Blog

I rose around 7 and discovered I had failed to assemble the coffee the night before. I ground the beans roasted here in Oregon and nearby in Hillsboro by Mom. Roasted by Mom is a local company that supports women and women growers (website). It is good to taste liberal coffee again and know that every cup is helping moms. And it was good to remember who I am: a liberal, and someone working to make the world better, and helping the world remember Justice with Compassion.

On Tuesday, I read a lot about Kirk’s assassination and a comedian losing his job. I am sorry about all of it. Grief comes with anger, I know, and assassinations come with fear. The combination is poisonous for democracies. But I get it.

I had trouble writing the blog as I would find myself thinking about the words and events instead of writing. I am thinking deeper about the events of the day lately. It took me until 11ish to finish it.

I finished off the cottage cheese and had a banana with that. I am trying to ensure I am not hungry and don’t eat out of turn. Just trying to stick to three meals of smaller-sized portions. So far, no more weight gain.

I updated my transactions in Quicken and watched my IRA investments. They are up more. The cut in rates will give some of my bond holdings (in the form of mutual funds and indexes) a temporary boost, as the financial instruments hold higher-paying bonds than what is currently available. These assets will slowly produce a lower yield as the cut starts to work into the new bonds purchased to replace those sold or reaching maturity. The only immediate impact of the cut is usually on car loans, which should, though there are many other factors, soon reduce.

Sadly, thinking about car loans, President Trump did not restore the car interest loan write-off. That would have helped all the regular Americans and the US Car manufacturing (even Elon). President Reagan’s 1986 tax changes dropped this. I remember my father and grandfather, both Reagan supporters, being outraged when they realized around 1988, the end of the Reagan Administration, they would now buy cars less often due to these changes and how hard this would hit Michigan. Now, imagine if these tax breaks were reinstated instead of the make-believe no-tax-on-tips deduction, which likely nobody can take (since individuals who receive tips do not typically itemize). It would have been good for everyone, except for the very rich. Hmmm.

Returning to my story for Tuesday, I published the blog and warmed up some pasta and Italian-style sausage for lunch, a smaller portion. I ate that while watching more of Apple+’s Foundation series. The acting, special effects, and camera work are excellent. The storyline is OK. I love space opera.

I next grab a copy of Analog Magazine, trying to read a few items from the ones I have just stacked and ignored, boarded Air VW the Gray, and took the EV to the TriMet MAX station. I wave my phone at the scanner, pay $2.80 via a virtual card, and wait a few minutes for my train. I am too excited to read much as I have missed walking in Portland.

I talk to Deborah a few times while riding the train (not shouting into the phone as many do) as she is between things on her long day. She is monitoring the start of classes, including the evening ones, in Michigan and working long hours. I reach the Teacher’s Fountain and Library stop and from there walk up the slight hill on Park Street. The Farmer’s Market runs in the park on Wednesday mornings from early to late afternoon; I did not know this. This will give me a reason to come earlier next time on a Wednesday.

I have a membership to the Portland Art Museum (PAM), and I am soon inside looking at a new display of various modern pieces. Some are new to me, and I did not know that Andy Warhol painted some of his posters with glitter. The neon piece made me think of Deborah.

The art is not part of PAM’s collection but from the local private Schnitzer Collection, made up of mostly prints and modern art. I learned there is another art museum to see, The Schnitzer Collection on display, which is open 5 days a week, 3-5, and longer on Saturday. It is free. Soon!

I did my usual walk through the usual displays and noticed the changes, and enjoyed the French Impressionists the most. PAM’s Monet’s “Lily Pads” painting was back in its usual place. No brighter after a cleaning, but showing a bit of fading too. I enjoy a walk through and try to visit every month.

Next, I walked to the MAX, used a free transfer to get to the Green Line, and took it over to Ground Kontrol. On the way, I met a tourist who asked for help, and I explained the MAX for her and had her get the app and a virtual card. She was looking at multiple trips and was headed to the Japanese Garden and the Rose Garden.

I arrived one block from Ground Kontrol and soon had my ID checked and found some games to play. I keep my card under my driver’s license. I went to play one pinball game, and it broke and ate my credits. I was given a $5 card for my trouble. I could not even use that up as the play; I find this to be a time sink, but still, it was entertaining, a guilty pleasure. I tried, for the first time, the Star Wars Combat Pods — expensive, and managed to not blow up the Death Star on the easy mission — Total Fail. I was often flying upside down and crashing into things. It was quite entertaining and felt immersive (when I was not crashing or flying upside down). I will invest in more training. A pair of pilots wanted the machine after I was done, and I let more skilled flyers save the universe and ‘use the force.’

Next, I walked to the Chinese Garden and the ticket taker remembered me, “Hi, Michael.” There I walked around, enjoyed the quiet, had a tea and coconut party, and read. The waterfall was not running, and it was very quiet. I finished the excellent story “It Eats Metal” in Analog, which appeared in the March/April issue. A gal next to me sat and meditated, and I tried to not make too much noise. I was self-conscious of the sound of sipping tea and eating only a few feet from her.

Eschewing the Green Line, I walked back to the Red/Blue line, which heads west to Beaverton and Hillsboro. Along the way, I stop at Voodoo Donuts, which is not busy; there is no line. I stand at the door, the guard smiles, and waves me in. You can’t just walk in, like a donut vampire; you must be invited in to harvest. I bought three, including the Zombie, Portland Cream (so many inappropriate jokes), and a bacon maple bar. This is placed in the signature pink I-am-a-tourist-rob/ignore-me box.

 

I am not sure what has happened to Portland over the past couple of months while I have been traveling, but there are fewer homeless people (though I recognize some), and the smell of marijuana is less. The hot days drove some folks away, I am sure. School is back, and I suspect the smoking and vaping tourists are now fewer. The town felt to me like it was welcoming the rains, falls, and the change of seasons.

While the number of shuttered and ‘for lease’ buildings is distressing, I saw a few had signs of activity and recovery. It is not enough to make up for the 40% reduction in lunch traffic from before the pandemic and the great migration away from cities and to working from home. The incubators are gone, as are the shared workspaces to rent.

I took the Max back, paying another $2.80, for the short trip back to Beaverton. No drama on the trains or smells. It was back to what I remembered. Pleasant for urban transport.

I took the EV home and made a frozen Chicken Tikka meal for dinner. Deborah, now at the end of her day, talked to me about our day (and some of my complaints on a political nature that I will not recount here). I apologized for being boring to Deborah and received forgiveness. I wished her a good night as she was tired and had another long day on Thursday.

I work on my lesson notes for this Sunday.

I took painkillers, pills, and food. I was unsteady from the nearly 7,000 steps and the still soreness from the fall a few nights ago. My head is still bruised. There is no sign of a concussion or headache. I read, do the dishes, make coffee, and get to bed early.

I woke at 4 and was not feeling well. I could not get back to sleep. I finally rose, had some toast, and then returned to sleep at 5, and had wild dreams but not scary dreams until I woke before 7.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

Going backwards, I was in bed at 9 on Tuesday night and soon asleep. I woke once to get under the covers and then slept the night away. I did not fall out of bed, and the night went well. I feel better on Wednesday morning.

I rose battered from the falling out of bed on Tuesday with a 6:30 alarm (it is now dark outside at that time) and started the coffee, assembled the night before, now beans roasted from the 185th Corner veggie stand, and began trying to write a blog before I had to start my day. I managed, with the various distractions, to get about halfway through the blog. I did read my email, the news was the usual mess of pain and the President desperate for headlines to push his agenda and avoid accountability (not Epstein, but the farmers that cannot sell their products due to the administration’s policies, and the tariffs, which are a massive tax increase), and updating my transactions in Quicken.

I quickly showered and boarded Air VW the Gray and discovered that the Tuesday back-to-school traffic was thick and slow. I had left with 45 minutes to spare and was only a few minutes late, beating James, who also has a commute to Richard’s place. We invested an hour into changing chapters in the cooperative role-playing style game, Tainted Grail (we are playing 2.0 with the basic setting), and finally started again. The game has grown on me, and as often happens in app-driven board games, once you pass the initial story and have updated your characters with more usable resources and achieved improvements, it starts to flow better. Like Dungeons & Dragons, the gameplay is a mix of story and combat. Richard and I have focused more on combat, while James has focused on story and diplomacy.

Additionally, like D&D, the story is essential, and it must be remembered over time. I find I remember the story well, and that helps. All those years of DM-ing role-playing games. That is made difficult by weekly plays, and some stories were months ago. James is recording goals and finding lore as part of the written part of the game.

We changed chapters again. That meant more game accounting and assembly. We also agreed that we will search the areas more on the board and try to avoid another change of chapter for a while. We also think there are better options for us. More to come. I had to head out around 1ish, and we found a stopping point about 12:30. I “saved” my character and helped record some of the settings. While a physical game, it includes a process to record the current state and the ability to return to it. There are 14 or more chapters, and we are on 3A.

While the material is protected, I can say that I am liking it and its mix of comic book darkness, Arthurian Legends, SciFi, and Fantasy. Many of the choices and options do not feel forced. I find myself interested again in this material.

With the game over, I headed out in Air VW, the Gray, and the traffic back, even flying over the tall bridge and taller on-ramps, seemed less scary in the warm, sunny, early afternoon in Portland. The city, not a fiery hell, as it is called by Mr. Trump, but the town I think of as home with Beaverton, and unincorporated Aloha and Reedville, looked ready and willing to be great. This year, I heard, the number of visitors to Portland has returned to pre-COVID levels.

At the house, I get out the beef, still frozen after a day in the fridge, and run water over it as I prepare all the ingredients, going for mise en place cooking, where everything is ready before I start. It is a bit tough going as my arms, hands, and legs are still complaining about the fall. Bœuf Bourguignon, my second try, and with no onions (Deborah is allergic to onions, so I try to cook with celery and onion powder when I can).

It is an all-day adventure, and I make puff pastry cups (I used frozen purchased dough) to hold the meal instead of potatoes. I wash strawberries, skipping additional flavors and whipped cream. Our Oregon berries, I think, are best alone. I am using Chef Evelyn Stokes’ (here) rework of Julia Child’s recipe. While my cups were not as expected, the meal was good. I ate outside in the sun, and, except for a yellow jacket that wanted to share in my meal, it was an excellent meal. I did get a 1/2 glass of wine, but most of the wine went into the food. I also had just a little extra. I did have a little bowl of ice cream later. Keeping everything to smaller portions.

My weight has stayed stable and may have gone down a bit.

Corwin was a bit late; he had a big lawn job to finish, and was happy to try dinner. I served him up a tray like mine, and he thought it quite good. My tastes are still mixed up from the surgery and resultant infections, and I was happy he found it delicious.

The church council Zoom was at 6:30, and I will not recount it here. It was a bit harsh for me, as often it is when asking for money for capital projects. And while I am not happy about many of the words, I know they were not meant to be as sharp as I felt them, I was delighted to get most of the money I asked for and permission to, assuming we receive more giving to cover anything more, to do the work at the current bid (plus our purchases). More discussion about money followed. After that, the usual reports and updates, and to all our great surprise, we were done in 90 minutes, and all actions passed with unanimity.

Corwin left while the meeting was ongoing. He did the dishes for me and put away the remaining food in the fridge. I have a host of leftover options for today! I was fuzzy, dizzy, and tired. I went to bed early, as I said.

Thanks for reading. I was successful at one of my newest goals; I woke up still in bed on Wednesday!

Nightmares now come to me early. I have been asleep for an hour, at around midnight, and then something goes wrong. There is pain, coldness, a noise, or something, and I find myself in a dark dream of my fears. Most of the dream disappeared in a flash and a crash. I rolled out of bed, slammed my head into the nightstand, and hit the floor in a heap. I am unhurt, mostly embarrassed, but this Tuesday morning, when I write this, my knees, neck, and head are all sore. Yikes! I have not fallen and never fallen out of bed in years.

There is nothing breakable near the bed or placed on the nightstands, a difficult learning from Susie’s many falls out of bed. Even shoes are kept away from the bed. I, once comfortable, slept, but I woke a few times and moved into the center of the bed!

I woke at 7 on Monday morning, but did not rise until 8. The coffee was starting to cool as the timer began at 7 to make coffee. I started on the blog, laundry, and online. I was not disciplined, and soon it was 11 and the blog was not done, but I had read too much news (very depressing), read my emails, and updated my transactions in Quicken. I have finally published the blog after making additional edits and additions.

Breakfast consisted of coffee (the end of the Zabar’s roast from NYC), a banana, and a cup of cottage cheese with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.

I got the mail, still in my robe and PJs with slippers, and found this included the UK Britain at War #221 magazine mailed from the publisher in the UK. I had ordered it after learning that a letter from someone at the Battle of the Denmark Straits, now 108 years old, was published in the issue. This includes some new information and validation of existing knowledge. It was wonderful to get a new account for the 1941 battle. I had watched videos on the letter, but it was great to have the printed version.

I made lunch after defrosting the bulk Italian-style sweet sausage in a pan with water. I fried the sausage in my non-stick pan (thanks, Steve), heated sauce from a jar (a new flavor of blue cheese and peppers), and boiled water. I nearly burned the sauce, but managed to pour it into the cooked sausage; there was a lot of splattering. I had it too hot. I went with angel hair pasta, and that cooked quickly, but it always sticks together in the sauce and isn’t as good reheated. But I wanted to try it again. Lunch was wonderful. I had two moderately sized bowls.

I decided to repack the new super box for the Lost Ruins of Arnak board games. Yes, I bought a box. It is the official box and includes a storage solution to get it all in one box (previously scattered in three unruly boxes of baggies and stuff thrown in). I removed the bag of extra parts, punched the add-on that came with the box (meaning I had bought a box and an add-on, feeling perhaps this was worth it), hoping it wouldn’t be something that unbalanced the game, and repacked it. This time, it all fit in the box, and the lid closed tight. I put the bag of slightly expensive plastic upgrades that did not include the last two add-ons (f**k!) in my collection of spare parts.

Corwin stopped by. He needed to cut screens, and I helped him use my Lady Ada Engineer’s scissors for the job. He got to try the pasta and thought it was good. He headed out, supplied with tools for this latest job. He and his friend own a business specializing in window washing, roof cleaning, and other related tasks. I don’t mind loaning out tools for their endeavors, and I was their first customer.

I headed to Barnes & Noble to get cards for Mom Wild. I was out of anything new. I arrived in Air VW the Gray without issue and soon, resisting a magazine and new books, got just cards. The cashier pointed out that I had a $5 coupon on my account (plus my discount on the cards), and I then grabbed a chocolate bar for the same price. The chocolate tastes better when it’s free (yes, I know it was not really free, but still it was good). I took my goodies, sat at their table, and wrote out a card for Mom Wild. I brought stamps, applied one, and it was ready.

I headed home by way of the post office, and I posted the card. Done! I drove by the house as I forgot I had some shopping to do. I next parked outside the 185th Corner Market and purchased a supply of fresh vegetables. I can now make a salad. I took the EV home.

I was exhausted for no known reason and nodded off for thirty minutes in my recliner. Waking, I headed to Safeway to get some cake flour as I plan to bring a cake to the Thursday meeting for Theology Pub. I went for a walk after returning in Air VW the Gray with a few items. The check-out line was long for the DIY which I had to use for the three items. It took me almost as long to get the flour as to buy it.

Back at the house, despite the stiffness, I walked to the bench about 1/4 a mile away to get some steps in. On the way back, my legs and lower back told me this was a bad idea or one I needed to do more often.

I found the pizza from a few days ago and finished that for dinner. I then started on my notes for my class on Sunday. That took quite some time, and I was raiding United Methodist websites and Wikipedia for my information. I also have some printed sources.

I watched more of the Apple+ Foundation series and got through two episodes. I do like the character and the mystery. I did read the first novel in the series; I never went back and was surprised to enjoy the show. I love space opera with its empires and jump-gates or jump-engines to explain the distances traveled.

I was feeling out of sorts and dizzy, and decided that reading some SciFi would be a good finish for the night. I am behind on my Analog Magazines (I have a subscription) and picked up, embared to say, April’s and read a short story about prime numbers and aliens. It became a story about violence and dominant male culture, and an interesting pivot. I enjoyed the story. I think it might have set the stage, though, for the nightmare of me running and jumping, resulting in me literally jumping out of bed.

I felt uneasy when I nodded off.

Thanks for reading! So far, I am OK though more stiff than yesterday.

Sunday started with me rising early, as I had trouble sleeping, and stumbling out of bed to the kitchen to get the coffee after starting the machine early (it starts at 7, meaning if I oversleep, the coffee will be cold — I get up). I invest the morning in getting the blog done, and just coffee and my morning meds. I am teaching after church, and food has no appeal. A lovely 1980s Structures tie (older than many of my students) goes with a dress shirt, a sweater vest, and dress shoes. Again, staying with old school lessons, you buy respect from older folks with an unremarkable tie knot and the more formal dress. But by skipping the suit, I look more like an educator. And while it may be trite, like some of my best card tricks, they often work surprisingly well. And I need all the help I can get!

I get the blog, over 1,400 words, finished, partially re-read, and edited, posted, and realize I am out of time. I rush to get dressed as I described after a quick shower, shave, and all that. I had put copies of my notes (which I hand out at the start of the class), the posters (mounted for about $50 each), and the sandwiches from Costco on them in Air VW in First Class seats. I regret that the airlines no longer print their logos on the discomfort bags (i.e., barf bags); I used to collect them and have various airline products sticking out of the back seats, only the finest service!

Surprisingly relaxed, I head to church and take on my usual duty as usher. I usually recount at this point on the Sunday blog the sermon, Ken’s in this case, but I had a homeless guy come in during the sermon. I got him coffee, water, and a sandwich; I had plenty for the class. He asked if we had any clothing, and I checked that we have food, but no clothing. Later, Jack helps him in the men’s room to clean up (his head shows a slightly healed cut). And during the service with the food, water, warm coffee, a chair, and out of the rain, he falls asleep.

I also helped here and there and missed most of Ken’s words. I did hear his words as he did point out that John Wesley was often persecuted and that Christians are susceptible to denominational sins. That we churchgoers can use the structure and institutional authority to stop and hurt folks, believing we are doing right. Ken, in many ways a refugee from more conservative churches and a newly minted Methodist elder, says he is preparing himself to be oppressed by fellow Christians. Ken shares that he his shocked to discover this and it is new to him.

I gathered the folks for my class and shared sandwiches with the group (and anyone else), and soon started my short lecture on Denominational History for the New Members Class (and anyone else). Rev. Anne joined us and interjected with some valuable comments. I got a few questions, too. Being Methodists at church, folks sit and listen politely, but they started to ask some questions. This is not a sermon, but a class. I received positive feedback, and people seemed to enjoy my fast-and-furious presentation (though no one confused me with Vin Diesel). The sandwiches helped too.

I brought my cake, too, and it is served up. Technically, it is not an acceptable item as it is made with an alcohol-based flavor, Grand Marnier, but I would argue that I baked out the alcohol. The cake was well-received, too.

I packed up and was soon home, tired and moving slowly. I reheated the chili I made a few days ago, but I’m concerned that, after seeing 17 pounds above my lowest weight, I should stick to carrots and celery. But I made it and should finish it. I also, knowing that I will need to keep the portion sizes under control, get Italian-style sweet sausage from the freezer for a pasta meal (with sauce from a jar). I will have one bowl and freeze some of it, then put it back in small bags. I plan to get some lettuce to make a nice salad to go with it. Beer is out. I also have the beef to take a second chance at the French-style cooking I tried before. It was close, but not close enough for me. Again, I will pack it away in smaller servings.

I paid for a Lost Ruins of Arnak board game boxing solution from the game publisher that Richard ordered for me (we shared the postage cost). I repacked my three boxes into one, but discovered that the new materials I got from Board Game Geek did not support the additional add-ons, growl. I returned to cardboard pieces and put the cool parts in a bag that would not quite fit in the new box, ugh! I did not punch the latest material, and that made the box not quite close. Still, it was a marvelous update that got the whole game into one box (though it is about the same size as the others together). It was a good distraction after the class.

I lost track of time, but I did manage to cut some roses to take to Niki, M@’s wife, and I brought them to Dungeons & Dragons at M@’s house at 5:30. M@ this time was ready; he had prepared two adventures for us, as we tend to skip or hide or run away from combat. This means we absorb more story than the other groups he has playing the same adventures; M@ has three groups, last time I counted.

(We did have to violently disable the clockwork device; we left a sign that it was out of order.)

In our group, Scott is playing a no-damage attack monk character, and this means our tactics are complex and, for D&D, peaceful. We do have to fight undead and terrible horrors like trolls, but usually we try to negotiate our way out of a battle. We do manage that a few times, but M@ got to use a more classic monster, and it only recharged its main attack twice, which is about average. We lived and had to kill the classic monster, and another one we met on the way back. It was a fun time.

In the game, our patron provided us with some magic items as a reward for completing our challenge. We had shared our wishes with the powerful entity, and now some items appeared, or in the case of Mackers, an important hook into his character’s background that connects to our next adventure (a reworking of the old UK Crystal Cave adventure, which I have never done).

In the new rules, there are rules of Bastions. A form of a home base for a character that becomes available at the 5th level (this idea goes back to older versions of D&D). We are now 6th, and according to the rules, we can now consider setting up these bastions for our characters. M@ found a free PDF of an early version of the regulations that he shared, which closely resembles the final rules. We will make it work.

It will be fun to do some D&D accounting and create the story of these bastions.

Scott and I talked for a while outside about the game and life. I then headed home, did dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and got the coffee ready.  I took my meds, some painkillers, and sipped Amaretto while doing all of this. I was soon in my bed and asleep. A good day!

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

First, I have seen my weight fly up 17 pounds from a low delightful 228, and is now disappointing 245. Ugh! Beer is out now. Back to salads, iced tea, and trying to get more exercise. Why did it increase? Well, I have been more tired of late and a bit stressed from church stuff, both a refresh project and teaching Sunday School. I have been drinking too much coffee, and that always makes me hungry. I also think some of the pain and slowing down is from carrying around nearly twenty pounds.

Richard, when I asked, said he thought I had put on some weight. I was noticing my pants were not falling off. I was seeing the bathroom scale kept tilting the wrong way, but I did nothing. I did cook some lovely meals and will be more careful with the portion sizes. But it was soooooo gooood.

Yes, dear reader, I know there are various drugs, expensive, and I qualify for them due to various health issues, but I will try to get back to 235 by October on my own. The heat is soon over, too, and the smoke is no longer nearby; I can go outside and walk without risk. I am relieved also that my weight is changing in more predictable ways; that means the usual things should fix this. I was stuck at 234 for a year with various fluctuations that were followed by a return to the same number.

Getting back to my day on Saturday, the day started with me rising around 7, as I woke around 4 and had trouble returning to sleep. Cold, pain, and proof of hydration all made the night end early. I had to get to Costco to get sandwiches for my Sunday School Class and play games at Richard’s in Portland in the evening. It was another sunny, but cooler than the previous day, Oregon end-of-summer day. Fall is endless rain. The hot days will be back, but the extremes are over.

I wrote the blog and finished the pound cake (see previous note on weight gain) with a banana and some coffee. I planned to read more Methodist theology, structure, and history for my class preparation, but never got back to it. I was stiff and uncomfortable. Even my fingers were stiff and sore. Ugh!

I found my focus and my voice and wrote the blog. I wanted to get back to my SciFi writing, too, but did not find time for that. I updated my transactions in Quicken, noting that the next payment for the Civil Rights trip in the USA South has cleared. All my travel costs for the previous trips have now been paid. My checking account seems relieved to not be burning through money at my usual rate from travel. I did buy a few books for my class and food, but nothing close to my burn rate in NYC or Iceland!

I headed, with the emails read, too, and the blog posted, to Costco. I picked the larger one off of Cornell near the Hillsboro Airport, and it was busy. Deborah, mostly heads down in starting her English as a Second Language Classes in Michigan, laughed at me for expecting Costco to be quiet on Saturday morning. We talked while I drove there and while she had a break between work issues. Deborah is the coordinator for the classes and placement. All the annoying issues happen now.

Dear reader, a year ago, she took the train to Chicago, and we met for our first date. We walked around Chicago and looked at the sights. It is the first anniversary of us connecting. I could not be happier.

I found sandwiches ready, all chicken, and got a few items I also needed. I checked out. I felt much better pushing the cart and walking. All the pain faded, and I was moving better soon.

Yes, I know, dear reader, I should do more of this. And I did. I saw in check out that I forgot the dishwasher soap (someone else had a box), finished what I had, put it in Air VW the Gray, and then returned. The soap is at the extreme of the store, and I walked quickly there and then out. Being polite and avoiding getting hit by carts pushed by stressed-out families that are late for something after picking up just a few things at Costco. I do not see many smiles at Costco. I checked out with my two items. I do not use the DIY checking as that looks even more stressed. I politely wait for humans.

I did notice something at Costco. All the cases were full of organic and higher-priced items. My pack of ground beef was more by the pound than what I bought at Market of Choice! I will have to look for the regular items, but for those who think prices are higher, some of this is due to the selection of higher-priced items in the cases at Costco. Interesting.

Back at the house, I unloaded the goodies and tossed the box from Costco. These boxes can carry various bugs and eggs for bugs. It is essential to get them out of the house. Don’t reuse boxes from food items.

I watch (again see above) more of The Rings of Power, which I am rewatching as I liked a dose of Tolkien (this is my fourth time). I have wanted to make Grand Marnier Cake in the cookbook The Cake Bible for years. I have all the materials. This is an orange-chocolate-almond cake that features a generous amount of dairy (butter and sour cream) and a complex recipe. I spent the next hour in the kitchen assembling the cake. I made only one mistake (I did not put the orange-flavored glaze into the cake when it was still in the pan), but I made many close calls as I missed some ingredients here and there, and got them in just in time. Unlike muffins, this cake you beat air into it. I scooped into a prepared (buttered and floured) fluted bake pan, a new one I got when my old one seemed impossible to clean. The oven was ready and set on Convection Air Bake, which makes an excellent cake.

An hour later, I tried, sorry to cut the cake, which looked excellent, and I tried it. It was bright and intense. It would fade to more cake and subtle flavors as it cooled. I had two small slices (see above) and cut two larger pieces to take to Richard and Laura. I wrapped those slices in a wrap and placed them on a paper plate.

Much of the mess was put in the dishwasher, but not all. I got in EV and soon was enjoying the Beaverton and then Portland traffic. And while it seemed heavy, I arrived at Richard’s thirty minutes early and helped Richard set up the game. I get a glass of water instead of coffee or any snacks. Chris joined us for the game, Luthier, my second play. I made three mistakes, at least, and Chris, who has a few more plays than I do, beat me by about ten points, and my score was less than my previous one. Richard lapped us, and we talked after the game to better understand what we did differently from his fifty more points.

Luthier is a resource management and worker placement efficiency race with reduced scoring opportunities as the game progresses (I described a week ago and will not repeat that; however, you can find the blog here). I learned I missed two sets of options in the game and will have to use them next time I play. Richard invested heavily in buying and increasing the various skill tracks, and this made the skill better and earned more points. I think that was the main difference; he scored two to five more points for the same tasks we were doing. I would say that my misplays cost me second place, and neither Chris nor I advanced those tracks enough, leaving us with a final score under 100. Next time! While expensive, it is an excellent game, and I am tempted. It is a fantastic alternative to Weather Machine and other costly and complex games.

I returned home and was tired and soon was in bed and trying to sleep. I have to teach on Sunday, and my weight issues were on my mind. It was hard to find sleep, but I did not see 11 on the clock.

I am now using the legacy Alexa as the new version, which was offered to me and some customers, stopped working, and the new Alexa could not find Kink.FM to play. I disabled the new Alexa and returned the familiar voicing and working features. I listened to Kink.FM while reading for a while.

Thanks for reading.