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Saturday was unusual as I could play many games and publish the blog. I was feeling better, though my colon, 25 cm shorter from cancer, would fill, and the lockdown was making me uncomfortable. It finally emptied on Sunday morning. It is part of living as a survivor of colon cancer.

I rose late on Saturday, rolling over a few times after sunrise, and got coffee waiting for me when I finally rose after 8. I had drunk a lot of water (see above) and proved this twice, and still had to run for a third when I rose.

I started in my PJs with the 3D printer. Ugh. A melted blob was partially on the printing plate, and a blob stuck to the plastic film on the bottom of the tank as a pool of hardened junk. Using gloves, I did not get any toxic resin on me, and I removed the failed print. I dumped the expensive resin ($25 per 1,000 grams) and cleared the tank of stuck bits. Total fail.

Disappointed, I returned to the office with coffee, a banana, and a NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce!) and spent the morning mostly writing the blog. I also quickly got out a card to Mom Wild, wearing my robe and slippers, and no comments from my neighbors (they have gotten used to the retired guy in PJs late). I squeezed in while writing the blog, getting my transactions updated in Quicken while getting the blog out. I also looked at the website HeroQuest, which lets you design a gaming figure; I hoped to download an STL file for about $8 and print it myself (it is a 4-week wait from HeroQuest and about $30 for a simple plastic version). I read my emails and doom scrolled enough to know that no new disaster had befallen the world (or caused by the current USA government).

I published the blog and then read more on the Egloo website, the manufacturer of my Mars resin tank printer. I thought something was wrong with my settings; possibly, a software update had scrambled them. I checked the recommended settings, and my printer settings, while not matching, were not radically far from the exposure times and movement speeds. These settings are in the software that takes the STL image file and then transforms it into commands for a printer. As my printer is old, I did not dare update the software. I did download a new software, but it did not include my printer, the old Mars printer (not the Pro or other later improvements). I used the old stuff as it is.

I read that the resin works at 25 °C to 30 °C. Yikes, I was printing at 55°F. There was a warning that the resin would stick to the film if it was too cold, which I was experiencing. Could it be a temperature issue?

I created a new build file and transferred it to a USB ‘A’ stick (also old) from my Apple. I then walked that file to the printer. I plugged the stick into the Mars 3D printer. I then put on gloves and cleaned the printer with near-pure alcohol. I cleaned the tank with care. It is transparent to allow the UV light to harden the resin, hopefully on the previous layer. I checked the file and did a print run with no resins. I have UV eye protection. I also use gloves to protect my hands from the resin and UV!

I took the freshly opened resin and a bucket. I filled the bucket with water at 34 °C, placed the resin container in it, and let it reach 30 °C. I reset the printer and zeroed it again. I poured the warm resin into the printer and opened the garage door to let the warmer air in. I started the print. It was an HP Lovecraft bust, my usual practice, and a miniature version only a few inches tall.

I have no memory of lunch, and I think I just spread breakfast over the morning, as I was fearful that my colon and tummy issues would resurface. Next, I took Ottoman Sunset, a solo board game, and boarded Air VW the Gray. I closed the garage door to keep the contents safe and cat-free (the local cats have more than once spent the night in the garage). I headed into the strange traffic of an early Saturday afternoon across Beaverton and Portland.

The trip was the usual stop-and-go in Beaverton, and Highway 26, the Sunset Highway, resembled a parking lot for the Zoo a few times. The local streets of Portland are troubled by racing. Two cars were racing through Portland, and I got out of their way without losing paint on the EV. They zoomed through traffic and weaved here and there, with one car having to downshift. The backfires were loud as the fuel burned poorly in the engine.

I arrived at Lucky Labrador without incident and found a parking spot in their lot on Hawthorn across the river. I found a table and got an Irish ale. The place was busy for early Saturday afternoon, but no gaming groups were there. I found a table and tried to play the solo board game, Ottoman Sunset, again. This game has you play the Ottoman (Turkish) Sultan, and you need to keep back the invaders while keeping up the morale of the Turkish people. The game has cards that replay the events of 1914-1919 that impacted the Ottoman Empire, and if you wish to play them in historical order, you just sort the cards by number. I did random and enjoyed the first set without too much pain, but once the French and Lawrence of Arabia appeared, it became a desperate effort to survive. I misplayed and removed cards that would have helped/hurt, and will get that right next time.

In my version of history, Lawrence of Arabia paraded into Istanbul and kicked me out. I had a marginal defeat (almost making it). I focused on keeping the people happy and investing in Europe’s battles. I must keep Lawrence and others further away to survive to 1919. I enjoyed it and will play again and try to get it right. Solo games have endless rules and complexities, as there is only one player, and thus, having to return to the rulebook often is not so bad.

I got peanuts to go with the beer. I put away the game, put it in the cargo hold of Air VW the Gray, and got out Scythe. This took the whole table and another one. Scythe is not a small footprint game. I set a three-person game with two factions controlled by the automata deck. I have bought extra decks to allow me to play multiple robotic players. I have two automata decks in my box, one of which comes with the game. While you can use one deck for numerous factions, it gets confusing and ineffective. In the unofficial section of the rules, they suggest multiple decks. Time to try it.

(You can see the two decks with a marker for each at the edge of the table)

There were many rules and mechanics, and I will not cover this. The robot factions moved by teleportation, which was interesting. I attacked and watched as the two robots fought each other. It will be interesting to play this with others.

I misread the time, ordered some soup, and put Scythe away. I then discovered I had another hour, and I was also uncomfortable. I sat outside where it was cooler and read some rules. Ostia, another board game, has an add-on, and I read the rules. Ostia is already a complex game, and I am not sure more rules will improve it. Someday we will have to try it.

At 5:15, I headed to Richard’s, and Laura was there to play. We played a three-person basic version of The Lost Ruins of Arnak, a favorite board game played a lot during and after the pandemic. The theme is a Hollywood version of archaeology with a research section resembling the usual worker placement and resource management race in many games. There is also a card deck building and a thinning part. It is an excellent mix of the theme, deck building, worker placement, efficiency race, and resource management. It is hard to get the correct mix, and there are many correct answers.

I remembered the game well, having played it for years, and was ahead of Richard while Laura explored and defeated the Hollywood guardians, gaining a pile of points at the end of the game. I did not expect to win with Laura behind me and Richard at the bottom. He missed, I think, the efficiency race and resource management. We finished the game in 90 minutes.

We then took on Cthulhu—Death May Die with Richard’s painted figures. This is a horror cooperative game in which you fight cultists and the things they summon before they end the world. I have played it before and lost. And not to be disappointed, we lost this game, too. We played for three hours and lost the game by one card draw of stopping the Yellow King.

After we chatted for a while, I headed home. The drive was easy; nobody was racing on the bridges! I was soon home and asleep in my bed. As I said, I was happy to find my 3D print completed and a print still on the plate, as I had hoped. It was pretty hard to detach it. A good sign.

I slept until sunrise.

Thanks for reading.

Last night, I tried again to use my resin-based Egloo Mars printer. I cleaned everything with alcohol and used gloves. I dumped toxic resin into a container, washed everything down, and dried it. I was happy to see I had replaced the film before, and it was still in good condition. I found an old print, tried to zero the printer, and ran it. This Saturday morning, I found a puddle, not a print, stuck to the tank film and not the printing plate. Total fail. The plate had some of the print. It takes six hours to print. I woke up to the mess this Saturday.

Elsbeth is a new Paramount+ show that Deborah suggested; I tried it before heading to bed. It is a light crime show that uses the Columbo model of showing the viewer the crime. Then, we watch as the police fail to pick up the subtle nuances that Elsbeth, who is awkward and asks questions all the time, matching Peter Falk’s character in the old TV shows, begins to work out the murder. It is light but fun, and set in NYC now.

After that, I remade the bed. Friday is laundry day, and I washed the sheets and put last week’s washed sheets from the linen closet on the bed. I did laundry and now have laundry to put away. This includes all my new, smaller underwear (apparently Grammarly switched ‘underwear’ with ‘underwater’ yesterday, and I missed it). New pants and shirts, all smaller, are on their way from L.L. Bean.

I read for a while and then slept.

Going further back, my colon and tummy were not in agreement, and I decided it was best to stay home the rest of the day. I did pop out to the East Harbor and got too expensive but good Chinese-style food. I took it home and ate it while I sat on the deck in the sun, watching Drachinifel’s YouTube four-year-old video on the beginning of the Jutland 1916 naval battle, an hour of images and lots of dramatic readings from the written memories of those there. Drachinifel does not do animations, but I love his photos of his collection of painted gaming pieces set up to visualize the positions of navies. And his placing cotton over the ships that explode is an old gaming trick (often tiny cotton balls are put in front of models that have ‘fired’). I have played Jutland only a few times in college and used paper markers, not models. Recently, I played the WW2 Battle of the Denmark Straits, and I have all the models for that, Bismarck vs. Hood.

Drachinifel video, which I recommended to Pastor Ken, was excellent. I thought I had seen it before, but it seemed new. The video covers all the issues, including the terrible explosive handling in the British ships, which historians now attribute to losing three ships, one of which was new. It was good and covers the ‘ride south.’ Part two covers the fleet conflict and the Germans’ retreat.

Before this, I was in Portland. My tummy and colon issues threatened to ruin my trip, but stayed in the background enough to let me enjoy a short visit. I parked Air VW the Gray at the nearby MAX station. I got to the platform as the train arrived. I tried to scan the ‘tap’ with my iPhone to charge my virtual card, but it would not work. The train engineer waited for me, most kind, as I tried multiple times, but finally got it.

The train was mostly empty. Another passenger commented on the engineer’s kindness and told me that the MAX officers were just on the train checking fare payments. It’s good that I was scanned. Last time, something went wrong. I had not purchased a virtual ticket, so I got off the train and fixed it. Yikes!

I read my book, I brought my Kindle with me, read, and soon was off at the Library stop, but decided to head to Jake’s Grill a few blocks away. Portland is emptier than before the Pandemic. I saw no tourists wandering the streets, and I was crossing against the lights on now-empty streets. Working from home and escaping from cities to remote work has reduced Portland’s population.

Only a few folks were at Jake’s Grill, but I was at 1 on a workday. I had the special, which was a meatless pasta dish. Heavy on garlic and absolutely nothing you should eat for a work lunch. I had ginger ale to go with it as I was feeling off. This is my go-to for planes and troubled moments. It is cold, bubbly, and a bit of sugar to help. The pasta or the drink worked. I commented on the marks on the wall and learned that the old-style mirrors were taken down; I missed them.

It was a few blocks back, and I was hit up for spare change by the crowd of panhandlers and other challenged people who seemed to haunt the front of Portland’s library. I thought I had no change to give them and turned them down. Later, I felt bad when I discovered I had a few one-dollar bills I could have spared.

I saw that Teddy Roosevelt and his horse in bronze still have yet to return to the park across from the Portland Art Museum (PAM). The tall granite block has his name on it, and was a backdrop to a flash food kitchen for the locals. I donated $5 to cover some of their costs.

PAM let me in for free, my membership is paid up, and I soon enjoyed Monet and Japanese prints. PAM has all the famous Hokusai prints, but I have never seen the famous Wave that I know is in the collection. Instead, I saw it in Chicago. However, others were on display, mixed in with various impressionists, and it was a small but excellent show. The kind of show I like is where each piece was included for a reason, which is explained instead of endless repeats with only dates and donor information. The New York Times recommends the PAM show.

I bought a set of Hokusai cards in the shop to send to Mom, including The Wave and two prints I saw in the show. Some folks grumbled that there were only two Monets (the total of PAM’s Money collection, I learned). I pointed out the Hokusai prints they missed, and they suddenly were re-walking the show, and I saw they were much happier. Culture vultures.

I took pictures of the Monets and was happy to walk back to the MAX with my insides deciding it wanted attention. But the Skeleton Key Odditorium was on the way back, and I paid admission to what was a tourist trap or a celebration of Goth (I saw a note to that effect in the place). It was interesting and spooky. Some things were jump scares, and I avoided them as I do really jump at them and did not want a ‘clean-up’ issue with my colon and tummy. It was like a gruesome antique store with some things for sale. A few items got my attention, like the haunted box and the blood jewelry (mixing blood with resin). Possible stories there for me, or descriptions of items in Dungeons and Dragons. Worth the visit and the $15, but not a likely return for the paid part. Photos were allowed.

Mister Lincoln 3-4″ across.

I returned home in the EV after a non-eventful trip on MAX.

The morning had me rising late, writing the blog, texting and chatting with Deborah, and all my usual morning routine. Laundry was started and completed.

Thanks for reading.

Coffee was not made on Thursday morning. Ugh. I forgot to set the timer (a button). I rose after 8, thinking coffee was already waiting for me, only to discover it was empty. I went to write the blog and later returned to the kitchen and acquired the last hard-boiled egg and a banana (from the 185th veggie stand trip I forgot to put in yesterday’s blog). I wrote the blog all morning. It was a cool morning with some clouds and sun breaks.

I spent the morning writing the blog, updating Quicken, and paying a few bills. I also watched the pope be selected and was surprised when Leo 14th got the job. I was betting on an Italian and was disappointed that I, Unexpected the First—my pope name—was not selected. Deborah thought moving to Rome and other requirements would have been onerous (a crash course in Italian and Latin was just the start of challenges), though the Pope Mobile and my jet sounded nice.

Instead of catching the next flight to the Vatican and taking The Keys, I published the blog, showered, dressed, shaved, boarded Air VW the Grey, the Wild Mobile, and headed to McMenamins Cedar Hills. I was early and sat outside in the sun. The breeze, coming from the desert, was cold. Scott showed up a few minutes later. We moved later to a table in the sun; it was too cold for the shade!

We discussed many subjects, and a friend texted us about leaving Nike IT for a job elsewhere. We talked about investing, things we have learned, and travel. Scott is off on a trip down south in just over a week, and I am four weeks out to join Deborah in California. We talked more about Artificial Intelligence, and I plan to find time to dig back in. I used to teach and code AI in the Python programming language (named not for the snake but for Monty Python). I am interested in tightening up my math skills to help with this. More to come.

After lunch, we each consumed a meatless burger and two Hammerhead beers, and I headed out. I called Rune and Board to see about teaching and playing Unsettled with the owner, Nick. Alas, they were busy with store things and could not work in playing a game on Thursday. But we agreed to try again next week, on Thursday.

I was at loose ends, beered, and fed, and thus, it was time for a nap. I enjoyed the break for an hour and bid on some more stamps for my collection (cheaper ones, as some of the holes in my collection rightfully will remain unfilled with price tags matching the cost of a car or house). I returned to Air VW the Gray, stopped by McDonald’s for a shake (still needing to wake up), and arrived at Guardian Games (Aloha, formerly Rainy Day Games).

I chatted with Mike, whom I have known for years, and then set up a solo board game in their gaming area. I asked permission, and after a longer process than I expected (there were only two folks in the play area with over ten tables, one marked reserved that was never used the whole time I was there), they decided I could use the end of a table. I played Ottoman Sunset and completely hosed the game. I got the setup wrong, but managed to play for an hour. Next time, I will get it right. I left around 5 while the group set up BattleTech. This is a new version of a SciFi tabletop with exquisitely painted four-inch towering metal and plastic figures. The game has a high buy-in cost, but the mix of painting and building with role-playing elements and SciFi combat attracts folks. I have played the previous version once. I have never bought in.

I met Pastor Ken back at McMenamins Cedar Hills at the bar. We both had salads, with Ken picking a cider and me a Ruby, a raspberry-wheat beer. We talked mostly about history and some church items. I told him about the history I am reading, mostly Jutland 1916, and later sent him links to the best books I have read.

Please see:

Jutland 1916 Death in the Grey Wastes
By Nigel Steer
Gettysburg: The Last Invasion
By Allen C. Guelzo
Bury the Chains Prophets & Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empires Slaves
By Adam Hochschild

We joined the Theology Pub setup in the bar area, and soon, more than fifteen people joined us, including one person online from Utah. This church meeting discusses deep issues, many political, with beer and food in a non-threatening setting of a bar/restaurant. We have talked about disruption, as this word gets a lot of play now in the press. Today, we discuss the difference between disruption and destruction and the fear of pollution. We agreed that disruption was helpful and good when producing a new and often better solution. But we noticed that folks are concerned that they will be polluted by the ideas of others and resist having meaningful discussions. For example, folks who have issues with the homeless refuse to become involved, as they fear they could be polluted by these issues and soon begin to have those issues. We observed in our discussion that while few will admit this fear, it seems obvious to some that the destruction we see is fear-based. Destruction to force change or to reach a non-existent previous ‘good days’ was more hurtful and not truly disruptive. I thought it stayed a positive discussion with all of us learning new things about disruption.

After the meeting, I headed home, read, dropped my Kindle when I nodded off, and soon slept. I woke with bad leg cramps. Beer does this to me sometimes. I took water, and sleep was again found, and I was able to sleep until the sun rose.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

I woke early and rolled over on Wednesday morning. I rose and discovered that I had not set up the coffee maker. Ugh! I washed out the coffee maker parts and refilled this and that, and soon, coffee was flowing. In the morning between her sessions, I heard from Deborah, who was at a work conference. I had no plans for Wednesday. I spent the morning reading, and my mind wandered to Dungeons and Dragons, making a figure to match my new character. I continued to write and published the blog.

Our next game is on May 18, and I am playing a sorcerer; I have never played one before. I decided to remember the game Deadlands with the spellcaster throwing cards. I was looking for a Weird West figure that shows a card thrower. I could not find one that fits. I can make it online, but it is almost $30. But for $9, I can get an STL file and print it myself. I will repair the 3D printers and see if I can produce it.

I also quickly wrote a card to Mom Wild to get it out before the mail is delivered. I am running out of cards. I try to send her a card every day except Sunday.

Next, I read more about the Conclave, but have not received a call. I have selected the name Unexpected the First. But so far, they have not called.

I did watch, finishing around 10, The Fisherman’s Shoes (1968), which is a dated movie but shows a Russian raised to hold The Keys. Then, with the world spiralling to Nuclear War as China is starving, the Holy Father steps in to save the world by pledging the wealth of the church to feed China and all who are hungry. Anthony Quinn and others make this seem believable, reminding me of Doctor Strangelove and Fail-Safe.

I got out the new Dungeons and Dragons 2024 books (now on a new version of D&D known as 2024) and followed the new process to create a first-level character. Species (formally race) and background now set the basic structure of your character, with class giving you the D&D power and capabilities that grow as your character advances in level. D&D 2024 has further powered down various spells, class features, and feats to prevent super-powered combinations that have haunted the recent versions. Folks would game the system and create combinations that smuthered the bad guys in damage. We will see if D&D 2024 avoids this.

Lunch was reheated chili and watching some more Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, but not much, as I wanted to get outside. Instead, I toured my roses, and some are now blooming.

China Rose.

Pink Moss (only blooms once).

Mister Lincoln starts up with its huge hybrid tea flowers.

I headed to Cornell Farms to look at plants and check how their pomegranate trees are doing. Mine still seems to be a stick with buds. They did not have any left from the group I purchased from, but they had smaller plans covered in leaves and even flowers. I am hopeful, but worried that only half of the plant is alive. But I can make that work if it grows.

That is their giant Monkey Puzzle tree behind me.

I resisted the foxglove, lavender, and other plants I have had before. When we first moved here, I grew a poison garden (now the roses cover that area). The rosemary and mint still grow after twenty-five years (how can it be so long!). I was tempted by more roses, as I have no yellow or white roses.

I did get a cookie and enjoyed the walk around twice. I stopped in the shop and spent money on nice, but costly cards, most with a plant theme. I would later send some cards to Deborah and Mom Wild for the early post.

I headed home in Air VW the Gray and made dinner. Dinner was baked and breaded chicken thighs with pasta and marinara sauce. Deborah and I talked on while I cooked and had dinner. We set some of our plans and dining choices at Disney. We will be there in about a month.

After that, I did the dishes; the kitchen looked like it had exploded. I made too much food and packed it away. I went to bed, put on my PJs, and read more D&D 2024. Soon, I was asleep and did not wake until just as sunrise started.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Tuesday mornings mean rushing to Portland to play a 9:30 board game at Richard’s. The alarm went off at 6:30, and I rolled over and woke up what felt like seconds later to a new alarm at 7. I rose and found the coffee pot full, having assembled the coffee the night before. I managed to write half the blog and talk to Deborah, who is at a work conference in Michigan, for a few minutes.

I was time-boxed, and I got in the shower at 8:15 and was soon ready to board Air VW the Gray. The night before, I had placed the board game Unsettled in the cargo hold. I had finished painting the figures and put them back in the box, and this was my first time playing with them. The traffic was slow through Beaverton and into Portland, and despite leaving ten minutes earlier, I was still ten minutes late.

This was a continuation scenario and tough. I can say I got frustrated once. Cooperative games can get hard when folks disagree and the challenges get hard, but we managed to finish. It took all morning and into the afternoon. Yes, intense. This is a moderate challenge!

Unsettled, the board game, has different planets, each unique. The game has base rules and components. The planet add-on, priced at $19, includes all the events, powers, and challenges. The base game comes with two planets (The newest Kickstarter supplied errata for these), and there are now nine additional ones (I am short two of the latest and the new action markers). For new gamers and those looking for a less stressful game, Pandemic (though the name sets all of us on edge) is a good cooperative game, and the variations are good. The Pandemic version, Rising Tides, is themed instead on stopping the break of dikes in Holland than stopping a virus spread, and it is fun, can be difficult, plays fast, and does not flash back to 2020.

I returned to the house in the EV about 1:30 and grabbed the ham bone and ham bits I put aside for soup (the rest of the ham, purchased after Easter for about $6, sliced and some chopped in bags frozen in the freezer) and started to boil the bone and lots of meat still on it. I watched the rest of the first Star Wars (“A New Hope,” and yes, I know it is not numbered one) while the hot water extracted the flavors from the bone and meat. I let this happen for about 45 minutes, some of it being a fast boil. Yes, I know I should have slowly simmered and added veggies to the stock and then filtered it. But I was hungry, and it was just a ham bone. I pulled the bone out, and the water was now flavored. I tried the boiled meat, and it was nearly flavorless. The night before, I poured out the split peas and checked them for stuff, nothing, and then washed them. I also took the ham bits, sliced them, and fried them in a pan, getting a brown on them. I should have browned them longer, but I was worried I would burn them (I was watching a movie simultaneously and was hungry), but they went in with the peas. I washed the non-stick pan with water and put the brown bits into the soup.

After forty minutes, the peas finally softened, and the soup was excellent, though plain. This was my first time making split pea and ham soup. I enjoyed it while watching the Death Star explode.

I packed away the soup (having a bowl and then a bit more) in bags and froze it for another meal. I suddenly remembered I forgot the blog and rushed to finish it and publish it late. I was meeting Corwin for dinner at 5:30; I rested and even nodded off into a deep siesta until 5ish. I rose and, with a few minutes free, toured my roses. Two bushes have flowered, the China Rose and a new rose. All the rest are a day or more from bursting into red and pinks. I have no whites or yellows yet.

Corwin arrived in his truck, and we boarded Air VW the Gray and soon arrived at Gyro House nearby. Corwin had the excellent Lamb Kabobs, and I had a ground lamb gyro. We had mixed baba ghanoush and hummus with hot bread out of the oven while we waited. Corwin ordered a Turkish coffee, and while tempting, it was 85F (29C) outside, and I did not need something hot to drink.

Returning home, Corwin headed out to give plasma for money. It was Tuesday, and Andor, the SciFi Star Wars show, dropped another three episodes, and I, as has become a habit on Tuesday nights, watched them back to back. It was excellent.

I read after that, and then I was soon in my PJs. I was asleep before I could roll over. I later woke in the same place at 4ish to prove hydration, which I did again at 6. I was well hydrated yesterday in the heat!

Thanks for reading.