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Susie and I have passed out two weeks after the 2nd dose of Moderna. My gaming groups are starting to come back together, and I will likely return to the Portland ones now that we are vaccinated. These groups are mostly vaccinated people and are careful. I have not been willing to risk it until we got past this important milestone.

I visited Richard today to play games at his house. He is a dentist and has been vaccinated for some time.

We played Blood Rage first. I brought my copy with all the painted Vikings and mythical monsters. He beat me at my own game in his first play.

We then played Dune Imperium. A new game published in 2020 I have wanted to play for some time. Richard taught me the game, and I really enjoyed it. Richard did beat me by two points. You have a deck of cards that define what you can do–it is a deck-building game. You place two agents on the board based on the cards you have. This will give you resources, more options for play, and deploying army units. You can get more agents, and some options let you purge your deck of less valuable cards. This is a popular mechanic in working placement and resource management games. This is, of course, all themed to match the new Dune movie, currently held up by the pandemic, which is a bit odd. The game usually comes after the movie. Your turn ends with a revealing step where you can purchase new cards and support your troops. The battle of armies is fought using an abstract system of just counting strength. The winner and 2nd place are rewarded.

I added too many weaker cards to my deck. I also did not understand that you need to get cards from a specific group to use their special abilities. This meant my hand was weak some rounds. I focused on combat, which kept me in the game, but not getting the extra agent was a disadvantage I never recovered from. The intrigue cards created a more Dune feeling to the game. They also have extra scoring options. I would have picked up more had I known next time! Also, the loss of all troops used in a battle reminded me of the other Dune theme game I have known simply as Dune (2020).

This new game shows how we have polished game mechanics in the past years. The game flows and is easy to understand. While it is not as immersive as the chaotic and negotiate-focused, and simply insane rules of Dune (2020), it is a pleasure to play.

It did remind me of my recently purchased The Lost Ruins of Arnak board game. Many of the same mechanics are repeated here.

The day started with me sleeping in until 9ish and then painting figures for part of the morning. I also watched the first episode of Game of Thrones. It is on HBOMax, which we have. I am not sure I liked it, but I managed to get to the second episode of season 1.

I got Susie breakfast and then headed out to get my haircut. The rains are back, and I can breathe again. I drove, in heavy traffic, to Zerida’s place. It was busy but the rains made it a nice relaxing drive in Air Volvo.

I made Susie and I grilled cheese for dinner. Corwin later cooked steaks for her and his friend Andrew who moved today, just walking distance away now.

I drove to Portland and met Richard for games at 6PM. There was light-ish traffic to Portland tonight.

It is getting late and already Sunday so I will rush a bit.

349,313 more people are reported infected in India today.

29,160 people were vaccinated in Oregon yesterday. This number will usually increase as the counts are collected.

742 people died in the USA today from Covid-19.

I picked Amazing Grace for tonight.

I got an email at 3ish on Friday morning that the patch, OSS note for those who know SAP, had broken something. So I saw that at 6AM and logged on and started fixing it and applying, you can guess, more patches to fix the patch. The vendor, an SAP partner, had not put the proper predecessors on their notes. Three hours later, I got rid of the Syntax issue and found another fix for more issues. I was asked to not fix this until they had looked some more.

I slipped out from coding and applying fixes to shower and get dressed. Thusly, I was all clean and shiny for the first of two hours of status meetings. I was still fixing a few items and approving a few fixes as I was not needed for much of the status meetings.

I rested instead of walking in the pollen-infested air. The rains are returning tonight, so walks will be in the rain–Pacific Northwest style.

Lunchtime came; I had a chocolate-filled pastry I made yesterday with a banana for breakfast. I made grilled ham and swiss for Susie and me.

I finished The Deadly Assassin from Classic Doctor Who with the legendary Tom Baker. Once in a while, I listen to a voice-only new adventure with the 4th Doctor. Tom Baker has returned to the role for voice versions with his companions on Big Finish Productions.

One move meeting this week. I helped explain the source of currency rates at Nike and how we implement them now and shortly in new versions of SAP. Our analytics developing folks wanted to literally know how the money works at Nike. We told them where to get the official rates for currency conversion and whom to ask from the business and IT side if they need more help.

I took a break and read some more. Elizabeth Moon’s Vatta’s War series is just fun. I was not expecting her to go with a running joke and create a Planet Cascadia that seems like the PNW in space! It is hard to put down. I am on book four!

I went out and purchased pizza from Papa Murphy’s. This is a PNW chain of take-home-and-bake raw pizzas. They have salads too. I was shocked to find it packed with masking-wearing people. I waited another 15 minutes more for my two pizzas and salad as they were behind. I waited outside. Folks seemed to reduce social distancing while in line for their pizza in the store. When I was briefly in the storefront, I asked them for my pizza politely and thanked them. My pizza moved up on the list. It is always good to be polite and friendly in the PNW. My standing outside and watching through the window glass also made them happy. They waved me in, and I passed all the now too close people to get my pizza.

I slightly over-baked one, but it was good. Pizza and salad are my favs.

The furnace/AC controls reminded me to replace the filter. I did that. I had trouble getting the super filter out of the space. I replaced the expensive filter with a more plain filter for the summer that goes in easier. I will pick up a new super filter this summer. The filter was gray with pollen and dust.

Not an exciting Friday, but just busy.

India reported another 345,157 infections today. A record. Pray for India!

30,342 people were vaccinated yesterday in Oregon. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was re-approved for use in the USA today. The numbers for Oregon will likely increase as it takes 72 hours to get the final counts.

790 people died today in the USA from the in Convid-19.

Down to the River seemed like a good choice today.

My editing tool went sideways on me…there are a few typos left…but best to just publish before it breaks again….

Another perfect day. The pollen is just impossible. And I could not put down the next Vatta’s War book last night. Sleep came finally after 1:30ish.

And that would be wonderful if I was not back at it at an unfriendly 6:00 this morning. No lollygagging either as we had an All-Employee Meeting at 7AM with John, Nike CEO. The meeting was fun as John had sports folks do most of the hour. I had status meetings all morning with only a break for lunch. Many meetings went over meaning I had to cut them off or be late. I had to speak in many, so no multi-tasking for the meetings. Zooming with Nike all morning!

I managed to do my walk. I thought I was going to cough-to-death even with multiple puffs of the emergency inhaler. This was my short walk. I have managed to reduce the coughing finally with more puffs and going slower. The rains should be back soon.

I had lunch delivered from Gyro House, and there was a note. I write them a note about missing them and wishing them well as special instructions for my lunches all pandemic–usually ordering at least twice a month. They told me on the note to come and see them; Gyro House must have re-opened for in dining. I see a Turkish Coffee in my future!  

I had a few vendor patches to work on, OSS notes if you know SAP. I had a few other crises of the moment to handle. It is all rather mundane, but it gets us further on the project, so I don’t mind a bit of mundane.

I did watch some more old Doctor Who Classic while I had lamb kabobs and shut the Nike laptop for lunch. It is a treat, and with the early hour and the near strangling from a mask and asthma attacks, I enjoyed the show and the food and tried to relax and breathe.

Back to work, I have to admit at one meeting I took my Doctor Fauci bobblehead and waved it over the keyboard–clearly visible to the other on Zoom. Yes, we are doing some first-ever (in the world of this complexity and volumes) data egress using special SAP Data Intelligence (Yes, thet call it that). I thought we would need some special help…Dr. Fauci being the totem of these times. Nobody thought it was that silly. Oh my!

I slipped out once the late lunch status meetings completed. I got Air Volvo washed. The crows will soon likely repaint it in the Jackson Pollack style. The sap and tree stuff with the bird art was just too much for me. It looks better and it is easier to drive now. We know it will rain now that Air Volvo is clean.

I stopped by Safeway and everyone was careful and masked and respectful. I got a pre-cooked chicken for about the price of a raw one (the mystery of chickens I will never understand). Eggs, Milk, deli products, the normal drill.

Back at the house. Susie gets a fav: Beefaroni.

Back to work for me. OSS notes go bang and I send emails out that something is broken. We will have to pick that up later.

I finish up with my weekly status and then read some more trying to get the coughing under control. Missing sleep makes this worse–I slow down more.

Dinner is baked chicken from Safeway, potato salad, apple sauce, and some fresh artisan bread (also from Safeway). Susie has dinner just a bit later.

Susie is asking if I am OK a lot. The coughing is worse than I think.

I have a second shift with India morning coming up. We received a request to lighten the workload for India-based folks. Covid-19 is really hitting them hard. Our hearts go out to them. I will of course try to do what I can. Pray for India!

896 people in the USA today died from Covid-19.

2,256 people are reported to have died today from Covid-19 in India. 332,503 new cases were reported today in India, a record.

Oregon is plowing thru its vaccinations at about 24,000 a day.

For our African friends, Baba Yetu.

The morning started at 6ish, but I got up and saw I had no meetings until 8ish, so I rested some more and woke with a start at 7:15ish. I then got up and read emails and slack messages until 7:30ish and then showered and dressed for the first status meeting at 8 this morning.

Six hours of on and off Zoom meetings, some short and some running over are a lot of online meetings for anyone. Most I have the camera on and have to listen with some care as I have multiple teams impacted by various issues. It made the day strange as I was mostly listening and then trying to read email and slack requests between meetings or falling behind when meetings went over into another meeting. I had to step out once for a bio-break!

Cowin got an appointment for a Covid-19 shot today:

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians COVID-19 Vaccine Event – Moderna
05-14-2021
Chinook Winds Casino

We will likely get a room and enjoy a Friday there. We think this is the one on the coast. Yes, we got a parking garage at Nike. Corwin gets a Casino! It is not fair!

I ordered lunch from Biryani Corner using GrubHub. It was more than I wanted to spend, but I did not want to make my own lunch today after five hours of non-stop meetings. I missed my stress-reducing walk now for three days as the meetings are running over my short out-of-office meeting that says “Do Not Book Over.” But it was booked over anyway. The Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan is not as nice as what I make, but it still was good today.

I decided to take a break for lunch; I shut the Nike laptop instead of reading emails and handling crises of the moment and emergencies of the day for lunch. I put on instead a video of classic Doctor Who. After I had to clear the licensing of my new Mac to watch my Apple TV account. It took a few minutes, but I had that fixed soon.

Later, I had to replace the HP printer software as it too was now not working on a new M1 device–it is fixed now.

I also received my quote for Earthquake Insurance, GeoVera, which was no longer stupidly high. I paid the bill and again have Earthquake protection, full coverage (which means 90% coverage in the strangely untruthful words of insurance). I figured that we had deadly smoke, a 20-year wind storm, murder hornets, and of course, a pandemic. The earthquake must be next.

I stopped the earthquake insurance in the past. After the bankruptcy of so many insurers after the last few “big ones,” I did not believe I would get paid. I also did not like the huge holes in coverage before. Previously, if your house was knocked down by a quake, they would cover the next $100K, but if the foundation sank, then you were getting $0. This policy looks like real coverage at a price that is not insane. I bought it. I may regret this later.

I managed a few episodes of the Baker playing the Doctor and then returned to work. I then listened to another two hours of status meetings with some breaks. I then went and rested a bit. Checking back on my phone. I was not needed anymore.

Mariah stopped by and borrowed our washer and dryer and, while her wash was running, headed to beer and pizza at The Rock Woodfired Pizza. They know us there, and they were happy to serve us. I tried the fish tacos (I was still stuffed by Indian-styled food), but it still was too much food for me–next time, a salad.

Mariah had a work call and then finished her laundry and headed out. I rested for a few minutes and then got to this blog.

24,407 people were vaccinated yesterday in Oregon. This number will likely increase as they get more counts for yesterday.

876 people died today from Covid-19 in the USA. Washington County, our county in Oregon, locks down partially on Friday, again.

I picked my fav hymn for today: This Is My Song. The music and the words mean much to me. This version was published just before the huge second wave in the USA.

There is also an alternative I love as much: A Tribute to All The Nations.

I drove Air Volvo, still decorated by the crows, to Portland to play a game with my friend Casey. He had some time off today, he works nights, so I met him this evening. We both have had our vaccines, but we still wear masks except when eating.

I was there about 5:45PM as the traffic, while not light, was fast. You never see fast here, so I was unsure if the Greater Portland Area (PDX, also the name for our airport) drivers have been changed by the long isolation. Usually, PDX traffic is slowly and insanely polite until they hit you. I have read that PDX has some of the worst drivers in the USA (maybe the world). Drivers wanted to get somewhere today, and I had no close calls.

Casey and I then drove a short distance to Mazatlan Mexican Food just off of Burnsides in Portland. This is a local chain, and Casey had a three-taco dinner plate while I had my usual chile relleno and enchilada. It was good.

Casey introduced me to a game I have only seen reviews for, Watergate. This is a two-person fast-paced game with each player playing a different persona: The Editor or President Nixon. This is an asymmetrical game; the players have different options and winning conditions, all played on a shared board. The Press and the President have different decks that they draw on to take their actions. The editor is trying to establish evidence to connect the president to a source. If two sources are connected to Mr. Nixon, the President Nixon player loses the game. Mr. Nixon obstructs the press by getting his hands on the evidence and using it to block the path to him. There is also has a marker, the momentum marker, that when either side wins five times, that player wins.

The main action is a tracking board with evidence, initiative marker, and momentum marker is reset each round. The cards allow you to manipulate the track and markers. Often you can use a card to do special effects that move evidence and the markers together. The card is then removed from the game. So be careful. The press burns cards to get sources like Mr. Dean. At the end of the round, anything on your side of the track (not on the zero space) is yours.

The game is a mix of Deck thinning and exploiting events to control a tug-of-war board that provides The Press and President Nixon with means to win. The cards manipulate this track. There are many options. The randomness of just four or five cards to play in each round and random evidence that must be matched to color means the player, The President, or The Editor, must be flexible and react to events and resources now available. From my experience, President Nixon is powerful, and The Editor player needs to burn events to keep from being crushed. The press must thin their hand to useful Journalist cards and other useful cards. Mr. Nixon can retain cards for later use as his cards are powerful.

I enjoyed the mix of creating chains, the tug-of-war over the markers and evidence, and the deck building and thinning process. It plays fast and is a bit forgiving. I cannot wait to play the President next time. I also like to see all the names and events I remember from my childhood, and I read Woodward’s books for years. The theme was a bit immerse for me.

We had time for two games, and I won the second game as I started to thin my deck and hold my own against Mr. Nixon. The game is simple, cheap ($35), fast, and fun.

I drove home, and again the traffic was moving fast and safer than I am used to. The polite is still there as I had folks flash their blinkers, and I let them in, and everyone seemed happy when I did that (no East Coast styled horn blowing).

Moving to the beginning, I started the day at 6ish and discovered my 7:30 meeting was canceled. But I was up, so I just read the email and tried to find my way. I had a team meeting and a status meeting every hour. And two status meetings canceled just before I was going to attend.

I also had a few alignment items and a few emergencies of the moment, and crises of the hour. I managed to send polite emails and texts. I could resolve the issues without anyone getting upset or, hard to imagine in the Pacific Northwest, someone getting overly direct.

Susie was up by mid-morning; we got in Air Volvo and did Burger King for lunch. Our usual plain cheese Whopper Jr for Susie and a regular Whopper with cheese for me. We had diet cokes and mozzarella sticks (their fries are not good). As usual, we parked the car and enjoyed watching the TV Highway and listened to the radio while we enjoyed our repast.

Today in Aloha, Oregon, it was warm, sunny, and I could not breathe! Pollen! Trees! Pollen from trees! I managed to use my inhalant to stop the uncontrolled coughing. My chest pain is back–caused by the harsh coughing. My lungs are better now.

Corwin made dinner for Susie. Corwin and I discovered that the local American Indian Tribe is hosting vaccinations at their casino. If Corwin can get signed up, we may have a plan for a weekend in May!

17,762 people were vaccinated in Oregon yesterday. This number will likely increase.

883 people died today in the USA from Covid-19. Washington County, our county, is returning to lock-down as the infection rate is out of control.

I thought it best to remember the day with this song: Lift Every Voice and Sing.