I spent much of the day scratch building and kit-bashing a hell war machine for 28mm figures. I have finished the base and started on some of the outsides. I will make more progress tomorrow and Monday. I have cut up a Sherman tank and a battleship model for some of the decorative bits. This took me all day, so the blog is a bit short.
We did go out to an afternoon movie. We watched at the local Regal theater Cruella before it leaves the theaters. We managed to make the afternoon cheap showing and enjoyed popcorn, Raisinets, and a soft drink (diet) to share. It was still fun the second time.
I had lunch before this and brought Susie back some baklava from Gyro House. I had the lamb kebobs as I was tired and hungry from yesterday’s late-night gaming. I had skipped dinner as I had a large lunch and had only a chocolate shake and fries for a snack. The folks were happy to see me and asked if I would be back to the indoor dining. Yes, I will.
I made ham and cheese sandwiches after we had stuffed ourselves with popcorn for the movie.
Susie found a Harry Potter festival on TV after the movie and watch that while I cut and clued and sawed away most of the evening.
I was on call all day and up at 8ish to make the 8:30 status meeting. I have been following along, and so far, I am not needed. This makes the holiday a working holiday for me.
I did slip in two more episodes in Season Six for Game of Thrones. I am more interested again. They story seems to be moving again. I was surprised by the end of Season Five with the murder of one of the main characters. I am interested to see what happens now.
Lastly, fireworks are not banned here in this tiny part of Oregon and the explosion have started. We have less than last year, they asked people to be careful and responsible. Yes, sort of an interesting request for folks using illegal fireworks, but it is Oregon. So far, it looks like folks are being responsible.
Working from this late morning, we decided at 10PM-ish to play the new game Space Race. I had watched a few short videos, so I had a general idea of how to play, but we discovered that the game is not easy to learn. Unfortunately, this game iconography is hard to read and understand. We learned a bit later that you turn over the player card, and there is a key to the iconography. Worse, each player’s process or flow card is not provided in the game, which you see in most games, creating dives into the rule book. However, new player mats are being done as a DIY addition that includes this flow and helps organize the players’ cards. This will likely make learning and playing the game more intuitive.
After struggling with the Space Race’s flow and getting the process moving, the last four rounds played better. In the project part of the game, we began to understand towards the end. The iconography is lines of blue and white, and this makes mistakes very easy to make. One is tempted to photo-shop the project to make the white sections hashed or something to make them clear. Also, the meeples cover the colors, so it is hard to see what happens in a project. But, again, this might play better now that we know the game.
Overall, as we reached the end, the game began to flow and go very fast. However, there are concerns that the seven turns may not be enough as you have so few cards at the start of the game. Also, we thought projects in a three-person game were tough to finish, and in more player games, it might feel completely different.
Three rounds to go. This is about the time the game started to flow and go fast for us.
Generally, we think we like the game. It would be a filler game as we think it will fly when you have it down. Due to the slow build at the start and Space Race having only seven turns, the game may feel a bit random and not provide for thoughtful engine building. Thusly, we think it would be a fast and fun game between those brain-crushing engine games.
Kathleen, finding how to build an engine even in a game she does not know, crushed Richard and me in Space Race.
You can see the 3D tiles on the map of mars. Those are domed cities, forests, and seas.
As I usually predict, I was last in our four-person run of a basic Terraforming Mars board game. Richard has the big box version with all the 3-D tiles that add much to the look and feel of the game. Terraforming Mars is the fourth-best game, according to Board Game Geek’s website. It has endless add-ons and extensions. Even or basic game had a few promo and preview items.
The basic game plays well as there are no extra steps, so the turn flow is quick and clear to understand. Not diving into the rules book or suddenly running some sub-system in turn. Instead, just getting cards, taking actions to improve your resourcing and options, or improving mars and closing in on the end-game condition, mars terraformed. An enjoyable three-person game that took us three hours.
I was ahead on the track for much of the game and still, as usual, scored the least. I was very busy improving mars and building up my money. Richard reminded me of what I forgot. Planting forest next to your cities is how you get lots of points. I also forgot to score an award; my other players did not forget. I should have focused on plants.
I also never get the engines going. I need to learn them better in this game. Kathleen scored huge on running microbes and animals. Richard was also scoring with bears and others engines. I still enjoyed the play and will remember the plants and awards next game.
To get to all of the games, I had a pleasant ride into Portland today. Just a few stops and starts on highway 26. The Oregon-styled driving has returned to slow and meaningless braking. The aggressive and poor driving I saw a few months ago is mostly gone. However, traffic is still moving faster, likely from reduced cars on the road.
I drove Susie in Air Volvo to McDonald’s; the crows have already started their next painting o Air Volvo. Susie got her fav Happy Meal. I got a shake and fries for dinner. I had a large lunch, and I did not want to be sleepy for driving and gaming at Richard’s.
Before this, I started work at home and mostly Zoom meetings at 8:30. These were a few status meetings, and I saw that some of the checks I made after blogging last night were being worked on. I am mostly monitoring and fill in when I can.
I stepped out and drove Air Volvo to Beaverton. I stopped by Tammy’s Hobbies to pick up some fine metal screens I think I can use for my kit-bashing hell war machine I am building. More on that when I get started.
I stopped by Batter-up in Beaverton and was happy to see the customers masking; the cooks and servers were not masked. Batter-up is where you can get waffles with chicken and other good breakfast-style food. I had a Monte Cristo and fries that weighed me down all afternoon. It was delicious. Interestingly, I was the only white, old guy there besides the cook. The clientele is scantily clad; it is a bit warm on Friday (85+), tattooed, and not white. Beaverton certainly has changed! All masked except when eating.
Writing on Friday with games most Friday nights will be hard to do on Friday. So I think we make have to declare Friday the weekend too.
The words “heat dome” enter the same list of horrors that have haunted us in the Pacific Northwest like Murder Hornets, Covid-19, Smoke, and the other unprecedented, how we hate that word, disasters that have hit us the last two years.
Today, It is cool and overcast, our usual weather in June.
I started at 6:45ish, and I had hours and hours of Zoom calls. The project is entering the holiday weekend; Nike is closed on Friday and Monday, with us working the holiday and weekend. So we will run 7/24 through another holiday.
I have been running late for the past few days, and thus I am running out of everything. I slipped out at 10:30 to Safeway to buy groceries. It is strange to see the unmasked people working there. All the social distancing signs are gone. About 1/3 of the folks do not have masks on. Most Safeway folks did not wear masks. Some still sported them. The customers were mostly masked, with again 1/3 not masked. Everyone kept social distancing, a habit, I think.
I am not sure I can not wear a mask and shop. Also, what I read about the Delta and Delta Plus Covid-19 variants has me washing my hands and keeping on my mask.
I then went to the car wash. They let me run it through twice. The crows managed to repaint the car. I still had to go out with a wet towel and wipe up some crow paint from the windshield! Air Volvo looks nice again. Damn crows!
I returned and put the groceries away. I had a frozen Indian styled lunch that I microwaved. Unfortunately, it was not that good.
I received a survey from the Methodist local conference in the mail, an online survey. The District Supervisor (DS) has picked a fight with our church and has started the process to shut down Beaverton First United Methodist Church. The task force that reviews the church to determine if we have a future sent the survey. Unfortunately, it is slanted against us. It took me all lunch to finish it. I listed the main issue for my church to be the local and General Conference and that I believed that the DS was at fault. I am sure my response will be ignored, but at least I tried.
I had some more meetings, including a future planning meeting with my boss and a director from the biz side of Nike. But, I cannot include the details here. I can say that the software we wrote over the years, in Java using SAP tooling, is an embarrassment of riches and an incredible good user experience.
I finished with the last status meeting at 4:30 on Zoom with 70+ people, as usual.
I managed to change gears and made pork chops from Schwann’s. I dried them and sprinkled them with Herbs de Provance and fried them to just brown on top of the stove. I finished them in a hot oven for ten minutes. I followed this by making Famous Dave’s Corn Bread muffins from a box. I also threw in a handful of frozen corn in the cornbread to add that southern feel of actual corn in the muffins. Next, I microwaved green beans, also from Schwann’s, and then heated and wilted the beans in butter in the same pan I cooked the chops in. I added some salt to the beans and butter. Susie liked it all.
The roses survived the heat. They are now in the summer mode for the remaining blooms, about 1/2 sized now. They still surprise my neighbors with how pretty my flowers keep.
Today it was reported that 315 people in the USA died from the virus.
Today Oregon unlocks. All restrictions are lifted for Covid-19. Our county, Washington, is at 61% vaccination for the total population. Oregon is about 62% and staying there so far. There are no numbers on the Delta variant here.
I am of mixed emotions as I feel that many people will still fall victim to Covid-19. But, the state had decided to return to work. So, I pray that this will work.
Today was a chaotic mess. I started about 7ish and was dressed and ready for my first meeting at 7:30AM. I just had status meetings, but I had to bail as Susie has a check-up with her skin cancer doctor. One of the wounds was healing strangely, and we wanted it checked.
So we got there, and I went in with Susie. The issue was minor and is scar tissue.
But, since we are there, the doctor did an exam, and Susie had three biopsies today on the left side of her face. She is in light pain, which is easily handled by Tylenol. I was back to work in time for a class over lunch. I ordered Happy Panda again as I had not time to get lunch. Susie had her fav of chicken cashew.
Back to Zoom meetings and endless emails and messages on Slack. It has been some time since I had a real computer emergency. A problem showed up that was a problem that hit the critical path. We were on a call until 6:30PM on how to fix it. The systems we use are on different patch levels, preventing important settings for warehouses (plants, for SAP folks) from moving between systems. The problem was finally solved late this evening after we all worked out a solution. We were happy to see that some of the settings were correct, and all we had to do was activate and resend them.
I think I brought some value by explaining some options.
I then was running late. I then went online and ordered Dominos. After two calls, and being more than an hour late, and the pizza only being warm (but still good), the pizza arrived. I am unhappy, but there is a pandemic on still, so I will just let it go. I did give them a bad survey as the only punishment.
My fifty-pound note with Alan Turning arrived today–I bought one on eBay with the official flyer from the Bank of England. It is amazing to see his face on UK currency next to the Queen’s. Alan Turning’s ability to imagine and implement huge electrical device that computed was what later allowed for the creation of the first computers after World War 2. “This is only a foretaste of what is to come and only the shadow of what is going to be,” is printed on the 50-pound note below his picture and signature.
Today we had only 90s in the Greater Portland Area. Unfortunately, the heat dome moved east, and eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and Idaho are now struggling with 100+ temperatures. Also, Nike stock was burning up too and flying to new levels. My 401K is showing an 8.4% return. This even after I was forced, because of my age, into safer investments. Such a scorching day.
I started work at 7ish and managed to slip in a shower and be bright and shiny for the first three hours of status meetings at 8AM. The project is still running on a 7/24 schedule with stops and starts as we have trouble identify resources. The data conversions are running better this time, and we are dropping days of runtime out of the conversion. This causes some chaos as tasks are unexpectedly moved to well now.
I had to stop today and take Corwin to the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), where he got his car driving permit. He had to pass the test. We celebrated by having Corwin take over Air Volvo in the parking lot. He did make one turn too sharp and bump a curb. He managed it.
I had one more meeting once we got home. The 4:30 status meeting is also the handover of the project to China and India. We are still struggling to follow the sun with support for the project.
I made tacos, it being Taco Tuesday, for dinner. I used the crunchy shells and the seasoning in the packet. I baked the shells with the cheese and meat in the shells. I browned some ground beef (85%). They are good with some lettuce. Susie liked them.
According to reports, 294 people in the USA died from Covid-19 today. Reports continue to state all these deaths are unvaccinated folks.
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