Sorry, but today’s story is short. I was busy and it was a quiet day.

And then WordPress had a new editor, and all would be good in the world. Now I have no idea how to do anything or edit anything. And Grammarly is not working now! Oh my!

After searching for twenty minutes, I learned two things. The first is that Grammarly will not work with the new editor–I could not find any magic to get it to work. The second is that there is a setting to return to “classic” editing. I tried to make it work and sent a note to Grammarly that they need their software to work with the new editor in WordPress. It appears to not recognize the screen as WordPress. More excitement than I was expecting to just type this in! This is edited in “Classic mode.”

After the panic let me return to the story, work started again 6ish with me discovering that India had things for me to do at 2AM. I was asleep. I worked with India and, despite the four-hour wait, we got all of it done together. Work was more and more video conferences, and there is a planning session, and it is hard to do this by video conference. I was able to resolve a few crises of the moment.

While I am writing this, I am online with India working on a critical path upgrade. So no sleep tonight. I will work around the clock.

So today’s song for fun is All Night Long.

Lunch was from Red Robin today. Susie was up late. She enjoyed her Banzi Burger (no veggies no mayo). Corwin made dinner again. Dinner is barbeque ribs and Corwin’s favorite of Mac & Cheese Deluxe from Kraft. 

I also did some more Python programming. I am getting my time control code a bit closer.

While I was listening to the video conferences I discovered my shoggoth sample (a Kickstarter perk from the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival) could hold my drink’s umbrella. Somehow this just made me very happy and so that is today’s picture.

The stock market reversed and went up. It appears that options and just plain guessing are driving the market. My 401K improved to only a -5.5% down for the year. But the Ford stock I bought, not that much, is now worth about a share or two of Tesla now. It has lost more than half its value. Hmmm.

The USA experienced more than one-thousand four-hundred death’s from the virus today. I found this hymn before I wrote this today: BESY Choir – He hideth my soul.

Today I started after six as I was tired still. Today was hours of video conferences and emails. I am also working yet-another-critical-path-software-upgrade.

On a short break, I slipped out and delivered my ballot. Oregon is by-mail voting that must be at the official site by today. Like many folks, I waited to the last minute, and hand delivered my ballot via dropping in the box. The area was set with tape to separate people by six feet. I parked the car and walked over, there was just me and dropped it in. Done!

The highlight was lunch, of course. I ordered from The Gyro House. A lamb gyro with extra everything and extra spicy. It ain’t right if there is not a bit of burn from the sauce! I suspect my breath after lunch could have stopped a vampire in its tracks (garlic!). Susie had the baklava. The lentil soup is still in the frig.

I had a short break in the afternoon between video conferences and the crisis of the moment (a couple of those today) and managed to get outside and saw all my roses.

The newest rose is one I have tried before to grow, Mister Lincoln. It is a tea rose. It is still small, as this is the first rose for it.

Picasso is now in bloom. It is a “painted” rose as it looks like the pedals have been painted according to the Oregonian who created it.  It is a large bush. I think this one is no longer available anywhere.

The China Rose is always a bit faded, but it flowers early and last and is still in bloom. When a bloom is new, it looks very bright, but they disappear fast when cut, so I leave them on the plant.

Cardinal Richelieu is still not quite in bloom. The purple and intensity of the rose suggest to me the same in its name-sake. This is my villain of a rose bush.

This rose I don’t know its name as it was a nameless rose that was on special from the grower. It has thorns that are sharp like needles and are pointed down and slightly curved. It hurts so good!

The moss rose is now in bloom, and these roses are covering the bush that is larger than Susie. This and the tea rose shape are my favorite shape for roses. This rose scent of this rose is a dream of spring.

Two roses bushes are yet to be in bloom. So pictures of them later. I also did not take a picture of my only surviving David Austin Rose, The Herbalist. Maybe next time.

Dinner was cheese and meat from Olympia Provisions again. This time hotdogs with sauerkraut and various meats and cheese with crackers. Susie had no sauerkraut.

The stock market gave back about half of the rocket-ride of yesterday. Options on the ETFs seem to be fueling the chaos. The mass of fees for Wall Street will break records, I suspect.

I drove Susie and Corwin’s ballets in after dinner. There was a smallish traffic jam of overly-polite Oregonians in the parking lot of the election building in Hillsboro. Corwin went for the ride and jumped out to deliver the ballets. A very unhappy person was stating over and over, “They will not take the box.” She was left by everyone to continue her conversation with the voting box.

I managed a bit more Python coded on my control programs. I am working on the time-check portion. I am trying to update the code a bit with a more Pythonic style, Ernest (our head of the local Python Meet-up) would be more pleased with the newish code. I think I also spotted a flaw in the older code that will have me revising the older programs. So more nights of coding and writing to come. And that is alright with me.

I joined a Kickstarter for one of my favorite metal figure makers, Bob Murch (if only we could get him to do plastic!) for the 1920s and Pulp-styled adventure 28mm figures. They also have a Pulp Alley role-playing game for these figures; I just received an email with a link to it–I had not noticed before (2nd Edition).

I just printed out the “Quickstart” rules (a free PDF) and ordered cards that match the figures in the Kickstarter (which is shipping) for about ten bucks–it has pictures of each figure I can match my painting too. These rules are a reworking of Savage Worlds without the exploding dice, and each player gets a league of characters to play. You play against other leagues to get plot points. It is another no-Game Master game with a generator system for adventures instead of having a person run an adventure, a Game Master, or other names. This is a Frostgrave and Savage Words mix from what I have read so far in the rules. There is also a fortune deck (something you have to buy) that gives you special random benefits–this is much like Gloomhaven.

The combat system and damage systems are all simplified and close to Savage World (my favorite part of Savage Worlds). They have content–premade adventures and card packs. You play it on a 3′ x 3′ surface with some terrain to match, again like Frostgrave, but no points for killing the other wizard! It also seems to have gone with the minimal design of adventures from Savage Worlds. I am intrigued.

(here are some of my painted figures from Bob Murch on a copy of the rules)

I also slipped in the laundry today but not putting it away or folding. It is on hangers and in piles that will wait another day.

The reports are sad, but the numbers have slowed again, with only just over one-thousand five-hundred deaths today in the USA. Here is an old one: God be With You Till We Meet Again.

Today is one of my favorite numbers, sixty-four, the number of squares on a chessboard.

I did walk to the end of my street today. I was a bit ill today and stopped working at 3ish today and took a nap.

A song from the musical “Chess” referring to 64: Björn Skifs – The Arbiter “From CHESS.”

Corwin cooked a fantastic dinner today. Wilted lettuce with bacon and root veggies hash and grilled bread slices. We were excited to get our order today from Olympia Provisions. Lots of meat and a box of local veggies–many different types of lettuce–and bread and crackers. We Olympia Provision sauerkraut to try. All the new food inspired Corwin to cook.

I had more meetings late tonight. We have a new shoe company employee based in India, and we wanted to welcome her and talk about what we are doing and how she can help. She was happy to actually head to Nike office in India to get her laptop; India is coming out of lockdown too.

I also started some Python programming tonight. I have a system of control programs I wrote many years ago and I think I would like to use them to control a process of music playing (call “Space Lobster”). This would work for something like the bells at our church. I started revising the code and I have my Raspberry Pi Zero W out to run this on once I get further. Today I was looking up how to get official time. NIST has the time. I just have to write a program to call the time in. Can’t reply on the computer time–need good time. More on that later.

I am still very tired.

Returning to the beginning at 8:30 this morning, I went to the dentist (As usual, I started at 6AM with emails and Zoom calls). The dentist’s office people first used a device to take my temperature, and I signed a form that I was well and not showing Corvid-19 symptoms. I was there for my six-month cleaning, delayed by the emergency, and all the staff had face shields now. That went as normal. They also did Xrays as I had pain and lose teeth. Dr. Pakum concluded that the stress had me clenching, and I had changed my bite and caused the pain and lose teeth. A bit of quick work, and that is solved by Dr. Pakum. The pain is mostly gone, and the funny movements are gone. No charge for that.

The dentist’s office seemed a bit stressed and taking everything very seriously. Good.

I also talked to Dan Gray today. He is head of the Trustees for our church, First United Methodist Church, Beaverton. Trustees and the pastor are trying to reopen the church. Dan explained to me that there are three guidelines to follow, CDC, Oregon, and Beaverton. Washington County is not ready to restart yet, but it is time to talk and plan. Dan and I see this as an experiment with the chance of death, and thus caution and a “dry-run” may be needed. He will discuss this and other concerns with the church leadership to find a path forward. It is scary and stressful.

Here is the official stuff: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/index.html

Today the stock market went straight up as if on rockets. The experts on Bloomberg were suggesting that it was premature to price an inoculation for the virus into the market. Oil is also increasing in price as, finally, production cuts are realized. My holdings did not go up as I managed to be balanced between equities and bonds–hmmm.

The reports for the USA are showing a slow increase in death and infection rates. It is difficult after three weeks of decline to see a reverse–tears in my eyes tonight. Individual states, such as my state of Oregon, are showing lower rates, and we are beginning to find someway to restart without killing a lot of more people. Today it is reported that just over one-thousand people in the USA were killed by the virus.

Today’s hymn is one I had forgotten, and I found a big sign version! SHINE, JESUS SHINE BIG SING at ROYAL ALBERT HALL, LONDON 30 12 2012

 

Sorry, more of an outline today. I was busy translating and reading Greek.

I found a recipe on the cornmeal box for Tamale Pie. I made that today for dinner. It is not bad; a comfort food from someone’s grandma I suspect.

Lunch for me was the last can of Chunky Chicken Noodle from Cambell’s. It is of note as the last of the emergency purchases of soup.

I also made cornbread muffins today from Famous Dave’s mix. It is the new go-to for cornbread muffins. Susie approves!

I attended online worship and the group meetings with Rev. Ann Weld-Martin and later at 2PM with Joan Goldhamer, including Susie this time. Susie and I also watched the on-line church service before that with Dondrea giving the sermon.

The scripture got my attention as I was surprised by the variations of translation I heard. Having learned enough Greek to be able to translate it myself, I went back to the Greek and also the old English versions (I keep quite a few old versions on my shelf as I do not trust the Internet with religious texts).

Romans 5:2-5 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

² through whom we have obtained access^[a] to this grace in which we stand; and we^[b] boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we^[c]also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

I decided to translate this section:

 ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

The text according to Wild (reading Greek and acknowledging the other translations):

and events happen⁴, and we are tested, and tests produce hope.

I don’t get to try out my Greek very often! It takes me hours to do just a few words. It is not very poetic, but it fits with the Greek I think.

On the translation, to keep to the original the one word must repeat, in my version, I use “test” while the NRSV went with “character” twice.

I spent much of the day cooking and cleaning and working in Greek. I just could not let it go until I understood every word in Greek and why it was translated the way it was.

Sorry this might not be that interesting–but it was a day to be a scholar for me. I do not get to do that often!

The reports for today have over eight-hundred Americans die from the virus. The infection rate is now increasing. I had to search the Methodist Hymnal for this one and then found it online: Blest Be The Tie That Binds.

 

I took my time writing today, so this is a bit late.

Today I slept into 9ish after waking early and decided that no essential cosmic plan would fail if I just rolled over. The cosmos seemed OK with me, not rushing. I instead chose to learn my new game. I had set up the game last night after finishing my writing. I even tried to play, but sleep became necessary, so I delayed until this morning. Still last night I set-up as a two-person game, rediscovering the special two-person rules, including special stock cards to use (on the reverse of a standard stock card–how efficient).

Back to 18Chesapeake, while I drink the morning coffee and making poached eggs on buttered toast (my favorite), the first auction for private companies that start the game had me worried. Ask any gamers that plays games with me, I am terrible at auctions and always pay too much (i.e., Modern Art a great light auction game). But, this game has special high-pressure rules that trip a cascade of sales. It took me two practice auctions to get it. Instead of a free-for-all auction, the player can buy the cheapest company or bid on another higher value company. This repeats to the next player–a very high-pressure decision. When the player buys the stock, there is a cascading evaluation of bids until a company that has no bids is found, and the next person’s turn to buy or bid or pass is next. Every decision matters. I like games were choices are given. I might not totally hose this!

I then moved on to the stock turn in 18Chesapeake. This reminded me of online train games I have played before and stock market simulation games. you IPO train companies, if you get enough investment, the company “floats” and effectively goes-live. The Par value is set, and the stock begins to trade. All done with a board and markers. Like an 1800s stock board. I really like it now.

Then the operational part started, and then I was lost and have to try again on these rules. Also, laying track was my least favorite part of the online games, and this is part of this. I found running trains unrealistic for online games. I was lost in this game. I effectively had this all wrong and will try again and try to find an 18xx game video online to help me with this part.

I had to pop out to the pharmacy to get some supplies and take Corwin somewhere. I was a few minutes late for my wife’s family Facetime call. We got all connected, including Emma (Susie’s sister’s daughter), who use to beat me at chess when she was just starting high school. Emma just graduated from college and started her career, and then the virus came. She is doing well–saying something about working in pajamas at home.

Matt Vincent called. He is one of the leaders of our gaming groups. Matt is the master of game mastering and dungeon mastering. He has no equal; I once asked him to bring figures for River Dancing Demons in formal dress, and he had them and brought them for my game–he has everything. We all enjoy his company, and he is fun as a player, and when he leads, you are never sure what he will pull out next.

I talked to Matt outside on the phone while Susie continued to speak to her family on Facetime. Matt is well and wanted to check in and just chat. We shared how our families are doing (very well) and a few gaming details. We also reviewed our investment results with both of us with our eyes on retirement targets. We also shared favorite view items for binge-watching (I recommend “Project Blue Book“).

It was great to hear from M@ (as he is known) and to know someday we will return to role-playing in person, and hear words like “you find steps leading down into darkness” at a table covered with maps and fantasy figures arranged on little squares on the charts. And there is the other kind of story we could go with, “it is 1926 in Egypt, and there are rumors of strange if not disturbing circles and strange marks left on the banks of the Nile.” We would then get all those cool handouts and some real 1926 stories mixed in with cultist stories and items that never made into the “official” record.

(some of my cool props for my 1920s and 1930s games in black and white to fit the period)

Lunch was from McDonald’s with me having a cheeseburger meal (splitting it with Corwin) and Susie with her Chicken McNuggets happy meal. Unfortunately, the troll count is quickly increasing here at The Volvo Cave! Yes, the Troll movie is sponsoring the Happy Meals (notice I did not include a line to it–“just say no to more troll”). The house is still full of miniature “care” animals from previous sponsors of the same.

Susie and I then ran away. We headed out to The Gorge. I have not been back to Portland for two months. Eliminating unnecessary trips as part of the lockdown. We visited the Gorge last summer. It was time to see it again. Susie asked for munchies, and so while getting gas, the first fueling for The Volvo since February, I procured chips and corn chips and pretzels.

The famous waterfalls blew by. Exits are locked-down. Even the parking lots were closed. Multnomah Falls and the other falls were white with a huge volume of water. They looked awesome for the seconds I saw them in the car. We still enjoyed the freedom of snacks and drinks from yet-another McDonald’s on the road. Hand sanitizer was used often!

(holding the phone and driving and taking a picture of falls at nearly unregulated speeds).

I thought about taking pictures of the speed I was driving. I could at least get that photo. Oregonians have found they like to drive fast again. One interesting change from the emergency: polite but fast driving in Oregon!

It was raining so hard at one point the roads filled with water, and a car buried us in a wash that made it impossible to see for a few very long seconds, twice. Never have I had that happen when I am totally blind, and it goes on for a while. I took my foot off the pedals to let the car slow without breaking–The Volvo can “see” and automatically brakes when traveling below 35 mph. I do not panic behind the wheel of an XC60 Volvo; one of us will figure it out. A few minutes later, the car told me to get a rest. It actually has a graphic of a cup of coffee on the dash. I think it needed a break.

We reached home without, we believe, infections or accidents. It was nice to visit a few places, even if it means only driving by. Even The Volvo seemed to be happy to be home.

Dinner was a snack of Olympia Provisions with crackers. Our next box came today. But, we have canceled the service and, instead, after a few emails, have been declared to live in the Greater Portland area and thus can get direct delivery. It was silly, and expensive, to have the meats Federal Express’d from Portland to Aloha with the fully insulated box with ice packs ($20) when they could just deliver. On Monday, our next order comes with a vegetable box, local artisan cheese sampler, a meat party, and bread and crackers. It again was expensive–but we will see how this compares. I am hoping for a festival. They also deliver beer and wine. Yes, being in “Greater Portland” has its advantages!

Returning to the sad news, today the reports show at least one-thousand two-hundred deaths in the USA from the virus. Some numbers are coming down, very slowly. So I finally went with the Methodist anthem hymn, and this version is quite dressed up: O For a Thousand Tongues. Please use the hymn to remember the people we lost today and the medical workers who are witnesses to their passing and for those who grieve the loss.