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Tonight I made dinner a bit early. Susie was looking for dinner early, and so I made it a bit early. Susie took a nap and just got dinner at 8ish at night. So much for my plan. I will first write this and then paint some figures tonight.

The morning started at 6ish and another day of Zoom class on administering GitHub organizations for the enterprise version. The class went on for three hours. I learned a few more items and discovered how little I know about merging software using the git process. We don’t use it for our stuff as it is generated. It was a worthy class. I did slip in a bit of multi-tasking for the shoe company when the more obscure features were explained.

The rest of the morning was status meetings and me looking at vendor patches (OSS notes for those who talk SAP). Another set of possible fixes appear to be needed.

I slipped in a short twenty-minute short walk. The first time this week. My breathing was a bit heard, showing that I am slipping a bit. More walking! Use-it-or-lose-it!

I reheated the beef stew I made yesterday. I had some canned peaches to go with that. A piece of buttered bread is always great with stew. It was a quick and nice lunch.

Next, more vendor patch discussions and a few crises of the moment kept me busy for a while. I finally took a break and then checked in a few more times. I then made an early dinner and watched the first half of The Phantom Menace. The worst, in my opinion, Star Wars movie. Disney+ version was the slightly reworked version, and it seemed to work better. I could only watch the first half in a sitting. I will find some time for the other half later.

I am tired today, and tomorrow is my last working day for a while. I finally took off a week plus a day. I was off for a month as a full-time caregiver for Susie after her stroke. I had a few days off around Christmas, but this is the first break since the 2020 lockdown.

I have my next Covid-19 shot on Friday; I can’t play games with Richard this Friday.

Casey is thinking of playing board games in a few weeks out when he is on break. We are both vaccinated, and I expect it will be safe.

24,097 people were vaccinated yesterday in Oregon. This number will likely be increased as they collect more data.

Eight hundred ninety-seven people died of the infection today in the USA.

I went with the same version used before for The Lord of the Dance. It is a good song for after Easter and another (!?) sunny day in Oregon.

Lockdown may end in a few months. The infection rate is still too high in Oregon to unlock, but California is now planning to end lockdown on June 15th and just have masks and social distancing remaining.

Gov. Brown here in Oregon agreed to open up vaccinations to everyone above 16 on 19April2021.

Tuesday morning is always a rush. Instead of a meeting on data conversion software, my first meeting is a three-hour training course on administering Nike’s new setup for GitHub. The course is put on by GitHub staff, so not something to miss. The class has another three hours tomorrow morning. The class started at 7ish and filled the whole three hours. I have to admit I did a little multi-tasking when things bogged down into discussions on how other teams handle audits and separation of duties. It was a great class, and I have learned about GitHub Actions which allows automation inside GitHub.

I then returned to mostly status meetings and some alignment meetings—more Zooming at the shoe company. I had a short break at 11 and ordered lunch which I ate while meetings ran through my lunch hours. I also did not get a walk; meetings were booked over my walking time. So crazy non-stop Zooming on the status and also agreeing to the various solutions.

Lunch was Mexican from GrubHub, Don Chilitos Mexican Grill. Before that, Corwin was up and made breakfast. I had some of his baked eggs. Very good.

The afternoon was filled with more status meetings. I could not multitask during the meetings as I had to follow along in case of questions. I got a few.

I was tired and went and rested for a bit. I also started defrosting the stew beef for dinner. I then slipped out to Safeway and got some items I missed last time grocery shopping and to help make stew tonight.

The store was immaculate. The one-way direction signs were no longer on there. I would have to do long circles before following directions. Now I can just need a mask on; everyone had one on, and it was worn properly. Social distancing was maintained. My check-out guy today was Aws, a kind man from Iraq. We are always happy to see each other.

Corwin roasted potatoes and carrots while I was out. He sliced up some onions and cooked them with garlic for me. I added the meat to that, and we let that cook. Once the liquid was mostly gone, I added half a can of tomato paste and stirred all of that to make sure it would brown but not burn. I added a cup or so of wine to dissolve the cooked bits. I then added three heaping tablespoons of Hungarian sweet paprika and 1/2 a tablespoon of ground caraway seeds. I added in a teaspoon of sugar and stirred this together. You need salt, more than I used, maybe two tablespoons, but be careful with that. Heat that and stir until fragrant. Add a box of beef broth. Get to a boil. Turn down and let it gently bubble and simmer for 45 mins. I later added the fully cooked roasted veggies and some corn starch in cold water to thicken.

While I was cooking, I watched Nike email and painted Richard’s figures. I got the main colors painted on the first set of figures. I have primed the next faction and will wash another six figures tonight. These are larger figures; I use larger brushes, so it won’t take forever. I am trying to follow the colors from the game; the figures have a main color shade; in this case, it is reds.

I am hoping to get some more figure painting done tonight. I can’t decide to finish one and then repeat it on mass or just do one color at a time for all. I think I will continue with one color for all of them as it will accelerate at the end.

There were no caregiving moments today; Susie is better today.

21,170 people were vaccinated in Oregon yesterday. This number will likely improve as it takes 72 hours to get all the counts into the total.

Nine hundred six people died today in the USA from Covid-19.

I picked The Lord Bless You and Keep You. It is just after Easter, and with the news that the end is in sight, it seemed good for a blessing song for all of us.

I was going about 6:15ish this morning. Corwin was up, and there was coffee made. I worked through the email and text from late Friday through Monday early. Remember, many of the folks are now based in India, so I get emails at all times. The world is flat.

I had non-top Zoom status meetings. I did manage to break off and get cleaned up and dressed. Susie had Zerida today a bit early, 8:30ish, for hair, nails, toes, and so on. Her driver was on time, and Susie was ready and even had coffee in a to-go cup.

Work at the shoe company continued with what seemed like endless Zoom meetings. One of the meetings was on the reversal of the conversion plan of the last four years, and that one was a bit interesting. I had a lot to say at that one. We need to rethink the sequencing, details I will not bore you with, and I can’t really share.

Lunch was taking Air Volvo to Popeye’s and getting a Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Corwin was up, so we sat together listening to the radio with the windows down, eating our sandwiches. We got home just as Susie got there. She had her fav of McDonald’s Happy Meal Six-Piece McNuggets with apples.

I then got back to Zooming for Nike. I had a few more meetings about status and planning, and I could not do any multi-tasking as my name and my projects came up in each meeting today. Yes, things are heating up.

I also put in for Covid-19 time off for my shot on Friday. Susie has her on Saturday. I also took off next week. I have Covid shots, a doctor’s appointment, and I have to drive early to ODOT to renew my driver’s license. I have an appointment I scheduled two months ago! I am old enough that I have to have an eye exam. My birthday is Friday, and I would not wish to work my birthday, so I took the whole week.

I finished the day and went out to get the mail, and there was a medical bill, over $20,000. This is just painful. I called the insurance company to have them explain it, and it appears they have not put in some update that Susie has no extra insurance, meaning they refused the claim. It was for Susie’s stoke. The insurance, United Health Care, updated their records again, and maybe the fourth time, we have no other insurance health care coverage for strokes. This should go away.

Susie then had some issues that required caregiving. She is alright. I just had to do some unplanned housework. It was about 45+ minutes of work.

I then made dinner. I breaded some chicken breasts, split, defrosted, from Schwann’s and fried them in a pan with very little oil. I finished them in the oven to avoid burning them on the stove. I also cooked Schwann’s Fire Roasted veggies on a cookie sheet. Lastly, I added a slice of Easter ham and swiss cheese to the chicken. It was OK. More cheese next time!

I primed some figures I am doing for Richard. I have washed the next faction.

It was a busy day. Allergies are hard. I am just getting ‘r done.

14,314 people were vaccinated in Oregon yesterday. This number will likely increase.

Four hundred fifteen people died today in the USA from the infection.

It is a wonderful day here on Easter Monday. I had to go with Morning Has Broken.

We had Easter dinner today with Mariah, Susie, Corwin, and myself. Corwin and Susie both found chocolate bunnies from the Easter Bunny. Mariah got a Covid-19 shot appointment from the Bunny. We then watched the it-is-so-bad-it-good Godzilla vs. Kong on cable; I have HBOMax (and Disney+ and Prime). I was going to watch the new Disney animated movie, but it was an additional $30 to watch it once, and we all decided that was excessive and went with the monster movie.

The movie was terrible. It is so bad it is fun to watch as the movie characters are well-acted, and the lines they have to get out are not terrible. The special effects were fun to watch. I discussed with everyone that if you see light blue to white techno stuff, that means it is some power that works and will not be explained. I am noticing this in a lot of movies and even board game art. The unexplained Tesla-power in the board game Scythe is an electric blue in the art, and I painted it into the figures.

The day started with me getting going about 8ish and finding Corwin up already and making coffee. I got the ham out, unwrapped it, and let it sit out for an hour to make sure it was thawed. This is a Schwann’s ham, the same as Christmas, and my Scwann’s driver Stephane, was happy to sell me yet another ham on Tuesday, and I let it sit in the frig to defrost all week.

I got Wholefood purchased premade raw frozen chocolate croissants and set them to defrost for 30 minutes before making them for about 15 minutes. They were heavenly.

I had a bad sugar crash, and thus the Easter Bunny left me a charcuterie board for breakfast. I had to cut up the meat, and the cheese was already cubed, but it was nice to have something different than American breakfast food. Nobody was up, or hungry meaning the Easter Bunny, and I just enjoyed it.

I avoid any housework or any useful actions by finishing the second 2/3 of the Captain Marvel movie. It is one of the movies I like enough in the series to rewatch.

I cleaned up and then started in the kitchen. I was able to put away things that seemed to have just cluttered my counters. I spent an hour putting the kitchen back to how I remembered it before everything locked down. Too many things were just on the counter for no reason. It is better now.

I then started on for dinner to be ready at about 2ish. I boiled potatoes in their skins to make mashed potatoes. I peeled and sliced carrots into coins to make steamed carrots. I had them in a pan with a strainer to keep them out of the water. I added cloves and pineapple rings to the sides of the spiral cut ham.

By 2:15ish, dinner was ready. The ham was reheated and, while not glazed, looked good. I mashed. The carrots were ready. I also made a salad with iceberg lettuce. Everyone sat with plates in their laps and watched TV together while watching Godzilla and King Kong fight it out.

After the movie, Mariah headed out, and Susie and I watched for fun the short movie A Bug’s Life. It was fun, and I needed a bit more time before I start on auto-pilot to get ready for Monday.

I am painting figures for Richard, and I washed the first set of matching figures.

22,084 people were vaccinated yesterday in Oregon. This number will likely grow as much as 50% when the additional counts are added in. It takes 72 hours to get all the counts in.

Deaths from Convid-19 have fallen to two-hundred seventy today in the USA. The infection rate is also falling.

I went with Sing with All the Saints in Glory, a reworking of Ode to Joy by Beethoven.

I did not get to sleep until just before 2AM. I was late getting the blog done, and so I was up late. I was happy to get going at 9:15ish this morning.

I just spent the morning putting around the house, not doing anything interesting; a good Saturday.

Evan wanted to play some games or at least look for places to play. I was thinking of Portland or Beaverton. Evan came to the house, and we headed out for lunch. We did Wasabi for sushi; I think Wasabi is one of the best sushi places in the immediate Beaverton area. I always sit in the bar as it has bright windows, and the service is always better from a bartender, in my experience. The bartender did splash a bit of beer on our table and even hit my shirt when he set it down as he was buried in customers. He is usually better.

Evan and I shared a medium sushi platter and added one more Lightning roll. As usual, it was perfect. For me, sushi is more an experience than a meal. I never had this kind of food until even after college. I had my first experience in Oregon, and it still all feels exotic to me. I try to keep it always special and never just-food.

Evan and I then went to find The 649 Tap House. This was reportedly game-friendly and local. We entered, and the gleaming but just slightly distressed tables and walls seemed to say hipster. The bartender was making their Multnomah Mule and was burning a sprig of rosemary set in the drink–screaming hipster now. We did not have a reservation (we were surprised that we would have one) so we could have one of two tables inside. Food and drinks are just ordered from the bar. Games are allowed.

In The 649, the lights are the Edison-styled filament naked bulbs on long cords hanging from the ceiling. Gaming at night would likely require a flashlight! The windows are large, and the place is bright in the day. There is food to order, and it might be good.

I ordered a beer, as did Evan, my second. We just had the beer as I had to go shopping and get dinner going.

Evan borrowed the shower while I went shopping. I picked up various items and many snacks for Susie. Trying to keep things happy and less stressed during the hopeful ramp down of Covid-19 here in Oregon.

BTW: My good friends Mrs. and Mr. Smith are getting their first shots next week! Dondrea had her’s today along with other friends at church.

I did forget the Diet Coke and yogurt. I will try to grab some soon.

I returned, and Evan helped me unload. Evan had terrible allergies, and his eyes looked terrible. So I got him some aspirin to bring down the inflation and Benadryl to take home. We agreed it was a night to watch the Blazer game, and I ordered pizza.

I was going to make dinner, but I was terribly dizzy. The beer and the rice were a bad combination that I should have remembered. I ordered pizza delivered from Round Table, and after eating, the massive sugar crash was solved. I will try to remember to stick to tea next time and beer with food, always. I am not sure an all meat pizza is the best medical treatment, but it works and is excellent.

I do not want to faint from eating rice and cause Susie a horrible panic. I fainted from one of my inhalants once; I was dehydrated from the Sultan’s Revenge from a biz trip to Instanbul, and the panic and the three months of tests to prove I did not have a heart issue was a clear lesson on being more careful. There are a lot of medical tests available, and I am not interested in experiencing them.

The Blazer game was a blow-out, with Portland winning by more than forty points!

The Easter Bunny managed to remember Susie and Corwin, and chocolate bunnies are waiting for them. The Easter Bunny got Michael cheese and meats for a snack before Easter dinner–no sugar for Michael!

I will also go light on the mashed potatoes tomorrow! Salad for me. No more crashes, please.

I have returned to history for reading on my Kindle. I am now trying one of my fav history writer’s newest book–a history of the East Indian Company: The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire. I have read a few books by William Dalrymple on India to better understand the country. I wanted to learn more, and I pledged for The John Company board game, which is based on the East India Company in India. 

28,479 people were vaccinated yesterday in Oregon. This number will likely go up as it takes 72 hours to get all the counts posted.

807 people died from the virus today in the USA.

Today seemed a good day for Up From The Grave He Arose. It is one of the silliest Easter songs, I think, but it is so fun to sing. Here is a fun version from India.