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I started this morning after a difficult night. Susie could not sleep, and I was kept up with only a final few hours of sleep when Susie finally settled. The alarm went off at 6ish, and I then rolled over at got going almost too late, 7:15ish.

I joined the team meeting at 7:30 without a video. I wanted to be supportive, we have some much critical work to do. It is important to attend one of our few all-team meetings with much of the team present in the Zoom meeting (only two members out of the 25+ members were missing). It was a good meeting and very positive.

I then logged out of Nike’s network and put away the Nike laptop. I will get it out on Monday. I took off today.

I then spent hours and hours masking bases for Scythe mechs. These are solid-colored plastic and work well just as they are, but they just don’t look cool. I painted my own game’s copy, and I liked the improvement. I am painting now a set for a friend. I like to leave the original plastic on the base. You can repaint it, but I think it matches better unpainted.

So far I have painted three factions; each faction has four matching mechs in the board game Scythe, black and then with white overspray, to get a 3D look. This is my new painting process. I will wash out the paints a bit so the colors will be dark in shadows and bright on the light hit surfaces. I then touch it up a bit. Before the colored painting, they look like an x-ray of the figure.

The masking and the special 10mm Tamiya tape I learned to use building static ship models. You have to do a lot of masking on naval WW1 and WW2 and modern ships models. This tape cuts well with a scalpel. You can press it around something that is sticking up and then cut around it. This seems to take forever, but it is part of the painting process. I use an airbrush for ship often to keep the paint layers thin.

Susie was up in the morning, she got some sleep, and joined me to drive to Burger King for burgers and cheese sticks (no terrible Burger King Fries!). I had spent the morning masking and spray painting.

I also started to fix up the terrain items I got from California. They are 3D printed and the printing delaminated in a few places. Also, there are tiny whisps of filament everywhere. I will wash them tomorrow in soap and water after the filler and other items harden up. I will be painting them plain gray for now.

I went to Hillsboro to walk and shop a bit. I parked the car on the street and saw most folks were masked, so I felt better. I went to Hobbie Shop, I think that is the name, on Main Street. John, the train guy, helped me find some etched brass figures and promised if he found some windows for me, tiny, he would put them aside for me. John is older and gray and was not wearing his mask right, and social distancing seemed impossible for him once he got excited. He did find a huge source of etched brass for me for plains, trains, and ships (mostly WW2 750 scale), but not what I wanted.

I usually am worried when someone can’t get masks and social distancing right. John shared with me that he is battling cancer, and I think he was just happy to have a fellow model builder talk to him. He showed me what he was working on when the shop was not too busy. He is building a rig painted the same colors as the one he drove when he was a trucker.

I bought the tape and a steel set of tiny figures for something else I am working on. The figures are from Eduard. I plan to put them on my Scythe factory I am also painting. It will create a scale on the figure.

I walked a full circle of Hillsboro buying coffee at Bennett Coffee Roasting Coffee. The walk was more than I usually do while working. It felt good to get a long walk in. My feet hurt by the time I got back to the car.

I returned home and took a nap. I awoke and started on dinner. I made pork chops and green beans (both from Schwann’s), trying to put a dent in our vast supply of frozen items. I found a box of cornbread muffins, Dan’s, that is easy and tastes great and made those too. I put butter, salt, and almond slices in a pan and heated that. I put the beans in that from the microwave. It jazzes them up just enough.

I continued to mask the figures and apply black and white paint to the masked Scythe mechs. I have two factions to prime with black and white paint and two factions to mask. Almost there. I will finish this part on Saturday morning.

I continue to read On Basilisk Station by David Weber, and it is getting better. The writing, I think, has started to work better about half-way through. There are often transitions now, and the story is not having strange pace changes.

25,541 people were vaccinated yesterday in Oregon. The numbers are going up again, and these numbers will likely increase as it 72 hours to get all the numbers posted. Like many states, Oregon is expanding who can get vaccinated starting Monday.

1,289 people in the USA died today from the virus. The death rate is no longer going down. The infection rate is also not going down anymore. We are now at the level of our first spike in June 2020.

I picked a Jewish prayer for tonight. It seemed to fit a Friday.

 

I took Friday off. I will attend the weekly team meeting on Friday for one team as it is important to be supportive.

I just finished at 8:45PM my last meeting, a planning meeting for data conversions with China on China time.

Let’s go backward today.

Tonight, I masked the bases of figures I am painting for a friend. I bought a spare set of the board game Scythe’s models from the game manufacturer. I will switch these for unpainted ones; I always have a spare unpainted set. I keep painting them for friends who have a copy of Scythe. I am using a Japanese model masking take. You can cut it into a mask over parts with a sharp knife (I use a scalpel).

Before this, I was reading a new space opera series starting with On Basilisk Station. I have read David Weber, and he can be hit or miss. The book has sudden scene changes that have left me confused. The story has a lot of sudden advancements too. I bought the two first ones for free. I hope it gets better. 

Dinner was Orecchiette Pasta, De Cecco, with Vodka Sauce from a jar (Whole Foods), and I baked frozen Italian-styled meatballs in the oven (Schwann’s). I have to admit I love the feel of Orecchiette and had three bowls. The meatballs are average–I will have to find a recipe–but are still good with sauce.

I slipped out from work after the last 3ish status meeting. Four hours of Zoom status meetings today!

I picked up three bottles of paint, glue, and a painting tray at Tammy’s Hobbies today in Beaverton. The older gentleman at the checkout was not wearing his mask. When he checked me out, he still had his mask only over his mouth. I was not impressed. The rest of the store staff and customers were closely following mask-wearing and social distancing.

I spoke to the gentleman who does the trains at Tammy’s, he was correctly wearing his mask, and I told him about my new candle flicker LEDs that I purchased. He looked them up on the Internet and was thinking those could be useful for the train folks. Usually, a small electronic board is needed to get the same look–this would reduce the cost and complexity of a train layout. I was looking for tiny windows, but he could not find tiny windows for me but thought maybe the Z scale would work. These train guys have all the cool toys!

I then stopped by RiteAid and got my twice-daily inhaler prescription. As I read in the insurance changes for this year, my co-payment is now larger for inhalers as the insurance wants to discourage them (!?). But the $100.00 charge did surprise me. I have little to say about that here. I also got some milk and coffee.

Moving towards the morning, lunch was Pad Thai with shrimp from Ma-Now that was delivered by GrubHub (I typed GitHub originally, which is only funny to computer people). Susie was happy for Pop-tarts today. I had forgotten about them and thought it would be a treat, and it was.

I slept into 8ish today. I never do that. I am still recovering, as I said.

23,339 people in Oregon were vaccinated yesterday. The previous day’s totals are also better as it takes 72 hours to get all the counts and post them.

1,165 people died from the virus today in the USA. We are witnesses to their loss by stating the count here. I do not know these people, but their loss is felt.

Today’s song is sad, but it fits our loss of so many: No Man Is An Island.

I was able to sleep in a bit to 6:30ish and then started on my normal reading emails and dealing with anything that happened overnight or later on Tuesday. I had a few crises of the moment that I cleared and helped a few folks find their way, cat herding.

I then spent seven hours straight on apply and fixing a vendor patch. This is the patch (or OSS note for those who speak SAP) that continues to call in more and more patches until it becomes pages and pages. Then, of course, something circular references, and the fails happen. I tried to fight my way first and then decided to apply the note with all the errors and then back the whole thing out. This often leads to the computer version of bread crumbs that the reapplication can follow. I also applied and then accepted errors that were then fixed and then tried again. Finally, the patch was applied.

I ordered lunch while this was going on and vaguely remembering eating it. I ate bites so fast I had some issues. I had to stop and try to eat slower. Sadly I was rushing through delicious food from Gyro House today. I had a platter as I was not going to want a gyro while I am heads-down fixing and applying code and other changes.

Susie was up late today, and I got her coffee and water, and breakfast. I was rushing, but she was reading and watching her fav game shows. The Chase is quite good.

Of course, something broke from the patch. I found an object that got a syntax failure. No way to impress your SAP colleagues and Nike experts by leaving that in place! I found the missing patch because not only did the patch have a circular reference it was missing a prerequisite! The code managed to split over to fixes, so we will have to figure out how to combine the fixes. That can wait. Tonight India is testing.

I was a bit blurry after hours of applying and fixing and backing-up. I had my other monitor out so I could track changes on one screen while I applied them. I skipped all the status meetings today. I suspect they can manage without me.

I had one more alignment meeting at 4ish, and then after a few more crises of the moment, I stopped.

I did have another alignment that I attended at 8PM to work on the official practice conversion plan. The meeting was a new and possibly rather unique experience as they that scheduled the meeting set it to China hours and did not include anyone from China. We just got through it with a few smiles.

I made dinner of pan-fried burgers with cheese—frozen patties from Safeway. I made green beans (Schwann’s) in the microwave. I was a bit burned-out and kept everything simple. I did split a Duvel, Belgium beer, with Susie. Time for an adult beverage.

I also built a small proof-of-concept circuit for my new candle-flicker LEDs. They have so many applications in board games! The LED blinks and flashes like a candle without any hardware except a power source. I have special switches that, if you turn them over, turn off (no mercury) the circuit off. Little coin cells can power this. So exciting. I got out my wire wrapping stuff and have the test circuit done. I did not yell out, “It’s alive!” when it lighted and went out when turned over.

My gaming friend Richard has asked me to paint some figures for him for his games. I have already done some items for him. He had offered money, but I will just take some supplies. So back to painting. “Excellent,” in Mr. Burns’s voice.

I did assemble some of my terrain sets today. I also managed to get glue on my hand and nearly became one with my building matt. I was so excited to have something done, even with the excessive glue. It was not like band camp for those who know that movie.

17,914 people in Oregon received a vaccination yesterday. This number may increase as it takes 72 hours to post all the counts to the website.

I was happy to hear that Colorado is now vaccinating over 50 folks. Thanks, Peter Keller, for letting me know, and best wishes for a happy experience.

And it sad to say another 1,405 people in the US succumb to the virus today.

Lastly, I turned to this hymn and thought it is a good one for today: Help Us Accept Each Other.

Just a short story for today.

I started at 6ish as I had a 7:10 Zoom meeting with leadership here and India for our data conversions. I had trouble getting to sleep last night. The pain in my legs and joints was finally brought under control by some old-fashioned aspirin. I was tired, but I managed to start another workday.

I had status and alignment meetings all morning. Coffee helped, but I was not guzzling it at least. A bagel and banana to start also.

I experienced many crises of the moment that I was able to handle. The morning was a blur of email coming at me like I was driving on the autobahn going the wrong way–some form of controlled chaos that all you can do is try to not make a mistake. I survived this chaos finding a figurative off-ramp about noon and had lunch.

I ordered Chicken Tikka Massala from Biryani Corner delivered by GrubHub. It was actually not spicy. It helped me get through the day, remember all the cooking I have done, making this for more than a hundred people, and all my trips to India. Mine is better.

I had another two hours of Zoom meetings. Many included frustration as many folks send the next group the problems instead of accepting a solution that may mean more work, but it would be over. I try to practice my smile and wave at these moments.

I took a break as I was running down. I managed to get back around 5:30ish to apply a requested vendor fix (an OSS note to those who speak SAP) and put off another patch that is more of a journey until tomorrow morning. I don’t like to start those so late as it can easily turn into an all-night process.

After little thought, I decided to drive and pick-up Olive Garden. Kids-sized chicken alfredo for Susie and a Tour of Italy for me. I got a huge salad. That is the only reason I do Olive Garden. Well, then there is Tiramisu too.

I drove on the wonderful sunny day and then waited in the pick-up area in the cool breeze. I was 25 minutes early; who cares! I called them, and they came out and told me it would be a while, and I told them to take their time.

The manager brought out a bag of food. I drove hit home. I drove by my church, and the Pride flag is still on the building. Often Spring Break and Holy Week are times when someone takes the flag. We always assume positive intent–they needed the flag. I have a spare one ready. I buy them in pairs. When the last one is put up, I order new poles and flags. They keep needing the flags, so I keep supplying them.

I called Governor Brown’s office today, Oregon’s governor. I left feedback that I was unhappy with the declining rate of vaccination in the state. You just leave a recorded message.

Mrs. Wild (mom) is doing well after her Covid-19 vaccination yesterday.

10,845 people were vaccinated yesterday in Oregon. This is a low number and let us hope it is soon increased as the rest of the counts are applied to the total over the next 72 hours.

936 people are reported in the USA today to have died from Covid-19.

I picked one song I miss as this is really a group project: All The Saints.

Today I started just after 6ish and made coffee and said to myself, “Nope, this is not happening.” I then wrote an email that I was too ill to continue and performed all the rituals of being out suddenly for a day.

I got breakfast and made coffee, and got breakfast ready for Susie. She had her spa appointment with Zerida today. She was ready and was happy that I was still able to keep going to get her out. Her driver picked her up.

I spent most of the day sleeping and reading.

Today I finished and believed I would have to say goodbye to my favorite Inspector: The Cook of the Halcyon (An Inspector Montalbano Mystery Book 27). The author passed away last year, Andrea Camilleri. I believe I have read all 27 books. If you need a crime novel to relax, you could try Voice of the Violin (#4). There is one more being published after the author’s death; one more story with Montalbano.

I heard an interview of Charles M. Blow on the radio. He wrote a book that the Great Migration needs to be reversed. He wants black people to move back to the south. His book, The Devil You Know: A Black Manifesto, is now on my kindle, and I like his writing, he writes for the New York Times, and I like his directness. The book makes me want to move to Atlanta and help even as an old white guy! I recommend this book for its excellent writing and message.

I managed to get going again at 4ish in the afternoon. I am still tired, and the pain in all my limbs is something. I made bratwursts for dinner, baked for 50 minutes in a 350F oven. Set a timer for 35 minutes and flip and bake for 15 mins. These are from Whole Foods and are wonderful.

I made mac and cheese from a box to go with it.

I then played Roll20 Dungeons and Dragons and managed to stay focused on the game. I will not describe it as content for a purchased game, and spoilers would be required. Instead, I will say that the players were surprised and their plans went side-ways. We spent 45 minutes in one battle, and it felt close to the players. Their paladin took all the damage and knocked-out. They managed to finally defeat the boss just in time.

This part of the adventure used one of my favorite techniques, suspend some rules. This allows for a temporary increase in tension and requires the players to suddenly change tactics; hack-and-slash might not work and find another way to win. You cannot use this technique often in an adventure, but it can create some interesting possibilities when used with care. I once put everyone in a dream world in which I suspended death. I created a monster that was near impossible to kill. They kept dying but finally noticed certain behaviors and overcame it. Monsters as puzzles was now possible.

I am tired again, so I think I will stop there.

Mrs. Wild (mom) got her Covid-19 shot today!

14,422 people were vaccinated in Oregon yesterday.

Six hundred sixty-six people died today in the USA from the virus.

I picked Psalm 104 as we are nearing Passover.