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Susie fell after midnight and landed, using her impossible skater moves, missed all the furniture and face planted the carpet. Her glasses are a bit bent, and there is a small cut on her nose from the metal frames. Glasses appear to be fixable.

I kept Susie up to 3AM to make sure there was no head or other injury. I took the day off of work–strange when you work from home anyway. I was taking a stay-cation on Thursday through Monday this week anyway.

I slept in. I did wake every move that Susie made in the bed, as is my habit when things go amiss. So I am tired.

I slipped out and got burgers from Burger King and Susie fav of Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal (with apples and six nuggets). While I do not know why unidentifiable deep-fried chicken parts are happiness, it works for Susie.

For this one day, I will ignore the news, virus, and all the noise and just be thankful that today was a slow and boring day. Dinner was scrambled eggs and bacon.

Everything is good, and laundry and dishes await me. I will take that.

This is often in the context of funerals–we had a close miss today, but I liked it anyway–the Big Easy version: Closer Walk with Thee.

Work was a parade of Zoom calls on the various statuses and even some inventive designs for new software. It all started at 6AM and finished at 7PM. I had a few breaks, but there were also some vendor patches to get going that filled in any spare time.

The last meeting tonight was 7AM India time, 6:30 PDT. Archana, a new hire at Nike, had some questions about how to match data. We first spoke to her in the morning our time and then saw her again late our time. The world is flat when you work in computer systems!

I ordered Vietnamese food to be delivered for lunch. I had the beef stew. I ate my lunch while I watched a PowerPoint and discussion that suggested that much of the work I was working on was being out-sourced. The presenters were surprised that there were no questions but stunned silence after they introduced a team to outsource everyone at the meeting. I ate my noodles. I left the video and sound off on the Zoom meeting.

I look forward to being replaced, if that is what they meant to say, as I would love to slow down and do something new. Actually, when you are a computer expert you have to be ready to be replaced and to move on to the next thing. I have said many times at work that I am willing to give up “this life of crime” and “go straight.” There is so much incredible work out there that I could do. But, I suspect I will continue on in my current role and make the impossible happen.

I heard from the Portland-based board gamers. My fellow gammers miss me. I cannot really travel into Portland with the virus and protestors going strong. The virus infection rate is increasing in Oregon. They mentioned a new Kickstarter game, Space Race, which I have wondered about, so I ordered a late-backer version with everything.

No work on the Titanic today as it was too crazy at work. I will likely get to something after I finish the blog.

The stock market went to new records today with rallies for Nike and Apple.

Dinner was pork chops grilled after soaking in a teriyaki marinade, rice, and green beans.

Safeway delivered the groceries as I am not risking buying groceries, and I have to admit this is just better. No time waste and not risk. They were out of celery and, as usual, no ground lamb. Oddly, I ordered Bitters, and they were out. Next time!

Schwan’s truck came by and I restocked out pork chops and a few other items.

I saw that the fairy circle on the lawn is just grown huge. I had to take another photo!

The toadstools are three inches across now.

Today the reports show the more than eight-hundred sixty people lost their battle with the infection today. Today I found this one: ROYAL CHORAL SOCIETY: Hallelujah Chorus in Isolation.

Today was another manic Monday. I drank almost a whole pot of coffee. The last months of working every day and many 7-24 days have caught up with me.

Work started with a chat with Trevor Noah about race. It was a pleasure to participate in a Zoom meeting with him ad a good portion of the Nike from around the world. Trevor Noah is just as good live as on his show.

I finished the day putting in a vendor patch that involved meticulous attention to detail and following complex instructions. I made tea.

Lunch was from the Gyro House. Susie had an appointment with Zerida today with her driver, so she picked up her goto meal, Happy Meal, with six nuggets.

Corwin made dinner, ribs from Schwan’s from the freezer.

We then watched the Expedition Unknown: The Bermuda Triangle (Part 1). This was a lark to just relax and eat dinner and watch. The first dive was on a cool wreck of a huge paddlewheel civil war blockade runner SS Montana with even the paddle wheels still recognizable.

The rest of the show was less interesting to me, but it was a fun lark. The last of the show was using a weather balloon to send up instruments to measure the disturbances in the atmosphere over the Bermuda area. The results are presented in part 2.

When I was in middle school, I read everything I could get on The Bermuda Triangle and the related wrecks. I also read my first Plato to understand about Atlantis. So it was fun to see a review of much what I learned about when I was a kid.

No work on the Titanic model today. I am just too tired and wired. I did attach another dome, aft staircase, to the model yesterday after looking at a photo of the fragements of the real one lying on the bottom. If you are wondering, this section of the wreck is smashed with the dome and even the hole for the aft staircase long gone. The engines were below and next to the aft staircase. Now the engines are exposed and are one of the iconic photos of the wreck.

In the photo, you can see how the etched brass parts really add to the model. The model will look more detailed soon.

The toadstools in the front yard, fairy circles, had grown twice the size of yesterday when I took their picture. We must have big fairies–it is PNW after all where bigfoot comes from.

The reports show more than three-hundred sixty people were taken from us today by the infection in the USA, including two people from Oregon. I found this hymn (#527 Methodist Hymnal) that I forgot until now, and here is Johnny Cash’s version, Do Lord.

At 1:50PM or thereabout, we finished loads of master data for Nike’s testing systems. It took us the last six weeks some of it 7/24 to get to the finish. We have run 7/24 starting Tuesday and went through the week and weekend. Done!

I spent the morning, starting late at about 9ish, with our first meeting as we began to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. A network failure at Nike WHQ scared us as it slowed our access, but the impact was localized to connections outside of the Nike firewall, and thus we had trouble watching the progress while the processes kept going as all connections for our conversion are inside the Nike firewall.

So at 1:50PM or so, the process finished. Early this evening, we finished flowing the data to the targets. Done again!

I went off to meet a friend with Corwin to McMenamins Cedar Hills. I had a beer to celebrate, Purple Haze, and a Capt’n Neon Burger. Again, we sat outside to minimize exposure to the virus and the staff was very good at keeping us safe, gloves and masks. Still, the other customers were less safe, and I saw the trip to the restroom was a hazard, and folks did not put back on their mask to use the bathroom. One guy walked right by us without a mask.

I also put gas in Air Volvo–got the light you must fill up as there are only forty-miles left on this tank. Second gas purchase since the lockdown!

Now that I have been working for months to finish the conversion, I am finally a bit free. What to do? Well, I went out and looked at the roses. My lawn service cut back all the roses (!?) I have only a few to share. These came with the house and I heard they were transplanted from the mother’s house of the previous owner making them likely older than 30 years. I have to be careful with these roses as they are grafted–can’t cut them back too far. Some of the canes are two inches thick.

I also found that the toadstools have created a fairy circle. The lawn service breaks up the perfect circle but you can still see it. The fairies can dance tonight.

And one of my favorite creatures is a damselfly or dragonfly or needle as I have heard them called. This one is drying its wings on my house, having likely raised out of the waters just a short time ago. I have always imagined having a small enough camera to mount on them to see what their lives are like. I love to see them in the backyard flying so fast feasting on the lesser pesky bugs.

So that is my nature looks as the sun is down. Rumors are that the African dust storm will reach us soon, turning the sunset red and yellow. Tonight’s is lovely but not red.

I have ignored the news and only saw that TikTok might have been involved with a political event. As it is a Chinese company, there are all sorts of threats from congress. Not sure I understand the massive threat from TikTok.

I just read that a noose was placed on the equipment for one of the drivers for NASCAR. The driver is black. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am in the security at NASCAR, and this is proof to me that we have so much more to change than just banning some flags.

The reports, again becoming politicized, is that the death rate in the USA has fallen to more than two-hundred sixty today, including one death in Oregon. The active infection rate is showing explosive growth. I found this unusual hymn (#678 in Methodist Hymnal) and liked it: Rise to Greet the Sun. It is a Chinese sourced song.

Today started a bit late as my first meeting was at 9AM. We are still loading data for the data conversions and will be loaded until sometime on Sunday. We are in the last bits and are very happy. This, for me, was a three year, at least, journey to get the first time load done for the new computer systems for Nike.

Lunch was a quest today. Corwin and I first headed to the Gyro House, but the place is not yet taking dine-in. Off to BJ’s and the same story. Finally, Wild Buffalo Wings was open. The bar was spread out, and the staff was conscientious using masks and gloves and cleaner. The customers all did not bring masks, and my disposable mask ear string broke, so when we left, I held it to my face. The food was familiar, and I had a large beer. The prices were reasonable too, unusual for Wild Buffalo Wings. I have found most places have increased their prices by at least 10%.

I am not comfortable eating-out as my fellow diners do not seem to be careful. The walk to their tables and leave without masks. I will try it again a few times.

Work continued with a check-in and a decision to just run it straight-through all night. We should then finish like I said on Sunday.

I finally returned to the Titanic model. It was time to do try to finish the tiny deck above the officers’ quarters, the wireless office, and the gym. This is the section I decided to finish first to see how my skills with tiny brass and wood overlays are holding up.

I did a bit of touch-up painting and then attached the wood decking permanently. I attached the tiny railings and finished the dome and skylights for the famous Grand Staircase. I have to build the two funnels yet, the ovals for the funnels stand out on the deck, and I plan on minimal rigging for this model so the funnels are simple (no rigging).

The two holes are were the collapsible boats go. Office Lightoller survived by standing on one of the capsized collapsible bottoms with a few other people. So it is always strange to build one of these Titanic models when I know so much about the people and what happened more than 100 years ago.

The area that I am building is the deck that is planned to be cut open soon and the wireless equipment to be salvaged. A judge cleared the way for that a few weeks ago. They salvagers want to recover the original Marconi equipment from the Titanic before the sea claims it. Also, the wreck of the Titanic is showing signs of deterioration that might make it soon impossible to reach the equipment, so cutting into the wreck is the best option to recover the radios.

Dinner was baked potatoes. We have sour cream, cheese, and butter. I cooked up some bacon to break-up and sprinkle on the tater. Some I had not done in a while.

I did not watch any news and Facebook was mostly skipped today as I was busy with work, cooking, and the Titanic model.

The report for today is the loss of more than five-hundred seventy people for the USA to the infection. I found this hymn (#731 for Methodist): Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken. This is by John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace.