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I managed to sleep to 7:15ish this morning and then was up making coffee and signing back to work on my day off. I checked my out-of-office was still working and then did my last week’s timesheet. After that, I noticed that my one meeting at 8:30 was now at 9:30. So I just read the email and made coffee, and waited a bit.

I had my meeting, with no video, at 9:30, still drinking coffee and going slow. We align on actions to take, and then I was free. This is a critical issue for scheduling resources and is going old school. We all hoped for something more modern, but we are headed to using a solution older than some developers!

I watch the next Star Wars movie for the first half, The Force Awakens. I decided to do all of them.

I then went back to painting and started the never-ending; at least, it feels like when you do it, touch-up and fine detail painting. These larger figures seem to go on forever. I managed to finish three of the first faction during the day and will do more tonight. I hope to finish the first faction today.

Nobody was ready, so I went to the Reedville Cafe and had poached eggs over hash for lunch. Yes, breakfast for lunch. I had reheated the stew I made a few days ago for breakfast. I figure I would just switch lunch and breakfast; it is my day off.

I am also reading Elizabeth Moon’s Vatta services. More space opera. I like this one better than the previous one, and I always enjoy Elizabeth Moon’s books. Recommended Space Opera, and there is a new Vatta story coming out!

I also recovered my Indiana Jones hat again. I had left it at The Rock Pizza yesterday. The N95 masks I have now require you to put the mask over your head. Thus, I took off my hat and forgot it. The manager had it for me, and I drove over in the perfect weather and got the hat. I was wearing my pith helmet today.

BTW: The pith helmet is #2, and the Indiana Jones hat is number four or five. I just buy the same hat when I finally lose one. The new Mac will upgrade the same files from my previous mac. I think it is number four or five.

Tonight, being Monday, was Dungeons and Dragons on Roll20. My laptop is stressed by all the browser windows opened to play. An extra monitor only makes it worse. I had to start over three times. I am looking forward to the new laptop as the M1 Apple is known to handle browser loads better. 

Despite the challenges, we did have a good time, and I damaged some of the adventurers playing all the bad guys and Dungeon Master and host of the game. I scared them a bit. The two hours just went by fast—the usual super powerful undead brought on the hurt for a bit. Details are spoilers, but I can tell you that the players are very organized now and take looking for undead, demons, devils, and traps with more seriousness. Healing is also checked, and protection spells in place.

Dinner was Happy Panda delivered food. It was one of Susie’s fav, Chicken with Cashews. I had the silly sweet but somehow workable tonight Sweet and Sour Pork and Orange Chicken. I had to run Roll20; I ordered out.

17,823 people were vaccinated in Oregon yesterday. Hopefully, these numbers will go up as more data is collected over the next 72 hours.

460 people died from the virus today.

I thought I found a new version of Rock of Ages, but this is Kaza Mwendo sung by the Rock of Ages choir. Still good! I am still looking for a translation.

I managed to get going 9ish this morning, and the joint pain was just reduced to some pain in my left side. I damaged that leg years ago, and I may have strained it when the right side was not working right. I am not tired or having chills, so it looks like the side effects of Moderna are done.

I still started the morning by finished the last Star Wars movie in the series, my fav of the three, Revenge of the Sith. The bad guys get all the best lines in this one. The movie’s first crash scene is so fun and perfect at an IMAX screen if you ever get the chance.

Susie was up early and had Eggo waffles with peanut butter. I warmed up some ham in the oven and had 1/2 can of peaches with it.

I also reimaged a Mac I have had in a closet for years. I could not use it as it was not powerful enough and had too small of a hard drive. I spent the morning and a bit of the afternoon remember how to rebuild a Mac. I finally got it all to work. Mariah is taking the Mac, and I hope she can find it useful.

I then went back to figure painting and started more on the next faction and primed the next faction’s figures. I will only do three at once as I can get them back to Richard to start playing the game while I paint the rest.

I am also painting a druid for Dondra’s daughter Zophia, and it is getting further along. I will also get back to the Scythe figures I am painting too.

I also have a speaker project I want to work on. And then there are those Raspberry Pi Projects I was working on…So many good things to do!

I put up the USA flag again. It looks nice to have one back.

I had a few caregiving moments today as Susie was a bit confused today. She fell, more like suddenly sat on the floor while putting away laundry that she suddenly decided need to get done. We got through all of it, and Susie was not hurt.

Despite the confusion, we, Susie, Corwin, and I, met Mariah at The Rock pizza. Susie was having trouble getting in and out of the car and walking. But I figure it was better to have her try and succeed than to skip it. It all worked out, and Susie ate 1/2 her pizza and 1/2 her diet Coke (no drinks for her tonight). Mariah got her new (well, newish) Mac. I had a meatball sub and a beer.

While still a bit confused, we came home, and Susie is now watching TV and seems OK.

Not a perfect day, but we will take it! I am on paid time off (PTO) all next week. I have to show for a meeting at 8:30 and do my timesheet in the morning, but I hope to be free for a week after that. It is my first non-caregiving week-long break since returning from Amsterdam in 2019.

22,729 people were vaccinated yesterday in Oregon, including Susie. This number will likely increase as it takes 72 hours to collect and post all the counts. Oregon has completely vaccinated 21% of the state, and 1/3 of the state has had at least one vaccination.

276 people died today from Covid-19 in the USA. It was announced today that the US government is also paying to help pay for the burial costs of people who died from Covid-19.

I picked this when it showed in my selections for YouTube: Laudate Dominum.

 

The Covid-19 Moderna shot made getting going this morning hard. My hip and knee feel like I walked miles and miles. I am also drained. I am cold all the time.

Despite all the pain and discomfort, Susie got going in time for me to drive her to Nike WHQ LA Garage for her shot. We had no events and managed to complete the process, drive-through, in about 45 minutes.

We got home, and I rested a bit. The pain was worse from sitting in the car. We got back into Air Volvo with Corwin this time and had Mexican dinner. I had a middle-sized Margarita on the rocks with salt along with dinner. This reduced the pain. Susie had a small one.

We returned home. I forgot I had a call with Knowledge Mavins–I just had too much to worry about. Susie took a long nap, and I watch the last of the Star Wars movie on Diskey+, The Phantom Menance. The ending is better.

I then had chills and had the dreams of someone ill, waking dreams. I got much worse, and I could not get warm. I was shaking for a bit. I fell asleep again, but with waking dreams. When I could not sleep, I would read an old fav I left for today: The Adept by Fritz Leiber. It is a long story and is highly recommended if you like Swords and Sorcery.

Corwin saw me wincing from walking and have to lean on a chair and instead made chicken salad sandwiches for dinner for me.

I then sat and watched the next Star Wars movie, The Attack of the Clones. This is the worsted acted of the movies. I detest the terrible acting and directing, and writing, but the storyline works for me. I really like the cloners and Count Dokus, who can’t love Sir Lee being bad again!

I did not do any painting as I was unsure having my legs bent for hours was a good idea. I will hope to return to them on Sunday morning.

So a quiet night. Susie has had only light side effects.

30,069 people, including me, were vaccinated in Oregon yesterday. This number may be increased as it takes a while to get all the counts in. April 8th was revised up to a record 46,343 vaccinations! Our best day for Oregon.

Infection rates are increasing in Oregon as bars are open, and schools have restarted. Some counties will likely reconsider and will lockdown again. Our county, Washington, is not increasing.

One I can sing, Here I Am Lord, was a good fit for today.

I took off Friday as I have a Covid-19 shot number 2 at noonish.

I slept in as I wanted to be a bit rested before I joined the Great Experiment. Do not misunderstand; I always want the next vaccination. I just know that this one, Moderna, is very fresh and very fresh science. I am sure it is safe and effective, but that does not mean it is not a new human experience.

I managed to sleep until 7ish, and then I signed into work and put on my out-of-office for the shoe company. My calendar is already blocked, I have a non-blocking meeting with my co-workers that is that I am on PTO (that way they see that I am out on their calendars), I have approved PTO scheduled in the PTO tracking tool for WHQ based employees, and I told everyone at the last meetings I was out. I imagine that there are a few people still wondering why I am not giving status in their meetings today despite my efforts.

I celebrated not going to work; I went back to bed and slept until 9ish. I did get to listen to the Friday trash and recycling pick-ups. I got some coffee made and had a banana. My new meds can upset my stomach and this morning was a bit rougher. I forgot to take them before the first coffee. I was well reminded and managed to keep my breakfast down. Not an auspicious start to my day.

I started to look at replacement laptops for my mac, 2014 13″ Mac Pro. I had to replace the hard drive last year, and I put a very nice super-fast solid-state 2TD replacement in it. But it is time to move to more cores, and the failure has been worrying me. I did not notice that it is almost 7 years old. I have never had a laptop last so long and still be usable. This one is running Big Sur! It is still swift; the super new hard drive helps.

Time to drive to Nike WHQ LA Garage for a drive-through Covid-2 #2 shot. I detour to the carwash. The crows have celebrated all over my car. Air Volvo was all shiny for the next trip.

I saw a couple of my co-workers helping. Marc Hopkins and I joked in a meeting that he would collect $20; I got out an Andrew Jackson for him–he just smiled. The paperwork process was different this time and simpler. I was done in less than twenty minutes.

I got drive-thru at Taco Bell and ate it listening to Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). I got home and took 500mg Tylenol.

I decided to continue on with Richard’s figures and finish the first faction’s general painting. I have to touch up and fix them and then detail them, but the basic look is done. I also started on the next faction, which is mostly metal and gold colors. I got out bigger brushes now.

I felt better, so I made dinner—baked chicken (skinless thighs) with salt and Herbs de Provance. I made green beans (from Schwann’s) by microwaving and then cooking in a frying pan with butter, salt, and almond slivers. I found some dinner roles, frozen and from Schwann’s, and baked them. A bit plain but still a nice dinner.

I started to feel the flu symptoms starting a bit. My arm hurts. More Tylenol. Sorry if I left some typos…time to rest soon. Typing faster.

I am also painting a druid figure for Zophia, Dondrea’s girl, as she plays Dungeons and Dragons. I found this figure and thought it a close match to a slightly older Zophia as a druid.

I can feel the need to return to reading and resting.

BTW: I did order a new Mac computer. I went for 13″ again with a solid-state drive and extra memory. I selected the M1 super chip version. It will be here in a few weeks. It will be my fourth Mac and again 13″. I like small. I always transfer the contents of one Mac to the next. So, in fact, it is always the same one.

33,411 people were vaccinated yesterday, including Mariah, in Oregon. This number may be increased as it takes 72 hours to get all the counts posted. Many co-workers at Nike had shots today. Oregon opens to everyone over 16 on 19April2021.

Nine hundred twenty-nine died today from the infection. The infection rate is again increasing, and the death rate appears to no longer headed down.

I went with Lift Every Voice and Sing, the NFL version.

I am still working late this night because we have problems with some data conversion and performance issues. I have been involved in the tuning of jobs on SAP systems for years. I am monitoring a test run.

This morning started at 6, but I saw that I had no meetings until 8, so I went and rested for a bit longer. I then read and replied to email and thought about a few of the items that needed to be discussed today. I had coffee, a banana, and some coffee cake for breakfast. I then slipped out for a few minutes to shower and get dressed.

I was back at hours and hours of Zooming for Nike IT. I had status and alignment meetings until lunch. Lunch was Burger King and getting a Happy Meal for Susie with apples.

I continued with work and then was asked to work on a performance issue with the technical teams. I spent all the afternoon and early evening working on the issue. I applied 15+ vendor patches (OSS notes to you that speak SAP) and got them approved to move to the testing system. We were then testing and until about now at 9ish at night. Dinner was a grilled cheese for Susie and cheese and crackers for me with some smoked meats leftover from the Easter Bunny.

Today was also Theology Pub, and we talked about America without God. We talked about how church-going and organized religion is fading in America. Many of us concluded that the main issue is churches’ attempt to be everything to everyone while trying to focus on social awareness. Worship needs to be the focus and must be done well instead of being a lesser focus.

We talked about flying flags today in our church meeting. My flag was torn up by a storm, and I had not replaced it yet. I ordered a replacement today. I usually have the USA flag on the house, even as a liberal.

I am tired and will stop as I am making mistakes.

I am on PTO for a week and this Friday for my Covid-19 vaccine second shot.

27,783 people were vaccinated yesterday in Oregon. This number will likely be updated higher.

1,009 died in the USA today.

I went with America the Beautiful today. It was another lovely sunny (!?) day in Oregon today.