Blog

The dinner, beer, and coffee with ice cream on Tuesday brought me no new issues, yay!

Sorry, this took all day to get finished. Been a busy Thursday.

I woke, having dilly-dallied until midnight on the Internet, and I woke late, about 8:45 (after rolling over a few times), but I had only one appointment, gaming at First United Methodist Church, Beaverton, with Z. Z is now 15, and I can say my days of losing to a 14-year-old are over.

With no deadlines, I wrote slowly and covered some upcoming travel plans. Deborah and I are still working out the details. I was surprised to feel better (it has been about 10 days of struggle, and the rash is now controlled). The depression lifted, and I found it easier to do things. I had not realized how sad I was. The colors in the world seem brighter, and again, I am bouncing around tasks and thoughts about projects and ideas. Before, I was just spending all my energy surviving and trying to make progress. My weight has been circling around 230 (down from 234), even falling to 226 for a moment. Better. Still losing slowly, but more importantly, not rising. Emotionally, I feel better when I’m not seeing 240 on the scale (yes, for those regular readers, I do check that the scale is properly zeroed before I step on it).

I write lots of words and take all morning. I discovered cheese blintzes in the freezer and prepared three for lunch. Breakfast was a banana and instant coffee (not wanting to risk more than a cup). I find some frozen fruit in the freezer and use hot water to defrost a bowl. I have not whipped cream nor any cream to make it. But still I go with it. It was barely above average, and I have had better. I will look at what it takes to make them fresh. But still not terrible. I connect with Deborah and, still in my robe, we talk about the trip to Utah in a few weeks. After that, I got to the shower.

I scrubbed, washed, and reapplied all the lotions (potions?) that seemed to bring the skin rash under control, and some of it seems to be gone. I did all the rest and soon was dressed. My accountant at Cornerstone Tax called, and I need to check something and get back to them. I did, but then drove the documents to them, paperwork for them. I found a parking spot around the block and then walked into Hillsboro and dropped off the paper. I then went across the street to a former theater, now a less-than-well-kept antique market (like most), and trolled around in their items (‘trolled’ meaning a type of fishing), but nothing caught my attention (thus an absurd pun). No calls. I headed to the coffee shop, Insomnia Coffee (a chain), and had a scone (cutting it in half and saving more for later), and did some calls and some Internet surfing.

I next walk down to an early dinner at Amelia’s Exquisite Mexican Dining, a favorite. There I stuck to water, but ordered a large platter. Time to test the tummy. All went well, and it was interesting. I was also looking at the history of Tomyris and looked for a modern coin with her image. It was an expensive series silver coin (silver prices have been rising over the last six months). Nothing I wanted — I was hoping they used it for the regular coins, as those I might be able to get for gaming. I enjoyed my meal, it was a lot.

Showing no signs of discomfort, I headed to Beaverton and arrived just after Dondrea and Z. Z had finished her dinner and set up a table. We then went for the board game Raiders of Scythia (Tomyris being a famous Scythian), and soon we were collecting our crew and resources, then raiding the old empires around 600 BCE. In a two-person version, there is very little direct competition between the players. It is a race-and-push-your-luck game. I imagine that with three players, it becomes more competitive. I risked a raid, which was crushed with some bad rolls. This gave Z a break, and Z pushed her advantage, building a strong crew. Z then raided, completed goals, and reached good points with her strength. I rebuilt a new, very strong crew and began pushing back. I raided and completed multiple rewards to scratch out every point. But in the end, when I ended the game with one more raid, Z had more than ten points ahead and stayed that way.

I lost by more than ten points to a 15-year-old. It sounds better.

With that done, Z is happy with the results. I head home having enjoyed the game and, while not winning, it is still fun to play. I got home, read, put out the trash, and did the dishes. I still ended up reading until midnight.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

On Tuesday, I felt the most normal I had in a week. The tummy issues are less painful and more gassy now. Whatever that was, it seems to be fading away. Yay!

My alarm woke me at 6:30, then I rolled over and rose just before 7. Next, I tried to find some motivation (it was in short supply), climbed out of bed, located my slippers, and wandered to the kitchen. It was cold, so I grabbed my robe. I made instant coffee as I was ready for more than a cup or two after the tummy issues. I made toast by grabbing a frozen slice of my bread-machine product, which I slice and freeze; I do not use bread fast enough to prevent it from turning furry before I am out. I freeze it now. The toasting was followed by adding some orange marmalade on top. This was enjoyed with a banana.

Thus robed and breakfasting, I started in my office, still being visited by my small ant invaders. I treat them all as spies and execute them. The office is mine!

I start the blog, but get a video call from Linda, my sister, and soon I am hair standing up, robed, and mostly awake, having a phone conference with Linda and Mom Wild. Mom Wild has graduated from rehab and is back at Haslett Pointe Senior Living. I called her when she returned, and she was happy to be sleeping in the familiar place with her stuff.

Mom Wild sounds happy, and she and Linda are having lunch together. Later sends me a video of a Vet filing her horse’s teeth. Yup, can’t tell you how much I would not be involved with horses. There is no limit to the list of updates, repairs, illness, tack, mucking, and one kick to the head, and you’re dead. Horses are not for me.

Note: I have only one near-death experience with horses. A horse (not a pony) tripped with me riding it in a full canter in an arena, rolled, and just missed crushing me. I did get on again, and yes, the horse tripped again and nearly fell again, and I was done for the day.

Still, it was nice to chat. I was glad Mom Wild was feeling better. We rang off, and I then returned to writing and updating my transactions. I was soon out of time as I was time-boxed. I quickly showered, applied all the layers of anti-rash stuff (three different products), and then dressed. I boarded Air VW the Gray and was soon headed to Portland and Richard’s place at about a 50% charge (about 160 miles). I try not to panic when the car is not fully charged. Traffic was slow again in Beaverton. Speed limits were seldom approached, and I witnessed some extra-legal lane changes as the frustration of slowness showed.

I skipped 217 and instead stayed on the old Canyon Road route, connecting to Highway 26 at the top of the hill. It is a more interesting trip and avoids sitting on 26 for the initial hill climb, but saves no real time. I reached the tunnel, and the traffic, now no longer connected to the inbound Beaverton-based Flow, accelerates. I then err and take I-84 instead of 405 and have to circle back to Richard’s house, but again it was the same time and also a more interesting drive. I arrive on time, and James follows a few minutes later at Richard’s place.

Despite our characters being maxed out, we took a punishing in Tainted Grail. This is a role-playing-style cooperative board game with a mix of Arthurian, SciFi, and Lovecraftian storytelling. We are now in chapter 10 of 15 chapters. The material is copyrigted and I should not flash a spoiler too. We recovered and have been upgrading our characters, especially the cards we play in combat and diplomacy challenges. We are surprised that the processes of making the board available and lighting menhirs have driven us into an area we had not meant to cover (my mistake, as I suggested the route), and we find that we have completed chapter 10. We then follow the physical save process and will play next week. We stopped about 1 and started at 9:30.

I did not stop in Portland for lunch, but instead headed home. There, I found that my AppleTV device had been delivered. I happily disconnected the Amazon Fire Stick, which, since I got a note that I should buy the new version, had suddenly started having issues and was often spinning while it “Adjusted.” It had worked until I got the note. My theory is that Amazon needs more cash to pay for all that AI, causing a sudden update and slowness that I did not witness until the last three weeks. I managed to install it. I had to install apps for all my connections (except Apple, of course) and services. I then canceled all of Amazon (again). I still have my AWS account for bringing up servers.

The interface is better on AppleTV, the picture and sound are better, and there are no delays. I put on the movie Minority Report to see how the screen looks. Better!

Lunch was fish sticks (fish fingers to Doctor Who fans in the US) and potato pancakes. I used the air fryer feature of my oven. I think simple baking would have been better.

I did connect with Deborah before she slept to get a “good night” in. We had talked and texted, as usual, here and there all day.

I checked for car rentals for our Utah trip in just over two weeks. Hertz has the best setup, and I can get a car for $1400 for about two weeks, just walk in and take it, but for less convenience, Alamo offered the same car with a visit to the rental desk for $750. You can’t ignore that kind of savings (I used Costco to book it). I booked a car pick-up and return at the airport.

I looked at Arches National Park, a 3 1/2-hour drive from Salt Lake City (SLC), and hotels are expensive (it is Spring Break), and even the IHG is $300 a night. I will talk to Deborah about all of this soon. I would suggest a Sunday drive south, spending Sunday through Tuesday nights in the park area. Returning to Park City near SLC and spending a night there, and enjoying the area for an afternoon, evening, and morning, and then heading to the airport to return the car and head home on Thursday (Deborah back to Michigan, and I to Oregon). But if we have had enough of SLC, we could start on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, south, and add a few more days.

We reach Utah on Friday and have two weekends on this trip. We can do SLC and near-day trips on the first weekend, and travel south and start at the National Park the next weekend. All in pencil.

Just wanted to share my thinking, and it gives Deborah a chance to read this and see how it matches her thoughts. Comments and suggestions are welcome. More to come.

Dinner was at BJs Brewhouse, and Eric was my waiter. I did have my first beer in a week and with no side effects except satisfaction. Heavy (and at $27 to $35 a plate) dinner was not for me. Instead, I ordered the flat bread, which Eric and I agree is one of the best items on the menu. Coffee and ice cream followed. I read news and items on my phone and ignore my book, Moss Gathers. It was nice to feel more normal.

I returned home and did a few chores, and soon was in bed. I did not read and soon fell asleep. I did not wake until the morning.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Mondays now are like Saturdays, but not with the cartoons I loved to watch when I was young (I am a former young boy). I was lazy and wrote the blog slow and it was hard to assemble a narrative on Monday. I spent more time looking at my investments and called US Bank Wealth Management. I talked to Sam, my adviser, and told him to buckle up and that I would touch nothing (no panic from me), but of course, he may find opportunities and should follow them. Sam mentioned adding ETFs covering oil and military sectors. Hmmmm. I told him to do what he thinks is right, but I was ready for the ride. He pointed out that, as of Monday, the markets had not reacted to the war (the markets fell 1.5% on Tuesday when I wrote this; the markets have since slightly recovered).

For those who wonder what my investments have done, they are going up and down, with only the bond interest showing any positive flow. Here is the Trump-effect on my investments. Just up and down, up and down, usually back to the same place. Just churn and not real growth.

I made coffee and had a banana while I was bouncing from task to task. I reheated my leftover Pud Thai from yesterday’s church meeting. I finally published the blog; I wasn’t very happy with it. But when I find that a blog just doesn’t seem to work for me, I stop editing and publish it. It is not likely to get better. It will do, I tell myself. I showered, enjoyed all the creams for the rashes, and so on, and finally dressed.

I read and watch more Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. I talked to Deborah, and we watched the next Matlock, the Kathy Bates version, together. It felt strange to be apart again. We last watched it together in Michigan.

I decided to risk some pasta for dinner. My tummy was better but still not its usual iron-self. I made angel hair pasta, fried some Italian-style sweet sausage until it was broken up and browning, scooped out the excess fat, and then added sauce from a jar that had been heating. It was above average, not great. I risked a second bowl, and there were no tummy issues.

We had a church Zoom meeting to plan events, and Pastor Ken shared that he is trying to put together another trip to Brazil in 2027. Z and Dondrea are trying to make it work, and they hope I can join them. I might even do some travel planning for them. He has contacted Gordon Greathouse, and more will follow. Back in 1997, I taught a Methodist study on Brazil written by Joyce Hill (recently passed), who was Susie’s aunt. I still have my materials and showed them to the group. Joyce Hill even gave the sermon when she visited Brazil.

After the meeting, I decided to keep Another Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which crossed over with the animated series. It was quite fun and an interesting mix. I read some more.

Somewhere on Monday, I stripped the bed, did the laundry, and remade the bed. I have not finished the folding. Nothing is put away yet.

I read more Gather Moss and soon fell asleep after turning off the light and remembering my bed and to apply those creams twice a day, again. The rash is fading.

Thanks for reading.

My tummy issues are fading on Sunday, but I am still stressed with a feeling of bloating and endless gas. Better but not great. The rash is fading but not finished. I put some of the creams on my head, and most of the icky spots have disappeared. Something I have not experienced for years. Hmmm. I also passed my TB test (now a blood test), and that means, if insurance works or I can get a discount coupon from the manufacturer, I will get the pleasure of a weekly injection, Skyrizi. Yes, one of the many things you see in ads for meds. I meet with my Dermatologist on Friday.

I did not get started early, as my church service starts at 11. I spent the morning getting a banana and writing the blog. I did all the usual things, enjoying coffee from Dondrea (thanks!), and reading too much news about the new war and being disappointed by more attacks on the US Constitution-based rights and process. I did update my Quicken numbers. I read (mostly deleting) a pile of emails.

The blog was over 1000 words and was not done until the last moment to not be late for church, but my close attention to scrubbing in the shower and the applications of various creams had me running over. I boarded Air VW the Gray and rushed to Beaverton. Well, I would have rushed if I could. Traffic was slow even on a Sunday. It was sunny, and the view of the mountains was distracting (I even took a picture), and I arrived only a few minutes late.

I ushered and thought it a good service. Ken seemed to give three sermons, and Kathy also gave us background on the events in Selma; it was a terrible list of violence. Each of Ken’s parts was good, and I thought they were well thought out. It did repeat some of the same areas from the last few weeks, but sermons often repeat things we know (Four thousand years of history are available, and there are only so many verses).

Ken’s focus, I think, was that, despite the lessons of history and our past and current struggles with Civil Rights in the USA, we must remember (and sometimes he feels he has missed it): the center is Jesus and Salvation. But never to slip into platitudes and promises of the next life, but to call out evil and failures now. Ken called us to be like the Foot Soldiers of Selma (here if you wish to help), be ready to step up.

Recently, Jo Ann Bland, whose granddaughter I met, passed away. Jo Ann Bland, until recently, covered the history of Selma for tours like mine and lived it as a Foot Soldier in the 1960s. Her granddaughter told us her grandmother’s story and Selma’s. That blog is here if you want to remember with me that day.

The church council followed the church service. Ken had an agenda, and we covered a lot of things in just about 90 minutes. To summarize, Ken sees the new awakening at our church and a good future. He feels that we need to expand our outreach, but we must be cautious because our budget requirements remain unmet. A new group has volunteered to work on funding and messaging to our congregation and friends of First United Methodist Church of Beaverton, Oregon. An impact report on our church’s impact on the community is also needed. I am heading that up as it fits a Lay Leader.

After that, eating my Thai lunch (it was catered), managed to volunteer for two things (oops).  With the meeting done, more meetings were born for later, and I headed home. I watched a few more episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. I liked the season 2 stuff better than season 1.

(Yes, that is a bunny cover over the helmet)

I spoke to Deborah a few times, and we managed to connect as she went to bed. It is always good to connect at the end of her day.

I made a New York Strip with reheated couscous and a salad. It was great, and I watched the show while enjoying that. My tummy again filled with gas, but not as bad as before. I managed. I finally read more Gathering Moss and enjoyed another couple of chapters. I finally slept (painkillers and antacid being the usual fix).

Thanks for reading!

Befuddled, I think, describes my memory of Saturday. I was still not feeling well, but the extremes had been reduced. I was less bad. Or like the movie, “Situation hopeless but not desperate.”

I had a 6:30 alarm. . I had only a hint of tummy issues. With the disturbed sleep, pain, and discomfort, I was not completing anything but those things I must. It is a frustrating way to live.

I wrote the blog and found it hard to stay on task. I had no plans on Saturday, and so the deadline or other tasks did not drive me to get things done. No game this Saturday. My thinking was muddled, too. I would walk to a part of the house and not remember why I was going there, but I would then remember. Just hard to keep on task; my mind was wandering to something else. I was distracted by the illness, and my focus was gone.

Somehow, I got the blog done and remembered to put the towels in the dryer. I remembered later that I had not corrected the spelling of phlebotomist, and Grammarly did not correct it. I also had the wrong name of the Star Trek series, “Strange New Worlds.” I had slipped into Lewis and Clark with “Discover New Worlds.” Deborah pointed these out later; I don’t mind corrections. Have noted that Grammarly is not interested in spelling as much as rewriting my sentences to be simpler, mean less, or something completely different. Also, if I dismiss the suggestion, Grammarly returns it over and over; it does not remember the ‘Dismiss’ action (this sentence is one it will not love).

I boarded Air VW the Gray at about 65% charge. More than enough to do a trip to Portland and back (about 16%). I tried the local board game, Guardian Games of Aloha, and they did not have a copy of Raiders of Scythia, but there were two copies at the Portland store. Z likes this game, and Dondrea thought she would love a copy for Z’s birthday. I also had an Arduino learning set for Z, as I would support a young person learning electronics. I would have to loan a laptop to Z to use it. I have a spare Windows machine for such uses.

I enjoyed the slow Saturday afternoon traffic, which is an amazing transformation of American driving. Instead of the speeding of 10 over and higher, it is -10 or worse. In slow motion, various extra-legal moves are made to cut people off and change lanes of two or more at once. Monty Python or Mel Brooks could not design a sillier driving experience. And traffic lights give you a perfect view of the mountains, and some of us (not me) just sit there and enjoy the view. Yes, we have traffic from good weather and glare.

I make it through the 26 Highway, looking more like a slow ferry loading experience for the tunnel than a road. Highway 405 is better, and I manage to break away from the congealed traffic and reach the off-ramp to the sketchy part of industrial Portland where Guardian Games resides (always looking at the place where the Volvo enjoyed a smash-and-grab nearby). I find street parking and enter the gaming sanctuary.

I met a young woman on staff, and we talked about gaming. She is a Euro-loving woman in her twenties. She is off to play Trilight Imperum this weekend, her first game. They expect, as it will be a learning game, twelve hours of play. I give her some advice: remember to win by earning points from completing goals, not by building lovely space fleets and using them. She shows me her favorite Eurogames, many of which are math-heavy. Excellent! I will see if we can recruit her, if I meet her again, for Richard’s games and/or make a gaming appointment with her at the store. Guardian Games has a vast collection of games to play before buying. I bet Kathleen would love this (I am already ready to score at the bottom). I do get the game I was looking for.

I get that back in the EV and head to Dondrea’s house. I must drive slowly with the traffic. I enjoy the view during the slowdowns (what else can you do?), and park near Dondrea’s place. I wrap the gift. I had loaded the EV with wrapping paper and a bow. With that task, I headed to the house.

Everyone is there, including Z’s grandma Donna, and we enjoy warm coffee cake for Z’s birthday. Z wanted a low-key birthday. Z loves this game, her new favorite, an efficiency race with some randomism requiring some risk-taking. The excitement of rolling the dice in this game is a thrill.

I also explain the Arduino kit, and she likes that too. I take out the main board, bang it on the table, and drop it. Explaining this is a very stable piece of hardware. This is a new thing, and Z is excited to learn something new. I taught Z games, and she loves them. Z suspects this new adventure may be good, too. We will work on it together on one of the days and see how it goes.

I head out and return home. The tummy is full of gas again. I ignore it and cook a pork chop, salad, and couscous for dinner. I watch more Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, finish season 1, and start season 2. I binge-watched three episodes, and I laughed and cried. It was great. The show is really moving now, and the characters’ personalities are being developed. Wow! Highly recommended. It gets better as the actors and writers seem to learn the mix of old Star Trek, reinvented for the current audience.

I have some gas, but I feel better. My theory was that I was starving myself. I might be right. I did have some gas issues, but the evening settled with some painkillers and antacids. I slept well after midnight.

Thanks for reading!