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As the day went on, I was coughing more and more. I think it was just the cough meds wearing off, and I am still tired from the flights, packing, and freezing on the USS Constitution on Sunday. The time difference, three hours, cannot be helping. I went to Safeway and got some more High Blood Pressure (HBP) versions of cold meds at 8 at night and could sleep soon. I also got holiday Milano cookies–Double Dark Chocolate–which might have helped as much as the meds!

I rose early at 7:45 and had some food, plain raisin toast with a banana, read the news, updated Quicken with transactions, and enjoyed liberal coffee made in my French Press. The taste of liberal every morning started when President Trump was elected for the first time. The coffee bitterness reminds me every morning how much work we liberals have to do and provides me with the Hope (maybe that is the caffeine, but it feels like Hope) that someday the world will remember Justice, Compassion, and the love of Community. I recommend drinking liberal coffee every morning.

Soon, I was rushing and fighting the drifting-like feeling and cleaned up, showered, and dressed. Using the recently laundered underwear and socks. Traffic was slow through Beaverton, taking thirty minutes to transverse the Tualatin Valley Highway (which even had its own wiki page here) to reach 217, which feeds into 26, which leads to 405, and gets me to the stadium area not far from Richard’s house. I was only a few minutes late, but James, coming from Washington State, appeared a few minutes later.

While we waited for James, I described my trip and said that Deborah and I were now seeing each other. Richard, James, and I start another scenario of the Second Edition of Mansion of Madness. James, who purchased a pre-painted used copy, found some pieces missing. This scenario was missing most of the boards and miniatures, but we found substitutes, and the app that runs the game provided most of the information we needed. This scenario, rated as difficult, was the first time I felt the game captured a Lovecraft modern horror feel. The sanity and health loss were slowly building and created a more subtle clock in the game–better. This was a re-animator story, and we actually, on our board, barricaded the chapel against a seemingly endless supply of zombies. Ultimately, we solved most of the scenario by defeating the main monster, abruptly ending the battle with the world facing a zombie invasion. Oops! I suspect there was a better solution to stop the zombies, but still, it was excellent and immersive. I really felt that this play was worthy of the subject. I am tempted to play it again and try to find another non-world-zombie-invasion solution.

I was tired and headed home hungry and exhausted. I resolved to cook a pork chop, got home, and talked to Deborah, who was now going home after work. I defrosted the chop, cleaned up some fresh green beans, steamed them, and then wilted them in a frying pan with butter, sliced almonds, and fresh sliced garlic. I reheated some potatoes from Costco that I made from frozen the day before.

The porkchop was fried in a metal frying pan on butter, with the chop covered with generic Italian spices and salt and pepper. Once sealed on both sides, I moved the whole into a 350F for ten minutes. With the internal temperature of 170F, it was done on time. I removed the chop from the pan, put a hot pad glove on the handle (it is 350F hot and is not fun when you forget and grab it), and added water and cornstarch to make a pan gravy that I poured over the potatoes. It was a lot of food! I could barely finish it. I finished the green beans, which were two helpings.

As usual, I watched Battleship New Jersey videos and ShipHappens (though I did fast-forward some of their endless repairs) while eating, with the history of the reactivation of the battleships and their final deactivation better explained. I remembered the argument in the 1980s that the WW2 armor was more protection from missiles and could likely take multiple hits without loss, unlike modern ships where one missile would take out a warship and two hits likely destroy the ship and kill the crew. The story, as told by Ryan, the curator of the battleship, is more direct. The US Navy had no new vessel to mount the latest missiles, and the battleship could be updated to carry them. Also, there was a dispute that the US Navy mission included using big guns to provide invasion support, and only the Iowa class, the ship class of USS New Jersey, could fit both missions. I did not know this story. The Iowa’s were finally removed from service as the new navy ships came online carrying the missiles with the Regan’s Navy build-up. Congress would not pay the two billion estimate and would not wait five years to upgrade/rebuild the Iowa class into battle carriers. The argument for the need for big guns, while disputed, was abandoned. A fascinating history of the Cold War, with the Navy mission changing from defeating the Soviet Union to facing ad hoc but still just as deadly threats from Iran and other ‘rogue’ nations.

BTW: The Russian nuclear-powered Peter the Great is the last big ship classed like the Iowas (here) in service and was the reason for reactivating the Iowa class battleship (now all museum ships).

I was slow and coughing. I was out of focus and decided to just stop. I decided to shower, put on my PJs, and read. The new book, A Conventional Boy: A Laundry Files Novel by Charles Stross, was released today. I got a Kindle version and read it while trying to sleep. Eventually, I slept.

Thanks for reading.

I slept in until almost 9. I rose and found liberal coffee (i.e., Fair Exchange certified), assembled the French Press, and made coffee. I found the last of my steel-cut oats and cooked them on the stove. I opened a can of peaches and scooped out about 1/2 into a bowl. I found yogurt with fruit and ate all that while writing the blog until the early afternoon. The doorbell rang, and I found the mail and packages that had been delivered. I had the mail held, and then everything was delivered today. I managed to get through the packages. It was like Christmas again. Linda’s glassware arrived intact (Deborah mailed it for me). I will toss the pile of junk mail and try to get through the cards, bills, and year-end papers on Tuesday.

Deborah sent me a board game for the holidays (and thankfully sent it to the house): AbDucktion. I am looking forward to trying it when she is here in February. I also received a Kickstarter Ostia Pirates, another add-on for my copy of the Ostia Board Game from a previous Kickstarter. I found my new apron from my sister. I had packed it in my luggage and discovered it says ‘Chef Wild’; excellent! My books also arrived. It was like another Christmas.

I used The Machine to do my laundry, but it is drying poorly, and I will have to review how to service it. I managed to do three loads; the last one is finished as I write tonight. I had enough clothing left at the house (leaving some to make my first day back easier) and soon cleaned up, dressed, and made lunch. I found Trader Joe’s frozen meal of Butter Chicken and some frozen naan for lunch and baked them. I talked to Deborah, who is back to work on her break. Next, I called Enterprise Car Rentals and ordered a two-week car rental.

I walked to the local Enterprise office and waited fifteen minutes for someone to help me. They got me a Ford Escape, grey colored this time, for two weeks. I managed to connect my phone and got CarPlay to work. Perfect!

I drove to the Volvo Mothership and spoke to the service folks. Yes, my service person is off on Mondays even when he agreed to talk to you on your first day back, Monday. I decided to continue with more repairs.

Dear reader, I decided to pick the cheapest and most convenient solution. When you can’t decide, I use the corporate approach of cost as the tiebreaker. To replace the XC60 2018 Volvo would mean buying a new car for likely $20,000 or more and disposing of my failing vehicle. Living without a car, while financially appealing, would be inconvenient, and I would still have to scrap or sell the XC60. Finally, if the XC60 fails again, I can still sell it, recoup what I can, and buy a used Ford Escape from Enterprise (they sell their cars when done with them). The fantasy of living without an expensive vehicle and using Uber and rentals to fill in would require much more attention than I want to give this problem. Paying to fix the Volvo seems the easiest.

With that decided, I headed to grocery shopping. First, at 185 Market, I  purchased fresh veggies at a reasonable cost. Next, I bought meat, canned items, dry goods, and cheese at Safeway. All this I loaded into the cargo hold of Air Ford (Escape). I unloaded and repacked the pork chops, chicken breasts, and chicken thighs into smaller bags of one or two servings and froze them. I held back two slit chicken breasts for dinner.

I soaked the chicken breasts in salt water for 45 minutes, dried them off, and baked them for 10 minutes with oil and spices (reading an internal temperature of 170F, perfect). I steamed fresh green beans and wilted them in a frying pan with butter, fresh garlic, and almond slices. I baked frozen Costco potatoes as the starch.

I finished the beans and had some more potatoes. I put away the second piece of chicken and potatoes as leftovers for another day. As the coughing worsened throughout the day, I took more meds. I am tired.

I took a nap and rose to write the blog tonight as I have a board game at Richards on Tuesday morning. Sorry if it was just a simple day, but I needed to go slower for a while. Thanks for reading!

The morning started as usual, with me rising with an alarm for 6:30 and showering to be fresh for a travel day. I skipped church as I needed to pack and write the blog. It took three tries to get everything to fit in my two bags. I have collected only minor things to travel with for easy packing. Some gifts and books were mailed from Curious Books and John King’s Books, and Deborah got the fragile items (they arrived intact today, Monday) here (thanks, Deborah). I had to put a pair of pants in my carry-on and slide another in the suitcase’s side pocket. I sat on it to close the luggage, but it was expensive and meant for abuse.

Habits are easy when traveling as you are exposed to so much new, and you want to connect with something stable to give you a break. The new experiences can feel overwhelming. Thus, I had days of salmon bagels at Bagel Cafe, but travel is not about stability but, as I understand it, about discovery. I am done packing, checked out without surprises (other than there is no coffee this morning in the lobby!?), and have time. I plan to meet Clint and Annika at noon at their home. I searched the internet on Maps and found The Yolk Grill in Nashua, which is open and looks like a good choice.

I load up my two bags in Air Ford, NH, and leave the hotel one more time. I headed in the opposite direction than usual and used various highways via Maps to reach downtown Nashua. A plastic drink cup is the perfect holder for my phone for directions while I drive. I soon find parking after traveling a few blocks off Main Street to reach the place. There are plenty of cars here, a good sign.

I sat at the bar, and Jess was my bartender and waiter. I resisted all the alcoholic goodies offered. I order the Yolk’s Breakfast. Jess says that is one of everything, but actually three or so. It is way too much food. I take food porn pictures and, with Jess’s direction, share them on New Hampshire Eats on Facebook for a 10% discount. Excellent. I have just coffee and too much food. I pack the brisket for later, manage the bacon, most of the eggs, and most of the sausage, and leave the baked beans (fantastic for breakfast, I discovered) and potatoes unfinished. I am not alone. The food is perfect and impossible to complete.

Jess keeps filling my cup, and I write the blog. I finish the blog when Jess says, “Some more coffee so you can rush off,” as she notices I am watching the time while writing. Soon, the blog was published, and I took Jess’s picture and added it to the New Hampshire Eats post. Later, I get called out and update my post to make it more useful (not knowing there is a second Grill)—all good.

It is a thirty-minute drive to the house. I get there with a few minutes to spare, and only Ryder is up. Soon, Clint and Annika appear, and about thirty minutes later, we are on the way to Boston. Just three of us, Misha and Hope, demurred when asking if they wanted to see the USS Constitution on a cold January day in Boston Harbor.

The drive is primarily uneventful; Boston’s drivers are known to be unskilled and aggressive–not a good combination. We find parking in an underground garage just two blocks from the entrance. We had to provide IDs (Clint had to run back to the car to get him) and waited twenty minutes to be led on a ship tour. Our tour guides were all active navy, and most just out of BootCamp, Clint learns. USS Constitution is over two hundred years old and is an active ship with a crew. The crew is not wearing period uniforms as it is cold, and the officer in charge decided not to use them.

The USS Constitution is primarily a reconstruction now, with only 20% of the original ship existing (the naval tour guide said that most of that is in the keel). Most of the ironwork and fixtures are newer, with the stove not being original, at least from the correct period, I was told. Sadly, the Captain’s Cabin was not open, but it appears to be restored. We only got two decks down. I would like to have traveled one more down, but that was not part of the tour. The ladders are steep and crazy, so maybe it was OK to skip the lower decks. It is always interesting to see what compromises are made for historical ships. This is primarily intact inside, with most masts and sails taken down. The cannons were, I learned, a gift from Queen Elizabeth II, and it was strange to see her monogram on them, and some joker cast an arrow on the cannon to show which way to point them (?!). But it was worth a visit, and I took some pictures. We skipped the museum and the WW2 Destroyer, still in her Cold War configuration, as it was not open in the winter.

I should mention that it was cold and windy, but the insides were heated. The ship also was not bouncing around but quite still. This made the ladders approachable!

Next, we discovered a beer and pizza joint only a few minutes away: The Brewer’s Fork, next to a synagog now converted to a Dollar General! There, Clint and I enjoyed a brew. Clint ordered a pizza, while Annika and I ordered three meatballs with bread. It was excellent. Clint did have to move the car, as parking was on the street.

Stuffed, we headed to Logan Airport, and the signage left must be desired, with many cars flying across two or three lanes when the driver finally understood the signage. Clint had to change lanes twice as we learned that Terminal A (Delta) was not the same lane as the rental car return. Oh my! It’s not a place I would recommend to get a rental.

I said a quick goodbye and soon started dropping off my bag. I had to wait for a machine and then a long line to drop the bag. I am amazed by how few machines are provided at most airports. Delta had a large count, but each machine had a line two deep. I completed the ritual and had ninety minutes until boarded. I did help a few folks, as this process can be stressful. I remembered my phone (you can easily forget it and leave it on the machine–I know) and soon found the security (I am not cleared and have to join everyone) with all my goods intact.

I did not pull out my laptop (the last four flights had me leave it in my bag) and had to have my carry-on rescanned with the computer in another tray. I saw a lost laptop in a tray (it was not just me who was surprised). Shoes, coat, belt, but not my hat, come off. My person passed. I reassembled my person while my bag and laptop enjoyed a second proper scan ritual.

I find the gate, the last one, with an hour to go to boarding. I have noticed that I constantly travel through the furthest gate each time, suggesting that I have angered the airport gods or that some spirit enjoys seeing my reaction each time I somehow find my gate was the last again. “You are Damned to forever walk to the end of the terminal as punishment for always buying the cheap seats,” I could hear in a disapproving version of Derek Jacobi’s voice. While there is a bar next to the gate, I just read the news and surf on my phone.

I soon boarded the plane and found my seat. Placed my gym bag in the overhead bin (ignoring all the warnings that I should put it under my seat to be helpful). My coat went under my seat. I spent six hours watching movies and some TV shows. I did the last of Argo, a fantastic movie I started on another flight; I watched the newest Count of Monte Cristo (in French with English subtitles). I finished with the Transformers One movie, which was not bad for an animated film. The plane landed without issues at Seattle, but the folks were moving with no speed, and it took thirty minutes to get off the plane (my seat 36A); I then rushed and walked up and down escalators, took a train, and was not surprised that my gate in A was the last one. But they were holding the plane for late transfers, like me, and soon, I was on a nearly empty plane. Despite rushing, I waited thirty minutes for the plane to leave and soon arrived after a twenty-five-minute flight at PDX. Yay!

Yes, my baggage claim was the last one. I rolled my bags to the taxi lane, the last thing at the bottom of the parking garage. I waited ten minutes for a taxi as the line was long. I got a cab, and the driver was thrilled to get a $100 fair to Beaverton. He had only three fairs all day (including mine). I gave him a good tip, and I was soon home. He would have preferred cash (something to remember to leave $120 in cash in my wallet next time).

I did the minimum to get to bed, showered, and was happy to see everything as I left it about three weeks ago. The orchids and pitcher plants were looking well. However, the house elves could have cleaned the counters and swept the floors. In bed, in my PJs that I had put away for my return, and as with every night for a week, I struggled to stop coughing. Meds helped. I was soon asleep and happy to be home. It felt good to be back.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks to family, friends, and travel professionals that made this trip memorable. Thank you!

I slept in and rose just before 8 in room 329 at the Extended Stay America. While my room is clean, it is rundown and comes with no coffee or complimentary breakfast, and I will not stay in this chain again. I would join Clint, Annika, Hope, and Misha (Annika and Clint being Susie’s cousins and the other spouses, respectively) for lunch around noon for birria tacos at a local place. While not uncomfortable, room 329 had nothing to appeal to me, and soon, I cleaned up, shaved, dressed, and boarded Air Ford NH.

I remembered to turn left this time to reach Bagel Cafe and went with a plain bagel for their smoked salmon (bad breath) bagel. There, I had more coffee, as I had snagged a quick cup in the hotel lobby (there were options for instant oatmeal and hot chocolate). I wrote the blog and talked to Deborah about her plans for the day; she was joining local friends for a holiday celebration. I finished the blog at about 11ish. I read my email, updated Quicken with the transactions (fixed an issue with one download), and updated my 401K for the year-end valuation (lowering by $15,000).

I headed out in Air Ford NH and soon was at Clint’s and Annika’s place, back in a car, and at the local Mexican place, meeting Misha there–he had driven up from Boston. Soon, with the tacos and other food loaded, we returned to Clint’s and Annika’s place, and I was tasked with setting up the massive Cthulhu Wars board game on their most enormous table. It played four people, and soon, Misha, Clint, Riley, and I were going over the rules. I had time to read and review the rules and remember how to play.

Misha showing Cthulhu on the board (for scale).

This is an expensive game, starting at about $200 for the base, and it can go, as in my case, too many times that number for all the add-ons. The final rules book, The Omega Rules, is an inch-thick, hardbound tome. We were only playing the basics, and soon I explained the rituals (This is a Lovecraft Mythos game, and instead of game phases, it has rituals). Clint got it cheap at an auction. This game uses Risk-like combat, as many games still do, but with crazy rule-breaking to match the theme. It is hard to describe or to have a plan; the different factions (played by each player) have various superpowers that violate multiple rules. Misha, playing Cthulu, spread out and attacked me, The Crawling Chaos, and learned about all the superpowers. Ryder also slammed me, playing The Yellow Sign (Hastor the Unspeakable). She was shocked that I withstood the attack and attacked me again (The Yellow Sign has one superpower to do two things on a single turn), and Clint spread out fast, The Black Goat, gaining powers (books), but soon most of his cultists were captured by everyone. Being the crawling type, I quietly took all the gates from Ryder, who ran to the quieter section of the board and soon had five gates. I finished all my superpowers (six books) and was the only player thus qualified to win. I then enjoyed the Ritual of Annihilation, which doubled my score each round. Misha outscored me, but he had only four books, so I kept the win. Misha had not won enough battles to get his books.

(Me showing the Crawling Chaos–in blue–that won with Clint standing in front of The Black Goat in red. Ryder had already pulled his figures, yellow, off the board)

I snacked and then played another game of Cthulu Pandemic as Hope found it short enough (she does not like longer games) and was surprised by how hard it was this time. The game structure slammed us a few times, and Hope’s investigator even went insane (she closed the gate and was healed). Ultimately, all the evil powers cards were in play (except the last one that would cause the game to end), and all the relics were used! We played with four players, the maximum, and it played well with four, which I don’t get to do often. We managed to win and close the last gate with only a few actions left and would have lost if Hope had not closed the gate! A close and more immersive game. Excellent.

Clint reappeared with pizzas. Soon, Clint, two new players, and I played the rest of the night playing Wrymspan game using the newly updated components. Clint and I agree that the gems need to be replaced (I plan to do that for my copy, and I will get extra). As I covered the game a few days ago, I will say that the new players, all skilled board gamers, won with Clint ten points above my low score. It was fun and impressive to watch the other players do so well. With Wrymspan, you can get a poor game if you don’t get the good items in random draws. I was stressed by my choices.

I had nothing to drink but water, and I will admit that I was not paying attention and looked down at 56 in a 35. The officer from Amherst validated this, explaining the speed limits in the area and what a New Hampshire registration looked like. I was not what the officer was looking for, and I smiled. He was fascinated by his first Oregon driver’s license, and Aloha, my town, fascinated him. I told him it was my fault and admitted I had missed the sign. “Have you been to Eugene?” was his question, “Why yes.” I suspect the paperwork to give me, from out of state, a ticket on a borrowed car would take longer than he wanted to invest. We both said goodnight, and I was happy he got his first Oregonian. All good. I was officially warned, and I drove slower.

I received news that the car, once known as Air Volvo, needs another $8,000 in repairs! This plus the existing $5,600 already invested. I put off the repairs and will talk to the dealership about scrapping options on Monday. Ugh!

I arrived slowly at my hotel. I showered and prepared to start early as I had to pack and write a blog. I soon, after too much coughing, finally, with various meds helping, slept. Thanks for reading.

 

I was back at the Extended Stay America hotel at about 1AM, showered, got in my PJs, coughed for a while, and then drifted off to sleep on Saturday morning. I had left Clint’s and Annika’s house after midnight. I had DM’d from about 7 to 11:20 and spent some time chatting about the Dungeons and Dragons games before heading across Nashua, New Hampshire.

We played with eight players, all pre-made characters at seventh level for 5E. I downloaded them from D&D Beyond, and Clint printed them out. From what I saw, all the premade characters were powerful and legal. They did include items from various exotic books, but they were still, I believe, legal for the regular 5E version of Dungeons and Dragons, with all the basic magic items supplied to make the character playable. All the numbers and special rules for the character were printed on the sheets. All ready-to-play versions.

We started playing with me explaining the simplified ‘convention’ system I use (learned from Matt V), which made the game flow smoother (all the players go, and then the DM runs the bad guys) and that we go around the table starting on the left with any sequencing issues being resolved (i.e., Clint’s bard supplies support out of sequence as needed). The armor classes of the pre-made characters were higher than I prepared for, but I had enough bad guys that I usually hit every round with something. This adventure deals punishing levels of damage, which soon creates a feeling of danger that makes everyone pay attention. A critical hit from the bad guys would knock most player characters unconscious!

The story came from an adventure I wrote a few years ago (about the desert tomb of Rath), and I had removed about 1/2 to finish in one play. I also dropped two encounters as the night went on–we did not have time for a complex puzzle-monster encounter, which might turn deadly if misplayed. The adventure is designed for four to five tenth-level, well-organized, powerful characters, equal to eight seventh-level characters. But the 7th was more fragile, and I would have one character or more unconscious in my battles that night. As this was a one-time shot adventure, clobbering characters was acceptable.

Everyone seemed to have a good time, and they liked the process and how I put them each in the spotlight before moving to the next. They also felt the risk, and though it was a hack-and-slash adventure, a poem they had acquired from a disreputable used camel salesman made it more of a puzzle. It warned them of what they would face.

I also gave an advantage to the players. A spell blocked my mummy-creating hallway. A natural 20 meant no damage for a player. When searching the desert, they should avoid the monsters. Good ideas and attempts to solve problems are granted outsized results. It was essential to provide agency to players; it meant it was more fun for everyone. For example, one player’s character had nothing to throw at the scorpion swarm, but on a lucky roll, she found that the used camel dealer had slipped a practical flask of oil into her character’s pack. A note suggested that it would be useful to prevent the scorpions, “no charge for such great customers.”

The final encounter was rough, as it should be, and they learned a few new rules about bad guys in their lair and legendary actions. Soon, half of the characters were unconscious or paralyzed with fear. But the weight of numbers soon worked to their advantage, and the main final bad guy was quickly running out of hit points (their two heaviest hitters delivering back-to-back punishing damage to the bad guy). They finally knocked out the bad guy and won the adventure with only four of the eight characters still functional; perfect!

It was fun, and everyone seemed happy (and relieved) when they finished about 11:20.

Before this, dinner was a bit of Shepard’s pie, except the kids don’t like to have foods touching, so this was a make-you-own version, meaning I put my mash on my meat and veggies for a more classic experience. It was excellent.

Before this, I played Pandemic Cthulhu with Clint and a second game (Clint and I lost the first one) with Clint and Hope. This is a re-themed version of the cooperative game Pandemic but with mechanisms that hammer the player characters and exotic artifacts from the Lovecraft Mythos. Hope reminded us of a few options, and together, we managed to close the gates in time and save the world (for now). It is a fun and challenging version, and I have a copy (all the figures painted). It plays well for any player count (there is no solo version).

Before this, I met Clint, Annika, Glenda, Gene, and Hope’s kids for lunch at Uno’s, and Clint and I split the cost. I wanted to try their pan pizza with meatballs. It was good. We also got a cheese appetizer. Annika and Glenda got salad combinations. The kids had pizza and spaghetti.

Before this, I stopped by Staples and got some pencils and Post-its for the game. Next, I stopped by the local gaming store and got some dice sets (one going to Hope–cheaper but easy-to-read versions) and a scoop of twenty-sided dies that I often use as DM. Later, I gave some away, but most of the gaming supplies will remain with Clint and friends.

Before this, I talked to Deborah and wrote a blog. I went, again, to Bagel Cafe and enjoyed more salmon on my purchased breakfast.

Thanks for reading.