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Louise from the conference did our United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) training. This was just short of three hours of a Zoom meeting packed with facts and to-dos (many we will have to find the time and energy to do). It was like drinking from a firehose as we realized that we are on a mission trip and not a tourist trip or one led by others like our TELOS trip last year.

After hours of what felt more like an interview for a job I was not sure I wanted, we finished. At the same time, I noticed that my visa for the same trip was kicked back for more documents, but no email or other message seems to have been sent to tell me what to do (yes, I keep checking my junk emails). It may be that it takes a few days for the translated message to reach me.

At 2ish was the SPRC meeting for the church, sort of the Methodist HR committee, and we met for just over an hour. It was the usual stuff, and none of it can be covered here. It went well, and I had only two to-dos added to my list.

While I was enjoying all of this, I also assembled my usual goulash from a German recipe for a 1/2 sized pot of this favorite of mine. I also cooked it with potatoes (sliced) and carrots (rough cut) instead of making noodles or Spätzle (In German, nouns are capitalized). I defrosted a pound of chuck beef that I should have browned longer and maybe in a non-stick pan. I did have to scrape the bottom of the Dutch oven a few times and avoided burning it. This cooks on the stove (it was too hot to bake). I admit I rushed it, and the flavors did not settle as well, but it was still good enough, and I had two bowls while in the Zoom meeting.

It was a pleasure, even rushed, to cook dinner again. These weeks seem to be too busy. As I was having a mission meeting, I skipped the wine that usually goes into me and the food.

W.C. Fields: “I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”

Picture from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/W._C._Fields_1938.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=index&utm_content=original.

Deborah and I talked a few times and watched another episode of Matlock together. We miss each other, and we were together often in the first part of 2026; it is hard to be separated and in different time zones, but we are making it work. While cooking, my watch did not alert me that Deborah had called, as she had a call and I was waiting for her to call me back. Not sure what went wrong, as my watch usually signals every call, text, and email, and it did when Deborah called again.

The smoke is less, and the colors outside are not yellow. There was still a “misty” graying when looking farther out, but it faded as the winds changed and we could smell less smoke. Unfortunately, what was left in the smoke made me cough and sneeze. While the risk count reduces, if the fire burned a field of poison ivy or other bad-news plants, it can still cause a reaction. Deborah reminded me to wear a mask after I was impacted by getting the mail and putting out the trash and yard waste (which I had forgotten to do the night before, but they were running late).

I paid $575 for the Supreme service on my furnace and AC. This includes the usual maintenance, 10% off fixes, and a degreasing process (?!). Classic, my previous level, does not have the degreasing process and only a 5% reduction. I like to keep both systems running well!

I reviewed more potential Call of Chthul role-playing (CoC) material, and some will only work in a campaign, but that is good for another play if I get a CoC campaign going at home. I have some for the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society on Friday set in Astoria, Oregon. And an excellent fit, I hope, for another gaming day. I also found my copy of the adventure I used in 2019, before the world went sideways with the pandemic, set in 1926 Istanbul. Sadly, the original text is missing on my laptop, and I only have an unfinished soft copy. Still, it would need some reworking, and I think I can get it back together for another adventure.

I rose at 7ish, made coffee, and spent the morning on the blog and the usual stuff.

Thanks for reading.

The smoke and the heat drove me to stay inside and read. And while I was not experiencing any distress from the bad air, I had headaches, I coughed often, and I was sluggish all day. Church stuff on Wednesday night was wisely canceled (there is no AC at the church). I left the house only a few times, read a lot, and seemed unfocused the whole day. The air quality was unhealthy at 150ish for most of the time.

I did not make any more travel arrangements on Wednesday but started to realize I was less than a week from my next trip. I have not looked at the agenda for Hope 2026 but have my NYC plans set. I will likely take public transit to my hotel on Tuesday if the air quality is reasonable. I do need to start planning my conference lectures. I might take a hands-on class again; we will see.

I rose, and there was coffee from yesterday, and I reheated it. I was soon downing three cups. Again, I felt sluggish. I wrote most of the morning, looked at some travel plans, and finally got a blog out just as it was time for lunch. I had to stay home today, first because of the air quality, and I was waiting for four bottles of Michigan wine to be delivered. I reheated the chicken breast with red sauce from a jar with morels from Mighigan I had brought home some time ago. It was too much food, and I should have reheated only half of it. I made couscous to go wtih it. My usual version with sliced almonds, Indian-style spice, and raisins. I used just a touch of butter (I tried the spray, but it was not enough) to cook the spices and raisins and then toast the couscous. I then added boiling water from the kettle to the very hot mix, off the burner, in a 2-to-1 ratio. I laid the couscous in a bowl, poured on the sauce, sliced the chicken, and poured more sauce on after adding the chicken. It was lovely. I think better than pasta.

With too much lunch in me, I watched more YouTube and Eric Kline’s video on ancient history. He has a few updates since his books, and it is interesting to see his view move over time. Eric is clear that as more information becomes available, our view of ancient history changes and sharpens, and that some texts are published just this year. And while others might find this less interesting, it was good to update my understanding of the ancient crisis that led the area into the Iron Age (and the time of the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel).

My wine showed up, and then I showered and all that. Skipping shaving as I was not going out (much). The creams have the flakes and itch are mostly controlled, but I am at my two weeks of use. I will order more on my return.

I read more of the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game material I have on hand to find something to do on the 18th. I am leaning towards a South American 1920s adventure as I think it can fit in a three-hour period. I was on the Kickstarter for the book and bought all the handouts premade. I just need to create some new pre-made characters appropriate for an archaeological dig that has gone wrong. I also read a second adventure in the same book; it is a fascinating mix of betrayal and god-vs-god, and the handouts and even some props are excellent, but it would be two sessions. I have one I wrote, but the next is incomplete (I seem to have lost the original text and only have an early version), and I might get that out, update it, and give it a spin. That would take us to fanciful Istanbul of the 1920s. More to come.

Deborah and I watched more of Matlock as I am finally getting the chaos under control in my life. It was about AI and grief, and I thought it was an interesting way to describe Large Language Models (LLMs) being translated into an animated person. Do away with the command prompt and just ask a simulated person. With voice sampling to complete the experience. Of course, on this TV show, this was done with actors trying to look like AI trying to look like a person, an ironic role if there ever was one.

I had to digest that, and my mind was spinning. Much of what they were doing in the show matched what I wanted to do years ago with books and music. To find the special magic left in the music and writings of, say, Mozart’s manuscripts and Nelson’s letters. I have copies of both and have looked through and read them. Wondering what is there. This fictional story was heading into the area I was thinking about. I also think that AI may have shortcut-circuited the Traveling Salesman problem, solving the mathematically hard problem but making the answer irrelevant, which might be the solution. I had a lot of staring into space after that as my mind spun the problem.

I might have to focus next on LLMs. I do not like the proprietary and corporate nature. They are opaque. But maybe there is something I can do there. More to follow.

I stepped out and enjoyed the heat and smoke; there was plenty of both. I traveled to the 185th Veggie stand and parked nearby. It was a short walk with a mask on. I am carrying them now in the Air VW the Gray. I get various veggies to complete a salad. Not iceberg lettuce; romaine works. I also grab a few other items, like some potatoes and an onion. It is only $27.

I returned home and made a salad. I roasted the romaine to avoid parasites. I managed only to wilt it instead of grilling. Parasites can be avoided by heating lettuce products to 158ºF, according to Alton Brown (here). I peeled a cucumber, recently acquired at 185th Veggie, and added that and a tomato (same source) to my salad. The Olive Pit has lovely almond-filled olives (more for drinks, I imagine, than salads), which were a great add. The Olive Garden salad dressing and some sprinkled cheese made it come alive. Some sliced bread croutons (purchased) added the missing crunch of the wilted romaine.

I said good night to Deborah after that and then later finished another Ted Lasso episode; approaching the end, I hope, of season 2. I was not feeling ready to start on anything and switched to the previous season of Slow Horses; I love spy shows, as the new season is released mid-September.

With me strangely tired, my inhaler helped, and I nodded off into strange dreams with friends and again touring dream lands. I retired to my bed, woke over and over to return, I suspect, all the water I drank as the smoke drove me to more and more water. I dreamed all night, all forgotten, and they mixed with waking moments. I often dreamed of looking for a toilet, woke, found one, and then returned to other travels until I needed a men’s room again. Hmmm.

Thanks for reading.

Sticking to my new way of writing, I will focus on the interesting items.

I picked up Emma after grabbing a quick, overpriced chicken meal at Popeye’s, going for spicy. My repast consisted of two pieces with two sides and a too-large drink for just under $16. F**k! I waited ten minutes before going to the desk. It seems nobody now orders for in-house eating. They ignored my order while they filled an endless supply of drive-through orders and online pick-ups. They smiled, said they would fill it now, and soon I had a giant chicken breast and huge thigh from chickens so large I would not want to meet them in a dark alley! I was late and rushed, but the red beans and rice and the potatoes with Cajun gravy were spicy and delicious instead of being the usual placeholder and calorie bombs. I did not finish them, as I did not need the calories, though the price made me regret that. I watched a march of huge orders getting picked up while I rushed my dinner.

Emma was ready, wearing a comfortable black T-shirt, perfect; I was in a tie, dress shirt, black vest, pocket watch and chain, swirling tie (clip-on I found recently), black dress shoes, and a black homburg hat. I want to look the part for a 1924 adventure. We soon arrived at Bone & Board, and Nick pointed us to one of the gaming rooms while Emma carried the wooden crate, American Embalming Fluid on the side. I found it years ago at an antique mall in Hillsboro, and use it to hold the Call of Cthulhu (CoC) stuff. Black tablecloths (plastic), candles (digital), and various theme-appropriate items, including “packs” of candy cigarettes, were assembled.

M@ shows up, and Nick, the owner of Bone & Board, joins. We got no other players. Still, three is a good group, as everyone gets the spotlight and no one lurks. I selected the adventure “Swamp Song” (here) for our first game, but I found the plot a bit hard to run, as I needed notes, not in the text, on how to connect things; but, as is my style for Call of Cthulhu role-playing, I just let it run and saw where it went. I could have used some canned text and maybe a flow written out ahead of time next time I play it—the PDF copy would allow me to copy out some words and rework them into extra documents and text to read. Next time.

I discovered that one of the handouts is not in the back-of-the-book section to print out (oops). I also backed off on the ghouls in the story, as they don’t do much for the flow of the story. This also matched the constant extreme success rolls that the player kept rolling, letting the players miss out on some unfortunate events. Wow! Combat was avoided until the end, and even then the players wisely stayed back.

Aside: I have game-mastered the two extremes when the players roll well or can never make a roll. It allows for a lot of fun. Today the players got a cake walk, but they did find their way and unlocked the mysteries.

We played from about 6:10 to just past 8 and had plenty of time to pack up. The storyline went well, and the players, Emma, M@, and Nick, seemed to enjoy unraveling the mystery and then confronting the horror at the end. The details cannot be covered here as it is published material; it was interesting and fun.

Turning off the lights and letting the digital candles create a mood was fun. Also drawing a tarot card for each player was fun, and letting them interpret them. We left the cards out for the game and collected all the handouts in the center of the two tables pushed together and covered in black. It created a pile of events and knowledge that worked.

After we packed up with M@ help, I thanked Nick (who had to leave just at the climax) and covered the ending with him. It does not happen often that CoC is a win. Emma and I then had a drink and snack at The 649 with another Matt as our bartender. It was nice to ramp down. The place was not too busy on a Tuesday night.

I took Emma home and was home soon after. After buying tickets to the Frick for my trip next week, I read some more CoC adventures for the 18th game on my return from NYC; I went to sleep. Just before I went to sleep, I did look up flights to Amsterdam in December on my phone ($1,200 for cheap seats). I am short some miles on Delta to make gold, and I love Amsterdam in the winter. Tired from running my first CoC in years, I slept well, though I dreamed of wandering the dream world. Maybe you, dear reader, passed me in the world. Wave next time.

Starting the day, I rose late, almost 8. After making coffee, I spent much of the morning writing the blog. Lunch was heating up a Trader Joe’s Indian-style frozen dinner. I found it defrosted in the fridge and think Corwin was going for that, and when I offered lunch out on Sunday, he put it back in the fridge. It was still good.

I watched some Ted Lasso, reaching the mid-point of Season 2. I really enjoy the show now that I have understood the characters (and I think the actors have adapted to their characters and their interactions are smoother). It was 90°F and smoky (air quality now 155), and I tried to install my key lock box but forgot to predrill the screw holes, and it went poorly. The rush did not help (I was in my dress clothing). Deborah, hearing about my misadventures when she called, thought it was madness to go out in the heat and smoke in a dress shirt, vest, tie, and dress shoes (and how could I forget to predrill the holes?).

With that over, time flew by fast, and soon I was headed out in Air VW the Gray.

That takes me full circle. We forgot to take a photo of our first game. Thanks for reading!

When I write the blog, my audience in my mind has been myself. What do I want to remember about this day next week, a year later? But of late, I have thought, “What would my reader want me to cover?”  I have dropped some of the fun boilplates and maybe written less about coffee, but I still write to myself, and I am trying to cover what is important for both me to remember and what I think a reader would find interesting.

To that end, last Monday night, I managed to complete a Brazil visa for my trip in November. I was surprised, but not that much, that Dubai is actually running the process, and I paid my $80 fee and ninety cents in service charge. I updated my profession to NONE and then to RETIRED. I am hopeful that the e-visa will be approved soon. And I checked, and Brazil says to take a printed copy with you. Yes, I always do.

Vestige, the board game I picked up on Thursday, is set up, and I played it myself with two players. I had to refer back to the rules a few times to grasp it. It is a remake of the favorite board game Vindication, also from Orange Nebula. I found the reworking of the same system with new cards and new ways to score interesting. I do miss the larger cards and easy-to-see art, but the box’s tiny footprint and layout are better suited for using rolled-up two neoprene playing surfaces. Not a large box for a folded traditional board. I bought the wretched version, retail for $49 (and sold out, as are all the add-ons), with wood parts, no organizing content, and no purchased add-ons (though I got a few extras from the Kickstarter). I am quite happy with it. I did not do the Nemesis play (sort of an evil player running a sort of solo mode bot) as it is optional. I think I could teach it and play it. I hope to get a play in soon.

I rose closer to 8 than 7, and the sky was clear, but the smell of smoke was already there. The air would turn gray and soon taste of burned forest. The sun turned orange and the light yellow as the day went on. We were under 100 all day for air quality—unhealthy—but I started to wear a mask when outside. By sunset, it was difficult to see the hills, and the mountains disappeared in gray. I got out a chair, turned off the furnace, and replaced the air filter with a four-inch-thick (I usually use in winter a lesser 1″ one), higher-value version. The old one was gray and needed to go. I had found the better ones cheaper at Costco and had them in the garage ready for fire season.

I picked up a key box (mechanical) and a push-button pad to open the garage to allow an alternative means into the house (the new lock uses a battery). I will try to install them this week. It means a ladder, but I will be careful.

I talked to Deborah, but I got busy with all the tasks and missed her call. We miss each other and also just having the time to watch a show together. It seems that since my return to Michigan, it has been a rushed and chaotic few weeks. We will meet again in October for her Birthday.

I am replanning my trip to the South in September to use less rental cars driving. After my Michigan issues getting a car, tire issues, and paying to park the rental, I was thinking of working out a plan with less use of rentals. My new thoughts are to enjoy Nashville for longer, see some sights, and then get a car to Birmingham, Alabama, catch the Civil Rights Institute there, and then connect with Amtrak to New Orleans after returning the car. It is eight hours to NOLA from there and $36 for a basic ticket. More to come, but I think I like this idea better.

My trip to NYC is next week. I purchased a ticket for too much money to Oh Mary! on Broadway. It is only an hour long, but it is supposed to be good (good news, I read they are starting a traveling show). I looked to follow that with another visit to Death & Company, but the NYC location seems to be shut down. I will try to find a new place to go. Double Chicken Please, or another famous booze place like Attaboy, comes to mind.

Lunch was reheating the swordfish I baked the day before. I carefully reheated it in the microwave and then slid it into the non-stick fry pan (thanks, Steve, DOR), where I wilted beans reheated from a bag from Trader Joe’s. I added a spray of oil, almond slices, good salt, and garlic powder. I added toast, buttered and sliced into quarters, but squares, not triangles.

I risked the air to visit Rune & Board and saw that they indeed had a sign for my game, and Nick, the owner, was happy to host. They charge $10 for play, and I gave that to the store (usually they split it as in-store credit to the host). I called M@ and texted Emma, and they will join the game, meaning I have enough people to start. And while I would enjoy five or six, I can make two work. The game is Tuesday 6-9.

Dinner was a chance for me to use all the food I have stacked up in the house but haven’t used yet. I defrosted some chicken breasts, two pounds worth, in the freezer. I ran them under cold water to mostly defrost, split them with a sharp knife, with the remaining frost making them easier to split, I salted and peppered them, and retrieved my fry pan, swooshed it, and used it again to brown the chicken on both sides (and added some sprayed oil, avocado, and more salt and pepper). I also found morels (mushrooms!) still dried in a bag I bought a few trips ago to Deborah’s city. I added water to them to restore them, and added them to a jar of sauce I heated on the stove. Some nests of flat thin pasta from Italy found their way into boiling water with a toss (which splashed the boiling water on me and reminded me once again to stay more serious while cooking; no wine was consumed this time, giving me no excuse for being stupid). I baked the chicken, finished it with some cheese, and overcooked it slightly (170+°F), but it was still good on a pile of pasta, sauce with lovely mushrooms, sliced, and then covered with even more sauce. I had two split chicken breasts as I was starving by the time I got this all done after 7.

I did finish my laundry and remade the beds with clean sheets. I spread it over the day to prevent the last load, with shirts and pants, from finishing when I am home. I also returned the kitchen to a status that did not look like an Italian chef blew up at the stove. Extra chicken and sauce are ready for another meal or two.

And while not a narrative today, it has been fun to write about what I did instead of how it assembled into a busy Monday. Thank you, dear reader, and I wish you peace (shalom) and clear skies.

We watched the new movie Odyssey together: Corwin, Emma, Mariah, and me. This was after church and a rushed lunch at Panera for Corwin and me. I had selected the movie house at Bridgeport Village, a high-end outdoor mall with seats open in the back for the 70mm showing on Sunday afternoon. Corwin was at the house when I arrived after church; we then boarded Air VW the Gray and got lunch. I rushed mine, drove the two traffic lights to Emma’s place, got her, and then headed back to pick up Corwin on our way to our highway odyssey of 217 to 5. Unlike most days, it was not busy, and we did not get a slow tour of Beaverton cement canyon.

Parking was a surprise; it seems that the mall is again a destination, and other retail spaces, I believe, should have a look at what they are doing right at Bridgeport Village. Wow, no parking outside. I finally snagged one in the parking garage! I cannot imagine what Christmas will be like here!

Mariah is running slow and will miss the first minutes of the movie (with her parking karma working better than mine), but nothing that was important. The seats work, and Emma invested in a drink and a popcorn (not knowing the size); I had many handfuls of popcorn.

The movie is great and shows the strange mix of modern and ancient. The messy storyline and too many characters from Homer’s version are obvious complaints, but weak ones. The framing is more piles of stones and plain forts than the elaborate old Hollywood Roman repainted as Greek settings. There are references to 1177 BC, and the collapse of the Late Bronze Age is alluded to by Dr. Eric Cline (here), and the battle scene at Troy, to me, alludes to archaeological sites being created to be found later (Troy 6-7ish). And while I wish the story fit better, Homer’s best lines are missing, but if Hellen launched a thousand ships, at least that many new readers of Homer were launched by the movie.

After the movie, just under three hours long, and be warned, the 70mm version has no trailers; it starts on time. We found a table at the Sushi place a minute from the theater and ordered too much food. We even did dessert. It was fun to just chat with Mariah and Emma, meeting for the first time.

I hadn’t finished the blog and had other paperwork to work on. We broke up around 7:30, and I took Corwin and Emma back. I finished the blog and more Ted Lasso episodes followed once I was home and Corwin off to feed and walk the dog. I read more of The Civil War by Bruce Catton and can see the different spin than other books I have read, and many judgmental words without reference or explanation. Still, the story is moving well and narrative. I think the book is used more as a reference with its hundreds of pages of timelines, events, and maps. There are no quotes in the text. Still an interesting read.

With that, I slept, woke once, and then woke again after sunrise.

Rolling back (to use a computer term), to the very start of Sunday, I rose from my comfyness after 7 and closer to 8. I made the coffee by grinding beans roasted and assembled in California, Hidden House Coffee’s House Blend, Santa Ana, CA (here). And while not liberal coffee, the darkness and bitter flavors do remind me of how far the USA has to go to find Justice with Mercy and to remember that the greatness of a country, according to God, is by how it treats the widow, the orphan, and the stranger, not its great buildings or victories. But I digress.

(Michael played for a song sang by Jack)

I started the blog but did not make enough progress. I nexted an update on the movie and received a pile of pet pictures in exchange while at church. I had showered, dressed, and all that before heading out to church in the EV. I wore a recently purchased vintage tie with animals that I later gave to Corwin. 

We were having a send-off for Michael R, and that was the focus of the service. I had two homeless folks and ushered, so I was busy most of the service. I thought the service was too focused on Michael R and was a bit confused, but I was busy and could not follow much of what was happening.

After that, I headed home as I had to meet everyone, and that takes me full circle. 

Thanks for reading.