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Sorry, this is late and a bit rushed…it has been a crazy day!

I had just finished up working for the day from home. Then a strange text from American Express appeared on my phone. My card was stolen, or I was in California buying cat litter from InstaCart. I replied to the text to stop this and called Fraud for American Express, and we agreed to replace the card now. I tried to log on to the American Express website and had some access problems likely caused by the shutdown. While using the chat to learn what else, if anything, was charged on my card, I receive three delivery confirmation emails.

I figured the delivery was to the thief in San Fransico until I step outside. There are three huge jugs of kitty litter! I move it to in front of the house–I don’t know what to do with them (Later InstaCart said I can keep them).

A tried some experimenting today and discovered that I did have an InstaCart account created in 2019, and my Amex was set-up to buy items. I tried delivery of groceries before in 2019 and found it then too expensive. I had forgotten about it; I had not used the account again. Some hackers broke into the account today and tried to steal the Ameican Express card by running in test orders–it is what I would do if I was a hacker. American Express detected the fraud and shut down the card.

I checked, and there is a Java library to directly access an account in InstaCart using a technology I use at work and in my own Python coding, APIs. This was just like the hack I experienced a few years ago with Dominos. A hacker apparently ordered two pizzas from Dominios in Detroit using their cool APIs and my credit card number–Amex shut that down too, and that is how I have my current card now being replaced. InstaCart also has APIs to just order from your own coded application from what I saw on GitHub. Some hackers must have used my account to learn how to create orders and hack InstaCart.

Again, I have seen this before–usually costs me a few hours and is why I use American Express for some Internet items. Their hack detection is excellent.

Again, the American Express card is locked down, and a new card is on its way. The new password on the American Express card is also hard to remember and not likely to fall to any easy cracking.

So a late afternoon full of exciting learnings on security…with kitty litter.

I chatted with InstaCart, and they said I can just dispose of the kitty litter as I wish.

I also got a note that my payment for Amazon Prime was declined. Yes, the American Express is locked-down! I had to go on to Amazon and fix that.

This morning started at 6ish with a 7AM call rush again. I was ready in time for the call on data conversions on Zoom. I drank a lot of coffee this morning as I rushed through the Zoom meeting, email, text, and calls using Microsoft Teams. I also had some designs sent to me to be immediately approved or rejected. So it was a crazy rushed morning.

Susie was up in the morning to take her Thursday meds. Because she was up and it was lunchtime, I made her a grilled cheese sandwich and canned pears. I had soup from a can and a grilled cheese also. We are now out of cheddar!

The afternoon was full of coding and also trying to get the install of software working for Nike’s newest production computer–one of mine. We had a few more Zoom and team calls on that. I had to check and fix some changes line-by-line. One of the vendor patches had changed, and now I need to find the differences and align the code to match. I put on music for that kind of work. I managed to fix a few issues and sent it back to testing. Rushing all day!

After that, the Amex issues surfaced, Mariah had called me for a beer, and after the crazy day, I drove over to and joined her for a nice salad and a Ruby at McMenamins. Just one beer, but it was so good!

I am sad to learn that the President and First Lady have the infection. Please pray for them and for the Vice President.

Today more than nine-hundred twenty people are reported to have died from the virus in the USA.

For the President, his family, and the USA, I picked this: America.

 

 

 

 

 

Today, the last day in September, I hit the 24th year of working for Nike. It is hard to imagine 1996, and starting at Nike was so long ago. I began in 167th West building, working for the Europe Warehouse group in Beaverton, Oregon.

Susie and I lived for a month in a furnished apartment in The Lakes until we purchased what I know call the Volvo Cave. I drove The Buick back then.

Returning to today, I slept in and got going at 6:30ish, and I then had to rush to be dressed for our 7AM all team, a Zoom call. The call exchanged the usual material for an interview with Mo Farah, gold medalist in track. He was friendly and happy to talk to a bunch of Nike computer geeks about life. That was then followed by Zoom calls, none as cool as that, about various issues and status reports. Tomorrow is the start of the next group of work, a new two-week sprint of work (the turn sprint seemed to have more meaning today after the call with Mo Farah). It was a rush all day to finish.

We also had a Zoom meeting about the history of racism in Oregon and how Oregon was founded as a whites-only state. We continue to discuss racism and how to make things better often by just recognizing the past, often the recent past.

I had a short break and walked quickly to the end of the street and back. My legs are working a bit better today. I think it is a simple use-it-or-lose-it issue caused by too many weeks working from home day-after-day.

I had time to make my lunch today. I cooked a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato slices form the fresh bunch that my neighbors brought over. I had a can of beef veggie soup to go with it.

I close the Nike computer and turn to the website Board Game Geek for lunch on my personal Apple computer. I like to do a full-stop from work and look at gaming videos and updates as a way to recharge. While eating my sandwich and soup, I learned that one of my favorite games, The Grand Hotel Austria, has a Kickstarter for an add-on starting in a few weeks. It is called Let’s Waltz and will likely add some more options to the game and to reprint the base game (it is hard to get a copy). I have upgraded my copy of The Grand Hotel Austria by 3D printing a bust of Emperor Franz Joseph as a marker for government support in the game and buying 3D printed wine, coffee, strudel, and cake markers. In this game, you have to supply guests with goods before placing them in their rooms. I love moving little strudel and coffee cups!

(some of the components; include the bust I made to replace the black square wooden marker)

I had some more coding to do this late afternoon, and I had to read and approve a pile of designs. I rejected one, and it was quickly revised to follow closer to my expectations. I find an argument is easily ended by deadlines and practical requests. I worked until about 5ish; all my tasks are done.

Corwin started up dinner for me, Moroccan Chicken with preserved lemons and olives. I have tagine spices already, so just need to cut up veggies and throw it together and bake for about an hour. I used a dutch oven, but it still works out.

Today the deaths of more than nine-hundred fifty people are recorded as lost to the virus.

Today I thought I would repeat this one: It is Well with My Soul. I think we need that after the debates!

Today is Tuesday, so it is a rush in the morning. Sleep was hard to reach last night, so 6ish came, and I was feeling ok. I got online and brought up my Nike laptop with the space monitor I am now using and got through the emails and messages and started my day. Coffee started, meds taken, and then rush to the shower to make the 7AM first Zoom call.

Three more Zoom calls, bagel acquired, toasted, cream-cheesed, and consumed during. Lots and lots and even more coffee is required. The work is not very interesting, and I am looking at 8 hours of sleep in two days, not 16!

My legs do not seem to work right and are very stiff. I slip-out after the morning calls and walk for twenty minutes. I feel better but now more tired–now I have a reason at least.

It is already hot and sunny as rainy has been delayed until October as usual here. The four days of rain was just a call to action to get the gutters ready and prepare to be wet. The sky is the normal darkish blue with no signs of smoke today.

The crows and all the animals are out, and the spiders are clearly starting their own horror movie. I cut the web that is on Air Volvo–a 1/2 inch spider thought Volvo attracts bug. I look up, and the strand of wire on the poles has huge spider webs hung between the top wires about four feet across. The spiders, a brown dot on the wire, are the size of a quarter–just the body, have hung a web about two feet across from slender support lines looking like a flat tent floating between the wires. I have never noticed the spiders on the cables before.

I was going to make my lunch, but the tired get to me again. I order Mexican, but I was not happy with it. I will need a new place.

I have some more writing to do for work and get some thought down and shared. We have a demo of some new software that is perfectly executed. Finally, one of my directors gives a coffee meeting, a thirty-plus people show-and-tell Zoom meeting at the end of the day, that introduces our team and all the cool work. It is a chance to do all that polish you read about. She does a great job while we answer questions in the chat.

The Schwans truck lets me restock. Dinner is now arranged. Dinner was Chicken Cordon Blue, frozen from Schwans, and green beans, also from Schwans.

We watch the debates today. I am not sure I will watch the next one.

The moon is reddish tonight meaning the smoke is returning. Just a bit of haze and not expected to bring bad air. We have a new air filter and the N95 masks are ready.

My neighbors dropped by, with much care, a nice set of garden-grown tomatoes.

On this night of the debates where the President again denied the science on Corvid-19, more than nine-hundred seventy people passed away from the infection just today in the USA.

Today I wanted to honor other traditions today and picked out Psalm 23 in Hebrew in a recent video.

Today I spent the whole day coding and installing changes by hand. It is fun for a computer person to be a programmer again and just have to code and assemble software. I did that all day. I did only one Zoom meeting today; they need me to help with another issue with the software. Thus all day, I was doing technical work. I like this kind of work but seldom have an opportunity to refresh all those coding skills.

I started at 6ish this morning, which came sooner than I like. I was not too tired this morning. I worked through the email and reading some designs to comment on them.

I then blocked my calendar for the whole day and sent out a couple of the messages that I would not be available today. I followed by beginning the coding and technical work.

I broke-out my cool USB-powered spare monitor and used two screens for today; I am returning to a developer! I had the software developer tools on one screen on my laptop and the direction for installing the changes, often line-by-line code, on the other screen. I then put email and message behind the instructions on the other screen so I could follow the unrelenting emails and messages without having to change focus on the other screen. My Apple computer is the third screen and the second keyboard I used today for ordering lunch and following current events.

I ordered a new screen as my current one is older and not as easy to read. It works well for Unix systems, so I will still need it. I just believe that the things you read with your eyes should be easy to read!

Work at Nike computer group uses a work styled known as Agile. Work is split into sprints, and the current sprint is ending. I am trying to finish all of this work before the sprint ends.

I will not go into the details, likely very dull for most people, and just say that I finished my last change at 5:30ish today.

I did manage two short breaks. I went for a walk after lunch, and I stopped for thirty minutes. Mostly, I was coding. Lunch was a lamb gyro from Gyro House not far away.

Dinner was Chinese delivered from Stir Crazy Kitchen just a few minutes away.

Susie’s cousin’s kids are girl scouts now in Boston and we received an email for the chance to support them today. I bought some products to be shipped. They have cartoon images on the email of themselves in 2020.

I then went to read and ended up taking a long nap.

This will be a short, somewhat boring worked-centric blog. These kinds of days happen.

Today more than three-hundred fifty people are reported to have died from the infection.

Sometimes I randomly open the Methodist Hymnal and then try to find something on youtube that fits: Kyrie Eleison. Today that worked well, #483.

Mariah wanted to watch the NFL, and the first game was 10ish! So I was up early 9ish on a Sunday.

We had the tell-tale chirp of the smoke alarm to wake us this morning. The battery I installed three years ago was dead. The instructions are on the backside, so I got out a chair and removed the smoke alarm to read the instructions–kind of silly to put the instructions in the only place I cannot reach. I ordered expensive extra-life batteries on Amazon and will re-install it later. The detector is currently running on batteries in the bathroom.

Susie had some issues this morning, and I had some laundry to do. She was OK.

Corwin left this window open, and the house was well aired-out and 63F. I closed his window and turned on the heat back on. We are comfortable again.

After getting dressed and dealing with a chirping smoke detector, I had a few minutes to work on my 3D printer. I managed to get the Z-axis installed in the 3D printer today. I am now to the power supply and wiring, and that did not seem like something to rush and then stop and watch football. Maybe Monday.

We could not get the Eagles game as, despite the expensive cable I have, it looks like you have to buy CBS access to get all the games! I was surprised as I thought I had all of the NFL. It was fine to watch the 49s instead. It was a good game.

After the game, Mariah and I had a beer and lunch at Golden Valley Brewery. Their food is good, and they seem to make the extra effort to keep you safe. I had the cob salad, and Mariah tried the swiss mushroom burger, my usual.

Aside: We learned today that the Proud Boys rally and their attempt to bring some more beat-down on liberal Portland on Saturday failed to attract many Proud Boys. Rumors are the rally attracted just a few hundred folks. The left-wing social media did say the Proud Boys did at least managed to raise $30,000 this weekend to pay for their legal bills. Apparently, the Proud Boys are facing multiple lawsuits from Portland-based groups.

I returned home and rested, and made dinner. I made our German styled Goulash. I made some pasta to go with it.

I also managed to find the time to watch another episode of Lovecraft Country. I do like the show, but it has drifted far from the book I enjoyed so much. I have no idea where it is going now. Again, if you like the Hollywood version of an African American experience of horror set in the 1950s this is great.

Mostly just a quiet day. I read more of Circe and I am still liking the book.

And I have been trying to find an excuse to put this in a post. Just something silly while I am thinking of returning to work on Monday: You’ll Be Back.

It is reported that more than two-hundred seventy people lost their fight with the virus in the USA today.

I went with Stand By Me for the song for today. Methodist Hymnal # 512.