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Going backward, I arrived at the house in Air VW the Gray at about 11:30, almost Friday. I put out the trash and lawn-waste containers, as our pickup date here is Friday. I then read a new physical book, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes by David Gann, until midnight, when I finished the first story. The book was a gift from Dondrea and Z.

I took the book to Portland and read it while on the MAX. I did not want to carry a Kindle and my phone. Yes, I can read my book on the iPhone, but the screen is smaller and backlit, which is harder on my eyes. This is the larger paperback version, so the print was easy and lighter. Also, if I lose it, I can easily replace it. I usually stick the Kindle in a coat pocket, but that was not today.

The day was warm, sunny, and shockingly dry. Once again, somehow Oregon switches back and forth from Pacific Northwest gray and endless rains to cloudless, warm sunny Northern California. Yes, a Schrödinger’s cat version of the local weather. Or, it is like randomly switching from 1980s bands like Nirvana and Tears for Fears. Yikes!

I thought it a perfect day for a concert and dinner in Portland. I switched to a dress shirt and a sweater vest to be warm as it will be a fabulous evening. I took the EV to the nearby Quatama MAX station and boarded after scanning the app on my phone. I found a comfortable seat in a near-empty train and read and doom-scrolled the news.

Deborah was available, so we chatted on the phone while I traveled and then walked through Portland, having left the train at the Library stop. The chess board in Director Park with giant chess pieces was set up, left at a sacrificial opening and just entering the midgame. It is an opening I have not seen before, and white seemed to have paid too much for its board position. The game was stopped with an offer for a queen exchange. I marveled at the board, and I am afraid I bored Deborah with my explanations of a chess setup she could not see. I returned after making a circle, and the queen exchange was declined. Makes me want to get back into chess. Hmmm. Later, the board was changed, and the chess game was no longer sensible. I was surprised by how shocked I was.

The chess pieces are put away each night at Director Park. I went back to look and maybe set up the game, but it was too late, and the pieces were safely resting somewhere. I suspect large chess pieces three feet tall would get up to some non-chess mischief if left out.

I rang off and walked to the mall and walked the river built into the floor like we did years ago when it had a glass lighted river (now it is filled with tile-like substance, but has LEDs here and there). Next, I headed to South Park (the local restaurant, not the cartoon), my old standby place for food and booze near Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Lee was my bartender, and Matt, the other bartender, poured me some heavy red I look for when I visit their bar. They never have average wines, and I seldom knew the wine they discovered. The food, while expensive, is near the best in Portland. I see more suits and travelers now, as this is an expense report joint, and less local. The cheap, excellent bar menu is now a memory. However, I was still early and got a 17% reduction on my bill. But I paid $1.50 to use a credit card, and the bill included a 20% tip. My bill was less than I expected.

I enjoyed their fish board, which included local smoked trout and salmon in various forms and one choice from the cheeses. The bread and butter were also good, and this was a large meal. However, I turned away from the mains, all of which were over $30. Adding homemade crackers, cheese, fresh bread and butter, and wine created an excellent and filling meal.

I was early to the show and walked around as I described, finally circling to the theater. I got lost once as twilight confused my sense of direction, but I found my way after spotting the towers now with lights. The Schnitzer was all lighted up. I read for a few minutes while sitting on a ledge until the doors opened. Tonight, they will show the movie Amadeus, a fictional story about Mozart and Antonio Salieri set in the early 1800s but with live choir and orchestra.

I bought the cheap seat that still had a good view, near my old season ticket seats in X, in a near-empty row on the upper balcony, row W seat 1. This row has a clear view, while the lower ones are blocked by people finding their seats. I remembered all this when ordering seats. Excellent. I was relieved that the movie was with CC, as my hearing was not great with words, but the music was clear and excellent. The crowd laughed at the jokes and comedy, and I could hear the breath intake when Salieri burns a cross in frustration with God.

I enjoyed the movie; many young folks saw it for the first time in the cheap seats. It surprised me that it has been forty years since its initial showing and winning a pile of awards. I forgot how good it was, and it was undoubtedly improved with live music.

After the show, I walked directly to the MAX as it was after 11 and MAX closes around midnight. I saw an older woman trip on the curb and fall. I helped her to her feet, and she thanked me and then walked on, no worse for wear, as you say.

Next, I found a comfortable seat on MAX. My app first complained that I had no money in my account (you have to draw cash and store it in the app instead, like NYC, get a charge for each use. I also paid for a virtual card to hold this money–ugh–but it was a one-time cost. I like NYC’s process better. Also, you must start the app to use it; NYC just charges you. Hmmm. I read my book until my station.

Moving back in the day, I started about 7 with my alarm and wrote the blog. I got coffee started in the French Press and had a light breakfast of toast, my milk bread, and yogurt. The blog took much of the morning. I connected with Dondrea on text and learned that Z’s 28 Feb birthday party was Saturday. I was free to see the movie tonight. I ordered tickets.

I showered and dressed. Air VW the Gray was still at 90% charge, meaning I had not plugged it in. I boarded the EV and met Scott at Cedar Hills McMenamins. I had a salad with some chicken added. Scott had a plant-based burger (they are great; I tried them). We had a Hammerhead beer and talked money and financial planning. We also covered experiences with aging parents. We both conclude that at a rate of 4-something % interest on short-duration CDs, we should pull cash, pay the taxes, and hold that for a few years to pay expenses. Any market fluctuations (caused by Trump’s tariffs and like actions, market crashes, war, disaster, or events) will not threaten paying our bills or make us withdraw at a loss. To be clear, get some investments out of the market into safe cash, with tax paid, and ready for bills. More on that later. After lunch and drinks, we headed our separate ways with plans to meet again next week.

Next, I returned home but also took care of church items that cannot be described here. I read and then wrote up some paperwork for the church. I did the dishes, changed my clothing, and headed to Portland for the movie and live music.

And that takes us, dear reader, full circle. Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, I was less tired and found my way more easily. Dondrea was traveling, so there was no game on Wednesday night with Z. My alarm went off at 7, but I rolled over, and it was closer to 8 when I got coffee to start my day. It was time for liberal, Equal Exchange coffee in my French Press, which produces about two and a half mugs of the dark fluid that powers me in the morning. I have been drinking Fair Trader-certified coffee for most mornings since Trump was elected the first time. It is my reminder that we must do the right thing every day and how far we still have to go before we have Justice with Compassion and the Love of Community will settle into our community. I find Hope in every cup.

(What is the bright round thing in the sky?)

I wrote my blog for most of the morning. I added a banana and toast from my homemade milk bread with jam. I did the dishes, showered, and dressed. I boarded Air VW the Gray and tried out Carl Jrs for lunch. It is a guilty pleasure, and I enjoyed their Western Burger (bacon, onion rings, and other goodies) in the EV. The drive-through was blocked, forcing me to go inside–I have not been inside since the pandemic and forgot how nice and clean it looks. The clerk took my order with a smile, and soon, a line of folks were waiting, and we were just standing there. We were all nervous and not talking. We did not know what to do. I broke the ice by saying how strange it was to be inside. This got a smile, and soon we were chatting like usual, just like before the pandemic. I can see why people feel so alone now; fundamental social interactions are missing, and we are nervous to restart them.

With a hamburger, sin and all, inside me, I headed to Beaverton for an S/PRC church meeting. These are private and cannot be discussed here. An hour later, I was driving home and telling Deborah, who was driving home from work in Michigan, that I needed a drink. We often talk when we are traveling.

I stopped by Volvo and learned the process of having my late car towed away. I will donate the wreck to Oregon Public Radio. It was ruined by a sunroof leak that flooded the interior and, worse, impacted the computer and cables. This caused more than $18,000 in damage and is NOT covered by insurance. Ugh! I now drive a leased VW ID.4, an all-electric car I enjoy.

I was out of sorts but Deborah was free and we watched the last episode of Silo on Zoom and the end of season 2 did not disappoint. No spoilers. Deborah was a bit confused as she read the books, and the break in the story did not match the book. It was great, I thought, and I was feeling better. I was feeling better. It was terrific to see Deborah again (I had not seen her since I saw her walk into PDX). We might have to do more Zoom or FaceTime sessions.

The next installment is the Fall. I read that, unlike the books, the Silo story will go on intermixed with a pre-Silo story. Our next adventure is in March in California, where I will be the +1 for a business conference in Long Beach that Deborah is attending. I will work with Deborah on plans.

I got a shipment notice for my goodies from King Arthor Flour. It would be at Deborah’s house by Friday! My default address is Deborah’s, and my stuff is headed to Michigan! Deborah offered to mail it to me (but it is a lot of flour and other heavy items). Instead, Deborah gets a set of flour and baking items, too. I ordered another set, and this time, it was sent to my address. I called Deborah, and we laughed.

I read Kolchak and am just two chapters from finishing. The book and original movie were set in Las Vegas, but the TV show changes the setting to 1973-4 Chicago. It is interesting to read about the early 1970s version of Las Vegas. The book has Kolchak as a drunk on his way to an early, lonely death after being fired and blackballed. Still, a fascinating book, and I will have to look at the style. I like the way the first person is composed like a dictation.

My left ear (the one with no hearing) bothers me. I hope it will improve after washing it out and taking some painkillers. Ugh!

I was asleep before midnight but woke twice to prove hydration. I did dream, but I cannot recall the details. There were no marks on my neck this morning.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

I rose at 6 with my alarm and climbed out of bed; there seemed to be a distance to this process. Next, I found my slippers and found my way to the kitchen, which also seemed further away. I was tired. I made coffee, liberal, and a plate with a banana and toast. I sliced a nice piece of milk bread I made a few days ago and put marmalade on it. But I would forget to put it back in the frig (it would have to be tossed).

Despite the listlessness, I wrote the blog and recreated yesterday’s story with more words than expected. I managed to get it published in time to enjoy a long shower and did not have to rush. I reviewed more of A Dummies Guide to Pre-Calculus. Corwin was coming over between 2 and 3, and I would teach him math. The first section was about line equations and inequities with grafting. I put a plan together in my head, intending to learn where Corwin was in his skills and go from there.

After that, I boarded Air VW the Gray and took it to Portland. Richard and James host a board game of Mansion of Madness, 2nd Edition, at Richard’s house. James bought a used copy with painted figures and then purchased some add-ons. He is still missing some pieces, but we can make it work.

The game works using an app that James runs on an iPad. It is a horror cooperative game with the possibility of going insane and effectively joining the other side. Each play is a unique story, usually including elements of Lovecraft, though one story I played was a Hollywood ghost horror plot. We have learned to separate, explore, and fight. The stories have timing elements that limit the length of the play, and we need to find things and do things to finish and slow the timing. The scenario used new rules with elixirs from an add-on that James had seen online and purchased.

It was an interesting and brutal scenario. My character was wounded and had a broken leg. Our play managed to unlock the puzzles and survive. It was after 1, about four hours of intense play. I took the EV home as I had to connect with Corwin next. I picked up a freshly made take-and-bake pizza from Papa Murphy’s, got it in the oven, and set my alarm for thirty minutes. I was deeply asleep when it went off. The house smelled of pizza.

The pizza is stuffed, and the top layer has expanded (there were no vents for steam cut in it) to a dome and was actually against the heating elements in the oven! Part of the smell was the pizza bits burning on the elements! I pulled it out, cut holes, settled it again, and cooked it more. Corwin showed up and put out a table for us to work and eat on. The pizza was good.

I spent ninety minutes with Corwin and covered all that I had prepared. I was primarily interested in what Corwin remembered and could still do. I demonstrated and then had him do the same kind of problem. I have trouble with dropping negative signs and skipping to the end too soon. I went slow and precise as I had learned over and over. Corwin started to copy this approach and saw its advantage as he could easily see what was happening. We did little pre-calculus but mostly elementary algebra and grafting. We covered inequalities, which is pre-calculus, and the parts you must memorize, and I had long forgotten about handling absolute values with inequalities.

Later in the evening, I would order a problem book and another copy of the how-to book from Dummies on Amazon. We will need more homework for Corwin, as he clearly needs to work on these problems to integrate this material into his skill sets. Corwin wants Calculus, but first, we need to tighten up algebra, trig, and graphing and get some discipline in problem-solving. This will get Corwin to Calculus.

I was tired and spent the rest of the late afternoon at home, doing little more than reading and eating some more pizza. I made tea to try to wake up. I ordered flour and other baking items from King Arthur Flour because I like their products, though Red Mill is excellent and often cheaper. Usually, I buy flour when it is on special, but this time, I was tired and just got what I needed.

I read about vampires until late. I crawled into bed and hoped that I would not dream of vampires. I have no memory of my dreams, but I woke rested with no strange marks on my neck.

Thanks for reading.

 

Yesterday, while busy, it was also wet and windy, and branches were falling everywhere. The water in the back corner of my backyard was a small lake a few inches deep, as the water rose everywhere but did not overflow. Still, we faced more water last year, and on Tuesday, the storm will end, and we will gasp. Soon, we will see 60F (15C) and sun!

But I rose at 7ish after waking a few times last night and having trouble sleeping until midnight. I soon was writing the blog, texted Deborah, and did the usual news. The news is overflowing with political news. Liberal coffee sipped while reading the mess that is the US news helped to remind me that the storm will pass and Justice with Compassion will return. The Love of Community will return.

I wrote the blog all morning and did not finish until later in the morning. I was having trouble focusing and finding my words. While I wrote, the winds rose as the storm hit. A thunderstorm warning was announced from Alexa, and the puddle in the backyard became a small lake. My street, Clarion Street, was covered in small pine branches broken loose by the high winds.

Breakfast was coffee and a banana. I was not that hungry. I soon showered, dressed, and was back at my Apple. I was determined to finish my paperwork for my taxes and 2024 updates in Quicken. This is a monotonous and detailed process. I went to reports selection in Quicken, ran the transactions by category for last year, and read every event recorded in Quicken. Many were miscatalogued, and I updated them. Transfers were not linked, but at least they showed ins and outs, keeping the balances correct. I found one mangled transaction that I decided to leave alone. I was reminded that for 2025, I really need to get back to running this at the month’s end. Three hours of updating quicken and a brief cold lunch of ham with some dill pickles was the entirety of my early afternoon.

I abandoned reclassifying Amazon purchases over six months (all under $100) as they were already in shopping. It would not be that meaningful to look up every item on Amazon, decide what was purchased, and assign a more detailed shopping account (i.e., book, household, and so on). All large income and expenditures were properly aligned.

I reviewed the Quicken list of charities and discovered an item for which I did not have a receipt for over $100; I found the email and included it in my letter to my accountant about charity giving. I logged on to the IRS website, was happy to see it still working, and took a PDF of my payments. I repeated this for my Oregon payments. All this was put in an envelope that included all the 1099s and other forms mailed to me by various institutions in alignment with the IRS requirements. I reviewed the content, eliminated duplicates, and paperclipped multi-paged items. All good.

I put on my shoes and took Air VW the Gray to Hillsboro. It was gray outside, too, with darker skies headed this way (the aforementioned thunderstorm). It is a short trip with many streets littered with branches. I was happy to get a parking spot a short walk from my accountant, Cornerstone Tax Preparation, and soon, I had a young gal with green hair efficiently looking over my papers. She asked for my work form, and I explained I dropped it off earlier. She found it. I was then given a new ethnicity form from Oregon to fill out.

I usually comply with tax forms, but I could opt out. There were three levels of coding and a page of codes. After hours and hours of Quicken, I was not in the mood to understand yet another tax form. I checked ‘opt-out’ and returned it. Done, and my forms were accepted by my CPA folks! I thought about lunch there to celebrate, but the storm clouds convinced me to head home.

At home, I read, did laundry (it never seems to end), and folded and put away the pile of clean clothing. Later, I would fold the last of the laundry and rejoice (for a moment) with all the laundry done and put away. I removed the frozen steak from the freezer, defrosted it, and made dinner. I soaked it in teriyaki sauce for an hour. Next, I fried it in a cast-iron skillet with freshly chopped onions and then finished it (a bit too long) in the oven. I steamed fresh asparagus.  I reheated the leftover pasta to go with it. It was an excellent dinner and I ate all of it; I was hungry. The steak was chuck and cut like a NY strip, so I sliced it thin with a good knife as it would be tough. It was good with the onions and sauce.

For those who can’t do onions, chopped celery with fresh garlic would have been great, too.

I talked to Deborah late in her time. She is still having some time zone confusion and stayed up with me until she was sleepy. She misses me in the morning as she now waits for me to wake late in the Eastern Time Zone. Soon, she rings off to sleep.

I decided to do some church paperwork and some dessert to celebrate the tax work and get things settled for 2024. I have decided to forgo the notebooks by month and just stuff the papers for 2024 in a folder. I will try to do better in 2025. I head to The 649 Taphouse. Natalia is bartending tonight and is happy to see me. We caught up, and she was sorry to miss Deborah’s visit to The 649. She was off on Thursdays when we came.

I write up my plan for Sunday School while enjoying a red ale—if any book of the Bible requires beer, it is this one—after-church class on Revelations. I plan seven classes to match the seven letters and then cover three H’s: history, Hollywood (the images and social impact over the years), and Greek translation and textual issues (Greek is spelled with an H in Greek) for a more extensive section of the text. I send this to the church leadership for review and get back issues for timing. Hmmm.

Before I get the ‘maybe’ back, I read some of the oldest fragments in Greek (just a word or two). I start recalling my Textual Criticism words. I review the structure of Revelations and the textual issues, but mostly, I am, as usual, chasing down Internet rabbit holes on fragments. I ignore most religious scholarship (more Hollywood than truth to me; many feel the book is a map of history, and I try not to scoff) and focus on the words (both the underlying Greek and translations).

With my class likely rescheduled into April (yikes!), I return to mundane topics, and Natalia brings me a coffee, a shot of Amaretto, and bread pudding. It is the perfect ending to reading Revelations, textual criticism, and Greek two-thousand-year-old fragments.

The rain is back and sideways, and the flooding is already receding. I return home, read, and soon am in bed. Kolchak is not that scary, and I love this book’s style, which seems designed to be quotable. Nothing scares me in the book, though vampire stories at night make me feel the darkness a bit. I finally sleep after midnight with a 6AM alarm. I have a busy Tuesday.

My breadmaker produces a wonderful loaf of Basic Milk Bread. I have the end as a snack.

Thanks for reading.

Once again, I am alone at the house. While I enjoy my home and my silence, I miss having Deborah here. However, there are only twenty-three days until we reunite in California for a business conference, and I will be Deborah’s +1. This is a role I have not done before. So Long Beach next month!

I rose for a 7 a.m. alarm and made Equal Exchange coffee using their ground French Roast beans. Its dark color and bitterness remind me that we liberals have so much more to do. But Hope is in there, too, and I know that someday, Justice with Compassion and the Love of Community will rise. With Hope–coffee–I have a banana and some fruit-filled yogurt for breakfast.

I do “doom scrolling,” as we liberals now call reading the news, which is drenched in politics. I update Quicken with my transactions and balances. I get WordPress going using their older editor, which works better and Grammarly can usually interface with.

Deborah reminded me that ‘hers’ and not ‘her’s’ is correct, which leaked into the blog yesterday. I remember fighting with Grammarly about replacing the word for something nonsensical, but I missed the grammar error. Grammarly did flag it in the quotes above this time. Hmmm.

I finished the blog, chatted with Deborah, and soon showered and dressed. I am back to showering in the morning, as the pollen is not bad now. I usually shower in the evening in the summer/spring/fall, meaning I take no pollen into the bed. I find I am healthier that way. I put on the tie Deborah sent me, butterflies, with a green sweater vest and a white dress shirt. I wear black humburg to keep my look more colorful. It is gray and wet; you sometimes have to bring your own brightness to the Pacific Northwest.

The service is the usual, but Michael R, not Pastor Ken, gave the sermon titled “The City is Ripe.” Ken does get into a homily-like moment as he covers an event at George Fox University across the low mountains in the Willamette Valley. Michael R says that Jesus covers water and living water with the Samaritans. The story, John 4, includes the apostles missing the point and Jesus pointing at the crowd from the Samaritans and saying that the fields are ripe. Michael R points out that Jesus met the Samaritan woman and the people who came when she told her story where they were. In the story, Jesus was not judgemental of their mistakes or the terrible history of the places at Jacob’s well. Instead, Jesus told the apostles to connect with these new believers. Michael R concludes that cities are places where we can meet people where they are and help and connect with them, never judgemental or expecting anything in return. Just help and friendship.

After services, I stopped by the house and picked up my laptop; the EV was still charged from last night. I did not charge at the library stations near the church (I did notice that all but one of the level 2 chargers were in use on a wet Sunday morning) as I had a 98% charge.

I headed to BJ’s Brewhouse. Our local one has better food than others I have tried. The water was higher, but despite the warnings and puddles, it was not much water for us. I saw the creeks were not filled as I crossed the small bridges on the way to lunch. At the church, I noticed someone had marred Air VW the Gray driver’s door. It must have happened in the parking garage. I have also seen some aggressiveness towards EVs by other drivers, mostly muscle cars and oversized pickup trucks. Being older, wealthier, and better insured (to quote Bette Midler), I drive my usual friendly, ‘but this is my lane’ style. I, therefore, parked the EV away from all the other cars again.

I sat at the bar and talked to a guy named Adam, who also plays Dungeons and Dragons, while I ordered their excellent red ale and the weekend-only double-bone pork chop—the best pork chop I have found. I gave him my business card but have not heard from him. BJ’s has 1/2 off pizza to go on Sunday, so he was getting dinner and had beer while waiting for his pizza.

After a nice dinner and having a dessert I did not need but was excellent, I took the EV home, parked it in the garage, and with a 90% charge, did not bother to charge it. I ran more laundry, stripped the bed, and remade it with other sheets. I took a chance and ran the sheet overnight in The Machine. No water leak! Good!

I was tired and dizzy. I was also feeling sad, as Deborah’s absence and grief over Susie combined to make it a difficult day. The mix turned me to my usual solace: reading Canadian murder mysteries and crime novels. I spent most of the day reading and napping. I finished the book while the rain poured. I cooked some bacon, chopped it, and combined it with frozen veggies fried in the bacon grease and pasta I picked up at Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Deborah, now in the Eastern Time Zone, had trouble sleeping. We talked until late, her time. She rang off as she started to get sleepy.

I finished my book and started a new book, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, from a Kickstarter. This book became a TV movie by the same name and was well-received. A second movie followed, and the short-lived TV series came next. Fans work brought Jeff Rice’s original book into existence in a new edition via Kickstarter, and it was re-edited to include some missing text. So far, the book has been fun as it is in the first person, and the words align with Darren McGavin’s take on Kolchak telling the story. Kolchak now exists with Darren McGavin’s image as a comic book character.

I rose, did some laundry, and felt better. I put on my PJs and read more in bed. With Kolchak’s voice still in my head, I fell asleep. I do not remember my dreams, but I do remember a vague dream of exploring somewhere.

Thanks for reading!