected my trading account and one credit card to Quicken. Quicken then handles matching across accounts, thus avoiding doubling up transactions. I did have one transaction that did not work right; I miss classified it. I deleted the erroneous transaction and re-entered it with a correction. Everything is good now. I could not get American Express to connect to Quicken yet. I will try again later in the week.

I will now download all the transactions from the bank, trading account, and credit card(s) and have a complete picture of my cash finances. Later, I will add the 401K, deferred compensation, and the house and car value to get a complete picture. This is what I used to have years ago, back to old habits.

Next, I rested a bit more. Cut some roses for Susie for tomorrow and then wrote the blog. Thanks for reading.

The day started with me getting going at 7:30ish. I slept well, but the morning came too soon compared to when I went to sleep (1AM). I was able to make coffee and have some breakfast while I attended an hour of status meetings for the shoe company. We are on 7/24 support for the new software install. The work stuff was over soon, and I had no issues assigned to me, which is excellent.

I make the coffee and have yogurt and my last bagel. I leave the house at about 10ish wearing a tie and a white shirt under my blue sweater–That is as formal as I get. The tie is pride colored as it may be Juneteenth and Father’s Day, but it is also Pride Weekend. Yesterday, while I traveled through Portland, I saw a gal in sandals, a thong, paint, a Pride flag, and no other clothing walking a dog. Plus, others in Pride colors in various states of undress. The remains of Portland’s Pride Parade, where modesty is not required.

I went to church and attended the 10:30 service at First United Methodist Church with my Pride tie. Dondrea gave the sermon today called “A Higher Loyalty,” which focused on justice. She described the Watergate Scandal and that tomorrow, June 20th, is the anniversary of President Nixon’s resignation. She pointed out that President Nixon’s outstanding achievements, The Clean Water Act, The Endangered Species Act, and other federal programs we take for granted, were enacted by the Nixon Administration. Still, we seldom attributed these important good works to him. His crimes and unethical behavior overshadowed all the good he did, Dondrea suggests. So will be the truth, she offers, for churches and individuals who commit acts against the underserved and groups on the edge. What we do matters, the ends do not justify the results if done dishonestly and with cruelty, and folks will be remembered for their failures, not their successes. Lastly, she reminds us that the Old Testament prophet Micah 6:8 covers what we need to do (NIV):

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Dondrea added the hymn, Lift Every Voice and Sing, at the service’s end as a special request. This song is the anthem for the civil rights movement in the USA.

Aside: I record Dondrea’s message here not as a religious statement, but because the sermon stayed with me and seemed to frame the day.

I could not stay after church and chat. So I headed out and took Air Volvo towards the Hummingbird House, Susie’s place. Instead of going there directly, I stopped for some lunch. Arbee’s had a pecan chicken salad sandwich that is just wonderful. I had that with a diet coke and freshly made curly fries; I was warned they were fresh and hot.

Susie was up in the wheelchair; I had just missed Evan, who stopped by Hummingbird House for his lunch hour to see Susie. I set up the screen and my Apple laptop, an M1 13″, and played the movie La La Land. Susie was resting in a recliner for the film and slept a few times, holding my hand. She woke up and then fell asleep a few times, waking for the good parts. One of my favorite songs is the duet for “City of Stars”: here.

Susie also spoke to her mother for a bit on my iPhone. Susie’s speech can be garbled, but Susie is better at speaking now. The nurse staff at Hummingbird House constantly talks to Susie, and she replies. It helps.

I leave, Susie is sad again to see me go, but she is also falling asleep. I kiss goodbye and take Air Volvo back to the Volvo Cave.

I have a 4:30 Zoom status meeting that I make today. The meeting interrupts my making dinner. I make North African tagine-style chicken with preserved lemons and olives. I roast it in a dutch oven, but I have the spices about right. I somehow managed to undercook the potatoes but not the chicken, but it is still good, and only some of the potatoes are undercooked. Reheated for lunch will remove that issue.

Corwin has some and thinks it is good.

Corwin has signed a lease and has a new place to live. He will be emptying his current bedroom and my new office and taking his stuff with him. So soon, it will just be me here at the Volvo Cave.

Thanks for reading.

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).