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Again, boring, I think, is a blessing during a pandemic. Today I was just working and reading a bit. I wish I could tell you some fantastic tales of adventures at the shoe company, but alas, it was a normal day.

It started with the alarm at 6ish that I promptly ignored, and started at 7ish. I went through the email and saw that SPAU was hit for the upgrade. I now have days of work resolving the conflicts in the SAP upgrade using the SPAU transaction.

I used the SPAU to download all the issues and update a spreadsheet that is likely a direct descendent to the first one I used in the early 2000s. Yes, this is an old-school SAP process. I used Excel-fu to convert the data and copied it into the right sheet to have more Excel-fu to totals across sheets.

I did this while politely listening and even participating in Zoom call after call. I left the camera on for some meetings, and I suspect folks thought I was rather intensely listening. I was doing Excel-fu and then start resolving the issues in the upgrade, SAP-BASIS-fu.

I called Happy Panda and discovered they are still not open for lunch (they are open for dine-in for dinner). So I instead stopped by and was happy to see them and do pick-up. I had Generals Zhou’s Chicken and Chicken with Cashews for Susie. It was fun to drive Air Volvo today.

I will not bore you with the details of SPAU. To handle SPAU requires a deep knowledge of SAP change control, hearty fear of change, and a willingness–even with the fear–to make educated guesses when faced with obscure if not arcane error messages. I have done it for years, and there are few of us experts at Nike development standards and ABAP (the language the SAP created for their software) that do SPAU. It is an acquired taste!

I managed to clear about 1/3 of the entries by 6:15, when my last Zoom meeting ended. Tuesdays are long days. All-day SPAU tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I was a bit fuzzy after hours and hours of reading vendor patches (OSS notes for you SAP folks) and not willing to make dinner. Corwin ordered Mexican Food delivered. 

So just work today.

I am having a terrible time with coughing and sneezing. I am also still having muscle pain in my legs–I lost some sleep to the pain. I suspect that it was from driving and walking the beaches this previous weekend. In other words, exercise.

353 people died from Covid-19 today in the USA. According to the governor’s office, our county, Washington, is above the 70% vaccination rate. Oregon is struggling to get that whole state to 70%.

Blessed Be the Ties that Bind seemed a good choice.

I managed to sleep until 6ish and rolled over, and got going at 8ish. The project I am working on gave us a day off at the shoe company. I did have a few emails from Nike folks, but mostly I was able to enjoy the day off.

I did not plan the day and was just catching up on items that I need to get done.

I painted a bit more of the Scythe miniatures. I have most of the Vikings (blue) faction done. It is strange how fast they finish after painting the four-inch-tall figures. These take no time at all.

After Susie was off to her 9 Spa appointment with Zeriada, it was toes today, plus other items. I watched some more Game of Thrones this morning after Susie left. It took me some time to find where I left off (season 3, episode 6 is next). This episode moved and was over before I was ready for it to end–an improvement. I will try some more this week.

I then dressed and managed to stop by Powell’s, our used and new local bookselling chain, and picked up a few gifts to send Linda. She texted me that she left a hoodie behind. I found it and mailed it to her today as one of my chores. I would include a few extras, but Linda is off to another assignment in Wisconsin for a month at a kids’ camp. I sent the hoodie to her house and will send the extras to her new address in Wisconsin when she has it.

I wanted a nice lunch, so off to Pastini. This is a pasta chain. Ours in Beaverton version seems just a bit better. It could just be the wine. I had the lasagna, and my order was remade as it was cold. Even burning hot, I have had better. The salad and the garlic bread mostly made up for it. The large pour of wine on a Monday early afternoon, Growers’ Guild Pinot Noir, was a bit basic, but it grew on me as I had it with food.

I got Spumoni for dessert and got a dessert for Susie to go. Again, everyone was masked, and the customers were careful too.

From there, I went to the dry cleaners and alterations to have my new Lands Ends paints shorted. I usually order from LL Bean, but they are out of stock of pants. I returned to Lands End, and everything was possible. I had some problems with Lands Ends shirts years ago and switched to LL Bean. I may continue with Lands End–the slacks are nice.

This is part of my goodbye-2020—new pants. I plan to replace all the pandemic pants with new ones—just time to get it behind us. I am short, so I just order them unfinished and have them adjusted here.

BTW: I never shop for pants. I have ordered pants and dress shirts online for more than ten years.

I stopped by the pharmacies for supplies and prescriptions. Needed to restock my meds and Susie’s too.

I returned home for a short rest and then off to the eye doctor. I forgot how painful the light is and was also not surprised with my first eye-glass prescription, optional. My vision is now 20-30 but still in the range of needing no correction (I did pass the driving eye test on the third try in April). The doctor said that cheaters are recommended. I got a prescription, and I will get some glasses soon, I think. I do not need them for my figures and model work. I already use 3x bifocal safety glasses.

I need a very bright light to work. Doctor Brown said that it is mostly about being older. He has experienced the same change. I have the start of cataracts, but this is not yet impacting my vision or causing my need for bright light. I will return now annually to check that my eyes are not getting worse.

Mariah texted, and we met at BJ’s Brewhouse for dinner. I had a Southwest Salad, Susie had ribs, and Mariah at steak. The unmasked waiters surprised me. Apparently, the rules changed again, and fully vaccinated wait staff may go unmasked. This took some getting used to! Our waiter, Sean, has waited on us in a mask before. Now we see his face. It was disconcerting. Again, I am trying to lose my fear.

Food was good, and the customers masked when leaving.

Mariah and I talked about my thoughts on another Howard story. I am thinking of “Howard’s Unlock.” I already have a “Howard’s Lockdown” story done. More to come.

Finally, a nap and now writing.

205 people are reported to have died of Covid-19 today in the USA.

I picked For All thee Saints as the world’s death rate still explodes. We remember all who now rest from their works.

I could not sleep this morning. I had to drive my sister to the airport this morning. I often make up too early on days I have tasks to do. I was up about 6ish and ordered bagels delivered from Einstein Brothers to the house. Linda and I got going with coffee and bagels by 8ish. We left for Portland International Airport (PDX) at 9:15ish. I dropped Linda off at 10ish, two hours before her flight, and last I heard, she was on her last flight.

I then headed into Portland to check out if the gaming stores or other places I used to hang out were open yet. There was a crash on the highway on my normal fast way out of Portland–an alternate route via a gaming store made sense. None were open until noon, and some are still closed, like The Hair of the Dog bar that has not been open since the first lockdown. I drove across the town and headed home.

I decided to stay home today and work on figures. I am painting my second set of mechs for the board game Scythe. The makers of the game will sell you a spare set of miniatures so I can paint a set while I have another set for playing. I am starting with the Norse (blue) faction.

I also finished the masking on three other factions. I like the bases to retain the original color of the game. This time I am using masking tape. Tamiya masking tape works the best, and I always have some ready for a model or figure painting.

For these figures, I am using the newer painting process. First, I paint the figures black. I then mist the top with white. Next, I dry brush white to make the detail stand out–they look like x-rays. Next, I dilute the paint with a flow enhancer and let it just cover the dark and light. This creates a pre-shaded look that I really like for “working” models. In contrast, the mechs I did for Richard I kept bright and clean. I used no diluted paint and white and gray primers, not black, for these larger models. But, I want these to look like they are in the field. This technique produces the look I am looking for.

Corwin and Susie had Mexican delivered while I went to play our first in-person Dungeons and Dragons game in 14 months. Unfortunately, Corwin could not come yet as he has two more weeks before he is considered fully vaccinated.

It was a bit awkward as we had to remember the story we were playing. Then, we had to get our characters together. After that, we slowly found our way back into the flow of the game. Matt is our Dungeon Master, and he is focused on the fun and the story, which brings this off with lots of laughing and a few surprises.

At one point, Karen, playing our dwarf fighter, learns that her weapon is not magical. I notice I have the Magic Weapon spell. Obviously, we had a plan from 14 months ago. So my wizard, a gnome, makes her weapon magical, and combat goes better after that. I later discovered I had healing potions and used them to bring back Cory’s character twice. Apparently, I had a plan as the backup healer 14 months ago. Cory’s cleric is the main healer.

We had to look up many spell effects and some other basic rules, but we had a nice time and play again in two weeks. We play on Sundays, usually every other one, from 5:30 to 9ish. The group has been meeting for more than ten years.

A nice day. Monday is an official day-off from the big project. I will likely not have to do much on Monday. I did get some emails on some issues and sent replies.

As it is a weekend blog, let stop there!

 

It is nearly the end of Saturday, and I am chatting with friends in India after driving back from the coast with my sister Linda and Susie. I will likely get this out Sunday morning.

I started about 7:30ish, cleaned up the house a bit, did laundry, and tried to get ready for Linda’s short overnight visit.

At 1ish, we started out to find Linda in Corvalis. We went slow and had lunch, and took our time. Linda was about 90 minutes late as they had some carpooling challenges, and Corvallis, where the hotel is, is not near Eugene. It the wrong school (Beavers) home town.

We got going so that we reached the coast at 5:30ish in Newport. Linda was surprised by the stunning beauty of the small coastal range we had to cross. Next, she was not ready for Newport, the home of many of Oregon’s crabbers and fishing fleet. It looks like a cross of the Jaws Amity Island, a tourist boardwalk, and a small harbor for a fishing fleet. There is a seafood joint with fish from right off the boat opposite a Ripley’s Believe it or not.

Linda saw the seals swimming in the harbor. Again, brackish clearer water, which is tough on white sharks. The seals were relaxed.

Linda loved the look of the Newport and will be back someday.

We then headed to Depoe Bay and stopped a few times to watch the Ocean. Today a Pineapple Express was blowing in. It was warm and rainy.

We walked the beaches of Lincoln City and then found German Beer and food at the Auto band 101, a local place we have tried before.

It was a long drive home from there, nearly two hours. The navigation system of Air Volvo did not send us only and Blair Witch Project-like experiences tonight. We got home directly.

It was a great time. But I have to stop. It is very late.

 

This morning I started at 6ish and had a 7:30 meeting with SAP and our leadership on how one of our software products works. It was a PowerPoint given from Germany. Unfortunately, the focus on software versions at the start of the meeting meant that the meeting overran by 15 minutes.

After that, I drove to the coast, taking Air Volvo using navigation. The Siletz Tribe hosted Corwin’s vaccination. Last month we spent the day on the Coast, and Susie and Corwin tried out the Casino. After that, we made it a day trip. Today, I am a bit rushed, and we could not do more than a there and back trip.

The tribe got us in and out in less than thirty minutes. Corwin will be fully vaccinated after the two-week post-second shot of Moderna. Our bubble is now vaccinated!

We then traveled using Air Volvo navigation again to Moe’s for locally made chowder, and Corwin added some oyster shooters. Again, the staff was masked, and social distancing was in place. Most folks had masks when entering the chowder house. However, with the freezing wind and everyone staying apart, outside was not masked.

The food was good and the staff friendly. We were back on the road in less than an hour.

We did walk out on the cold dock and watched the seals playing in the high tide influx into the small bay next to Moe’s. The water is shallow, and the seals were having a good time, and there was no place for Jaws to hide. Unlike most of our seawater, this appeared maybe to mixed with fresh and was very clear. The seals were splashing around, and I assume the fish had few places to hide in the little bay. White sharks would also have to cross a shallow bar only open at high tide, from what I could see. So again, the seals looked relaxed.

We then drove to an easy-to-access beach, and we walked for 15-30 mins. I picked up some shells, as usual, and the sea was loud. We wanted to walk a bit before driving back. We just watch the ocean, the Pacific. It was approaching high tide, so you always keep an eye on the sea–it can kill you, especially for an incoming high tide.

This is my first ever video in a blog!

We then got in Air Volvo, stopped by McDonald’s for the required coffee to keep us awake, and headed back by navigation. At this point, I missed a turn, or Air Volvo was enjoying a Blair Witch moment as we headed north, not east. We then, following navigation, connected with a back road–Little Nestucca River Road, and Corwin was making jokes about banjo music starting, but those stopped as he saw a cliff on his side of the car. About 18 inches, and sometimes less, from Air Volvo having its first solo flight. S-curves and hairpins were broken by larger bends–almost no straightaways. Then, we have headed south again! We had three one-lane bridges; yes, we had to give way on a blind curve onto a one-lane antique bridge and then one more without the blind curve. Finally, connecting an east-bound normal highway.

It was a lovely drive, but nothing we were expecting. The navigation told us it would take an extra hour to get home; we could be in Washington State at that time! That generated more comments about Blair Witch, but we actually beat the clock by 30 minutes (!?). Apparently, we seem to have escaped the fey powers that seemed to be running navigation. We are happy to be back to normal space and time and home.

Actually, It was a pleasure to drive some older roads and see the amazing Pacific rain forest. It was a bright green drive with only occasional moments of panic. It is still good to get home.

But, I could not stop coughing this afternoon. I took some Benedryl and took a long nap. I am feeling better now. It was raining on the coast, no pollen, but it is still a pollen wonderland here back at the Volvo Cave. I do manage to do two loads of laundry.

Mc Donald’s supplied dinner, Happy Meal for Susie with apples, and a two cheeseburger meal that dad and I use to get on visits. I always think of Bob Wild when I have one of those. Miss you, dad!

421 people are reported to have died in the USA from Covid-19. The reports will soon be meaningless as Republican states are soon to stop reporting their numbers.

When The Gates Swing Open is a song, I did not know, but I like this practice version.