Blog

I overslept and was not up until after 8, and I was not out of room 107 by 9 for the complimentary industrial breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express. Deborah was up for hours at her house by then and was doing some work, cleaning, and packing (from what I could tell). I was at loose ends until about noon, and that fit me fine. I had the blog to write and could enjoy a slower pace today. I have been traveling for over a month, with just a few days at home (the house seemed more like a poorly staffed bed and breakfast than a home for the four days I was there, especially with The Machine still broken).

The staff at the hotel recognizes me (this may be my fifth visit in less than a year). They don’t mind me pointing out that the coffee is out, and they get a full container to put out. I write the blog and chat with a few older guests. One gentleman, residing in Alabama but originally from Michigan and visiting a son, laughs as I tell him I have been looking out the same window, eating breakfast every season. I could also see that he, too, might be doing that now.

I finish the blog, and the coffee has hit harder than I like; I step out for a walk. I have wondered since coming here what was in the little strip mall nearby. I also no longer tire when I walk, which is an improvement, and I can easily walk down to the area to find various local food joints, as well as a few chains. Panera Bread Company is a favorite chain of mine, and it is well represented by its corner location and the usual standardized look.

Kerby’s Koney Island with Vernor’s is a local chain that fits the family’s love of coney dogs. I was tempted to get one (with fresh chopped onions). Dad and Mom Wild would drive from Laingsburg to Flint to get a decent one. Dad used to take me to A&W in Saginaw when we would go to Saginaw Distributors (where Grandpa Wild worked and retired from). The highlight was the food. I resist, but smile as I think of Grandpa, Dad, and me eating some dogs in Saginaw.

While I was walking, Deborah sent me a plan for lunch with Liam and Donovan, her boys, at Dogwoods just inside Pontiac. I returned to the hotel, and soon Deborah, in her mini, picked me up. We pulled in at Liam pulled in with his mini. Dogwood had changed its menu, and the wraps were different and presented on slates instead of plates. It did not seem to be an improvement.

We chatted, and although I wasn’t nervous, it was our first meal together. Apparently, I did not flub it, and it was a pleasant experience. We arranged for Liam to drop us off at the airport for the Iceland flight.

I needed a power cable, and Deborah thought some clothing items would be nice. We headed to the local mall. This one is a combination of an older high-end mall and a newer but lesser mall, not a discount mall by any means. Deborah introduced me to the Shinola Company. They make watches and other high-end items, including a Petoskey stone, Michigan’s state stone (I have some at home), faced watch.

Deborah found something at the Nike store. I asked, as I was unfamiliar with the process now that I was retired and didn’t have a badge if I was eligible for a discount. Deborah saw the confusion on the manager’s face and said I was a retired Nike employee. I shared my employee number (which is still my connection to the shoe company) and ID, and received the usual 50% discount for employees. Deborah was happy to get the full discount.

After the mall, Deborah and I spent the afternoon together and then headed to Rochester for dinner. We picked Thai and ordered too much food, and most of it ended up in containers. We also got a small sundae at the next-door Dairy Queen. Some of the kids with ice cream were waving at the passing vehicles and blowing their horns, laughing and cheering when someone responded.

The traveling, the need to pack, and the time change (Deborah is only a few weeks from our California trip) meant a short night. I wrote and reviewed some items and then called Deborah. She had checked us both in and sent me a boarding pass file to add to my iPhone. All done and ready for the Iceland trip on Tuesday.

I returned to the book I was writing, a Fantasy story with some elements of horror, and I got a few more words down before I became sleepy. I managed to sleep on and off for most of the night. It’s the night before travel, and the time change starts to affect me on the third day.

Thanks for reading. The following blog will be delayed as I will be in Iceland at the time, trying to find an Internet connection.

Starting from the previous blog, Deborah picked me up in her blue mini (with the sticker, “Life is too short to drive a boring car!”) at the Detroit airport, and we enjoyed a hot and sunny (and humid) day. I looked out the window as Detriot went by. I do like this city with its strange mix of lovely old-style houses and buildings next to empty lots and boarded (and often burned-out) matching buildings. It is like the people of Detroit, having lost one-third of the houses and old buildings, have said, ‘We have had enough. We like it here, and we will make it work.’ Easter Market, Slo’s BBQ, Michigan Central, Pewabic pottery, and all the museums have been fabulous. I recommend Detroit and its greater area!

Back closer to Deborah’s place, we have breakfast at Paul’s, which is not air-conditioned, with doors open (Deborah says it was AC’d), and I get to get used to the humidity that is typical of Michigan in July. I have corned beef hash, eggs, and an English muffin while Deborah gets her favorite. I drink lots of water and coffee. Without much sleep, my memory is foggy, and I struggle to recall what happened on Sunday. This will be a short blog.

(Deborah suggests my mind was playing tricks on me, and it was AC’d, and the doors were closed).

We headed to Deborah’s place, and her dogs, Trixie and Zelda, demanded petting, so I soon found myself nodding off with the dogs. Deborah’s boys are home, and Donvan and Liam are soon having breakfast. I wake, and lunch for Deborah and me is planned at Kruse’s Paint Creek Tavern. Back into the mini, and soon Deborah survives some parking challenges without getting any paint marred on the mini. We wait for a table outside (it is now approaching 90°F, or 32°C, plus humidity, but the tables are in the shade). I picked the perch sandwich, wanting something from Michigan, and Deborah has a massive plate of fish and chips (much is destined for a box).

Fed (and heated), I check into my Holiday Inn, the same one I have used over and over. Deborah heads out to visit some family while I struggle to stay awake long enough to finish the blog in my hotel room. I nod off at my desk while proofreading. I manage to shower, change into shorts and a T-shirt (typical July Michigan wear), and then sleep until Deborah wakes me later, after five (17:00).

Later, we get some happy hour food next door at the Grand Tavern (a local chain). With a few boxes of more leftovers, Deborah returns home, and I return to room 107 and soon sleep. I wake at midnight, remember to take my meds, and return to a deep, dream-filled (all forgotten) sleep for another six hours. I recall being concerned that I would not sleep. I managed to get more than ten hours of sleep on Sunday-Monday, the most sleep I have had in weeks. Better!

Thanks for reading!

And sorry for a short blog.

I arrived in Michigan at about 6AM after flying all night. Deborah picked me up at baggage claim, and my bag was waiting for me under number 4, but everything indicated it was on 3. Hmmm.

(Sunrise in Michigan as we start to land)

Before this, I spent almost six hours on an Airbus from Portland, Oregon, to Detroit. I had seat 28A, which meant I had a window. While I could see the wing (it is always reassuring to see it still connected to the plane, especially after we had plane parts falling into Beaverton), it was far enough back that I had a good view. The Airbus, unlike some of the 737s wall, was less rounded, so I was not crushed against the wall in the window seat.

This plane also features an entertainment system for each passenger, and I can scan the QR code, sign in, and access my settings using my Delta SkyMiles membership. But it was all in Spanish. I plugged in my usual noise-canceling wired earbuds. I soon rewatched the movie The Amateur, and somehow, four hours disappeared. I suspect I slept when I paused the movie. The story is about a math and code-breaking geek who loses his wife and demands to be trained as an assassin. Soon, you learn the geek is also the designer for all the encryption and hacking tools for the USA intelligence agencies, which resembles the NSA. I like the movie, but it is fantasy and the grief scenes are familiar to me.

Next, I watched “Beat Bobby Flay.” These are without commercials and appear edited to run faster. I liked them. I managed to get through three before the plane landed.

Returning to the story on Saturday evening, Joan S picked me up around 8 and took me to the airport. The traffic was light, and we chatted about her work and investments. We were soon at PDX.

I was able to check my bag without misplacing anything, like leaving my iPhone in the scanning machine. You must be cautious during transitions when traveling. That is when things get lost, stolen, or errors are made (like walking to C11 instead of D11, which I almost did).

My security wait was short, I am General as I have never invested in TSA PreCheck. I did see that the line tripled behind me, as there were only two agents clearing people for all the D and E gates! I am not sure if this is more political revenge (TSA not supplying enough agents in liberal blue-of-blue Portland). It is hard to distinguish between errors, incompetence, and political revenge these days in the USA!

My carry-on red bag went to the search lane. It was then just handed to me. I was happy not to have to remove my shoes this time. With that done, I stopped at the Deschutes Brewery bar on the D concourse. I had their porter and chatted with the bartenders.

I paid for my drink, found some PDX socks to bring to Deborah (at 50% off), and a snack of fruit, crackers, and some cheese. I would eat this after takeoff. My gate was busy, and the plane was full. I did not wait long until my group was called. My seatmates wanted to sleep, and so they just faded without talking to me. I did cause all of them to get up once, and then they decided that was a good idea.

Returning to my day before the airport and travel, I was up at 7. I had no blog to write and soon was packing and cleaning. I collected the soiled clothing for the laundry mat trip. I ran two small loads ($3.75 each), ran the dryer for an hour on all the laundry ($ 2.00), and soon had everything clean and ready to pack.

Lunch was at Gyro House (and I picked up some cash for the trip from US Bank), and I had ground lamb in a tomato sauce over pita bread with some cream sauce. I finished with coffee and baklava. I ordered too much and took them apart on the plane, so I had them before I arrived in Detroit.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

I have been busy and got my days and memories mixed up.

Thursday is nearly forgotten now. I will just include a few missed thoughts and not post this far. Sorry!

I had to wait for the repairman to arrive. He was early and took apart The Machine. I had time to shower and finish the blog as I woke with pain in my legs as the sun rose. Morning was gloriously sunny but not too hot.

The repairman spoke poor English and used a translator app. I did not mind. He had no parts, unlike the promise I had from LG. The Machine had self-diagnosed, but that was ignored. He would need to return with the parts, and then was surprised that I could not make that work until after the 20th. He took a note for July 23rd return (my sister’s birthday and the day after my MRI, the check now that I am a year out of brain tumor surgery).

I had hoped to do my laundry today, as it is a single part (I have now seen it). Nope. I learned that the main processor board operates at 5V, which means it utilizes a familiar microcontroller. I could hack and program my laundry! But I prefer it to work as designed. With the repairman gone and The Machine not fully reassembled, I collect my clothing, sheets, towels, and other laundry supplies, as well as any other necessary items, and head to the laundry mat at 185th and TV Highway.

It is another odyssey of folks like me, exiled from using their own machines, those paid to do laundry, and people washing rags and other small bits of cloth in huge piles. I use two smaller machines, but I could have used the cheap ($3.75) small ones; I realized that after I got started.

I am working on church paperwork and getting lunch at a Chinese-style place, and I have a less-than-average Happy Family for $20. I ate in Air VW the Gray. The facility is getting its cement entrance removed, and 1/2 of it is now new material. This is loud. It is not a hot day, and the place is not uncomfortable.

I get the sheets and towels and load them into their own dryer. Shirts, pants, and underwear are put in one machine and then another dryer. Next, the dry cleaning stuff was loaded into the cargo area and returned to the house. I unload.

My memory of Thursday fades here. I believe I watched the first episode of the new season of The Sandman. I may have nodded off, too. I continued to work on church paperwork and my travel plans. I discovered that my AWS account still works. Excellent!

I also spoke to Deborah often on Thursday. I am missing her after being with her in Orange County for two weeks.

Dinner was at BJ’s Brewhouse. Eric, my usual waiter, brought me my favorite red ale, and I had the flatbread for dinner.

Sorry, I have mostly forgotten Thursday. Thanks for reading!

 

This is actually what happened on Friday. I got my days mixed up. I published it as Thursday.

I am focused on leaving on Saturday night, and writing this blog has become secondary to getting through Friday and getting ready for my trip. I tried to rise at 6:30 but rolled over and started my day a little later. I had a game at Richard’s house and spaced it was July 4th! I wrote a card from Mom Wild and put it in the mailbox, forgetting that there was no mail on July 4th. I managed to get the basic tasks done and chatted with Deborah for a while in the morning. I had time to make and drink some coffee.

I jumped in the shower, managed to get showered, and so on. I then headed to Air VW the Gray before 8:45 and headed to Portland. There was light traffic, and I soon reached Richard’s home.

I was time-boxed, and we played a new resource and worker placement game, Merchant’s Cove. This is another $200-300 maxed-out Kickstarter game. I have sworn off most game buying, especially those with maxed-out Kickstarter campaigns. I have bought too many that are just not that interesting to me or are too hard to play; I have never even unwrapped my copy after playing Richard’s.

This is an asynchronous game, meaning each player is playing a completely different game. I was playing the Captain, fishing for resources, and discovering buried treasure. There is also a master map, and we all interact with that map. Laura was growing mushrooms in a simulated fantasy garden with soil, insects, and spores to control. Richard was running a fantasy mechanical bakery with gears, dough, and frosting. We sold the goods that we built on a shared central market. I had a 60-point lead at the start of the last round, but still came in last. I did not produce enough goods on the final turn to win. Lauren had held on to her goods throughout the game and sold most of them for huge points in the last play. She won. Richard was only a few points ahead of me (not bad for my first play).

Asynchronous games are challenging to learn and understand their balance; they are like mini-games that can be learned within a larger setting. Additionally, the game requires distinct components and rules for each setup. This pushes the cost up. However, the base game is only about $60 (although there are over $150 in add-ons), and I might consider adding it to my collection. I liked the idea and enjoyed it. The designers attempted to have each player play a different style of board game. With add-ons, there are nine options!

I was out of time and headed out, wishing Richard and Laura a happy July 4th. Air VW the Gray then had a soft break. The computer crashed on the dashboard with a wait screen. It drove weirdly. I pulled over and waited. On the second try, the EV screens worked, but it said I was a ‘Guest.’ I was able to drive it, and it was running normally now. I reached Beaverton and parked at the Safeway. I got some snacks and watermelon radishes. The EV, this time, offered me users, and I changed back to me, and suddenly everything (including Kink.FM) was back the way I liked it. Hmmm. My guess is a software update (I checked, and there is none outstanding, meaning I might have loaded one).

With the radishes in the car, I headed to Matt and Nicky’s place for their 4th of July Party. Matt cooked (and burned on request) burgers and hot dogs, while a variety of food was also brought by others. Matt supplied ‘miracle berries’ that change your tastes from sour to sweet. I tried them, and it made a lemon taste more like an Orange. Wow! Radishes now were a sweet burn.

I chatted with my gamer friends, and maybe we’ll connect for some games. It was great to see many of the folks I have played with over the years. We shared notes on our new characters and how we did in various adventures. Matt plays three groups playing the same adventure.

I got a note that there were some events at First United Methodist Church, and the pride flag was gone. Somebody needed it. I thanked Matt and gave a few hugs to friends and headed out. I stopped at the house, grabbed a flag and pole. I replaced them without issue at the church. Back to the usual now.

I returned home with all the fireworks going and started on finally writing this blog. Sorry, it is rushed. Thanks for reading!