Blog

This is the weekend blog covering Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday was a surprise to me as I awoke a few times, and poof, it was 10ish. I never sleep that late. I had a busy morning. I order bagels delivered. I had lox on my bagel. There is a dozen for next week. I will freeze them today. I then hooked up with Evan to play a few games and get lunch.

Susie got up, and I made her water, coffee, and some breakfast and had the TV running for her. Evan and then I took off and went to a Mexican place, Tapatio and Mexican Restaurant, and then the 649 Taphouse.

I was still tired (and the Margarita at Tapatio) made it just a one-game day. I won Lost Ruins of Arnak by just a few points. We then ordered a tray and a light beer. We just relaxed a bit.

We picked up a McDonald’s Happy Meal for Susie with Apples. Susie had a dinner-lunch while Evan and I took a break. I had a sore foot. I stepped on a gum tree pricker ball from the trees in front of my house on Thursday night, putting out the trash. I know better than to walk without shoes in the dark–but not that night. A little bush surgery and the sticker was out of my foot, and I got off my feet for an hour.

We went to the movie Snake Eyes. My card for Regal theaters had three free movie tickets on it, to my surprise, and thus we just paid for popcorn, candy, and drinks. The staff is unmasked now, but they keep their distance. The crowd was only about ten people.

It is hard to imagine that this is neither a Marvel or DC adventure film. This is the GJ Joe universe. I have always had a weak spot for their cartoons and movies. They are just fun. This was a new idea for GJ Joe movies; this was an origin story of the Ninja Joe Snake Eyes. It was fun and a mix of a Yakuza and a Marvel-style movie, including superpowers granted by an artifact. The main character is too flawed and dishonest in most of the movie, and this drags this to an average at the best movie with excellent sword fights and special effects. Susie liked the girls in the movie and the older matriarch who only fights with a fan but was lost for most of the movie. Ninja’s wear black, making tracking of the protagonists slightly difficult. The acting was better than most of these cookie-cutter toy-to-cartoon-to-movie films.

The new Baroness with shoes, four-inch heels with platforms, steals a few scenes. She is also given the last word in the movie. A sequel is thus born!

Sleep that night, Evan leaving for home after the movie, was hard to come by. I could not sleep, and the pain in my legs and my allergies just made it hard to relax. So I finally took Tylonal at 1:30ish and slept.

I started again at 8ish and got going in time to get Susie to church with me. Before that, I cleaned up and disassembled my 3D printer. I had a misprint on the Saturn V rocket. You must clean up and reset when that happens.

The rocket moved while printing and did not print straight as the previous one. I am not sure if it was the temperature or vibrations.

I discovered the plastic in the tray that holds the resin is damaged. I must have scratched it when cleaning the tray. I have ordered replacements from Hong Kong (free shipping). I also discovered that a resin drip had run under the tray and glued the LCD to the tray. Yikes. I managed to get the plastic to release without damaging the printer LCD. I moved it slowly in many different directions to get the release (the plastic is 95% transparent and made to release UV hardened resin). Previously Corwin ripped the LCD out of the printer, trying to release the tray. I acquire replacement parts and rebuilt the printer. Apparently, Corwin was not the first person to have this issue.

I washed the printer and the tray with alcohol and let it try overnight. The process also involves pour the tank into a filter and recovering the unused resin. I managed to spill it here and there. I had to clean up the floor of the garage. I have recovered 80% or so of the resin.

I will resume printing this week. I can avoid the issue in the tray until I get a fix.

I put on a Disney movie for Susie and rested.

Next, I bought groceries and then went back for rice that I forgot. Then, I made a new recipe for One-Pot Japanese Curry Chicken and Rice. Susie liked it, but the kitchen does like a bomb went off in it. So, I have to clean that up after finishing this.

We watched Independence Day the movie while eating.

Now I have to stop writing and do the dishes!

Sorry but this has to be this Saturday morning as I played three games at Richard’s house last night and then finished a 3D printing of a rocket for Space Race. I also started a Saturn V printing after finally angling the print so it would fit my printer.

Working backward, I got home just after midnight. I found my 3D printer was done with the rocket model for the newly arrived Kickstarter version of Space Race. The makers of the game released the 3D printing files for the rocket models. I want to paint the rockets, but getting a spare set makes it less of a risk.

I then carefully dismounted the print for the printer. The resin is toxic, so a mask, eye protection, and gloves are required. I then washed the model with alcohol. As the unhardened resin is toxic, I save the alcohol for next time.

I then cut the supports away; these are generated by the software that turns the design file into a printing file with snippers. These are one of my Xuron tools. They make stuff that always works–recommended.

I then, again with eye protection for UV, use a UV lamp to harden the print. Lightly sand a few spots, and paint it.

After that, I get the Saturn V printing. Ten hours as it takes all the heights.

Richard and I and Shana played Space Race together. This is the newest game in my collection, and it has been hard to learn. However, Richard thinks we will really like it once we get it down. I am hoping so as it was a long wait, and I invested in the full version. In this game, you play different space agencies, and you collect capabilities for your agency while supporting research and compete for breakthroughs. The game is card play building a set of winning cards and some placement of workers. It has nice art and cool rocket models.

Richard and I fought on for two more games. We played 7 Wonders Duel again. I scored better this time, but I missed the purple cards. Next time! This is a nearly pure resource management game with cards, money, and a few markers. It plays fast, and the rules are easy to follow. I did build four of the great wonders!

This version of the 7 Wonders game is the short two-person only version. Last weekend we played the full version with more players. Richard told me he likes the original better. This is fast, but you have to make decisions over and over. I like that.

Lastly, a new game for me. This one is a standalone version of Terraforming Mars: The Ares Expedition, but a different, faster, and less deep coverage of the same material. It was easy to learn, and Richard crushed me, but I did a least scare him in the start as I pulled ahead at first. I would say if you like a quicker game with the same theme, this is a good choice. If you love the original, this might now work for you. I thought it was an amazing rework of the original into a lighter and faster game.

Before this, I went to Wendy’s and got Susie a small chili and a frosty. She was still resting when I left for Richard’s. The traffic was a bit interesting, and it took me 45 minutes to get to Richard’s house. A bit slower.

I had taken the day off from the shoe company. I started on a project, a speaker-building project, but I was shocked to find I am missing some parts. So I decided to get the 3D printer going. I spent the day cleaning and setting up, and printing. It took a while as I had to remember how to do all of this 3D model splitting and update my software.

I could not sleep last night and started my day at 5AM. I did the laundry and picked up the house a bit. Then, I went and took a nap a few times as I was still tired.

I have to rush again this morning; I slept into 10:15ish! That is about all I have time for.

Today I decided to take Friday off as Nike gave us off the day, and the project did not need me to work Friday or the weekend. So I plan to do my out-of-office and then sign off for the rest of the weekend on Friday morning. My first weekend off in a month.

The morning starts as most with me turning off the alarm at 6ish and getting up at 7ish. I should change the alarm, but I do like getting up at 6ish. I am just tired.

My asthma is bad today, and I felt like I was drowning a few times. I used my inhaler and feel better. I need more rest.

The morning was hours and hours of status Zoom meeting for the shoe company. There were a few crises of the moment. I also had to write a design improvement for some software as an email to India. I hope they will be able to consider it.

After I put in my out-of-office meetings and emails, there was a rush, and many more folks have tossed in the towel for an early weekend. I started a land-rush!

Susie was up by 10ish and fully dressed, which surprised me. She usually sleeps in. Thusly, Susie went to lunch with me at BJ’s Brewhouse. Susie had a roast beef dip sandwich. I had the Califonia club sandwich.

Things are changing at BJ’s Brewhouse. The staff is unmasked, and most of the customers are unmasked. We wore masks inside while headed to and leaving our table. A few other gray-haired folks wore masks while not eating. Washington County in Oregon, where we live, is nearly 75% vaccinated. Hence, our rate of increase of infection is slow, but still, I have no wish to enjoy a short survivable (because of the vaccine) adventure with delta or other versions of Covid-19. Also, I do not want to discover I have delta and then gave it to others. I have suffered too much to fail now.

On the subject of suffering, my powerstrip is now turning off some plugs at random. This is the powerstrip I have used through the whole pandemic. It is tired and needs to be replaced.

I wondered why the printer keeps going on and off and then noticed that my Apple laptop was only 1/2 charged (the new M1 model has a very long battery life). I then noticed that the power strip is not really working sometimes. Simple problems can confuse you.

I searched the Internet and found an article from the New York Times on the best powerstrip (!?), and went with the one they recommend. Of course, it could be the power to the wall socket too. I can always use a quality power strip.

Here is a link for the new top-grade power strip:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B017VXU6GG?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Work went on, and there were more Zoom meetings. I finally decided it was the extended weekend, about 5ish.

Susie had the rest of her sandwich for dinner, and I grabbed a yogurt.

I went back to reading and napping a bit as I wanted to just rest and breathe: Winning Armageddon: Curtis LeMay and Strategic Air Command, 1948-1957. I am enjoying the book, but it is disturbing how easy LeMay and others thought about using nuclear weapons. Also, the author points out that LeMay is afraid and believes that the USA could be, for the first time, completely destroyed by an outside force. Therefore, to LeMay and many in the Air Force, it was critical to destroy the USSR’s ability to attack before a nuclear war began to save the USA. The book quotes secret memos, now available to the public in the reading room of the Library of Congress, that describe these policies and warn of the end of our way of life in the USA if we don’t build more atomic bombs and bombers. As the book is a reworked dissertation, there are full notes on sources. I might have to make a pilgrimage to read them myself. It is strange to read how the Cold War started; it was created by fear.

I started on Wayne Weld-Martin’s laptop. It is on its fifth restart and loading patch after patch. I am also charging it (not from the wonky power strip!). I have it loading all the patches and rebooting again. It will likely take hours. It is a slow system with a slow hard drive.

I started a new HBOMax series Warrior about Chinese folks in the 1800s in San Fransisco who are tough and fight. Maybe some wire-fu action. I will report back after a few episodes.

I bought my sister a rose to plant in Michigan. The Viking Queen is a cold climate rose developed for the midwest. A local grower sells specialty roses, including Viking Queen. Linda sent me a pic of the bloom. So today, a rose I picked out and in my sister’s garden.

I turned to this one and decided we should try it: Wind Who Makes All Winds That Blow.

Today many things happened.

I finished the last episode of Game of Thrones. I watched the last season with interest and liked it, unlike just about everyone I talked to about the show. Now I thought it was a bit predictable and tragic, but it was what I expected, and I did not miss the foreshadowing of the disaster for the characters that are the last two seasons. So my overall judgment is that I do not regret watching the show, but I would not likely watch it again. I thought the ending was good and connected directly to the first episode.

The second thing was I received my raise, standard percent increase, and a larger bonus than last year for the record profits at the shoe company. I will not discuss pay here.

I started the day with more sleep in a long time. I slept in until 7ish and was rushed all morning for that extra sleep. I was a few minutes late for my first meeting at 7:30 but was all clean and shiny when I got to it.

I moved my doctor’s appointment. I forgot to put it on my calendar, and so it got booked over by my pay statement meeting with my boss. Susie had a dentist appointment an hour before, so I was rushing a lot this afternoon, shuffling to the nearby dentist and meetings in Zoom.

I had a few crises of the moment to fix and some alignment meetings. Also, we are dealing with more complex issues with overlapping releases, which will require more complex environments. Nevertheless, we will try to find our way as we continue to push at a swift pace. Rush. Rush. Rush.

I started dinner a bit early as I finished up the last status meeting in the early evening. I made pasta and heated meatballs (Schwann’s), and sauce from a jar. I had pasta with meatballs and veggies heavy meat sauce while watching the ending of the series Game of Thrones. I took the cooked pasta and reheated it with good butter, and cut up meatballs for Susie. I sprinkled it with high-quality shredded cheddar cheese. Mac and cheese of sorts. She liked it.

I should point out that when I took off the mask, required for the dentist office, I snapped into my eye and blinded myself. I also could not believe I just put the mask into my eyes. Blinding me, hurting my eye, and putting any Covid-19 into my eyes. So silly and stupid when you are backing up Air Volvo. I was just not paying attention to the mask. This pandemic thing will get you if you let down you guard! I am again careful removing masks!

I always finding endings sad and often heartbreaking. The pay statement is the close of a year for me. The end of Game of Throne was also sad for me. So I am a bit sad tonight. I will likely feel better on Thursday.

I found a nice version of Be Thou My Vision for today.

Working backward today, Susie and I had pick-up dinner from Olive Garden. I wanted a salad and something with pasta. Susie had her usual alfredo with chicken. Just to get outside, Susie and I took Air Volvo together to get dinner.

After dinner, I watch some more of the last season of Game of Thrones. I find the season well done, but the battle scenes were so dark it was almost unwatchable. I find myself wishes I could warn folks that they are making the same mistakes again, but the same problems happen, and the scenes are very predictable. I don’t dislike Season 8, but the series seems predictable, and trying to check off anything left hanging.

I stopped working about 3ish as I had chores to run. I ran Corwin to open an account at the local credit union. He wants to buy a car soon, and thus a bank would be helpful. The new accounts are only created by appointment. Corwin will be back, via Lyft, on Wednesday.

Susie has a dentist appointment on Wednesday that is also close to my follow-up with my doctor. Thus, Corwin will have to find his own way on Wednesday.

I had Corwin drive Air Volvo in the parking lot. He needs more practice. He was having the same issue I had when I was learning to drive. The wheel turns twice to each side, and you have to bring it back or let it turn back. That is a learned skill.

Before all of this, I was attending various alignment and status meetings. Zooming all day.

I spent lunch and much of the morning on a workshop, trying to find the cause of pricing issues in our converted data. I made a sandwich while listening and helping.

The morning started with me making coffee at 7ish and checking email and Slack messages. I was ready for my first meeting at 8AM. I was shinny and ready.

I did slip in two naps, but I still feel like my head is full of wool, and my decisions are hard at work. So I will rest some more.

I started to read a new book that I really am enjoying until I fall asleep while reading. Winning Armageddon: Curtis LeMay and Strategic Air Command, 1948-1957. It is a rework of a dissertation on military history and how LeMay rebuilt SAC until the power we see in so many scary black and white movies and later Wargames. The book, being based on research, is full of interesting quotes and references. The author wrote the book to help people with fear and understand how LeMay’s practical approach was to save the USA and, even to a lesser degree, the USSR. I have just started it, but I am already hooked.

I will stop there and wish you, dear reader, a happy day.